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

[keyringwitness]

The way she was slumped against the wall and the evidence of a fight made me think she got cornered, then stabbed, but... you're right. Maybe the culprit threw something at her, she ducked, and then the culprit got her with a knife? O- Or the culprit was taller and stabbed low rather than reaching up...

[canreallymove]

...well, if there was a fight, what if the killer was also injured somehow?

[HE'S TRYING NNNNGH.]

[keyringwitness]

Remember that Luz was probably fighting back with her glyphs before she ran. Since they don't, um, work here, it's safe to assume that the killer is uninjured...

[canreallymove]

I guess, but...

[This is all a lot. Sonic's clearly just confused.]

But it's still possible, right? I mean, obviously there was a fight...

[shinedsobright]

Wait... if that's possible, maybe we should have looked a bit closer with the clothes? Or - whatever the alternative is.

[He just remembered Adorabat offering to shed]

[violence_ensues]

Alternative? What do you mean?

[shinedsobright]

I meant some of us don't wear clothes, but you can actually take off your fur from the sound of it.

[violence_ensues]

Not my fur, my skin.

[Adorabat will demonstrate by flinging herself into the air a little, leaving behind the molted skin in an adorabat shape.]

See?

[noblesnow]

[Reika claps.]

[shinedsobright]

Wow, that's weird -

[HMMMM. HEY WAIT.]

Why'd you go up there to do it??

[hashtagwoof]

Eewww... Gross...

[ Hi, thanks. Why did he have to witness that. ]

[panglici]

[THAT IS NOT HOW BATS WORK]

You can just do that whenever?

[cellpreservation]

It's not like we have any other leads to go on. Maybe if we get a curtain or something so we can check if anyone's hiding it under their clothes?

[keyringwitness]

[Yasu freezes stock-still at that.]

Th- Th- That shouldn't be necessary, r- right... um, l- like I said, I don't think the killer has any injuries...

[panglici]

I don't think he means he'd be checking. At least not the girls.

[cellpreservation]

-?

Something wrong, Yasu?

[keyringwitness]

I- I- It's j- just, um, I, I'd really rather not...

[cellpreservation]

Are you shy or something? The girls can check for each other, right?

[violence_ensues]

Yasu, this is super-serious...! We need to try hard, and to do that, we need to check everything. Sheriff's orders.

[holyironmade]

We must not make Yasu suffer further. Even I will compromise my chastity if it will accomplish that end.

[spychic]

...we should try everything, right?
Even them hiding things under their clothes...

[canreallymove]

Yeah, but it couldn't hurt to check, right?

I mean, what if the, uh, cloth-

[WHICH IS TOTALLY A WASHCLOTH AND SONIC DID NOT SCREW UP AND THINK OTHERWISE, HA HA HA, WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT, HE'S SMART HE'S SMAAAAAAAART-]

What if it's actually the killer's blood?

[HE'S NOOOOT DUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-]

[holyironmade]

Are you suggesting we have to check for marks beyond our hands and feet?

[Jeanne doesn't like that!]

[noblesnow]

[...]

I don't know that it's necessary just yet, either.

[cellpreservation]

You girls can check each other if you're really that worried.