CHAPTER FIVE ; TRIAL

[themodsgrimm]

The Story Continues... CHAPTER 5 - WEEK 523 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 Dragon 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, cookies and cakes will be served as your trial snacks, along with hot cocoa...served in sippycups. 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 Dana (decals), 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 Dragon 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 Sousei and Jae-Ha laying inside glass examination cases. There is also one empty case for a third, undiscovered body. These cases may be opened, but please be kind to the dead...

Now that everyone has gathered, Reyna appears to be missing.]

EVIDENCE EXAMINATION

[themodsgrimm]

[At the head of the garden, several large mirrors flank either side of the Dragon. 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 Dragon and she will procure it for you.]

[asswipe]

[softly screaming on the inside.]

... Um, is it possible we could get Reyna['s body] in here?

[themodsgrimm]

[Yeah, she doesn't look too happy about it either. She takes a moment, as if listening to something else and - ]

... you might still be able to find her, in the magic mirrors. Please try.

If you truly cannot after exhausting all your options... you may ask again later.

[resumed]

[Here's Nico. Here's Nico sitting on the ground in front of the empty glass case and with Reyna's gold dog, Aurum, next to him. And he's just...going to say what needs to be said here.]

How did you all miss an entire body?

[thesettingsun]

Could I have the dagger I found in the music room?

[He brought a handkerchief to hold it with even! He's prepared!

also he's so thankful this isn't tiger]

[londonstar]

[ there is...definitely a lot to unpack here. waver's barely keeping himself together and composed but SURE he'll do his best to act like a normal human being. ]

Lady Dragon...may I ask what were the abilities of the deceased?

[asswipe]

[well, at least they're not the only ones.]

Okay... Okay, okay. We'll try that, and— Try not to screw it up this time. Thank you, Dragon.

[thesettingsun]

Were you involved in the investigation at all? I don't remember hearing your name in the summary.

[holybind]

That's what I'm wondering.

[ The smile on Zelos' face is sharp. In case you didn't know, this method of expressing emotion is by being a flaming asshole (more than usual) ]

Congrats to whichever one of you jerks missed this.

[ he speaks a little louder, addressing the crowd more than Nico ]

You really screwed the pooch on this one!

[ yeah, he's mad ]

[fonlines]

I doubt she was in the Owlery-- there really isn't room to hide a body up there...

[ and also if Ion somehow missed Reyna being there despite basically living in the owlery for half a week then I quit ]

[resumed]

[He gestures to Aurum who immediately starts growling at Dazai.]

I wasn't exactly allowed out of my room yesterday.

[themodsgrimm]

... you may, but only for examination.

[She will conjure it for him to rest in the handkerchief.

However given past trials, if he tries to attack someone with it, it will vanish out of his hands.]

[thesettingsun]

And you, you weren't involved either! People who didn't help at all shouldn't say shit!

[Is Dazai upset? Dazai's upset, much more than before he realized it was Reyna missing.]

[londonstar]

Leave him alone, Dazai. He's right. We have no excuse for missing something of that caliber.

[thesettingsun]

[why do you doubt him

other than his past behavior and everything about his personality and the implications of the victims and just literally everything]

[resumed]

[They can be mad together?? Thank god for Zelos (god what a weird sentence.)

But Nico does give Zelos a semi-sympathetic and semi-grateful look. It doesn't last too long though.]

...she has to be somewhere we can reach her, doesn't she? Otherwise they wouldn't provide a case for her.

[nivation]

[ Kyouka sits next to Nico and doesn't say anything.

Her eyes blame almost everyone. ]

[thesettingsun]

[Dazai glares at the stupid dog.

...but he has no argument for a dog preventing Nico from leaving, so he shuts up.]

[wagashis]

I'd like to think that at this point, we wouldn't manage to miss that unless it was very well hidden, but perhaps we're just growing worse.

[yeah he sounds frustrated too.]

We checked all that we could of the maze, though, I'm certain of that.

[asswipe]

... I don't know. I— I don't think she was at the morgue. Maybe we didn't check the right rooms, or... Something happened so we couldn't reach her?

[Yeah, uh. This is pretty bad, and she's cringing even as she speaks.]

I... I am so sorry, Nico.

[thesettingsun]

But... Sensei did the best he could...

[Dazai shuts his mouth, but he's clearly not happy about it.]

[themodsgrimm]

[ . . . oh Waver. She spares him an apologetic glance before nodding.]

One could turn into a snake.

One could take ordinary material and spin it into gold.

One could conjure beautiful illusions.

[holybind]

Just because I didn't find anything doesn't mean I wasn't out there— let's get something straight.

[ he shrugs also my ass was at dinner BUT ]

By that logic the people who really fucked this one up weren't much help either. Besides, even with one whole eye I'd be hard pressed to miss a body— maybe we should start weekly vision tests, hm?