WEEK 3 - TRIAL

[productions]

week three 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

Body

[vytis]

[Lithuania and Kanaya have brought in Dave's body for examination, if anyone wishes to do so.]

[souredsweet]

[god okay BACK TO THE BODY AGAIN, this time with May in tow. Kaoru's also stopped to pick up the katana, which had been retrieved with Latvia earlier.]

Please allow me to look first. [because CARD ASIDE May is still a kid okay that's gruesome, no one wants to look at dead people...]

[pandacea]

Very well then! Please let me know if I can be of any assistance. I have my alkahestry back, so if you need scalpels for dissection or any other tools, I will be able to provide you with them! [science science science SCIENCE]

[souredsweet]

[IS IT SCIENCE OR IS IT JUST DISEMBOWELING PEOPLE IN THE SEARCH FOR ETERNAL LIFE AT THIS POINT??

either way, after a somewhat uneasy look:] Thank you. I will certainly let you know if any such thing is required...

[and then after rolling back the dress sleeves, Kaoru will give this body-searching thing another go. now with the katana in hand, Kaoru will check to see how deep a few of the stab wounds are. bruising around the wounds will be checked for, as will signs of the blade being dragged or torn skin from hasty removal, as might be found if Dave was still struggling while being stabbed.]

[productions]

[The wounds are quite deep, enough so that they would have been impossible to cause with the pocketknife provided. Bruising around them is impossible to tell, as his entire front is essentially one massive bruise. The amount of trauma in fact makes it difficult to discern any exact details about the stab wounds, but there aren't any obvious drag marks or tears.]

[souredsweet]

[SORRY DAVE BUT...

after a second of hesitation, Kaoru will be using the katana directly to check at least one wound and see if it fits the width of the blade without too much wiggle room. and since there's already stabbing of a dead body going on, there will also be an attempt to see if it can be discerned whether the thinner, sharp side of the blade was facing up or down based on how the katana fits.]

[productions]

[The blade fits with some wriggle room, but again, there's too much trauma to the body to be able to tell any other details.]

[souredsweet]

[lastly, Kaoru will be checking to see if there are any obviously fatal stab wounds in the lung/heart area.]

[productions]

[There seem to be a few, yes.]

[souredsweet]

[and that is more than enough desecrating dead bodies for now...! the katana is wiped down with the towel it was brought in with and set to the side.]

The bruising makes it difficult for me to tell much. I apologize, Miss May. [Kaoru's head dips briefly.]

Still, I will tell you my speculations. Between my first examination and this, I can say that this weapon is most likely responsible for the stab wounds, though I cannot determine if they came before or after the fall. The entry points are not all from one angle which suggests movement in general, but I could not see any marks which might indicate that Mr. Strider was the one moving. With that alone, it seems as though it might have been a deliberate attempt at involving the katana post-mortem... However, the bruising along his front may indicate that he was lying on that side after death, which would mean that the attacker either stabbed him before the fall or purposely turned him over in the elevator shaft.

I also cannot discern much by way of how the sword was being held, but the fact that they would use it to stab rather than slash indicates to me a lack of knowledge regarding proper use - but not a lack of strength. A katana is not designed to stab with ease; it is too unwieldy. With so many wounds, I would think that our culprit either has incredible strength and agility, or that Mr. Strider was already dead or unconscious while being struck.

[inthebones]

[ENTIRELY UNRELATED TO ANYTHING but very nice deductive work regardless, Susan will step by and ask Kaoru - ]

Do you mind checking his head for injuries as well? The back of his head, specifically.

[souredsweet]

[all this gross corpse touching!! but since Kaoru's already been poking around, Susan's request gets a nod.]

I do not mind. [and Kaoru will proceed to do just that, checking his head from all manageable angles and his neck as well just for good measure.]

[productions]

[There's a gash on the back of his head; examining the area by touch reveals that it's quite swollen.]

[inthebones]

[Susan will nod as she spots the injury from over Kaoru's shoulder.]

...It appears Beat may have been correct.

[souredsweet]

[Kaoru will be gently pressing the area, brow furrowed.]

With such swelling... I can only imagine there was a good deal of blunt force behind this injury. [a beat] What was his suggestion?

[inthebones]

[And much later on during the trial, Susan will return to the body and surreptitiously examine it once more. This time, she's looking for bruising around the neck.]

[productions]

[There doesn't seem to be any beyond what you'd expect from a high fall.]

[pandacea]

Miss Kaoru, you're amazing! That's incredible, being able to deduct so much information just from the wounds!

[souredsweet]

[a faint smile! it's a nice compliment okay even if Kaoru just got finished re-stabbing a dead person.]

You are far too kind as usual, Miss May. I can only hope that others may find this information of use. Do you still wish to have a look...? [said somewhat hesitantly.]

[pandacea]

[that's okay it's for SCIENCE]

I don't think I could find anything you have not already covered! I am not exactly familiar with swords. [also there is no point if she can't find the secret of immortality]

[souredsweet]

[The May Standard™ for dissection is the best standard.]

I suppose that we can end our search here for now, in that case. If you can think of anything else that you would like me to check, please let me know. Likewise, I will accompany you if you wish to check anything as thanks for accompanying me. ...But first, would you be kind enough to give me a few more moments of your time so that I may wash my hands? My bathroom is right across the hall.

[pandacea]

He does not seem to have been poisoned, so any investigation I do on his body will likely not reveal anything. But of course I will accompany you to the bathroom!

[aozaki]

[Touko'll be dropping by to not examine the body, but the condition of Dave's clothing. How stained is the front and back with blood, respectively and comparatively?]

[productions]

[The front is extremely stained, the back significantly less so except around the top of his collar.]

[aozaki]

[...The collar, huh. Peculiar.

What about the sides? Depending on the tightness of the clothing, does it seem like blood has seeped down from the ribs following gravity any significantly, as if the corpse may have spent some amount of time being laid on its back instead?]