CHAPTER 3 ; INVESTIGATION

[themodsgrimm]

The Story Continues... CHAPTER 3 - WEEK 3??? Narrators Remain ; The clock begins to chime, and on the first note, curfew lifts. Your doors swing open, whether you are ready or not. Leaving your room is a blur. The person you fell asleep beside — are they still there? Have they vanished? Were they ever there at all? You can't seem to recall clearly. What you are most aware of is the pervading sense of wrongness in the air, and how you can't hear anything but the chime of the clock. Even the sounds of your own voice and your own footsteps do not reach your ears. By the time the time the clock strikes nine, you know one thing to be true: blood has been spilt. Search the castle carefully — you wouldn't want to miss a single important detail, would you...? Welcome to this week's investigation post! This time, the mods will be providing top-levels for you to search. Please note the Locations page for your reference. Evidence — or lack thereof — will be noted in these threads. We ask that group threads consist of no more than 2-3 characters. After the discovery of the body (or bodies) and any pertinent evidence, an IC announcement concluding the investigation will go up. You are then free to make your own toplevels on this post for any threads you would like to have between the end of the investigation and the start of the trial. If you have any questions, please ask on our Discord server or ping us on plurk. Please direct pings to Britt (bloodthirstiest) and Danielle (entrappings), as they will be taking point on this investigation! Instructions on this week's investigation can be found in a pin in the General chat! full navigation. locations taken (statuses) stories (profiles) info & faq wishing well private conversations

Comments

LABORATORY

[themodsgrimm]

There are three freestanding counters in this laboratory to give people space to work on their experiments. It's hard to tell what some of this equipment does at first glance, unless you're incredibly familiar with scientifc equipment, but it's possible to hazard an educated guess - the one at the center, for example, seems to be used for mixing things, as it has openings to pour liquids into and a spigot at the bottom where one might set a flask. The big pieces of equipment on the other two counters are a mystery, but all three of them seem to have been partially repaired from how rusted over they were when the room was first uncovered. Each counter has a set of three burners, and there are two drawers in each that can be pulled out and rifled through. There is a wicker basket in the southeast corner of the room which contains fire strikers and a wooden supply cabinet in the northwest corner of the room, which does not have a lock.

[londonstar]

[ waver is going to check the equipment since, as a mage, it's necessary to be knowledgeable in scientific equipment. do any of them look like they were used recently? ]

[faceripper]

[ While Waver checks out the equipment, Fane goes to check out the various ingredients! He starts with things he's familiar with first, but he'll check everything else too. He has a basic familiarity of what's supposed to be there, though not perfect because of a sTUPID WELL. ]

Hmph. Well, if nothing else, I'm glad you're in here checking this as well. There aren't exactly many people I'd imagine even know how to use any of this.

[ Not... that he fully does... minor details ]

[londonstar]

[ you can always learn! ]

There's a boy here, Varian. If I remember what Lady Rapunzel told me, he practices alchemy-- therefore he's probably capable of using it as well.

[faceripper]

[ He nods ]

Oh, absolutely. Why, I taught him how to brew a few potions that I'm familiar with, as surprisingly, there were the properly ingredients.

[ And in fact, Fane actually sounds a little less acerbic and rude and more... proud? ]

He's surprisingly sharp.

[themodsgrimm]

[Waver will find that the equipment to mix things has been used - there are a few residual stains on the countertop where not all of whatever potion was brewed made it into their flasks.

Fane, looking through the ingredients, will find a wide variety of things this time - apparently fewer people have raided the supply cabinets than last week! He'll find a small bag labeled "affection," which doesn't seem very heavy; a vial with a clear liquid in it labeled "extract of sikod," whatever that means; and tin labeled "carbon black powder" up near the front.]

[londonstar]

Seems like someone has been busy here. Didn't even bother to clean up either.

[ he eyes the equipment curiously, and then turns to fane. ]

Anything on your end?

[faceripper]

Wonderful. Well, if someone has died of poison, we'll certainly know why.

[ He scoffs as he digs around, but he hums thoughtfully enough for the answer to Waver's question to be fairly clear. He pulls out the bag, vial, and tin, then motions to them for Waver to come take a look. ]

Well, perhaps. Someone has been busy, but kind enough to label them.

