FIRST TRIAL

[bathymetric]

[ After a while, once all the appropriate clues have been found, Mayor Fontaine calls out again over the speakers. ]

Alright, citizens, pack it in quick and head to the back of the Hall of the Founders. You have business to take care of.

[ When they do reach the Bathysphere station, Eleanor is manning the controls, gaze quiet and even over the crowd. The hatch at the front of the strange elevator is open, and everyone is gestured inside. A series of small submerisbles are lined up, waiting to be ridden. ]

Just hop into the bathyspheres one or two at a time, and the system will get you where you need to go.

[ It's a long, cramped ride from here, but Fontaine's word is true. At least you can tune into the radio in the pod?

The bathyspheres take you down until even the few lights of Rapture are out of sight, down until lights of a different kind are visible - the reds and blues of bioluminescent sea creatures, a little too out of your way to make out what they are, blending to a strange sort of not-quite-purple as the bathysphere reaches its final destination: a glass dome built into the sea floor, about the size of an average house.

As one by one the bathyspheres arrive carrying the new citizenry of New Rapture, less natural lights than those of the creatures around you begin to click on in the dome. In the center, most of the space is taken up by a circle of podiums, each with an image of one of you engraved into it.

A projector of some kind kicks on, which combined with the lighting allows for the familiar silhouette of Mayor Fontaine at his chair to appear on the side of the dome, watching over you. ]

Time to do your best to figure out who killed the Diamond in the Rough. And do yourselves a favor: keep it interesting. I'm here if you have any burning inquiries.

[ And here it is.

Welcome to your first trial. ]

Comments

[pairtner]

If you're implying something, perhaps his bite would leave a distinctive mark. A comparison would be easy to make -- and without having him bite anyone, of course.

[Aiba keeps it vague because Jonathan maybe won't like the word 'vampire' getting thrown around, hah]

[allatonce]

Forrest said it looked human, but a lot of vampires only have fangs sometimes so. Dunno how distinctive it might be.

[hotpaprika]

[Jonathan had some bad vibes about what people were just hinting at

But this???]

Are you telling me that Nandor is a vampire?!

[pairtner]

It's a likely possibility. The lack of reflection does indicate he is one. However it's just one of many possibilities.

[Okay, not that many and the common point between all of them is that he isn't human]

[hotpaprika]

Lack of reflection...?

[Once again Jonathan looks like he's about to faint. He looks at Nandor, and the others, and stumbles back.]

Oh dear God!

[inaclearing]

[Wow, this is some deja vu.]

Okay, now he hasn't done anything to any of us. Probably. There was a lot of blood left at the scene, and no indication that any was gone - I don't think any of those signs point to - a vampire attack.

[fuckingguy]

[ AND UNFORTUNATELY HE DOES, IN FACT, HISS AGAIN... ]

Can you stop throwing the g-word around?

[fuckingguy]

Will you stop with this shit?! I had nothing to do with what happened last night! And this is really not how I wanted it to come out, Aiba!

[pairtner]

I do apologize for it, as someone who also was trying to keep secret my nature until a few days ago -- however given the evidence available, it was unavoidable it would come up.

[fuckingguy]

... Wait, did you not know?

[specialyellthing]

Told ya.

[allatonce]

In his defense, he doesn't have the benefit of like a hundred years of vampire fiction.

[fuckingguy]

He found a portrait of me from the 13th century! How was I to know we were not locked in a battle of wills?!

[hotpaprika]

N-no? You seemed too nice, I had no reason to believe you were one of those soulless creatures!

[fuckingguy]

But the comments about drinking, and the portrait of me and John -- never mind, it is not important. Really, though?

At any rate... I am. So now that is out there, and maybe you can stop crying now, please?

[howveryglib]

[damn it okay like]

I cannot say I am particularly familiar with vampires, but unless they are somehow all organized to a common cause, I highly doubt they all have the same morals or lack thereof. If you wish to avoid Nandor from here on out that is your prerogative, but I would ask that you do not make things difficult for the rest of us.

[specialyellthing]

Whoa, calm down there champ—-

He’s a friendly one.

[hellaethics]

Ohhhhh shit, he's a Dracula.

[fuckingguy]

No, no, that is Jonathan's guy.

[hotpaprika]

How on Earth do you know! [He doesn't sound angry as he does just straight up scared, like a caged animal.] Vampires are horrid creatures. I... I don't know if I can go through it again!

[dullshooter]

Hey, he might have a long history of pillaging, but he’s a pretty decent bloke.

[specialyellthing]

He didn’ wanna upset you. Seems like a nice thing to me. He’s been a real gentleman so far.

[sixthnonsense]

[belatedly:]

HE IS???

[fuckingguy]

Okay, I am right next to you, there is no need for all the shouting!

[sixthnonsense]

[Still with his arms up in shock:]

Oh...right. M-My bad.

[Slowly...lowering them, because it's being established that Nandor's a #CoolVampire.]

Man, I've got so many questions for you when this is all over.