MOCK TRIAL

[hijackers]

"Alright, mooks, everybody make youse way down to the trial room, pronto!"

[There's certainly no trial room on the map. No trial soundstage, no trial room, where oh where could they be talking about. You might spend a long time looking for it, or only be thinking about it for a single second before it comes over you.

Whenever you close your ears, or even blink, you find yourself there.

The room is a cartoony laboratory, filled to the brims with scientific equipment and beakers beyond wondrous, almost impossible to imagine being utilized in any sort of actual scientific context. A large monitor is mounted on the ceiling, playing a single clip on repeat along with the words "IMAGINEER THINK TANK". There is a large stage underneath that television, which your two hosts take their places at quite readily.

A circle of metal podiums is set up on the ground floor, 26 in total. Each is marked with a name and a photograph of the individual who's supposed to take their place there, as well as a keyboard for inputting...something. The 26th podium is marked with a grayscale photograph of Gwenpool.

Your fellow participants appear in the room one-by-one, seeming to "digitize" out of nowhere. Once everyone has appeared in the room and taken their place, the air around them seems to go deathly still.

Mugsi holds a cigar between her lips, lighting it from a stick of dynamite lit by Kate. With Mugsi taking a deep inhale, Kate speaks, the dynamite somehow fizzling out.]

Each of you has a place you oughta be sitting, and your job is to solve the mystery that's been put before ya. Once you think you know who did it, input their name on the keyboard in front of you. Majority rules, participation is mandatory, and if ya vote wrong you're not gonna see the light of day ever again!

So, get on with it!

Comments

[bayoublues]

[Oh. Gosh.

That whole teleportation thing wasn't startling in the slightest, no sir!

He scrambles over to his designated place, trumpet clutched in hand. After glancing over the rest of those here, it suddenly occurs to him that Chris Gwen's murderer is here in the room with everyone else.

He doesn't need any of this right now. Nervously, he clears his throat and begins to speak.]

W-Well, um, I know we haven't really known each other for very long, and, um, we only knew G-Gwen for...a few days. But I think we should take the time to...to sort of remember her. She...she seemed like a real nice lady, that's for sure. I only wish we could've gotten to know her more.

[He pauses, silently fiddling with the valves on his trumpet. He's not sure whether he should play or not to relieve the tension in the room.]

So, ah, um, anyone got any leads on anythin'? I found a few things in the restaurant....

[losingtoabird]

[Hugo solemnly presses a few keys on the keyboard Gwen gave him. It's largely tuneless, but feels somewhat mournful.]

[windsintheeast]

...That was very nice, thank you.

[But Anyways]

What exactly was found in the restaurant?

[bayoublues]

Well, um...

[livinginthesun]

[....He gives Hugo a few, sad pats on the back.]

[losingtoabird]

[Much appreciated.]

[hijackers]

Psssh.

[bayoublues]

[He turns to address the hosts with an...almost startling indignant voice.]

You can't say anything! You're the ones who pushed us into this mess in the first place!

[not_over_yet]

[ Basil's familiar with the drug-and-kidnap scenario, not this blink-and-immediate-relocation nonsense. It takes him a moment to... well, to accept that this is indeed a thing that had happened.

Between everyone's arrivals and the way the ladies casually treat a stick of dynamite like a conventional lighter, he's reevaluating his belief on these two being low-level thugs.

.....

He clambers up his podium. ]

What was in the restaurant?

[bayoublues]

Well, er, there was this bloody mess with a trail of blood that led me to the...the...to Gwen. There was also a buncha chairs knocked over in the path to the exit, and a knife missin' from the drawers.

Maybe she was eatin' and someone snuck up and stabbed her...did anyone happen to find a kitchen knife anywhere?

[not_over_yet]

Hm. It would seem things started there, then. What evidence was there of what she was doing before she was attacked?

[onthestrokeoftwelve]

[Well...]

[greekrevival]

I did.

[ Oh, she. Got a plastic bag from the restaurant and bagged it, actually. There's the bloody knife. She's keeping a hold on it, though, no idly setting that down. ]

It was in the Western soundstage. Someone thought they could hide it in the piano.

[bayoublues]

[Wow that's certainly bloody!]

...Well, I guess we can safely say that's the weapon, hm?

[onthestrokeoftwelve]

I found the blood on the table, though I'm not sure how to describe it. I worry she may have hit her head, but it could be from a wound. I followed the blood trail, and it lead to where her body was found.

One other thing: there was food set up and was eating. It was clear it was for two people. I checked to see if it was poisoned, but I don't think it was.

[She's still upset, but Cinderella wants to help.]

[bayoublues]

Um, how would you check if food is poisoned or not?

[onthestrokeoftwelve]

....I may have tasted it.

[She looks away.]

I admit it was unwise, but I had to be sure.

[not_over_yet]

She didn't have any head wounds. The trail appeared to have come from a wound on her thigh, and the fatal blows struck her back. Three stab wounds, likely consistent with this absent kitchen knife.

Rather oddly, she also had minor cuts on an ankle, of all places.

[windsintheeast]

You said the food was set up for two people. Was... the victim close enough to anyone here to share a meal with them, or do you think she stumbled upon two individuals before her death?

I understand there are several pairs of guests here who are rather close to one another.

[worldsaway]

[Thor rummages in his pocket before he holds out a single, white feather . His expression is stern.]

These were under the chairs.

[losingtoabird]

I TOLD YA, IT WAS THE BIRD!!

[sorrydoods]

[Soos can't help but agree, as he takes his hat off in respect for the dead woman. Even if he didn't know her very well, she at least deserved that bit of respect.

As for evidence, he lays the bloody towel of his podium, really not wanting to touch it.]

Um, I found a towel in the bathroom. It was...bloody. I think they might've cleaned themselves up, or something.

[losingtoabird]

Then the culprit's gotta be squeaky clean then...

[Hugo eyes the others intensely.]

Suspect anyone who smells good.

[windsintheeast]

I would hope that all of us have been washing up on a regular basis.

[she won’t object to a smell test, but she’s going to judge anyone who Doesn’t smell squeaky clean super hard.]

[bayoublues]

So...who's got the best sense of smell here? Or, um, just an average sense of smell. Inspecting people might give us some leads.

...Actually, we could also tell by how clean they are visually....