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

[asymptotes]

Sure. But I better not be in charge, seeing as how I'm one of the leading contenders.

[inaclearing]

...I can do it. If there's no objections?

[He's not sure how clear he is, given all the gasoline stuff, but like he doesn't really want to think people are suspecting him here?]

[pairtner]

Will I have to join in?

[She hasn't forgotten she's under some measure of suspicion of murder, really]

[inaclearing]

I feel like Jonathan already checked you, but...

[you know, if people feel otherwise we can go again?]

[specialyellthing]

Go for it.

NO SHOES NO SHIRTS CHECK

[inaclearing]

Right.

[Brett nods and steps away from his podium.]

Let's check shoes, then. And I think hands and arms, at least. I don't think we have any signs that there might be defensive wounds, but there have been a lot of fire and explosions today.

[Who knows, maybe someone wasn't careful enough and got a little burned? Anything's worth a shot at this point.]

[pairtner]

[If anyone does come to check her she's here. Aiba doesn't move to offer herself at anyone, instead waiting for someone to come to her if they want to]

[inaclearing]

[He's not exactly coming to check her, but as long as he's over here...]

I guess we might as well?

[pairtner]

You'll find no objections from me. Jonathan checked my dress and found out I have no injuries -- which means nothing, given I can self-repair.

[In other words, the check Brett proposed is fine.

As expected, there's no flour, gunpowder, or signs of fire on her, not even in the pads of all her paws, but if Brett at any point touched the forepaws, whenever he removes his hands he'll find red stains on his fingertips]

[hotpaprika]

[Jonathan takes off his shoes and rolls up his sleeves and there is no sign of anything unusual.]

[visiblepattern]

...Brett, would you mind if I checked you as well...?

[inaclearing]

...yeah, sure. Of course.

[Brett can pause to roll up his sleeves and slip off his shoes. There's soot and flecks of dried fire extinguisher foam on his shoes, but his arms and hands are unblemished!]

[howveryglib]

[well, he’ll take his boots off first, which are clean!

…

And he didn’t actually have time to change out of his armor this time so give him a sec to get enough off to show off his arms. They also don’t have any recent wounds!]

[dullshooter]

[Misfire's everything has the usual wear and tear, maybe he's got a little bit of soot on him from literally crawling around the explosion scene but that's about it.]

[onemillion]

[Rossiu's wearing his usual uniform, though the smoke has probably left some soot on it, rip. He rolls up his sleeves; no injuries or anything interesting here! His shoes are likewise about what you'd expect from the usual wear and tear, he didn't step in blood this time, thankfully.]

[daimakaicho]

[ She rolls up her dress sleeves as best as she can, showing her arms and hands are clear.

Her shoes (and train) probably have some blood and flour on them, though nothing substantial. ]

This is from looking around the ice cream parlor.

[ She sounds kind of annoyed about it! ]

[inaclearing]

...sure, okay.

[Though, now that he thinks of it.]

Was the flour...all over the floor? Were there even any tracks in it when you went in there?

[buriedstar]

How are you checking shoes? [ He'll offer his hands first, which are clean. There's a sigil on his left ring finger like usual. After he'll roll up his sleeves, there's nothing remarkable on his left arm and on his right it looks clear from what brett can see, though he has a gold bangle on his wrist. ]

[inaclearing]

Take them off, I guess. [Everyone else has.] Could you remove your jewelry as well?

[fuckingguy]

[ There's a little blood on the bottoms of Nandor's boots from the investigation — nothing excessive, as he did manage to sidestep most of it — but no trace of flour. His arms and hands are exactly as they were this time last week, but also he's wearing that all-black ensemble again so fuck it, he has to undo the top to show his arms anyway, he'll just start taking the whole thing off. Which, uh, nobody asked for, but he is clean! ]

[inaclearing]

............okay.

[you know what? he's just not gonna argue this.]

[allatonce]

[Joy's in the hand bra and punk jeans again, with the white suit jacket over it. She'll take off the jacket when Brett comes by, but her shoes are about as clean as they can be after last week and aside from some like minor scratches on her hands, she appears to be uninjured. They're not fresh.

There's no trace of flour on her, although it's hard to tell with the jacket being white.]

Rain and I got into a tiff earlier this week.

[In reference to the scratches, obviously.]

[inaclearing]

Yeah?

[Brett smiles, a little amused. Is the jacket like, shedding flour as she removes it or anything, because short of that he's probably gonna move on.]

[capreelcious]

[ Hi. Floyd is a hot mess. But the hot mess is because he was investigating! He has blood and flour on his shoes, and also blood on his pants mostly, but that's because he got close to the body and also the crime scene. ]

I didn't bother to clean much before coming, but Lane Snapper saw me when I was busting down the door- I didn't have anything on me before then.

[ He rolls up his sleeves! no bruises here- he's clean! ]

[inaclearing]

....that's right, you did say you had to break in. The door was jammed, right? So...how did the person who did it get out?