Been a while but here we are on the next chapter where Mephiles has a talk with Para on what he is up to.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this
The Dark Among Us Episode 2 Smoke and Mirrors Chapter 1
Para's Interrogation
It was in the afternoon as Mephiles and Crane made their way into the Emeralds apartment building and went down to the basement. We see that Para was in a room restrained to a chair. Inside with him was a grey skinned man with red hair and beared, he wore a black suit with matching gauntlets, he was Ganondorf, a resident of the Emeralds and one with a sketchy reputation.
Since the Exodus, Ganondorf was one who was able to adapt well to the new world, even traded in his original outfit for a more business suit like appearance, but he was just as ruthless which is shown as Para has some light bruising and blood on his mouth and on his outfit from Ganondorf's interrogation methods.
"That's not a good enough answer, is it?" Ganonodorf said as he was cleaning his knife "Come on, just tell me what I want to know. It will make things a lot less painful for you…in theory."
"Oh, I see, were you planning on using that? Here I was thinking you really liked rubbing your little Master Sword." Para said with a smirk.
"You ignorant little…!" Ganondorf said in anger as he grabs Para and holds the knife to his neck but luckily for Para that was when Crane and Mephiles came in.
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Crane asked Ganondorf annoyed.
"Hello Johnathan. Sheriff." Ganondorf said calming down.
"Ganondorf." Mephiles said arms folded.
Ganondorf lets Para go and backs off as he explained "I was just chatting with our new friend."
"You were supposed to wait for us to get back!" Crane told him still annoyed while Mephiles closes the door. "I told you, if you want to be involved, you will do things my way. No violence."
"Whatever you say, Johnathan." Ganondorf said as he goes to lean on a wall.
Mephiles walks up to Para. The Paradox Brother grins looking up to him and said "Hello, Mephiles."
"I want answers, Para." Mephiles told him firmly.
"Oh that is good, I thought you wanted questions, and I was having so much trouble thinking of any good ones." Para said smugly and adds smirking "Though I settled on, 'How's you head?'"
"You see what I've been dealing with?" Ganondorf told the two "What are you going to do about this Mephiles?"
"Shh!" Crane told Ganondorf to let Mephiles do his job.
Mephiles decided not to let Para's taunting get to him and keep his anger managed and said "It's been better, but we're not here to talk about me. Blaze the Cat is dead."
"Look, I didn't kill anyone." Para told him.
"And I'm supposed to just believe you?" Mephiles asked him.
"You were with me when it happened dummy." Para said grinning.
"I still have questions for you, Para." Mephiles told him.
"That sounds like a personal problem." Para said shrugging.
"This is ridiculous." Ganondorf said rolling his eyes.
"Let him work. He's got more experience with these kinds of things." Crane told Ganondorf.
Mephiles had a lot he wanted to ask but starts by asking "Why were you at Bowser's place?"
"Looking for a change of scenery. Thought I might move in." Para said smiling but struggles in the bindings of the chair. "Had to take a look around first, of course. Make sure everything was up to code and all that. It looked alright, except for this big hole in the wall. Might get drafty." He smirks.
Mephiles knew he was trying to goed him, but he left him be, he figured letting Para talk his mouth off, he'd eventually slip up. But he also had ideas to get him to lower his guard and actually say something useful as he punches his hand "Alright Para, let's get to know each other." He then turns and pulls out the picture of Blaze's head and looks at it while turning back to face Para.
"What is it you have there?" Para asked curious, Mephiles then shows it to him, and he said in shock "Geez, Mephiles. Don't make me look at that." He does his best to look away "Just put that away. Please. I don't want to see that."
"This is why we're here. Someone killed this woman, and we need to know who." Mephiles told him.
"I get it, I do. But I can't tell you what I don't know." Para said to him.
Mephiles takes the photo and puts it away. He then asked "Just tell me what you were doing at Bowser's place."
"Look, Mephiles. We're not on opposite sides here." Para began saying "My brother and I are trying to get to the bottom of things, same as you." He smiles.
Mephiles thinks and grins as he said "Your brother…" Para's eyes widen realizing he just slipped up. "Where was he last night?"
"I can't say…. he could've been anywhere." Para said recovering.
