[Ghoul's Group] Murder Mystery: Blood Bath

[Padraig]

"They might just send someone looking for us," Padraig had told Faith when she asked about remaining there in their room instead of answering the dinner bell. He certainly wouldn't object. In spite of having changed the living arrangements of late, they were still enjoying their privacy here a little more than the norm. Still, he grinned when he added. "They might get worried, want to make sure we're not busy looting the place." Downstairs, he was reminded of the strange eccentricities of the staff yet again. And as a scientist, particularly a chemist and alchemist, the drinks they were handed made him curious and mildly suspicious, both at the same time. After all, someone seemed to know a little too much about them to feel completely comfortable with the arrangement. And he'd yet to figure out...Why them?

And the question he'd been handed? After glancing at hers and frowning, he wore the same expression while giving her a look at his. What was the first thing he did after climbing out of bed in the morning? Padraig shoved the thing in his pocket, resolving that he'd pass on answering that one. Kura's presence both surprised him, but in the scheme of things, didn't truly. It was as sensible as them being here, he guessed. However, the winged individual was someone he hadn't seen or met before. Clearly it wasn't the case for Faith. When introduced, while one arm was hooked in hers, he offered his free hand with a strong grip. "Nice to meet you, Mero," Padriag said with a smile. "What strange circumstances, for our first introduction."

As for Tio? He didn't recognize the man, any more than he had Mero. "Nice to meet you," he said, smiling as he offered his hand in return. "I've never met him either, or heard of him," Padraig added in regards to their host. "Something tells me that he likes maintaining an air of mystery about him." And he'd done a good job of it too from what the scholar could tell. And when Tio asked his question of them all, Padraig shrugged and grinned all the wider. "They'd probably wonder if I'd finally gone and blown something important up in my lab."

And Kura? After greeting her with a smile, he wondered if she'd in fact made the question up. She might have, though he wasn't about to ask the question that was folded up inside his pocket. "Simple or extravagant, neither here nor there. Uneventful, that's the key," Padraig insisted. No pirates, no cosmic armpits, no bandits and no holes opening up the ground beneath them. And then of course there was their host, the man of the break. He was pale as death, seemed as eccentric as his staff, and seemed a larger mystery by far. Probably by design. So, a question for their host. "This tower we're in appears to have been here for a very long time. Have there never been any concerns about it's location beneath the volcano?" he wondered aloud.

[Mero]

It was a strange place stranger still he thought when he was retrieved by the twin and brought to where everyone else was. They even gave him a drink that had the strangest color he’d ever seen in it, he was not sure of he knew of anything with such a color but… he was a tad thirsty and the earlier hot water hadn’t been nearly as inviting.
Sipping it he discovered it to be similarly sweet and decided that he enjoyed it before happily crunching the small candy in It happy that it was sweeter than whatever the drink was which had a pungent aftertaste that made his nose crinkle in mild distaste.

Smiling and bowing Mero was happy to great the people faith introduced him to bowing deeply to Padraig and giving him the beaming smile he’d been practicing. When Faith asked him if he liked his outfit he met her with two thumbs up and nodded his head for emphasis, he was more comfortable in these clothes than any other outfits he had, they were breezy and didn’t even make his feathers itch. Tugging at his own clothes once he looked back at faith and pointed from his clothes to hers and again gave a thumbs up trying to show that he also liked her clothes, they looked very different from the darker outfits she normally wore and he’d decided that with most things the more color on them the better. More so than that the presence of a familiar face allowed him to be a little less timid than he normally would have been. He didn’t like strangers but he felt safe in the presence of people he knew.
Shaking Padraig’s hand timidly Mero smiled at the man, he was also dressed well, like the important people that came to cally’s but his outfit wasn’t as fun as Faiths or his own lacking bright colors so Mero only smiled when he pointed at the man’s outfit withholding the much more important thumbs up for things he decided to deserve such accolades.
So when the stranger, the woman that Faith seemed to know and like stuck out her hand he shook it, if with a small amount of hesitation. Then he repeated his gesture of tugging and pointing at his sleeve before pointing to the woman’s clothes and giving a small smile and thumbs up. She was pretty to but in a different way from Faith, the dark outfit was very different and while he didn’t have any knowledge of militaries or even that there were places that weren’t Scalvoris he saw that there was something intimidating about the outfit.

