second 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. Elisabeth and Connor have joined Mumble in having theirs draped in black crepe and with a framed monochrome photo of them on top.

When you reach the podiums, the lights above the stage finally come on. the Wizard is once again waiting for you. Beside it Hester is slowly lowers in on her bubble. Her dress this week is a purple monstrosity, more akin to a voluminous prom dress than the simple outfits she usually wears.

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

Comments

[mcfife]

Melatonin. It's been used before.

[He'll shake if a few times before walking over and handing it to Varian.]

[alchemistake]

Melatonin.

[He takes the bottle, carefully turning it over in his hand. Luckily, that word is currently burned into his brain.]

I went back to the Nurse's Office, and it looked like someone had been there. There wasn't any blood or anything like that, but the pill bottles and pain killers had been rifled through. It didn't look like anything was missing...

But I checked the supply list. A bottle of melatonin was missing from it.

[comeandfindme]

...It's used to sleep. [ ... ] Melatonin's used to sleep. Not anything else.

[ ... ]

He just...wanted to sleep.

[alchemistake]

There was a half drunk bottle of water left behind in there too.

Do you think he might have stayed there a while? Instead of coming back to the dorm to sleep?

[samefacesyndrome]

[ At Varian mentioning the water she holds up the bottle. SHE BROUGHT IT IF WE NEED IT she's got nothing else to add. ]

[brokeforgood]

Is it really water?

Mods (i'm sorry)

[employeeoftheyear]

["Is it really water?" Now that question sticks out to him. Sure to them, he looks like a regular ol' human, but to him...]

... I wonder what would happen if I tried breathing it.

[alchemistake]

I...uhh.

[Varian is so baffled he can't even speak for a moment.]

[samefacesyndrome]

[ Rina is equally baffled.




...buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut now that both her hands are preoccupied with teen handholding hours it's just sitting there on the podium for... anyone to do whatever with. ]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

You'd... probably start choking.

[How is this a query??]

[employeeoftheyear]

Hey I'm still a sponge to me! I might still be able to breath it and let you know if it's poisonous!

[tellthestory]

I wouldn't? If you really want someone to taste it, I don't mind.

[brokeforgood]

Nobody needs to taste or breathe it! I was just thinking maybe—- smell it, just real quick? Make sure it’s not alcoholic?

[sugarlumps]

I was gonna drink it but SOME PEOPLE thought it was a bad idea.

[alchemistake]

Yes, because drinking water that somebody else was drinking that just got left out is always a good idea. After a potential murder.

[Said oh so dryly.]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Please don't drink the evidence, guys.

[sugarlumps]

I was dehydrated, VARIAN.

[mcfife]

That is the chemical potion one takes to fall asleep, is it not? [They got medicine in Fantasy Scotland. They just have medical wizards.] It could have helped him to...relax.

[Angus doesn't like this line of thinking.]

[alchemistake]

[He doesn't either, Angus.]

Is...there any way for us to tell how much there was used? I've been in the Nurse's Office a couple times, but I don't know to the exact number of how much of everything should be in there...someone else might have a better idea.

[comeandfindme]

I've been keeping inventory.

[ ... ]

Every week, every few days.

[alchemistake]

[Varian frowns, his expression tight. He'll set the bottle out on his podium for Peregrine to look over, if she thinks she might be able to discern anything.]

I don't know much about melatonin, but if it's supposed to make you sleep...I imagine it's not a drug that could kill you, per-say.

[Anything could kill you, with the right dosage. But...]

It sounds like you'd have to use up most of this bottle for that. Otherwise...you're just going to be sleeping for a really long time.

[comeandfindme]

It's not. [ ... ] It can't. It just— it makes you sleep. It can have some bad aftereffects, but—

[ ...... ]

But it doesn't kill you. It knocks you out.

[alchemistake]

[...]

Okay. I think that's going to be important to remember.

[If it's possible someone else is responsible for this...coming up on a sleeping Connor who had taken far too much melatonin would make him an easy target.]

[mcfife]

...What would it take to trick someone into consuming so many pills?

[samefacesyndrome]

[ Rina nods. ]

Mmhm. And even that can... take a little while.

It's a "safer" sleep aid.

[ does Rina know this or her insomnia addled player YOU DECIDE ]