Credentials accepted. Welcome, Counselor.
Reminder of Patient Confidentiality: RPC-886's files are private and confidential like any other site employee undergoing psychiatric counseling. Unless for security purposes, information within interview logs are to be considered confidential and not for public dissemination. Leakage of information will be dealt with as a standard breach of confidentiality.
| Registered Phenomena Code: | 886 |
| Birth name: | Shiomi-No-Sae |
| Birth date: | Unknown, estimated late Edo (early 1800s) |
| Country of origin: | Japan |
| Security Clearance Level: | 1 |
| Site Occupation: | Cook, Security, Anomalous Enhancement |
| Primary Oldham Personality Type: | Devoted |
Summary
While initially shaken by the abrupt reunion with its sibling, RPC-886 has recovered and displayed psychological improvement in receiving confirmation that it is not the very last of its species. Despite this, it now considers itself having significantly deviated into an outcast from the rest of its kind, and in turn highly reluctant in reuniting with them. This mentality is not to be reinforced, but neither is it to be directly discouraged.
Cross-interaction with RPC-867 produced favorable results.
RPC-886 has made gradual improvements in its mental condition ever since counseling began. It has come to uneasy terms with the disappearance of its kin, while adamant in maintaining a small amount of hope that they might return one day. It is strongly recommended to allow RPC-886 to continue its daily activities and beneficial interactions within Site-089 to keep it stimulated, occupied and cooperative.
Psychological disorders:
Depression
Manifestation: Occasional moderate-severe drop in mood. Lethargy, prioritizes sleeping over other active duties.
Cause: Prolonged loneliness, isolation and uncertainty of own species' disappearance, including sibling.
Treatment: Standard counseling. To advise/encourage regular site personnel to interact positively with RPC-886 to help alleviate symptoms and promote a sense of wellbeing and belonging, which in turn promotes loyalty toward the Authority and suppresses any desire to breach containment.
Complex PTSD
Manifestation: Agitation and immediate anger on certain trigger conditions being met1, possibly escalating to direct assault of antagonizing factor via anomalous means. Occasional flashback of core traumatic event that may disrupt sleep. Possibility of distraught crying/hyperventilation during attacks.
Cause: Direct witnessing of atomic bombing of Hiroshima, including the consequence of remaining in Hiroshima for the following month to assist in relief efforts. See Interview Logs 4 and 5.
Treatment: PTSD counseling. For personnel to NOT speak trigger phrases within hearing distance of RPC-886.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Manifestation: Obsessive cleaning disorder on detection of fecal smells. Absolute intolerance for the presence of mosquitoes or flies. Will halt active tasks to intensely observe mosquitoes/flies before incinerating with anomalous pyrokinesis.
Cause: Voluntary work within Hiroshima Hospital under sub-par conditions. See Interview Log 5.
Treatment: While undergoing standard counseling, RPC-886's OCD has been alleviated by provision of scented candles, disinfectant and the generally clean environment of Site-089.
Cynophobia
Manifestation: Agitation and attempt to hide/escape upon detecting canine presence, intensifies with barking noises produced by canine personnel.
Cause: Allegedly innate/genetic trait of RPC-886's race.
Treatment: No plans to treat. Alongside standard security protocols, canine patrol unit to also serve as a final preventative measure from any attempts at containment breach.
Formal Interview Logs
Unless stated otherwise, interviews are carried out in Japanese.
Interviewed: RPC-886
Interviewer: Dr. Kawada Ippei
Foreword: Doctor Ippei performs a bow before seating beside RPC-886, laying in a patient bed. RPC-886 is in its humanoid form, heavily bandaged with a medicated IV drip running into the arm. Analgesic and antibiotic dosages are titrated based on RPC-886's vulpine species and body weight.
Dr. Ippei: Good evening. My name is Kawada Ippei. May I ask how you are feeling?
<RPC-886 averts its gaze and looks away silently.>
Dr. Ippei: Do you require food or drink or… do you wish for privacy?
<RPC-886 remains silent.>
Dr. Ippei: <Gets up, bows> I understand. I apologize. I shall take my leave.
RPC-886: <Low volume>…Why was I saved?
Dr. Ippei: Pardon me?
RPC-886: Why was I saved? I was going to die. I should have died. I have lived long enough. It is clear that I and my kind are no longer wanted nor needed.
Dr. Ippei: Forgive my disagreement, but you were observed to be fleeing from death. Those of us who were there to witness your desire to live made the swift decision to come to your rescue.
RPC-886: <Brief pause>…What are you going to do to me?
Dr. Ippei: We are not going to hurt you. Please understand. We are not the same as those who tried to hunt you. Please rest. We wish to talk and ask some questions of you, but for now please rest.
<End Log>
Interviewed: RPC-886
Interviewer: Dr. Yoshizawa Hinako
Foreword: Interview takes place in standard interview cell. RPC-886 is visibly improved in health, with minimal bandaging and visible gains in weight.
Dr. Hinako: And how are you feeling now, 886?
RPC-886: I am well, thank you. May I ask you to refer to me as Shiomi?
Dr. Hinako: Of course. My apologies, Shiomi.
RPC-886: Do not worry about it. Now I wish to ask: For today's set of questions you wish to gauge my desire to leave. Am I correct?
Dr. Hinako: I-I meant to say, we-
RPC-886: Say what you may, I can see it in your eyes. I am not young. You may be a wise elder among your peers but I, I have lived many, many lives before the era of your great-great-great grandparents. <RPC-886 narrows her gaze toward Dr. Hinako and strokes its tails slowly for emphasis.>
Dr. Hinako: I… Yes. That is one of several things that we would like to know.
RPC-886: Thank you for your honesty. For that I shall tell you this in exchange: I have no intention to leave.
Dr. Hinako: You do not wish to leave? How can we be certain of this?
RPC-886: My life was saved at a time where I believed I had lost everything, at a moment that I should have for all accounts perished. For proving me wrong, I am in debt. And I am no fool. I can see this place for what it is, but to me it shall be home, not prison. I accept that the wandering days of my previous life are over, and I am grateful it did not end as a violent death. If this place is to become my home, you need but do one thing.
Dr. Hinako: What is it?
RPC-886: Create a small shrine within my abode. Consider its creation and presence a spiritual dwelling for my being that shall bind me to this location for as long as it persists.
Dr. Hinako: This is very forthright of you, Shiomi. Very well, I shall have it discussed.
RPC-886: Thank you. Additionally, while I await that, is there a more mundane task that I may participate in contributing toward this place?
Dr. Hinako: I will ask around and see what can be done.
<End Log>
Closing Statement: After a discussion concluding in a vote of 7 to 4 (2 abstaining), a small roofless Hokora of dimensions 1x1x1m has been installed in RPC-886's cell; this includes a small wooden platform assembled beneath to elevate it by 50cm. RPC-886 has been supplied with additional materials (paper, wood, hemp rope) to construct its own tools and decorate the shrine as it sees fit. Discussion was more involved regarding the granting of a work position for an anomalous entity; probationary Security Clearance 1 was issued after a vote of 6 to 5 (2 abstaining). RPC-886 has volunteered for a position in the site cafeteria, citing past experience and pleasure in cooking.
Interviewed: RPC-886
Interviewer: Researcher Tomatsu Yujiro
Rsc. Yujiro: You said you were previously wandering, correct?
RPC-886: <Nods head> Yes, from the warm beaches of Kagoshima to the frigid shores of Hokkaido. A beautiful journey… a fruitless search.
Rsc. Yujiro: May we know what you were seeking?
RPC-886: My kin.
Rsc. Yujiro: Kin. Do you mean direct family, or all of your kind or any Yōkai in general?
