week 1; thursday night (curfew); jade vine farm

[rightmove]

[It's nearly time for bed on Thursday and Noah is nowhere to be found. Weird, but Healy doesn't think too much of it... until he tries the door to their cottage. No dice. So much for checking outside for the guy.]

We're locked in.

[He says it matter-of-factly. If he's concerned, he doesn't show it. He tries the door again, but it's jammed up tight.]

And Noah's likely locked out. Anyone know if he was planning a sleepover?

Comments

[lovebombing]

[Sampo is smiling, but there's a tension here that's like.....very apparent as he looks at the door.]

I'm not sure...why is this happening? Our ladies out there dong yardwork at night and not wanting to be disturbed, maybe...? So strange.

[rightmove]

[???]

Really? That's your theory?

[lovebombing]

That, or someone is murdering someone RIGHT NOW.






Or just yardwork.

[rightmove]

You gonna feel good about making light of that if someone winds up dead come morning?

[lovebombing]

I'm really not making light, I'm not! I mean...this all feels like deja vu to me. In a bad way.

[rightmove]

How do you mean?

[lovebombing]

I was in a place before. It was called Penacony. A city of dreams, literally.

Heard through the grapevine that...people may have died there. Under the veneer of a good beautiful city...

[rightmove]

[He frowns, puzzled.]

Death is part of life, man. That can't be a new concept to you. Doesn't matter how nice a place is.

[collisionheart]

[ amy is struck by the knowing that sampo knows how deep to bury bodies. ]

[lovebombing]

[CAN'T A GUY KNOW THINGS HE WATCHED DISCOVERY CHANNEL OR SOMETHING (CITATION NEEDED)]

[collisionheart]

[ CITATION IS NEEDED!!!!! CITATION!!! NEEDED!!! ]

[truthdefiler]

Is mentioning the possibility really making light? We all knew people would die. Lying about it and pretending like everything's fine does absolutely nothing for nobody.

[rightmove]

[He sighs.]

It was the tone. Anyway, that's not what I said. The best thing we can do now is stay calm.

[truthdefiler]

Oh noooooooo, death is mayyyyyybe happpeninggggg!

Is that better?

[truthdefiler]

That's my theory, yes.

[lovebombing]

Then...Noah...

[They're probably all safe here but...where is he...]

[truthdefiler]

[Erika's tone takes on a gentler air.]

There's nothing we can do for him from here.

He might have just gone to visit Mio-san, or he might be stuck somewhere else. We'll see once the morning comes.

[lovebombing]

[He's silent for a moment as he looks at the door.]

Do you think there will be a mystery to solve tomorrow, detective?

[truthdefiler]

I would say so.

[Measured. Even. A cold truth. Someone is dead. And she feels nothing but anticipation.]

[lovebombing]

You're going to solve it, right?

[Great detectives always should.]

[truthdefiler]

[And now a smile is on her face. Almost predatory. Like a wild animal salivating as it's meal walks into it's waiting jaws.]

I always catch my prey.

[truthdefiler]

Hmmm... they beat me to it...

This could very easily turn into a closed room mystery.

[Erika is still trying all the windows though.]

[collisionheart]

[ Amy is staring at Erika trying the windows. BEAT HER TO WHAT? ]

Closed... room?

[truthdefiler]

When a murder happens in a room that was completely locked, with no signs of entry or exit. It's a common trick used within mysteries to create the illusion of an impossible crime.

[She looks at the window, looks at the door, like she's weighing something in her mind.]

[collisionheart]

[ Erika is about to kill them all. This was not in Amy's List Of Acceptable Ways To Die. Is Noah already dead? Is his corpse in here somewhere? Did Erika pick him off first??? ]

What? How do you know that?

[ She's trying to find the touchpad now. Communication, somehow, something, please, ]

[truthdefiler]

[Erika turns from what she's doing to level an EXTREMELY flat stare at Amy.]

............................................................Are you a moron? I mean, I know you are, but are you braindead?

I'm a DETECTIVE. I solve murders.

[rightmove]

[Whoa. Healy holds up a hand.]

Hey, c'mon. She's upset. No need to make it worse.

[truthdefiler]

I don't believe I was speaking to you.

[rightmove]

If you're gonna raise your voice like that, you're gonna talk to me. Not the girl.

[collisionheart]

No... it's okay. Thanks, but... she's right.

[ Agony suffering and deferral to the meangirl head of household. But come on. It's not like Erika has solved anything yet.]

[truthdefiler]

[NOBODY'S DIED YET!!!]

[collisionheart]

[ STOP SAYING "YET"!!!!!! oh no. erika is the kind of psycho to stage a murder just so she can solve it... ]

[truthdefiler]

[Leaving aside the cosmic conversation of thought, Erika steps back.]

You should all probably step away from the window.

[collisionheart]

[ Amy doesn’t need to be told twice. She gets across the room and puts Healy between herself and Erika. ]

[truthdefiler]

[Without a word, she tosses a rollingpin through the window!]

[rightmove]

[Healy was busy talking to Sampo but, oh, hi Amy, what's—]

Hey, don't—

[Too late, there goes the window in a shower of glass. He throws up a hand in a little "welp" motion, but he's not gonna argue. Breaking out of here forcibly is at least worth trying.]

[collisionheart]

[ Amy holds her hands up to protect from glass shatter as if she's even close enough to be in the firing range.

Well. Is Erika divebombing out of the window now. ]

[rightmove]

[He doesn't like it, but he's no hero. Fine. He waves it off.

But he does pat Amy on the shoulder as he lets them be.]

You oughtta stand up for yourself.

[collisionheart]

[ Why??? So Erika can use anything she says against her?? No thanks. Amy gives Healy a half-hearted shrug. ]

[collisionheart]

[ Amy's been doing her best to be an unobtrusive roommate. She does her chores (and picks up the slack), she makes herself as small as possible, she rarely says anything unless someone speaks to her first... Se's really only at the farm at all if she's working on something outside or sleeping.

Amy stops, pillow in hand, and her voice gets tense and stressed immediately. ]

I-I didn't hear him say anything about going somewhere else.

[ LOCKED IN????????????????????????????? ]

[rightmove]

You good, kid?

[Obviously not, but he doesn't really know how to comfort people when they're panicking.]

[collisionheart]

[ In a wavering voice: ] What if... he's...

[rightmove]

Then seems like there's nothing we can do.

[Comforting! After a moment:]

But we don't know that he's in danger. We'll keep trying the door, and once we can get out, we'll go look for him.

[collisionheart]

[ Not comforting at all, Healy!!!!! ]

O-okay.

[ She takes a few steps back, then starts a fruitless search for other points of exit. And to get a little distance. In case Healy decides to become pyscho. You never know. ]