Scenario:Barawa and Sarya - Solving a Mystery Hand in Paw

Solving a Mystery Hand in Paw

Barawa and the others stop by the manor from which the job request came. There, a butler gives them the love letter and asks that Barawa identify its sender. The letter states the mistress will receive a show of love and light, so after gathering intel in town, the crew heads to a fireworks factory on the outskirts.

---

Barawa: Excuse me. I'm Detective Barawa, and I'm here for an investigation.

Maid: How may I help you?

Barawa: Ah, yes. Well, this letter was delivered to me by one of the butlers who work here...

Maid: I was not informed of any sort of investigative work. I ask that you remove yourself from the premises.

Barawa: What? But the letter...

Maid: Please leave at once.

Barawa: I can't just—

Butler: Pardon me. Are you, perchance, Detective Barawa?

Maid: !

Barawa: Oh! Are you the one who delivered this letter?

Butler: Indeed I am. My sincerest apologies. I didn't believe that you would show up...

Butler: In any case, please, follow me. You there, prepare some tea for our guest.

Maid: Yes, sir.

Vyrn: That maid seemed pretty cold.

Butler: Please forgive her impudence. She's only recently begun working here as a maid.

Barawa: Hm, I guess it's only natural that she isn't used to her job then. Anyway, I'd like more info on the case.

Butler: Very well. Allow me to explain the situation in more detail.

Vyrn: Hm? Isn't your mistress lady or whatever here?

Butler: I'm sorry, but the mistress does not allow visitations from first-time guests.

Lyria: Huh? What do you mean by that?

Vyrn: Are you sayin' we have to come here more than once if we wanna see her?

Butler: My deepest apologies.

Barawa: That's fine. All I need is some more details on the case.

Butler: Thank you very much. We're also quite busy today, so if you could take a quick look at this, that would be greatly appreciated.

The butler hands Barawa an unmarked envelope as well as a sheet of white paper—on which a short message is written.

Barawa: Wonderful! This must be the love letter you mentioned. Let's take a look here...

Barawa: The recipient's name is clearly written here, but it has yet to be postmarked.

Vyrn: What about the letter? What does it say?

Barawa: "I shall prove my deep affection for you through an enchanting show of love and light—that I may sway both body and mind." Whoever wrote this sure is passionate.

Lyria: Whoa! Just listening to you read it out loud is making me blush...

Lyria: But a show of love and light? I wonder what that could be...

Barawa: Hm, I believe it's some sort of special fireworks show—something that can be seen from the mistress's window.

Butler: That is likely the case. In fact, our annual fireworks festival is to be held this very night.

Lyria: Really? Ah, so that's why you're so busy today...

Butler: That is correct. I reached out to Detective Barawa having heard rumors of his accomplishments throughout the skies.

Butler: I assumed that he would be too busy to respond, however, and I certainly didn't think he would arrive at such short notice.

Vyrn: Huh? Are you really that busy of a detective?

Barawa: Vyrn! Shhh!

Vyrn: Well, anyway! What you're sayin' is you thought it'd be better to put in a request than do nothin' at all, right?

Butler: That is indeed the case. Our mistress would like to identify the letter's sender before the fireworks festival begins...

Barawa: I see. Could you tell me how the letter found its way to your mistress?

Butler: Well, our mistress was returning from a quick trip outside, when she found the letter in her purse.

Barawa: Interesting! So somebody must've slipped the letter into her bag without her knowing while she was out!

Butler: That seems to be the most likely scenario, yes. Our mistress grew quite excited upon reading the letter's contents, after which she ordered us to find its sender.

Butler: This all happened yesterday.

Barawa: Yesterday, huh? Then let's ask around and see if there were any eyewitnesses.

Butler: I've also prepared a record of our mistress's schedule yesterday. Feel free to use this as a reference.

Barawa: Thank you for all the help. First things first, let's trace her steps. We'll stop by the places she visited and ask around.

Suddenly, the angry voice of a woman bellows throughout the building.

???: What's taking you so long? I've asked for you multiple times already!

