WEEK 5 - Trial

[al2955]

the pygmalion. . . ONLINE CAPTAIN'S LOG: WEEK (5)

saturday TRIAL DAY ONE (32) survivors At 9 AM, a klaxon alarm begins blaring in every area of the ship. The alarm will continue to go off until everyone has gathered in the conference room. Should anyone be running late or avoiding the trial for whatever reason, a robot guide will appear wherever they are and gently but firmly escort them into the room. Once all the living players are present, the conference room doors will lock shut; anyone who wishes to leave for whatever reason will need to ask AL-2955 or one of the robots. Anyone leaving for non-investigative purposes, such as bathroom breaks, will be accompanied by a robot escort. The large round table in the center of the conference room has been set up to help the trial run as smoothly as possible. Three holographic screens hover above the center hollow of the table, visible from every angle. The first screen displays the pictures and profiles of the suspects and victim; the second displays the autopsy report; the third displays a blank word processor. Each of the chairs comes equipped with a virtual keyboard which can be used to type information directly into the third screen, such as theories and updated information; they can also be set into privacy mode, which will transfer whatever notes someone writes directly into their datapad instead of on screen. There's also a tablet function for those who wish to draw charts or pictures on screen. The keyboards will detect the DNA of whoever's using them and record who's typed what - simply press an area of text and the name of whoever wrote it will pop up. The area to the right of the table has been temporarily sectioned off with a glass partition and sliding door for hygienic issues. Inside, the victim's body has been laid out on a metal autopsy table, covered by a plastic sheet. Above it is a holographic screen that displays a close-up color photograph of the body when it was found. A hand sanitizer dispenser has been considerately attached to the wall nearby for anyone getting up close and personal to the body. To the left of the conference table is a display case. Any evidence found during the investigation will be carefully collected by the robots at some point the previous day and placed here before the trial starts. Beneath each piece of evidence is a small tablet where players can type up information, such as a short description or where it was found. There are also empty areas left over for any evidence that may be found during the trial. The shelf at the very bottom of the case has been reserved for an extra rulebook in case anyone needs it. Food will be served throughout the day by the robots, who will take individual orders whenever you're feeling hungry. The trial will end at 9:00 PM, at which point all players will have been expected to cast their vote.

victim



suspects



Character Statuses
Setting
Rulebook
Voting

Comments

Autopsy Report

[al2955]

Above the center of the conference table, the rightmost holographic screen displays the autopsy report:

Autopsy Report -

Cause of Death - Appears to be due to a gunshot to the head.

Body Discovery - Found at the bottom of the pool Friday morning. Body discovery announcement went off at 9:15 AM.

Time of Death - Between 7:30AM - 8:55 AM.

Condition of Body - Originally found at the bottom of the pool with a weight tied to each of her legs. Bullet hole near the top of the forehead. Bruising on arms and torso.

Condition of Scene - Pool water was bloody when the body was found. Water splashed around edge of the pool, as well as a darker patch of blood. Gun and bullet casing found within the pool a few feet away from the body. Pool net was floating in the middle of the pool at discovery.

Alibis

[al2955]

The holographic screen in the middle displays the photos and profiles of each of the suspects. Pressing their photograph will bring up a tab where the suspects can type up their alibi.

Whereabouts - Friday morning, Week Five

Hancock

[isodope]

5am: Wake up
6am: Skinny dip in the pool for a couple hours. PRETTY SURE there was no corpse in it but hell if I know, I take swims in irradiated water back home ok.
8am: Head to the cafeteria for breakfast
9am: Inside of art storage, getting high and admiring art the way it should be admired. Was in there up until body discovery, then I left to look around for clues. I'm a much better detective when I'm on the Mentats.

Harold

[probings]

5AM: Sleeping!
6AM: Sleeping!
7AM: Still sleeping! A girl needs her beauty rest, you know. ♪
8AM: Woke up, kind of. I rolled over and thought about what to wear for a while.
8:45AM: Jumped in the shower.
9AM: Got out of shower, got dressed, starting getting ready for the day. I was doing my makeup when the announcement finally went off about the body.
9:30AM: Left room for the first time all morning to get coffee and see what everyone had found.

