Third Trial.

[withthemost]

[The Mayor is oddly silent today. Contemplative. It may have something to do with the wallpaper here now being very obviously reinforced. Don’t try to tear it down again, kids. You won’t like what happens.

Both Martin and Alfred’s podiums have been smashed to pieces, one of those might come as a shock if you weren’t around when the other body was found. But in the end, you’ll have to press onwards regardless of how many people have fallen today.]

Trial start.

Comments

[whohastimefortears]

[Cheryl had heard about Alfred's death. That morning she had been looking over Twilight since the pony was staying in her cabin now, but there was no skipping the trial for either of them.

But seeing Martin's podium like this... she can't seem to catch her breath.]

What... the hell? Where's Martin?

[junosteel]

...

He's...he's dead. The Narrator and Mika found him in the woods.

[Juno has his hands shoved into his pockets, his expression hollow.]

[protojoker]

...wow, we’ve never had two before.

[forgetmeso]

Ah, so this is what the atmosphere feels like in here.

[what up here's your residence ghost boy attending a trial for the first time

He's wheeled Twilight in with an old wheelbarrow and is currently standing next to her at her podium, wearing a pair of sunglasses as if that'll hide the fact that his eyes are bright red and he's got a migraine like no other but its fine probably]

[junosteel]

...Huh?

[He blinks. He thought Li said ghosts couldn't come in?]

How come you're here now?

WOUND + MUD CHECK

[hydrazine]

Okay, everyone, it's time to check for any injuries. If everyone could come over here, we can get started.

[She'll be looking over everyone for any signs of blood or wounds, and she's keeping an eye out for any traces of mud, too.]

[endlesscrush]

[ let's put in a check while i'm still conscious-

mika's got no wounds, but her shoes are all muddy. kind of expected, since she was the one to check the mud evidence. ]

[pegathesis]

[Twilight's deligated to her wheelbarrow, but her wounds are still obvious. A broken left foreleg and gashes on her side that have not yet begun to heal.

She was in the clinic ever since the attack and only recently left.]

[protojoker]

Do we have to?

[junosteel]

[Juno's trench coat is sort of dirty, in general, but that's how its it's always been. There's a little bit of mud on it from walking around during the investiation, but besides that, it's not particularly dirty.

Once Raven is done checking his coat, he shrugs it off his shoulders. Besides some old scars, there are no visible wounds.]

[dearboswell]

[No clear injuries here! And any mud is what you'd expect from him bodychecking Martin.]

[nightcure]

[ no blood or mud--the only wounds he's got are old and already scarred, so noct is clear. ]

[montages]

[ no wounds, just some mud from investigating and stuff.. ]

[spiritoso]

[ No wounds or mud on her! ]

[nightcure]

[ he's got what he found in the clinic... the stuff he could grab, anyway. ]

So... when I went into the clinic, I found a lot of stuff. First was the smell--burnt flesh and, uh. [ here he withdraws the little bit of weed he could salvage. ] And some weed. There was a trashcan full of burnt objects, too. Some paper, some bandages, and some kind of... costume? It was pretty creepy; a baby's head. It was burnt, too.

Next was the... [ here he looks incredibly uncomfortable! ] The operating table. There was a lot of blood on it. On the pillow, too, but there was a... [ wince. ] A face shape on it. I couldn't really tell if it matched anyone's.

On the table next to it, I found an empty whiskey bottle. And a bloody knife that smelled like-- like burnt flesh. [ he has it, too, and he pulls it out. ] It was still a little wet when I found it.

... That's about all I found.

[tenrules]

That KNIFE. It must be what cauterized the wound Mr. Argentum FOUND.

[Quite cruel, to cauterize without much of a reason]

It is starting to sound like Mr. Alfred was subjected to TORTURE.

[Leaving aside the contradicting fact it looked peaceful, that is]

[montages]

D'you...think the face shape in the pillow could be Alfred's? And maybe that's why he couldn't breathe--he got smothered or something!

sorry for the late;;

[montages]

I...checked out Alfred's body.

The first thing I noticed was that the blood was mostly coming from his abdomen. I looked under his shirt, and his torso was covered in bruises and scratches, but there was a huge cauterized wound. It...looked like a stab wound, actually. And it wasn't made from a knife, either.

There was also a bruise on the left side of his head. His face was really blue, like...he wasn't able to breathe. But I checked his neck to see if he was choked or something; nothing.

[ he takes a deep breath, then: ]

Uh...his body was also positioned like it was in a casket. He looked...peaceful. And...that's it.

[protojoker]

Okay. So looks like he had a soft spot for that guy.

CATHERD

[hydrazine]

Okay. We've got two victims this time, so it's a little more complicated than it would be otherwise. Let's go over what we know so far.

[A pause, before she continues on.]

