putting together puzzle pieces [late week 3]

[finalizes]

[Laughs speaks up on the network very abruptly and sharply.]

What does everyone here know about Yakumo's overlay Edward?

[After moment, he adds: I have nothing definite yet, but as I said earlier, Phillip saw someone who looked like me try to post a batch of letters that looked like the letters of complaint sent to newspapers from various different people.

Edward's merlin sometimes looks like a nightjar, and humans have no sense of scent to speak of.

A guy [and he's lifestreaming the scent that will be recognizable as that of Utsusemimaru to anyone who can scent people as he says that] told me that Edward can imitate other people's writing.

So. What do we know about him?

[He might be overly suspicious because Edward now didn't just insult his poor toad baby, his pet tried to eat Saffron. But that's besides the point clearly.]

Comments

[razorblade_empress]

Well, so far I've heard a bunch about the Wonders of Britain and its immigration policy, plus a few digressions about its climate history. Guy loooooves this country and everything about it and hopes for a future where anyone who chooses to do so can live here. Won't answer anything about his own past, though.

He also hates Phillip and company about as much as he loves Britain - they're one of the only three subjects I've really seen him get mad about. The other two would be the sabotage - he's got a written list of ideas about finding the saboteur, some of them more do-able than others - and seeing people break rules.

[Especially you, Laughs.]

[highsteaks]

Maybe he's an immigrant? I mean, he sort of looks like he could be Japanese, doesn't he?

[razorblade_empress]

That's what I've been thinking, yeah. And I'm not sure he can let himself see any downsides to the place, either. Hell, to hear him talk, this country doesn't have any downsides.

[highsteaks]

... ooookay.

[And then Chie has a terrible idea.]

Does he seem, um, interested in you? Or just someone to listen to him? ... has he tried to get you to come to his room or anything?

[razorblade_empress]

Well, I've been to his room, but not for that. Honestly, I think he mostly wants someone to talk to.

[highsteaks]

Huh.

Anything interesting in there? ... which is a weird trying to ask about I know, but if we can't figure out the mystery of the Dark Sabotager yet, maybe we can at least figure out what's up with people trying to pretend they're Laughs to mail letters... and I guess if they're this Edward guy or not.

[razorblade_empress]

It probably goes without saying that it is very, very, very British, but there's not really a lot of personal touches - or maybe it's more accurate to say that there are personal touches, but they all revolve around being Very British. There's nothing in there to indicate otherwise - if we're right about him being an immigrant, he's determined not to acknowledge it.

[highsteaks]

Hm.

Okay. But I guess the question is, why would he pretend to be Laughs to mail letters? If Laughs is right and it is him.

[razorblade_empress]

Assuming it's him doing it... no idea. Unless he's looking to avoid getting blamed for sending those letters himself maybe, but that wouldn't explain why Laughs specifically.

[It also doesn't really sound right to Yukino, but she's having trouble articulating why.]

[highsteaks]

Maybe it isn't him, then. Maybe it's the Dark Sabotager.

[grimjeaper]

We-- uh, well. Might be worth checking out anyway, right? He sounds like he's gotta be hiding something.

A-and I know people keep saying turning invisible isn't a thing people here can do, but I sure can. Maybe I could give it a check-over...?

[highsteaks]

You can?

... maybe you should, then. And anyone else's room that seems suspicious. That's a really good idea, Barold.

Oh yeah, and livestream it to us too!

[razorblade_empress]

Maybe. Although that raises more questions about their goal for all of this.

[finalizes]

He is the only person who has taken issue with me here so far.

[He discarded that connection at first, but Phillip did ask very pointedly about it and he keeps circling back to it.]

[razorblade_empress]

Yeah, but that raises the question of why you over anyone else he's taken issue with - or whether you're the only one he might be imitating.

[finalizes]

Why does he hate them?

[razorblade_empress]

To hear him tell it, it's because they get into trouble constantly, aren't particularly apologetic about it, and get away with everything.

[finalizes]

It's not because of something they did to him?

[Because that's probably why Edward doesn't like him. Could that guy really be petty enough to hate someone so much without having been personally affected?]

[razorblade_empress]

Apparently not, or at least not that he'll admit.

[finalizes]

[Well, that's inconvenient.]

[razorblade_empress]

[It certainly is.]

Of course, he also doesn't talk about himself at all in general. He's good at talking a lot and not saying very much in all those words.

[finalizes]

Do you think he lies outright, or does he just omit the truth?

[razorblade_empress]

He probably does at least a bit of both, but with all the deflection he does I'd guess he favors omitting the truth.

[finalizes]

So it's not even like we can take at face value what little information he supplies.

[razorblade_empress]

Probably not. I mean, he's probably not lying about most of the trivia he spouts, but that's part of his camouflage - drown 'em in endless useless facts and maybe they won't notice he's hiding things.

[Which isn't to say that even some of those "facts" can't be complete bullshit, but still.]