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

[vytis]

W-well, it's not as if she had the time to finish anything...

[You know, now that she's dead and all.]

[inthebones]

...

Does this mean I owe a debt to this week's murderer?

I do believe I feel a sudden oncoming wave of nausea.

[vytis]

I don't know if I'd go that far. Take it as... A somewhat unsettling compliment? At least people think you're helpful in the trials?

[inthebones]

No good deed goes unpunished.

Perhaps I shall try to be as unhelpful as possible. I could, you know. Perhaps I'll rearrange the crime scenes to make them all look self-inflicted in the future.

[vytis]

Maybe only for the victims who think you're an evil mastermind.

If she'd been spending time with Miss Rapture, though, that might explain why she'd been treating it like a game...

[inthebones]

You would have to purposefully delude yourself to still believe that was a possibility this far in.

[Being from the Disc as she was, 'special effects' meant nothing to her. She wouldn't believe it anyway even if she were from the present, anyway.]

[vytis]

Maybe it was easier for her than facing the alternative? [Can robots go crazy?]

[inthebones]

...

She was a child, after all.

[Susan sighs suddenly. It's a long, drawn-out, weary expression, unlike her usual mock sighs of despair.]

The truth is always more difficult to bear than a lie. It isn't fair to expect them to bear the same burden.

[vytis]

I feel like half our problems here are that all of us come from so many different situations that understanding each other in these circumstances is next to impossible.

[inthebones]

True enough. We expect certain behavior from those we meet here that may or may not conform to the reality that exists in their world.

...

That would explain a lot about some people, actually.

[vytis]

I think that would explain a lot about everyone, really. Maybe after this trial we should all sit down at lunch together and explain why each of us is weird to everyone else.

[Lithuania isn't sure if he's being sarcastic or not.]

[inthebones]

Well. You obviously turned out relatively normal so it can't be entirely cultural.

[souredsweet]

[SUSAN AND LITHUANIA...]

...Do you believe that she would have actually done so?

[vytis]

This house is all about trying to find whatever it is that will make us kill someone, isn't it?

[So MAYBE?]

[souredsweet]

That is certainly true... But I feel as though she was in a difficult position as well. Perhaps Miss Sto Helit's words against her were enough to rile her and she was simply venting in saying such things.

[or thinking... ROBOTS how do they work]

[inthebones]

When in the world did I ever question whether or not she ought to be killed? If she construed chance remarks that way, the only position she was in was one she created herself.

[souredsweet]

[that gets an immediate, apologetic head shake.]

Ah, no, I do not believe that you ever said such a thing, nor do I believe anything that you said could be misconstrued in such a huge way. Simply... the talk of her being able to be rebuilt if she is destroyed, or offering her up to test Miss Siren's abilities... I realize that such things are sensible, given her sturdy build in comparison to most, but she may have taken offense regardless.

[inthebones]

Why doesn't anyone ever take offense at the things they should actually be concerned about? I don't expect anyone to spare my personal feelings when we're involved in something as crucial as identifying a murderer, and I don't see why anyone else should. We only have two days; there's no time to be polite.

[She says as she wastes precious trial time.]

[souredsweet]

[if Kaoru were Susan that would totally be pointed out. ALAS, no snark or sarcasm, only a vaguely disgruntled look.]

Do you not think such a thing might be concerning to her? It is a sign that her physical self is not valued as highly as others in the group. She may have been threatened by it.

[inthebones]

Even if it does, I don't see how baseless paranoia justifies wanting to carry out a double murder. I don't know why everyone seems so sympathetic towards murder, but where I come from, it's rather frowned upon.

[souredsweet]

[Kaoru's head dips a little.]

Please do not misunderstand, Miss Sto Helit. I do not have sympathy for someone who was planning to take not one, but two lives. I am simply trying to illuminate her potential reasons for singling you out despite the fact that you have been a great help to many.