Old Police Officer: Let go of the hostage, sir. This won't do you any good.
Enraged Man: Go away!!
Old Police Officer: Damn!
Old Police Officer: That was close! Where's our backup?
Poitier: DAA, at your service.
Liang Yue: What's the situation?
Old Police Officer: See for yourself.
The City Hall, usually bustling with foot traffic, now stands eerily empty. The reason is immediately clear.
Enraged Man: Don't come any closer! Stay back! Stay back!!
Hostage: Please! Don't kill me! I'm sorry, I really am! Please let me go!
Enraged Man: Shut up! It's too late now. Say another word, and you're dead! Stay back!!
He swings the blade in his hand wildly, his voice a furious, panicked snarl.
The crowd on the other side of the police barricade instinctively recoils, but the woman standing just ten paces away doesn't move an inch.
???: Hey, hey. Trust me, pal.
???: You really don't want to do this.
Poitier: Who's that? Doesn't look like one of ours.
Old Police Officer: Just some civvy. She was talking with the suspect before we got here.
Liang Yue: That woman ...
Poitier: What, you know her? Look familiar or something?
Liang Yue: No. Just a thought. It's nothing.
???: ...
The woman glances toward the officers, seeming to notice their conversation.
???: People make mistakes. But some mistakes can't be undone. Don't put that blood on your hands, or it'll never wash off.
???: Is hurting this guy worth all that pain and guilt?
???: Sooner or later, he'll get what's coming to him for what he's done. I promise you that.
Her words seem to have an effect. The hostage-taker hesitates, his face contorted in pain, his grip on the knife faltering.
Enraged Man: But, but, I must ...
Poitier: He's distracted. Rookie, time for us to take him down!
COMBAT
Liang Yue: Please stand down, sir.
Although almost half his size, Liáng manages to pin the suspect to the ground. The other officers swarm in, snapping handcuffs around his wrists before he can put up another fight.
Old Police Officer: Suspect under control. I repeat, suspect under control. No further backup needed.
Looks like this case is wrapped up.
Poitier: Nice moves. I was kinda hoping we'd get to see that familiar of yours, though.
Liang Yue: A simple threat like this isn't worthy of Qiángliáng. I have to reserve its assistance unless absolutely necessary.
Poitier: So, is this just another one of those rules? Or, do you mean its help comes with a price tag?
Liang Yue: Both.
Despite the curtness of her response, her eyes widen a little at Poitier's astuteness.
Poitier scowls.
Poitier: That it?
Liang Yue: What do you mean?
Poitier: I mean, so far, every time you talk about the job or your family rules, it's just the surface-level stuff. How do you actually feel about any of this?
Liáng looks genuinely confused.
Liang Yue: How I feel? I-I don't understand why it would be necessary to mention that.
Poitier: Cause we're partners, kid. We've got to trust each other. How am I gonna let you watch my six if I don't even know how you tick?
But Liáng still doesn't seem to get it.
Liang Yue: I see. You're my partner and instructor during my assignment with the LAPD Division of Arcane Affairs.
Liang Yue: So, I will do my best to learn from you and complete my work as assigned. I won't slow you down.
Poitier: That's not what I'm—Urgh. Forget it.
Liang Yue: ...?
Liáng's tone all but says, "My personal feelings don't matter." Poitier gives up trying to argue with someone with such a stubborn, unreadable demeanor.
She simply stares at her, quietly seething to herself. Luckily, before things can spiral further, the hostage cuts through the tension.
Hostage: Oh, thank God you took down that lunatic. I'm really grateful, Miss.
Hostage: But, ain't you a bit young to be an Arcane Affairs Officer? I think I've seen that uniform somewhere else before. You're a vigil, right?
Liang Yue: Yes, sir. Wait.
Liáng swallows the rest of her words as she stares at the hostage she just rescued, her expression suddenly wary.
Liang Yue: I know you.
Liang Yue: The arcanist scammer, Johnny Three-Times, has been apprehended. Using his arcane skill "Omnis Obeisance," he manipulated his victims to do anything he asked, specifically, transferring all their money to him.
Liang Yue: You're that scammer, Johnny Three-Times.
Johnny Three-Times: Oopsie. Guess that's the downside of getting your name in the papers.
Poitier: What? Didn't we already book that guy? What's he doing here?
Old Police Officer: He got a sweetheart deal. A reduced sentence in exchange for revealing where he stashed all the dough he stole.
Old Police Officer: And it was a stload of money too, apparently from some big donors to the mayor's re-election campaign.
Old Police Officer: Of course, he demanded he be present for the unveiling of his stash. So, they brought him here. That's when this loony attacked the police escort and took him hostage.
Johnny Three-Times: Hey, easy, officer. You've already got me. No need to be so rough with the cuffs.
Old Police Officer: Clam it, Johnny.
Poitier: We should've just let that guy ice him.
Liang Yue: May I ask, officer, do we know if the man trying to kill him was—
Old Police Officer: Yeah, he's the son of a victim. This bastard took his mom for all she was worth, and when she found out—boom—heart attack.
He shakes his head, heaving a weary sigh. Johnny Three-Times snickers.
Johnny Three-Times: Ha. Like mother, like son. He was just as dumb as his doddering old mom. Worse even, cause he didn't even catch wise to it.
Johnny Three-Times: It's a concrete jungle, baby, and it follows jungle rules. Survival of the fittest. Crap for brains here never had a chance.
Johnny Three-Times: If it wasn't me, it woulda been someone else. What a joke! Imagine keeling over just cause you lost a bit of cash.
Johnny Three-Times: Then we've got this dumbass, coming at me with even less of a brain. Think about it. If he killed me, how's he gonna get his money back?
Poitier: Shut the fk up, asshole!
She levels a punch to his gut, sending him crumpling to the ground, gasping for air.
Johnny Three-Times: UGH!
Liang Yue: Officer Poitier, what are you doing?
Poitier: What? I'm teaching this douchebag a lesson.
Liang Yue: But we can't do that. It's against the rules.
Liáng steps between the two, blocking Poitier from doing any more.
Johnny Three-Times: cough Well, I guess the Vigiles are a cut above the trash when it comes to the DAA. Am I right?
Poitier takes a deep breath as she tries to rein in her frustration.
Poitier: Let's get this straight, rookie. You don't tell me what to do.
Poitier: I should've known. You're just the worst kind of cop—Everything by the book, sticking to your high-and-mighty principles like you know what's best.
She lets out a frosty huff and turns away.
Liang Yue: ...
Girl: Liáng Yuè! How dare you rat us out?
Liang Yue: Be-Because you did something wrong.
Girl: Then you're a rat. I didn't really care if you wanted to come along, but now you go and snitch on us?
Boy: I told you we shouldn't have invited her.
Liang Yue: Wait, don't go.
Liang Yue: I—
The clamor of fearful voices cuts her off.
Young Police Officer: No. Somebody stop him.