Showing faith the question he got on his piece of paper he frowned when she read it. “If you could trade clothes with anyone here, who would it be?”
Looking around atht all the fancy clothes Mero chewed his lip before finally pointing at Kura, he wouldn’t mind looking as important as she did, he didn’t think that anyone could be afraid in such clothing.
Lastly his question came gesturing at all the rich looking people in the room Mero pointed at all of them in turn then pointed at himself with more emphasis before trying out a new expression he’d learned, arching an eyebrow and tilting his head to express a “?” trying to say, why invite me?

[Kali'rial]

11th Saun, 717

The Baron looked over at Faith with a warm smile, leaning heavily on his cane and his face hinting ever so slightly for those who knew what to look for that he might be in pain.

"My dear, this evening is not just about me. It's about you, my guests. I would simply ask that you put aside what you've left at home for one night, and enjoy yourselves." " As Tio spoke next, Rodrigues raised an eyebrow before looking at Mai and Kai with a questioning face. Mai seemed to almost shrug, and Kai just blinked. The Baron sighed and looked back at the blonde man.

"The name is Sapphire Sundry, however for what makes it that brilliant color, I'm afraid that's a question for my kitchen staff. I thought you might like it, Tio. It's a little...quirkier than I would usually serve." Shooting them all a look, he chuckled a little.

"It isn't poison though, if anyone was worried. I wouldn't go to all this trouble just to poison you." Moving slowly again as Kura asked her question, the older man leaned on his cane by the window so he could rest against the ledge gently. He gave her a long look, smile not as readily available as before, as though something nagged at him.

"I'd be asking the bride what she wanted, then hire the services of a wedding planner." He answered simply with a note of nostalgia in his voice. His blue gaze held her for a moment longer, before turning to Padraig with a nod.

"We've have our moments, myself and the beast, but I'm still here and so is my home. Perhaps she's grown as fond of me as I have of her." He said with a smile, the twins looking at each other with a grin. As the final guest asked his question with a head tilt, the Baron himself shrugged.

"Why you, little bird? Why not? You've seen things, and yet what I wonder. The cat, figuratively speaking, has got you're tongue and yet you soldier on in the city picking yourself up and making your way in the world. I sent invites to those I found interesting. Fascinating. Deserving." Pausing for a moment, he finally tapped his cane and the house staff disappeared out of the doors.

"Enough pleasantries, there is a mystery to be solved! A murder most foul has taken place and you, dear guests, have been asked to solve it. Before each course, my talented staff will come in and they will act out a scene. Then, while we are served, they will be open to be asked questions by you. Everything you need to solve the mystery is in front of you." The Baron then tapped his cane against the floor twice and added,

"As for the prize, it is your choice from five items, each one of which has been picked with you, specifically, in mind. They will be revealed at the end. Now, are there any questions, or should we begin?"

OOC Info

Hi guys! I'm you're friendly neighbourhood Guest StoryTeller for this thread!

This thread will last for 1 night and you will be returning to "the real world" on 12th Saun.


I will post again on the 15th September

[Tio Silver]

Tio's grin grew wider at Kura's sly comment. "Whatever I prefer eh? Alrighty then, pick up lines it is." His gaze suddenly flittered across her armour, admiring the way the golden scales sparked in the light, and his grin took on a cunning edge. "You know that really is an incredible set of armour, but do you know what you would look even more beautiful in?" He winked at her coyly. "My arms."
The baron had heard of him, enough to think that'd enjoy the Sapphire Sundry at any rate? Well well well, wasn't that interesting! Clearly he'd been making a good impression around Scalvoris if someone as high up as a baron found him fascinating. Tio leaned back into his seat with a smirk, letting the unintended compliment go straight to his head. Considering the pains he went to in order to keep his alter egos and magical ability hidden then he must have developed a reputation for his sharp wit and impeccable fashion sense! That wasn't surprising really, after all stars as fabulous as himself rarely stayed unnoticed for long.

The more the baron talked, the more Tio found himself liking the idea of this murder mystery party. Not only did they get a free feast, but got to watch a performance and choose their favourite prize at the end? It sounded brilliant! The baron and his staff might be a tad odd, but so what? Half the people on Scalvoris were odd in some way, at least these guys were the nice kind of odd.

