TRIAL

[consolemods]

Well, Niles is dead now, and in a very unpleasant way. The investigation has progressed for some time... but after a certain amount of time, a marker appears on the player's console HUDs directing them to a particular location, much in the same way as it did when directing them to the paddock for Thursday's challenge.

This time, though, it's directing them to the courthouse, which has been locked up until this time... but not now. The doors are wide open, and you might as well go inside. The interior is lacking the audience benches you'd expect, but... there's a large, oppressive emptiness to the space. It almost seems bigger on the inside than the outside... no, it definitely seems much bigger on the inside. And after you walk the long, long walk to the center, you'll find a circle of 23 podiums with your names on them, with... two of them being much, much smaller to account for the, uh, pets.

Those... seem really out of place, by the way. They stand out in stark contrast to the rest of the quaint, old-timey Western town by being more on the technological level of the consoles on your faces, with touch screens and pictures of all of the current players... and the two former players, too, with the icon of Niles' and Makoto's faces having the word DEAD stamped across their faces.

As you stand at your podiums, you do begin to notice some wrongness about the whole thing... like that there might actually be some audience benches behind you, depending on the angle you look at them, but they seem to flicker in and out of your peripheral vision. Ditto with the two holes in the podiums, too-- they're... sometimes there, but not always.

The judge's box looms high over the podiums, towering for the animals but really only a few feet higher. The sheriff stands there as comfortable as he's ever seemed, arms crossed and silent the entire time. There are flickers of something uncanny in him, just like the architecture - the color of an eye, the shape of an arm - but nothing sticks for long enough to confirm.

It isn't until everyone's settled at their podium that he speaks, and any hint of the laconic tone he's taken all week is finally gone to be replaced by one far more formal. He seems in his element as he leans down to address the podiums.

"Welcome to round two! You've all done well to make it this far! The first attack has succeeded, and now Niles lies dead. But for every offense, there must be a defense! Will you find his killer? More of your lives may be at risk of you do not. Share your findings with each other, and come to a conclusion based on the evidence: Who killed Niles?

Now, let's play."

Comments

SMELL CHECK

[thegoddamnmissile]

Hey, Niles smelled like the horse house! So I'm gonna see who all smells like that, too!

[ And without ceremony, the dog is going to give everyone a sniff. And oh boy, you better have a good explanation for smelling like horses and the stables if he catches a whiff of them. ]

[cantread]

[HELLO DOGFRIEND

Your catfriend smells like the kitchen, because he was totally raiding it this morning.]

[thegoddamnmissile]

[ YOU BETTER HAVE SAVED HIM SOME FOOD!? ]

[cantread]

[Of course he wouldn't leave his buddy hanging.]

[thegoddamnmissile]

[ This is why you're his best friend, Sissel ]

[condemnedone]

[ Soren doesn't smell like horses/or stables, honestly. He smells pretty alright because he's been making sure he's clean and hasn't been wading through any bloody water. ]

[fuckthemancers]

[Zulf will politely stay still while Missiles does his job. All he smells like is well water at this point, fresh from it as he is.]

[helldestiny]

[AAH FLUFFY ACK

Well, she does smell like she was around the stables and the body...but she also freely admits to investigating the body, dragging the body into the courtroom, etc.]

[i_spy]

[ Spy smells of wine and cigarettes . ]

[acherontiastyx]

[Guzma does not smell like a stable. Or blood. Or... you know.]

[almightylaziness]

[When Missile gets close he'll be able to pick up that not only does McBurn smell nothing like stable, but also why he doesn't. Animals definitely can pick up on him being incredibly unnatural and even a puppy like Missile can figure out that the horses probably won't let him come close because he's a scary creature.]

[thegoddamnmissile]

[ This is Missile, who wagged his tail at the guy who had a gun and was going to shoot him. So even if Missile picks up on that, he's the kind of pup that thinks everyone deserves a chance.

He's going to wag his tail at you, McBurn, before moving on. ]

[almightylaziness]

[And when Missile does, McBurn gives the puppy a glare like he'd gladly kick a puppy if he's not left alone.]

[carbide]

[Olympia does not small like stable, or blood. Or human, for that matter.]

[flagrants]

[ He smells very clean! Like the well water, and when Missile comes over he rolls his eyes. ] There, happy now? Now scram before I show you what it means to be a kicked puppy.

[thegoddamnmissile]

[ Missile's tail isn't wagging, and in fact, he's stepping back a bit. But he's looking up at Dito. ]

...Hey. I know Zulf mentioned the well, but why do you smell like it?

[ ...He really is innocently asking, because since Zulf hasn't mentioned anyone else helping... ]

[flagrants]

Uh, because I'm not some unsanitary heathen who hates washing myself? Annd because I can't lick myself to get clean. Unlike a couple of filthy animals that are here.

[helldestiny]

.......When’d you clean yourself?

[Hm.]

[flagrants]

Last night. And since it's ridiculously obvious what you guys are pussyfooting around, no. I didn't do it because I had literal blood on my hands. I'm just not a barbarian who enjoys stinking.

Or rolling around in filth. Shocker! [ Another look to Sissel and Missile because Sissel started licking his paw. Take another jab, cat! ]

MODS

[helldestiny]

If it was last night...

...

........

..............

[Maybe she should check that nebulous time of death?]

[consolemods]

[It's basically just "late last night."]

[helldestiny]

[HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM]

Ugh.

That still is kind of suspicious...

[cantread]

[Sissel was sitting there listening to the trial, but suddenly he stops and looks at Dito.

Then he starts licking his paw. Right there. Since Dito said something about it and all.]

[stavros]

[Kokoro smells like the stable, but...]

As we established, I was investigating just there.

[beguiledcard]

[ He definitely does not smell like horse house. ]