[ WEEK THREE – 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

[hydrokinetics]

[Like with Xion, it's pretty clear Percy didn't sleep the night before and people will have noticed he and Xion were sitting outside of town hall prior to the trial. It's when Jason says "what about everyone else" that he looks up from where he's hanging out. Xion sits at his side and a bandaged and sleeping Mrs. O'Leary sits in his lap. He seems to mostly be talking at her, but it's loud enough to relay facts.]

The stocks were scorched yesterday morning. We found an empty can of gasoline under the Sheriff's chair on his porch, and when Dr. Lecter and I were checking it out we heard a bunch of growling. [His expression tightens, and his arms tighten around his dog.] I sent Mrs. O'Leary to check it out and two coyotes ran out. One of them had a burnt arm in its mouth. So I went under the porch and found the last one...and Annabeth. [Oh gods why.] She'd been there for hours, there wasn't much left of her torso at all and it was chewing on her--[Ahhhhhh.]--and what was left of her body was too badly burned to even really recognize her.

[A hand reaches up, tugging at the leather cord of colored beads around his neck, a second necklace to match his own only with more beads, a college ring and a piece of coral.] This might have been the only way we could have. [His eyebrows furrow.] But the coral was outside next to the stocks. It doesn't make sense how it fell off of her necklace or how the necklace didn't completely burn.

[A pause.] So. Watch out for coyotes in the future.

[elemancy]

[he a bro shoulderclasp once he's done talking—stay strong, bro.

(moral support totally counts for something, even if there's not much he has to offer in words right now.)]

[hydrokinetics]

[Thanks Noctis. He's having a Time but it's appreciated.]

[elemancy]

[also pretend that was in comprehensible english and that i know how to type before caffeine.

but he's here for percy either way.]

[moraled]

[... y i k e s]

We shall find who did this to her, Young Percy. Justice will be done.

[That's...the best he can offer to that.]

[hydrokinetics]

We can't mess up this week, Mr. Barnham. [He won't let it.] I can't...this wasn't fair, she couldn't even fight back. Someone had to specifically target her, right?

[moraled]

... Indeed. I believe she was targeted specifically due to her location and situation.

[aka she was easy pickings]

[hydrokinetics]

Then what was everybody else? Just extra casualties?

[thatsthespirit]

[daaaaaaamn. . . she hadn't heard anything about Annabeth's body until now, and she knew from her conversation with the young woman in the stocks that she was dating Percy. Milla can't imagine what he's feeling right about now, and comforting young teenage boys is a lot more difficult than comforting teenage girls]

I'm sorry.

[it's a bit awkward, but sincere]

This week, we won't fail to find the true culprit behind these crimes.

[hydrokinetics]

[There's a half-smile at her efforts. He doesn't know what to say, the apology hurts a little because it's acknowledging there's a loss, but at least he focuses enough to continue.]

Last week we failed because we weren't thinking it was really two people acting together. Could it be the same this week, you think?

[thatsthespirit]

[she nods]

With three victims, I think it's likely there may be more than one culprit. I'm going to ask the Sheriff if he can tell us how many killers there were.

[hydrokinetics]

Thank you. Maybe we should also ask if any of the deceased had one of those roles...? This is too many people to be a coincidence don't you think?

[thatsthespirit]

You're right. Three people is overkill for someone to just murder indiscriminately.

[folds her arms, brow furrowing as she thinks]

But at the same time, the Sheriff did once say that roles would be announced if they're related to the murder. He didn't announce any roles on the part of the victim last week, and we know Manfred didn't have a role.

[and since no role announcements were made this week, she's assuming the victims don't have any, either]

[hydrokinetics]

That's a good point. So we just have some really trigger-happy crazy people running around who're still sitting in this room. [And that's the part that disgusts him.] How are we supposed to even pinpoint that?

[feminitis]

When we catch Miss Annabeth's killer, we'll feed them to the coyotes.

[And then push the coyotes and the killer into the chemical pit. Yes. That seems fair.]

[ceded]

[ tbh

she'll support that 100% this week. ]

[hydrokinetics]

They're pretty brutal. [But he's definitely not saying no.] You think the Sheriff would let us get away with that?

[...don't give him ideas, Sei.]

[impulsiveness]

Why wouldn't he? It's "entertainment", right?

[s t o p.]

[hydrokinetics]

It is, but it's not enough I bet. It's too easy of a kill.

[impulsiveness]

He said the executed's way of participating is through their pain, right? Sounds painful enough to me.

[feminitis]

Not brutal enough for this killer. Whoever it is, they deserve that and worse. [She's mad. She's really mad. Percy's madder, of course, but she's pretty ticked too.] Why would he say no? It would fit with the theme.

[hydrokinetics]

[He shrugs.] It would fit the theme, but dunno if it'd count as us doing things ourselves. I don't really know how to work with coyotes, just wolves. [What.]

[feminitis]

Then let's cut them into pieces and feed them to the coyotes...! That would count, right?

[the very small amount of chill she had to start with disappeared with her leg i'm sorry]

[sweats]

[ A bit of a hesitation here because, well. Emotions.

But he will quietly say to Percy -- ]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[hydrokinetics]

[If anything he's surprised by Will and it shows in his face, blips of surprise and uncertainty in his emotions that cut through the absolute sadness and anger. But...]

...thanks. [It's just as quiet, and also the only person he'll say thank you to. It means something from Will, it seems, seeing what kind of person Will is.]