week 4 - trial

[productions]

week four trial



[At 9 AM precisely, the old grandfather clock chimes once again, and the doors to the drawing room are opened. They will remain open until everyone has come inside, after which they will shut behind them. It is not possible to leave on your own, although perhaps if you have a specific purpose the hostess will allow you to go, as long as you are accompanied by a partner.

The room is set up comfortably, with several tables by the fireplace set out to assist with the trial. The Hostess will also remain in a seat near the fireplace, next to the scales on the mantle. At lunch, the doors will open to bring in a large meal on an automatically rolling buffet, and at 3 PM, tea and finger sandwiches will be served. You'll be able to enjoy the trial in comfort, of course, but the information cards set out on tables will not allow you to forget your true purpose here.

At 7 PM, the trial will adjourn for the day. Players will be escorted by the Hostess to the ballroom, where dinner and wine will be served until 10 PM, at which point players will be required to return to their wings in groups with their wingmates and will be locked in their bedrooms until 8:30 AM the following morning.]

victim



suspects



Character Statuses
Setting
Manor Rules
Cheat Sheet
Voting

Comments

[inthebones]

...I was in the courtyard with Yuzu, actually, up until past the time I noticed Rin missing - around 3:15. Touko claims to have been across the grounds somewhere poking about near the stables or something along those lines.

[Susan sounds vaguely disgruntled at this lack of clarification.]

Let's examine alibis, then.

Gundam could conceivably have parted ways with Sonia at 3:10 - or possibly a bit earlier - sprinted back down to the parlor, and carried out the crime before I noticed Rin's disappearance at 3:15. He would then return to his room where Sonia and I discovered him at around 3:40. Kanaya also says she left Kaoru for a few minutes to grab some china - while it would be impossible for any normal person to carry out this murder in that time, she is noted for vampiric speed. Kaoru, could you please tell us how long that was as best as you can remember?

Sonia would find it immensely difficult to leave Gundam and be back in the library in 5 minutes. I didn't leave the courtyard, and Touko was... floating about on the grounds.

[godwhisperer]

Yes. You are wise to know of my ability to move through walls. Though no ordinary mortal could accomplish such a feat in such a span of time, I posses such power.

[Is this sarcasm??? No...probably not...]

[teenspirit]

[ Just... just putting a hand on his arm no don't do this now we already look guilty enough. ]

[godwhisperer]

[Whoa there, immediately starts at the sudden contact. He calms down though, this whole having people in his personal space thing is new to him.]

Ah...yes?

[teenspirit]

[ She squeezes his arm gently. ]

That's something, um, you should... you know, keep it sealed for now, right? After all, should you ever need to surprise someone with such an ability, you gotta be super sneaky and formidable about it! Sleek and sneaky, like in Ore ni Sawaru to Abunaize!

[inthebones]

((nope because Susan saw them at 3:00 i am good at this investigation business))

To be perfectly frank, I think it possible you parted ways with Sonia on the stairs at say, 3:07 or so perhaps and the two of you are being just a tad bit inaccurate about your place and time.

[teenspirit]

No! We had a wonderful, lingering goodbye at his door...

[ Sonia's voice is nauseating.

Also it probably wasn't all that wonderful or lingering he probably just handed her some dried bread for the hamster and said something gothic and shut the door. ]

[inthebones]

...

While that's actually very convincing - and I'm perfectly serious, by the way - the other possibility seems to be Kanaya murdering Rin in the time it takes to retrieve a dish.

[a frown]

...Although I suppose I've been mentally discounting Touko because the murderer would have ensured they had a strong alibi for the time. That's sloppy.

[notyetlost]

[As an aside to Susan.] I think that's code for making out.

[Relentless.]

[godwhisperer]

Hmm...perhaps. You would not know that Maga-G grows irritable at the same precise moment in the afternoon, and that is when I return to my quarters every day, so I do know the time. But there is no cause for you to trust me.

Still...as you surely know and yet feign ignorance of, I cannot cast spells upon iron, so to heat a poker would be impossible for me. Unless you suggest, ludicrously, that I set a fire to heat it?

[inthebones]

[another frown]

That's true. I forgot about the setup.

Whether or not you were gone from the manor after 1, it's true I stopped seeing Sonia at that time. And if she was covering for you to such an extent, she probably would count as an accomplice.

[souredsweet]

Certainly, Miss Sto Helit. [a nod!]

I apologize, but I am afraid that I cannot give a precise time, as I was busy tending to the stove and did not look at the clock. She left shortly after you took your own leave, though, and I would say that she was gone no longer than five to ten minutes.

[inthebones]

5 to 10 minutes? How many plates did she come back with? The dining room is right next to the kitchen.

[souredsweet]

She returned with four of the larger plates meant for sharing and several of the smaller ones that are meant for side portions. I had not thought the time strange, with her attention to detail...

[all of the plates were pretty matchy; Kaoru assumed a set had to be hunted down.]

[inthebones]

...I don't believe it's entirely out of the question, then. Even if she dawdled, retrieving ten plates shouldn't take longer than two or three minutes.

How did she look when she returned? Perfectly normal? Out of breath?

[allice]

Five to ten minutes is all that would be needed, with her speed as well. Especially if she chose to start the fire in the parlor ahead of time: the flame was quite low when I saw it at 4:05pm, so it could have been burning for quite some time before then.

[souredsweet]

I am afraid that I cannot speak of how fast she can move, as I have not seen it myself... However, she was with me from noon until past three, so I can at least attest to the fact that, if she is the culprit, she would have needed to start the fire very early if it was indeed prepared ahead of time.

[allice]

Ngh. I should have tested how long it would take for the fire to dim down to the extent I saw it did. Even if she didn't start it ahead of time, it would take less than a minute to get a flame going hot enough to heat up the poker. As of now, she has the most open timeframe and convenient location to go through the passageway. Her quick speed would get her up and down it faster than anyone else on the list I think, though how long it takes to go down is something to ask the three who ventured through it.

[aozaki]

Floating's not among the skills on my card, unfortunately. I've patented my own flight method, but I don't have the means here, predictably.

[also it's never too early for a good smoke, so.]

[allice]

...I always seem to forget that you're a mage. Wonder why.

[Could have something to do with attire. Touko doesn't exactly go around in a cloak like Susan.]

[aozaki]

As far as the Mages' Association is concerned, I've been unaccounted for for the last five or so years. [The card did say 'hermit'.] I enjoy being a freelance dollmaker fine, picking up occasional odd jobs on the side for extra coin. It was simple but pleasant living, I'd say.

[allice]

So you're a runaway of some kind. Interesting. You certainly seem a lot more lax than our other resident magic types.

[inthebones]

I was checking on you as well and at 3:00, you were outside. I admit I didn't pay very close attention apart from 'grounds'.

But you certainly could have slipped back around towards the front and entered the door to the parlor.

[aozaki]

That's better than nothing, thank you. I'll take it.

I was out for a smoke and see if I couldn't scavenge more loose wood pieces to kill time with later, if you must know, but that's moot when I can't well prove it by myself. So between 3:00 to 3:15? Taking in account of the secret passageway, I suppose it's plausible even with my constitution. It'd be cutting very close though, and I'll have to insist that high heels are very unpleasant and dangerous to run in.

[a beat.]

How about going back to revise the motive? You must've heard everyone's explanation.

[inthebones]

The motive? You mean we ought to update our incentives on our cards?

[...That didn't quite seem relevant to anything at the moment.]

Or do you mean we ought to explain even further?