FIRST TRIAL

[bathymetric]

Alright, that seems like more than enough time to poke around the crime scene. Gather at the vault door, won’t you? It seems that for many of you it will be a short walk.

[ Once you’re all gathered at the vault door, Angel meets you there and quietly taps a keycard to the side of it. There’s an enormous whirring and grinding from inside as various mechanisms within the door move and whir - until with one last shuddering thud, the door starts to swing inwards, revealing a fully-glass tunnel leading off the side of the plateau the base is built on. Small lights built into the floor illuminate as you walk forward, until finally they light up an enormous elevator, perfectly capable of holding the twenty-four of you.

Angel comes too, putting a few numbers into a keypad just outside the door and inserting her card key once everyone is inside. She’ll gestures to get in if anyone seems unsure, but doesn’t really speak or enter the car herself. ]

Going down.

[ And down the elevator goes, leaving the lights of the facility behind - from here everyone can even see some parts of the facility you don’t have access to, it’s bigger than you realized. But it’s a long and uncomfortable ride to the depths, at least a minute or two before the elevator stops.

When the doors open, enough lights flash on to show that you’ve reached the ocean floor, some distance below even the depths you knew before. Lights around the outside of the massive glass dome you've found yourselves in illuminate the barren depths of the sea, with little if any ocean life to currently disrupt it.

At the top of the dome, among the lights, is an outward-facing circle of five or six different screens, each showing the telltale spiral that indicates The Professor is as present as he ever is.

Below them, of course, are the podiums, a circle of simple metal stands with some kind of video screen embedded into each, though they’re turned off for now. Each of your names is carved into one of them, though the podium constructed for Aela seems to have been just set to display a blank red light.

The screens lower down until they’re too close to eye level for anyone’s comfort. ]

Welcome to the trial room. You have as long as you need to discover who among you killed The Huntress. Once you have, I will explain further action. Take your places.

[ The screens rise back up - welcome to your first trial. ]

Comments

[onefuture]

[Lif's feet don't have any bloody residue on them, at the very least.

But they sure do match pretty closely with the size of the feet in question.]

[emberserker]

[He was on her list...]

What were you up to last night, anyway?

[onefuture]

Reading, for the most part. I had brought some books from the library in with me while I did, and stayed in my room, as I did not elect to join the movie night that was being hosted.

[emberserker]

I don't blame you for that. It wasn't all that entertaining. Even so, it's a bit suspect not to attend, isn't it?

[philoxenia]

Not wanting to join isn't the most damning evidence out there, though.

[emberserker]

I know that for sure, but he's also fit all of the other criteria we're looking for. And of course, he must have as much of a secret as anyone.

[philoxenia]

[ boy she does not like this! ]

... Maybe so.

[onefuture]

I suppose that it is.

[Lif's perhaps surprisingly calm when he answers that much.]

But I've never been one for large crowds. And I gather that such a night would have gathered a great many of people.

[emberserker]

Perhaps, but haven't you also got your share of regrets you won't tell? With the week's incentive, you'd already had suspicion cast from the first day. So I'm not certain that's quite enough, you see.

[onefuture]

Ah, yes. You did find me quite suspicious from the very first day, didn't you? Thought that I'd been the one to bring you all into this place, if I recall correctly.

[...He is, very noticeably, avoiding the first part of that. But for all the tenseness and anger in Lif's posture before this...

Well, he's perhaps surprisingly calm.]

[emberserker]

Don't take that tone with me! You have an answer, now spit it out!

[mouflon]

[ Hm... Not totally surprising, but... ]

Hey, I'm sorry to ask this point blank, [ she does not sound sorry ] since we were talking about people who do or don't bleed already...

[ You have, like. A big weird glowing skeleton window? ]

[onefuture]

[Lif's eyes narrow a bit at Rin, and he crosses his arms a bit--over that chest. But Rin can clearly see that he does have one.]

You aren't the first to ask, and won't be the last. What is it?

[One of his hands goes to play with his cloak a little bit, but he's pretty calm despite that.]

[mouflon]

Well, do you? Because I think you might be the one person that fits the profile we've come up with.

[onefuture]

It's hard to say; I haven't been in any sort of conflict that would make me able to bleed. But functionally, I've been about as human as the rest of you.

[mouflon]

What, ever? Given your occupation, I'm sure you must be able to fight.

[ Then, Rin looks aside to address everyone else: ] Is there a way we can put it to the test right now?

[ ...She's asking if anyone else brought a knife. ]

[fivestagegod]

I have a knife with me, if we need one. But are we really resorting to bloodletting, of all things?

[mouflon]

Why not? A little prick on the finger won't hurt anything, and it'll give us a clue one way or the other.

[nothingcanstop]

I'm with William here. We don't have to start cutting each other.

[snackooed]

I do have the murder weapon, but....

[ She'd rather not let anyone use that particular knife, if she can help it. To say nothing of the fact that it was in the toilet-- ]

[hardnosed]

[ ... yeah she's pulling one out right now. ]

[onefuture]

My body is different from the one back home; if my body were under it's usual circumstances, then no, I wouldn't be able to bleed. It's how I've been able to serve as a general for so long.

[...Of course, he is also crossing his arms over the portion of his chest where the blue glowing bits are. Almost defensively, even.]

I'm surprised that you're willing to resort to such barbaric tactics, but I do have to admire your creativity.

[mouflon]

Hey, I'm a mercenary. Just like Aela was. People like us understand that sometimes you can't avoid getting your hands dirty.

[lovelikeyou]

I'm sure you can prick yourself, if you're willing. As long as the rest of us can see.

[okay mostly she's just nervous about jasper with that knife]

[archboxer]

... May the Goddess help you, Lif.