RPC-886: My kind. <RPC-886 pauses momentarily and bows her head in thought.> Once upon a time I was part of a large family. We lived right around the corner of the human world, barely out of sight. Zenko or Yako2, aiding or tricking humans, we still loved and looked after one another. Dancing, singing and playing among Yōkai and humans alike. Happier times.
Rsc. Yujiro: What happened?
RPC-886: I… don't know. One day old fox Hakishi didn't come back. We thought he moved under a noble's manor for good, drinking and eating away with a Nūrihyon's impunity. Then another one of us never came back. Then another, and another until all was left was me and my sister. Mishio…
Rsc. Yujiro: She was the last to vanish.
RPC-886: You must understand. We were the only two remaining and were terrified of losing each other. We swore not to stray beyond each other's reach! Then one day I woke up from sleep and… she was gone. I was alone.
Rsc. Yujiro: This was when you began to wander?
RPC-886: It was either that or to stay bound to my old shrine. Lord [REDACTED] does not approve of such… absconding, but I hope he understood why I did it. He never answered my prayers, as if he too had vanished. It was not easy, it cost me dearly. But I became free, able to set foot beyond the land of my birth.
Rsc. Yujiro: You did not succeed in finding any other members of your kind at all?
RPC-886: Never. All the shrines I visited… empty, deserted.
Rsc. Yujiro: I am sorry to hear that. But I would like to know, in your journeys did you come across Yōkai of other kinds, and if so where?
RPC-886: I did. I met others who shared my predicament where many of their own also began to disappear. I can tell you who I've met and where. Before I do so, may I ask one question?
Rsc. Yujiro: Ask away.
RPC-886: Have your people… please tell, have you met any more of my kind? Any other foxes? Perhaps even a fleeting glimpse?
Rsc. Yujiro: I am sorry. We have not.
RPC-886: I… I see. I apologize for asking. Give me the map.
<End Log>
Closing Statement: RPC-886 attempted to retrace its steps across Japan, highlighting locations of assorted anomalous entities encountered across the journey. While these areas are to be investigated for anomalous activity, RPC-886's statements are to be treated as semi-reliable due to most encounters taking place approximately two centuries ago, in addition to RPC-886 emotionally breaking down mid-process. Due to this episode in which RPC-886 is observed to alternate between declaring itself the last of its kind and believing it had been abandoned by its kin, depression and grief counseling has been scheduled into its monthly psych evaluations.
Instigating Staff: Cpl. Bridgette Sanders
Foreword: Incident takes place within site cafeteria. Cpl. Sanders is part of a protection team that is temporarily housed at Site-089 while Site-[REDACTED] is undergoing repairs and reinforcing renovations due to [DATA EXPUNGED]. Despite being seated at the opposite end of the serving area where RPC-886 was stationed, Cpl. Sanders' inflammatory dialogue was picked up by RPC-886. Additionally, Cpl. Sanders had been drinking contraband alcohol within standard operating hours, including within her temporary quarters prior to entering the cafeteria.
Cpl. Sanders: [EXPLETIVE] this island. Of all the places to temporarily move to why did it have to be the land of [EXPLETIVE] murder-rapists? This [EXPLETIVE] [EXPLETIVE]hole didn't get nuked enough, is what I think.
[ Sanders pauses to drink. CCTV Footage indicates RPC-886 turning rapidly to face Cpl. Sanders' table. ]
Cpl. Sanders: <Gasps, slams beercan on table> It'd be far a nicer place if it were a dead radioactive hellhole with no more living [ETHNIC SLUR]s.
[ CCTV Footage depicts RPC-886 pouncing over the counter in its fox form, sprinting toward the table then resuming humanoid form. ]
RPC-886: You make light of my past charges' suffering.
Cpl. Sanders: <Ignoring requests by peers to deescalate> Yeah? The Japanese suffered an atrocity? That's real-[EXPLETIVE]-rich given what your own [ETHNIC SLUR] worshippers pulled off. Ever heard of Unit 731? Rape of Nanjing? Bataan Death March!? My grandfather barely survived that last one, by-the-[EXPLETIVE]-way. Got bayoneted and played dead while your [EXPLETIVE] [ETHNIC SLUR]s shot and bayoneted the rest of his friends dead, laughing all the God-damned way in [ETHNIC SLUR]-speak! God, going on about I'd never exist if he died and never shuts up about [ETHNIC SLUR] this and [ETHNIC SLUR] that and I wish every inch of your entire damn country got nuked flat!
RPC-886: Deriving enjoyment from the deaths of innocents not responsible for evils committed by others is not a very respectable decision. Take back your words, now.
Cpl. Sanders: Oh yeah? What are you going to do, pose at me with your desu-desu kawaii magic girl [EXPLETIVE]? You touch a single hair on my head, you weeaboo [EXPLETIVE] material, and Admin will whoop your [EXPLETIVE]-
RPC-886: I don't have to.
<End Log>
Description of following events: Despite wearing a metal-tipped combat boot Cpl. Sanders fractured the fifth proximal phalange of her right foot by stubbing it against a table leg. Cpl. Sanders reflexively assumes a combat position while retaining a beer can in her grip, flinging its contents into her eyes. Cpl. Sanders stumbles and trips on the dropped can, striking the seat of her chair with the back of her cranium. Cpl. Sanders lies prone on the floor, reportedly groaning as her hair anomalously ignites.
Actions taken: Cpl. Sanders is treated for a minor concussion, foot fracture and eye irritation3. Cpl. Sanders' cohorts are questioned and investigated on possession of further contraband. Cpl. Sanders and associates are to be issued disciplinary measures for handling and storing contraband with additional offending materials confiscated. Cpl. Sanders receives additional poor conduct charges for inebriation during operational hours and workplace hostility, and is to undergo employee sensitivity training.
RPC-886 is confined to its quarters pending an interview and is temporarily suspended of site privileges.
Notes: This incident reveals that RPC-886 is capable of comprehending and conversing in English. Interviewing personnel admit collective assumption that RPC-886 was only capable of communicating in Japanese.
Interviewed: RPC-886
Interviewer: Dr. Kawada Ippei
Notes: Interview takes place in RPC-886's cell.
Dr. Kawada: Hello again, Shiomi. I wish this interview was under better circumstances.
RPC-886: <Grits its teeth and looks away> Mishio would have done worse. She was always the better one at curses.
Dr. Ippei: Calm down and tell me why it happened, Shiomi. You've been good to us all this time just as we have been good to you. Why risk throwing it all away now?
RPC-886: <RPC-886 begins trembling.> The gaijin4 spat on the grave of hundred-thousands.
Dr. Ippei: We know. But what was Hiroshima and Nagasaki to you?
<RPC-886 grasps the top of her head and assumes a withdrawn posture, actively shivering.>
Dr. Ippei: Shiomi, you were there when it fell?
RPC-886: H-Hiroshima. I was still looking for my kin. I was weary and resting at the forest's edge. I knew there was war with lands beyond the sea, yet all was so peaceful at that moment. Then I saw it: a little pebble cast from the sky. A ball forged of cursed steel. And from that small little pebble… a tsunami of fire and death! A light so blinding, it was as if the sun fell!
<RPC-886's voice raises into an agitated tone as she gestures wildly.>
RPC-886: The sky blackened! The world burned! I stared into the glow of that evil cloud and it stares back in my dreams! The wind screamed in agony as it tore the robes from my body and bled my ears! And, and-and and-!
<Dr. Ippei quietly slides his handkerchief toward RPC-886 while waiting for her to calm down.>
Dr. Ippei: Shiomi. Forgive my making you relive your memories, but what happened next?
RPC-886: I am sorry… I cannot… not now. Please.