Lyria: Eek!

Butler: Ah, my apologies. I've been beckoned. If you'll excuse me...

Barawa: That's fine. The rest of us will get started on the investigation.

Vyrn: What was that? That voice really came outta nowhere!

Barawa: That lady is likely the mistress in question.

Lyria: She seems kinda scary...

Barawa: Hm... A love letter to such a mistress, huh?

Barawa: Judging by her manor, her family seems to be quite well-off. I suppose it isn't unnatural for a lady of her standing to receive a love letter or two...

Vyrn: A lady of her standin', huh? Call me crazy, but there's something off here. It's like the whole household is messed up...

Barawa: Oh? How so, Vyrn?

Vyrn: Hrm...

Vyrn: Take the maid who greeted us when we got here. She was really cold and so not maid-like!

Vyrn: But the butler guy was super proper and polite—a total pro! It felt kinda mismatched, y'know?

Barawa: I see... You may be on to something. Even if you chalk up her poor reception as inexperience, her attitude was awful.

Barawa: We'll ask about her too during our investigation. Now how about we get going?

The crew make their way into town in search of answers, hoping that the locals can provide some insight into the situation.

Townsperson 1: What? A love letter? To that lady?

Townsperson 2: There's no way! The only letters she receives are bills!

Barawa: By which you mean...

Townsperson 2: Have you not met her? She's a total monster—rich, yes, but still a monster. With her massive inheritance, she's free to do whatever she wants.

Townsperson 1: It's unfortunate how she lost her family at such a young age, but that's no excuse to treat people how she does. All she cares about is that cat of hers.

Townsperson 2: That's why none of her maids last very long—they all quit once they find out what she's like.

Townsperson 1: Even the most senior maid has been there for barely half a year. Her butler is the only one who's been employed for a while.

Townsperson 2: If someone really has sent her a love letter, I need to tell the poor fool to quit being delusional and face reality!

Vyrn: This mistress isn't very popular, huh?

Barawa: Even less so than I imagined! You sure have got a keen eye, Vyrn!

Lyria: Hmmm... But we still don't know who sent the letter.

Barawa: That's true... We were unable to learn who gave the mistress that letter despite tracing her steps all throughout town.

Vyrn: And with so many tourists here for the fireworks festival, it's hard to spot anybody suspicious!

Vyrn: Did the sender know that it'd be busy today and deliver the letter yesterday on purpose?

Barawa: Is our mystery person just being shy? Argh! It's impossible to tell!

Barawa: Anyway, there sure are a lot of folks here to see the fireworks.

Barawa: Whoa!

Pyrotechnician: Ah, 'scuse me.

Barawa: No, no. I was in your way.

Pyrotechnician: Can't say I've seen you guys around. Here for the fireworks?

Barawa: Well, not exactly...

Pyrotechnician: I'm one of the pyrotechnicians managin' the fireworks this year. The show this year will be extra special, so please enjoy yourselves!

Lyria: Wow, sounds exciting! Can we go watch the fireworks once we're done with our job?

Barawa: Sounds like a plan.

Barawa: If you don't mind answering one quick question, do you happen to know where these special fireworks are being made?

Pyrotechnician: They're made in a factory on the outskirts of town. You lookin' to tour the place?

The kind pyrotechnician offers to lead the gang to the fireworks factory, and they soon find themselves in front of a large building.

Barawa: Well, I hope we can find some intel on the sender...

Vyrn: Oh, right! The letter mentioned a special fireworks show, didn't it?

Barawa: Maybe we would've solved the mystery by now if we had come here first! Ahahaha!

Barawa and the others begin questioning the factory workers, then—

Barawa: So you're saying you really didn't receive any orders for special fireworks?

Though the group had arrived at the factory in high spirits, they soon grow dejected upon learning that their only lead has brought them to yet another dead end.

