Honestly, Luella was just looking for Mai that morning to inquire about breakfast. She wanted to make the girl's favorite after all that she had been through the past couple of days and she was certain she could use some good comfort food after the stressful evening. She had shuffled down the halls quietly, not wanting to throw off anyone's morning routine, as she listened to floors creaking and bathroom doors closing. She breezed past guest rooms and offices alike until she stepped into the hallway that housed the twin's bedrooms. It had grown so quiet after Gene had left and Noll and gone off to Japan but, now that all the secrets had come to light, it just seemed hushed. Like at any moment the sleepy home would explode with activity once more. The JSPR team was doing an excellent job at livening up the place, that was for sure.
"Mai," she called quietly at Gene's door and gave a light knock.
There was no response.
With furrowed brows she put her ear to the door, listening for the running water of Mai in the bathroom or the heavy breathing of her asleep, but was only met with silence. Luella stepped back and opened the door as quietly as she could. Mai's suitcase sat open on the bed that was otherwise empty of any occupants. The covers hadn't even been pulled back and her gown was stretched out across the length to prevent it from wrinkling. She ignored the rising emotion that Gene's room often awoken within her chest and stepped out. Luella pulled the door shut and turned to face Noll's door with hands on her hips.
She reached for the doorknob and twisted it gently before pushing the door open. If anyone knew where Mai was it would be Noll. He kept tabs on her as if he had had a GPS tracking device planted on her.
Oh.
In hindsight, she really should have considered this outcome.
The two were cuddled up under the blankets and all she could make out of Mai were a few wisps of hair but the clothes tossed about the floor were an obvious indicator of what had occurred the night before. Luella pulled the door shut and stared down the hall with vacant eyes. Really, she had taken care of Noll since he was eight years old and she had seen it all. But to find him cocooned in blankets and snuggled up with the person she knew him to love was a sight she had never expected to see. For multiple reasons. Still, they were all adults now.
She hurried back down to the kitchens with a permanent smirk on her lips, deciding to just make a good hearty breakfast, and ignored the questioning look Martin sent her way as he sat down at the kitchen island for a cup of coffee.
The relief she felt was nearly overwhelming. She had worried for so long that Noll would forever remain closed up and refuse any and all contact from anyone but Gene. And when Gene had passed . . . she feared he would have no one. And then, Mai had come along, all spitfire and smiles. She had cracked him right open and somehow managed to find the pearl he had been hiding within.
Luella laughed triumphantly as she flipped some bacon over in a pan. Oil splattered across the stovetop but she could not bring herself to mind the mess.
"Madwoman," Martin grumbled into his coffee just as Lin entered the kitchen already dressed for the day.
"What's got you in such a good mood, Luella?" Lin drawled while adjusting the cuff of his white dress shirt. It was more for Martin's sake, as he was certain the man was curious but fearful of starting a conversation he might regret. Navigating the Davis family had been a part of Lin's job description since Martin had first hired him on as Noll's handler and he had only gotten better as the years passed.
"Noll and Mai," Luella answered simply with a giggle.
Martin blanched. The paper he had flicked open was set down on the countertop with nothing but silence from him in return.
Lin laughed outright.
And the distant voice of Yasuhara could be heard shouting from the depths of the house, "That's five times!"
"Mai!"
Gene's voice ripped through her sleepy haze and she opened her eyes against the morning light with a soft gasp. She hadn't seen him in her dreams but his voice had managed to reach her. It sounded frustrated, not urgent or pained, and so she calmed a bit at the reassurance that he was still present. It was obvious they needed to solve the case so they could bring him back. Something was keeping him away from her but he was still there.
Mai shut her eyes with a sigh, tense muscles relaxing once more, and vowed to try and reach out to Gene when they returned. She felt extremely guilty and anxious but knew there was nothing she could do.
Everything was so soft and warm. Mai didn't want the moment to end. She could feel Naru breathing under her and his steady breaths indicated he was still asleep. It was probably the first decent night's sleep he had in a while, she realized tiredly and wished he could get a few more hours in just to let his body recoup. But it was not to be. She could already hear Yasuhara shouting and Monk's irritated retaliation that he needed to be quiet.
Mai hummed in amusement. She never thought she would have such a rambunctious family but she wouldn't give it up for anything. The years of quiet solitude had been chased away long ago.
Naru reached up and ran a hand through her hair unconsciously while his mind slowly made its way back to the surface of the waking world.
"Go back to sleep," she pleaded quietly and traced the shell of his ear soothingly.
He hummed absently before he gripped her hand, eyes still shut against the light of day, and pulled it down to his chest, "Have to work," he mumbled.
Mai groaned. The word rest was not in that man's dictionary. She pushed herself up and rubbed at her eyes tiredly but Naru only rolled over and pulled her back down, pulling her back against his chest and wrapping an arm around her waist. She could not recall ever feeling so physically comfortable around another person.
"In a few minutes," he mumbled against the back of her neck. She shivered.
Mai snorted, "We really should get up though, everyone else is already being loud."
Naru scoffed but swung his arm away and pushed himself up with surprising ease. She rolled over to watch as he sat at the edge of the bed, cradling his head in his hands with a groan, and marveled at the sight of his bare back. Muscles pulled taut as he hunched over, sliding beneath pale skin, and contracted as he stood with a sigh and moved into the bathroom.
Mai blushed and flopped back in the bed, pulling the covers up to her nose, while wide eyes took in the wooden ceiling.
Oh. My. God.
The sound of the shower starting caused her to roll about in the bed with warring emotions. She was excited, embarrassed, and pleased all at once. But more importantly, she had to get back into her room to get changed and ready for the day and she was worried about being seen during her 'Walk of shame' as Yasuhara would call it. She threw the bed sheets off of her and scrambled for her scattered clothing. Her top was stuffed beneath a pillow but her pajama pants? She cast her eyes about the bed and surrounding room before she spotted them crumpled on the rug some feet away. With a sigh, she slid from the bed and lifted the pants to inspect them for her underwear.
