THIRD TRIAL

[bathymetric]

[ Two bodies this week. As a result, it's a little longer before Mayor Fontaine's voice calls out over the loudspeakers. ]

All right, that'll do, all of you. Get to the bathyspheres. Trial time.

[ There's fewer bathyspheres this week, aren't there? It's starting to get really noticeable. One by one, alone or in pairs, you descend into the depths. The bottom of the seafloor, a place no human life was meant to travel to unassisted. It's dark, until it isn't, the same bio-luminescent slugs as before lighting up the area and revealing the great glass dome in which the trial takes place.

Within, three more podiums have gone dark. They remain empty as you all gather around into the circle.

The projector clicks on, and you see the silhouette of Mayor Fontaine above you. ]

We all know why we're here. Florida Man and Cryptobro got themselves got. Up to you to figure out who did it, or... well, you know by now.

[ Welcome to your third trial. ]

Comments

WHO SAID LOVE COULD EVER BE LUCKY AT ALL, BABY? (hagakure body evidence)

[bootyhunter]

[Dandy arrives in the trial room, his pompadour at half-mast, looking pretty disheveled overall. His face is surly and that foul of mouth of his twisted into a thin line, and his own slinky frame is covered in pink blood from the neck downwards. It's all over his shoes, pants, and shirt in messy streaks. There are handprints on his slacks on account of... Him wiping his hands off on them?! Disgusting. For any particularly observant characters, it will be obvious that Dandy's signature necklace is no longer on his person, and stacked alongside the alien hunter's non-functional communicator bracelet are Hagakure's prayer beads.]

Alright.

[He steps up the podium with his Dandy game face on.]

I'm not really down to beat around the bush today, baby, so... Here goes.

He had five big-time boo-boos, the bonehead!

[is he really serious is he serious right now?! he is butt i also am writing space dandy. just one time i would like to play a character who speaks normally!!! anyway]

Two stab wounds on either side of the chest, and three in the stomach. Whoever went for it really freakin' went for it. Seems like when they were goin' all stabby-stabby, they weren't really tryin' to get a clean hit, just a lot of 'em. They also left him there to bleed out all over the floor. Classless piece of shit! At least put him outta his misery fast enough? Fuck! Anyway.

When I looked at his face, I...

I saw somethin' kinda freaky. Same kinda deal was all over his hands, too.

[He neglects to note how wretched he felt. All the sentimental and emotional beats- This is not the time or place, and there is also another body, whom he wishes to be respectful towards. Dandy is not one to grieve or weep openly, as he's been around for long enough that tears, especially of the non crocodilian variety... Are hard to come by.

He certainly cried today.

But at least for now, Dandy has managed to wipe his face dry.]

I'm no doctor or nothin', but I spend most of my time back home on a crusty old spaceship that's gettin' up there in age. Which means I've seen my fair share of blow-ups and gas leaks- This looked like kinda similar. Almost like he'd been hit by shrapnel, but there was nothin' lodged in any of those places.

Weird!

[Dandy then runs his dirty hands through already tousled hair.]

Oh, and uh... One more thing.

[Dandy wrinkles his nose at this. It's clear this fact in particular bothers him a lot.]

His hands had that purple stuff on 'em, from the... Eh.

Plasmids? Power-ups, those things. Before I could get him to stop actin' like an idiot, he stabbed himself with one of 'em, so I know he's been messin' around with those abilities all week. He picked the one that gave ya ESP.

And, uh... Finally, Or what-the-hell ever?

His hair looked like it just been on fire. Trust me! I would know- Turns out hair gel is pretty dang flammable, baby.

[hotpaprika]

[Jonathan looks at Dandy, looking at him with sympathy and sadness.

Quietly, he gives him a sandwich and a hot cup of tea.]

Here, it's not much but you should eat something.

[hotpaprika]

[Jonathan doesn't have any evidence to offer, but he still became prepared this time around. He has brought sandwiches and cakes for everyone, as well as water and some hot tea. For those who need more general comfort, he also brought some blankets and a penguin plush. He calmly places the items on his podium.]

