2290/Suspect Emi!

Suspect Emi!
Date of Scene:	03 February 2025
Location:	Public Library
Synopsis:	Hinote investigates the library, detecting traces of unusual dark energies that accompany Nightmares for the first time. He also meets a very suspicious Mister Sato.
Cast of Characters:	Hinote Kagari, Emi Hoshino

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Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari stands in front of the vandalized library with his hands in his khaki pants pockets. He's wearing light khaki pants, and white sneakers. He's wearing a simple black t-shirt with a windbreaker to protect from the cold. He looks to Tracy. "Let's investigate the vandalism, Tracy!" he says. "Investigation!" says Tracy. "Turn into a world class detective...!" calls out Hinote as a magical fedora graces his head, and his senses tune a little.

He walks over to the vandalism, on the otherside where a cleaner is trying to scrub it off already. He frowns a little. He's glad he came today. He looks to it and places a hand to it. Surely there's nothing magical about... simple spraypaint? Markers? Paint in general?

He's looking down to the ground for footprints, or some other similar trail he might be able to follow too as he hrms.

"Probably some delinquents doing delinquent things."

"I'll bring them to justice!" he says.

Emi Hoshino has posed:
No doubt that its just delinquents doing delinquent things. What are the odds that it would be something more than that?

... probably higher than anyone would care to admit.

The library was closed until noon while the investigation was underway and cleanup had begun. Hinote can see a couple vans parked out front from a local cleaning service. This would spell trouble to an ORDDINARY detective, but a world class detective is sure to notice something they missed. At least he's lucky that, as a public service, they're trying to accommodate the needs of the locals who rely on them.

It is definitely not great, he'll find once he's inside. There are a few cleaners working on mopping up splashes of black pai-- no, ink, that are on the floor, using heavy duty checmicals to get out of the carpet. It smells atrocious. Some damaged shelves and books set aside in a giant cart for sorting and checking for damage complete the picture.

Now, all of that *could* be ordinary, but there's a palpable sense of fading darkness in the air, something ephemeral and wrong somehow, and unlike the darkness to which he might be used to. A distinct flavor, let's call it.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari pulls the brim of his fedora down. He mutters. "This is..." he frowns and leans a hand down towards it and rubs it between two fingers. "...ink?" he says as he notices it's sticky. He frowns a little and rubs it on his black shirt.

It smells awful Was it bad ink? Was someone just trying to get rid of ink gone bad?

He frowns though when Tracy floating over Hinote's shoulder crosses his arms. No non-magical folks can see him. "I sense something Hinote..."

Indeed, there's an awful dark feeling in the air and it doesn't feel like the leftovers of a common youma.

He walks a lap around the room as his eyes scan for clues. Besides the ink, besides the dark feeling. Maybe something magical did happen?

...Octopus Youma? Squirting awful ink everywhere?

Emi Hoshino has posed:
One of the cleaners stops what he's doing when Hinote slips by to touch the ink and seems a little puzzled by what he's doing. The ink is just ... ink, though it carries that same fading residue.

Someone clears their throat none too far away from him. An older gentlemen, perhaps in his fifties, with slightly greying hair. He's dressed well enough, white shirt and tie even, but he's got a question for the lad himself.
% It's a sort of 'I've got my eye on you' gesture for the moment.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari has to stop and look at the man. Older man, dressed well enough. He either works here and maybe thinks he's involved. Or he could be someone investigating the vandalism. The last thing he needs is a normal person involved when there's magic involved.

Here, he thought this was gonna be a piece of cake, a joyride. Now it's turning out there's definitely more to this story than meets the eye.

He considers a moment as he turns to more ink and produces a magnifying glass from his pocket to examine the ink a moment like some old style detective, before putting it away. No magic involved there. He did it to look like he knew what he was doing.

He then looks to Tracy, Tracy nods and he nods back. To the man it looks like he just nodded at nothing in the air..or nodding to the track lightning. Who knows.

He looks back to the man and approaches. "Hello Sir. Hinote Kagari. I'm trying to figure out who would vandalize a library with ink."

His guess is also 'A youma mad that they didn't have a copy of Twilight in.'.

Emi Hoshino has posed:
"Aren't you a little old to be playing pretend detective, young man?" says the business-suit-clad gentlemen. The cleaner is just kind of eyeing Hinote like 'what is even happening right now'. "Kid, wrap up your game, I have a job to do here, eh?"
"... actually," begins the businessman, "... you wouldn't happen to attend the Academy, would you?" he asks, a thought occurring to him. It's a thought he wants to follow, evidentally.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari stifles his lip to avoid saying anything smart. Luckily, he has a tiny version of him that the business man can't see or hear that can speak for him. Tracy, the tiny floating detective chara says. "What a rube." he says.

Hinote Kagari manages to stop from smiling at Tracy and keep his eyes on the man. "Huh?" he goes. "Yeah I go to Radiant Heart Academy." he says.

"Something wrong with that?" he asks.

Emi Hoshino has posed:
"Nothing, nothing at all. I'm just wondering if you maybe know a Hohshino Emi," he remarks. "She attends the Academy herself. And I'm very curious why a student from the Academy would be playing detective here, that's all." He's clearly a very suspicious man and he looks down at the ink stain. "Travesty," he remarks, "if the people who did this are delinquents the police suspect, they would bring great shame to whatever school they attended when they are caught." His tone leaves no doubt he believes they will be.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
That name is familiar. Where did he see it before?

OH.. Mamoru.. made a board post about her. Didn't he? He remembers reading it. Mainly that Emi didn't have powers outside of.... dreams? He didn't understand it entirely.

"The name is familiar to me, but... I have not met them." he says removing a notebook from his pocket and, detective game style writes the name at the top. 'Talk to Emi Hohshino' added to the log.

He looks up and taps his pencil against the notebook. In case he needs to write more.

"Do you think this 'Emi' is involved, sir?" he asks. "Is what you're inferring?"

Emi Hoshino has posed:
"Ha, just let her know I'm looking out for her, would you?" A quick bow towards the child out of politeness as he introduces himself, "Sato Masaru," he informs him. Somewhere, Emi is groaning and feeling like someone walked over her grave. He straightens up and starts heading for the door. He's got things to do, clearly, with a stride as purposeful as that.

Hinote Kagari has posed:
Hinote Kagari takes down a name. Sarto Masru. Into the notebook. "Have a good day, Sato-san." he says. He then pulls the brim of his fedora down as it vanishes into magical sparkles. No one else can see this. Did he even walk in with a hat? The workers can't see this happening. It's like they watched him just take off his hat.

"I'm going to speak to this emi, I think, Tracy. No reason to mention her if she's involved." he whispers to him.

With that he'll leave shortly after.

Emi Hoshino has posed:
"... where'd he go?" says Sato looking around after a moment. He was looking back to find him, to see an expression to match his suspicions but alas, the kid is gone. Sneaky! Very suspicious is Sato, but then, that's kind of his job. He's Volunteer Probation Officer Masaru Sato and he takes his job *very* seriously.