cogitxre

[cogitxre]

@undecadent

american psycho ii: all american girl (2002)

[cogitxre]

TO: Nicolai > [SENT] Well, we didn't choose the names. I suppose the least we can do is embrace them. > [SENT] I will make a note.

TO: Milo > [SENT] Prince seems rather pretentious, but Logician is quite apropos. And I'm quite certain you'd do absolutely fine. > [SENT] As you wish. Just tell me if you need it! Your name is at the top of the list.

[cogitxre]

TASK 2.4 :: THE INTERROGATION [CONT.]

— mentions of CASSIEL LECLAIR-PARK [ @undecadent ] and KARUNA TIWARI [ @wrathconsumed ].

{ ✦ } Has anything peculiar caught your attention — a whisper, an object, a note or a text — that might illuminate the identity of our culprit?

Milo watches the woman in front of him for a moment, gently chewing his lip as he considers his options. There were a few ways to handle this question. Not many of them had a positive outcome. Slowly, he settles on one, leaning forward with his hands folded on the desk.

"Peculiar…has a lot of definitions. I don't know that I've seen anything especially pattern-breaking, recently. Not much out of the ordinary."

A hesitation, a glance to her face.

"I did think I caught Cassiel whispering with Karuna up on a staircase the other day…but who knows? Maybe it was just a trick of the light."

A small smile touches the corner of his lips. The lie swirls around his mouth, bending as it touches the air. Whether the woman believed him or not, he didn't particularly care. It was a test; the results of more importance than the method. You can't adjust your variables until you've set them.

TASK 2.1 :: THE INTERROGATION.

— mentions of NICOLAI ARLAY-SINCLAIR [ @honeyedking ], SARAI ODENA [ @eternaladagio ], and THE TRAGEDY.

{ ✦ } Where did you last see [ THE TRAGEDY ]? Or when did you last hear of [ THE TRAGEDY ]?

Milo takes a deep breath, fingers interlacing tightly as he places his hands in his lap; ever the picture of poise, covering up the raging maelstrom of emotion inside. Just like he's learned his whole life.

"I talked to Vincent the evening before his death; likely just a handful of hours prior. I asked him if he would be joining me to study that night."

A wry smile plays at his lips as he thought back to that day, one of the ones that only occurred around close friends. One of his last interactions with Vincent. At least it had been a good one.

"He just smiled, shook his head; told me he had other matters to attend to that night. He was never quite as stuck in his books as I was. Am." "I thought nothing of it. I bid him farewell; figured I would see him the following day."

Near-imperceptible, a muscle in his jaw twitches. If only so much hadn't gone left unsaid between them. Perhaps he would have less regrets. Less...pains.

"...but I didn't."

{ ✦ } Where were you at time of death of [ THE TRAGEDY ]? And what were you doing?

"I was doing my usual: ...studying."

He gives the dark-haired woman a somewhat apologetic glance, though when he speaks, there's a hint of amusement to his tone.

"Sorry, I'm not all that interesting. That night was psychology research...ironically. Spent the entire night in the library reviewing the cortico-striatal-thalamic loop in preparation to discuss how it interacts with Tourette's syndrome. Fascinating stuff, really."

His eyes shift back to his interrogator from where they'd roamed towards the bookshelves, skimming what little bit of the spines he could read. Older volumes had more wear-and-tear to the lettering, making it nigh impossible to make them out. Didn't stop him from trying, though. All knowledge was worth having. Milo offers the woman a half-smile, one that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"...but you don't particularly care about that, do you? So for both your sake and mine, let's move on. You'd rather not get a lecture on Tourette's, and I'd truly rather not think about my dissertation at the moment. So what's next?"

{ ✦ } Who can attest to your alibi?

"In the library, I was alone. However..."

Milo shifts his weight slightly, crossing his arms. He casts his eyes upwards, thinking back to the night of his friend's demise. After a moment, he nods, and his gaze settles back on the woman.

"Nicolai Arlay-Sinclair. I messaged him the night of Vincent's death, and mentioned I would be in the library all night. I thought he might join me."

His lips twitch, settling ever-so-slightly into a frown. Showing about as much emotion as he ever did, merely a ripple in his icy façade. But whether it was concern or suspicion was practically unintelligible.

"...it seems he never made it out to meet me."

Shaking his head, as if to clear his thoughts, Milo returns his gaze to the interrogator. He gives another half-shrug, a finishing signal, leaving little room for expansion on his following point.

"Sarai Odena can also attest."

