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

[fuckingguy]

[ After Nandor exclaims this, he's quiet for like a minute and a half, galaxy braining to the best of his ability, before bursting out with: ]

Guys, please, I think I have actually discovered something important here! Let us assume that Dandy was incapacitated when he was cut down by the little church. Then he tries crawling away, but the killer follows him — stomps on his left hand, and maybe that is where the beads go everywhere — and then they carried him back to where he was tied up. If he was being carried over someone's shoulder, would that not explain the long smear on the left wall? Might be a little awkward if his right hand was not facing it, but it could be done, especially if he was very hard to kill. If that is true, it would narrow down our possible killers very much!

[ Also, he's still in the pool! This does not appear to bother him! ]

It would have to be someone capable of carrying Dandy, and probably someone tall? [ waving a hand ] As I said, the mark was, like, this high.

[pairtner]

Any method of carrying him that would lead to him leaving bloody marks from his calves or his hand onto a wall would require a certain measure of strength, too.

[Carrying someone in a piggyback is easier than doing it bridal style or throwing someone over your shoulder like a potato sack, is what she means. If he indeed was carried over the shoulder like Nandor proposed, it could narrow things down quite a bit]

[fuckingguy]

Exactly, that is what I am saying!

... so, did we know how much he weighed, about?

[daimakaicho]

... if I remember correctly from the profiles, it was about ?̷̮̯̮̼̮͌̌͐͌͂̀̏̕̚͜!̵̨̨̛̗̣̠͚̘͔̙͉̝̙͍͈͑͐̓͌̐̈̈́̍͛́̎̚͜͝?̷̫̝̬͎̫̹̱̣̗̤̀̌͗͌̄̏̇͌̎͝3̸̧̛̛̝͇̞̳̲̥̳̆̋̐̾͒̕͘4̵̡͉͎̥̬̫̜̗̻͙͙̙͊͒̌̊̂̚͘͝ͅͅ5̸̨̻̙͊̌̇̂̇̎̌͒́͗̂̿̓̚̕.

[ You know, a normal weight. She absolutely makes the noises when she says it, too. ]

[sastruga]

...Sorry, what was that?

[daimakaicho]

About 150 pounds.

[ she makes it sound like that's what she just said???? god guys keep up ]

[fuckingguy]

Thank you, Hild, for that.

[allatonce]

So basically not me or Mafuyu.

[The shorties really just keep dying huh.]

[specialyellthing]

Could rule out Aiba and Mielle too. ... And Jonathan.

[allatonce]

..... Okay, yeah. Jonathan's baby, he probably didn't do this.

[She wasn't counting Aiba or Mielle because she figured that other things had already ruled them out, at least as far as Dandy's murder was concerned. Mielle wasn't concerned with the motive, really, and Aiba didn't know what the box was.]

[fuckingguy]

Or Mielle, or Jonathan, or Aiba... probably also not Brett, no offense. Also, they were using a sword. It narrows us down a whole lot more than "who would he feel bad for?"

[specialyellthing]

I woulda just shot him and gotten it over with. [nodding]

[allatonce]

Eh, anyone can swing a sword. You just stick 'em with the pointy end. It's not like it was super precise or anything.

[A beat.]

Hey, do you wanna lick the sword?

[This is the only thing sparking joy right now.]

[fuckingguy]

Absolutely fucking not.

[specialyellthing]

[now she's laughing--]

He just got sick, sis, probably not a great time--

[sastruga]

...Well, we can argue about who could or couldn't. It probably does rule out the shorter people here, but.

Maybe we should check a little more thoroughly.

[oh she's not about to suggest--]

Who here is about Dandy's height?

[onemillion]

I think Tommy would be the closest one, if I'm remembering correctly.

[He's the only other 5'11" here!!]

[inaclearing]

None taken.

[daimakaicho]

I'm not sure Rossiu would fit that bill, either.

[ unless......... jacked stringbean???? ]

[onemillion]

[thank you for saying it so he didn't have to...............]

[daimakaicho]

[ np ♡ ]

[fuckingguy]

Ah, yes! Definitely not him.

[ HE SAYS IT SO CHEERFULLY... ]

[onemillion]

[th-thanks nandor........................]

[specialyellthing]

[she doesnt laugh but she looks like she wants to


of all the things, that's what brings a smile back to zindas face]

[visiblepattern]

I couldn't have either.