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  • Locked thread
Graylien
Aug 12, 2013

ZiegeDame posted:

Yes, I know, that is exactly my point. The name is clearly pronounced as the western name Leon (just listen to the video). So why is the English spelling Lion, when we don't have Jouji or Batoraa?

As an aside, I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to pronounce Ange


I guess it's for the same reason we have Krauss instead of Claus, though what that is I don't know.

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Doc Hawkins
Jun 15, 2010

Dashing? But I'm not even moving!


idonotlikepeas posted:

In the real world, Beatrice has died (probably) three times. OG Beatrice, Hidden Daughter Beatrice, and Golden Murder Witch Beatrice. Which one we're actually mourning is likely to be significant.

The first two died long ago. The second in red text, even.

Since no one's met Beatrice except Kinzo, and there's no body, I guess it's just him claiming that she died, which means it's his hope of "resurrecting" her which has died? I can't wait to see how he interacts with Lion, since she I assume she's his child, grand-child, and planned vessel for resurrection.


e: someone else said it, but Ange is pronounced like "Angel" without the l

e2: really hope this episode does not involve checking anyone's toes

Doc Hawkins fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Jul 5, 2017

Doc Hawkins
Jun 15, 2010

Dashing? But I'm not even moving!


ZiegeDame posted:

Bernkastle said she expanded the cat box to allow for this new piece, which means the scope of what is different can go all the way back to 19 years ago with Natsushi not attempting double-homicide.

Oh, about this: that line convinced me even further that the fall was a chance accident, since it could have not happened. It was just a tragic and horrifying accident. Natsuhi is the kind of person who beats herself up and blames herself for things, so she's eaten herself up with misplaced guilt over it, running the events over and over again in her mind until she can't be sure what really happened. She's one of the only characters I find sympathetic, and this is what my love allows me to see.

Qrr
Aug 14, 2015


Cyouni posted:

You may want to reread the last update of the 6th game.

Huh, did manage to forget that pretty thoroughly. I guess I was distracted by witch views on cat biology.

ZiegeDame
Aug 21, 2005

YUKIMURAAAA!

Doc Hawkins posted:

Oh, about this: that line convinced me even further that the fall was a chance accident, since it could have not happened.

So you're saying that Beatrice cutting open six people and stuffing them with candy was also an accident? Because that could (and did) not happen (several times).

Kinu Nishimura
Apr 24, 2008

SICK LOOT!

I'll drop witch kayfabe and be serious with you for a moment. When I made that picture I legitimately did not intend for it to be a stealth Lion reference and that it could be construed as such only occurred to me after making it. I am the world's greatest unintentional huckster.

BurningStone
Jun 3, 2011
Huh, how'd I forget that Bern hadn't been game master yet. She's the logical next choice.
People seem to be gliding over what is, to me, the most significant thing: Kinzo is alive. We had red text that he was dead for all games. I take this as the author signaling that a lot of what we've come to expect is out the window, that this story is more detached from the others.

POOL IS CLOSED
Jul 14, 2011

I'm just exploding with mackerel. This is the aji wo kutta of my discontent.
Pillbug

alcharagia posted:

I'll drop witch kayfabe and be serious with you for a moment. When I made that picture I legitimately did not intend for it to be a stealth Lion reference and that it could be construed as such only occurred to me after making it. I am the world's greatest unintentional huckster.

:argh: Witches aren't real!

I wonder why R07 chose to name her Lion. Lyin'? Something about the lion and the lamb? I mean, yeah, we've been told it's pronounced lee-on, but...

Kinu Nishimura
Apr 24, 2008

SICK LOOT!

POOL IS CLOSED posted:

:argh: Witches aren't real!

You're a witch, Pool.

POOL IS CLOSED
Jul 14, 2011

I'm just exploding with mackerel. This is the aji wo kutta of my discontent.
Pillbug

alcharagia posted:

You're a witch, Pool.

I'm not real! :iit:

Kinu Nishimura
Apr 24, 2008

SICK LOOT!

POOL IS CLOSED posted:

I'm not real! :iit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIPK09FmD_w

Qrr
Aug 14, 2015


BurningStone posted:

Huh, how'd I forget that Bern hadn't been game master yet. She's the logical next choice.
People seem to be gliding over what is, to me, the most significant thing: Kinzo is alive. We had red text that he was dead for all games. I take this as the author signaling that a lot of what we've come to expect is out the window, that this story is more detached from the others.

