FIRST TRIAL

[whimsicalism]

FIRST TRIAL

THE CONTAINMENT CENTER

After all the evidence is collected, the students themselves are as well. The Little Brother units gather them up in orderly fashion, encouraging the line to proceed two-by-two up the hallway beyond the music room and into the newly opened area. When grouped up together, the class just barely fits into the glass-paneled section of the decontamination chamber. It's hard not to wonder if the entire student body was never meant to make it this far in the first place. A short burst of pressurized air later and the panels lift - and, for the first time, the door to the containment facility opens before you. Behind it, an elevator beckons the class in. A Little Brother unit reaches inside, pushes a button, and the lift's real, see-through door closes before the lift begins to lower.

As the elevator descends, the car passes floor after floor of cellblocks. Start florescent lighting casts stark highlights onto each of them, and in those closest to the elevator car, shape after shape is visible. A wolf the size of an elephant with blood-tinged saliva dripping from it's massive fangs. A clown holding 20 multicolored balloons in one hand, a popped and shredded 21st hanging from the other out to you with a gap-toothed grin. A pit of writhing snakes with no beginning and no end. The feeling is comparable to the hungry, lingering gaze from outside the academy's fence. Looking out at the many cells, it's as if there's no barrier between them and the assembled students at all.

The car's moving too fast to see all of them clearly, but careful attention reveals one final detail: Some of them are completely empty. The other noticeable thing is the noise. Snarls, roars, sly chuckles, hissing, and even someone humming a haunting lullaby... they all mix together into a cacophony as you near the final destination.

When the elevator comes to a complete stop, the group is let out into a black-floored room illuminated by the same stark florescent lighting. Luckily, as soon as you go through the doorway the noise suddenly stops. The steep walls extend some two or three stories above without interruption, throwing stern, exaggerating angles reminiscent of brutalism. 21 stone podiums stand in a densely illuminated circle in the center of the room. Each one bears a name of one of the students in the class.

The Prefect is already waiting for everyone, sitting at a long desk backed by a projector screen bearing the same ram insignia from the post-spelling bee dance. Her hands are folded in front of her, and she barely moves.

"Looks like somebody attempted the alternative capstone. A week ago, I never would have believed it... but I know better now. Those who fall behind... just weaken the herd.

Luz, The Owlette, is dead. What a stupid title... I really hated it." The Prefect's expression staggers for a moment, then settles again. "Her murderer's still here, and the only way to prove that you deserve another chance in this school is to find them. Get the exam started."

There's a flicker on the screen behind her as the Principal speaks. "You heard Miss Kiryuu. We're beginning the exam, don't just stand around staring at each other!"

Investigation | Podium Layout | Locations | IC Profiles | IC Rules | Evidence | NPC Questions

OOC NOTES

While played out OOCly on Saturdays, trials ICLY take place the afternoon after investigations are concluded. This means that characters will have only a brief period of rest to gather their thoughts before being brought down. While the podium layout graphic shows room numbers, the real stone does bear characters' names.

The victim's body will not be available for reexamination during the trial but other pieces of evidence small enough to carry/move with you can be brought down into the trial. If you need mod input or NPC input in the middle of a thread please put 'MODS' in the header so we can see. Trials play out until the killer is caught or until around 8pm Eastern, at which point we'll try to wrap up. Good luck!

Comments

[romancing]

[ skipping over to her podium and pulling a turtle out of her sleeve. ]

Scary, scary~! I want to pet the big doggy.

[britbrat]

[ ...okay he kind of forgot anything about who stole his turtle a few days ago BUT. YOU. ]

Thief!

[ Valmont brandishes a tiny yet authoritative finger across the room at Koishi. ]

This girl is a purloiner of other people's hard-earned turtles! Headmaster, I demand you lock her up at once!

[hashtagwoof]

DUDE! WHO CARES ABOUT THE TURTLE?! We have a blinking murderer to catch!

[britbrat]

I know that!

[ But only one of those things affects him personally! ]

But as we're already in... what passes for a court of law, I see no harm in killing two birds with the same stone.

[hashtagwoof]

[ He groans and pinches his nosebridge... ]

Dude. You're trying to murder a metaphorical finch at the same time as the metaphorical hawk that's about to metaphorically eat us if we don't focus on it. Get your priorities straight for five minutes!

[noblesnow]

That was a poor choice of words.

[violence_ensues]

I'll lock her up as soon as this trial's done, so please focus on this...!

[romancing]

[ The budgie on Koishi's shoulder tweets at him. ]

"Lock her up! Lock her up!"

Ah...you're teaching Toritorika some bad words. I just saved a turtle from getting cooked, that's all~.

[britbrat]

If that was what you wanted, you were more than welcome to duly compensate me for it.

[ with what money, v ]

[romancing]

I don't have any money. ♥ But if you're going to try cooking any cute little pets, I'll keep rescuing them.

[ her smile is just a bit too wide right now ]

[curdle]

He hath not even jailed the one who did this murder.

[britbrat]

Well, that's because we don't know who it was yet. And I know who it was who stole my turtle.

[ Flawless logic? ]

[temmapathy]

You shut up! [Emma signs at him from across the room.] You were going to kill the poor little thing!

[britbrat]

No, I was going to sell it off to the highest bidder. And only kill it if no one made an offer.

[ Much more humane! ]

[temmapathy]

You shouldn't have been thinking about killing it at all! You rich person!

[She signs that last part like an insult.]

[holyironmade]

How do we even know that it was your turtle...? Luz's owl came out of the machine for me, to offer just one of many examples.

[britbrat]

Because I got it from the machine, that's how. If it belonged to anyone before that, I certainly don't know about it.

[ finders keepers ]

[lets_dewey_it]

[britbrat]

[whimsicalism]

I don't see a name tag on that thing.

[britbrat]

I knew there was a reason I didn't like you, sir.

[ Apart from the whole murderschool thing. ]

[whimsicalism]

I'm so sorry I have bigger things on my plate than who stole a turtle.

[whimsicalism]

I'm sure the 'doggy' will love to eat you, too.

[You can't see him but the Principal is doing air quotes with his fingers.]

[romancing]

I don't know if he would get any nutritional value from me. Don't predators want to spend their time hunting prey that's actually good for them? ♪

[ she'd be like cotton candy. tasty for 2 seconds and then Nothing ]

[whimsicalism]

[The silence is loud. She's. She's definitely right.]

Hmph. You can't blame them for biting someone for sticking their hand in their mouth.