{c υ ℓ ρ r ι т}

​

In other words, it is to starve.

Starve while demanding the fair, and die.​

Erika shook her head at the boy's idea, casually dismissing it. The crime has been constructed with a closed circle. The basic tenant in all closed circle mystery is that the closed circle cannot be breached. To attempt to do so is simply the scribblings of a third-rate writer, trying to buy time for an incompetent murderer. "I apologise, but I must veto that idea, for a multitude of reasons, the most pressing being that at the moment, we are in the middle of a snowstorm. I was dressed in full equipment, yet I would have frozen to death if fate had not led me to this place." Erika smiled at the group. She was right, and she knew it. "We cannot leave our shelter in clothes barely better than pyjamas to search for another building in a snow storm, unless we want to die a faster death than even dear Angela."

Of course, Erika's motivations were far from keeping everyone alive. She had no qualms about sacrificing them if it would help her in her quest to uncover the culprit. It would thoroughly ruin her game if everyone were to die in a snowstorm, or even actually make their way to a ranger's outpost. Fortunately, as she had a lot of experience in mountain-climbing, it leant some air of expertise to her suggestions.

She turned back to Jessica, and nodded. "Thank you." Erika set off at a brisk pace towards the reception, briefly pausing to make sure that everyone was moving with her.

 

"Hard to believe she's the same person," muttered Sammy as she walked with the rest of the group. Believe it or not, Sammy was actually starting to regret having decided to check the door that morning. But as soon as this thought was made apparent to her, she quickly brushed the thought aside. Regret saving a life? Never. That probably will be the only time she ever has saved a life. Still... who would've known she'd be so...lively? Someone's been giving her too many Sherlock Holmes novels to read.

 

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❝To be or not to be—I wish that were really a choice.❞​

Jessica couldn't help but find herself growing more and more irritated with this woman. Was it simply because she had decided to play detective that she was leading everyone ahead, with no true regard for their preferences? Granted, Jake's idea may not have been the best, but he was trying. Her nose crinkled, eyes locked ahead of her and further down the hallway. She continued to follow the girl, pressing her lips together. She was the only thing holding herself back. No one controlled her. But she would wait until the time was right.

"So what is your plan of action, hm?"


​

 

​

In other words, it is to starve.

Starve while demanding the fair, and die.​

Frowning she rummaged through the draws of the reception, searching for her weapon of choice. The other girl asked a question, but Erika barely acknowledged it, instead focusing purely on the task in front of her. Daintily, she plucked her prizes out of the disarray of stationary she had created. A pen. A craft knife. Most importantly, a very large roll of duct tape. She tested each against her finger. Satisfied at the flow of the pen, the blade of the knife and the stick of the tape, she pocketed them and looked up, finally willing to answer the girl's question.

"My 'plan' is to prevent any future murders, or have the culprit risk revealing himself."

The petite detective clapped her hands to get everyone's attention, then began to outline her plan.

"There are six of us here. This is enough to fit into a single corridor of bedrooms. Each one of us will go into one bedroom, and after thoroughly checking for hidden passages and hiding people, we will lock the doors. In this way, your safety is maximised. We will wait it out until the snowstorm ends, then you can go home."

Of course, that was hardly all there was to Erika's planning. What sort of detective would rely on mere locks? Any killer worth his salt will be proficient in lock picking, or have a master key. There would have to be something else. And, because Erika is brilliant, she has just that.

"The locks themselves will hardly protect you from the killer. Our beloved Culprit-san is quite possibly in possession of a master key, or the ability to pick locks. Who knows? Perhaps he'd lure you into opening the door yourself with his dulcet tones? Quite clearly, this system is flawed."

Eyes sparkling, she grasped the duct tape. Then, smiling her sweetest smile, she held it up as though it were their last bastion of hope. (Indeed, it very well might be!)

"That is where this comes in. The humble roll of duct tape in all its adhesive finery. If placed over the doorframe and the door, with notches in it and my signature applied, it is nigh on impossible to replicate. This will give assurance that neither the doors nor windows have been opened. but As much as dear Culprit-san would love to murder you, he would greatly like to avoid revealing that he was the only one to leave his room when going on his killing spree."