I wonder whether we're going to actually be following Van Dines rules here, because if we are then we won't get any scenes of witches summoning demons to fight furniture. No tricks on the readers allowed which aren't also tricks on the detective. So if our new detective saw Kinzo then either Kinzo is alive or someone has some awesome makeup on. If the red text about Kinzo being dead has expired then so has the red text about how no one could be mistaken for Kinzo.

Van Dines rules in general are going to work very badly with Umineko, though. But we've already seen some in red.

CottonWolf
Jul 20, 2012

Good ideas generator

ZiegeDame posted:

But Lion sure is.

I would guess that Lion's as fictional as Bern/Lambda/Dlanor/Magic Battler/Wright. Putting aside the fact that everything pre-1998 in universe is fictional because it's being written after the fact. Everything on island is only known from the notes. The first meta-layer appears to be a fiction observed in the second meta-layer, which itself is being written by Hachijo. It's ambiguous whether Hachijo is Featherine, but I think we have to accept that Featherine's a self-insert (Hachijo OC, do not steal) into the (written) story rather than having any external existence, otherwise we have to accept that everything is really happening and we have magical parallel universes situation, as people have a nasty habit of jumping up to meta-levels where they shouldn't exist. The only level they don't do that to is Ange's, excepting the bits where she has an overactive imagination.

That's may roundabout way of saying that who knows if Lion was really there that day. My suspicion is "Yes, but not as Lion". The question I want the answer to is, fictionally, when did this Rokkenjima branch from the ones we've seen thus far.

Qrr posted:

Van Dines rules in general are going to work very badly with Umineko, though. But we've already seen some in red.

Not in the context of this case though.

Confused Llama
Jan 15, 2008
The llama is a quadruped which lives in big rivers like the Amazon. It has two ears, a heart, a forehead, and a beak for eating honey. But it is provided with fins for swimming.

ZiegeDame posted:

The name is clearly pronounced as the western name Leon (just listen to the video). So why is the English spelling Lion, when we don't have Jouji or Batoraa?

I suggest that this may be at least in part because Leon is generally considered to be a man's name, whereas Lion, not being a real name that most people actually give their children, does not have any particular gender connotations. Lyons might also have been a suitable romanization, considering that Ange's name would seem to be clearly French-derived.

Cyouni
Sep 30, 2014

without love it cannot be seen

CottonWolf posted:

I would guess that Lion's as fictional as Bern/Lambda/Dlanor/Magic Battler/Wright. Putting aside the fact that everything pre-1998 in universe is fictional because it's being written after the fact. Everything on island is only known from the notes. The first meta-layer appears to be a fiction observed in the second meta-layer, which itself is being written by Hachijo. It's ambiguous whether Hachijo is Featherine, but I think we have to accept that Featherine's a self-insert (Hachijo OC, do not steal) into the (written) story rather than having any external existence, otherwise we have to accept that everything is really happening and we have magical parallel universes situation, as people have a nasty habit of jumping up to meta-levels where they shouldn't exist. The only level they don't do that to is Ange's, excepting the bits where she has an overactive imagination.

That's may roundabout way of saying that who knows if Lion was really there that day. My suspicion is "Yes, but not as Lion". The question I want the answer to is, fictionally, when did this Rokkenjima branch from the ones we've seen thus far.


Not in the context of this case though.

I think on some level we have to accept the existence of the meta, as even Ange notes at one point that her meeting Hachijo and not had both occurred in separate realities.

Doesn't mean witches are real, however.

It's interesting how thus far this story has reformatted itself around Van Dine's rules - our presumed culprit is no longer a servant, and this his 11th doesn't apply.

ZiegeDame
Aug 21, 2005

YUKIMURAAAA!
Hmmm, does Van Dine's #2 fit Umineko if we consider the detective to be meta-Battler rather than piece-Battler?

idonotlikepeas
May 29, 2010

This reasoning is possible for forums user idonotlikepeas!

alcharagia posted:

I'll drop witch kayfabe and be serious with you for a moment. When I made that picture I legitimately did not intend for it to be a stealth Lion reference and that it could be construed as such only occurred to me after making it. I am the world's greatest unintentional huckster.

