winepouring | IC Inbox

[Yeah, that's what she thought!! Huff!

...Wait, what? She steps in after him, standing near the door and giving him a suspicious look.]

What do you mean, did a number on my room? They never came inside. The letter was pushed under the door.

[As if to emphasize that point, she retrieves the letter from its place (on the floor) and brandishes it at him.]

They didn't?

[ But...there are scorch marks... And clothes and books and notes everywhere, like someone tore through it with a vengeance. ]

...Huh.

[ YEAH he'll leave it at that and just take the note. As he reads it, his brow furrows. ]

This letter... Rita, you should be more careful. Can't you see this is a threat? This person says you don't know them but plan on changing that. They're practically spelling out that they have dangerous intentions.

[Rita is a genius, but when it comes to some things...she can also be totally oblivious.

In other words: she has no idea what Qingxuan's problem is with her room, but it's not an issue since he focuses on the letter, anyway!]

Hey...you think I can't tell that for myself? Why do you think I went looking for the creep responsible?

[Normal things one does!!]

And you found the wrong person.

[ Is it worth trying to be Rita's friend when she insults him like this? Signs point to "no."

But he still has a responsibility to help this rude little girl, so he's being the adult here! He sighs, folds the letter back up and...well, tosses it back on the floor where Rita found it. ]

And that's a good thing. You can't just confront someone who's threatening you like this by banging on their door. What would you do if the real villain actually showed up?

[ It's around here that Shi Qingxuan makes the grim realization that he sounds like his brother. ]

—Anyway, we need to go over this incident carefully. It's not good to accuse people blindly.

Hey--it practically screamed you, okay?!

[Or maybe Rita would rather insist that her deductions were surely not that wrong, even if she's accepted that he's not the prankster...!

And...wait, is he trying to lecture her? She crosses her arms and huffs.]

I'd blast her to smithereens, what else?

[Yes, "her". Did she forget to mention that before? Well, whatever. She makes an irritated sigh--she wasn't doing it blindly!!]

Hmph...that's all there was to it. The note and the shirt.

How does this scream "me"?? I don't write like this—I don't even talk like this.

[ Wait, if it's just these two things and she's suspecting him, what does she mean by "her"?? ]

And you can't determine someone's gender just by their writing style. Plenty of people have writing styles that don't suit their appearances. You'll be shooting wild guesses all over the place if you make assumptions like that.

[ ...so, he'll accept Rita thinking he writes super, ultra girly. It's not the worst assumption made about him. ]

You don't?

[Genuinely asking...

Though, more importantly, she has evidence for that beyond the writing!! So she bristles at him, even if it's something she'd neglected to mention before now.]

Do you think I'm stupid or something? Of course I didn't base it on the writing! I heard that creep's laughter--just not enough to recognize her.

[ ...What kind of question is that? He makes a face, but he won't dignify that with an answer! ]

And her laughter sounded like mine??

[ He's even more confused now. He did laugh a lot when they were playing Never Have I Ever before, and somehow associating him with laughter makes more sense than the rest of her accusations. He folds his arms across his chest. ]

Well, there are women other than myself on this ship--there are even other men who can change their forms besides just me. If we take the note to heart, then the person who sent it would be a woman you haven't met before or spoken to much. So we can rule out any women who you're already well-acquainted with.

I already said it was a woman's laughter, didn't I?

[It's not like she pays attention to how everyone laughs...! Anyway, she blinks in surprise when he mentions that there are even others who can change their forms like Qingxuan, and she heaves an annoyed sigh. This just keeps getting more frustrating...and here she thought she'd had it easily figured out, and instead the list of possible suspects is growing in size...]

Hmph...that's assuming the letter's even telling the truth, which I would find hard to believe. So, ultimately...you're saying it's just about anyone.

[Sure, she can rule out the men she knows aren't shapeshifters, as well as someone like Fio and a few others, but...this really doesn't help much.]

Exactly. With so little to go on, anyone could have sent you that letter.

[ Not yet aware of the possessions, Shi Qingxuan doesn't add that both Castor and Venti can change their forms. The two of them don't seem the type. Castor because he can't imagine him creating such a letter, Venti because he isn't the sort pull such a mean-spirited prank. ]

That's why you need to be careful. It might just be a bad joke, but if someone really does have bad intentions, it's impossible to know what they might be capable of.

