thenearshore | A prayer for hope

Entry tags:

A prayer for hope

Who: Forrest and Psyche
What: Prayer #10
When: April 24
Where: The Near Shore
Warnings: None

[The first prayer they answered went well, and they've also managed to take down some ayakashi together, so today Forrest and Psyche are out on another mission together. This one will require more of a hands-on approach with the follower than any of the other ones they've done, though, so it should be an interesting experience.]

All right... this prayer is from a woman whose daughter went missing over a year ago and hasn't returned. She's grieving and beginning to lose hope, but wants to keep believing she'll come home. I think we need to find out a little more about the circumstances first, and then see if we can talk to the woman.

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Yeah...This isn't exactly as simple a situation as housecleaning.

[Psyche walked along as they went up to the apartment (a company one, apparently? The nameplate in the lobby made it seem like the husband owned the apartment), head down slightly as she thought about it. The more she thought about the request, the more it made her feel discomfort.]

Rationally speaking, it's not likely her daughter's returning at this point. I think a lot of people would say it's better to let go but she wants to keep hoping.

[Psyche wasn't sure if that was a good hope to give or not. Even if it was the point of the prayer.]

[Forrest frowns. His assessment of the situation is roughly the same.]

That's true, but gods are supposed to give people hope. There may be another reason she needs to hold onto the belief that her daughter will be back. It could be supporting her in other ways.

Maybe...Either way, we'll need to investigate her first and see what's going on.

[The apartment was on one of the upper floors, unique in only its nameplate 'FUMIDA'. However, at a second glance, Psyche realized there was a pot of what smelt like curry left by the door. After a moment, Psyche raised touched the doorbell]

We might be able to sneak in when she answers the door. That'd give us a chance to look around before trying to talk to her.

I agree. We'll need to know more before we know what to say. This is a very sensitive subject.

[Forrest blinks at the smell, looking to Psyche for a moment before she rings the bell.]

If we're quiet, she shouldn't notice us. It seems wrong to poke around without her knowing, but it's probably the best way to find out what we need to know.

[ooc: this is Forrest and Psyche in this thread]

Yeah...Hopefully she won't notice too much, especially when we start rooting around. It probably wouldn't help to make her think her apartment is haunted or she's forgetting things, on top of everything else.

[She didn't look particularly thrilled about it either, but it was that'd been happening a lot recently - at the school, at the previous apartment, here... She was about to add that when the door started cracking open. She quickly stepped to the side of the door and held perfectly still as a woman in her thirties poked her head around the door. Fumida looked like she'd just woken up, her hair askew, but there was a flash of life in her eyes as her head darted around and she called 'yes?'. However, the flash was quickly gone, under a familiar resigned slump. She exhaled softly as she looked down at the curry pot before slowly stepping out to take it...

[Psyche gestured towards the gap in the door.]

Let's try to avoid moving things if we can, then. At least while we're in the same room as she is.

[Forrest stands close by Psyche as he waits for the door to open, studying the woman's face as it does. He frowns with her as the disappointment shows on her features, but wastes no time in deftly stepping through the door before she closes it again.]

[It was, upon first glance, a fairly standard apartment. Unlike the previous one they'd visited, there was no dust or questionable scents in the air - there was even some cleaning supplies poking out from the kitchen, looking as though they'd been ready to be used. An answering machine blinked by the door with an unread message and above that was a bulletin board of reminders ("Pick up Haru's mother from train", "Monthly meeting with supervisor", "Call school+cancel mailing list", "Call back for interview due"...). There was a washroom, a closet, and two bedrooms down the hallway, though only one of the bedrooms were open.

[Curiously, though there were pictures of Fumida and her husband and others but, curiously, no girls that looked young enough to be her daughter. Likewise, for an otherwise clean apartment, a manilla folder on the shelf seemed to be packed with newspaper clippings, apparently ranging from recent to older and ratty. Fumida placed the curry pot on the table before glancing over at the cleaning supplies. She let out a dry, dull huff but stepped over them to rustle through the kitchen. When she was out of sight]

We should have a minute or two till she gets back. Did you want to check anything in particular while we have the chance?

