WEEK ZERO: INVESTIGATION

[retellers]

WEEK ZERO: INVESTIGATION (?? remain) On Friday morning at 7am, all the doors will unlock and the participants may traverse between areas again. Participants will find that, as they leave wherever they slept, everything feels... unclear? Did they see whoever they were with? They can no longer remember. Even for those who spent the night alone, they can feel that something is off. It doesn't seem as though the Leaders are around. However, an alert will notify the participants to a new message on their PHS. Hello everyone. Apparently something happened last night while everyone was asleep. We're not sure what's going on, but there has been a huge disturbance with nova and the six of us are going to check it out. But it seems like something also happened in the town. Can you all please go and try to find the source of it? Sorry for troubling you! Time to investigate. ༶•┈┈⛧┈｡o°✥✣ 　　 ✣✥°o｡┈⛧┈┈•༶ Welcome to your first investigation! We will be posting top-levels for searchable locations—one set at 6pm EST and another set at 7pm EST. Each location will contain evidence to find, though it's up to your efforts as to whether you find all of it. Please coordinate investigation groups on Discord, as we ask that group threads consist of no more than 2-3 characters. We will stop tagging each top-level two hours after it went up, i.e. at 8pm and 9pm EST, respectively. Don't worry if you don't find everything! Characters will get the chance to revisit locations tomorrow at trial. At 9pm EST, an announcement will go up, confirming the victim(s). If you have any questions at any time, please let us know by pinging us on Discord!

NAVIGATION locations ₓ˚. statuses *+:｡ ic profiles :ₓo ic rules ･ﾟﾟ･｡ audience requests murder proposals ｡✧o private conversations ･ﾟo｡ curfew ･ﾟ✧ memories

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[retellers]

[siblingless]

[WELL... Guess this is happening. Once she runs into Bucky and Alphinaud, she offers them a polite hello, glancing down at her PHS every now and again as if checking for new messages. Conversationally, noticeably worried:]

What do you think could have happened...?

[Sure would be funny if there was a corpse right as they approach the forest! But, no. Glancing around, is there anything visibly off on the ground or their immediate surroundings?]

[frostythehitman]

[ ????? had an easy enough time wandering over here, although he looks a mess. Sleeping in the woods will do that to you. ]

No clue. Something with nova, obviously, but none of us know enough about nova to know what it could be. Is there anything out of the ordinary around here?

[arcsplainist]

[ Hello you two, though there doesn't appear to be much time for polite greetings. Alphinaud gives him a cursory glance, taking note of his current state, before looking off into the woods. ]

We will have to take a closer look. Let us not tarry here for long.

[retellers]

[ Assuming they're walking along the border between the field and the forest, they'll hit upon a trail that looks as though it's been entered: smudged dirt, trampled weeds, broken twigs on the ground, etc.

"What about footprints?" There are no footprints because your mods have banned footprints. ]

[siblingless]

[The mods are very valid. All killers have mastered levitation in penance for CRAU crimes. Sumire frowns when she spots the trail, moving closer to it in order to take a better look. Does it look like something was dragged through the dirt, or are the disturbed patches more intermittent, like someone stomped around without leaving any discernible footprints? Is there anything between the weeds or broken twigs at a glance, or smudged into the dirt?]

Did either of you pass by here yesterday? I didn't, so I, ah... I can't say if this is new or not.

[frostythehitman]

No. I was in a different part of the forest.

[ He leans down, checking more closely. Maybe there are patches of dirt a short distance away--some hint of where someone came from. Or vanished off to, perhaps. Are there any trees nearby the twigs could have come from, and do the branches match those tree types? ]

Hmm. We might be looking for a person or an animal.

[arcsplainist]

[ Alphinaud will stop close enough to look over the spot alongside him, as well. ]

If you mind not my asking, where were you, then?

[retellers]

[ It does not look like something was dragged, no.

And the twigs and whatnot look like they came from the surrounding trees and plants, yes. Basically, the standard fallen debris you'd expect from nature; just that someone or something may have stepped on them. None of the signs of disturbance stray far from the trail. ]

[siblingless]

[She shoots Bucky a curious look as well, her eyebrows raised.]

Huh? [Well. That explains why he, uh, looks like that. Sir???] Wait, you don't mean slept in the forest, do you?

[She will give the debris another cursory glance. But if there's nothing else that immediately pops out, she will start the carefully follow the trail, glancing around as she does. Anything in the trees or foliage?]

[frostythehitman]

Well, it's where I woke up.

[ He follows as well. If she's looking up at the trees, he'll focus downwards, focusing on any other broken twigs or smudged dirt that may or may not be on the trail as they go along. Or anything that just plain doesn't look like it belongs on a forest floor, he's not picky. ]

[arcsplainist]

[ Alphinaud will side-eye him, but leave it at that, instead heading down the path as well. Since a lot of that is just forest things, he'll keep an eye out for anything that seems more out of place for the woods. ]

Peculiar choice for sleep aside—we can worry about that later. For now...

