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[Idk who gathered all these dweebs but once they're here, Van Zieks is slamming his leg on the table. Is this necessary? No but he's in a mood let him have his legjection.]
I would like to make it clear that at this point, to my knowledge we do not have decisive evidence to convict anyone in Mr Salazar's murder. What is most important at the moment is that we make sure everyone with something to say about it is on the same page. Therefore I would like to hear people's arguments as to why you feel one way or another. Please back your statements up with evidence.
I would like to make it clear that at this point, to my knowledge we do not have decisive evidence to convict anyone in Mr Salazar's murder. What is most important at the moment is that we make sure everyone with something to say about it is on the same page. Therefore I would like to hear people's arguments as to why you feel one way or another. Please back your statements up with evidence.
[The despair's gone by now, but he's still pretty dejected.]
Right, first off, to settle personal affairs. [He looks at Susato.] Sorry for calling you a naive little moron, that was uncalled for. I was being suffocated by some depression curse. [He also looks at Sholmes.] ...I think I got a few things to apologize to you for, but... same excuse.
But in future, if you want us to keep something quiet, asking us directly about it and then loudly declaring we're completely wrong is not the way to go about it. Yeah, you've proven that Yukio's guilt wasn't a sure thing, but that's not how these executions work. Our not proving anyone guilty for Rex's murder was us failing Rin and choosing to string him up for lack of a better candidate.
Whether or not he was guilty's sort of irrelevant now, though. [And he's not sure how to feel about that!] But still, it's worth settling, just to check if the culprit survived the week, yeah?
Right, first off, to settle personal affairs. [He looks at Susato.] Sorry for calling you a naive little moron, that was uncalled for. I was being suffocated by some depression curse. [He also looks at Sholmes.] ...I think I got a few things to apologize to you for, but... same excuse.
But in future, if you want us to keep something quiet, asking us directly about it and then loudly declaring we're completely wrong is not the way to go about it. Yeah, you've proven that Yukio's guilt wasn't a sure thing, but that's not how these executions work. Our not proving anyone guilty for Rex's murder was us failing Rin and choosing to string him up for lack of a better candidate.
Whether or not he was guilty's sort of irrelevant now, though. [And he's not sure how to feel about that!] But still, it's worth settling, just to check if the culprit survived the week, yeah?
Edited 2021-10-25 00:17 (UTC)
[She listens to all of this with her lips pressed together. Does not acknowledge the apology. But - ]
You are correct about that. I agree entirely - we failed Okumura-san and Rex as well, and it is unacceptable.
You are correct about that. I agree entirely - we failed Okumura-san and Rex as well, and it is unacceptable.
[He sighs.]
You can speak your mind if you've got something to say.
You can speak your mind if you've got something to say.
[. . .]
I feel that, even though you apologized for saying it, you are still treating me as though you believe I am objecting out of naivete, an unwillingness to accept that someone is guilty and must pay for this.
I feel that, even though you apologized for saying it, you are still treating me as though you believe I am objecting out of naivete, an unwillingness to accept that someone is guilty and must pay for this.
[He considers this, mulling it over.]
...Naivete isn't the word I'd use when I'm not being forced to have a breakdown. More like... you're idealistic, optimistic. You want to protect people and you don't want anyone getting scapegoated. I respect that, genuinely, you're a very admirable girl. But you have to understand that these aren't courtroom trials, they're witch hunts decided by mob rule and designed to be cruel and unfair.
There's never going to be any right answer. If we're too hung up on being fair, we'll never get anywhere and things like what happened this week will just keep happening. I get that I'm speaking as someone who was nearly strung up by the mob myself last week, but even that would've been better than what happened here and I was entirely innocent there.
[When in doubt, just kill him.]
...Naivete isn't the word I'd use when I'm not being forced to have a breakdown. More like... you're idealistic, optimistic. You want to protect people and you don't want anyone getting scapegoated. I respect that, genuinely, you're a very admirable girl. But you have to understand that these aren't courtroom trials, they're witch hunts decided by mob rule and designed to be cruel and unfair.
There's never going to be any right answer. If we're too hung up on being fair, we'll never get anywhere and things like what happened this week will just keep happening. I get that I'm speaking as someone who was nearly strung up by the mob myself last week, but even that would've been better than what happened here and I was entirely innocent there.
[When in doubt, just kill him.]
I'm afraid that you may not know me as well as you think you do, Mr. Spike.
[She hesitates.]
I agree that poor Yukio Okumura-san and Rin Okumura-san didn't deserve this. And we will likely have to make accusations to get anywhere, and some will be wrong. So why not explain why you were so certain about him?
[She hesitates.]
