FIFTH INVESTIGATION

[bathymetric]

Morning dawns on Friday with the same sense of horribly mundane not-quite-dread it must by now, everything normal as you wake to leave your rooms and yet... well, the weeks haven't been kind to this usual favorite of days, have they? It's been over a month now since your last normal Friday.

But maybe this one will be different. Maybe you'll all find that despite everything, you've all finally made it to the end of one of The Professor's motives. You've outlasted him, and can see what happens when you all do so.

Or maybe not. Only one way to find out.

Comments

[hardnosed]

[ Well, I guess it's time for Jasper to destroy some shit in the fitness room! ]

[bathymetric]

[ Hm. Oh man. Someone left kind of a mess in here. There's a few things going on, but notably Going On is that pile of barbells over by the weight rack.

And uh. Something sticking out from under them. ]

[hardnosed]

[ OH WELL THIS

THIS IS FINE

At top volume, she bellows: ]

Everybody get in here!

[ and she's also... gonna check out what that something is... ]

[bathymetric]

[ It appears to be, uh. A green hand, with some black stitching around the wrist. And judging by some other parts you can see, Jasper, it's not exactly hard to tell who from your number this might be underneath... well, let's just call it "way more weight than an organic being could survive very suddenly being under" rather than trying to count.

Brian Yu is dead. ]

[hardnosed]

[ Well, he's not one of the people she'd go absolutely bananas over (is that anyone but Rose tho), so she's still got the presence of mind and vague consideration for others to stand, at her full height, in front of the barbell rack and thus the body! Anyone who comes in gets a brusque: ]

It's the zombie.

[archboxer]

[Rhea hears the yell and comes in... just what happened here?]

Ah--that...?

[ladygeryon]

Brian? [Nira's already coming over when she hears Jasper yell, but she raises her voice and starts rushing when she hears her say who it is.]

Fuck... [She's gonna reach out and just. Hold that hand for a moment.]

[bathymetric]

[ You know, a point I could make here, before you all get too settled in:

Isn't a few people usually all it takes to get The Professor to announce the body? ]

[bogwife]

...There's more than three people in here. [A sinking pit of panic hits her stomach.] He usually announces things after three.

[hardnosed]

[ oh fuck ]

Who else is missing?

[bogwife]

I saw Mira in our room this morning, Rin in the infirmary so...Therion, Vincent, Sly, Anna, Della, Father Kotomine, Rose, and Birkin.

[hardnosed]

[ Yeah only one of those is registering in her mind but thanks for the tip Zaza!! ]

... Nira can stay here. I'm heading out.

[bogwife]

[Ah fuck, she can hear that all the way down the hallway. Zerinda books it toward the hall, shoving bandages into her skirt pockets as she goes.]

I'm coming, I'm coming!

[She skids into the weight room, looking around in a panic.] Who is it- [ah shit.]

[hardnosed]

... good. We're gonna need someone who knows how organic bodies work.

[ literally can you IMAGINE jasper investigating this body ]

[bogwife]

[She's way ahead of you, Jasper. The sleeves of her shirt are already being rolled up and her expression is one of set determination.]

I can take care of him. If we can get one more person in here he'll do the announcement and we can get started properly. [What a macabre routine they've all fallen into.]