First.

[trustwellness]

The past five days have come and gone, though exactly how easily they've done so is debatable; some have been trying to press onward in their optimism and faith that things will get better, while some seem convinced that things will only go downhill from here. However people have chosen to see it, though, clearly this week hasn't been all bad – after all, attempts at encouraging unity among the group seem to have been at least reasonably successful. ...Seem to have been. Friday dawns like the rest of the week before it – the clock chimes the hour at seven, the doors to the kitchen and the mail room unlock, and the building is quiet. It would seem that maybe the night passed reasonably quietly – were it not for the large red smears on the walls and floor of the southeastern side of the dormitory. It looks like somebody decided to be a damn overachiever and took some initiative of their own. >Explore?

Comments

[modernmedicine]

[When she sees the red smears, Mercy curses under her breath. She had been hoping it wouldn't come to this.]

I'll go where I'm needed...

[Namely, following the red - is it leading in any particular direction?]

[certaingiant]

[Well. That's less than optimal.

Christo thinks he just won a bet, but he's not particularly thrilled about that. He'll go to investigate that side of the dorms more closely.

Anything besides smears? ...Like bodies?]

[iaspis]

[That's just the thing to see first thing in the morning.

Time to follow the blood.]

[officerhops]

[Judy always gets up early every morning. Always. It's a shame, then, that she had to choose today of all days to be up nearly the moment the clock chimes to start her day.

Because she's honestly hard pressed not to notice the smears, and for a split second she just. Freezes in her doorway, not really wanting to believe what she sees to be true. Because...that can't be. No. It's...only been a week.

There's just no way.

But she can't just stand here forever, so...she'll go look, for better or worse.]

[acherontiastyx]

[...well that's a hell of a thing to walk out and see first thing in the morning. Where... where is this... ketchup smear, definitely a ketchup smear, going.]

[introspects]

[ This is what Orihime was afraid of the most. Five days have gone by too nicely, it seems, and it's time for these peaceful days to be over. Her heart sinks when she sees the read smears on the walls.

She's going to follow the smears and follow the smears down the hallway. ]

[byday]

[...Bruce does not take this well. At all.

He stops, staring at the smears in pure horror. There are a million thoughts coming into his head, and most of them revolve around guilt.]

...No.

[plentyfriendly]

[Phi isn't exactly close by the trail when she wakes up, but she can tell something is... not quite right. It's not often she heads to the other end of the dorm hallway, but this morning she does - and she has a bad feeling about today.]

[elepe]

[...goddammit, Lusamine was hoping to wake up early enough to get her laundry done without any issue. When she see the red that's going down that hallway, she stops in her tracks.

Now is not a very good time to have been right...

Well, let's see where this fucked up rabbit hole goes. Where is this blood trail ending off toward?]

[neverheardofhim]

[It was the clock the rouses Varric at first, for once encouraging him to actually get out of bed. As sat up and ambled to the door, though the scent of rust but not-rust accosts his nose. Bile rises in his throat, and he turns the knob.]

[From directly outside of room 009, he glanced up and down the hall. A drop of sweat trickled down his spine. First he followed his nose, then the smears themselves, leaving behind him a string of blasphemous swears.]

Andraste's chapped ass, when I find out who did this I'll--

TRUST HAS BEEN BROKEN.

[wordsmithery]

[The PA system overhead crackles to life suddenly, the Wordsmith addressing the Apprentices as a group for the first time in days.]

One of your number has decided to seek an end to their stay at Chronos University, and Securing has been the one to pay for it. You will be granted time to investigate the university, as well as a chance to attempt determining who among you wishes to terminate their course of study in accordance with Rule Seven. From here, it's going to be a matter of the survivors versus the guilty party.

Regardless of whether you wish it to end or not, does your fellow Apprentice's murderer not deserve to be brought to justice?

[The speakers cut out, and it doesn't seem like the Wordsmith is all that talkative if anyone yells back at it.]

ADELINA'S ROOM

[trustwellness]

HALLWAY

[trustwellness]

KITCHEN

[trustwellness]

LAUNDRY ROOM

[trustwellness]