"No questions from me, let's get started shall we?" Tio replied cheerfully, sitting up straight with an excited grin. He was eager to get started,
and it showed.[/color]

[/align]

[Faith Augustin]

[img]/gallery/image ... e_id=10076[/img]

When Faith shook Tio's hand, she felt the lack of blood and considered that the man who seemed to be human was, in all probability, a Yludih. That was the second one she'd shook hands with this season. Unless, she considered, he was the same one. That was highly unlikely, though, although the one on Immortals Tongue had bounced around like an over enthused Labrador puppy. "No, I'm afraid not. The first we heard was when we got our invitation," Faith said with a smile at Tio. "It's a pleasure to meet you, though. I'm looking forward to the evening." As for his question, Faith considered it carefully and then answered, quiet and deadpan. "I really don't know. Maybe that I got scrappy with the wrong person. That is very possible." Faith was usually a meek and quiet individual, but she had a temper and her fight or flight reaction was all skewed.

When Kura told her to stop fiddling with her clothes Faith grinned at her friend and shook her head. "I will not. I will fiddle and fidget to my heart's content, thank you." She was, of course, merely joking with Kura and she did indeed stop fidgeting immediately. At Kura's question, though, Faith couldn't quite resist lifting her head to try and read the card. Was her friend being serious or was she, in fact, being even more of a tease? Anything was possible. Still, simple or extravagant? She wondered and then beamed as Padraig answered. "What he said," she replied and gave a smile.

Once they were seated, though, the Baron answered his questions and then directed them to the murder mystery itself. Faith listened intently to what he had to say ~ the staff were going to act it and the clues were there for them, should they see and hear them. The young woman sat and looked at apparently nothing as a ghost walked through the room. The presence of the souls of the dead was something which Faith was more than used to and she had made a point of ensuring that she smiled in greeting to Cally, Kura's ghostly companion. Were there questions, or could they begin?

As she sat there, her back was straight and Faith's posture was consistently excellent; she kept her hands folded in her lap and made sure that she was making eye contact with the others. It was tempting to hold on to Padraig and focus entirely on him, but this was an opportunity to meet people, to find out things and to have a nice time so Faith sat and was more relaxed than she would normally be in such an event by virtue of the man sitting next to her. In terms of if they had any questions, Faith shook her head and looked around at the others, to see if they did. Tio, it seemed, was keen and eager to get started.

Rather, she thought, like a Labrador puppy.

[Mero]

Perhaps it was simply the flagrant manner of speech but much of what the man said was lost upon him the way he answered questions and referred to everything by a nickname or other Metaphor was lost on the boy still struggling to develop a vocabulary.

Simply happy to be present he watched the others interact with wide eyes. It was such a strange place to be, or at least it felt strange to him. Listening to the hosts speech he knew that he’d been called a little bird which while not the most apt description in his opinion, he was much bigger than most birds, was at least something he understood. He didn’t know why the man thought him interesting but it wasn’t his place to refute the opinion even if he could so he just smiled sheepishly and sipped on his semisweet beverage listening to everyone else’s chatter.

It seemed like the woman who’s armor he liked was quite popular as both faith and the man he didn’t know both seemed to be happy to be in her presence even if found her imposing. The man Faith introduced as Padraig seemed friendly and easy enough to be around so as not to make a nuisance of himself he took a place next to him while the others socialized, deciding to see if the man would humor him like faith did and attempt to answer a question for him. The host had said something about a cat having his tongue and while he knew what cat’s and tongues were he was fairly certain a cat did not in fact have his tongue.

Tugging the man’s sleeve softly Hwyn fixed him with a questioning gaze with an arched inquiring eyebrow. Pointing to his tongue, and then mimicking a cat’s ears and then claws with curled hands he pointed to his tongue again and then the host before tilting his head sideways to show that he hadn’t a clue what the man had said to him. He was still not very good at these impromptu games of charades but he also knew that if he didn’t at least try he would never improve.

At the end of his inquiry he paused for a moment, he’d forgotten to do something important. He’d forgotten to smile so fixing the man with his gaze one more he beamed at him momentarily the expression slowly beginning to feel natural with use.