Good to know! I definitely thought you did that on purpose. It's not like anyone would have ever suspected it meant anything.

POOL IS CLOSED posted:

I wonder why R07 chose to name her Lion. Lyin'? Something about the lion and the lamb? I mean, yeah, we've been told it's pronounced lee-on, but...

There's a lion statue over by the chapel, too. Kinzo may have an association there, and if Lion is cliff baby, Kinzo probably had a hand in picking the name. I don't think we're meant to ignore the obvious reference, regardless of pronunciation.

ZiegeDame
Aug 21, 2005

YUKIMURAAAA!

witchcore ricepunk posted:

Now THIS is interesting. 理 contains the radical 里. Village. As you know, one of its pronunciations is "li." It shares that pronunciation with the middle character of Qilian 唭哩岸, which also contains the village radical. (And the one for "shore," which is how I stumbled upon that clue to the epitaph.) They sound a bit similar, too. And the name also might allude to their possible birthplace: Kuwadorian.

Just notable because I recall the epitaph conversation in E3, where Maria was the only one whose name included a character mentioned in the riddle—and that was only because she was named without Kinzo's input. If Lion is who they say they are, then Kinzo must have named them.

Ok, this plus "In the village, look for the shore the two will tell you of" is taking me back to the twins theory. It's possible Kinzo knew about Yamada before the epitaph went up, and knew who they were, and knew what name he would have given them if not for that whole cliff thing. In such case the epitaph would be like a last chance for his idiot kids to earn their inheritance. And Kinzo was already far gone enough by then (the epitaph went up maybe a year before he died) that he could use as a clue something that only Genji could possibly know. This is all wild speculation, but free associations is one of the consequences of 'never stop thinking.'

So it's 1967 and Beatrice is pregnant. Kinzo would obviously know that she's pregnant, but he'd have no way to know if it was twins, and he sure as poo poo doesn't seem like the kinda guy who want to watch the birth. So when twins are born Nanjo, Kumasawa, and Genji know that Kinzo is going to want to see the baby so they can't lie about a stillbirth, but they can still save one of the babies from his clutches by just never telling him that Beatrice had twins.

CottonWolf
Jul 20, 2012

Good ideas generator

Cyouni posted:

It's interesting how thus far this story has reformatted itself around Van Dine's rules - our presumed culprit is no longer a servant, and this his 11th doesn't apply.

But Kanon still exists. I wonder if "is pretending to be a servant" skirts the lines.

idonotlikepeas
May 29, 2010

This reasoning is possible for forums user idonotlikepeas!
On the face of it, Kanon's presence would seem to contradict K=S=B=L=CB(Cliff Baby). On the other hand, after one episode pretty much revealed that Kinzo was dead, the very next chapter started with him in full-on Cackle Mode before it all fell apart. This feels like the same kind of misdirection by Ryukishi; it can't be accidental that this encounter with Kanon is one of the first things that happens. I want to collect additional information before suggesting anything definitive, though; right now I don't see how it can work.

Robindaybird
Aug 21, 2007

Neat. Sweet. Petite.

With an older brother, Jessica's life is immediately better for it.

Van Dine
Apr 17, 2013

Cyouni posted:

Who's Lion's voice actor? Sounds a lot like Ayako Kawasumi, but...

I just looked it up and you're right, it's Ayako Kawasumi. I was thinking "What is Saber doing in this VN?" for a moment while I listened to that clip.

Rody One Half
Feb 18, 2011

Saber is a lady of many faces

ZiegeDame
Aug 21, 2005

YUKIMURAAAA!
And the gender shenanigans grow ever deeper.

bman in 2288
Apr 21, 2010

Rodyle posted:

Saber is a lady of many faces

The only thing of Saber I've ever watched was Fate/Zero, I think I've said before. And for that, I can only view Lion right now as this game's punching bag.

Van Dine
Apr 17, 2013

Oh. The VA having that role reminds me of a clip from Carnival Phantasm (the Type-Moon parody show) featuring a Saber dressed up in a lion suit. I can't not link it now it's come to mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY5qipYy1Po

lotus circle
Dec 25, 2012

Jushure Iburu
So don't worry
Also while this update is still fresh, shout out to this moment.

ProfessorProf posted:

"So you're saying this piece isn't your subordinate, like Erika."


