fandomhigh | Cognitive Logic in Understanding Evidence; Wednesday, Second Period [01/13].

Entry tags:

evidence

Cognitive Logic in Understanding Evidence; Wednesday, Second Period [01/13].

And so, for their second class, the dinner party would find themselves arriving in the ballroom of Mr. Corpse's mansion, a grand room as one might expect, with plenty of open spaces, large windows overlooking the stormy scenery of the tumultuous sea beyond, occassionally illuminated by the peals of lightning. A grand piano crouches in a corner, and, crouched beside it, a maid, over a still body in a dark suit, a puddle of blood pooling behind his head. Thunder cracked across the sky outside, and the maid stood, eyes wide as dinner plates as she regards the group.

"Oh, it's terrible," she gushed, hands balled to her face in distress. "Just terrible! I'd come in just to dust, and there he was! Mr. Corpse! Dead! Whatever are we to do???"

"That's a good question," Ros agreed. "What are we going to do? We should probably contact the poli--"

One of the side doors to the ballroom burst open. "The phone lines!" he declared. "They've been cut! I've tried to call the police, but we can't get through."

"And no body has service way out here in the middle of no where," Rosa added thoughtfully, because it was convenient to the plot, "especially not in this storm. And because of the storm, odds are, whoever did this deed is probably still here with us. That leaves us but one choice: we have to try and find who this killer is and how they did it before one of us becomes the next victim. We should start by looking around, seeing if we can find any clues," cue lightning, "to solve this mystery....before it's too late."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The plot thickens!

~~Wayne~~ Wayne

~~Enola Holmes~~ Miss May Beatrice Posey

~~Elli~~ Miss Piper Grace

~~Arabella Baylor~~ Miss Bella St. Vier

~~Alara Kitan~~ Solana Sage

~~Lana Beniko~~ Nala Kenobi

~~Nell Ingram~~ Marilou Fenster

A dramatic setting! Timely sound effects! No contact with the outside world and a dead body in the room! Maybe enough to make you forget for a moment you were just in a fancy-ass simulation in a castle-school on a Wednesday morning!

Today Enola was wearing all black with a black veil attached to her black hat. The very picture of a young widow.

"My. What an interesting set of circumstances," Enola said raising an eyebrow. "Much like the time my late aunt spent the evening on an island and tragically died from cyanide injected by a madman who thought she had committed a crime."

She threw up her hand dramatically.

"No one is to leave this room. We stay together always! For one of us may be the killer."

Elli had a picture of her so-called father with her today, in a small locket. He didn't look anything like her at all. She was kind of proud of herself for having managed that between the twisted ankle and being a child over the weekend!

She sank into a chair as the circumstances conspired to just make everything oh so very... convenient.

But, oh! It was thrilling all the same!

"I wonder," she ventured, "who other than us knew that Mr. Corpse was throwing this dinner party?"

"A very good question, Miss Piper," Enola responded. "Perhaps an interview with the staff would be appropriate."

Arabella had cut a deal with Connor's mom whereby she got use of Mrs. Rogan's credit card to buy costumes for this class, Mrs. Rogan got temporary custody of Arabella's giant glowy-eyed skeleton, and Arabella didn't ask any questions about what she was planning to do with it no matter how much she really really wanted to, so she looked like the very model of a prim, innocent debutante this week, dressed in soft, flattering colors with her hair twisted back into a neat bun.

"Oh! It is shocking!" she cried in her best Southern belle drawl, which was pretty darn good, since she was from Texas. "You don't think...one of us could be responsible?"

"Indeed! We should trust no one!" Enola declared. "And no one should be left alone to ensure no evidence is tampered with."

"Perhaps we should rule out an accident before we start assuming murder?" Lana asked.

Unlikely, but she wouldn't put anything past Rosa, including having them chasing their tails for nothing.

All right, dinner-guests-turned-slueths, let's have a look around and see what we can discover! Do you inspect the body? Take a look around for signs of entry or things left behind? Question the maid or the butler? Add some more atmosphere by playing a tune on the piano or just let everyone else do their thing while you do your own thing?

