>>5832855>>5832858>>5832866>>5832889>>5832892>>5832897With thoughts of your father, you walk calmly across the shrine’s courtyard toward the red woman and young girl. It has to be her. Maybe she knows something more about what happened, you still haven’t gotten a story you’re satisfied with. Too many strange coincidences. Any detes are better than none, however small the chance.
The light crunching sound of your footsteps on the neatly maintained gravel draws the woman’s attention at once, her conversation with the girl falling to a final few whispers you barely hear.
“...Of course it is said that all things are not what they appear.” The young girl finishes, looking very proud of herself, as if she’d just finished reciting a carefully memorized script. Turning, she sees you first, or cares to act on it first - and taps lightly at the tall woman’s cyberleg, before greeting you with an innocent smile. Cute kid, she reminds you a little of one of your friends from grade school. Haven’t seen her in years. Simpler times.
The Tyger Claw woman’s dark eyes narrow in suspicion, a soft blue light flashing within them - A scan? Her expression relaxes to something like amused curiosity, the tense body language of a killer ready to strike melting away at once.
“Hello - Are you here for the funeral?” You ask politely, genuinely unsure and still wary of the chromed up woman. You saw what those mantis arms can do, how fast they deploy, how they slice right through titanium plating and sear flesh; a thin layer of beauty hiding sheer bloody terror.
The woman shakes her head, a smile appearing to match the girl’s but not at all innocent, “No, not today. You look… very familiar~”
She has a nice voice, far more pleasant than when you heard her arguing on the holo - firm, confident. A little playful? W-what’s with that? Your heartbeat quickens.
>”NC feels small sometimes, doesn’t it? We were stuck on the same NCART car on new years, during that storm - My name is Kai.” Complete truth but frame it innocently. She might just volunteer things on her own.>”Names Kai - You were at Kabuki marketplace on new years. Messy roll up job.” Try not to say it too accusatively, this isn’t an interrogation or criticism; maybe it’ll pique her interest further - how could you possibly know?>”Thought you looked familiar too, maybe one of my dad's friends …Here to make offerings then?” Avoid names, just talk for a moment. Weird coincidence that she’s here for something other than the funeral. Do the Tyger Claws run this shrine or something? >Write-in.Apologies for not giving the normal hour warning before closing voting earlier, wanted to get one more post in tonight. 