RECORDING 15: THE FIFTH TRIAL.

[foundationmods]

The worst has happened... and now you're all here, in the living room where all the trials so far have taken place. As all of you enter, the Vessel is there - Ango, standing as firm and unyielding as ever, waiting for the time when the trial is scheduled to begin.

On one of the tables away from the center is a small enclosed box entitled 'VOTES', with slips of paper nearby and a pen. It's sufficiently away from what will be the 'main' action, but not enough to really give anyone complete privacy as they vote.

Once everyone is inside, the doors automatically shut and lock themselves, leaving you trapped in here with the Vessel...and each other.

One of you is a murderer...however, in this game, the guilty do not need to be voted out. As long as there are enough people voted out that matches the victims...then it will be accepted.

...But, can you really let someone get away with murder...?

The choice is up to you.



VICTIMS: Battler Ushiromiya and Giovanni Potage
PEOPLE TO VOTE OUT: 2

WEEK 5 VOTING

Comments

RULES AND QUESTIONS

[notbymyside]

[Once everyone has joined the group in the living room for the trial, Ango will step forward. He has a notebook in his hands and seems to be keeping track of something in it, and he glances to it as he speaks to the crowd.]

Two of your number have been killed. It is your duty to figure out what happened to them.

1: As two people were killed this time, two people will be voted out.
2: Every person will be allotted two votes.
3: Deaths occurring during trials will not count towards executions, as someone must still be voted out for proper execution.
4: You cannot vote for someone who has died, even if that person was responsible for the murder.
5: Those executed do not need to be the actual murderer. The two will the most votes will be named the culprits and executed.
6: You must make an attempt to solve the mysteries here.
7: Everyone must cast two votes. Failing to vote will result in your death for breaking this rule.
8: You have six hours to deliberate and vote.
9: If you have any questions, you may ask me.

[After saying all of that, he nods to everyone and steps back. It's time for the trial to begin.]

TIME

[notbymyside]

[Eventually Ango states something for everyone to hear.]

You will have one additional hour for deliberation.

[New time for the votes to be in is 7 pm EST.]

Evidence

[foundationmods]

wino room (+slightly extra bathroom)

[sageking]

[ Hold onto your bootstraps folks, because this was going to be a wild ride. As he's speaking, he sounded completely and utterly unenthusiastic. ]

First thing of note when I entered the wine room was that it was pitch back, and there were bloody drag marks leading out from here into the dressing room.

There was the repugnant smell of blood along with the many different types of alcohol, soup, and...burnt rubber.

After getting more of a better look into the room, there was a splatter of blood, flesh, and bone, given the appearance that something like a small, localized explosion of some type caused the mess. This is also the source of the drag marks.

I also found this single pistol casing [ Holding it up ] on the floor closeby the light switch.

I attempted to flick the light switch on, however...nothing resulted from that since it looked like somehow it was undone so that the cover was removed to expose the wires, which had been completely melted and burnt down. It also so happened to have a heavier scent of that burnt rubber.

On the floor right below was the cover and some screws discarded.

After stepping into the room proper, I was able to see small pieces of a bloodstained Foundation uniform, and more of the bloody gorey mess from earlier as the epicenter of the likely explosion alongside a pool of blood.

There was also a folding screen that was lying on the floor on the right side of the room. It appeared that there was a hole the size of a small ball [ Golf ball ] in the lower middle part of the screen. It appears there were burnt marks around the hole, giving it a singed and frayed look around the edges.

[ Luckily for the rest of y'all Gilgamesh took pictures so the idea of how it looked before would be firm in everyone's minds. ]

On the side of the screen facing the floor, there was more blood and a mess. The pool of blood nearby the screen also only goes inwards towards the room. The bloody drag marks are on the opposite side.

This folding screen also wasn't something originally in this room.

Over by the broken bottles of alcohol was soup mixed with alcohol and there was a myriad varieties of soup to go with it.

