FIFTH TRIAL

[whimsicalism]

FIFTH TRIAL

THE CONTAINMENT CENTER

There are two more dead this week, and some unusual locations led to some unusual and interesting evidence. Once the students have had time to scour the affected areas and collect their clues, Kakuya's lilting telepathic voice guides them back to the elevator. Everyone now has plenty of elbow room - and plenty of carrying space to bring down the evidence, living creatures and all.

In addition to the constant strobing of the lights and the scream of metal chafing against metal, those who can tune into the softer noises in the background might hear snippets of a song on their descent. Though the lyrics are garbled and unintelligible as any other song playing in the soda fountain, a muffled crooner keens in the distance. The familiar clown whose presence is a constant despite the shifting cells, however, is 32 22 flavors and then some. He precariously balances a multi-scoop ice cream cone in one patient hand, all of its assorted scoops unpleasant and sickly colors. Multiple punctured balloons hang down from his other arm, wrinkled and dripping what is probably chocolate sauce. A cohort of aliens that look like every mid-century American fantasy of the little green men from outer space hone their weapons in silence. For the most part, every monster looks less restless now, but the hunger hasn't faded from any of them. If anything, it's intensified. If anything, it looks like they're biding their time.

There is, however, no sign of Father in his new prison. If he's suffering from the consequences he faces, you won't get the satisfaction of seeing that just yet.

Without the stark light of Father's telecomm screen, the trial room is a little bit darker but no less brutal. There's no longer a Prefect's desk visible by the podiums. Nanami, with nowhere to go, stands around aimlessly for a few moments, fidgeting, before finally taking a petulant seat on the open floor.

Kakuya, herself, is no where to be seen but the faint sound of flute music announces that she is watching. A voice echoes in the back of your mind as you return to your familiar podiums.

"It... looks like two of you are gone... Find out who killed... Koishi and Carrie, won't you? Kakuya... won't mind if you don't but don't... give up right away, okay? That would be no... good."

She laughs in her familiar, childish way. "Kakuya... wants to see what... you do this time... friends. Let's... start."
Investigation | Podium Layout | Locations | IC Profiles | IC Rules | IC Evidence Presentation | Evidence List | NPC Questions

OOC NOTES

Welcome to the fifth trial! Today's trial image is the famous eldritch cafe illustration by Jeff Paul Johnson. There are two dead this week, and success will entail solving both murders. Despite the shakeup in the management recently, there are still NPC question sections available.

Evidence Reminders:

• If you can carry it you probably can bring it. While the body itself isn't allowed into the trial, most things are, including live animals.
• 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 or the original finder otherwise can't present it (an emergency, etc), 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

[violence_ensues]

I didn't really talk with Koishi... Who here could've been friends with her?

[lets_dewey_it]

I was a bit familiar with her, even if I didn't go out of my way to talk with her a lot... I don't know whether or not Kuro knew her well... I don't think any of us knew her well.

Maybe familiarity is the wrong word or line of thought...

[violence_ensues]

[Thinking... thinking noises... THINKING...]

nnnnn... The only person I can think of as friends with Koishi was Jeanne.

[shinedsobright]

[Fret wasn't really friends with Koishi, and yet, he likes everyone so he thinks it's too much of a bummer to defend himself that way. Topic change go!]

Maybe it's not that at all... what if instead of friends, Koishimmer just had some other reason to forgive her killer?

[I mean, folks here forgive culprits all the time once they learn their motives, it could just be that in advance :\]

[lets_dewey_it]

That's probably the more likely thing, all things considered.

[shinedsobright]

We might have to think about the motives then...

[As reticent as Fret usually is to share his own. It's fine!!]

[hashtagwoof]

I... Never really spoke to her much either. Kind of forgot she was there at times.

[canreallymove]

...I didn't even know her name.

[He sucks, he knows.]

[copycut]

Well, let's see... The two of you and I saw her Monday night. And... Yasu-chan is one of the people here who always remembered her by name.

[lets_dewey_it]

...I know we said earlier, "The killer was trying to frame someone we either trust or are taking a gamble in trusting"...

But, we should consider the killer is playing some messed-up four-dimensional chess game here and was going to write their own name in order to make it look like they were being framed, thus hiding their guilt.

[canreallymove]

...

[Sonic does not like this. He doesn't like this at all.]

W-well, maybe we should make sure first, right? Don't wanna repeat of last week.

So what would we need to do to make sure that...we find the right person? Maybe a smell check?

[lets_dewey_it]

_{[Snap back to reality.]}

No, you're absolutely right.

[hashtagwoof]

Thank you, Sonic.

[ He frowns. ] We lost our best smell checker, so unless you or anyone else has superhuman sense of smell, I can take one for the team. Just snap me out of it afterwards, kay?

[lets_dewey_it]

Thanks a lot, Hunter. Promise.

[violence_ensues]

But he's gonna wanna chew on my nightstick, how are y'all gonna get him to smell everyone?

[hashtagwoof]

Well... Uh... How do they get dogs to follow trails of scent?

[canreallymove]

[Nods.]

Ok, so, let's...think about this. Smoothie smell and ice cream smell is definitely somethin' to look out for, but I also thought of something else too-the pool. The water's got a smell too. Now, I am definitely gonna smell a bit like the pool because I jumped in to push Koishi outta the water. Anya and you might also smell a bit like it too, cause you were there and helped out. Right?

Also whoever investigated the area where Carrie died'll smell like soda fountain maybe. I scooped up the water that had the vanilla ice cream in it into a bag, so I might smell a little like that too. So each of us having one of those smells and me having those smells...that would make sense.

It's the people who have all those smells or havin' it really strong...or, you know, having smoothie breath that would be suspicious. Right? Or, someone who cleaned too hard that would also smell wrong.

[lets_dewey_it]

Yeah, that's right. Thanks for the rundown, Sonic.

[hashtagwoof]

Right. So we're looking for ice cream, chlorine, or both.

[canreallymove]

[Thinking, thinking, thinking-

!]

Ok, so if that's the case and we're puttin' you in dog mode...I just gotta ask.

You remember directions and stuff from before you go dog mode?

[copycut]

I agree, actually. If anyone here would pull a trick like that, it's our Yasu!

[ she sounds really upbeat despite the implications, here ]

[lets_dewey_it]

But, like Sonic said, we don't want to go into Wild Mass Accusation Mode again, so we have to try some checks. Whatever kind would make sense.

[copycut]

Putting an option on the table isn't the same as an accusation, Dewey. It won't help to over-correct, either.

[lets_dewey_it]

Even if that's true, I don't want it to lead to that kind of scenario again.

[copycut]

[ skill issue if u can't suspect someone without doing that smh ]