second trial

[airlockedmods]

[Like last week the announcement sounds, the Champions with their gathered evidence file once again to the teleporter where the courtroom waits for them.

The a circle of podiums has changed since last week. The Griffin, Toby, and Angelica's floating portraits have joined Chintanda's above their respective podiums as well as the bright green having been changed to a glaring red.

The Overseers are waiting on their floating platform when the first group of Champions arrive. They're back in their black suits, side by side. Jamie's expression is grim but he looks more mentally present than the last trial. Bolton, on the other hand, looks stern but not grim, arms crossed over his chest. Once again, he's the one who makes the announcement.]

Welcome, Champions, to the courtroom. Sixteen of you have entered, but - in the best case scenario - only fifteen of you will leave. Compile your evidence and figure out who the killer is. If you vote correctly, the culprit will be executed and the rest of you will be allowed to go back upstairs. If you vote wrong, however, the killer goes free and the rest of you take the punishment in their place.

Remember, there is no time limit but keeping things interesting is in your best interests.

Comments

cw: suicidal imagery

[damnfourthemerald]

[Shadow decides getting straight to the point is the best bet.] There were notes in Angelica's room. On top was one that reads like a suicide note. [He'll show it to anyone who cares to read it, of course.]

[misplacedxsheath]

[He reads it over with an unimpressed scowl.]

Convenient that it's so generic. There's nothing to either confirm or disprove who wrote it.

[fatherofsin]

...Given how Angelica was rather to-the-point, this does seem accurate to how she would speak. ...Meaning she was likely picked as an easy target. Not much to get wrong if you need to be blunt.

[damnfourthemerald]

The rest of the notes in her room match the handwriting, but that doesn't mean someone didn't forge it, or that this note was taken out of context.

Mods

[stitch_in_time]

[The Doctor's gonna take a look at that note, thanks Shadow.]

[How's the handwriting itself look, a cursive script or blockier printed letters?]

[airlockedmods]

[The letters are print.]

[voltrounds]

It's fake.

[She says this without having seen it, or any other relevant evidence.]

[damnfourthemerald]

It's easy to say that. There's every possibility she might have in fact written the note but meant it in a different context.

[voltrounds]

Either the note is fake or the meaning is wrong. She didn't kill herself.

[kingshaming]

I have to agree that it's unlikely she did- she confided in me earlier in the week of her willingness to kill to escape. If she killed herself, it would only be due to something drastically changing. Likely from her dream.

[imnotfat]

Were there any chances of comparing her handwriting?

[Togami doesn't have any hopes there was, but better to ask than make assumptions]

[damnfourthemerald]

[He brought more paper! He's the fucking paperboy.] There were more notes in the same handwriting dealing with research into space stations, like many of us have done, but unless we have a sample of her handwriting, I can't say for certain it's all hers.

[kingshaming]

We can compare it to the samples I have of everyone else's- worse comes to it there's the process of elimination. Though I would feel more confident if we had a sample that we could confirm is hers.

[damnfourthemerald]

But if it's a forgery, even testing everyone's handwriting wouldn't make it clear, would it?

[kingshaming]

I actually have samples of most of our handwriting.

[He pulls out his sketchbook]

Unfortunately one of the few I don't have IS Angelica's. But if we suspect it's someone else who wrote it, we have something else to compare it to.

[imnotfat]

There's nothing to waste by comparing the handwritings you already have, in case it matches someone else's handwriting.

[What are the odds any of that matches the available handwriting?]

[kingshaming]

[He opens his book to the right pages and offers it to Togami. In it are all their answers to Yurika's poll, including the mystery one, all carefully pasted in. The only one's missing are Angelica, and Xander himself- though all the rest of the writing in the book is clearly his. More then enough for a comparison.]

[almightyconflagration]

Doesn't take much to know it's fake.

[damnfourthemerald]

We have to take every detail and possibility into account. If it's fake, then it was left in her room with the same handwriting deliberately.

[almightyconflagration]

For the reason of throwing us off potential suspects. But one thing to consider, did anyone note any strange behavior from the victim before this? One who is looking to die tends to act strangely.

[stitch_in_time]

She was in the library on Wednesday night, like she was looking for something. Dunno how unusual'd you call that, though.

[bylight]

The message matches these scraps I found in the diner, though not the handwriting on most of the pieces. [She'll pass the pieces around if asked.] I think someone was practicing counterfeiting her writing.

[Maybe someone wanted the Champion of Counterfeits title instead of their own? :D]

MODS

[kingshaming]

Let's check these against the handwriting samples we have then- it likely took time before they were able to erase all their own tics.

[He'll just take his book back from Togami and do so]

[imnotfat]

[Togami lets him take the book but he makes sure to look over his shoulder to make sure Xander doesn't miss anything]

[airlockedmods]

[Just to be clear, you're comparing the scraps to the book, not to the notes that were found in the victim's room?]