Minako

[allout]

5:00 AM - 8:00 AM: zzzzzzz (Sleeping!)
8:15 AM - 8:45: Waking up, getting ready
9:00 AM: Cafeteria, eating breakfast
9:00 AM - 9:30 PM: Archives, looking at the crew profiles again - I was there the other day

Bull

[qundercover]

until 8am - Asleep, like anyone else
8:00 - 8:15 Got up, got ready
8:15 - 9am - Woke up, headed for the gym, gotta keep putting in the work or I don't look the part
9 - 9:30am - Breakfast, met Dorian here, got interrupted by the body alarm

Kazuma

[mnasthai]

5am-8:20am: Asleep
8:20-8:25am: Got dressed and ready
8:30am: Met Todomatsu in the cafeteria for breakfast. We stayed there until the alarm went off.
9:00am: Investigated, didn't find anything

Findings

[al2955]

The display case to the left of the conference table houses all the evidence that has been found during the investigation so far. Below each piece of evidence is a tablet where players can label the piece and type up any notes they may have about it. There are also empty slots with blank tablets for any evidence or information that may be found during the trial.

All evidence and other information found during the course of investigation should be listed here.

(OOC: Please also link the thread where the evidence was found!)

Gym Findings

[tacklefordwhimsy]

There's a resistance band and a couple dumbbells missing in the gym! The dumbbells are 15 lbs each, I think?

Besides that, in the lockers area, one of the driers seem to have been recently used. I didn't find anything inside

[That's what Shelley found!]

Body

[al2955]

The right area of the room has been sectioned off by a glass partition, which players can enter via a vertical sliding door. Carta's body has been laid out on a sterile metal autopsy table. Her body is covered with a plastic sheet, but the sheet can be removed. Other than the position and the sheet, the body has not been changed from how they were found.

A holographic screen above the body displays two color photos of the scene when the body discovery alarms rang at 9:15AM. The photographs are close ups - they portray Carta's body, but no more of the scene than is necessary to do so. Still, if you want to check their position, it makes it easy to do so.

[refactor]

[ For once, Jack isn't just sleeping through the whole trial or whatever happens when I'm busy, so. He's going to head over the body to inspect it. There's the bullet wound, but rather than focus on the obvious, he'll start inspecting the bruises on her wrist first. How deep is the bruising, and how thin are the marks? ]

Host

[al2955]

[Once the 9AM alarm has rung and all players have awakened, the statue in the alcove in the back of the room chimes gently. Holographic water begins pouring out of the jug the statue is carrying, forming the shimmering image of a vaguely feminine figure made out of liquid.]

Greetings, participants. I hope you are all feeling refreshed after last night's rest. As always, I am at your disposal should you need to ask anything. Good luck.

[The holographic image will remain throughout the trial. You're free to ask her whatever you want, though whether she'll answer is a different question entirely.]

[monsieurchatastrophe]

[he thought of this yesterday, so might as well:]

Alice, the pool gets cleaned every week, right? Can you remind me when that happens?

Motives

[tevinteriscoming]

Well then, shall we begin? Lie to us all about what your item is, and why you would under no circumstances kill for it. We may as well get that portion over with before we move on to the wild accusations.

[isodope]

Ok, but what if you're positive your item is a fucking lie?

[brooches]

Forgive me if this sounds ignorant, but I wasn't too friendly with the victim...

Did she have any routines? Any reason to be at the pool at all?

[ From her understanding, everything looked planned. She thinks specifically on the gym equipment, so... ]

[antagonize]

I don't think so. But then again, we weren't chums, either.

[So helpful. He's pausing for a second, however, thoughtfully.]

Shelley was handcuffed to the victim last week, if I'm not mistaken. She might know Carta frequented the pool for whatever reason.

