Behrooz H. Najm

"Bez", 26 year old Junior Detective. British Indian. Believer of the occult. 

[behrooz-najm]

BEHROOZ “BEZ” NAJM

27 years old, non-binary (they/them), junior-detective

WANTED CONNECTIONS

You’re hiding something and you know Bez is a cop, a horrible one, so why not keep them close? 

You share stories about ghosts all the time, Bez believes in ghosts, you just enjoy scaring them.

You don’t mind Bez not loving you back, but you can’t help but find them incredibly cute and intensely lovable.

Junior Detective my ass, you think Bez is shit at their job and you like pointing that out to them. 

A detective who believes in ghosts? You have a ghost issue and you need all the help you can get.

FUTURE PLOTS

You and Bez are friends, and when you get into trouble (bad bad trouble) you know Bez will do EVERYTHING to save you. Even throw their own life on the line if they have to. 

There are many reasons you two shouldn’t be acquainted, you’re a criminal, they’re a cop, but it is just to easy to get Bez to cooperate. 

PLOTS IN THE WORKS

Ghost hunting with John

[behrooz-najm]

wispykatsopolis​:

“thank god, i’ve been arrested enough this month,” she said. yes, she was still petty and salty about her idiot sister’s sabotage. who wouldn’t be? “it’s on a black lanyard with a graveyard print and it’s a white badge with my picture, name, and faccone funerals and cremations on it. it says ‘mortician’ in bright red letters, that’s probably the first thing that would be noticeable on it.”

Bez nodded, figuring their hyper aware mind could probably find the badge quickly, though they might as well get distracted by something else, but the possibilities were endless, either they found it, or they found something else. “Were you at the lake yesterday?” They asked, as they started their search.

[behrooz-najm]

wispykatsopolis​:

breaking the law, literally in front of the law. that was something her idiot sister would do. “oh, that’s… fantastic. i suppose it’s too late to say i’m echo instead of whisper,” she said, only half jokingly. “i dropped my employee badge somewhere. i think i was in this area, but i was too distracted to really remember. it’s not a huge deal if it isn’t found, but it would definitely save a lot of paperwork.”

Bez looked around, technically if someone would question the situation, they would have enough responsibility to mention that it was all alright here. After all, they weren’t directly on the lake. And the research team wasn’t anywhere near. “I mean, I probably wouldn’t be too fast at spotting the difference, but you’re not under arrest or anything,” they assured her. “So, let me help look. What does it look like?”

[behrooz-najm]

wispykatsopolis​:

she wouldn’t have even been here if she hadn’t lost her lanyard. it wouldn’t be a huge deal… but on that lanyard was her employee badge, and that was a big deal. of course she had a backup at work, but she’d still rather find the one she lost. as she looked around, she didn’t even notice anyone else around her, so she flinched when she heard the other’s voice and she stopped dead in her tracks. “o…kay. i’m just looking for something i dropped somewhere in the area… i think. i’m not trespassing am i? i haven’t been paying attention to any signs or markers.”

Bez made a face, feeling kind of bad that they had to tell her that, in fact, she had been trespassing, after all, there were signs - perhaps not well placed - but most importantly; there had been a press conference. “I’m sorry, but yes, you’re trespassing… technically. Are… Uhm, I can help? We can find it faster together, probably, and then I can escort you away from the lake like nothing happened.”

[behrooz-najm]

WHERE: the lake WITH OPEN

Bez looked out over the lake, notebook in hand, eyes slightly widened. A new clue, a new hint: it could all be coming from there. Their face shot up. “Wait, don’t come closer, please!” 

[behrooz-najm]

hclysonnets​:

OPEN STARTER anywhere.

     “LET ME SEE,” tomi says, leaning across the table to take a look at the other person’s screen. “yep, definitely fake.”

Bez looked back at the image of the hand coming out of the lake’s black waters. “But how do you know?” they asked. 

