The man they came to see went by the name Tobias Stiener. Dazai later found out from Ango, the other man telling him he managed to dig up the man's name after searching through the records from the insane asylum from an informant that he knew. Tobias lived in the lower side of the city that was filled with abandoned or run down buildings. People earning low wages, the money they had to scrape from the bottom of the barrel, and most living in the dark under bridges. Trash was strewn everywhere, puddles of what Atsushi assumed was water littered the streets, and people of all ages that the group of 4 passed, were begging for even the smallest sliver of food to feed their children for the night. There clothes tattered, ripped, and hanging very loosely off the frames of their bodies; showing the dark skin layered with grime, and ribs that were like mountains against the plains
The sight of the people, and living conditions tugged at Atsushi's heartstrings, as he knew that what it was like to be starving as these people were. To feel like one wasn't worth the time of the more privileged people in society. Sure he was in an orphanage, and not on the streets for most of his life, but he knew what it was like to feel like there was nothing left for oneself, like the world had just given up, and had moved on. Atsushi sees a certain shine come across Akutagawa's face as well, the other man would know more about this sort of life, as he had to live it when he was a kid with Gin. Akutagawa a few months after they had became the official new double black, had started to open up more with Atsushi. He told him about his horrible life out on the streets, how it was like fighting a never ending war every second of the day.
How hard it was to steal food from the various stalls that were nearby, to getting caught by the shop owners who cursed and called them all kinds of nasty names. Hitting them with broomsticks or worse, threatening to kill them, and saying that scum like them should just die, for it would be better for the honest man. Nobody ever stopped to think about how the kids felt, how hard it was to live in the heat or the cold, not knowing when or if there next meal was coming from. Nobody ever stopped to actually think or ask how the kids felt in a situation like that, how they came to be in a situation like that.
Atsushi wouldn't wish that kind of life on anyone, especially children. He wishes he could do something for the ones he sees right now, looking up at him with pleading eyes, grime covering most of the skin on there bodies, and so frail that they may blow away in the wind if one blew on them. Dazai is up ahead along with Chuuya, looking out for the location of the man's apartment number. He can see them talking amongst each other, but being so far behind he can't hear what there saying. Atsushi could see why this Tobias man was hiding in a place like this, with the state it was, nobody would assume that anyone would live long enough or have enough money to survive on. Though Atsushi had a hinkering that this Beatrix girl could track him down fairly easy, that's if she was the one to actually start the orphanage fire all those years ago.
Most of the time Dazai was always one step ahead from the enemies, so if Dazai thought that this Beatrix girl did it, than that's what the tiger should believe as well. If it really was her, why did she do it? What kind of things went on in that orphanage that made her do something so horrible? He wonders if she regrets doing what she did, or if her heart was made of ice. His mind goes to this man, of what kind of damage this man was dealt, how much trauma he went through or are still going through. Where was Beatrix now, and why did the murders come to a halt after the couple was murdered yesterday? There were all kinds of questions that needed answers, but those answers still weren't provided as of yet.
They've been walking for close to an hour, passing by a multitude of people, before Dazai stops beside some stairs that looked like if one put just a little bit of weight on them, they would collapse in on themselves. Rust covered every inch of the railing, and some parts of it seemed to have sharp things sticking out of it. He was wary of the stairs as he turns to Dazai, a sweatdrop forming on his head.
"Is this the place Dazai-san?" Atsushi asks warily, jumping a little as Dazai taps the stairs.
The bandaged man nods "Yep! Its says to go up these stairs to the floor above, and at the very end of the hallway on the left is the apartment of one Tobias Stiener."
A ragged 30ish year old woman that was starting a barrel fire close to the four looks up at that name. Her eyes shining an unknown emotion. Atsushi couldn't really tell her hair color as it was covered in grime as well. "Oh you mean Dave?"
Dazai looks at the woman confused, he raises an eyebrow "Dave? Is that the name of that tenant?"
The woman nods her head "Yes sir. He moved in about 3 months ago. He said his name was Dave, said he didn't have a last name. Though I thought it was strange with his name being Dave with such a foriegn accent he had. Nobody asks questions around here though, so we don't know very much about him."
"Tell me. How often does he come out of his apartment? What did he look like miss?" Dazai pushes the woman lightly for more information.