If last week was any indication, there are so many places you can take this one.

Enola immediately went to the body to inspect it for clue as well as any information she could glean from the body regarding Mr. Corpse.

Where there strands of hair that matched Alexa's claim to be Mr. Corpse's lover? Perhaps a note clutched in the death grip of his hand?

So many possibilities. Once her inspection of the body was done she would then move on to inspect the room.

Elli also steeled herself and approached the body.

Even though she was training to be a nurse (and not just in this story) she'd never been near one before (even though this was fake, as she kept reminding herself).

"Miss Posey," she murmured. "I wonder if you would agree with me that poor Mr. Corpse does not appear to have been, on first glance."

The blood spilling out of him...

"Perhaps a fall of some sort?" she tried. "Or someone hit him from behind..."

Alas, while a closer inspection would not reveal a clutched note or some loose strands of hair, either of the girls may have noticed something that had rolled into the shadows nearby that may have answered at least one of their questions.

It appeared to be, slightly smeared with the very blood that pooled at Mr. Corpse's head, a rather solid candlestick with considerable heft to it.

"Aha!" Enola exclaimed as she went over to the candlestick and picked it up gingerly with gloved hands so as not to disturb any evidence. "Clearly this occurred in the ballroom with a candlestick. The game is afoot!"

Arabella had never examined a dead guy before, but you didn't grow up in a family of private investigators without learning how to examine a scene. After a look around the room, she steeled herself and bent to examine the body.

Hey.

Wait a minute.

Either that portrait over there on the wall was a really shoddy likeness, or, "Are we...absolutely certain this corpse is Mr. Corpse?"

Now that got Wayne's attention, forehead squinting at Arabella a moment as he considered that.

"Well, who the fuck else would it be?" he asked. "The butler?"

Actually, now that he'd mentioned it, where had that butler disappeared to?

"That I really could not tell you," 'Bella' protested. "But, although I was not as close to Mr. Corpse as some of you here--our communication was mainly through correspondence, as I have been at school--and I am certain that death changes a person...chiefly by making them dead, I suppose...I am not entirely certain this is him, and I think it best to be sure of the identity of the deceased, do you not?" God, she sounded like Scarlett O'Hara.

She looked down at the body. "Perhaps we should, ah, search the body?" Arabella would have gotten right down to it, but she thought her character was more squeamish than that.

Nell... checked out the plants. Which had been overwatered, though she didn't think that was particularly a clue. Then she started watching the others and making note of what they found.

Bloddy candlestick, possibly not Mr Corpse... Interesting.

Dectective D-- is definitely there for anything class related or otherwise.

And will still refuse to admit that she'd been binging murder mysteries lately, why would you even think that?

When class was done, Enola removed her veil and approached her teacher.

"Detective D. Might I have a moment of your time?"

Look, just because the narrative said she was there didn't mean Rosa was necessarily....enthusiastic about that availability. She looked at Enola coolly for a moment before responding.

"Sure." That was what she was there for, right? "What's up?"

Yes. And Enola was definitely picking up that vibe. So now she was even being extra-extra polite.

"My name is Enola Holmes," she said nodding slightly to her response. "And I have recently embarked into the profession of being a detective. In particular those persons who have gone missing. I understand you have a business in town which does private investigations?"

"Wow. You figure that one out yourself? You're off to a good start."

Rosa.

Well, she did actually mean it a little sincerely, despite the sarcasm in her tone, based on Enola's performance in class so far, but, also based on Enola's performance in class so far, she felt that kind of enthusiasm could use the sarcasm, too.

There was a moment when Enola's eyes went side to side as she processed the and accepted the sarcasm. And then lacking any other appropriate response she replied. "Thank you."

She cleared her throat. Not that it needed clearing just to provide a break in the conversation. "As you might have deduced, I am not from this timeline. In fact you are the first woman I have met who is a detective. While this class is certainly helpful, I would like to learn more of your processes and business."

