[Week 5, Tuesday: Hikage]

[doublecrows]

[Akechi's been quiet over the past week. of course he has; there hasn't been much excitement in the castle ever since the last trial. but things are ramping up again, and on this fine Tuesday, he tracks Hikage down wherever he may be in the manor]

Hikage-san. I certainly hope your vacation was satisfactory.

Comments

[psychedelica]

Don't give me that look. I'm not going to do it without asking him.

[ he probably should have couched that comment in gentler terms before he brought Eichi up. Oh well!! ]

If there's anyone you know who could survive a fall like that, tell me.

[doublecrows]

[HISSSS HISSSSSSSSSSS]

. . . of course. Eichi having super strength doesn't mean he'd survive that fall, so I'd rather you choose someone else.

I'll compile a list of candidates and get back to you on this.

[psychedelica]

[ calm down he won't hurt your boyfriend. ]

There are a few other ways of getting around it, so don't feel limited.

[ for example, having someone or something at the bottom to catch them, having someone at the top to pull them back, announcing his intentions/objective in public and finding a willing candidate... but he'll save that for last in order to avoid probing questions. ]

Leaving that aside... I assume you didn't just come here to ask me about my week.

[doublecrows]

[he'd better!!]

[Akechi does relax when the subject gets changed, though]

. . . yes. I wished to speak with you about the results of last trial. My assistance in helping Miss Cardia complete one of her objectives allowed me to get an answer to the question, "to how many people did Tiger-san provide with the knife?"

Her answer was three.

[psychedelica]

... So two Blotters, and a third party that had nothing to do with it.

[ interesting. He also wonders what Cardia's objective was - but he doubts Akechi will part with that information. ]

Maybe that was Hijikata's killer.

[doublecrows]

Not necessarily.

[it may be true, but Akechi is hesitant to jump to conclusions]

Three people received the knife. Tiger-san would not confirm whether they used it to kill someone or not for me. But even if they had, don't you find it curious that she said there were only two culprits?

It seems like a discrepancy, doesn't it?

[psychedelica]

[ he folds his arms, brow furrowing in thought. ]

Not necessarily. In this context, isn't a culprit "someone who killed on this Thursday night?" Otherwise, she'd always include you as a culprit, too.

[doublecrows]

No. That's not the definition.

The answer she gives to that question is "the number of individuals who would be considered guilty that week."

This, notably, does not include individuals who killed that week but would otherwise not be considered guilty.

[psychedelica]

I thought only the Blotters were considered guilty parties. Even if they didn't actually kill anyone, they were still culprits... That's what they said.

[doublecrows]

That may be so.

But then that raises the question: can someone who isn't a Blotter kill without being considered "guilty?" I, of course, asked Tiger-san this very question.

[he smiles, expression perfectly pleasant, but somehow mirroring that of a cat who happily caught his mouse]

She said that it was not outside the realm of possibility that a Narrator would not be considered guilty, regardless of the role they played in another Narrator's death.

[a beat]

In other words, certain Narrators may commit a murder, but Tiger-san and Dragon-san would not consider them guilty at the following trial. I suspect this privilege is related to a certain title.

And I believe that title is called "Editor."

[psychedelica]

... You have some far-fetched "beliefs."

[ aka "this is information you've gathered, not a guess." Maybe he's not such a terrible detective, after all. ]

What makes you think all that?

[doublecrows]

Deductive reasoning.

[maybe, sometimes, he's a good detective!!]

I shared this information with one other person, who provided me with the word "Editor." They've received the name of the title, but hadn't received the duties associated with same.

But in the publishing field, editors exist to strike out unnecessary characters and plot lines, do they not?

[psychedelica]

It does make sense in the context of this stupid metaphor.

[ you win this round, Akechi. ]

If we knew what made someone "unnecessary," it would be helpful.

[doublecrows]

It certainly would be.

[aha]

At any rate, I suspect an "Editor" was responsible for the deaths of Strider, Toshizo, and perhaps Monika. There are, after all, two of them.

[psychedelica]

[ he nods. he'd suspected there was an independent party responsible for at least the first two murders rather than a Blotter; this would be a tidy answer to that suspicion. ]

I don't know who they are.

[doublecrows]

[Akechi is quiet for a moment, just watching Hikage with a curious, even expression]

. . . the magnifying glass was fairly clever. As was the shoe print and the letter that claimed my innocence.

They weren't helpful at all in solving the murders, but they caused quite a bit of chaos. Were you satisfied with this?

[psychedelica]

[ oh, he doesn't like this question at all... because he realizes the instinctive answer that comes from his heart is "no." No, they didn't. When he looks back on those things, he doesn't feel anything but frustration. ]

... What does it matter to you? [ a beat. ] I fulfilled my objective. I'm not obligated to do anything to help you all.

[doublecrows]

You fulfilled it, and received another one, I presume. That does seem to be how this works.

[as someone who completed his first objective, Akechi's been sitting on a new one for a while now. but that is neither here nor there]

Regardless. . . I don't particularly mind if you help out at trials or not. I have no interest in catching murderers. All I care about is the completion of objectives.

[aha]

. . . but your title gives you the ability to throw off the flow of a trial in order to protect yourself, should you be a culprit. Doesn't it?

[oh]

[psychedelica]

That's right.

[ Akechi already knows that; he doesn't care about confirming it. He does give him a neutral gaze for his troubles, however. Hikage is sure he's being suspected of being one of the Editors right now. ]

I'd be an idiot not to use all my resources, Akechi.

[doublecrows]

[:)!]

[Akechi watches Hikage's reaction carefully, with a surprisingly keen eye. there's tension in the air-- something thick like butter, something easily cut through with a hot knife-- before it just. . . melts away]

You're right. You would be. And I can admire your resourcefulness.

[a small shrug]

At any rate, I don't care. Even if I may not necessarily need your protection any longer, you are still one of my allies.

[psychedelica]

... I know what you're thinking. Sorry, but you're wrong.

[ his word is probably worth next to nothing - Akechi also already knows that Hikage is a liar. Still, he might as well say it. ]

As usual, you're a lousy detective.

[doublecrows]

[HEY!1 rude!]

[Akechi frowns, a scowl on his features]

It's easy to deny that which is true. I've done that myself before, as you've seen first hand.

[psychedelica]

I don't expect you to believe me. But like you said, we're allies, so I may as well tell you the truth.

[ a beat. ]

But I'll throw you a bone for your efforts. You're not wrong to think I have a second role.

[doublecrows]

[-- ah]

[there's a pause, and an arched brow. Akechi gives no verbal reply, like he's waiting for Hikage to continue]

[psychedelica]

[ he clicks his tongue. greedy akechi... ]

That's all you're getting. You're a detective, so you figure the rest out.

[doublecrows]

[greedy Akechi wants to know!1]

. . . you aren't a Historian.

[he says that matter of factly]

And you claim to not be an Editor.

Vizier, then.

[psychedelica]

You're still wrong.

[ he smiles, faintly. ]

No one's mentioned my role yet.

[doublecrows]

[I KNOW WHAT IT IS NOW!!]

[but Akechi would not, unfortunately. so he just scowls again, gaze narrowing]

Then, if I correctly guess it, will you tell me?

[psychedelica]

Fine. When that time comes, you'll tell me what the Vizier is in return.

[ his role is useless, anyway... he may as well get information in exchange for sharing it. ]

[doublecrows]

Very well. So long as you tell me what your role entails in return.

[QUID PRO QUO!!]

We'll speak again later this week.