Take Responsibility.

[kingmakereffect]

For the third time, those elevator doors at the end of the first-floor corridor open up at the end of the allotted investigation period; the ride down is, as ever, smooth and quick-moving. You're down by five. When the doors slide open, the podium circle still stands in stark contrast to that now-familiar black void of a courtroom, and once again, it's changed to reflect your losses – Caren and Mion have joined those with podiums draped in black, their framed greyscale profile portraits staring out at the rest of you. (The portrait of Pearl hasn't been removed from her room, but it seems the Kingmaker has replaced it with another; either way, her photograph is in the courtroom along with the rest.) As before, the Kingmaker waits until everyone is settled at their podiums before he speaks; he still isn't visible, but he can clearly be heard, his voice coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. "Capable has been taken from you. I'll confirm one thing for you so no one will waste time asking – the killer wasn't me. Looks like the guilty decided to take a shot at Rule Seven after all – and whether they succeed or not is up to you." Twenty-two Survivors remain. We'll see how many the group has lost at the end of the day.

Comments

[ratingspoint]

I don't suppose we can get a recap for those of us still trying to play along at home? I checked out about four strip searches ago.

[...Mettaton, you seriously can't be complaining about being bored right now, can you- ]

Don't get me wrong, stay undressed if you'd like! You're all fantastic examples of why sex sells. But gratuitous nudity is, for once, apparently not the solution, and while this has been a marvelous intermission we might as well go back to giving this our all. What have we worked out so far?

[notjustawriter]

It looks like Mion and the killer were playing cards together. Someone got injured-- there was blood on the floor of the game room, though who was injured isn't very clear, because of the lack of injuries on Mion and people here.

The was a fight, but not in that room-- it carried into the art room, where Mion was knocked out and stabbed in the thigh. The killer wiped up the blood, and then made it look like she was hanged.

After that, they hid the sword in the incinerator.

I'm not sure how her room fits into this, but I think that's the order of events we're lookin' at.

[garudynamic]

...yeah, I think we should put the art room aside for now- I think we got that mostly figured out. Something happened in her room So I think we should figure that out next.

[notjustawriter]

I think it's likely the killer was lookin' for something.

[happysweets]

Do you think maybe she got something from the machine that the killer wanted?

[sleepingkogoro]

...the sword could be Sonozaki-san's, which may have been in her room. The culprit may have knocked her out and used her key to access her room, to look for a weapon they could use.

Either that or the sword was stashed in the Art Room from the beginning.

My point is that Sonozaki-san would have suspected something if the culprit had brought a sword with them. It must have come later.

[cherryblooded]

That would hold up with the mess - most people would try to hide whatever weapons they got out of the vending machine.

[ratingspoint]

...If the sword was Mion-darling's, why couldn't she have been the one who brought it?

[cherryblooded]

Most people don't carry around large, obvious weapons they're not intending to use.

...Unless they were gambling?

[sleepingkogoro]

[Mouri scowls. Dang it, stop making him think!]

I-It would be the same, unless she could think of an excuse to drag a sword around I think anyone would get suspicious of that. A sword is not the first choice for self-defense weapons.

[garudynamic]

Okay, okay! Here's what all I think we know? Mion was attacked probably while playing cards and hit on the head. Then stabbed Do we know what she was hit on the head with?

Once she was knocked out she was bled out, and the scene was cleaned up with the blanket and possibly in the sink. Once she was bled out she was taken to the closet and hung so we'd assume she hung herself to avoid the incentive.

Also: all of this was done in a very short period of time since the blood was still wet.

Am I missing anything?

[capyper]

I think you're wrong about something. I don't think she was attacked while playing cards.

[garudynamic]

Yeah, there wasn't enough blood there.

[capyper]

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but... the bloodstains weren't near the cards, right?

So that means the bloodstains weren't there before Mion died.

[ratingspoint]

...Wait. If she was hit and stabbed while playing cards, why was all the blood in the art room? Wouldn't it have been in the game room?

Unless she was knocked out and then carried into the art room, in which case. Well. Why. I mean, who does that.

[garudynamic]

To use the sink maybe?

[captainobnoxious]

Maybe they thought she was dead with the hit to the head and when they realized she wasn't they bled her out instead. I'm thinking she might've ran to the art room to hide if it started in the game room.

[pokexplorer]

If she went out of her way to run down to the second floor to hide, she may as well have gone all the way down to her room. She would have at least been able to safely lock herself inside.

Granted, her key appears to missing, so that may not have been an option...

[captainobnoxious]

Alright, I'm really hungry and those snacks did nothing for me, so I won't bother try taking a crack at this order of events or whatever, but have we figured out what that weird metal thing is? Bring it up front and center so we can see if it's something interesting.

[Do that.]

Meanwhile, there's still the bit about the knot. It's a kind of slipknot, which is pretty similar to what you use to hang things with, but it's nothing professional. The kind of thing you'd secure boats and stuff with for a short time. Least, that's all I've known it used for, but I'm sure there's other uses for it too, like... hanging people. I guess.

[capyper]

I'd also like to see the metal thing!

[amygdalae]

It could be what we're actually overlooking.

[notjustawriter]

[Assuming he got it back from Speedwagon, Gabriel will hand it right over, in its helpful plastic baggy.]

HEY MODS.... AGAIN.

[captainobnoxious]

[don't you just love hearing from me--

Sigrun'll take it out of its bag, because why not, and try to figure out what the hell is this thing.

What's its shape. What's its luster. Does it have sentimental value, can it take care of its kids in these troubling economical times. All the details, because we're a group of certified dumbasses.]

[trustharder]

[While it's certainly a good question, it is unfortunately a small piece of metal. You're not going to be finding any dramatic stories here, since we're all normal people with normal vision who cannot find any more clues from said small piece of metal. Sorry, Sigrun. Nice try though.]

[capyper]

Are you done with it yet? I had second dibs!