The Second Victim

[strangerpeople]

THE SECOND VICTIM

[It was getting unbearable. The illness, the stress, the threat of death, either by oneself or by another. The worry about finding a cure for a disease that, in this comparatively primitive world, might not even exist outside of the Depths.

However, on Friday morning - or what the Titled could at least conceive as Friday - all the Titled will wake up with the remnants of a very soothing sensation in their throats. Cool and at the same time almost burning, like someone had dropped liquid menthol down their throat while they were sleeping.

They will also find something else, especially if they had been infected: their perception of time is back to normal. Which means one of two things. One of the Titled actually managed to create the potion needed to cure the disease, or...the Titled might have an Inquisition looming on the horizon.

There is only one way to find out.



((OOC: Just a reminder that, due to the nature of the motive this week, there may be references to self-harm and suicide, along with other possible triggers, during this Inquisition, including during the Investigation, and that potentially triggering comments should (and comments by the mods will) be given a trigger heading on those comments.))]]

Comments

[kiddefender]

[Is it a Harley size print? Are there any marks that look like she was moved or dragged?

...She really should have checked before rolling her over.]

[strangerpeople]

[Probably, but on the other hand, it wouldn't matter since this print is too small to be Harley-sized.]

[kiddefender]

[Whose the closest to it's size? If it's too small for Harley that rules out the men.

What about it's position? She might be able to measure it.]

[strangerpeople]

[It is basically a spread-eagle position, and very easy to measure.

Ready?]

[kiddefender]

[Okay...

She's going to use her sword to measure it. It's a pretty standard one-handed sword so it's only about 75 cm, how many times does she have to move it?]

[strangerpeople]

[Once, since the imprint then comes to its end, right around the middle of the sword.

So, it's safe to say the body that left the imprint was approximately 120-125 cm.]

[kiddefender]

[Right. She'll check later if it matches anyone there, in case it's the burnt person.

Guess that leaves her with the body? She's going to slowly, step over, like she might wake Harley up if she doesn't and kneel next to her.

Anything visible now she's close? Blood, bruises???]

[strangerpeople]

[Potatoes.





No, really. There is a mashed potato in the imprint, and several somewhat less mashed potatoes around the scene in general, especially near where Harley's body is.

Because tripping over them would kind of suck.]

[kiddefender]

[Makes sense if there's fruit on the trees. So the potatoes are growing here as well?

Any sign of them being dug up? Or a shovel or a basket to carry them back? She's guessing so, cause why would they be brought up from the kitchen?

Hopefully this will distract her from having to look at the body.]

[strangerpeople]

[There is actually what looks like a small but sizable chunk of potatoes missing from the gardens, so it's Safe to say they were dug up.]

[kiddefender]

[That means only the body is left right?

What sort of condition is it in?]

[strangerpeople]

[For now, we'll say yes. Body time.

The most obvious thing is that Harley's head is very awkwardly positioned over her neck. It seems to bend at an unusual angle even when lying on the ground.]

[kiddefender]

[Lovely...She hates everything right now.

Any oddly shaped bruises?

[strangerpeople]

[There is a very large, swollen and square bruise on the left side Harley's face, from jaw to crown.]

[poorlovefool]

[Well, Eric swallows hard when he sees this body (it's surreal, she had been so determined to clear her name at the last trial, and now she's already dead like this) - but he's here to compare the bruise to this warhammer, so check it out, Rubedo and narrator.]

Does it look like a match?

[strangerpeople]

[It definitely looks like it could be a match.]

[carries_war]

[Rubedo will take a good look at the hammer, committing its dimensions to his (admittedly diminished from usual) memory, before crouching down to look at the body.]

It's hard to tell for sure, but it definitely could've caused a bruise like that.

[poorlovefool]

Yeah. It doesn't look like it's not the hammer, anyway...

[carries_war]

[So, aside from the obviously broken neck and the nasty bruise, is there anything unusual about the body?]

[strangerpeople]

[Harley's body is cold and rigid. Maybe not unusual, but still something to note.]

[carries_war]

[Cool cold like an hours old corpse, or cold cold, like it's been chilled?]

[strangerpeople]

[Hours cold corpse.]

[poorlovefool]

She must've been dead for a while... [Well, his work here is done with the hammer so he's gonna step back and... supervise this corpse touching, like a responsible adult.
Yeah.]

[strangerpeople]

[Would Rubedo like to do his own quick examination of the body on a whole?]

[kiddefender]

[Noted, she's going to take this time to freeze up and just go back to idly looking at potatoes.]