Let's start off with Martin. He was found in the woods. He had multiple stab wounds in his abdomen. Dr. Watson thinks they were from a sharpened pipe. There was a whiskey bottle and broken glass a ways away from his body. There were three sets of footprints leading there, but only two leading away. One of them had a limp, and it looked like someone had fallen in the mud.

Next, Alfred. He was right outside of town hall when we found him, but there was a trail of blood that came from the clinic. Noctis went over what he found in the clinic, but to reiterate: blood on the operating table, and burnt flesh smell in general as well as a bloody knife that smelled like burnt flesh and had water on it. There was some weed, burnt paper, bandages, and some kind of costume that looked like a baby head. In addition, the imprint of a face on the pillow from the operating table, as well as an empty whiskey bottle. As for wounds, they were also on his abdomen. Lots of bruises and scratches, and a large cauterized stab wound, but not from a knife. His face was blue, like he asphyxiated, but there were no choke marks on his neck, but there was a bruise on the side of his head. He was positioned like he was in a casket.

[She pauses after that.]

There are a few things we should be going over. If there was only one culprit, we need to decide why he or she would kill two people, and like Sol said, we should figure out the order they died in. We should also figure out how Alfred actually died - was it from the cauterized wound, or asphyxiation? We need to figure out why it looked like he couldn't breathe even though there were no marks on his neck, too.

If there's anything else we should be going over, now's a good time to bring it up.

[pegathesis]

There's one thing I'm wondering.

...are we absolutely sure that Alfred was tortured? Because...I'm wondering if Alfred might have gone to the clinic himself due to his injuries if he got in an altercation of some kind.

And then...didn't make it. Maybe he was too badly injured if there was a fight in the woods...

[IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN...THE OTHER WEIRDNESS with the pillow but she's taking this one step at a time.]

He still could have been killed by someone after he got to the clinic, but something about all of this isn't adding up.

[tenrules]

Listen HERE. Let's establish the TIMELINE.

[Dlanor prepared herself to speak. For the sake of readibility, here's what she said without she actually saying it:]

"It is likely Mr. Alfred is the culprit who murdered Mr. Septim. It happened in the forest, and the weapon was a sharpened pipe. It is possible Mr. Alfred was injured with that same weapon, and that he fell in the mud at that place. This also means that is when he may have sustained all those bruises.

Injured, Mr. Alfred made his way to the clinic, with the intention of taking care of his wounds. He may have cut the costume and made bandages. During this time, a third person made their way into the scene -- a person who then proceeded to kill Mr. Alfred. What we may have to define is how that was done.

Consider the following: for the asphyxiation to work, Mr. Alfred would have needed to be lying down. I think it is possible the culprit offered to cauterize the wound for Mr. Alfred, and once he was lying down and the task was done, he was murdered. To heat up the knife to do the cauterization, several items were burned in a trashcan.

Once Mr. Alfred perished, he was taken to the town hall for reasons we have yet to discover. From this we can infer the culprit has enough strength to carry a cadaver, which can help to narrow down the list -- unless there are indications a tool was used to aid them on this task"

[Dlanor had been pacing around, telling it as soon as it came to her mind. When she was done, she returned to her podium]

Knox's eighth: It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not PRESENTED. While there is no guarantee my father's rules apply to this place, it is likely we already have all the clues we need to solve this CASE. Let's CONTINUE

[hydrazine]

[A pause.]

In addition to that, if someone carried him - there was a blood trail. Someone might have gotten blood on their clothing, on their shoes, their hands, under their fingernails... Something. We should check for any accidental burns on everyone's hands in case there's any kind of mark from them trying to cauterize the wound.

...

[junosteel]

[Juno grips the podium with both hands. There's some fresh blood trickling from the palm of his hand. He's avoiding looking anyone in the eyes.]

Enough. You've been running in circles since the beginning of this trial. You deserve to know what happened.

[He hesitates, looking up. His expression is blank--he's accepted his fate.]

I killed Alfred. He chased me, I fell, I panicked and fought back. But that still doesn't change the fact that he's dead.

[MTB...start?]

[protojoker]

And nobody is surprised.

The Quintessential English Gentleman.

[dearboswell]

[Throughout the last several lines of questioning, Watson has been pretty... Well. Not great.

His knuckles have gone dead white, clutching the podium for dear life. He's looking steadily down, and his breathing is ragged, but his voice is still eerily calm, as if he's putting every last scrap of himself into facing this situation with some sort of dignity.]

... Forgive me. With all the facts laid out before me... I understand now. It's all quite- quite elementary, my dear-

Ah.

[His breath quickens. There's something horrible and painful about the way his face twists.]

If I had known then what I have realized now... I would have spoken up a long time ago.

[Listen up, my friends, and let me spin you a tale... If you but close your eyes, and deny the truth right in front of you, then perhaps this will all be a little story at a late night sleepover.]

