WEEK 0 TRIAL

[cartesio]

Week 0: Trial

By the time you get to the courtroom, the large clock on the top shows it’s 10:00 AM. The Sergeant is waiting in front of the open doors, when someone arrives he ushers them inside, into the trial room. He ignores any questions about why a trial will happen, all he does is glare at those who ask.

The trial room seems to have been modified for the purposes of having this sort of trials. There are thirty-three podiums arranged on a circle, none of them have any name or indication of where you must go. Looks like you’re free to stand wherever you want. The only exception is the podium draped in black velvet, with a cheap-looking polaroid of Lovepon placed right on top of it. The sides of the room have what seems to be tribunes, rising high and out of your reach, with enough chairs for a sizable crowd. It feels more like a stadium, and you and the rest of the participants would be the main show, but the seats are empty.

Once everyone is gathered at the trial room, the Sergeant glances up at digital clock on the wall, locks the entrance from the outside, and appears a short time later at the judge’s bench, positioned just as high as the public’s seats.

"I mentioned this already: we’re on a tight schedule right now. A life was claimed, and now your duty is to find who among you was responsible for this bloodshed. Lovepon deserves that much, doesn’t she? I trust you all investigated as much as possible. You should have enough to pinpoint who is the killer, now you must debate and decide who among you will be punished to the full extent of the law."

He raises his hand with authority. The shadows over his face seem to twist for a moment, as if they’re going to extend further over his face.

"No, you don’t have a choice. Submit your vote through the slot on your podium, all you have to do is write the name on paper and slide it there. Majority rules, refusing to vote is not an option. Now that I made myself clear..."

Let the trial begin.

Links

Evidence
Voting

Comments

only herding fat cats

[paciscere]

Let's build a timeline and talk about who we're looking for. Feel free to correct me if I have any details wrong.

The culprit was in the ice cream parlor first. We know this because of where the bullet casing was found. You'd have to be close to the ice cream for the casing to fall there. Why else would they hide it there unless it fell in first and the hot casing disturbed the sorbet? They just took the opportunity to hide it there after, if they did mean to hide it at all. If they didn't, the heat would have melted the sorbet and cause the smoothness that White Rabbit-san described.

Lovepon-san, perhaps looking for a bad person, saw someone suspicious in the ice cream parlor after-hours. Or maybe she was merely walking back to the motel after buying the saw at the hardware store. She'd have to pass the ice cream parlor if that were the case because it's on the way.

We assume a fight happened after, from the nicks in various places and the fact that the blood started right outside the parlor. My guess is Lovepon-san tried to attack the culprit and not knowing how to properly handle a saw, she swung it wildly, quickly backing the culprit into the corner with the sorbet. The culprit was forced to shoot her in the abdomen at that point.

Injured, but not yet dead, Lovepon-san ran and the culprit gave chase. The closest area was the park. The injury, however was too much for her, and she collapsed and died. That would explain why the bullet wasn't hidden in the same place as the casing as Lovepon-san took it with her.

And then... maybe the culprit couldn't dispose of her body properly because of how much she weighed. Or maybe they were angry she had turned them into a killer. Either way, we see the results with how her body is strewn about. Was there anything about how the body parts were positioned that seemed to imply revenge or anger?

Lastly, We'e looking for someone who can handle a gun and likely has a gun on them right now. Someone who has small to medium sized feet. It's debatable whether they're strong enough to lift the body, and perhaps that was why they felt the need to split the parts, who knows? But they certainly didn't know how to properly handle a saw.

From the strip search and [ he laughs here ] the foot search, who here has a gun on them and fit the other descriptions? And will those people please present their alibis for that night.

[doublelammy]

Mmm... you know, just "Millium" is fine.

[paciscere]

I'm sure it is.

[doublelammy]

[This face.]

[alfin]

[ Alfin also glares at the man. Be rude to one of her friends, why don't you. He's lucky she's mostly distracted by Will. ]

[intentus]

[ seeing matoba-san working hard like this sure is something. ]

You don't need alibis from anyone else?