Solving a Mystery Hand in Paw: Scene 2

Unable to find any clues at the factory, Barawa and the gang bump into Sarya, who leads them to some mysterious ruins she found nearby. Upon arriving, they hear a dog barking, and Barawa dashes inside, finally reuniting with his missing partner. Buddy then directs their attention toward a strange box containing bombs, and Barawa realizes the message was not a love letter—but rather, a warning.

---

With Barawa in the capable hands of (Captain) and the others, Sarya walks around town in search of Buddy.

Sarya: Hmmm... According to my sources, Buddy was last seen leaving the ship...

Sarya: But I can't find him anywhere—there isn't a single trace of him in this town.

Sarya: I need a moment to gather my thoughts.

Townsperson 3: A missing dog? Well that's no good. I hope he doesn't find his way to the nearby manor...

Townsperson 3: The mistress would kill him.

Sarya: I'm worried about Buddy, but I'm also curious about the manor—something strange is going on there.

Sarya: I have to hurry up and go find him, then meet up with Barawa!

Her thoughts now in order, Sarya once again sets off to look for Barawa's furry partner.

Sarya: Two letters were delivered to our office—one threat and one un-postmarked love letter with a missing sender.

Sarya: Come to think of it, the envelope containing the threat wasn't postmarked either. I wonder how it got to the office...

Sarya: Wait, huh?

Sarya takes a look at her surroundings and discovers that she has walked all the way to the town outskirts, which are devoid of both buildings and people alike.

Sarya: Whoa! When did I get here? I must've lost track of the time...

Then, out the corner of her eye, Sarya catches a glimpse of some strange rubble.

Sarya: Hm? It looks like there's the ruins of some kinda building here...

Sarya: ...

Sarya: There's something off about this place though. It feels oddly... alive...

Sarya: I have a bad feeling about this... I need to inform Barawa right away!

Barawa: ...

Vyrn: What's up with that look? Did somethin' happen?

Barawa: This whole case reeks of suspicion... It may be more than a mere search request...

Vyrn: Whatcha mean by that?

Barawa: Fireworks are essentially explosives and, as such, need to be handled with the utmost caution. This applies to both their production and use.

Barawa: It's only natural that such artisans take pride in their work. After all, it's their reputation that's on the line. They have to prioritize safety above all else.

Barawa: The town only has one factory that manufactures fireworks, so any "special" orders were probably sourced elsewhere.

Barawa: The craftsmen of this town wouldn't let anybody just waltz in and shoot fireworks as they please.

Sarya: Hey, Detective!

Barawa: Oh, Sarya. You're back—and by yourself.

Sarya: I'm sorry... I still haven't been able to locate Buddy.

Sarya: I came across these suspicious-looking ruins while I was out looking for him and thought it'd be better to let you know.

Sarya: I can't really pinpoint what made them suspicious, but I had this nagging feeling that the place is related to your case.

Barawa: Hm... Another one of your hunches, huh?

Barawa: Well, your intuition is second to none. And it's not like we were making much progress on our end. Lead the way.

Sarya: Yes, sir!

As the group heads over to the ruins, the topic of the strange mistress comes up.

Sarya: So you weren't able to find any trace of the letter's deliverer? How odd...

Sarya: The threatening letter we got mysteriously showed up as well...

Vyrn: Actually, about that... I think we're the ones who brought you that letter!

Barawa: Huh? What do you mean by that, Vyrn?

Vyrn: Well, while we were out shopping, somebody gave us the envelope sayin' it was addressed to our ship. He picked it up off the street, apparently.

Lyria: Yep, and the letter had your name on it, so we passed it over to you.

Barawa: Ah, I remember now!

Sarya: Well... That's one mystery solved.

Sarya: The person claiming to have picked up the letter is likely the one threatening you, Detective.

Lyria: Wha—

Barawa: Hm, I found that part suspicious as well. Explain away, Sarya.

Sarya: Well, for starters, how is it that he knew that Vyrn and the others were affiliated with the ship? Yes, they were in close proximity to it, but that by itself isn't enough to determine anything.

Vyrn: That makes sense. The dock was really busy with visitors! It'd be impossible to tell who's comin' from where!