:drat:

Cyouni
Sep 30, 2014

without love it cannot be seen

Van Dine posted:

I just looked it up and you're right, it's Ayako Kawasumi. I was thinking "What is Saber doing in this VN?" for a moment while I listened to that clip.

Yeah, constantly hearing Saber was the reason I asked about it. And yet somehow I missed the possible Saber Lion joke.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?


BGM: Le 4 Octobre

A light buffet-style meal had been set up, but it was a bit stale, and not particularly appealing. Even so, those voracious kids seemed to find it intensely interesting. The cousins had set up camp around it, with Maria at the center. The adult siblings had also formed a group in a different corner. Perhaps because of Kinzo's absence, everyone seemed to be a little more relaxed.



"Mother, I was entertaining this guest of ours. Will, this is my mother, Natsuhi."
"No introductions needed. Just let me hear what you have to say."
"Huh? Did you say something?"
"No, he said nothing. This is Will-san. It seems he knew the deceased."

With a smile, Lion casually smoothed over Will's words.

"He wants to know more about Beatrice. Do you know anything about her, Mother?"
"...Lion. The deceased is a woman to whom the Head owed a great debt. Nothing more, nothing less. This funeral is a ceremony for the Head to repay the debts he made to her while she was alive. That is what I have heard, so there is nothing more to it than that."
"...Thanks, Mother. Will, that's all my mother knows."

Natsuhi completely denied the scandal about Beatrice being Kinzo's mistress. However, she also had enough sense to realize that the scandal was probably the truth. Picking up that Natsuhi was in a bad mood and didn't want to talk about this anymore, Lion brought an end to that conversation before Will could say something rude again.



"So you're telling me to follow the family's rules?"
"Speak in a manner appropriate for a guest of the family. Let me be the medium for all of your conversations. I ask that you follow those two rules."
"I'll work on that."
"...This mess the witch Bernkastel or whatever has dragged us into is a real pain. Because of that, I am willing to help you. However, both of us stand on an even footing, so make sure you don't forget it."
"And I thought you were just some well-bred rich kid. You've got guts."
"I must be prepared to shoulder the Ushiromiya family's future, after all."
"...Got it. Let's solve this crime together, Watson."
"I'm glad I can help. I wouldn't want to keep your dear cat Diana waiting. Don't you need to feed her soon?"
"I gave her extra food today, so she should be good for a while. I'm surprised you realized Diana was a cat."
"I figured a woman who scratches the sofas when you keep her waiting would be a bit too eccentric."
"...Hmph."
"So? Who will you talk to first?"
"Anyone. Everyone. Those ones over there are Krauss's siblings, right?"
"From right to left, there's Aunt Eva, Uncle Hideyoshi. Over there is Uncle Rudolf, Aunt Kyrie. And over there is-"
"Ushiromiya Rosa. When she was a girl, she once got lost in the forest and bumped into a woman calling herself Beatrice in a hidden mansion."
"...I know I shouldn't be surprised anymore, but you really do know everything, don't you?"
"So, you know about that story too?"
"I managed to overhear her saying that today. It looked as though it was bothering her, so I pretended not to hear."
"Real model student, you are. Introduce me. I want to ask about it."
"You're asking this of the model student who pretended not to hear because it just might be a painful topic?"

Even this outrageous arrogance is nothing compared to Kinzo. After muttering this several times mentally, Lion shrugged and nodded at Will.



BGM: None

"Oh, Aunt Eva. This is Will-san, He came to offer flowers for the departed."
"But who cares about that. Tell me everything you know about-"
"...nngah-"
"He says he wants to know what sort of relationship the Ushiromiya family has had with the deceased."



Will silently protested, as though saying 'maybe it was a gag, but that hurt', but Lion just played dumb and smiled at Eva like a model student.

"Well, even if you say 'relationship with the Ushiromiya family'..."
"It's probably more accurate to say 'her relationship with Father'."
"We can be honest here. She was Father's mistress."
"If you call her that, Natsuhi nee-san will yell at you again. He's 'indebted' to her, right? *giggle*"
"Yes, of course. Wahahahaha."
"...Well, there you have it."
"I have no interest in anyone but Rosa,"
"gghh-"
"I do believe... that you said you met with Beatrice, Aunt Rosa."



BGM: Rain

This whole time, Rosa had been hanging her head. Lion's words made her shoulders quiver.

