Blithe Washington

— Blithe

**Blithe Washington** is a side character in The Smoke Room. She is a student at Echo School who appears in Murdoch's route.

## Appearance

Blithe is a black cat with lime green eyes. She is usually seen wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a red ribbon, a white blouse, and a floral-patterned dress with a black sash.

## Personality

Blithe is very intelligent, as well as mischievous and fiercely independent. She isn't afraid to talk back to or even threaten adults who cause her trouble, and actively involves herself in investigating the mysteries of Echo. Blithe's headstrong personality leads her to speak bluntly toward everyone around her, though she is willing to use a modicum of manners out of obligation when speaking to those with authority over her such as her father or teachers. She enjoys reading stories of daring and intrigue and longs to travel beyond Echo to have her own adventures. Blithe harbors an intense sense of justice, and believes in doing whatever she can to protect girls like herself from the evil she sees in the world around her.

Blithe has a heightened sensitivity to paranormal happenings, and perceives things that others cannot.

### Early Life

Blithe was presumably born and raised in Echo. Her mother died before the events of The Smoke Room and so Blithe lives with her father. Blithe's father appears rather stern and is stringent about her chores, and seems to frequently lecture her on making something out of her life. Because her father works long hours as a miner, Blithe spends much of her time alone. Despite her mother's death, Blithe is still able to "see" her in some capacity.

Blithe is a junior at Echo School and is in Holly Byrnes' English class. Blithe also takes part in Dahlia's astronomy club, and is one of the few to realize that some of the assignments Dahlia hands out are actually intricate puzzles that result in odd phrases when solved. Blithe is a good student who achieves well in English and Math alike, though she does not enjoy her classes and is often bored by how simple she finds the curriculum.

At some point, Blithe and her best friend Melissa discovered a vast network of disused mining tunnels underneath Echo, running from Danicka Mine to the caverns near Lake Emma, which they dubbed the 'tromping grounds.' Blithe and Melissa kept their knowledge of the tunnels to themselves and mapped many of them, using colored paint to highlight certain paths with known destinations like the lake or the mines. Blithe also uncovered a mysterious trapdoor in her own backyard connected to the caverns, and began to have nightmares about things emerging from it. Occasionally Blithe and Melissa showed the tromping grounds to their peers, but nobody came to know them as well as the pair.

### Prologue

At some point shortly after (or perhaps even on) the night of the miners' riot that resulted from the discovery of Jack's body in the mines, Blithe stumbles across Samuel's lost double eagle coins while exploring the tromping grounds and claims them for herself, later using one of them to buy herself some furniture. This seemingly does not occur on Will's route, as Will recovers one of the coins when he and Samuel return to the cavern the night of the riot.

### Murdoch's Route

Blithe makes her first appearance when Sam comes to her English class to drop off some paperwork for school picture day. When called upon by her teacher Holly to interpret a quote from Macbeth, Blithe answers with well-thought out analysis in a slightly cheeky tone.

On picture day Sam returns to the school to help Murdoch and encounters Blithe outside. She is skeptical of Melissa, who claims to have recently witnessed the sudden death of a large flock of birds and worries that it is a sign of bad things to come. Blithe recognizes Sam from the day before and directs him to the auditorium where Murdoch is taking pictures. Blithe tells Sam, who is alone, that she hopes 'you both' find Murdoch, sending a chill up his neck.

Seemingly later that day, Blithe and Melissa attend Holly's English class and discuss their favorite excerpts from *Jane Eyre.* Blithe has no trouble analyzing the meaning behind the passages and even instructively points things out to Melissa. After class, the pair walk toward their homes together and Blithe admits she can't stand English class because it is too easy, and would rather just read at home. Melissa is exasperated by Blithe's relative aptitude, and Blithe explains to her that analyzing books is just like learning to notice the way people hide layers of meaning underneath what they actually say. The two also discuss the abrupt disappearance of their classmate Mary Applegate, which has been keeping Melissa from sleeping, before parting ways.

