THE FIFTH INVESTIGATION

[airlockedmods]

[As usual, the day begins at seven a.m.

Good morning, Champions.]

Comments

[shikosuki]

Heart-san!

[ Yeah you'll definitely have to push him back down because he keeps... trying. ]

Where's Takumi?! He was right here, where is he?!

[myocordial]

[Yeaaaah, that's not happening, Choro. Heart's just gonna keep you on that bed and you're not strong enough to fight him on this on a good day.]

...I'm sorry. Takumi is not here. [Which should be obvious, but. um.] No more than anyone else currently deceased is.

[shikosuki]

No...! No, he has to be--!

He was there! He was in the bathroom!! Where did he go?!

[myocordial]

[Um.


Pardon?]

In the--

...That's impossible. Are you certain you weren't simply dreaming?

[shikosuki]

[ He shakes his head frantically. Tears are forming in his eyes and his voice is cracking ]

N-No...! He was definitely there...! He held me and everything! H-He... he pulled me out and...

[ He's settling down finally, his tears overtaking him. ]

I-I... I told him not... t-to go...

[myocordial]

[Heart lets up on Choromatsu now that he's not struggling. And... well, now he's just confused. Of all the things he'd been expecting when Choromatsu finally woke up...]

He... pulled you out?

[He's quietly thoughtful for a moment.]

I'm very sorry, Choromatsu Matsuno. I can only imagine how difficult this is, but... Can you tell me exactly what happened? When precisely did... Takumi appear? What did he do?

[He hesitates as he says the name, because... there's no way. Right?]

cw: suicide and wrist slitting

[shikosuki]

[ He sniffles, trying to speak through his tears. ]

I-I don't know... I r-remember being in the bath... b-b-bleeding... and then there f-footsteps... and some o-other kind of noise...

I opened my e-eyes... and he was there.

[ A sob hitches in his throat. ]

I-I-I thought he was g-greeting me... [ to the after life ] b-b-but...!

Re: cw: suicide and wrist slitting

[myocordial]

[Expecting a very clear story is likely hoping for too much anyway, given the circumstances. But there's still much to learn.

Still, for now, he'll just... let Choromatsu do this at his own pace.]

That wasn't it, then...

[Obviously, because if it was a greeting then uh. This conversation wouldn't be happening.]

And what then...?

Re: cw: suicide and wrist slitting

[shikosuki]

I remember... b-being dragged out... and th-then there was... a l-lot of p-pain...

I-I think... he was wrapping my arms with s-something... a-and then there was a b-blanket...

He wanted... [ sniff ] h-he wanted me to hold... to h-hold...

[ Aaaaand he can't finish. He finally breaks down sobbing. But you could probably fill in the blank there. After all, Choromatsu was holding something when he was found, wasn't he? ]

Re: cw: suicide and wrist slitting

[myocordial]

[That does fit with everything else. With the whole scene he found.]

The cat pillow.

...Did he speak to you?

[goteachother]

[She's perfectly content to let Heart ask the hard questions but she's going to sit up and situate Choro in her lap, sitting up just a smidge and leaning back against her. She also floats a cup and a clean cloth over to them so that when Choro, inevitably, starts coughing because he's dehydrated he can have a few sips of water.]

Heart, it's... pretty common for people to see things like that when- [They're dying. Or close to it. Or in pain. How many soldiers thought their wives and brother and mothers were on the battlefield beside them when they were certain they were going to die?]

[myocordial]

[He pauses, looking over at Queenie. It's a valid point. And honestly, he'd be ready to dismiss this as simply that. However...]

...Someone was there.

[Who is another question.]

moves this here

[shikosuki]

[ At first Choromatsu nods his head... then shakes it again. Nodding to Heart, shaking to Queenie. ]

N-No, he was there! He really was...!

He did... I heard him--

[ Oh hey good thinking on the dehydrated thing Queenie because sure enough, there he goes coughing. ]

[goteachother]

[She takes the cup out of the air, tilts it against his lips. If he tries to drink too fast though she's going to make him suck on the damn washcloth.]