[themodsgrimm]

[The bag, vial, and tin sit in Fane's skeletal hand, awaiting closer inspection.]

[londonstar]

[ waver takes a look at it. affection? sikod? he doesn't understand that last one but the first one is obvious. he clicks his tongue, clearly angry. ]

I bet that's what happened to Reyna... someone must have made some sort of charming potion.

[ he puts those back in the cabinet with a roll of his eyes. but then he turns to the carbon. he takes it, opening it to see how much there is inside. ]

This...isn't something I would use in a charming potion. Someone must have used it for something else.

[faceripper]

[ Oh. That rings a bell, and Fane's tone is extremely flat when he replies. ]

It was Jae-ha. The idiot also got it on me. No, I don't wish to talk about it.

[ He'll just. Get that out of the way. He shakes his head, then actually grabs them out of the cabinet again. ]

If you don't have any objections, I'm going to keep these to destroy after the trial this weekend. I'll not have anyone else spreading this stupidity.

[themodsgrimm]

[When Waver opens the tin, he'll find that the tin ... actually seems full! It doesn't look like anything's been taken from it.]

[londonstar]

Be my guest, actually. That damn thing caused me and my partner some awful trouble. I can only imagine how it has been for you.

[ in the back of his head, he wonders if this would be a valid reason to get revenge on jae-ha...and how to do so. but it's a pleasant surprise that the carbon has been unused, and he puts it away. ]

Well, it seems that nothing else has been used here...although we should check if anything has gone missing. Last week it was the fire striker. This week it could be something else.

[ waver has some pretty good knowledge of what's in the lab! will there be anything that sticks out as missing? ]

[faceripper]

Thank you.

[ He does sound genuinely thankful, if also exasperated. He tucks them into his jacket for safekeeping, since, who knows, maybe this week's murder was a crime of passion??? Point being, he doesn't want to accidentally destroy something that might be useful for the trial.

Otherwise, Fane will join in that search with a nod! Like Waver, he has a pretty good knowledge of what is and isn't supposed to be in here, though Waver might have a better idea tbh. ]

[themodsgrimm]

[With their combined knowledge of the lab's contents, they won't have a hard time pinning down that while the fire striker from the week before has been returned...

...a different one is missing! the one labeled "4" is missing again. 1-3, 5, and 6 are all accounted for.]

[londonstar]

The fourth fire striker is missing again.

[ he pinches the bridge of his nose ]

Is this castle full of pyromaniacs or are we dealing with a previous culprit?

[faceripper]

[ Fane makes a sound of irritation and shakes his head ]

Again? Ugh... [ He shakes his head ] Wonderful. Why, I would hardly be surprised by either, but I would certainly prefer the latter. That would make tracking them down far, far easier. The faster we get through those blasted spectacles, the better.

[themodsgrimm]

[That sure would be easier, wouldn't it? Unfortunately, there isn't anything about the basket of fire strikers to indicate who took it this time. Maybe it's a very clever copycat.]

[londonstar]

Would the Crafters be above choosing the same person twice? I doubt it.

[ it's a troubling thought, but one that shouldn't be ignored. ]

However, we will have to still observe the evidence as a whole tomorrow. This may be another try at framing. Or a sign as to who is dead. Hoist them by him by his own petard and such. Although I don't see why that's necessary, considering the fact that Natsuo was brought back to life.

[ shrug. he'll continue looking for any other signs of missing things. ]

[faceripper]

[ He scoffs ]

Or someone finally absolutely lost it. Considering how-- [ He pauses to wave a hand vaguely ] --unused to death and murder the people here seem to be, I half expected that, to be honest.

[ But dismissiveness aside— ]

...That, or perhaps someone thought it easier to just copy what was done previously.

[ Though the last part is largely muttered more to himself. Once Waver takes another look, Fane does the same! Best to be thorough! ]

[themodsgrimm]

[No matter how hard they look, there isn't anything else they'll remember being there earlier in the week that isn't there now. Well, that Waver will remember, anyway, what with Fane's memory problems and all.]