That night, Sam catches Blithe hiding behind a rock at Lake Emma while he, Murdoch, and Ralph flee from the scene of a possible homicide they have just witnessed. After pulling a switchblade on Sam, Blithe declares that she is out searching for Melissa, who has gone missing. Ralph talks down to her and she spits on him, and the two nearly come to blows before Sam interrupts. While the adults are trying to decide what to do with her, Blithe absconds up a cliff face with shocking speed and escapes. When Sam later informs Holly and Dahlia that he saw Blithe alone at night with a knife, they are utterly unsurprised.

Blithe comes to collect an assignment from Dahlia at the Echo School observatory the next evening and is surprised to see Sam again. As they walk outside together Blithe explains that Dahlia hides secret messages in the notes she's been giving out, and asks Sam to find out what Murdoch knows about them. Blithe cavalierly mentions the rumors swirling in Echo about Sam's sexuality and profession, infuriating him, and then hires him to help her look for Melissa. Blithe plans to pay Sam with coins she has found in the mine, which Sam recognizes as likely being the savings he dropped on the night he was attacked by Jack.

The next day, Sam arrives at their prearranged meeting spot in a cemetery near Echo's train tracks and Blithe pops out of a mausoleum before inviting him inside. She explains that Mary Applegate's disappearance came after a series of threatening letters from a stalker, and reveals that three other girls and two boys have also gone missing from Echo School in the previous month. Blithe then shows Sam that the mausoleum connects to her 'tromping grounds,' and guides him out of the tunnels through the trapdoor in her yard. They walk together down the train tracks, and Blithe tells Sam that if she had his strength she'd use it to hurt those who do evil. The pair then arrange to meet the following day, but Sam forgets to do so, and returns to the cemetery days afterward to find no sign of Blithe.

Later in the route, Blithe becomes the point of view character several times. She has a dream (alongside Sam) that shows Melissa finding Mary's body in the mines after being lured there by a series of sweet-smelling letters seemingly penned by Mary herself. Melissa is pursued by an unknown man who seems to be responsible for Mary's death, before finally being cornered deep underground by a hulking, spiderlike creature. Blithe equips herself with supplies and weapons, including a gun hidden beneath the floorboards of her kitchen and a fencing sword, and sets out to venture into the mines to look for her friend.

Blithe spends the following two days underground, navigating the mines and surviving on previously hidden caches of food in an attempt to retrace Melissa's steps from her dream. At one point she wishes she had been kinder to Melissa, but sternly reminds herself that 'should-haves' matter less than the facts of what she is able to do for her friend in the moment. While exploring, Blithe encounters several grotesque apparitions that she refers to as spirits but ignores them, confident that they cannot hurt her in the way the man who pursued Melissa and likely killed Mary can. She notices that the usual distant din of the miners has ceased, later revealed to be due to a strike, and worries that if her father is off from work he might notice her absence and send an unwelcome search party for her.

Eventually, Blithe comes across a cavern with a lake that matches the spot where Melissa found Mary's body. She shouts into the cavern and a voice chides her not to make noise lest she meet a 'noisome end,' but Blithe disregards the presence. Melissa suddenly answers, from within a small crevice with an opening at the top that she has used to conceal herself, and cautions Blithe that there is a monster nearby that might return if it hears her. The two share a joyous reunion and Blithe attempts to convince Melissa that the mine's monsters cannot touch her so that they may escape, specifying that they can only hurt those who are already dead.

Before she can make progress in convincing Melissa to leave however, the pair are interrupted by the voice of James Hendricks, who Melissa explains has been bringing her food, calling down to them from the hole in the roof of the cavern. Blithe identifies him as the owner of the mine and asks him to send men to help Melissa get out of the cave. James demurs, however, and asks a frustrated Blithe to be more civil as he insists that he cannot help them because the bad press of two young girls being found in the mines would embolden the miners' union at a critical moment in the ongoing strike. He asks them to stay underground for a few more days until the strike ends, but then Blithe nearly manages to get him to lower them a rope to them by promising to spread a story about his heroism in exchange for his help. James is suddenly frightened by something, however, and he quickly covers up the hole and runs off apologizing, with an assurance to the girls that whatever he is doing is for their benefit. Resolving that they will not spend another day in the mines, Blithe calms down a panicked Melissa and motivates her to escape.

