[ WEEK TWO – TRIAL ]

[sheriffexe]

TRIAL

In the morning, the town comes back to life. Birds crow overhead, a snake nearby hisses, a lingering coyote dips behind a shop before disappearing into the wild. It's a frightening contrast to the stillness of yesterday but it doesn't mean it's over yet. After all, today is the trial. The Sheriff stands on the porch of the Town Hall and brings his hand up to his mouth to let out a whistle. He'll thumb back to the Hall behind him and very clearly state -- "Trial time, folks. Get in here and figure out who did it." And then he'll turn to leave before pausing and adding on, "Bring a snack or somethin' too. The Town Hall is set up more like a court house, a Judge's bench at the front but instead of at center, it's off to the side as if more for observation than participation. There's a table at the front of the room already holding a small box and a pad of papers and pen, for voting apparently. A side room containing only a metal gurney is next and today it's obvious why there's a gurney there at all with the corpse, resting right on top of it. Aside from that, there are rows for everyone to take a seat and it's only after everyone is inside and settled, that the doors close and the Sheriff speaks. "Well, have at it. You've got till nine." And then, he points to a clock on the wall that reads 12:00. Good luck. Welcome to the trial post! Characters are free to discuss everything related to the trial here. They won't be let out of the room until 9PM when voting ends. Every character must vote and the voting post can be found here. If there are any questions, please shoot a message to this journal or to robowest.

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Comments

[healstaff]

Someone could follow them there, couldn't they? Ooor maybe, they were meeting about something really shady and thought it'd only be right to do it under the cover of darkness! [ a small gasp ] What if they were planning to murder someone together?

[hydrokinetics]

[This is all great training for a baby sister he's getting in the future jfc.]

Papika, don't eat paper. [But still.] It doesn't explain why the note wasn't destroyed though. Any sensible person would if it was something that was supposed to be a secret.

[uraniumnumnum]

Stop it with this farce.

[hydrokinetics]

[Opens mouth.

...shut mouth?]

Can they do that?

[healstaff]

Iiii don't know? Is there a rule against it?

[elemancy]

[he's just getting a look.]

Later. [he's going to pry later, have fun with that.]

[uraniumnumnum]

[ ????????????????????????????????! ]

[alcobrawlic]

Okay, so just to make sure we're all on the same page here...

[ waving a hand. ]

We've learned from the Sheriff that he can provide a weapon based on an older Western theme, but not anything specific, so he at least wouldn't have just handed Higekiri's sword self to our killer. Our decomposing friend also didn't have a role.

Higekiri was the one to point out that the victim didn't have long to live, because he was scheduled to die back home... but he didn't want to say who told him that. From the way he put it, I don't think it was the victim himself... he's clearly trying to protect someone who he 'cannot let die', but says that someone isn't 'that person'.

What we do know about the murder right now is that Manfred was stabbed in the tailor's, but since we can't stare at his body, we can't say for sure if the sword was the murder weapon or if someone went crazy with a pair of scissors or whatever. Higekiri also got into a fight with someone unknown, and before that, Xion saw our dead friend leave the hotel with a note between eleven and midnight on the camera. She also saw Higekiri leave, but his sword wasn't on him. Like true acrobats, they used the windows to get out.

So right now, we're still trying to figure out what the hell the note found on our dead buddy means.

[flippity]

Was he sensible?

[ according to everyone he was apparently just MEAN so ]

[moraled]

[He's nodding along with this summary, thoughtfully. Hmmm...]

The main points of concern, that I can see, are as follows:

One, how the victim was murdered, as that may very well point to whether or not Sir Silent Sword was framed or not.

Two, why Sir Sword Won't Say A Lot and the victim left the premises, which may very well have something to do with the note the victim held.

Three, who it is our Silent Sword Friend is protecting, or, at the very least, why.

[alcobrawlic]

... I'm working on that, but you miiiiight want to tone down your grump a bit.

[moraled]

This is a trial for murder, not a tea party. There is no reason to so stubbornly hold your silence and be so vague as a suspect, unless you truly do not care to find the truth--or are hiding something.

[impulsiveness]

... Dude, no offense, but what if the person who told you that planned this whole thing out? They could have lied to you about the whole thing. Made it so von Karma would appear to have a motive in all of this.

[Since that's a thing that's been tossed around.]

They could be setting you up as their fall guy. Don't you think it's too big of a coincidence?

[hydrokinetics]

It wouldn't hurt to maybe ask him if that's possible. It could be good to know for the future.

[thatsthespirit]

Higekiri also insisted that his sword was stolen after curfew while he was making tea, but neither him nor the victim were seen leaving the hotel with said sword. The camera didn't catch any third parties leaving the hotel after the front doors were locked.

So the pressing question in my mind is. . . how did Higekiri's scabbard get to the tailor's in the first place?

[athenite]

The worst asking questions ever gets is a "no" so far. Or annoyance. So may as well?

[hydrokinetics]

I have a feeling he's the kind of guy that would protect himself, so maybe that's the same thing.

[athenite]

I suppose comparing handwriting to the note would be a little bit difficult...but the options for that kind of thing are either a trap or an honest offer to share information only, correct?

[hydrokinetics]

I mean, "no" is usually pretty bad and we've seen how annoyed he gets. [A pause.] He likes you, maybe you and Lissa should go ask him.

[generously]

That Higekiri fella, he didn't say who he got in a fight with?

[sunnashi]

I'm not worried about that at all. In fact, that's okay.

[ His calmness about this is definitely not human... Heh. ]

That's something I'd want to tell you, because it was the reason he died, along with another.

[tightly]

Did anyone else see it be stolen?

[ Chane can only answer your questions with more questions, Milla... ]

[athenite]

It's because I'm amazingly charming and brilliant. But all right - anything beyond "could two people conspire on a murder"?

[athenite]

Who lets a weapon they own out of their sight in this situation? Tea or no.

[ SHE DOESN'T BUY THAT... ]

[sunnashi]

The one who told me is not the murderer. But honestly, I think the murderer is not a bad person.