caughtinanetwork | ♚ 002 [ video ]

In light of the recent murders, I feel that a reintroduction of myself is in order. I am Earl Ciel Phantomhive. It is my duty at home to investigate such crimes, among other things, and I have taken the initiative to do so in this case.

[ He's seated in his favorite armchair in his home in the upper district, legs crossed and hands folded together. It might be a bit of a surprise to see such a young boy speaking so seriously and authoritatively about this subject, but Ciel's never been one to care for what others think. He's going to do what he does best regardless. ]

The perpetrator has made it very clear that they will kill again. I assume that it does not bear saying, but I ideally intend to catch them before they get the chance. I have spoken with members of the defense force already, and have been assured their support. If you have any information to share--suspicion, fact, anything at all--please do not hesitate to do so, especially in regards to the incident which occurred most recently. Most importantly, if anyone thinks they may have been witness to these events, I would ask that you come forward.

Thank you for your time.

[ Oh, and Sebastian--you've been having fun scouring the city for bodies all day, haven't you? ]

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[ And coming to you live from downtown Vatheon, it's your butler who seems to have found himself perched on a nearby rooftop. Better views lead to better ideas as to where the hell things might have happened, you know.

And birds like high places, okay? Okay. His attention isn't on the SFC but rather the street below and a distance off. ]

You aren't going to believe this, my lord, but there aren't any bodies to be found whatsoever.

[ Well, this is pretty much exactly what he didn't want to hear. ]

...you are sure you've searched everywhere?

[ That isn't to say he doubts Sebastian; his butler doesn't lie, after all. But suffice to say, it's strange not to find a body--or bodies, as he suspects is the case this time--at all.

Then again, Cosette's head still hasn't turned up, either. ]

[ The frustration on his brow but momentarily, eyes trained on the ground as he fixes his gaze on the residents below. ]

From the forest quadrant to the north end of the city to even the island. I haven't seen hide nor hair of our poor beleaguered Charlotte or the other who'd done that broadcast as of late last night.

It looks almost as if the bodies in question were spirited away. Consumed, at the very most. There isn't even a single blood trail to follow, scent or otherwise.

[ Ciel's brow furrows. It is entirely unlike Sebastian not to find anything. ]

And there is still no one at the clinic at all?

[ He's just as frustrated, no worries, Ciel. He's perfect- able to hunt down anything and anyone. Then this happens and he's just as clueless as anyone else. ]

No one, my lord. The Head Nurse and the rest of the staff seems to be absent. Even the good doctor has yet to present himself.

One can hazard a guess the nurses have gone into hiding? But why anyone would target the medical staff here is beyond my understanding completely.

Agreed. There doesn't seem to be any evidence of malpractice, and the Head Nurse was only instated fairly recently, if I recall correctly.

Still, just because there doesn't seem to be any evidence doesn't mean there isn't. Unfortunately, anyone I would like to question on the matter has disappeared entirely. While it would be logical to say that it is simply out of fear, to me it reeks of guilt of some sort. There is something more to that clinic than meets the eye.

One certainly can't deny there is something... odd... about that head nurse. I'd been told a doctor named Alpha was in residence until recently when he had disappeared, only to be replaced by this... Head Nurse as she calls herself.

It seems he had a bit of a nervous breakdown over the network, apologizing and promising that everyone would see the sun.

Of course, this was before he disappeared.

There is most certainly something amiss with the medical staff, my lord.

There is something amiss with this whole damned place. [ Sigh. ] And yet I only want to get to the bottom of this all the more. Perhaps our investigation will wind up uncovering more truths than simply who the murderer is.

In any case, this has certainly gotten more challenging. There are virtually no leads to follow at the moment whatsoever.

Certainly, the hold the city seems to have on us as well as the fact that we seem to be watched is cause for alarm. However, perhaps we can be grateful for the fact that this has given us the opportunity to stretch our legs, so to speak, hm? This little vacation, it seems, has come to an end.

[ And there's that slasher smile, the very same one that makes you wonder if that was why crowbars were named such. ]

Come now. Surely a moment's lull hasn't dulled the senses of the Queen's Guard dog.

A 'vacation' I never asked for, nor wanted.

[ That smile causes his chin to tilt up defiantly. ]

Of course not. I've solved cases with less to go on. If you think I've given up, you are the one with dulled senses, Sebastian. On the contrary, in fact, the lack of evidence only means that I will need to redouble my efforts. Things are getting more interesting.

[ ...if still rather frustrating. ]

[ Just the fire he had expected. It causes the smallest smirk to curl from that smile but it only appears momentarily. His attention is back on the streets however. ]

There is never truly a lack of evidence. There must have been something overlooked, something hidden secret beneath the surface of this seemingly gruesome murder. But most certainly, your senses have just been rekindled, haven't they, my lord? There is no scent that eludes the nose of a starving hound. As there seem to be no sign of the bodies, might I suggest a different course of action?

[ A beat. ]

Your orders?

[ Ciel can't help but smirk. ]

You would know very well how a starving hound feels, wouldn't you, Sebastian?

[ And, then almost thoughtfully: ] You know, the longer we are here, the longer you have to wait for your meal.

[ His voice shifts to authoritative as he gives his command. ]

Return to me at once. We will regroup and I will examine our findings.

[ Ouch. Right in the stomach.

Yes, yes he would know. And he does know. Oh, the hunger eats at him each day with increasing tenacity but it takes his aesthetics to hold him back. If there's any resentment to this statement, he doesn't show it. The small look on his face is unreadable if anything: a mixture of that same calm smugness and just the tiniest hint of rebellion. ]

I am quite aware of that. However the question remains as to how long the city intends to keep us here.

[ But at the order, there is the smallest nod of recognition. ]

At once, my lord.

Do you think he's gonna go after us foreigners to draw that Charlotte chick out?

The killer seems to have been targeting only native nurses thus far--but they've all gone into hiding, it seems. So I wouldn't put it past them to move onto foreigners at some point.

Maaan... What's this guy got against that chick anyways?

Not only her, it seems, but nurses in general. I have a few theories, but unfortunately, none of them can be confirmed without a through search of the clinic itself.

The fact that no bodies turned up after the last incident isn't much help, either.

Yeah? Toss 'em at me, anyways! I haven't really gotten to bonk heads with someone with that kind of stuff since my old roomie left.

Maybe they dragged 'em off.

♚ 002 [ video ]

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