[ Alphinaud gestures ahead ]

[retellers]

[ Nothing out of place in the trees! But as they head down the path, they may notice a small piece of cloth stuck on the branch of some foliage.

... But before the group can do anything, a squirrel suddenly nyooms by, grabs the cloth, and dashes further down the trail. Anyway, that sure just happened. ]

[siblingless]

[She opens her mouth to comment, but cuts herself off as soon as she spots the cloth.]

Oh! Look, over—

[Uh. Bye.]

—there...?!

[Her intonation goes totally sideway as the squirrel nyooms by, her eyes wide. The fuck.]

H-Hey... Hey, wait!

[TIME TO RUN AFTER THE SQUIRREL????? FAREWELL, BOYS. At least it's, apparently, dashing off further down the path so it's. Kind of in the same direction.]

[frostythehitman]

[ alright, FUCK LOOKING AROUND

HE IS NOW ABSOLUTELY BOLTING AFTER THIS SQUIRREL to give it the business. This is 260 pounds of cyborg assassin, absolutely hellbent on catching and destroying this squirrel. ]

Oh no you don't, you little bastard!

[arcsplainist]

[ Welp, there they go...

With an already tired sigh, Alphinaud opts to linger behind for a moment. For one, please don't ask this wildly out-of-shape boy to go chasing after a woodland animal, and two, he's gonna look around the area the cloth was just at, in case there was more the squirrel hadn't bolted off with. ]

[retellers]

[ Alphinaud is a good boy. Unfortunately, there is nothing else around that area! Looks like that piece was the only one. And the squirrel stole it, that asshole.

Even more unfortunate, for the other two, is that the squirrel runs so quickly that it nyooms out of this investigation thread altogether. Bye.

... But since they're heading down the path, following after the squirrel, they might notice further down what... looks to be a figure on the ground?

Hm. ]

[siblingless]

[NOOOOOO goodbye, evidence. :( Sumire slows to a stop once she loses sight of the squirrel, frowning as she brings a hand up to her chest.]

I lost sight of it. [Max disappointment! Please come back to this thread, squirrel. She will glance around as if to look for any sign of it, speaking to Bucky for the most part since Alphinaud is, uh. Not a jock.] Did you see where it...

[... And then she trails off when she notices the figure on the ground, her eyes widening.]

Huh?

[Is it humanoid? Large? Small? What are we working with here, mods? She's already a bit winded, but. Uh. If it's person or Pikachu shaped, she is absolutely going to run to it. Hm.]

[frostythehitman]

[ He slows after he loses sight of the squirrel and is ready to full on swear eternal vengeance against it, but then the figure catches his attention. Oh, right. They were looking for something.

Well, this is certainly a something.

He walks over, fully ready to examine it. Is it a person? Is it breathing? Is it injured? Anything suspicious around it? he's shifting into MURDERER (INVESTIGATION) MODE ]

This sure looks like it fits the bill for "something happening."

[arcsplainist]

[ Anyway! Don't mind this guy, arriving late. ]

Were you two able to...

[ He trails off before he catches up to them, noticing something off about them. ]

... Is aught amiss?

[retellers]

[ Assuming they've all reached the scene—since ????? is looking, he'll spot a thin broken branch lying under a tree.

As for the figure on the ground, it sure is humanoid! In fact, since it's lying face up, in a pool of red, they'll be able to recognize it immediately.

Hajime Ichinose is dead. ]

[siblingless]

[Well.

It's a good thing Bucky is here!

Because Sumire is going to be totally useless.

She sucks in a breath, stumbling back while slapping a hand over her mouth. Her face is completely pale as she stares at Hajime's body.]

No...!

[Something sure is wrong, Alphi! Please, someone help Bucky.]

No, no, no, no... Is she...?

[frostythehitman]

[ He checks the body for a pulse but already knows the answer. Seemingly completely apathetic: ]

Yeah. Dead.

[ But how? He looks for any signs of injury--blunt trauma, gunshot, a gash?

He spots the branch by the tree and investigates that too. Is it bloody as well? Does the tree above have a corresponding broken branch? Was it broken cleanly, or is it bent or splintered? ]

[arcsplainist]

[ Ah. Once he gets close, Alphinaud starts in shock, then frowns. ]

... Aye. So we've found our disturbance.

[ Bucky seems to know what he's doing, looking over the body, so Alphinaud turns his attention to Sumire instead. ]

Pray look elsewhere, Sumire. You needn't see this.

[ Y'know, more than she already has. ]

[retellers]

[ ????? looks at the body but gets nothing because that will be saved for tomorrow's trial. ♥

The tree above does have a corresponding broken branch, where it looks as though it snapped. ]