CHAPTER 6 ; INVESTIGATION

[themodsgrimm]

The Story Continues... CHAPTER 6 - WEEK 6??? 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 1-2 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

PUMPKIN RACING TRACK

[themodsgrimm]

The pumpkin patch is as full of pumpkins as ever - in fact, although people may have picked some to use in races earlier in the week, it seems almost as though they have grown back overnight. The dirt racing track nearby, likewise, sits there with a sign detailing instructions for its use as it always does.

The first thing they will notice is that a large pumpkin carriage is racing around the track. It's also charred and burnt to a crisp. Its door is open - get close enough, and maybe you can see inside...?

[concasse]

[Everything is so fuckin extra today.

Uh, yeah, the pumpkin carriage is going to get his attention immediately, and seeing as Belph is with him here--]

I'm afraid of what the hell we're gonna find in there, but...

[He sure is RUNNING FOR IT]

[axilium]

Whoa, hold on—

[GUESS HE'S FOLLOWING SANJI to make sure he doesn't somehow die—]

[themodsgrimm]

[The pumpkin carriage is moving a little more slowly - drawing close, they'll see that its wheels are getting to be pretty worn down. Also, the air is thick with the smell of oil.

They'll catch a glimpse of a charred mass of something, still smouldering inside the pumpkin, as the carriage rounds a corner of the track.]

[concasse]

[mmmyikes.

Honestly Sanji is pausing long enough to look at Belph like "why is our luck this poor today."]

Do you think we can get it to stop...?

[axilium]

... Do you have any experience with stopping moving carriages?

[because hmm, belph doesn't?? is there, like, anything in the area they can use to throw in its way.]

[themodsgrimm]

[The carriage keeps on its route around the track.

...and I mean, there's that pumpkin patch. They could go look and see if any of the pumpkins are big enough to stop it.]

[concasse]

[UGH BUT HE HATES WASTING FOOD--

Fine. He'll just gather up the remains, clean them off, and do something with them later.

Turning to Belph]

Let's aim at the wheels. Those shits look like they're on their last leg.

[axilium]

[SACRIFICES MUST BE MADE, SANJI.]

This is really bizarre, but all right, let's do this.

[concasse]

[WELL THEN.

When that carriage gets close enough.

Sanji and Belph are gonna launch pumpkins at the wheels.]

[axilium]

[yeah!!]

[themodsgrimm]

[Well. To find pumpkins big enough to do anything to the wheels, they'll have to go to the center of the patch - and in there, they'll see that although it looked like everything had grown back overnight from the outer part of the patch, it was just because some of the bigger pumpkins were blocking an empty spot where a pumpkin was.

But they can come back and examine that later. When they launch the pumpkins at the carriage's wheels, they connect! ...and send it toppling over onto one side. Lucky for them, the side with the door is facing upward.

The carriage's wheels keep turning sadly, even now.]

[concasse]

[Listen, Sanji was on a mission, he'll get back to that bald pumpkin spot later.

For now, it is time to examine the spoils of war.

... So what is in that carriage? >_> He's gonna walk over to find out, briefly glancing at Belph to see if he'll stay with him or go back to the empty pumpkin spot.]

[axilium]

[belph will follow sanji again, because he too is curious about what's in the carriage, even though he feels like he might regret this.]

[themodsgrimm]

[Inside the carriage is a smoldering, vaguely body-shaped charred lump.]

[concasse]

[...

Y'all know Sanji doesn't get paid to deal with this crap, right?]

Might have a body.

[KINDA HARD TO TELL. Anyway, is this charred lump still smoldering and therefore will burn him? Because otherwise Sanji is going to try and... maneuver it to see if it's got a ... face... that can be identified...]

[axilium]

... Damn it.

[well, he'll leave it to sanji.]

[themodsgrimm]

[Sanji can probably avoid getting burnt - it seems like it's been burning for long enough that it, at least, won't set him on fire.

On the other hand, it's been burning for long enough that it's nigh impossible to identify who it might have once been by just looking at it.]

[concasse]

Shit, it must've been burning a while... there's not really a lot to go on.

[Okay but seriously WHO THE FUCK WENT THIS HARD LAST NIGHT?

W-would... touching it help?? Like oh god, are there clothes? Any identifying marks? Please tell me this body has all of its limbs. Sanji is gonna check for all the goodies before he gives up]

[axilium]

... Well, have fun. I'm going to check out the patch again?

[heading back to the patch! give us the deets on the empty spot.]

[themodsgrimm]

[The clothes have all been burnt to the point that really he's kind of just holding a charred skeleton with some burnt flesh bits. Is this really what you want to be doing with your life, Sanji? ...at least the corpse seems to be in possession of all its limbs, though.

The spot where the pumpkin was missing from has a lot of dirt there! ...there's also a couple of loose matches on the ground.]

[concasse]

[Listen, last week they missed a whole-ass body, Sanji is leaving no stone unturned.

But if it's charred, it's charred. Looking discontent, Sanji will put it down and look around the pumpkin carriage for hints instead. Or is it as burnt as the corpse?]

[axilium]

[just checking, but do the matches look used...

also, he's going to gently kick away some of the dirt.]

[themodsgrimm]

[the carriage itself is just as burnt as the corpse!

and sure enough, on closer inspection, the matches do indeed seem to have been used. the dirt near the empty spot doesn't seem to be all that disturbed - at least, not until belph kicks at it.

what else will our intrepid investigators check?]

[concasse]

[... Honestly Sanji is considering taking his kitchen knife and slicing into this charred body to see what blood comes up but we'll be classy for now.

He's gonna go find Belph first]

Find anything?