Chapter 12: Toxic Love Part 2

11:22 A.M. Day Five

First Floor

Kitchen/Dining Hall

The group had gathered in either the Dining Hall or the Kitchen, so as not to potentially damage the crime scene. Though, the fact that there was another crime scene, that someone had decided to go and commit murder despite knowing the consequences involved on all sides, was damaging enough for some.

Brooke, Victoria, Eric, Sabishī, and Kelley were currently the only ones in the Kitchen, the rest of the group situated in the other room. Brooke and Victoria, the shock having faded by now, had settled for staring coldly at the corpse. Kelley, unsurprisingly, looked miserable. Her friends were gathered around her for comfort, with some alternating between holding her hands and stroking her hair soothingly. Eric and Sabishī were holding each other's hand while comforting the Banshee.

Of the staff, only Kinsei, Syd, Sebastian, and Mackenzie had arrived, the rest either keeping to themselves or going off to prepare for the trial. Sebastian was watching over the group in the dining hall, Syd was performing a preliminary autopsy for the file, Mackenzie was tracing over the whole tableau for her next painting, and Kinsei was leaning on the open doorframe between the kitchen and the dining hall.

"Well," Kinsei announced, tapping his cane on the ground and looking over the collective group, "as the living real-time warning system has helpfully informed everyone, someone has been murdered, again. Nice job with the 'living in peace' BS or whatever you wer trying to pull, by the way. But anyways, you all have until noon to investigate anything and everything that might be relevant to the matter at hand, then everyone's to convene in the Foyer to proceed to the trial grounds. Oi, Syd-ney," he turned to the surgeon, who'd been writing down something in a journal of his own as he kneeled next to the dead Italian, "is your autopsy done yet, eh?"

The Surgeon in question scowled a bit at having to answer to the Alchemist (especially after the poor imitation of a Canadian eh), but responded anyway. "Almost done. Putting the last few bits together ..." he paused, writing more things down in his book, before sharply tapping the pen tip to the paper, "... there. The file should now be available to all participants."

Sure enough, on a fresh page of the journals, a case file had appeared.

Case File #2

Victim Name: Adrien deGyle

"The victim suffered minor bludgeoning damage at though from an altercation, followed by a single stab wound to the chest."

"Cause of death was a stab to the heart."

"The time of death was roughly 11:15 A.M."

"The body was discovered at 11:20 A.M."

"And can you remind me again why the Doctor sent you to oversee this part this time?" Syd, rising to his feet, asked of Kinsei.

"Eh," Kinsei waved his cane dismissively. "something about wanting to get to the trial room early or something, plus he didn't have the second floor landing to direct things from this time. Plus, it was either this or the homunculus, so..."

Having no response to that, Syd walked away in the direction of the basement, grumbling.

The Alchemist turned back to the actual participants. "Well, if that's all, I'll leave you with the butler and be on my way. Try not to flub this and die horribly!" With that oh-so-cheerful remark, Kinsei tapped his cane on the ground once more, turned around fast enough to cause the end of his coat to flare out behind him like a cape briefly, and walked off into the Dining Hall. He stopped in the doorway and looked back. "Oh yeah, and, your taste in films suck, especially you Victoria! Bye!" With that, he left.

In the ensuing silence, Victoria (deciding to not dignify the Alchemist's parting comment with a response) spoke up, moving to stand in the doorframe herself to be seen and heard by all. "Alright, we have less time to go over what's happened than before, and we can't afford to wait on anything. So, while Eric, Kelley, and Sabishī go over the body, the rest of us are going to go over our alibis. Any problems with that?"

To the surprise of no one, Shawn raised his hand. "Why's the Banshee helping go over a corpse?"

"Eric and Kelley were both outside, far from the kitchen, when Kelley screamed." Victoria explained. "And before anyone tries to ask, Sabishī was with Brooke and I when we found the body. They, at least, seem cleared of suspicion. Plus, Sabishī can actually perform her own autopsy in case the surgeon 'accidentally' left out something important. Does that cover everything?"

The Ultimate Scarecrow remained silent, as did the others.

"Alright then, let's get to it." With that (and a expected-by-this-point clap of Victoria's hands), everyone went off to their assigned tasks.

Dining Hall

"Ok," Brooke spoke up, "to start us off, I was with Sabishī in her room when Kelley screamed. We'd been relaxing after my Team-Leader-mandated lake diving, and left the room quickly to find what happened. Seeing as the two of us and Victoria are the one's that found the body, I'd like to think that clears us."

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask, is that even a thing in this game? The one's who first find the body not being the one's who did it?" Gary asked, curious.

The Floridian shrugged. "Well I'd certainly hope so. If nothing else it keeps the culprits from 'finding' the body and clearing themselves."

"That's fair."

Victoria spoke next. "Well, just to make sure all the cards stay on the table, I had been exploring the outside near the backdoor, checking that Kinsei hadn't 'accidentally' forgotten to mention anything of significance around there. When I heard the scream I went running, and found Brooke and Sabishī when they'd gotten to the kitchen door."

