THE SECOND INVESTIGATION

[strangerpeople]

THE SECOND INVESTIGATION

[As the Titled wake up in the morning, there is quiet. No crazy electrical smells waft in the air, no burnt flesh sears their nostrils. It's got to be a relief to everyone, as they start to stir.

Or, perhaps it would be a relief, until they look at their phones.

The countdown is gone...]

Comments

[strangerpeople]

[It get more pronounced as it leads to the bridal section of the store.]

[steelmagnolias]

[Well, Ren's passed through there sometimes on his way to the grocery, so he's familiar in passing.

Did someone ruin a dress worth a small car's down payment, is that it]

[beguiledcard]

[ listen he's seen bride wars but this is just ridiculous...

Sorry, Kurama... because...

Yep. Rushing forward just a bit towards said entrance. ]

[byanyother_name]

[Damn it. Kurama will be right behind him.]

[foolishjustice]

[And so will Akechi. GDI boyfriend.]

[incrediblystressedout]

Who even goes into the bridal section except for the scavenger hunt...?

[Nope, time to focus. Dumb boys are rushing forward so she should do the same. Just. Slightly behind them where she's not going to step on a blood trail.]

[strangerpeople]

[The bridal section is...a mess.

And someone is lying, unmoving, in the center of the mess.]

[beguiledcard]

[ Someone might have to hold him back... because he's moving over without thinking too clearly... ]

[foolishjustice]

[Yeah, he's gonna. Grab Akira by the arm.]

You should probably leave this to me and Shuuichi-san.

[comesaround]

[ Karma's right there, grabbing onto Akira's shoulder. ]

Stop. Don't get any closer, Akira.

[strangerpeople]

[She stares at the ceiling, eyes glassy, and she is cold. Silent. And before Akira came in, alone. Just as she had been all last week. Now, it doesn't matter who is with her, or if Akira takes her hand and tries to help her.

Torri Feiji, The Bliss, is dead.]

[thegreenhornet]

[Welp]

You gotta be shitting me...

[All you had to do was stay alive! Not die a few days later!]

[incrediblystressedout]

Oh no, I should've...oh God...

[Joey freezes for a long moment. Turns out a death not being as obviously horrible doesn't make it any less awful to look at. Although it does make it slightly better to smell. What the hell, train of thought?]

[beguiledcard]

[ Yeah... good thing he's being held back by two strong people???

He's gonna start fighting even harder to get away, to get over to her. His voice slips into an angry tone. ]

Let go!

[foolishjustice]

[He winces a bit at the way Akira struggles, but he doesn't plan to let go.]

Akira...please just leave this to me and Shuuichi-san. You...don't need to see this up close.

[byanyother_name]

[Kurama moves to step in front of Akira, between him and Torrithe body.]

Akira-kun... We'll see to her. Let us do this. We ask as people who care about you.

[beguiledcard]

[ Well... fortunately, he isn't going to be fighting much longer with that level of desperation, namely after hearing Goro's and Kurama's voices. ]

But, I-- [ Voice still isn't doing much better, but at least we're making progress on this. ]

I told her!!!

[ Uhhhh yeah, he's going to be fighting for a different reason now? Let him get over to that trashcan, please and thanks. ]

[foolishjustice]

[That he will allow Akira to do. Especially since he understands how badly this sort of thing can mess up your stomach...]

[comesaround]

[ Yeah he'd let Akira go too for that very same reason, but he doesn't look too happy about it. ]

...There hasn't been an announcement yet. I'm going to go take a look around if you guys can handle Akira-kun for now.

[ Somewhere along the way he'd shifted honorifics too. But with that in mind, he's going to head off toward the entrance of Yotsukoshi but not stopping this time. ]

[byanyother_name]

...I noticed that as well. We'll take care of things here. Text me or Goro-kun if you find anything, please, Karma.

[The look in Kurama's eyes is grim.]

cw: mild emetophobia

[beguiledcard]

[ Yeah, so... seeing death is definitely different when there's something between you and the body. Seeing it that up close and personal...? Seeing it after having been given more time to grow attached to them, to have made a promise to them, to have--...

That's probably why it's hitting this hard. Fortunately he hasn't eaten anything yet, and there's a dim feeling of gratitude that he doesn't spend all that much time with his new pal Trashcan.

Of course, he's still going to be standing there, hands against the wall to keep himself upright. ]

... I'll be fine.

[ He's not fine. ]

I'm gonna go--

[ ... look around.

Or try to, as him straightening up and starting for the door should indicate.

He can't just sit around and do nothing! ]

[foolishjustice]

[Nope nope nope. You're not going anywhere if he wraps his arms around you.]

If you're going to refuse to go sit down, I'm sure there will be evidence in places that aren't close to the body.

But...I do think you should rest, at least for a bit. Shuuichi-san told me last week about a drink that's good for an upset stomach...

[byanyother_name]

I agree. Take your time, Akira-kun. Recover from the shock. We-

[His face tightens as he feels his phone vibrate with a text. Kurama takes a breath before checking it.]

Fuck. Goro, look after him.

[thegreenhornet]

[It doesn't take a genius to understand what they're implying]

Wait...what? You can't be serious! Why'd someone kill more than one person?!

[Only one was enough! But yeah, he's following Karma]

[steelmagnolias]

...I can think of a few reasons, but... you're right. Why.