{ ✦ } The SOCIETY requires your verdict on [ THE TRAGEDY ]'s demise: Was it the calculated hand of murder? The cruel whim of accident? Or the final, desperate act of self-annihilation?

There it is again, the faintest twitch of the muscle near his jawline. He stills, gaze dropping to the table for a moment. After a few beats of silence, Milo nods.

"A knife is too personal a choice of weapon for an accident, and I doubt someone interested in a quick exit would have slit their throat. It's not exactly a common choice."

He glances back at the woman, a hint of that firm tone from the end of his statement returning.

"I do, in fact, believe it was murder."

[cogitxre]

THE X-FILES 2.03 | "Blood"

[cogitxre]

@faantasm

Dare Me - 1.02 “Mutually Assured Destruction”

[cogitxre]

@lambentine

“My little sister told me that she buried a flower once after accidentally picking it. Can you imagine that kind of humanity?”

— Mary Lambert, Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across; “Dear YouTube Comments” (via andrumedus)

[cogitxre]

Cassandra Clare

[cogitxre]

POST-EVENT :: the phone call.

The phone screen stared patiently up at his face, the blinking cursor waiting for him to input the numbers he hadn't touched in months. They were still present, burned into his mind with the ferocity of a thousand suns. He could still see the black ink on the white page in Vince's hand, passing it to him with an easy gesture, barely a thought. Now, his memorization skills had once again landed him with a job he didn't particularly want to complete.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly punched in the numbers on the small flip phone keypad; one by one by one. The phone beeped in elation after each digit, though whether cheering him on or mocking him mercilessly he couldn't tell. Doing this so soon after the game was perhaps a bit…obvious. Quite possibly the most obvious thing he'd done since the Trials had begun. But it didn't much matter. Vincent was dead, and nothing he could say or do was going to change that fact. The least he could do was leave a notice.

The phone beeped shrilly and began to dial. The metal was cold against his ear; despite having sat in his pocket for most of the night, it had been laying in his hand for much more than a little while, exposed to the elements. The earpiece felt loud next to his ear, and he did his best not to wince at every ring of the dial tone, ignoring the way his heart hammered in his chest.

After a few minutes of ringing, the familiar sound of the voicemail began to play. He let out a breath of loose relief, grateful that this wouldn't be quite as hard as he'd been afraid.

"Hello, this is Milo—I'm calling with an…update. Of sorts. It's about your son."

His voice couldn't fail him now.

"There was…an incident on campus."

An accident wasn't accurate enough. An incident at least implied something deeper.

"Vincent was caught up in it and…is no longer with us."

Dead air filled the majority of the remaining time on the recording.

"When you get a chance, feel free to call me back. Or don't. Your decision."

The line monotonously clicked dead without any further input. Silence fell over the dorm room once more. Milo stared at the flip phone in his hand, as if willing it to go off. Call back while I'm still prepared; if you catch me off-guard at a bad moment, this could end badly. But it didn't buzz, and he didn't budge.

[cogitxre]

POST-EVENT :: updates.

– [+13] new information has been added to the dossier.

– [+3] new music has been added to the playlist.

– [+73] new material has been added to the pinterest.

[cogitxre]

High Society (1956) dir. Charles Walters

[cogitxre]

— THE LOGICIAN. (dossier)

[cogitxre]

[cogitxre]

TO: Nicolai > [SENT] Ah, Prince, what ever would I do without you? > [SENT] That's alright, however. My textbook should be fine for the time being. > [SENT] But if I have need of more reading material...I'll be sure to keep you in mind.

TO: Milo > [SENT] I brought one from home, if you need to borrow it. Can't fall back on school work, after all.

[cogitxre]

TASK 2.1 :: THE INTERROGATION.

— mentions of NICOLAI ARLAY-SINCLAIR [ @honeyedking ], SARAI ODENA [ @eternaladagio ], and THE TRAGEDY.

{ ✦ } Where did you last see [ THE TRAGEDY ]? Or when did you last hear of [ THE TRAGEDY ]?

Milo takes a deep breath, fingers interlacing tightly as he places his hands in his lap; ever the picture of poise, covering up the raging maelstrom of emotion inside. Just like he's learned his whole life.

"I talked to Vincent the evening before his death; likely just a handful of hours prior. I asked him if he would be joining me to study that night."

A wry smile plays at his lips as he thought back to that day, one of the ones that only occurred around close friends. One of his last interactions with Vincent. At least it had been a good one.

