trial 4; baby, it's cold inside

[jinglehellmods]

WHO KILLED CHRISTMAS?

Starshine and Brasco assemble everyone in the room. The room is extra foreboding and cold after the events of last week, and the raw egg evidence as well as Rider's body have been preserved in the room, so tread carefully.

Starshine slams down the paper for this week with all the suspects and laughs, turning to Brasco and gesturing wildly, pointing at him. "J'accuse, Brasco! This whole time, we've been pointing figures at each other but there was one man we never pointed at. And it's you! And actually, all the rest of the people on this list, too." She looks back at the list and taps it gently, "Oh, yeah, one other thing, I need you to write two names on your paper. Assuming you actually vote, unlike you abstainers," she says it the way someone in the 1950s might say communists. "I deduced that two people definitely killed the two dead people, so have fun with that." She claps her hands, "get to it, my minions!"

11 GUESTS REMAIN

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Comments

[starblessed]

[Lunafreya has been listening to all of this, and they just keep talking themselves in circles. She's frowning, considering all of the evidence...]

Perhaps we should focus on the most basic evidence first. That there was a struggle in the pantry seems most plausible, and it is likely the can of coffee was used as a weapon. Similarly, the gold slivers must have come from this altercation as well.

Who had something gold that is now broken or missing?

[acherontiastyx]

...

In the interest of full disclosure, like, all my gold stuff has been missing since I woke up here.

[starblessed]

[A small frown.]

I believe you, Guzma, as you were with us last night. But have you not received any of it back?

[Unfortunately you aren't wholly absolved of guilt yet, Guzma...]

...as much as I hate to suggest the possibility, what if the wire trap was made to mask the time of death? If it were triggered, the culprit need not be there when the murder was committed.

[She doesn't want to suspect Guzma though, and her eyes are asking him to give her proof the idea is wrong.]

[acherontiastyx]

No, I haven't. The only thing I've got of mine back is...

[... he pulls out a Dawn Stone and an Ultra Ball.]

Well, these two things. The Ultra Ball's got some kinda yellow-y stuff on it, but. You can check it, I don't think there's anything messed up about it.

And I do kind of get where you're going there? I guess it's kinda hard to straight up prove I'd have no idea how to set something like that up, but I'm not sure how the fridge and the knife would figure into it.

[starblessed]

Nor am I.

There's so much to consider this week, and no clear idea of who might have done this--or why.

[Given those of them that are left, she doesn't think anyone would have really fallen prey to the motive note!]

But we must try. I've no wish to see anybody to their deaths, especially not those who have remained innocent this entire time.

[acherontiastyx]

I mean, all I can say on that end of things is that I'm pretty sure it sounds like there was a struggle in the pantry, so I think the trap was to cut the lights and get the drop on a guy more than it was to like, launch a knife in his chest or something?

[thatdarkmage]

Not me!

[starblessed]

[A nod.]

Very well. Thank you.

[thatdarkmage]

Of course!

So, it looks like there's a lot to look over.

[ He doesn't care about solving it, honestly. He just doesn't want Guzma to random die or die at all. ]

[starblessed]

It does. [She doesn't want to see Guzma die either! He's seemed like a pretty good guy for the time that she's known him... really, Lunafreya doesn't want to see any of them die.]

I can't help but wonder if all of this was done to distract us from the basest facts. We haven't the time to start from the very beginning, though.

[thatdarkmage]

Of course it was a distraction.

[ He says it. Matter of factly. ]

[starblessed]

[She wasn't expecting him to say it so straightforwardly!]

You sound quite certain.

[thatdarkmage]

I am!

[ His smile grows wider. ]

[thedifferencebetween]

Nothing that I woke up here with.

[starblessed]

Dear Jack... we have received many things since arriving to this house. I must ask, were any of the items you've received since arriving here of gold?

[PHRASING IS IMPORTANT..........]

[thedifferencebetween]

Oh...uh...no, no, I don't think so. I got a stuffed thing, some smokes, a hair thingy, a cane, a flower...

[starblessed]

[There's a faint smile that comes to her face at the mention of the flower.]

I wonder if they were the same as the flowers Shintaro received?

[But that's not the important part here. The smile fades, and Lunafreya nods.]

Very well. Thank you, Jack.

[ident17y]

Do you really think they would just admit that to you?

[ For the record, there is nothing immediately noticeable that is gold. ]

[starblessed]

[She folds her hands before her, meeting his eyes.]

I do not. This is a case where we must rely on our memory of one another. Likely whatever it was has now been hidden.

[ident17y]

[ He has no problem meeting her eyes, and he is as always, devoid of pretty much any emotion. If anything, he's pretty still, but maybe he's always this stiff. After a moment he sighs, and waves a hand. ]

I suppose that's logical enough. But I don't see a point in helping you when I've already voted for Brasco and Starshine.

[starblessed]

[Perhaps it would be easier if she'd gotten to know him earlier on! But 17 has always seemed a bit apart from the rest of them, so she can glean little from it.]

If you truly do not care if someone innocent may meet their death due to our negligence, that is a decision that is yours to make. All I can do is implore you to answer our questions to the best of your ability.

[ident17y]

I don't. [ That's firm, he was always the least caring of the two between himself and 18. On the other hand, she's not being obnoxious and he has no reason to walk away or really disengage.

Funny, it's been so long since he's seen his sister that just the blond hair is enough to remind him of her. What was that habit she always had? Ah right, reaching back to tuck her hair behind her ear to show off her earrings. Something they both shared, actually. And it's an action he finds himself unconsciously doing now before he realizes it.

He does catch himself, but not before she can see that obscured behind his hair are gold earrings. Now that is awkward. ]

Hah. [ Damn human habits. ]

[acherontiastyx]

...oh.

Well, that's one down, I guess.

[thatdarkmage]

[ Tsk, tsk, tsk! ]

Wow! Would you look at that?

[starblessed]

[SURPRISE. Luna's mouth falls open in a tiny "o" before she catches herself.]

Excuse me, I thought...

...may I examine your earrings? I wouldn't want to make an assumption without first having the facts.