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

[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]

That he was struck from behind while drawing, knocking him unconscious and explaining the bloodstain. Additionally, this also provides an explanation for the point you mentioned just now - how the victim suffered so many injuries while apparently not struggling at all.

It may still be premature, but I think it's safe to say that the katana and the planted key were part of an attempt to frame Mr. Strider.

[souredsweet]

Why would they do that? To garner sympathy by looking as though they were on the defense? [it seems a risky move. Kaoru gently places Dave's head back down.]

There is also the matter of whether the wounds or the fall came first, and why such excessive damage was caused if we presume Mr. Strider was unconscious from early on... [a gesture toward the bruising along Dave's front.] And the bruising here might be a result of blood pooling on the side he laid on after death rather than damage from a fall, but so many broken bones would suggest a fall from above the first floor, correct? In which case the attacker would have needed to carry him up to the second or third floor to drop him, unless they threw him down with enough force to imitate a higher drop.

[terriblesister]

I-It's to... frame someone else, right? They have to get away with it in the trial too...

They were probably hoping we'd think it was one of the other people set up as Deadweights... [at least this clears Siren, at least in her mind...]

[souredsweet]

That would potentially only leave Mr. Spain, Miss Ukraine and Mr. Beat if it is the case... However, I believe it is too early to rule out the other two just for being deadweights. The suspects are selected by audience whims, correct? So the attacker would have taken a gamble by assuming that the other deadweights would end up in trial.

[terriblesister]

I... don't think it's Beat [Yuzu you lean on moral character waaaay too much] and... honestly I'd be surprised if it's Siren. She's not the type. [she's a musician who collects business cards for crying out loud]

[inthebones]

Possibly so. Concerning framing, either of our Deadweights could have attempted it to frame the other as well. Michael Altman could easily claim that only Siren would have been able to fend off Dave with her abilities. Miss Reiko, on the other hand, could claim that if Dave had come after her, he would have chosen to nullify those abilities rather than choosing the sword and the key. As a final defense, an appeal for sympathy might sway some hearts as well.

[They weren't conclusive theories but they were perhaps, at least, workable.]

As for the fall, I'm almost certain he was stabbed first. ...It's possible the intent of all of this was simply to confuse the situation, but I don't have a satisfactory answer for that yet, no.

[souredsweet]

[Kaoru nods along with the theories; they definitely aren't solid, but there's no real way to eliminate any of the suspects just yet, either.]

If he was indeed stabbed first, I suppose the question turns then to the issue of blood only being on the elevator's roof. If not, then it becomes a question of how the doors were kept open from the inside while the attacker presumably finished their work.

[inthebones]

In this case, one suspect would probably have the means to suspend Dave over the shaft while standing outside of it.

But she's correct as well; we shouldn't jump to conclusions simply because she's the only one with the obvious capability for it.

[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!

[souredsweet]

Indeed, let us hope that the case for this week is not the same as the last. Thank you for the accompaniment, regardless.

[with a grateful nod, Kaoru will turn and proceed to head off to the bathroom to wash Dave's blood away, hoping that no further investigation will be necessary... except then elevator investigations are apparently going to happen there's just no escape.]