THE THIRD INVESTIGATION

[strangerpeople]

THE THIRD INVESTIGATION

[How is everyone, this morning?

No doubt, most of you are sleeping. Perhaps you are dreaming. Whether they are dreams or nightmares are irrelevant. Hopefully, none of you are heavy sleepers. Especially not when there is a very loud BANG that suddenly permeates through the ceiling right above the bedrooms.. The force of the impact is such the rooms actually shake, sending dust onto those in their bed.

If that didn't wake someone up, then the sudden scream coming from upstairs at roughly the same time will do it, right?

In other words. Good morning, Strangers. Something is happening upstairs.

Best to check it out, and quickly.]

Comments

[strangerpeople]

[n o p e.

Nothing, there.]

[incendiarize]

[Well...then there's no telling if that was helpful at all! Dammit!

Try again!]

EVIDENCE

[strangerpeople]

[And once more, he's plunged into a vision, and...

he's in the library, reading a scroll, leaning against a bookshelf. It's one of the magic ones, and he's trying to understand what he's reading. Whether it's even possible. Given how his vision blurs when he looks to the edges of his eyesight, the person whose past he's looking at is wearing glasses.

Oh god. Is this-is this-

Pain suddenly explodes in his chest, and he gasps. It takes all of his strength to hold onto the bookshelf, staring down at the blood suddenly blossoming from his body. The next thing he knows, there is a strange whoosh around him, and he is staring at a creature that floats next to him. He only has a moment to understand and to contemplate, though, before more pain comes to his back, as the shadow of the bookshelves descends on him, impacting with him and causing him to lose his grip and tumble to the ground. All of his pain intensifies, then explodes, and then, as he slips into blackness-

if Arthur himself is on the ground, would anyone blame him?]

Re: EVIDENCE

[incendiarize]

[His earlier outburst might've been taken as his customary vision. So, maybe, it's an unpleasant surprise for everyone else in the library when the boy suddenly shouts.

And topples backward.

And is left gasping on the floor.]

[notadinosnack]

[With the shelves being stable he was about to look around more when he sees Arthur fall. He'll leave that area to Ambrosine and come over to Arthur and kneel down beside him.]

What happened?

[incendiarize]

[It takes him a few moments to come back to the present. Blinking the past away.

Not the Hollows, though. Damn. That has to be a hallucination, but he can't make it go away. Unless it really is real and the mansion has been the hallucination...]

It.... The past. I did it again. Saw the past.

[notadinosnack]

[But he definitely noticed two reactions to it. What is going on there? He'll take a quick look at Arthur and assure himself the boy is okay.]

Do you want to talk about it? Or need me to get you something?

[incendiarize]

I think- I'll be okay. I think he pulled the shelf down with him.

[He doesn't know. And what even was that first one? There's a lot to unpack here.]

What was that thing....? --Hey, can anyone here use a bow and arrow? Or turn into one?

[notadinosnack]

[Thanatos gets up and holds an arm out to Arthur. He then is silent as he thinks a moment.]

If I remember right Harriet's profile mentioned archery. Why does that matter?

[incendiarize]

[He'll take the hand up, thanks.]

There were-- two visions, this time. In the first, I was someone who shot an arrow.

[notadinosnack]

Wait, what? Two visions and one where you shot an arrow? What does that have to do with the bookshelves falling?

[incendiarize]

The second one, I was Jun. He was reading, and something stabbed him, and there was a weird creature, and he fell....maybe he didn't pull the shelf? I don't know...

[Jun didn't get a lot of time to understand what was happening. So Arthur didn't get a lot of clarity, either.

Not many people get to experience a deathblow and live to tell the tale.]

[notadinosnack]

[Arthur will get a hand on his shoulder.]

It's all right. Just breathe and remember that it wasn't you. You're alive and well and you're going to remain that way.

[incendiarize]

Yeah... I've done this before. With Akko and Franciscus.

[Dying isn't fun. But he can deal. He's seen explorers suffer worse fates in the Labyrinth. And.....then there's the exceptionally bad cases, like Visil....]

Do you think I should try for more, or just try and remember all I can from the ones I've had?

[notadinosnack]

I think you should sit down and collect your thoughts first. It wouldn't do to try and see more and forget a detail of what you've seen.

[incendiarize]

Right.... I need paper, and a pen. Before I forget what the thing looked like.

[notadinosnack]

Go sit down. I'll grab you some.

[And Thanatos will go and grab Arthur a quill, ink and some parchment.]

[incendiarize]

[He obediently finds a place to sit. Once he has the materials.....he starts to draw. He draws a friend.]

Something like this...

[notadinosnack]

[Thanatos takes a look at the picture. It may not be a masterpiece, but it gets the point across. He's definitely never seen something like that.]

I think it's safe to he may have been seeing things. Hold on to that, it may be worth showing to the others.

[incendiarize]

Seeing things....right. I am the only one seeing fleshy walls right now, right? Just to make sure.

I wanted to draw it before I forget. I....might be able to show someone else the vision, too, but that's mean.....feeling it.

[notadinosnack]

The walls aren't made of flesh. They just have a ton of cobwebs on them. Nothing but spiders and books. [And a body, but let's just ignore that part and let Eric handle it.]

If you want to try showing your vision to someone, I don't mind.

[incendiarize]

Figures I start seeing that now.

[At least he's not inclined to lick this hallucination.]

It works like....I am someone. I see, feel, and think what they did. So only if you're alright with....you know. [He taps where Jun was stabbed on his own chest.] Knowing what dying feels like.

[notadinosnack]

[Thanatos nods.] I already know because I was made to see it earlier this week. With this at least none will question you if you end up a suspect.

[incendiarize]

Alright.

[And so, in a flash of light, Arthur becomes a pair of glasses. Sup. Thanatos almost certainly does not have the stupidest weapon form.]

Just....put me on? That sounds weird. I'll see if I can re-see it.

[notadinosnack]

[Thanatos will go ahead and attempt to put on Arthur. With the tolerable resonance they seem to have at least he can actually put them on.]

Anything else I need to do?