Despite the mess, there's no footprints in the blood or elsewhere in the room. And I found a knifebat nearby the pool of blood which had blood on it.

[ For the record he also brought the knifebat and folding screen so have it if anybody wanted. Also there's pictures of where knifebat was before he brought it because ya never know if that'll come in handy. ]

One last important detail to note was that I sensed dark magic in the master bathroom, more or less concentrated in the tainted water in the foot bath.

Static Halls

[cw_suicide]

The halls were covered in tomato soup--primarily at the kitchen door and the floor in front of it. There was evidence of a struggle with broken decorative items leading to the wine room and some smaller items strewn between the dining room and the armory.

I found these two charred wads of compressed paper smelling of gunpowder in front of the dining room.

[he places the papers onto the table before pulling out two brass cartridges and also setting them down.]

These were in front of the armory. They look to be 9mm rounds from the Foundation standard issue pistol, but I'll need someone else to confirm that.

Trash

[foxetious]

[Hello friends barely teammates.

Gin arrives fairly promptly, hands emptier than most people who did investigations the day before.]

I was with Hikage-kin and checked up on our incinerator. I didn’t bring it with me [He was not that into getting his hands dirty, kthx] but there was a medium pile of ashes inside, that were no longer warm. It smelled of burning rubber and leather.

Master Bathroom

[onemolife]

[ He's arriving in his robes. ]

I found left foot prints in the Master Bathroom. I took some pictures, they look like they are around my size.

Found a foot bath that looks like it's been used to wash off blood. There was also some floral scented soap that may have been used.

Also someone put a gun inside of the toilet tank. [ Pulling it out to show. ] There's only twelve shots left in it, but it looks like the ones the Foundation provided.

Conservatory

[cw_suicide]

[this one is harder on Dazai to present and it shows. He looks a little strained but takes in and releases a breath.]

In the Conservatory, Battler was found laying on his back with three shots to the chest. There were signs that he struggled to move away from the center of the room but could not because likely the first shot went into his left lung. The other two shots hit his right lung and heart. He likely would have drowned in his own blood but bled out first.

[he places down the brass bullet casings that were found.]

There were three bullet casings found near the body: one near Battler, one slightly inside the Conservatory, and one in a fern not too far from the body. There was also evidence of a footprint in Battler's blood, indicating the culprit leaving the room.

In addition to this, found on Battler's body was a page ripped from a book. On it was written the words "11:30 got woken up by D". I haven't matched the handwriting yet, but it would be best to find another example of Battler's writing to make sure this is not a planted piece of evidence.

[he pulls out this page and places it on the table as well.]

Finally, the chess board that was set up in the middle of the room appeared to have been toppled over. However… not only was there a white bishop piece on Battler's body, but the board itself was set up again with the black king putting the white king into check. There are no signs of the pieces being tampered with except for these deliberate positionings.

[and he slams down the white bishop piece with probably a little more force than necessary but y'know what, he Mad.]

trash room pt 2

[kaliedoscopes]

I investigated the trash room [ with trash Gin. ] and found a flashlight along with a foundation issue gun. The flashlight is still functional, and was off when I found it. The pistol was hidden behind some fuel behind the incinerator, it's 9mm, and there's only 3 bullets left. The rounds are blanks.

[ He brought both of these with him if anyone wants to look! Also, he's still rocking his Foundation uniform life, fully buttoned up this time. Only took him the entire week to properly wear the uniform but eh it's better than nothing. ]

Dressing room

[zweivoltage]

[There's a low sound around him, a mix of a buzz and hum - a sound one might be familiar with if they stood close to a powerline, the pupils of his eyes shifting violet for a moment]

Marona and I investigated the Dressing room. Even before We arrived, the Door was shut, with the smell of alcohol, burnt fabric, and burnt flesh coming from it. When we opened the door, the room was scorched on the floors and walls with the worst of it being in one of the dressing stalls

Potage was dead on the floor, it looked like he might have still been alive when he was set on fire. -

[He pauses for a moment]

And a section of his torso is gone, broken and shattered ribs, and they showed signs of being burned on the inside. There is Shattered glass around him and the smell of alcohol seem to be more on the floor than his body I... turned him over, There's blood marks on his back that have been untouched by what burned him, it looked like he was dragged at some point.