[isodope]

[After inputting his alibi Hancock will sit up straight and neat in his seat.]

Okay assholes, it's 20 questions time.

[aka AMA the Hancock Edition.]

[antietam]

[ This is a super suspicious alibi. ] So was there a reason you were all around the bottom deck, presumably alone, while knowing it was basically the murder day? And did you see or hear anything at all?

[bloodbiter]

I have several things I would like to discuss.

First, driers are devices that are meant to be used to dry clothing, correct? If we assume that one was used because the killer's clothing became wet when they were near the pool, would there be any way to determine whether a piece of clothing had been recently dried?

Additionally, if the gun was only fired once according to what Machias has reported, I don't know how difficult it is to use a gun to accurately hit a target. Would anyone have been able to kill her in this manner, or would it more likely be someone experienced with such weaponry?

[antietam]

It depends on if the target was moving or not. If she was still alive and standing, it would be significantly harder. Shooting her while unconscious would make the most sense, and probably wouldn't require a lot of skill.

[probings]

[and once her alibi is all up to speed?

harold's going to ask The Important Questions™ here.]

All right, so how long before we get the room searches and the strip searches done? We already know those are coming at some point, don't we?

[or she can be asked other things, but she wants to get that part out of the way.]

[parodeity]

Uh, I guess I'll help with a room search or whatever. I call not dibs on strippin' this time.

[chiseler]

[He's been taking all of this in and honestly he's only half-interested in what's going on. Didn't know the victim, don't care much for most of the suspects, but...]

If the dumbbells are about fifteen pounds each, that means whoever our suspect is had to carry them down three floors and then into the pool. Fifteen pounds doesn't sound heavy but if they're fifteen each that's still carrying a pretty substantial weight down. And if Carta wasn't that big, could thirty pounds really be enough to keep her down? I'm just asking.

[bloodbiter]

It does seem strange that they didn't choose heavier weights. Perhaps fifteen was the highest interval they could manage.

[allout]

[ once her alibi is updated, she'll speak up with a small smile. ]

I'll answer any questions you guys have. Come at me!

[thanatosincarnate]

{ Hello, Minako, guess who. }

Tell me about that Evoker of yours. What does it do, exactly?

{ This is a good excuse to ask about it, lbr. }

[qundercover]

[He has an alibi up, and is now waiting. He looks relaxed as you can be, leaning back in a chair.]

Haven't been on this side of the interrogation much.

[tevinteriscoming]

You chose a terrible time to go to the gym.

Did you notice anything amiss at all while you were there?

Room Searches

[tevinteriscoming]

[Top level for room searches]

Hancock

[isodope]

[You kids better not make out in there or at least not without him]

[mnasthai]

[ With his alibi up, Kazuma is ready to answer any questions. He's still smiling and doesn't look nervous, though he does look a bit disappointed.]

Well at least I've done this once...

[antagonize]

Someone got shot in the head and yet, you're still in the hot seat. What's up with that?

[This is his way of trying to lighten the mood??? Don't be the killer, dude.]

body findings

[refactor]

[ After Jack has thoroughly checked out the body, he'll come back to report his findings. Though he does have the pool skimmer's pole in hand. He doesn't really need to, since his point is clear enough without it, but. That's Jack for you. At least he doesn't twirl it while he speaks. ]

Sooo after a nice, thorough inspection by yours truly, got two things to share. One, the obvious, considering I'm holding this thing, Carta's got bruises on her forearms and stomach. They match this thing pretty well, so she got a bit of a beating. Not saying it was this, but, hey, conveniently have something that matches the width of them right here in evidence, so. Personally, probably going to say it was this unless something else pops up.

