i_s_l_a_n_d_rp | (no subject)

Then I wonder if there's a post-game for our dear island?

Hmhmhm... [ Doing a simple scene shift instead of walking, magic is handy. Krauss is just unveiling that gold bar to Natsuhi to prove it exists and that Kinzo's gold presumably does as well. ] Quite a find, Krauss... I must applaud you.

[ She's not asking this time before doing another scene shift. It's Jessica passing on her scorpion pendant to Natsuhi. Which earns an irritated look from Beatrice. ] Honestly, Jessica, you make things annoying for me sometimes.

If there is, it's made people wait a long time for it.

[He raised an eyebrow at that.] His proof was one gold bar of unknown origin? And how he convinced investors. And to be believed so easily, it's quite suspicious.

[Looked at Beatrice and then at Natsuhi and chuckled.] An early target you were unable to touch?

A good mastermind knows how to draw things out to suit its means.

It also establishes a fine motive, doesn't it? -- Oops, that slipped. But you probably already knew that, so it's fine, really.

Sadly. [ Watches Natsuhi walk back to her room. ] There's one more scene I need to show you before we can finish this piece and move onto the second.

But if it's too long, then it loses all impact and interest.

The gold? Oh, of course the gold is a motive, but I'm now curious if it does exist. One gold bar as proof to the investors? It sounds like a con job. Has anyone seen any of the gold beyond that one bar?

[Nods, watching Natsuhi leave.] Okay.

Depends on the perspective of the player and the pieces, of course.

That remains to be seen, doesn't it? [ cackle! ]

[ Scene shift once more! It's a pretty drastic change, as now they're in the pouring rain in front of the arbor. Now we get to watch George's proposal to Shannon! Which... in other situations, would be really sweet, but really only gives an ominous feeling given what's going to happen next.

Beato is really not helping the mood, she's just humming along the wedding march, which just sounds eerie coming from her. ] Ah... that's no good, is it, detective? These kinds of scenes are never good.

Of course, but even the most captive of audience will eventually start to wander.

I suppose. If we ever see the gold again.

[Watches the scene and as he does, he starts to squirm, actually looking uncomfortable at Beatrice's words.] In this sort of way...are they...are they going to be all right? [His voice is lowered. He can deal with a lot, but he hates the cases where love is lost.]

They can't wander under the care of the barrier though, can they?

... [ The look on her face is answer enough, so the scene shifts so they're still near the arbor, but it's daylight. They can see Natsuhi and the servants running from the mansion to the shed from here. ]

So begins the second piece I'll hand you. Come on, it looks like they found something interesting. Let's follow them.

No, but they can become apathetic to it all.

... [Oh, he does not like that expression and his own face hardens. When the scene shifts, he watches the movement and shifts his stance, looking far older than his apparent and actual age would usually show. He knows what he's going to see is gonna be like a punch in the gut, so he's steeling himself.

He knows those sort of movements. He's seen them enough times.] So they have. [A cool, composed response, hands shoved in his pockets as he approaches the shed in the same manner.]

Even when the final moves of the game master is revealed, hm? I really hope the islanders aren't that much of a jaded bunch.

[ Not even bothering with a scene shift, she's walking toward the shed along with him. Builds atmosphere, in her mind, anyway. Lets him get a good look at the 'blood' magic circle painted on the shutters. Then watches his reaction when it's finally opened to reveal the faceless bodies of Rosa, Krauss, Rudolf, Kyrie, and Gohda. But if he remembers the Epitaph, there should be a sixth-- and he should be able to spy a hand sticking out way in the back of the shed. One with a ring on her left hand's ring finger.

Not paying attention to the horror of the family for now, since the cousins haven't arrived yet. ] Go on. They can't see you, and you can't interact with them. Investigate the crime scene all you want. That's what you're itching to do, right?

It's amazing how jaded some people can become over time.

[His reaction is subtle, but it's there. His eyes widened and he clenched his teeth, a mixture of both horror...and anger. As much as he came across murders, it was rare it was one as...gruesome as this.

He didn't respond, simply walking into the area with a grave and detached expression. He was taking it all in, but he wasn't letting it affect him. That is, until he got to the sixth body, sadness flickering across his expression before it was gone again even as he listened to George being told Shannon's answer.]

...there's one thing I can say about this crime scene. Whoever the murderer is, they knew these people. Personally.

... Ah?

[ Well, it was an interesting conclusion to hear so immediately. ] Of course I knew them all personally. This is my island. I see them every year... every conference. I hear their gluttonous, greedy banter for Kinzo's inheritance with every year approaching his death. I know them, inside and out.

... You must be secretly relieved, right?

[ A witch's grin spreads across her face, it's time to make up for her slip about the Divine Comedy. Striding over to Rosa's corpse. ] You saw it for yourself. The family that would do nothing, the servants that would do nothing, the cousins that would do nothing! What more fitting end than to have that sneering face ripped off so it can't torment Maria anymore?! This is an act of generosity, right? As a witch, I granted Maria's secret wish, to be free of that evil that plagued her childhood!

