FINAL INVESTIGATION

[faentasy]

FINAL INVESTIGATION

Good morning and happy Friday. Despite the sense of the coming end, today starts off just like any other Friday in Aira Niluc, with a song finding its way to your ears. Normally this would be followed by an announcement, but there is only silence in it's wake.

The curious might be piqued to gather where what's becoming familiar by now, and they'll find that the fountain is completely drained, leading downward into a completely dark abyss. An emerald slide glitters, clearly an invitation of some sort, but it's probably not best to go down there until you're all prepared. Take stock of what you need, explore to find any other changes in the world, and then gather together.

The end has begun.

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[faentasy]

[ Getting some fresh air is always nice. Stepping out into the courtyard, the strange silence will be broken by the calls of birdsong, several magpie flitting about the apple trees. All things considered, there's way worse background ambiance. ]

[sempiternel]

Thank you coming with me, Lord Makoto. [ A quick curtsy, hand over her heart. She means it! ] Let's do our best to stay safe for Tenn's sake.

[ Now then. She takes out her adder stone, just in case. ]

The apple trees should be important. After all, an apple is the Grimm insignia.

[ You know, fairy tales, symbolism... So she'll look at one of the apple tree first! Green apples, red? Anything special or off about them? ]

[edamamepon]

It's my pleasure, Miss Elizabeth.

[ Makoto nods before he swings that cane of his onto his shoulder like he's going to be able to protect her with it, lol. ]

Yeah, I'm not surprised to see them here at all.

[ Yuri's got the trees, so Makoto's keeping his eye on those birds with his own stone. ]

[faentasy]

[ I can't wait to see Makoto cane a bird?

The birds look normal under the adderstones but since he's staring at them so closely he'll notice some of them seem to have scrolls attached to their legs. Of course they're birds and perching in the trees and just flitting about, so what do? Also, they seem to be magpies. ]

[edamamepon]

[ Just checking, but are these normal birds? Like, if he tries to get closer slowly, will they just fly away from him? ]

[faentasy]

[ They absolutely fly away, yes. One of them even seems to give Makoto a dirty look. The good news is that they can't seem to fly out of the courtyard itself, so it's not like he's going to need to go all over Aira Niluc to chase one down if it gets spooked. ]

[edamamepon]

[ If he makes it out of this, he really will never look at birds the same. He's pretty sure Nageki was the only one that's liked him here.

Anyway, he'll keep watching them, but it's time to consult Yuri. ]

... Pretty sure those birds have something attached to them, but I don't think they like me. Any ideas?

[sempiternel]

His mice will approach me, but I don't know about these birds as I've never met them before. But...

[ She takes out her largest handkerchief and hands it to him. ]

I'll try approaching one that has landed on a low branch. If it doesn't come to me, perhaps you could approach it from behind and drape this on it? Then we should be able to grab it.

[ But gently! Carefully! She doesn't want McGillis or NHS to murder them.

So, trying to radiate as much d*sney princess goodwill as possible, she approaches one of the birds when Makoto is ready. ]

Hello, there. May I see what you're holding?

[edamamepon]

[ Makoto nods, sets his cane down to get into place quietly. He won't do anything if she's able to coax the bird into giving up the scroll, but he's got the handkerchief ready!! ]

[faentasy]

[ The magpie looks at Yuri, though it doesn't seem willing like the mice are to approach. Thankfully it is distracted, so plan B of "lightly manhandle this bird" is actually successful.

Moderately successful at because this bird is not having a good time, but in it's struggle the scroll slips off of its leg and rolls onto grass. Unraveling it, it reads in messy handwriting: ]

Scarlet,

I'm sorry for taking your name, but it was the best I could think of. You've always done what you could for famiglia Grimm, what you could for everyone, and I've always messed everything up, so forgive your don one more time. At least I didn't go with the nickname" Scarly" like Hansel and Gretel would have.

