bsumone | ❝ Nobody knows where you’re going ❞

Word on the street was that another one of them went missing. Apparently, that made enough of them for an official law enforcement investigation. People didn't normally notice when the people on the streets went missing. They didn't usually care. Dal vaguely knew this last victim. They'd had coffee a few times at that all-night diner near the patch they worked. He wouldn't say they were friends; he really didn't know much about the guy.

The people investigating came around in the wee hours before most of them scattered to whatever shelters, motels, or even private apartments they stayed at by day. Sometimes Dal thought himself lucky to have a private space. It was a tiny little studio he paid for weekly, but at least it had a door he could lock so the few things he owned could be safe and secure. He could only just afford it and he's sure a lot of that had to do with the fact that, unlike some of his, uh, colleagues, Dal didn't have a drug problem. The one thing he'd manage to stay away from on the street.

"I'll talk to you if ya get me somethin' hot to eat," he offered to the cop coming toward him. His accent was obvious. But also, there were plenty of little diners and some of the street food vendors hadn't vanished into the dawn yet.

The police force wasn't happy. Likely because the FBI had sent one of their best agents into the field to take care of this matter. They wanted him out there because he didn't look like your typical law enforcement and could get closer to people due to that fact. He had a face that was trustworthy which led to a lot of connections other agents or police officers didn't have.

He smiled a little, noting the accent but doing nothing beyond that. This one was agent and he'd suspect...Korean? It had a Korean lilt to it. But that wasn't vital to the case and he just gave a soft laugh as he got out his wallet and looked in there as if to check if he had enough cash. He did but if he let that be known then it'd stand out more that he wasn't just a cop.

"Ah I think I can manage something. If you don't mind the first class dining of a street dog." Gabriel put his wallet back in his pocket then.

"Long as it's hot, I'm not picky." He offered a little smile that said even just a hot cup of coffee would do. He'd prefer a hot meal, but he'd take would he could get. Dal didn't really have any information to give other than some anecdotal details about the last guy that ended up dead. He didn't see how it could hurt to offer. If this lunatic kept up, any one of them could be next.

"Then maybe let's try a 24 hour place. Then we can sit." Gabriel nodded, knowing a good place that was nearby. The food was hardly fine dining but that wasn't what he was looking for anyway. Smiling at the hostess as she took them to their seats, he asked for a coffee then looked to the one across from him. "Get whatever you want. I'm going to look at the menu before I order food."

"Coffee," he echoed. He looked at the menu briefly. Breakfast was breakfast. Most of these all-night places had basics like eggs and bacon so, he didn't need to struggle pouring over the menu. He finally took his hands out of his pockets and folded them neatly on the table, waiting patiently for the agent to make his selection. Only when he laid the menu down did Dal speak again.

"You're not one of the regular cops I see around here."

"I'm not. I'm from another department to help them out. They're honestly not very happy I'm around." He laughed softly and when their server came back, he ordered a breakfast skillet then let his companion order. Once they were alone again, he smiled at the young man. "Let's start off on the right foot though. My name is Gabriel. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Dal." Dal, who wanted over-easy eggs and toast and bacon. And a warm place to sit for a while before heading back to his room. The heating was questionable and the water wasn't always hot, but no one came in while he was gone thanks to the lock on the door. It was cleaner than some of the local motels. And the owners didn't care that he had no ID and credit history. Cash every week, don't cause trouble, good to go.

His eyes widened a little when he remember hearing... "You with the FBI?"

"You've got good ears, Dal." And he wasn't going to deny it either. Lying to people like this? That wasn't how you built trust. They valued honesty and your willingness to be as transparent as possible with them. Gabriel respected that. He'd grown up in a rougher background himself back in Mexico. He knew how it could be and he didn't look down on people like Dal for that reason.

"You know why I want to talk as well then. Though, I have a feeling you don't really know that much." That was something the police had complained about. That these people were lying about how little they knew. "Did you know him at all?"

Not the victim. Him. Gabriel preferred to respect that these victims had had lives. Were people.

Dal shook his head to indicate he didn't know him. "Not well. Met up a few times for coffee. Pretty sure he was stayin' in the shelter near where I crash. Sometimes we walk together that way." He looked down, trying to think of some of the things he's heard. Listening to the gossip grapevine was a way to stay safe. This car's bad news, this guy's violent, cops are combing the streets between these blocks, drug dealers are over there. In addition to the regular news, there's been a lot of talk about the people who vanished.