The woman puts on a hand on her chin in thought "Let's see here. When he first came looking for a place to live, he approached the landlord of these apartment buildings, and said that he needed a place to live for some time, he didn't care how run down it was, he only wanted a roof over his head. The landlord gave him this apartment above, for a low rent of course." She continues putting what looks like sticks into the barrel, rubbing her hands together. "I couldn't really tell what he looked like, but he was a twitchy fella. Always paranoid about every little noise, though I did see some of his face one time only. It looked like someone had dumped lighter fluid onto his skin, and let him burn for a good amount of time. Most of his body was covered up with thick layers of clothing, and he never let anyone see much of his face. Ever since he moved here, he's only been seen once outside. He has his groceries delivered to his apartment every week, otherwise he never opens the door for anyone else. Even the landlord when demanding his rent up front every 2 weeks, gets told to go back downstairs, wait a couple of minutes, and then to come back up. He complies with it, and the exact amount of money for rent is always sitting there in front of the door."
"Rent every 2 weeks? Isn't that corruption?" Atsushi asks knowing rent is made monthly.
"Everything on these streets are corrupt, though being low income people as we are, the government won't do anything about it. We have nowhere else to go, and were lucky that the landlord charges so little for rent, to have a place to sleep at night even if it isn't the best place to be in the world. He may play a corrupt game, but in the end if we want to continue living here, we'll comply with his rules." The woman answers back, a smile coming over her face.
Atsushi just nods not really knowing what to say. "Does he stay home all day long?" Dazai asks the woman once more.
She nods "Yes. He never leaves that apartment. He has the windows covered, he's like a vampire." She then taps her chin as a thought comes to her head "Oh one more thing, if your looking to talk to him, you best do it rather quickly, for I heard from the landlord that he's moving out in a week."
Dazai perks up at that "Oh he is isn't he? Where is he planning on going now?"
"I don't know. It's weird sir, ever since these heartstring murders started occurring a few weeks back, that mans gotten even more paranoid. He won't even let him grocery man into the apartment anymore. He just tells him through the door in a barely legible tone to leave them by the door." The woman says lowly, tugging the thin shawl like cloth around her shoulders closer to herself with a shudder. "In fact the grocery man is going to bring him his groceries to him within a few hours from now. I bid you good luck trying to get him to open the door sir." She says with a bow, turning and walking off, holding something in her hands.
Dazai shares a look with Chuuya, and says in a near serious tone. "Try not to damage the door to much." He turns to Atsushi and Akutagawa "Let's go you two. Akutagawa we'll need you to restrain this man if he tries to run. He's going to talk, whether he wants to or not." As he turns around shoving the paper in his trench coat pocket and walking up the steps of the creaky stairs. Reluctantly Atsushi has no choice but to comply and follow his mentor up those stairs he fears so much. It doesn't take much time to get to the door of Tobias, Dazai stops in front of the door and knocks 3 times. For a few minutes nothing is heard until he hears a shuffle from the other side of the door, trembling voice asking in a low tone.
"Y-yes who i-is it?" A german accent asks from the otherside of the door.
Dazai clears his throat "We're here to talk to you about a private matter."
"No! Go away!" the voice on the other end yells out, clearly scared.
"We need to speak with you Tobias. We know who you really are, so unless you don't want us to speak through this door and have the whole block know what sins you've committed. I would think it wise to open this door right now." Dazai says in a threatening manner, though he said it in such a carefree way.
That seems to have done it, as the sound of a lock clicking is heard, and a few seconds later the door slides open into a dark room. A hooded face comes into view, although Atsushi couldn't see the mans whole face, though he could see the lower half of the man's face with the light from outside peeking a thin line into the dark apartment. The mans face was marred with horrendous scars that criss crossed each other, his face looking like the craters of the moon, the skin marred red, and purple, with a few black spots at random spots. The skin of the lower half of his face looking like the wrinkled skin of the elderly. He could clearly see where the skin graft surgeries had taken place, the damage to the nerves under the skin showed in the rays of the sunlight. If he looked like that on his lower face, his whole body must resemble the same thing.
"Come in." Tobias mutters out lowly. He disappears behind the door as Dazai motions for them to come into the apartment, once inside the door closes, enveloping the room in darkness once more. Dazai reaches out to turn on the light when the voice of the scarred man mutters out once more, "There's electricity in this apartment, but I've cut the lines turning on the overhead lights."
"Is it perhaps because of your appearance?" The bandaged man asks the man.
A sucked in breath is heard as the man answers lowly, clearly in shock by the tone of his voice. "How did you know about my appearance?"
"We have a report from the orphanage and the fire from 12 years ago. Do you have any seating so we can discuss what needs to be discussed?" Dazai asks him, waiting for the others answer.
"Yes." Is heard as a flashlight comes on, and shines to the couches right beside them in the living room. "Right there, sit down."
