FIRST TRIAL

[umbralant]

Trial I

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The opera house doesn't seem to have gotten any changes. There are no lights on the windows, the lobby is dark. Only when everyone is gathered there something does happen: Rembrandt appears, opening the main stage doors, the large and heavy doors creaking when they open.

Rembrandt herds everything together, guiding them down the halls of the seating area. You better not stray from the hallway -- there's a very palpable sensation that something's deeply wrong about this place. You may perhaps see the form of something moving, blending with the darkness. Wait...it's several forms. A few pairs of intensely blue eyes, eyes that so far only Ango may have seen before, gaze at everybody. You really shouldn't try to approach. At least they don't try to come closer, cowed by Rembrandt's presence.

The main stage is the objective here. It's lit rather brightly, with the spotlights the Lady had used for her introduction a few days ago, illuminating the stage. In what's a rather ominous touch, the backdrop depicts hellfire. There aren't any props around, other than a few seats that seem to be spares for seats in one of the minor auditoriums, not even enough seats for everyone. Rembrandt blends into the darkness.

"Welcome!"

That's the Lady's voice, coming from high up. Looking up, you'll find a balcony to a side, large and with two seats. There's the Lady, wearing her dress, visible even in the darkness. She's standing up right now and leaning on the railing, shouting at them.

"Let's try to make this short and sweet. We figured it'd be fun if you all got to discuss who killed dear annoying Elliot. Give us a name, and we'll execute that person. Nice and simple, don't you think?"

"So, culprit who saved so many people from us...now you have to struggle for your own life. Oh, we never told you about this before? Don't feel bad, there's a lot we don't tell you all about. She sits down, adjusting her dress.

"I'm not going to pretend I care about you all catching the right person. Just give us a name and let the culprit go free, for all I care. Get started, we don't have all day to do this! You only have seven hours! Get moving!"

Here you are, all the actors in this impromptu play about justice, and the audience is...well there certainly is an audience larger than you were expecting. Everyone will hear the noises of those things moving around in the seating area, from time to time directing their eyes at the group, but they still make no attempt to approach. Looks like the audience that really matters is up there, in the balcony.

Let the trial for the death of Elliot Schafer begin.

[OOC NOTE: From the halfway point of the trial and onwards, you'll have the option to ask the masterminds for the chance to get a hint! Be warned, though: the price will involve some body horror for your character. Keep that in mind when deciding to use this option!]

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Comments

[pr159]

Yes, the actual medical professional was the one who shouldn't have been handling the body.

[ EYEROLL... anyway. ]

The body did indeed have numerous broken bones, mostly notably the ribs, neck, and hands - from the fingers up to the elbows, actually. There were abrasions on both the palms and the backs of the hands, especially on the inside below the thumbs.

As we've said, part of the skull near the top of the head was severely crushed, leaving brain matter exposed. His face, on the other hand, had only minor damage -- just some abrasions, nothing broken.

Livor mortis had obviously set in, with the blood pooled on his front side, as one would expect if he'd been in that position for some time.

While there was blood on the stone beneath his face and elsewhere, there wasn't very much of it, which could be chalked up to most of it being washed away by the rain.

...All in all, most of the injuries could potentially be explained by falling and making impact with a hard surface, though the extent of the injury to the hands in particular makes me question that.

[inordertobelieve]

If he had fallen and landed in the position we found him in, would his face be left intact either?

[pr159]

It's not impossible, since the impact was to the very top of the head, but it did strike me as rather improbable, especially when taking the hand injuries into account. One would seem to imply that he fell straight onto his head and simply fell over , while the other would indicate a much rougher landing, if the wounds hadn't been acquired prior to falling.

[ortion]

Going off of that last bit then, do you suppose the fall could be the result of a struggle up in the clock tower?

[pr159]

It could have been.

[raventhaw]

I checked for blood up in the clock tower for any signs of a struggle.

There was nothing. However... [ she looks over at the spells list. ] If anyone were to have Sanguis, they could have manipulated the crime scene so there was no blood left.

So yes, it's possible.

[pr159]

On that note, I'm a little curious about that "Gravitas" one as well, since we're talking about falling. There wasn't extensive damage to the stone near the body, though.

[ so probably not relevant? but putting it out there anyway ]

[raventhaw]

Interesting.

[ hmmm. ]

And what do you think Gravitas might have been used for?

[drydrown]

Does anyone know what ability Elliot was given?

[Just through curiosity.]

[baitless]

Most of the serious injuries were internal aside from the head wound, though, weren't they? Though... that is indeed the most egregious one.

[raventhaw]

Sure, but I was considering the possibility that Elliot and his assailant got into a struggle before he was pushed. If there was blood left behind it would have supported that theory and it could explain some of the injuries on his hands, but alas.

[twoasone]

You could have at least let me continue to draw! We don't have working cameras in this place, you know!

[pr159]

I don't recall asking you to stop drawing.

[twoasone]

[ FROWNING. ] Sorry, it is very hard to draw when you're standing in the way!

[pr159]

You could have found a different angle. We were in the town square, not a closet.

[wishuponazoi]

Could he have slipped, perhaps, and tried to climb back up before falling?

[deadlygoals]

Ah. Maybe the culprit made it slippery up there?

[pr159]

That may be a possibility, though I think "slipped" is probably an overly innocuous way of putting it.

If we're assuming he fell from the clock tower, what material is the outside of the building made of up there, anyway?

[soumettre]

[ Yuzuru examines his own hands, trying to imagine how the injuries could have occurred. ]

They were grabbing something that caused injury, particularly to their thumbs. It could be from the building, or holding onto their attacker...

[drydrown]

...The statue, maybe.

[He's actually going to try to be useful now that he's done bickering with Mikami. Feel honored.]

Hit him with the statue, knock him from the clock tower with it. If something is coming at you with great force you're going to try to stop it, I'd assume. I don't know.

[ortion]

It is a good hypothesis, either way.

[HM. So rather than using it as an eye-catcher...]

Considering it was found hanging from a makeshift rope, it could have been swung to create that force.

[soumettre]

It requires less force if someone might not have the strength to use a bludgeon properly. The rope could also cause injury?

[soumettre]

The hands react to one's instincts. Whatever keeps someone alive, as futile as it may be.

[ No mention here of how Cumore probably doesn't get his hands dirty, he's trying to be helpful! ]

A fall to muddle up a murder is either convenient or well planned. We now have more murder weapons to consider! Now a statue, the building, or the cold hard ground.

[ Sarcastic excitement. ]

[noellemadic]

I have never tried it myself, but I have heard if you punch while having your thumb tucked into the fist you could break it, but I'm not sure if that would cause abrasions.

[She'd like to think Elliot fought. It'd make this all look less like he was outclassed and brutally murdered]

[soumettre]

Probably not for abrasions. As for tucking in his thumb, it's not an ideal fist form unless your adrenaline masks the discomfort and eventual thumb breaking.

[ He shows the tucked in thumb variant, then having the thumb outside and across. ]