Chapter 278 Shapes and Clues
The party examined the sketched layout of the area for some time, drawing their own conclusions and sharing ideas to combine their thoughts. After about four rounds of discussion, they all agreed on a few key points. They then approached Aleshia, who was standing apart from their group, and presented their findings.
"This circle, as Cecelia surmised, represents our current location. So, this triangle must indicate a clue about the cat's location. The rectangular thing should represent another clue, or it may point to a suspect who knows the cat's location. And for this, the oval shape likely depicts something that holds a clue regarding the cat's whereabouts." Brian concluded.
Aleshia was left confused by the responses, as they seemed to convey the same message but with slightly different wording. However, this didn't concern her too much since she didn't know the meaning of the shapes that Lucia had added. So, she decided to ask Lucia directly, "Do those other shapes have any significance?"
Lucia quickly responded, "Not really. The shapes are different because I couldn't make them all the same. Since they were different from the circle that marked our location, I thought any shape other than a circle would be fine to use to represent the clues I was depicting in the sketch."
After hearing Lucia out, Aleshia congratulated the group. "Well done, you are correct. For our course of action, if you will allow my input, I suggest we start heading to the nearest location to see if there is anything that can help us find the cat." Aleshia suddenly remembered she forgot to ask, "Have you all found any more clues? If so, please mark the locations where you discovered them. It might help us get a better grasp on the whereabouts of the cat."
The group acknowledged Aleshia's suggestion and began collecting various sticks to outline the location where they found the clues. Each member of the party marked out a few shapes, though it seemed that the berserker had nothing to contribute. After everyone marked their findings, they presented and examined what they had gathered.
Aleshia compared their findings to the shapes on the sketch they had created. While doing so, she made some estimates and began to speculate. "Based on these tracks here and here, it seems that someone may have stolen the cat. Look at these locations," she pointed out. "They form a clear entry and exit point. Although the bushes obstruct the view, this bush has a cutout large enough for a person to sneak through, so that might be a lead."