#oh. but why would a small detective agency be solving a murder instead of the police. i dont want to write about a cop

[gohard-or-gohomo]

Why has my planning for a fun lesbian detective story turned into researching brehon law. WHAT IS HAPPENING!!!!

[cry-stars]

For the ask, Katrielle and Ernest, AU where somehow his mother is missing instead of dead?

Absolutely! Thank you so much for asking, and I'm so sorry for taking so long with this! It turned out much longer than I expected. The AO3 link to it is here, but I'll also put it below a read-more here as well.

...

The wind rushes through Kat’s hair as she pedals her way down Chancer Lane, her heart pounding in her ears. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the concerned glance of the waiter from the cafe, and the curious stare of Aleks Lipski as he looks up towards her through the bakery window. Quickly, she summons up a smile, throwing her arm in the air and waving as she passes them by. Then, she turns her eyes back to the road, her smile fading as she puts all of her energy into her pedalling, her mind focused solely on her mission.

She’s not panicking. Of course not.

Everything is fine.

But it’s so unlike Ernest to not show up at the agency, let alone for days at a time, without letting her know. And it’s even more unlike him to ignore her calls. Something isn’t right.

Kat hadn’t noticed the first day that he’d been missing. The Layton Detective Agency is buzzing with activity these days: after the news spread that Dad had returned, the people who had been searching for him for all this time gravitated to Kat’s little agency like moths to a flame. Kat’s seen so many people that she hadn’t seen for months or years within the space of a few weeks. Al, Lucy, Flora, and so many others crowded themselves into the building, chatting and crying and laughing, and Kat had been right in the thick of it all, lost in the excitement of Dad’s return.

Within all the chaos, it makes sense that an ordinary person wouldn’t notice Ernest’s absence; he’s quiet at the best of times. But Kat should’ve noticed. She’s solved a hundred mysteries like they were nothing. She’s more observant than the whole police force put together. She should’ve noticed that her loyal assistant wasn’t there.

The weekend passed uneventfully; Katrielle didn’t bother going to the agency, busy as she was with her family. She’d left a message at Ernest’s number, letting him know that she wouldn’t be there. It didn’t bother her too much that he didn’t pick up; it was the weekend, after all.

But come Monday morning, Ernest still wasn’t at the agency, and this time, it was impossible to shrug off his absence. She’d tried to call him in the morning, but there had been no answer. Somewhat rattled, she’d forced a smile and settled down to do some reading and paperwork on her own. Of course, she missed her usual morning tea (yes, she’s capable of making it herself, but Ernest’s tea always tastes best), and she missed simply having him around; the agency just doesn’t feel the same with only she and Sherl in it. But in the end, she’d shrugged it off as best as she could. Perhaps Ernest had slept in today, or wasn’t feeling well. It had been a hectic past few weeks, after all. And perhaps he had been in the agency yesterday, and she just somehow hadn’t noticed.

She left one more call before going home. Still no reply.

Surely he’d be here tomorrow.

But he wasn’t.

Three days without coming to the agency… five days if you count the weekend… Surely she’s not being overly anxious about this? A five day absence isn’t something that she can play off as normal or unusual; it’s completely unlike Ernest to do something like this.

“He’s still not here, Sherl,” she’d said this afternoon, fighting to keep her tone of voice neutral and curious. “Do you… do you think everything’s alright?”

She wasn’t anxious. No, not at all. But she needed Sherl’s reassurance.

“He hasn’t had a day off since Christmas, Kat,” Sherl had said, yawning as he curled up on the sofa. “And you wouldn’t even let him have that whole day off. Even the most loyal of dogsbodies need a chance to curl up and have a rest now and then.”

“But it’s been five days if you count the weekend, and he hasn’t answered any calls.”

Sherl cracked one eye open, then the other, his face creasing into something like a frown. “Well. It is unlike him to leave you on paws like that.” Katrielle could hear the doubt creeping into Sherl’s voice with every word that he spoke.

That’s when she knew that she had to see if Ernest was alright.

If there’s nothing wrong, she can downplay it to Ernest and to Sherl, or to Dad if he asks, playing it off as one of her many whims. Oh, she just happened to want to go on a bike ride, just wanted to burn off some nervous energy on her way home from the agency. And she wouldn’t be lying, not really. She has to get home somehow; she’ll just be taking the scenic route, passing by Ernest’s flat. The… very long, out-of-the-way scenic route, but...

...she won’t be able to sleep tonight until she makes sure that he’s alright.

The sun is already setting by the time she arrives at Bowlyn Hill. Kat throws a half-nervous glance over her shoulder at the statue, with the massive globe upon its shoulders, before making her way down the hill. She’d like to make it to Ernest’s flat alive, if possible.

Before last Christmas Eve, before that evening at Richmond Court, Katrielle hadn’t known that Ernest lived in this part of town, but in hindsight, it makes perfect sense. He had known so much about the area during the Ratman case, and, since he grew up with such a small income, it makes sense that he would live in this area.

Before that night, Kat had really known almost nothing about Ernest. And still, she really knows very little about him, other than the tragic history of his family. He’s still a very private person: of course, he spends most of every day with her, but he works constantly during that time, and certainly doesn’t waste time chatting when he could be cleaning or sorting something that Kat’s made a mess of. And then, he goes home, alone.

At least Kat knows where he lives now: she’s visited his flat once or twice, dropping off something he’s left at the agency, or bringing over one of Rosa’s many treats that she’s “made too much of.” But still, Kat isn’t exactly a Bowlyn Hill regular; it’s easy to get lost here, amid the twisted alleyways and dark roads. She half-wonders if she’s going to get lost as she pedals her way through the streets as quickly as she dares.

At last, Kat pulls up in front of the building where Ernest’s flat is located. The building is noticeably newer and taller than others nearby, but is still coated with the same grime that covers so much of the surrounding area. At least it appears to be all in one piece, unlike many of the other buildings in this area. While some buildings in Bowlyn Hill, like Mrs. Slow’s tailor shop, have a sense of charm, there are many others that are in horrible disrepair.

Kat casts a wary glance behind her toward the old hospital, shut down almost ten years ago, which looks like something out of one of Flora’s murder mysteries. She’d heard the stories of how Dad had been beaten, so many years ago, and had stayed in this very place for weeks. While the Ratmen patrol the streets now and hopefully keep Bowlyn Hill from seeing any more violence like what Dad experienced, Kat can’t help but feel anxiety stir up in her stomach. Did something like that happen to Ernest? Is that why he’s been absent? Is he lying battered in some lonely alley?

Fighting back nausea, Kat hurriedly dismounts from her bicycle, clumsily leaning it against the wall as she rushes to the door of the building, tripping over her own feet as she reaches for the handle—

The door opens.

“M-Miss Layton!”

Ernest stands before her, shock dawning over his face.

He’s alright.

A wave of relief gently washes over Katrielle, and a second wave of self-consciousness slaps her in the face. He’s completely fine, and yet she rushed here in a panic, almost barging through his front door. This is why she should think through things more logically; she shouldn’t let her emotions get the better of her like this…

“I-I’m dreadfully sorry.”

Kat startles, snapping back into reality. Why is he apologizing? She stares at him in confoundment, noticing how he stares through the floor, his hands coming up and clumsily attempting to smooth back his uncombed hair. “It’s been days, I know,” he stutters. “I sincerely apologize… I should have been there; you shouldn’t have had to come look for me...”

Kat realizes too late that she’s simply been standing here, silently staring at him, ever since he flung the door open. She forces a chuckle. “What? Did you think that I came here to scold you?” Kat uses her usual teasing tone, but it’s far from genuine. Is he really that afraid of disappointing her?

Perhaps he’s not alright after all.

“W-well…” Ernest’s fingers slow their movement through his hair, his hand pausing above his eyes. He slowly looks up, meeting Katrielle’s gaze, his gaze half-hidden by his hand. Kat notices, for the first time, the dark circles under his eyes. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I promised myself that I’d do everything I could to help you, and I’ve failed once again.”