[Padraig]

As an alchemist and chemist of course, the colorful nature of the drink he'd been handed intrigued Padraig. True enough that had the man wanted to poison any of them, he needn't have gone to such lengths, and expense, as he had. Judging by the clothing they'd been provided, he already knew a little too much for comfort. It didn't rule out the notion of mind altering substances, which could conceivably make an otherwise dull guest a more interesting and entertaining one. But nonetheless Padraig was a scientist. Sometimes there was careful consideration and calculations. And at others? Caution to the wind in the name of discovery. Down the hatch then. It was delicious.

The baron answered his question and he smiled in response. It wasn't a very scientific approach to his feelings about the location of his tower, and the risks. Fate, luck, affection. The place might have stood its ground for arcs on end. But odds and percentages were funny things. It only took one good avalanche or eruption to bury not just one tower but an entire city in rock and ash. Perhaps the baron also liked living dangerously. So, a mystery? Interesting.

He smiled when Faith agreed with his approach to their wedding, and took her arm as they were shown to their seats at the table. Pulling out a chair for her, he sat down himself. Spotting her looking round the room, as if she saw what others did not, Padraig wondered, did she see spirits there? Undoubtedly she did. As for questions, at that moment he didn't and personally, was all for beginning the evening's events. The tug on his sleeve however grabbed his attention, and looking towards his other table mate, the scholar grinned when Mero seemed to question one of their host's comments, or rather questions. He could hear perfectly well, apparently, but not speak. "It's an odd saying, isn't it?" he said quietly, almost under breath. "It's all it is, not a literal cat having anyone's tongue. It's a reference to someone being quiet, not talkative or forthcoming," he explained.

[Kali'rial]

11th Saun, 717

As the guests all acknowledged they had no real questions, the event began with Kai walking out and laying prone on the floor before them. Those who might have been looking at the Baron would notice he turned to look at the window as the act began. Mordrid came to stand beside the twin, her stern face taking them all in before she held out a hand to gesture at the young woman on the ground and delivering her performance in a deadpan monotone voice.

"Oh great woe of woes, tragedy of tragedies. Mistress Canary has been found deceased in her own quarters, the night before her wedding to Lord Crow, wearing the very dress that she was to wear on her day of betrothal. Gasp." Lifting the back of her hand to her forehead dramatically, she continued to hold it there as Mai came in and broke into an unbelievably over the top rendition of Lord Crow and his dismay at finding his fiancé dead.

"My love, my life, my reason for being! What monster would do this heinous crime?!" Dropping to a knee beside his sister, the young man picked up her hand and shook his free fist at the sky.

"I demand answers!" Behind him Mordrid took two awkward steps to the side and gestured at the room widely.

"Wave at the room. Lord Crow, myself and the other staff found her like this. There is no sign of a struggle, nor is there any appearance of blood on her. The door was locked from the inside, and there is no sign of a suicide note. It is most peculiar. Exit room." Finishing her monotone delivery, complete with spoken stage directions, the maid took two steps back before making her exit. Mai stood, lifting Kai off the floor with a flourish and hugging her to him with a huge sigh, before also making an exit with his twin in his arms.

At this point, the serving staff appeared with their starters, a rather simplistic looking dish of deep red soup that tasted of rich gamey meat with a vibrant bombing of flavour from a rather uncommon Scalvoris fungi for those who knew it. As it was placed before the guests, Baron von Smooglenuff drew his gaze away from the window and spoke.

"Our starter is an old traditional dish, something that has been with my family line for time untold." Looking at Faith, the older man smiled warmly.

"The flavor might be a little more confronting for some, but I'm sure there are those who can appreciate the unique...subtleties." As they ate the dish, the guests would notice an ever so slight sensation of numbness on their tongues. Nothing alarming, just enough to make it feel a little strange.

"As you eat, you're welcome to ask questions of the cast, or to engage in conversation. Our next act will commence when you are done." On queue, the twins and Mordrid returned to the room, waiting on the guests and filling their glasses with more bright blue beverage as required.

OOC Info

Hi guys! I'm you're friendly neighbourhood Guest StoryTeller for this thread!

This thread will last for 1 night and you will be returning to "the real world" on 12th Saun.

I will post again on the 25th September

Kura has missed one round of posting.