They take that opportunity to sit, as a flashlight is tossed there way. Akutagawa catches it with his ability and hands it off to Chuuya. "Do you have any candles perhaps?" Dazai asks, though Atsushi thought a question like that to harsh considering what the man has been through.
"No candles! They require that horrible red flame, and I refuse to use that burning stuff even if I freeze to death!" Tobias yells out in the same low tone, like he's afraid of raising his voice any higher, in fear that he'll be heard across the city.
"Really? How do you heat your food?" Dazai didn't know how to quit even with Chuuya nudging the other in the side, quietly telling him to cut it out.
"I don't. I eat it how it is." Tobias answers from the darkness in front of them. "I can live off of cold food, even if it's canned soups or dog food. I refuse to feel that heat that burned me all those years ago."
"Interesting. Now we need you to tell us what you didn't include in your statement to the police." The bandaged man continues, some kind of thrill in his tone.
"I told all I'm going to say on that matter. I don't want to keep remembering it, it haunts me 24/7, and I want it all to end." By the tone of the man, he sounds like he's getting more and more shrill in his words. The terror is clear as day in his words.
"Just kill yourself then if you want it all to end." Is what the man get shoved back in his face. "After all I'm sure you deserved it if Beatrix burned down that orphanage to that extent. That was crime full of rage, full of hate. She wanted to get a message across, and I'm sure it was directed at you if she hasn't killed you yet."
"Hey that's going to far shithead!" Chuuya yells out, going to grab the front of Dazai's shirt, when the flashlight comes on landing between the two facing the back of the couch. Chuuya stops short when he sees those rare haunted eyes that the bandaged man used to carry when in the port mafia. "Even if he did all that shit, he shouldn't be told to just off himself. It hasn't been proven that this Beatrix girl even committed that crime."
"No he's right. It would be better if I just killed myself." Tobias says brokenly, the flashlight comes back on, on his end. As he lays it on the coffee table in front of him and disrobing himself. True to what Atsushi suspected the rest of his body, arms, chest, back, neck, all of it looked exactly like the lower half of his face, if not worse. His eyes has a milky layer in them, as Tobias has a miserable look on his face.
"Are you blind?" Atsushi asks in shock.
"For the most part yes. The fire damaged my eyes, although I can see dark shapes, and blobs. I don't want people to see my body, so every place I move to I either cut the wires to the light switches or keep the lights off all the time I'm there." A choked sob comes through his lips "I've contemplated taking my own life several times, but I've never had the guts to actually go through with it. Those memories, that smile they follow me even in my dreams. I'm sure I've come to the conclusion that if I die that they'll just haunt me in the afterlife. I regret everything..."
Dazai leans forward "Tell me everything then. What do you regret? What did you do to Beatrix in that orphanage?"
Tobias takes a deep breath as he shuts off the light. "She was dropped off at the orphanage not long after she was born, her parents didn't want her. They showed a deep hatred for the girl, and soon for whatever reason being the bitter man I was back then, the hate flowed through to me and the staff. When she turned a year old the kids started bullying her as well, there wasn't one kid in that place that didn't like her. Soon it was revealed in a test that she was an ability user, and that only made my hatred for her dig further down."
"What's wrong with ability users? Why do you hate them that bad?" Dazai asks in a to sweet of a voice.
"One killed my parents right in front of me when I was 6 years old, and I've hated them ever since that time. So I decided to make any ability users life hell, to make up for my own parents death." His mutters out. "I shouldn't have let that anger cloud my judgement though, I should have treated her fairly. I should have stopped the abuse I let happen in that orphanage, my superiority complex I had back then wouldn't let that happen, I thought that I was invincible. That I could judge others, and do as I pleased to other orphaned kids, to make them as miserable as possible. Even more so with ability user kids that came through the place."
He goes on to list the list of things that he and the other staff members did to the kids. Things that Atsushi went through and worse. Things that he thought could only happen in fairy tales, but they happened in real life. By the time the man was finished, Atsushi was thoroughly disgusted with him.
"I see. That's why she did it." The bandaged man says, like he just figured out an impossible question. "Who was the girl that you got out with you? Was she part of Beatrix's torment?"
"Her name was Lea Wagner. She wasn't born in Austria, she actually came from the states. Her parents took a trip to Austria, but later died in a car accident, and she was put under our care. When she died she was 9 years old, she was the kid that tormented Beatrix the most, agging the other kids to go with the charade. She was in the process of gaining a foster family when the fire occurred, and that devastated the foster family. She had burns equal to mine, but due to her being so young, her body couldn't handle the stress." A sigh came from his lips "When I woke up from my coma several months later and learned of her demise, I was relieved. I know that may sound harsh, but I was happy that she didn't live through it. She wouldn't have lived the same life as she did before if she did live through it. You see how I am, I imagine her life would be the same if not worse."