Any irritation that Kat might’ve felt at Ernest’s unexplained absence has completely vanished at this point. Her curiosity is in overdrive, but given Ernest’s state, it seems like some tact is called for.

“Nonsense,” she says, gently but matter-of-factly. “Now that we’ve found Dad, the greatest purpose of the Agency has been fulfilled. So I don’t need…” She was about to say that she didn’t need help anymore, but that would wound Ernest’s pride.

(And it would be a lie).

She amends her statement. “I don’t need constant help anymore. You don’t need to worry about that.”

“But… but I like helping you.” Ernest bites his lip. “I really do. But I just couldn’t this week, Miss Layton. I should have told you why, but, I…” He stares through the floor. “I… I’m just not sure what to do, and I didn’t want to burden you, when you’ve done so much for me.”

How could Ernest be a burden? Katrielle has helped countless people with simpler matters than whatever’s troubled Ernest so badly. Are her powers of observation so sub-par, that Katrielle didn’t know that he felt like he’d burden her by asking for help?

“It would hardly be a burden, Ernest.” She places a hand on his shoulder, summoning up a confident mask of a smile. “Any mystery solved—that’s my motto. And I want to solve the mystery of why my loyal assistant seems so worryingly unlike his normal self.”

Will this be enough for him to understand that she genuinely wants to help him?

Ernest blinks. He turns away from her once again, but not before Kat spots the pink colouring his cheeks. “I’m sorry to have made you worry about me,” he says slowly. “It’s… it’s been a difficult last few days. But, I… I’m glad you came.” A quiet smile colours his face, so small that it’s almost invisible. Perhaps Katrielle’s powers of observation aren’t completely unreliable after all.

Ernest breaks the silence, clearing his throat. “I was just about to go on a walk, if you’d care to join me, and I’ll try to explain, if you’ll allow me to.”

Kat slowly feels a genuine smile lighting up her own face. “Of course”

They walk together down the street, Katrielle walking her bicycle beside her. She’s not quite sure if the silence between them is comfortable or not—she’s still relieved that Ernest is physically alright, but there’s still something wrong. Will she be able to help him half as much as he’s helped her for all of this time?

Ernest stops suddenly, and Kat blinks, reorienting herself to reality. They stand before the gates of a cemetery. The iron gates are battered and rusted, and Kat can see moss growing over many of the tombstones.

“I come here every Wednesday,” Ernest says quietly as they enter the gates. They walk between the tombstones, the long, damp grass staining their shoes. “Mama passed on a Wednesday. It really wasn’t all that long ago, in the scheme of things, but it’s so hard to remember. It’s all a blur. One moment, I was talking to her in the hospital room, and the next… they’ve… they’ve taken her away.” He keeps walking, his head moving back and forth, his eyes scanning the tombstones on either side of him. “I never knew where she was buried. Nobody ever told me. I come here every week to look, to see if I can find her grave. But I’ve never found it.”

“I’m so sorry,” Katrielle says quietly. It’s difficult to know what else to say. She understands the grief of losing a parent as well as Ernest does. But she’d known in her heart that Dad was still alive, and that had given her the strength to go on, to become a great detective and to hone her skills, searching for him. Finding him had been a dream come true. But Ernest’s loss was permanent—

“But—” Ernest bursts out, breaking through Katrielle’s thoughts. “The group home where I stayed after Mama died called me Thursday night. And they said that…” His voice rises in pitch; his rapid breathing is barely constrained. “...that someone named Ms. Richmond came and… and was asking about me.”

Katrielle freezes. “What?”

Ms. Richmond...that must be—

“I know.” Ernest’s hands are shaking. “I don’t know what to think either. How could she still be alive? But I rushed to the group home as soon as I could. But I missed her, and they don’t know where she went. And I’ve been reeling ever since. I’ve called everywhere I could think of. I’ve scoured the city as best I can. And then, when I couldn’t find anything… I locked myself away because I’m… I’m afraid.”

“Afraid?” Katrielle repeats his last word gently, eager to find out any further details that Ernest might know.

“I… I don’t know what to do. What if I never find her? Or, what if I find her, and it turns out that she isn’t Mama?” Ernest lets his face fall into his hands. “I… I can’t bear to go through that again: to get my hopes up, only to lose her all over again.” He turns away, staring off into the sea of tombstones. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be bothering you with this. You have so many other things to think about. You can go home; I’m alright.”

Katrielle’s mind races. How could Ernest’s mother still be alive? A mix-up at the hospital, perhaps? Perhaps she was only at death’s door, and never truly died? Or could this be a bigger conspiracy?

What an intriguing mystery. One that will take a great detective to solve.

After all, Ernest has done so much to help her in her own search for Dad. It’s only fair that she does the same for him.

“Any mystery solved, Ernest.”

Ernest blinks, looking up at her with confusion in his eyes. “Pardon, miss?”

“Any mystery solved.” Kat gives him a smile, hoping that it comes across as reassuring. “It would be better to find out the truth, wouldn’t it? This mystery’s come across your path for a reason. If you don’t solve it, I know that you’d regret it.”

“Yes…” Ernest starts hesitantly. He clasps his hands together, staring down at them as he kneads them anxiously together. “But I… I don’t know where to start.”

“That’s why I’m going to help you. You’ve helped me look for my dad for so long. One good turn deserves another, wouldn’t you say?” She holds her hand out to him. “What do you say, Ernest?”

For what seems like forever, Ernest stands still, staring toward her; Kat can’t tell whether he’s dumbfounded or whether he’s going to cry.

Did she push too hard?

She’d never wanted to give up on searching for Dad, but in her darkest moments, there were times where she’d thought that it would have been easier if he had actually died, if she didn’t have to explain to everyone (including herself) that he was missing. She regrets thinking that way, but perhaps Ernest doesn’t. Perhaps he wants to leave the past in the past—

“Miss Layton…”

Ernest’s voice cuts through Kat’s thoughts. She blinks, refocusing her gaze on his face, noticing his tiny smile, and the teary shine in his eyes. “Thank you… thank you so much,” he says, his voice trembling. “Even… even you simply coming to see me means so much, but offering to help me…” He chuckles weakly, looking away, swiping at his eyes with one hand. “I’m supposed to be the assistant, but ever since I’ve known you, you’ve assisted me far more than I ever have assisted you.”

He’s far too hard on himself. “Nonsense, Ernest. You’re the best of assistants. It only makes sense that I’d want to help you now and again, don’t you think?” She sets her hand on his shoulder, hoping that it will come across as a comforting gesture. She’ll let go of a little of her pride, just this once; she wants to see him as his usual self again. “Besides, this is your case. So perhaps you don’t need to be an assistant this time.”

“O-oh! Well, that doesn’t sound right--you being my assistant.” Ernest chuckles again, but this time it sounds a little more natural; beneath her hand, Kat can feel the tension in his shoulder leaving by the second. He looks up, meeting her gaze with a hesitant smile. “But thank you. I… I do want your help, if you’re willing to give it to me.”

“Of course I am. Whenever you’re ready to begin the search, I’ll be there.”

Ernest smiles again, but Kat can still see pain behind his eyes.“I’m almost ready,” he says. “Just one moment.” He turns away. Kat watches his eyes scan the gravestones, as if searching one last time for the elusive stone engraved with his mother’s name.

She’s impatient to begin the search, but Kat forces her feet to stay still, forcing herself to stay silent as he surveys the graveyard. She’ll give him this moment. He helped her day in and day out searching for her father for more than a year. She can wait for him.

