CHAPTER 3 ; TRIAL

[themodsgrimm]

The Story Continues... CHAPTER 3 - WEEK 329 Narrators Remain ; Wakey wakey, naughty murder children. It's a lovely Saturday, after all. Breakfast is served piping hot at its usual time and all of the evidence has been removed from the scenes of yesterday. No matter how you choose to spent your morning though, the clock will begin to chime the moment both hands reach the large, ornate twelve. Before your eyes materializes a door...but not just any door. Unlike the door leading to the festival, this door sits primly and properly right in front of the foyer. Whether you exit the castle on your own or you feel a friendly, invisible push, you begin to walk under an arc of wisterias. Behind you, the clock continues to chime with every step you take. By the time the time the clock strikes twelve, you've entered a beautiful garden. In front of you is a long table, 19 seats on each side. Around the garden are several glass cases containing evidence collected yesterday. As noon intensifies on the sun-shaped clock, you'll find Tiger at the head of the table, a glass-covered rose near her right hand. Tick tock, Narrators. You have nine hours to deliberate. Throughout today's trial, the delightful, delectable scent of freshly brewed coffee will linger in the air though there will be no coffee present. Instead, today's trial snacks include...finger foods. Welcome to your trial post! Please see here for the OOC summary of events from yesterday's investigation. In addition, please be sure to vote! Please see the voting page on how to vote, as we will have two special things to vote for. Voting will close at 9pm EST/6pm PST! If you have any questions, please ask on our Discord server or ping us on plurk. Please direct pings for the NPC to Danielle (entrappings), as she will be taking point for today's NPC, and the moderator team will be on deck for all other questions. full navigation. locations taken (statuses) stories (profiles) info & faq wishing well private conversations

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TALK TO THE HOST

[themodsgrimm]

[ The Tiger is in attendance today, sitting at the head of the table, eyes once again intently watching the rose petals falling in the case in front of her. She may occasionally glance up to watch proceedings, but otherwise does not speak unless spoken to. Anyone who catches her eye will be met with a curious cant of her head to the side.

Approach? ]

BODY EXAMINATION

[themodsgrimm]

[At the head of the garden are the bodies of Hijikata, Monika, and Fitzgerald laying inside glass examination cases. These cases may be opened, but please be kind to the dead...]

EVIDENCE EXAMINATION

[themodsgrimm]

[At the head of the garden, several large mirrors flank either side of the Tiger. In these mirrors are perfectly accurate depictions of the evidence from the day before. Approach, dear Narrator, and gaze into the mirrors to obtain a closer look at pieces of the puzzle. If you wish to physically inspect a piece of evidence, ask the Tiger and she will procure it for you.]

this isn't actually anything but

[fonlines]

[ Ion had quite disregarded the bodies-- both of them, all three of them-- yesterday, and the day before, but he's not now, it turns out. He's standing tall in front of the cases, eyes closed, head bowed just the slightest. His lips are moving, soundlessly, murmuring out faint, indistinct things that might be anything from a prayer to an oath.

Whatever it is, he's quick about it, eyes reopening in short order even if they stay uncharacteristically sharp afterwards. He was a safe, respectful distance from the cases before; he takes just one step toward his partner's now.

His voice is still quiet, but it carries just that little bit much better now that he's actually properly speaking. ]

You... promised me that you would keep me safe, when I never asked for such a thing. That you would protect me, and that if ever you were to be my death, then it would have been because of circumstances out of your control. And yet you must have known, and known that I would have known-- that so much is out of our hands, here.

Still you kept promising, whenever I doubted.

What... [ he says, drawing out the word as he makes a soft, aimless gesture in the air with his free hand, ] exactly, did you think to accomplish with that?

[ and he just lets that hang in the air between them for a lengthy moment. ]

Still, I can't lay all the blame at your feet. I did say, after all, that I would do my best to see us through this game.

[ us? the two of them? all of the castle? as many of them as he could save?

he sighs, the gesture long and deep. ]

I am only sorry my best was not enough.

[wearys]

So, if the killers or even a killer could just, maybe, confess now I think it'd save us all a lot of time and stress?

[ please. ]

[toughchoices]

I sort of get the feeling we won't be that lucky.

[nice try tho, buddy]

[axilium]

Yeah, come on. One-up Ann and Sandalphon!

[hairbrain]

Was Hijikata killed by a Narrator?

[ because he was fuckin killed on thursday, what is this!!!!! natsuo voice: kill on schedule!! ]

[alttitude]

... is this a competition now.

[wearys]

Let me have my hopes and dreams.

[asswipe]

Excuse me... Was there a reason why neither you or Dragon announced Hijikata's death the other day?

[axilium]

The least we could do is give extra incentives, right?

[themodsgrimm]

Yes.

[Yea.]

[asswipe]

Please. We promise we'll be 90% less pissed off if you don't waste our time.

[fonlines]

Might as well not waste your breath. It's clear they won't do it until the last few hours, if precedent holds.

[ wouldn't it be nice, though ]

[axilium]

... Why do we have creepy voodoo doll puppets around here, anyway?

[gestures to jae-ha, who is hopefully not still half-naked.]

[alttitude]

Bragging rights for the quickest to being condemned to death.

[disclosures]

We tried that last time and Sandalphon didn't confess until there was damming evidence.

If they want to confess, we've got to get started.

[themodsgrimm]

Well, I was asleep at the time...

[themodsgrimm]

What do you mean?

[The only puppets she knows about are charming, Belph.]

[axilium]

... Well, when you put it like that...

[faceripper]

Honestly. Considering the... Ugh, amount of bodies we have, I find that quite doubtful, but I would prefer to have a Saturday not spent here for once. I've things I would rather be doing.

[ important things ]

[resumed]

Okay, fine. Anybody have any damning evidence they want to throw out there?

[axilium]

[gestures harder to jae-ha even though he knows this will get him nowhere.]

[toughchoices]

With our luck, even if someone confessed, we'd still have to stay out here for nine hours.

[they call her reyna the hope-crusher ... okay, no they don't]