"She just suddenly came out with it today. It's a bit hard to believe."
"It's the truth...! I killed Beatrice!"
"Great, our work here is finished."
"Don't get ahead of yourself."

Rosa broke down crying and laid her head on the table. Kyrie and Hideyoshi tried to console her...



"Since ages ago, there've been stories about how Dad built a hidden mansion somewhere in the vast forest that no one knew about, and that he had his mistress living there."
"Rosa-san probably came upon that hidden mansion by chance..."
"However, what does this have to do with Aunt Rosa killing Beatrice...?"
"If I hadn't taken her out, she never would have died...! She was so innocent, like a chick. I took her out, so she just followed along obediently! She stayed right behind me, trusting me completely...! And because I made her take such a dangerous path...!!"
"Did you make her walk that way because you were hoping she'd slip and fall from the cliff?"
"I never meant to do that! I just thought she'd like to see the ocean...! No, it just looked like the path would be hard to walk, and I thought it would be easier going if we went down the cliff first...!!"
"That's not what killing someone means. It was an accident."
"It's an accident she never would have had if I hadn't brought her with me, right?! It's my fault!! And then, I abandoned her when she was covered in blood and ran home!!"
"It isn't your fault. Beatrice had never seen the ocean before. You showed her that for the first time ever. She was probably so excited that she just happened to take a bad step."
"...H, how can you...?"
"Beatrice is grateful to you for what you did. Of course she doesn't hate you for it."
"...Really? Is that... really true...?"



"If I were Beatrice, I would thank you for that short bit of time. If she knew that you've been suffering all this time for it, she'd probably feel sorry for you."
"...Beatrice is grateful for what you did. You're the one who taught her that the sea is blue."
"...Is that... true...?"
"I guarantee it."

Will made that statement openly and boldly. No one knew how Rosa took those words. However, it had apparently been enough to remind Rosa to take a handkerchief out of her pocket and wipe her eyes with it.

"...Thank you."
"Even now, Beatrice is whispering those words to you."
"...Thank you..."

Rosa wiped her eyes with the handkerchief one more time and hung her head. It no longer looked like a fit of sobbing, but more as though she was speaking with the Beatrice of that day within her heart... one last time.



BGM: None

"Back up? Is that really necessary to comfort a woman?"
"...It seems I underestimated you."

How many years had it tormented Rosa? Now, for the first time, Rosa would probably be able to face that innocently smiling Beatrice who had seen the ocean for the first time in her life. She was the only one who could forgive Rosa. Now, the two of them could finally speak together...

"...I don't know who you are, but thank you. I wonder if she'll forgive me."
"You've worried about it for nearly 20 years. That's far too long. She'd tell you that you've suffered more than enough already."
"...That's right, Aunt Rosa. The sadder you are, the sadder Beatrice would be."
"...You too... Thank you. I don't know if I will be forgiven, but I'll keep on speaking to my heart to see whether she'll forgive me or not. Thanks, you two. Sorry for showing you such an embarrassing side of me."
"And I'm sorry to say this right after saying something so pretty, but I want you to talk to me. Tell me what happened back then."
"...Will-san!"
"Thanks, but it's alright. I'll talk. Hiding this and keeping quiet about it for so long might have been my greatest sin."
"Exactly when was it that you met Beatrice?"

Upon hearing this question, Rosa closed her eyes lightly, reaching back to a past she didn't want to remember...



BGM: Sukashiyuri

"It should have been 1967."

Ronove had guaranteed that with the red truth in the 3rd game.

"Th, that's right... It was probably about 1967. I can remember what happened as clearly as a picture... I'll never forget..."
"If it's tough for you, don't feel like you have to tell us."
"Yes, clear as a picture, if you don't mind-"
"...Ngah! Dammit, that hurts, Lion."
"What does?"



This tale has also been told in a previous Fragment. Back when Rosa was just a kid, she had gone deep into the forest, found a hidden mansion, and met with a mysterious woman who called herself Beatrice...