"Aren't you going to join me?"
Mai straightened, gripping her clothes to her chest, and turned on heel to face him with baleful eyes. "What?" she blurted with a red face. He was leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, arms crossed, and still just as naked as her.
He really knew no shame.
"In the shower," he clarified smoothly and leveled her with a bored expression.
Mai looked down at the handful of clothes in her arms then back up to him, "Uh, sure. You wash my back I wash yours?"
Naru snorted and turned back into the bathroom leaving her to shuffle after him with a nervous laugh.
The camera crew welcomed them back into the Wicks Estate with open arms. Rocco threw an excited fit and knocked Mai to the ground as soon as she stepped out of the van. Not much had happened in the absence of JSPR besides a few temperature fluctuations and Todd misplacing an entire camera (which they happened to find in a study on the third floor). Still, Naru and Lin immediately reclaimed their posts in base to analyze the recorded footage and data while everyone else unpacked and resettled themselves.
They had stopped on the way back to pick up more groceries for the next few days and Mai was working on putting them all away when Ayako slid into the room wearing a conniving grin. She seated herself at the kitchen island and propped her chin on a fist while watching Mai stuff the fridge with yogurts and sandwich meat.
Mai had hoped the silence would last and that she could pretend there were no embarrassing conversations about to take place, but deep down, she knew it was not to be. She stepped away from the fridge, letting the door swing shut of its own volition, and heaved an exasperated sigh before turning to face Ayako. She had shoved a straw through a bottle of juice she picked up at the store and sipped it before speaking.
"There have been some interesting rumors circulating," Ayako began facetiously.
"There are always rumors going around," Mai retorted primly and pulled a loaf of bread from the confines of the shopping bag.
"But we've never had this sort of rumor," Ayako teased.
"And what sort of rumor would that be?" Mai grumbled as she turned her back to the woman to organize the foods that didn't need to be refrigerated. She could feel the women's eyes on the back of her head as she worked and fought down a shiver, irritation flaring.
"That you and our cold-hearted narcissistic boss slept together," she answered wryly. "I hope you had the sense to use protection."
The can of soup she had been lifting into the cabinet fell from her hand and bounced against the marble counter twice before diving off the edge and rolling across the kitchen floor where it was lost to the underside of the island. The resulting sound left both women wincing before Mai spun about to stare at Ayako with scarlet cheeks.
"Where did you hear that?" she exclaimed. How would anyone know? She had joined Naru in his room well after everyone else had gone to bed and she had slipped out to get dressed only after making sure the coast was clear! Unless someone had heard. She slapped a hand over her mouth, blushing all the more at the memory of Naru attempting to muffle her in the same manner.
"From a somewhat credible source," Ayako admitted and giggled into her hand. "You have to tell me how it was."
Mai clapped her hands against her cheeks and lowered her eyes to the last known location of the soup can. Who was her source? Did everyone know? How would she be able to face everyone knowing they knew? No doubt, Naru would be completely unphased by it all, but her? She would be squirming for days. Mai sunk into a crouch, hiding behind the kitchen island, and let out a groan.
"Did he hurt you?" Ayako questioned on a more serious note, though she didn't bother to move to catch sight of Mai after her obvious retreat.
"No," Mai mumbled quietly, "And it was amazing. I just didn't want everyone teasing me about it."
"Tough," Ayako shot back dryly, "I dealt with you and that brat Yasu teasing me for weeks after Monk and I got together."
Mai scowled, wanting to argue that their situation was completely different, that everyone knew they would get together, but was it really? Everyone, except Masako, had teased her about Naru from day one almost. It would be weird, honestly, if everyone had been laid off once they actually slept together. If anything, they would all be crowing in victory. No wonder breakfast that morning had seemed so quiet. Everyone had been trying to keep their mouths shut in front of Naru's parents in a rare effort to remain polite.
Her head hit the cabinet with a satisfying thud.
Could her day get any worse?
It seemed the universe had heard her plea because not a moment later, Bou-san threw the door open. It bounced off the wall and caused someone from in base to shout in surprise but the monk paid the muffled distress no mind and instead settled his gaze upon Mai with arms crossed. She was already dwindling under his stair and had chosen to take shelter behind the island. Ayako watched from her seat on a stool.
"Naru-bou will make a horrible son-in-law," Monk stated to the room at large. Ayako choked on her juice sending it splashing back into her face while Mai covered her eyes with a groan. "I tried to give him the talk but he just stared at me the whole time."
Avery had grown a soft spot for Mai. It was hard not to when he had watched her nearly fall to her death, left a sobbing mess in the lap of the cold-hearted Oliver Davis, then bounce back the next day for more. She was an amazingly strong, but kind and bubbly, individual that he admired. He, unlike Jenna (who was often kept in the dark on sensitive topics due to her big mouth), had heard of and later saw the scattered recording of her cleansing of Prudence. The footage was sideways, as the camera that had been in use was dropped to the floor, but he was able to make out the figure of Prudence's mother as she descended and took her daughter to the afterlife with her. Tears had burned his eyes as Mai crumpled to the ground with their departure and Oliver had rushed to her side.
Oliver seemed to care a lot about her, he was always running to her aid, he realized after the second night in the palace. So it came as a great surprise that they had fought and avoided each other for the better part of two days. And it came as even more of a shock when he heard Yasuhara whispering to Madoka about them having slept together. He was glad they had made up and even progressed in their relationship. He approved, really, they fit together so well. Fire and Ice. The dragon and the tiger, as the monk had put it. There was something truly beautiful about their relationship.
But why did he have this horribly foreboding feeling that something was going to go wrong?
He shook his head and returned his focus to the camera set up before him. Now was not the time to ponder over others' relationships. They had a séance to perform and film. Everyone was already gathered back in the ballroom and the same group was seated at the table speaking among themselves quietly. The mood was far more relaxed this time around.
"Annnnnd, action!" Yasuhara whispered over his shoulder. Avery was startled but he managed to bite his tongue before he let out a girlish scream.
