FOURTH TRIAL

[bathymetric]

[ Well! That's sure something, isn't it? There may or may not be a lot of you excited to get down to business, but Jones does eventually move to collect you all and bring you to the theatre. It's a familiar routine by now, perhaps even comfortingly so given the irregularities of this particular killing.

Two of you gone this week. The elevator is started to feel downright spacious, don't you think?

A shanty, as usual, echoes from the crew of the Dutchman as you enter. The room is the same as it has ever been before you as the elevator settles into position. ]

To yer positions, passengers. Chins up.

[ Three more podiums claimed by the rust and wear.

You have your evidence, and you're going to need it before long. The music outside dies down.

Welcome to your fourth trial. ]

Comments

CW: vore

[ahelpingpaw]

Somehow that doesn't make any of this sound any better.

[As if there was a way to make anything sound any better, he knows that, but it feels so weird to be thinking things like 'oh they wasted the rest of her' and wow is it ever disturbing]

W-Well, the reasons behind the death doesn't matter so I guess we sh-should stop talking about it. My bad, I shouldn't have brought that up.

CW: vore

[leaveittomother]

I wouldn't be so sure about that, Filbo. I admit this is rather grim but motive and method are co-related.

[ahelpingpaw]

I-I...maybe you're...not wrong? But I dunno...

[Filbo takes a deep breath before he continues]

I-It wasn't like doing any of that to Sara was needed, all that was needed for food to come back was, uh, someone dying. They could have killed her and then gotten some real food from anywhere else! It can't have been all just because the killer was hungry, right?

[So all that happened to Sara wasn't merely for food, is his train of thought]

[scouserer]

...You'll be surprised by the extremes people will go.

[...Should...he mention the time New York City got taken over by an entity driven by its hunger and everyone literally went batshit and started consuming everything in sight?

Uh. Maybe parse it down a little.]

Maybe they weren't in a proper state of mind. As far as I know, I don't think any of us have claws that could tear through someone like that--but, then again, people always have things to hide.

[ahelpingpaw]

I know things probably won't work the same here than how you know it, but are there any ways to know if someone was hiding something like that?

[scouserer]

Not unless they come forward--or if they make a mistake.

[Which means they just have to continue down this path until someone slips up.]

If what we think happened actually happened, the culprit probably would still have evidence of the assault. Red droplets, dried blood under their fingernails--so on and so forth.

[ahelpingpaw]

No harm in checking that sorta stuff, then.

[At this point throwing things to the wall and see what sticks is necessary, really. Nothing should be overlooked]

[thisaroma]

Hunger can mess with your head, though, right?

[ Like when you yelled at him and he gave you that coconut! ]

They might not have realized what they were doing... though, I mean, this would be a pretty extreme case of that, and it still doesn't make sense that anyone would be in that bad a state after just a few days...

cw: gore, vore

[silentscout]

It's not something a human in their right mind could do. Humans don't have the claws or teeth necessary to tear through someone. Which means it was someone not human to begin with, or someone had transformed into something else.

[thisaroma]

Well, yeah, "not in their right mind" was kind of my point... and I agree it looked like it had to be a monster or something.

[sivard]

I agree, but the question is, how?

None of us have access to our powers.

[magycks]

None of us have convenient access to our powers.

[scouserer]

There's clearly still some sort of magic in this place--you saw it clear enough with the seance.

[He frowns.]

I wonder if someone somehow managed to channel some sort of...greater magic in this place in a desperate attempt to save themselves.

[jibunwo]

You also said his sword was cursed. Is it possible someone else might have gotten their hands on it and been influenced by that?

[sivard]

I don't know how someone would get them back.

In cahoots with Captain Mask?

[That's clearly not meant as a serious suggestion on his part, though.]

[magycks]

Oh ha, ha. Seriously, though, Shard was still metal, and the blue one was still... that.

[thisaroma]

[ Thinks about this.... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

looks to Flayn, but NOT FOR ANY REASON SHE MIGHT POTENTIALLY BE FEARING, AT LEAST?? ]

Hey, Flayn, were you ever able to figure out if that core I left with you still had any of its usual power?

[cethflayn]

What? I...oh. Right, um. No, I had not gotten a chance to consult anyone.

[She was kind of distracted with Captain Jack is trying to starve us out and my roommate is ill and getting worse but she didn't forget!!]

[thisaroma]

Okay, that's fine. It's just— this is all kind of within the stuff it can usually do. You can completely transform your appearance with it — that's what I was using it for before — and it can also make you black out and do things you don't remember.

You've still got it somewhere safe, though, right?

[magycks]

[ owo what's this ]

[silentscout]

[Just.

Looks at Magica.

Looks at Filbo.

Hm.]

If it's a physical transformation it might not be a power.

[sivard]

A "physical transformation"?

[magycks]

[ MISINTERPRETING THIS ]

Exactly. Classic werewolf rules.

[magycks]

Honestly, it's impressive that you still manage to be like this.

[ahelpingpaw]

It's hard to keep it up.

[let him be optimistic magica it keeps him saaaaaane]