third trial

[facultwist]

"Good hustle, everyone, time to get you down to the trial room. I'm willing to bet this is one where you want to know who did it. Head to the conservatory."

Isabella is waiting for you all there, candelabra in hand. She doesn't have much to say, but... perhaps that's to be expected. What is there to say?

It feels like a longer walk than usual to the trial room, but maybe that's just a function of your dwindling number. Much more of this and you're liable to dip below half of your original number. But you must press on, because answers will await you before long. They have to... right?

Yet more desks draped over to show those you've lost. But there's a job that you must do. You have the evidence. You are prepared against whatever it is that comes next.

... Right?

Comments

[rosewitch]

[Man, too bad handwriting personality analysis is bunk. There's a lot to dig into here.]

It's not a match. The person who planned the chemical bomb was not Rinne.

[hootheart]

[Man if they'd done this first they could have avoided so much discourse.]

[rosewitch]

[if onlys and buts were candies and nuts then every day would be erntedankfest]

[banishedfromparadise]

Well. That settles that, then.

Unfortunately, it leaves us not knowing who did.

[shellhawked]

[well shit.]

Which means whoever was is here.

[because let's be real, even if the handwriting wasn't perfect perfect there's no way it's Usagi's.]

mods

[rednails]

[Usagi's note to her is in Mariko's pocket in case it became relevant, but we all saw her handwriting for meetings. This isn't it, right?]

[facultwist]

[ oh GOD no fam, this ain't Usagi's. ]

[sweetsynergy]

So was the chemistry lab even part of this for sure, or if we get out of here do we still have to worry about someone bombing one of the morbid get-togethers we've been having?

[hate this, hate this, hate]

[curdle]

... We found no signs of acid in the kitchen.

[sweetsynergy]

Fantastic.

[shellhawked]

[.....ah. Here's a terrible thought that she hates.]

Usagi's water bottle was in the kitchen.

[curdle]

It surely could not have withstood acid so strong, though.

[shellhawked]

If it were plastic wouldn't have even brought it up. Hers is a Stanley so it's solid metal. I could be wrong but it's worth thinking about.

[curdle]

[ MUCH TO CONSIDER... ]

Vanity has it still. I doubt she'd not have noticed something amiss, but we could dip some cloth, and see what comes of it.

[sweetsynergy]

It smelled like water, at least.

[Examining the bottle.]

[Don't taste murder evidence, kids.]

Anyone got something absorbent they don't mind potentially losing?

[shellhawked]

[hold on, let her check her pockets- lipstick (that she forgot to put on), snack (that she's not going to eat for a while), dog bandana? Dog bandana!]

I have this? Varric has about three more of these.

Mods

[sweetsynergy]

I'm sure he'll be broken up for- say the five seconds it takes you to give him headpats.

[She solemnly takes the scarf, dipping it into the water bottle. She lets it rest for a second before pulling it partially out, making sure nothing actually drips outside the bottle.]

[facultwist]

[ The scarf rises out...wet. Just wet. No acid here. ]

[sweetsynergy]

[...Would it be stupid if-]

[She's gonna get her fingertips a little wet and lick, and really hope this isn't something very specifically reactive to only spit, or something.]

[rosewitch]

I don't know. I don't think we can say for sure that it's connected. I don't understand why someone would want to do that in the first place.

[this sucks ASS]

[sweetsynergy]

To try killing impersonally, at a distance? Or pick a time when there's going to be lots of targets grouped together not suspecting anything?

[This kind of thing literally funds entire industries.]

It's cold, but I can't say it's a dumb move.

[rosewitch]

No, not that. It's more . . .

What is the benefit of killing a large number of people in this context? To spite the Interim Headmistress? To shorten the game? I feel like we're missing something.

[sweetsynergy]

More victims means more evidence with less people to look at it carefully. And if a culprit wins, everyone dies anyway right?

cw blunt discussion of suicide

[rosewitch]

I suppose if the culprit wants to die anyway, then that makes a sort of sense. But there are so many easier and quicker ways to kill yourself.

[normal normal normal]

[iseedollpeople]

If they were a third party in this, then...

[The problem takes care of itself, doesn’t it?]