The clock strikes twelve. The gong of the grandfather clock in the foyer tolls out the time in slightly unnecessarily obnoxious loud noises. The ambiance of this old mansion demands respect, care, awe --
Okay, no, wait, why are you even in this stupid dusty house?
No reasons are forthcoming, because everyone knows that people just end up in places like this sometimes. That's just how the narrative device works. The hows and the whys don't matter -- all that matters is that you're all here, so you'd better get cracking and start exploring, because it's not like you can leave yet.
Or ever, maybe.
 Good day, sirs and madams. Might I interest you in a nice glass of blood...y mary?
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PHASE I [ 02 15 ] All you see is white. The crash of thunder hits your ears next, punctuated by the piercing pitch of white noise in the background. After a few blinks, your vision comes back to you. Oh good, glad that you’ve joined us in the land of the living. Unlike the nondescript corpse at your feet – it looks like… a butler? Oh dear. You’ve already killed Murder Suspect Number One in most situations. How terribly ironic.
After all, who could’ve killed him but you? You might not remember, but there is definitely a murder weapon in your hand. It’s probably a knife or a poisoned glass of wine or-
Wait, is that a toaster? A full on toaster? Or maybe it’s a taser. Maybe you bludgeoned this poor guy with an entire encyclopedia. Either way, it looks like your murder weapon is a little unconventional, whether it’s a stranger’s pair of underwear or a hair curler. Are you really supposed to believe you committed a murder with these? (Yes.)
That said in the next second the double doors will be opening up. It’s pretty clear you’re not alone. Think quick!
PHASE II [ 0600 ] Exploring more around the compound, you’ll find plenty of those tall, oil portraits of people hung around the walls. When you start walking, they’re all strangers. However by the time that you feel like you’re wandering around for an hour, two hours, they might start looking a little bit more… familiar? Mom? Is that you?
You don’t have time to think about that, though. You were clearly framed! You don't’ have a motive for killing some random NPC –
“Or do you?” a portrait will ask.
Oh. Holy shit. Well it’d just be rude to leave, right? Whether you stick around for conversation or not, you’ll find that was just the beginning. The portraits are going to start grilling you. Welcome to CERES Central’s Roast of You. What was your motive? Don’t you know you should respect the servants? How would you feel if you were caught like that? Careful turning your back on them though, because if you ignore them for too long, the subjects in the portraits may just reach out and snatch you to join them in their portrait world.
At that point, the only way to get out is to swap places with some other poor, unsuspecting soul wandering around.
PHASE III [ 1045 ] You know what makes me hungry? Murder.
What’s the point of making a mansion this big anyway? Who’s even here? Either way, whether you’re looking for the kitchen to make a fine post-homicide sandwich or just trying to escape, you’ll eventually make it to a stairwell. The most finicky stairwell ever. Is that a trail of bloody footprints leading up the steps? What? No. Stop it, just climb.
Or well – don’t climb too quickly now. The staircases apparently have a mind of their own, swapping from one doorway to another. You definitely haven’t seen this before. It would seem that these stairs might even be interested in keeping you in a circle forever, no concern for whether or not you’re hungry or, god forbid, need to use the restroom.
However the portraits in the stairwell will provide a little tip: “The stairs are gossips, you know. Why don’t you tell us a little something about yourself? Make it good!”
Weirdly enough, sound advice – that is, if you’re interested in shouting out your most embarrassing secrets into the void so a mansion can keep talking shit about you. Oh well. Your alternative is just being a stair golem. There are worse fates.
PHASE IV [ 1430 ] This hall is oddly quiet.
Well, until you hear it – the soft sniffles coming from down the hall, the broken sobs. It sounds like someone’s crying. For one reason or another, your footsteps take you forward – there’s really no point in going back now after all, right? Yet as you continue to walk… walk… walk… the crying becomes louder and louder. More desperate, more despaired. In time, it’s clear that this person is wailing, screaming, “How could this happen?!”
Within the span of a breath, all the lights in the hallway go out, leaving you in pitch black.
It occurs to you then that you hear a second set of steps. When did you stop walking? A cold chill runs down your spine and you find yourself running then, despite the fact that it feels like this pitch black hallway goes on forever. The other footsteps pick up, remind you that you’re not alone. No, certainly not.
Best hope that you find some assistance soon – otherwise it looks like the Butler Association is going to ignite some righteous vigilante justice on your ass.
