( TRIAL - WEEK 1 )

[abhoth]

At exactly 11:30 am, all residents who are still asleep will be jolted awake by a sharp, burning pain that spreads across their whole body. A simple look will reveal no visible injuries, oddly enough, and the pain will fade away as soon as they're properly awake. Those early birds who are already up and about will feel nothing — except maybe a strange, mysterious sense of relief as they go on about their business. Lucky them. Moments later, an announcement will come through the static-filled PA system: "This is Craftly speaking. My apologies for the rude awakening [not really], but your presence is required in the Dining Hall. Our first trial is about to begin. Please do try to be there before noon. My staff members have simply too many duties to tend to, to be escorting each and every one of you out of your quarters. Good day." And true to his words, anyone who doesn't make their way to the Dining Hall before noon will be dragged kicking and screaming regardless of where they've sequestered themselves. Sucks to be you, huh? Upon arriving there, however, residents will be given the menu, one copy of the rulebook, one pencil, one notepad, and a cheque folder. Lunch and dinner will be served at the appropriate times, and appetizers, desserts and beverages (of the non-alcoholic variety) will be available throughout the trial. All you have to do is ask one of the faceless men, and your food will be delivered to you in ten minutes or less depending on what it is. The Dining Room itself looks about the same as it does any other day — save for the fact that the lights have been dimmed. Why this, you ask? Because the projector is now in use. Transparencies containing each resident's profile will be displayed on the pull-down screen, with one of the staff members rotating through the images every minute. The profiles of the deceased are included, and if current discussion deems it necessary to focus on one particular resident, anyone is free to ask the faceless man to pause on the appropriate profile for a while. A small area has been sectioned off with a transparent, plastic curtain right next to the pull-down screen. Its use will become rapidly apparent once the victim's corpse has been wheeled in. Anyone who wishes to step into this area will be asked to wash their hands in the kitchen, and they will be given a pair of latex-free gloves and a hairnet by a staff member who is stationed nearby. Residents are required to dispose of both items before returning to the dinner table; a trash bin is available outside of the curtains for this purpose. Evidence found during the investigation, on the other hand, will be displayed in the back of the room. Two, long tables have been taken out of storage for this occasion, and any items found by the residents on Friday will be displayed here for further examination. Finally — a clock above the pull-down screen displays the current hour. Please do remember you have until 9:00 PM to figure out whodunit and cast your vote. ( victim ) Welcome to our first trial! Characters will be given nine (9) hours to discuss everything related to the investigation to hopefully solve the mystery behind this week's murder. No one will be allowed to leave the Dining Hall without explicit permission from the Innkeeper (and only then to take a tinkle), and all characters must cast their vote before 9PM EST. You may do so on this week's voting page. If you have any questions or doubts, shoot us a PM or a PP over at yuggoth. ( quick navigation ) voting | profiles | menu | locations | ic rulebook

Comments

[intolerable]

To pick the lock of a door you obviously couldn't open without the room 112 key. It was proven by the others that that was what was used on the keyhole!

It doesn't matter. If you'll deny it to the end, I'll remain convinced. There's no way three people would partner up the first week to kill one person.

[dva]

[ Peace sign. ]

Didn't say all three, but each has their own advantage. Learn to listen better, yeah?

[ But, she's really shrugging this off at this point. ]

Try thinking outside of the box instead of going for the first choice. Strategies can win a game or destroy it. If I'm voted, make sure you find the real killer, you know?

[ Narrow eyes. ]

Enjoy the blood on your own hands.

[restlessgods]

If you have a theory to counter, then voice it.

im sorry for my messed up html smh

[dva]

What theory can I give? Someone broke in and framed me? Someone ... [ busts out laughing. ] possessed me? Someone copied my role — whatevs that means?

It won't be enough for you all.

it ok

[restlessgods]

If you can provide a reasoned theory, you can exonerate yourself. If you are innocent, I would expect a more coherent effort to prove so.

[dva]

The only theory is too convenient. I don't remember anything prior to waking up. Not using some stupid clothes hanger, not killing anyone and definitely not losing the dumb piano wire!