I agree that poor Yukio Okumura-san and Rin Okumura-san didn't deserve this. And we will likely have to make accusations to get anywhere, and some will be wrong. So why not explain why you were so certain about him?
I know most of it's just how you present, yeah. I don't know what goes through your head, I barely know you. But optimism and faith is at least what you put forward. I've seen that much. [He shrugs. Live your life.
He just chews on his lip, considering.]
Well, for one, nothing in his fight with Rin was a complete and total lie, at least not from his perspective. Rin says Yukio's upright and moral, but Yukio obviously doesn't agree. He's a lot more cruel, bitter, jealous and cunning than I think Rin wants to admit. Of course, he still loves his brother. You can tell that just by the way the critters were cuddling while they were killing one another. But even when Rin was defending him, all his defences seem like we can conclusively say they're fragile at best.
I'm not judging him, for the record. I'm worse in just about every stretch of the imagination. But for one, his arm's not really broken, meaning he could've caught Rex unaware, he's telling Rin he's not a better or more moral person at all, and I think even if the kid's never seen a hookah before, he's probably at least read about it.
I know the footprint could've been planted, but it really was our only remotely solid clue for narrowing things down.
He just chews on his lip, considering.]
Well, for one, nothing in his fight with Rin was a complete and total lie, at least not from his perspective. Rin says Yukio's upright and moral, but Yukio obviously doesn't agree. He's a lot more cruel, bitter, jealous and cunning than I think Rin wants to admit. Of course, he still loves his brother. You can tell that just by the way the critters were cuddling while they were killing one another. But even when Rin was defending him, all his defences seem like we can conclusively say they're fragile at best.
I'm not judging him, for the record. I'm worse in just about every stretch of the imagination. But for one, his arm's not really broken, meaning he could've caught Rex unaware, he's telling Rin he's not a better or more moral person at all, and I think even if the kid's never seen a hookah before, he's probably at least read about it.
I know the footprint could've been planted, but it really was our only remotely solid clue for narrowing things down.
Edited 2021-10-25 02:49 (UTC)
[Now that we are actually discussing theories, van Zieks is jumping back in.]
I have heard talk of people discussing the footprint, from which our list of subjects had been narrowed down, as potentially unreliable evidence. Is there any reason for that or simply a suspicion people had?
I have heard talk of people discussing the footprint, from which our list of subjects had been narrowed down, as potentially unreliable evidence. Is there any reason for that or simply a suspicion people had?
To me, it is simply that if our analysis is based only on the footprint, and doesn't take into account anything else that happened, it is potentially flawed.
He was the one to pinpoint the cause of death. I'm not sure why he would have given us that information if he were truly the murderer, but that he could name the manner of death based solely on the state of the body... It suggests that he is familiar with such methods.
Does a hookah need to be prepared in a particular way to cause its smoke? If it were simply a matter of lighting a piece of charcoal, the culprit's familiarity with the device is unimportant.
If he were the culprit, I do not believe he did it for self-serving reasons.
Does a hookah need to be prepared in a particular way to cause its smoke? If it were simply a matter of lighting a piece of charcoal, the culprit's familiarity with the device is unimportant.
If he were the culprit, I do not believe he did it for self-serving reasons.
[He nods.]
The only culprit we've had that did do it for entirely self serving reasons was the ghost king.
Rin also said he'd take responsibility for his crimes if he were guilty, so I do want to point out that he did just that eventually.
The only culprit we've had that did do it for entirely self serving reasons was the ghost king.
Rin also said he'd take responsibility for his crimes if he were guilty, so I do want to point out that he did just that eventually.
So then, you suspect him based on the fact that he would be familiar with how to poison with carbon monoxide, assuming he could figure out the mechanics of the hookah on his own. [Hmm.] I don't think that's wrong. The hookah were rather simple devices, whereas it appears very few of our number understood that burning charcoal in an enclosed space that way would lead to that result.
However, I don't know whether I agree that Yukio Okumura-san would be the only person with such knowledge. Merely the only person who volunteered it.
However, I don't know whether I agree that Yukio Okumura-san would be the only person with such knowledge. Merely the only person who volunteered it.
[Softly - ]
Please, don't say that. What happened to the two of them. . .
Please, don't say that. What happened to the two of them. . .
Was cruel, and awful. I'm not denying that. [His tone is gentle, and it's clear that he genuinely empathizes. With who? Who knows. But it's not his usual impassivity to human suffering.]
But I get it. Whether he's guilty of the other murder or not, I'm sure that's how he saw it.
But I get it. Whether he's guilty of the other murder or not, I'm sure that's how he saw it.
