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

[deathmagnetic]

When you're in a fit of rage, overkill can be the answer.

[dokkalfheimr]

...Desperation as well.

[She hates this.]

I don't... I'm not trying to accuse Plumeria. I don't want to think badly of her, and I don't want anyone else to think badly of her. But just because it's not likely she stabbed him doesn't mean that she didn't.

...She was very upset when Sylvando died, as has been pointed out. If she was already wounded, it's not unlike her to have wanted to take Decus down with her.

[scouserer]

If it's a possibility, we can't rule it out.

[As much as he also hates to admit it.]

But I still doubt it. I mean--if she was already wounded if she lashed out at Decus, she wouldn't exactly have time to retrieve additional knives to stab his corpse.

[dokkalfheimr]

...She had pockets sewn into her clothes.

[It's quiet.]

She brought knives out during trials whenever things became bad. Remember? I admit I don't know where she got them, but she did have places to store them.

[scythegun]

[...]

She found quite a few of them while we were investigating what happened to Sylvando. I don't think she left them behind here after the trial.

[scouserer]

[Huh! That seems important and something I forgot about! Constantine nods, raising an eyebrow.]

That's something worth noting, then.

[deathmagnetic]

[ ... ]

If Plumeria was able to get a successful strike in...I doubt it was any of the wounds resulting from overkill, which had not 'bled'. Those seem to be likely done following his death.

However, there was that minor wound on his left arm. Perhaps she had attempted to strike, but unfortunately he had managed to block it, rendering her attempts to kill him in return unsuccessful.

[scouserer]

If a third party was responsible for Decus' other wounds, wouldn't they have bruises or injuries from trying to fight him? I doubt Decus would go down so easily, unless he was surprised.

[Or, you know, they might have blood on them.]

[ahelpingpaw]

It's not impossible. I dunno how easy it'd be to tear Plumeria's wings, but, uh...it wouldn't be impossible to get some of those and put it on the sword to try to make it seem like she was hit with the sword, right? Maybe it's so beat up because Decus fought the killer.

[scouserer]

It wouldn't, right. But there was also the fact that her wound looked as if several blades had cut through her at once. And given that the sword's head is...uh, the shape of a...skeleton hand? I think it's more than safe to say she got slashed with that.

[Constantine's nose wrinkles. He doesn't understand weapon design.]

[ltcommandroid]

I believe it would have taken a fair amount of force to cause the damage I saw.

[He leans to peer at the sword a little better.]

Additionally, the wing looked as if it had been hit with multiple blades. The shape of Decus's sword could account for that.

[dokkalfheimr]

...Her wings don't tear easily. They're fully functional outside of this place, meaning they're strong enough to sustain the weight of a grown person in flight. They aren't impossible to destroy - the sword could have done it - but they don't simply rip apart.

I've had to mend them for her before; an altercation could have done it, but someone without a weapon would have faced difficulty.

[deathmagnetic]

It's entirely possible. Though...there was mention of Decus sustaining a head injury, so him being knocked out could've caused an altercation to end prematurely. And not in his favor.

That said, searching for them is still a valid option, since it's still entirely likely for the killer to have sustained an injury.

[ Because, fights. ]

[scythegun]

I think looking for injuries could help us, ja. If someone else did fight Decus then I doubt they came away unscathed.

[scouserer]

I can be responsible for that. Inspecting people's hands, arms, general chest area for bruises or other injuries--that sound good?

[scythegun]

[...]

Ja, I think that should work fine. Thank you for volunteering!

[silentscout]

We should try to match the head injury to whatever he was hit with.

[scouserer]

My initial thought is maybe the hilt of the sword--but that would mean--

[Hm.]

Could Decus have been stabbed with the front of his own sword?

[ahelpingpaw]

Maybe? You think he was stabbed that many times to hide he was stabbed with his own sword?

[dokkalfheimr]

Wouldn't that have left multiple wounds that bled, and not just one?

[Given the shape of it?]

[scythegun]

Given the weight of the weapon and the precision required for a strike to remain that small that it could be covered up by a knife... I think it's very unlikely. I doubt there are many people here who could manage something like that.

[ahelpingpaw]

About the head injury...that can't have knocked him out. There was this heart on his device, right? Right where Alice's face would be on his motive. He had to be conscious for that, and bleeding. Probably his own blood because if he had killed Plumeria and drawn that on his device we, uh, we probably would have seen it and asked so many questions.

[scouserer]

Do you think someone might've set it up to make it look like Decus was responsible? Since that seems awfully dramatic, but...then again, we all know how Decus was with Alice.

[jibunwo]

Honestly, if he were bleeding out and aware of it, it makes sense for Decus to want to see Alice before the end. Out of everything, that detail might be the one that confuses me the least.

[deathmagnetic]

...That's right. Then, it'd have made more sense if the blow had disoriented him.