ANGELEYES, dbh connor

TWELVE

CLOUD 9
━━━━━━(●'ω｀●)━

"WH... WHAT DO YOU need me for?" stammers Connor as he rubs his sleepy eyes.

You give him a polite smile, "There's a case we're required at and I thought I'd come to you before getting the Lieutenant. A murder has been reported at the Eden club and we're needed there as soon as possible."

Connor stares at you cluelessly. After a moment, he finally speaks.

"The... Eden club? You mean the Android sex club? I mean-... I don't- I've never been there I've just- I've read about it so the name sounds familiar I-..." He sighs and shifts uncomfortably. "Let me get dressed. You can come in, Y/N."

He quickly shuffles away into his dark loungeroom. You watch him for a moment until he disappears from sight and down a separate hallway.

A little awkwardly, you walk into Connor's house and slowly make your way through the entrance. Your eyes scan your surroundings to look at the details of his home and you notice a shelf filled with photos on his loungeroom wall.

Curiously, you make your way over to it.

From his bedroom, you hear Connor rustling around and dropping things, so you don't doubt that you have enough time to snoop around without him minding.

SCANNING...

There's a photo of Connor from approximately 2032. His hair is cropped shorter than it is now and he's wearing black stud earrings... A punk phase, perhaps? Hanging off his shoulder is a beautiful woman who looks a few years older than him.

Her hair is black with purple-dyed ends and she has a wild smile on her face.

You stare at the photograph intently, holding it in your hand. So intently, in fact, that you don't notice it when Connor comes out of his room.

"Oh," he says, and you slowly turn to face him, the photo still in your grasp. "That's me from back when I was in the police academy. I must've been, uhh, I dunno, eighteen?"

You place the photo down and study Connor's expression.

He still looks half-asleep but there's a strange sadness in his eyes.

"The woman next to you, her name's Lorelai?" you ask, innocently.

And Connor's expression darkens. Only by a fraction, but you still see it. It's what you designed for -- taking note of minute changes in expression and body language.

He rubs the back of his neck with his palm, "Yeah. Lorelai... She was my first love. We dated for a bit, but, uh... She broke up with me when I was just about to graduate from the academy. She was a real free spirit, y'know? Didn't want me tying her down."

"I don't understand..." you furrow your eyebrows. "You'd make the perfect romantic partner for companionship, why would she break up with you?"

Connor doesn't respond. He remains silent and simply stares at you cluelessly. ⍓

You ignore his surprised reaction and scan his appearance.

Instead of wearing the hoodie from before, he's dressed in a simple white button-up (like always), black jeans, and a dark grey cotton trenchcoat to combat the weather. His hair is a little damp and you guess that he combed his fingers through it to tame it.

He looks... what humans would say is handsome.

Connor fidgets under your unwavering stare and clears his throat, "Um, ready to go?"

"Sure, Detective. But before we leave, I just want to say that... I believe you're a good man. You have many desirable traits and I've noticed that your self-confidence isn't very high. But many women at the DPD seem interested in you. Frankly speaking, your confidence should be higher."

Connor blinks. ⍓

"Now, let's go."

"I'll drive," he says, his face pink, "I know the way to Hank's off by heart."

HANK'S HOUSE IS VERY different from Connor's. It's nice, but it's not fancy or particularly well-cared for. The grass is a little overgrown and all of the trees look over-hydrated and half dead.

Perhaps it's a reflection of his mental health. He doesn't seem to be in a good state.

"Well, here we are," Connor says as he turns his car engine off.

Rain pelts down on the car roof as you open your door and trudge through the half-flooded gutter. Connor quickly rushes over to you and opens an umbrella over your head to shield you from the heavy rain.

Huh. He treats you like you're a human... It's strange. But you're slowly getting used to the strangeness around him.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ⍓...

The two of you walk through Hank's garden with the wet grass squelching beneath your shoes every step you take.

When you reach his door, Connor knocks lightly and takes a small step back to wait. A few seconds pass before he presses down on Hank's doorbell.

"Lieutenant Anderson? Anybody home?... Hank?" Connor calls but there's no response.

You study Connor as his stress levels rise.

"Ah, crap... He hides a spare key under his flower pot, I'll be right back." With that, Connor quickly jogs back into the rain (leaving his umbrella with you) and makes his way to the side of the house.

As you wait for him to return, you peer through one of the Lieutenant's windows. His lights are on but you're not sure where he is... Frowning, you walk around the house and look into one of the side windows.

What you see jolts you into action.

Hank is laying, unconscious, on his hardwood floor. Alcohol cans are scattered around next to him and a huge Saint Bernard dog is laying next to him.

"Connor?" you yell. "The Lieutenant's unconscious." And, for a passing moment, you consider using the umbrella to smash open the window.

Connor appears a few moments later, holding a key. "Shit!" he cusses and jogs over to Hank's front door. He quickly unlocks the door and enters the house, his stress levels slowly rising with every moment they waste.

You follow him, silent.

"Good boy Sumo," Connor speaks to the Saint Bernard and strokes the dog's head a few times. It ambles over to you and sniffs your clothed legs before slowly trotting away, back to its food bowl.

"Hank? Wake up," Connor crouches down next to the Lieutenant, a concerned frown on his face. "Crap... I told him to stop drinking... Why does he never listen to me?"

You stand next to him and analyse Hank's appearance. He doesn't have alcohol poisoning, thankfully, and his heart is still beating -- so it's really just like he's having an extended nap. But you need him for a case and Connor's concerned, so...

As you look closer, you notice a discarded gun laying next to Hank's hand and a bottle of Black Lamb whisky.

"Let me," you say and Connor gets out of your way with a small nod.

You stand over Hank and lightly slap his face, "Lieutenant?"

He groans and slaps his lips but that's the only response you get.

"Lieutenant? Lieutenant, wake up!" You pull your hand away from his face and prepare yourself... "Wake up, Lieutenant!"

You strike. You slap him across the side of his face and he gasps, his droopy eyes fluttering open.

"We're going to sober you up for your own safety, Lieutenant!"

"C'mon Hank, I told you to stop drinking!"

"Shuddup-"