"Take your best guess." Ganondorf told him.
"He didn't do it, if that's what you're thinking." Para told the three of them.
"Then where is he?" Mephiles asked him.
"No, I'm not sending you after my brother." Para said glaring. "Look, I answered your question. Can I get my stuff back now?"
"What did you find on him?" Mephiles asked Crane.
"Oh, ah…nothing of consequence, to be honest." Crane said as he picks up a box with Para's things and empties it out onto a tray on the nearby bed. What it contained was a bottle of booze, a cigar and a large wad of cash.
Mephiles picks up the cash and said, "You always carry this much cash?"
"I've got a lot of laundry to do this week. What's it to you?" Para just said in response but said glaring "I better get that back." As much as Mephiles wanted to spite him he just throws the money back onto the tray.
"So where's your brother?" Mephiles asked him.
"Look, my friend. I'd like to help, I would, but I can't tell you where he is." Para said talking "Last time, I saw him, we split up, and I went to find Jade's…" He managed to stop himself and began to say "I don't know where he is now. But he didn't kill anybody. Just leave him out of this."
"You went to find Jade's what?" Mephiles asked wanting Para to finish what he was saying.
"Her apartment." Para said doing shifty eyes "I went to her apartment. That's no secret. You saw me."
"No, there's more to it." Ganondorf speaks up "You said you were trying to find something."
Para gulps nervous he really slipped up. Mephiles folds his arms saying "All right, Para. What did you want from Jade?"
"Sorry, I can't help you. I'm not saying any more about it." Para told him. Mephiles eyes the strap restraints on the chair and he asked "You mind loosening those? I can barely feel my fingers" He struggles. Mephiles nods and loosens the straps, something Ganondorf shakes his head at. "Ahhh, that's better." Para said content.
"Look, Mephiles. This isn't going to work." Ganondorf said in low voice approaching the hedgehog. "Don't you want to find out what happened to those girls….to Blaze?"
"Let me handle this." Mephiles said sighing, Ganondorf just moves back. Mephiles then approaches Para and said "Come on, Para. What did you want from Jade? A sweet girl like her…"
"Sweet? You think that girl was sweet?" Para said with a laugh. "She was a no good thief. Really sweet? Jade was plenty of things, but that ain't one of them. I mean, you know what she did for a living, right?"
"You still seem pretty mad about it?" Mephiles said smiling.
"Heck, I'm not bothered. Wasn't me she stole from." Para admits "Nah, she took something from my boss."
"Your boss…" Ganondorf said with a slight smirk, Para's eyes widened as he realised he just slipped up again.
"So, let's talk about your boss then." Mephiles said as now they were getting somewhere.
"You're going to get me in trouble Mephiles. I can't answer any more of your questions." Para told him.
Mephiles looks at Para's belongs and picks up the bottle and sees that it's whisky and opens it while saying "You just carry this around?"
"Always handy that way." Para said proudly. Mephiles sniffs it while thinking.
"I'm not sure this is really working…" Crane said in a low voice.
"Let's see where this goes." Ganondorf suggests.
Mephiles then offers Para the whisky to drink. Para surprised and off put said "Couldn't hurt I suppose." He takes a sip and swallows it.
Mephiles puts the bottle down and said "Why don't you just tell me who you're working for?
"Look. You're not a bad guy, despite what Belle says about you." Para said with a grin "At least you're not a horrible monster, anyway. But I just can't give you that information."
"There's no way Belle would associate with a piece of scum like you." Mephiles said with a glare.
"What's wrong with me? You're telling me, I ain't pretty enough?" Para said to that smirking "Yeah, we're real close." Mephiles wanted to choke him but held back and just let him talk.
"I thought this was supposed to be a murder investigation, but you're treating this guy like a damn houseguest!" Ganondorf said at his wits end.
"Ganondorf!" Crane said trying to stop him.
"You're not getting any answers from him this way." Ganondorf told Mephiles "Blaze the Cat is dead. One of us! And you're going to get this ignorant jerk walk out of here in one piece?" He shoves Mephiles aside "Out of my way, I'll show you how it's done." He grabs Para and punches him in the gut.
"Ah…fu…what the heck!" Para groans in pain
"What do you think you're doing?" Crane asked in anger.