Naru shot Yasuhara a glare that would have left another man quaking in his boots. Yasu only grinned, adjusting his glasses, and lifted his fingers to frame the table. Truly, the members of JSPR were cut from a different cloth.
"I think I should go into directing after this," he murmured casually.
Avery chuckled, unable to resist the younger of the team's antics, "The camera's been rolling for several minutes."
"Whenever you're ready, Yasuhara," Naru stated coolly.
"I'm ready, Big Boss!" Yasuhara assured him with a smile.
Naru turned back to face those at the table with him and lifted his eyes to Mai. She was staring at the table with furrowed brows, deep in thought, and he could not help but empathize with her obvious frustrations. This case, though meant as research, was beginning to eat away at him too. They had so little to go on and now his brother was missing. He wanted to get the case solved so they could pack up and return home but the spirits were not forthcoming with their stories. In fact, they had given them very little except for the fact that they obviously wanted out. He would have had the team begin cleansing the property if they had been able to catch more evidence as BSPR requested. Mai would have done it on the third day if he had given her the option. She would have succeeded without fail.
That's it then, he decided, after this séance they would move forward as they should have days ago and his father could berate him all he wanted later.
"Hara-san," Naru said.
Masako straightened in her seat and held out her hands for Naru and Mai to take. The table was once again locked into a circle of spiritual power. She lowered her eyes and reached out into the depths of the palace with all her senses. The room fell silent with a quiet hush while they all watched the famous medium work. All of them were hungry for any sort of information, even the smallest of answers.
"Florence Wicks?" she called quietly. Once she had heard Mai's theory she had felt the need to agree, as she had not caught hide nor hair of Florence's presence since they arrived, but they had to be certain before moving forward. She had far too much experience under her belt to rule any possibilities out. She had learned many a lesson as a consultant for Oliver Davis and while she may feel shame for how she had treated him she would always be thankful for what he and his team had taught her.
Her train of thought drifted. Something was stirring at the outskirts of her senses. It plucked the webs she had weaved as she walked through the property on her first day. She felt it select one and tentatively pull. The presence was hesitant, wary of being found. Masako could sense it in the way it seemed to tremble, like shaking hands weak from fear.
Come here, she called silently, we wish to speak with you.
The presence gripped the strand tighter and pulled. Masako felt her soul shift and the presence settled within to speak.
Everyone watched with bated breath as Masako slumped forward and her grip on their hands slackened. There was a moment of stillness before she straightened once more and tightened her hold on those seated on either side of her. With a focused gaze, she glanced about the room and settled her eyes on Naru.
"You have to leave," she said simply.
Mai blinked, confusion swelling over her like sludge, and gritted her teeth. They had now received three separate messages from the entities within the manor. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't ready to rip her hair out. They were first asked to stay, then asked for help to free those trapped within, and now they were being told to leave. The mental whiplash Mai was suffering could be glimpsed within the faces of all those present as well. She felt a little better knowing they were all just as frustrated with the situation. At least she knew she could trust her own emotions at the moment. After all that she had been through the past week, she would most certainly need an actual vacation to recover mentally.
Naru shifted back, bemused, and quirked a brow before asking, "Are you Florence Wicks?"
Masako scowled, becoming urgent, and snapped back, "It doesn't matter who I am! You have to leave!"
"It does matter," Naru reprimanded coldly, "Because we've been working to piece this all together for the past week and have made no progress. Now, are you Florence?"
"I am, but you need to leave," Masako growled and squeezed their hands in her grip, "There is nothing you can do here. Let this place rot!"
The last time someone had advised a property to be left to rot was the Urado case. Every member of JSPR recalled the message left behind. The house had been built upon for decades in an effort to hide the atrocities Urado had orchestrated and then, later, to keep him locked within. Mai could only assume they were dealing with a similar case. Was Florence attempting to manage this other entity in a similar fashion?
"We want to help," Mai offered quietly. Her heart ached. If her budding theory was correct then Florence was an amazing individual who deserved rest. She squeezed the hand in hers, hoping to offer some comfort but froze as Florence turned to look at her with so much regret and longing. Mai felt as if she had been punched in the gut.
"No one can help," Florence whispered, "Now go! I can't hold it back any longer!"
"Hold what back?" Mai asked fearfully. She met Naru's gaze and the two shared a moment of ominous confusion that did not bode well for the rest of those present. If neither of them had an idea of what it was they were dealing with, well then, they might just be up against something horrendous.
Florence hunched forward, forehead resting on the table, and whimpered before falling limp. Mai leaned over to listen as she began mouthing words punctuated by garbled whispers. She couldn't make out what the woman was saying and shot Naru a look of warning. A frown pulled at his lips. Mai opened her mouth to speak but lurched back in her chair as Masako slid her hand out of Naru's grip and latched onto Mai. The movement caused the chair to tip back precariously. Mai scrambled to grab for the edge of the table but all she managed to latch onto was the tablecloth itself. The two women were sent tumbling to the ground in a heap and the cloth was pulled along with them. The candles and incense were tossed up into the air but no one paid them much mind in the chaos.
"Mai!" John cried and jumped from his chair to kneel at her side while Masako continued to pull herself up and over Mai. Her sock-clad feet had kicked off her clogs somewhere in her descent and they now scrambled across the marble floor while Mai struggled beneath her.
"Please stay," she begged with a whimper while pulling at the collar of her shirt. It cut into the back of Mai's neck viciously and she grimaced at the pain.
"Stop telling us what to do!" Mai snapped, fumbling for the hands that pulled against her shirt. She kicked out, attempting to push herself away so she could get up, but her back met John's chest and knocked him over. Not that she could gain much traction on the marble floor anyways.
Masako's face twisted into an ugly glower and she snarled, "If you don't want to stay then I'll make you!" She lunged forward and wrapped her hands around Mai's neck. The girl's eyes widened in shock. She had never expected to find herself in such a situation before. She suddenly had a frightful understanding of how Ayako felt when Naru had been in a similar predicament. Mai reached up to grasp the slender wrists of Masako in a frantic attempt to break her grip but it was iron strong under her hands. Whatever was possessing her had loaned her some sort of supernatural strength. Mai grunted as her back hit the marble floor and she reached up with one hand to push at Masako's face instead, hoping to break her concentration.