"...But that forest is so thick it's hard just to move around in it."
"I even surprised myself... To think that I made it so far into such a dense forest. I was tormented by twigs and sharp leaves over and over again."
"However, that wasn't enough to bother me on that day. After all, I wanted to disappear into the forest and vanish forever. If, by some chance, there really was a witch's mansion in the depths of the forest, I hoped that she might take me to the land of happiness, or else turn me into a frog and make me a resident of the forest."
"So, you then reached the hidden mansion, Kuwadorian, and met a woman who called herself Beatrice."
"...Yes. I met her."
"Was that Beatrice the same as the one in the portrait?"
"...Yes. They were the same person. Beautiful blue eyes. Golden hair. A black dress. It truly was the subject of that portrait. When Father first had it hung, I realized that the 20 years I had spent trying to forget must have seemed just as long for Father, if not even longer, and I became even more fearful of my sin..."



Immediately, Kyrie spoke the question that Will had been thinking of. It would be too rash to assume that the Beatrice Kinzo met and the one Rosa met were the same person. The time and generation were different for each.

"Beatrice is supposed to be that lady of leisure who lent Dad all that gold shortly after the war, right?"
"By using Beatrice's gold as a foundation, Father revived the Ushiromiya family and got super rich. Then he bought Rokkenjima and moved over. Rosa-san's meeting must have been at least 10 years after that."
"A woman who could do as she pleased with 10 tons of gold could hardly be some little girl. And 10 more years passed before she met Rosa... Rosa. About how old did the Beatrice you met look?"
"...She looked older than I was at the time, but even so, it looked as though she might just be reaching adulthood. Yes, exactly the sort of age of the Beatrice in the portrait."
"Did she look middle-aged or past her prime?"
"If I had to call her an adult or a child, she was clearly closer to being a child. There's no way she was middle-aged."
"And isn't that strange? We have the Beatrice you met, and the Beatrice who gave Father the gold, but their ages don't match."
"In other words, they're different people."
"Different people... who look very similar and have the same name..."
"It might have been her daughter. It makes sense for them to look alike if they were mother and child."
"His mistress's daughter... It is possible. Perhaps Father had an illegitimate child with the Beatrice who gave him the gold."
"And then, Rosa bumped into Beatrice the Second. Makes those ages work out nicely."
"..."
"I see... In other words, there are two people who can be called Beatrice."

Kinzo secretly raised his mistress's child in a hidden mansion. That would make logical sense. Everyone nodded, agreeing. However, Will's expression was slightly unsatisfied, and he scratched at his head...

"So, it would seem that, this funeral exists for the two Beatrices he couldn't mourn because they were hidden..."
"Rosa. I know you probably don't want to remember, but tell me about that accident. After Beatrice fell, was she still breathing?"



"Was it the sort of wound that clearly showed that she was dead?"
"Yes. I saw the insides of her cracked head! It had caved in deep enough to fit your fist inside it...! No one could be naive enough to see that and still hope she was alive!"
"...Will. Do you really need to ask anything more?"
"That's enough for the time of the accident. What did you do afterwards?"
"I dashed away at full speed. I wasn't even thinking about calling for help. I wanted to escape from that place as fast as I could. Half-crazed, sobbing, and out of breath, I kept on running about at random. Eventually, I came across a familiar lion statue."
"Oh, the one in front of the chapel?"
"No, the one behind it. Anyway, I made it back to the mansion. I couldn't tell anyone, and I didn't want to. I stayed quiet until nightfall. It was so horrible of me. If I had hurried and told someone, they might have brought her a first aid kit, and she might have been saved..."
"How is a first aid kit going to help with a crushed cranium? You didn't kill her. Don't worry about that anymore."
"..."
"Then, what did you do next?"
"...That night, I turned over in my bed so many times. I couldn't sleep. Late that night, I quietly... called Genji-san on the phone and told him..."
"...What did he say?"
"He told me to let him handle everything, and to speak of this to no one. I spent the next several days terrified that Father would call for me and scold me brutally."



"At the very least, none of us ever heard about it."
"...Genji-san probably managed to clean everything up nicely."
"After all, they couldn't let knowledge of that child go public..."
"Hmmmmm... Since she was an illegitimate child, she must have been his daughter by blood. It must have been tough for Father, not bein' able to hold a real funeral for her..."
"...I guess that's why we're having this funeral."
"And then?"
"That's all I know."
"...And that's all I know too."
"I'm not hiding anything else. I've told you everything. I swear it."
"..."

Will scratched at his head, letting his gaze wander. It had taken Rosa a lot of determination to make this confession, but it was nothing particularly special for Will. It had been little more than a review of information he already knew...