[Forrest quietly follows Fumida into the apartment, shadowing her steps as he glances around at their surroundings. He isn't sure what the answering machine is, but he definitely pays attention to the notes. The family photos do leave him a bit puzzled, but he quickly notices the folder before he has a chance to point anything out about them.]

...This folder looks important. Maybe she's keeping mementos of her daughter inside.

Maybe...

[Psyche glanced over towards the kitchen - Fumida was still shuffling through things. She carefully lifted the folder from the shelf and opened it up, angling it so Forrest could see. Psyche couldn't understand most kanji but she could figure out the meanings for enough to fumble through.

[The most recent articles appeared to be about party life in one of the neighboring cities, including concerning trends in the area, editorials with reminders to watch your drinks or to tell others who you're going out with reference to recent incidents, and crowd shots that'd been snipped out; the older articles towards the back, however, were focused more on a disappearance of a teenage girl in that city. Based on a glance, the articles implied she'd gone over with some friends to attend a mixer but her friends had lost track of her afterwards. However, articles about the girl specifically were mostly from a year ago while the recent articles still went up to within the past few days.]

It seems like actual clues regarding her daughter dried up a long time ago if she's gathering all this other stuff.

[Forrest is equally clueless when it comes to kanji, but he can at least piece things together by the pictures in the articles. His expression darkens considerably as Psyche flips through everything.]

...Maybe she's trying to solve the disappearance herself. Do you think the police have given up?

It's possible. I don't know how the law system works here but I'd assume they'd have to let go at a point, if they couldn't find any clues.

[Fumida, less so, even if it'd probably be better if she could. Psyche flipped through again before shaking her head.]

There's not much we can do to help her solve that particular problem, though. We can't just spirit her daughter here or give her an absolute positive answer.

Edited 2016-09-18 22:30 (UTC)

If only we could find a new clue. A reason for her to keep her hope alive. A real reason.

[Rather than just holding on desperately to things like this.]

Yeah. It feels like she needs a substantial reason to hold on. Or at least, something better to remember of her daughter than this. Something she can keep touching base to, even if she has to keep waiting.

[It made sense to Psyche, at least. However, there was a part of Psyche that was unsure about how 'kind' that'd be. Before she could say something else, though, the answering machine 'BEEPED' and a voice said, "Hello. This is Yukuefumei HIgh. We're calling back to confirm whether you would like to unsubscribe from our mailing list..."

[Fumida quickly appeared around the corner. She rushed right past Psyche (who furtively slipped the folder back onto the shelf) and Forrest, reached for the phone, and then, as her hand hovered over the phone, she stopped. She let the message run out and continued to stand there, face ashen and exhausted. Looking at her face, Psyche felt an uncomfortable twinge in her chest and she couldn't help but ask Forrest]

I don't...suppose you have any spells that can help with something like that? The tiredness, I mean.

Edited 2016-09-21 01:07 (UTC)

[Forrest is about to respond when he hears the answering machine go off. It might give some more insight into the woman's situation, so he listens quietly. Again, it's not a good sign.

...I have my healing spell, but it's really for mending wounds. I suppose it could lessen her exhaustion a little, though.

[It wasn't the best way to fix things but Psyche nodded.]

Let's give it a try. Afterwards, I think we should check out the other rooms, just in case.

[Plus, Fumida was back in the living room. If they wanted to stay out of her sight, it'd be best to move their investigation to another area for now.]

You're right. Let's see if we can find her daughter's room.

[Time to do some sneaking.]

[With Fumida in the living room and moving around (she left the phone untouched, instead absently adjusting the shelf before going for the cleaning supplies), they'd have to be sneakier. Down the hallway, there were four doors - washroom, closet, bedroom (Psyche noticed, curiously, a gap in the middle of the bed and a different blanket for each side; likewise, there was a lack of photos), and a closed door.]

This must be it...

[However, as Psyche began pushing down on the handle, there was an audible creak. Fumida's movements would still. Psyche went still, looking at Forrest out of the corner of her eyes . Either to say to stay still...or to ask how he wanted to proceed.]