BONUS [ why o'clock ] You’re in the grand ballroom now, ready to present your case. Armed with a cob pipe (don’t smoke inside, it’s rude), a detective hat, and a single spotlight aimed right at you, you now have to explain how you came to the conclusion about the True Killer that is Obviously Not You. Rather, it’ll just be the character of whoever tags into this prompt – yes, you are suddenly so very sure that they’re the ones who are the ultimate mastermind of this entire game and… you’re just going to have to bullshit the reason why even if you know virtually nothing about them. It’s a dog eat dog world out there, you know?
Sorry about that.
Should you actually provide enough of a compelling case or they take pity on you, having a villainous breakdown for the sake of the plot, you’ll be awarded with a coupon that’ll give you three free scoops at your local ice cream parlor! (Note: you must buy the first two scoops in order to qualify.) Of course, if you’re not able to nail them down as the killer, you are obviously the killer yourself (citation needed).
From there, you’ll be dragged off to face your punishment: for six grueling hours you will be tickled mercilessly.
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
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Minato Arisato | Persona 3 FES
[It's a rather surreal experience returning from the dead once, even moreso when one does so twice, both involuntarily in a manner of speaking.
One might forgive Minato in being slow to rise to his feet, rubbing his temples as his eyes adjust to his new surroundings. He has a lot to think about, really- memories of being here (Something like it, he mentally corrects himself) are blinding him to the current situation even more than the whiteness around him. The crash of thunder is what gets him to return to his senses and focus on the present...
Which brings him to the matter of the corpse on the floor, blood pooling around its former container. Awkward.
He stares at the macabre scene for a moment before looking down at his right hand, having felt something weighing it down. What meets the eye is a toaster with incriminating bloody stains on it, the sound of double doors opening following soon after.
He'll just be kneeling on the floor holding up the toaster when someone approaches, with a Most Serious look on his face.]
Do you know anything about this? [This is followed by a glance at the body, as if he somehow has nothing to do with it. Really!]
III. Gossip Guys?
[Past events notwithstanding, Minato's wandered enough in the mansion that he's wished for the toaster to be functional. But just as toast always lands butter-side down he must make do with the lack of food, ostensibly being on the run from people who might be looking for revenge.
What that means is that he's sauntering through the mansion's many hallways while looking around him, slightly more warily than he might seem to be from his casual pace, quickly making his way to a stairway when he finds one. Of course things are never that simple in a murder mystery and he figures out quickly enough that the stairs has no interest in letting him try out any of the doors, actually taking heed when the portraits mention that the stairs enjoy a gossip or two. Why not? He's got plenty of those.
He's still sitting at the bottom of the stairs five minutes later, expression rather tight-lipped as he tries the next one.]
There's a secret behind my right eye.... [No? That's when he's going to see someone approaching and slide in a remark:] But I'd have to destroy you if anyone finds out. [How ominous!]
Bonus: Turnabout Murder Suspect
[Minato's never been too keen on detective novels, so it comes as a bit of a surprise to him that some kind of pipe and a pretty cool hat are apparently part of the job description. What should have been more surprising to him is that murder suspects can clear themselves of murder by accusing someone else while pretending to be lawful, but honestly that sort of thing really has no shock value any more.
His delivery is deadpan, holding up the pipe for more dramatic flair than what one might expect from a high school student.]
The toaster being in my hand at the time of the murder doesn't prove anything, as there was a blinding light at the crime scene and the killer could have placed it there while I was unable to see anything. The doors also opened instantly after I noticed the murder weapon, which must have been set up by the killer.
[Pause.]
Everything after that was made to delay me from finding out the truth...that would have given the killer enough time to get to this ballroom and prepare for a trial. It's obvious, isn't it? The portraits couldn't have been made to look like people you remember unless the killer knew me in some way and there were bloody footprints leading up to the stairs too. There was also someone who was chasing after me past the stairs, and the killer could have misled this person into thinking that I was the true culprit.
[He glances at someone, with not a trace of emotion.]
You were here before me, weren't you? That means you have to be the killer, since you wouldn't have any other reason to be here right now.
?. Wild Card
[Got something else you might want to play out? Hit me up at
III
Where the HELL have you been?
[ Does he sound like a jealous lover? It isn't intentional. But somehow Hyoubu has a talent for sounding incredibly creepy. ]
no subject
It smarts a little but he's taken a lot worse, returning Hyoubu a mildly affronted look after rubbing his eye. As for where he's been...back home seems to be one way to put it were it not for how their worlds had been (Supposedly) destroyed, though he'll stick to that.]