Feeling that she'd suitably presented an unsavoury condition of splitting up the couples, Erika revised her suggestion in order to appear more reasonable. After all, people are always more likely to go along with what you suggest if you appear to compromise. Letting her face form a surprised expression, almost as though she'd forgotten something, she added on to her previous speech,

"Oh, but I've missed something. It's not fair of me to keep you people separated. After all, there's just been a murder. I'm sure some of you will want to seek comfort with one another." She eyed Jake and Jessica knowingly before continuing, "So feel free to choose one other person to be with you. Needless to say, it would be a shame for you to choose to spend the day with Angela's killer, so choose wisely.

"We will begin by sealing the entrances to the lodge, so we will know if anyone has entered or departed. Then we will progress to the guest rooms to inspect them and seal the windows and doors there."


Clasping her hands, the young girl surveyed the small crowd, then, face glowing with anticipation, spoke the words she loved so much.

"Simply by the existence of this duct tape, this level of reasoning is possible for Erika Furudo. What do you think, everyone?"

 

​

o A terrible sight,
We're scared tonight.
Dying in a winter wonderland...

He didn't trust her. Not one bit, her even being here and her domination was setting off dislike. But he didn't show it, only numbingly seeming to absorb all that was happening around him at the time. Gently he squeezed Jess's hand in reassurance before opening up his mouth to speak "One question though, we're all high school students, not murders. Friends even, well most of us anyway. So shouldn't we be getting out of here?" Jake glanced around him for some kind of help or support from the others "Instead of playing Junior Detectives with you. No offense" His smile indicated that he really meant nothing insulting by what he said.

 

OOC: AndrewTemari's going to be scarce until early August.
BIC:

Jensen groaned and grabbed his head. "My ****in' head," he complained in a whisper. Alcohol and marijuana always seem like a good idea when doing it, but the hangover after it always made him regret it. He learned long ago that the rumor about smoking while drinking prevents a hangover is false. He looked up at Jake and almost volunteered himself to room with the guy, but realized Jake would probably rather room with Jessica. That left the other girl...he quickly disregarded her and looked at Erika. "You have the plan, you have me as your partner," he said. Jensen knew he was in no mood to think so he would room with the one who would think enough for both of them. But there was a thought gnawing at the back of the partier's head...unfortunately, the gag he was holding back pushed that thought back.

 

"Then I guess I'm with the kid here," said Sammy. That was fine with her. If she had been with the guy it probably would've been 10 times more awkward than it would probably be with the boy. She gave up internally opposing the girl. Though she was pretty strange, it seemed she at least knew how to deal with this situation, and Sammy was tired of "fighting" back. "So then, we pick a room and stay there? Are you going to stay in a room too? I'm not quite understanding how locking ourselves in rooms will help this situation." Okay so she still had a bit of fight left in her, but this would be the last time. Sammy was just curious. This plan didn't make much sense to her.

 

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❝To be or not to be—I wish that were really a choice.❞​

Erika's intentions were probably amazingly pure, but Jessica could feel the tension growing in that hallway alone. Her eyes diverted and arms crossed, pink lips pressing together in a straight line. She thought about refusing the request, or storming off with Jake instead to try and go it their way, but she knew that wouldn't be smart or safe. So instead, she complied with a short nod. It would be a lie to say she wasn't irritated or skeptical, or that she didn't half suspect Erika—the mysterious indigo-haired girl to be the killer herself. But she had to stay composed and compliant, as to not draw suspicion to herself.

She took Jake's hand without a word, (as she was permitted to do) and made her way into an empty room—not forgetting to obtain some duct tape, of course. As soon as their room was chosen and the door was closed, and taped, she let out a long hard sigh. How had this have happened? She had seriously just wanted to get away, and she ended up in the middle of a murder mystery? She didn't honestly give a damn about any of the others besides Jake, and all she really wanted to do was go home. She found this plan to be a time waster, and this girl to be not only annoying but arrogant too.

She found her way onto the bed, eyes shutting automatically as she rolled onto her back. Jake was here but it didn't feel like it. It just felt cold and surreal, and annoying.