"So did you-"

"No, I didn't find anything of note, Brooke, and had actually been planning on heading back inside anyway when I saw the cloud-bank coming overhead. Then the scream happened."

"Ok then."

"Well," Elle stated, "I'd been in my room, cleaning up from a shower. I didn't leave before the scream, and hadn't seen Adrien since breakfast. John had been feeling a bit hungry, went to get a light snack from the kitchen, which was empty at the time. He didn't meet anyone to and from there though, and the scream started after he'd come back, right John?"

John nodded, adjusting the bandana around his neck.

"So yeah," she shrugged, helplessly, "neither of us saw anything, I'm afraid."

From her spot across from the couple, Alexis scoffed, crossing her arms. "You really trust his word that much, idiota amor cego?" the Brazilian asked skeptically.

Elle bristled at the implication. "John wouldn't lie to me, you -!"

"Alright alright, let's not start arguing now, please." Victoria insisted. "Alexis, could explain what you were doing when Kelley screamed?"

Alexis sighed, leaning back and crossing her feet on the table. "I'd been in the Art Gallery, looking over the paintings. I hadn't really caught up on all the events they depicted and felt it prudent to educate myself on the matter."

Gary looked uncomfortable at that (not helped by how he was stuck in the seat between her and Victoria). "Pretty morbid way to go about it."

The Brazilian shrugged, looking his way. "I just did what I felt necessary to correct a knowledge gap. And what of you, hmm?"

The Ultimate Egyptologist straightened in his seat before answering. "I was in the Sanctuary, seeing if anything represented was Egyptian in origin. Got shocked by the scream and fell over a pew, dazed me a bit, hence my not getting out of the room til after everyone running in the halls had passed by." He shrugged, wincing slightly while Victoria surreptitiously patted his hand in sympathy.

Clarisse ran a hand over her blades' handles. "I'd been polishing my knives in my room. Best they stay in shape in case they're needed against something actually dangerous. It took me a minute to get out into the hallway after the scream, hence why I didn't run into Brooke or Sabishī until after the body'd been found."

Gary spoke up hesitantly. "Since it's been brought up, I feel it should be asked," he looked around the table, "should we really let her keep those knives?"

Clarisse responded immediately. "It's part of my talent, I have no interest in using them on any people involved in this so-called game besides the ones in charge, and these would be helpful if a monster actually attacked, don't you think?" She glared at the Egyptologist.

"Uh, r-right. Forget I said anything." Gary shrunk back down a bit.

Shawn grimaced. "I had been reading in the library. The Librarian had her nose stuck in a book the whole time." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Figures. Someone actually coaxes me out of my room, and then someone gets axed the same day. Just my fuckin' luck."

Finally, it was Teresa's turn. "Well, after breakfast, I actually chatted with the late Opera Phantom for some time. I'd been wondering if his new talent actually involved any singing ability, since he'd not yet shown anything of the sort. After that, I decided to practice with the wings by flying to and around the bell tower. Thankfully, I'd been on the ground resting when the scream happened."

"Wait," Victoria spoke up, "what time exactly was it that you spoke with Adrien?"

Teresa thought about it. "I believe it was around 8:30, thereabouts. We'd found each other wandering the halls and struck up a conversation. We parted around nine."

Victoria looked around the group. "And did anyone else speak with him beforehand, or see him with anyone?"

"Does it matter? We pretty clearly know when he died." Shawn asked.

"But we don't know who he was last seen with, or who he might've interacted with before getting killed." Victoria explained sternly. "This could help narrow down who might've been the culprit."

Shawn said nothing, merely silently scoffing and resting his face on the table.

Victoria glared slightly at the unhelpful Scarecrow, before casting her gaze at the rest of the group. "So, can anyone recall seeing Adrien at anytime after nine this morning?"

Everyone shook their heads or mumbled in the negative.

The Mummy sighed. "Well, I suppose that would just make things too easy, now wouldn't they?"

Alexis sighed. "Well, I think things have run their course here." She moved her feet off the table and stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go see how things are with the others." With that, she made for the kitchen.

Kitchen

While interrogations were occurring, the group in the kitchen was continuing to investigate the corpse.

"Well, it seems nothing was left out of the autopsy, so there's that, I guess." The Undertaker sighed, leaning back. "Couldn't find anything particularly new though."

"It's fine," Eric said, reassuringly, "let's just go over what we actually know."

"Well, this wasn't a s'prise attack, tha's fer sure." Kelley noted. She gestured to ruffles on his clothes and light injuries on his hands. "Ya can see signs o'a struggle. Whoev'r kill'd 'im, he fought 'em first."

"Good point, yeah." Eric agreed. "Looks like his mask just fell off though. It wasn't punched off or anything."

"This still doesn't tell us much, however." Sabishī commented, standing up. "Aside from the fact that -" she paused.