I was sent back home, if you could call it that...how long has it been since I left, anyway?
1/2
yeah he's contemplating whether a second punch is in order. ]
no subject
I... not long. A few weeks, maybe. I don't remember, I hardly noticed!
[ TSUNNING HARD ]
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He stands up after that, notably not tucking both of his hands into his pockets as he's picking up a toaster with some blood stains on it before looking back at the stairs. Huh.]
The stairs don't seem to have changed...guess that gossip wasn't good enough for it. [Or maybe no one thinks that about his right eye except for himself, but jokes aside Minato's going to ask about the toaster.] Did you get one of these too? A murder weapon, I mean. [He'd ask how Hyoubu's been, but that one was made obvious enough already.]
no subject
[ Ah. Covered in dried blood. He bends over to get a better look at it. Presesntly, he straightens up again. ]
Ha. No.
[ He's smirking strangely. I wouldn't need one. ]
Did you kill someone, Minato-kun?
no subject
I'd only need one to toast some bread, but it seems the killer doesn't enjoy having breakfast. [Too bad he's parted ways with the guy having the bread.]
He was already dead when I woke up and I don't remember hearing anyone scream...it's probably some kind of set-up.
i;
[ Dwyer says, sighing, as well as carrying a stale baguette in one hand and a healing staff in the other. He may be a butler, but he's certainly sure that the butler who was killed was not one of his co-workers.
...Hm. With the two of their "murder weapons", they could probably make toast. Somewhat stale toast, but toast nonetheless. ]
no subject
He hefts up the toaster to get a closer look at it, finding nothing suspicious.]
Were you blinded by the light too? That seemed pretty suspicious...he could have been killed before any of us were here, and we wouldn't know.
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I think that's the point. We're probably being framed.
[ It's a very suspicious setup. It'd be even more suspicious if their supposed murder weapons weren't part of a balanced breakfast. ]
no subject
Minato eventually settles on holding onto his toaster with his right hand, the other tucked into his pocket and conveniently placed near his Evoker- anyone crazy enough to kill a butler with ancient breakfast probably wouldn't think twice about offing people trying to get to the bottom of things.]
There doesn't seem to be anything else in this room...let's see what we can find outside.
no subject
[ Dwyer takes the initiative for once, stepping outside and peering around the corners to see if anyone else is in the hallways. ]
I don't see or hear anybody else so far. Do you think the real culprit is out there?
[ It's not like they could be anywhere else. ]
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It's impossible to tell how long we were out for, so he could be further ahead. Let's hurry.
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[ And though he agreed to hurry, he still can't but yawn a little. ]
...Sorry. I just find places like this a bit soporific.
[ Even though it's a creepy mansion and they were just framed for murder. Yeah. ]
I
While his memory of the ViViD was a little foggy, he simply raised an eyebrow at Minato. Well. This just probably tops anything he had ever seen here.]
No but I never thought you could kill somebody with a toaster. [Annnddd he might slowly back away from him. However, he couldn't deny he looked a bit familiar]
no subject
...is that you, Takeru-kun?
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[As Takeru widen his eyes, he couldn't help but wonder exactly where he had met this person before. However, it didn't take him long to figure out who he was.
It wasn't everyday one could forget as blue of a hair as his was! Which was why his confusion quickly turned into happiness!]
Ooohhh, Minato-san! It's been a long time hasn't it? Where have you been?
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It felt like I was sent back to my world and nothing changed... [Bit that's enough about himself, and he's going to change the subject.] I could ask the same about you though.
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[Otherwise, he's still slllooowwwllllyyy backing away from Minato there. Because while he didn't want to believe he might have killed somebody? He had to be prepared!]
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And that's right, this is just like the time when we met in the jungle. [And he sure prefers that one over this.] Do you still remember that?
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But I think we should get out of here! Game or not, there is a dead body and someone might be looking for you soon!
no subject
Let's get going then. We might be able to find some marshmallows if we're lucky. [Or they could be blood-stained, but at any rate he's quick to move out.]
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[All things considered, it probably wasn't a good idea to talk such things in the middle of a murder. However, that didn't stop Takeru from looking around to see if there was anyone else nearby]
Do you know the way to the kitchen? Maybe we can find some there.