Fifth trial

[letsplayamod]

[Just as you believe you’ve gathered enough to make a case, the sky crackles a hazy red.]

Enough! Enter the arena at once!

[There’s a change in Typhon’s tone. The bluster of his usual pride replaced with a more tangible frustration. Like the thunder he summons, his rage punctuates every word.

That matter aside, all the survivors eventually return to the arena. The mood is dour, not helped by the surrounding. For the first time, this place was a fresh murder scene; bloodstains and scorch marks continue to stain the stones. It seems that there just wasn't time to remove Ferdinand's body from the scene. So it remains, impaled on his own spear, left to fill the void of Ferdinand's absence from the surviving party in the worst way.

Again, a rift opens beyond the barrier, and Typhon forces his head through.]

You know why you are here, do you not? Now, go! Complete your task, find the culprit or die trying!

[TRIAL START]

Comments

[latinumsbetter]

[Quark’s already there as the last few of them start to arrive, standing at Velvet’s side, his arms crossed. He glowers at Typhon at that challenge. However, once everyone’s there, he’ll speak up.

He doesn't bother making any threats or promises. What would be the point?]

Ferdinand’s door was ajar when I went back to my room this morning after the bathhouse. It looked mostly the same once I went inside, but I noticed that two things were missing. First, his armor. It’s usually in place in the corner, but this time it was gone. The tea set on his desk is also missing. [he pulls a list out from inside his jacket] Finally, there was this list, in Ferdinand’s handwriting, left on his desk. When I found it the ink was barely dry, like it’d just been written a short time ago. It’s a care routine for the horses and the pegasi, and Derick.

Obviously, the mystery of where his armor went is solved--[he specifically does not look at Ferdinand’s body]--but did someone find his tea set?

[sweetsynergy]

I found part of it, maybe.

[Vanity's here, she's tired. The gray combat suit she recovered from Quark a few days ago looking a bit bedraggled and scuffed by association.]

[She holds out the two tea cups she found.]

They were in the eatery. One's clean, like completely, but it was still hot when I found it. Careful, it smells kind of- chemical. I can't figure out with what.

[Sighing, she indicates the other cup.]

This one I wanted to ask you about anyway. It's got some kind of tea-fruit gunk left inside, and I can't figure out what but it smells kind of like the stuff that gets used at the bar.

[murchada]

...Why would he write that up now?

[pariunt]

[The fact that Ferdinand's body is still here clearly disturbs the hell out of Astarion.

He can't even bring himself to say something snippy.]

[murchada]

[yeah good god they just gotta be normal while his body is just

there

huh]

[taintedfayth]

[Yeah we don't love this.]

[fillets]

[ IF SHE SPEAKS....... ]

[raisethemoon]

[ Luna arrives amid a faintly glowing cloud of...floating apples? The apples start to distribute themselves as she speaks. There's one or two for everyone that eats, and can eat such things. ]

I went into the...stables. It looked as though Ferdinand had already been there to tend to the horses. He also...appeared to have taken the wyvern out for exercise already, and then tied him up to the fence over yonder? I am not quite certain. But he was uninjured, if...upset...

[ Her own apple tucks itself into the crook of her wing. She does not even look at it, much less eat. She is also, very carefully, not looking at Ferdinand's body. ]

[catsgothistongue]

You don't think he's a witness to the murder, do ya'?

[Do they gotta ace attorney this and get an animal's testimony?]

[stringup]

[ There's this dawning realisation on Velvet's face, though it's hard to say whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. ]

...Did he tie Derick up so he wouldn't fly over to him...?

[catsgothistongue]

[Five.

Five times they've had to go through this charade.

Five times they've had to sit through the bullshitter blab on and on about how he's so much greater and they're all hopeless and blah blah does he ever know when to shut up? Ranma largely ignores it, first on the scene given... he was corpse poking, his eyes on the goal: avenge a death, weed out a killer, same as its ever been.

Let's get down to business.]

Whoever killed Ferdie, if you couldn't tell [Thinly veiled vitriol], they impaled him on his own spear.

[Straight to the point, ha ha]

Gone straight through his chest, destroyed his ribs and punctured a lung, and right out the back.. It... It was messy, lots of blood, a little more than normal.

[He eyes meet the ground, recounting it. Had hoped to never have to look at another corpse with a hole in their torso, but them's the breaks.]

Whoever did this had to pierce through his chest plate, not without a lack of trying before. The metal was banged up. Dents, punctures, impacts, the work. Same goes for his shield... Sort of, 'cause it had scorch marks in the center along with the arena walls all over.