As the two run through the tunnels they hear a panicked exclamation in Lachian, which Melissa translates as 'arsonist,' and encounter a burly miner. He is panicked and shocked to see them, and tells the girls to run because it is not safe underground.

## Relationships

### Melissa

Melissa is Blithe's best friend and classmate at Echo School. Blithe tends to behave somewhat condescendingly towards her due to her own comparative academic prowess and lack of regard for most other people, but Melissa's more empathetic point of view occasionally expands Blithe's cynical outlook. Despite Melissa not being exempt from Blithe's blunt nature, she enjoys spending time with her and the pair typically get along well. Blithe and Melissa frequently have discussions with each other both in person and via note, and the two spend much of their time exploring and mapping out the tromping grounds together. Blithe particularly values Melissa's ability to confront the world head-on and straightforwardly tell the truth exactly the way it is.

When Melissa goes missing, Blithe proves herself deeply committed to her wellbeing by setting out to save her immediately. She expresses regret over having teased Melissa and swears not to leave the mines without her friend in tow, spending days braving both physical and paranormal dangers in the process. Despite her aloof demeanor, Blithe seems to care about Melissa more than anyone else in her life and is overjoyed when they are reunited, hugging her friend immediately.

### Samuel

Blithe decides to hire Sam to help her look for Melissa because she has heard rumors about his profession, and knows that he will do 'anything' for money. Blithe sometimes addresses Sam as if he is two people, and appears quite curious about him. She also seems envious of his size and physical strength, and imagines what she could do with the power and agency she believes it confers. Blithe is surprised to learn of his limited schooling and seems to enjoy teasing him, but still believes (inaccurately) that he will be effective in helping her save Melissa.

### Holly and Dahlia

Blithe impresses her teachers with her intellect, but despite excelling in school she acts largely bored by it and is indifferent to Holly and Dahlia's praise. She tells Melissa she dislikes Holly's English class because it is too easy for her and she has not enrolled in Dahlia's astronomy course because, despite her aptitude for it, she dislikes math.

Blithe is aware of the cryptic encoded messages that Dahlia distributes, and is interested in finding out more about them. This extends to uncovering more about who is else is aware of these messages, and Blithe exhibits curiosity about whether Murdoch is aware of them as well, since he is Dahlia's brother.

### Mr. Washington

Mr. Washington is Blithe's father and only surviving parent. She refers to him as Dad and is apparently used to him being somewhat hard on her. Mr. Washington often pushes Blithe to forge her own path in the world rather than waiting for someone to make a life for her, and assigns her a variety of chores. Blithe is not overly affectionate toward her father and keeps many secrets from him, though she nonetheless treats him with slightly more respect than most other people, likely due to his authority over her.

## Trivia

* Blithe is an avid reader, and mentions enjoying *Huckleberry Finn* and *Treasure Island* to Sam. Her favorite passage from *Jane Eyre* is "Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."
* The sprite of Blithe smiling is titled 'ultra rare' in the game's files.
* Blithe makes a brief cameo as a disgruntled barista in the 2021 Christmas short story set in a modern-day alternate universe.
* Blithe's heightened sensitivity to the paranormal appears similar to the abilities of Cameron Wilson from Arches.

## Gallery

DefaultAngryChallengingSympathizingSurprisedHappy ("Ultra Rare")Blithe about to descend into the mines on the splash artwork for Murdoch Chapter Three.Artwork of Blithe and Sam during Murdoch's route, posted alongside the June 3, 2021 build of The Smoke Room.Concept art for Blithe drawn by Shtarfish.Concept art for Blithe drawn by Shtarfish.