Psychic all-points bulletin [open]

[in_summer_leaf]

Hello? This is Hisoka Kurosaki, transmitting on the psychic band, and this is an emergency. There is a woman somewhere in the house who is badly injured or dead. Anybody who receives this message, please alert whoever is near you and go and search for her. Gunji apparently jumped her in a stairwell and chased her into some hallway somewhere, and

Comments

[silvereyedphage]

Muraki's voice comes through loud and clear, a little puzzled, perhaps a bit surprised and decidedly concerned. "I haven't had any patients with metal claw wounds turn up, so it would seem her prospects are grim to say the least, unless she can be found," he replies.

"But that poem you've mentioned seems to be a feminized version of Hughes Mearns's 'Antagonish'. It would appear to be a clue as to the identity of the woman, but I'm puzzling over that one..."

[in_summer_leaf]

Hisoka's psychic voice is louder and clearer than usual. He's got the volume turned up so that all the information goes to everybody. I, too, am really worried about what state she might be in, if she's alive. Is there anybody else in the house who knows the poem, I wonder? I'm thinking it's possible that the woman knew it, and recited it at some time or other when Gunji happened to be listening.

[silvereyedphage]

"It's a fairly well-known poem, so there are likely a fair number of people who at least are familiar with it. Most critics think it deals with a certain level of insanity in either the 'I' of the poem, or the 'man who was not there', so perhaps we're looking for insanity in either the killer or ...his victim." There's something hesitant on that last bit.

[in_summer_leaf]

Well, Gunji's a lunatic. I don't know about the victim. I'm sorry for them both. And I guess your theory could be right...

[silvereyedphage]

"We would need to figure out if there are any mentally unbalanced women living here who could have crossed paths with him..." And there is a brooding note in his voice that wasn't there before.

[in_summer_leaf]

Have you got somebody in mind?

[silvereyedphage]

"I believe it could be Aramat... my sister." There is a pause, and then he speaks again, clearly trying to keep an open mind to other possibilities. "It could be someone else, though."

[in_summer_leaf]

Pause. I hope not. She's somebody I like and respect. And I've heard people mentioning the Mansion custom of adopting friends as family members -- I think it is a good custom. Yes...it could be someone else...

[silvereyedphage]

"Dare I say, I pray it isn't her, though that likely makes me sound like the selfish beast that I am." There might be some of the old complacent sarcasm, but it's what it used to be: the concern is taking the salt out of it.

[in_summer_leaf]

No, I know what you mean. I'm trying not to hope one way or the other. But I'm not exactly succeeding.

[FTB on this one, too? Poor Muraki! I guess we know who will be doing the impassioned graveside oration? -- if she has a funeral. Do characters have funerals if they are coming back from death? lol]

[silvereyedphage]

"I suppose that leaves us the matter of gathering more information, and that's something which we both need to attend to. This is a conversation we can continue when we find out the identity of that woman..."

And with that, he closes down his end of the psychic conversation.

FTB, and we'll see about that funeral...