Phante;
The house you're approaching seems normal. Brick walls, wooden doors. Quaint little windows with lace curtains. A nice, family home. The garden is full of brightly coloured flowers, tulips and daisies leading the way to the front door. It'd only be polite to knock, no?
The first peculiar thing you notice is the door bell. For such a typical house you expected a small white box with a button on attached beside the door frame. But instead, there's a long metal chain with a star attached to the bottom. It seems too.. gothic...
You shudder, slightly creeped out, and ring the bell anyway.
* Who is it!* A huskily alarmed voice shouts at you from the other side of the wall.
*It's guest* You reply. Slightly offended by the hostility. You hear a small sigh of relief, and wooden door swings open.
*Welcome.*
This is strange...
The interior takes you by surprise. The walls are coated in snippings, newspaper clippings, photos, sticky notes blue tacked to avoid them falling down. There must be about 100 thick brown folders, shoved messily full of paper, phone numbers and last names sprawled across the top.
*Private Detective Phante, at your service.* Your host chuckles, aware of your surprise. An investigator eh? You knew you were sent here for a reason.
* I've come to settle a debt, from a friend of mine* You inform him, cautiously.
You hand him a envelope, your friend's last name is ontop with some kind of number code. Phante looks pleased.
*I'll just get a .. receipt... and you can tell him his debt is settled.* Apparently a receipt was a note of paper with another number code on. This seemed like a complicated business. A complicated, shady, anti-law, business. You can't help yourself. You're curious.
* So.. Uuh... What exactly do you do?*
He looks at you, his monocle tilted slightly, the string hanging awkwardly at the side, out of place.
*I'm afraid guest, I cannot tell you unless you are in needed of my services.*
*How can I be in need of something when I don't know what it is!?*
*I told you. I'm an detective.*
Sheesh. This guy was tricky. Sitting there in his beige raincoat, his tophat on his desk. You notice a pack of cards next to it.
*Tell you what, Phante. I challange you to poker, I win, you tell me, you win, I'll go, no questions.*
His eyes lit up. You've obviouly found a favorite past time of his, and it didn't seem like he often had poker partners.
*I accept.*
The game was intense, lasting for considerably longer than an average one would. You were particularly good at this, to his approval.
Alas. He won.
You sigh, pull your coat up further around your neck, and head to the door.
*Just for a game that good, I guess I could divuldge your curiousity.* He smirks at you and you smile back. He's so charming.
About Phante.
Well. My full name is Numbphante, shortened to Phante for convience. I'm a detective, working with strictly beyond-the-law cases. For cash in hand, of course. Working on commission is excellent when like me, you never fail
If you wanna know all the technical stuff, take a look at this.*
He threw a card onto the table.
*I'm about 22 in human age, I'd estimate. But I'm very, very good at what I do. I can blend in easily. I'm quite well off too. I like to gamble, sure, cards only mind you, but I save at least half of everything I make. And I make alot.*
You glanced around the room you were in. You could see no pictures of family or friends on the wall. No aparent lover. He caught onto your curiousity.
*Oh, I have all those people, don't worry, but they're not for public viewing. If I was ever to get raided I'd hate for them to get into trouble, and you don't need to know about them.*
You smiled at him. So this on edge, secretive character did have another normal life after all. Maybe. You ask into it as he makes you a cup of tea, pouring it into a dark black ceramic mug.
*I like doing normal things in my spare time. I take my petpet, Flash, for walks, I go and see films, I listen to gigs. Normal young adult stuff. I'm not one for reading though. Books are so inaccurate, they annoy me, but I do like to be alone quiet a bit as well. People can get so.. frustrating. I spend enough time following them.*
Ah, Finally, he was starting to share some of his mysterious job with you.
* Oh, fine. You can look at this, one of my first, less scandelous cases.* He throws you one of the oldest brown folders.
A typical job.
Client Refered to as: Peter
Client Number: 000013
Job Number: 000024
Payment Details: 400k-photo, 200k-document, 100k-audio file.
Subject Refered to as: Julie
Suspected of: Drugging 'Peter', stealing 'Peter's' belongings. Cheating.
Subject's relation to Client: Girlfriend.
The folder was snatched from you before you could turn the page.
*I'm afraid I can't allow you to see more personal information I've collected. Client confidentiality and all of that. You can see some of the evidence I collect though.*
* I guess the one thing that annoys my clients is that I won't come to the conclusion for them. I'll provide all the evidence I can but the analysis and verdict of it is up to them.
Anyhow. Are you done being so nosy now? *
You were. You got the idea of it all. You loved how Phante played on people's suspicions for his own benefit. He was so devious.
Now you just wondered what your friend used him for.
Who's this?
Suddenly, from under the kitchen worktop, a small creatued appeared. This must be the petpet he was on about. It was interesting. A Checkered Flosset you believed. Named flash?
It seemed female to you. So delicate in her movements. She scuttled upto Phante and climbed into his lap.
*Flash is my partner, as such,* he explained devotedly. *She can fly into the air and get some photos if need be, or go forward and instruct me where too go. We're quite a team, and I love her to bits.*
Oh my
Phante glances at the wall, eyes focusing on a stange clock hung above the front door. It's only been about 30 minutes but he seems so hasty to be alone again.
*Do you have work to get on with?* You ask curiously.
*Hehe. I always have work to do, infact, I've been doing it all the time you're here.*
You look at eachother intensly, a small smile on his face. He is an investigator after all... maybe there's a reason your friend sent you to him and didn't go hiself. A line of concern furrows your brow. You didn't do anything up upset your friend.. did you?
*Oh you're too easy*Phante smiles, amused. *Either way, I think you better go now. Take a card of mine and call me if you happen to have work for me. I won't let you down.*
He gets up and holds the door open for you, and you take your leave. The card in your hand allowing your mind to now doubt everyone you know.
