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

Catherd-MTB; Analyse

[voicerights]

[The SQUIP abruptly raises its voice, singing...calmly. Almost serene as it closes its eyes and moves away from its podium, just...walking amongst the others.]

A self-fulfilling prophecy of endless possibility
In rolling reams across a screen
In algebra, in algebra
The fences one cannot climb
The sentences that do not rhyme
In all that you can ever change
The one you're looking for

It gets you down
It gets you down
There's no spark
No light in the dark
It gets you down
It gets you down

[And now, by the stage- it spins around and looks at the others]

Answer me this, all of you; strip away all emotion. Look at this logically, if you even can. Explain to me, in full, what happened last night.

[sugarlumps]

OH MY GLOB YOU DID DO IT, YOU MONSTER!

[voicerights]

Prove it.

[sugarlumps]

[haha it thinks she has logic behind this, I'm so sorry]

You just sang an entire song and made a big speech about how we need to prove it, people only do that kind of junk when they're guilty! I've seen cop shows! Plus you're creepy!

[voicerights]

I am bringing your attention to what matters. If you cannot prove without a doubt I did it, how can you be certain that you are not signing the death warrant of yourself and all your friends?

[violentenvies]

[Salieri's still has a narrow-eyed gaze on the SQUIP]

In fact, I was hoping you might illuminate. You have yet to answer my question of what is under your nails. Furthermore, you were quick to show some irritation at that so-called program for not closing properly.

If anyone should be explaining, I believe it is you.

[voicerights]

Prove to me you do not require me to hold your hand in this.

[violentenvies]

The only one who needs to prove something here is you. [there's an anger that starts to gather in his voice as he steps away from his podium, rounding the others, towards the SQUIP]

You have nothing but deflect and decry this entire time, and yet you cannot answer a simple question!

[by that point, he's reached it, and reaches out to grab it's wrist, turning it over so he can take a look under those fingernails, then, to the group]

Who here can identify dried blood?

[alchemistake]

[Oh, Varian doesn't like this.

He remembers playing chess with the SQUIP yesterday. Having amicable conversation with it. He's never...had any problems with it actually, surprisingly.

But now that this is going on, he's too frozen to say anything, the fingers holding Rina's hand shaking a bit.]

[employeeoftheyear]

[Well

This is happening.]

What are you talking about? Why are you acting like...

[Gestures at SQUIP.]

[voicerights]

You are all going on wild threads. I want you to focus on what actually happened.

cw suicide dicussion

[employeeoftheyear]

W-well, if Connor didn't know Evan, I have a hard time believing he'd make a suicide note to him, and not one of us... I... I guess that would mean he didn't ill himself, but someone else wanted it to look like one.

So I can only assume that whoever did this would be up for killing someone and making it look like a suicide as best as possible. Maybe someone who knew he killed himself earlier?

[He looks like he's going to cry explaining this why is he doing this.]

cw suicidal imagery

[mcfife]

[Angus sighs in relief. Peregrine is not going to die (hopefully), but they are no closer to finding the culprit. But if the SQUIP is responsible, he still must explain what happened. It doesn't matter. The SQUIP is a robot.]

I believe that this was a staged murder. The not addressed to Evan Hansen was not written by Connor, and whoever typed it up knew of him, but was now aware that they were not actually friends.

Whoever killed Connor drugged him with melatonin, took him to the locker room, and killed him. At some point, he hid the clothes he wore at the party and washed Connor for some reason. Perhaps it was to hide evidence.

Then he cut his wrists to make it look like a suicide.

[voicerights]

If he was drugged against his will, would there not have been sign of a struggle?

[mcfife]

The bottle of water. It could have been as simple as tricking him into drinking after a long night.

[Angus' eyes are trained onto the SQUIP. Watching.]

[samefacesyndrome]

If it was dissolved in water and given to him in a water bottle then he wouldn't know what he was being drugged.

[disharmonizes]

If you don't entirely mind, I'd like to keep my emotions on for this. Pure logic and reason is so dull.

Maybe you should follow your own advice.

[sugarlumps]

Glob it, stop saying stuff I lumping agree with, Disco.

[brokeforgood]

[If she weren’t holding Rina’s hand, Farrah may have come over that podium for him.]

Fuck off. Connor was our friend. He deserves some emotion.

[Still. She squeezes her eyes shut, and breathes.]

Okay. The water bottle. [Rina’s right here—- So Farrah might as well. She’ll take it, if Rina lets her—- and open it up and take a quick whiff, from a short distance, just in case. Does it smell alcoholic, or is this just normal water?]

[samefacesyndrome]

[ GO RIGHT AHEAD FARRAH GO GO GO ]

[stagemanagers]

[Seems like normal water!]

[brokeforgood]

It’s water. [She puts the cap back on and sets it down.]

Too bad, because I need a drink.

[howtheworldwas]

You seemed…off, last night. Why?

[voicerights]

[other than DewQuest?] I was attempting to recalculate options.

[read; it was having an emotion]

[howtheworldwas]

[ yeah those suck ]

Yeah? Which options?