Dr. Ippei: I understand. When you are ready, we will continue. <Dr. Ippei retrieves his handkerchief, now covered in RPC-886's tears and mucus.>
<End Log>
Notes: RPC-886 entered a state of severe depression and spent the majority of the day sleeping, ignoring all duties. This behaviour persisted for a week past the lifting of its suspension. Analysis of biological material on Dr. Ippei's handkerchief reveals no anomalous properties; following this, the handkerchief was cleaned and returned to him.
RPC-886 is retaining Complex PTSD from directly witnessing the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This explains the motive behind Incident 886-1, but the full story is yet to be revealed. I… look forward to the next interview. -Dr. Kawada
Interviewed: RPC-886
Interviewer: Dr. Kawada Ippei, Dr. Yoshizawa Hinako
Foreword: Three boxes of tissues have been provided for this interview. Interview takes place in RPC-886's chamber.
Dr. Ippei: Begin once you're ready, Shiomi.
RPC-886: The light, the wind… It was all too much. I fainted and woke up the next day. Everything was wrong. Everything was gone. Hiroshima was gone. Black ruins, dark skies, death everywhere. Smoke and ashes. The very air was sick, and rain fell as black blood. I could not stop staring, but eventually I went in. I had to go in.
<RPC-886 grits her teeth and begins wiping her face with the tissues provided.>
RPC-886: Corpses everywhere, burnt to smouldering husks as they reached out. Dead hands rising from splinters and rubble as if they still begged for rescue. Drowned bodies bobbing from canals. But the worst yet was for those who continued to live. Pain and agony, everywhere I saw. Screams and cries from both young and old who still had the strength to do so. Minds so shattered by the impossibility of it all that they stumbled through the ruins as if nothing had happened, compared against those who had already given up on life, simply laying down and waiting to die.
RPC-886: And the flesh of those licked by this unnatural fire… Sloughing, melting off their bodies, like wastefully spilled iron dribbling down the smith's forge. Even as their flesh fell apart there were those who stood like scarecrows, hanging their arms out… lest the graze of arm against body invite agony once more. A few who were dying, seconds away from departing this world… they saw through my disguise. Saw me for who I am.
RPC-886: I stepped too close and they tugged at my skirt. They asked and begged for salvation, healing, succor. They asked why the Gods did not prevent this. They asked if the Gods sent me to take them to Heaven. But I couldn't, I didn't answer any of them. I fled. I FLED! I was useless! I couldn't do a thing! I had no powers to heal or protect or save! I had no shrine! I ran beyond their reach! It was the only thing I could do!
<RPC-886 strikes herself upon the head several times before slumping in her seat, blankly staring forward.>
Dr. Yoshizawa: Can you keep talking, Shiomi, or do you need to stop once more?
RPC-886: <RPC-886 rubs her head.> I-I can talk. I must continue.
Dr. Yoshizawa: Very well. So you fled from Hiroshima at this point?
RPC-886: No. I stayed for a month.
Dr. Ippei: A month? But why stay if you were powerless and the sights were distressing you so?
RPC-886: I still had to do something. I had to. I saw… in droves, everyone slowly limping their way to the hospital. They were damaged, broken, so they sought to be fixed, healed. To seek those who knew how to help. It was then that I found a way to do what little I could to help. I changed myself to resemble a deceased caregiver in white.
Dr. Yoshizawa: You turned yourself into a nurse?
RPC-886: All I remember was the name Futakami on her tag. Every memory I did not know of her life, I claimed to have lost with the blast. It worked and no one asked further; all that mattered was there to be as many available hands as possible, because so many doctors and their assistants had died. I remembered the good doctors… So much knowledge and so much learning… reduced to base movements of bandaging and cleaning, bandaging and cleaning, bandaging and cleaning, day in and day out until the arms and hands throb red and limp in tiredness. I had to learn as fast as I could. Dressing, cleaning, stitching, cutting. So much cleaning. So much vomit and death and filth, the stench…
RPC-886: Feces everywhere. So many wounded and injured who could not move and relieved where they lay, crying in pain. Entire corridors swarmed in bodies, living and dead… I tried so hard not to step on any as I walked past… At times I could not tell if my feet brushed against the living or the dead. And then the flies and the mosquitoes, soon enough they came in swarms. So many of them. The clouds, the buzzing. I did my best to burn them away while no one looked but… there was too many of them.
RPC-886: The worst was how no matter what we did it never seemed enough. Those who survived, fit and strong suddenly fell ill and died where they stood, bloody spots raking across their bodies. Hair fell out in clumps and patches. The doctors were baffled but I knew: It was the unseen fire, continuing to rage within those caught in that evil glow.
Dr. Ippei: Radiation sickness. The "Walking Ghost" phase.
RPC-886: It was taking its toll on me as well. I couldn't take it any longer. Once enough nurses and doctors came in by train, I left.
Dr. Yoshizawa: If this is all true you did a very selfless thing, Shiomi. We thank you for your kindness.
RPC-886: Thank you. In a sense I was rewarded in a way: I was allowed to witness the strength of human compassion. I saw how it grows ever stronger and defiantly in the face of so much suffering. Strangers become family and all unite in pain to heal and build, to bring life back to what it was; perhaps, even stronger than before. In the wake of ruin, I witnessed a sort of beauty.
RPC-886: And all this, all of it was accomplished solely with the strength of humans. My kind or any of the others, did any show up to help? No! There was only me without my powers. That was when I felt that perhaps there was no more place in this world for my kind. Mankind had grown up and is ready to move on. That was when I began to wander without purpose.
Dr. Ippei: A very interesting tale, Shiomi. Would you care to continue with your thoughts of the, ah… Americans?
RPC-886: I am sorry, Doctor Ippei. Can it be postponed? I do not wish to add anger into my current feelings.
Dr. Ippei: Very well. We shall leave it here for now.
<End Log>
Notes: As per Dr. Kawada and Dr. Yoshizawa's suggestions, RPC-886 has been assessed for practical medical knowledge. Assessment concludes that RPC-886 possesses basic awareness of intermediate patient care techniques, but has suffered skill decay due to not practicing for several decades. Adding the circumstance of RPC-886 hastily learning said techniques under sub-optimal conditions during her impromptu stint makes her unsuitable for any medical role beyond a basic Nursing Assistant.
I understand the motive behind Incident 886-1 better. Assisting in the treatment of Hibakusha5 with non-anomalous nursing actions had a profound effect upon 886. The Complex PTSD and the reaction against Cpl. Sanders appears borne of genuine sorrow over her experiences. I suggest to intensify her therapy while I try to persuade her to undo what shes done to Cpl. Sanders. I did not think I had to remind all personnel of this but let it be said for the record: making light or mockery out of tragic events is never acceptable, moreso in the presence of someone who witnessed its very happening. -Dr. Kawada
Interviewed: RPC-886
Interviewer: Researcher Tomatsu Yujiro
Foreword: Rsc. Yujiro has volunteered for this interview, citing a lack of fear in potentially aggravating RPC-886. Materials and speaking points supplied for this interview has been cleared by RPC-886's counsellors.
Rsc. Yujiro: Tell me what you know of the Americans.
RPC-886: Indolence and evil. Invaders, glorifiers of oppression cloaked under sweet lies of freedom.
Rsc. Yujiro: This is because of the bomb, yes?
<RPC-886 remains silent.>
Rsc. Yujiro: Do you wish to elaborate on it? Can you still remember?
RPC-886: My charges living in poverty, forced to turn ruins and graves into makeshift farms and scrabbling for every last grain of rice. Americans and their lackeys standing around every corner, watching with the glint of carrion crows in their eyes, waiting to swoop on anyone who stepped out of line. Marching in parades of strength and intimidation against a starving populace who lost family and friends. Wives and daughters casting aside their dignity, whoring themselves away to sate these invaders' gluttonous appetites to spare others from their wrath.
Rsc. Yujiro: Is that all you remember, or is that what you choose to remember?
