Over the next few nights, the three investigated every tattoo artist in the state with the initials R.D., and one night had ruled out ten men.

Mia & Marisa stepped up to the sidewalk outside. The light was on in the parlor.

"…can I sit for a minute?" murmured Mia, and Marisa nodded.

"Sure thing. Do you want to talk about something?"

"I just need to rest."

It bothered Marisa how reserved Mia sometimes was with her. She hadn't had a good relationship with her mentor, either; but she couldn't force someone to unshroud themselves. "Okay. Uh, if a Revenant comes, shout for me right away, okay?"

"I will."

Marisa went inside and Mia sat on a bench, thinking. Staff hadn't called her in again yet; she knew they would soon, as some news had leaked. Running it back through in her mind, she doubted there was anything particular she could've said - what bothered her more was that she hadn't shown much resistance.

She checked her phone for a text from Aimee. Her & Makoto were investigating a half-hour away, and from what Aimee had told her about Makoto, she suspected it had taken a team of racehorses to drag her along.

Someone wearing a puffy jacket sat at the other end of the bench, face hidden. She tensed before noticing their Urasaria badge.

"'Today, the astronomer senses the galaxies fleeing from the infinity of darkness.'" they said. "I used to sit somewhere like this and read Loren Eiseley. I doubt he would have known what to say about Revenants. They defy the laws of physics too much."

"…er." This meant nothing to Mia. "Are you a Revenant researcher?"

"I am." Their jacket turned to her for a second. "You're Mia, yes? I've heard the news. The staff believes you're responsible for this."

Mia sighed. "I'm trying t-to clear my name, but… it's starting to bother me. There's only a few people who believe me."

"Their opinions shouldn't concern you. It isn't productive to take a democratic approach to truth." They sighed. "Let me illustrate this. It may help you feel better."

"Er, I suppose." said Mia, sitting up.

"There was a conference a few years ago on Revenant research. You're in your first year, I assume?"

"I am."

"I shall try to simplify it, then. Essentially, one hypothesis for the origin of Viscera exspiravit - Revenants. According to this hypothesis, they're assumed to be aliens that feed on something. A soul, essentially. That every human has one soul, and this is why most experiments to host more than one Revenant have failed."

"That doesn't… er, sound very scientific."

"In the absence of knowledge, people turn to religion for things unexplained. Regardless. There was a reporter who went around, asking us - myself, particularly - if I believed in this sort of theory. She had asked a few other researchers this, apparently. Conducting some poll."

"What did you say?"

"I asked her if she would like to put the law of gravity to a vote."

The two laughed.

"But, this type of religious thinking isn't restricted to churches." they continued. "Most people don't question anything - even researchers. Certain facts become dogma until science is forced to reorient itself, and solved riddles begin reopening themselves for examination."

"...what do you mean?" said Mia.

"Only that I still talk too much about my work." They paused. "I read that Urasaria's staff threatened to remove your Revenant."

"They did."

"It would clear your name. Have you considered it?"

"I haven't."

"Then they only have words left." muttered the figure, and stood. "There's a Schopenhauer quote for you. 'There is no surer sign of a great mind than that it refuses to notice annoying and insulting expressions, but ascribes them to the defective knowledge of the speaker.'"

Fear filled Mia as she saw his legs turn & his torso not, as if separate halves.

"FTL." he said, and he was gone.

+++

She returned for another interrogation with Urasaria's staff, and relayed their conversation. Hirogane remembered his appearance from ten years ago, and the way Mia had said he'd spoken reminded him too. His mentor had always had to drag him in, and Hirogane got the feeling they hated just about everyone but themselves. Didn't seem so long ago, really.

"And now, he's speaking to you." said the woman. "What did his badge say?"

"I-I don't know." stated Mia.

"You noticed it was a Urasaria badge, but not the name? How the hell did you not notice - he's fucking headless!"

"He was wearing a jacket -"

" - one that would -"

" - I know what I saw!" said Mia, trying to take it as one of those annoying expressions. "No, I-I did not see what his badge -"

" - five hundred dead." said Armstrong. "Three dead students. You need to be able to notice things like -"

" - I -"

" - don't interrupt me. You're hardly taking this as seriously as you'd like us all to think you -"

" - I haven't seen any of you -"

- Armstrong sighed as a knock came at the door.

Aimee's voice followed. "If you don't open this, I will."

"Go." he said to Mia. "Answer it."

Mia turned, calming a little as she opened the door for Aimee & Marisa.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" said Aimee as she stepped inside. "I told you to stop interrogating her."