But I was generous again. Because while I wouldn't leave a trace of Rosa's face behind to haunt Maria, I so kindly left half of Shannon's behind, so the world still has half of her pretty face! Hey, hey, you said it's better to know the truth than to live in a lie, riiiight? If Shannon were missing her whole face, George could at least delude himself it was someone dressed up like her! Since half her face is there, it's certain that his fiance of only a few hours is dead! Do you still believe it? Do you still believe he'll find solace in that one truth?

[ Her cackling winds down ] But it's... all useless, isn't it? You don't believe I killed them, so my cruel words mean nothing. I'm just inelegantly mocking the dead to you, aren't I?

Come on. Tell me your observations. I'm ready to listen.

[He was silent for a few moments and sighed.]

George will not have much comfort, but it's better to know the truth than to delude himself she might still be alive, but she'll never return to him. Better to face that truth then to always wonder.

Maria will not be tormented by Rosa, but this still isn't the best route. She was still desperately craving for her mother's love and now she'll never have it and most likely not get the psychological help she needs.

But you definitely didn't do this. Because while you 'know them' in that scenario, they do not 'know you.' And it's only through personal interaction that this sort of scenario will come about.

[He turned to Beatrice.] If you are the culprit, this is a distance killing. While you 'know' them, you do not have a true connection. In that way, to kill all these people, then this crime is a contradiction.

[He held up two fingers.] Because this would be the killing of a serial killer style in which case there are only two killing style. The chaotic one and the orderly one. [Gestures to the shudder.] That symbol. [Then the bodies.] The fact the bodies were damaged after death and all in this one place. Those actions say this is the work of the killer who has ritual. Who has to make everything 'perfect' and 'uniformed.'

But there's an inconsistency. With Shannon and Krauss. The faces were damaged after death. There is no reason both their faces not to be completely destroyed like the other four. Because of the obsession that type of killer would have, there's no way they could leave half a face on anyone, let alone two. And that proves that no matter who the killer is, they knew these people, and the people knew them, and that there was more personal feelings here than to follow a ritual.

Then things make more sense. [Walks over to one of the bodies, gesturing to the face.] They did this post mortem. Why? Simple. Because they hated these people. They hated them so much they wanted to erase their very existence and destroyed their faces.

Shannon and Krauss were spared because even if the person hated them enough to kill them, they didn't hate them enough to completely erase their existence. They might not have even hated them enough to bash in both their faces, but they thought if they didn't, then it'd be suspicious. However, they couldn't manage enough anger or fear they would need to actually erase their whole face and they left that clue anyway.

[ A little disappointed that her crazyfit didn't rile you up like it would've Battler. Shall be keeping it in mind that it probably takes a lot to get under your skin enough for you to mess up a move. ]

... If I may point out a separate theory. I'm playing devil's advocate here, of course, so don't think for a second that I'm denying myself.

What if their faces were left as a token of proof, like I mentioned earlier? If all the faces were ripped off, yes, it would be a sign of pure hatred for all of the dead. But it also completely erases any chance of really identifying them. With Shannon and Krauss, you can clearly see... yes, these are their bodies, not fakes. In other words, my seal of proof. There are other reasons one could want to destroy the faces as well. Obscuring the murder method is also viable, is it not?

... and whose to say I didn't hate these people enough to kill them in such a brutal fashion? Hmhmhmhm! And I wanted to see that twisted look of regret in George's face, and to show Natsuhi that Krauss paid a price for taking that one bar of gold.

I will say this now. The dining hall is covered in blood as well. So the bodies weren't necessarily prepared here, so to speak.

Edited 2010-04-24 00:26 (UTC)

So that's where the death happened. The way they were laying didn't seem natural. I wasn't sure if they were killed here or else where. They were just too close together to be normal.

But if it was the dining hall, there will be proof of death there, depending on the blood. Most likely is poison of some far, but it's rare a cause of death if confirmed only by what's happened to their face.

I will now make my counter for your theory.

[Holds up a finger.] First, I'll address your feelings. You are a watcher. These people doubt whether or not you existence, so your relationship is only one sided. Further more, Krauss, Shannon, and Gohda are the only three on this island regularly. We know that it's likely you hate Rosa for her treatment of Maria, so perhaps if she got a special death, your theory would hold water. The thing is, she was with the majority. Rudolf and Kyrie were just visitors. Maybe you'd hate them, but you wouldn't hate them especially.

The three who are always on the island and Rosa, if it was these four who had their faces bashed in, it could be believed that you hold a particular hate for them, but the fact you hit the other two who are usually just visitors with the worst, it seems odd.

Gohda is a cook, a servant. If it were him and Shannon spared, since they wouldn't show greed and such like the family members, it might work. Shannon, you could excuse. She seems just a nice servant, at least.

