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!

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EAST FOREST.............2!

[retellers]

[riegan]

Sure are a lot of people awake this morning, huh...

(Nothing like a THING happening to get everyone up and going first thing in the morning. Anyway, things are off so let's go into the forest. And no wiggling out of this, Hilda.)

[reconnective]

[into the forest! sora's jogging up alongside claude, easily keeping pace as they head through the trees. the moment they enter the forest he'll look up to the tree branches more out of habit than anything.]

No kidding. [but...hm.] You guys saw that message, right? What do you think the disturbance is...?

[axecessory]

[ Hilda steps along behind them, like maybe she can cut out if Claude can't see her. ]

No idea, but something about this all gives me the creeps.

[ Everything about the night before is—blurry. She sighs, peering around at the ground. Hello disturbance, where are you... ]

Let's just look around and get out of here, okay?

[retellers]

[ Much like with East Forest 1 Group, this group will find a (different) trail entrance that looks as though it's been entered. Again, footprints are banned, but there's the occasional smudge of dirt.

Nothing up in the trees, though! ]

[riegan]

(Mods I can't let the people down :( )

In this place? It could be anything.

(Meaning he has no idea what's up. Fun fact, when this was a pure and soft game with friendship and bonds, Claude had really enjoyed visiting the forest! He's used to keeping an eye out for animals while he's out. )

Huh... (Slowing down a bit as he checks out the ground,) Looks like something came through here...

(Let's check out these smudges! Anything stand out about them like going in a certain direction? Was something dropped to show what it might be from? He's honestly checking for fur or feathers because ??? clearly it must be an animal? RIGHT????? )

[reconnective]

[and while claude is doing that, sora's nodding and continuing ahead to see if he can spot anything else unusual. he's leaving the investigation of that area to somebody else, but he's also checking, like, the bark of the trees around in case they're damaged. he'll keep his eyes on the ground further ahead, looking this way and that.

out of curiosity though, he'll look up to see if he can see the castle. is it still normal?]

Think it's just an animal? It's pretty close to the town still.

[axecessory]

[ There's a bit of a groan to her voice. ]

I really hope it isn't.

[ No more skunks!!!!!!!!! She sort of drifts from smudge to smudge, following them along the trail. Any distinctive distance or pattern to the marks, or how they show up? What's the trail looking like as she goes along? ]

[retellers]

[ Nothing was dropped! No furs or feathers. No damage on the trees either, or anything. It just looks like someone or something leisurely walked down this trail, maybe.

Though speaking of animals... if they're listening closely, they might hear a very quiet rustle a bit off the trail? ]

[riegan]

I can't really think of many people who'd come all the way out here in the morning.

(And he laughs lightly, glancing over at Hilda,)

You can hold onto my arm if you're scared, Hilda. Think of it as a nice stroll through the-- (Ah, but what was that? ) Hey, be quiet.

(Not Hilda specifically but like in general. Did you guys hear that too? Up ahead? He knows better than to ask Hilda to go poking into the brush ahead so he'll defer to Sora for now. )

[reconnective]

Especially not when the front door was locked last night. [maybe bring that up sooner next time, sora. he's about to say something else but then he pauses, listening in the direction of that rustling.

...hm. if it's another bear i swear to god. but sora looks back at hilda and claude both, nodding to them before he begins to try and walk in the direction of the rustle. he trusts claude to protect hilda in case something goes wrong and he trusts himself enough to move fast enough if it's something bad.

but. anyway. following the rustling! hello...?]

[axecessory]

The front door was...?

[ Yeah, she's terrified, and it's all Claude's fault for dragging her out here. But no—she just looks mildly affronted at being told to be quiet, though she cuts herself off and listens.

Huh.

She'll let Sora take lead on this one, though she does sort of wander from Claude and approach the noise from another direction. ]

[retellers]

[ Following the source of the nose takes them to a small clearing, off the trail. In said clearing is a bear out for round two with Sora.

No, just kidding. Since none of you are Dana, y'all can relax, it's just a squirrel. No one in the group will recognize it, but elsewhere, East Forest Group 1 is probably screaming.

It's gathering a pile of acorns! Aw, how cute. Wait, is that a piece of cloth underneath its pile...? ]

[riegan]

Hah, check it out, it's just a squirrel.

(Look at them, freaking out over nothing!! Claude's just going to go over and see what that thing is under the pile though?)

Sorry, little guy.

(But he's gonna disturb your little forest feast. u_u

Also, I guess there's screaming which Claude will look up at after he checks out this cloth.)

[reconnective]

[hello squirrel...claude's got the acorns covered which means sora's going to take a look around the clearing to check the edges, starting to search the perimeter. are there any other paths that look like they've been walked on or anything in the nearby trees? foliage?

except hm. screaming. screaming bad?]

--that doesn't sound too good.

[axecessory]

[ Okay, she'll let Claude harass this poor squirrel. This little guy has suffered more than anyone else in this invest (Hajime is dead).

She goes off to just mill about elsewhere, following the trail a bit. Anything weird up ahead, or other signs that people were around?

—Besides the screaming? ]

...Yeah, no kidding.

[ ????? was it a bear? ]

Should we go check it out?

[retellers]

[ Sora will not notice anything in particular in the clearing, no. Maybe squirrel tracks?

Hilda will, however, notice that the signs of movement continues down the original trail.

And the squirrel is apparently so offended by Claude's attempted destruction that before he can disturb its pile, it bites him on the hand. ]

[riegan]

If we do, keep an eye out. Something's definitely not ri-- ouch!

(He'd tried to be careful and not bother it too much but now his hand slips and he just yanks the cloth out from the pile.)

[reconnective]

Hey! [is he yelling at the squirrel or at claude? yes. either way he turns back to head to them, doing the stupid thing to try and coax the squirrel to him so it'll let go of claude's hand.] Come on, it's okay! We just need to check.

[this is absolutely not helping anyone, but please mr. squirrel...let them help...claude didn't mean to bully...]

[axecessory]

[ Ah, instant karma. Enjoy your animal trauma, Claude. Hilda leaves the boys to deal with the world's most unfortunate squirrel in favor of going down the trail, enjoying the woods a little.

She'll follow the not-footprint smudges while she's at it. Does is it seem to be taking her towards the direction of the screaming earlier? ]

[retellers]

[ If Hilda continues down that path, eventually it will in fact merge with the path that the other group took! She can join them in screaming.

Meanwhile, the squirrel tries to swipe at the cloth that Claude rudely stole. Give it back!! ): ]

[riegan]

No way, not after that.

(Claude hisses, shaking his hand because it hurts? Very rude, squirrel!! He's going to check out this cloth now. What is it? )

[reconnective]

You could at least apologize to him. He worked hard on that. [jeez claude. and then to the squirrel:] We'll fix it, just wait a minute.

[why is this squirrel so fixated on the cloth?? also:] Um. Where'd Hilda go...?

[axecessory]

[ Hilda finds the source of the screaming! She contributes with a gasp before running back, much more urgently than she'd meandered off. ]

Guys, something's wrong! Up ahead—there's a body!

[ She's not breaking down, but she's definitely distressed. No jokes here. What is happening? ]

[retellers]

[ The cloth is a square-ish shape, with one side looking like a torn edge.

Also, it's covered in dirt, grass stains, and... blood? Gross. The squirrel chitters angrily. ]