If you have not eaten before the trial, I recommend everyone take something, even if you do not feel hungry.

[sastruga]

[...She'll go ahead and take some water for herself and some tea she'll be brining back to Mielle.]

Thank you, Harker-san. That's very thoughtful of you.

[giddyundertaker]

How thoughtful of you, Harker...

[ Gonna nom on a sammich for now. ]

... Is the penguin part of the evidence?

[inaclearing]

Oh...thank you, Jonathan. That was a good idea.

[He'll take a sandwich and some tea. Even if he doesn't feel like eating, he knows it's better to.]

[onemillion]

I investigated the lobby and found a barricade made up of the furniture found around the lobby. To be more accurate, it was half a barricade, as the other half was ashes. Someone clearly came through the lobby doors wielding those fire powers - because those were entirely burnt down. The hinges were partially melted and there was a large pile of ash to account for both the doors and half of the barricade.

[Here's the mod comment describing the layout if you're struggling with spatial awareness like me!!!]

[pairtner]

Jason might have used his fire. There's no guarantee it was him, but so far we know he wields fire abilities.

[It's possible someone else here in this room does as well, maybe? Checking people's hands to find out could be a good idea, hm...]

[capreelcious]

Geez, so whoever wanted in really wasn't givin' up, huh?

[honeyedtea]

How long would it have taken to construct a barricade like that, do you think...?

[pairtner]

We have two cases to solve today. Don't let yourself be swayed by despair. If we take this piece by piece, the cases can be solved. I will now provide the findings related to Jason Mendoza's case.

[Aiba displays a map of the church. Don't ask me how it looks like because I have no idea, haha]

I have marked the location of Jason's body. As you all can see, it was located quite some distance from the scorching marks from, presumably, an explosion. There also were no signs on the body he ever was hit by the explosion itself -- or perhaps it was a kind of explosion that wouldn't release a shockwave or a heatwave.

Jason displayed signs of having consumed some of the Mayor's plasmids. [Injected, but yeah, same thing] Both of his hands showed effects: his left hand had an artificial plastic appearance, while the right hand smoldered with fire coming from inside.

Other points of note involving fire are present on his pants and the bottom of his shoes. [Aiba shows her memories of those] Determining the exact source was impossible at the time -- it could be from his own fire powers, or perhaps from the explosion.

Finally...

[Aiba shows a picture of a blackish scrap of fabric, scorched as well]

There also was this clue. After comparing with Jason's clothes, I determined it is not a match. There's a chance this belongs to the culprit.

[This scrap of fabric was physically brought to the trial, yup]

[visiblepattern]

Because I know this came up last time, the only piece of clothing I've finished and delivered that was black was given to Rossiu. Everything else that may be black is something I've been struggling with this week, and so haven't been delivered yet.

[bootyhunter]

Hey, I can't say I see any, baby, but... Is there liiiiike...?

[He's squinting at that piece of fabric- Yes, with the exact idiotic expression in the icon.]

Any hair or sweat on that thing?

[Mostly, he is trying to learn from Obi's trial! And all that running around they did with the piece of clothing.]

[allatonce]

Hey, Aiba: can you, like, calculate the probability this was one or two killers?

[She's just wondering.]

rip jason who died as he lived: like a molotov cocktail (cw: needles/addiction)

[allatonce]

[Joy's eating nachos when she walks into the trial room, looking a little full-on Carrie from dealing with Jason's body. Unfortunately, she has evidence this time, so. You know. She sets the nachos on the podium.]

So Jason was in the church. He's like twice my weight so I had some issues when making sure he was actually dead, hence all the goddamn blood. No, I didn't change. You can all deal with it. Three stab wounds here, here, and here [She indicates on her own body.] of relatively clean persuasion. Probably not someone super trained? They seem to have ended up near his heart by accident, not on purpose.

[What else? This is the worst. Pour one out for Forrest, man.]