"Have you heard of the heartstring murders?" Chuuya asks this time, done with being silent, yet seething on the inside, no longer feeling sorry for this sorry excuse for a human being.
"Yes. I know it's her that's doing it. That's why I'm afraid of letting anyone in, and staying silent. I'm going to move as soon as possible, before she knows I'm he..!" He rambles on in a hurried mess, like some nervous yet scared child explaining to his parents that something was wrong.
Dazai cuts him off as he said in a low but clear tone, that spoke business. "It's wouldn't matter."
"What?" Tobias mutters out, fearful of what words will come flooding out next.
"It wouldn't matter. She has known where you were for weeks now." The growing dread fills the room. "In fact she's known where you were the moment you stepped out of that insane asylum. Have you ever sat awake at night, and wondered why she hasn't killed you yet?"
"It's simple, she hasn't ever known where I'm at. I only stay at a place for a short time, and move so she can't catch my tracks!" The man wails out.
"What you don't get is that she has known where you were for years now!" The bandaged man yells out more firm. "She's known but she's doing what I would have done."
"And what's that, huh?" Tobias asks smartly, anger getting to him.
"Sometimes when your target or tormentor in this case survives a vicious attack, it's better to keep them alive and watch them destroy themselves from the inside out over time. Keep watch over them at all times, and when it looks like there about to say something that'll blow their cover, your as good as dead. She could be watching you right now, watching us right now. Even hiding in the darkness of this apartment, eating cold dog food like some scavenging rat, she will always know where you are." Dazai snorts out a small bout of laughter. "For she loves watching the man that made her life a living hell, suffer even after all these years over that fire. If you had died that night, you would've been free from that torment. One day she'll kill you, but as long as she can get you to suffer at her hand like this, she'll always be top dog over you. She permanently ruined the rest of your life both mentally and physically, without ever having to even lay a hand on your head."
A cry bubbles it's way up the man's throat "Why burn everyone else in that fire? The younger kids that were there didn't even know that she had even existed."
"To make examples out of them, to make your suffering worse. She knew that fact, yet she took them out as well. She knew you would blame the kids deaths on yourself, and have nightmares about it. In her mind every single one of you that resided in the orphanage deserved the same punishment, and that was to burn to death. So she snuck into the orphanage, took out the things that could stop the fire, and staged it all out to the final details. She used the kid that was sick that night as a match." Dazai says cruelly, knowing his words were hitting the man home.
"How though? He wasn't an ability user! He was normal unlike h..!"
Once more the scarred man is cut off by Dazai. "No he was an ability user. He had a fire ability. Though with the symptoms he had that night, it wouldn't have been possible for his ability to just combust like that. An ability peeking at the age of 3 years old, it takes time for it to reach its full peak, a few weeks to a month after symptoms appear like they did with that boy. Though she found a way to kick start that fire ability where it would peak that very night, I imagine she used her own ability on him. His heart going into overdrive like it did, would cause a reaction in the body, and force the ability out. She soaked him and his room with the most lighter fluid and went outside to enact her revenge."
"He...I…" The scarred man tries to pick up his words, but they just turn to sand and crumble through his fingers.
"You knew that kid was an ability user, but you just didn't want to believe it. You were arrogant back then, and you, the staff were forced to look over him because you knew if he died, you would have never seen the light of day in prison ever again. You knew what would happen to you if your were to be sent to prison, and what would happen if the other prisoners were to catch wind of your crimes against those kids!" Dazai shouts out, anger seeping into his tone, though he wasn't shouting loudly. Dazai stands then as he turns on the flashlight shining it to the others. "Let's go. We got all the info we need from him." The others nod as Dazai mutters out a low "Let's let him suffer a bit longer."
The four leave letting the door close behind them with a slam.
Tobias hurried to his room feeling around the apartment layout as he hurries to his bedroom. He doesn't want to believe that she knew where he was all this time, it was just ridiculous. Nobody could know that, and this man he didn't even know the name of yelled at him for a number of reasons. He makes it to the bedroom, feeling around for his suitcase in a hurried mess thinking 'I've got to get out of this place! Now, before she finds me!' There is sweat on his back as he collapses after he finally finds his suitcase, only to freeze when he feels a hand touch the back of his neck.
The voice is sweet as honey, the russian accent coming through the sound of his wildly beating heart. "Now now calm down there Tobias."
This voice he didn't recognize in all his life. It was a girl he could tell that much, but there was no one in this part of the city that had such an accent. She came from elsewhere, but then again why was she in his apartment?