"Thanks, Aunt Rosa. Is that enough for you, Will? Are you satisfied?"
"That's enough. It was a nice review."



BGM: None

This was the first time he'd heard all that about her running back to the mansion after Beatrice fell to her death, but none of it was particularly surprising. Apparently, Rosa really didn't know any more than this... If he wanted to learn something more than what the Fragments given to him by Bernkastel contained, he would need to find new testimony.

"Lion. Tell Kinzo that I want to talk to him. It looks like we won't get anywhere without asking the man himself."
"Where are you going?"
"...Off to cool my head and organize my thoughts. Don't follow."
"Well then, pardon me. Please take your time."

After giving an elegant bow, Lion made a face, tongue sticking out.

Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 13:46 on Jul 6, 2017

resurgam40
Jul 22, 2007

Battler, the literal stupidest man on earth. Why are you even here, Battler, why did you come back to this place so you could fuck literally everything up?

ProfessorProf posted:

"Yes, clear as a picture, if you don't mind-"
"...Ngah! Dammit, that hurts, Lion."
"What does?"

Hee hee... I think I do really like Lion; pinching people for being rude bastards to your family sounds like a good time. But pill or not, it was good of Will to assuage Rosa that it was an accident like he did- because, you know, it was; good to know he practices what he preaches in sparing the innocent/going after the guilty. How nice it is to have somebody with such an ethos, finally, as our previous detectives were either completely morally bankrupt or... well, incompetent.

However, same information or not... wow, is the family dynamic different here, now that we have an heir all decided. Hide, Rudolph and Kyrie all seem to be acting the same as she was, but Eva is completely different, much less of a snide rear end in a top hat- she only interrupted one to clarify a point, and was, well, civil the whole way through. Maybe it's partly because Krauss isn't here, but I can't help but think that Lion's presence is key: in already being the head, everyone can calm the hell down about the succession and be more normal. It's still not perfect, mind... but it's good enough to wonder when the other shoes going to drop.

tiistai
Nov 1, 2012

Solo Melodica

resurgam40 posted:

Eva is completely different, much less of a snide rear end in a top hat


She's a bit more chill but I think she's still got it, though.

Tired Moritz
Mar 25, 2012

wish Lowtax would get tired of YOUR POSTS

(n o i c e)
Bern just set these two up together so she can watch them flirt with each other, right?

idonotlikepeas
May 29, 2010

This reasoning is possible for forums user idonotlikepeas!

Lion is officially the best character now.

ProfessorProf posted:



"If I were Beatrice, I would thank you for that short bit of time. If she knew that you've been suffering all this time for it, she'd probably feel sorry for you."
"...Beatrice is grateful for what you did. You're the one who taught her that the sea is blue."
"...Is that... true...?"
"I guarantee it."

Wait, now I can't decide again.

Rody One Half
Feb 18, 2011

It's high time some professionals were put on this case frankly

lotus circle
Dec 25, 2012

Jushure Iburu
So don't worry
The correct answer is Will and Lion are both the best.



(artist is marrten on deviantart/einsbern on tumblr, but there are spoilers abound so i wont directly link.)

oath2order
Oct 12, 2013

It's MAGIC. I don't have to explain shit!


Imma be straight with you guys here.

I ship it.

witchcore ricepunk
Jul 6, 2003

The Golden Witch
Who Solved the Epitaph


A Probability of 1/2,578,917

oath2order posted:

Imma be straight with you guys here.

I ship it.

Pretty sure that, regardless of Lion's gender, their relationship is far from straight. :kimchi: Picking up seeerious gq vibes.

Oh yeah, thought of another funny parallel: QuadrilLION. I get the feeling that Lion IS the epitaph, in a way. Or represents the fact that Kinzo no longer needs to present it.

witchcore ricepunk fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Jul 6, 2017

BurningStone
Jun 3, 2011
So there are two lion statues, one on each side of the chapel? Ties nicely to the epitaph, with the kanji games pointed out earlier.

ZiegeDame
Aug 21, 2005

YUKIMURAAAA!

ProfessorProf posted:

"It's the truth...! I killed Beatrice!"
"Great, our work here is finished."

Ok, it's official, Will is the best

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EagerSleeper
Feb 3, 2010

by R. Guyovich
I don't have much to say other than I like what I'm reading. :allears:

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