Sarya: Are we to believe that this individual chanced upon the letter and also just so happened to know that you would deliver the letter to Barawa?

Sarya: Coincidence? I think not.

Sarya: Furthermore, a letter with contents as grave as a threat wouldn't be given to just anybody. That's the type of message to be delivered directly.

Sarya: We can assume that the perpetrator intentionally avoided the spotlight by blending in with the crowd and acting as naturally as possible.

Barawa: Exactly. I thought so too.

Vyrn: I wanna go after him, but I forgot what he looks like...

Lyria: Urgh, so have I...

Sarya: You might remember once you see him again.

Sarya: We'll look for him after we find Buddy and finish your current investigation.

The crew continues to discuss what to do next, before eventually arriving at the strange ruins.

Sarya: We're here. These ruins feel... alive somehow.

Barawa: ...

Barawa looks around, examining his surroundings, before taking a deep breath.

Barawa: Hrm... The air smells of compost, but there isn't any farmland in sight.

Barawa: Something is off about this place. Stay alert, everybody. Before we start poking around, let's investigate the area some—

Buddy: Awoooh!

Barawa: !

Barawa: Buddy? Are you in there?

Sarya: Detective!

Lyria: What happened to investigating first?

Vyrn: I guess that'll have to wait! Let's go follow him for now!

Barawa and the others dash into the building's ruins and spot Buddy running at them from the far end of the room.

Barawa: Buddy! What are you doing here?

Buddy: Grrr! Woof, woof!

The detective's partner hurriedly paces back and forth in front of a box to the side of the room.

Barawa: I see... So this is why. Nice find, Buddy.

Buddy: Sniff, sniff... Grrr...

Lyria: Barawa, Buddy... Is there something in that box?

Barawa: Let's give it a check. Stand back, everybody.

Barawa carefully examines the box before slowly opening its lid.

Barawa: So these are the special fireworks, huh?

Vyrn: Hey, these aren't fireworks!

Barawa: Yep, they're bombs. The smell of sulfur must've been coming from the gunpowder.

Lyria: Bombs? But why?

Barawa: Is this what the letter meant? To sway both body and mind through the use of explosives?

Sarya: Are you talking about the love letter, Detective?

Barawa: I am—although I'd be more inclined to call it a warning letter now.

Solving a Mystery Hand in Paw: Scene 3

Having learned the love letter was, in fact, a bomb threat, (Captain) and the crew hurry to the manor to evacuate it. In the midst of the chaos, a pyrotechnician sneaks into the manor and lights the bomb's fuse. Barawa and Buddy then work together to remove the bomb and take the pyrotechnician into custody. Barawa figures out that the pyrotechnician had sent both letters and vows to more seriously consider his partner's opinion henceforth—to which Buddy responds with a happy bark.

---

Upon investigating the strange ruins on the outskirts of town, Barawa and the others discover the remains of someone's bomb production.

Suspecting that the love letter is not a declaration of affection but, rather, one of destruction, the crew quickly heads over to the mistress's manor.

Barawa: The attack will take place during the fireworks festival. We don't have much time!

Sarya: We have to hurry! The sun's already started to set!

Buddy: Woof!

Barawa: Is anybody there? Mr. Butler, sir!

Sarya: This is an emergency! Please open the door!

After a few moments, the maid opens the door, an annoyed expression on her face.

Maid: Oh, it's you guys again. What do you want this—

Buddy: Woof! Woof woof!

Maid: Hey, stop right there!

Vyrn: Nice! Buddy got in! After him!

Barawa: Excuse us, but we have to do this! Buddy! Scout out the area for any explosives!

Buddy: Awoof!

Following Barawa's super-sniffing partner, (Captain) and the group barge into the building.

Hearing the commotion, the manor's residents and workers all begin to gather around.

Sarya: Listen up, everybody! It's dangerous here! Please leave the building and get as far away as possible!

Mistress: I'm sorry, but what do you all think you're doing? Let me remind you that this is my private property.