[Brushing his hand through his hair, his face scrunches up in thought.]

Weirdly enough, those are more busted up than Ferdie, besides... [His eyes drift to where the body lay with dry exasperation. Seriously killer, didja have to murder your vic right in front of their salad here?] ... the obvious. I couldn't find any defensive wounds or burns on him, only old scars that've got to be a month old at the least. Which is even weirder, 'cause I hadn't seen those on him before today.

[He's seen enough of Ferdie's exposed skin during exercising and training to know those weren't there before.]

Other than all that and some footprints scattered all over here, that's all I could find.

[stringup]

For the scars... It's probably because his shield regenerates his injuries. That said, it's not perfect, and they tend to scar as they heal.

...Did you happen to see a scar on his side?

Forge

[yourheroine]

[Aoi looks a bit paler than usual at the sight of Ferdinand's body, and tries to avert her eyes.]

Somebody was making something in the forge. It was really hot when Aoi went in there, and a few molds were melted in the fire basin. Not sure what they were trying to make...

Oh. And two sets of footprints. One that was definitely bigger than Aoi's feet, and one somebody tried to sweep away.

[pariunt]

...two sets of footprints?

[catsgothistongue]

[His head perks up hearing that, moving over to show his evidence and to block Aoi's sight of the body to the best of his ability.]

The- [Wait, no, redundant.] There's footprints here. A lot of them were smeared in the dirt, but I was able to trace one print.

[He holds up his scoreboard, showing he indeed did just that.]

I was gonna see if we couldn't compare people's feet to it, but... [Well, they're having a trial at the crime scene.]

[fillets]

Ferdinand's and his killer's, perhaps?

[sweetsynergy]

[Oh, this is fine. Just leave the body, sure. Fuckin' Typhon.]

Trying to make something, or trying to destroy it?

[And just. Wordlessly holding out a little satsuma orange to Aoi.]

[She's tired but she can offer some calories in this trying time. But no eggs, you think she knows how to cook eggs even if they'd had the time?]

[stringup]

[ It's a good thing Velvet is already used to dead bodies, or she might have actually dissociated right here. ]

[latinumsbetter]

[he is decidedly Not Looking that way, but he does step slightly closer, pressing his shoulder a bit against her arm]

[pariunt]

[Astarion is still nearby, of course.]

[sweetsynergy]

[Ah. Hm. Awkward.]

[Vanity shuffles over and pulls an apple out of her bundle of calories, hesitantly offering it to Velvet.]

You should eat.

[Especially since, you know. Ferd literally kind of died for it.]

[eeeonetwothree]

[ Omega arrives quietly, an unreadable expression on his face as always but an unmistakable aura of fury about him. His gaze lingers on Ferdinand’s corpse, with his hands shaking in rage at the fate of his friend. ]

Let us find our answers. Ferdinand will be avenged.

[ One way or the other, it will all end here. ]

[sweetsynergy]

[Vanity enters, tired and gray in the space-age outfit Ranma and Quark have already seen. She glances down at Ferdinand's body and grimaces, pausing long enough to give him a small nod before presenting her evidence.]

[And reaches into the bundled up towel she's carrying and pulls out an actual head of cabbage and just starts munching. The bundle is full of produce and non-perishables, looks like.]

...oh, food's back. So, y'know.

VOTE

[letsplayamod]

[So much turmoil and pain. Surely, one monster around here is enjoying it... But if anyone were to look, you would see Typhon looking certainly more pissed off than he ever has.]

Is that it? Shall we move forwards into the most important part?

[With little fanfare, fire plumes from the center of the arena. Each of you is passed a writing utensil and parchment without very much flourish.]

You know what must be done now. Write the name of the accused. Do it!

[murchada]

...Why don't you do your own damn dirty work, Typhon?

The Verdict

[letsplayamod]

[This whole trial, there's been a noticeable chip on Typhon's massive shoulder. He's been distracted, quiet, and furious whenever it's pointed out. With the vote called and all the grievances and slights piling up against him... Anyone would snap, really.

So it may be surprising how... calm Typhon seems.]

Very well. You have found the one responsible for your loss, and yet you challenge me so foolishly.

You call "dibs," yes? Very well, then. I accept.

[Typhon falls back into his rift, the air zipping up behind him. For a moment, he's simply gone. No sound other than the crash of waves and distant birds.

Then comes the rumbling from beneath. Deep, angry. This isn't like the others; this one is shaking the whole arena

You might want to move.]

[raisethemoon]

[ Luna immediately takes to the air, dragging the closest people to herself up along with her using her magic.

Yes that almost certainly includes Quark lmao ]