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

[pairtner]

The cause of the explosions in both incidents are different. One was a dust explosion, as Mafuyu suggested, while the other involved fireworks and gasoline to cause explosions and set fires.

[So as Aiba sees it, they're likely separate incidents]

[inaclearing]

...how about the microwave? Something was done to it to...trap it, make it dangerous, right?

[He sort of looks at Misfire for confirmation; honestly, he's unclear on the details there.]

Not everyone would know how to do that.

[dullshooter]

[He kinda…shrugs along? Like yeah sure it’s probably not normal for microwaves to do that and you’d have to do more than shoving a fork in there to make it deadly?]

…Honestly, I’m not even sure what’s up with the microwave.

[inaclearing]

I don't...know how you'd go about that, either. Mess with the wiring?

[daimakaicho]

Probably? There were the frayed wires on the floor. Perhaps it was ripped from the back?

[ motherfuckin microwaves, how do they work ]

[pairtner]

How were the wires like? Length, width, any useful information?

[daimakaicho]

[ Hild explains so detailed and vividly, you see a diagram and key of the room in your mind. Wow! ]

[pairtner]

[That's pretty vivid, Hild, wow]

...those wires seem excessively long, to have been inside the microwave at all.

[If they have been lying all over the place like that, at least]

[sastruga]

I suppose if all you want is for it to spark, just getting some wires out should be plenty, even if you don't know exactly what you're doing...

cw: electrocution

[allatonce]

It's actually, like, super easy to kill someone with a microwave. The transformer in it is hugely dangerous and will burn someone up to a crisp if it's messed with.

[inaclearing]

.....good to know...

[allatonce]

I'd explain more, but it's... not irrelevant, but definitely gross.

[visiblepattern]

...I'm...concerned about that, but...

[Mm. Saying anything feels really mean?]

[inaclearing]

[Brett looks at him and grimaces a little. Yeah, it's...well, saying anything in this room can be a lot.]

Do you want...?

[He gestures like, do you want him to come over there and talk slightly more privately?]

[visiblepattern]

[...Uhhhhh...

He pauses for a moment before just- ]

I'm not trying to accuse anyone or hurt anyone's feelings, but I feel like just to be...careful? I think? We should keep an eye on Aiba. She would know how to set up something complicated like that, but also...in order to kill us she might have to due to her size. It would make the most sense for her of all people to set something like that up.

I don't... Please don't be mad at her or jump on her, but I do want to mention the...that.

[fuckingguy]

... Oh.

[hotpaprika]

[Huh that

Is a good point.]

... Do you think we should observe her for anything off? Like wounds?

... would she have wounds?

[specialyellthing]

We could check for residue from the powder, too, even if that’d be easy enough to clean off.

[hotpaprika]

[He glances over at Aiba.]

Uh, Ms. Aiba, if you do not mind...

[dullshooter]

…Did anyone else catch her throwing furniture around a couple of weeks back? I don’t think she’d necessarily need to do all this to get rid of someone. I fully believe in her power to bludgeon one of us to death.

[visiblepattern]

That's true, but Aiba likes us. Or at least, she's told me she does. It would be easier to set something up to kill a random person than to beat someone to death.

[inaclearing]

...it's okay. I'm sure she understands that we have to consider all the angles like that.

[Brett's still super not emoting about this, really, beyond a bit of concern for Forrest.]

I do see what you're saying. It's...circumstantial, though, so...you're right, we shouldn't just jump on it. We can...keep it in mind.

[visiblepattern]

...I hope it's nothing. I'm not trying to...

[We're all kind of upset today. He'll be all right, probably.]

[fuckingguy]

What troubles you, Forrest?

[visiblepattern]

Well, it's just...