Sweetie... [A kiss to his temple.]

What makes you so certain someone was there, honey? [To Heart because she thought the towel thing had been him.]

[shikosuki]

[ He'll drink then, as the two of them talk. Not too fast thankfully. ]

[myocordial]

The pillow could be explained away, but... I do not think he wrapped those towels around his own arms. Furthermore, however... there was a sound. As if someone banged on the door.

[He looks at Choromatsu, then back at Queenie.]

...At that point, Choromatsu Matsuno was neither conscious or by the door.

[goteachother]

[She gasps softly, blinking down at his bandaged wrists and then back up to Heart.]

I thought... that was you.

[And a knock? How-]

If Takumi had left behind a ghost I'm certain we would have seen him by now.

[shikosuki]

[ He stops drinking and pulls his head away. He's a little calmer now after his hysterics. ]

Queenie, it was him, I swear...!

He... he stayed when I asked him not to go... h-he stayed and hugged me, Queenie...!

[ And now he's gone again and he doesn't understand ]

[myocordial]

What we know for certain is that before I arrived, someone else was there.

[He just... sort of shoots Queenie an uncertain look. Because it's not that he thinks there's ghosts wandering around, but... right now they just don't know what the hell.]

And it's a good thing, too. If not... [...Yeah.] ...We're fortunate they helped.

[goteachother]

[She blinks at Choro, looks over his shoulder at Heart and gently shakes her head. She's trying to do this subtly, without alerting Choro as to what she's doing. She mouths over his shoulder as clearly as she can

Not. Takumi.

It took an all out emotional breakdown for him to accept affection from Queenie and she knew damn well that after remembering his mother's death she had become something of a surrogate to him. Takumi didn't initiate things like that. Even if Choro was practically a brother to him... And if it had somehow been Takumi they'd have heard him hollering all up and down the mansion at ear splitting levels.

There's no way.]

It's something to talk to the others about, if nothing else.

[shikosuki]

[ Thankfully his eyes are closed again so he misses all of that-- though he would have anyway.

He's aware of pain in his arms finally though (and head. and eyes... from crying.) and starts to realize he... has no clue how he got in bed like this. ]

What... happened, anyway? After all that? I...

[ "I should be dead" even with "Takumi's" interference ]

[myocordial]

[He'll simply... nod at Queenie. He never knew Takumi that well, he's not the one to judge the validity of this. Really it's not that he even believes Takumi was really here, but...

Well. Suggesting that it was someone else that Choromatsu simply thought was Takumi because of the state he was in or, worse, that it was someone or something that just looked like Takumi... He's not about to do that in front of Choromatsu, not when he's only just awake. He'll save that discussion for later.]

The banging alerted me and I found you. Just in time, I think.

I went to get help. Well, she was already close by. [A nod to Queenie that Choromatsu may not even see, but the meaning should be clear enough anyway.] Then Nari Reno, of course.

They saved you.

[Others followed too, obviously, but things got real chaotic and he wasn't in the room for a bunch of this.]

[goteachother]

I guess... I'm kind of glad you decided not to sleep in my room after all, Heart. Otherwise... no one would've been here.

[And she squeezes Choro as hard as she dares, kisses his hair again.]

You're going to be okay. I- [She bites her lip.] You might have some... lasting damage though.

[She has to remind herself that she did what she had to to keep him alive but the very idea of using a mending charm on a human being is nauseating.]

[shikosuki]

Saved me...?

[ He's thoughtful for a moment. He wants to ask what Queenie means by "lasting damage' but... ]

...How though? I... I made sure to lock all the doors...

[ Unless...? Ghostkumi??

?????? ]

[myocordial]

So everything... should have been locked?

[Well, that's... uh. Hm. Well.]

Then... the person who first helped you must have unlocked the doors. Well, they needed to get in first anyway as well... So they must have had some way to deal with the locks.

[Not that he has any idea who the fuck.]