FOURTH TRIAL

[whimsicalism]

FOURTH TRIAL

THE CONTAINMENT CENTER

((CW spiders))

The Principal's hateful dismissal of the latest murder still ringing in the halls, the students are ushered with much more force and hurry into the elevator this time. There's a certain amount of urgency to this descent that hasn't existed before, as if some great force is beginning to run out of patience with Ira Academy's slowly dwindling student body. The cold, pre-autumn gloom grasping at the upper levels has permeated these basement areas as well, and an uneasy chill wind rips through with no discernable source.

In their holding cell, the monsters all pace with more restlessness than usual. A bipedal crocodile monster tall enough to barely fit inside his cell without hunching rams his snout repeatedly against the front wall, blood stains gathering on the glass--and perhaps, if one looks close enough, some hairline cracks. A horde of black spiders with poisonous red markings spin nervously in the corners of their cells, wrapping up anonymous but distinctly humanoid figures in their webs. The clown makes everyone a balloon dog! How nice of him. He slits it open with his knife and leaves the shredded ribbons of rubber dangling from his fingertips.

Though the audio is clearly on and the Principal's view into the trial room seems undisturbed, the video feed on the projector screen is cut off today. Instead of the ram emblem or a visual on his firelit office, nothing but a wall of black stares back.

Nanami opens her mouth to introduce the case as soon as everyone is at their podium, but she's cut off by Father's angry, disembodied voice before a single world can leave her mouth.

"Sure, let's keep it up with the bread and circuses. If you don't get that then you should have paid attention in history class! I won't be surprised if you spend the whole afternoon trying to figure this one out, just to waste my time. Find out who killed The Dependable Dog, or you'll really find out where they all go."

Investigation | Podium Layout | Locations | IC Profiles | IC Rules | IC Evidence Presentation | Evidence List | NPC Questions | Labyrinth Map | Playground Map

OOC NOTES

Welcome to the fourth trial! Consider this your reminder to make sure to get in your Week 3 AC by tomorrow's weekly post and to start getting your Week 4 AC ready to submit. Make sure to get your regains in by tomorrow night!

Remember:

• If you can carry it you probably can bring it. While the body itself isn't allowed into the trial, most things are.
• If your character has access to a piece of evidence and you don't know if you can bring it in, you can either ask the mods privately if that's possible or by pinging them in the post itself.
• If a piece of evidence is forgotten, you can either assume retroactively that someone did or that the sheep brought it in to make sure that everything is tidy.
• As always, just put MODS in the header of your comment to get our attention for any clarification.

Good luck!

Comments

LIBRARY STUFF

[hashtagwoof]

[ Hunter only brought some torn white fabric with him today. Why? Because he actually investigated this time and had no time to prepare anything else. ]

Okay, I went to the library and found this thing draped over a window latch and a rolling ladder thing about thirty centimeters from that window. Scratch marks everywhere, on the ladder and windowsill... Even found some on some nearby shelves. Going off this alone, I have reason to believe the scratches came from Dylan's nails while he was trying to run for his life.

Carrie also found a book in a plastic bubble, and I'd like to get a better look at that now, please.

[violence_ensues]

I also found out that the window to the library can be opened.

[hashtagwoof]

Yeah, but was there anything outside the window?

[violence_ensues]

...I didn't think to check.

[Adorabat looks to the others. Perhaps they can explain?]

[keyringwitness]

[Yasu is at least recovered enough to participate in the trial... although judging from the set of her shoulders and the waves of silent anger radiating off her, her willpower is more of a result of sheer anger at the culprit than anything else.]

...it's evident that some kind of struggle took place, spanning from the hallway to the library. With the weapon on Dylan's back that I caught a glimpse of, the same kind that Fret brought to our investigation on Monday night, it's evident that he was prepared for a fight as well. Considering the damage on the back of the weapon that's consistent with the state of his body, I doubt it was planted on him post-mortem either.

So the question then becomes: how did the fight start? I can accept that Dylan brought the weapon with him to patrol the hallways, but where and why the fight began are both crucial questions.

[temmapathy]

The culprit probably had the rope ready in advance as well...maybe they were using it like a lasso? [She shudders a bit.]

[keyringwitness]

That was my thought as well. It'd make sense with the ligature marks on his neck...

With what Jeanne told us, maybe they lassoed Dylan, then threw him out the library window after a brief struggle? Then he swung midair and crashed through the window to the science lab on his arc. That would be consistent with his wounds.

[violence_ensues]

It would hafta be someone strong enough to do that.

[normalnotroyal]

We've lost many of our strongest. Which of us is left?

[violence_ensues]

Um...

[Adorabat... doesn't know...]

...Um, I played dodgeball with Kuro and she's strong...

[canreallymove]

...

And he brought him...to the other room...that's...that's so messed up-

[He grits his teeth, and his slams his fists into the podium.]

Why would they do that!? No, I know that part why, but...why all that!?