First Trial

[stagemanagers]

[As the investigation ends, you'll hear Hester's voice inviting you to the auditorium. As this happens, the twin doors on either side of the concession stand, across from the gym, will click open. You can enter on either side; both go to the same place.

When you enter the auditorium, it's dark. There's only the small lights along the walkway behind all the seats, just enough to illuminate where you're going. There's a central path between the seats, down towards where you know the stage must be. That's where you must be going, right? As you pass each row of seats, the lights at their ends flick on, marking your procession and slowly making more and more of the room visible. Shortly, you can see your destination: a circle of podiums stationed in the orchestra pit, below the lip of the darkened, curtained stage. They're all identical, labeled with a cast member's name, save for Mumble's, which is draped in black crepe and has a framed monochrome photo of him - Elijah Wood him - on top.

When you reach the podiums, the lights above the stage finally come on. It's time to meet the Wizard.

The mechanical head, with glowing green eyes, is installed above the stage and the still-closed curtain. Even if you were standing on the stage, it'd be well out of reach. It peers down at all of you, its motions fluid, and speaks with a booming, artificial-sounding voice:]

Welcome to your first trial, everyone. I am the Wizard. It's time to determine who was responsible for the murder of Mumble. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves and work together - you'll have to show teamwork if you want to leave this room alive.

Comments

[barberic]

[Leave it to Benjamin to assume the best of others, but...]

Could he have been accidentally shut in the 'freezer'?

Perhaps... Somebody burnt a photograph. They were distraught, maybe, not thinking clearly. And so they went to the kitchen to have some tea and ice-cream to calm their nerves. They saw the freezer door was open, and... didn't think to check that someone was inside?

Perhaps the shattered mug wasn't a struggle, but a surprise. And everything else was... trying to warm him up again, or make him comfortable.

[sugarlumps]

Then it wouldn't be murder, right? So whoever did it should just lumping say so so we can all leave.

[brokeforgood]

Yeah, if it really was just an accident...

MODS

[barberic]

[Sorry, girls...]

...Accident or not, the person may have been responsible, nonetheless.

You there! [The wizard. He's not going to call him that.] What would happen if the standards of a murder charge aren't met? That is, in a true accident, what becomes of the perpetrator?

[stagemanagers]

Like you said, they'd still be responsible.

[wanderlusttitania]

...accidentally shut in...?

[violentenvies]

No, I see what Benjamin is saying. They could possibly have closed the freezer door without knowing he was in there.

Additionally, considering the cart, it's likely the murderer, accidental or not, would be someone not strong enough to carry him.

[mayavericks]

Is anyone here the same height and weight as he was? Perhaps we could test that theory?

[mcfife]

We would have to check this with everyone with long, dark hair, missing a motive photo, and may not have the strength necessary to life him.

[Which...does limit the pool but he doesn't like it.]

[alchemistake]

If it wasn't an accident, why didn't they call for help? I understand being panicked, but...

[wanderlusttitania]

...........

What if...

[Accidentally shut in. The body experiences stress. Heart failure.

Peregrine screaming what it's like to die alone, not even knowing anyone was there.

But. Yet.]

He wasn't dead yet...?

[She pales considerably as that realization comes to her.]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

...If he wasn't dead but stuck inside... Someone should've heard him struggling to get out, right? They could have helped him.

[fourbutts]

Or... tried, and messed up somehow. So we're here.

[ YIKES, ]

[yourattention]

When you're falling in a forest and there's nobody around—

[He jerks, startled by it again.]

[comeandfindme]

[ Connor's just over Rina. Peregrine glances at him, lips pressed tight. ]

What? What is it?

[violentenvies]

It appears that it might've been a strong possibility, Madame. [Salieri also does not look particularly happy about that news, though he notices the way she pales, and moves closer]

...do you feel faint again?

[tellthestory]

That...maybe. I mean, everyone seems so upset...

[The Balladeer definitely knows better than to assume the best of people, necessarily, but the killers he does know...no one here is like that.]

[defyingfrigidity]

That... when you say it like that, it makes sense. I hope what you're suggesting is true.

[Thank god, someone else who's trying to latch onto the idea that it was an accident.]

But... if that was the case, why didn't whoever found him just tell us?

[voicerights]

Irrationality. Shame. There are a number of emotions that humans experience that could be at play.

[disharmonizes]

Maybe they were taking advantage of the situation. After the surprise wore off.

[employeeoftheyear]

What kinda monster would do something like that?

[violentenvies]

[yeah he was...thinking that also, which he's not a fan of. He glances at Discord, sucking in a breath through his nose, and blows it out]

...that is also certainly an option.

[employeeoftheyear]

But why couldn't Mumble leave? Can the freezer be locked from the outside?

[barberic]

He may not have been strong enough to push it open. Or he may have indeed pushed it open and startled whoever was drinking tea when he fell out.

Or... [Well, he doesn't want to remind everyone of Peregrine's traumatized description of what happens when you begin to freeze, but...] He didn't realize that he was closed in until it was too late.

[employeeoftheyear]

But people were talking about Mumble hanging out in the freezer before, right? Wouldn't that already be proof that he could get in and out easily?