[He looks around. There is a lot of work to do here.]
Maybe it's not a "simple" errand if it's something I'm not currently capable of doing myself. We are low on firewood at the moment, and while I have the appropriate tools, I cannot use them.
...which probably means it's the exact sort of thing she ought to do, too. SIGHS. Still, though, is splitting wood even something she can do? Her rapier is probably much lighter than any tools they'd need to use...]
...Well, I know not how competent I'll be, but I can certainly try. If they say it doesn't count, we'll find something else.
[It's not necessarily something she wants to talk about, but Alisaie nods nonetheless. She does feel like she owes them all at least that much.]
We can do both. I'll answer your questions and do what I can with this.
[Picking up the wood axe... it's definitely heavier than her rapier is, but hey, if she's going to talk about difficult topics then being able to use the woodcutting as a way to keep from getting too worked up might be a good idea.]
[Kim already has the important answers. It's just the pedantic nature of a cruciverbalist to want to complete these reports, that possibly no one else will ever read or comprehend.
Of course I am. [Kind of, but she's hiding that behind huffiness at his needing to double-check--frustration is a convenient rock to latch onto in the uncertainty of everything else.] But it's been more than a full moon since it happened; I'd grown used to being unable to speak of it.
[So she grabs one of the logs to place it for cutting, takes aim with the axe... and you know, she actually manages to give it a good cleave! It doesn't go all the way through, but it gets a little over halfway through the log.]
[Kim sits down nearby. Ordinarily, he would stand, but he needs to place his notebook in his lap to keep it steady while he writes. Can't just hold it in the other hand, like he normally would.]
I presume you were approached by an angel, and chose Roxis Rosencrantz for a target. I suppose you also had a few days to prepare...
[She tries to lift the axe, log attached to it, to try and hit it down again, but she's not expecting how heavy the combination of the two is and winds up having to balance check instead.]
They threatened Alphinaud, were I to refuse.
[She tries the log again, putting her anger at the angels into it, and this time she's successful at splitting the rest of the way through.]
More than a year ago I received a blessing from one of the beast tribes of Eorzea. It allows one to breathe underwater and survive the pressure of the ocean's depths. I asked the angel to restore it to me that night.
[A solemn nod at the first part. Kim looks a bit lost in thought after that, not even flinching when she swings the axe. But when she continues, his eyes widen.]
That explains a lot.
I knew there had to be some kind of power involved, but I couldn't begin to guess what it was or who could have possessed it. The actual method has remained a complete mystery until now.
Only my brother might have realized. And I took great care to ensure he was unaware, though I thought he may have been suspicious the day after. There was no indication of it on my coin, and it had faded by morning.
Others might have known that I swim like a fish, but I jumped into the canals during our tasks to clean up the city ere the chosen evening came. And I had to dive to the bottom of the canal to retrieve evidence when we discovered Ulrika's body. Even if there had been a lingering scent, it would have been easily explained away.
[She sets up the half-log to split into quarters, but yeah, still struggling. Still, it's nice to have something else to focus on rather than just casually discussing a murder like it was just another day...! So she's continuing the work, even if it's unfamiliar and hard.]
[When you're a homicide detective, casually talking about murderers is just another day! So, Kim just nods and writes a few notes. There's satisfaction behind those penstrokes. This man really just likes when murders get solved.]
Were you injured at some point in the night? When I reviewed the strip check record that Miss Susato kindly provided me, it looked a bit suspicious.
The blood on Roxis's card was mine, yes. [She knocks the log through, then allows herself a shrug.]
I had no healing magic with which to mend my injury. I knew it would be questioned during the trial, so I used my rapier to wound myself in the same place. Then I sought out Alphinaud to bandage it and waited for Allen to seek me out to ask what had happened.
No one would have believed it if Alphinaud was the only person to vouch for the injury. But Allen would have no reason to lie to protect me.
[This time, the axe splits straight through the remaining half, neatly quartering it. She's starting to get the hang of it maybe.]
[Alisaie's just. Making a face at that, honestly.]
Not exactly. It was mine, yes, but I didn't intentionally leave it.
