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

[mayavericks]

[Pretty clean!]

[comeandfindme]

...Maya, do you... This isn't how your hands would look if...someone ripped your sword from them or something, right? This is more...almost gentle.

[ She's mostly familiar with knife cuts... These don't look like those, do they? ]

[mayavericks]

[Maya glances at Peregrine, then down at her hands.]

What are you trying to say, Peregrine?

[comeandfindme]

[ Peregrine hesitates. ]

I don't know. But...somehow...your sword broke, yeah? And...someone must've attacked you with it. I can't figure out...how these injuries would've been made in the struggle. I'm just- I'm just trying to figure it out.

[brokeforgood]

Oh my God-- don't do this to her, Per.

She probably gave it to them, before they attacked her.

mods

[comeandfindme]

[ WHAT A FUCKING ROLE REVERSAL THIS IS. ]

I-I don't- I don't think she did anything! [ Just. Quickly clarifying. ] I just- she doesn't know how this happened. I just wanna find out what happened to her. That includes what could've hurt her, who. And...when it could've hpapened...

[ God, this is a question I should've asked yesterday, but!!! From the severity of Maya's wound...do we have an estimate of how long she could've been there without dying? Was it bad enough for us to have that kind of idea, or is it up in the air? ]

[mayavericks]

Eurydice had a pickaxe, did she not? It's quite a powerful weapon. Nothing against a rapier.

[comeandfindme]

She... She did... I thought that's what...you know, what killed her, though. And— and a pickaxe wouldn't've made the cuts on your hands.

[mayavericks]

It would not have.

[comeandfindme]

[ ... ]

Do you...have any ideas? About what could've made them?

[mayavericks]

They're thin. Like I said, I... would not have want to let the sword go, if it had been taken from me.

[comeandfindme]

...They're from the rapier. They're from the rapier itself. It was taken from you...and you tried to—

[ Maya Tendo you fuckin idiot— ]

Did you try to get your sword back by the blade? Maya!

[brokeforgood]

... [At the mention of the rapier, Farrah pales.]

Orpheus' neck...

[mayavericks]

What about it, Farrah?

[brokeforgood]

The way it was cut... A pickaxe--- Oh my God.

[mayavericks]

The ice in the pool was bloody. That is what you saw, right, Janis?

[fourbutts]

[ oh. ]

... Yeah. But, I mean... it could have been your blood. The tip was still... inside you, right? Which means unless someone stabbed you with just the tip somehow... [ She just sort of. Gestures. ]

[brokeforgood]

So-- someone used your sword to kill Orpheus. And that was-- after? They broke it in you? Or before-- [oh god her heads spinning]

[feudalladyshandmaid]

...The pickaxe in the costume shop.

[stagemanagers]

[The wound looked nasty, and it definitely needed stitches. But it seems like it would have taken her a long time to actually bleed out.]

[comeandfindme]

[ lmao fucking great ]

...You could've been lying there for awhile. It was long enough for the blood to...soak through the cloth, at least. But that doesn't give us any idea of when it might've happened. [ Apologetically: ] I can't...figure out a timeline.

[comeandfindme]

[ i'm back

So hey! Peregrine was very up close and personal with all this. Did all the blood on Maya look like it came from Maya? ]

[stagemanagers]

[It's hard to say!]

[mayavericks]

Farrah. Remember. We have to ask the right questions

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah drops her head, and grumbles quietly--]

At least you're not a fuckin hypocrite...