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

let's talk about what we're doing ig

[wagashis]

[natsuo is very concerning, but also, well.]

...Unfortunately, we are getting close to running out of time. Given that we should have all the evidence, and have yet to put together anything damning...

We may need to begin considering possible suspects based on what we do know. There will need to be a vote, regardless; if we start considering now, it should be easier to reach some sort of conclusion.

[vigilantics]

Maybe something dramatic and convenient will happen in an hour?

[axilium]

Dramatic, maybe. Convenient? I'm not counting on it.

[wagashis]

Whether it happens or not, it won't hurt to consider this now instead of waiting and hoping something helpful occurs.

[vigilantics]

I figured.

We don't even have a suspect.

[resumed]

So...where do we start again? Someone who knows how to use a blade and also someone who's good with close-range combat?

[disclosures]

Somebody who uses daggers, and is skilled with a katana.

How many people have that skill set?

[resumed]

Well. Skilled with a katana is one thing that's very specific but the katana wasn't exactly what killed him, is it?

[disclosures]

The dagger was used for that, but somebody used it to cut off his fingers.

... For some reason.

[londonstar]

No, but they'd still be involved and therefore count as a culprit. They could guide us to the real killer, should we find them.

[ a pause ]

[fonlines]

Pressure all of those who are known to be good swordsmen, as a start.

[ airily, lightly. he does pause briefly before he mentions the name he does, but-- ]

I even think it was Monika who mentioned as much, last time- if we cannot convict based on evidence, then we go to how each person is or behaves.

[ and maybe someone will crack if any of the three mildly homicidal partnerless start actually hunting??? maybe??? ]

[wagashis]

It seems as though that's what we'll have to resort to; those known to be swordsmen do seem to be the best starting point, for now.

[and if all else fails they do have someone who they know was a killer.

not that he'll say it aloud.]

[sanguinairy]

You can ask me anything you'd like, if it helps.

[HE'S ONE OF THE THREE MILDLY HOMICIDAL PARTNERS and he's definitely Sour about Hijikata's death getting kind of shunted away, but he's still a swordsman okay.]

[wagashis]

For what it's worth, I doubt that you were involved.

[considering, you know, his condition.

people can push through a lot, but he's sure not suspect #1.]

[okitactless]

Me too.

[since, y'know

plum is plum and yasu is yasu]

[toughchoices]

[reyna takes a deep breath to try and get herself to calm down a little. fine, it's fine, this is all fine, natsuo's just saying things without considering what they really mean...

her hands are balled up into fists, but her expression is more neutral now, at least.]

...Fitzgerald's killer. I believe that will be the easiest to pin down a potential culprit for - not because the other two don't matter, but because there are more things we can consider in terms of motive.

We know that someone skilled with a blade must have been involved. Someone who thought he was better off dead despite what we decided as a group last week - someone who was either skilled or determined enough to chase after him even with the threat of fire.

That should... give us a place to start.

[wagashis]

I believe we have more things tied to him, as well, thanks to... ah, the fingers.

[gross as that is, thanks whoever the fuck did that.]

Do you have any considerations, as far as anyone who would have wanted him dead?

[toughchoices]

...

[well.]

The suggestion that we kill him to save his partner that week... Some people reacted more enthusiastically to it than others. I can't say for certain that it was any of them, of course, but it's something to consider.

[alttitude]

Dazai was quite excited to see him dead last week. [he'll say it, because it was annoying] However he's said that he knows how to use a scythe, rather than a sword.

Since my name came up last time the dear Reyna had this conversation - I'm more used to using throwing knives than anything else.

Have we accounted for the fact that everyone who owned a sword still possesses their sword?

[londonstar]

Someone skilled in using a katana was involved in the murder of Francis. Considering that Lady Monika and Hijikata were killed in the same manner, we have to come to believe that this person was somehow involved in the murder of the two of them.

However, this katana had no prints. It's possible that either this person has no fingerprints because they were made that way or because they wear gloves...or simply because they were smart enough to wipe it clean. [ shrug ]

[axilium]

Well, we know that Francis and Monika's killers—and Hijikata's, depending on how you interpret Tiger's response—have to be the same, at any rate.

[doublecrows]

And you base that on the hypothesis on the fact that the knife could have caused the wounds in all three of them, correct?

[asswipe]

... There's one person I can think of who might not have fingerprints, but I don't think they would have killed at least one of those three.

[londonstar]

Something interesting is that Lady Monika is missing her ribbon. While it may have just been that it fell off, it sounds more like our murderer wanted a keepsake.

[ he grimaces, clearly not happy with it ]

In the case of Francis' murder, there was most likely some sort of fight that ranged from the kitchen to the puppet room. He probably lost his fingers somewhere in the middle of it, too.

[function]

[ hey ]