WEEK 5 INVESTIGATION

[killerwaves]

INVESTIGATION

Good Mourning. Unlike the previous weeks, there's no musical serenade to greet you, just the ambient sounds of the island and the stirrings of those you spent the night with, if you were the type to want company. For those of you on certain islands, the background thrum (and siren laments, for those unlucky) of the warp phenomenon may also have sung you to sleep; but will they sing you to waking? You know how this goes by now, so is anything on this of all mornings really comforting? And is everyone you spent the night with still with you...?

Indeed, the not-so-dulcet tones of the ever-present haze fill the morning; you may not want it accounted for, but here it is nevertheless.

(( OOC: Welcome to your final murder investigation, let's get this party started☆ ))

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[dakicover]

[ woops my bad

snow room ]

[killerwaves]

[The air is always cool and crisp in here, smelling irresistibly of places faraway from and better -- surely -- than these islands. Today, though, there's a certain heaviness in here; maybe it's the fact that there's still less snow than usual, though the snow machines seem to have been (somewhat inexpertly) fixed.

Other than that, though, nothing seems out of place--

Except something small and shadowed and bundled on one of the far benches. Surely, though, everyone knows better than to go to sleep in the snow. Perhaps someone forgot their effects in here. Perhaps it's a trick of snowblindness.

Perhaps you should approach.]

[dakicover]

[ no, no one should go to sleep in the snow. it would be anyone's downfall, with hypothermia settling in quickly enough to kill them, even in a controlled environment like this.

crea steels himself, though a large part of him is hopeful enough to find whoever it is alive. without hesitation, he runs towards the bench, his heart in his throat. ]

[killerwaves]

[Ah, but what if one had a coat?

Because the closer Crea gets, the better he'll be able to see that someone is wrapped up in one of the nice, thick coats provided at the entrance to the snow room. They're being kept nice and cozy, so perhaps they really did just decide to take a nap here. The scenery is soothing, after all, and the quiet coils around them both easily. Sounds vanish every time he steps forward.

White flakes fall softly, slowly all around and blur the miniature fake landscape; the gentle rise and fall of snowy mounds that has mostly recovered from being melted to hell by a dragon a few days ago. Everything has a faint, fairytale sparkle -- even the face of a girl who should have gone to sleep last night surrounded in friends and laughter and the celebration of her being alive. One more year. Many happy returns.

But: her serene face is covered in blood, you see now, the entire structure of it changed by the severity of injuries that very few could survive. And it looks like her luck and her time has run out.

Nona is dead.]

[dakicover]

[ as he steps closer and the details become more clear to him, crea's steps... slow down. the moment that he can see face, disfigured and bloody, he feels the bile rise up in his throat, but he doesn't have it in him to react. for a flash of a second, his hand lights up in a blue flame in hopes of healing her, but that hope is soon extinguished along with his ability. by the time that he reaches the bench, he's practically dragging his feet along the snow, uncaring of how cold it is whenever it gets into his feet.

he should have protected her. he should have guarded the door. he should have set up traps. he should have.... he should have......

he should have tried to be a hero for her.

with his mind blank and his energy sapped from him, crea falls to his knees, staring forward at the bench and the body of the friend that he lost. ]

ignore that he is in demon form he's not but this is my only crying icon

[gluttoning]

[He rounds the corner, wanting to call out to Crea. But he sees his roommate drop to his knees, and Beel quickly runs over to try and get a better look--

...

"But I am Nona. It doesn't matter right now."

"I'm glad I was turned into a dodo."

"Thank you for being my friend. I love you."

It's like the world stops. He hears nothing, the cold grows colder, and where Crea stays blank on the floor, Beel stumbles next to Nona's body.]

No...

No, n-no no no...

[It's broken, quiet. This is a crime scene. He shouldn't. But his hands still rest in her hair, against her back, tears streaming down his face as he shakes her like he's trying to wake her from a nap.

Trying to wake her from an arrow. Trying to wake her as she falls from heaven.]

Nona???? Nona?????????? Nona, no, no, please----

[But she's gone. She's cold, and she no longer smells as she should. And the tears fall hot, and they fall angry and guilty and bitter, as he leans against her huddled form and clutches her close and weeps.]

[dakicover]

[ blinks. what is that noise he’s hearing…?

