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

NAIL CHECK

[keyringwitness]

...wait.

You can swap shoes out pretty easily, but...

The knife and washcloth that Sonic dug up were several inches deep in the dirt.

It's possible that the culprit forgot to get the dirt out of their nails after they were done burying them, w- whatever their reason originally was. We haven't seen, um, any sign of any kind of digging implement, so they had to have used their hands...

Everyone, show your nails to the class. We need to check for dirt.

[temmapathy]

[Emma's returned to Yasu's side by now, and holds out her hands-her nails are fairly short and might be a little grimy, but no heavy amounts of dirt.]

[holyironmade]

This might work. Despite it taking place in the kitchen, we have heard nothing about the sink.

[All the girls love to get an excuse to look at Jeanne's hands! They are clean! It actually looks like she's the type of person who will scratch a lottery ticket with a penny instead of her fingernail.]

[spychic]

[Anya raises up her hands. They're small and pudgy, and her nails seem like they've been bitten a couple of times (stress?) but there's no dirt.]

You can wash your hands pretty easy, too...?

[keyringwitness]

Yes, but there wasn't any dirt in the sink that we could see, and it takes extra effort to get, um, dirt out from under your nails. If the culprit didn't think to wash their hands immediately, it probably didn't occur to them to be extra thorough.

I- It's a longshot, but maybe...

[violence_ensues]

[Adorabat... has no nails.]

[panglici]

Anya has a point, but... that's a good idea, anyway.

[Her nails are short, a little ragged from being bitten, but clean.]

Re: NAIL CHECK

[lets_dewey_it]

_{[What nails?]}

[noblesnow]

[Reika's nails are freshly and neatly trimmed, and have no dirt under them. Look how pretty her hands are, Yasu.]

[copycut]

[ Kuro's nails are clean. ]

[canreallymove]

[Taking his gloves off. Honestly I have no clue if he has nails or not because he always wears the gloves. But either way.

He be clean! And aside from any leftover dirt from the time Yasu saw him digging it up in the kitchen during investigation, his gloves are also clear.]

[cellpreservation]

[He looks dubious but holds out his hands! They're clean.]

[canismajorcontrolfreak]

Good idea Yasu.

[Dylan's claws are clean! Perhaps surprisingly clean, considering he's a dog, but he does like cleanliness, so maybe not that surprising.]

[cellpreservation]

...

Hey, Dylan. Do you think you can smell if anyone here washed up recently? Like with soap or something.

[canismajorcontrolfreak]

[...oh my dog-]]]

I got second place in the last smelling competition in Camden.

I definitely can.

[If only he thought of this sooner...]

[hashtagwoof]

[ Rolls eyes, holds out hands...

Nails are clear of dirt. ]

[bellabellabella]

[You know what, sure. Edward's hands are very clean.]

[britbrat]

[ A little chastened, Valmont holds out his hands quietly. They're clean. If nothing else, he has good hygiene. ]

[romancing]

[ Her nails are clean. ]

[shinedsobright]

Okie doke...

[His hands are clean but they probably smell a little chemically after all the screwing around he did in science lab yesterday.]

[keyringwitness]

[If Yasu can smell them from here, then...]

Um, Fret, I know you were in the lab yesterday, but... what were you doing that made your hands still smell like chemicals?

[shinedsobright]

[It's not really strong enough to smell from a significant distance, mun was assuming the smell check would be added on to the nail check- but she can still smell it for thoroughness!!]

Uh... I really couldn't tell ya a specific thing, cause I was opening just about everything in there. Basically combining them with water to try and make it better at spreading light. But I didn't know what I was doing so in the end.... [slight groan of embarrassment] I wasted a lot of time for nothing.

[normalnotroyal]

[Rosalinda shows her hands when asked, which are immaculately clean. Like, absolutely nothing under them except maybe a little dust.]

[curdle]

[ Thomasin's hands and nails are clean! Washing one's hands and face is, like, the one thing her grimy-ass Calvinist family does do. ]

[gotnothing]

[ ava has clean enough nails! Like she's a little grimy at all hours, but no dirt or... signs of cleaning them recently, really. ]