1st victim

[stagemanagers]

[The performers have been in the opera house for nearly two weeks now. Overall, despite the captivity, the experience has been a mellow one even with the introduction of the motive. Peaceful almost.

It's 7 am Friday morning. As everyone starts to putter out of their dressing rooms and begin the day, something feels different. A certain heaviness in the air, a sense of dread...oh, and then there's the metallic smell of blood coming from the hallway.

Investigate?]

Comments

[robitussin]

Oh, fuck.

[As soon as she catches that scent, Natalie is heading towards the music room to see if anything is amiss.]

[stagemanagers]

[Woah there, tiger, you might want to slow down.

Because once you enter the west wing, it's going to become pretty clear that there is a body lying prone in the hall.]

[robitussin]

[She is the least qualified person to handle this. Why.]

Shit. Fuck, okay...

[She's going to go towards it to see who it is, trying not to panic too much. Her hands are still shaking, though.]

[catliketread]

[NEVER FEAR THE PIRATE KING IS HERE oh god oh man that is an actual body what the fuck]

...Oh. Well. That's...

[A thing?? He was so convinced no one would kill...]

[solomonjihad]

Huh--

[Astarte had been going down that way, but...apparently, she doesn't need to go to the dining room...]

Oh no......

[Dead. Someone's really really dead and--no, maybe its just blood, just blood--one doesn't have to die to bleed---]

no...

[dontfeedplants]

[Oh god he just wanted to get medicine why this.

He's just going to stand here frozen in horror.]

Am... am I seeing this?

[allicareabout]

[Good morning, where is everyone going - thaaaaat is a body, okay.]

...So much for peace and unity.

[dechagny]

[Raoul's turning the corner and -

Oh.]

What the devil is going on?

[solomonjihad]

no, no, no, no...

[Its pretty obvious that she's not taking it well, regardless who it is.]

[dechagny]

[Yeah, he - his gentleman senses go off immediately at that.]

Miss Astarte?

[stagemanagers]

[The body is lying face-down a little ways past the entrance to the dining hall, one arm still stretched out before it as if reaching towards the lobby. But there are small mercies - Natalie needn't turn it over to check its identity if she doesn't want to. The broad shoulders and white hair are fairly distinctive.

Jean Valjean is dead.]

[robitussin]

[This is so fucked up, but okay. Okay. She should tell everyone who it is. She turns back to the gathering crowd.]

It's - the bread guy. The one that other guy hates.

[absolutely nailed it]

[dechagny]

[BREAD DAD

NOOO

Once Raoul has a good look at who exactly is dead, you can literally see his body begin to waver, and he hurries to lean against the wall, face white as a sheet.

This man...he had just spoken with this man days before. Learned his story...treasured his good nature...and now he is...]

No...no, Monsieur...Monsieur Valjean...

[dontfeedplants]

Oh my god... oh my god...

[Seymour presses himself up against a nearby wall away from Jean Valjean, staring in wide-eyed horror at Jean Valjean's body.

He's already so pale in the face that he looks like he's either going to throw up or pass out.]

[lifegoalsorwifegoals]

[She doesn't see the body. D-ne is far too short to see over all those people, but enough are saying something- Valjean that from the back of the crowd, she can figure out who it is.]

V-Valjean-s-san... [Such a kind man, one who showed concern for her... She can't keep herself from crying softly.]

[trettende]

[ Hans has heard the commotion by now, the smell of blood is awful, but the body— ]

Oh, no... not... [ His hand flies to his mouth in shock. Valjean had seemed so helpful. So kind.. ] How could this be?!

[aflatouttahell]

[OH...

She only talked to him once, but... he was so nice? Like, really nice. He definitely didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of a murder.]

No...

[dieformymusic]

[Winslow recognizes the body now. The convict who showed him kindness.

He stumbles away, deciding he'd rather not look at it. What person would kill him for such a childish thing as a wish?

Perhaps they were in for longer than they thought.]

[irreprochable]

[the commotion is more than enough for the inspector to find his way into the hall way. he'd been trying, really trying to protect people. but javert couldn't be in all places at once. he wasn't an inspector with a team, he was all alone and this place wanted only one thing from them.

And here it was.]

I am reaching but I fall...

[the lyric is quiet as it escapes his mouth. he pushes past the people gathered even though he knows, he knows exactly who he is.]

Valjean.

[the man he had hunted across the years, and even if his face was different it was still undeniably the man he'd literally devoted his life to subduing. and now someone had -- someone had -- ]

And the stars are black and cold.

[he turns to glance accusatory at the others, clearing his throat]

Tell me quickly what's the story
Who saw what, and why, and where?
Let him give a full description.
Let him answer to Javert!

[but his heart isn't in it and the normal metronome-steady rhythm of his singing is a little off]

Valjean was mine to bring to justice. Who dared to keep my from my goal?

[sunshineprincess]

[SUPER LATE TO THIS PARTY-]

Is... What's Valjean doing on the floor? [Why is everyone... Oh. Is that. Blood? Oh. OH.

Anna is useless now. She's just... Just going to stand here a while.]

[onthebusagain]

[Come on guys don't leave Heather out here--- She freezes, hand over her mouth as she lets out a muffled scream.

Someone had to scream, after all.]

[dieformymusic]

[Just as he was picking his new looka...couldn't keep it together for a week, huh?

Winslow makes a small horrified sound. Rather than draw attention to himself he decides to hang in the back of the commotion.]

[bestof]

What's wrong, has something happened?

[She can't see the body but with this many people clumped together in the hallway something mus have happened.]

[dechagny]

[Oh no - oh no, enough women have already seen this, pull yourself together Raoul -]

Madame Hamilton, you...you do not want to see this, it is...

[littlegirl_littlecurl]

[Euuuugh.

She doesn't want to approach too closely. Is this person recognizable?]