[behrooz-najm]

undertakerxsonny​:

“Oh! Hey! Buon Natale, my friend.” Sonny had found himself in an uncharacteristically festive mood, perhaps because a bite had settled into the Pleasance air, the promise of snow not yet followed through. December, previously so dire in his mind, had a new light now. And he had taken to drinking hot chocolate, largely because Rhys liked it. He took a swig now, leaving a line of whipped cream on his face. “I’ve been meanin’ to come stop by and see ya actually. My mom’ been on me about not sendin’ no one Christmas cards, so you get one.” 

Bez smiled in return, not used to Sonny being so... enthusiastic. But they liked it though, perhaps it was the Christmas. Perhaps it was something else. “What are you drinking?” they asked, excited that they weren’t the only one enjoying a hot beverage in the middle of the street. “Oh... wow, okay, thank you! I don’t have one for you, though.” 

[behrooz-najm]

CHRISTMAS STARTER FOR SONNY ( @undertakerxsonny )

Bez didn’t celebrate Christmas, but they sure loved the Christmas decorated donuts and coffee they got at Dutch’s, some special deal for the holidays. Every single donut had a different surprise filling, and the coffee had Christmas sprinkles. They walked through the street with a huge smile on their face, when someone they recognised appeared. They waved an arm at Sonny. “Hey! Merry Christmas!” They said loudly.

[behrooz-najm]

johndoesmith​:

John shrugged the straps of the rucksack into a more comfortable position on his back. It clanged with electronic intent. He handed the Gieger counter and carbon monoxide detector to Behrooz. “Gotta clear any variables before deciding its occult. You have no idea how many locations are pinged as ghosts or ghasts, when its actually carbon monoxide poisoning. I’ve been called into a lot of disappointing ghost ‘sightings.’” He sighed. “I see these folks on the tv, they have NO idea what they’re doing. Nothing scientific about running into a hospital and yelling at ghosts.”

Bez took the two things wondering what exactly they were, they looked interesting and weird. Like maybe they should know what they were, but simply couldn’t figure it out. “Oh? Also outside of Pleasance?” They asked, being extra careful with the equipment. “So how do you know what to check for? What other type of things it could be?” They asked, waiting for further instructions.

[behrooz-najm]

johndoesmith​:

“Yes and no, if you count methane a ghost.” The mask laughed. “There’s weird stuff happening around this building, people gettin freaked out and the like. Figured I would kill two birds with one stone.” He gestured to the equipment. “Mind helpin me lug this stuff around? The occult detector is heavy alone without the Geiger counter.”

Bez looked confused for a long moment. “So… you are looking for ghosts… but also methane?” They asked, certain they were wrong, but not sure what the alternative was. Was he a scientist on bombs? When John pointed to the equipment, Bez already felt their body surge into movement, they smiled and nodded, falling for the Bez-trap, which was a situation where their help was asked, and their brain already knew they wouldn’t say no. “Of course, where does it need to go?” They asked.

[behrooz-najm]

johndoesmith​:

John slinked through the house, carrying a series of contraptions and machines. Since the last event, he had made sure to purchase English equipment as to not tip his hand to Behrooz. His foot lifted over a tipped coat rack, an arm through a locked door’s window. Carefully over glass. He turned to see a face, crooked and old. He was shocked to see someone else here. He didn’t recognize the short cropped hair, or the slight laugh lines past his lips. The Mask tilted his head, and John followed. It was at that moment that a new face broke the revelry.

“Behrooz, you frightened me there.” Said John, honestly, and a little gratefully.

Bez gave themselves a whole minute to get over their fear, but the familiar voice made the growing anxiety about who could be in the house with them fall back down their throat. They sighed in relief and shone the flashlight a little higher to at least illuminate some part of John’s body. “Sorry,” they said quickly. “Didn’t think anyone would be out here. Are you looking for ghosts?” they asked. Technically, what John was doing, was trespassing, and they should be taking him in for that, but Bez had grown attached to the other and didn’t think they had it in them.

[behrooz-najm]

captainxkj​:

“You’re in the wrong place then.” KJ replied flatly, bringing his own drink to his lips and throwing back the last of it with one mighty gulp. Although he had, in earnest, been making an effort to be nicer and more personable, he seemed to be offering none of that courtesy to Bez. He sniffed, casting his eyes in their direction. “You look just awful. Maybe you should…get some air or something.”