[tenrules]

Take a deep breath and tell us EVERYTHING. This trial a farce may be, but this is a court of law nonetheless, your word is our GOSPEL.

[...]

PLEASE.

[Come on, Watson, what happened?]

VOTING

[withthemost]

I don’t wanna hear any complaints, moral dilemmas, or bitching. You all know whatcha gotta do here, and it’s time to do it.

[dearboswell]

[He writes his name with a flourish, with a hand that doesn't shake and with his jaw set in determination.

Watson's eyes fix on the Mayor.]

So help me God, even if I am to be damned to hell for what I've done, you deserve to be ruined alongside me. You come to our beds on some nights and bring us "gifts"- food, water, clothing- but only if we behave. Only if we play by your rules. You kidnap us, and force us to kill one another, and for what? Amusement? Cruelty?

I killed a man last night. I killed Alfred. But you- were it not for your artificial scarcity, he would still be living today. And were it not for this hellish game, none of our number would be dead.

[Watson knows that his words are falling on deaf ears, but he had to say it before he died. If anyone deserves the blame in this place, it's the Mayor.]

EXECUTION

[withthemost]

Now, I know what some of 'ya are thinking. "We shoulda' been able to vote for both of them! They're equally involved with this murder!" And y'know what? I'd probably agree!

But unfortunately, that's just how the cookie crumbles, kiddos! The stage only has room for one!

[The Mayor says that as Watson is plucked from his podium, and thrown onto stage. A train appears before him, and he's suddenly standing on a trolley next to it. Music starts blaring from a place no one can discern, and Watson's expression looks surprised yet solemn. He knows what he's done, he's prepared to take his punishment.

The train starts rolling, along with the trolley. And after a few seconds of riding along, a ghost appears out of the back of the train-cart. It doesn't take anyone by surprise -- there's ghosts all around you at this point -- and Watson waits to see what it's got in store.

...what might take everyone by surprise, are the eyeballs suddenly flying out of the ghost's hands at Watson.

He dodges one, but gets hit by another. And another, and another -- they just don't stop coming. They look like they'd be soft and squishy but for some reason, they hit like stone and everyone can only watch in horror as Watson becomes bruised, battered. Blood pours out of his nose, a tooth is knocked out of his skull, and all he can do is try to take it as bravely as he can. He took Alfred's life, not Juno, and he's going to take his execution without much of a fight.

Though, however, through one of his bloodied eyes he looks up and sees the Mayor smirking. And it sets his blood boiling.

With a bout of his final energy left, Watson staggers to his feet and waits for one of those eyes to be sent his way. He takes in a deep, staggering breath as the ghost shoots -- and he manages to catch it, and throws it at your beloved Mayor with all of the weight he can muster. It hits him square in the jaw, sending the Mayor back a few feet or two as he swears angrily from the retaliation. It's not much, but it's something. You can't kill someone who's already dead, after all.

Pleased, Watson stands strong with a smile on his bloody face and another eyeball is thrown at him, sending him stumbling off of the trolley and his body is taken up underneath the train. Luckily for bystanders, the scene is a little too obstructed to be seen clearly, but the music only barely covers up the sound of a sickening CRUNCH.

The Mayor stands up straight, his hand covering one of his eyes with his expression looking vivid and he says in a commanding tone:]

I want you out of my office.

NOW.

[dont worry tho hell still bring you all terrible, terrible gifts]

[junosteel]

[Juno forces himself to watch. He may as well give Watson the respect he deserves. He doesn't even know what he's looking at, to be honest--something out of some old cartoon or something. But he visibly winces every time Watson is hit by one of those eyeballs.

But then he watches as Watson throw that eyeball at the Mayor, and a surge of pride swells in his chest. It's quickly swept away along with Watson. But he's glad that the doctor had some sort of catharsis before he died.

...

He turns away, trying avoid meeting anyone's eyes. He doesn't want their pity.]

ADDENDUM

[forgetmeso]

[Everyone found the culprit, and Rufus did his best to help with it as much as he could.. but he came to this trial for a reason. He wanted to confront the Mayor, since he's already dead. It's not like he can be killed again, right? But.. like the last time he was here, being in this room is affecting him greatly. And since he's staying much longer than last time it's.. unbearable.

He's been silent for the last half of the trial, trying his best to ignore it but as Watson's execution comes to an end he slumps forward, gripping onto Twilight's podium with a vice like grip. He bows his head to hide it, but there's a green liquid dripping from his nose, like neon coloured blood. And as his sunglasses slip off, everyone can see that his eyes are bright red. It kind of looks like... the red is swirling in his eyes, over and over like one of those spiral illusions and he's...... laughing...

It starts small, under his breath before it gets louder and louder until it's booming over the courtroom. He raises his head, a hand pressed to his ear as he looks over the remaining living and gives them a wide, crazed looking grin before he just.

Flickers twice, and then disappears.]