( hunter's game | day 2, 6:45 PM | private with mondo oowada in cabin i, room 2 )

[construe]

[ Continued from here.

As soon as they reach Mondo's room, Kirigiri strides in as though she owns the place. She moves to his desk and clears a space, motioning for him to join her. ]

Do you have the illustration, and some extra paper? Your notebook will do.

Comments

[diamondo]

[Well, she certainly seems prepared. Mondo immediately hands over both the paper and his notebook.]

Yeah, sure. What's this all about? You figure something out?

[construe]

No, not yet. But we're going to figure it out together.

[ She's in full thinking mode now. ] I checked behind that display in my sweep of the museum earlier. This means that sometime between noon and prior to your arrival at the museum, this drawing appeared there.

[ Leaning over the desk, she sets the drawing in the middle. ]

You said... a lion holding a feather in its mouth, right?

[diamondo]

[Those words certainly give him a boost in confidence. He's never been good at figuring out puzzles, but with Kirigiri here, clearly they can solve this one.]

Yeah, that's what it looks like to me. Maybe I'm just missing something? I mean, unless there are fucking lions out here, I don't think this is any sort of valid threat or anything. And if it's not a threat or a warning, then what the fuck is it?

[construe]

I don't believe it's literal. The theme... it's wolves and rabbits, right? For someone to leave a picture of a lion is breaking away from the pattern.

Today we watched a video of that girl being eaten by wolves, but I don't think that this means that tomorrow lions will be doing the job. It deviates too far from the 'theme' of the game. That Critter... It likes things just the way they are, wolf and rabbit.

So then... [ She studies the drawing again. ] It probably has nothing to do with lions as an animal, or lions as a threat. That's far too literal, don't you think?

[diamondo]

[Mondo tips his head a bit, thinking.]

Yeah, you're probably right. So is this just something to throw us off?

[construe]

Let's not say that until we've explored all of the possibilities.

For example... the feather is the other half to the picture. I would almost have guessed 'leaf', but it's grey in color, so I think you were right in calling it a feather.

Why a lion with a feather in its mouth? I've never heard of an analogy like that, or a cultural reference it might be related to...

[diamondo]

Well, if we think of it like a cat, a cat eating a bird is a common thing, right? Like in cartoons and shit, where the cat's shown with the feather hanging out its mouth?

[construe]

[ Kirigiri tilts her head, considering. ] You're right. There are phrases like... 'the cat that swallowed the canary', or something like that.

...I think it has something to do with being guilty. To use that phrase is to imply that someone is responsible for doing something wrong. The cat did a thing it wasn't supposed to do.

[diamondo]

That's true, yeah! That thing - the Critter - said it was guilty of that girl's murder earlier, so maybe we were supposed to find this before the trial?

[No, that doesn't seem right. What could it be then?]

Maybe it's implying that it'll kill again? But then what's the point of going to all this trouble to set up this "game"?

[construe]

Nnn... You answered your own question, Oowada-kun. It wouldn't go to all that trouble if it was going to kill us itself.

Feather and lion...

[ She goes quiet, as if thinking, then mumbles again: ] Feather and lion.

[diamondo]

[Mondo runs a hand through the shorter, dark strands of hair, frowning at the picture. He feels like this should be making sense, but no matter how he looks at it he can't put the pieces he's been given together.]

Shit, I have no idea. Shouldn't a kid be giving out easier clues?

[But it's entirely possible that the Critter isn't a kid, isn't it? If there are people here from worlds with real magic, it's possible that the Critter is something else entirely, isn't it?]

[construe]

It may act childish, but it's intelligent. It really wants us to think harder...

[ She takes up a pen and one of the pieces of notebook paper he provided. She writes out the characters for 'feather' and 'lion' in Japanese, then begins writing it in other languages:

羽 ライオン
feather lion
feder lion
pluma león

Her capacity for languages stops there, though. ]

Does anything jump out at you here?

[diamondo]

[Mondo's never been very good at languages and his very limited knowledge of English really isn't helping right now. He studies the written words carefully, sounding out each one in his head and trying to figure out if there's anything there.]

...I've got nothing.

[Instead of sounding frustrated, he sounds defeated.]

Is there something I'm missing?

[construe]

I think... we're supposed to find a person with lion-like, or feather-like qualities.

[ She stares down at the drawing. She feels like they're getting closer, but she also feels like they might just be chasing their own tails in circles. ]

Have you met a person like that here?

[diamondo]

Lion of feather-like qualities...

[He frowns for a moment, thinking about the different people he's met. None of them immediately jump to mind.]

