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

Comments

[psychedelica]

... How many people here actually know how to wield a katana? I don't think it's that easy - especially with Fitz probably trying to burn you at the same time.

[ he knows souji can, but. ]

[doublecrows]

And cutting money with a sharp blade and a fluid swing would require above average skill with same, wouldn't it?

[psychedelica]

Definitely. [ he folds his arms. ] Souji is a famous samurai, so I'm sure he's capable of that, but he's also been ill.

[doublecrows]

Yasusada-san's tapestry mentions proficiency with "Tennen Rishin Ryu." That also implies mastery with a sword.

Sousei-san has demonstrated mastery with a sword as well.

[psychedelica]

... Both Souji and Yasusada were upset about Hijikata's death on Thursday, weren't they? [ a beat. ] We already knew that rich bastard was a culprit, so he'd be an easy target for revenge.

[ akechi got to live somehow though ]

I don't know about the girl.

[doublecrows]

[IT'S A MIRACLE]

Neither did I. Monika wasn't a danger to anyone.

[psychedelica]

That doesn't mean she wasn't a target for someone. Besides, her not being dangerous makes her easy prey.

[doublecrows]

[. . .]

[his gaze narrows]

I suppose that's true.

[sanguinairy]

[Souji also can't even finish a speech without wheezing rip.]

Of those still living, myself and Yasusada-kun can, but I was with him and his partner during the night, so I know that he didn't go anywhere. Sousei-san also can, and I believe Kyouka's tapestry mentioned a sword, but I'm not sure what sort.

[He doesn't think it's any of them anyway.]

[thesettingsun]

Kyouka's mentioned summoning a sword-wielding spirit. That's not the same as using a sword yourself.

[sanguinairy]

Ah, I see. [I, AKI, DIDN'T DOUBLECHECK LIKE A FOOL.] I don't recall anyone else, then.

[psychedelica]

... I wouldn't be that confident. We've seen that people can be moved out of their rooms against their will. And as sick as you are, I wonder if you couldn't just sleep through them leaving, anyway.

[sanguinairy]

[THAT UNINTENTIONALLY STINGS considering he basically slept through Hijikata's death.]

I didn't sleep very well last night, so I should have noticed someone entering or leaving, unless something else was at play.

[okitactless]

If I was going to hunt down Fukuchou's killer, I would've taken Okita-kun with me. It's his right, not mine.

[yams that is a terrible defense why are you like this]

[sanguinairy]

[it's terrible but it's also true and SOUJI LOOKS KIND OF FOND, like this is a Sweet Statement to make.]

Thank you.

[IS THAT A THANKING MATTER.]

[toughchoices]

Of those who are still alive, leaving aside Okita...

[Reyna considers it.]

Sousei, Yamatonokami Yasusada... Dazai's tapestry said something about skill with a scythe, did it not? They're different weapons, but if he's already familiar with a curved blade, it might have translated more easily...

[...she's not sure how she feels about those names. They don't seem particularly likely - well, on the other hand...]

Combat ability is listed on many other tapestries, but unless the people in question choose to elaborate, we won't know what that means.

[And then, as an afterthought-]

I've not been trained to use a katana, myself, but weapons are generally easy for me to figure out how to use. A gift from my mother, so to speak. [...] Of course I know I didn't do this, but in the interest of fairness, I ought to bring it up.

[psychedelica]

What? A scythe and a katana aren't anything alike. He's annoying, but that's not enough for me to accuse him.

[ you get to live for now, dazai ]

I doubt Yasusada was the one who attacked Hijikata unless he's a great actor. We can set him aside for that murder.

[thesettingsun]

Thanks.

[Honestly this is going better than he thought it would.]

A scythe isn't a stabbing weapon, and I'm not trained with anything else. It'd be impossible for me to make a clean stab to the heart like Monika had.

[toughchoices]

[Reyna shrugs.]

I'm simply considering who may have been familiar enough with curved weapons to be able to handle it if they found themselves with a katana, that's all. I agree they're suited to different styles of combat, however.

[Also like, you were super down to murder Fitz last week, Dazai. She had to at least consider it.]

[thesettingsun]

...It's a fair suspicion, but if I was a Blotter, wouldn't I pick basically anyone besides Fitzgerald? There's no way you wouldn't be suspicious of me if he died, after... everything last week.

[He looks more embarrassed than anything else bringing it up.]

[toughchoices]

Strategically speaking, not necessarily.

You were hardly the only person to call for his death last week [like, reyna knows that] so if it was you, you could have banked on the fact that someone else would have taken the blame. Or you could have hoped that we would discount it for being too obvious, especially if there was no other evidence linking you to the crime.

[...]

On the other hand, someone who kept quiet last week could simply have targeted him to deflect the suspicions from themselves and cast it onto you. Until we actually find the culprit or someone confesses, we may not know.

[toughchoices]

[Reyna shrugs. She's not all that certain, herself, but if they're considering people with skill with weaponry...]

I agree it's not the most likely thing, but I wouldn't want to discount someone simply because we didn't consider how his skills might have been applied. [...] Particularly not when someone who he seemed rather eager to kill when the opportunity presented itself last week has turned up dead.

[They've got to cover all bases since the evidence is fairly useless.]

Yasusada's grief did seem genuine - and from my interactions with him, he doesn't seem to be an especially skilled actor. He's the type who says what he feels without regard for how it will make others perceive him.

[psychedelica]

Hm.

[ a pause. ]

... What about Jae-ha? If he was a pirate, he might know how to use a sword.

[ a katana is a more specialized sword, admittedly, but still. ]

And if Fitz was being attacked by him, it would explain why his puppet, in particular, might have been targeted.

[toughchoices]

I can't say it's impossible...

[Though, privately, she does think it's unlikely.]

But if he was being pursued by Jae-ha... would Fitzgerald have known what going after his puppet would do? I suppose what happened to Yasusada is no secret. [But...] Still, if I had the ability to conjure fire, I'd have turned it on my pursuer himself - not his puppet. That seems a more effective way to see him burnt than taking a chance on whatever magic they have.

[okitactless]

[That's the nicest way anyone's ever said "he's a moron with no tact", thanks reyna]