//------------------------------// // Session 02 - Pendant - April 27th // Story: Pray, Hope and Wander // by Flashgen //------------------------------// Transcript of Session 02: Pendant, Assistant Investigator Date: April 27th Time: 3:25 P.M. Interviewer: Doctor Blue Sky, PhD Pendant, the investigator leading searches at and around Town Hall, arrived nearly half an hour late for our scheduled session, carrying bundles of papers and books, doing her best not to spill them as she set them down. Pendant’s file noted her focused work ethic, but it seems more excessive than suggested. Miss Vines’ own notes had nothing particular to say, other than a note about Pendant’s extensive case history. Blue Sky (BS): Good evening, Pendant? You’re a little late for— Pendant (P): I know, I know. Sorry. I thought I was onto something when... She searched through a nearby stack of papers, pulling out a single one and then grimacing. P: Things weren’t exactly what I remembered. BS: That’s fine, there’s plenty of time. We can get started now. Could you state your name and role for the record? P: Pendant, Assistant Investigator to Miss Vines, and currently heading up efforts at Town Hall. BS: And how long have you been with the agency? Pendant was quiet for a moment, looking upwards and moving her hoof about in the air. P: Ten years, three months, fourteen days, since my first case. In that time I’ve worked a total of one hundred six cases directly, and an additional fifty-nine indirectly. BS: Thank you, but that’s a bit more information than I needed. P: I pride myself on my experience, and work. BS: I noticed that from your file. The portfolio is quite impressive. P: Thank you. BS: Most of the investigators I’ve worked with only handle three or four a year, but you— P: Have a drive, Doctor. A drive to do my job; a drive to help ponies. BS: Of course. As an investigator, you’ve been privy to information about what occurred here before you arrived. Do you have any thoughts on that? Any worries? Pendant started to search through her papers, her eyes focused on them instead of me. P: Only that we don’t have an answer. Based on Miss Sparkle’s journal, as well as the one we recently found at Sweet Apple Acres, there is a lot more going on than we can comprehend or understand, but we have to push through that t— BS: But you’ve been at Town Hall since you arrived, correct? P: Yes, I have, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been kept apprised of everything else we’ve discovered. If anything, it made me redouble my own efforts. BS: I was going to bring that up. Miss Vines says you’ve spent close to twelve or more hours there a day over the past week. Pendant’s attention was still focused on her papers, scribbling a few things down here and there on some pages before putting them in rough piles next to her on the couch. P: And? BS: Everyone else under you, and most investigators in the town, spend eight hours at most a day directly involved in the case. P: I said I’m driven, Doctor. When we didn’t find any definitive answers, I started to work harder, as should be expected. And it isn’t just spent looking over the same rooms for new clues. Since we arrived here, I’ve read these mysterious journals, the descriptions of unearthly occurrences, and heard from others about hidden messages appearing in our own transcripts. There’s a method to it, though. At first they were just hidden in passages, but the latest was a cipher. As she spoke, her words became quieter, muttering to herself instead of talking to me. BS: Then you’re focused on? P: Deciphering it. Looking into why. Town Hall is the only place, the only place, where a room was untouched when we arrived. There’s a purpose to that, there has to be. I’ve looked at the books, the contents of the drawers, the placement of frames on the walls, mentions of records that should be there. Every piece is a clue, it has to be. As she continued, she moved things out of her assortment of papers and books, looking them over before tossing them into separate piles. This drive borders on obsession, as noted in her previous case files. Still, it is a trait often valued in many a line of work, when controlled. BS: Pendant, let’s move away from your work for a little bit. Have you had any trouble sleeping the past few days? P: No. I have no issues whatsoever. If I did, I would have reported it to Miss Vines. BS: So no nightmares, trouble sleeping, insomnia? P: No, Doctor. BS: What do you spend your time off doing, Pendant? She brought her attention up from her pages, looking at me directly. P: Is that relevant? BS: It’s just a question in a conversation. I’m not here to grill you for information, Pendant, and since this is about your well being, your life outside of work is… pertinent. She was quiet for half a minute, glancing between me and her papers, before setting them down for a moment. P: I study, mostly. BS: That’s good, anything in particular? P: No, focusing on one thing tends to solidify me. I believe my work requires me to be flexible and open. BS: So it’s for the purpose of your job alone? Nothing that you study for the fun of it? P: Just because it’s for work, doesn’t mean it cannot be enjoyable, Doctor. Knowledge is a key to everything. BS: I didn’t mean to sound like I was admonishing you. I’m sorry. What sort of things did you study before this case? P: City planning. Communication. Metallurgy. Music Theory. 12th-era Griffon literature. BS: That’s quite a wide breadth. Did any of them interest you in particular? P: A few of them were interests of some of my peers that I felt were important to peruse. The literature was a recommendation from the librarian. BS: Your file says you had three weeks of leave since your last case. That’s an impressive course load for such a short period. She looked back to her papers and grabbed a few out of one pile, scribbling what I assume were notes. P: I don’t think many of them will stick with me. I know it sounds abstract, and most likely ridiculous, but… I treat my mind like an autoclave. BS: What do you mean? P: I purge it of… undesirable things. I mentioned wanting my mind to be flexible, because it lets me consider more possibilities on a case. I cleanse away my preconceptions. At least I try to. BS: That’s an interesting thought. One of the more odd descriptions I’ve heard from a patient, for sure. Obviously it’s helped you, but have you considered what happens after you stop working with the agency? Pendant grabbed more pages, flipping back and forth between them, her eyes scanning the paper. She seemed wholly uninterested in answering the question. BS: Pendant, your attention is obviously elsewhere. I understand your work is important, but I’ll have to schedule another session and ask you not bring any of your work with you. She circled a few items on one piece of paper and nodded, but took a few moments before gathering up her things and sorting them into piles. P: That will be fine, Doctor. I’ll be late in the evening tomorrow. BS: Before the curfew I hope? P: Hopefully. She scribbled a few more words on her paper and left the tent without giving me another glance. I’ll have to discuss this with Miss Vines tonight. Obsession is an undercurrent of Pendant’s evaluations from previous superiors, but Miss Vines herself doesn’t seem to hold any negative perception of it in her notes.