. . . It is only that. And it is likely irrelevant now, but. I couldn't bear for someone to be put in danger because of what happened to me.
If you are determined to pursue Rex's killer, then - [She's quiet for a moment.] I would encourage you to do so. But I wish you would have spoken to me before you made up your mind.
I perhaps misspoke. Spike had suggested to me that Mr Yukio Okumura was not quite what he seemed, as support for his theory. That was what I was referring to, as far as being right, when we saw he had been deceiving us in some way. While I do currently feel that makes him the most likely suspect compared to the others being considered, I am open to whatever evidence you have to disprove it.
I do wish to find Mr Salazar's killer. Just as I wish to find Miss Mulberry's and Mr Rosenkrantz's.
[She swallows and nods her head, a little nervous.]
I . . . I support you in that. But I'm also so worried about - about the wrong person being charged for this. Remember what nearly happened to Mr. Nero? If Yuri hadn't had that item - thank goodness he did.
So I would hope that as you continue to search, you will . . . perhaps it is asking a lot. You are an accomplished prosecutor, I know. But it is also possible, since I was there, I have insight that you will not into the precise details.
... My previous work as a prosecutor seems to mean little here. There are so many factors I am not used to accounting for, and far less time to do so in.
In the courts I am used to, it is not typically my job to give others the benefit of the doubt. It is the job of people like Mr Naruhodo to do that. That is not an excuse, but rather an explanation. The last thing I wish is to send another innocent man to his death because I was too blind to see the truth. If I am wrong, I would only ask that people tell me.
I know that, Lord van Zieks. I know that you are not typically . . . reckless, with people's lives.
If I was overly harsh it is only because . . . this is personal to me. I feel a personal responsibility to make sure no one else is hurt by this. Rin Okumura-san and Yukio Okumura-san - I feel responsible for the harm that has already come to them, because I could not do more to ensure Rex's killer was caught.
I would appreciate it if you would share with me what you feel comfortable disclosing about that which you can remember from Thursday night, miss Mikotoba.
I will disclose everything I can, sir. Comfort or not.
[She folds her hands together and recites, fairly rote.]
What I can tell you is that I woke up and was afraid it was because someone intended to kill me. I went outside the church and saw Rex. He tried to say something to me. I ran. Then, I must have been knocked out somehow. I woke up, and I was bound in that room. I used my knife to cut the rope. I threw a can through the window to let oxygen into the room. My memory is hazy after that. However - I noticed this morning that I am missing one of the feathers on my coin. The one with that gave me the ability to blind people.
For that power to have been used, either you yourself used it, or someone else took your coin and used it. Assuming the latter, either they used the power at random or already knew which ones the coin held.
Given I don't see the point in taking someone's coin to use a power at random, they must have done it intentionally. So logically, it was someone you told. [He pauses.]
Unless the instinctive knowledge of the powers a coin has is not a matter of ownership but a matter of holding the coin.
My suspicion is that I am the one who used it. My memories are hazy, but I clearly remember attempting to do something to get that particular person caught. [. . .] The only person who knew about that coin power was Alisaie.
It would have at least lasted through Friday. And I was not there to see it, but. . .
[She frowns, looks at the floor for a second, then looks back up at him, eyes flashing with determination.]
I spoke to Yukio Okumura-san yesterday. I asked some questions, without letting on what I was getting at, that confirmed for me that he was not blinded.
I see. Then we should attempt to devise something than can be asked of the group when we have our next meeting and see if we can discern this. Certainly, if anyone I spoke to could not see, I did not notice. What did you ask Mr Okumura to accomplish this?
I told you because I . . . I wanted to explain, why I argued so adamantly for Okumura-san. But I don't. . . want to contribute to a hunt. Misunderstandings might happen, and. . .
... You believe that, given our inability to gather or examine any further evidence from the scenes of the crime, that the risk of potential false accusations outweigh the rewards of finding the person who killed Mr Salazar and attempted to kill you. Is that correct?
I want you to find them. So very much, but. . . that particular evidence is . . . it is so prone to misinterpretation. So I would prefer we kept that to ourselves, except as a way to exonerate someone.
