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Inner Sanctum First Floor | 11:26 AM | Third Day
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really have happened. We were only out of the room for a few moments. I''d just seen her!
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Oh, great. That''s the last thing I need right now!
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repeatedly over the past several minutes. To imagine that nobody would have caught so much of a glimpse, heard any signs of struggle, was absurd. It was like she really had been struck down by the gods.
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stupid--
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No, I thought. No way.
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been remained ambiguous. Light wounds were found around her neck, suggesting she might have been briefly held in a chokehold, but on its rear was found something far more concerning: Two red incisions, like bites from a small serpent.
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speak to them as she passed! I wouldn''t have even had a chance!" She narrowed her eyes. "And I barely crossed paths with that boy. You were the ones who were literally holding him when we found you."
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<The lights suddenly shut off on the stage. The spotlight falls on the PLAYWRIGHT as she enters from Stage Left, looking bored. She proceeds to Downstage Center.>
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PLAYWRIGHT: Wow! Amazing! Someone actually died. <yawning> I was expecting another 20 minutes of dramatic silences, but I suppose there are yet small mercies in this world, hm?
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PLAYWRIGHT: <facing audience> Listen, can I be forward with you? I mean, we''re well into the back half of this affair at this point. I want to think we''ve developed a bit of a rapport.
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PLAYWRIGHT: You don''t want another scene where everyone is crowded around some table for practically a bloody hour talking over each other while they''re trying to suss out the culprit, while you''re sitting there trying to pick out the actual hard facts like a child trying to get the onions out of their bowl of curry, do you? Of course you don''t. Especially now that there''s even more of them all in one place. It''ll turn into a complete dog''s breakfast.
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PLAYWRIGHT: That''s why I''m going to do you a bit of a favor, and make this all a little easier to digest with some théatre symboliste.
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<The PLAYWRIGHT claps her hands. Light returns to the stage, but only at Stage Right, where Ptolema and Seth sit, frozen in mid-motion.>
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PLAYWRIGHT: Here''s how this will work: We''ll break the conversation down into nice little chunks that are easy for you to digest, and to keep everyone''s stories nice and tidy. Then, if there are any outstanding questions, we''ll give them their own sections too. After that, it''ll be easy to review them to your heart''s content, like it''s a little game!
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<Muffled speech comes from Offstage Right. The PLAYWRIGHT looked irritated.>
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PLAYWRIGHT: Yes, yes, I know... <sighing> Now, I''m sure some of you are worried that something like this might, I don''t know, make you miss out on context clues or something. Since you''ll be seeing an abstraction rather than the entire thing playing out.
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PLAYWRIGHT: So let''s make a quick rule about it.
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8. ANY SCENE NOT REPRESENTED CONVENTIONALLY WILL NOT OMIT ANY PIVOTAL CLUES
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anything to contribute to the broader picture of the characters, the setting-- All of that affair. In short, this will not be used as a device to obfuscate anything from you.
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<The PLAYWRIGHT holds a hand to her mouth and snickers indecently.>
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PLAYWRIGHT: ...what, are we still doing this? What are you waiting for? Time is money! Restart the damn thing!
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<The light on the PLAYWRIGHT shuts off.>
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SETH AND PTOLEMA''S ACCOUNT
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Flesh-Weaving Arcana, but it didn''t work. I thought it might''ve just been something wrong with my scepter in particular, so I asked Ptolema to try, but nothing happened for her either. That was when we realized something was wrong."
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OPHELIA''S ACCOUNT
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Hmmmmmm," Zeno said. Her intonation was drawn out with skepticism to an almost farcical degree.
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So Linos told Yantho to go downstairs and check on the others... But he only ended up making it half-way there?
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ZENO''S ACCOUNT
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expedient not to endanger any further lives in a rescue attempt."
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forwardly than that," Seth said coldly.
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your plan that ended up getting two more people killed, when push came to shove."
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that, those three barged into the room and ran down the stairs carrying Mehit before I could establish what the hell was happening. So, naturally curious, I went back in the main hall to see what was happening again, and then I was there until the body was discovered watching that whole fiasco."
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KAMRUSEPA, RAN AND UTSUSHIKOME''S ACCOUNT
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opportune word, but there appeared nothing physically wrong with him beyond sheer distress. Though said distress was... Extreme, if possibly understandable... And I suppose what ultimately transpired does force one to wonder what forces might''ve truly been at work in him." She hesitated, her eyes wandering for a moment, before shaking her head slightly. "Forgive me, I didn''t intend to get sidetracked. After that, Ran confirmed the woman was dead or at least on the brink of it, and we resolved to bring her downstairs. That was when Yantho suddenly fell into hysterics, assaulting Ran and trying to... I don''t know, resuscitate her himself? Frankly, I doubt there was any rational objective in his mind. He was like a man possessed."
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did focus, I noticed that Yantho had calmed down very suddenly. And then that I couldn''t seem to hear him breathing." She gestured outwardly with her palms. "You know the rest."
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THEODOROS''S ACCOUNT
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then turned towards the security center."
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EZEKIEL''S ACCOUNT
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constantly seem tense. You might as well ask me to find a specific turd in a sewer."
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ANNA''S ACCOUNT
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Unless it was her, I thought. Or she was complicit.
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Huh.
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<The lights shut off on the stage for a few moments, then a larger spotlight bursts to life over Downstage Center, with all members of the conversation in a circle.>