FIFTH TRIAL

[stagemanagers]

[The sound of the courtroom doors opening is louder and deeper than the stairwell doors were, as if they understand their dramatic importance.

It's time for yet another trial.

Natalie's podium has joined the other somberly-decorated ones in pretty short order. Unfortunately, the other ones are left entirely as they were - no pillows, food, or coffee provided by the Opera staff. You'll just have to try and make this quick. The Balladeer sounds like he'd like to get this over with as well when he speaks up.]

I'm sorry, Heather. I really didn't think... [He sighs.] Okay, go ahead.

Comments

[inforapenny]

...I've never handled a gun before, but I know that firing one leaves residue. If it'd been fired recently, there should still be residue in the chamber, which unless the, uh. The shooty-- the barrel? was also packed with dirt, then there might still be some residue there.

[dechagny]

It's worth looking, just to be sure. I don't doubt that guns could have come from the merchandise booth, but I want to know if we have the right gun.

[inforapenny]

Yeah, uh. Unless Flynn wants the honor, I can. I can swab it.

[allicareabout]

No, no, by all means.

[inforapenny]

Okay, yeah.

[Annnnd since Raoul is standing right next to him.]

Hey, can- can I see it?

[dechagny]

I believe Winslow should have it, if he found it.

[inforapenny]

...Right. Sorry, tired.

[Annnnd across Hook's empty podium to his other side.]

Winslow?

[dieformymusic]

[Winslow slowly hands the gun, before silently going back to his podium.]

MODS

[inforapenny]

[Billy's going to gingerly set the gun down on his podium.

And then he's going to take a pen out of his pocket, dismantle it for the inside, and then stab his own undershirt to make a hole so that he can rip off some of the cloth.

Which he will then wrap around the ink stick from the pen and shove in the gun barrel, swabbing it around a little before pulling it out.]

[stagemanagers]

[There's a heck of a lot of dirt in there, for starters.

But it's fairly easy to tell that apart from the blackness of gunpowder residue. Of which there is a little bit.]

[inforapenny]

...Crap.

[dontfeedplants]

[That doesn't sound good.]

... What did you find?

[inforapenny]

This gun's been fired.

[dontfeedplants]

...Oh no.

Do... do you know how recently it was fired?

[inforapenny]

...I... No, I don't. See, this - [He holds up his swab for everyone to see.]

This brown here is- is dirt that got into the, uh. The barrel. But there's some specks of black here, too. That's gunpowder.

[dontfeedplants]

But... how did they get the bullets for that? And why just for that gun?