Butler: My goodness! What is going on here, Barawa, sir?

Barawa: Finally, you're here! The letter you received—it isn't a love letter! It's a bomb threat!

Butler: Wha—

Barawa: You need to evacuate the area now!

Butler: Milady, we must leave the premises at once!

Mistress: A bomb? Impossible!

Butler: Hurry, milady!

Mistress: Ah, wait! Milly! Milly is still in my room!

The manor falls into panic as everybody begins shouting left and right.

Sarya: There's so many people! (Captain)! Could you help guide them outside!

1. I'm on it!

Choose: I'm on it!

In the midst of the chaos, (Captain) leads the manor's employees outside, when suddenly—

Maid: Honey, we gotta get outta here!

Vyrn: Ah, that's the guy! He's the one who gave us the letter!

Pyrotechnician: Heh, you're too late! I've already laid the fuse. All that's left is to light it!

Sarya: Wait!

Pyrotechnician: Time's up!

Buddy: Woof woof woof! Awoof!

After the pyrotechnician lights the fuse, Buddy runs up to one of the doors and barks profusely.

Barawa: It must be in there!

Seeing Buddy paw at the ground beneath the door, Barawa rushes over and tries to open it—but to no avail.

Buddy: Woof woof!

Pyrotechnician: Ahahaha! You're wasting your time!

Maid: We should evacuate too, honey...

Barawa: Hragh!

Pyrotechnician: What the— How'd you do that?

Ignoring the pyrotechnician's jeers, Barawa slams into the door with his full weight and knocks it down.

Maid: Ah!

Barawa: It's open! I think it's a supply closet! Now where's the bomb?

Sarya: Detective! Follow the fuse! We don't have much time!

Barawa: The fuse? Ah, this must be it!

Buddy slips by Barawa's legs and trots over to the end of the room.

Buddy: Grrr! Woof!

He quickly locates the bomb, puts it in his mouth, and zooms out of the closet, weaving between the fleeing workers.

Sarya: Buddy!

Barawa: He's trying to take it outside by himself—not on my watch!

Barawa: Hrng!

Barawa dashes after Buddy at a speed unbefitting of his large stature and snatches the bomb out of his partner's mouth.

Barawa: Give it to me!

Buddy: Woof?

Barawa: Hrmph!

Barawa: Huff... Huff... Looks like I threw it out the window just in time...

Barawa: I hope our two miscreants still think the bomb went off inside...

Buddy: Woof!

Barawa: That's good... Well, another case closed—right, Buddy?

Sarya: Seriously? How could you both just dash out like that while holding a bomb! Use those heads of yours to think a little!

Sarya: And I'll have you know that the case isn't quite closed!

Barawa: Hah hah hah! Don't get so worked up about it!

Buddy: Woof!

Barawa: Well then... Now to deal with you two. Care to explain yourselves?

Pyrotechnician: ...

Maid: Honey...

Butler: Pardon me if I'm wrong, but I believe I remember you. You're the pyrotechnician from last year, correct?

Barawa: Oh?

Pyrotechnician: Yeah, that's right, and I was a damn good one too—that is, until I got that ridiculous order of yours.

Sarya: And what would that be?

Butler: Last year, the mistress here ordered a special set of fireworks for the festival.

Vyrn: Special fireworks?

Pyrotechnician: Yep. She wanted them to explode into the shape of that cat of hers.

Pyrotechnician: And I did it. I fulfilled her special order even though I was really busy!

Pyrotechnician: But after the festival, she came storming into my workshop screeching about how it didn't look anything like her cat!

Butler: ...

Pyrotechnician: She caused a huge scene and killed my reputation because of it! I lost every last one of my customers!

Sarya: That's awful...

Pyrotechnician: Do you have any idea of what it feels like to have your pride torn to shreds? To watch your reputation crumble before your very eyes? Well, I do!

Sarya: So it's safe to assume that you're the one who slipped the warning letter into the mistress's bag and planted the bomb?

Pyrotechnician: That's right! It was me! All of—

Maid: I'm also to blame.

