young_oldman | IC Inbox: Empatheias

[She doesn't miss that sudden motion - but he moves too quickly for her to see what's in his hands.]

Not at all.

It seemed to be a matter of some concern to you.

[He's glad she doesn't ask him about it. It had been a bit of a silly thing for him to do anyway, bringing it out in the open like that. The charm should work its protective spells, regardless if it's hidden or revealed to ghosts.]

It...could be. Or it may well be that my mind is unnecessarily worried about the matter. But after we discovered the truth about Miss Enoshima, I decided it would be irresponsible for me to withhold this information any longer.

[This doesn't seem to be leading anywhere good. Edea will pause before she continues.]

You suspect someone else has a similar plan?

Not to topple the island through emotional means, but...someone whose mind is equally as damaged as Miss Enoshima's. The reason I haven't been upfront about the danger she could pose to the city is...slightly personal [Lu Meng shifts slightly on the spot, a muscle twitching at the corner of his mouth.], and also because she hasn't done anything wrong.

[That's the rub, isn't it? Innocent until proven guilty.]

It's...a matter of her nature. What she is, and how she came to be in her current state. She certainly has the power to kill people if she so desired, and that desire is one that's ingrained inside her simply because of what she is right now.

I see.

[She shakes her head slowly.]

Of course, it would be incredibly naive to believe that Junko was the only one here who sought ill upon the people of this island. It was a slim hope to entertain.

Until someone has committed a crime, we certainly have no cause for action, but at the very least, we can watch them closely.

The situation is...delicate. But I will explain further once Master Fulbright has arrived. It would be difficult to explain my misgivings without providing the full picture of this person.

Understood.

[...So. The weather?]

In the meantime... anything else you care to discuss?

[And here's Bobby, walking in late with Steambucks!

... Well, that's not entirely true. It's just that Lu Meng and Edea were early. He is seriously he's holding a steaming cup of coffee in one hand, though. Apparently, Steambucks is the Verens equivalent of Starbucks and they make a darn good cup o' joe.]

Oh! Hey! Am I late?! [He casts a glance at his watch and almost spills the coffee all over himself while doing so. It's a pointless action to begin with, because his watch doesn't run.]

Ah, no. I was merely here early.

[And here comes Boss 2. Lu Meng immediately turns to face Bobby, saluting him sharply.]

Thank you for coming, Master Fulbright.

[With the greetings and how-do-you-dos out of the way, Lu Meng will invite Edea and Bobby to take a seat before he takes one himself, facing the two. Now that his commanders are here, it's time to get down to serious business.]

Master Fulbright, Lady Lee...are you both aware of a Miss Ayumi? She is the ghost of a young girl, with two red marks around her neck.

[but they were all set to talk about the weather...]

Miss Ayumi? I haven't heard anything about a ghost here, but perhaps I've seen her in passing? Can you show us an image?

Here. [And up pops this image.]

You may also have heard her over the crystal network. The last time she spoke, it was with regards to the Arehtei.

[He can't recall word for word what Ayumi had been going on about, but it's enough for a soundbite of her voice.]

[Bobby did remember the ghost girl- he just didn't know her name's Ayumi. And hey, he even remembers the conversation he had with her in response to her Arehtei fears.]

Yes, that's right! That poor girl! She was so scared! It's awful enough that she was murdered at such a young age. To be worrying over things like fearsome god creatures when she should be resting in peace... It's heartbreaking...!

...I remember her, too. She was expressing concern over the intent of the Arehtei when we last spoke - during the business with Junko.

[Edea gives a slight nod. And given the lead-up that Bobby had missed, it seems safe to say...]

She's not what she seems, then.

No. She's not as innocent or naive as she portrays herself to be.

[And just as he's shown Sanae, he shares with Bobby and Edea the memory of his first meeting with her. She's hardly the scared, cute young girl that most people think she is.]