"John!" Naru barked and lunged over the table to grab the back of Masako's kimono and pulled. The action only caused Masako to pull Mai forward while her fingers crushed down on her windpipe. The edge of the table dug into his thighs with bruising force and still the figure of Masako pulled against his grip with ease.
Spots swam in Mai's vision.
"In the beginning was the word . . ." John jumped up and continued to recite the words while he gripped Masako's wrists and attempted to pull them from Mai's throat. Whatever had possessed Masako did not even bother to look at him as he spoke. It was an alarming juxtaposition considering the presence had immediately fled the first time around.
"Monk!" Naru grunted out as Masako lunged forward to push Mai back onto the ground and pulled him across the table.
"Naru!" Monk cried in admonishment but jumped forward to try and wrap his arms around Masako's waist and pull. Monk would not attempt to exorcise the thing from Masako at the risk of killing her and he was a bit appalled that Naru had even thought to ask. Distantly, however, Monk could not deny that he would have made a similar request if roles were reversed. He could count on one hand the number of times he had seen the man look so frantic. Monk was certain that if he hadn't been hampered by the table between them, acting as the only point of leverage Naru had, Naru would have chosen a far more brutal course of action.
And in the midst of all of this, Mai's face was changing colors. While she was struggling to breathe she refused to tear her eyes away from Masako's. Her fingers scrabbled against hers but she was unable to gain any purchase against the iron-like grip. She could hear Ayako screaming in the background, though she couldn't make out what she was saying, and Yasuhara was standing in her peripherals grasping his head with his hands, unable to do anything and struggling with the realization that he was helpless to save her.
It was Lin who came to her rescue. He hurried around the table and drew a hand back and as he loomed over Masako from behind he thwacked her at the base of her skull. Masako paused, eyes vacant and confused, before she slumped forward over Mai. The sudden pressure against her lungs, combined with the sudden release of her throat, sent her into a wheezing coughing fit that left her red-faced and curled up on the floor. The cool marble felt heavenly against the sweat on her brow. Tears were streaming from her eyes while she fought back the panic of the moment the best she could. Her throat burned as if she had swallowed hot coals.
Lin lifted Masako off of Mai and stepped back so that Ayako could crouch at her side and look her throat over. The redhead scanned her neck and prodded it as gently as she could while Mai continued to drag in great lungfuls of air. John helped to push Mai up and gripped her shoulders tightly while struggling with his still-racing heart. He had not felt so helpless since they had watched a demonic Prudence attempt to snuff out Naru's flame in a similar fashion all those months ago. His hands shook despite the distracted smile Mai sent in his direction.
"She'll be alright," Ayako breathed and sat back on her heels with a sigh, "her throat is just going to be tender for a while."
They all watched from the corner of their eyes as Naru stood with a hand pinching the bridge of his nose and shoulders hunched. The temperature in the room had dropped considerably and there was no doubt in any of the minds present that he was struggling to regain control. The combined frustration of the case along with Mai's brush with death pushed him just a little too close to the edge. He let out a slow breath, arms falling to his side as he forcibly relaxed his shoulders, and cracked his neck with a cock of his head.
"Mai," he called quietly.
"I'm . . .I'm okay," she managed in a hoarse whisper and stumbled to her feet. She swayed for a moment, waiting for the world to settle itself.
Naru stepped forward to steady her with a hand on her arm and said, "We're done here. Tomorrow we end this as we should have from the beginning. Monk, John, Ayako, prepare for a cleansing."
The room was silent but the resounding agreement hardly needed to be spoken. Shoulders fell and heads nodded before they gathered the team up and shuffled back to base to calm down before bed. While everyone was shocked by the recent events there was a part of all of them that was thankful for the fact that Naru had finally made the call and they were now permitted to take action. They had been stumbling around attempting to record proof of the existence of the paranormal while their hands were tied.
Monk stood in base with his arms crossed watching over Lin's shoulder as he replayed the collected footage for review. Avery was seated next to him, leaning back in the chair and gripping the armrests, still coming to terms with the fact that he had nearly witnessed Mai killed twice. If this was what a normal case for JSPR was like he was uncertain of working with them again in the future. He didn't know if his heart could take it.
"I just don't understand," Monk growled. "What is going on here?" It took a lot to push the man to anger but the Wicks Manor was making a speedrunning attempt like no other. The complete lack of activity followed by the immediate rapid fire of the past couple days, even with the gala in between, might as well have been a smack in the face.
"It's obvious that there are multiple entities at play," Naru voiced from next to Monk. He was leaning against the table with his arms crossed and eyes closed in thought. "Florence has been present but hidden and finally showed herself to inform us we needed to leave. The other spirits have informed us that they are trapped with the message they left us. There is another player here and we need to find out who or what it is."
And Gene was still missing.
Monk grunted and dropped his gaze to the floor before his feet in concentration. "So we throw what we got at it until we get something," he muttered and shifted back half a step with a sigh.
"Yasuhara and Madoka, you'll be on research tomorrow, I want you to find anything you can about anyone Florence associated with in life and bring it to me," Naru commanded as he pushed himself away from the table and lifted his black notebook from the table. "Ayako, I want you to walk the grounds and get a feel for the trees here. This land is old and though the spirits here might not be familiar to you, they may be of assistance. Lin, I need you to find out what in this world is strong enough to prevent hundreds of spirits from passing on. Monk and John will walk the halls and attempt to exorcize or cleanse whatever it is that is doing this."
Everyone straightened as they were addressed. Mai sat on the couch, watching as Naru spat out orders as practiced as any general in a drawn-out war, and turned back in time to see Avery and Jenna share surprised looks. It was obvious they had never seen Oliver Davis in action in the middle of a large-scale haunting. Mai was beginning to suspect that Naru himself was the most prolific thing they had come across and hauntings that JSPR has dealt with up until that point was all new to the British branch.