[restlessgods]

Are you familiar with the scientific theory definition? If you made an effort to suggest an alternate hypothesis, it would reduce the guilt on you that you seem so insistent on disproving.

[dva]

I insisted it wasn't me. My theories would come off as a desperate way to pawn shit off on someone else.

[ She doesn't know science, let her live?? ]

I'm damned if I do and damned if I do not, I think the saying is.

[restlessgods]

If your logic is reasoned, we would listen and consider.

[dva]

My logic is not — not when I went to sleep late, forcefully so, and woke up to a dead body that I'm being charged with killing.

[ She shrugs. Honestly. ]

Just, make me a promise, yeah?

[restlessgods]

[ Rachel's expression doesn't change at all. It's hard to see under that veil, too. ]

[dva]

If it happen again, find the right killer. Like — really! Whatever the hell happens next, get the right person.

[thawedheart]

...I admit it looks likely. But...

[There's something about this that bothers her.]

Did we ever find out what happened to Jason-san's key? If she was the one to kill him, why bother with trying to pick the lock? She should have been able to take it from him once he was dead.

[intolerable]

I propose that she picked his lock first, got him out, the murder happened, and she took his key then, locked the room back up, then ran out of time to hide the body somewhere less damning.

Where it is though... that's a good question.

[thawedheart]

...we know for sure that the hangar was used to try and pick the lock, but do we know for sure that it worked? Kaito-san and Dave-san both said that they heard it, but...

[They never did see the door open, did they?]

And if she did get him out of there... how? He was awake to struggle, since there was blood under his fingernails. When did he wake up? Would she have had to drag him outside, or...?

I don't think she would have brought the key with her today, if she did have it... surely no one would be that... [Stupid?] But it has to be out there somewhere, right?

[parodeity]

We didn't. Someone has to have it, maybe...but the thing is, I'm still not sure if the lock was messed with before or after he left. It could have been the thing that drew him out, you know?

[thawedheart]

...that's possible. And - it looked like it had been bent back into shape when it was found, right? Or that someone had tried to, anyway.

[Hmmm...]

If whoever it was had enough time to try and do that before we all started searching... that doesn't make the theory that the killer ran out of time to hide the body somewhere less incriminating make much sense, does it? Why do that before you've gotten rid of the body?

[parodeity]

Honestly...if Dipper's right about Jay's item doin' somethin' weird, it would've made the most sense to just dump the body in the hall. Why really bother hiding it if you had an invisible weapon, you know?

[thawedheart]

I guess that's true. But, Dipper-san's theory isn't the reason we started suspecting Hana-san. [It had more to do with people seeing a feminine figure and the body being close by.] Even if the weapon would be invisible, I think someone trying hard to get away with murder would try and keep the body as far away from them as they could.

...but, if Jason-san was still warm when he was found, then that makes it look like the killer ran out of time to hide the body, or that if he was lured out, it was very close to when we all woke up. So if the killer is the same person as the one who tried to pick your lock, why did they have enough time to try and fold the hangar back into shape before we started looking for clues?

That's what's confusing me the most.

[parodeity]

Honestly, I don't know if it'd take that long to fold back up. You can test it, if you want? [ ... ] I think you'd be closer the appropriate strength, but maybe I would be instead. Unsure.

[thawedheart]

[And she tested it!!]

...the metal was difficult to twist around the hook. It took me about a minute to get it all done, and... that's with steady hands. [She imagines someone who just killed probably would be shaking at least a little.]

So... how likely do we think it is that she took a minute to fold it back into place and put it into her own closet, instead of... I don't know, hiding it in her own clothes and then trying to dispose of it secretly while everyone was distracted with investigating?

[parodeity]

I'm not sure. Which one of them found the hanger, anyway, do we know? The only way she could have done it durin' the investigation is if she got the closet before her roomies.

[thawedheart]

...I don't know. It might be worth asking them.

[parodeity]

Yeah. You want to, or me?

[thawedheart]

...if you could, please? I have something I'd like to ask Craftly-san, so this way we can cover more ground.