Conversation · Empathy

"What people?"

"Crazy people? The fucking näkkies? I don't know..."

It's Suruese. The Suru are an indigenous ethnic minority in the social democratic powerhouse Vaasa, on the tundra and taiga covered isola of Katla. Far, far away from here -- as far as possible, really.

Do they have red-haired people there?

You mean evil little red-haired people like her? Yes, they do -- the Suruese have that ginger gene.

This isn't important right now.

Sure, interesting things aren't important. Only your cop thing is.

"Cuno, could she be Suruese?"

"Suruese, like that Man-From-Hjelmdall shit?" The kid lights up. "She could be... She could be that Hjelmdall shit."

Revachol does have a small Suruese community. Or she climbed into a yakberry crate and was shipped over accidentally.

Sounds boreal, like something from the tundra- and taiga- covered Katla isola. Far, far away from here -- as far as possible, really.

Some things are too awful to dwell on. The näkkies and runkkaris... might be some kind of defence mechanism.

"Cuno... do you think it's possible that she's killed other children?"

Cuno falls silent. He does not look at you when he replies...

"Cuno, uh... that's.... that's what Cuno is starting to think. Yeah."

He usually looks you straight in the eye. A little something just crumbled there.

Don't move your head. Just from the corner of your eye -- look at her.

Look at Cuno.

The kid is just that now -- a kid.

Look at her.

Though her friend spoke too low for her to hear, Cunoesse is not smiling anymore.

"What's up with the näkkies? The fisher-people? That stuff?"

"Yeah, I saw you get the näkk treatment... Dark shit, huh?"

"The näkk-treatment?"

"Back when you waved your gun and it went off -- she does the fisher-people-näkk thing when she's way in the red. On overdrive."

"She used to say it all the time: näkk this, fisher-people that. Now she only says it when she's on the lightning. Or when guns go off."

"What the hell is a näkk?"

"Her people? She's one of them? Then she hates them. Then everyone's a näkk and she's trapped? Look..."

"It's none of our business. That's what a näkk is. Cuno keeps his nose to himself -- doesn't go poking around in näkk shit. Cuno's wise that way."

She regresses and pretends she's a mythological creature when she's under too much stress.

"Phew, am I glad she's out of our hair. She's fucked up."

"She's not fucked up!" He raises his voice, but then lowers it again. "Everyone's fucked up. Stop judging shit."

Wrong move. But he's whispering still. You haven't lost him, just don't mess up again, or you will. There are no guarantees here.

"Cuno, listen to me -- she's trying to control you. We gotta get you outta here."

"It's okay!" He straightens his back and turns to Cunoesse. "The pig's trying to pit us against each other. Not gonna let him do that."

Idiot! You bungled it up.

That's it. You let him off the line, that was a bad, manipulative thing to say. You should understand: I got you this far, I couldn't get you all the way.

"Tried to fuck my Cuno!" A giggle, malicious and gleeful. She pulls herself up higher on the fence. "Tried to fuck my Cuno away! Me and Cuno are tight. We ride for life!"

A chill comes over you. The wind from the Boulevard South, lashing you -- for trying to separate them. For trying to take the street out of Cuno.

Interesting. How?

Cunoesse is by far the worst of the two. Cuno has no problem being near you, but the other hides behind the fence, afraid for her life, like she's done something. Something very bad.

She came up with that psychopathic scheme of screaming for help before. Cuno just wanted to talk to you about his name. Cunoesse was the one who wound him up and directed him.

Also, Cuno hasn't stopped talking to you. Even enjoys it from time to time. When you talk to the other one it's like talking to a cornered animal. She only hisses.

And then there's the fact that she's a girl. And appears to be a little younger, certainly smaller. And yet Cuno is afraid of her. What's up with that, Cuno?

All in all, Cuno respects madness. You cannot hope to outdo her on that front. You must win yourself a few minutes with him alone.

What's going on? He's an ungovernable youth on your crime scene, throwing around incendiary language, trying to push your buttons.

Like you don't have enough on your plate! You feel a sudden surge of self-pity coming on...

"Cuno, listen. I know this boundary-pushing thing is new to you, but it's old news for us grown-ups."

"Get your snout out of Cuno's ass!" He waves you off. "Cuno knows how hard Cuno pushes it. Cuno pushes it hard-level..."

"You should give up, popo. Or the Cunn will keep fucking it out of you."

"Are you okay, Cuno?" She looks worried. The Cunn has her confused.

That went wrong. He took it as a compliment. Then he had a minor seizure.

"I don't know what to do anymore... I'm just a busted old piece of meat. This case is all I have -- and you're not helping."

"Take the pain, fucko! Take the bad!" The child is not grinning -- it looks more like a wolf bearing its teeth.

Smelling weakness. She loves it.

"You hear that, C? Porko wants to talk about how he can't hack this shit. Porko wants to move in with Cuno!"

"Don't let him move in with us, Cuno."

You have no idea what to say now. You're just going to have to try to change the subject...

"Cuno, you must have seen all kinds of things throwing stones here. Wanna help the RCM bust a murderer?"

"Fuck no!" He bursts out loud. Laughing. "What are you, fucking... mentally handicapped?"