[aiden-png]

Hyrule the baby detective?

ohohoho okay so.. I have three genres I like to write in my original lit: horror, scifi, and mystery. so I wanted to write a mystery for LU, multichapter and thoroughly outlined (partly because analyzing HSH was so much fun and I wanted to keep that going alkdfjkasdfj). so I came up with an idea for a crime mystery set in a vaguely 1890s ‘modern’ Castle Town city following apprentice detective Hyrule... I actually wrote a Lot for the first draft before realizing it was a bit too silly for my intent and I hadn’t outlined it enough to solve the sideplots I’d introduced while writing. so I scrapped this... 4? chapter first draft right before the climax and sat down to Really plot it out (I wrote this one in July I think lol)

I have a whole outline and I made a new setting: ‘modern’ university AU with a serial killer antagonist who takes an interest in Hyrule. I had so much of it planned out and I was hype to write it because the twist was amazing, which is the part I felt was lacking set up in the first try. but then classes started and I came up with another multichapter idea and started writing that instead, kinda.. oops!

so if I ever release a version of this fic, it’ll probably be an edited and finished version of the crack taken seriously first draft XD and I’m not sure if I’ll ever use the twist I came up with for the second version so I won’t share it, but it was Good omg.... I love adding twists into my multichapter fics, they’re so much fun aaa! :D

and I guess, just because I can.... have a (unedited and messy) snippet from it! :D

Hyrule was so nervous he’d managed to leave the office and board the subway before even opening the envelope. The envelope where the address of the client and time of meeting was… Hyrule sighed, carefully opening the clasps and peering inside. There was one tiny slip of paper and nothing else. Great. Hyrule pulled the appointment card out, squinting down at the scribbled address and-- oh dear, the meeting was in less than an hour! Hyrule’s eyes flicked around, only relaxing slightly as he realized he’d somehow managed to board the correct train.

He was a bit frustrated at the lack of information he’d been given, if he was being honest. A murder case typically had a name, some pictures, a report even when they got the call, but the card Hyrule held simply had an address and a name--Twilight. Odd name, but he didn’t really have room to talk, his parents had named him after a country after all.

The train arrived and Hyrule shuffled his way through the crowds at the station, climbing the stairs to find himself in the center of the historic district. Towering stone buildings lined the streets in streaked creams and greys, stained by coal even as most of the city moved to electric. The houses here were expensive and ancient and Hyrule knew the district was made of wealthy, private citizens more than anything else. People who preferred to keep their affairs under the table, tight-lipped and aloof, rude even. Hyrule lived in a dingy apartment, packed like a sardine in rooms barely big enough for a bed and stove. He felt small and out of place just standing in the street, suddenly aware of how cheap his white shirt and suspenders looked compared to the businessmen clad in full suits around him.

Hyrule rushed to find the building, glancing up towards the clock tower that rested in the building at the end of the street. Rows and rows of brownstones, all looking strikingly similar, before Hyrule found the bright red overhang of an apartment building, the address emblazoned on the cloth in gold script. He let out a small sigh of relief, still ten minutes ahead of schedule, and pulled open the grand wooden door at the entrance.

The interior was dark but spacious, high ceilings and sconces all fit with gas lamps that were out of use. There was a window at the top of the first flight of stairs, smudged and allowing a grey, watery light to pass into the foyer--the only light present. The right side of the hall held a built in alcove, a set of open mailboxes behind a desk and chair. An attendant sat in the dim light, head slumped forward on his chest, brown hair disheveled over his maroon uniform. Obviously asleep. Hyrule looked down at his note, up at the stairs, and quietly snuck past.

Two flights up Hyrule noticed a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling at the top floor, visible through the gaps in the alternating staircases. A small man was strapped to the rail and ceiling, grease and soot staining his shirt and hair pulled away with a green headband. Hyrule found himself on the fifth floor and peering at the precarious set up the man had constructed--or was he just a boy? He didn’t look much older than fourteen, but he was clearly hard at work, wires looped around his arms and clamps in hand as he converted the chandelier from gas to electric. The kid shot Hyrule a questioning look and he realized he’d been staring, quickly turning away and facing the hall ahead.

There were six doors, three on each side of the hall with tiny golden plaques adorning the wood with each apartment number. Hyrule winced as each step he took broadcast itself in loud squeaks, the maroon carpet rolled over the wood doing nothing to muffle them. Fortunately the apartment he was looking for was the first to his left, room 501, and he took a moment to check his pocket watch and take a few steadying breaths. Before he moved to knock on the door he heard the click of the knob, and a moment later the door tugged open to reveal a man dressed in a dark jacket with dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. They narrowed for a second and Hyrule felt himself stiffen in fear before the man grabbed his arm and pulled him in.

The door shut quickly, trapping Hyrule in the mysterious apartment with a threatening stranger and no escape. He almost considered trying to bolt before his eyes landed on the teen sprawled over the loveseat ahead, long blonde hair spilling onto the ground while his bare feet rested over the couch back. His left side was covered in a layer of streaking pink scars that pinched his eye slightly shut and twisted his mouth into a perpetual smirk. What made Hyrule pause however was the grin the kid shot him, warm and excited, and when he turned back to the other man he saw the tense posture had relaxed significantly.

“You’re from the agency, right?” the man asked, voice a bit tired and hopeful, like he’d been through this song and dance several times before.

“Ah, y-yes! My name is Hyrule, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Hyrule stretched out his hand and the man shook it readily, firm, and Hyrule felt himself begin to relax slightly.

“I’m Twilight. Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll fill you in on why I called.” Twilight offered a small smile and Hyrule let himself be guided to sit in a high backed armchair opposite the loveseat. Twilight shoved the teen’s legs off the back and came to sit beside him as he readjusted into a cross-legged position, grin still wide on his face.

“I’m Wild by the way,” Wild waved, Twilight nodding somewhat resigned.

“It’s nice to meet you, Wild,” Hyrule nodded despite the odd name, smiling at the thanks Twilight mouthed at him.

“Alright, so,” Twilight huffed, crossing his legs and straightening his back. Hyrule perked up, pulling a notepad and pencil from his jacket pocket and flipping open to a blank page. “I didn’t say much on the phone last night because this is a… well, a sensitive case, let’s say.”

Hyrule hummed, curiosity easing his anxiety enough to shine through. “A murder, yes?”

Twilight winced and Wild snickered at his side.

“Yes and no…” Twilight shot Wild a glare. “See, it hasn’t exactly happened yet.”

Hyrule paused. Huh.

“So you heard that a murder is being planned and you called us to help prevent it?” Hyrule surmised, only to be met with more laughter from Wild. Twilight shoved him but the teen only hid his smile behind a hand in response.

“Not exactly,” Twilight sighed, and Hyrule noticed the dark circles beneath his eyes. “You see, we have this odd neighbor at the end of the hall, and--”

“Twilight saw the guy’s ghost in a dream and is convinced he’s going to be killed.” Wild cut in, ignoring the sharp glare Twilight shot his way.

“Well, that’s a new one.” Hyrule raised his eyebrows, taking in the giggling teen and Twilight’s tired expression.

“It wasn’t a dream, I saw him, or at least I think I did.” Twilight sighed, fixing Hyrule with pleading eyes. “It must have been a ghost because he just appeared out of nowhere in the hall, covered in blood, and told me to call the cops. I did, but when they arrived they said nothing was wrong and I must have been seeing things. But I have a bad feeling about it, something isn’t right. I just want to make sure the Old Man’s okay.”

“When was this exactly? Have you checked on him yourself?” Hyrule tapped his pencil on the notepad, mulling over Twilight’s words. This certainly was an interesting case, and while he wasn’t sure how much he could truly do to help, he understood what Twilight meant. Hyrule trusted his own instincts--a bit too much according to Legend--but they hadn’t truly led him astray yet.

