Fourth Trial

[neverhadafriend]

[Same time. Same place. Same old murder. Thus is the cycle on Pleasure Island, and thus are the circumstances you find yourself trapped in.

The birds are unusually quiet when you enter the room, peering down at the crowd with some curiosity. The Genie is center stage, his eyebrows knit together in concern.]

...You know what to do, folks. [He rubs the back of his neck, somehow looking even more anxious than previous trials.] Just a, uh, fair warning, my master's getting real antsy about this whole exercise.

[ TRIAL START! ]

Comments

[tadaishi]

Maybe...the tea was chamomile, though, which is a little weird to drink before handling knives.

[nobodylikesyouwhen]

How many cups were there? Maybe the killer needed to relax?

[tadaishi]

Two.

I have to wonder if he was even in the kitchen at all and we're looking for two people, each with a knife...

[nobodylikesyouwhen]

But if there's two, then... the killer and someone else? Someone helped them, maybe?

[prodigalhairess]

That would just relax the drinker. I don't really get angry often, but if I were to drink some of that when I do... that'd calm me down real easily. Not make me think more bad thoughts.

[nobodylikesyouwhen]

So... the tea was probably later, then. After the murder.

[ ... hm. ]

Maybe it was an accident- or self-defense? If Bob was trying to bring someone back, he attacked the killer... they had a fight, Bob fell over on his neck, and the killer went to go drink the tea to calm down. So it's their footprints heading out of the room. That explains everything except the knives, but... Bob might have just had one.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[What's this feeling in her chest?? pride??]

Sounds like we have a possible timeline. It would explain why the dirt is out in the hall... but I'm still trying to piece together what the fur was about.

[prodigalhairess]

[Hm....]

Maybe it was just... planted there?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

What, don't think a werewolf did this?

[prodigalhairess]

Cass....

[She's just. Tired. Of all of this.]

If someone planted evidence without trying to implicate someone else... why?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[The joke falls flat, and so do Cassandra's shoulders.]

It could be any number of reasons, Raps. [She's tired, but... holding together.] Don't worry, we'll figure this out. We might just be here for a while longer.

[prodigalhairess]

Everything's just going around in circles and it's not doing anything, though. Just dragging it out longer... it's not helping. It might just make things worse...

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Can it get any worse than this? Listen to me, if we keep digging maybe... maybe we'll find out something that could help us. Because every time we come down here, someone else dies.

We can't give up, Raps. Trust me.

[prodigalhairess]

I don't want to give up! And I know everyone else won't give up! You know I'll always trust you, but...

But it's... it's not working Cass. We have to tell them everything.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

There's nothing to tell!

Rapunzel, think about what you're doing!

[bornforit]

[Slowly, Leia's head turns toward the pair of them.]

What...does that mean?

[prodigalhairess]

[about that.... ]

[nobodylikesyouwhen]

[ DETECTIVE X-23 IS ON THE CASE ]

No one here has fur... is there anything from the mask, maybe?

[feudalladyshandmaid]

You could get anything from the mask. Remember the grubs.

mods!

[nobodylikesyouwhen]

Right, but there wasn't anything it could have come from.

[ She ponders for a second, then heads over to wherever the fur is - she has a slightly Special Nose and good eyes, is there anything new she can learn about it on closer examination? Is is natural or synthetic?


... she will taste it, if that's what it takes. ]

[pleasureislanders]

[The fur is natural, and comes from some sort of animal, though it's difficult to determine exactly.

As for the taste, well....it's definitely dusty. Gross. X-23 can probably assume this came from a taxidermy animal of some sort.]

[nobodylikesyouwhen]

[ Ah. She immediately pulls a face. ]

It... tastes like it comes from one of the animals in the trophy room.

[ Gross! ]

So... I don't think any of us suddenly have fur. Either it's there to confuse us and waste our time, or one of the stuffed animals is involved somehow.

[bornforit]

The tea didn't seem poisoned or anything like that, did it?

[tadaishi]

Nope, just normal tea.

[bornforit]

[Big Frowns!!!]

Can anyone think of people they've seen drinking tea with any kind of regularity? It's not much, but it could help narrow things down...