Short Story + Post + Event

[becomeanwarrior]

[Short Story - The Detective's Burdens]

"Aw, cripes. I know I talk like an old timer, but I hoped I was avoiding becoming one..."

The long-haired self-styled Chief Investigator arched backward, hearing and feeling the satisfying 'pop' of several vertebrae yank themselves out of positions of discomfort and align themselves properly again. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to have slept in the office overnight... but it was the only way he was going to keep pace.

He walked over towards a closed off room in the station - a whiteboard, an old-fashioned corkboard, and a conference table with several chairs (most usually left empty) were all it had to it, but it was this room that he had been doing most of his brainstorming in. He told Shiroko he would be working late - not that most nights these past few weeks hadn't been late. Supernatural crime had been on a power spike, and he had gotten very little time to relax between the Rank-Up-Magics, Noriko apparently being the prime suspect of a string of incident - regardless of his gut feeling that she wasn't involved - and the Numeral Hunter. Well, Hunters, he supposed.

"...Goddammit, Alex..."

He ran a hand through his hair - a idle, amused thought wondering if the only reason he hadn't gone grey from stress yet was because of Gigantech's effects on his lifespan. He liked Alex. Alex was his friend - no matter the animosity between them at the moment. But Alex apparently thought she couldn't trust him. 'Well, not like I didn't earn that.' He mused to himself. He had a reputation for getting in over his head with things, and even for having to have some sense punched into him, more often than not. But he at least felt he had shaped up well in the past year or two.

Still, as much as he hated to admit it at times, the law was the law. He could bend the rules, release people on temporary leave, even maybe write some crimes off due to vigilante assistance codes that SpecInv had to have just to keep itself functional and now just twiddling its thumbs, but he had to at least show he was doing his job to the best of his ability.

Speaking of, he now moved to that corkboard - multiple, smaller grouped items were linked by various colors of string, denoting various types of connections. They all started as closed loops, but they had started to get connected lately - first by the appearance of the new Rank-Up-Magic, then by the Numeral Hunters, and then by the word that had been on his mind the most-

"Ettosyleit... That which is closest to the light gives off the greatest shadow..."

A plain white index card in the center of the board, black strings connecting it and nearly all the other cases. An unknown - but significantly important - connection.

"It's... a corruption, of some sort. Or... perhaps a reflection of the self...?"

He thinks back to what Dark Mist could do - a mirror match against himself, when aiding Cosmo Queen. He traces the black string from Ettosyleit to the circle of Dark Mist, murmuring to himself.

Index cards with various names written on them surrounded Dark Mist. 'Gwendolyn' 'Euphemia' 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' 'Wakahisa Moeko' 'Bujinki Amaterasu' 'Shinoko Eusebius', and "Futaba Shiroko". Each of them linked to 'Number 96: Dark Mist' with red thread. Previous encounters. Usually used for victims, but here... he wasn't entirely sure.

There was one more string - a black among the red that linked to Dark Mist, that connected to a single, pink index card, with no name on it. He came to a dead end there, tapping his head.

"...If the new 'head' of Dark Mist has already been chosen... if there was a shard stronger than Amaterasu out there already... There's little doubt that's where it has to be involved."

He traces back to the Numeral Hunters, following back through the black threads that connected to Ettosyleit. Why did Ettosyleit factor so much into both sides? If it was so corrupting... just what was it? Some proto-string of the Darkification Virus? A shard of Dark Mist itself?

Even with so much theory figured out, he had no clue to the specifics. Dark Mist connected to Rank Up Magic, which connected back to the Numbers and Numeral Hunters, which connected back to Ettosyleit... But he could feel it, that sort of nagging itch of restlessness in his muscles - he was so close to a breakthrough, he was sure of it.

He picked up a stirring out in the main office. Niyo would be up soon. If she wasn't already getting some coffee. That Machine World brew turned out to be pretty strong stuff. He turned away from the corkboard, rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn.

He was gonna need two cups of that to get through today. He could already feel it.

---
[Post]

As a general note to everyone - please remain cautious when going out at night. As you are no doubt aware, a string of suspected supernatural attacks have recently struck the city of Domino. I advise everyone to find someone you can partner with at all times, should you need to go out at night, and keep emergency services on speed-dial. Should you believe there to be a supernatural disturbance or an attack in your area, the Special Investigations extension of the Domino Police hotline is [XXXX].

If, however, any graduates of Duel Academy wish to perhaps have a passing interest in Law Enforcement or Criminal Technologies, Special Investigations is always looking for younger types who might have a keen eye on helping quell rather unnatural crimes and goings-on, and has internship programs available for post-graduates.

...Good luck on your finals, everyone.

---

[General Event]

[If you want to harass the Chief of Special Investigations, he's probably running back and forth in the station all day, touching up equipment in his spare time, but mostly reading patrol reports from the Twelve Peers System and trying to connect various dots on whiteboards, corkboards... anything, really. A cup of coffee (it's always fresh, no matter when you drop in) s sitting next to him, or being held in his hand. Either way, it's not far away.]