Fourth Trial

[bathymetric]

[ After the evidence (and what a large batch of evidence it is, this time) has been gathered up, after actually patiently waiting a longer time than usual to make sure everything's been grabbed, the speakers over New Rapture crackle to life. ]

Time's up, everyone. You know where to go.

[ The lower number of bathyspheres, as you descend, is starting to become really notable, isn't it? The descent is the same as ever, lower and lower into the sea. The bioluminescence of those slugs on the ocean floor is almost brighter today, somehow, and some of them have even crawled up the cliff face around you as you pass them.

The dome approaches, slowly as ever, gleaming red in the darkness. The bathyspheres land in a row, doors opening one by one to reveal the familiar sight of the trial room, three more podiums now darkened. ]

Take your places, ladies and gentlemen. You've got a doozy of a situation to discuss. Ass Man and Silver Fox are dead. You know what happens if you can't figure out whodunnit.

[ Welcome to your fourth trial. ]

Comments

cw blood, implications of achilles tendon harm, gore maybe?

[fuckingguy]

Before we begin, did Dandy ever disclose what precisely he was to any of you guys? Because he was definitely not human, but outside that... no idea what was going on there.

[ But okay, since this is an evidence toplevel, he's going to continue! ]

Also, he had a quite impressive amount of blood. I did not investigate the body, but it was all over the dark ride. Going forward from where he was, there was this big bloody smear on the left wall. About this high [ he's indicating it relative to himself ], might have been a hand? And that shit just kept going almost to the exit. Then, like, midway down the track, there was a splatter of it that looked like... eh. You know how when you get an artery, and then it's like...

[ oh Jesus Christ he's miming an arterial spurt and making his own sound effects]

But not as bad as it could be, you know, considering. Was right next to a message someone carved into the concrete. It said "we are still here", but all in capitals, right under where the water would be.

Then, you know the little church scene in there, at the center of the ride? It looks like Dandy knocked one of the cutouts over, with his face, and right to that there was another big pool of blood. More spurting, quite disgusting, really. Then, even further along, he spilt those prayer beads he was wearing all over the ground. A little bloody, but nothing too crazy. And the fucking smear just kept going almost to the exit.

Oh! Also there was a knife just lying around. [ AND HE JUST PULLS IT OUT ] As you can see, it is clean, so, not sure how that connects.

... I think that is everything?

[ And you all can connect the dots from here, because he can't connect shit! ]

[allatonce]

He...

[How does she word this.]

He was, like, a god of some sort? We had the same sort of deal going on, but I think his was more like reincarnation than mine. He seemed to have some kind of memory problem and I thought it was like mine, just too much info all the time, but I think it was a little different.

[dullshooter]

…Wait. A god? Dandy?

[allatonce]

Did you guys really not know that? It's, like, all over his vibe.

[dullshooter]

…I just thought he was weird.

[daimakaicho]

To be fair, those two things are not mutually exclusive.

[daimakaicho]

I'd say that's something that's probably not easily picked up on unless you're familiar with it.

[ sometimes you have wacky hijinx with three literal goddesses in a college campus and all the non-mc humans are just kind of stupid and oblivious about it ]

[allatonce]

Ah. Sunnydale Syndrome. Right.

[She would normally explain, but she's kinda out of it.]

[howveryglib]

…no? It really is the last thing I would have suspected.

Then again, I did not speak to him that much.

[allatonce]

It's why his profile says 27+ for age. He's like... 27 this time, but that's not taking into account every other time.

[fuckingguy]

I mean, the Undertaker was a grim reaper, so...

[ oh right, he wasn't supposed to tell anyone that ]

Shit. Can you pretend you did not hear that?

[dullshooter]

Are there any more deities here I should know about?

[fuckingguy]

[ Shrug!!! ]

[daimakaicho]

Does "recently deposed deity" count?

[allatonce]

[casually, completely nonchalant:]

Technically, I'm a god in at least three or four universes.

[hotpaprika]

Yes, he was.

[Oh right that was supposed to be a secret.]

[sastruga]

No.

[capreelcious]

He was? Maybe thats why his eyes were all green and glowy.

[ He's not gonna pretend at all! ]

[allatonce]

.............. Was that supposed to be a secret?

[fuckingguy]

We did speak of that much, yes. Couple of weeks ago, maybe three? It seemed Dandy was remembering things he wished forgotten.

[allatonce]

Like... the first or second week here he was having a headache and I tried to take him to Eleanor for aspirin or whatever but then he told me it wasn't that bad. I think he was remembering his past lives, which he forgets to prevent, you know.

[She gestures at her own head.]

[fuckingguy]

[ He nods solemnly and it's actually for something perfectly reasonable this time?? ]

[hotpaprika]

Oh.

He was? He did seem to have some memory problems.

[Jonathans voice is dull, like Joy had just told him some really mundane information about Dandy.]

[allatonce]

[Bruh..........]

Yeah. Hey, you gonna be okay after this?

[hotpaprika]

[Theres a long pause.]

I suppose it does not matter either way, does it?

[So

No.]