[Faith Augustin]

[img]/gallery/image ... e_id=10076[/img]

There was something exciting about being newly in a relationship and, when they were first together, Faith had found it so. However, they had been together nearly an arc now and, with a complete disregard for logic, Faith was further convinced that they had been in love long before they even met. They'd certainly been in love a lot longer than they'd been together but Faith would put her hand on her heart and swear to whoever it was that she had loved Padraig since the moment she was born. What that meant, quite often, was that they moved in conjunction without even really thinking about it, an unconscious synchronous harmony which came only with time. As he finished his bright blue drink, Faith casually swapped out their glasses.

She had no worries that she was being poisoned, she was just very aware that she was pregnant and she didn't want to take risks with what she was eating or drinking. Bright blue might just be a step too far and Faith really didn't do alcohol, so she opted not to. Having thanked Padraig for pulling out her chair Faith fell quiet and listened to what was going on.

As the acting started, Faith saw the Baron turn around and she kept one eye on him. He seemed rather sad, she thought, like he was avoiding what they were acting. She listened and watched the actors, but one eye remained on him. Then, when the performance was done, she tasted the soup and smiled at the Baron as he said that it was an old family recipe. Faith smiled as she tasted the soup, closing her eyes for a moment as she recognised the ingredients in there. Cherry bomb mushrooms, she knew, was what gave the tongue-numbing sensation. Padraig had brought samples back from the ice caves and so he would know it, too, as they'd worked together on the samples and he'd been subjected to more than his fair share of experimenting with flavours. "My compliments to the chef," was all she said in terms of the ingredients. It wasn't her place to do more than that, and so she complimented the Baron on a dish well prepared.

But they could ask questions? Faith considered it and then asked. "Lord Crow," she said in a soft tone. She had nothing but respect for the fact that these people had acted this out and she certainly knew that she had no right to comment on their talent, or not. "Considering that your fiance was found dead in a dress which she would not wear until tomorrow, in a locked room with no sign of forced entry, it seems rather a logical leap to assume that she was murdered. What makes you believe it, please?" Was there someone specific, she wondered aloud - was there someone he specifically suspected or was it for a different reason?

To Faith's mind, the fact that the woman was wearing the wedding dress she was due to done the trial after meant that it was about the wedding, about the marriage. Just... how, was the question.

[Kura Wolfsdotter]

Kura had, in fact, not made up the question on her card, but when she noticed Faith trying to get a look at it, she grinned and turned the card to keep Faith from reading it. Just because she hadn't started out teasing them didn't mean she wasn't going to take the opportunity once it presented itself. As for Tio, she smiled warmly at him. "Nice of you to say so. Of course, I'm not sure you'd be able to handle me." she said teasingly, before they were directed onwards with the night. Truthfully, Tio had her attention, better to be straight forward rather than beat around the bush, but he'd have to put a bit more effort into his flirting than that.

She smiled slightly at Smooglenuff's response to her question, but otherwise remained silent until the cast arrived to act out their play. The actor who played the servant was spectacularly disinterested in her role, so much so that it just about looped back around to being an interesting performance. Meanwhile, the fellow playing the groom was overacting for all he was worth. If he got any more dramatic, the rest of the cast would be utterly invisible next to his "acting". Granted, she wasn't a great actor herself, so politely kept her mouth shut while the little play was going on. Afterwards was the first course, and she examined it with interest.

Kura, having the mild paranoia of those who had spent far too much time in environments where assassination was something that happened, waited until Smooglenuff started on his soup before she joined in. The soup was definitely aggressive, as he had stated, but she liked the flavor. The strange numbing of the tongue was something she was less than thrilled with and she recalled that there assassin's skilled enough to poison a single person in a banquet of hundreds. Then she shelved that paranoid thought, noting that not only did that rarely happen, those kinds of services cost the kind of fare that could feed a small army for a month. Clearly old age and inexperience were making her more paranoid than she had any reason to be.

Once the cast returned, Kura let Faith speak up first. The question was a fair one and she was curious as to the answer. As to the method of death, she had a theory and therefore a question, inspired by the paranoid thought that had skittered across her mind. "Was there any food or drink iin the room with her, or any other way she might have been poisoned?" she asked, her curious. In truth, the means of death was only important in that might provide clues as to motive or culprit. Then a more important question, one that might reveal important details. "In many places, there is a recital the day before the wedding, sometimes held in full wedding regalia. Was there one, and if so, what time did it take place in relation to when Mistress Canary was found dead?" she said, leaning forward, her eyes intent. It almost looked as though Kura had forgotten the mystery was a play.