fifth trial

[stagemanagers]

[As the investigation ends, you'll hear the Wizard'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. Discord, Elle, Orpheus and Eurydice now have theirs draped in black crepe and with a framed monochrome photo of them on top. At Maya's podium is a stool with a fresh amaryllis flower carefully set on it.

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. She's still in her pretty pink prom dress, her hair restyled and make-up freshened to not be so messy from sleep. It's also worth noting the blood on her skirt from when she assisted in helping Maya with her injury is gone.

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 fifth trial, everyone. It's time to determine who was responsible for the murder of Elle, Orpheus and Eurydice. 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]

Elle's was a lime green. [It's so random. Why all these colors?] Obviously, they did not care what would best be associated with the victims.

[sugarlumps]

Green and pink can go together sometimes? But, like, as highlights and accents and junk.

[mcfife]

And the others? How do white and grey and teal fit them?

[sugarlumps]

Oh. Those definitely don't, no.

[who the fuck sent these amazing people to the deadworlds with shitty shrouds, why would you do this.]

[mcfife]

This was on purpose. Why the coins, if they were not following Orpheus' example? Why go through the effort of hiding them? Was this their idea of respecting the dead?!

[comeandfindme]

...But...Orpheus and Elle...and Maya, they were all out in the open. The only one actually, like...hidden was- ...was Eurydice.

[ Eurydice's dead. She hadn't seen her body, only heard, and it's sinking in. Eurydice and Orpheus and Elle, all three of them so kind, so protective in their own ways. Eurydice's serious but loving candor, Orpheus's enduring hope, Elle's bright attitude, all three of them gone—

Peregrine pulls her cloak tighter. ]

It's not... It doesn't make sense. Why are they all spread out? ...Why's the- the did they all die the same way? What happened?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

She was barely hidden, if at all. Her body was right in the middle of the mess in the costume room.

[Under a shroud, but... Cass had zeroed in on it when she went to check that place. It was so... unlike her. Unlike any of them. Each one of these victims had hopes and dreams. Orpheus loved her, Elle wanted to get into her dream job, and now all three of them...

It's a wonder they managed to save Maya.]

Maybe... [She searches for words.] Even if they didn't die in the same way, their bodies could have been arranged afterwards.

[brokeforgood]

Hey-- Cassandra?

Did Eurydice have lipstick on?

Mods?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Uhh...

[Did she?]

[stagemanagers]

[She did.]

[brokeforgood]

[HEY MODS WHAT FUCKIN COLOR WAS IT]

[stagemanagers]

[Let's call it a...wine-ish nude.]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

She did. Why do you ask?

[brokeforgood]

Orpheus had... some color, on his lips. Like someone had been kissing on him. I saw it from. A distance. [FARRAH WHY SPECIFY THE DISTANCE? .... we def arent talking about her hands in his mouth]

It was a weird Wine-ish nude color.

[brokeforgood]

Orpheus was right by the door. And Elle... Angus said she fell, right? Were they all just killed where they were at the time?

[sugarlumps]

Oh glob, they were probably super messed up from fever and junk.

[Why does this kind of thing keep happening, why can't they just have nice normal killers who are evil and easy to condemn.]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

You're probably right. [She sighs, gaze slipping down to the pickaxe.] Dammit...

[...Oh. That's right.

Cassandra digs into her pocket and produces... A red carnation.]

This was near Eurydice's body.

[sugarlumps]

Oh.

[dot dot dot]

That was probably from Orpheus, right? Like those lumping weird flower sales schools do every year, the red ones mean love.

[defyingfrigidity]

[Oh...]

Yeah. He was showing me how to make paper ones he other day. He said that the first thing he ever gave Eurydice was a paper flower - and that when he sang to her, it turned into a real flower.

[sugarlumps]

...oh my glob that's so lumping romantic.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[Oh. LSP is right. That's so fucking romantic what the fuck.]

She must've been holding onto it then...

[Before it happened.]

[defyingfrigidity]

Yeah... he probably made a new one for her. If they were singing together...

[God. They must have been having such a sweet night right up until all of this happened.]

They might not have noticed anything was wrong until it was too late.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[...]

I'm starting to miss last night when it was just everyone having fun together.

[comeandfindme]

Were— were there any like...trails, or...anything that coulda looked like...who went where? Just, to give us an idea?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

I couldn't find any. The room was an absolute mess. Like there was a fight happening in there... Except, besides the wound on her throat, Eurydice looked fine.