"He just smiled, shook his head; told me he had other matters to attend to that night. He was never quite as stuck in his books as I was. Am." "I thought nothing of it. I bid him farewell; figured I would see him the following day."

Near-imperceptible, a muscle in his jaw twitches. If only so much hadn't gone left unsaid between them. Perhaps he would have less regrets. Less...pains.

"...but I didn't."

{ ✦ } Where were you at time of death of [ THE TRAGEDY ]? And what were you doing?

"I was doing my usual: ...studying."

He gives the dark-haired woman a somewhat apologetic glance, though when he speaks, there's a hint of amusement to his tone.

"Sorry, I'm not all that interesting. That night was psychology research...ironically. Spent the entire night in the library reviewing the cortico-striatal-thalamic loop in preparation to discuss how it interacts with Tourette's syndrome. Fascinating stuff, really."

His eyes shift back to his interrogator from where they'd roamed towards the bookshelves, skimming what little bit of the spines he could read. Older volumes had more wear-and-tear to the lettering, making it nigh impossible to make them out. Didn't stop him from trying, though. All knowledge was worth having. Milo offers the woman a half-smile, one that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"...but you don't particularly care about that, do you? So for both your sake and mine, let's move on. You'd rather not get a lecture on Tourette's, and I'd truly rather not think about my dissertation at the moment. So what's next?"

{ ✦ } Who can attest to your alibi?

"In the library, I was alone. However..."

Milo shifts his weight slightly, crossing his arms. He casts his eyes upwards, thinking back to the night of his friend's demise. After a moment, he nods, and his gaze settles back on the woman.

"Nicolai Arlay-Sinclair. I messaged him the night of Vincent's death, and mentioned I would be in the library all night. I thought he might join me."

His lips twitch, settling ever-so-slightly into a frown. Showing about as much emotion as he ever did, merely a ripple in his icy façade. But whether it was concern or suspicion was practically unintelligible.

"...it seems he never made it out to meet me."

Shaking his head, as if to clear his thoughts, Milo returns his gaze to the interrogator. He gives another half-shrug, a finishing signal, leaving little room for expansion on his following point.

"Sarai Odena can also attest."

{ ✦ } The SOCIETY requires your verdict on [ THE TRAGEDY ]'s demise: Was it the calculated hand of murder? The cruel whim of accident? Or the final, desperate act of self-annihilation?

There it is again, the faintest twitch of the muscle near his jawline. He stills, gaze dropping to the table for a moment. After a few beats of silence, Milo nods.

"A knife is too personal a choice of weapon for an accident, and I doubt someone interested in a quick exit would have slit their throat. It's not exactly a common choice."

He glances back at the woman, a hint of that firm tone from the end of his statement returning.

"I do, in fact, believe it was murder."

[cogitxre]

TASK 2.3 :: THE SUITCASE.

— contents of a suitcase belonging to one Milo Foss.

one large, brown, leather suitcase.

The leather shows wear-and-tear on the handle, as well as it starting to peel around the corners. It is clearly well-used, and likely hasn't been replaced for over a decade.

one smartphone. [CONFISCATED]

A black Android phone, likely a Samsung Galaxy S21 or so. Not old, not new. Just average.

one pair of black earphones.

Slim across the crown, wide enough to fully cover ones ears at the base. Foldable; no cord found. Likely connect via Bluetooth.

one hair pick.

Simple; exactly what it sounds like. Prongs are blunt enough to not be an issue.

one book.

Macbeth, by William Shakespeare. Various pages and passages are highlighted and underlined in pen and faded red highlighter. Nothing abnormal.

one brown leather wallet.

Also likely old. Probably bought around the same time as the suitcase. Also worn. Front pocket bulges slightly; likely from excess of cards. Back pockets seem completely unused.

one small, wooden-handled whittling knife + one block of wood.

Comes in leather sheath; blade is small. Block of plywood.

one leather journal + one ballpoint pen.

Journal is empty; unused. Pen seems full. Both look new; recently purchased.

two textbooks (mathematics + psychology).

Both heavy, both thick. Only a crazy person would be carrying both of those in one suitcase.

one blue folder + a handful of pre-sharpened pencils.

Filled with papers; all seem to be research materials.

[cogitxre]

TASK 2.2 :: THE PHONE.

TO: Nicolai

> [SENT] I wonder if these bookshelves have any books on biopsychology...

TO: Clem

> [SENT] Doing alright?

TO: Sarai

> [SENT] And so, the games begin. I wonder what's next.

[cogitxre]

nothing hurts when you’re by my side