THIRD TRIAL

[umbralant]

Trial III

investigation

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From what you can see, all the lights in the opera house are turned on. Only when you enter and see the open doors that lead into the main theater, you can see that room's lights are currently turned off. It's very dark in there.

Like before, Rembrandt escorts everybody to the stage. In the dark you still can see the many blue-eyed things you may be getting used to. They're still very scared of Rembrandt, staying as far away from the assistant as possible. The stage is illuminated by the spotlights, the only light in this theater.

The Lady and Rembrandt are at their balcony. She stands up, addressing the group:

"After the fiasco somebody I won't name caused yesterday, I'm glad to see someone else had the courage to do what was needed. This time it's a valid murder. To the culprit: I wish you good luck, darling. Let's see you get away with this murder."

Someone seems to be pleased, unfortunately. Anything that makes the Lady pleased can't be good, can it?

Let the trial for the death of Olivert Reise Arnor and Sirius 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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[dominioned]

[ For either of the lovely pair. ]

[deadlygoals]

[ Dazai will be perching on the edge of the stage once again. ]

Rean and I found both the bodies in the Freezer in the Opera House's Restaurant. They were both leaning against the back corner and hidden by boxes. I looked over Sirius' body while Rideaux checked out Olivert's.

Unlike Olivert, Sirius didn't appear to have a quiet death. Someone slit his throat and stabbed his back with a knife or a dagger at least four inches long. I found blood smudged against some of his feathers. There was black paint on his and on the back of his heels. He may have been dragged through the paint.

[ He'll let Rideaux talk details about Olivert. ]

[inordertobelieve]

Someone burned evidence in the art studio. I was able to rescue a half-burned lab coat as well as some scraps of black fabric. The ashes in the kiln indicated that more than this was burned, but there is no way for me to tell what it was.

[ He'll present his findings to everyone here. Also he looks miserable. Like someone who has not slept in around 30 hours. Because that's what happened. ]

[reanbeans]

[ Rean's here, looking like himself, though a little tired and doing his best to hide how he felt. ]

...I looked into the kitchen, alongside Seteth. There was a dried pool of blood was in one corner of the kitchen, with a puddle of black and ivory-colored paint nearby.

The pool of blood's moderately sized, showing it'd been disturbed and had movement at the edges, streaks extending outwards towards the freezer, though the marks ended before they properly reach the other room.

There was a pool smell at edges of the paint puddle, which was also streaky but smudged.

[pr159]

Olivert didn't have much in the way of injuries. There was a welt on the left side of his neck that appeared to be an ice burn, roughly circular in shape and darker toward the center, around 10 centimeters in diameter [ i.e. 4 inches ]. That's the injury that was marked on the wound diagram in the autopsy report.

Aside from that, he showed symptoms consistent with hypothermia -- redness and swelling on the nose, ears, and fingers, and red patches on the knees and elbows.

It didn't appear that he'd been in contact with the chemical gas in the kitchen, though he did smell a bit like alcohol.

There weren't many signs of a struggle, though there was a spot on each side of his coat near the waist where it looked like something had been removed from the fabric. Presumably a clasp or buttons or something, but I never looked at his clothes that closely before.

[drydrown]

[Holy shit, he's actually got evidence today. It's a goddamn Christmas miracle.]

I found a few things in the jazz bar that may be relevant. At the very least, one of them seemed to belong to one of our victims - the lid of the piano was open, and the ribbon Olivert used to tie back his hair was inside, lying across the keys. There was a glass of vodka on the piano, about a quarter full, and two empty vodka bottles on the floor nearby.

One of the tables nearby had two more glasses set out on it. Both of them seem to have contained vodka at some point in time, though they were empty when I found them.

[deadlygoals]

That could explain how they got him to the Opera House.

[ Two bottles. He's a little envious. ]

[psychophant]

Speaking of the jazz bar, I found footprints leading from the jazz bar to the opera house. There were two sets, one very large and a smaller set. And before you ask, no, I couldn't determine what size they were.

Closer to the jazz bar, I found this. [It's a short golden chain!] It looks as though it came from Olivert's coat.

The footprints were also uninterrupted - no signs of a struggle or anything else strange.

[reanbeans]

[ It sure was... ]

...He could've been playing for someone.

[ And having two empty vodka bottles seemed like a lot for just Olivert to have by himself. ]

[pr159]

Lying across the keys? Did it look deliberate?

[ Since that... doesn't seem like how a hair tie would fall?? ]

--It did smell like he'd been drinking, by the way, though it wasn't terribly strong.

Hand and Eye check

[deadlygoals]

[ Dazai is going to hop up on the stage. ]

Okay! We aren't getting far speculating, so let's check everyone. I'll need someone to help check out people's eyes, while I check people's hands. I'm going to be looking for any paint. Let me check gloves, too.

[ He's not being completely honest with what he's checking. If anyone presents their hands, he will check nails and is holding the hands close enough to inspect for paint or anything weird, as well as catch a whiff of anything. He will be discreetly smelling for bleach, window cleaner, super cleaned hands, or pool smell. ]

[raventhaw]

[ nothing to see (or smell) here. ]

[inordertobelieve]

[ Mikami's hands are super clean. They smell soapy. ]

[twoasone]

I can help with that eye check, if you're looking.

[You can see his hands, here...]

[reanbeans]

[ He probably smells a little of pool smell from investigating at least in that kitchen area?

Beyond that, nothing else. He's good. ]

[moonfang]

[ Zan is once again passed out, but he seems to be free of chlorine related injuries and paint. Many of his more severe wounds are healed]

[ortion]

[Dist is compliant to this for once. He's clean of any strange sights or smells.]

[bawcock]

Hands, feet, and now eyes. Wonder what it'll be next week.