RPC-886: What else is there to remember? They strode into Japan with the pomp of conquerors when all they did was drop two metal balls from the sky. There was no honour! There was no combat. Two lumps of cursed iron before swaggering in.
Rsc. Yujiro: But Ms. Shiomi, you should know it was never their intention to invade.
RPC-886: What do you mean?
Rsc. Yujiro: If you thought what they did was evil, you did not know what our own warriors did abroad. The lady you invoked your ire upon was telling the truth, as vulgar as she had behaved.
<Rsc. Yujiro opens a manila folder of screened images containing graphic depictions of Imperial Japanese war crimes: "Contest to kill 100 people using a sword" during the Rape of Nanjing (Including a Japanese newspaper article praising the event, dated 1937), captive American soldiers bayoneted during the Bataan Death March, occupying Japanese soldiers in Singapore bayoneting patients and medical staff (Alexandra Hospital Massacre) which escalated to the systematic purge of local Chinese residents (Sook Ching Massacre), and Unit 731 performing bio-weapons experimentation upon captives. Rsc. Yujiro describes the actions taking place within each picture as RPC-886 repeatedly stares and shakes her head in disbelief.>
RPC-886: Why are you showing me this?
Rsc. Yujiro: Because our own warriors were the ones who committed atrocity and barbarity. It is not something we are proud of or wish to acknowledge to this very day and age, but I did not become a researcher by fleeing from the truth. The Americans knew of Nanjing at the time but took no action because they wished to avoid war. That changed when our hubris-filled generals decided to attack America in a show of "strength and intimidation", as you so put it.
<Rsc. Yujiro presents the remaining pictures from the folder depicting the Invasion of Pearl Harbour while quoting Admiral Isoroku Yamamato's 'Sleeping Giant' quote6.>
Rsc. Yujiro: All this culminated in what happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I may be formerly Buddhist but when I look at the butchery our soldiers performed, I am reminded that karma perhaps yet exists. The spilling of innocent blood would seem to have demanded its recompense in innocent blood.
RPC-886: I do not like this. I understand your message, but I do not like it at all. Why are you telling me all of this?Rsc. Yujiro: Because the Americans are not the devils you make them out to be. You seem unaware that at the time that Japan was lorded over by the military. People starved because food was seized to feed soldiers, men fit enough were forcibly conscripted to war and kill, women and children were being taught to fight with bamboo spears for when the Americans would land. The surrender broke the tyranny of generals who believed themselves divine and untouchable. The Americans brought stability, food and a new start for our people who had until then knew nothing but fear and fervor towards the military and the Emperor. And above all, they never sought bloody revenge for everything our soldiers did. No "Hiroshima Hospital Massacre", no "Death Marches", no mass-bayonetting and so on.
Rsc. Yujiro: Now I don't think you will take my word for it, but perhaps a few kind words from someone you may remember might work. Do you remember the name 'Michihiko Hachiya'?
RPC-886: Doctor Hachiya, I… the hospital director?
Rsc. Yujiro: He published his diary which continues briefly into the American occupation some time after you left. <Rsc. Yujiro produces a copy of "Hiroshima Diary".> I believe he mentioned you. <Rsc. Yujiro reads from page 174, in which Dr. Hachiya wrote of coming across a tired "Miss Futakami" who had worked night and day, only for her to notice his gaze and shy away. RPC-886's ears notably perk, again when Dr. Hachiya praised her efforts and that of the other nurses in his thoughts.>
RPC-886: Doctor Hachiya… I remember that day. I was so tired, and I was also afraid my disguise was fraying.
Rsc. Yujiro: If you had stayed longer, you may have seen his friendly interactions with the visiting Americans. <Rsc. Yujiro reads from pages 224 to 226, detailing Dr. Hachiya's fond reminiscence of mingling with American soldiers in a kind and lighthearted manner as they joked and laughed together.>
RPC-886: These must be lies. Fabrications. You, you are telling me falsehoods. Stop it!
<Rsc. Yujiro ignores RPC-886 and reads the postscript at page 233: "When I think of the kindness of these people, I think one can overlook thoughts of revenge; and even at this moment, I feel something warm in my heart when I recall those days and those friends.">
RPC-886: Doctor Hachiya… You are too kind. You and, and- <RPC-886 breaks down, wiping herself with tissues while calling names of staff she worked alongside at the hospital.>
Rsc. Yujiro: I did not intend to inform you of all this to break your love for humanity, but to affirm you of all the goodness it is capable of. You are long-lived and wise, Shiomi-no-Sae. You should well know that all humans have the individual capability for great good and great evil. You cannot attribute Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the collective decision of an entire race.
RPC-886: I see… <RPC-886 spends the next few minutes sobbing and hiccupping.> I do understand… Will that be all? I wish to retire for the day.
Rsc. Yujiro: No, there is one last thing I must tell you. The men who leapt into death's jaws to rescue you. Team Romeo-7. Half of them are American.
RPC-886: Why are you telling me all of this? <RPC-886 shakes her head and winces> It doesn't change what happened in the past.
Rsc. Yujiro: Because it can change what happens in the future.
RPC-886: …I see. I concede. I wish to return to my room.
<End Log>
Notes: Anomalous effects have been retracted from Cpl. Sanders post-interview following a visit from RPC-886. Cpl. Sanders has been screened and found fit for active duty now that her every other action is no longer impeded by a high frequency of incidents best described as "bad luck". Having written a letter of apology towards RPC-886 for unprofessional behaviour, Cpl. Sanders is now cleared to rejoin her unit at Site-[REDACTED]. Requests for RPC-886 and Cpl. Sanders to share a "Get-along shirt" has been summarily denied.
When I visited her quarters some time after Interview 6 RPC-886 confessed to me that she knows Americans are not innately evil. She recalls that in the time she worked as a nurse she briefly journeyed from the hospital and came upon American PoWs being confronted by an angry mob. She tried and failed to save them from being lynched. She just wanted something to blame for centuries of loneliness and depression from losing her family, not helped by the traumatic events following the bomb which reinforced her attitude that the time of her kind has passed.
Nevertheless she has agreed to discuss her issues where necessary in her monthly psych evaluations. The copy of "Hiroshima Diary" has been left with RPC-886 to keep and read, a memento of a good man who she worked under.
Dr. Kawada Ippei
Instigating staff: CSD-5368
Foreword: CSD-5368's criminal file depicts a petty criminal history of DuI, vandalism and arson leading to death. In the events of Incident Log 886-2, it is revealed a clerical error exchanged CSD-5368's records with another D-class personnel's, and that CSD-5358 was in fact a former operative of the [CLASSIFIED ON BEHALF OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT] charged for breaching several Military laws including treason, sedition leading to mutiny, and military sexual trauma that escalated to murder of a commanding officer. Due to this error CSD-5368 was assigned under a lower security environment at Site-089, a fact he took advantage of after one week of residence and careful study of the Site's layout.
Timeline of events:
16:54pm: CSD-5368 is brought to his cell by Guards Tanaka and Matsuo and is instructed to enter. CSD-5368 does not comply. Tanaka commands CSD-5368 to enter. CSD-5368 remains stationary.
16:55pm-16:58pm: Tanaka trains his firearm on CSD-5368 in warning. CSD-5368 promptly disarms Tanaka and concusses his head on the floor with advanced CQC maneuvering. Matsuo raises her rifle to engage but is shot repeatedly by CSD-5368 via Tanaka's pistol. CSD-5368 takes Tanaka's kevlar vest, knife and pistol clip, and Matsuo's rifle. Silent alarm is activated before CSD-5368 shoots the camera.
16:59-17:00pm: CSD-5368 successfully escapes the CSD-class block by dragging Tanaka and Matsuo's bodies to the biometrics scanners. Silent broadcast of lockdown initiated for staff to evacuate to secure areas.