​

 

OOC: Double post? D:

​

Delilah heard the news since everyone was screaming. The hostess was dead, and she wanted to get out of here. She didn't feel the need to pack up her things, she just grabbed her purse, and put on her clothes that she had. A baggy grey sweater, that slumped off her shoulder to the right, with a small skirt, with knee high black stockings. She wore her combat boots that made her outfit a little more grungy, but her smile ironed the uneasiness out of any situation.
Delilah opened the door to her bedroom, and exited, closing the door behind her. She trotted down the stairs, and thought before she exited the house, she'd like something to eat, maybe a water bottle for the hike down the mountain. She knew she'd be in for an adventure when she came here, and she wanted something new to talk about with her friends. She walked into the kitchen, not noticing anyone in the room, and tiptoed over to the 'fridge. She opened it, to see more supply of booze then a bar in Boston. She giggled to herself, trying to look for something more nutritional then a glass of Jack Daniels.
​

 

❝Making friends is hard...but partying never hurt this much.❞​

Alex was shaken, no, shaken couldn't even describe the mixed feelings the boy was feeling; Alex was scared, disgusted, saddened, and angry. These conflicting emotions raged inside him like a war, fighting each other for one to come on top. The boy prayed that no one else would get hurt, besides, there was safety in numbers. But numbers can always decrease, yes?

Alex soon noticed that the "party guests" were departing from the room. "H-hey guys, wait up!" he shouted with a tone of fear in his voice. The boy ran after the group of guests, knowing that he would be safer with them. But then a thought came across his mind. 'If we are the only ones awake, that must mean that someone with us must've murdered the party host....' Alex thought, forgetting the poor girl's name. This made him feel terrible, someone was dead and he couldn't didn't even know her name. Alex sighed, the emotions fighting once again.

Alex gulped as he walked with the group, always checking behind him to make no sure no one was there. He was slightly shaking as his footsteps echoed on the clean marble floor, along with others. The boy sighed, looked around once more, and continued to walk.

 

​

o A terrible sight,
We're scared tonight.
Dying in a winter wonderland...

His train of thinking was similar to his girlfriend's. And like her he'd deduced that they'd have to bide their time if they were going to make it out of here. He followed after Jess dociley led by his hand. And once inside safely, he began to ruffle his hair with both hands all over in his frustration. "Arrrrrgh." He groaned, finally sitting down on a bed for the first time waking up. He gave a glance in Jess's direction but he didn't know what to say. He didn't know anything at the moment. Instead of speaking, Jake opened his arms to her, and waited to be warm again.

 

​

In other words, it is to starve.

Starve while demanding the fair, and die.​

Erika ignored Jake's comment and smiled sweetly at him, as he was led into a room by his girlfriend. Once she heard the *CLICK* of the lock, she got out her roll of duct tape and neatly taped between the door and the frame. As she signed her elaborate signature over the tape and notched along the indent, she answered Sammy's question. "By isolating people in their rooms, I eliminate them as suspects. The tape and my signature serve as proof. You cannot leave your room without breaking it, and I am the only one capable of recreating it. Furthermore, the windows are frosted shut. Even if they weren't, it'd be suicidal to try to leave by them in this weather."

Erika opened a door to a room and gestured for Sammy and Alex to enter. As she ushered them in, she replied to the second part. "I will do whatever pleases me. You see, I alone am safe and free of suspicion. Because I'm the Detective."

Smirking, she turned to the remaining member of the group, the slovenly Jensen. Her expression fell. What am I do to with him? she thought to herself. Then she heard. Her hearing had always been superb, after all. Footsteps downstairs. Immediately, her entire demeanour changed. She forcefully shoved Alex and Sammy into the room and hurriedly taped their door shut, scrawling her signature over it. Set on discovering the owner of the footsteps, she grabbed Jensen's hand and yanked him along with her. Fortunately for her, he was in no state to resist. As intelligent, pretty and insanely talented as she was, she was still a girl, and still unable to physically overpower a man.

She galloped along the hallway in her hiking gear, leaning forward in an animalistic gait. Somewhere in her mind she resolved to get a new outfit as soon as possible. But there was no time for that now. She had to get to the source of the footsteps.

Through the halls...

Down the stairs...

Into the kitchen.