"I will have Masako attempt to get in contact with Florence again in a more controlled setting once she wakes, in the meantime . . ." Naru trailed off and lifted his fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose, "I'll make some tea."
The team was silent and still for but a moment before Naru himself strode through the room and left base with the tea tray in hand.
Then they were a flurry of movement (once Naru was gone) as everyone jumped to prepare for the next day and Mai remained seated on the couch with a bewildered expression. She had just experienced another brush with death but she hardly felt it was any worse than what she had suffered thus far. She felt well enough to make a simple pot of tea, at the least, but she guessed Naru's fortitude had been shaken one too many times in the past couple of days. Tea was Naru's love language, she reminded herself, and this was his way of easing his worry for her.
Jenna watched from where she sat across the room, working to trade out batteries in the cameras, as Oliver returned and poured Mai a cup of tea. He settled the cup into her trembling hands with the most care she had ever seen him exude since she had joined BSPR seven years prior. He then crouched down in front of her to skim his fingers over the bruises that ringed her neck like a macabre tattoo. It seemed a little too intimate for Jenna to watch comfortably any longer so she turned her attention back to the camera in her hand. She was still shaken but what they had all witnessed and was a little impressed with how quickly the team had bounced back.
Judging by Avery's jack ticking in front of the monitors, he felt the same.
Naru straightened and moved to reclaim his seat back over by the bank of monitors. Surprisingly, he worked to set up his laptop instead of burying his nose in his notebook like usual. An email would have to be sent out to his father regarding the turn of events. BSPR would have to find another location to collect data for their research as Naru could not approve the Wicks Estate for safe use. He imagined that Henry would end up facing several lawsuits if he were to continue turning the property into some sort of attraction. It was a wonder how Charles had managed to skate by unharmed after his many years of service.
Madoka returned to base after making sure Masako was resting safely. She made a beeline for the tray of tea that Naru had set down on the table next to him and poured herself a cup with an exhausted sigh. Her nerves were shot. Lin tossed her a concerned glance from where he sat but refrained from calling out to her in the heavy silence that had fallen over the room.
"Are you calling it?" she asked Naru quietly after catching sight of his screen while she nursed her cup of tea.
"I see no point in dragging this out," he admitted over his shoulder, "Whatever is here is clearly not a passive presence. Any further attempted observation is liable to get someone else hurt. Or worse."
His cold words were heard by all within the room.
"I agree," Madoka assured him gently.
The taught line of Naru's shoulders eased just a little with the support of his mentor and friend.
It was a handful of hours later when Mai grew tired of sitting around quietly. Her throat was throbbing and Ayako had offered a few painkillers that just managed to take the edge off of the pain but the medicine did little to ease her growing frustration. Everyone was working on prepping for the following day or researching for even the smallest hint of a clue that might provide them with an answer. Mai was no computer whizz like Yasuhara and she doubted she would get anything in her dreams if she were to fall asleep now. With no other options, she pushed herself to her feet and collected the tea tray quietly with Rocco at her heels. Naru drank a lot of tea and since she had discovered he was a British citizen it all made a lot more sense, his obsession. But, she had also learned, that Naru rarely finished his tea. He would grow distracted by his work and whatever half cup he had been nursing would go cold. He would not drink cold tea. Their exuberant orders were the primary reason the Shibuya tea shop loved them.
She returned back to base a few minutes later and set the tray down at the table with the bank of monitors next to Naru before she pulled a chair out and sat down with a sigh. He was busy with his nose in his notebook, scratching out notes and adding new ones, while she poured him a cup of tea. The scent seemed to pull him from his mind and he lifted his eyes to hers before taking a sip of tea and setting it aside. He lifted her chin with a gentle hand and examined the forming bruises around her throat with a sigh through his nose. They had only grown more prominent as time passed.
"It seems to be a part of your inherent nature to attract the attention of anything and everything that crawls through the spiritual plane," he murmured quietly.
Mai frowned and took a sip of tea to prevent herself from speaking just yet. She was beginning to realize that his words were true but she had no way to go about resolving the issue. She had found a passion in searching out the paranormal and helping those who needed to pass on and couldn't imagine doing anything else. The downside of her passion is that she often became the target of more negative creatures.
"Perhaps we will find you some training to protect yourself," Naru continued.
Mai smiled into her tea cup and nodded.
Naru leaned back in the chair and pulled his notebook into his lap for review. His laptop was still open, displaying his email inbox, but his father had not yet responded to his latest message. He set the empty tea cup down to settle a hand on Mai's thigh, causing her heart to stutter, but a content smile to pull at her lips. With that small contact alone she was glued to the seat and chose to pull her phone from her back pocket to delve into another one of her ebooks for something to do. Anything to prolong the moment.
Lin lifted a hand to rub at his mouth in an effort to hide a growing smile.
Naru walked her to the women's room that night. Well, he had said he was turning in for the night but given his sleepless track record, Mai assumed he was using it as an excuse to escort her. It was like coming home from a date. A date that involved ghosts, murders, and possession. They stood in the center of the room and he leaned down to kiss her gently. His lips were feather light against hers but still managed to awaken a fire in her for more. He knew it too. He wore a pleased smirk as he pulled back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Naru . . ." she mumbled, wincing at the way her voice cracked, ". . .Gene . . ."
"He'll turn up once everything is sorted," he assured her quietly, "I still feel him. Whatever is here is most likely affecting him too. We just have to find him."
Mai nodded, biting her lip, and leaned forward to rest her forehead against his chest. She was tired of the case, tired of all the confusion and frustration, and tired of not knowing where Gene was or what he was doing. Even she had very little information to go on. She felt her eyes burning with frustrated tears when Naru's arms wrapped around her and nestled his fingers in her hair.
"This ends tomorrow," Naru murmured into her ear.
Mai nodded against his chest and tried to calm the roiling sea of nerves that threatened to drown her.