…?

oh… it’s beel. distantly, crea looks up between the body of his friend (she’s meat, he finds himself thinking, just like she might have done) and the demon sobbing on the corpse next to him…

oh… right. right. ]

Beel… Beel the… [ he chokes back a sob? pushing through it. he nudges beel weakly, tugging his shirt. ] …the evidence. You’re ruining it.

[ the evidence that is the person that brought them together. ]

[gluttoning]

[He growls at Crea, gripping the corpse tighter.

But, after a few seconds, the request clicks. Right. Right, this...

...

He slowly lowers his touch, his eyes and face red and his breathing unsteady, as he drops back onto the snowy floor and buries himself in his hands.]

[dakicover]

[ crea jolts slightly when beel growls, but as soon as the other relaxes, so does he. he watches the other sob openly, and realizes that he himself doesn’t have many tears to shed.

ah… right. the others. ]

nona at the snow room

im sorry

[plunges]

[ Do you love him, Xiao?

He didn't know, when she'd asked. He knew he had love for his yaksha family, for the Archon who saved his life, for the Traveler. And yet, when Nona took his hand –

I love you.

– and told him those three words herself, he couldn't say it back. Xiao didn't know how he felt. All he knew was he had the desire to protect her and be there for her.

Weeks later, he knows, now. He knows who he loves here. There are quite a few, like the Dodo cabana, Wei Wuxian, Haruka. He wouldn't have realized his feelings for his partner if not for Nona.

...Ah. He never told her he loved her, too, did he.

Crea's text and the announcement start to sink in. Xiao stares blankly at the ground beneath him as his eyes, for the first time in decades, start to well up with tears. One trickles out from the corner of his eye and down his cheek.

One more person he couldn't save. One more person he couldn't protect. But it's time to get back to business, isn't it?

It's a good thing Haruka is here.

Xiao is silent. ]

[townmusician]

[Nona's body is at the snow room... All Haruka can picture is the chaos left behind in the wake of Xiao's death, which seems an ill-fitting place for Nona. He didn't know her very well, but she seemed kind and loving, even if she was a bit odd at times. (But everyone here is, so it wasn't like it made her stand out more then anyone else.)

Xiao, though...

He looks over at him, quiet for a moment before hesitantly reaching out for him.]

Xiao...

[This is awful. And it's not just Nona who's dead, either. Zelkov and Alice are gone, too, and it seems strange to think of Zelkov dying. He seemed so put together and capable, even if he did unintentionally do some mad science, but that wasn't enough to save him.

(The circus coming up later today won't be the same without Alice there to poke and prod and make snide comments, either, which is a strange thing to think about.]

[gluttoning]

[Once Temenos has agreed to look at Nona and Beel's had a little bit to try and calm himself, he's going to scoot over to Crea with a hand to his shoulder. His voice is weak.]

...Crea. We need to do something.

Help me look around. Please.

[dupiety]

[The moment Temenos catches wind of what has happened, he makes a beeline for the snow room. He looks upon the scene with dismay before lowering himself down beside Beelzebub. He doesn't touch- not just yet. But he speaks, quiet and gentle.]

Beel. I'm here. You're not alone.

[Why? And why here of all places? Why do the worst things happen in the cold...?]

[gluttoning]

[He's sure not okay! Neither is Crea, from the looks of it. But he tries to pull in a breath, tries to collect himself. He can feel himself growing unsteady.]

Nona. The... the body, Temenos, someone should...

[He swallows.]

I can't do it. I can't.

[dupiety]

[This is so awful all around.]

I'll do it.

[He regrets not having gotten to know Nona better, but he can hopefully do well by her and the rest of her cabana family by helping bring the truth behind her murder to light.

Before he gets to work, though, he leans in to wrap his arms around Beelzebub. He threads his fingers through the demon's hair, gentle and comforting. It's an effort to calm the turmoil he knows Beel must be going through.]

I will do everything I can. I promise you that.

[gluttoning]

[He tenses hard under the grip, shuddering as he wipes his eyes with a trembling hand, but nodding his understanding.]

Thank you...

[He'll. Need a minute. But eventually he will push himself up, his voice weak.]

...I'll, um. I'll go take care of Crea. Let me know if you need my phone.

[dupiety]

[He nods as they separate, getting to his feet with Beel. He's still worried, but...they don't have a lot of time.]

All right. I'll get started.