itscurtains | First Trial

[Just as everyone is starting to finish their investigations, there's a slow ominous sound from the lobby.

The gilded doors on the northern wall have opened.

This time, the space behind them is lit; you're free to enter. There's one more set of doors to pass through, and then you're all, finally, in the House. There's one grand chandelier above, glittering crystal, and the seats around you are made of fine red velvet. Those don't seem to be for you, though - all the way down in front of the stage, where the orchestra might sit, there's a circle of wooden podiums. They're arranged so that everyone can face each other, and are fixed into place. Each one bears a metal plaque with a cast member's name engraved on it. There's also a metal panel on top, with twenty ivory buttons paired to everyone's name.

Among these, only Jean Valjean's podium is different - that one is draped in black crepe, with a larger greyscale version of his headshot from the playbill framed and sitting at its foot like a funerary portrait. Standing where he might have stood, a bare lightbulb glows faintly atop a metal pole.

Right here, you're very close to the stage. But the curtain is closed, and it's a little too high to easily clamber up. You may not want to try. You've got more important business right now, after all.

As everyone is finding their places, the Balladeer's voice suddenly sounds loud and clear throughout the space.]

Okay, guys, here's how we do trial. I've...never actually been involved in something like this before, but you can do it. Just take all the time you need to talk it out - I'll be right here the whole time. You don't need a unanimous vote, we go by majority rule.

Oh, and don't mess with those buttons until you're really ready to vote. You won't be able to take it back.

...good luck.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Indeed. And we must consider how everything else fits into this potential description of our murderer. They could be very experienced, or extremely lucky.

My guess would be luck. It's also likely they were injured in the process, and lost their "contact". This was sloppy, but they tried not to be by hiding everything.

Why leave him in the hallway, though? Were they trying to put him somewhere that was locked?

Somewhere locked? Like the Kitchen?

Perhaps. It is locked overnight.

[...is that a question about Opera operations

No one actually asked anything, but he's just going to interpret it that way.]

I wouldn'tve come unlocked the door to help a murderer hide a body.

So you're not entirely useless.

...my role here isn't to help either of you. Murderer or others. I tried to keep you all from getting to this point, but trials are for the real cast.