[paciscere]

I'm not the only one making a decision here. If you require more, then by all means ask them. Of course, I suppose the culprit could have thrown out their gun before coming here. If that's the case, anyone who we know uses a gun should step up and speak.

[intentus]

I don't remember seeing anyone at the hunting store. [ besides——nevermind. he glances away uncertainly. ]

If we ask everyone, it's at least a start.

[odoruhinokaze]

Oh yeah definitely. Speaking of which, I might as well answer your question:

I have no idea how to use a gun.

Everyone else?

[ He looks over at Millium, Will, Mira, etc., etc. ]

[theserpentsmiles]

[A lot of those descriptors sure do fit Nagisa.]

...I realize I look pretty suspicious. I'm small and would have trouble carrying a body, spent last night by myself, and I've already admitted to being an assassin and having killed before. But I don't have a gun with me - I didn't have any of my weapons when I woke up here, and I didn't pick up any.

I can say, though, that this isn't my style. I prefer knives, which I saw a lot of in the junkyard, and I wouldn't cut her up like this or try to hide the body.

If you really want to know where I was last night - I was circling the edges of town, looking for answers and grieving. I respected my teacher more than anyone else, and I killed him barely a couple of hours before waking up here, from my perspective. I....didn't have any time, so I found some, after the fire.

Sensei would be disappointed if I took a life now. I promised him I'd be a teacher.

[doublelammy]

Well... I'm not gonna say you don't look suspicious, with all of that.

But, y'know... you would know how to use a saw, wouldn't you? And our killer doesn't.

[Which looks pretty badly upon her, since she doesn't, either, but... then again, she also can't use a gun.

Still. From one tykebomb to another.]

[theserpentsmiles]

More or less, yeah. I know better than to swing it at someone, at least.

[Us tiny blue folks need to stick together.]

[intentus]

... Matoba-san said the same thing earlier. I've been wondering, is it really that hard to use a saw?

[intentus]

[ he doesn't believe nagisa could do this. the thought hadn't really struck him before now that other people might suspect him at all because of his profession. then again, it's easy for things to miss things when he's biased. his interaction with nagisa was short and a little awkward, but he appreciates people who reach out to him—even if it isn't always immediately obvious.

the whole story gives him pause; it's not one he can fully understand. he at least knows losing someone hurts (and for a second, his arms feel impossibly empty) but, despite what he's been through, he doesn't know what to say to anyone else in these kinds of situation.

or maybe he doesn't know how because of it. once he gathers his thoughts, he settles on a reply. ] I don't think you did this. There may be circumstantial evidence that looks like it could lead to you, but that's all it is. Circumstantial.

[theserpentsmiles]

Thank you; I wasn't sure if anyone did suspect me, so I thought I'd be as open as possible.

[paciscere]

I'd imagine an assassin would be better at a clean kill, even an accidental one.

[ doesn't sound like matoba thinks it's him. ]

[theserpentsmiles]

[He nods.]

If it were me...I'd have just gone for her jugular and left her, and taken the knife with me. I can't see an assassin making such a spectacle of the head, even if they took the time to dismember her.

[S...orry to all the normal people in the room who have to hear him casually talk about murder.]

[detegoergosum]

While I meet all these criteria, I can say for certain that I was spraypainting the wall of an office building at the time. I believe that five of you can verify my whereabouts.

Have a nice day.

[odoruhinokaze]

[ Okay he's laughing ]

Good enough for me.

[doublelammy]

Oh, so we're just gonna be out with it, then?

Can confirm! She's got gold paint on her wrist still, too.

[streetwolf]

[...Wait, 'she'?

Oh fuck he's dead if any of the girls from home hear about this.]

[alfin]

...Spray painting the wall of an office building? Isn't it against the rules to damage property?

[doublelammy]

Not when Sarge asked us to!

mod ping pong?

[paciscere]

I'm having a very good day, thank you.

[ oh, that. ]

Can anyone verify the time for that?

[ and if possible also mods. ]

[streetwolf]

That was you? Damn...You didn't look like the type to do that.

[Guess who else was there? He can't quite smile about it though.]