don't wait for a knight in shinin' armor, your savior's reflected in the mirror

[perpend]

[That sure was a fucking thing. That execution was a fucking thing. Those secrets are a fucking thing.

Cabanela retreats to his room, but not for all that long. Everyone will get a note eventually, written in very neat handwriting

I do not plan on bowing down to threats and intimidation. If you did not act, it means you were, like me, aware of the risk, but decided against it. Your reasons are entirely your own.

Join me in the dining room if you agree enough is enough, and that you won't acquiesce to threats. I don't plan to let this stop me, and neither should you.

-C

In the dining room itself, Cabanela has set up coffee and tea for those who want it-- there's no food, because to be honest, he doesn't know how to cook. Two more candles have been lit-- he wasn't really sure what to do about the whole... parasite thing... so Fern's candle will have to make due.]

Comments

[brandnewday]

Saying I was at a loss, too...that'd be the understatement of the century. I tried thinkin' about it in every way I could, but I never would've expected it...well, it wasn't really...it ended up being complicated, but it wasn't Fern.

[She needs to keep repeating that. Every week, Hibiki has spoken to Fern. It's going to be tough when she goes back to her room to be alone.]

But you really think so? I didn't come here lookin' for praise, I promise! But if you think I'm doin' alright, then I'm gonna keep workin' hard at it.

[heritrix]

There's things you can work on as always, but the same goes for the rest of us. [She raises a hand.] Everyone is out of their element in this place, including the people who actually have some experience with these things.

You're a normal person who never could have expected you would need these skills. That means you have five times the amount of work ahead of you, but also that you're allowed more slack than someone like myself. This isn't praise, it's just me telling you the basics. You have a long way to go, but you're on the right track.

[brandnewday]

Rin...

[That's...actually really insightful. She never thought she'd look up to and respect someone her own age so much, but it feels like there's an entire world between them now. And she feels better at the same time!]

I'm willin' to do the work! Though I wish someone had told everyone else to cut me some slack back then. [She feels like some of the anger during the first trial was a little intense, okay? But she's biased.] Do you think you can teach me anything? How to be...more like a detective, maybe? If you've got your own work to do, I understand! There's a lot to take in here.

[heritrix]

[No, Hibiki's right to feel that anger. Rin glances away briefly at the comment, tapping her fingers against her desk. Honestly, at the time she felt it was justified. She didn't jump in because it was overkill, but she didn't think anything of people chiding her like that.

When did she get to be that way? She remembers as a child, she used to get angry and rush in when boys would gang up on some of the milder kids in class, but it started bothering her less at some point. Really, she should have said something then. It was a lesson Hibiki needed to learn, but everyone really overdid it.

She can't change time, so she's not going to dwell on that. It's better to work forward. Turning back to Hibiki, she crosses one leg over the other.]

I can absolutely teach you a thing or two. After all, it helps me if more people focus on the same problem, doesn't it? [She smiles.] I'm not really a detective myself, so I wouldn't even think of it like that. It's just a task you have to accomplish.

So what are you most concerned about? The investigations themselves, or reasoning with the evidence?

[brandnewday]

[Even if no one else is bringing it up these days (and thankfully no one is dwelling on her experiment with bear facts), she still carries it with her. It showed most during the second trial, where she could barely speak up at all. Instead, she spent most of the time watching everyone, learning whatever she could.

She lets out a breath she hadn't realize she was holding and breaks out into a big grin at that response.]

Thank you! Thank you, Rin! That means a lot to me! [She's going to do her best not to tear up. So far, she's successful.] Anything you can teach me would be good, but maybe the investigations would be a good place to start? I was pretty lucky to find pills on the ground last time...well, they were kinda just there. I wouldn't know what to look for if I were the first to really find somethin'.

[heritrix]

[She looks so relieved about this one simple thing... Well, in some ways this is pleasing to Rin. It's nice to have such an enthusiastic student.]

There's two ways about it, really. Actually, before I continue, would you like to take notes? I can get you a pen and paper.

[brandnewday]

Mm, mm! I'd like that a lot! I'll take the best notes I can, sensei!

[Look. Look. After the mess that was today, she needs a win. And Rin is her win. It's a Win-Rin situation.]

And then later, we can have a field study!

[An investigation duo...uwah, she's excited already!]

[heritrix]

[Heheh... Rin opens up her desk to remove a notebook she took from the storage room, ripping out a piece of paper. Then there's a pen here, and... Oh, Hibiki will need something solid to write on, she should take care of that too.

Rin gets out of her seat to move around. She got a few books from the vending machine the other day; where did she put them?]

If it's a field study you're after, we should test your observation skills on regular rooms, instead of after someone's been murdered. That will be a great way for you to practice, actually.

[Maybe she left it in the sleeping bag. Alright, Mr. Shark, what do you got going in your belly? Rin stuffs her arm through it's mouth, fishing around until... Aha, here we go! It's a book about bird watching, or something or other.]

