Week 0 - March 31st

[cartesio]

Week 0: Investigation

The deadline is fast approaching and the one thing that should be on everyone’s minds is, “what’s going to happen now?” Last night there was a strong thunderstorm, and thanks to it the air still feels cold, moist, and even a little murky. Droplets of water cover many surfaces outside, and there are few clouds hanging in the sky. It’s rather fitting weather given, in just a few hours, all of your lives will be claimed. Have you made peace with this seemingly unavoidable outcome?

Whether you have or haven’t, it would appear your musings are doomed to be interrupted. Outside the motel sirens can be heard as a patrol car zooms by. Maybe nothing’s wrong, and maybe it’s something unrelated to everyone’s current situation.

...but, even if it is, how many of you can really sit around and do nothing? The events of the 30th proved how eager to help some of you are—enough so to put even your own lives in danger.

Abruptly, the patrol car makes a sharp turn and disappears out of sight.

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March 28^th
March 29^th
March 30^th

Comments

[cartesio]

[It doesn't take long to find something unusual when Millium reaches the park. The perimeters is cordoned off with bright yellow ‘POLICE LINE: DO NOT CROSS’ tape. Oddly enough, despite the police going through the effort of closing off the area, no one seems to be around to guard it. Hm!]

[doublelammy]

[Welp. You know what you do with rules when no one's around to enforce 'em?

You break 'em just like you break everything else.

Into the park she goes. Anything noteworthy?]

[monstrology]

[The police car was definitely curious (and something pretty unfamiliar, JRPG world and all), so wandering after it has led Will here.

Recognizing Millium from the group, he follows.]

"Do not cross", eh? Has something new happened?

[Not that he would be surprised, considering the everything else...]

[doublelammy]

Dunno. I just came in here to have a look around. Dunno about you, but I don't like the sound of sirens first thing in the morning.

[Is it even morning? Who knows.]

[monstrology]

Can't say I'm a fan, myself. Far too noisy, and never a sign of anything good.

[...okay, Will. What was the point of asking if something happened, then.]

But yes, that's for the best. Considering what was expected of us today, this may not be a random disturbance...

[doublelammy]

[Well, Will, you're welcome along on the headventure!]

[cartesio]

[The park is quite a large place, it's so large you'd need some time to explore it all.

Thankfully, that won't be necessary. Once Millium enters the park and goes through one of the paths, she'll find something: during the night there was a strong thunderstorm, but it seems it didn't completely wash out the blood on part of a stone path very well. It's faint, but it's there.

A few more bits of dried blood lead towards a cluster of trees not too far away from there]

[doublelammy]

[Oh no. Chest pain is intensifying.

...

She swallows. This is not the first time she's seen blood.

Onward, toward the trees.

[cartesio]

[The little bits of blood don't continue, but they're enough to lead anyone towards the trees. From the outside it doesn't seem like there's anything wrong in there, but when Millium enters and get further inside, she finally finds something tied to one of the branches, hanging there.

It's a head. Just the head, nothing else]

[doublelammy]

[...dear sweet Aidios. Why.

Whose head is it...?]

[cartesio]

[Some people say that when you find something awful it feels like time stops. Everything's silent, only the rustle of leaves and the persistent coldness of fresh rain filling the air. There's not even smell of blood, if it wasn't because of the head right there anyone would think nothing was wrong.

But the head is here. Just by looking at the head anyone could tell this wasn’t a pleasant death. The person’s face is frozen in a grimace, their eyes wide open, pupils contracted, and their mouth hanging open. It might be comical if the person were alive. … then again, maybe some of you find it comical even though they’re not. The fact its own ponytail is what's tying it to a branch gives it rather morbid touch that can be easily missed, a detail more in an already grisly scene.

It’s a small mercy that the face is easily identifiable despite the lack of body. Many of you have seen this person more than once in the last few days.

Lovepon is dead.]

[doublelammy]

[Well, it takes Millium a couple of seconds to actually process what she's seeing, but once those couple of seconds catch up with her, she lets out a scream.

Holy hell that sure is one decapitated Lovepon. Everyone else should come check it out.]

[clearities]

[That sure was a scream--] What ha- [...oh. That. That sure is a head, so let's just double down on the screaming. She just got here and is even tearing up already. Someone probably should usher her away from it all.]

[detegoergosum]

[ Naoto immediately rushes toward the scream, gun drawn. When she arrives... ]

...Dear god.

[ ...And putting two and two together in her head, she rushes back toward the pond, assuming there's nothing on the way there she might notice. ]

[monstrology]

[Having come in with Millium, Will's just a few steps behind to process this along with her.

Oh.

And yet, his reaction is nowhere near as startled. The most he does is let out a sigh. It's easy to discern that he's long-desensitized to something like this.]

What a mess...

[This was the one who kept screeching about executions, if he recalls correctly. An unfortunate turn of events for her, then.]

[semperperatus]

[Aaaand Shepard freezes when he sees that head.]

No...

[The freezing up is only momentary, but it's clear Shepard isn't exactly...taking this well. Or processing the identity of the person's head. He's walking forward now, shouting the name April.

Someone stop him from taking the head please.]

[alfin]

[ Alfin lifted her head out of her hands to see who was shouting now. ]

April...?

[ She isn't really processing what's going on. She probably won't realize what he's trying to do until he raises his hands. ]

[semperperatus]

No...!

[He's reaching out to try and grab that head now. Get it out. Get it free. He's not here, but in Egypt, the floodwaters have receded and...and...

No. She's not fully human, maybe someone can fix her maybe--]

[alfin]

[ As the flower shop was closed, Alfin decided to head to the park. She would have gone to the ice cream shop after, but... Well, things don't always work out like you plan. ]

K...

[ She approached the tree, having seen Millium there. She was not, however, prepared for what Millium was looking at. ]

KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[ She took several steps back, before falling backwards. There was a head in the tree... A human head...!

She covered her face and started to sob. ]

[theserpentsmiles]

[After determining that the motel and the park seemed to be specifically targeted by the fire (and seeing nothing immediately wrong in the motel), Nagisa's first destination was the park. And that sure is a head right there.

He stops in his tracks for just a moment. This....is unsettling. He told her shouting about execution left and right wasn't a good idea - maybe not in that general a way but under the circumstances? It seemed obvious.]

...She was the one yelling about executing someone. [Well he sure sounds calm.]

[londonstar]

[ THIS IS EXACTLY WHY HE DIDN'T WANT YOU TO COME SAKURA.

waver is practically gasping for air but the sight of the head takes away any breath in his lungs. it brings back a wave of terrible memories that he tries to keep at bay on a daily basis.

he takes a shuddering breath...and drags a hand down his face. ]

How horrible.

[detegoergosum]

[ Naoto arrives shortly after Millium, and ignores the instructions of the police tape. She starts at the pond, before working her way west. Anything of interest? ]

[cartesio]

[It's a bit odd how the ducks that usually like to swim in the pond are avoiding it. Must have something to do with how the water has a slightly reddish tint.

Looks like you'll have to return to the pond later]

[detegoergosum]

[ Oh, we're definitely not coming back to the pond, if that's the case. Unless someone starts screaming, we're doing this now.

What's the water smell like? Red algae? Faint iron tinge of spilled blood? Something else entirely?

...Okay, so someone did scream. We'll come back to this. ]

[semperperatus]

...the hell...?

[He'd been on his way to the diner, but...oh no. He's here now, too.

Please let this just be something simple. Like a rabid shark.]