[edamamepon]

[ Makoto reads it and lets Yuri read it too if she'd like before he pockets it. Do more birds have different messages? How smart are magpies...? He's not sure if they'll fall for it again. ]

Think we should try another one?

[sempiternel]

[ Her eyes aren't wet, but she does look unbearably sad. She has to read the note twice, before giving it to Makoto - though in the last second, she grips the note firmly, preventing him from taking it just yet. She tilts her head at the ants and then nods at the note, before letting go. This is something they'll have to talk about later with everyone else, when they can put their words on paper, away from the ears of B. ]

... Yes. Yes, let's.

[ She'll approach another bird to try and distract it. And will repeat the process as many times as needed for however many notes there are left. ]

[faentasy]

[ There are a total of four birds who will need to be corralled over, so two more after this one. ]

Scarlet,

I'm not really sure what the point is in writing these, because it's not like I've ever been a letter kind of guy and it's not like you'll ever get to read them. But maybe it makes me feel like I'm back home talking with you. It's better that I'm not, and you're safer without me there. I could really use your advice though, and Hansel's Bauernbrot. I'm not really sure what I'm doing, I guess.

[edamamepon]

[ They can... write about that later, and she'll get a worried look in her direction. But he knows better than to ask now. He won't fight her for the letter either if she'd rather be the one to hold onto it. Makoto just nods, with a muttered. ]

Yeah... Okay.

[ Makoto will also repeat this process as many times as possible. He is a quick learner at least. ]

[faentasy]

[ The apples are red! And they look positively delicious. Of course looks can be deceiving, and one probably shouldn't go around eating fruit growing on a tree in the mastermind's backyard (probably). The adder stone doesn't yield any secrets when pointed at the tree itself, but it does seem one apple has fallen on the ground and is currently being swarmed by everyone's favorite bug around these parts, ants. ]

[sempiternel]

[ Little selfish creeps, probably wearing their disgustingly cute top hats!! She's not touching that just yet... Let's first look at the apple without the adder stone! What's it like? Are there tiny rifles, music notes, bullets/knives, or ninja stars in it? Then with the adder stone: same questions! ]

[faentasy]

[ Without the adder stone, the apple looks just as you would expect a half-eaten fruit to look, which might be delicious if not for the ants. Using the adder stone reveals partial markings of that insignia she's become so well acquainted with by now, interrupted only by the ant fiesta that's going on here. ]

[sempiternel]

[ Hm. If she sprinkles salt on the ants, will they scatter? ]

[faentasy]

[ Normally they would, or at least some of them would. These ants are really distracted apparently, because they stay put and get showered in salt. Then they start to melt, yay. ]

[sempiternel]

[ Are the top hats still there...

Good thing she has only used 1/99 handkerchiefs. She'll take another one out and pick up the apple, wiping away... whatever is left of the ants. Then she'll look at the apple under the stone again! Anything new to notice? ]

[faentasy]

[ The first casualty of final investigation are the top hats, as they all melt too. May they rest in peace.

Nothing new reveals itself under the adderstone, but it's worth noting that the few ants who were outside of her sprinkle zone have immediately started trying to get at the apple again. This probably means one of them is trying to use her hand as a ramp. ]

[sempiternel]

[ D̴͋̍̚͜ͅÏ̵̬̰̦̆E̴̲̔.̷̹̰̮͑͝

She sweeps it and all the other ants away, before stomping on them. Just. Stay. Dead. Thank you.

Anyway, if she looks at the other apples on the tree with the adder stone, do they all bear the same insignia? ]

[faentasy]

[ They do yes! And they all look pretty delicious.

The ants are now hella dead. ]

[sempiternel]

[ GOOD.

She'll pick a couple apples that she can reach and put them in her handy-dandy burlap sack. Just in case they get like... overrun with ants later and need to distract them with something.

Anything left with these trees or the area around them? ]

that icon though

[faentasy]

[ Nope, that's all that's here!

+ several delicious apples acquired. ]