FIFTH TRIAL

[bathymetric]

[ It's not terribly long, once everything has been found, before Davy Jones heads out to round you all up once more and take you into the theatre. At least plenty of you are around the same area, so it probably doesn't take terribly long.

The ride down to the trial room is the same as ever - a blast of the organ, a slow descent. It's really starting to become clear, though, just how your numbers are decreasing. You're already down three, counting the absence of Chloe, potentially more when you come back up.

The crew of the Dutchman is singing as Jones lets you out into the trial room. ]

To business, passengers. I am about if you need guidance.

[ The circle of podiums is less populated than ever. So many of you are islands now, so to speak.

The song dies down, the waters quiet.

Welcome to your fifth trial.. ]

Comments

[jibunwo]

That's probable. But I'm a little uneasy now that we can't be sure what poisoned her.

[scythegun]

That's something we need to determine. From the sound of it, none of us found any other poison anywhere...

[Hmm. Bad!]

[scouserer]

[Hm...]

...I mean, I don't know about anyone else, but I got a few capsules of cyanide from the vending machine. They were labelled as "almond flavoring", though.

[jibunwo]

It's possible dependent on the dosage, but wouldn't cyanide act too quickly for someone to look for help and Plumeria to have gotten into a fight?

[scouserer]

That is true. Especially since our given dosages seem to be already measured out.

[scythegun]

Perhaps it would help for us to start figuring out a timeline?

[jibunwo]

That would simplify things, I agree. Where do we believe this started?

[scythegun]

That would certainly be best to determine... Though really, I'm not quite sure how all these pieces fit together. If we work backwards, we can see that Plumeria fought with someone - possibly Decus - and was injured by his sword. She moved herself to the crafts room, I believe?

[jibunwo]

I think that's a reasonable assumption at present. I would further guess she tried to stop her own wound from bleeding, as well. But I don't know where the knives come into it; Plumeria didn't seem like she had the strength for that, much less with a serious wound and poison.

[ahelpingpaw]

So this goes back to the possibility there was a third party involved.

[There really are a lot of pieces]

Maybe along with the timeline we should try to figure out what points at a third person and what those clues tells us about them.

[sivard]

It sounds like we are looking at a third party.

[silentscout]

Decus' body in particular shows evidence of being stabbed after death. Likewise, Plumeria was too injured to have done all of that to Decus' body on her own. There's several ways it could have happened. One of them killed the other and then was killed by a third. They both were killed by a third. One was injured, the second killed by a third, and then the first succumbed to their wounds. But no matter what way it went, a third person fits into it.

Besides all of that, would we even have a trial if there wasn't a living culprit?

[dokkalfheimr]

We would, I imagine. The Captain seems like that.

[jibunwo]

I agree. In a situation where either Decus or Plumeria were singularly responsible, odds are he would still have us vote accordingly.

That said, I am also in agreement that at least three people total were involved here.

[silentscout]

...you're right, he would.

[Lalli seems disgusted by that thought.]

[sivard]

....I wouldn't be surprised if Captain Mask had us go through this if they'd killed each other, just to make us vote for both of them.

But I don't think that's what happened here.

[silentscout]

Mmm, I don't think so either.

[magycks]

You think Jeff over there would pass up a chance to have us all assume that, get it wrong, and die en masse? Unlikely.

[silentscout]

He never calls a vote until we're already sure or have a confession. He can't wait for a confession if everyone involved is dead.

[scythegun]

Ja, I think that makes sense. But as for the knives... well, it doesn't take a lot of strength to stab someone, particularly if they're already on the ground. Given that the pool of blood Decus was in was beneath him... I think it's unlikely he moved at all after he was stabbed.

[Well, he reached out to draw a heart on Alice's picture, but he didn't go anywhere!!]

But with that said, I doubt Plumeria could have stabbed him, the wound and poison certainly would have done her in far too quickly.

[sivard]

I got one of those too. It's got a big label on it indicating it's poisonous, though.

[cethflayn]

...Can we find a way to properly dispose of it? I - I received one as well, but I did not want to risk pouring it into one of the toilets or sink, or throwing it into the ocean.

[leaveittomother]

Could it have been an accidental overdose of medication she took?

[jibunwo]

I don't think so. Plumeria of all people would have known to be careful with medication dosages now.

[considering...freyja,]

[leaveittomother]

That's very true.

[But she's also an idiot that forgets to read things. ...but she'll let someone else say that. Badmouthing her in front of Freyja is a death sentence.]