Two, we've got our gunshot wound. I can go into a lotta grisly detail here, but in short, seen a lot of gunshot wounds in my time, and I'm going to say this one wasn't a very close range shot. We don't have any of the thermal burns, tattooing, contact wounds, et cetera, et cetera that would imply it was close. Doesn't meant it was far, like, across the room, but it wasn't close enough to her to make those marks. Then as for the wound itself, we don't have an exit wound, and confirmed it myself, the bullet is definitely still in her skull, so. Just in case you're doubting that "appears" part like I was, no worries there, she was definitely shot. Whether that's how she actually died or not is still up for debate, but, hey, at least that's something.

[douchemag]

We're sure the gun was hers, right? Unless someone just happens to be missing one...again.

[tacklefordwhimsy]

Guys, I'm sorry if this may lead nowhere, but since I found about it it's something I can't get out of my mind...

...how does the missing resistance band fit in all this?

[erythristic]

The weights were tied to her using the bands. It speaks to the one weighing down the body working quickly with whatever materials were at hand.

[don't worry Shelley, Grell's got you covered.]

Such things don't sound very ideal for tying, as opposed to rope.

[tevinteriscoming]

Here's a thought. Who was in the gym or the pool area in the morning, besides our suspects?

Doesn't the timing seem suspect? We have Hancock swimming in the pool for nearly all of the time the crime could have taken place. But for the rest of the time, the gym also wasn't empty; it might have been difficult for the killer to escape.

Furthermore, Bull said he noticed the weights missing when he reached the gym at about 8:15. So they either were stolen before Hancock's swim, or in that fifteen minute window. Yes?

[erythristic]

True, which raises an idea - was the thief our killer, or was it Miss Carta herself who planned on the drowning?

[never eliminate the idea of someone pulling a reversal of fortune, or something.]

guns. just lots of guns

[chiseler]

[Judar had brought up a good point about checking how guns work, and Yuno had brought up the point that the gun found at the scene didn't have a silencer. So you know what eventually whoever feels like being present for this will be allowed down at the gym/pool with a similar gun.]

So here's the thing. Anybody who was in the gym should have heard the gunshot the morning Carta died and we've got two suspects who were around during the times she supposedly was killed. We've got a gun here--[And this is a stupid idea now that he thinks about it]--and the pool's that way. Thinking we should send somebody in to fire the thing at our test dummy Alice provided. We can also see how the bullet moves through the water versus the air. Anybody who wants to stay out in the gym would be good so we can tell if the gunfire could be heard. We good?

[tevinteriscoming]

[He...kind of wants to shoot one. A lot. Just to see. But he'll go wait in the gym if he has to.]

I don't mind shooting it once, perhaps. I'm untrained, as are a few of our suspects.

DAY ONE TRIAL END

[al2955]

[ At 7PM on the dot, the ritual from last trial is repeated; the screens phase away, as if powered down without warning. The corpse is closed off, the door shut nice and tight, and the same is done with the evidence case. Should anyone attempt to get into either of them, they would find it wholly impossible: the trial is put on hold for some rest, once again. ]

It is 7PM, participants. As usual, the trial shall be placed on hold until the morning. Dinner will be held in this room, like last trial. Please do not stab the robots. They will take your order and bring it out to you. They cannot do this if they are damaged. To ensure that there will be no tampering with the evidence, all participants are to remain in this room. Blankets and entertainment shall be provided shortly, and should you find a change of clothes necessary, that can also be arranged.

[ A few moments later, the screens and tablets are on again, this time providing a selection of ocean movies, and retro gaming. Anyone who leaves will be accompanied by a robot, and then ushered back into the conference room. You're stuck in a sleepover with the corpse near you again, it seems.

Feel free to thread out any of the evening's interactions here. ]

[allout]

[ unlike the other trial day endings, minako won't be eating much or partaking in any of the entertainment. despite her relative hunger, she doesn't quite feel like partaking in any of that, considering today's events and circumstances.

she'll be sitting by herself away from most of the buzzing and action with her own thoughts, hugging her knees with a blanket draped over them. it's a little out of character for the usually peppy girl, but she's bared a lot about herself today that no one but SEES and other persona-users were supposed to know. it's... weird. ]