“This was a week ago. I checked on him right after I woke up the next morning. He was fine, not a scratch on him, but something tells me whatever is coming for him hasn’t yet.” Twilight twisted his fingers together nervously and Wild’s laughter petered off. “I’ve been hearing arguments from his apartment. More and more strange people have been coming to visit, and at odd times of the night. I think he’s gotten himself mixed up in something, but he’s pretty stoic and keeps to himself. I just worry…”

Alright, so maybe this case wasn’t as straightforward as he’d been led to believe, but Hyrule wasn’t deterred. Twilight’s words shone with honesty and he realized that the man was likely on his last attempt to find help. No one in their right mind would believe this story, no respectable detective would take on such a case. So it was a good thing Legend sent him, because Hyrule had literally nothing to lose.

“I’ll help you,” Hyrule announced, feeling a swell of confidence as Twilight smiled and Wild shook his head fondly. “If what you say is true there is cause for concern. I can start interviewing those close to him and keeping tabs. If he’s in trouble, we’ll find out, and I can make sure he stays safe.”

Well, he could try, but that was beside the point.

“Thank you so much,” Twilight said, already relaxing. “You don’t know how many detectives I’ve reached out to. They all say I’m crazy or trying to pull a prank.”

“Well, I’m here now, and I’ll get to the bottom of this.” Hyrule replied with far more confidence than he had. At least Legend had taught him one thing--how to bullshit. “So, why don’t we start with what you know about this man…”

Twilight sat back in the chair, Wild getting up to make tea in the adjacent kitchenette. Hyrule readied his pencil, hands steady as his nerves eased.

“We call him Time.”

[afurrybutthememekind]

Evan Langford

So today I learned that despite having anxiety myself I just cannot write a character with anxiety to save my life. Evan is surprising difficult to write apparently. 

Evan-anxious, nature lover, unorganized, insecure

First meeting:

I roll my shoulders, leaning back and jumping when I see my mother in the doorway. “Oh, hey what’s up?”

She smiles apologetically at my surprise. “I need to talk to you about this case you’re working on.” 

I grimace when I think back to the crime scene. “What about it?” 

“This case is bigger than you know.” She lowers herself into one of the chairs around my desk. 

“Oh?” I frown, taking a steadying breath. “I thought it might be.” 

“A keen observation.” The pride is obvious in her tone, making me frown. “The man you’re looking for has killed before, in many places.”

I look away from her, anxiously running my hands across my jeans. “You think it’s the same guy here in Wayhaven?” 

“We’ve been tracking him for some time.” Her brows draw together at my obvious distress. “I believe he’s going to be staying in Wayhaven for some time, so now is our last chance to catch him.”

I take a shaky breath and run my fingers through my hair. “How are you so sure about that?” I sigh when she purses her lips. “Classified. Of course it is.” 

“I’m afraid so.” She smiles apologetically. “There is something I can offer you. Something the mayor is very keen for you to utilize.” 

I frown, worrying my lip between my teeth. “Does the mayor have that little faith in me?” 

“That has nothing to do with it.” Rebecca sounds resolute, but it does nothing to calm my anxiety. She leans forward in her chair, placing her hand on mine. “You can solve this, I know you can. If you couldn’t the agency would have asked me to take over.” 

I give her a halfhearted smile and nod, still chewing on my lip. “So what exactly are you offering?” 

“My unit.” 

I furrow my brows, biting down harder on my lip until I taste iron. 

Rebecca sighs and frowns at my mouth. “It’s the team of agents I command.” She strokes the back of my hand with her thumb. 

“Oh, yeah okay.” I nod and clear my throat. “I didn’t even know you had a team.” 

“I know.” She pats my arm and stands to call for someone out the door. 

Four men march into my cramped office and I hastily stand. I clear my throat and rub my hands down my pants to quell my anxiety. 

“Detective Evan Langford, this is Unit Bravo.” 

No one says anything and a suffocating silence descends on the room. I clear my throat again and hold out a hand. “I look forward to working with you all.” 

The tallest of them steps forward, taking my hand. His eyes dart to my split lip and a small, worried frown  pulls at his mouth before he smiles. “Agent Nathaniel Sewell, though I prefer Nate.” 

“Evan.” I say as I shake his hand then grimace when I remember my mother already introduced me. 

His eyes soften and he nods. “I look forward to working with you as well, Evan.” He steps back beside the other three and my eyes are pulled to a slightly shorter man with long hair. 

I meet his eyes and immediately look away when my heart skips a beat. Instead I turn to the shortest of the four as he steps forward. 

“Felix,” he says as he takes my hand. “Felix Hauville.” A grin spreads across his face as he brings my hand up to his lips. 

My eyes widen and I open my mouth to respond but the words die on my lips. I watch in confusion as he presses a kiss to my knuckles. I feel my face heat up and clear my throat, pulling my hand away. 

Felix watches me with a tilted head, grin still on his face. Finally he lets out a soft chuckle and steps back beside Nate, who chides him quietly. 

I turn to the long haired man again and meet his eyes, swallowing around the sudden lump in my throat. “And you are?” 

His brows and a small smirk pulls at his lips. His eyes drag along me and I feel my flush flush even more. 

“This is Agent Mason.” Rebecca steps up beside me, resting a hand on my shoulder and shooting a glare at Mason. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I choke out. I find myself unable to look away from his dark, amused eyes and I clear my throat again. 

“I’m sure it is.” His smirk widens and I force myself to turn away. 

“Save it Mason.” 

My eyes widen and I feel suddenly cold. Shit. I turn to see a tall, intense-looking man. Oh god I maced him last night why is he so okay?

“This is Commanding Agent Adam du Mortain.” My mother shoots him a proud smile. 

“Uh.” I cough and hold out my hand. “Evan.” 

He stares at my hand for a moment before gripping it tightly. “I look forward to working with you.” 

I pull my hand back and grimace. “You too.” 

“Everything okay?” Rebecca’s brows pull together as she looks at me.

I nod and force a tense smile. “Yeah, everything’s fine.” 

She studies my face for a moment before nodding. “Now that introductions have been made I will leave you to work on the murder.” She gives my shoulder an encouraging squeeze before leaving. 

Reveal:

Vampires? Vampires?! I feel my heart pounding so hard in my chest I think it’s going to bust out. I stare wide-eyed at the four men watching me. I open and close my mouth like a fish before clearing my throat and staring down at the floor. 

“Evan?” Rebecca rests her hand on mine. 

“We won’t hurt you.” Nate steps forward, frowning in concern. 

I look up and meet his worried brown eyes and flinch. I press my palms to my eyes and take a deep shaky breath, grimacing when I drop them to my lap. 

“We’re still here and we’re still vampires,” Mason calls from his spot against the wall, grinning. 

“Mason!” Nate narrows his eyes at him. 

“I…” I start to say something before biting down on my cheek hard enough to taste blood. I tightly wrap my arms around my middle and shake my head. “This is a fucking joke right?” 

“I’m afraid not.” Rebecca watches me with the same worried frown as Nate. “Are you okay?” 

I snort, curling in further on myself to fight off the urge to puke. 

“I’m sorry to tell you, but there’s more.” Rebecca stands, gesturing for me to follow her. “Come on.” 

I stand from the bed and follow after her, sticking close as she leads me into the hallway. 

[neko-when-they-cry]

Trick of the Golden Witch chapter 1

After the death of her aunt, Ange decided to go on a quest to find out the truth about the Rokkenjima Massacre. She ended up asking the help of a certain detective.

So here's an Umineko fic based on my theory regarding the Trick Ending. Spoiler for the end of Umineko. Enjoy!

Ushiromiya Ange remained still in front of the detective agency. Not that she was hesitating to enter or anything, she was simply lost in her thought. Her aunt Eva recently passed away, but she wasn't sad about it. She always hated her ever since she became her legal guardian, and it was mutual. Ange always felt like Eva was keeping the truth from her, about what truly happened in the Rokkenjima island. She was suspecting her of being the culprit behind the tragedy that took away her family, but she still needed concrete proof. Ange was desperate to know the truth, and quite frankly, ready to try anything. Now that Eva was dead, she was free, the chain keeping her from finding out the truth had been broken, and she was ready to investigate this mystery.

"What are we waiting for, oujo?"

