Second Investigation

[grimgrinningghosts]

[Well even without the murder, a lot sure has happened this week, with Walt appearing in people's dreams and your host claiming that he's dangerous. Still, Walt seems like a very nice, and is trying his hardest to get the guests out of the hotel safely. He has also requested that everyone try to stay alive while he forms a plan, so he would be incredibly disappointed if someone ended up killing this week.

But when morning comes this Friday, the 225 door is mysteriously wide open, like someone wanted to use the new rooms.

Investigate?]

Comments

[theduck]

[Despite all his hoping that no one will actually do anything this time around, Donald still feels it best to err on the side of caution. As soon as he gets up he goes to the first aid room to, firstly, make sure it's all still there, and secondly grab some stuff to be prepared in case the worst should happen. Granted, he's not sure he can really do first aid on a dead body, but it's the thought that counts?]

[grimgrinningghosts]

[You poor, sweet thing, Donald.

There is a body lying across one of the cots. They are lying motionless and bleeding.]

[theduck]

[As much as he wants to literally book it out of the room, he's going to get just close enough to see if he can tell who it is...?]

[grimgrinningghosts]

[It's a rather large body, and with his robe it's pretty easy to tell who it is. There's a sizable wound in his chest, and despite the fact that his eyes are wide open, doesn't react when Donald comes into his line of sight.

Merlin is dead.]

[greatwidesomewhere]

[She didn't want to see, but she sure did anyway. It's unmistakably Merlin, and the sight of him lying their with that wound in his chest has Belle bursting into tears.]

He was so kind...

[sentree]

[ Thalia puts a hand on her shoulder, comfortingly.

She has a coin all ready, to speed his passage. ]

[greatwidesomewhere]

[She's just going to shake her head and hightail it out of the room. Sorry, Thalia.]

[sentree]

[ It's alright. ...Not many can handle being around death, when they're mortal. ]

[audentiae]

[ ... walks in. ]

Another one?

[sentree]

[ Her tense shoulders relax, just a little, and she nods. ]

The old wizard, Merlin. ...I can examine him, you...did last week.

[audentiae]

I didn't know him, but...

[ She nods. ]

If you're sure.

[theduck]

[Great. Cool. Now he can book it out of the room and scramble into the hallway and just kind of collapse against one of the walls.

He was fortunate enough to miss out on the body last time. Somehow the fact that it's someone who was so genuinely good to everyone else here makes this even worse.]

[greatwidesomewhere]

[Belle comes out and just sort of slides down the wall next to him, tears leaking down her cheeks.]

He...He was just fine last night.

[theduck]

He... yeah.

[He'd held that meeting for them and he'd seemed so optimistic about how things were going, too...]

He was friends with almost everyone here, I thought. I don't know how anyone could--

[Well. Y'know.]

[greatwidesomewhere]

[She gestures uselessly with one hand.]

Just like Preston. Just like that. It's all too easy to kill someone innocent, isn't it.

[hallotween]

[she wakes up annoyed and groggy, knowing everyone running around means something terrible has happened again, and as much as she's super not interested in seeing a dead body, she might as well follow and try to--

...

how does she even react to this.]

[sentree]

Marnie. You don't have to be here.

[ Anyone could see how much she liked the old man. ]

[hallotween]

-- No, I have to help. Help find who did it. I have to.

[sentree]

[ Her jaw's set tight. ]

Well just- don't push yourself.

[hallotween]

I won't. [thin smile] Promise.

[darnsitall]

[Well that happened]

I thought we were done with the murder mystery!

[forgottenfounder]

[Oswald sees the group slowly amassing in the first aid room, so he hurries over and-]

Is everyone alri-

[And he stops dead in his tracks. He saw the last body, it seems like the universe strides to make him see all of them. Like it's Karma or something.]

...No, wh-why him?