( TRIAL - WEEK 4 )

[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, but due to a certain someone who I shall not name [he's still pissed] — today's trial will take place by the pool. 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 Outdoor Dining Area 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. Due the Kitchen and Dining Hall getting wrecked, lunch and dinner will mostly consist of grilled and barbecued menu items. Hamburgers, hotdogs, salads, and items that require little preparation — all the residents have to do is ask in order to receive. Similarly, all beverages will be retrieved from a hundred quart cooler that has been placed by the side of the pool. Not as fancy as usual, but at least the pool is clean now. Some inflatable pool toys lazily swim in the water, along with pool noodles. Every now and then, the waters will vibrate to the sound of buzz saws and assorted power tools. Looks like the Disposal Room, Dining Hall and Kitchen are under reparations. A tent has been placed over the area to shield the residents from the sun, and to make up from the lack of transparencies everyone will receive a small booklet containing each resident's profile. They look a little bit like shitty PowerPoint presentation handouts, but maybe it's part of the charm. The profiles of the deceased are included, as always. A second tent has been set up in the parking lot, complete with an air conditioning on the inside. Its use will become rapidly apparent once the victims corpses have been wheeled in. Anyone who wishes to step into this area will be asked to wash their hands, and will be given a pair of latex-free gloves and a hairnet by a staff members who is stationed nearby. Residents are required to dispose of both items before returning to their table; a trash bin is available outside of the tent for this purpose. Evidence found during the investigation, on the other hand, will be displayed in a table by the pool shed. Any items found by the residents on Friday will be displayed here for further examination. Finally — one of the grandfather clocks has been kidnapped from its respective floor to show the current hour. Please do remember you have until 9:00 PM to figure out whodunit and cast your vote. And if anyone tries to leave the area before the trial is over? They'll discover an invisible wall blocking their path. ( victims ) 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 Pool/Outdoor Dining Area (the pool shed will also be locked), 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

[lohengrins]

[ hm. he walks over towards her, his expression frigid. his tone doesn't seem to differ. ]

Do you know who Ryou had tea with, Yukina?

[ and without a beat: ]

You two were close, I take it.

[thawedheart]

[Her voice is tiny when she answers him. She doesn't look in Andersen's direction - she keeps her gaze on Percival as he approaches.]

We spent... a lot of time together. Especially after the trials.

[She swallows hard.]

...he was teaching me to play Duel Monsters.

[lohengrins]

Considering how much you had to say earlier, Andersen, it's certainly interesting that you've taken up the mantle of a blue guard dog.

[ a sigh. ]

If he were to spend time with anyone after receiving those injuries, who do you think it would be?

[thawedheart]

[She shakes her head at Andersen and speaks up, her voice soft.]

...it's okay, Andersen-san. It's... it's like last week. He's just being thorough.

[lohengrins]

I don't make exceptions for people. I'm not as soft as you are, little one.

[ he folds his arms. ]

You didn't answer my question, Yukina. Even a vague idea would be helpful.

[thawedheart]

He would have spent time with a close friend.

[She takes a breath and looks him directly in the eyes.]

But if you're thinking that friend was me, and that I murdered him in cold blood... you're wrong. I did not betray Ryou-san.

[blacktailed]

Was Ryou who you went to see on Thursday?

[softer, much gentler than Percival, who has no idea on how to talk to a lady.]

[thawedheart]

I did, but... I left before curfew. I didn't spend the night in his room.

[She shakes her head slowly.]

He said he didn't want me to see him like that.

[blacktailed]

Where'd you spend the night, then? I know you didn't come back - I was worried but...I didn't want to pressure you after the explosion and everything.

[it's okay. she's trying to help as much as Andersen is.]

[thawedheart]

...I was planning to watch over Ryou-san, but... since he said that...

[She shudders.]

I thought that you were going to be with someone else, like we talked about... and the thought of staying there alone was... it... [Her voice gets sort of mumbly.] I stayed with Akira-san.

[frizziest]

[ #pinged by Akira-san. ]

I can contest to this. I do not turn down when someone would like to stay in the same room as me. Chiaki-san knows this as well.

[ ¯\_(   )_/¯ ]

[lohengrins]

If you're thinking I said what I did with you in mind, you're wrong. I'm not that antagonistic, and I would prefer to believe you.

[ a shrug of the shoulders. ]

But we saw what happened last week.

Who else would you consider a close friend of his? You knew him well. Be honest.

[thawedheart]

Ryou-san was a kind person. He...

[She shakes her head a little uselessly.]

He had friends. Hajime-san cared about him a lot, we all saw that... but I can't imagine her doing that to him. He knew Kaiba-san from where they both came from. He spent time with Chiaki-san, too, like she said earlier...

None of them would betray him, though. [She's looking more and more distressed the more they talk about this.] Who could... who would? He doesn't deserve that, he...

[Yeah. Apparently it was the betrayal bit that really got to her.

She's firmly in the camp that Ryou Deserves Better.]

I-if he realized what was happening, he must have been so scared...

[blacktailed]

He probably didn't. He looked like he died in his sleep. No fear involved.

[is it hug time again]

[thawedheart]

That's... that's good, then...

[she sure as hell looks like she needs one]

[blacktailed]

[it's hug time again.

Percival gets no hugs. Andersen is too soaked for hugs.]

[lohengrins]

He died in his sleep -- he couldn't have realized. Whoever killed him seemed to have some regard for his wellbeing and wanted to ensure it was as painless as possible.

[ he looks off to the side. ]

But betrayal is betrayal. That doesn't change the facts.

[ a sigh. ]

One last question: did he tell you where he went, and do you know if he frequented the botanical garden?

[thawedheart]

...like I said, I didn't betray Ryou-san.

[This is about as firm as she ever gets when she's defending herself. If you want to see her get fired up, accuse someone else.]

He didn't say. He - we talked last week, and he... promised he would be careful, but also said that... he didn't know where he would go, even if he did try to explore like the others. [She takes a breath to try and steady herself. Ryou promised, and yet... he still ended up like this. It's terrible.] I don't know how often he went there, but... it did seem like the kind of place he liked.

[blacktailed]

Percival.

[it's a warning.]

[rextenebrae]

... He must know or figure that there are others who may have known Ryou and simply wishes to know.

That's why he's asking her like this. He's only trying to help.

[blacktailed]

...I know.

[but she's an attack bird at times.]

[rextenebrae]

It's alright. He won't try to hurt her or anything like that.

[ He looks over at Yukina, unable to deny the concern he feels. ]

Let's continue to work together, to try to figure out what happened.