"Shino-san, you don't seem too bothered by the haunting. Why is that?" Naru cornered the maid as she walked in.
The girl shrugged. "Even though I was locked in I was never really physically threatened. Just very scared. Most of the damage I caused myself and I haven't had a problem in a couple months so I figure it meant no real harm."
"You seem like you almost expected it?"
"I have had friends all my life say things like this exist. I always laughed them off but they said one day I would pay for my flippant attitude and I suppose I did." She shrugged. Mai easily noted that her carefree attitude distressed Naru. Any haunting could turn dangerous and he was sure this could escalate. He glared openly at the boy.
"What changed? Why were you so effected and then you aren't any more?" Mai asked.
"I don't know," she acted oblivious. Shrugging her shoulders, she brushed a stray hair out of her eyes.
"Thank you for your time." Naru dismissed her. "Mai, Tea."
"I can get that for you," Shino offered. "I can bring up a pot of our Darjeeling or Chai tea in a few minutes."
"Mai is capable of getting the tea." Mai and the maid left the room together to fetch tea.
Once they had gotten to the kitchen the maid asked, "He is a bit strict isn't he?" Shino asked helping Mai set a pot of water to boil.
"He just likes his tea, six to eight cups a day. That is most of my job when not on a case getting tea."
"And on a case?" she asked.
"Mostly the same," she hesitated. Shino-san was hiding something. "I also have what Naru calls 'animal instinct' somehow I instinctively know things and avoid danger for myself, although usually attract it well." she looked Shino in the eyes, "Like I know there is something you aren't telling us, we didn't ask you about it but you are unsure if you should tell us or not."
"How?"
"Tell us and we will decide if it is important, and also keep it private. We are very good about keeping secrets." Mai gave a coy smile. The maid had to wonder what secrets she might hold.
"It started around the time I broke up with my boyfriend. I kept complaining about how bad he was and I started to be locked in. once twice, five six times. Then one day the faucets ran red and I smelled bleach. I was so scared. I begged the ghost," tears rimmed her eyes, "please, do not to hurt my baby even if my boyfriend didn't want it I would protect it just don't hurt my baby, everything stopped and nothing has happened since."
"You are?"
"Yes. I had just found out, and asked my boyfriend if he wanted children and he threw a fit upset and angry. I decided I had to leave and live on my own to keep it so I did."
"So no one here knows?"
She shook her head. "If they knew I would be let go, can't get pregnant while working here and single, they would think you are getting paid for more than cleaning the rooms."
"Do you think it stopped because you were pregnant?"
The girl nodded. Happy nerves overwhelmed her she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Mai noticed a ring around her finger.
"Are you still single?"
"No he came back, he begged me to stay, eventually I told him and he was ecstatic. Even if he isn't ready he wants it. We are getting married next month."
"Congratulations!"
Mai returned to the base with the tea. The door was closed and as she tried to open the door, the knob slipped in her hands. She balanced the tray in one hand and tried again to open the door. It seemed jammed or stuck. She held the tea in one hand and clanked between the door and the tray. She could not open the door with the tray but she had no place to set the tray except the ground. She could just hear Naru's retort Of setting the tea put on the floor. She tried again. Balancing the tea in her left hand she twisted the knob with her right, it seemed to turn but the door refused to move. The hall seemed to be getting cooler and Mai worried about the tea getting cold. So keeping the knob turned she bent slightly and ran her hip into the door.
It flew open, her hand still firmly on the knob threw her off balance and she fell into the office. Tray following, tilting, Lifting, flying. As Mai fell in the door the tea fell onto the man whose feet she saw when she opened her eyes. High above the shoes the dark blue eyes glared down at her. She gave a nervous laugh staring up into the eyes of her boss.
"A knock would suffice."
Only After Naru had changed, the others returned and Mai had made more refreshments, she had time to tell them of the new development.
"She wanted to protect the baby and the ghost stopped?"
"Yes, immediately, and has never bothered her since."
"Another link to pregnancy, but we have interviewed all the women but there has been no miscarriages in any of them."
As they had been previously researched, nothing abnormal was found in the history of this location, nor was there anything new found on the workers of the inn. John and Masako had nothing new to report after returning from one of Masako's scheduled appearances.
Naru turned toward Mai. "When exactly did you hear that lullaby?"
Mai shrugged unsure. "In a dream, I think when the girl was standing at a blank gravestone."
"Was the dirt upturned?"
"What do you mean?"
"Remember the dream, the song, under the girl's feet, was their grass or dirt, was it flat or rutted, freshly dug?"
Mai tried to think back the dream. She remembered the stone. The cold. But the ground she did not know. She looked to Naru his impatience weighing on her she blanked. She shrugged.
"Taniyama-san," Mai turned to look at Lin. he motioned her to sit on the couch. "Close your eyes. Think back to the dream. The grave yard," he looked around to the others motioning for them to stay silent. "Remember the song," he paused, a soft rumble started deep in his throat as he hummed a bar.
Mai shook her head. Still unable to remember.