17:01-17:04pm: CSD-5368 makes his way across the facility, avoiding surveillance and patrols and destroying cameras where unavoidable. Trajectory indicates an intention to raid the CSD-class block's control towers to acquire additional armaments and ammunition, and possibly open D-class cells to cause additional havoc or start an insurrection.
17:05-17:06pm: CSD-5368 walks past Senior Researcher Junichiro exiting the mens' restroom. Junichiro hits the panic button adjacent to the restroom entry just as CSD-5368 becomes alerted toward his presence. CSD-5368 opens fire on Junichiro using Matsuo's rifle. Rounds anomalously veer away from Junichiro, forming an outline of Junichiro on the wall behind him.
17:06pm: CSD-5368 unsheathes Tanaka's knife and charges Junichiro, but stumbles and strikes the corridor wall mid-fall. The blade anomalously shatters, the largest shard embedding itself upon the ceiling.
17:07pm: CSD-5368 lunges for HRJ and takes him hostage with Tanaka's pistol as security turns around the corner. CSD-5368 issues demands in Russian and English for money, weapons and a means of escape. To demonstrate a willingness to harm CSD-5368 points the pistol point-blank towards Junichiro's arm and pulls the trigger. Pistol anomalously jams.
17:08pm: A visibly agitated CSD-5368 forcibly locks his arms around Junichiro's neck, threatening to snap his neck if CSD-5368's demands are not met. Security response reports D-5368's hair anomalously igniting. CSD-5368 only notices once Junichiro comments on detecting a burning smell. The small fire on top of CSD-5368's head erupts into a blaze and rapidly crawls down to engulf his upper head, eyes and ears included. CSD-5368 screams and lets go of Junichiro to put out the flames and is promptly terminated by security. RPC-886's tails sighted turning around the corner and out of sight by a member of security.
Notes: When queried later, 886 exclaimed that the fire was the only direct action taken on its part once it noticed one of its shrine effects being actively used. Reinvestigation of CSD-5368's background revealed the clerical error and has been updated accordingly. CSD-Class holding block security doors upgraded with voice recognition to be used in conjunction with biometric scanners.
Most of you are aware that I do not approve of what I view as the pampering of RPC-886; I care not for her sob stories, and I voted against the construction of her Hokora. We are a containment facility, not a luxury resort for the paranormal. I remain unconvinced by 886's shows of good faith, and I shall continue to believe she observes the facility's patterns carefully, in consideration of the possibility of the day she might wish to escape. To continue looking for her kin. I don't believe her saying she's given up on it, I simply don't. The bonds of family can be a very strong thing, especially in the unexplainably forced separation of it.
Most of you are also aware that I am a practitioner of Shinto. I could not visit my hometown's temple for Hatsumode so I paid respects at the next closest shrine. 886's shrine. I may deny 886, but I cannot deny my own traditional upbringing. As long as I have done my ritual and if it keeps 886 contained, I do whatever I have to. She looked genuinely happy that I followed the proper purification protocols prior to paying respects. I couldn't care less, whatever keeps her confined here.
…I saw the bullets curve away from me. I saw the shield hanging over my fragile life, placed by 886. A feat at a distance this short should be only possible with the aid of extremely powerful electromagnets, instead accomplished with the clap of clean hands and the smile of a fox.
I still do not approve of RPC-886, but I would be a fool to deny gratitude where it is warranted.
Take this from a believing disbeliever: I recommend all staff, particularly security, to take advantage of this feature while it remains. There is no telling when 886 decides her time is done in this facility and proceeds to jinx her way out. Make use of it while she's here.
Sr. Researcher Junichiro
Informal Interview Logs
Note that this collection of recorded transcripts are performed informally by various members of staff engaging in casual conversation with RPC-886 in the Cafeteria, Site Corridors or her containment cell. Staff are encouraged to continue interacting with RPC-886 and adding information gleaned where necessary.
You wish to know why my blessings cannot work beyond a certain distance? Imagine a house within a storm; wherever you walk under it, you shall be kept dry. Walk beyond and would the rain not soak into you once more?… How long can it go for? I would believe about ten thousand shaku7, why do you ask?
Following this statement a bomb collar was strapped to an anomalously-affected target dummy and set to detonate. While being wheeled out the collar detonated at the 3km mark, proving the claim. Radius is extended height-wise, and RPC-886's area of influence is shaped closer to a vertical oval rather than a sphere.
Mishio… she was the Yako to my Zenko. She frolicked and played truant while I sat and learnt my duties. Not that the elders minded; they understood from the moment we were born. We were charged accordingly with the care of humans in different manners. I to bless and protect the kind and the devout, and Mishio to humble the prideful and the arrogant. With her pranks and her ill fortune, she would prune away their hubris with the shears of shame and bring their heads back to the ground.
Polar opposites, you say? I understand where your reasoning comes from, but I prefer it thought of as two hands of the same body. Yes, Mishio was terrible with blessings, unlike I. But she was much better with illusions and curses, and the pretty talismans she made inflicts ills upon the enemies she 'gifts' it to. She can still protect, in a manner; there were also talismans she made that protected those who earned her favour, by bringing ill fortune to those who sought to enact ill intent upon the bearer. She was nothing if not creative.
…No, I cannot envision Mishio living here like the way I do. There is nothing she hates more than the idea of being caged. She would seek to break out every waking moment. …What would she have done to Bridgette Sanders? Well, she would have stopped me from acting rashly. Then, she would have scooped out a fistful of grease from the fryers and mixed it with garbage, before disguising it as the most sumptuous meal and serving it to Sanders with the widest smile you could possibly imagine… Indeed, my sister can be quite frightening at times.
Proposed protocols prepared in advance for hypothetical encounter and containment tactics involving RPC-886's sibling.
My tails! Are they not fluffy? Would you like a feel? I digress. It is another human misconception that we grow a tail once a century; splitting is achieved at milestones in our personal growth and is therefore differently paced between us all. It is true, however, that our power is measured in the number of our tails. I only have two left to acquire before I would be considered 'divine' by human standards… If it can even be achieved. Back when I was young, I recall that none of the other foxes have even recalled seeing a nine-tailed Kitsune!
I confess that I should be alot more powerful than what I am currently capable of. Terminating my old shrine bond carried a penalty that I can feel to this very day. But I am slowly recovering, don't you worry.
I know there are much more frightening and evil Yōkai, but… since you asked for my opinion, Tengu. No, I have no love for any Tengu. Ruthless pranksters who goad each other into going too far in the name of having cheap laughs. The rest of them? Mobsters. Criminals. Gathering together in their tree castles and extorting and stealing from each other, or others like my family or even from the humans.
Now who do I like among all Yōkai? Tsuchinoko. Yes! Tsuchinoko! You humans and your misconceptions strike once more. Tsuchinoko are the sweetest balls of innocence and joy you could ever come across! …Quite dim-witted, too. Sigh, if only I had another Tsuchinoko to hug. I cannot comprehend how your ancestors perceived them as deceitfully malicious things.
We don't really have famous individuals, who do you want to kn-oh. Her? Her. Tama… No, NO, I will NOT say her name. It is a curse and an insult that invites disaster! She was the one who went too far! Her selfishness and hedonism threatened the peace between both human and Yōkai! It took the effort of both your and my ancestors working together to kill her!
…Your ancestors shouldn't have known about mine's assistance, no. As samurai rode out to chase her down, the Yako and Zenko of old pooled all their power together to permanently banish her from the world of Yōkai. With nowhere to flee to, it was inevitable that she was caught and cut down. It was for the best.
The entity in question was hypothetically rated as a Gamma-Purple entity, but thankfully has been confirmed to be neutralized.
