unknownseas | THIRD TRIAL

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THIRD TRIAL

[ 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. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, there were burns for sure.

On his hands 'n stuff, too. And the hair.

Did you find anything on him that could classify as 'shrapnel'? On his clothes, or on his hair. Splinters, pieces of furniture, metal...

No, nothing.

Just the purple stuff.

From the plasmids, I'm pretty sure.

It was on his hand.

If it was splinters of wood, could they have...burned away?

[He feels like he's reaching, it's obvious in his tone.]

There would be burns inside the shrapnel wounds. Residue may also be present -- solids undergoing combustion leave residues behind, after all.

[The shrapnel wounds might be too small to check properly for such things, though, so maybe those existed and was missed. You never know!]

Is a grenade like that the most likely way they got into the lobby, then? Given that the doors were destroyed and the hinges were melted...

D'you mean to say that they... Flew?

[From the effects of the explosion, he means.]

I'd hope not...?

[dandy what the hell]

...From the look of it we have multiple grenades going off. One in the church, and then one in the lobby. So I'd assume that our culprit knows and seems to understand explosives, is that correct?

[...and seems to like them, but that's a moot point.]

Hm, that's true.

[All signs are still pointing to combatants! Vholran comes to mind, especially because the guy has no consideration for anyone else, but he's not gonna accuse him just yet.]

Had to be someone handy.

[#TEAMHANDY rip]

'Specially if they were also good with a larger weapon.

Actually, was that stuff still smoking? Because the stuff in the church was still, like, on fire.

And the residue seemed from the plasmids seemed new.

...It should have faded after about half an hour, actually. It always did whenever I used it.

Wait.

That doesn't make any sense. We were lookin' at bodies n' shizz for over an hour. You were there, you know!

I know. It...didn't occur to me at the time, everything going on was a lot, I'm sorry. I should have...

[...OKAY, LOOK, LET'S JUST. TABLE THAT FOR NOW.]

I know it doesn't make sense. But up until this morning, the longest I've seen effects linger was about half an hour. I suppose it's possible that no longer holds true after we die...? There would be no reason to take the power away from a dead person.

Maybe it was meant as a sort of helpful hint for us.

The effects of the plasmids on Jason were present on him as well.

[So yeah, maybe it no longer holds true after death, hmmm...]

'Kay.

This is gonna sound loopy.

[He is groaning because! Great!!!! His least favorite subject...]

Time-loopy, specifically, but nobody's special abilities are workin' right now.

It sounds like... Ugggggh, GAH!

[His brain!!!! He would like it to be quiet, especially since it feels like there are five heads on his shoulders, right about now.]

So they were frozen?! Like in time, baby? Ohp, well, it's probably the dead guy thing.

Edited 2022-07-09 22:09 (UTC)

Nothing was actively on fire, no - so whatever occurred in the church happened after everything in the lobby, then?

It could be that we have the entire timeline backwards or it could be that the damage in there... happened... afterward...

[She trails off, frowning.]

There was, like, smears in the blood kind of implying Jason tried to pull himself away from where he initially fell. What if he set the grenade before the killer got him and it didn't go off until afterward?

Like...he ran in there so he could trap the door behind himself?

Something like that, yeah.

(no subject)

inaclearing - 2022-07-09 22:10 (UTC) - Expand

I mean, it was more smoldering, but I get your point.

More on fire than the pile of ash in the lobby, is what I'm saying.

Ah. But... we have the scorch trail going from the arcade to the church. And this started in the arcade, did it not?

We've been assuming that, but also I'd believe that Jason would run from the lobby to the arcade and then back to the church.

[On account of he's an idiot, you see.]