Second Trial

[neverhadafriend]

[Once again, it's time for the trial. Once again, the floor of the lobby opens up to lead you down to the trial room. Genie can be found in the center of the stage, smoking a pipe and donning a deerstalker hat.]

It's elementary, my dear Watson. [He paces around the stage, peering through a comically large magnifying glass.] You know how this goes, folks. Find the culprit, do the thing.

[He grimaces, whisking away his costume and rubbing his head.]

I gotta say, this one is...kind of a doozy. I can try and clear some things up--as long as I'm allowed to.

[He glances nervously at the birds up above, which continue to chatter amongst themselves.]

[ TRIAL START! ]

Comments

[tadaishi]

Nice hat.

[He's got a shirt from the depot bundled into a ball around something and looks like he'd rather be anywhere else.]

[bottlerockets]

[... alright, we'll bite]

What's that?

[diebartdie]

Now, before anyone asks? I believe my brother had this coming. That does not mean I did this, nor does it mean I would’ve liked to.

...under the circumstances, at least.

[primafacie]

We can't rule anyone out, unfortunately. Still, I doubt you would have tried to feed him to the walruses.

[redloxy]

[Foxy looks much more serious than she's been previously, her expression no longer defaulting to an unnatural degree of cheer.]

So there was a trail of glass by that pit. It led to the video store, and more specifically to that catapult outside it. And then there was another trail of glass that led to the stage! Apparently all that glass came from the chandelier, but I dunno how it fell down yet.

[tadaishi]

There was a catapult?

[primafacie]

Ah! That explains the poor walrus I found in the pit. It looked quite banged up and sorry, although thankfully still alive. There was also quite a lot of blood, although most of it had dried up.

[prodigalhairess]

A catapult?

[Well! There's some kind of technology Rapunzel knows about, at least!]

How big was it?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Can't imagine this is going to be easy, but...

[Oh hey, like Tadashi Cass is showing up with a bundle of shirt in her hands too! My, that looks an awful lot like blood on it.]

I was in the island depot with Tadashi when I found this. [She unbundles the shirt on her podium. That's definitely some bloodstains... not to mention, a bloody knife.]

[primafacie]

Wait, why - why build a catapult if you're just going to stab someone?

[madmadam]

Oh! So that's where that knife went!

[kuzcospoison]

Oh. Huh. Well... the knife, I thought I might've caught a glimpse of that at the... scene of the crime, but... [He reluctantly gestures at the bloody shirt.] Where'd that come from.

Mods please!

[tadaishi]

[Leans over to look at that knife.]

Hmm.

[Does it match Yzma's stab wound better than a walrus tusk?]

It's the second catherd do do do dooo

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[There's that whistle again, same as the first time.]

So, we know that Cecil and Yzma were in the depot, laying facing each other. Yzma had a stab wound in her back. And Cecil didn't have any injuries, but he did have what was probably whipped cream from a poisoned pie on his face. There was also a knife in his hand, and a bloody shirt stashed behind the counter.

It looks like they might have ended up killing each other... but that doesn't answer the question of where the catapult came from, or why there was blood in the walrus pit.

Something's not adding up, so I'm open to ideas.

[prodigalhairess]

[Hmmm...]

Can we be sure that Cecil stabbed Yzma? If there's a third party involved with all of this, they could've easily put the knife in his hand after everything was done with.

[primafacie]

There was blood in the walrus pit but more importantly one of the walruses was quite banged up. It may have injured whoever fell in, but I can't say for certain.

[nobodylikesyouwhen]

If he was hit by the pie in Videopolis, and that's where the catapult was... someone else has to be involved to have gotten them both to the store, right? Were they trying to make it look like they killed each other? It's not an uncommon approach to killing multiple people and trying to get away with it.

ignore the default icon, am mobile tagging

[tadaishi]

Yzma's stab wound could have been caused by a walrus tusk or the knife...it's hard to say. I believe she was in the pit at some point, whether she was tossed there or went in willingly.

I personally believe that's where she died.

Voting Time

[neverhadafriend]

[So.

That was a Ride]

Well uh... I'm sorry to say this, but rules are rules. As much as I want Kronk to not get horribly killed because he disposed of his terrible boss, we have to if we don't want the Master to...

[He clears his throat in an exaggerated manner, looking pretty uncomfortable.]

Well, you know.

[primafacie]

Must we?

[She looks extremely sad and defeated.]

[bornforit]

[Another one for the "looking sad and defeated" club, though she's trying hard to hide it.]

> Kronk

[She hates thisssss]

[nobodylikesyouwhen]

[ Hm! No, sir, she doesn't like this! But... ]

> Kronk

[ Biting back her anger takes all her focus away from being able to put off the inevitable. ]

[prodigalhairess]

[Hope you like kicked puppy faces Genie, because that's just... all Rapunzel can muster.]

Kronk

[It hurt bad enough, voting for Bill. But voting for Kronk, who'd been nothing but sweet to all of them? That just makes her stomach burn, like she'd swallowed acid.]

[madmadam]

[KRONK]

Now, can you make this as entertaining as the last one?

EXECUTION: PULL THE LEVER, KRONK!

[neverhadafriend]

[Once the votes come in, Genie snaps his fingers, and Kronk appears in the center of the stage in a puff of blue smoke. Genie's expression is sympathetic as he says--]

Sorry, folks. You know how this ends. Kids, cover your eyes and ears and...well, everything if you have to.

[There's a loud CLUNK as the floor in front of Kronk opens up and a machine rises up onto the stage. It doesn't look like the genie is orchestrating this machinery--after all, it's not tacky or blue, and it definitely wasn't magicked by him. The machine has been constructed to look like stone, and a stylistic bat-like creature with large, prominent fangs has been attached to the front. The design is innately familiar to Kronk.

Kronk takes a tentative step back, glancing back towards Genie. Genie clears his throat and speaks in a stage whisper.]

Pssst. I, um, think you have to pull one of those levers.

[Kronk flexes his fingers, sighing and approaching the machine. He reaches towards the right lever before pulling his hand back. No, wait--he has to be careful about this decision. His gaze settles on the left lever, noting its wear and tear. Perhaps that one would have been tested more, though? Which means....

Regaining his confidence, Kronk commits and pulls the right lever, bracing for whatever awaits him. Nothing happens for a moment, and Kronk lets out a sigh of relief.

With a bang, the floor opens beneath Kronk, revealing a dark pit. For a moment, he remains suspended in the air, his hand still on the lever, unaware of his perilous position.

Then he looks down, and gravity takes its effect. With a prolonged yelp, Kronk plummets down into the pit. His cries echo throughout the trial room, fading away as he continues to fall.

Silence. Genie leans forward, peering down into the pit with a flashlight. For a few tense moments, it seems as though everything is over. A low rumbling sound fills the chamber, growing with intensity and shaking the very floor, until a veritable fountain of blood spews out of the pit like some sort of grotesque geyser.]

Oh, God!

[Genie recoils, instinctively pulling out an umbrella from out of thin air and shielding the audience from the splash zone. It unfortunately won't stop blood from being sprayed all over the animatronic birds and anyone who isn't covered by the umbrella. The birds let out a series of delighted and disgusted squawks, frenzied by this excitement.

Wrong lever.]

[halloteen]

[don't faint don't faint don't faint don't faint don't

it's fine she's fine she's just infinitely more comfortable kneeling right now it's fine]