Sabishī noticed something off to the side of the room, which until now had gone unnoticed (probably due to everyone focusing on the body). Moving to get a closer look, she saw it was a selection of rope, tied off like some sort of noose or lasso. The looped section looked slightly frazzled at parts.

"What's a lasso doing here?" She asked, incredulous.

"I think that's a noose, actually." Eric noted/deadpanned, also moving to look closer. "But yeah, same question."

Kelley, remaining standing near the corpse, looked from the noose back to the Opera Phantom's body. An idea was forming in her mind, one to share come the trial.

"How are things going, vocês três?" An accented voice spoke up. Turning to the door, the three saw Alexis enter the room, arms crossed behind her back as she took in the room (including the Painter continuing to silently sketch her latest upcoming work in a corner).

"What are you doing here?" Eric questioned.

"I've simply come to pay my respects to a fallen participant. Plus, my usefulness out there was over." Alexis explained as she knelt down slightly next to Adrien's body, her hands on her knees. She looked over the unmasked boy, features betraying nothing. "Descanse em paz." The Brazilian whispered over the corpse. She looked somewhat sad as she spoke, but something about it seemed fake to those who could see it.

"Were you two close?" Sabishī asked, somewhat suspiciously.

The older girl shrugged, standing back upright. "We got on well enough, I suppose, but not too seriously. Not for me, at least." She looked over to the Painter. "By the by, you did see me in your little gallery at the time of the scream, sim?"

"h-Huh? Oh, yeah. Thanks for the patronage, always nice to see someone actually enjoy my art." Mackenzie responded, slightly distracted.

"Uh, w-wha'?" Kelley asked, concerned that someone would willingly go to the Art Gallery for the artwork.

"Relax," Alexis assured the Banshee (and the other two besides), "I was just learning what I'd missed during previous killing games. I didn't necessarily get to see all those broadcasts at the time."

"You were lucky, then." Eric muttered, eyes downcast.

"Mmm, depends on who you ask." The Latin-American Mythologist responded. "So, for clarification, did any of you see Adrien at any point after nine this morning?"

"No, I don't think so." Eric stated. The other to shook their heads (as did the painter).

"Fair enough. The others were hoping to narrow things down by who had seen him last, but," she shrugged, "ah bem."

"Well, hopefully we can work out what's happened at the trial." Eric commented, returning his gaze to the body. "We kinda have to." He quietly muttered.

12:00 P.M. Day Five

Outside

Graveyard

As the bells rang for noon, everyone - participants and staff both - gathered in the Foyer before journeying out to the courtyard, and from there the graveyard.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about how huge this place is." Gary noted, looking over the multitude of headstones stretching out around them. "It's gotta be, what, a square mile, at least?"

"Eh. Yeah, thereabouts, I think." Kinsei commented from near the back of the group. "And these are just the ones that could actually be found. This doesn't count the ones that just got dumped into the sea, or eaten, or burned up as fuel in magical rituals of one breed or another, or-"

"OK, I tink we ge' it!" Kelley called out, starting to look greener than usual.

"Nobody asked you, clover-fields." The Alchemist countered.

"Shut up anyway, ya a-hole." Brooke spoke out, glaring in the man's direction.

"Enough. Save the insults for the trial, it gets more interesting that way." Kuuma noted from the front of the group. Then he noticed the section of the graveyard they were passing. "Oh! And to your right," he announced like a tour guide, "you'll see the graves for the last group that got put through a killing game here, along with the most recent stiffs. Some of them actually have the bodies under them, too!" he added cheerfully.

Everyone took a moment to look upon the final resting place of their 'predecessors', an assortment of emotions playing across their faces.

"I-I doubt I want to ask, but what did you mean about some of the bodies being there?" Eric asked.

"Well, let's just say that, much like the rock-headed stiffs of the last trial, there wasn't necessarily much left of some of the bodies to be buried. Assuming we even bothered, that is." He paused, before looking to the butler traveling with him. "Wait, did anyone ever get that stiff from the first case?"

"I do not believe so, Mister Kuuma." Sebastian responded, looking understandably discomforted at the topic at hand. "It was deemed too risky and ultimately 'pointless' to try to bring the body all the way here afterwards. Even with the access tunnel."

"Huh. Guess we'll need to look into that later. Maybe. Whatever." The Homunculus shrugged, continuing on with the rest.

"You're still missing Harris here!" The Ultimate Sphinx called out.

"We'll get to it, alright!?" the dual-toned boy yelled back, annoyed. "Some of us, have been kinda busy!"

Finally, they reached the Mausoleum. Kuuma looked over to Sabishī. "Well, Miss Cryptkeeper? I believe this is your task."

Glancing down at the chain around her neck, the Undertaker sighed. "Fine. Let's just get this nightmare over with." Stalking over, she unlocked the large black door, which swung open on its own.

The trial room stretched out before them, with Jibo sitting on his throne opposite them. Wordlessly, everyone filed in to their respective spots.

It was time to begin.

[12 participants remain]

A/N: Next up, 2nd trial time.