There, she saw the origin of the footsteps: an girl in an odd mix of combat boots and stockings. Still dragging the intoxicated boy along with her, she directly challenged the girl. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, pouring as much condescension into her voice as she could manage. "Hiding away in the kitchen, away from the rest of us, among the many sets of knives. What a charming little culprit we have here!"

Realising she was being too hasty, Erika retracted her words. "Or perhaps you're just a party-goer looking for a snack. You are aware there has been a murder, aren't you? My name is Erika Furudo. I am the Detective of this story. I have sealed the four other suspects in guest rooms upstairs, in anticipation of the next murder. You're interfering with my plans. Stay close until we can get you into a room."

Erika ever so hated people who didn't go with the flow. Stragglers and outliers made everything SO needlessly difficult.

 

​

Delilah turned quickly, a little startled by the young girl's voice. She gasped a little as she thought of herself being the murderer, and blushed. "I'm Delilah Stone. Nice to meet you. I'm sorry for startling you, and I'd love to get out of here before trying to find a murderer. But if you insist of trying to find him, I..." Delilah weighed her options. Could she go with them? Or could she maybe try to get out of the house? Sounded unlike her to be so independent, she tried to be flowing in her own way, not breaking the rules. But since she wasn't familiar, she'll try to risk it and go along with the plan. "Okay, Erika, how do you like to go along and solve this case? I'll try to come along with you." Delilah thought she was talking to some small child with a determination to find who stole the cookies from the cookie jar. She smiled nervously, and held her hands behind her back, waiting for her instructions.
​

 

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❝To be or not to be—I wish that were really a choice.❞​

Jessica hesitated. It felt weird. One of the things she should have been doing beyond anything else was seeking and giving comfort to Jake. But instead, she felt herself wanting to be alone. She looked down at the duct tape in her hand and crunched it together nervously, preferring the sound of the tape pulling against her fingertips than the silence. Magnetically, she edged closer to Jake, laying her head on his shoulder and sighing out softly, playing with the tape all the while.

“What are you thinking?†She asked, more out of fright than curiosity.



​

 

​

In other words, it is to starve.

Starve while demanding the fair, and die.​

Erika twitched into a frown at the girl's tone, but didn't stay perturbed for more than a few seconds. If the Detective couldn't stay in control of her emotions, what hope was there for the other victims? Of course, that would be implying that the Detective cared about the other victims, which she didn't. A Detective's job is to detect, not play messiah. What's a few lives, provided the case gets solved? That's the basis for her entire plan, after all. She could interrogate, looking for a motive, but she detested such tactics. The Whydunnit can always be constructed after the culprit is selected; there's no need to try to use it when hunting. The Whodunnit and Howdunnit are far more interesting, and a lot harder to solve.

Seeing an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, Erika explained. "We'll put you into a room with this young man here." She gestured at the semi-intoxicated Jensen, and smiled supportively. "He's sufficiently strong, and should be able to protect you should trouble arise. Also, by pairing up with him, you secure an alibi for each other for when the next murder happens."

Erika celebrated inside. She could fob Jensen off on Delilah and have her investigations go unhindered.

"If you have no objections, shall we find you two a room? Or would you prefer to stay in the kitchen?"

While speaking, Erika had wandered over to the knife rack and started sorting the knives into sets, searching for a match to the one that was sticking into Angela. Of course, if there was no match, it wouldn't mean anything, but if there were a single knife missing from a set, it'd point towards the murder being a spur-of-the-moment assault, as opposed to a premeditated murder. Either way, she figured, she'd find the culprit and burn away his defences with the harsh light of truth and duct tape.

 

​

Delilah nodded at the request, and leaned against the counter. She knew she'd have to just go with the flow now, since the 'Detective' was going to solve the case. "I guess that'll have to do." she answered, getting up and watching Jenson. She didn't know what to make of him, other then he was pretty cute, but she didn't like the 'intoxicated' part. She didn't like guys who drank, but she should've known coming here that every guy would drink. It's just common sense. She wasn't trying to hook up with anyone here, anyway.
"What exactly are we looking for anyway?" she asked, not really wanting an answer. She always had the philosophy that when she died, she didn't want to know. Being able to foretell your death made everything more complicated in the end. And more anxious. The killer would get his win, and Delilah would just have to scream through it. Delilah was the type that thought if she knew she'd become some sort of paranoid person and have to close everything and everyone out. She slowly clenched and unclenched her toes together in her boots, her hands pulling down her skirt in the smallest bit. She knew she shouldn't have wore this skirt, especially for this.
​

 

​

o A terrible sight,
We're scared tonight.
Dying in a winter wonderland...