Foxes living beyond Japan? Please, surely you jest. There are no foxes beyond Japan. …Those things you call "Kumiho" and "Huli Jings"? Nothing more than oversized rats, I assure you. Oversized, filthy, disgusting, blasphemous rats who dared spit on Lord [REDACTED]'s edicts and fled the radiant light of Amaterasu cast upon Japan! Fled to the darker corners of the world to practice their debauchery and cruelty in safety! I hope they all vanished too, they better have! If I were you, any of you, I would put them out of their misery! None of these large rats deserve to live!
Staff unable to ascertain if RPC-886's reaction is borne of genuine outrage or if they had just witnessed inter-fox racism, but given reports and traditional depictions of Kumiho being murderously hostile towards humans there may be a grain of truth towards the former.
When asked later regarding related entities living in distant continents such as America and Europe, RPC-886 expresses astonishment that similar entities have spread so far across the world and could not give an opinion of those.
It is awkward, isn't it? I am the only one working upon a shrine that I own and inhabit. I must play several roles at once; the Kannushi, the Miko, AND the Shrine Kami! So unorthodox, so out-of-protocol. Regardless, I simply work with what I have and it all still comes together fairly well, so I am glad for that.
I still wonder though: I am little more than a stranger in a world I cannot fully be a part of, aren't I?
Oh! You are too kind with your praise. No! Don't be silly! Poor Junichiro would throw a fit if he saw my room packed full with assistants! …Yes, the look on his face could be funny to behold.
Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation, but… what was that about those who tried to kill me? W-what is that for their clan symbol? Show me your lit slab, let me see.
Yes, I understand that ball represents the world. But above it… Is that a fox? (RPC-886 proceeds to freeze for 20 seconds.)
Why? Why would they seek to kill me even as the head of my kind rests upon their emblem like some kind of… protective watcher? What kind of sick hypocrisy is this? This… this audacity! How dare they!
No! No I will NOT ever give any blessings to any of these monsters even if they are prisoners for your experiments! Let them suffer for all I care!
Concluding analysis from counselor advises that former members of PBB now working for the Authority should actively avoid RPC-886, but openly and honestly admitting their past affiliation and denouncing PBB should earn a measure of respect back from RPC-886 and make its services available once more.
Ōkami! I never got to meet any of the fabled Wolf Clan, but my elders always spoke of them with respect and reverence… and fear. They were stern but measured, brutal yet fair, merciless yet understanding. Fighters and protectors to the very end. I heard rumours that some left for the mainland and made further stories of their own, is it true?
Following this conversation a copy of the Russian fairy tale "Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf" was granted to RPC-886. RPC-886 responded positively and hoped that anomalous Lupine entities continue to live beyond Japan, despite voicing a desire to never encounter one.
RPC-886 was observed some time after Interview 6 to be standing in a daze, repeating the words "Sue the country!" repeatedly, those being the last lines of "Hiroshima Diary" prior to the post-script chapter. When quizzed about her state of wellness RPC-886 quickly resumed awareness of surroundings and denied feeling unwell, resuming duties whilst openly embarrassed.
The first time was when my powers began to manifest, that was when I was put into tutelage.
My second time was when I had graduated and mastered my powers.
The third time was when I bonded myself to my very own shrine!
The fourth time was after many seasons of listening to and aiding the many petitions humans presented before me.
The… the remaining three splits… I don't want to talk about those, if that's okay.
From childhood I was taught that family is everything. For better or for worse, family are those who care for you and who you care for in return. Through my life I have lost and gained families.
My first family was that of my kin, my birth-clan that I learnt my duties, my powers and my responsibilities from. The family who had… vanished from me.
My second family was the ragged nurses and doctors of Hiroshima Communications Hospital. At a time when I had lost everything, including my powers, they gave me purpose once more. Purpose… and community.
And as history repeats, once I had thought I had lost everything, my third family… Might it be presumptuous of me to refer this organization of yours as it? You, he, she, Ippei and Hinako and Yujiro and even Junichiro and my Romeo-Seven rescuers and so many others I have not and will never meet… Are you all not family in a sense?
Would I ever return to my older families? Nothing is left of my second family, not even the hospital everyone toiled and endured hardship under. And of my first… I am uncertain if I can ever return to them. The Shiomi they knew is gone with the passage of time. I am no longer who I once was. I have changed too much, away from them for too long. I cannot bear to look them in the eyes, anymore…
(RPC-886 presents a melancholic-reflective mood, resting a hand on its chin with the elbow on the table.) You humans have it so lucky these days. Centuries ago we - that is to say… both you humans and us yōkai alike, worked to make our food and our sauces! You could travel to another town, just a short trip and the food could be so wildly different.
…And nowadays you have your massive factories of stone and steel, churning out all your preserved meals bearing the same taste, the same style, the same portions, the same brightly-coloured packaging, then sent to all corners of Japan and even beyond… All of you really have it so easy these days.
What was my favourite dish? It was nothing too special, just a very simple dish, but… thinking of it brings back fond memories. It was an old treat Mishio and I used to enjoy together as children. We would have a small bowl of shouyu, if we were lucky there was another with honey as a special treat. We would have roasted fresh meat, specially cooked on peach wood for a lovely smell. The meat would be dipped into either and we would savour the flavour and the crunch…
The meat? Mouse! (RPC-886 looks left and right in response to audience's reaction.)
…What's so funny? What are you giggling at? (A personnel whispers something into RPC-886's ears. RPC-886 slowly adopts an alarmed posture, blushing rapidly while raising its head and ears, with its eyes and mouth widening.)
Ah! Aaaaah!
NO! STOP IT! THERE'S NOTHING FUNNY ABOUT THIS! STOP LAUGHING! YOU'RE ALL SO MEAN!
RPC-886 enters a huffy mood and refuses to serve personnel that had laughed particularly loud for the remainder of that day.
My fire? You mean this little thing? It is a symbol of my Zenko pact with Lord [REDACTED]. All Kitsune who pledge themselves to the shrine inherit the flame as a sign of a pact held true with Him.
No… Yako Kitsune like Mishio would not acquire the flame. Lord [REDACTED] leaves His trust toward their free-spirited nature to brew up their own specialties, making them unpredictable and trickier encounters for humans deemed worthy of their… 'intervention'.
It might seem a little sad though, wouldn't you think? That such a sacred gift is reduced to a cooking aid. Lord [REDACTED] would not mind. The careful and beneficial use of fire is something He always approved of.
…I am uncertain why it remains with me, despite all that had happened. Despite the bond to my shrine that I broke so long ago. Is He still watching favorably over me, despite the silence?
Sometimes I wish He would tell me. Other times I dread the day that He finally does, in fears that I learn that I truly am the last fox left to watch over. A sad fate for us both, is it not?
Yes, it could be much more powerful than this. At seven tails and without my penalization, I might even be able to [REDACTED].
Excuse me? No! I would never do such a thing here!
Update 1
RPC-486's return and reunion
Interviewed: RPC-886
Interviewer: Dr. Kawada Ippei, Dr. Yoshizawa Hinako
Notes: Interview takes place in standard interview room, 3 hours in the aftermath of RPC-486's infiltration into Site-089 and reaching RPC-886. While boxes of tissues have been provided again, RPC-886 has chosen to throw them across the room.
RPC-886: <Slams fists on table> Mishio! Mishio! Mishio is alive! Why?! Why? Why, after all these centuries?
<Dr. Ippei picks up a dented tissue box and slowly slides it forward. RPC-886 immediately grabs and re-throws it at the wall.>
RPC-886: How?! How could she just-? For her to just run in like that, yelling at me like the way she did centuries ago… Looking as if not a single day had passed from when I last saw her so long ago!