But Krauss is the one who stands out. If destroying half his face was to make it a point that he was being punished, then why didn't you do that with Rosa, to make it a point that just leaving Maria like that is unforgivable as well? No, the reason Krauss was spared was because the person hated him less than the others. Especially when you have a reason to hate him especially. He believed in your gold, but denied it to others. He'd openly deny your existence while thinking otherwise. It'd be insulting if I was in your place.

[Holds up a second finger.] The second point. You left the faces untouched so all the bodies could be identified? That's doubtful. The question is again why only those two? To destroy only two, that's more likely to make people think the four you can't tell are trying to pull a trick when, as Kyrie says, you turn the chessboard around. If you wanted to seal your proof, you'd have left half of the face for everyone, not just those two.

... Kuhihihiyahaha.

Marvelous. It seems rather inconsistent when you think about it, doesn't it? Turning the chessboard over doesn't leave a lot of insight into the killer's mind at the moment other than pure, raw hatred. Even if I simply told you why I hate each and every one of these victims, you'd simply call me out on making it up. Effective. I suppose I can't counter it when I exist as a legend at the moment to these people. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the magic circle as well. I'd ask you for a culprit in mind, but that's far too soon. There's no way you could have someone in mind who you could prove would hate these three specifically or have a reason to kill them in such a brutal fashion, so the witch's darkness can comfortably cover these murders for now. I'm not worried. There's also the matter of the locked shutters, how the culprit moved six bloody bodies in the span of one night... simple tricks for magic, but entertain me with those human theories.

One more thing... it slipped my mind in simply shifting from night to day in front of the arbor. On Natsuhi's doorknob, she hung the scorpion pendant from inside her room. [ cacklecacklecackle ] Naturally, there are bloody clawmarks all over it. Her door alone. Forgive me for speeding things along too fast, I was eager to show you this little mess.

...was there? [And that looks like another clue to him, looking over at Natsuhi.]

Hatred is often the motive for murder. Something that just pushes someone over the edge.

...well then, for the locked shudder. I'd like to know the number of keys and where they are. After all, if there's a key floating around outside, it's only a matter of getting their hands on the key and using it.

The time of death is at least six hours. If it was at that time, most people would be asleep. While it would be difficult to do, it's certainly not impossible. Especially if there's something like a trolley or the like in this place. Or if the death really was in the dining room and not somewhere closer and blood wasn't just left at the scene to go with Natsuhi's door.

And....I should mention one thing. For this crime and the deaths I suspect are going to happen for the next line in the epitaph...in no way can it be you who will be the culprit. Because you wouldn't have gotten the first line wrong and the second line says it's not you.

... [ Tenses. She's not as good at hiding her emotions as he is. ] Come on, don't assume things so quickly. This is the first game. Though asking you to sit back and enjoy the show is a pointless thing for me to do, kihihi. You'll deny me at every corner, with every possible move you can make. It's going to be a difficult chess game.

As for the keys, I won't confirm in red just yet how many are floating around. I want to keep you guessing. I won't tell you if it's the only thing that unlocks this shutter or not, and I won't tell you the precise location... I'll save that for the next piece. [ Better take one last look at that crime scene, because she's shaking the smoke from her pipe once more and the memory dissolves, we're back on the island. ] The first twilight is a suitable enough second piece.

Of course I'll deny you. And I don't need to assume. I just know you aren't the kind to make obvious mistakes. The first epitaph requires two people. The key who chooses the sacrifices and the one who kills them for the key. Either you are told to kill these people by someone, or you never touched them yourself, be it magic or otherwise. And the second line says it's the survivors, which means it has to be someone in the family. I can't imagine a 'magical ritual' would allow for such errors.

[He looks around, taking a good look at the scene.] So it's not a locked room murder. That means the murderer could do this, at least with what's known so far. The symbol...well, I have to check, but I think I might have seen it somewhere. I'll have to look it up before I say what it is.

... Kuhihihi. Just remember, in both Anti-Mystery and Anti-Fantasy, there is more than one way to read that Epitaph-- it really is the most valuable piece I handed over to you. Have you made any progress in solving it?

There might be some helpful resources in the library, some non-helpful ones... I've heard of some of the islanders having devices called laptops, so I'm sure you can figure out that little symbol. If not... I believe Maria will be kind enough to give you an explanation in the fifth piece.

Bits and pieces. It's already proven to be helpful in this regard, but I still need to know more about Rokkenjima before I could make any conclusions with any weight to them. There's some ideas, but that's all they are. While that's acceptable for some things, I'd rather not make any declarations for the riddle without something to back up an idea.

Maria could? Ah, so it's something of the occult.

... A good idea. You might not even have enough pieces to solve the riddle halfway until the third game. Though you might surprise me and have a burst of intuition, so we'll see, we'll see!

Naturally. A blood circle like that is just occult-looking at a glance, right?

I might, but even then, I'd want to see something to confirm it first. [Even when he thinks he knows a murderer, he watches them for a bit to be sure they are or see actual proof.]

But it could have been utter nonsense of a circle as well.

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He talks a lot.

It's okay, so does she!

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