Aiba said his hands were still juiced up from the Plasmids he took, but I couldn't find an evidence he was, like, addicted to them or anything. I'm thinking that means it was just not long after he died that I found him. Hadn't burned out of his system yet. Some evidence of burns on his arms, but Aiba looked at that more thoroughly. I don't know, man. I was not up for finding another body this morning. I just wanted nachos.

[dullshooter]

Okay - first of all, Hagakure's dad? Probably not an alien robot. I checked; thought I should clear it up in loving memory.

[Moving on.]

I checked out the arcade and found a bunch of busted up cabinets, like they'd been scorched or otherwise brutalised. They were all somewhere between the door and some scattered blood on the floor. It was bright pink, so no prizes for guessing whose it was.

[fuckingguy]

[ NODS SOLEMNLY...... ]

[fuckingguy]

So, I guess I could go into the church without issue this whole time.

[ This is the lead-in Nandor chooses! He looks very mad about it, but also he has an empty podium to either side, so maybe just let him nag for a moment, as a treat. ]

Anyway, someone made a fucking mess in there! I did not examine the body closely myself, as there were no bloody weapons lying about, but there were signs of a big fiery explosion in the middle of the floor... in that there were scorch marks on the floor and burnt and blown-up pews all around. So, pretty cut and dry. They were smoldering whilst we did our investigation. Closer to the front of the place than Jason's carcass—

[ he says "cahcahze", i'm so sorry ]

—and then there was a smaller scorch mark on the ceiling nearby also. Kind of looked like the scorch marks outside the church. I checked the floor for gunpowder or the signs of a bomb, but it was not to be... got soot and ash all over my fucking clothes for nothing.

[allatonce]

Oh. Yeah, Jason probably caused that.

[She's back to eating her nachos.]

[hotpaprika]

[Jonathan is quiet, in thought. He had not really thought about the motive outside of the plasmids, but he suddenly remembers what the motive was for.]

... A thought just occurred to me.

Who the devil would want to kill over such a motive? The last two I could understand, and I suppose we all could use a holiday, but who would think killing twenty people for one and some temporary powers would be worth it?

[pairtner]

Most likely someone who at home doesn't have powers like these ones. If they had powers originally, they wouldn't need the Mayor's help.

[That would help narrow things down, perhaps?]

INJURY CHECK

[buriedstar]

Given we know there was a fight, and that the plasmids [ He spits that word out. ] were likely used by everyone involved, it's past time to check for injuries. I'll be checking the men, and Zinda will check the women.

For the sake of those with sensitives, I don't think we need to completely strip down just yet. We can start with tops and see if we really need to go further.

Let's get started.

[ Men! Seo Dawon will be asking everyone to take their tops off, so if your character will not comply please state that and if they would only roll up their sleeves or so on. ]

[giddyundertaker]

Ah, bugger. One moment.

[ Let him take off his overcoat, then his undercoat... Then his shirt...

His arms are still covered in scars, but none of them are recent and he shows no signs of bruising. ]

I never had a good reason to try any of those silly potions! What use would the power of a plasmid be to an undertaker like me?

pspspspspsps catherd pspspspspspspsps

[daimakaicho]

Right, well. Let’s go over what we know, shall we?

[ Hild taps her nails against her podium, sweeping some hair back behind her shoulder. ]

Since the same weapon was used in both cases, it’s easy to assume that we’re only dealing with one culprit here.

Looking at injuries has proved to be mostly useless, so I think it might be prudent to try and establish a timeline in which things took place, to help further clarify what it is we're looking for here.

There’s also the matter of the black fabric that was found, and what the source of that might be.

[ ………… is there anything else? No? Okay she’s just done, I guess. ]

[honeyedtea]

This black fabric – was it scorched black or did it come that way naturally?

LET'S SEE SCORCHED STUFF

[pairtner]

[Alright, we have a plan of action, let's execute it:]

Given the large quantity of soot and scorch marks involved, there's a possibility the killer's shoes have residues or soot as well. In addition, we should see if anyone's clothing has any marks of having been in contact with fire.

