Week 3

[airlockedmods]

[Four people dead now - six, if you include the crew. Things have been a little rough on the Starfield Penitentiary this week. Blaze Dudely doesn't make a public reappearance during the weekend, so you've got a few days to yourselves to recover, though he's probably still sticking to his office hours if you really feel like going to see him. On Sunday morning, you may find that you're recovering a a few other things as well - both strange dreams and some new items.

In addition, there's a new set of doors at the end of the corridor, by that empty space where you'd been having your fight club. Looks like you've got a new wing to explore.]



Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

(( ooc: Don't forget to turn in your AC for Week 2, submit your memory regains, and put in your benefactor threads! ))

Comments

[goldrighthand]

Hm. Doctor Price mentioned we were scheduled for a rendezvous with a supply ship.

['were'. past tense.

he's not defending Price though, just bringing up the Official Story.]

[withoutred]

Doctor Price has also previously demonstrated a noted lack of care for our wellbeing when the chips are down.

[ She ain't even bitter. Being bitter would require her to not expect everyone to turn on her at a moment's notice. ]

If this really was an official penitentiary with our redemption in mind, surely there would be proper checks and balances to ensure this very thing doesn't happen. Making us potentially fight for every remaining scrap doesn't exactly foster positive development.

[goldrighthand]

[he makes a sound that could be a laugh, if it wasn't just a 'hnh'. Still, he continues sorting]

I am simply surprised they don't have a larger set of stores. I would have expected a month, at the minimum.

[withoutred]

Exactly. Even assuming that our, ah, former chef was talented enough to make this stretch if the need arose, it seems awfully sparse for emergencies. Perhaps they didn't expect as many inmates as they got?

[ She's not saying there's an emergency stockpile somewhere for only the staff, but she's sure as hell thinking it. ]

Of course, while there is evidence enough to support that, it also brings up other questions.

[goldrighthand]

The only thing keeping me from such accusations is that there is no promise we will be resupplied if we play the game. [It's not a motivator if there is no clear reward, now, is there?]

[withoutred]

Starving us out would be one way to eliminate the strange person in our midst that Blaze-san seems to have issue with.

[ It's the only way she can see that it would be a motivator, tbh- "find the It, and leave the place where you'll starve". Brutal but effective. ]

But speaking of interesting solutions... You never did explain how you expected someone else to set up that Rube Goldberg machine.

[ did you think she forgot. It's offered as a passtime - not a peace offering, never, but a way to kill time with nothing else to do, as she glances over her shoulder to gauge his reaction. ]

[goldrighthand]

[...he arches his brow at her, silent for a few moments, then starts thinking aloud?]

Consider; opening a door triggers a pull. This sets off a chain of events that ends up with...let us say some sort of spear thrown through the unfortunate's chest.

It would either be no killer or one whom you'd have to prove set it up. In the former case, the pool thins regardless. In the later, if they cleaned up after themselves, how would you prove it was them?

[withoutred]

I would argue in the former's case that intent still applies. Someone clearly set up the mechanism with the intent to kill - thus, they would still be the killer.

[ nerd. ]

For the latter... mm, prior knowledge would be the place to start. "Who would know enough about practical physics to predict where the spear would fall, or who would have the technical knowledge to construct the machine." Proving it, however, would be a lot harder. But not impossible. Nobody is perfect enough to completely destroy all evidence.

[goldrighthand]

[Akande nods. He agrees with that, but was just being his own devil's advocate. So-]

One can lie about their knowledge. But what would you search for? Fingerprints? They wore gloves. An alibi? We all return to our cells at night, unless their cellmake woke up it could hardly be proved they weren't there.

[withoutred]

Fingerprints would also require proper forensic equipment, as they're rather hard to see with the naked eye unless something is particularly dusty.

But what would I search for? Torn fabric, fallen hair, blood where they may have scraped themselves while constructing the machine - all of those would be adequate and easily missed by the culprit. Furthermore, while they may lie about their knowledge, unless they're completely dedicated to their alibi it's unlikely they would be able to conceal all of their skill in something.

[ Which in any normal circumstance would be enough. But Furudo Erika is extra as shit, y'all. ]

But why stop there? The circumstances leading up to the murder would also change what evidence I would look for - what was the motive that week, if any? The pieces used to construct the machine? Is there anywhere in the vicinity where the culprit could find the spear, or did they have to make one themselves?

[goldrighthand]

[All right, let's actually...she's pretty dedicated to it, isn't she. He considers this for some time, and then;]

The motive was material. Kill someone and not only are you freed, but you are rewarded with enough for you to live like a king in this or your own world.

There is no blood, but they do not seem to have been very skilled in its construction. It may have been their first - or they may simply have been relying on the fact that their projectile went straight through the center of the door. They may not have known the height of their victim, but they made a guess based on averages, and it seems to have worked. A spring kept in place by a simple lever, pulled out from when the door was opened through a series of pulleys.

I give you a single strand of hair found at the scene. However, it is the same color as the victim's. You cannot prove it did not come from them.

[withoutred]

[ Erika goes dead quiet after the details are laid down. Like, eerily silent - her eyes close, she takes a steadying breath, and internally begins whirring through the possibilities. ]

"No blood"? [ Might as well work in order. ] A weapon like that would still draw blood, even with a door slowing the impact. Therefore, the culprit came back once the victim was dead and thoroughly wiped down the crime scene themselves.

[ Like in the trial, an odd, glittering shard of blue light flickers into existence above Erika's shoulder as she speaks, accompanied by an unnatural piercing sound. This time, it lingers for a moment before fading. ]

But why take any unnecessary chances - the culprit had to know when the murder occurred. Checking randomly would increase the risk of being discovered. The culprit stayed to observe the murder, hidden nearby, and saw the victim die. [ Another wedge appears, flickers, and shatters. ] This, and the choice of motive, says a lot about the culprit's mentality, don't you think...? The culprit is likely someone who kills for money or considers others worthless, and enjoys seeing their target die - a psychopath, in other words. Someone like that would normally get directly involved in the attack, but didn't want to take chances. They were smart enough to take measures to avoid being caught, despite the crude nature of the method used.

[ Two more wedges appear and fade. Weird, huh? ]

Aah, but I forgot to ask if we're using our current pool of subjects, or a hypothetical one...? There's no point now, I suppose. [ And here, finally, she opens her eyes. ] Simply by the lack of blood, this level of reasoning is possible for Furudo Erika. What do you think, everyone...?

[goldrighthand]

[.....................................okay but.

holy shit. let's focus on one thing at a time, though- he raises a hand]

What is that blue?

[withoutred]

[ s m h does she have to explain this every time- ]

The Blue Truth.

[ wow, Erika, so helpful. ]

In my previous "world", it is an metaphysical tool given to the detective to aid in investigations and persecution - like a weapon, of sorts. [ She pauses for a moment. How the fuck do you explain the rest without explaining Fragments tho. ] Anything stated in blue is possibly true, if not denied by my opponent before the game's end.

[ Nailed it. ]

However, it's not supposed to vanish like that without properly being attacked and denied. I noticed that in the trial, as well, so it's likely something is... interfering. [ And that gets a brief, but noticeable, look of disgust. Someone doesn't like the idea of her toys being taken away. ]