"I'm sorry, were we supposed to wait for your approval?" said Armstrong.

Aimee despised no one as much as jackass #3. "This isn't your fucking investigation. We were -"

" - when it's a matter of danger to Urasaria, it becomes my investigation." he said. "I'm aware you see a saint in every student, but I find it suspicious that a woman claiming to be innocent has been so consistently argumentative."

"Because she *is* innocent!" said Marisa.

"How would you know?" he said. "You'll excuse me if I don't find the testimony of a serial thief convincing."

"This isn't about her." said Aimee.

"You're right." he said. "It isn't. But I'll warn you, Aimee. We allow you a lot of leeway in choosing what complaints to forward to us, but eventually, there'll come a time when the public doesn't find your constant apathy amusing."

"I'm not here to - to talk about whatever the fucking public thinks." said Aimee. "This is about Mia. Don't ever interrogate her again without me in the room."

Muttering something about patients to heal, Hirogane stood up and left. But Aimee saw him grinning, just a little.

"We still need your progress." said the black woman. "What did you find?"

Armstrong said nothing as Aimee sat down. She was an effective, if not good, student, but he privately preferred her defensiveness; it meant she never grew any demands beyond her post.

Hastily Aimee relayed her progress. With only a few names left, the three would investigate tomorrow night, and they left to the hall before Armstrong could say anything more.

"'Serial thief.'" muttered Marisa. "What a bunch of dicks. I fucking hate staff."

"You and me both." said Aimee, gesturing for them to start walking.

"Fucking boomers." Marisa sighed, then looked to Mia-Mia. "I'm sorry, I just - I thought like, it would be better if I got Aimee first."

"It's a-alright." nodded Mia and the three hugged.

"Yeah." muttered Aimee. "Just a bunch of…"

With some embarrassment, she realized Mia might not have liked seeing her angry, and attempted to suppress herself.

"…um. Just - let me know if they try that again."

"Thank you." Mia smiled.

Marisa grinned at the two. "So. Wanna like, get something to eat?"

Mia nodded and the three set off to the infirmary to find its freckled chef. Luna & Flashbulb made them waffles, and the four sat around her desk. Out of her eyes' corners, Mia noticed Luna's phone was set to a picture of her & Saya, former wearing a white dress & the latter black.

Mia paused as she noticed Luna wearing the same dress now.

"Thanks, Luna." said Marisa, hard on her stack.

"Let me know - k-know if you want anything else." chimed Luna. "B-But I have t-to leave soon."

"That's alright. Just gonna talk about an investigation." sad Aimee. "Don't worry."

Luna nodded.

"…um." said Aimee to Mia. "Guess we can start by him talking to you."

Marisa nodded. "Plus, like - the stuff about the Revenant research too."

"Yeah." said Aimee. "So, that means he's… uh. Probably telling the truth for something weird like that, but…"

"He must have been a former researcher." said Mia.

"Yeah, which means former student, too. Uh, maybe. Don't think they let anyone who wasn't a student study Revenants."

Mia frowned, wondering what certain facts about Revenants had become dogma.

A knock came at the door, Saya's voice following. "Luna? Are you ready?"

Luna stood up and opened it to Saya wearing a black dress. "Y-Yes."

"Good." Saya smiled and looked over Luna's shoulder. "Ah, did you three need anything?"

"All good." nodded Aimee, and the two went off holding hands. Mia stared at the closing door.

"I know, right?" whispered Marisa and the three laughed.

"She swears -" laughed Aimee - " - she swears they're not dating -"

" - I don't know about that -" laughed Mia -

" - god, uh - Makoto's jokes about that are so bad, too -"

" - what's she say?" laughed Marisa, and Aimee's head shook -

" - they're so bad. I just - I don't want to laugh at *them*, you know, but -"

" - it's very cute." laughed Mia, wondering if she'd ever have a not-quite-a-girlfriend too.

"Yeah." chimed Marisa. "Maybe they're just like, super private."

"Maybe." laughed Aimee. "Saya only got hired a few months ago, so. Around April or so."

"What about Luna?" said Mia, trying to keep the gossip going.

"She was here in my first-year, so. Uh, think she moved here a few years ago."

"Yeah." said Marisa. "She's been here since, like - my first day, so."

"Used to be even more nervous before Saya got hired." smiled Aimee. "Still. Super nice - just shy."

The two continued talking, and Marisa let the conversation fall from her ears as she thought about her own romances. Her mood always dimmed a little when it came to relationships. She had tried dating for the past few years, and by now had resolved to wait for life to send her a lady who didn't think they would be the one to make her different.

But it sure could hurry up.