FIFTH TRIAL

[whimsicalism]

Is everyone finished? Good. It's time for a trial.

[The ride to the court room is uneventful this time. There's no breaking of bones or porcelain when you land. The podiums are rather empty, especially now that there's only twenty portraits even if there's twenty one podiums still. Huh. Fancy that! It's almost as if the Storyteller was still bitter.

Though, there definitely feels something off about the court room. It sort of feels like you're being watched but you're not sure.]

Seven is Dead. Time to find out who's responsible. Time for a trial!

Comments

EVIDENCE

[whimsicalism]

[Red hot!]

[octopups]

[For the first time, Amdi comes into the courtroom carting some serious evidence: a bloody forester's axe. He seems to be taking this role quite seriously too, carrying the axe carefully balanced across two of his backs rather than clenched in his jaws. He gently sets it on the floor in the circle where everyone can see, before taking his podium.]

So... I think I was the first person to find Seven... 's body, and... I noticed a few things.

It looks like a tree fell on him, but the way it fell was weird. It wasn't chopped down, it looks like it was pulled out of the ground with the roots still on. Which should have been impossible without machinery, I think, except that the soil around the roots was really loose.

Also, I'm not sure the tree is what killed him. There was a lot of blood, but I think it was mostly from the axe wounds on his arm, and from his leg that was stuck in a really big paw trap. The trap also had a bloody rope tied to it that I think would have been long enough to wrap around the tree too.

[Amdi gestures a head over at Nigel, who was dextrous enough nice enough to untie the rope for him and bring it down as well.]

cw: eye trauma and also generally gross

[imozon]

Seven's head was in the zoo, being chewed on by the animals. But separately from that, it looked like someone had pierced his eyes.

[No, she did not bring it. It was gross.]

This guy was around there, too.[She holds up Mr. Stripey Pants.]

[strictura]

Allen and I looked around the hunting lodge. I noticed a bit of dirt on the floor that looked like it had been tracked in, and it appeared that something had been burned in the fireplace. There was a small scrap of fabric left behind -- it was black and fairly nondescript, though presumably made of synthetic fiber judging by the way it burned.

[ And since that was the only part he'd looked at personally, he will live the rest of the lodge to Allen. ]

[xxxx_me]

I looked around Seven's room. It looked like someone was in there... the papers around his desk were all messed up, and his door was still open a little.

After that I went to check the Hunting Lodge with Nagisa. I found these.

[Present: scratched up water gun and three bent darts, two of which have dirt in the grooves.]

I think someone used the sink and shower in there, too, so I brought a little bit of the soap just in case. [You know. For sniff tests, maybe.]

NPC QUESTIONS

[whimsicalism]

[The Storyteller doesn't particularly want to talk but she's here.]

THEORIES

[ballooncaged]

Okay, so, looking at all the evidence, I'm going to just... imagine what happened. I might be assuming a lot of wrong things for now, but that should make it easier for us to look at everything together.

I think Seven went to the zoo and took off his head of his own free will. The culprit didn't leave marks from climbing up and pulling off his head, and the canopy in the jungle is nice and soft so Seven would have left marks with his horns if his head fell off like it used to when he bumped into the ceiling. There aren't even marks from his head falling down suddenly onto the ground or anything. Seven bringing his stuffed animal with him to the zoo would be pretty normal. We're not even sure the culprit took anything from his room, so maybe Seven was just... writing and thinking. Then, I think the culprit pierced his eyes with the darts. Maybe they had lured him out because their disgusting plan used his body, [and just to be clear Mizuki hates you a pretty significant hypothetical amount] maybe they just realized he had a perfect opportunity. The thing is, Seven's head was always hollow. Maybe he could have gone on without it forever. Guess we'll never know.

Headless Seven probably dropped his friend and ran away. He'd prefer to have both hands free to try to sense things, but he probably wasn't actually crawling yet to go faster in a big stride and keep a height difference from the culprit. The culprit could have known what a problem it would be for him to survive an injury and run away and prepared the trap in advance to immobilize him. We're also pretty sure the injuries to the arm are because of the height difference. I think Headless Seven pulled the tree out of the ground. The rope would guide him to the base of the tree, which is big enough to grab. Two birds with one stone: he could free himself and defend himself at the same time.

...honestly? I almost just think the culprit blinded Seven before everything else, because otherwise he would have written something down dramatically.

[nothingposh]

Eyes're squishy though. Darts're bent.

