w2 trial.

[adjourn]

—THE SECOND TRIAL—

Once again, at 9 AM sharp, a familiar bell tolls to alert the hour. You've become familiar with the flow of things, haven't you? You know what tod o — find your answers before the final ring chimes. Even if you try to avoid it, eventually your legs will bring you towards where you know you'll have to be. The courtroom doors swing open, welcoming.

Come by again, and it looks just like last week. Take your seat on any one you wish, and peruse the table lined with (non-alcoholic) refreshments and snacks. The same sign, promising a lunch break. And of course, your observers, sitting by the jury's seat shuffling about a stack of papers. Ask your questions and they will answer.

The judge's seat shows the same message as it has always done: "GRANT WE THINE JUDGMENT — ABSOLVE THEE THINE GUILT," and the same, strange, incorporeal form stays seated at the high seat, hand resting unto a gavel's handle.

"Today we will be investigating the cases of: Akeha, Valvatorez, and Vicious. Court is now in session."

The same blue, translucent field prevents you from leaving freely once you're in. You know the drill, don't you?

TRIAL RUNDOWN

• Trial for these three cases (Akeha, Valvatorez, Vicious) will last 9 hours. Characters will have time to examine the bodies of the victim and explore relevant locations.
• Mod break will be at ⏰【1:00 PM PST】.
• Characters must vote for whom they believe to be the guilty party by ⏰【6:00 PM PST】. Voting is mandatory. With the last part of trial live, we will be accepting the submitted FINAL ANSWERS as everyone's collective vote!
• The judge is flavor text. Do not try to talk to them.

GAME INFO ✨ STATUSES ✨ RESERVES ✨ APPS

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LOCATIONS (ROOMING) ✨ PRIVATE CONVOS ✨ GRAVEYARD

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CYOA ✨ CONFESSIONAL ✨ MURDER PROPOSALS ✨ MOD REPORTING

Comments

★ INVESTIGATIONS.

[adjourn]

[ After you've requested a location, a sublevel comment will be posted here to guide you on your merrily way! ]

CATHEDRAL (HASTEN TO CHURCH)

[adjourn]

[ Mama Puka with their files leads them to the cathedral. Unlike yesterday where all was reset, the crime scene has been loaded properly — the double doors are wide open, threatening to fall off hinges.

As they enter, they may see very sparse trickles of blood on the floor, but more obviously... There is a sardine! By one of the many destroyed and toppled over pews. ]

[discernments]

[ why has the cathedral been destroyed two weeks in a row? damb. why can't a girl pray in a place in peace?

SHE DOESN'T ENTER YET. is the only thing damaged on the doors is that it's falling off? nothing on the door itself? ]

That looks like a bit of force, doesn't it?

[eusford]

[ It's a hint that you should stop praying. ]

It had to of. It'll probably topple over if you try pushing it, though, so don't bother.

[ Anyway... Hello... Sardine!? He'll just pick it up with a drawn out sigh. ]

We're doing this again, huh?

[adjourn]

[ Yeah! Just the doors falling off hinges; there's nothing on them. There is nothing particularly strange to note outside...? Except maybe she'll catch slight fish smell.

Crowley. Has a sardine now. He sure does. ]

[discernments]

[ not even dying will stop jeanne from praying, i'm sorry. ]

What did you expect by coming with me?

[ jeanne will come over to glance at the sardine. ]

Was Valvatorez here, too?

[ and then she will take a closer look at these destroyed and toppled over pews. do the pews look like they've been thrown or just pushed or destroyed by other means?

was there another fire somehow ]

[eusford]

I expect to find out what happened.

[ He says, with a smile. ]

Then again, maybe I wanted to be alone with you so I can drink your blood. [ He's kidding... okay... he's kidding. ] They found Akeha here, right? I can imagine we've got another killer gets killed situation... though that's a little repetitive.

[ Speaking of the pews how's their little confessional... did that get fucked over, too? ]

[adjourn]

[ It is a simple sardine.

For both the pews and the confessional, Jeanne and Crowley will see... Yeah. Some were just aggressively shoved aside and all sorts of chaos, but others (a good amount) sustained visible heavy damage. Confessional box shows the same signs.

Our Confession Box..... Our church...... ]

[discernments]

You would get better results if you asked and were more straightforward with me, Crowley.

[ our church....

there were trickles of blood somewhere, right? was it near the destroyed pews or farther away? if she walks further in, is there any more blood to be found splattered?

if she looks up, is there anything? ]

I don't want to draw any quick conclusions with Akeha or Valvatorez. It's not like anyone can't get ahold of sardines here, but I can't deny that sometimes, the simplest answer is the correct one.

[eusford]

Then will you let me drink from you? [ He asks, exhaling a small chuckle. ] I’m at my third day.

[ Do the confession booths look like they have any definitive markings? Are the doors able to be opened? ]

🐟😊🥃

[adjourn]

[ The Cathedral... It glitches. It shifts in place, dangerously distorting.

As they look at their respective areas, whiskey starts to flow out of a kneeler pew for Jeanne and the confessional box for Crowley. It floods and they will see more sardines floating in the alcohol. For a moment, Jeanne and Crowley are happy.

The area distorts again and everything I described above are gone, but they will remember it. It did happen.

Back to investigation, Jeanne will just see drops here and there. They don't make a trail of any kind... There is some blood around on the pews, but very small ripples/ribbons among them alongside the heavy damage deep into their wood. It's kind of everywhere, this blood. There's nothing on the ceiling, either. The skylight is very kind with the warmth and light it provides.

