WEEK 2 INVESTIGATION

[killerwaves]

INVESTIGATION

The sun rises over sparkling waves and beaches -- and there are far more of them now, double the amount of sun and surf across the two unusual islands you've been forced to call home. Not that you were able to see the breaking dawn, given that you found yourself falling asleep at the stroke of midnight, regardless of how tired you were.

Your restful(?) sleep is brought to a sudden end at 7am with a booming whipcrack of sound; those on Seagull's Playground will hear it first, much louder than the karaoke windows shattering last night. Indeed, a window or two may crack in the arcade, but at least nothing else breaks as a new shockwave flashes out on that island. Those on Sungem's Peak will merely feel a stronger breeze and see some higher waves, but they'll certainly hear an echo of everything as they come to.

Given your sudden sleep and confinement (if you took notice in the midst of everything you were up to), it's understandably harder to keep track of your cabana-and-islandmates.

Now that you're very likely very awake -- perhaps it's time to take a look around outside, and see if this week brings better tidings than the last.

(( OOC: Welcome to your first official investigation! This is similar to last week's peace week investigation: body discovery part comes first, free for all exploration for everyone until a body (or bodies) is found. Then we will move into the detailed investigation of body and locations! Good luck at Costco. ☆ ))

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[killerwaves]

[This unfortunate catte just can't get a break...

It's pretty hard to estimate the wound with the gummy worms in it, even though some of them have been removed -- it's certainly bigger than one gummy worm, at least, but it takes Lobelia really fingering the thing to get them some semblance of scale here. Great job, cursed shell man.

The wound goes all the way through, and from the positioning of it, you can tell that it pierced the heart. Not only that, but it's a fairly messy one! The edges are pretty jagged and ripped up.]

[diabolizes]

Not a clean wound, is it?

[ While Lobelia is doing unspeakable things to that wound, Wei Wuxian is going to check for those non-obvious injuries, feeling around for broken bones and anything else that might give him pause.

Given that Xiao extracted him from the wreckage, he's expecting some injuries caused by impact. But for now, he wants to see how many there are, and if he can estimate if this impact was particularly forceful. ]

[conchy]

[Oh, don't worry! Lobelia will diligently scoop out every last gummy worm so he can do his due diligence and finger that gaping wound properly. You're welcome, everyone.]

Non! An injury like this must have been the result of brute force. What laughable workmanship... Monsieur Wuxian, lend me a hand with his clothes.

[Respect a corpse? Lobelia would never. Lobelia works on stripping Chai's corpse down with WWX's help, and while the other man checks for broken bones, Lobelia seeks out other visible injuries. Aside from the big gaping hole, what are they working with here?]

[killerwaves]

[Y'all are so thorough Chai is probably blushing in the afterlife. It's fine.

Getting all up in the wound does reveal that the depths of it are mostly a straight stab, even if the particulars are messier.

WWX will find that there are definitely crunchy ribs under there, either broken or crushed -- they're pretty badly damaged, principally on the left side facing the victim. Lobelia, for his part, will be able to see a lot of bruising on the torso corresponding to said injuries, in addition to further bruising on the area that was contacting the ground (that's the same side as mentioned above, for the record). Some of the bruising is in odd patterns, also.]

[diabolizes]

[ help ]

His ribs are essentially broken.

[ They're crunchy, that's all he knows. Wei Wuxian will join Lobelia in looking at those bruises. ]

The bruises over the ribs are expected, but...

[ What's going on with these patterns? Are they in multiple places? ]

[conchy]

[Ah! Ahh!! That glorious crunch...!

...After taking a breath, Lobelia returns to his probing and touching. He's fine. Everything's fine.]

Heh-ahahaha! What a beau son...! But this is sloppy work, I must say. The killer must have some strength to be able to pierce clean through a body, but their temper seems to have gotten the better of them. How unfortunate.

[Now then, about the patterning of those bruises... Like Wuxian, Lobelia is looking at them with fascination. What's special about them?]

[killerwaves]

[Most of the unusual bruises they're looking at are large and circular, so they can take a wild guess at what might have caused those -- they're clustered around the same side as Lobelia's favorite crunchy ribs and the other big accompanying bruises. Incidentally, this is the side that Chai's mechanical arm is on.

There's also one wedge-shaped bruise in there.

