Akemi didn't not yet look at Suzune, only replying to the first statement with a simple: "They so rarely see the justice they deserve."
She continues to listen closely. Her entire career is built on breaking down symbolism and identifying meaning within visual works, but not seeing it herself meant relying so heavily on what another could remember. Some of those meanings were obvious to her, while others left her wishing she could have seen them for herself.
"The first three you mention are either poisonous or symbolic of death itself. Obviously something like that has been on my mind. Marigolds can symbolize…several other negative emotions. Without knowing the colors of the rest, I could not parse for certain."
Purple tulips and orchids, pinkish zinnia. Respect. Royalty. Admiration. Nobility. Rebirth. All fake. The pink…perhaps it was a faded red, or perhaps it was magenta. Both held different enough meanings. She lowered her brow and considered the implications.
On hearing Suzune's question, Akemi's eyes drift a little, briefly focusing on the stickers Ellie had defaced her wall with.
"No, they are no longer with us."
It seems like you've been horribly wronged for a very, very long time.
Akemi tried, and failed, to keep her expression neutral as Suzune said this. Her brows lowered and her lips tightened. To hear someone else say it out loud was far different than simply knowing it. Moreover, to have her be the first--no, the only person to acknowledge it left Akemi briefly frozen. She closed her eyes for a moment, considering which parts she'd gotten right and which she had been off-base for, and rather than nodding as if to agree to it all, he sighed.
"My uncle, a very well-liked and respected curator of the arts, became my legal guardian at a young age. Since I was so young, he also had some custodial rights regarding my inheritance. He convinced me very early on, when I scarcely knew him, that my mother's work deserved spots in a gallery. He built an entire wing dedicated to her memory, and convinced me to allow him 'access' to her work. What I was too young to realize at the time, however, was that he had attained ownership of her paintings during this process. Rather than hanging all of her work, he would use it as a bargaining chip, to ensure my obedience."
There was a deep bitterness to her voice as she spoke this story aloud for the first time. Obedience. Halls choked with thorns. Stay in line.
"He would imply that her wing would be closed off, her paintings sold, for 'financial reasons,' if I did not make certain choices regarding my father's company. For years, he would ask for more, knowing his guardianship would be short-lived. He continued to hound me for more, even as I came of age."
Another pause.
"The evening I killed him, I used what he desired most to convince him to meet with me. I told him I would grant him full ownership of my father's company, in exchange for my mother's work, and I poisoned him while we sat to discuss our terms."
This part of the story, at least, was easier to discuss.