He swallows a thick wad of saliva. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
"Me. You don't need to know my name. You just need to concern yourself for your punishment in talking to people that you shouldn't have talked to." The girl purrs out close to his ear. She digs her fingernails into his neck "We've been listening this whole time, here in your apartment. Beatrix was even in the hallway you passed to get here, yet you just passed her as if she was never even there."
'Beatrix is here?!' He thinks in a panic. His eyes bulging in his skull in pure panic. 'I can't scream, I can't call for help. I'm outnumbered and near blind, especially in this darkness.' A fat roll of sweat falls down his cheek, the tickle of it not even registering in his mind.
A hand is put on his head seconds afterwards, as a small giggle of joy registers into his brain. That was Beatrix in front of him, he never even heard her footsteps come up behind him where his bedroom door was located.
"You've done a no-no headmaster." Beatrix says lowly. There is a chink of metal as not a few seconds later he feels the cold of metal touch his skin that makes him jump in surprise. "So you do have some feeling left in the ugly mug of yours." The metal is dragged down his face a little more "That's good. I was hoping and praying that you had some feeling left in that body of yours, for it'll make what I'm about to do to you even more of a joyful time!"
"Please….I'll stay quiet. Just leave me be…" he cries out, hoping that she'll show him some mercy as he crumples to his bedroom floor, shaking in absolute fear.
"Now that's just not possible. You see I've been watching you for years now. I can't just up and kill you yet, you've got to suffer a whole bunch more before I'm done with you." She puts a hand on his jaw "You see I got to shut you up for speaking out like that, monsters like you doesn't deserve to be shown sympathy nor compassion. I was going to leave it be but now that you've spoken with that man, I see what must be done now."
His mouth is forced open then by two strong hands. Next his tongue his nearly ripped out of his mouth. He hears her giggling as the cold blade of something sharp is put to his tongue. He can taste rust, and tries to struggle at that moment. He manages to get the hands off his mouth, by punching one of the intruders, and starts struggling in a direction, his mind in a frenzy.
He doesn't get very far as a hand yanked him by the hair, and threw him to the ground, before he can calculate his next move a sharp kick of a shoe hits him right in the middle of the chest. The breath is knocked out of him as he's once more yanked up and thrown onto the bed, where his two hands are tugged above his head, and bound tightly with electrical wires to the headboard. Someone proceeds to grab is feet and pull them in the opposite direction, as it feels like his limbs are going to be pulled out of there sockets any second now. Before he knows it his feet are tied to the end of the bed by the same wires. So tight that it's cutting the circulation off from his limbs already.
He won't let them win as he locks his jaw closed. Though he doesn't get very far as a hand punches him clear in the throat, the fist nearly punches clear to the skin of the back of his throat. His jaw comes open, trying to breath. It's then a device they use to keep someone's jaw during tonsillitis surgery open, is hooked around his head, forcing his jaws apart. He's breathing heavily through his nose, unable to close his jaws. Finally though everything stops, as Beatrix speaks, anger clear in her tone.
"Now you've done it. I was going to knock you out for this procedure, but since you decided to fight back, we had to take some measures. Now you can't fight back, no matter how much struggling you do, you won't get anywhere in the end. We'll do this procedure without any drugs, be a doll and entertain us won't you?" She says in that sickenly sweet voice. His tongue is grabbed once more but this time something pierces the tip of it, locking it in place. He goes to scream when a big hand, what he presumes is a males hand clamps down on his throat and squeezing lightly at first.
"You know what?" She asks once more, knowing he can't answer. "I was just joking about using the rusted knife at first and using one that would do a clean cut. Now though I'm going to use the rusty one, drag this out longer." She gets in his face, he can feel her breath on his face. "You can't make any noise, and no one is going to come for you, yet." He feels the rusty blade near the base of his tongue as it makes the first non clean cut into his tongue, pain engulfs his world as he tries to scream only for the hand on his throat to completely clamp down cutting off his oxygen supply, and his screams. All he could hear was her maniacal laughing, as she continued with the torture.
Sirens blare throughout the air as the woman from before comes upon the scene to see the paramedics carrying out Tobais unconscious on a stretcher. He has blood pooling in his mouth and down his cheeks. As a breathing tube is down his bruised throat. For the first time since meeting the man she scream upon seeing his body, covering her mouth at the horror as he's loaded into the back of an ambulance, the neck brace stark white on his neck, but beyond the white sheet covering his body from chest down she could only wonder what happened to him.
She approaches an officer, still horror stricken asking "What happened to him?"