Ange sighed. Hearing him just reminded her that she was stuck with him. Amakusa Juuzo, her bodyguard. Hired by Okonogi to protect her. Quite frankly, she would do perfectly fine without him, but he didn't seem like he had any intention to leave. Well, at least he wasn't preventing her from looking for the truth, so his presence was bearable. At least it gave her someone to talk to.

"Nothing, let's go," Ange said as she stepped inside the agency, followed by Amakusa.

The agency was rather small but well decorated. They walked in a small corridor until they reached a door, which Ange knocked at. After a few seconds of waiting, someone opened the door. It was a middle-aged woman with short dark blue hair barely reaching her jaw, lighter blue eyes and wearing a rather professional outfit. She smiled politely at Ange.

"Oh, you must be Ushiromiya Ange-san. Please come on in."

Ange nodded and stepped inside the office, followed by Amakusa. Inside was a desk, a couch with an armchair in front, with in between a coffee table. The blue-haired woman put two cups on the table and poured tea in it, before sitting on the armchair.

"Please take a seat, Ange-san."

"I suppose I'm not invited," Amakusa said.

"No. Go wait in the corner and stay quiet," Ange ordered him.

"Roger, oujo."

Her bodyguard did as she told him and she sat on the couch. The woman took a sip of her tea, smiling in a serene way. Ange looked at her tea, with no intention of actually touching it.

"You know, I always wanted to contact you, but your aunt never let me. Not that I'm happy she died, but at least I'm free to talk to you know."

"You can be happy. She was a bitch," Ange replied bluntly.

"Ouch, I see you two didn't have quite the aunt-niece loving relationship. Well then, I'll be frank. Her death was surely in my best interest."

Despite her cruel words, the woman was still smiling softly. Ange felt that despite her rather elegant appearance, this woman was much sinister than she looked like.

"Let me introduce myself again. I'm Furudo Erika, nice to meet you."

Ange remained quiet. After her aunt's death, she looked for the second survivor of the Rokkenjima Mass Murder Incident, Furudo Erika. Totally unrelated to the Ushiromiya family, according to what she read she would have ended up on the island after a boat accident. But Ange knew that there was more to this. So she contacted Erika and organized a meeting between the two of them. Since she was a detective, it seemed that she might be even more useful to her investigation.

"Why did you want to contact me?" Ange asked.

"Well, since you were one of the only Ushiromiya left, I wanted to talk with you, and hopefully learn more about your family. But your aunt never let me, she was quite protective of you."

"Bullshit. Eva oba-san never loved me, she didn't care about me."

"If you say so. Anyway, I simply investigated on my own to find the truth, but I never had any conclusive result. I kind of give up, but when you called me, it made me want to continue my investigation."

"What a coincidence, I also want to investigate the Rokkenjima Incident. I want to know the truth, and I was hoping you could help me."

"Oh my, so here's why you called me. I feel like we'll get along just fine. Both looking for the truth-"

"Tell me what happened on the island."

Erika remained quiet for a moment, before taking a sip of her tea and putting it back on the table.

"You're not sugarcoating it, I like that. Well, it's not like I hide what happened to me on the island. I fell from a pleasure boat near Rokkenjima and in some miracle, I survived and arrived on the island. The Ushiromiya family welcomed me as their guest, and I spent a lot of time with the younger members of the family, including your brother Battler-san."

"No need to tell me superficial details, come to the point. I want to know about the murder."

Erika chuckled.

"Very well then. It all started during dinner, Maria-san brought back a letter that she claimed was from a witch named Beatrice. It was a riddle, the Witch Epitaph, to find Kinzo-san's gold. Whoever would be the first one to solve the epitaph's riddle would inherit the gold and become the new head of the Ushiromiya family. The adults asked the kids to leave so they can talk about this mysterious letter alone, and even though I wanted to be part of it I was forced to stay with the cousins," Erika started to explain. "Then the cousins were called by Rudolf-san apparently on the behalf of Kinzo-san. Apparently he judged all his children to be unfit to be his successor and wanted to test his grandchildren instead to choose his heir. Jessica-san was asked to go to the parlour and George-san in front of the chapel. When those two left, I stayed with Battler-san and Maria-san in the cousin room."

Ange took the time to think about it. Her father called Jessica and George on the behalf of Kinzo? Somehow, that sounded fishy. Almost like a trap.

"Later, Battler got called at the chapel and I remained alone with Maria-san," Erika continued. "But my instinct told me something was odd. I knew there was something wrong. This epitaph was highly suspicious to me. So I decided to leave the cousin room and go investigate on my own. I went to the parlour and discovered… Jessica-san's corpse."

"Jessica's… corpse… how did she die?" Ange asked.

"Are you sure you want to know? It was pretty brutal-"

"Tell me. I'm here to know the truth after all."

"Very well. Her face had been smashed beyond recognition. I only knew it was her because of the clothes and the hair," Erika revealed.

Ange felt a little bit nauseous. Such an awful way to die. Whoever the culprit was, she would never forgive them.

"What happened next?" Ange asked.

"Well, I realized that there was a murderer on the island, so my detective senses got quite stirred. I decided to go see the chapel and on my way, I found Rudolf-san's corpse. He looked like he was shot twice, once in the chest and the second time in the head. I also found George-san's corpse in the forest near the chapel, similar injuries as Rudolf-san. I decided to go back to the cousin room and on my way found the corpse of most servants, and later Maria-san with her throat slit in her bed. I left once again, looking for any survivors, and found Kyrie-san's corpse in the garden, a bullet in her throat. The only people I haven't seen their corpse were Battler-san, Shanon-san, Kanon-san and obviously, Eva-san."

Ange felt sick. To learn how her family died, especially her parents, was truly awful. But she repressed those feelings, she had to remain strong, for the sake of the truth.

"Then, how did you escape? According to what I read, you found a boat and left the island before it exploded. How did you find that boat? I don't recall reading about that," Ange insisted.

Erika became quiet for a moment as if she was hesitating to continue.

"Well, that's when things become really weird. I didn't tell anyone about this because I didn't want people to think I was crazy. But since you are an Ushiromiya, I suppose you have a right to know," Erika started to say.

Ange became tense. Whatever Erika was about to tell her, it must be shocking. But she was ready to face anything, she wasn't scared of the truth. Whatever it was, she would accept it.

"I saw… the Golden Witch, Beatrice," Erika revealed.

Ange became speechless when she heard that. Beatrice… the woman on the portrait? She remembered talking about her with Maria as a child, when they played witches together. Beatrice was the witch Maria admired and respected. But she wasn't real, right? Just a child's delusion, so how… ?

"You saw… Beatrice… ?" Ange wanted to confirm.

"Yes, I did. She's actually the one who saved me."

"But… how? What happened!?" Ange demanded, more and more flustered.

"She brought me to an underground tunnel and we reached a boat. She told me that since I wasn't linked to this family, I didn't deserve to die. Obviously I asked her for an explanation, and then, her expression changed. She grinned in such a malevolent way and laughed madly, saying that she was the one who killed everyone because the Ushiromiya owed her. She took back everything that belonged to Kinzo, and that I simply wasn't part of that."

Ange remained quiet, clenching her fists in anger.

"Are you telling me… that my family has been killed by a witch?! That magic is real!? Impossible! I won't believe such foolishery, this is insane, it can't be the truth!" Ange shouted.

Most to Ange's surprise, Erika's smile turned into a sinister grin as she suddenly burst into an almost demonic, before she gazed at Ange with such arrogance.

"Of course not! Do you think I'm dumb enough to believe in magic? Obviously she wasn't a real witch, only a human wearing a fancy costume and a wig! But this human pretending to be the witch Beatrice may be the culprit we are looking for, the one behind the Rokkenjima Incident," Erika said.

Still shocked by Erika's sudden outburst, Ange remained quiet for a moment, before feeling relieved. She was worried that Erika actually believed in magic for an instant.