...Robin had a winged horse the first day, but that's the only one I can think of.

[construe]

It's too abstract again...

[ She falls back into murmuring to herself, scratching her pen along the paper. She moves back up the list of translations, then pauses at the Japanese characters. ]

Hane... [ Then the English. ] Feather. Feder. Pluma.

[ She moves back up the list... and then something seems to dawn on her.

She suddenly turns towards him. ]

Oowada-kun... How do you write your name in kanji?

[diamondo]

[Mondo tips his head at the question.]

Like this, see?

[He writes the kanji on the page underneath Kirigiri's notes: 大和田 紋土]

[construe]

[ She studies it. ]

Oowada is composed of... [ She taps each character as she speaks. ] 'Large', 'sum', and 'rice field'...

[ Kirigiri then writes down her own name: 霧切 響子. ]

As for Kirigiri, that's... 'fog cutter'.

[ Where is she going with this? She moves back up to the top of the list of translated terms, her pen stopping at 羽.

She purses her lips. ]

Isn't it interesting that of the people that could have discovered the drawing, it was a Japanese person? If we're to believe that the Critter wanted you to find it... it must be be a language thing, right?

[ She looks up at him, wondering if he's caught on. ]

[diamondo]

Ah, yeah, that's...! It would've overheard my conversation with Charles! I said I was going to check out the museum after the trial, so it knew to put something there for me!

[But why him of all people? Did it really want to make sure its clue wasn't solved? Or maybe it knew Kirigiri would be there too?]

So I'm guessing it's got another meaning, right?

[construe]

There's no reason to wait for a Japanese person to receive the clue, unless it has to do with the Japanese language, right?

[ She points at 羽 again. ]

'Hane'. That's the kanji for feather. Let's write it in as though we're writing our own names, shall we?

[ She rewrites the character on its own sheet. ]

Oowada-kun. Is there a person here who might have that character in their name? A Japanese person?

[ She opens a page of her own journal to the voting list she copied down. ]

[diamondo]

[Mondo glances at the names in the journal, carefully picking out the Japanese ones and going through them. Most of them don't seem very promising, but he pauses at one, frowning.]

Hanekoma? That could have the same kanji, right?

[construe]

[ She nods, pleased with his reply. ]

Yes. Hane- we've definitely got that part right. But koma...

It's kind of funny... This kanji contains the same elements as that for 'crime'...

[ She writes down 狛. ]

Koma. The definition of that... is 'lion dog'.

[ She circles the completed name, 羽狛. ] Hanekoma. There you have it. Feather lion.

[diamondo]

Shit.

[And for a moment he just stares at that, stunned.]

Shit. We've gotta warn 'em! There's no way we're gonna let another person die!

[construe]

[ She nods, though she looks contemplative. ]

Do you think Sanae Hanekoma is the next target?

Or maybe... he's something else?

[diamondo]

Ah, that's--!

[He hadn't considered that. Mondo stares at the paper again as if that will give him answers.]

Shit, I dunno. I've never met him so I can't say. What do you think?

[construe]

[ At that, she shakes her head. ] I don't know. I haven't had any interactions with this person.

But I am positive that you were meant to find the clue for a reason. Today... I think we've done enough work in that regard. Let's not panic and wait to see what happens tomorrow.

[diamondo]

Yeah, I guess you're right. There's nothing else we can really do, is there?

[Hopefully he won't end up dead tomorrow...]

Thanks for the help, Kirigiri. I couldn't have figured this out without you.

[construe]

No, thank you. I used to think that working alone was the only way to be... But another mind to share ideas with is much better.

[ She sets the pen down. ] The blizzard will be moving in soon. I should return to my room before it hits, to avoid a penalty...

[diamondo]

[He seems quite pleased with that.]

Yeah, it really is helpful to have someone to bounce things off of!

[Even if he isn't the ideal person...]

Oh, yeah, I guess that's right. I'll see you tomorrow, then.

[Assuming neither of them die tonight, that is.]

[construe]

Yes. Please be safe tonight, Oowada-san.

[ Apparently their sleuthing hasn't dulled her weird sense of humor, because she follows that up with: ] And if we're still around tomorrow, you can invite me to your room any time you want.

[diamondo]

Yeah, you too--

[And then that hits and Mondo turns bright red again.]

That's--!! That's not what I meant!!

[But he manages to calm himself down after a moment, at least enough to add onto his first statement.]

I'll see you tomorrow. You can count on it!

[construe]

[ Kirigiri laughs. ]

I will. Good night.

[ With that, she gathers up her journal and makes a quiet exit. ]