[It's weird, that's all he's saying.]

[strictura]

"Written something down"?

...Using the darts that way would make sense. If he pulled up the tree himself, though, would he have ended up under it like that?

[octopups]

Um... I think your theories sound pretty good, but... I don't think even Seven could have pulled the tree out of the ground by himself.

The dirt around it seemed like... like maybe someone had loosened it up on purpose, for some reason? Maybe they wanted that one tree to fall over?

SNIFF TEST INCONCLUSIVE

[octopups]

[Amdi finishes up his sniff test, visibly relieved.]

Um, so... almost everybody smelled like soap a little, but not any more than usual from just like, going to the bathroom, so... so I dunno.

[golden_king]

We can probably take away that the killer didn't really have to clean up much.

Re: SNIFF TEST INCONCLUSIVE

[xxxx_me]

[Droop. Well, he tried with the soap, at least.]

suddenly a pocket check

[golden_king]

Okay everyone, upend your pockets for me!

We might as well try to cover all of our bases, right?

[ Gil will come around the few that remain to see what they've got, if anything. ]

[battlestations]

Well............

[His pockets, as always, have SO many gadgets and weapons in them.]

[xxxx_me]

[Emptying his pockets...

He's already put out the water gun, darts, and soap, so the only thing he has on him is the World Key - a key with a sharp point and a large handle. It seems more like a knife than a key.]

[imozon]

[Behold, Franziska's crop!

That's it.]

[ballooncaged]

[Mizuki capitulates. Her possessions are not limited to a teal glitter pen but nothing is bloody or otherwise immediately suspicious]

[strictura]

[ He's got a safely sheathed pocket knife (which doesn't look like it's been used if you take it out and examine it) in the pocket of his shorts, and some blank folded up paper and a pen in his jacket pocket, because he loves taking notes. ]

[octopups]

[Doggos are nekkid today!]

[nothingposh]

[Ironically for someone who basically just admitted he's a pickpocket, Gavroche's pockets only contain a key and a scrap of paper with names written on it.]

[golden_king]

[ He's got nada in his pockets today; well there was probably a pen or something but no blood in sight. ]

[strictura]

[ ... ]

Ah... So this is really how it's turning out...

After watching Junko-neechan's killing game... I thought I understood better than anyone how to get away with it...

[battlestations]

Who?

[His eyes widen.]

Were you planning this from the start?

VOTING

[whimsicalism]

[Nursery Rhyme has been surprisingly silent comparatively. She's not eager for voting and she keeps looking elsewhere.]

He's right. This is only the first round. The disqualification for your round has already happened. I think twenty more will do it. I don't exactly want to do this forever, either.

Do vote, though, or this will end before next week.

[xxxx_me]

[He picks Nagisa but he's glaring at her all the while.]

EXECUTION: Root of Evil

[whimsicalism]

[Nursery Rhyme doesn't seem excited this time. She nods towards Nagisa.]

It's a pity. I had thought you would either last to next week or get away.

[There's a pause as she winces. She waves a hand in the air as if to swat a fly. That familiar book shows up in her hands.]

Let's give you a hero's death. Jack and the Beanstalk. if you can get to the top I'll give you another shot.

[She winces again as she glares around the room at places where no one is. She mouths the words 'will you be quiet for five seconds?' before reading beginning the execution. Nursery Rhyme snaps her fingers.

The screen appears again. The screen shows the garden. A large beanstalk is growing near the Manaka and oak trees. He can't seem to leave the area. So, with all the might he can muster he begins to climb. It's not long before it becomes obvious that this was an impossible task for him. It's not just his stamina that's the problem: the beanstalk begins to move.

Nagisa tries to keep his balance before thorns begin to grow on the beanstalk. He tries to climb up higher but the growth continues. Within minutes the beanstalk curls around him like a snake or tentacle. There's a sickening crunch as it squeezes the life out of him.

Nagisa Shingetsu is dead.

Nursery Rhyme slams her book. She glares upwards.]

I told you I haven't gotten soft! Don't give me any of that. [She glances back at the assembled group.] You can leave. I'd like to play a little more but these six nosy neighbors of mine won't shut up.

[Nursery Rhyme is just going to sit uncomfortably while you all leave.]

Re: EXECUTION: Root of Evil

[xxxx_me]

[His eyes actually fix on Nursery Rhyme as she deals with... unseen people?]

...Are the dead heckling you, too?