Bez turned to face KJ, KJ who was still on their list of potential criminals, for some reason. Writing his secret letters, hunched over like he was always planning something. It had taken a lot for them to just let it go. They knew they had to try and pretend KJ was just another citizen, be kind like they were with anyone else in the town - though they had never met George Alby in person and wondered if after everything they had heard they could be that. “They serve coffee here,” Bez said, as if that explained their being there. “And thank you, but I don’t need to go outside.”

[behrooz-najm]

marionlost​:

—– “It is the off season so…” he considered the price and held up three fingers. “Three dollars” Whatever the museum was for Marion, be it a labor of love or a place to belong among the strange and mysterious - hiding away from the people of Pleasance – it was not a place that gave him a lot of money. How then he was able to afford the museum, its wares, and the like – was a secret known to himself and Herne.

He noticed how his speak-signing seemed to make the other uncomfortable, and he paused and waited to see if they would leave, ignore the signs, or remain rooted in the spot. Still, as Marion explained, he didn’t stop signing. “The signing is for me more than you -,” he explained, “I am used to living among hearing people, and I understand that this is different for you – his speaking voice lacked the clear enunciation of someone born speaking, or someone who had the implant from an early age – or even someone who diligently worked with a speech therapist, but he would still be easily understood. ”but I found that I could live my whole life trying to pretend I was hearing - or I could be myself. Speaking with my hands, facial expressions, and body language is natural for me. I hope that it won’t take away from your enjoyment of the museum.“

Bez smiled and gave the cashier three dollars, quickly grabbed from their wallet, always confused to see bills instead of coins like it was with pounds. They still thought three dollars was cheap however. They had once paid fifteen for a ticket to the London museum to see every single exhibition, not just the regular ones. However, in Scotland museums were free, so it really depended. 

The admittance that nothing would be expected from them made Bez relax a little. They were trying their best to not focus on the hands too much as they signed, and instead keep listening. A feat that wasn’t too easy to succeed at, feeling their attention constantly wavering. They’d had teachers who were very visual in their teaching, hand movements, gestures, Bez sometimes had to close their eyes to not focus on them. They offered a smile. “No, I think I can manage,” they said, then figured that might come off wrong and shook their head a little. “I got some difficulty focusing sometimes,” they admitted. “But please don’t take that into account.”

[behrooz-najm]

officertariq​:

“So is that to say not all of them were close together?” Not close enough to ping the same cell tower, anyway. That would’ve been a good lead, he imagined. He wasn’t sure what he’d actually do with it, but it was something in this whole case of mysterious nothing. 

Tariq’s hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket, chewing on the inside of his cheek as he pondered the whole thing. Calls that started and ended just as quickly. Calls that seemed to feature the same so called ‘distressed’ voice on the other end.

It didn’t make too much sense - but in the end, no one was hurt. At least, not because of the phone calls. 

“I mean,” he breathed out a sigh as they continued walking in the direction Bez was leading, “As much as the whole thing might be stressful for those that received calls, it’s not like it actually caused anyone harm, right?” They’d done some due diligence in looking into it. Aside from the mention that the voice on the other end seemed probably not so happy, was it worth continuing to investigate? “You think there is even something here we should really be expending resources on? I dunno. As much as I don’t think it was some random prank given how many calls, how they seemed to be all around the same times, and how long it went on for -  it kind of has all the structure of a prankster.” Or a ghost. 

But that wasn’t a real thing, of course.

Bez made a face, then shook their head. “They’re… there seems to be no pattern thus far, but we haven’t gotten every single person’s information who was affected by this, so there could still be a clear general area. Also not everyone seems to know exactly when they got the first phone call. Some were so scared they could only give a general location.” They took a deep breath, the mystery giving them the creeps in a sense, mostly because they felt like they should investigate every single angle, but they could come up with so many new angles every single hour. 