Let's begin.

[bootyhunter]

[no fire and brimstone for him!

dandy is covered in dangan ronpa blood, but nothing on his person is burnt]

for the mods

[bootyhunter]

Hrrrrgh, that's it!

[Dandy, who is barely hanging onto the fragments of his sanity at this point, just yells a question straight into the air.]

Hey Mayor, is it points off if we ask ya about this stupid plasmid bullshit?

[bathymetric]

... I ain't grading you, Ass Man. They're my product, I'd be happy to sell you on 'em.

[capreelcious]

[ Floyd, who had been watching everything in amusement, is now bored since it all dragged on too long. Well, for him at least. He looks up to the projector of Mayor Fontaine. ]

Oi, Water Fountain guy, can we vote yet? We found the killer. He's lucky I'm not jumpin' in on the pile to avenge Sea Urchin and Sunfish.

[bathymetric]

[ Maybe So, Eel! ]

Voting Time

[bathymetric]

[ Eventually, Fontaine's voice speaks out over the uh. Kerfuffle. ]

Ah, I missed this. Alright, feel free to put in your votes while you still have hands. Majority rules, you can technically pick two culprits, but uh...

[ You can't see it, but he's gesturing to All Of You. ]

[bootyhunter]

[slams on vholran's name with his un-stabbed hand!!!]

EXECUTION - One Strike, One Beat

[bathymetric]

[ As the votes roll in, the sheets of metal roll down. At the majority hits, the cover over the dome clicks flush to the ground, blocking you from the sea. Fontaine's voice is amused, friendly, through the distortion. ]

Well, look at all of you go. Three for three. It's always so nice when they confess, isn't it?

[ A chuckle and, in a more foreboding tone: ]

Heel, Lord Vholran. Time for your big show.

[ There’s a rush of air, and… no more Vholran. Torn away like all the others - but perhaps, this one, you’re more relieved to see go? He’s a contentious sort of man, after all.

When the projectors click on, Vholran is standing in a field within some sort of more expansive marshland? A far cry from the relative claustrophobia of Penelope’s execution. Vholran, for his part, looks significantly unimpressed. There’s a sword in his hand - his sword, it seems - as he looks around, awaiting his executioner. He knows to expect that by now.

It’s not long before this place obliges. From across the field of flowers strides a young man, flaming sword in hand. Vholran clearly recognizes him, readying his blade.

The blades clash. Both men are quick and skilled, and it shows. Sparks fly out as they both grow more enraged, almost feeding off of each other. But every once in a while, the young man will swing his blade in a strange, inhuman way, leaving a mark on Vholran’s free arm, his exposed side, his leg…

For all of his strength and all of his fire (or ice, as the case may be), Vholran flags. Difficult not to, when faced with this sort of opponent. But as his defeat looms, as this mysterious figure moves closer and closer to victory-

But wait. Vholran swings around, one last time, and impales him. Finally, it seems, he’s won. Achieved his natural place. The camera zooms in on his triumph, eyes wide as he watches the light slip from his opponent’s.

Until the claws tear through his chest from behind.

It takes a moment for Vholran to register what’s happened, why there’s an arm retracting from his opened chest. But even so wounded, he turns in fury to face his opponent, now clearly visible in the frame, gripping it by the throat (or what passes for one, anyway) –

– only for the thing’s free claw to slash across and tear out his throat.

He tries to speak, to taunt, to… something, but there are no words. He cannot speak.

As he falls, he lets out a guttural cry and flings his katana at the camera. The feed cuts, but the conclusion is clear. Vholran Igniseri is dead. ]

Congratulations, citizens. That’s another killer removed from our fair city. Head on out at your leisure.

[ Behind you all, the Bathyspheres unlock. ]

[howveryglib]

[...is that thancred? that guy lahabrea's using as a meat suit?

wait no that's not thancred. okay. that's fine.]