Distorted | Shimada Genji | g.s. / s.g.

act I: xiv.

April 3rd, 2058, 5 days before Neala's conviction.

Darius always knew while raising the young girl, the daughter he never had, that there was something off. When he was consistently present in her early stages of life, she was happy one moment then very detached from reality the next. The servant noted that she would become irritated and irrational after one mistake like messing up a letter when learning to write or when she was thrown off her regular routine. She did not keep any friends and managed to get into fiascos with other children. The little Reis girl would hit other children and lie about it. Her face held a cold gaze and generally had a pessimistic attitude. She grew up with a mother emotionally absent and rarely present. She grew up with her father for the first five years of her life who abandoned her with a flip of a switch, so Darius had to fulfill the role. Neala was young but wasn't clueless, so she became confused why her father was suddenly not there. Anytime she would walk into his room during his abandonment process, he would tell her to leave or that he was too busy and close the door on her way out.

The family servant was well aware of her mental breakdowns and her irregular behavioral patterns, so there was a point when the girl first turned twelve, her first year of being a preteen, Darius took it upon himself to inform her parents that their daughter they left for him to handle needs to be checked out for her anger management. The parents refused, telling him he was overreacting, over analyzing, and overestimating their daughter. Darius had caught the young girl going as far as starving herself for two months straight which was considered a form of self harm. He found her journal and took a sneak peek of what was written inside, and he knew that her respect for her self image was nonexistent. He did not want to accept the girl's fate of her mental health turning into something bigger, but there was nothing he could have done.

Now he sits in a conference room with the most prominent officer apart from Neala's investigation and Doctor Müller. He explains every little thought about Neala that is scattered in his brain.

All the Doctor had to respond as she silently finished her writing was, "So then you did know."

Darius clasps his hands together as he hangs his head in defeat, "Yes, but there is only so much I can do as I was restricted from handling manners with Gloria and Glacier's child."

Doctor Müller sighs as she pulls her clipboard towards her, "I understand, Mr. Ramos, and I want to reassure you that we do not have you here to interrogate you but rather gain hindsight of Neala's behavior that you have noticed over the years as the family's servant."

Darius has shy tears threaten his vision as he leans back in his chair, gazing upwards at the lightbulb, "I never thought she could be capable of such a crime, I mean, I always knew she did not like her parents but not to the point where she wants to kill them. I find it truly hard to believe." The Doctor and officer make brief eye contact.

"Yes," The officer speaks up, "but all evidence points towards her. As soon as we gain this last bit of information to confirm all suspicions, she will be convicted in court."

"I see," Darius murmurs as he closes his eyes and shifts his head downwards with a heavy sigh. "It's just... hard. I saw her as a daughter. I raised her, and I feel like a failure."

"But she is not your daughter," Mrs. Müller states. "You took care of her as part of your job. Although it is hard to accept, you have to be rational. I would definitely recommend getting therapy about this if it gets to a point where it affects your daily life." Darius's eyes shudder as realization kicks in.

It is not his fault. He did what he could, and that is all he could ask from himself.

The elder male is eventually alone in the room for a few minutes after finishing the conference. After thinking very intensely, he makes the internal decision with his heart and mind that it would do him no good to stick around with a murderer because of his emotions. He did assist raising her to a way further extent than expected, but it is not his business to deal with since he has a family of his own. He was originally in the girl's company because of the pay her family had for him, but now that he is unemployed by law, he has no choice but to abandon her and find another job to fund his family.