suitedreams | WEEK FIVE: TRIAL

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WEEK FIVE: TRIAL

W̴͍̎E̴̝̊E̸͚͝K̸͕̿ FIVE: TRIAL

Rise and shine; you know how Saturdays go. Even if you'd rather sleep in, you'll find yourself waking up and getting out of bed. Once you're out of your room, a door appears down the hallway, compelling you to walk towards it. Upon entering, you'll discover a room that's familiar if you've gone exploring this week or possibly from even before then:

EMPORIUM (THE REALM)
The exterior of the building is welcoming, with windows lined with various eye-catching trinkets, ranging from stuffed animals to t-shirts. After stepping inside, the very first thing that will greet guests is a statue made out of L*gos. Yes, the black bar is somehow there.

The interior is filled with row upon row of shelves filled with different items. There is a collection of stuffed animals, ranging in size from small enough to hide in your pocket to some as big as a toddler. There's a wide range of other toys as well, like dolls, L*gos, puzzles, and more. Different display cases show off pins, lanyards, keychains, sunglasses, jewelry, and other accessories. Participants may even find one of those keychains with their name on it...?

If you consider it a typical souvenir item, it's here. Cups, shot glasses, pens, t-shirts, hats... Everything is stacked neatly, proudly displaying the silhouette of a castle. There are also now items featuring tigers, rabbits, goats, swans, wolves, and foxes. However, there is no one at the cash register, so it seems like participants can't purchase anything.

There are a few tables in here behind room dividers. One is labeled 'Evidence' while the rest are covered in white sheets. Elsewhere in the room is a table with pencils and slips of paper for voting.

✦✧☪✧✦

Welcome to your sixth trial! Over the course of the next nine hours, characters will have the opportunity to discuss, investigate and theorize about the murders. Characters will have time to examine the body of the victim and explore relevant locations.

There will be a mod-tag break between 4pm EST to 5pm EST. While the trial may continue and players can tag each other, mod-led threads such as questions and investigations will be on hold.

Finally, we have a voting page for characters to vote on the culprit! Please be sure that your vote is in by the time trial finishes 9pm EST. Voting is mandatory in this game.

Good luck!

N̸A̵V̴I̶G̶A̶T̴I̴O̸N̷.̷

█ LOCATIONS █ STATUSES █ PROFILES █ AUDIENCES
█ REPORTING █ PRIVATE CONVOS █ MURDER

Threaded | Flat

[When you enter the room, you'll find hotel staff already present.

Aquarius is sitting next to Virgo, half-leaning against a counter and half-sitting upright as they watch the trial proceedings. They seem alert at least and appear to let their attention flicker between participants and the staff.

Aquila is sitting higher than the others, perched on one of the counters in the emporium, with one shadowy wing wrapped around themselves and watching participants and staff alike. They have a stuffed bird from the racks in their lap, and are picking feathers off of it throughout the proceedings.

Cetus is standing not far from Virgo, posture proper like always. Their gaze seems to shift between their fellow staff members and the trial proceedings.

Virgo, as usual, appears nervous - they are sticking very close to Aquarius, and they regularly scan their surroundings, as if to make sure they know where everyone is at all times. They are standing and they seem very tense.]

Edited 2022-07-16 15:58 (UTC)

[If you would like to investigate a location, please reply to this comment, and a staff member will guide you and your party there.]

[Please reply to the appropriate comment below if your character would like to examine a body.]

[As you return from investigations, please reply to this comment to list any evidence you found!]

[Reply here if your character would like to examine any of the evidence found so far.]

[Once you have requested a location, an investigation sub top-level will be posted below this comment.]

[In the room is a podium, with the guestbook resting on top of it.

Nearby is a table, on which are the guestbook pages for each of the deceased: Claude, Emet-Selch, Sylvain. By each page is more paper with writing as well...]

Why are we in a gift shop...

[harrow is here at the beginning of trial, looking tired but she's got her stack of notes with her and is trying to find a comfortable place to sit on a shelf of t-shirts.]

