SECOND TRIAL

[bathymetric]

Time's up, boys and girls. Please gather up your evidence and make your way to the vault door.

[ The process of heading to the elevator and crowding in remains the same as last week - Angel leads you all to the elevator car, then stays behind as you make your slow descent to the dome below. You might not even notice if you aren't paying attention, but... the cart is already less crowded than it was last week. You certainly won't be able to avoid noticing it if your numbers dwindle too much further than this.

When the doors open on the trial room, it's just as bleak a place as last week. ]

Take your places, won't you? And this time, you all know what's at stake. No more... funny business.

[The number of podiums displaying that red light is higher now - Damien, Lif, and Piers are all represented by blank spots now, no tasteful covers or anything normal to mark their passing, just a red glow and a gap in your number.

Cheery!

The screens raise up to the ceiling to give you all room to see, and the Professor's final words before the trial begins ring out: ]

Find the killer, leave alive. And killer? Try a little harder to stop them from doing that than the last one in your shoes. Call out for me if you require anything.

[ Welcome to your second trial. ]

Comments

[mouflon]

By the way, I found this in one of the woman's bathrooms.

[ Rin holds up an orange thread, which is in the same condition that she found it: sad and kind of soapy. ]

There was a lot of soap on the sinks, by the way. Some of it wasn't even foamed up like it was used properly. I'm betting we have another case of buyer's remorse.

[emberserker]

Thread? Well, a good number of people have been using the sewing room lately.

[mouflon]

That's true, but couldn't it have come off of something the person was wearing? It'd be kind of weird for them to just have a piece of string stuck to them through all of what was apparently a pretty violent confrontation.

[emberserker]

Possible, but yes, strange. Does anybody even own anything orange? That bowtie Alice dropped at my doorstep was partially orange, but wouldn't give off anything long.

[And she's not wearing it today, anyway.]

[pimpplan]

... actually, the scarf she's been wearing has orange in it, doesn't it? I've been meaning to compliment her on it since I saw it a few days ago.

[precognit]

Oh, my Hérmes scarf? [alice you don't have to namedrop the brand every single time] I didn't notice a snag or anything in it...

[She also has her shawl from Zerinda on, which is orange-and-red.]

And this is new, but Zerinda just gave it to me yesterday. This is the first time it's left my room.

[pimpplan]

Ah, my apologies. Hérmes scarf.

[ The fact its a brand doesn't even register for him. That's just what it is now! ]

Do you mind if I make sure all the same? It pains my heart to have to even think of suspecting someone such as yourself, but I'd prefer to be able to clear your name with definitive proof.

[ Is this the time, dude? ]

[precognit]

I don't have the scarf with me, but...

[It actually pains her to hand over her shawl, because it's already a treasured gift, but she does.]

You're more than welcome to check that.

m-m-m-m-mods!

[pimpplan]

I appreciate it. I'll take the utmost care with it, I swear.

[ He delicately takes it in both hands and shimmies over to Rin with the thread. Does it look like the thread matches the shawl? ]

[bathymetric]

[ Actually, it does not! ]

[pimpplan]

Excellent! I don't see anything out of place here.

[ He gently hands the shawl back to Alice. ] Apologies for the intrusion. This belongs in your capable, gorgeous hands.

[ He can't help but wink. ]

[fivestagegod]

Of course, we just have her word to go on that her scarf didn't have any tears in it. We can't completely dismiss that.

[precognit]

[oh, wow.

But Alice can't afford to turn down any allies right now, so she just returns the wink and winds the shawl back around her shoulders.]

Thank you.

[emberserker]

That's true, she did mention the other day that she'd gotten it back from the prize machine.

[bogwife]

I've been using thread that color the past few nights but I never went into the ladies' room with it. I thought I left the spool in the chapel last night, that's why I went straight up there this morning.