Paint Me Blue

VII. He Deserves This

"Ah, Kenji," Bonz groaned, "you are the literal embodiment of everything wrong with the world, you know that?" he muttered, waving Kenji off with a dismissive hand after Kenji's remarks about the ear fetish.

But before Kenji could argue, War strolled out of room 406, rubbing his eyes and adjusting his messenger bag with a long, drawn-out yawn. Kenji, spotting his moment, smirked and said, "Just you wait for it Bonz. An apology is in order! Looks like my hunch is about to be foolproof-ed."

War looked at them, his lips quirking in a sleepy smile.

"Actually, you lot got a point," he said, his voice low but with a hint of amusement. "I did focus on the side profiles to highlight their ears."

Bonz's face twisted in fascination as he looked from Kenji to War. "Their ears?"

War nodded, tucking his bag strap more securely across his chest. "Yeah. My suspicions started in the interrogation room," he explained, "watching Jason Chen. There's this mannerism he has where he kept touching his ear. Now a gesture like that could mean a lot of things. Could be nerves, maybe a self-soothing thing, or just hesitating to answer. But for Jason..." War's gaze became thoughtful. "It was different. It was like he thought that part of him was special."

Kenji raised a brow. "Special, huh? Even with his..." he trailed off, nodding subtly as if to indicate Jason's scarred face.

War nodded. "Exactly. His face is already scarred, but the ear? Seemed untouched, almost like it meant something to him. It got me thinking."

"Thinking what?" Bonz asked, his skepticism softening.
War gestured back toward the room filled with sketches. "When I got a chance to look at those videos, I noticed every single boy had some kind of earring which is a luxury brand, no less. These weren't just random piercings. They were fancy, high-end pieces. And all 56 of those boys? Same thing. It's like the cult leader, Marcus, had... an ear fetish or something."

Bonz let out a low whistle, crossing his arms. "So, what, like he's spending a fortune just to decorate their ears? That's... eerie, to say the least."

War gave a wry smile. "Marcus is putting his money where his obsession is, if you ask me. It's not just a passing detail. He's practically worshipping this idea. I'd say it's less about luxury and more about control, adding something unique to the boys before he does whatever twisted ritual he has planned for them."

Kenji looked at the sketches again, this time a little more seriously. "So... not just a quirk, then. This is his... 'thing.'"

"Right," War confirmed, glancing over his shoulder toward room 406, a bit of fatigue still in his eyes. "And it's subtle, so it almost slipped under the radar. But I think we're onto something."

"And what is that something?"

Yin's voice cut through the room as he emerged from the hallway, his tone carrying an ambiguous edge as he gave a tired look at the sketches pasted along the walls. His yawn followed, reminding everyone that he and War had stayed up late, pouring over video footage until the small hours of the morning.

"Tell me, Mr. Artist. Will that something help solve the case today and save us some effort and resources?" His tone was impossible to read, hovering somewhere between neutral inquiry and teasing challenge.

Every head turned toward War. He blinked back at them, his expression a picture of exhaustion. His gaze lingered, pleading, as if he could telepathically bargain for a breakfast plate with pancakes and eggs before answering. But with a resigned sigh, he finally gave in.

"It may or may not crack the case right this second, but it'll answer one of the more important questions we're asking."

War paused, taking his time to scan the room, testing if anyone was sharp enough to fill in the blank for him. His eyes settled on Yin, the expected "sharpest in the room." But to War's dismay, it wasn't Yin who caught on.