I understand. I see your point. It would be, likely, tremendously difficult to prove someone was struck by that blindness, with them no longer suffering it.
[And he sighs.]
Truly I wonder what it says about the rest of us that we must rely on you so very much.
No, we oughtn't. Not because I do not wish to trust you, or think you less capable as being simply a judicial assistant, but because you are young and have never made the choice to take on such responsibility.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Miss Mikotoba.
[He'll call out to her, setting down his glass.]
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[She'll approach and bow her head, cool politeness.]
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. . . It is only that. And it is likely irrelevant now, but. I couldn't bear for someone to be put in danger because of what happened to me.
If you are determined to pursue Rex's killer, then - [She's quiet for a moment.] I would encourage you to do so. But I wish you would have spoken to me before you made up your mind.
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I do wish to find Mr Salazar's killer. Just as I wish to find Miss Mulberry's and Mr Rosenkrantz's.
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I . . . I support you in that. But I'm also so worried about - about the wrong person being charged for this. Remember what nearly happened to Mr. Nero? If Yuri hadn't had that item - thank goodness he did.
So I would hope that as you continue to search, you will . . . perhaps it is asking a lot. You are an accomplished prosecutor, I know. But it is also possible, since I was there, I have insight that you will not into the precise details.
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In the courts I am used to, it is not typically my job to give others the benefit of the doubt. It is the job of people like Mr Naruhodo to do that. That is not an excuse, but rather an explanation. The last thing I wish is to send another innocent man to his death because I was too blind to see the truth. If I am wrong, I would only ask that people tell me.
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I know that, Lord van Zieks. I know that you are not typically . . . reckless, with people's lives.
If I was overly harsh it is only because . . . this is personal to me. I feel a personal responsibility to make sure no one else is hurt by this. Rin Okumura-san and Yukio Okumura-san - I feel responsible for the harm that has already come to them, because I could not do more to ensure Rex's killer was caught.
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I would appreciate it if you would share with me what you feel comfortable disclosing about that which you can remember from Thursday night, miss Mikotoba.
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[She folds her hands together and recites, fairly rote.]
What I can tell you is that I woke up and was afraid it was because someone intended to kill me. I went outside the church and saw Rex. He tried to say something to me. I ran. Then, I must have been knocked out somehow. I woke up, and I was bound in that room. I used my knife to cut the rope. I threw a can through the window to let oxygen into the room. My memory is hazy after that. However - I noticed this morning that I am missing one of the feathers on my coin. The one with that gave me the ability to blind people.
[Y'all. . . never did a coin check.]
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... I see. Would anyone else know that you had that power?
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Given I don't see the point in taking someone's coin to use a power at random, they must have done it intentionally. So logically, it was someone you told.
[He pauses.]
Unless the instinctive knowledge of the powers a coin has is not a matter of ownership but a matter of holding the coin.
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[Hmm.]
My suspicion is that I am the one who used it. My memories are hazy, but I clearly remember attempting to do something to get that particular person caught. [. . .] The only person who knew about that coin power was Alisaie.
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[Anyway, frowning.]
How long does the power last?
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[She frowns, looks at the floor for a second, then looks back up at him, eyes flashing with determination.]
I spoke to Yukio Okumura-san yesterday. I asked some questions, without letting on what I was getting at, that confirmed for me that he was not blinded.
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I see. Then we should attempt to devise something than can be asked of the group when we have our next meeting and see if we can discern this. Certainly, if anyone I spoke to could not see, I did not notice. What did you ask Mr Okumura to accomplish this?
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[She seems slightly distressed by this.]
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Why? Do you think your method would not work in a group setting?
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[She's struggling to pick her words.]
I only intended to tell you this.
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I want you to find them. So very much, but. . . that particular evidence is . . . it is so prone to misinterpretation. So I would prefer we kept that to ourselves, except as a way to exonerate someone.
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I understand. I see your point. It would be, likely, tremendously difficult to prove someone was struck by that blindness, with them no longer suffering it.
[And he sighs.]
Truly I wonder what it says about the rest of us that we must rely on you so very much.
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[She wasn't expecting him to say that, but she also doesn't seem happy.]
You shouldn't. I will try to be of as much use as I can, but you oughtn't rely on me.
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