itscurtains | fifth trial

[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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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

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.

It would not have.

[ ... ]

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

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

...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!

I didn't want anyone to be hurt.

...Maya?

You're anyone too, you idiot—

[ Wait. She didn't want...? ]

...Maya. What are you remembering?

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

Orpheus' neck...

What about it, Farrah?

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

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

[ 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. ]

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

[He knows how sharp a blade has to be, to break flesh cleanly. He knows, how sharp he keeps his razors, sharp enough to split a hair.

Why can't he speak?]

There was no other weapon. The logical answer is that my sword was what killed him. Don't you think?

[Farrah's feeling her own neck-- trembling. She doesn't like asking these questions. Is this how Maya felt, all those times, when Farrah had criticized her so sharply?]

Y-yeah. I think so.

So. Farrah.

With that in mind. What do you think happened?

...The killer was good enough to disarm you and stab you with your own sword before they killed Orpheus, oh lumping glob.

[Glances at LSP. Glances at Cassandra worriedly.]

I don't --- IDK!

If... Orpheus was killed first, it would have had to be you. It doesn't make any sense that he'd be killed with your blade, and that you'd still have it, to fight after--

But if he was killed after you were attacked someone else could have used that to kill him. But that still doesn't make--

And if the sword's broke, would it even still--

Orpheus was not killed first.

So it wasn't you-- it couldn't have been--

(no subject)

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...The pickaxe in the costume shop.