Very well, everyone knows how this goes by now and there's no reason anyone ought to withhold anything.

Curfew locations and any oddities during the night. Those that found the body and those who experienced strange effects in locations. Places we would like to search - and do not forget that in past weeks we have had some luck finding things in the security room and in housekeeping.

Checked Claude.

From the neck up, he was uninjured. No bumps or bruises on his head.

One large hole in his chest. Ribs and sternum completely shattered. The wound goes all the way through, and it's jagged.

Gritty flecks of unknown material around the edges of the wound. This stuff's found on the outer edges of the wound too. There's dirt in the wound, and only a bit around it. Mostly blood around that point.

Some faded burns and semi-healed gouges in his chest a little further than the open wound. Some scars over his heart. Lemme know where he got these if you know.

There's blood on the right glove, but his hands are clean. There's nothing under his nails.

No blood on his pants or his shoes. Just dirt in both his socks and his shoes. Checked his back to see if he was in his own blood, but it's just dirt again. There's a lotta dirt on his back.

He had an antique locket and his room key, along with his dagger and sheath.

Yo, everyone. As always, we need to check your tickets.

Please tell us how many you started the week with, how much you have now, and if you had purchased anything in between. If you don't have your tickets with you, we will have to go on a field trip later to verify your count.

[she wanders back over here, holding a wolf plush. she wipes her fingers off on it.]

Okay. Uh. Emet-Selch. His eyes were open. He had blood on the lower lids of his eyes, and it was streaking down his cheeks, lips, in his mouth a bit, and down his chin. His nose and ears were also bleeding and his eyes were red like he couldn't breathe. Restricted airflow.

There was a dent in his head. It was sort of oblong? Kind of like he donked his head against something rather than someone hit him - his skull was cracked. There were four parallel medium sized scratches that started on the left side and scratched across his neck. There was blood under his fingernails on both hands, and blood on his fingertips. It looked liked he maybe scratched across his own neck, because the wounds looked like it was a pretty good match for a blunt human nail on someone with big hands. His nails were discolored, too.

Uh, I guess there was blood on the knees of his robes but not on his other clothes.

... I think that's it?

[after he steals dimitri to redress sylvain so that we don't just leave him naked in front of god and everyone,

he will return!]

For those who are familiar with Sylvain Jose Gautier's injuries from his excursion, I would be pleased to know which are from that experience and which are new. Though we were able to spend time with him on Thursday eve, it would be best to be thorough.

From head to toe: he possessed a head injury located toward the side and back of his skull. It is indicative of when a small collision will impact with one's head, though it did not draw blood. In addition, his eyes possess red spots, if any would find that a symptom of something else.

Around his neck, there were thin cuts that wrapped around it - likely some type of wire or sharp string. They were bleeding, but not considerably so. Similar cuts were found on his hands, particularly around his fingers. While there was some blood that could clearly originate from these cuts, not all of it could be accounted for by those.

The wound upon his shoulder seems to have reopened, as most will as a result of exertion even after a first round of healing. There were two types of bruises upon him - some that would be consistent with rib fractures and some that are in more nondescript areas. There are similar bruises upon his arms, and one is fractured.

There are also chafe marks on his lower body, primarily on his legs though they extend slightly higher as well. They may be consistent with being dragged, as we witnessed drag marks in the courtyard. We ought return for a second investigation.

On his room key, there is a keychain attached that I do not recognize and one light is lit - though I can confirm that has already been used, and we do not need to speculate upon that specific power.

Shall we discuss?

Okay, Estelle and I checked the bar! There was some shattered glass around on the floor, along with what looked like some blood splatters... uh, there was blood in a couple of spots on the walls and floors, actually, not like, just in one place.

A bunch of furniture and stuff was knocked over, and there was some damage on the bar counter from what looked like something slamming into it, maybe? Like, not something sharp, anyway, but it didn't have a really clear shape, I don't think. There was one glass missing from the shelf... and there was some more broken glass on the counter, and some kind of alcohol dripping off it. And there were purple flower petals on the floor behind the counter!

