WEEK 4

[bathymetric]

Another trial, another week, and still you're probably running lower on answers than you'd like. And on people - you lost three since last Sunday. By the end of this week, you'll have been here for nearly a full month, yet still the days crawl on.

You wake up Sunday, again with no memory of Saturday, but this time with a simple message on your devices: You may resume requesting items, if you like. Enjoy. Guess it really was just a stealth motive after all, but at least it's being communicated that it's over! That's something, at least.

And when you leave your rooms on Sunday, there's another new area to explore! This one is... certainly more ambitious in its construction than the last one, to say the least. But hey, you have a pretty neat place to host parties, if you feel so inclined! That's... fun...

Hey, you gotta find the fun in situations like this where you can! Silver linings, right?



SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[ ooc: Welcome to Week 4! Remember to turn in AC here, threads for regain coins here, and if you feel so inclined you can visit Angel's office hours over here! ]

Comments

[snackooed]

Oh, you mean that voice filter he uses? Not with one-hundred percent accuracy.

[ There's a glint in her eyes here, actually... ]

What he's actually doing there is he's speaking into a device that adds distortion to his voice, and lets him change the pitch and tone of it, too. These "voice changers" can be either extremely simple or incredibly sophisticated, depending on exactly what the person is trying to use it for. You'll often see it used for disguise, but some are so advanced that you can make yourself convincingly sound like someone of the opposite sex.

However, even if two different people used one of these voice changers, it's impossible to make it so that their voices sound completely and totally identical. But, but, it is very possible to make them sound convincing enough that, to a normal listener, they come from the same speaker. Do you remember how I told you that we have photograph specialists and the like at the forensics lab? Well, we also have audio forensic experts, who specialize in reconstructing crime scenes and identifying speakers and sounds based on what we call their acoustic fingerprints. They enhance quiet sounds like whispers and footsteps, and carefully note who's talking and what's being said...

[bolderfell]

So... basically, it's possible. Since none of us knows how to do... what you just said. At least, not without the right tools. Right?

[snackooed]

Exactly. I'd need some kind of audio analysis software to be able to compare the two voices closely enough, but without that, it's very possible, with a voice-changer that was of a good enough quality.

[bolderfell]

Then who's to say the Professor we talk to from one day to the next is ever the same guy? Or that he's the man who took care of Angel before now?

[snackooed]

Unless we somehow managed to quiz him, I'd say there's pretty much no way to be one-hundred percent certain at this point. As of now, there's no way to completely rule out the idea that there are multiple people behind that screen, at that outside facility.

[bolderfell]

[Therion chews on that idea for a while.]

...Think it's at all likely?

[snackooed]

I think the involvement of multiple people at the head of the operation seems probable, but multiple people claiming to be the same person? I wonder why they would need to go that far...

[bolderfell]

[He quickly scribbles a string of small letters after his uppercase Α.

Angel?]

At least one person behind that screen knows how to run a con. [Looks like Therion's been doing some criminal research of his own.] We may not be the only ones getting tricked.

[snackooed]

[ Ema just nods and adjusts her glasses, hoping to relay that she got the message. ]

Heard. Moving forward, I think we should keep an ear out for the way he addresses us. Look for any discrepancies in the way that he talks from day to day. Even if we can't go by a voice, we can go by clues in his speech. It's a bit of a long con, but we only need to catch one or two slips.

[bolderfell]

...Ugh. Might be harder than we expect. Outside of the meeting room, the regular announcements, and the trials--and when that Damien guy attacked Angel--I think I've only heard of him sending print messages. Through the devices, I mean.

[snackooed]

I'm really hoping that we won't have to deal with another trial, but, if we do...well, let's take care to note anything he says or any quirks in his speech that can't be easily replicated. After that, we can at least tackle it with a frame of reference. It's not much, but it's worth looking into, if the opportunity presents itself.

[bolderfell]

Guess I'll keep my ears open. You've got enough to do at the trials already.

[snackooed]

You say that as if you don't contribute too, Therion. You're important to the team, you know...

[bolderfell]

[He... flinches? Recoils? Something.]

I doubt that.

[snackooed]

You doubt it? You're a helpful investigator, and you've more than shown that you know how to quickly apply information you've learned to a task at hand.

[ She can't help but smile at him. ]

If I needed someone here to help me in a pinch, you'd be one of the first I'd turn to. You've got a good head on your shoulders.

[bolderfell]

[It's the stupid kind of thing Alfyn would say, or Cyrus. Like it doesn't even matter how he typically applies those talents. Like it's a given he's part of something. Ema smiles at him and matter-of-factly praises his skills, and it sends warmth and dread in equal measure swirling through his gut.

She hasn't phrased it in a way he can easily parry, this insinuation she trusts his judgment. Or trusts him.]

I'm still a thief, you know.

[snackooed]

That may be, but thief or no, I've never seen you as anything less than my ally. And you've never given me any reason to, on top of that. Your help is valuable to me. Your opinion, too.

[ She seems pretty firm on that, too. ]

And I'm sure I'm not the only one here who feels that way.

[bolderfell]

[For a while longer, he keeps staring at her. Finally, he sinks a little lower into the cushions and pulls his scarf up almost all the way to his nose.]

...There's really no changing your minds, huh. That blind faith could get you killed.

[snackooed]

Not until you give me reason to, at the very least. Like I said, so far, you haven't. I doubt you will. I consider myself to be a pretty decent judge of character, after all.

But it's not blind faith. I just don't like getting stuck in that loop of bad "what if"s. It's never done anything good for me, not when I've had to do the opposite to get out of all of my toughest jams.

[bolderfell]

[This time, he does pull his scarf up over his entire face. And groans.]

It's like talking to Alfyn damned Greengrass. Just... keep some guard up, all right? If that's even possible for you.

[snackooed]

Hey now, I do work for the police, you know! And if you're comparing me to someone, they had better be cool, at the very least! I won't accept you saying that I'm like someone lame or boring!

[ Is that where her priorities are? ]

[bolderfell]

[He pauses meaningfully.]

...You'd like him, at any rate.

[Can't catch him calling Alfyn "cool."]

[snackooed]

W-way to dodge my question!

[ She can't help but puff out her cheeks and turn away... ]

That tells me all I need to know, you know!

[bolderfell]

[He chuckles in spite of himself, barely peeking over his scarf.]

You would, though. And he'd like you. He'd have you talking all day about your science work, and he'd grasp a lot more of it, too. Though I'll thank you not to tell him I said that.

[snackooed]

My lips are sealed. Though I will say, you grasp plenty. More than I think you give yourself credit for, in any event. Especially considering that I know I use a lot of tough terminology...

[ Maybe she should be a little more sheepish about that... ]