"Who is this culprit? Who was this person pretending to be Beatrice?" Ange asked.

"I don't know. Either one of the 17 people on the island, or some mysterious 18th person. My bet would be either a servant or an Ushiromiya."

"It must be Eva oba-san! She disguised herself as Beatrice and killed everyone!"

"Hm, I wonder. I'm still not sure if this Beatrice is really the culprit. After all, she saved my life. I can't forget this panicked expression she had on her face when I first met her, and that bloody shoulder… no, she wasn't the culprit. She had been attacked. Well, according to the Epitaph she may have wanted to murder everyone, but someone might have beat her to that. Or the adults solve the riddle before the deadline and one of them decided to kill everyone for the gold. Simply by the existence of Beatrice's wound, this level of reasoning is possible for Furudo Erika! What do you think, everyone?"

Ange remained skeptical. So this Beatrice, whoever she truly is, wouldn't be the culprit but would have intended to kill everyone for an unknown reason. But Ange didn't care with she wanted to, she was only interested in the real culprit, the one that stole her family away from her.

"So Beatrice is pointless. No need to find who she is, we should focus on the actual culprit," Ange said.

"Well, the fact Rudolf-san called us for some kind of test and before going there were killed is highly suspicious," Erika said.

"No, my father can't be the culprit! After all, he was killed too. You said he called on my grandfather's behalf? Then maybe it's him, who tricked my father and orchestrated the murder of his family," Ange theorized.

"That's an interesting theory, I did think of it too."

"Is there anything else I don't know about the incident?"

"No, I told you everything I know."

"How much will it cost?"

"Eh?"

"You're a detective after all, you can't have told me all of that information freely. How much will it cost me?"

"Ah! Don't worry about that, for you it will be free. After all, I did want to discuss with you."

"Fine. Well then, if you have nothing more to tell me, I'll leave. Thank you for your time."

Ange rose up, ready to go, but before she could leave, Erika suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Wait! I'm not done with you," Erika said.

"But I am."

"Let me finish! What if we work together to uncover the Rokkenjima mystery and discover the truth?"

Ange thought about it. Somehow, she wanted to do this alone. It was her family, it felt personal. But, Erika was a survivor of the Rokkenjima Incident, she was there when her family was murdered, and in addition, she was a detective. Her help could be precious.

"Fine, let's team up," Ange agreed.

"Wonderful! How about you work with me at my agency? Helping me solve my cases, it would sharpen your skills. And we could work together to solve the Rokkenjima Incident."

Ange hesitated. Working for Erika didn't seem that much pleasant, but it was true that it could help her develop better deduction skills, which could be useful to find the culprit who killed her family.

"Okay, I'll work with you. But it better not be a waste of time," Ange replied.

"Don't worry, it won't. Glad that we'll now work together, my dear new assistant."

Ange sighed. This alliance was the start of her quest. The quest of the truth regarding the Rokkenjima Incident and the murder of her family. And she was determined to succeed, no matter what.

***

Suddenly, a truly devilish smile appeared on Erika's face. Under Ange's expression of disbelief, Erika started to shrink, her hair grew long and was now tied up in twintails, and her clothes changed for a fancy white and pink dress. Her smile softened as she grabbed her dress to lift it a little and bowed elegantly.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Furudo Erika, the detective, as well as a Witch of Truth."

Ange remained shocked by what she witnessed. A middle-aged woman just turned into a teenager in front of her eyes! And now she was calling herself… a witch? She looked around and discovered that Amakusa had disappeared.

"It can't be true… magic can't be real, you can't be a witch, you said it yourself that they don't exist!" Ange exclaimed.

"Magic and witches do in fact not exist, in your world. But this isn't your world anymore. Welcome to the Meta-World, Ange-san."

"I… I don't understand…"

"It's fine if you don't. Anyway, whether I truly am a witch or not doesn't matter. It's Beatrice's status as a witch we need to disprove."

Ange reminded quiet for a moment, still shocked by what she saw, but eventually come back to her sense and regained her composure.

"No. We need to discover who the culprit is. If Beatrice isn't the culprit, then there's no point in finding out her true identity," Ange said.

"But you can't know for sure that she isn't the culprit. Wouldn't it be better to discover who she is in case she is the culprit?"

"But didn't you say yourself that you didn't think she was the culprit?"

"The Erika of this world did, but I'm not her. I'm the Erika from another world. But I do know everything about this world, but it doesn't mean I agree with everything my human self said."

"Right… well then, are you going to help me find the truth?"

"That's what I'm here for! I'll be your witch guardian, and I'll help you find out the truth and destroy that illusion of the Golden Witch. Surely you know about those message bottles? Even if the books weren't written in this world, those messages still exist here, as well as all the forgeries made."

"You mean those messages signed by Maria onee-chan? Yeah, I know about them. Different scenarios about what happened on the island. A lot of people become fans of those theories and started writing their own, I suppose that it was your mean by forgeries."

"Creating a perfect catbox for the Rokkenjima Incident. But together, we'll open that catbox and reveal the truth. Let's put an end to those theories and destroy that illusion once and for all! Join me on that quest and be my assistant, Ange-san, fellow Witch of Truth."

Erika held out her hand, smiling. Ange hesitated. This just sounded all so crazy. But she did want to know the truth, and she hated all those forgeries. Her family's death shouldn't be a show or something to theorize about, she wanted them to finally rest in peace, and the only way for that was to reveal the truth.

Ange made her choice. With a serious gaze, she grabbed Erika's hand, who immediately grinned in a way only a witch could.

"Good. Very Good."

A world where Erika survived and become a private detective. My interpretation of the Trick Ending.

This story might stay as a one-shot, but I do have a full plot in mind. So if you're interested let me now, leave a note or a comment and follow the fic here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20956274. Thanks for reading and maybe seeya next time, bye!

Oh, before I leave. I made a When They Cry discord server, to talk about Higurashi, Umineko, Ciconia and other 07th Expansion series. You can join here: https://discord.gg/NhwaPX7

[kunop]

holy shit I’m watching the first chapter of the ndrv3 playthrough and Kaede x Saihara is so strong that I’m scared. Since this is danganronpa, he’s either going to die or he’s going to betray Kaede.

ch1 spoilers & rant under the cut

HOLY SHIT THEY’RE SO CUTE AND I NEVER THOUGHT I’LL BE SHIPPING THEM, BUT I AM. 

The way they support each other is just so,,, such a healthy relationship... But it really worries me that they’re being coupled together so early in the game. It just means that something is bound to happen that’ll leave me either betrayed or heartbroken. 

In chapter one, Saihara already trusts Kaede enough to tell her about his backstory and the reason why he likes to keep his hat on all the time. And honestly, I thought this was his death flag when this flashback story triggered. But we all know who ended up dying...surprisingly... I’m pretty sure everyone who was following the fanmitsu and official ndrv3 leaks was surprised when they saw the dead body.

But, anyway, he’s comfortable enough to tell Kaede his insecurities-- How come he has such low self esteem: his father owned a detective agency and he just helped out. In his FTE#1, he tells Kaede how they’re just silly small things. But then, one day there was a murder investigation that he was part of. He claims that he was only named SHSL Detective because he was able to solve the case before the local police were able to. Of course, Kaede compliments him on this that “even so, solving a murder is amazing.” He denies it and says that because of this case, he’s been afraid [of the truth and therefore he will never be a true detective]. He describes himself as the villain in the case for even solving this murder. In that particular case, the murderer was avenging his family member who committed suicide because of the victim. So, the murderer was furious when he was caught by Shuichi and because of that, Shuichi has been haunted by those angry eyes ever since; making him unable to look into anyone’s eyes.

“I hated it, hated it, I couldn’t bear those eyes”

And here on, he rants on about being scared of the truth and being a terrible detective when Kaede tries to console him.

 And the best part is how they interacted. Kaede notices Saihara’s hands shaking while he tells her about himself.

