The Storytellar (Shadows Of A Massacre)

Truth I

The newsroom in Prime News Station (P.N.S) seemed to be filled with empathetic pity about the terrible incident that befell the white haired boy and how it must have affected him. However...

With a long sigh, "Haa...! Should we really be talking about the boy and the story like this?" Reporter A — the third party of the newsroom, chimed in on the discussion.

"Huh?!" the other two reporters/anchors chorused.

Reporter A stated, "It's obvious that this was a targeted homicide in a very secure community in a well-guarded estate. Do you guys realize the estate that got broken into... Burlington Estate; is a class in itself covered with the highest grade of security for high-class personnel. I had to get through five security checkpoints just to get to the crime scene." Her logic was very sound to the point that all the pity that had been enveloped in the newsroom slowly turned into dread.

News Anchor B attempted to challenge her logic, "Uh, but these things happen-" but failed to get a single sentence out.

Reporter A continued, "-I'm sorry, but for some maniacal person to just be able to come into another's home willy-nilly, have enough time to slaughter them and even GET AWAY just like that just doesn't sit well with me, especially when that home's in a 'secured' place like Burlington estate. And I'm sorry, but this story doesn't seem like like a sorrowful story to me, it's a scary one."

"Yes, but-" Anchor B tried, but he failed once again to make a single statement. And Reporter A carried on without hesitation, "-Why aren't we talking about the threat of the situation!?"

"Because we can't, alright!?" Anchor B finally triumphed and spoke his mind, "Don't you get it!? If we spoke about how bad the situation actually was in a general sense... Then all we would be doing is creating mass fear and panic in the minds of the ordinary people out there!" There was a short pause after that and stiffening silence engrossed the newsroom. Until...

With a long sigh, "Haa...!" News Anchor A broke the silence. Then, with abruptly loud taps on the news desk, synchronized with his words, he cheekily stated, "What. A. Day..."

Nonchalantly, "Mmm..." he slurped a bit of his chai in a cup marked with the printed words 'Worlds Best Anchor'; it was a long slurp as the sound even echoed all over the noiseless newsroom. He finished it with a "Ahh... Now that's some good chai." Once he was finished, he finally set the cup down and took in the room...

He looked over at Anchor B and chuckled. He then looked over at Reporter A, and all of a sudden his relaxed demeanour changed to a more serious one.
He leaned a bit forward from where he sat and said, "And what would you suggest we do about it, Miss Pathfinder...?" He let out a smirk then declared, "Let's not forget, you were the first one to report the story in the first place..."

"Yes, I know I did but-"

"-But? But what? ...Now, now, don't you think you're being a bit of a hypocrite, my dear? After all, you were at the scene of the very crime you're exaggerating, you could've joined the police and investigated a bit but why didn't you, hmm?" His logical reasoning put her between a rock and a hard place, she was speechless.

He stood up and slowly approached her as he continued with a perfect smile on his face for the camera, "Ah... I could answer that question for you; the reason you didn't do more than that was because you're not a detective, or the authorities, you could hardly care a bit about the victim, you went there for one thing and one thing alone..."

"And what might that be...?" Ms Pathfinder begrudgingly asked. And he answered, "The story, you went there for the story as every reporter in this news station is paid to do, we're paid to get the story before anyone else, and report it well enough to be digested by the masses."

She tried to rebut his statement, "We're not entertainers, Mr-"

But he was quick to speak, "-Aren't we? Do you actually believe that if 'THIS' wasn't entertaining anyone would watch the news?"
As Anchor A said this, he watched Ms Pathfinder's obvious expressions, he tilted his head for a moment and thought 'Oh my God! She actually believes that shit!' He laughed at the very idea, "Hahaha...! You're serious... How naive can you be!? Haha..." His laughter subsided a bit, so he half-seriously asked, "Wait, wait, wait, what would you expect us reporters to do!? "

Ms. Pathfinder smirked and let out a devilish chuckle, "Why, it's elementary Mr. Watson..." Mr Watson's smile disappeared when she said, "All we need to do is report the truth and find out just exactly who this mass murderer is. That's what we reporters do, we report the truth and details of that truth, down to the ugliest detail... Isn't that simple enough, dear...?" Her challenging glare stayed on Mr Watson as if waiting for his next response. At this moment they were in stare down at each other, each other face to face.

With a gentle smack to his forehead, 'Oh boy... These two are at it again...?' News Anchor B worriedly thought to himself along with the rest of the entire news station staff that was working on the story that night. Mr Watson and Ms Pathfinder were the type to always have debates or 'couple fights' as the staff called them whenever they found themselves remotely in the same room.

...