Quote Originally Posted by Shieldbearer View Post
Alright, time to do what I protected 83. Lora the Kirlia for and talk to her, intimidating as I may look to her. In hindsight, I think I can see why Carmin watches me so closely. If we were a little more biologically compatible and if we didn't have Stalkers to worry about, though, I'd consider asking them out on a date, though. And I'm not afraid to say it out loud in idle chit chat before we get down to business.
In addition to the standard fare (what do they know about the Stalkers, anything that could help, yadda yadda), I need to ask if she knows who the Stalkers could aim for this night - maybe she's noticed a pattern or something.


That, and I'd appreciate actually protecting effectively for once...

Hm... The Kirlia and Gothitelle both live in the same place, right? If I'm lucky, maybe I can interview 84. Carmin the Gothitelle at the same time as I do this... But that's likely just wishful thinking on my part.
Interview Rapport: NEUTRAL, INTIMIDATING
Intimidation +1 Interviewee weak to Steel

Lora is at Innocuous Investigations when you find her, but she doesn't see you through the window. When you knock hesitantly on the door and then open it to come inside, a Tranquil stares you in the face.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asks quickly while holding a bunch of papers awkwardly in her wings. You shake your head but state that you are here to speak with Lora, and the dual type nods, telling you to follow her into an office which you can see she shares with Lora.

The Kirlia looks up from her desk, eyes wide when she meets gazes with you. "Big guy!" she exclaims, standing up. "You--don't mind if I call you that, right?" She rounds her desk and stands close to you, bending a tiny bit to meet your eye level. "Thank you for protecting me for the past two nights," she says, giving a small smile. "It's been a little scary since those Stalkers arrived, I admit, but you can't be too fearful!"

Queloon, Lora's firm partner, leaves the room as the two of you begin discussing the Stalkers. Lora retrieves a file and opens it up.

"I haven't got all that much time today to stay and chat, so we're going to have to make this brief. I hope that's okay," she adds, although it doesn't look like she's giving you much of a choice. After you tell her of the information Pormalu was able to provide you with, she gives a few nods. "The police...don't know as much as we do," she admits, a little wary to be saying such things around an Emissary. However, she seems confident enough with you, given that you've offered your time during the past two nights to keep her from harm. You suspect that she doesn't care that you have a type advantage. "My team works around the clock to get this sort of information, but our main priority has to be our clients."

"Do you know about Uru Sapling? The Sudowoodo who survived an attack by Extol, the crazy, obsessive male killer?" she wonders. "I know that he was doing research on her before he was targeted... So the only conclusion that my team and I could draw from that is that this 'Extol' Stalker found out what he was doing and thought that disabling his research would stop it from becoming exposed." She brought up another piece of paper from the file, showing it to you. "A few of my team members have gone to visit him in an effort to get him to talk, but it hasn't worked so well. We haven't had a chance to speak with Mahyen Sapling, his mate, but maybe you could?" She shuffled through her papers again. "If it helps, Uru worked at Valcon Glassworks. You might find something there."

"Embalm you know about, Philter you know about..." She scans through more papers, leaning against her desk. "We're not sure why they kill, exactly. Their victims tend to be random, unlike Extol, who has only ever targeted grown male Pokémon. "Depredation, you know about... Eleven Stalkers? Guess you know that too."

"Ooh! Here's something you'll find interesting: Annul shows signs of a struggle; we believe the host wants to break free from the Stalker, and the same appears to apply to Philter. The concept freaks me out, being chained to this unholy entity with no hope to escape...being forced to kill. And then there are the hosts that like their newfound powers. We've also come to speculate that the powers given to the hosts can be normally impossible for the host to perform. For instance, we don't believe Philter is a Grass-type, but that doesn't mean the only other conclusion is that the host can create illusions through their regular elemental powers. We believe Enthrallers can have their own powers."

"Long, long ago, there were reports of Stalkers in another, far off land. It was so long ago that nobody knows which history sources are accurate, but one thing was for sure: they were simpler Enthrallers. They didn't pass on these gruesome powers. I'm not saying they all have them, but don't go targeting Psychic-types just because some of us are capable of conjuring illusions." She gives you a stern but friendly look.

"We know there's a Stalker obsessed with the Seven Sins. I know, it sounds terribly derivative, but this Stalker is no joke. It kills people based off a sin if believes they committed, brands them with masks, then carves the name of the sin into a body part... We don't know anything more about this Stalker other than its method of killing."

"The final method we know of definitively is the, uh...Poser. This Stalker...poses its victims while they're paralysed and then slits them down their centre. They die of various causes: blood loss, organ failure, heart attacks, and all of them remain frozen in place until someone touches them. Sometimes the victims have been strung up so that even after their bodies go limp, they remain as they were posed. We...refer to this one as the Poser. That's not its actual name, though."

"You've heard everything there is to say about the others, but..." She holds your eyes for a moment, trying to convey seriousness in a way that you imagine isn't common for her. "I have to warn you to be careful. Be careful of them all, but above all else, be careful of Nightlust. This Stalker is the most dangerous of them all, able to kill its victims without even touching them. Penelope, the elderly Aurorus who was killed two nights ago..." Lora squeezes her eyes closed for a second. "She was...so lovely. A librarian her whole life who never dealt anyone harm. She wasn't a helpless old Pokémon, though; she never took any nonsense, but...that didn't stop her from becoming a victim of Nightlust. It doesn't need to touch its victims; it ravages and shreds their sanity, destroying their minds... Drowning, burning and suffocating in your own worst nightmare."

The Kirlia shudders, trying to push the image of the old librarian's grotesque expression from her mind as she rights herself and tries to smile at you.

"That's all the time I have for today," she explains. "My team and I work just as hard as the police force, and if you ever want to learn how to investigate, do let me know. Each time you investigate someone, it'll take a whole day and night, but the results will be worth it, I promise." She rounds her desk and opens a drawer as you watch, then comes back around to you with something in her hand. She plants a sticker on your shield, then shows you the rest of the sheet. On each sticker, it has Innocuous Investigations' logo.

She smiles as Queloon walks back in and has a look at the sticker on your forehead. "Looks good on him, Lora!" she chuckles, moving to her desk.

"I'll see you later, Aurimas. I hope you learned what you were after!" Lora says, waving to you as you exit the building. You feel like this information has been extremely useful, and you're glad you went to see her after all.


Aurimas the Bastiodon (M: Rock/Steel)
Health: 5/5
Sanity: 4/4
Perk: Diplomacy | Learned Abilities: Escort/Protect
Failed Assassinations: 0/2