And her first reaction was to grab his hand, even though her hands were shaking too, from nervousness of their plan and just being scared in general of their situation. 

She attempts to calm him down by talking about the piano and how if there was a piano here, he could play Debssy’s Claire de Lune (english: moonlight) and how fitting it would be for him. I also want to mention that the BGM being played in the background of this CG sounds like a remixed version of Debussy’s original. But idk, maybe it’s just me.

But anyway, she says something along the lines of 

“Oh, maybe you’ve realised that my hands are shaking too... But if you [saihara-kun] weren’t here, I wouldn’t be able to do anything at all. I’m really glad that you’re here. Because of you, I can look forward. If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t have the courage to stand up to the mastermind. So, have a little more confidence in yourself. I believe in you, so you should believe in yourself.”

It’s not a Rem-tier support & pick-me-up, but it’s still touching none the less.

and pretty effective too.

And then Kaede finishes the consoling with a “Besides, people who wear hats are cool.” im scREaMING

“So, when we leave here, I want to see how you look like without a hat”

tHAT LITTLE BLUSHHHHH zzzz im deceased

And then during the investigation. Wow, kodaka just sailed the ship. On chapter one. Which is why im clenching and steeling myself for the heartbreak BEACUSE THE LAST TIME HE DID THIS IN CHAPTER ONE WE GET BETRAYED BY MAIZONO ;;;;;;;;;;;

He starts ranting about his theories and why Amami died where he did and etc. when he notices Kaede doesn’t look so peachy so he instantly turns his attention to her and asks if she’s okay.

He tries his own hand at consolation; he explains that this needs to happen, they need to investigate the corpse and there’s no way around it etcetc. So, Kaede just says it’s fine, she understands and she’ll go along with it “for the dead Amami-kun and those who are still alive and to stop the mastermind”.

So Saihara says he’ll help as much as he can and he’ll support her in the investigation.

And then he adds “besides, I’m a detective” as an after thought in the next line.

Now, right after you click on Amami’s body to investigate, Shuichi takes over almost right away.

“Don’t worry. Leave it to me.”

He doesn’t want to make Kaede suffer looking at a dead body any more than necessary. He also repeats himself saying “I said I’ll support you.”

“Saying such cool things.”

It makes my heart beat... a bit.

Kaede starts crying when she thinks back to her last conversation with Amami, saying that it would’ve been nice to work together if they were thinking the same thing. 

Saihara looks away and sweats a bit while giving Kaede a concrete explanation. Basically, saying that Amami was just like him, he found out there was a secret door and wanted to keep it a secret because, while they were alike, they had one difference. Saihara trusted Kaede and wasn’t alone in the planning, unlike Amami who went for it on his own.

As he said this, he held his had towards me. I took his hand and he pulled me toward him.

I’m not sure but it just sounds like a descriptive way of saying “we hugged.”

but probably not since I’m sure they’ll have a CG for it. But instead, we get a zoom in effect towards Saihara’s sprite after that line.

and so Saihara finally completely calms Kaede down. 

This was how far i got into the game before I just couldn’t take it and had to make a rant about these two. Honestly, I did not expect myself to be shipping them. I really thought the game was going to do an Amami/Kaede ship with a side of Maki/Kaede, so this really is a shock to me. And well... I guess this ends my rant.

[fluffycabbages]

Chapter 9 : How Did We Become Friends

Story is available on Wattpad, Solved

“She was a former soldier and treated others well. Till now she’s highly respected by others in the army. Newcomers look up to her. Jackey went to search the route they were going to walk past and searched the distance between a small forest and one of the parts of the route. We got help from a soldier who used to be in the same platoon as Matilda, he was good at reading maps. He knew the place and leaded us there. We found Matilda’s body there. It wasn’t even buried.”

“Did Jackey admitted he was the one behind it?”

“No. Luckily we found a recording of a call by Matilda one week before she was murdered. Here’s the recording.” The officer played the recording, it was between Matilda and an officer.

“Hello, is this the police?”

“Yes. What can I help you with miss?”

“Will this be recorded?”

“Yes miss. Anything that the both of us had said during this conversation will be recorded.”

“I just want to let you know everything that I did will out of self defense. I have a feeling I will be killed soon.”

“Miss, are you serious about this?”

“Yes and the one behind it is Jackey Grey, my housemate.”

I was speechless and looked at the officer in disbelief.

“We asked Matilda’s sister Rose about Matilda and Jackey’s relationship. Rose told us Matilda only sees Jackey but Jackey wants them to be more than friends. She was shocked when we showed her the recording because she said she knew all this time that Jackey had feelings for Matilda but he didn’t do anything that seemed weird. In fact Jackey was unemployed for months and Matilda was telling him to move out of the house. It was to the extent where she wanted to kick him out of the house.”

“This is too much information for my brain to process. I bet Jackey still did not admit he committed such crime.”

“You’re correct. He didn’t but he was careless that one day. Normally he would wear long sleeve shirts and pants but on that day he was in short sleeves when we looked for him. We saw scratch marks on his arms. He thought we were idiots to believe they were from bushes. All of us knew those were scratch marks from fingernails.”

“Seriously. He was that naïve?”

“Sure do. But there was this one thing he did that made the whole office laughed at him.”

“What did he do?”

“He searched on the internet how many days does it take for a body to completely decompose.”

“Oh my!” I was laughing and gasping for air.

“Ah I forgot to introduce myself. Jeremy Connor.” He offered me his hand.

“Sophia Mason. It’s nice to know you.” I shook in hand.

Ethan was quiet the whole time. Even till we were back at the detective agency. I figured something was wrong, “Ethan, what happened? Why are you so quiet? Is there something wrong?”

“No. I’m fine. Go talk to Jeremy.

Something is definitely wrong with Ethan but I couldn’t find out what it was. He’s never been like this and I can’t ask others because Ethan is my best friend and only guy friend. I thought of letting him calm down maybe he was just frustrated by not being able to solve the cases plus the public is pressuring us.

A day passed and still we weren’t talking like usual. It’s not like we talk all of the time but if we were quiet that’s a comfortable kind of silence unlike this awkward silence.

And then I couldn’t bear it, “Ethan! Will you talk to me?”

“Yeah, what do you want to talk about?” he said in a cold tone.

“Are you okay?”

“Do I look like I’m not okay?”

“Yes.” I emphasized to him then it hit me, “Wait. Ethan, were you mad at me for talking to Jeremy?”

He replied me with a grunt. Oh so now I get it. Since he was the only person who I grew up since childhood, he thought me talking to Jeremy instead of him is a sign of me neglecting him.

“I’m sorry Ethan, I’ll make sure you’re involved in our conversations next time okay?”

He stared at me and nodded. I sighed a relief.

Ethan was back to his workaholic mode while I attend classes as usual. Did you think I’ll skip classes and stay at the detective agency just because Ethan did that? Of course I wouldn’t, I’m a good student. Plus I’m not as intelligent as Ethan. Sure I need to attend classes in order to understand the syllabus and prepare for exams.

My presence in college had shocked many. I could hear people whispering and pointing at me as I walk past the hallway.

When I made it into class, a friend, Isabella Hill sat next to me and asked, “Hey, why are you here?”

I raised an eyebrow and stared at her, “Why should I not be here?”

“Well, we’ve heard about the serial killer on the loose. So shouldn’t you be helping Ethan at the detective agency?”

“Oh that. I can’t help him, it’s not like we have enough information for me to assist him. He’s on his own now.”

“And we all thought you and Ethan are smart enough to skip classes.”

“Smart? Him, yes. Me, definitely a no.”

“But you two are always the top students in the course. Even the dean himself praises you two during meetings and events.”

“Well, you don’t know what I have been through.”

Isabella was a friend of mine from high school but she doesn’t know what Ethan made me go through since I was a little child.

I remember the day my family moved into the house next to Ethan’s family. I did not know my parents’ and his parents’ were friends and trust them until that one faithful day.

