FIRST INVESTIGATION

[bathymetric]

Friday, the deadline for The Professor's generous offer, dawns like any other. The automated cycle of lights, the only real indication of time passing here on the seafloor, passes into an imitation of daylight with a series of clicks and the hum of bulbs intensifying their glow.

Just last night, spirits were high as many of you watched movies and chatted. But as you leave your rooms today, there's something... foreboding hanging in the air. A quiet stillness, almost unnatural.

... Eh, it's probably fine, right?

Comments

LIBRARY

[bathymetric]

[ they do say knowledge is power, don't they? ]

[snackooed]

[ Alright, alright-- ]

Okay, if you're going to look around in here, try to move as little as you can. Someone told me Shelley has a camera, and if that's true, I want her taking pictures, stat. I'm going to investigate her body, okay? If someone wants to spot-check me, go ahead, but we need to keep this area as close to the way we found it as possible for now. We'll start gathering our evidence later.

[ Okay, deep breaths. That's a fair bit of blood, alright, but where is it coming from? ]

[bogwife]

Do you want some help? I'm, ah...not uncomfortable working with bodies.

[She's already hiking up her skirts and kneeling down, being careful to avoid the blood.]

[snackooed]

You're welcome to do whatever you feel comfortable doing. I might ask you to confirm some of my findings, too, just to be as safe as we can. But if you see something suspicious, tell me before you disturb the scene, please?

[bogwife]

[She nods firmly in understanding before she pauses, unclasps her cloak from around her neck and balls it up before throwing it toward one of the library chairs.

Hopefully there isn't anything immediately noticable on it beforehand?]

Got it.

[bathymetric]

[ The slash in her neck would probably explain something like that, yeah. ]

[snackooed]

Damn it, damn it...

[ Would she be able to tell what kind of weapon created the wound? A smooth edge? Serrated?

Also, how wide and deep is this wound? Does it go all the way around, or does it just hit the carotid? ]

[bathymetric]

[ What kind of blade exactly is a tough call, but it's easy to tell it was one clean strike across the front of her throat. ]

[bogwife]

[While Ema has the wound itself handled Zerinda is going to focus on the rest of the body, particularly her hands.

How do they look, are they covered in blood or showing any defensive wounds maybe?]

[bathymetric]

[ Well, see, when touching her hands, something kinda unpleasant happens to her right hand? It moves in a... we'll call it a Bad Way. Looks like her wrist is broken. ]

[ladygeryon]

Hey, I took a look at that bloodspray. But I don't think it's actually enough blood for a wound of that size. You've got more experience here, right? Can you help confirm that?

[snackooed]

The wound was a pretty clean slice through, so there should be a fair bit of blood, yes. But there are a number of factors that might lead to there being less than normal...

[ Hm, hm... ]

It's possible, for example, that when the initial blood spray happened, some of it made contact with the culprit's body, or something the culprit had on their person.

[ladygeryon]

I'm not sure...I took a closer look at the spray and didn't really see any indications that it was cut off by anything.

[philoxenia]

[ Oh, god. Mira isn't handling this well at all but-- ]

I-if Shelley doesn't have film for her camera, I-- I can handle pictures.

[ man it's a great thing she got her cell phone huh ]

[snackooed]

[ Oh, no... ]

Mira...

[ Even if she has a phone, it's bound to be taxing. She mentally kicks herself a bit for being inconsiderate of that... ]

Do what you can. If it's too much, I can take them myself, if you let me borrow the camera. I just want to make sure the room stays as close to the condition we found it in.

[ She really should have secured the perimeter, but with this many people here already and no caution tape, that definitely seems impossible... ]

[philoxenia]

[ Oof. On the one hand, she'd rather not have to stick around, but on the other-- She's not exactly into the idea of anyone taking her phone, even for a little while, so... ]

... It's alright, Ema. Um, I can handle it... if it'll help.

[archboxer]

[Now that it seems Aela's body isn't going to be swarmed, Rhea steps aside to look around the crime scene.

Just how torn up is this room, anyway?]

[bathymetric]

[ Physical damage seems minimal, but there's fifteen or so books scattered near the door, for starters. ]

[archboxer]

[Are there empty spots on nearby shelves or did these books come from elsewhere in the library?]

[bathymetric]

[ Not nearby, but in the back, there are definitely some empty spots where those books might have been thrown from! ]

[ladygeryon]

[Nira's going to leave the body for now and investigate further out. Any blood on the floor apart from where the body is?]

[bathymetric]

[ Oh for sure, but there aren't any explicit trails of it. It looks like there was a pretty big and intense spray going out from the body - that's not fun. ]

[ladygeryon]

[Does it look like the spray happened while she was standing up, or already on the ground?]

[bathymetric]

[ It's definitely projected outwards, not upwards. ]

AREA CLEAR

[bathymetric]