week 3 - trial; day 1

[vicedirector]

seven vices case 3 trial, day 1 ♫ saturday At 9AM, every television will go off, loud enough to wake anyone sleeping. The calm, apathetic voice will advise everyone to gather in the chapel for the trial. Static will continue to blare in the head of anyone dillydallying. Once all of the guests have gathered in the chapel, the doors will lock. Most of the pews have been moved aside to allow for more space, and a few tables have been set up on the altar. On the first, there is an additional copy of the rulebook, and the information cards of the victim and suspects laid out, with space for the suspects to provide their whereabouts, as well as an autopsy report. There is also a large wheeled chalkboard upon which you may write theories. On the second table is a pitcher of water and some glasses, as well as very simple sandwiches and pastries. The door behind the altar has finally been unlocked. It's a rather plain room with an area set off by a folding screen. Inside, you will find a table on which the victim's body has been laid out. Next to the table, two black and white photographs have been hung on the screen. they are close ups of the victim's body, as it was found when the body discovery announcement chimed. A few sticks of incense burn in the corner to avoid any smells. At 6PM, the trial will adjourn. Everyone will be escorted back to the hotel by Miata, after which everyone is allowed to head to either the kitchen to get dinner, or to their rooms. Attempting to wander off into the other areas of the hotel will trigger the static alarms in everyone's heads/televisions. >Discuss? victims   suspects      cast setting rulebook

Comments

[lastgirl]

But Youko has blood under her nails. She must have made the scratches herself then, right?

[symbologic]

Yes, personally I don't believe that either of these things were done post mortem, but I see no solid reason to completely reject Undyne's theory just yet. What I was suggesting, had it indeed occurred post mortem, was the culprit using Youko's hand to make the scratches after both were dead. Which seems rather pointless and a bit of a stupid suggestion on my part but...

[lastgirl]

Yeah it sounds like a lot of effort. Not just with Youko's hand, but even with Zelos - his body is bruised up. It looks like they fought, but it's hard to tell for sure.

[symbologic]

[He nods.]

A fight between the two really seems to be the simplest explanation. It's just somewhat difficult to make sense of why. If the two simply got into a fight and a third party intervened, that would be straightforward and simple enough but...

[THE PUPILS. HE'S STUCK ON THE FUCKING PUPILS. WHY.]

[lastgirl]

...Well, why would someone get into a fight on a Thursday night around here? Not saying that's exactly what happened, but we all know the pattern by now.

[herbgrace]

There's an obvious reason two people would be fighting on Thursday night. [One of them could have been trying to murder the other.]

[lastgirl]

Yeah that's what I meant. They fought, someone walked in and took advantage of it.

[hopefragment]

But that wouldn't explain why both of them were drugged. One of them, sure, but both...? Unless the third person drugged both of them and... somehow got them to fight each other. Like what Faize said about them being tricked.

[herbgrace]

I suppose it could happen if you drugged both of them without their knowledge and had them wake up in a room together. They might, in a panic, attack anyone they saw, thinking that they were going to be killed.

[symbologic]

But why go through all the trouble of doing that? Especially if they were just going to eviscerate them once it was all over?

[herbgrace]

Maybe the killer didn't believe they could kill both of them without them being weakened first? [Actually...] We should probably consider the question of why they would kill two people, as well.

[symbologic]

Mmm, I've been thinking about that since yesterday. Two victims means we could be more realistically looking at an accomplice this time.

[brawlhalla]

Each of them killing one person?

[detanimetion]

Maybe one of the victims walked in and saw something suspicious happening.

Or maybe the killer's just a sick murderous jerk. You have to be some kind of twisted to do what they did to just one person, let alone two!

[hopefragment]

Why bother making them fight each other in the first place, then? If they're already in a position where they're drugged and unconscious, why not, you know...

[Just kill them? He's a good Dangan boy, murders are not supposed to be quite this messy.]

Unless it's to... "deepen the mystery."

[Suddenly he sounds annoyed by something that may or may not have to do with this particular trial.]

[herbgrace]

It's a good question. If they were semi-conscious, it could be so they would both be weakened by the other first. It could also be to make things more confusing. There could also be some other reason we're unaware of, of course--unless we're to entertain the idea of an accomplice, a single killer doesn't have anything extra to gain by killing two people, so there must be some reason it happened. [Be it chance, plan, or sadism.]

[hopefragment]

It could be an unwitting accomplice, too. We can't forget that as a possibility, I think.

I... honestly hope you're right about that. Instead of it just being someone making the crime scene more confusing just to mess with us.

[minogame]

But there are only two ways to get to the school if they were drugged... either they went there on their own or were somehow brought there by someone.

So why would they go there on their own or how would someone get them there otherwise?

[herbgrace]

Do we know when the last time either victim was seen alive was? It could be they were drugged early on and only killed later.

[symbologic]

No, that...that part I understand perfectly. If they really were drugged though, that is where I begin to have difficulty following what happened. If it was a simple matter of Zelos and Youko fighting over the motive, and another person taking advantage of that and killing the victor, it would be perfectly straightforward.

But adding drugging into the situation makes it seem like that was not the case at all.

[lastgirl]

[She nods.]

I think it's safe to say the drugs caused their pupils to dilate, but it also wasn't enough to get them killed. We need to think about the order of events with how the drugs were used. Lithuania mentioned that they could have been drugged earlier, woke up and then attacked each other thinking the other was involved? Or maybe they were drugged and then killed, so that the pupils would dilate, and the drugs are a red herring?

[dhaosu]

If the killer were capable enough, we could say they could have somehow got the drop upon the two whilst they were in combat, and forced the drugs upon them if they happened to wind up unconscious or otherwise unable to counter. Then, perhaps in that order, they were drugged and then brutally killed?

[ Unsure. Why can't murders be simple? ]

[detanimetion]

I dunno...the killer would have to already have had the drugs on them for that to happen, so either they somehow already knew Youko and Zelos would be fighting each other when they walked in or they just got really lucky. And carry painkillers on them all the time for some reason?

Unless you're also thinking that they were working with one of the victims.

[dhaosu]

...They could have been. Although unfortunately, it is still difficult to tell.

Yet, I cannot think of a reason of the two willingly taking those drugs.

[symbologic]

Yes, that's a sound theory that explains everything...except for why the killer would go through that much trouble. If they were unconscious, why not just kill them then? Unless they were hoping they'd kill one another and they could get away as the "true culprit" without having to actually kill anyone. But...even that doesn't make sense since they were torn open afterwards.