Fifth Trial

[bathymetric]

[ There's a long while of examination before the Mayor speaks up. There's plenty of evidence to pick up yet again this week, after all. ]

Annnd that's going to do it. Wrap it up and head to the bathyspheres, kids, you've got some business to attend to.

[ The bathyspheres take you all down, down, into the now-familiar dome below the city. The similarly familiar red glow persists until the lights properly turn on - the projection of Fontaine's silhouette is gone, of course, replaced by that same flickering "please stand by" message. But your mayor's voice is still the one that speaks over the increasingly empty circle of podiums. ]

If you somehow need a reminder of why you're here, three of you are dead. Get away with it, killer or killers, and the execution room gets to really work overtime today. But I guess if you wanna live, you should find who murdered three people. Could be important for you guys.

[ Welcome to your fifth trial. ]

Comments

[fuckingguy]

Was there anything else in the journal to indicate who it was for, perhaps?

[specialyellthing]

Sure does.

You think he knew what was happening?

[inaclearing]

Well...it probably wasn't Zinda, Nandor, Forrest, or...me. There's other letters here for us.

[......]

"I will always remember you fondly." It sounds like he meant it to be read post-mortem. He - he's had letters like that prepared for weeks, we talked about it once. But that does make me wonder why he had it out then and there.

[sastruga]

...It does.

Like he didn't think he'd get another chance to say it.

[specialyellthing]

…

I hate this. [Its the first time she’s admitted it. Said it out loud. She’s held it together for so long.

[inaclearing]

Me too.

[His voice cracks a little. He keeps his head down, eyes presumably focused on the notes spread out in front of him.]

[specialyellthing]

… Do they all seem like they were written at the same time? Or is this one fresher than the others?

MODS

[inaclearing]

This one was torn out...

[Mods, are the other letters still actually attached to the journal, and not just tucked in there? Also, is there any other indicator of whether or not they may have been written at the same time?]

[bathymetric]

[ The rest are all attached in there, yep! And they all seem to be about the same Freshness. ]

[sastruga]

The most obvious would be that it's the group as a whole. But it could also be about his suite, perhaps... Those are just guesses, though.

[inaclearing]

They all look about the same, to me? But the rest of them are still attached. He must have torn this one out just...just last night, that's probably how it got wet.

[inaclearing]

No, no. There’s a general group one, too.

[fuckingguy]

So... is it safe to say that this one was for the person who murdered him?

[sastruga]

I don't think that's who the letter is addressing, I think that might be the "us" he's referring to while speaking to the intended recipient of the letter.

[fuckingguy]

[ ... ]

How did it get wet? Was it under a glass or something? Or was it... you know.

[ the weeping! ]

[fuckingguy]

[ he's just gonna lay one Big, Room-Temperature Hand (tm) on her shoulder in silence... ]

[honeyedtea]

You don't think he was talking about her, do you? The mayor's assistant. She's the only one that comes to mind who could be said to have provided us anything.

[inaclearing]

He wasn't...exactly a fan, the last time we talked about her. That was a while ago, though.

[allatonce]

... I mean, I think you're thinking about it a little too literally. "Provide" doesn't just apply to physical items, people can provide comfort and cheer, and all sorts of shit like that.

[fuckingguy]

That... was not how Jonathan saw her, I do not think. Perhaps he had more sympathy later, but he would certainly not say she didn't deserve to be here.

[inaclearing]

Well...okay. Who -

[Brett's face contorts a little as he scans the circle. There's so few of them now.]

Who...has done a lot of that?

[inaclearing]

He was very...rigid about these things. And it must have been someone he knew well, too - he knew they'd been through a lot.

[inaclearing]

It was on the floor, and the glasses were both up on the bar. I didn't see any indication that either of them had spilled...though I guess it could have dried in that time.

[inaclearing]

That'd be a good reason to tear it out. Maybe he intended for us to find it and see the name.

[inaclearing]

[After a few minutes of distraction:]

You'd have to be pretty strong to...to do that. With the pitchfork.