Pyrotechnician: Wha—

Maid: I won't allow my husband to bear the burden of my wrongdoings.

Barawa: After your husband lost his job, you sought employment under the manor's mistress in order to exact your revenge. Is that right?

Pyrotechnician: We were struggling to even scrape by... And yet the mistress would treat my wife like garbage. The only thing she cares about is her stupid cat!

Pyrotechnician: So I figured... Why not give them both a nice surprise this year? A special fireworks show for the mistress and her cat!

Pyrotechnician: Nobody here likes her anyway. She could die, and no one would even bat an eye.

Barawa: That doesn't mean she deserves to!

Pyrotechnician: ...

Barawa: Look, you seem to be a well-educated person. I used to be a solider, so I know you need to study hard in order to work with explosives!

Barawa: And yet, in spite of all the time and effort you put into honing your craft, you would dare think about using your skills to harm others? Surely you know better!

Pyrotechnician: ...

Barawa: It doesn't matter how you do it—killing is wrong, plain and simple!

Sarya: Detective...

Pyrotechnician: ...

Barawa: Hah hah hah! We successfully stopped the bomb from going off inside and even earned ourselves a hefty reward!

Barawa: The Barawa Detective Agency has done it again!

Vyrn: You don't have a force a smile! It's okay to feel down too. I mean, you almost died!

Lyria: Ehehe... The three of you really do make a good team though.

Lyria: Sarya has the smarts, Buddy has the heart, and Barawa has the brawn!

Barawa: That's exactly right, Lyria! We three of the detective agency are tightly bound together by an unbreakable trust in each other!

Vyrn: You aren't supposed to agree with her! You're the one who needs to have the smarts!

Vyrn: But wait... Weren't you and Buddy fightin' earlier?

Barawa: Oh! Right... We were arguing about something, weren't we?

Vyrn: You guys were makin' a huge scene, and you don't even remember?

Barawa: Of course I do! A good memory is a detective's most powerful tool after all.

Sarya: Detective, stop trying to pretend like nothing happened and apologize to Buddy—and say thank you while you're at it.

Barawa: Hmph... I suppose you're right. In hindsight, I should've paid more attention to Buddy when he was insisting that we deal with the threatening letter first.

Barawa: If we started tracking down the pyrotechnician sooner, we might've been able to stop him before he could finish his bomb—or at least I assume we would have.

Vyrn: Maybe Buddy already knew that the two letters were related!

Sarya: I suspect that there were still traces of gunpowder on the letter when you received it.

Sarya: Maybe it was on the love letter as well. That sulfuric smell is quite distinct and is by no means easy to cover up.

Barawa: You sure do have a good nose!

Lyria: Who's a good boy? You are, Buddy!

Buddy: Woof!

Barawa: I'm sorry, Buddy. I promise to consider your opinion too from now on!

Buddy: Woof! Awoof!

Buddy: (Those who would seriously consider the opinion of a mere dog are likely few and far between...)

Buddy: (Ah, well. He truly seems sorry, and that's what matters. However, I hope you don't think that I'd let you off so easily!)

Buddy: Woof woof! Awoof!

Sarya: I think he wants something!

Sarya: Oh! Detective, I think he wants top-grade dog food as a reward for his work!

Barawa: He sure is wagging his tail like crazy.

Barawa: All right! We earned enough to splurge a little—one fancy dog meal coming right up!

Vyrn: Whoa! Nice job, Buddy!

Buddy: Awoof!

Barawa: Hm? What's that?

Sarya: Huh?

Barawa: Wow, what a stunning piece of art! Look at that, Sarya. It's sparkling like a star in the night sky!

Sarya: Wait, Detective!

Barawa: It'll look great in our office!

Barawa: Excuse me! How much for the ornament?

Sarya: Detective! Please stop!

Buddy: Woof woof! Woof!

So concludes the dramatic and thrilling tale of a certain manor on a particular island.

Through thick and thin, the trio came together to successfully solve yet another exciting case.

Buddy: Awoooh!