"Is it true no one saw any of 'em before they were found..." Dead. That's what's been circulating through the streets lately. No one saw any of them get into a car or walk off with someone. Which... Which meant whoever was doing this was someone they would trust. Someone no one would take particular note of or have hesitance going off alone with.

"That seems to be the case. And I think that there's a link in all of this. The police haven't been able to find anything but this is getting big enough that my department was called in and I was sent in. I'm good at finding patterns." Gabriel took a sip of his coffee before he continued on. "I know what occupation you all have and I know you have to keep it secret because if you're caught you could get into trouble. But I'm not here to get you in trouble. You're just living."

Besides, prostitutes were the ones he was least likely to judge. His own mother had been one until he'd been able to get her out of that. Now she was just a housewife living in a little place outside the city. A better place for her really.

"But someone is targeting people in your line of work and I want to put a stop to that. You have enough dangers to face without having to think about this too."

"Must bad if you're here. People don't usually care 'bout people like us." It must look bad on someone somewhere if they can't even keep someone from killing the undesirable en masse. "You don't look at us like the other cops do." There's always something in their eyes: judgment, disgust. Some of them try not to look them in eye as if they might end up in their shoes. Or their beds.

"There's a lotta repeat business around here. Two blocks up you got the, uh, ladies." He meant the men who crossdressed. "Are they bein' targetted, too?"

"Most law enforcement didn't grow up the way I did." And that counted for a lot. A background like his could really change the way one looked at people living like this. While Gabriel wished he could get them all out of this life, he knew that wasn't possible. All he could do was make the streets as safe as possible for them.

At the question, he gave a sigh and nodded. Yes, they were being targeted too. He didn't say more because their food had arrived. So he smiled at the server and waited until they were alone again. "I'd like to be able to help get this criminal off the streets. Do you have a phone, Dal? I can give you my number so you can reach me if you hear anything."

"Oh," he sighed, a little deflated by hearing that news. He doesn't talk to the ladies much, but he sees them often at some of the diners most of them pop into for a cup of coffee or a few minutes of warmth in the colder weather. He'd kinda hoped they weren't involved in this, but it seemed like it was across the board.

When the food came, a bit of light came into Dal's eyes. He gave a little nod of thanks to the server before they left and immediately began to dig in by dipping his toast into his egg yolks. Tucking the bite of food into his cheek, Dal nodded and gave a quiet mmhmm. He reached into a pocket inside his jacket and slid his phone across the table to Gabriel to punch in his number.

So he did have a phone. Taking a bite of the food, he watched him a moment. There was a sort of innocence to Dal. True he was anything but that given the life he lived. But there he was enjoying his food as if it was the best thing he'd ever tasted. It had a way of lighting up his pretty features and...

Gabriel had to remind himself that he was very gay and that this wasn't appropriate. Taking the phone, he put his number in as well as his name so that way if Dal really wanted to call him he could. He had good faith that Dal would just because he was building something here with him but he didn't get his hopes up at the same time. Law enforcement weren't exactly the favorites of people on the streets.

"Do you have a ride to where you live? I can give you one so you can get there safely tonight."

It's one of those pay-as-go Tracfone deals and the most valuable thing he's got. He doesn't just trawl the streets. There were a few regulars who set up dates that way. All his contacts are first names or nicknames only.

Maybe it could be called innocence, in a way. Dal lives a hard life so he also finds simple pleasures in it. He's a realist. but he doesn't want to be jaded. Oh, sure, he's got dreams like anyone else, but they're pretty mundane things like a little house outside the city, friends or people who would actually miss him if he were gone.

Dal froze at Gabriel's question, then shook his head slowly. "That's a real nice offer, but I don't really like people knowin' where I stay." Especially since the situation wasn't wholly legal.

"That's fine. Just know that if you change your mind when you're done eating the offer is still there."

But Gabriel wasn't going to make Dal do anything. That all had to be Dal's choice and he'd respect whatever that choice was. He didn't have to like it, just honor it. And he was fine with that. Pushing boundaries just because he was worried wouldn't establish trust between them and he knew that.