[ Rita's small. Even poor, thin Banyue could probably take Rita in a fist fight. Not that Banyue would do such a thing if she were here, ahem. ]

If that person comes by again, please tell me. I'll sort things out with her.

[ Because...bullying young women like Rita...is low...🥲 ]

[Rita, on the other hand, would quite readily suspect Castor on the basis of him being a total jerk (to her). Unfortunately, she knows that level of evidence isn't exactly enough--and she has no idea he can change forms, so he's not currently on her mental list of suspects.

Ultimately, she sighs--and ironically, considering what's going through Qingxuan's head, Rita thinks he shouldn't be treating her like a little kid...]

Hey, whatever their intentions, I can sort things out myself, you know!

[She can call him to let him know after the fact, if he really needs to know... (or if she genuinely needs his help, though she can't imagine she'd need it, surely!!)]

[ It's okay, Castor is a jerk, Shi Qingxuan won't even disagree on that. He just isn't this kind of jerk.

Although this doesn't sit right with him, there hasn't been enough of a threat made for Shi Qingxuan to force the issue. If there had, he would be more aggressive in trying to find the culprit.

As it is, this really might just be a bad prank that Rita can sort out on her own. It's silly for Shi Qingxuan to force the issue. ]

That's true... But if this person does anything more, then please tell me. Sending suspicious letters is one thing, but this situation can't get out of hand.

[It would seem a bit out of character...but maybe that's what Castor wants them to think!! Or maybe Rita could drive herself crazy thinking too hard over who's a culprit and who's not, when she really doesn't have enough evidence. So...collecting some real proof to trace the actual jerk is what she'll need to focus on.]

Hmph, like I'd ever let it get that bad! Just who do you think I am?

[She thinks it should be a rhetorical question, but...]

[ Just. Giving Rita a disbelieving look, as if to say we all know exactly who you are.

He'll try to keep up with this with her... He already has her pegged as someone too stubborn to ask for help or admit when she's over her head. ]

[Wow excuse you Shi Qingxuan!! Rita glowers right back.]

Got something to say?

I know you're the type to prefer to handle situations on your own, but that's why I'm asking you to please keep me updated on the situation. What if someone else gets mean prank letters like this and can't handle it on their own?

[And he averts...not a crisis, but at least more glowering or protesting by wisely framing it helping someone else. Rita sighs but agrees.]

Hmph...alright, alright, I will. Are you happy?

[As if she didn't drag him into this in the first place...]

[ He at least knows better than to poke the hornet's nest of someone who has more pride than sense! ]

Yes. [ Readily nodding! ] Thank you. Now, if anyone else gets these strange letters, we can figure out the culprit together and take care of it properly.

[She sighs again, but...she supposes...]

F...fine, I guess--sorry for thinking it was you.

[She turns away, though, so she doesn't have to look straight at him...]

[ ...He really wasn't expecting her to ever apologize. The surprise is right there on his face, too, all wide eyes - until he smiles again. ]

It's fine. It's not a bad thing to find the person responsible after you suddenly find something sketchy stuffed under your door. We just need to find the actual culprit.

[Hmm...he accepted that more gracefully than she expected. W-well, she's only believing he's not the culprit because he'd be too much of an airhead for it-!]

Leave it to me. I'll definitely track them down!

[Just cracking her knuckles here. Ohh, will she ever track them down...]

[ 🔥rude as hell, rita!!🔥 ]

—And when you do, tell me! I'd like to see this person for myself!

[And what's he gonna do about it...!]

Okay, okay, I said I would!

[Too bad there won't be enough time...until she comes back from the dead...]

Good. Then I'll see you again.

[ He gives her a little head-bow of acknowledgement, and then turns to return to his room. That shirt is suspicious; he needs to see if he can find anything from it... ]

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this thread is so much less funny with how this plot ends 🥲🥲

IT'S STILL FUNNY there's just an undercurrent of sad to it now too ;o;

sad funny... 🥲

it's...fine... ;o;

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