"You know she only does this for attention."
Mai turned to look at the woman standing next to her under the warm lights of the ballroom. The air was stuffy but the blonde woman's hair was still perfectly pinned in delicate curls and ringlets that framed her face. Mai was sweltering, on the other hand, and she snapped a fan open in her hands and fluttered it below her chin in an effort to cool the sweat gathering on her chest.
"I don't blame her," Mai muttered under her breath with a pleading note, "The poor thing."
The other woman shifted and the jewels hanging around her neck and ears sparkled in the dim light as she raised her own fan to hide the lower half of her face.
"She is trying to fill the void in her heart like some witch, Natalie, do not fall for it. I am just here to enjoy the hospitality for as long as it lasts, which I am assuming, will not be much longer."
"Sarah," Mai admonished waspishly. Her breath hitched while she struggled to breathe in her corset. She had loved the deep purple gown when it had first arrived at her doorstep all those months ago, sent by an anonymous admirer, but it was horribly constricting.
"What? We all know she only had this place built to lure in potential popularity. She's pathetic and desperate! We should honestly leave. Who knows how far she'll go to keep some company around her?"
Mai scowled and turned away from the woman, her eyes alighting upon the figure of Florence as she drifted across the dance floor in the arms of a stranger. The woman had always looked so sad, her smiles strained and forced, and it tore at her heartstrings to watch. She had tried to pull her into conversation on multiple occasions but the poor woman was unable to participate with more than one-worded answers and flippant responses that were just as empty as her smiles.
She hoped one day that Florence would find someone to brighten her life once more.
"What's happening?" A panicked voice cut through the din of the ballroom and Mai's eyes flew open to the low light of the women's bedroom. The bathroom light was on and Ayako stood in the doorway, a hand gripping the frame, while she gazed out across the room at Madoka who stood at the bedroom window. The heavy drapes had been thrown open and the pink-haired woman turned back to look at Ayako with a determined frown.
Mai sat up in bed and ran a hand over her eyes. She took in the distant sound of Monk barking out what sounded like orders from directly below, thuds, and hurried footsteps from the main room of the suite. The animal part of her brain demanded she panic but the sweeping exhaustion from her dream tossed a wet blanket over her.
"All the windows and doors are sealed shut," Madoka answered grimly.
"You've got to be kidding me," Ayako growled. She had put on her ceremonial garb in preparation for the cleansings that had been planned for the day. She must have just been tying back her hair because stray locks still framed her face from where they fell.
"John had attempted to leave through the kitchen door this morning to take a walk out back with Masako but every door they tried was locked. We tried the windows next but nothing will budge," Madoka explained as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"So we've angered it," Ayako concluded with a scoff.
Mai pushed herself to her feet and hurried to pull a green sweater on over her tank top and exchanged her pajama bottoms for a pair of ripped jeans she had stashed at the bottom of her bag. Rocco was pacing the length of the room with anxious whines and a lowered tail.
Charles had mentioned something similar happening to him a handful of times over the years, Mai recalled. He had stated all the doors and windows would lock themselves with the exception of the ones that led to the ballroom. She shivered upon recalling all that had transpired in the room and what she had just been dreaming of. They had just decided the previous night that they would try and put an end to the haunting and the fact that they had awoken the next morning to find all exits sealed was telling.
"Has anyone seen Charles?" Mai asked, her voice still rough and groggy from sleep. And damage. It did not burn as strongly as it had the night before but it was still sore. Even turning her head caused twinges of pain.
Madoka nodded, "He's down at base right now."
Mai made for the door with a determined stride that drew the other two women along in her wake. She threw the door open, Rocco gliding along at her side, and strode across the main room and out into the hall. She could hear Ayako and Madoka arguing as they followed down the stairs behind her. Mai only realized that she had neglected to put shoes on when she heard Madoka's small heels clacking across the marble floor.
Loud voices could be heard spilling out of the French doors leading into base and it was obvious tension was rising. Mai noted absently that the doors had been forced open and held in place by ancient red bricks and blocks of wood. One of the glass panes by the handle and lock had been shattered but the glass must have been swept up at some point because not a single shard could be seen. Her bare feet appreciated the gesture.
"It's obvious that there is more here than we could even imagine. We were told to leave and I'd think we'd be pretty stupid not to heed the warning!" Monk's voice, as always, was the loudest among the rabble. It wasn't like him to back down but he was shaken after considering the entity may have caused the deaths of hundreds of people at once.
Mai breezed through the doors and gaped at the chaos that had befallen their already chaotic headquarters. Everyone besides the three women who had just entered was present. Several conversations were being had over the remains of a hastily prepared breakfast and a cluster of cups of coffee, one or two having been knocked over with their contents wiped away haphazardly. Cameras were strewn across tables, their contents bared to the world, and tapes in the process of being reviewed. Naru stood with his back to all of this, arms crossed while he gazed out a window into the grey daylight of early morning, and seemed to be ignoring the growing arguments as only he could. A figure of serenity within a chaotic storm.
"Whatever is here is far more powerful than any we've ever dealt with," John added in an attempt to agree with Monk and soothe his growing frustrations. Not even Prudence had been capable of killing multiple targets at once. She had been all show. So John could understand Monk's worry.
"Where have I heard that before?" Yasuhara commented from the other side of the room. It seemed even he was unnerved by the events but was doing his best to lighten the mood.
"Now is not the time!" Monk snapped.
"Takigawa!" Lin barked, his deep voice barreling right over whatever the Monk had been about to add.
"I'm not about to sit here for scientific research when our lives-!"
"Enough!" Mai finally snapped, fists clenched at her sides, and cut the men off with a scowl on her face. She didn't know if she could remain as composed if the two men truly devolved into fighting. Lin and Monk were the oldest of the bunch, and capable leaders on top of that, and if they butted heads then the rest of the team to dissolve into chaos. Even if Naru set his foot down.