I'd planned on speaking with Roxis first and asking him to come with me to the place marked. But he somehow knew to avoid me ere I even saw him. I realized I'd lost the map near the end of the night, but I didn't know where it had fallen to retrieve it.
I'd not planned on leaving footprints in the first place. I had no need of something to hide mine own.
The broken door to the clothing shop may have been us, however. Roxis ran into one of the shops and locked the door behind him to put more space between us. I shattered the glass with my rapier in order to unlock it and follow.
Ah. [He uses the back of his pen to scratch at an itch on the back of his head.] Seems like everyone passed through the markets at some point, then... No wonder there was so much confusion in the investigation.
I suppose the main detail remaining is... the moment of death, and the specific cause. How did that happen?
I can't understand how we didn't see one another. Suigetsu and I both stayed the eve in the game room; surely one of us ought to have noticed the other missing when we woke.
[But when he asks about the moment of death, she stills. That moment...]
Why don't you tell me what you've theorized? I can fill in the details from there.
[OH WOW NOPE THAT'S WORSE. THAT'S MUCH WORSE. Her head comes up, a sudden pit in her stomach as she lifts her hands to stop him.]
--Actually, I shall tell you. [Gods. Hearing it phrased like that... there's just something about it that makes her feel sick. If she explains, maybe it won't be as bad.]
The traps in the garden were laid by Roxis. I pretended to have been caught by one of them and waited for him to approach.
[...]
And when he did I tackled him into the canal. He must have hit his head on the side of it.
From there, I had only to keep him underwater.
[...Alisaie takes a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. Saying it like this was less nauseating than hearing it from Kim, but it doesn't do anything to prevent her from feeling like a monster for taking advantage of the situation like that. Even with more than a moon's time passing since that night in Otamo, it's still going to be difficult when they meet up with those in the dead.]
[She shuts him up, and he remains silent until she seems to be finished... and for a few more moments after.]
Mm. That makes sense. Thank you.
[A few more fields are filled in. The most important facts have been collected. For Kim, there's satisfaction in having the truth. But it's hard to ignore how the retelling is affecting her. She might hate to hear this too, but...]
I'm sorry to have asked you to recall such a thing.
[His silence gives her a moment to regain her composure--normally she tries to keep going to avoid thinking too hard about everything on her mind, but wow has that been difficult over the past few days with everything going on! Apparently there's a point where that coping mechanism stops working, wow!
But she'll shake her head.]
It wouldn't be right to refuse to speak of it. Not now that we can speak freely.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[He looks around. There is a lot of work to do here.]
Maybe it's not a "simple" errand if it's something I'm not currently capable of doing myself. We are low on firewood at the moment, and while I have the appropriate tools, I cannot use them.
no subject
...which probably means it's the exact sort of thing she ought to do, too. SIGHS. Still, though, is splitting wood even something she can do? Her rapier is probably much lighter than any tools they'd need to use...]
...Well, I know not how competent I'll be, but I can certainly try. If they say it doesn't count, we'll find something else.
no subject
It was the first thing to come to mind. If you'd rather not, I could ask your assistance in... hm. Filling out the remaining blanks in my case files?
[Talking about murder details.]
Your choice.
no subject
We can do both. I'll answer your questions and do what I can with this.
[Picking up the wood axe... it's definitely heavier than her rapier is, but hey, if she's going to talk about difficult topics then being able to use the woodcutting as a way to keep from getting too worked up might be a good idea.]
Is that the pile of wood to be chopped?
no subject
[Kim already has the important answers. It's just the pedantic nature of a cruciverbalist to want to complete these reports, that possibly no one else will ever read or comprehend.
Anyway, he nods at the wood.]
Mm-hmm. Just what's been scavenged from nearby.
no subject
[So she grabs one of the logs to place it for cutting, takes aim with the axe... and you know, she actually manages to give it a good cleave! It doesn't go all the way through, but it gets a little over halfway through the log.]
Go ahead.
no subject
I presume you were approached by an angel, and chose Roxis Rosencrantz for a target. I suppose you also had a few days to prepare...
no subject
[She tries to lift the axe, log attached to it, to try and hit it down again, but she's not expecting how heavy the combination of the two is and winds up having to balance check instead.]
