fifth investigation

[thecastle]

Many are on edge—this is a fact that no one would dare challenge. The motive had hit a lot of people harder than the one previous, and there are more than a few of you who would consider someone acting as a blessing more than anything. It still doesn't help in keeping thoughts of concern far away, as no one is eager about the thought of a comrade dying. Then, there is the reality that there would be the upcoming trial as well. However, in the end, nothing can be done to make any of this easy, and all of you must take whatever may come.

Now, who will be the first to venture outward into the halls? Undoubtedly, something must have occurred. It would be unfortunate if it didn't, no?

[♫]

Comments

[thecastle]

[ There might be something a little weird with the bridge. Actually, scratch that.

There's definitely something weird. ]

[presomnia]

[ok well

tiki and mahiro are here too now it looks like. to her credit, tiki is waving at misora, so long as she's here

what's weird with the bridge]

[gyakusatsu]

[....Huh. Okay that's not right. Let's take a closer look at the bridge! What happened to the poor thing?]

[irrationalities]

[Okay well that's always a good sign, right!! Surely it can't mean anything bad pshaw.

So what've we got here? Did someone just leave their copy of The Game of Life there!!]

[thecastle]

[ If they did, you guys would be winning! As you peek over the rail, however, you can see someone else's game isn't quite as strong. It seems someone's shoulder peeking out from under the bridge.

They're on the outer side, nearer to the training area than the greenhouse. ]

[gyakusatsu]

[Well fuck.]

Looks like there's a body under the bridge.

[She'll kick off her shoes and roll up her pant legs as she speaks to Mahiro and Tiki.]

Mahiro, help me.

[And with that, she'll just wade into the water to get closer.]

[irrationalities]

[Man. Man. He's not ruining his pants for this shit y'all, just let him check if he can see who it is before he decides if he wants to help or not.]

[presomnia]

[SHOULDER??? SHOULDER???????? SH O U LD ER??????? Tiki is not the person being addressed here but she probably doesn't actually hear that because she is too busy screaming—] Someone's down there! Someone's down there!

[MAHIRO CAN DO WHAT HE WANTS BUT WHEN REACHING OVER THE RAILING DOESN'T WORK BECAUSE SHE HAS SMALL ARMS TIKI IS JUST FUCKIN TAKING HER SHOES OFF AND JUMPING FEET-FIRST INTO THE RIVER TO FOLLOW MISORA IN A PANIC]

[thecastle]

[ When Misora and Tiki head down to look at the silhouette obscured by the bridge's shadow, the scene in front of them is just a bit different than they might expect. It's almost sweet in a tragic way. Under the bridge, there are two figures—not one, as you previously believed—lying in the shallow slope of the river bank. Both of them are on their backs, their hands held together between them with the other one resting at their side. Their heads are completely submerged in the deeper part of the water, while the toes of their shoes peek out, the tips dry.

The figure closest to you is dressed in an outfit you've never seen him in before: soft black pants and a dark gray undershirt. Even in the water, the outfit looks weird on him, too tight on top and too short on the bottom, his pale ankles on display. What's even stranger are the bandages neatly wrapped around his neck and the fact that his eyes are closed.

The shorter figure beside him is easily recognizable at a glance: he's wearing his usual white hoodie, after all. Even with the hood on, you can see his eyes are closed and his mouth is partially open. Seeing the teens together shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, not when they were together so frequently. Apparently, that hasn't changed even now.

Jin Kurosaki and Toranosuke Miyamura are dead. ]

[gyakusatsu]

[....well f u c k.

So this is four people who've died this week already? Taking just a moment to try and memorize exactly how these two were found, she approaches their bodies to go through the cursory checks for a pulse. When she doesn't find one on either of them, part of that just seems like an inevitability at this rate. And.. that's just exhausting.

She turns to Tiki.]

... We'll have to move them.

[And shouting from under the bridge at Mahiro:]

It's Toranosuke and Jin. Mahiro, get down here and help us.

[irrationalities]

[...okay that

That gets him to react. Without even bothering to roll up his pants (although he takes off his shoes), he wades into the river. When he passes Tiki--]

Stay out of the way.

[He proceeds to just take a couple of silent seconds to watch the two lie there before he moves closer to Jin's body.]

Tch.

[He's got the shoulders, and he's waiting on Misora to grab his feet.]

[presomnia]

[ah............ ah. she really didn't want to touch the bodies—she'd spent a few moments trying to convince herself that they could be all right, something could be done for them; she's seen death but drowning is new enough that she can't recognize it as quickly. When Mahiro tells her to stay out of the way, she steps aside, a little grateful for the out, but...]

I—can't lift him myself... [she means Miyamura, since the two of them should be able to get Jin] ...b-but I...want to help...

[gyakusatsu]

{Misora will take Jin's feet, but looking over at Tiki before she lift up:]

I'll send Mahiro back to help you with him in a minute, alright? Don't attempt to move him by yourself, Tiki.

[Turning back to Mahiro, she nods and lifts Jin's legs up out of the water.]

[irrationalities]

[Right, here they go. It's not too far of a distance and between the both of them it shouldn't be hard to get Jin's body back on terra firma. Once that's done, Mahiro doesn't actually need a reminder to go retrieve Miyamura's body.

When he reaches Tiki, he speaks up.]

Get out of here and let us handle it. Go hang out with your buddies or something.

[presomnia]

[nnnGNNGHHHGHGHHH she'll get out of Mahiro's way for body-carrying but. but. she doesn't want to just leave and give up?]

If there's anything else to find over here, I can help look...

[corpses are a bad time but she wants to be good and helpful, this is terrible, murdergames are the worst]

[gyakusatsu]

[Damn it, Mahiro, stop making Tiki feel useless!! Misora will come back to help lift Toranosuke out of the water, briefly scowling at Mahiro.

She looks at Tiki with an encouraging nod, however.]

That'd be very helpful, Tiki. There may be more evidence near by that could help us figure things out. But be careful, okay? There may be something like a knife in the water and I dnn't want anyone else getting hurt.

[With that, she grabs Toranosuke's legs and says a little less cordially to Mahiro:]

Alright, let's move.

[irrationalities]

[Okay but that would be expecting him to have manners and we can't have that--

Anyways heave ho, here goes Miyamura's body.]

You're alright with letting her investigate around a bunch of corpses?

[gyakusatsu]

]Flatly. Oh. So. Flatly:]

I'm more okay with that than you having a submachine gun.

[Tra la la, Miyamura's body can join Jin's at the river bank.]

We're both right here to supervise, at any rate.

[presomnia]

Okay. I'll be careful. [She seems to settle, at any rate, at being able to help—if there's a knife, she could find it, make sure no one else gets hurt...

anyway supervising is going to mean watching while she just kind of. fidgets where she's standing in the water a little. takes a big breath. dunks her whole head in the water

like she's gonna resurface and get right back to work, but here's your investigator, everybody]

[irrationalities]

[um

Just turns to look at Misora.]

...You were saying?