<RPC-886 wipes its eyes repeatedly over the table, dripping tears over the surface.>
RPC-886: …As if it were yesterday…
<RPC-886 sniffles and hics, then attempts to smile.>
RPC-886: …I've finally gone mad, haven't I? I've become insane. I've finally lost it, haven't I? I… I hallucinated her, that's all…
Dr. Ippei: Shiomi. Consider the chaos the site went through from the great lengths she took to reach you. Everything that happened to us was no hallucination. Based on everything you've told us until now, we do believe that it is her. Your sister.
RPC-886: No… No! That's a lie. It cannot, it cannot be…
Dr. Hinako: Shiomi. Do you remember the understanding you and I came to back then? That you appreciated my honesty? Ever since that there are things that we do keep from you, but not once have we lied to you.
Dr. Ippei: We had originally planned to slowly reintroduce the two of you, Shiomi. But, she proved every bit as headstrong and disruptive as you've described.
RPC-886: Mishio… But how? Why? Why now…? She… she mentioned a cave…
<Dr. Ippei and Hinako look at each other.>
Dr. Hinako: …We recently made a discovery regarding that. But we do not have all the answers, so we cannot tell you anything else as of this moment.
RPC-886: I understand… Perhaps it is for the best.
Dr. Hinako: Moving forwards, will you be okay? Or do you wish to take leave from your duties? It is quite the shock, after all.
<Dr. Hinako retrieves a tissue box and passes it to RPC-886, who now makes proper use of it.>
RPC-886: I wish to focus on my duties. I… don't want to think any harder on this than I have to.
Dr. Hinako: That is understandable. Now… She will try again, won't she? Try to break in to reach you.
RPC-886: If it truly is Mishio, she'll be back sooner or later. She is too stubborn to give up.
Dr. Ippei: Oh, of that I have no doubt. I just hope you'll be better prepared for it next time around.
RPC-886: <Laughs weakly> I will try my best… Thank you.
<End Log>
Interactees: RPC-886, RPC-486 (Sibling)
Notes: RPC-486 was allowed to infiltrate Site-089 without meeting any resistance as part of an early containment attempt (Operation: Mousetrap), dependent upon whether the reunion with RPC-886 will make it emotionally vulnerable enough towards voluntary containment without any resistance or retaliation.
RPC-886: M… Mishio…?
<RPC-886 exits the cafeteria counter and slowly approaches RPC-486. Personnel are informed to maintain a respectful distance and not to approach.>
RPC-486: Yes Shiomi, it's me.
RPC-886: I… Are you going to disappear again after all of this…?
RPC-486: No, I really don't think I will. Not now… Not again.
RPC-886: I called you things… I didn't think you were real…
RPC-486: It's okay. I forgive you… It really is me, I'm back.
<RPC-886 places its hands upon RPC-486's shoulders and looks into its sibling's eyes, becoming increasingly emotional.>
RPC-886: I gave up on seeing anybody ever again…
<RPC-886 hiccups, then weeps, then begins crying. RPC-486 calmly pats and strokes RPC-886's back.>
RPC-486: There there… Just… It's okay to cry, I'm here now, let it all out…
<RPC-886's wailing intensifies over the next few minutes. RPC-486 gradually stops patting/rubbing RPC-886's back, its reassuring expression fading.>
RPC-486: Shiomi… Okay… Okay, that's enough crying… Shiomi?
<RPC-886 wails harder while tightly hugging onto RPC-486.>
RPC-486: Sh… Shiomi… Please calm down a little…
<RPC-886's crying maintains intensity. RPC-486's own features begins to well up.>
RPC-486: Shiomi… Please, please stop already, or else…
<RPC-886 continues to wail. RPC-486 finally joins its sibling, bursting into tears.>
RPC-486: SHIOMI-NEE-SAN! I'M SO SORRY! I DIDN'T-DIDN'T MEAN TO ABANDON YOU! AND EVERYTHING YOU'VE GONE THROUGH WITHOUT ME, ALL THAT PAIN IN YOUR EYES, ALL THAT TIME YOU WERE ALONE! HOW CAN I EVER FORGIVE MYSELF?!
RPC-486: I-I SWEAR! I'LL MAKE IT UP TO YOU! ALL TWO HUNDRED YEARS WITH ADDED INTEREST! I'LL BE YOUR BIG SISTER EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE BIGGER AND HAVE MORE TAILS THAN ME NOW, I'LL MAKE UP FOR ALL THE LOST TIME! EVERY SECOND, EVERY DAY, EVERY MOMENT, I SWEAR!
RPC-486: NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES… SO PLEASE! PLEASE STOP CRYING ALREADY! I'M BACK! I'LL NEVER LEAVE YOU ALONE, EVER AGAIN!
RPC-486: Never again…
<End Log>
Notes: Both RPC-886 and its sibling were seperated once they had begun to calm. RPC-886 was dismissed and allowed to rest for the remainder of the day.
Meanwhile, the first critera having being met, RPC-486 would be led into a portable containment chamber disguised as an interview room. An interviewer is seated within beside a table of food and treats, to persuade RPC-486 of the merits of moving into Site-089 and living with its sibling on a full-time basis.
While initially proceeding as planned, 10 minutes in the "interviewer" leaves the room citing the need to use the restroom. Said "interviewer" exits the site instead. Actual interviewer is found bound and gagged within the cell by their own pants, belt and shirt, while their labcoat along with all the food has gone missing.
Apart from that, RPC-886 would go on to demonstrate a significantly improved mood over the following days.
Yes. Yes, I know. Mishio's back.
Yes. She is every bit the way I've been describing her all along.
…Shouldn't you be freeing co-worker Aita from her? I can hear her strangling him all the way from here. What was he telling her?
…Oh. Well, he shouldn't have been tasked to explain the pranks done on her weren't actually exorcism or banishment rituals. My sympathies, really, but he should be more shaken than actually hurt by all of that.
Yes, it will be a while before she finally realizes that the vacuum cleaner isn't a spirit-catching tool. No, it's not being used. Feel free to borrow it.
…Yes, combining that strange pose with the vacuum will get her off of him much faster.
Update 2
RPC-702 cross-interactions
Notes: RPC-886 was in the midst of an evening nap, experiencing traumatic flashbacks in its dreams.
<RPC-886 screams and awakens.>
RPC-886: Everyone! No! <Sharp breathing> Another dream…
[ RPC-886 calms its breaths, beginning its weeping. ]
RPC-886: I don't-I don't want to see that cloud anymore…
It was around this moment that Security Officer Takeda passed by with RPC-7028 perched on his shoulder.
Takeda: Oh great, another nightmare.
RPC-702: <Raises head> Wat? Wat?
[ Takeda flips the sign by RPC-886's cell door, changing its message from "Visitors welcome" to "No visitors". ]
Takeda: I don't intend to sound mean, but her doorway needs more soundproofing.
[ RPC-702 leaps off of Takeda. ]
Takeda: Hey, where are you going?
RPC-702: Wat? Pls. Wat?
Takeda: Come back! Don't go in there.
RPC-702: Pls. Pls. Pls.
[ RPC-702 nudges its nose against the bottom of the sliding door and squeezes through9, entering RPC-886's room. Takeda follows suit to record the cross-interaction, choosing not to interfere. ]
RPC-702: Oooo… Hai?
[ RPC-886 continues to sob, not noticing RPC-702's approach. ]
RPC-702: Pls… Hai? Hai?