One of the strings in the piano had some kind of weird colored stuff on it, so we brought that back... and there was something similar on the microphone that was knocked over on the stage, so we brought that too. Uh... one of the curtains was pulled down, but the rod stayed in place this time...

Um, I think that's it?

We all know the drill. Bring your weapons so we can check 'em against the injuries.

You can carry 'em yourself.

[standing on a counter, yelling:]

I am at the end of my rope! Everybody take off your clothes now or I'm going to turn into a horrifying eldritch creature and shake you upside down!

[assume there is a screen! etc etc.]

Everyone, please empty your pockets so we can examine your belongings.

Oh, and... I think I can check items, but I'll need someone else to help with patdowns, if some of you would be kind enough to help?

[Her fingers are in bad shape and not good for touching and feeling right now.]

[At about six pm, the doors to the meeting hall open. A silver dining cart rolls in as little wisps of shadows push it along to stop at the table near the staff. Upon the cart sits a variety of meats, cheeses, breads and produce for a quick and easy meal should you wish to partake. Drinks are also provided.

On a tier above the food, however, there are two covered trays. Shadowed hands pull off the tops revealing two items with signs next to them:

Ten Tickets
✦ A Word Search book
Find key words to solve a puzzle.

✧ Star-shaped sunglasses
Adjust your focus for one case.

There is an additional sign as well.

One item per trial, please.

It appears that you may purchase an additional item from the finest collection the gift shop has to offer. Please see a staff member for more details. Purchases must be made by 7:30 ET/4:30 PT]

[whew, they're back. good thing they either were here or weren't here for the poisoning.]

...We went to the courtyard, but we wound up checking the cemetery as well.

In the courtyard, we found drag marks leading to the flowerbed where Sylvain was found. I found a pair of shoes in that area. And at the tea table, underneath the cushions, I found some clothing that had been hidden.

We then went to the cemetery. There was a patch of disturbed dirt. Buried in that patch, we found shredded fabric, a pair of shoes, and a pair of gloves. There was also an unmarked grave where white flowers had been left. There was the impression of a body in that place. Unfortunately, it was partially disturbed, but we managed to determine the print was made by someone slightly shorter than Dimitri. In one of the mausoleums, we found broken pieces of wood.

Please note that I am uncertain whether the events in the courtyard were connected to the events in the cemetery; there was nothing to indicate a connection, necessarily, so we ought to be cautious drawing conclusions.

However, we may want to compare the size of individuals here to the clothing, to both pairs of shoes (nu!), and to the impression we found.

[claps his hands twice. pay attention to him.]

We have two options before us today. A Word Search book, and Star-Shaped Sunglasses.

After some discussion with Cetus, both items will guide us for only one case. Neither of them are particularly 'abstract', depending on what one's definition may be.

Furthermore, the word puzzle will not require us to solve an actual word puzzle.

If we could kindly collect ten tickets, I would appreciate your generosity.

[hello this is a check harrow is both checking your feet against the shoes in evidence and checking your general frame against the clothes in evidence + the measurements of the grave print.]

Yo, we're back.

[And surprisingly not fucked up, but kind of tired and also hungry as shit.]

The mountain is a fucking mess. There's grass and flowers flattened at the base with a little bit of blood and... something kind of clear and oily? A little hard to see unless you're looking at it right. There are large marks in the dirt, look kind of like claws. They head toward the mountain.

Found two sets of footprints headed up the mountain. Cloud has them in the notebook, but one wouldn't fit. They were smaller and bigger than his and smaller and bigger than mine. Some bloody smudges, footprint scuffs like the others, and drag marks heading off the path. Drag marks seemed about body-sized going into the mountain.

We ran into some trees with marks on them. One spelled out "BAR" and the other "SK?," there was another one, but we couldn't read it. It was, like, letters or numbers in three lines. Behind a tree, we found a razor blade. Blood splatters and claw prints went up into the mountain, so we kept going.