"Gori gori moya zvezda (shine shine my star)" Lin sang softly.
"Gori zveda privetnaya (shine affable star)
Ty umenya odna zavetnaya (you are my only cherished one)
Drugoy ne budet nikogda (another there will never be)"
"What do you see?" he asked barely more than a whisper.
"She stands at a stone, small blank." She replied.
"What is in her hands?" he asks.
"Flowers, they are small, white, and not native to Japan."
"Beyond her hands, on the ground, what do you see?"
"The grass is cut short, there is flowers planted next to the grave, but the grass surrounds it."
Lin looks up at Naru. A shiver went through Mai, her eyes opened and she smiled sadly.
"My baby wasn't there, they lied to me." Mai spoke in Russian.
Oliver raised an eyebrow, Mai spoke Russian with a native accent, and he understood slightly but was unable to respond in Russian.
"They gave the baby away and took you back to Russia."
Mai stared at him confused. She understood some, not much. Lin translated to Russian. "They gave the baby away, and sent you home to Russia?" he asked softly. Mai possessed nodded.
"Are you looking for the baby? Have you found it?"
"The baby is grown, a good child, a good person. Being an orphan is hard in this land. No family to stand behind you, no one hires you, protects you, and helps you." The spirit released Mai who slunk onto the couch. Lin gently guided her head onto the arm rest.
The rest of the group stared at Mai for a moment. "Lin, type a verbatim a transcript and translation. Ayako did anyone mention they were an orphan?"
"I think 3 girls don't have any family, although when they died I am unsure but we only interviewed the girls the baby could have been a boy. Lin, did she give indication of the baby's gender?"
He shook his head slightly. Already typing on his computer.
"There are also 14 men working at this hotel, the child should also have a Russian Genetic traits. Only two of the girls could have had that heritage."
The team began some research while Mai rested on the couch.
"Mai doesn't know Russian, does she?" Ayako asked aloud. "She has trouble with English and she has never indicated any other languages."
"It wasn't her speaking, but the spirit. Although the more she is a multilingual medium the easier learning languages will be."
"How many languages do you know Lin-san?" Takigawa asked.
"Seven, English, Japanese, Russian, German, Korean, English, and Mandarin, Cantonese..."
"Naru?"
"Six, Japanese, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Swedish. Gene always spoke in the spirits native language, it is hard to find translators willing to investigate a haunting and not be more trouble than they are help."
"At least we have most of the languages covered." John said. "I only speak, English and Japanese."
"It might be good to learn a few more languages." Ayako stated. "Japanese, English and Latin. Although I don't conversant in Latin, I only read it."
"Japanese and Hindu." Takigawa shrugged. Having studied at a temple except for visitors not many others were necessary.
Oliver seemed unconcerned. "It is an anomaly to come across a Russian ghost in Japan. Coming across another language we don't know would be unlikely. If she does travel outside of Japan then we can get a translator or a native investigator."
Later Mai woke up, the base was empty besides her and Lin. her watch stated 1 am.
"Have the others gone back to their rooms?" Mai asked in Russian.
"They have retired for the evening. They were quite impressed, and we have some leads." Lin replied in Russian while he stretched and checked the monitors again. "Tea?" Mai nodded. She would stay up with Lin for the night watch since she slept through the afternoon.
"You will need to learn about different languages and how to recognize them." Lin stated as Mai put the pot on the stove.
"I am not good at languages, my teachers think me horrible."
"That may change, although you do not need to learn the languages themselves, just how to recognize them. Like Russian, the words are harsher. Some people would say they sound angry, the words themselves sound forceful, angular.
"Harsh, like you are speaking now."
"And you." Mai cocked her head to the side, it wasn't something Lin would joke about but she had trouble believing it. She examined her words. They were harsher than normal, and repeating them silently. although her mouth formed them she did not realize she knew their meaning.
"I was not very quick at picking up English at school, my teachers used to say I had no ability for foreign languages." She paused in thought. "Although working for SPR I have gotten quite a bit better."
"English?" Lin spoke in English.
"Yeah, ever since I started working here and going on cases it has improved." Mai continued in Russian.
"We seldom speak English in the office, and we have not had an English case either." Lin continued in English.
Mai shrugged, "I thought maybe translating Gene's journal, but Teachers said I have picked up bad English speaking habits. Slang terms, contractions, but I do not recall talking to any one in English. With work I have less time to practice with friends." Mai spoke in English.
Lin gave a half Smile noticing Mai change languages again. "English the sounds are quite similar but the word order is different. Japanese is SOV, Subject object verb, where as English it is SVO Subject verb object."
"Sounds and word order." Mai nodded.
"Who else do you know who speak English besides at work and School?" He asked watching Mai Steep the tea carefully.
Mai was quiet for a moment in thought, "Just Gene but I guess he would fall under work."
"Do you talk to Gene often, or just during cases?" Lin inquired.
"Used to be just for cases but lately sometimes when I don't want to sleep he keeps me company." Although the reason for not sleeping was not stated their minds both wandered to the unspoken topic.