CHAPTER SEVEN ; TRIAL

[themodsgrimm]

The Story Continues... CHAPTER 7 - WEEK 711 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. The garden is strangely silent and there are no snacks today...it seems as though you'll be left to your own devices. 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 or sooner if the game ICly elects so. 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

Comments

[vigilantics]

I'll beat you with it.

[ well, once they reach another area where they can go onto a path... steph just takes a left. ]

[psychedelica]

Heh. I'd like to see you try that.

[ stop enjoying your friends hitting each other

in any case, he just follows after Steph - although he remains quite wary, just in case something jumps out and puts her in danger!! He'd rather be in the lead... but this is fine. ]

[axilium]

Ouch!

[hikage please

anyway francy decide what happens]

[vigilantics]

Hm. Guess we found Hikage's kink.

[ anyway

the temperature just... starts dropping...... it's cold. ]

[psychedelica]

What the hell? Don't say stuff like that. That's gross.

[ his sensibilities are OFFENDED. But he also stops and grabs Steph's sleeve. ]

Wait. Doesn't it feel colder than before.

[axilium]

... So, think this is a dead end? Looks like your intuition's off, Steph.

[vigilantics]

[ she also try force herself not to laugh at hikage's reaction to saying the word kink. ]

Shut up. [ ... ] Okay, turn around. Let's pick another path.

[psychedelica]

[ everyone is so mean to him... ]

Let's go. We'll find it eventually.

[ time to prod Belph forward now. ]

[axilium]

[fine, he'll walk.

anyway let's just say they finally hit upon the right path.]

[vigilantics]

Oh... I think this is it!

[ she says, immediately as the flowers and vines start to swarm. ]

Whoops.

[psychedelica]

[ WELL SHIT. ]

-- Just run!

[ Can Steph actually run?!? Probably not. If she doesn't do anything to stop him, Hikage's definitely going to try and sweep her up into his arms so they can all get away from these stupid plants. Belph is on his own, because he has two legs. Congrats. ]

[axilium]

Is this good or bad—!?

[hikage can do that because belph sure can't carry steph!!

but yeah, once hikage has steph, belph is running like the wind.]

[vigilantics]

Hey!

[ she's not even sure why this still surprises her when it happens every fucking time

she's being carried though ]

[psychedelica]

[ hell yeah

except this is actually less than ideal... Hikage may be stronger than he looks, but he's no weightlifter, and it's actually kind of hard to run as fast as possible while carrying a full-grown woman and also trying not to trip over vines (which are definitely beginning to shoot out from the walls like terrible snakes.) He makes it pretty far before screwing up, to his credit.

But he does screw up. One of those vines catch him by surprise, and his foot hooks on it, sending him falling onto hsi face with poor Steph in his arms. The good news is that he turns so that he lands on his back and takes the brunt of the fall rather than squishing her!! The bad news is that there are still angry plants coming for them. ]

[axilium]

[well

belph is immediately stopping and turning back for them—at which point he takes out his kitchen knife to slice at any vines that come for them.]

Get up!

[vigilantics]

[ ah, there's the knife

steph is just going to scramble off of hikage so she can try to help him back up. ]

Crap. Come on, up!

[psychedelica]

[ thank you friends. the good news is he has a lot of experience running away from things that want to kill him; he's quick to rush back up to his feet, taking Steph's hand once Belph's cut the vines away from him and darting forward again without a word. No time to pick her up again - but he'll at least drag her by the hand if he has to. ]

[axilium]

[once it seems like hikage and steph are fine, belph whirls around to join them, knife still in hand.]

Come on...!

[vigilantics]

[ admittedly, steph is used to the fake leg enough that she has no issues with just walking around or doing light exercise?? with it??

unfortunately, running for their lives is neither of those things, so she's fucking dying. ]

[psychedelica]

[ try to avoid dying for a little bit longer, Steph...

not too much longer, though. Eventually, the tunnel comes to an end, and once they're out in the sun again, the vines seem to lose interest in chasing after them. Hikage slows to a stop, leaning over to catch his breath. ]

... Is that it?

[axilium]

[i sure hope someone has been picking up the keys they're getting from these]

I mean... yes and no?

[vigilantics]

[ ........... SURE. I FORGOT ABOUT KEYS. ]

Holy crap give me a second.

[ she has to. sit down. ]

[psychedelica]

-- Wait. Move your butt.

[ he just saw something silvery glinting in the grass but now steph is sitting on it... ]

[axilium]

[he lets out a low whistle.]

How forward of you!

[vigilantics]

[ she doesn't have anything to throw at belph, but if she did, he would be getting hit in the head right now. he can probably see this in her eyes.

but she scoots. ]