SIXTH TRIAL

[splitaseam]

[The whole trial thing must feel like the norm to everyone right now, and one can't help but wonder if this will keep happening until everyone has died.

There are three new epitaphs for Star Butterfly, Maui, and Fiddleford.

Here lies Star Butterfly
One of our most toughest girls
Went out with a pretty twirl

Here lies Maui
Claimed to be a great demigod
But it turns out he was a fraud

Here lies Fiddleford McGucket
He tried to wipe his mind
And ended up getting left behind

Well you all know what to do by now, huh?]

Don't spare any of the gory details.

Comments

[sixfingeredstan]

[Ford's brow furrows, and then clears.]

Then it's possible that the two were mixed, somehow...and combusted.

[Fuck. He knows it couldn't have been Fiddleford—he'd have known better than to combine volatile chemicals.]

[kindaruledatit]

Whoa, whoa, hold on a sec. You mean something could have... exploded last night?

[sixfingeredstan]

It's looking more and more possible. It would explain all the...burning, certainly.

[It had burned hot enough to melt Fiddleford's glasses into twisted wire, at least.]

[kindaruledatit]

...But it doesn't really explain the water.

[sixfingeredstan]

The water? What water?

[kindaruledatit]

The water, dude, all over the floor. Not to mention all the burned towels down there.

I think someone might have been trying to clean things up last night.

[sixfingeredstan]

Pardon me, I wasn't...really looking at the floor.

[He couldn't really drag his attention away from Fiddleford.]

[kindaruledatit]

[...mmmmmm ouch.]

...No, no, dude. It's okay. You did the investigating with the body, that's fine.

[She wants to say fiddleford. But, it hurts.]

[sixfingeredstan]

[Moving on.]

The towels...were they burnt, did you say? Or wet?

[kindaruledatit]

[Yes, good. There's only so much awkward that she can stand.]

Uhh, kind of? Some of them were definitely burned, but they were also by the spots where all the burn marks were.

[hmmm] Oh, yeah. And the ones that were on the floor were pretty wet.

[sixfingeredstan]

Perhaps there was a spill, before the explosion...someone tried to mop it up, and someone else came along with...with a match. And it all blew up.

[kindaruledatit]

Someone else.... [HMM] That might make sense. Maybe Maui and Fiddleford were just hanging out last night and... there was an accident.

[sixfingeredstan]

If there was a third party, they had better pray it was an accident.

[Ford's fingers clench. Or I'll wring their neck myself, is the implication.]

[kindaruledatit]

Ohhh trust me, they're not gonna get much mercy.

[...If there is a third party.]