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]

[Raph is mostly feeling better. There's still that odd tired feeling from being sick, so she's plod along to the Conservatex. It's the closest she's going to get to fresh air.]

[strangerpeople]

[Ah, the Conservatex. The cow is eating grass. The chickens are quietly fluttering around. Above, beautiful moths converge on the tree and its branches.

And beneath the tree, someone laying down on their stomach. Which could be a problem, if they're sleeping.

Check on them?]

[kiddefender]

[ALL SHE WANTED WAS FRESH-ISH AIR!

Okay, slowly approaching...]

Hello?

[strangerpeople]

[No response. Not even as Raph comes closer.]

[kiddefender]

[You know, if her world wasn't a mixture of mmo and medieval Europe, she'd be smart enough not to do this.

But she's gonna give them a shake and roll them over.]

[strangerpeople]

[They are limp as Raph first shakes, and then rolls them over.

Of course, while one of their brightly-colored pigtails obscures their face as a result of this turning over of their body, there is no real doubt, once there is no response even to them being grabbed and shook and rolled.

Harley Quinn, The Deceiver, is dead.]

[kiddefender]

[Welp...

Hi, lady who was really weird about her ears and tail, she'll never learn what cosplay is now. She leaps away backwards now that she can't just pretend she's sleeping.

Anything noticeable now she's flipped?]

[strangerpeople]

[Well, she's...dead...though it appears that however she died, it will need to be cleared up in an investigation.

...

Maybe you should check some other rooms just to be safe?]

[kiddefender]

[Unfortunately Raph knows very little about dead people. Normally if you die it's cause something ate you. So it's kinda hard to investigate.

She's going to run off and look for someone who knows bodies. Ears perked and tail bristling. She might just run into them literally.

Closet room is the library so she's gonna look there.]

[strangerpeople]

[All clear here, surprisingly. Unless there is anyone alive in here, of course.]

[socialhacktivist]

[Not having felt the affects of the illness in the first place, Futaba doesn't really know that anything's changed. Yet she's checking out the laboratory this morning for purely investigative purposes.

Who knows. Maybe she'd rock science and find a cure.]

[strangerpeople]

[The laboratory is clear. Rock the science, Futaba.]

[socialhacktivist]

[After her preliminary examination of the stuff there, she'll also take a look at some materials in the workshop again, kind of going over all the stuff she has available to her.]

[strangerpeople]

[Very well!

While most things in the workshop look normal upon first inspection, there is definitely a smell which hits one when entering.]

[socialhacktivist]

[...huh. That's weird. Futaba will try to follow that smell looking for the source. Does it smell like anything she'd recognize?]

[strangerpeople]

[It does not smell like anything Futaba would remotely remember. Nor is it blood.

It's centered around the blacksmith forge.]

[socialhacktivist]

[Huh. Well that's weird. She'll just check out the forge... was someone making something they never finished or something? Either way she's going to look for what's giving off that smell.]

CW: cremation, burning

[strangerpeople]

[You...could say that.

There is a large pile of ash in the forge where there wasn't before. Easily could be mistaken for failed ingot shaping sludge, if not for the charred bone sticking out from places. Bone that is still white in some places, and in the process of oxidating.

But there is no doubt with the bones.

Something...someone was...put in there.]

[socialhacktivist]

[What the-- what... ohhhhhh no.

Futaba is screaming at the top of her lungs before she even realizes that's her voice coming out.]

No... no...! Not again...

[She's backing up towards the nearest wall.]

[defriendestration]

[Wait, what--

Papyrus was on his way to the workshop to further work on his super battle body when he heard Futaba's screaming.

Oh shoot shoot shoot--]

FUTABA! I'M COMING!! I'M COMING!!!

[The Great Papyrus will save you!!]

[kiddefender]

[Finally people! Raph's running over before she even realises it's screaming.

She nearly doubles over panting, but she's here.]

In-In the gardens... There's...

[Oh...]

[socialhacktivist]

[Do you know what's a little freaky after finding part of a bone sticking out of a grotesque lump in the forge's fire? A whole body of bones running towards you.



But no. No... this is Papyrus. Futaba takes a deep breath to steady herself before she faints or something-- but her legs do give out. She sits on them and tries to gather her bearings.

Still... she points to the forge. Her voice is shaky and she's rambling but--]

Someone... part of a body... the bone's still in there...

[socialhacktivist]

There's a... bone... in the fire...

[And what looks to be flesh too, but...

Wait.




What?]

...in the gardens? ...What did you find in the gardens?

[Another piece of evidence? Was this starting all over again...?]

[defriendestration]

[..............

Oh.

Oh. He sees the pile of ash, and...

Papyrus is immediately at Futaba's side to get a hold of her. To stand her up, if she needs it, or to just hold her if that's what she needs and wants.]

IT'S...IT'S OK. THEY'RE JUST FALLEN, FALLING DOWN. LIKE MONSTERS DO.

THAT'S ALL...

[It's the best frame of reference he has.]

[socialhacktivist]

[Futaba gladly takes the support. She needs to get back up on her feet she has to... keep going...

She appreciates the lengths he's going to in order to cheer her up, but she knows.]

But you're the only monster here, aren't you?

[Huh. Wait.]

...you're not missing any bones are you?

[What... what if it was just some mistake? Maybe he lost a bone when he was making his super battle body thing-- was that even possible? She doesn't know but her mind is clinging to that, with the hopes that somehow it's not another dead person.]