Bez eyed the officer for a moment, they were… supposed… to be above Tariq, but with their twenty-six years that felt almost impossible to imagine. “Well… probably not harmful, and probably not that important.” They looked back ahead of them. “I can think of a few reasons why people would want the culprit found… me personally… I keep thinking that the person who made the distressed phone calls maybe still needs help.” 

Or the ghost. 

[behrooz-najm]

marionlost​:

Another person that he had seen around Pleasance, someone who lived in the town and existed as their own kind universe of stories and secrets. Marion considered them before he nodded. Since they had asked for a ticket, instead of the price of a ticket, Marion allowed his own mischevious streak to shine through just briefly and pushed a ticket to the museum across the counter without asking for payment.

“You arrived at a good time, the greenhouse, reptile and bug exhibit will be closing tomorrow - so if you are interested in insects, archanids, bees and scorpions, you can see them. The butterflies may not be as active due to the time of year, but the greenhouse is kept to the proper temperature, so they should still be flying. If you do go into the greenhouse - please stay on the path, don’t touch any of the plants or disturb any of the free roaming creatures that are inside. The dangerous ones are kept in their cases, but the others are given room.” The garden walk remained a work-in-progress, but when Marion wanted to escape from his house and didn’t want to go into the woods, he went into the large, one acre greenhouse with the carnivous and pollinating plants and trees. He had started adding the reptiles, butterflies and insects earlier in the year. “Also, please don’t try to bring an insect out with you. There is an alarm set should you cross into an area where you shouldn’t be.” So there would be no danger of a person reaching any of the insects.

Bez looked at the ticket and then back at the person behind the ticket booth, their head cocking to the side for a moment, but they didn’t see any tickets prizes. “How much is it?” they asked, not necessarily getting their wallet out, but feeling the familiar wait in their jacket pocket. 

Then the signing started and Bez watched with slightly widened eyes, not sure what to do. There were way too many signs. All they knew to say was: thank you, hello, and my name is - followed by the B E Z, because remembering B E H R O O Z was way too difficult. “Uhm.” They should’ve learned: I don’t know sign language instead. Like they knew how to say “no hables espanol” or “ne parle pas frances”. “I don’t understand,” they said instead. Which, after a horrible trip abroad to France and saying “ne ce pas” constantly, should’ve told them that they were in for either a repeat, or a repeat but slower.

[behrooz-najm]

undertakerxsonny​:

“All that said, I have been asked to cryogenically freeze someone more than once. I blame the televisions and the videos.” This mirthless joke, delivered in the guise of a crotchety old man, came from Sonny’s lips with a dull monotony. He crossed his arms then, as if curling in on himself, but Bez’s agreement, which he had not expected, seemed to take him by surprise. He looked up as if in a whirlwind, catching their eye, before speaking up once more in a low, uneven tone. “You do?” He swallowed. “Then you won’t think I’m…out there for sayin’ I really believe it. ‘Cause I’ve seen ‘em. And I feel like I felt when I saw ‘em. That’s all.” 

Bez narrowed their eyes a little in a sign that they simply didn’t understand, but then nodded, trying not to put too much thought on the fact that they had no idea what cryogenically meant, but figuring it had something to do with like... trying to keep people alive. “I blame television for a lot of things,” they said in response. The intensity of Sonny when Bez agreed on the ghosts part was a little out of nowhere, and they almost took a step back, if they hadn’t been trained to not instinctively back off when there were no clear signs of danger. “No, I don’t. I grew up with a grandmother who sees ghosts,” they noted. “I’ve never seen one myself, but I think that... since I’ve heard a lot of similar stories, it has to be true, or true enough,” they noted. Which was never a good argument, but Bez believed it because they had been taught not to ignore the signs from behind. There was more out there. 

[behrooz-najm]

WHERE: Dutch’s WHEN: friday evening WITH open

Bez yawned, they hadn’t closed a single eye since the day before, and they were certain their sleeping hadn’t been great, or at least not up to standards, and the whole night they had calls about the water. The dark water.

It needed to be solved. 

They stared at the glass in front of them.

It had to be solved.

“I have to sleep.”