[Forrest freezes at the sound, glancing back down the hallway to make sure Fumida wasn't coming to check on anything. He turns back to Psyche, raising a finger to his mouth to signal they should be as quiet as possible. After a few moments, the woman goes back about her business, and Forrest lets out a sigh. Thankfully, cleaning supplies end up eventually meaning 'vacuum cleaner.']

Now.

[As the vacuum cleaner roared, Psyche tugged open the door and slipped inside. She said, quietly]

Best to keep the door shut while we're in here.

[Ignoring a creak was easier to do than ignoring a cracked open door to a sealed room. Particularly when it was clear no one had been in there for a long, long time. It was a cute room - the bed and clothing slightly messy but out of the way, a bunch of plushies on the shelves, bright colours, a wall scroll for a visual kei band, and what looked like a corner of the room sectioned off for a computer and recording equipment. However, it was all covered in a layer of dust and there was something else that didn't belong: a stack of photos, all who had a teenage girl, left on the bed.

[Psyche felt an uncomfortable stab in her chest and she blinked, a few times, as she took in all the details. Then, she exhaled slowly]

It looks like they've tried avoiding reminders of their daughter. Newspaper articles aside.

[Forrest's heart is just about breaking at the sight of it all.]

This poor girl... her poor parents...

[He draws in a deep breath, letting it out again slowly as he tries not to cry. It's a very depressing sight, after all.]

I think I know what we can do for them, though.

[Psyche continued to stare at the room a moment longer, more uncomfortable feelings trailing up her chest and to her throat for some reason, before she made herself look back to Forrest.]

What did you have in mind?

[Rather than answer Psyche directly, Forrest opts to show her. With a wave of his hand, that layer of dust covering everything is swept away, vanishing into thin air. The room is left sparkling clean, as if it had just been gone over with a fine-toothed comb.]

There. Just a small miracle.

[The feeling of the room instantly changed. Rather than a dusty, abandoned place, the room somehow felt brighter. Livelier. She ran a finger over a dust-less surface in awe at how big a difference it made.]

Oh, wow... I guess this is what the room should feel like. Like...someone's just stepped out rather than abandoned.

[It was a hopeful interpretation, at least. Better than sealing it all away like a grave or something. At least, that's what Psyche tried telling herself over that lingering sense of discomfort, which lingered over her. She shook her head and forced herself to give a small smile.]

Give me a sec to add onto it.

[She pulled out that old, battered fountain pen again before grabbing a piece of paper off the desk. After a few moments, she scribbled something down and handed it to Forrest for his inspection.]

To a prayer of hope, the goddess Lakshimi has heard the heart of a faithful

A place has been restored and prepared in wait of your daughter

[Forrest smiles as he reads the letter, nodding to Psyche as he looks up.]

Beautifully written as always.

[And since he liked the aesthetics of it last time, he'll leave some lotus petals with the note again, setting it on the bed.]

I think this should help rekindle her faith in her daughter's return.

Hopefully. It's all we can do for her at this point, I think.

[She managed to make her smile look a little more genuine. Despite her strange feelings about this, even she had to admit, she would've liked Fumida to be a little less miserable - enough to stop clinging to weak clues, at least. When Psyche cracked open the door, the vacuum was still running.]

We can just leave the door open for her to find. There's no way she'll miss it.

[Particularly with how long it'd been shut and the fact she was home alone right now. At least that she was aware.]

[Forrest would rather be able to find actual clues toward Fumida's daughter's return, but this will do for now. Maybe if she rededicates herself to the search, she'll be able to figure something out.]

Yes, I think we've done the most we can.

Alright, then...We should leave her be and hope for the best.

[Psyche led the way, leaving the door open as she stepped out of the room. Fumida didn't seem to notice the door was open but, as they walked past her back, a flicker of confusion would cross her face. She turned to face the hallway and further confusion and a touch of something unidentifiable would cross her face as she saw the open door.

[Psyche, though, would keep walking towards the front door, trying to squish the feelings of discomfort and feelings of doubt in her chest as she heard Fumida's quick steps towards the room, only turning back to see if Forrest was coming.]

Edited 2016-09-29 23:23 (UTC)

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A prayer for hope

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