Monk snapped his mouth shut but dropped his eyes to the ground in an attempt to reign in his temper while Lin heaved a sigh and ran a hand through his hair before reclaiming his forgotten computer chair. John looked so relieved that Mai was afraid he might cry and she chose to ignore the snort that came from Yasuhara.
"Whatever is going on, you are playing right into its hands by fighting amongst each other, how many times have we been through this?" Mai questioned while trudging forward and reaching for an unused coffee cup set upon the trolley and worked to pour herself a cup with as much grace as she could manage with shaking hands.
Ayako heaved a sigh from behind her as silence reigned once more.
"Now," Mai continued with barely mustered bravado after taking a scalding sip of coffee, "Charles, I have to ask, when this happened to you previously, were you happening to be thinking about leaving?"
Charles lifted his eyes to her from where he sat at one of the couches, hands clasped together between his knees, looking like a resigned child while his parents fought over his head. He frowned in thought while his gaze grew distant, thinking back far into his years as the caretaker, before he offered her a hesitant nod. Realization dawned upon his face and among the rest of the team.
"I think we can all guess then that this is a direct response to our decision last night," Mai said and lifted a finger to her chin while her mind raced to connect the ever-shifting dots of the case. "Whatever is doing all this obviously wants people to stay and based on last night, it's willing to kill to make it happen. Last night I dreamt that some of those present in the ballroom before Florence's death had planned on leaving. Based on everything we know so far, we can assume it is all connected. I believe that Florence and all the other guests are being held here against their will by what's doing this."
The room was filled with the thoughtful silence of those present while the camera set up in the corner of the room from day one continued to record.
"It makes sense," John admitted after a moment, his gentle voice sliding through the silence soothingly.
"I have an idea of who we might be dealing with," Naru added quietly as he turned away from the window wearing the clinically cold yet serene expression he had perfected throughout his life.
"You can't possibly think . . ." Monk challenged before he trailed off with the slightest of scowls.
"Some of us are in the dark here," Jenna spoke up with the barest hints of annoyance in her voice.
Naru strode across the room and lifted his black notebook from the table, allowing it to fall open in his hand, and pulled forth the paper that Yasuhara had printed out upon Mai's request. Mai herself struggled to maintain her composure but a small blush rose to her cheeks as she crossed her arms after setting her cup back down on the trolley.
"We discovered earlier that Florence Wicks had a twin named Irene," Naru lifted the creased paper for all to see between two fingers before he dropped it atop the coffee table for those who had gathered around. "Irene died of tuberculosis a year prior to this building's reconstruction. After her death, Florence was named the head of the Wicks Company, the main producer and distributor of scented candles, perfumes, and oils for decades. Naturally, the company went bankrupt and the remaining funds were squandered on Florence's social life, however, Florence never recovered from the loss of her twin and took her own life. After which, the guests of that night's event were all found dead the next day."
"I don't see how this points to the culprit," Monk grumbled with crossed arms.
"Florence believed in the occult," Naru continued as smooth as silk. "Records state that she held several séances here in an attempt to reach out to her sister. It is not too far of a leap to believe that Irene had been contacted and had spent the remainder of Florence's life attempting to keep her company."
"You think Irene was trying to comfort Florence and that manifested into making sure she was never alone by holding people against their will, even in the afterlife?" John summarized.
Naru snapped his notebook shut in answer and dropped it onto the monitor table behind him before crossing his arms. He leaned back against the table silently while the rest fell into quiet contemplation.
Mai reached to reclaim her coffee and took a sip while the words circled about her brain and settled awkwardly on her shoulders. While it was a logical conclusion and one she herself would have come to if she had been reading about the case on paper, it did not sound right to her ears. Why then, had she only dreamed of Florence and the guests present in the ballroom? Why was it not Irene's presence that she had latched on to? On any case that Mai had worked, her dreams pieced together the past of the spirit responsible for the haunting through several perspectives, until the truth was revealed. And why was Gene missing but not in any sort of distress that Mai could pick up on?
Monk groaned from where he sat at the bank of monitors next to Lin and ran a hand across his face.
"What do you think, Mai?" Yasuhara spoke up from a couch, breaking the tension for a moment, while all eyes turned to her curiously.
Mai grimaced and almost leaned back onto the trolley before it slid away under her weight and she chose to sit on the chaise lounge instead. She gripped her coffee between two hands while she mulled over how exactly to phrase the vague feelings of her intuition so that all would understand. Naru had turned his eyes back to the window while they waited for her response and Mai wondered just how much he was repressing, compartmentalizing, and shoving his own feelings to the side. His own twin had been taken from his life and was left to wander the spirit plane in search of a medium who could assist. Gene was still lingering and Mai herself worried he would one day fall prey to the negativity around him and his mind would warp. Mai felt, at that moment, that perhaps he was projecting onto Florence and Irene.
"Well," she began haltingly, but it seemed she didn't need to say more because those of SPR heaved frustrated sighs.
"Listen, guys," she stuttered while her cheeks turned pink, "Just because it feels wrong doesn't mean that the theory isn't correct. It could just be a small detail that is throwing my intuition off."
"Mai," Naru muttered with an edge of exasperation.
Mai winced and dropped her eyes to the coffee resting on her knees, biting her lip before she heaved a sigh. "I don't think it's Irene," she admitted sheepishly.
"Back to the drawing board," Ayako grumbled from where she stood. She turned her attention to her red nails while the others fell into silence once more.
"I should mention, we are still trapped," Yasuhara added.
"This sucks," Monk muttered.
Lin was once more typing on his computer while the camera crew looked at each other, equally concerned but wondering how the SPR team would continue. It was obvious the only way they would be getting out was if they chose to break a window. But the question of what they would do after that had yet to even be asked. It was doubtful the team would just give up but given that they weren't making any headway it was seeming more and more like they had no other option. JSPR had once thrown in the card on a case and BSPR had read through the report with growing horrification as the details were laid out in the clinical report provided by Lin. The only way they could defeat the demon that was Urado was to burn the house to the ground.
