trustfell | Fifth.

Two people have died so far this week. It's about as many as one can expect to lose per week around here and it isn't even the weekend; furthermore – whatever those two may have died for – it wasn't for the sake of Rule Seven. That much remains untouched, and as such, so does the incentive, begging the question of whether you're prepared for what may happen in a few days, if no one moves. Are you ready?

Are you really?

Friday morning dawns like the rest of the week before it; the clock chimes, the doors to the kitchen unlock, and there's a heavy silence that's settled over the building. You aren't even being awakened by Jericho this morning, which may seem like a good sign until the realization settles in – after all, that means the timer hasn't wound down.

In other words, someone is definitely dead.

Thankfully enough, as far as corpses go, the first two floors seem to be clear; that doesn't mean that nothing is amiss there, because some things may be, but at the very least there aren't any bodies here.

No guarantees for higher up, though.

Explore?

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[Weirdly enough, there isn't active smoke, nor does there seem to be active fire in here.

However, it noticeably smells really weird, there are definitely signs that something was on fire in here, and there's very much a person tied to one of the chairs in here, looking...um.

Looking a little less than great.]

[Well, as all action girls know to do, Hibiki immediately removes the tie that holds up her hair and presses it over her nose and mouth before rushing in.]

H-hey...ya shouldn't be sitting there like that!

[How bad are they looking? Because Hibiki's going in for a closer look.]

[Sayaka was coming upstairs to check the art studio out, but she hears Hibiki's voice and decides to follow--those burn marks can't mean anything good, but...]

Hibiki...? What's going on?

[She kind of fears stepping in, what the hell?]

[ I'm going to assume this room smells bad to her vamp nose but either way, Elda's marching on in here with predatory eyes- ]

Hey, both of you ought to buzz off!

[ Because this. Seems like it's probably a dead person and they are younger girls. ]

I--I need to see who it is!

[Sorry Elda, she ain't budging.]

[And rushing in means exactly that. Hibiki more or less ran over to the body unless there was something in her way. Ever the optimist, until she knows they're dead, they're alive!]

[ Stupid girls.

She hisses through her teeth and she'll just follow along ]

[Rin was on her way over, and Hibiki's shout draws her in faster.]

Hibiki! Did you find something?

[Oh jesus, that is a smell. Cautiously, Rin moves her collar up over her mouth, mindful of the chemistry room nearby.]

In here, Rin! I'm in the workshop!

[Because they're going to need Rin if things are going south. Hibiki believes that with all her mind. Or...or maybe she just needs Rin to follow her inside.]

[Wow there's a gaggle of teenage girls now. Rin looks dubious at Sayaka arguing with Elda over there, and Hibiki... Oh geez, is that a person tied to a chair? With those burn marks on the floor she saw all the way out in the hall—]

Hibiki, I don't think they're still alive. [She's following her in though. Not fast to get in front of her yet, but she might make a sudden jump to spare her from as much the sight as she can if this looks particularly grisly.]

[He'd just been headed back downstairs when he hears Hiibiki's shout.

...Oh. That's not good at all.]

Hibiki...

[They are looking very, very burned.

Most of the burns seem to be concentrated on the person's body, rather than their face; they're pretty bad, but not enough that the person is unidentifiable. Granted, chances are that they wouldn't be completely unidentifiable, even so; there are a lot of girls left, of course, and this one is definitely female, but there isn't anyone else with her specific stature. She's incredibly petite - tiny, even - and the way that her shoulder-length hair is falling forward to obscure her face makes her look far younger than she actually is - but then, she's always sort of had that problem, being mistaken for a middle-schooler even though she's well out of that age range.

She doesn't seem to be breathing, and there are no signs of life or acknowledgement of Hibiki's words; she's very still, and very tied up, and the only conclusion that can be drawn here is an unfortunate one.

Chie Hori is dead.]

It's...no...it's Hori-san...

[Hibiki stumbles back a few steps so everyone else not approaching can hear.]

It's Hori-san! Someone killed her!

[Oh geez, her neighbor she never got around to talking to. Rin's hand goes to her mouth, a second before she steps back to hold Hibiki's shoulder in a grip she hopes is comforting.]

Why don't you step out and get some fresh air, Hibiki. We'll find the person who did this, okay?

Rin...Rin, she's dead.

[There's a lot going on. Hibiki didn't quite hear Rin the first time, or rather she recognized that Rin was speaking and was too busy praying she didn't just find a body to notice. Even if she saw the burn marks, even if she smelled that smell and saw the burn marks on the body...she really wanted to believe there was still time.

And so Hibiki starts to cry, using the cloth she'd been using to cover her mouth to start wiping her tears. At the grip on her shoulder, she turns around and hugs Rin.]

Please don't leave me!

[For a moment Rin freezes, unprepared for this turn of event. She's never shied away from physical touches here and there, even when it makes people embarrassed, but... It's been years since anyone's hugged her. Maybe even a decade, and that would take anyone momentarily by surprise. She recovers quickly, though, reaching out to hug Hibiki back and pat her hair.]

I won't, I won't. Not until you've calmed down, okay? [Someone has to check the body, after all, but that's maybe not the best thing to say when you're trying to comfort someone. Rin shifts their hug a little bit so she can guide Hibiki towards the door.] Let's get you out of this room.

[She's going to pat Rin back a little, too? She doesn't even think for a moment that Rin hasn't been getting enough physical affection. She's still sniffling when she has to pull out of the hug. Rin is shifting, and she has eyes to wipe so they aren't leaking all over Rin's shoulder.]

No...no, Rin! I'm going to help you investigate! I...I'll do a great job! I promise!

Are you sure? [Rin won't try to talk her out of it again if she says she can handle it.] If it's hard for you to be in the same room, you don't have to push yourself.

Mm...I'm sure. I don't want to, but everyone else investigates rooms like these, right? S-so...I'm going to help, too. I won't stop helpin'! Whoever did this isn't gonna get away with it!

[...Oh fuck.]

Hori-san...Hori-san, no!

[WELL, THIS SURE AS FUCK IS FINE AND NOT HORRIFYING]

[ this is what she meant? Ugh. ]

Come on girl, let's go look around here. Mage-girl can look over that body.

...Yeah. I just...wanted to make sure I...remembered...

[Let's just get the fuck outta here.]

[ Yeah, let's.

... Jericho needs to hurry up with that body announcement to investigate. ]

Fifth.

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