As Jeanne walks further in, she may find the fish smell lessens and the blood smell palpable. There is blood, but it isn't splattered. There is a large pool of it instead, with a much smaller pool on the side.

Crowley will see some definitive marks indeed. They're deep in the wood, clean, and no the doors cannot be opened. Someone trashed this place good. ]

[discernments]

You m—

[ Her answer is cut off when the room glitches. ]

Did you see... a river of sardines for a second?

[ Help. Why is she hallucinating?

Is the smaller pool on the side very near to the larger pool? Does the larger pool look like it gathered there because someone was bleeding out? ]

[eusford]

[ He's about to get excited, but a lot happens all at once.

He blinks thrice, and for a moment he may be happier knowing he'll get to down some alcohol over blood. That's new. But instead he only stands dumbfounded in front of the confessional before turning towards Jeanne. ]

... Sorry, I was a little more distracted by the smell of whiskey. [ SARDINES?

Damn well if he can't open this bitch he'll just go hover over where Jeanne is. Is he gonna have to do some red liquid tasting?? ]

[adjourn]

[ The smaller pool is close, but not exactly right next to it.

The large pool does look like it gathered there because someone was bleeding out... Upon closer look, Jeanne can see there is one, or maybe two, long smears that extend outside of this large pool. ]

MARKETS...1

[adjourn]

[ Venus looks a bit brighter to be out of the courtroom, though it dims in light of the files. Ugh. However, once they enter the markets area they will actually see... quite a lot to look at.

Nearer one side is the fountain you've become familiar to seeing here, with water disrupted and puddling around it. On the opposite side, however, there is... well, a notable amount of destruction in the area of the stalls. Oh dear. Venus takes a moment to look at the files.] Hmm.. it would seem there is quite a lot to gather here, we advise for now to pick one area to focus on.

[So, which will you pick? The fountain area? Or the stalls? Venus will just 'stare' forlornly at the destruction in the meantime. At least.. you think they are. How does one even tell emotions with a fire entity? ]

[unbested]

Oh... yikes.

[ this is... more than he expected... ]

Um... well, I guess we should start around the fountain since that's where they found Mr. Valvatorez? And then look at the rest after that...?

[okidoke]

[what the heck is all of this!!]

Yeah, yikes! [ugggh] Works for me.

[adjourn]

Yikers.

[ After you both, then. As they approach the fountain.. the disrupted water around it is much more obvious. As if the fountain water splashed around. There also seems to be a glimpse of a smear along the side of it leading to behind the fountain.

Where would you like to look first?]

[unbested]

Did someone fall in or something?

[ well, he guesses he might as well check in the fountain itself first. how's it looking in here? anything weird present? is the water notably low? ]

[okidoke]

Maybe...? Or they fought in the fountain, or whatever...

[oki will go and check out that smear! what does it look like...]

[adjourn]

[ A glance into the fountain, Sebastian will find... a lot of coins! He's rich!! (no) Though, oddly enough, there seems to be something red amidst the coins and quite small at that. It doesn't look like it belongs in here at all.

As Oki goes to inspect that smear, it looks like it could likely be... a footprint? It's very smeared though, seeming to lead away from the spot behind the fountain, which happens to be a small pool of dark red. Enough that something, or rather someone, may have been resting here on the ground.

There are similar smears other than just the one Oki checks out.]

[unbested]

Or they tried to wash off evidence?

[ just... randomly going to sniff the water to see if it smells like salt or frozen desserts for no reason in particular...

ANYWAY can he reach whatever that red thing is from the edge of the fountain or does he have to like.. go in there... ]

[okidoke]

... Guess there's a lot of possible explanations, huh? Also, I think I found a footprint...

[i assume that it being smeared means oki can't get a size comparison, but he'll try against his own foot anyway...

also more yikes at the pool of red.]

Please let this be more tomato juice...

[but if he crouches down, does it. seem like blood. TO BE SURE. he'll get to the other smears later.]

🐺🐍🦞

[adjourn]

[ All of a sudden, the markets area seems to suddenly glitch, sputtering as it distorts and without warning the statue in the area seems to have taken a new form, the shape of three wolves with a moon figure.

The water sprouting from the fountain hiccups, then, long noodled shapes start to sprout out instead-- it's snakes. It's motherfucking snakes. Motherfucking snakes on the markets! The fountain water itself seems to bubble with more than just coins, red lobsters piling up and spilling over as they wave their clawed hands about.

Then, suddenly, the area begins to glitch, distorting once more and it feels as if time jumps for a moment and... everything is fine? Nothing happened. You're fine. Except, you're pretty sure that definitely happened?

Back to investigation, the water smells like... fountain water. It's just water. Sebastian are you okay? But that red thing is inside the fountain water so yes, he needs to. Maybe get a little moist to grab it.

And Oki cannot compare this one, but he will be able to find at least one he can compare to! It's... well, it's a bit hard to tell but it seems like it may be slightly bigger. The prints also are a little watery and muddy. And unfortunately it is not tomato juice... it's definitely metallic in smell. The stain is also very dark. ]

[unbested]

[ SCREAMS and jumps backward and probably falls and now i guess he's got muddy water on his ass because this week just keeps getting better!!

then it's over, and he just... blinks... and looks over to oki. ]

What the— that— you saw that, right???

[ very... slowly and tentatively gets up and goes back to the fountain and peers in again...... and reaches out to poke the bottom of the fountain near that red thing with his baton to make sure he isn't going to get jumped by lobsters if he gets in there. ]