[brandnewday]

I told Susan that I was gonna investigate the laundry room! I brought it up as a joke, but she said it's not a bad idea. I told her I was gonna ask you for advice, too.

[Her face lights up when she talks about Susan, too, just like it does when she's told she gets to learn something new. If she knew how her face lit up, she'd be proud of herself.

Despite everything and to the end, she wants to be vivacious.]

Your shark's really cute! Did ya get him from the vending machine? All I got was an eye and a necklace.

[heritrix]

[Rin agrees that Susan's pretty awesome. Her neighbor was one of the few who openly didn't suspect her today. Her defense was a little ironic, actually, but not wrong. Leave it to Susan to properly recognize a good idea too.]

Yes; it was the first thing to pop out, no less. It made hauling things back to my room easier, all the same.

[She got quite a bit. Including this book, which she hands off to Hibiki now.]

Here, you can use this to write on. [She steps away to the desk for a moment, and then Hibiki can have the pen and paper too.]

[brandnewday]

I miss sharks. When I was doin' that shoot at home in Okinawa, I ended up ridin' one. I wonder how he's doin' now.

[Let it sink in that, again, Hibiki has an alligator and rides sharks for a living. But soon sharks don't matter, because she has the book and the paper and she's ready to start writing! Taking notes reminds her a little bit of idol work, too. You can't do a professional job if you don't study your work.]

Alright! I'm ready! By this time next week, I'm gonna be a pro investigator!

1/2

[heritrix]

[Holy shit, Hibiki.]

Don't let anyone tell you you're less of a badass than them, okay?

[heritrix]

[Because wow, okay. But yes, she's going to sit back down now.]

But right, let's get started. [Rin raises a hand in the air.] When investigating anything, there's two basic approaches to keep in mind. Almost everything can be fit into one of these categories.

[Rin counts each point off her fingers as she names them.] What's out of place, and what could have been overlooked.

[brandnewday]

Eh? I'm a badass?

[Everything she does is so normal to her. She blinks, but...alright, moving on! This lecture is pretty important, and she actually smiles while she starts to scribble down notes.]

What's out of place...that'd be like when I found the painkillers in the hallway, right? But that was pretty easy. Can you give me an example of the other kind?

[heritrix]

What's out of place isn't always so simple, but we can round back to that.

What's been overlooked tends to be small things, or a crucial mistake made by the culprit. A lock of hair, for example, or a footprint.

[brandnewday]

[Still scribbling away.]

I see! So, things they wouldn't even notice leavin' behind. That's really profound! Hehe, though if it were one of my hairs, it'd probably stand out a lot.

[... ... ...]

N-not that I'm gonna be a culprit!

[heritrix]

You mean these aren't notes for how to get away with the perfect crime?

1/2

[brandnewday]

How'd ya catch on so fast?! I was so careful, too!

[brandnewday]

[She laughs.]

C'mon, c'mon! We shouldn't joke about stuff like that!

[But it did cheer her up. She misses comedy routines!]

[heritrix]

[Pffft, Hibiki has great comedic timing. Rin laughs too, the most genuine one she's felt of the day.]

Sorry, sorry. I saw that opportunity, and I couldn't help myself.

[Rin waves her hand.] Anyways, you're on the money, but there's two halves to that coin. This is more important to keep in mind during trials, but In addition to physical evidence someone might not realize they've left behind, sometimes a person will forget the things they've said too.

Try to remember the incidental things people tell you about themselves; it's as good for socializing as it is for catching them in a lie.

[brandnewday]

Usually I'm the boke...you're really makin' me work!

[She's done some comedy on TV, so it feels like stepping into a comfortable pair of shoes to laugh like that.]

Incidental...things... [She parrots the words while she writes them down.] That's really tricky! Usually I just believe what everyone tells me right away.

[heritrix]

[Oh, Hibiki.]

I've noticed. You should work on that habit as well, but I imagine physical evidence will come to you more easily,

We'll focus on that for now, but just remember to pay attention to the things people say. You'll probably make improvements without even realizing it.

[brandnewday]

[Furious anime nodding!!! She's taking this all in as best as her hamster brain can.]

Mm...alright. That'll be kinda tough for me, but alright! I'm the kinda idol who can do anything, even self-improvement!

[She taps her pencil on the paper after writing down that last bit.]

I think one of my dreams was about that now that we're talking about it. It was kinda scary.

[heritrix]

Oh? Did you have to host a party or something?

[That would be scary to someone who's nervous about interacting with people, Rin bets.]

[brandnewday]

No. I've never done that before. I was standin' on a cliff. And...and Hamuzou ran away from me. It was raining pretty hard, and...I was there because I fell from an even higher cliff, I think. I kept lookin' up at the guardrail.

[She's trying to remember her dream, so she closes her eyes, really focusing. It was wet. She didn't remember the entire situation, but she was wearing her television clothes, and...]

Someone told me to get in the car to be taken to shoot on location, but then they left me on the side of the road so I'd be late. They sped off, and that's when I fell. But I don't remember anythin' that happened before or after that.