The top was covered in blood. There was blood everywhere, a lot of it. Splatters and a pool. But there wasn't any crater, or damage. In the center, there were bone fragments and matter. Some drag marks and a blood trail went back down the mountain. More footprints were by the blood splatters and going down the mountain. The prints started out small, shoe first, then got larger and larger, human looking, as they went down the mountain.

Claude's wyvern was up on a ledge there, sleeping. We brought it back too.

Edited 2022-07-16 22:50 (UTC)

We found some shiny footprints leaving the chapel. I got a sketch of it so we can compare it to people's feet, but I think we should also check shoes for shiny, slippery stuff. It was REALLY slippery in the chapel! There was a whole puddle of slippery stuff on the ground. It was mostly by the dressing room door though, except for the footprints.

The door to the dressing room was messed up. It looked like it had been stabbed through the middle and there were bits of wood dangling off. There's also a footprint on the inside, like someone kicked open the door to break out. Bradley convinced Aquila to bring it back so we can check it more closely, it should be over in evidence with everything else. There was also a rack of clothes from the dressing room and a broken chair on the ground in the chapel. Something definitely happened in there.

Inside the dressing room there was an empty hanger. Bradley also mopped up some of the slippery stuff so we can check it here too.

And I think that's everything?

[He looks to Bradley. He didn't forget anything right?]

Okay, well.

Uhhh, so you know how earlier some people had stuff stolen? We found it, I think. Two kimonos and something that was, uh. Covered in oil.

... Dimitri, you said you had clothes stolen Thursday, right?

[ hua cheng walks in, carrying emet's giant fuckoff sword. whatever foot fetish shit you're doing right now is none of his concern until after he's gone to set down the weapon with the rest of the evidence.

then he comes back to front and center. ]

Mollymauk and I went to the simulations room, where things were set to a giant city with black spires and large buildings.

There was a book on the path, as well as a strip of fabric. Nothing else of particular interest was there, despite us looking around, so we were going to leave.

The portal took us to the library. Books were everywhere, and Molly's taken all of them we located over to be checked. There was also Emet-Selch's sword at rest, and a bookshelf that'd been knocked over.

One of the edges had blood on it, along with a single hair - but there was an absolute mess of blood beneath it, as well. I imagine this is where he died, after being in the simulation room, if the culprit did not dump the fabric and book there afterwards.

RESULTS.

Wow. As the chaos in the gift shop continues to grow to a cacophony, the clock strikes 9 PM with a loud chime. The staff look up from where they're watching the proceedings, and then gather together around the vote box. They whisper to each other as they count and recount, carefully tallying the votes.

Of the four, it's Aquila who steps forward when they finish. Shadows swirl around the floor of the gift shop, then suddenly streak forward, past the guests, up the sides of the counter, then take to the air. As they reach the top of the gift shop ceiling, the shadows burst into brilliant, sudden stardust, like a firework, and a piece of paper floats daintily downwards from above through the air, and into Aquila's hand.

They clear their throat, and speak clearly and sharply.

"You all voted for Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. Your votes were correct - he was guilty. You know the rules. Execution will be tomorrow. Let Dimitri have a few moments to speak, and then we'll escort him to the Employee Lounge inside of this shop, where you may speak to him if you wish.

Thank you for your participation." And then, Aquila nods to Dimitri. "Say your piece."

☆☆☆

[Please allow Dimitri to respond to this thread before yeeting a reply, thank you! The NPCs will grant him an hour to talk to everyone in the gift shop, but after that, shadows will fill the room and turn everything pitch dark. When the lights come back up, Dimitri is gone and in the EMPLOYEE LOUNGE IN THE GIFT SHOP, ZIA!!!

Execution sign-ups are located here, but please read the instructions carefully! In addition, you may now ring the bells in the front lobby again, and the typewriters may be used to reach out to the staff should anyone wish to speak to them. ]

Edited 2022-07-17 01:27 (UTC)

Threaded | Flat

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