27 彡 [video]

[toplay_thefool]

[FILTERED AWAY FROM CHILDREN // 90%]

At some time during the past week, a nine year old girl was... Kidnapped and murdered. [Souji's expression is grave, but something about the set of his jaw suggests a well-contained anger.] We're still trying to discern details, but I think it goes without saying that we need to be far more cautious. Even if it

Comments

[gate_guard_girl]

That's... that's horrible!

[ And, not to sound creepy or anything. ] ...was she eaten?

[toplay_thefool]

[He blinks at this for a moment, because somehow the concept makes it all the more horrible, before answering.]

...We can't tell. All we found was... her skin.

[gate_guard_girl]

[ She's visibly disturbed, too, don't get her wrong! But she's trying to put her knowledge to good use, here. ] I can't think of any youkai that would skin a human and just leave it lying around. That's why I asked.

[toplay_thefool]

[Much as he hates to consider it, nauseous as he now feels - it makes sense.]

It's a possibility. I don't... think it's too far-fetched, that some of the fae might eat people.

[gate_guard_girl]

You said she came back, though. That's the far-fetched part. The ferryman must not be doing her job right!

[toplay_thefool]

It's happened before, here. Dead people have returned after a few days, safe and well.

[gate_guard_girl]

[ Sigh. What is she going to do with this place? ] If there's someone out there taking advantage of that, I guess that makes you all the best sources of food in this place.

[toplay_thefool]

[He has to pause just to take in how very morbid this whole situation is.]

It surprises me that there hasn't been a prior attack, if we're the best source of food.

[gate_guard_girl]

Maybe they didn't think about it before? Or they're new here, like one of us. [ After all, if it can capture human-like people, why not monsters too? ]

[toplay_thefool]

That's a fair point. Still, we'll need to try to find more information about what happened.

[gate_guard_girl]

If I see or hear anything weird, I can let you know. I'm no expert on the kinds of fairies we deal with here, but I'll do what I can!

[toplay_thefool]

Thank you, miss.

Those youkai you mentioned... could you tell me more about them?

[gate_guard_girl]

Meiling~! Hong Meiling. [ Hearing "miss" makes her feel either too young or too old. ]

What do you want to know? There's a lot of different kinds, and I could probably talk for hours on just the ones I've met before. [ Talking about them as if they were people and not beasts? Yep. ]

[toplay_thefool]

It's good to meet you, Meiling. I'm sorry it's something like this that got us talking, though.

Hm. I'm... not sure. Are they much like the fae?

[gate_guard_girl]

Mm, it's okay. I've been here a short while, but I haven't really been contacting people. [ She's not used to it. ]

Um... maybe? You have some that lure humans into the woods and cause them to go blind, there's a fairy that was very possessive over the lake near the mansion-- [ A giggle. ] --though she cared more about hunting frogs than people, but she wouldn't back down from a challenge!

Then there's vampires, wizards, oni, kappa... I could go on, really.

[toplay_thefool]

Mm. I suppose thesame can be said of the fae, here. We can't really define them that easily.