[He holds out his Notebook with the Sideways W]

The gun with this logo and his knitting needles somehow ended up under his body. And also escaped the heat

As for the rest of the room. Marona found evidence that the fire originated in one of the stalls. There's burnt fabric and a heavy smell of alcohol there. And there were six wine bottles, all broken, and some strange Red fragments that are small enough to fit on the tip of the finger, and the red is naturally its color, not stained by blood or anything

Is that everything, Marona?

[eyeforai]

[Another trial, which means more bloody bullets in individual bags for people to enjoy!!! Like before, the bags are labelled with abbreviations relating to where they were found in the body. He'll pull them out of his trench coat and place them on a table.]

I found these bullets inside Battler's chest. He'd been shot in both lungs and the heart. They were the same as the 9mm rounds found in all our standard-issue guns, and there was nothing unusual about them. The bloody footprints near Battler's body also corresponded to someone tall, like they were around 5'11 or 6'0.

[His expression says something along the lines of 'and trust me, I know how that looks right now'.]

The estimated time of death was around 11:30 pm and 12:30 am last night.

I also looked over Giovanni's body. ...Not that there was much to find besides what was already mentioned. There were some bone fractures in his skull and elsewhere, but that's not uncommon for severely burned bodies.

That's all.

[golden_dream]

...

[Rosa just strides over, notepad in hand. Her gun holster is on the outside of her jacket today:

"To: Whoever killed Soup Man and Battler...

You fucked up.

I hope there's two of you. I really hope there is.

Any of Battler's friends want to express the same sentiment?"]

[cw_suicide]

I do, in fact, Rosa-san.

[zweivoltage]

[He speaks up, mulling over what the evidence said]

I think we can rule out them killing each other. Aside from it being out of character for either one, Battler died relatively quickly, if painfully. And Potage would be in no condition to make the scene in the conservatory if he was attacked first - and it still leaves the fact that there's another person involved to explain the second person's death no matter the order.

Not to mention, it doesn't seem like the evidence points to them meeting each other during this period. So now... Are we looking for one killer or two? I think we need to figure that out first.

[golden_dream]

...

[She writes:

"I'd like to think it's two killers. If only for the sake of sparing someone innocent after what happened in Zabuza's trial.

But, two killers, two victims... that would mean there would have to be some coordination, right? Or is it possible they simply happened to go out murdering on the same night?"]

writing check

[finalring]

Can everyone do me a favor and write Battler's note in your handwriting, I'd appreciate it.

[ he has a notebook! and he'll be the first one to write down: '11:30 got woken up by D'. he'll be checking to see if it matches with anyone else's.

your turn. ]

[zweivoltage]

[He nods, repeating the instructions: '11:30 got woken by D'. Ky writes pretty fast]

strip check + footwear check

[sageking]

It's time we began narrowing our killer down on more concrete evidence. Take off all of your shirts now. For those who are able to, at any rate.

[ Because lol, Nanaka. ]

You will also all show me your footwear. After all, I doubt washing shoes and such would be as easy as killers washing themselves.

[cw_suicide]

[time to strip again... the most bandage removals in his life, honestly.

and boots up for investigation.]

Hand sniff check

[onemolife]

[ He'll walk up to each person. ]

Mind if I see your hand for a moment? I'm going to check for something real quick.

[ Just going to lean down like he's going to kiss the back of their hands, but is actually doing a smell check. ]

[zweivoltage]

Uhm?