Edited 2021-10-26 05:04 (UTC)
I agree with you. The reason I further suspected Yukio is... [She pauses to find the words and frowns before looking back in Susato's direction.] ...Well. You already know I cannot say it.
But the combination of those two factors is why I thought the idea worth investigating.
But the combination of those two factors is why I thought the idea worth investigating.
[Hmm. She frowns.]
. . . I don't think any of you were - doing something wrong by trying to solve this. I apologize for becoming so heated at execution; I couldn't bear the thought that Rin Okumura-san would die and then his brother would have been the subject of this sort of accusation, particularly when I felt rather strongly he did not do it.
You reasoning is sound. But in case Yukio Okumura-san wasn't the culprit, perhaps you ought to continue to look into it.
. . . I don't think any of you were - doing something wrong by trying to solve this. I apologize for becoming so heated at execution; I couldn't bear the thought that Rin Okumura-san would die and then his brother would have been the subject of this sort of accusation, particularly when I felt rather strongly he did not do it.
You reasoning is sound. But in case Yukio Okumura-san wasn't the culprit, perhaps you ought to continue to look into it.
[He points a thumb at Zieks.] Voldemort said as much at the execution. Nobody was rushing to cut the kid's head off for it. Not even me, and I'm a self proclaimed evil monster.
It was a theory I had. And Zieks agreed with me after the trial. And during the execution, it seemed to become a lot more likely.
...What made you so sure he didn't do it, anyway?
It was a theory I had. And Zieks agreed with me after the trial. And during the execution, it seemed to become a lot more likely.
...What made you so sure he didn't do it, anyway?
Edited 2021-10-26 13:06 (UTC)
A few things.
[She pauses for a long moment.]
Some of them would be difficult to go into, and I think it would be better not to. I've discussed one of the reasons with Lord van Zieks, but I would prefer to keep it to myself as it might be possible to use in the future to rule someone out.
But also . . . even if he was faking a broken arm, he was not faking that he was wearing a cast. He would have had to have found a way to reset it.
[She pauses for a long moment.]
Some of them would be difficult to go into, and I think it would be better not to. I've discussed one of the reasons with Lord van Zieks, but I would prefer to keep it to myself as it might be possible to use in the future to rule someone out.
But also . . . even if he was faking a broken arm, he was not faking that he was wearing a cast. He would have had to have found a way to reset it.
You know, I have grown quite tired of you calling me that.
[Surely this will only encourage Spike! Anyway.]
Mr Okumura is clearly someone who intentionally led us to have an incorrect impression of him. Why he did this we cannot say, and at this point it matters little. If things had... gone differently, I would have liked to discuss the matter with him regardless of his guilt in this case, if only to ascertain whether he potentially held a threat going forward.
But as miss Mikotoba says, she did share her reasoning with me. I believe it to be sound. While I still do not think we can conclusively rule Mr Okumura out, I believe at this point it is a much better use of our time to consider other suspects.
If we take the narrowed-down footprint results at face value; that leaves us with Mr Kaburagi, Mr Yoo, Mr Turner, and myself.
However there is also the question of the.... note that was left, which was apparently the most important piece of evidence.
[HE IS TIRED.]
[Surely this will only encourage Spike! Anyway.]
Mr Okumura is clearly someone who intentionally led us to have an incorrect impression of him. Why he did this we cannot say, and at this point it matters little. If things had... gone differently, I would have liked to discuss the matter with him regardless of his guilt in this case, if only to ascertain whether he potentially held a threat going forward.
But as miss Mikotoba says, she did share her reasoning with me. I believe it to be sound. While I still do not think we can conclusively rule Mr Okumura out, I believe at this point it is a much better use of our time to consider other suspects.
If we take the narrowed-down footprint results at face value; that leaves us with Mr Kaburagi, Mr Yoo, Mr Turner, and myself.
However there is also the question of the.... note that was left, which was apparently the most important piece of evidence.
[HE IS TIRED.]
Edited 2021-10-26 13:31 (UTC)
And Mr. Turner was ruled out by Mr. Yuri's quick thinking, if you recall. But I admit, I feel some distrust towards that footprint as evidence. It feels . . . [Hmm.] Everything was staged carefully, wasn't it? There was time to seal me in that room. Yet this meticulous killer tipped over some ashes, stepped in them, and failed to clean it up?
[It doesn't really sit right with her.]
. . . Yes, the message. If I recall correctly, it was scratched into the floor?
[It doesn't really sit right with her.]
. . . Yes, the message. If I recall correctly, it was scratched into the floor?
[Oh, they do.
Like the fact that you're a bitch.]
Like the fact that you're a bitch.]
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