She began to go through her handbag, pulling out an article from the Pall Mall Gazette regarding the miraculous recovering of a missing young lord and the arrest of his grandmother for attempted murder as well as murder. "I have already solved my first case. And while I'm rather new, I wish to be a sort of an apprentice to you and your business. I believe in this time period you call it an 'internship'."

Rosa eyed Enola a little closer as she reached out to take the article from her, letting her gaze linger for just that slight bit too long before finally dropping her eyes to skim over the words.

"If I'm the first," she noted, "then this'll really blow your mind. There's actually two of us there..."

And Enola would probably learn about ten times as much about dry sarcasm and not giving a shit between the two of them than she probably would ever learn about detecting.

Her eyes flicked up from the article as she handed it back over.

"So, you want to come join us at Diaz & Ass., huh?"

Well, her brother was Sherlock Holmes. He had dry sarcasm and not giving a shit down to a science.

At least in Enola's opinion.

"Yes," she said frowning at the word usage. "I would proud to be an associate. You do not have to pay me. I only wish to learn. And since there are two women detectives I expect I can learn twice as much."

Or in Jessica's case, how to hold her liquor.

Edited 2021-01-13 21:20 (UTC)

Rosa had definitely phrased it that way just to see how Enola would handle the word usage, which meant she may have grinned a little bit. If you knew to look for it.

Well, this should be fun.

"Definitely more than you would at trooper station, anyway," she allowed, "unless you enjoy navel gazing and excessive paperwork. Come by on Monday, I'll see if there's anything we can field to you to get you some experience. And if you want to go all out and do desk handling and phone wrangling, we can make a day for that, too.

"Just out of curiousity...what are your thoughts on bees?"

"What kind specifically? The brown banded carter? The anthropora retusa? The bombus barbutellus?"

Ferndale hall had a lovely section on melittology. A favorite of her father's.

Rosa was not a religious person but, after a moment of just staring at Enola, she was going to just look up for a moment and thank God because she could not have asked for a better potential weaponized nerd to throw at the Bee Lady, apparently.

Perfect.

"You're the fledgling detective," Rosa then answered. "You find out. You see, there's this whole missing bee case that's gone cold," out of sheer apathy and it being stupid, "that might just have Intern Ass. written all over it."

"A missing bee?"

There was a moment of puzzlement before that stiff upper lip returned. "Very well. As your intern associate I will be happy to take the case."

A bee? Really?

"I shall join you on Monday to receive the details."

Oh, to be a squirrel on the tail of this ensuing investigation!

"Sounds like a plan," Rosa decided with a nod. "Oh. And good work in class so far. Keep it up."

Which was Rosa's way of giving you a...tentative stamp of approval for now, Enola.

Don't screw it up.

Enola did her best to keep her face absolutely professional. "Thank you. I intend to do so."

However as soon as she walked out of class she went back to the door grinning like a loon.

You guys had me dying last week, and I am so looking forward to the wild ride this has the potential to become.

Would we be able to find any particular clues or are we just making it up as we go along?

THIS IS A GOOD QUESTIOM, because there's definitely some specific stuff going on and being RNG'd out, but I am definitely making it up as I go along, too.

I was hoping to ping in with potential clues as needed, but I'm a little tied up today, but lemme get you on the Enola/Elli thread with something real quick!

lmao of course I leave the most important word out of my ping. Elli was saying she doesn't think he's been shot. ALAS.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Cognitive Logic in Understanding Evidence; Wednesday, Second Period [01/13].

Sign In - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Sign In - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Sign In - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Sign In - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Sign In - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Sign In - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Sign In - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Sign In - CLUE, 01/13.

During the Scene - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: During the Scene - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: During the Scene - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: During the Scene - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: During the Scene - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: During the Scene - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: During the Scene - CLUE, 01/13.

Investigate! - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Investigate! - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Investigate! - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Investigate! - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Investigate! - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Investigate! - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Investigate! - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Investigate! - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Investigate! - CLUE, 01/13.

Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

Re: Talk to Rosa - CLUE, 01/13.

OOC - CLUE, 03/13.

Re: OOC - CLUE, 03/13.

Re: OOC - CLUE, 03/13.

Re: OOC - CLUE, 03/13.