'Well I definitely regret being way out here," He enveloped her in his embrace, reveling mentally in her warmth and resting his chin atop her wonderfully scented skull, "I don't like the detective, after all, she came out of the blew. On the same day we all find out about this murder..how does fate or coincidence pull crap like this off? So just so uncanny..and a tiny bit annoying." His fingers curled up to softly tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Most important to me..what's bugging you?"

 

"Wa-! Hey!" shouted Sammy in anger at being shoved so harshly into the room with her younger partner. "Hey! What's with the roughness? The murderer isn't going anywhere! Who are you expecting to find?!" she shouted again at the door as she heard Eirika duct taping it. "Geez..." Sammy hissed before turning away from the door and getting onto the bed. She took off her shoes and immediately began going under the covers. "Welp, there's not much else to do so, I might as well sleep. I could die for this, but you look too innocent to kill anyone, buddy. Oh yeah. Name's Sammy by the way. I got an early wake up so I'm going to catch up on sleep. If you want to sleep too, that's fine with me as well. Just try not to shift too much." she said before closing her eyes to rest and wait for whatever happens next. Though she never knew the guy, and though the little detective was starting to annoy the crap out of her, Sammy still inwardly hoped they'd be all right with wherever they're going.

 

​

Anxious. That's the only thing Delilah felt right now. After watching the scene of Jenson running out the door, she slowly got up from the counter and walked over to the door, and watched him run down the hallway, having vomit spew from his mouth. She gagged a little in her mouth, avoiding the chunks in the hallway, wanting to make sure he was okay after purging.
She was suddenly distracted by the room she walked by, a bedroom, but not any bedroom. She stopped, looking inside the dark bedroom, having a teal hue in the air from the curtains. She could feel the carpet smoosh under her boots, as she looked in the mirror. She saw her reflection, but saw a shadow in the background, making her turn around, only vanishing as she turned around. She gasped a little bit, her heart beat racing all the while her toes clench in her boots. She quickly looked through the room, nothing resembling what she saw in the room. She saw the bed was unmade, someone must've slept in here. Probably some party go-er. She thought to herself as her nerves calmed down from the fright she gave herself.
Delilah suddenly heard a 'thud' after stepping closer to the bed, making her turn towards the wall of the mirror. The wall was the only thing between her and the balcony, and she didn't know whether it was her imagination or it was something real. She walked towards the doorway out of the strange bedroom that distracted her, which felt like hours which was only seconds when she reached the door frame. She felt as though she was in slow motion, as she heard another door open from the balcony, then another door shut to somewhere else. She looked to her right, seeing the door to the balcony was open, her legs feeling the cool breeze from outside. "J-Jenson? Are you there?" She asked allowed, feeling as though she was being watched.
​

 

❝Making friends is hard...but partying never hurt this much.❞​

"Hey!" Alex exclaimed as he was pushed in with this girl. He could hear the screeching sound of tape sliding against the roll. He immediately turned around and told the girl, "Can she just do that!? Seriously?" With a sigh, the teen paused and looked at the girl on the bed. She looked familiar, like they've talked before. Then, a flash of the body covered in white appeared in his head. He saw himself and the girl, Sammy apparently, talking about the.... the murder.

Deciding not to bring it up so she could rest, Alex quietly said, "Nice to meet you, Sammy. I'm Alex." He paused. "And yes, I would never hurt anyone here." He gave the girl a weak reassuring smile as she kicked her shoes off and went to bed. His steps quiet, Alex walked over to the bed and sat on it, resting his head in his hands. He clutched his hair tightly as a tear fell down his cheek, a tear of rage. Finally, the boy said to himself as he gritted his teeth in disgust,

"If anyone else gets killed, I'll end the murderer's life myself."