[ Like last weekend, he's only showing his left hand! The right one is still bandaged, he's still mostly keeping his arms crossed, and still mostly trying to keep it tucked out of sight.

His left hand is clean! Nothing to smell here and his eyes are normal. ]

[drydrown]

[Well, he's dressed differently today - in some of the frilly opera house nonsense - so at least taking the gloves off isn't as much of a production as it would have been with the usual gauntlets on. Nothing weird on either his hands or gloves, though. They're clean because he's not a barbarian? But nothing unusual.]

[p_q]

[He’s all bandaged up now and sporting a staid waistcoat from the opera house, but doesn’t seem to have bothered to accept healing. He’s pretty clean and scrubbed as one does after bathing in blood and ice and so on. There might still be the faintest whiff of pool but it would be very slight if you could even get close enough to sniff.

Pool hell: origin.]

[pr159]

[ He might smell a little pool-esque from having to walk through the kitchen, and his eyes might be slightly irritated for the same reason, but it's pretty mild in both cases.

ALSO i got distracted by the doorbell in the middle of that comment but his hands are also clean. ]

Sludge Sludge Sludge tests

[inordertobelieve]

[ Here's one fresh Mikami doppelganger for stabbing and color testing. In a corner. ]

I don't have any weaponry on me. How extensive would the damage need to be?

[pr159]

I've got a knife if you need it. Unless that sludge is going to get all over it.

HINT OFFER

[soulspice]

[It's time. The Lady has been watching the proceedings with a lot of interest, pleased, until Rembrandt whispered something to her -- he definitely was reminding her about giving the hint. Forcing herself to stop watching the clone experimenting, she stands up]

I believe we all know it is time for me to offer you a hint.

[She takes out an envelope. The way she's grinning is not kind at all]

Perhaps the contents will prove to be...interesting. If you'd like to take a look at them, you know what you have to do.

[She seems to be looking forward to what will happen]

[baitless]

...is it really necessary this time around? We have a fairly likely suspect. It is simply a matter of being completely certain as opposed to mostly certain.

HINT REVEAL

[soulspice]

[It's time. The Lady listened to everything until she decided it was time to interject:]

My, I'm offended! Why would I keep away this valuable information from you all? [She fans herself with the envelope, nonchalant] I'm fully aware what it contains, of course. Not only I want to uphold my end of this deal, I also don't particularly care about the contents of this envelope. You all have the liberty to do whatever you want with it.

[With a cavalier wave of her hand, she tosses the envelope down, letting it spin towards the stage. It falls there, the top part of it already starting to get unglued. What could this envelope contain, that Shin says is information they should know and the Lady is fine with letting them know?

There are many pieces of paper inside, all of them large enough to be put back together without any effort. There's a backwards treble clef that looks suspiciously like a S, like someone tried to disguise the letter with that. The rest of the note, though, seems to be completely unrelated. Even its contents are puzzling:

"So you took the hint. I’m impressed by our hosts and their way of finding things. In case you still can’t figure it out, I discovered the Lady wanted to use our brains for her side project. Make of that what you will"

If anyone looks up, they'll see the Lady watching them with an unmistakable smile of satisfaction on her face]

[twoasone]

[He does look up to address her.] Thank you. Now what will you do with me, now that I'm taking the damage and on death row?

EXECUTION

[umbralant]

[When Rembrandt and the Lady get on the stage, Shin realizes his time is over. Despite that, he's calm, facing the masterminds without much concern. "Now that we've all agreed who should die, may I ask that beautiful lady for one last dance? Up close and personal. No guns, no powers."

"I don't see why not. If you want me to take your life, then I'll grant you that last wish."

That was all Shin wanted to hear. Though he smiled as she stepped forward, his eyes narrowed at the sight of the dagger in her hand. Still, he made no attempt to flee or fight -- after all, it was his time to die and he knew it. Besides, he was still hoping for something: the other reason why he had taken the clue! Perhaps now he would find out the true nature of the Lady's experiments!

As she approached, he added: "It's been a pleasure getting to know you. If only you didn't consider me any lesser than you..."

The woman's expression gained a veneer of cruelty, sneering at him. "If it's any consolation not only you were interesting to talk to, you also have helped me wondrously. You have my gratitude." With a practiced hand, she struck forward to pierce his sternum while he raised a hand and grabbed with his fingers the edge of her half-mask. Though it skewed somewhat, the flash of skin was promptly covered at the tilt of her head, hair falling in the way.

Lying on the stage and bleeding, Shin only looked up as The Lady readjusted her mask and grabbed his front, lifting him. "I have a suspicion about all the reasons you asked for that hint. I don't care about what you wrote, but I'm sure you understand it's not amusing to try to inconvenience me, hm?" She adds, whispering to his ear: "You won't get to see exactly what will happen with your body. I'm so sorry, Shin."

The crowd of creatures watched alertly with their bright blue eyes as The Lady planted her foot right at the edge of the stage and pivoted her body, tossing Shin towards the crowd. A dozen arms grabbed Shin in the air, pulling him into the horde in a frenzy of slashing and biting. How much time passed before the Lady signaled Rembrandt? Who knows, but they scattered the instant the assistant took a step forwards, revealing Shin.

Smiling sweetly as she moved towards the body, she addressed everyone else. "He's dead! So if you excuse me, I will take this. Thank you for coming here once again, darlings, now you can go rest!" she said, hauling Shin's corpse. Before long, she, Rembrandt, and Shin's body vanished into the depths of the opera building.

It was over. Even though it wasn't nearly as dramatic as the past two executions, one thing is clear:

Shin is dead.

[moonfang]

[Zangetsu yells after them;]

YA BETTER KEEP UP YER END OF THE DEAL!

... Tch.

I didn't realize I was gonna have to wait.