PROLOGUE ; INVESTIGATION

[themodsgrimm]

The Story Continues... PROLOGUE - WEEK 0??? 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 your first investigation post! This time, as it is tutorial week, we will be posting toplevels for searchable locations; moving forward, you will post your own toplevels for locations you wish to searh. Evidence — or lack thereof — will be noted in these threads. We ask that group threads consist of no more than 3-4 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 Danielle (entrappings) and Britt (bloodthirstiest), as we will be taking point on this investigation! full navigation. locations taken (statuses) stories (profiles) info & faq wishing well private conversations

Comments

[spondulix]

Come now, don't hurt yourself trying to get that thing off...

[What is going on here?? What are you two kids doing messing around with this....wait.]

[There's...something in there? ]

Is that...a body?

[randori]

[ Whyyyyy is this ]

Are they still alive?! Get 'em out!!

[ Never mind the helmet? The entire armor can be taken apart, right? ]

[themodsgrimm]

[It is indeed a body!

When the helmet comes off, Gi-gan's head droops forward. She would probably collapse at their feet if the armor wasn't keeping her standing upright.

However, before they can get a closer look, they'll hear the sound of clanging metal behind them.

It's a suit of armor, and it's walking their way. It gets in between them and the other suit of armor and... points at them, then busts out a breakdancing move before pointing directly at all four of them.

Your move, guys.]

[thesettingsun]

[Dazai would be more concerned about Gi-gan and the implication of a person whose tapestry was at the front being probably dead, except there's the clank of a suit of armor and what the actual fuck.]

...Okay I did my part it's everyone else's turn!

[He's just going to put everyone else in between him and the breakdancing armor now.]

[spondulix]

[....................Wow Dazai, you coward. Fitzgerald just looks incredibly unimpressed.]

Does anyone have a weapon on them, by chance? Can I just bash this idiotic thing apart?

[randori]

Bash it!!

[ While he grabs Gi-gan's armor to try to haul it away ]

Someone help me with this!

[nivation]

I tried taking the sword off the suit of armor. [ The one Gi-gan is in. ] But it wouldn't move.

[ Since she couldn't move the sword, she has no chance with the full body, so she turns to the breakdancing version. She knows a challenge when she sees it, so she... mirrors the dance it did. Exactly. More gracefully, in fact. ]

[themodsgrimm]

[The suit of armor turns toward Natsuo and nudges him away from Gi-gan's armor. Apparently, they have to go through him before they can investigate the other one in more detail—

But it is distracted when Kyouka accepts its challenge. It nods once, then busts out a slightly more complex set of moves that concludes with an upside-down spin.

...

There is the sound of much metallic creaking.]

[randori]

[ ohhhhh my god the sound of metal on metal is grating and Natsuo wants to finish this as quickly as he can.

If the sword is stuck to the armor's hand, what if Natsuo just tries prying off the entire gauntlet? Sorry Gi-gan, he might break a wrist bone or two driving his elbow into the metal plating to trying to loosen something up, but this is the only way he knows how to fight. ]

[thesettingsun]

Just leave it alone or you're going to be stabbed by a breakdancing suit of armor.

[Helpful.]

[spondulix]

[Are you prepared for Fitzgerald to ruin everything? GOOD]

Oh, enough of this. Out of the way, old sport.

[He'll just step up and try to kick its head off HE AIN'T GOING TO BREAKDANCE FOR NO PEASANT ARMOR]

[nivation]

[ tbf if Kyouka could've gotten the sword, she would've done her best to cut the breakdancing suit of armor to pieces.

Instead, she steps aside to let Fitzgerald do his thing.

If it can be done, she'll accept it easily and Fitzgerald will for once not be a menace to society (in Kyouka's book). ]

[themodsgrimm]

[Its head does not come off, but the suit of armor stumbles. It looks disgruntled, if it's possible for a suit of armor to ... look that way.

Then it wanders off in the direction of the kitchen for another challenge.

This leaves them free to pry the other suit of armor open. It will take some doing, but when they do, Gi-gan collapses at their feet. She isn't moving.]

[thesettingsun]

[...well that was easy.

Moment of cowardice over (for now), Dazai helps with the armor prying. When Gi-gan collapses, he tries to feel for a pulse.

Maybe she's just sleeping really soundly??]

[randori]

[ rattles her by the shoulder frantically; if she's sleeping, don't even bother, Dazai, this'll wake her up ]

GI-GAN!! WAKE UP!! YOU'RE OKAY NOW! IT'S GONE!!

[spondulix]

[GO HOME, ARMOR! YOU'RE NO GOOD, ARMOR! YOU'LL NEVER BE SHIT, ARMOR! YOU'RE JUST - LIKE - YOUR FATHER!]

Don't yell. [He's staring down, frowning. He already suspects the worst.] I don't think anyone would just willingly sleep in armor. This is someone else's doing.

[nivation]

[ Kyouka's movements are never frivolous, but she goes very, very still.

She watches closely, hoping for any movement from Gi-gan.

Please. ]

We have to find out who.

[randori]

Is she bleeding anywhere? Any ink, or—

[ leans in and buries his face by her neck and gives her a good whiff, idk are there any distinctive smells...? we're collecting all the info we can ]

[themodsgrimm]

[There isn't a pulse.

In fact, if he's checking for a pulse on her neck, he'll find a small puncture wound there. Surprisingly, there isn't any blood — but her skin and clothing is stained purple. (It smells like ink. Good going, Natsuo!)

There's an identical puncture wound further down, on her chest. Whatever it was, it ripped through both clothing and skin.

At this point, there is no denying it: Gi-gan is dead.]

[randori]

[ Purple ink... Why? Natsuo falls back once it's clear Gi-Gan's been good and stabbed, refusing to look at her face at all. But there's... The armor. He goes back to the armor she was found in, and peers inside. Is there ink in here too? Blood? Can he finally smash the gauntlet now that it's been hollowed out and take that sword? ]

[thesettingsun]

[For the record, Dazai is absolutely not licking any ink off a dead body.]

...I'm sorry.

[spondulix]

"Once a week, at least one person will be killed."

[And there it is. Fitzgerald lets out a huff, placing his hands in his pockets. He's not going to investigate yet, but he is going to glance around the area - any evidence of a fight? Scuffle? Drag marks from a body?]

That's what their little list of rules said, didn't it? So we shouldn't be surprised. I wonder who would have motivation to kill someone like her, though.

[nivation]

She— was nice. Does motive excuse murder?

[ Her voice falters on the first word only, but her defenses come up. Death always follows her, and she doesn't like it. As one switch turns off within her, another switches on.

She's going to examine the puncture wounds and then the rest of Gi-gan for anything else that's amiss other than purple. ]

There should be blood, but there isn't.

[randori]

Nothing excuses murder.

[ He tries to keep his voice calm, but it definitely pitches up, shaking through gritted teeth. ]

Bet it's the Dragon or Tiger, one of those two- no one else would want to kill anybody!

[themodsgrimm]

[Natsuo can smash the gauntlet and take the sword — for now. But when the investigation concludes, it will vanish and return to the suit of armor. The inside of the armor smells vaguely of ink and metal, but not of blood.

When Fitz glances around, he may see a few stray flecks of purple on the ground — more ink, if it's sniffed at.

Gi-gan's body seems to only have purple ink where her blood should be. Her clothing is mussed as if she was involved in some kind of a scuffle, and her hair is starting to fall down in front of her face instead of being tucked behind her ears, as it usually does.

The puncture wounds are the only obvious wounds there. There does not seem to be anything else to find.]