They threatened Alphinaud, were I to refuse.
[She tries the log again, putting her anger at the angels into it, and this time she's successful at splitting the rest of the way through.]
More than a year ago I received a blessing from one of the beast tribes of Eorzea. It allows one to breathe underwater and survive the pressure of the ocean's depths. I asked the angel to restore it to me that night.
no subject
That explains a lot.
I knew there had to be some kind of power involved, but I couldn't begin to guess what it was or who could have possessed it. The actual method has remained a complete mystery until now.
no subject
Only my brother might have realized. And I took great care to ensure he was unaware, though I thought he may have been suspicious the day after. There was no indication of it on my coin, and it had faded by morning.
Others might have known that I swim like a fish, but I jumped into the canals during our tasks to clean up the city ere the chosen evening came. And I had to dive to the bottom of the canal to retrieve evidence when we discovered Ulrika's body. Even if there had been a lingering scent, it would have been easily explained away.
[She sets up the half-log to split into quarters, but yeah, still struggling. Still, it's nice to have something else to focus on rather than just casually discussing a murder like it was just another day...! So she's continuing the work, even if it's unfamiliar and hard.]
no subject
Were you injured at some point in the night? When I reviewed the strip check record that Miss Susato kindly provided me, it looked a bit suspicious.
cw: self-injury
I had no healing magic with which to mend my injury. I knew it would be questioned during the trial, so I used my rapier to wound myself in the same place. Then I sought out Alphinaud to bandage it and waited for Allen to seek me out to ask what had happened.
No one would have believed it if Alphinaud was the only person to vouch for the injury. But Allen would have no reason to lie to protect me.
[This time, the axe splits straight through the remaining half, neatly quartering it. She's starting to get the hang of it maybe.]
no subject
Just as I thought.
[A few moments pass...]
Did you mark that map for us to find?
no subject
Not exactly. It was mine, yes, but I didn't intentionally leave it.
I'd planned on speaking with Roxis first and asking him to come with me to the place marked. But he somehow knew to avoid me ere I even saw him. I realized I'd lost the map near the end of the night, but I didn't know where it had fallen to retrieve it.
no subject
[Probably not prepared enough, considering he still died. But, you know.
Kim amends his notes.]
Were the boots your doing?
no subject
I'd not planned on leaving footprints in the first place. I had no need of something to hide mine own.
The broken door to the clothing shop may have been us, however. Roxis ran into one of the shops and locked the door behind him to put more space between us. I shattered the glass with my rapier in order to unlock it and follow.
no subject
I suppose the main detail remaining is... the moment of death, and the specific cause. How did that happen?
no subject
[But when he asks about the moment of death, she stills. That moment...]
Why don't you tell me what you've theorized? I can fill in the details from there.
no subject
The back of his skull was cracked. We didn't find any blunt weapons, so perhaps his head was bashed against a wall, or the ground...
no subject
--Actually, I shall tell you. [Gods. Hearing it phrased like that... there's just something about it that makes her feel sick. If she explains, maybe it won't be as bad.]
The traps in the garden were laid by Roxis. I pretended to have been caught by one of them and waited for him to approach.
[...]
And when he did I tackled him into the canal. He must have hit his head on the side of it.
From there, I had only to keep him underwater.
[...Alisaie takes a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. Saying it like this was less nauseating than hearing it from Kim, but it doesn't do anything to prevent her from feeling like a monster for taking advantage of the situation like that. Even with more than a moon's time passing since that night in Otamo, it's still going to be difficult when they meet up with those in the dead.]
no subject
Mm. That makes sense. Thank you.
[A few more fields are filled in. The most important facts have been collected. For Kim, there's satisfaction in having the truth. But it's hard to ignore how the retelling is affecting her. She might hate to hear this too, but...]
I'm sorry to have asked you to recall such a thing.
no subject
But she'll shake her head.]
It wouldn't be right to refuse to speak of it. Not now that we can speak freely.
Roxis deserved better.