"We'll get the doors open then continue as planned," Naru cut in coolly, "If we are unable to resolve this by the afternoon we'll get a hotel and come back in the morning."
"We can always smash another window," Charles offered with a nervous chuckle.
"No need," Naru assured the old caretaker confidently, "We came in through the front door and we will leave through the front door."
"Noll," Lin barked in a warning. His typing had come to a stop and he raised his eyes to his charge in challenge.
"Yeah, Big Boss, we can always just throw Monk at the door. You know he is the best when it comes to breaking down doors," Yasuhara chirped while the others shook their heads. Even if Monk was the best at breaking through any obstacle, the front doors were nearly fifteen feet in height and made of solid wood.
"Has anyone considered just removing the hinges?" Avery piped in curiously and set his camera down on the coffee table carefully.
Charles hummed in thought, "I suppose we could do that, but it would require an entire team of professionals to do so without getting hurt or damaging the property further. Glass can always be replaced but those doors are older than me."
"From what Charles has told us, once the seal is broken the rest crumbles, so we could easily just break a window and then open the front door," Masako murmured through the sleeve of her kimono.
It was obvious Naru was growing just as frustrated with the situation and Mai had no doubt that his want to break down the door was an attempt at vindication. A moment of bravado that would send a message to the entity itself. A hotel would be best, she decided after a moment's thought, if anything it would allow Naru the opportunity to clear his head. She needed to find Gene above all else as she believed the absence of the more jovial of the two twins was severely impairing his judgment.
"Fine," Naru conceded, "We'll break a window, then I want Yasuhara and Madoka to go into town and secure a couple of hotel rooms. We'll begin the cleansing in the meantime. I want the camera crew to follow each member and document their work and to also be on hand should an emergency arise."
All those present nodded in understanding.
Jenna turned to Avery with a quirked brow. It was their first time dealing with something so serious and possibly dangerous and she was a little doubtful of what they would experience. As much as she loved the world of the paranormal she was still a skeptic at heart and believed the sealed doors and windows could easily be explained by humidity and rusty locks. The Seance could just have easily been acting. But she could not explain away the bruises on Mai's neck.
Avery met her questioning gaze with a somber expression.
Monk chose a window in one of the ground-floor sitting rooms that looked out over the front lawn. It was with a dangerous grin that he lifted a metal folding chair, brought with them in the second van, and threw it through the glass. The window shattered in a satisfying shower of shards that crumbled onto the grass outside uselessly. Those in the room with him, and those back at base, looked to the ceilings with growing discomfort as the house seemed to groan in protest. There were no wind or temperature fluctuations outside to explain that one away, Jenna had noted quietly.
Madoka and Yasuhara were able to leave through the front door easily enough after that and bid the rest of the team goodbye with slightly forced but jaunty waves.
Back at base, those that remained gathered to devise an attack plan.
"Ayako," Naru began once they had all been seated at the table and the camera crew had set up around them, "Are the trees in this area sufficient?"
Ayako frowned, hair fixed and resting against her back elegantly, and sighed. "I sense that they are old and pure but I'll admit I've never called upon the tree spirits of another country. I'm willing to try, but there is a chance they will not answer," she advised begrudgingly.
Naru nodded curtly and turned his gaze to Monk who offered him a thumbs up, "I shouldn't have a problem."
"Then we will allow John to take the lead and if he is unsuccessful, Takigawa will have a chance, followed by Ayako," Naru concluded with crossed arms as he leaned back in his chair. "In the meantime. . ." he trailed off and looked to Mai with that blank face of his that still managed to be imploring.
Mai swallowed, her throat dry, but nodded after a moment of hesitation. She caught Masako's eye and the other medium shook her head sadly. While they both felt for the spirits trapped, they were beginning to understand that what they were dealing with was far more sinister than the average haunting, especially if it was capable of killing an entire room full of people.
Avery and Jenna stayed in base, along with Lin, while the rest filed out to watch John's exorcising. It was a bit strange, given that she had only had a handful of dreams after a week of struggling with the case, and she was only just now truly settling down for a nap with far more intentions than rest. She was going to learn all that she could while searching out the memories of those trapped within the property even if it killed her because her frustration was quickly morphing into anger. Which did not bode well for the rest of the team if even she was at her wit's end.
She could hear the distant voice of John as he walked the halls, his exact words muffled to her ears, but steady enough that she knew he was reciting from the bible. Lin's chair creaked as he leaned forward to watch on the monitors. Jenna sighed quietly but it was enough for Mai to catch while she lay across one of the old couches. Avery had offered her a blanket and Mai pulled it up over her shoulder against the chill of the room. A part of her wished the chill was due to paranormal activity just so they could get more information.
Mai scoffed quietly at the thought and rolled over to push her face into the back cushions of the couch and pull the blanket up to her ear. Rocco shifted from where he lay on the floor next to the couch as if to guard her against any who might dare to draw near. The sunlight streaming in through the window grazed her bare feet and warmed them pleasantly while she eased her breathing and attempted to lure herself into a zen state so that sleep could claim her. But her nerves felt jumpy like electricity was buzzing beneath her skin, and it felt as if people were shuffling all about the room around her.
Jenna and Avery were sitting on the adjacent couch looking over her tablet while a camera was set up to watch Mai while she slept, and Lin was at the monitors.
Her body grew heavy as time passed and she silently cheered, knowing sleep was getting ready to claim her. Like coaxing a stray dog to her side with scraps of food she waited patiently to fall into a dream
Yet Mai heard feet on the carpet and the swish of fabric and the distant sound of panicked whispers.
The whispers grew into a crescendo while she attempted to drift but she was unable to make out the words. .
She could hear the distant sound of someone sobbing.
Then someone cried out in pain.
Someone ran into the room in a panic but she heard no one else react while the person crouched down next to Mai with a rustle of fabric and gasping breaths.
"I told you to leave," she whispered in her ear waspishly, her breath tickling the shell of her ear as it sent stray wisps of hair fluttering, and Mai sat up with a gasp just as Rocco let out a warning bark.