[He holds his hands out, a little confused]

Open question, via Rosa

[golden_dream]

[She writes and flashes her notepad around:

"We can ask this openly since Battler is gone:

His Highness reported 'dark magic' or something?

Who here is left who can still use magic, especially 'dark' magic?

Naturally, this excludes myself."]

[zweivoltage]

There's no such thing as 'light' or 'dark' magic where I am from.

Catherd

[zweivoltage]

So let's see what we have figured out so far - we have two murders. Potage's and Battler's.

Likely separate murders, so we are looking for two killers. Now, let's trying to get it all organized, and least narrow down the suspect list for both.

Giovanni Potage was likely Given a lethal injury in the Wine Room, and dragged to the Dressing room to cover up his cause of death, but Sagakuchi prevented his body from being completely burned up.

Battler's note is His handwriting by process of elimination, he would not have gone into the Conservatory by himself Someone had to get him to come...

[accessorytomurder]

So... who had the means to start burning the body?

dark magic check electric boogoloo

[sageking]

[ Time to check everyone here and see if he could detect traces of dark magic from the people currently standing around.

If they bathed in a tub of water and left that much just by washing it off, they might still be holding some of it on their person. ]

[oxidegreen]

[This girl's magic capacity is like vital magic and not much else, so likely not.]

1/?

[kaliedoscopes]

[ After this, Hikage just stares at Gil flatly for a few seconds, his smile gone. ]

I see.

2/?

[kaliedoscopes]

So after all that, you're saying I killed Battler and Giovanni. That's...

catherd part 2

[finalring]

[ well once hikage has been found, romani decides that it's time to get everyone else's attention. unless your name is hikage. hikage has n o r i g h t s.

he's slamming his hand on the wall, letting it echo for everyone to finish beating hikage up or whatever and getting back to him. ]

Alright, we've found the killer for Battler Ushiromiya. Now we have to focus all of our attention on finding Giovanni's killer! I wonder how much help Hikage can be, but I highly doubt it.

[golden_dream]

[She writes:

"Saphir just tried to take credit. And he annoys me now. Let's say it was him.

He said he could construct a bomb. Prove me wrong."]

GUN CHECK

[cw_suicide]

People with non-Foundation standard guns, weapons on the table.

[he gets his compact Colt out and shows how there's no shots fired. he used his Foundation gun on Hikage]

[onemolife]

[ Puts his flute down. It's just a bamboo flute. ]

cathreded

[golden_dream]

...

[She writes:

"Weren't there red metal fragments at the scene? What if that was from the ball-sized hole?

Doesn't it make sense to be a small bomb??"]

[finalring]

Didn't that come from the alcohol bottles? They could have caused a short circuit and an explosion.

clothing check

[sageking]

Hmph, considering our situation, I believe it can't hurt to see if there's something left behind on someone's clothing even if it's been a day that's passed.

[ Maybe this was a waste of time, who knew but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Gilgamesh will just casually start to check out what people were wearing (besides Hikage) for any suspicious stains or such. ]

[accessorytomurder]

[Hitoka's clean.]

RESULTS (1/???)

[notbymyside]

[Tallying the results actually takes a bit longer than usual, because Ango has to count and re-count the votes a few times to make sure it's accurate. But after checking several times, he seems satisfied with the results, and he nods to himself.]

You certainly cut it close, didn't you? Beyond the overwhelming majority on Hikage, we nearly had a four-way tie. Fortunately, one vote ended up making the difference.

As voted by all of you, your culprits are Hikage and Kaname Date. Now, as there are two culprits to execute, I will be-

1/???

[eyeforai]

[There was a tenseness throughout his frame as the votes were read out, but once the names come out, he turns to Ango:]

And you can shut the hell up for all I care.

[And then he turns to Hikage coldly, violet eye burning with fury before raising his gun and pointing it right at the man's head. It's a quick movement, practiced and natural. Like another day on the job, catching criminals.]

Hey, Hikage! I'll be the one taking you to hell.