"Teaching him a lesson. Now pay attention." Ganondorf said smirking at Para and punches him in the face.
"Stop this right now!" Crane told Ganondorf.
"You enjoying yourself?" Para said to Ganondorf in pained anger.
"Immensely." Ganondorf said smirking and punches Para again,
"Stop! What the heck do you think you're doing?" Mephiles yells at Ganondorf as he grabs him and pulls him off of Para.
Ganondorf then punches Mephiles and grabs him and held him against the wall as the two struggle. Just then the door opens and a figure walks in.
Crane's eyes widen as he said in shock "Blaze…"
Indeed the figure who walked in was Blaze the Cat, alive and well. She then asked annoyed "What's going one down here?"
Para looked just as surprised, he too thought Blaze was dead. Ganondorf let's go of Mephiles and the two look at the purple cat in surprise.
"Blaze?" Mephiles said confused. If she was alive, then who is the Blaze that was killed.
A while later Mephiles and Blaze were walking up the stairs to the ground floor. Blaze was still looking annoyed.
"What the heck was going on down there, Mephiles?" Blaze asked him as they stop in the main lobby by the sleeping Ralph "Abusing a prisoner like that…I thought you could control yourself."
"I didn't lay a hand on him. You can ask Crane and he'll vouch for me and that is saying something coming from me." Mephiles told her "I wanted to do things the right way, but Ganondorf had other ideas. I tried to stop him, Blaze."
"Yeah." Blaze said sighing and goes to the lift.
As they wait for the lift Mephiles said "You really scared us. If we'd just known, you weren't actually dead…"
"I was working on this case." Blaze told him and explained "After our conversation in the taxi last night, I got a call from Bowser. He said his son found a body. We thought it was Jade's at the time…Getting her back here wasn't easy, but hopefully we'll find something on her to help us track down the killer. Or at least to figure out who she is. If it's not Jade's body under some disguise magic."
"I'm glad you took care of things." Mephiles said softly as the elevator arrives and they both get on.
"Thanks." Blaze said with a smile. She hits the button for the floor they're heading to and stands quietly with Mephiles.
"Blaze…" Mephiles said.
"Yes?" Blaze asked.
Mephiles was unsure what to say so just said "I'm glad you're not dead."
"Me too." Blaze said with a nod and smile and sighs "I just want to get to the bottom of this." They arrive at the floor and get off "I just feel like…"
"What is it?" Mephiles asked concerned.
"I just…" Blaze said and thinks "I feel responsible, in a way. She looked just like me. Maybe that's why she was killed."
"Blaze it's not your fault." Mephiles said to her.
"But she looked just like me." Blaze told him. "That can't be a coincidence. We just have to find out who did this. And why she was glimmered to look like me…I mean, that's what it is, right?" Mephiles nods not too many cat mobions around and if it was Jade's body, Jade's head would also have been affected. "So, what's our next move?"
"We just keep doing what we've been doing." Mephiles said simply. "We do our jobs."
"And I'm supposed to do what?" Blaze asked stopping by the door to the Business Office and looking at him "Sit around the Business Office twiddling my thumbs? Waiting for the Dark Solarian Hedgehog to solve all my problems? Because that's what my job is right now."
"That's not what I meant." Mephiles told her.
"Then what did you mean? I told you, I'm tired of sitting around!" Blaze said firmly "I'm not going to be an errand cat for Crane anymore!
"I just want you to be careful." Mephiles said to her "I almost lost you once…"
"I'm not yours to lose!" Blaze told him. Mephiles looks down and Blaze sees the hurt in his eyes and realized she went too far and said "I'm sorry. I know it's dangerous, but I'm not helpless. I can take care of myself. I've been doing it for a long time."
Mephiles nods understanding.
Before they went in Blaze told him "Bowser Jr. is waiting inside. He was so freaked out last night, he wouldn't tell us much. Even now, he just stops talking altogether after a certain point. He's pretty shaken up, so try not to be too…you know."
"I can handle the kid." Mephiles said, he knows he has a reputation but geez he knows how not to be intimidating to children.
"Okay." Blaze said and opened the door and the two go in.
Well the mystery deepens who is the Blaze that was killed, time to figure that out.
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