Instead, he settled for continuing to eat quietly, grateful for the meal since it had been hours since he last ate. And he slid the phone back to him.

Dal pocked his phone and went back to eating, occasionally making some happy little hum when the combination of flavors hit just right. Not that there was anything complex about his breakfast fare, but this is also a man who thinks pizza is the peak of cuisine.

He was a little more than halfway finished when he slowed to a stop. Looking up from his plate, he peered over at Gabriel with a hesitant kind of curiosity. "I'm sure you're not supposed to talk about it but... there anythin' you can tell me that would help us out there?" Some tiny bit of information that he could send up through the gossip grapevine that might help keep them safer.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Right now I haven't found the pattern between all these murders. When I do I'll better be able to start tracking down the killer to put an end to their cruelty. So I guess the best I can say is...be careful who you talk to."

Because the one thing he was sure of was that these people had all trusted the one who had killed them. Enough to go with them somewhere, enough to barely struggle when they were being killed. There had been no sign of added drugs to their systems. Yet all of them had been drowned.

Gabriel let out a long sigh. "I'm going to find the one who is doing this though. I promise that."

It might not seem like it from an outside perspective, given their lifestyle, but most of them are pretty careful. If someone gives a bad vibe, most folks walk away. If someone's name has made it through the streets as someone who's particularly depraved, they typically get blacklisted by people who have boundaries. Yeah, most of them have boundaries. Dal, for example, won't let anyone choke him unless he's known them for a long time. He didn't let people tie him up unless he's known them a long time. Those were risks he didn't take with total strangers.

Of course, he knew some who were down for anything. A lot of them had bigger problems than trying not to sleep in the streets. Dal wasn't judging them, he had his own safety to worry about. He understood that people did whatever they needed to do to survive.

He relaxed enough to let the worry creep into his features. Yeah, he was worried. For everyone working the streets. For himself. "I hope you do," he admitted in a small voice.

"I will, Dal."

He knew that this young man was worried for his own safety and the safety of others. In truth, Gabriel was too. The police force wanted to make fun of him by calling him some kind of angel but he wasn't one of those. He was just a man who wanted to be there to help others. In his experience, angels were willing to let the world suffer as long as they fulfilled God's will.

There was a reason he'd never been a religious man. The fact that he was gay only added to that honestly.

He gave him a reassuring smile. "So if you hear anything at all you can call that number or text me. I'll look into it right away. The cops may not want to listen but I do."

He nodded, offering a hopeful smile. He's sure half the reason this killer hasn't been caught yet is because the local law enforcement didn't really give a shit. The cops who patrolled this area were probably burned out and/or of the mind that it's just so easy to get out of living situations like this. But this guy, this agent, it really felt like he was more understanding and that he saw them as people first.

"I keep night hours so if I see somethin' I'll text. Unless it's an emergency."

"Luckily I'll be keeping night hours for the most part until this is solved so that works out."

Gabriel gave a soft laugh then finished his food and went to drink more of his coffee. None of this was the best food he'd ever had, that he'd save for his mother's cooking. But at least he was being fed and even making sure that Dal had something warm inside him.

"I keep my phone on at all times though."

"Me too." Every now and then he gets a call during the daytime. As long as it's not in the morning, he's usually up for those, but they're infrequent. He charges more for those since they're off-hours for him.

Dal took a few more bites, leaving behind only the crust of his toast before finishing off his coffee. Usually, he makes do with leftovers from a diner closer to where he sleeps -- a nice older lady there saves what would otherwise get thrown away and boxes it up for him to take. But he's got no way to warm it.

"Hopefully can go back to bein' a daywalker soon." He looked to the plate then nodded subtly. "Thanks for breakfast."

"Not changed your mind?" He understood though. Dal was just trying to keep himself safe and he wouldn't fault him for that. Instead he just gave him a smile and got out his wallet to pay for the meal. "Then I'll talk to you later hopefully. I might be by that area again sometime to look for more leads. Without the annoying cops joining me with any luck for all of us."

Dal shook his head. It wasn't particularly cold or gross outside, so he was fine walking a few blocks back the way they came. He did a lot of walking since he didn't have any transportation of his own. It's probably the only real exercise he got.

"You'll have better luck without 'em," he advised. "They'd like it better if there wasn't attention on people like us."

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