“Jessica, George and I will be out for the next 2 weeks. Can you take care of little Sophia here for the time being?”

“Sure Margaret. I’m happy to have Sophia spend 2 weeks with us. I’m sure Ethan will be happy to have a playmate too.”

I was a mere 5 year-old girl who loves to play and have fun. Ethan on the other hand, he loves to play but he spends most of his time in the study room reading thick, heavy books.

At first we didn’t get along well cause Ethan likes to be clean but having soil all over my clothes was the best thing to me everyday. Though I don’t favour bath times so it was always a tough task for aunt Jessica, Ethan’s mother to bath me.

I kept annoying Ethan to play with me until he couldn’t bear with it and told me, “I will play with you if you promise me not to get yourself dirty. Can you do it?”

I nodded and he finally played with me. I had no idea how but slowly I started to read books like him. Perhaps it was from our past pinkie promise of reading a page of a book a day after playing, it had become a habit.

Link to blog :

detectivecrimestories.blogspot.com

Link to story at blog :

https://detectivecrimestories.blogspot.com/2020/01/chapter-9-how-did-we-become-friends.html

[afurrybutthememekind]

Booker ‘BJ’ Jackson

So here’s more stuff I did instead of sleeping. I wrote the first meeting with UB an the reveal with each of my detectives as I think they actually would be. I love TWC and @seraphinitegames did a phenomenal job writing it but this is just headcanon nonsense. I’m not a good enough artist to make fanart but I’m a decent enough writer so I don’t know. This is the only one I’ve managed to edit as of yet and the other six will be posted as I finish editing. 

Booker- stoic, professional, ambitious, insecure

First meeting:

I don't look up as someone walks into my office. “Yeah?” My focus remains on the report on my desk.

“What a warm welcome,” Rebecca chuckles.

“Rebecca.” I finally look up, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here about the murders.” A small smile tugs at her lips at my professional and cool tone. “This case is bigger than you think.”

I nod, frowning. “This whole thing did seem like more than just an accident or a first time murder.” I look down at the crime scene photos on my desk. My chest tightens but I shake away the tension.

“A keen observation.” Rebecca’s smile widens with pride for a moment before her face turns professional again. “The man you’re looking for has killed before, in many places.”

The tension returns for a moment and I fight to not show it. “And now he’s in Wayhaven?” My eyes dart to the photo of the victim again before I look back at my mother.

“We’ve been tracking him for months.” She frowns and looks away from me. “But I don’t believe he will be leaving Wayhaven for some time, so now is our last chance to catch him.”

“Why do you think he won’t be leaving?”

Her lips press into a thin line and she meets my gaze.

“Right, classified.” I scrub my hands over my face and sigh.

“I’m afraid so. But there is something I can offer you. Something the Mayor is very keen for you to utilize.”

My tension grows at the news. “I can handle this without the Mayor’s help,” I say through clenched teeth.

“It’s not the Mayor’s help, it’s my help. It will make your job easier.” I open my mouth to tell her I don’t want ‘easy’ but she reaches out to put a hand on mine. “I know you can solve this, Booker. If you couldn’t the agency wouldn’t have allowed me to let you lead such a big case.”

I smile at the praise, pulling my hand away from her to cough awkwardly into my fist. I see amusement flash across her face before she moves to hide it. “So what exactly are you offering?”

“My unit.”

“You’re what?”

“My unit, the team of agents I command.” She smiles at my confusion.

My brow furrows. “You have a team? I thought you ran a department-”

“I do,” she interrupts. She crosses to the doorway and gestures out to someone. Effectively cutting off any further discussion about her work.

Four men march into my office. My brows shoot up before I can school my features into my usual mask of professional politeness. I stand to round my desk, smoothing down my shirt and buttoning my blazer.

“Detective Booker Jackson, I’d like you to meet Unit Bravo.”

No one says anything so I clear my throat, offering my hand. “I look forward to working with you all.”

Three of them stare at my hand like they don't quite know what to do.

The tallest steps forward, offering a smile that makes his warm, brown eyes sparkle and shakes my hand. “It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Detective Jackson.” He has no distinguishable accent. “My name is Nathaniel Sewell, though I prefer Nate.”

He’s almost a foot taller than me. His height would be imposing if it weren’t for his pleasant demeanor and friendly smile. I return the polite smile as he releases my hand to shove his into his pockets.

Nate steps back into the line-up just as another approaches with a wide grin on his face.

“I’m Felix,” He says with an american accent. He’s clearly the youngest, only a few inches taller than me. “Felix Hauville.”

I reach out to take his offered hand. I'm almost unable to mask my surprise when he clasps it and brings it up towards his lips.

“A true delight to meet you, Detective.”

My brows draw together in a frown. “Uh, yeah nice to meet you too.” I pull my hand away.

He cocks his head at me before laughing softly. He steps back beside Nate, who shakes his head at the smiling man.

I clear my throat and turn to the next, holding out my hand. “And you are?”

“Finding all this unnecessary.” I can’t quite place his accent.

My jaw tightens and I purse my lips. Yeah well I don’t want you here either. “Don’t you want to catch the killer?” I easily hide my annoyance with professionalism.

“I don’t see why we need you to do it.” His words make my teeth clench harder.

My mother steps in, resting a knowing hand on my shoulder. “This is Specialist Agent Mason.”

I nod curtly at Mason and cross my arms. “Pleased to meet you.”

“No you aren’t,” he replies in a monotone voice. A dangerous glint flashes through his eyes and my teeth clench so hard I’m sure they’ll break.

“Save it, Mason.”

My whole body stiffens at the command. His voice rings through my head and I frown at the stern, imposing man. I barely notice my mother’s proud smile as I meet his icy green eyes. That’s the man from last night.

“Booker, let me introduce you to Commanding Agent Adam du Mortain.”

Adam and I continue to stare at one another before my professionalism kicks back in. A tight smile forms on my face as I hold out my hand, eyes darting to his shoulder. “Pleasure.”

Adam stares down at my hand before taking it. “I look forward to working with you.”

My heart is suddenly in my throat, pounding so loud behind my rib cage I’m sure everyone can hear it. “Likewise,” I say, sounding a little strangled. I can’t pull my gaze away from his eyes, even as both of us frown in confusion.

We both quickly turn away from one another, crossing our arms over our chests. I return to my seat, wanting to put the desk between me and the team leader.

My mother looks between us with a frown. “Well now that introductions have been made, I hope you’ll all work together to find the murderer.” Her gaze pointedly shifts over her team.

I nod and clear my throat, heart still pounding as I try to avoid looking towards Adam. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure you will.” Rebecca smiles, holding out her hand to me. “See you around, Lucas.”

“Yeah.” I shake her hand, squeezing too tightly and making her arch a brow at me.

Reveal: 

“Vampires?” I frown and nod, meeting Adam’s gaze before quickly looking back to my mother. “I see.” 

“That’s it?” Felix pouts and crosses his arms. 

“How do you want me to react?” My frown deepens. “I understand that it was classified so none of you could tell me.”

“But no ‘oh my god vampires?!’ just ‘Yep okay’?”

Some of us are professionals. I clear my throat and nod again. “It makes sense. I’m not entirely surprised, I suppose.”

Adam’s brows shoot up and Felix grins, leaning forward. “Are you saying you already knew?” 

“I said I wasn’t surprised,” I correct him. “I didn’t stop to think that you may be vampires but now that I know, it's not that shocking.” 

“How can you be so calm?” Felix huffs, clearly disappointed. 

“He’s a professional.” Rebecca covers her amused grin with her hand. “I knew he would take it in stride.” She turns to me and takes my hands. “You’re right, I couldn’t tell you because it was classified.” 

I shrug, letting her take my hands. “I know.” 

“Are you ready to see the rest of it?” 

“Sure.” I follow her as the stands, leading me past the shocked vampires out into the hall.