[ RPC-702 begins exhibiting peculiar behavior: It steadily bobs its head three times, then bobs once to the left. It performs another set of three bobs, then a bob to the right. RPC-702 repeats this until RPC-886 gradually notices its presence, reducing its sobs while picking RPC-702 up. ]
RPC-886: Why? First Mishio, now you…
[ RPC-702 snuggles into RPC-886's arms quietly. ]
RPC-886: …Why is everybody coming back now? <Hugs RPC-702 tightly> Everybody's… Not going to disappear again? <Holds RPC-702 before itself> I… Oh, look at your smile, you just… You want me to stop, I… I will, thank you…
[ RPC-886 would gradually calm down while holding onto (and refusing to let go of) RPC-702. Dr. Ippei would later come in to counsel and query RPC-886 on the details of its latest flashback - Described as a dream of being back in post-bomb Hiroshima, but with all corpses and skeletal remains being vulpine instead of human. Dr. Ippei would also take the time to query about RPC-702, revealing additional information of its species from RPC-886's perspective. ]
RPC-886: Tsuchinoko shouldn't be freely showing themselves towards so many others…
Ippei: We are actually curious about that too, Shiomi. What do you know of this species? Do you remember anything of them from centuries ago?
RPC-886: I… remember, Tsuchinokos are supposed to be incredibly shy creatures. They choose who to bond with. They choose who to reveal themselves to. The old saying goes: "You do not find a Tsuchinoko; a Tsuchinoko finds you."
RPC-886: Therefore, I don't fully understand this little one's motivations. Why, to go about before so many humans? Unless… What is this little one's story? Where did you find it?
Ippei: Halfway across the world, would you believe it? It was looking for a family. Still appears to be, in fact.
[ Apparently understanding the explanation, RPC-702 retrieves its family photograph from between RPC-886's tails. ]
RPC-886: Oh! There are other unusual snakes out there? These are wearing hats! And those four girls too, they look most unusual… I see, I can almost feel the warmth in the picture. It bonded with a family who showered it in love. No wonder it risked much to find them, it truly loved this family back. They're just the sweetest little things, don't you know? Rumour was, Tsuchinokos are descended from heavenly serpents who willingly sacrificed their divinity to live and spread goodness among mortals.
Ippei: Interesting. We do not recall any such origins in our myths.
RPC-886: Tsuchinoko are supposedly bringers of luck, happiness and joy. This little one's sadness… For them to have vanished, it must feel that it failed this family. Poor thing… You miss them all too, don't you? Just as much as they most certainly miss you. Strange that you seem to have difficulty finding them… But then again they do not seem to be a typical family, do they not?
Ippei: They most certainly don't appear to be, no.
RPC-886: For it to keep coming back to this organization, back to so many people… There has to be something that draws it back. A sense of safety and trust. As if this place is its new home, its new family. It is a good sign… I am happy for it. Please, I hope it stays that way.
Ippei: That is very heartwarming to hear, thank you. I have one last question before I go, if that's all right.
RPC-886: Yes?
Ippei: The cave10 that holds your kind along with many others… We've never found any Tsuchinoko inside of it. Given this one's impossibility to keep contained, could it be that…
RPC-886: <Nods> A Tsuchinoko can never be forced into wherever it does not want to be. If true, it would be a silver lining that this little one and its kin was spared from the Vanishing, just by virtue of being blissfully unaware of the concept of being held against their will.
Ippei: I see. Thank you, Shiomi.
RPC-886: Thank you too, and to you as well, little friend. Go on, I'm feeling much better now. You've got other places to be.
[ RPC-702 gives RPC-886 one last nuzzle, and leaves by burrowing between RPC-886's tails and reemerging in Dr. Ippei's labcoat pocket. ]
<End Log>
I still can't believe it! A Tsuchinoko, After all this time?! I never thought I would ever see one again, let alone hold it!
Yes! Yes, I'm talking about you, you silly little thing!
Ah, it's Mishio-wait, where are you going?
Oh. Oh dear. There goes the little snake, after my sister. It really likes her, no? Too bad she's terrified of snakes.
Yes, she is quite talented at screaming very loudly. If you think your ears had it bad, kindly spare a thought for mine.
Why is Mishio afraid of snakes, you ask? Let me see… I'm so sorry, it's been so long, I don't quite remember the details correctly, but I do know there was a prank behind it…
(It is at this moment RPC-702 raises its tail upwards, assisting to scratch RPC-886's chin for it.)
Oh! That's it, now I remember! Mishio was trying to do a prank - I forgot on who or why, those are irrelevant. Anyway she grabbed an ordinary snake that was passing by to use as part of the prank - that understandably displeased it - and it bit her face in retaliation!
You should have seen the way she was wildly running everywhere with it hanging on for dear life! "HELP MEEEE! HELP MEEEEE!" - Oh, she was even being CHASED by others trying to help get the snake off of her but she wouldn't stop running!
(Laughs)
A-and then, afterwards, she thought it had poisoned her, yes? She spent the whole day screaming: "I'M GOING TO DIEEEEEEEEEE!" T-this went on until Hakishi finally came over to take a look at her, and-and-while everyone else was trying to convince Mishio to snap out of it, you know what he did?
You know what he did?
He pointed a finger at her and said in the deepest voice: "You are already dead." and instantly convinced her she was already a ghost! And then she fainted! Then she woke up, and acted like a ghost for the next few days!
(Hysterical laughter, slaps knee, collapses)
It wasn't even venomous!
(Screaming laughter, rolling on the floor)
It was at this point that RPC-486, seated far from the crowd and unwilling to approach RPC-886 due to RPC-702's close proximity, got up and quietly left the site, having aborted its latest infiltration attempt. Site perimeter sentries later reported up sounds of screaming and a tree being repeatedly assaulted in the direction of RPC-486's hideout.
RPC-886 later requested live snakes not to be used as part of repelling RPC-486, so as not to risk any unnecessary injuries inflicted by a wildly-panicking RPC-486.
What is a 'Fox shower'? Oh, rain while the sunshine is strong. Yes… We did find such weather auspicious. We believed it meant that Lord [REDACTED] was in a good mood, for whatever reason he may or may not share with us.
Yes! We would dare ourselves out of our homes and come out into your Daylands to hold weddings and similar congregations during such weather, like within this painting. No wonder you humans gave it that name.
You wish to know about my painting? It is just my attempt at physically recreating the memory of a long-lost portrait; that of my parents' wedding.
I've… Never really known who they were. Hakishi would tell me and Mishio that they were both kind, calm, patient and devout shrine tenders, that I took the most after them and Mishio the least. All I know beyond that is they waited until the day that I and my sister were born, then left for what was allegedly an important task. Hakishi was entrusted to our safe upbringing, and… They were never seen again.
I do not even recall their names, let alone ever seeing their faces…
In late September 2021, RPC-886 was reading the newspapers while spending off-duty time in the cafeteria. In particular, RPC-886 was fixated upon the announcement of the abdication of a Komuro Mako, formerly Princess Mako of Akishino. In varying states of disgruntlement, RPC-886 alternates between monologue and showing the article to nearby personnel:
Preposterous. Simply ridiculous.
To lose her royal birthright, all that she was in the name of love…? This is too much. Who else was she supposed to marry in the ever-compacting royal family anyway, a cousin? The royal lineage will not last at the rate events progress…
…So what if he had a ponytail while living abroad? Of all the things to focus on regarding one's character and integrity! Whatever happened to the memory of the Chonmage hairstyle!? I still remember the point where no man would dare the indignity of leaving his house without growing out and tying his hair as such!
RPC-886 then noticed the spectacle she was raising and apologized, continuing to read on while muttering under her breath.
On 5th March 2022, it was reported that the Sessho-seki (Killing stone), a rock rumoured to once host the neutralized spirit of a Gamma-Red entity (See Log 5 above), has been broken.
Upon querying, RPC-886's mood visibly soured and her ears folded, prompting the following statement:
She's dead. She's exorcised. She has long departed this earth for nearly a thousand years. Get over it, to those of you who would fool around with the pink-haired fake on that Destiny-Great-Instructions game of yours.
RPC-886 would later be observed crouching and facing the wall in a corner of her cell, mumbling protective sutras to herself.
Field agents observing the Sessho-seki do not report any anomalous activity, but are to maintain posts for the next few months.