She is a vengeful spirit, a ghost that is fueled by anger and malice. As the name suggests, they are the spirits of those who have had a grave injustice inflicted upon them in life. They are unable to rest in peace and roam the earth. Some of them, upon completing their revenge, are able to move on to the next world, content that justice has been served. Others linger on, unable to let go of their grudge and unleashing their wrath on those unfortunate enough to cross paths with them.

[Not what she seems? Well, that's just-

...Ah. The memory is irrefutable. Sure, it could be faked, but why bother? Lu Meng wouldn't try to make an innocent girl out to be a psychopath.]

Then... It's clear what we need to do! We need to help poor Miss Ayumi find peace at once! If we can convince her that justice will be served, I'm sure she'll be a lot less angry! That way, even if she can't pass on because she's stuck here, at least she'll have another chance to be happy! [...Yes, that is what he got from Lu Meng's explanation.]

I mean, can we really blame her for being mad? If I suffered such a horrible fate, I'd probably become a lingering phantom too! [...Hah.]

...What an unpleasant child.

[It brings to mind someone she had known well... A little girl snatched from the jaws of death. But the outcomes had been the same. Overwhelmed with bitterness and hatred, so, too, had Victoria become nothing more than a grotesque mockery of life.]

I do have to question whether or not that's actually Miss Ayumi anymore. Where I come from, spirits may be drawn to the site of a violent death and absorb the negative emotions of the deceased. Or, upon death, a soul may become corrupted by a terrible grudge and warped into a Wraith...

What's your opinion, Lu Meng? Does she seem actively malignant?

I can't say I'm an expert in vengeful spirits. But they take their vengeance without warning. [He's speaking from experience here. It may not be obvious to Edea or Bobby, but Lu Meng's shadow begins to slowly stretch out, like it's being pulled from the top end. His hands had been curled up slightly into a small fist, resting near his knee; his fingers bend in harder, and if his commanders' eyes are sharp enough, they might see the movement.]

My..."reward" for speaking to her, was that she wouldn't disturb the rest of the crowd. Whether she was referring to just simple tricks or something more sinister and violent, I can't really say, but her attitude by itself would suggest that she harbours plenty of ill will towards the living.

I don't know if she can be reasoned with. [He admits gravely.] But so far it seems she hasn't done anything wrong, apart from pretending to be a young, innocent and naive ghost.

[Hm. This is really one of those moments where Bobby wishes he knew a bit more about the spirit channeling from his own world. He knows it played a big part in certain trials in the past, but he never looked into the details. Even if he did know, would it even make a difference? It seems as if every world has different 'rules' on that sort of thing.

His eyes flicker to Lu Meng's shadow, but he doesn't acknowledge what's happening there.]

If she hasn't done anything wrong yet, that's all the more reason to get close to her. I don't think it's impossible to gain her trust and if we do that, any plans for injustice she might have would be dropped before she can follow through. Wild accusations or warnings would just make her angrier.

Mm...

[Edea will reluctantly agree. On principle, she hates ghosts, but... she can at least be impartial enough to recognize that applying the rules of her world elsewhere isn't always the right thing to do.]

Alright. If you think it's possible, then... perhaps it's for the best we try a more lenient approach. Goodness knows we don't need an actively malignant spirit around.

[She has some misgivings, but... Perhaps she's not the only one. Lu Meng's emotional manifestation will be unremarked upon. It's usually not entirely polite to comment on things people can't help.]

I am not particularly agreeable to this strategy either, but we are sadly limited by the laws of this world.

[Lu Meng's hand goes up to his temple, nursing a growing headache that is no doubt compounded by the very predicament that Empatheias's strange no-death rule had placed them in. Like Edea, he too would rather see Ayumi exorcised than running around freely with no chains on her.

Also, Bobby's comment brings another issue to mind, one that he should address here as well.]

Be careful not to let her know that you are aware of her true nature as well. Play her game, let her find her amusement in her tricks. She'll be less likely to break her cover then.

IC Inbox: Empatheias

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