This fella's been through a whole lot, let's just say.]

[diabolizes]

[ Hmmm. Hmmmmmmm. ]

Look at this bruise.

[ He points to the wedge-shaped one. ]

It seems as if the rest are due to the injuries we're already aware of. Do you see anything of a similar shape around here?

[conchy]

Good eye, Monsieur Wuxian! Let's see here...

[Looking around for any wedge-shaped implements! Will they find any clues as to what left this particular bruise?]

[killerwaves]

[Amidst all the candy-and-course-and-other junk, the ubiquitous gumballs and everything else that should not be on this golf course or at least Not Like This...

What stands out is something that fits right in: one golf club.

Also, since I forgot to note it in the last post and they both have eyes, Chai’s chest also has splatters of blood apart from what flowed down towards the ground from his wound.]

[diabolizes]

[ Is there any distinct pattern to the splatters of blood? Wei Wuxian looks for that, but if he doesn't see anything, he tries something else instead.

Given that he thinks it'll come in handy, he'll try to use Empathy in an attempt to get a read on Chai's emotional state right before death. If it gets blocked, that's fine, but at least he's tried. ]

[conchy]

[The blood splatter seems consistent with the head of the golf club, but wow! Such force! Does the hole in Chai's chest count as a hole in one...?

Anyway, while WWX empathizes, Lobelia takes another gander around the area to see if any more clues can be found.]

[killerwaves]

[The blood splatter is just haphazardly splashed around the entrance of the wound, there’s not too much blood there.

As for the hole-in-one, that one happens elsewhere too! Poor Chai really doesn’t get to put up any more death flags at this point.

While WWX’s Empathy is cooking, Lobelia is free to poke around, but all he will find are more gumballs.]

[diabolizes]

[ Okay, he's gonna keep working on that Empathy!

While he's doing that, Lobelia is free to do whatever he likes. Well, within reason. ]

[conchy]

[As far as Lobelia can tell, they've sussed out all their clues! Too bad he's better at touching bodies than detective work, but unless something else sticks out to him, he'll rejoin WWX and wait for the results of his touchy feely examination.]

[killerwaves]

[WWX's Empathy returns pretty overwhelming feelings of panic and being startled.]

[butcherspice]

Well, try not to sound too gutted over the untimely death of a young lad.

[Billy can't keep from a sarcastic comment.]

The rest look like it came from a wreck? Got a feeling some dodgy driving was involved.

[Which wild guess, any tire tracks on Chai?]

[conchy]

Heh-hahah! I'll try my best.

[No he won't. Anyway...]

Perhaps so, but the patterning seems to suggest he was struck in the same fashion with the same blunt implement multiple times. Perhaps these bruises are evidence of a struggle before the finishing blow came.

Any théories as to what that implement might have been?

[butcherspice]

First instinct says the giant balls that were crushin' him, 'side from this wedged one. Then the stab in the heart, we want somethin' long enough to go all the way through and bigger than the gummies around 'im. Y'said it was brute force, so...can't be somethin' too sharp either. Fuckin' flagpole or pointy stick?

[conchy]

[death via giant balls.................]

Oui, what a smart man you are! Looks really are deceiving. Let's have a look around and see if whatever instrument stabbed through his chest is hiding somewhere, hm?

[butcherspice]

[Yeah you'd like that wouldn't you mate]

Can't all be the fanciable type, can we now? [He scoffs a little. It's getting to be funny how many appearance-related comments he's been getting.] But yeah, couldn't've gotten far if it's still here.

[Though Lobelia might have found it another part of thread so wooooo]

crude language cw

[butcherspice]

Don't let me stop you from raw-doggin' the chest wound. Need a little privacy?

[Seriously, no gloves or nothing? Lobelia's kinda fucking nuts.

Anyway! Since WWX is looking for other injuries, Billy is gonna loot Chai's pockets for anything that looks relevant.]

[killerwaves]

[Chai's pockets reveal...!

(1) stray gummy worm
(1) kakapo-shaped key
(1) U-PINION

... and several pieces of lint.]

[butcherspice]

[Well! Clearly there was a gummy worm mishap!

But same song and dance as with Merlin: Anything in Chai's dms that seems odd?]

[killerwaves]

[There's nothing particularly of note in Chai's DMs.]