week 9 - investigation

[vicedirector]

seven vices case 9 - investigation ♫ thursday On Thursday morning, nothing seems terribly out of place. As far as everyone can see, nothing is off, no one's is missing or unaccounted for. Everyone is free to wake up at their own times and mingle as they see fit. For now. >Mingle? cast setting

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[hopefragment]

Who was it?! Inaba, what's...?!

[Okay, no, focus, Hinata. Are there any trails on the ground? Anywhere the blood could be leading? If not, he'll head into the schoolhouse itself prepared for Murder Evisceration Round 2 but.]

B-Be careful!

[dhaosu]

[ Since he was silently following them, his eyes narrow at the scene, and he will make sure to look around, more or less as Hinata does so. ]

[vicedirector]

[ Well, there's two things of interest.

The first is a big bloody rock on the ground, amidst the sea of blood.

The second is a bloody torso nailed to a nearby tree.

C: ]

[dereban]

Urashima was just with me, and we saw--

[ She shifts her head towards towards the tree and gasps, unable to say the other name. ]

[hopefragment]

[...He almost screams. He really, almost screams. But the choked sound that emerges at the sight of the torso just kind of builds uselessly in his throat instead of rising to a crescendo.

Is there any way of telling whether it's a male or female torso? A muscley torso? He'll get slightly closer if he has to.]

W-who?!

[dhaosu]

[ 'Urashima was just with me, and we saw--'

On one hand, that could mean Urashima was alright. On another hand, there is a mess over there, and it is completely and utterly gruesome.

Dhaos is not sure if he wishes to look at the body yet, so he focuses on the sea of blood, and see if there's anything strange about the rock or if there's anything else within it. Or if something else is sticking out. ]

[vicedirector]

[ It's a male torso, definitely, and very muscly at that, yes.

But it's also a torso. It's missing its head, and the lower half of its body.

>HATE YOURSELF AND LOOK CLOSER? ]

[dereban]

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry--

[ She's too panicked to say anything, because at this point she feels guilty and sick to her stomach to say who this might possibly be. And now she's just crying again. ]

[hopefragment]

[WWFD - what would Faize do? The answer is hate himself and look closer, because he really needs to check to make sure there's no blue space tats. Or that it looks like Faize at all. Absolutely looking toward the wrists for space tats then.

...He does look like he might be sick, but he's trying to be a good detective.

What kinds of wounds are we looking at, here?]

[dhaosu]

[ Good job Hinata. He wouldn't wish this task on anyone, and steps a bit closer, if need be, to see if there's anyway he can try to assist. ]

[vicedirector]

[ There's no tattoos of any sort. Or none of Faize's tattoos at least. The body is also completely human(-ish???), so no cyborg arms or anything.

(And the torso is sort of clothed. Kinda. LOOK, CLOTHES GET TORN WHEN YOU'RE DECAPITATED AND BISECTED.)

That said, it's pinned to the tree with knives in its hands and a familiar blade through its chest.

Urashima Kotetsu is dead. ]

[dereban]

Shit, this-- this is my fault--!

[ She curses herself under her breath, angry and frustrated as she twists her foot under the snow. ]

Where the hell is the other body?!

[hopefragment]

N-no...?

[?? no? It's not?? The turtle sword?? His voice is a whisper once he finally puts the clothes and the sword together into a concrete picture, and then he does clap a hand to his mouth, muffling a scream.]

W-what other body...?

[His voice is choked as he stumbles back, not wanting to look any more, but unable to look away, either. Maybe Dhaos should be the one to examine the torso more closely?]

I-Inaba, w-who...?

[vicedirector]

[ Once they're done freaking out for....a little bit, they'll also see there's a trail of blood leading into the void at the edge of town. ]

[dereban]

I was just with him, and I left him alone. I have to take responsibility for it...!

[ She darts her eyes around and sees that trail of blood. ]

... I'm heading this way-! [ INTO THE VOID ]

[hopefragment]

Fuck, Inaba, wait-!

[Tearing his eyes off the torso to run after her, noting the blood trail even as he plunges into the void after her.]

The killer could still be around here!

[vicedirector]

[ The blood trail is relatively straight, as far as blood trails go, though more in splatter form. The void being the void, it gets darker the further they go into it, with the two of them being plunged into complete blackness for a minute or so, the only sounds being their footsteps slapping against the ground.

When they emerge, however, they'll be near the park on the other side of town.

And there's something on the teeter-totter. ]

[dereban]

Is it...?

[ Inaba is already out of breath from running; this isn't her thing, after all, so she can't help it! But when she raises her head, her eyes fix at the teeter-totter. ]

[hopefragment]

[What now...?!

Fuck. Fuck? What's on the teeter-totter. What is he walking into here. Is it another piece of Urashima, or someone else? Does the blood trail lead right to the teeter-totter?]

[vicedirector]

[ There are two things, one on each end.

The first is a waist and corresponding legs. So, Urashima Kotetsu is still fucking dead.

The second is a familiar face, slumped over and unmoving. They sport a bloody wound on the side of their head, blood dripping onto the frozen ground.

Faize Sheifa Beleth is dead. ]

[dereban]

... Ah.

[ So it wasn't an illusion at all. What she saw earlier wasn't a lie. She can't help but fall onto her knees, just staring blankly at the dead body... ah, how ironic, she found Alisha's body before, didn't she? Maybe she's cursed to see a part of a couple die. ]

[hopefragment]

[The green hair should have made it obvious from the beginning. Who else has hair quite that vibrant? Hinata's breath catches in his throat, and then it's Time To Scream, a visceral sound that had been building since he'd seen Urashima's torso by the school.]

Faize?! Faize!

[And he's sprinting toward him, almost tripping on his way to grab Faize's shoulders, touching his face, his head, trying to figure out if there's any chance the other boy is still breathing.]

Faize, n-no, c'mon, you can't...!!

[He's blinking past tears he doesn't even seem to realize are gathering in his eyes, trying to figure out if there's any way he can save his best friend.]

[dhaosu]

[ Dhaos stares at Urashima's dead body, especially once it's come into clear and painful focus. The words of the two others beside him fade into silence, and for a second, his eyes are wide. He begins to tremble, and in his head he recalled Inaba's words in a startlingly distorted mantra.

Urashima was with me--

That means he was fine. This couldn't have been him.

Everyone liked Urashima. He was helpful, and he reached out to others, as well as looked out for them in his own way.

If it wasn't for him... then--

For a brief moment, rage consumed him and his hands twitched. He had an urge to do something, and it wasn't anything good.

There's still silence on his end, as he steps closer to the body, and should Hinata elect to not look at the torso more closely, Dhaos will. And if there's nothing else to be found there, then, well... ]

[vicedirector]

[ Unless he wants to study the severing-cuts on Urashima's neck and waist, no, there's no other evidence. ]

[dhaosu]

[ Then no, he'll just make his move on after looking closer at the cuts, and eventually follow the other two into the void. If only because 1). If there were two people dead after all, then three people discovering both bodies would make this go along faster than just heading back to search elsewhere.

Unless, of course, there was something else to be found elsewhere in the general area. Which doesn't look like it, so here he goes. ]