Fantasy The Configuration - The Dygarian Mansion - [CLOSED]

[shadowz1995]

When Ajax grabbed Drevis, Hector tensed in expectation. He wasn't sure what was going to happen but he wasn't about to let himself get taken off guard. If nothing else, he wasn't going down without a hell of a fight.

The boxer's muscle memory took over and there was subtle shift in his stance. While the bloodied hoodie and sweatpants masked the movement, Hector's knees bent slightly and his weight shifted to the balls of his feet. His body became a wound coil of hardened muscle with the most minimal of movement. His arms were even still crossed.

Though a certain sound caught the Venezuelan's attention. The stage beneath his feet groaned in protest and at first, Hector thought the floor was giving way. It was only when he relaxed his tensed muscles that the floor seemed to exhale in relief. Simply tensing his body made the floor want to cave in from the pressure he was exerting on it and Hector hadn't even lowered his center of gravity as he was used to doing.

This new, undead body of his was much stronger than he knew and while that may seem like a good thing to most, Hector knew it was a detriment to the experienced. Previously, Hector knew his body down to ever individual muscle. His body was a fine tuned to a razor's edge in its capacity, even in his old age. Now, he didn't know what the hell he could do and that would throw him off greatly until he pushed the limits of this new physique.

That means it was ill advised to pick fights with big kahunas like the pale man that stood before them on the stage. His body hidden by the baggy clothing relaxed and the former pro's gaze narrowed when he heard the spanish spill from Ajax's lips. The large man 'Hmph' ed and gave the elder vampire a grim nod to confirm his question. He was indeed wondering if he could kill him. Certainly, the fact that Ajax knew fluent spanish caught him off guard but he didn't react in anyway to show that. Though, Hector made a mental note that english and spanish were off the table if he needed to speak icognito around this man. That means he had 4 more languages available to him that might work.

Hector offered no response nor reaction to Ajax's comment on Hector's words to Drevis. There was no need.

Now, when Ajax's attention turned to Lyra and he addressed her the way he did, Hector practically scowled in disgust. Of course, the big bad vampire leader would have a thing for doe eyed women like Lyra.

Not like Hector was any better... Lyra reminded him of one of his younger sisters. Which is why his body reacted the way it did. He moved and placed his massive body betwixt Lyra and Ajax, effectively breaking the man's line of sight on the girl. The Hispanic's eyes narrowed dangerously at the man. While Ajax's gaze was colder than ice, Hector's was equivocally fire.

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Lyra gave Ajax a small smile and nod before Hector closed the gap between them. She'd notice Hector glaring at Ajax and would give him a pat on the shoulder as the other newbloods made their way to the stage. Despite making them play an incredibly sick game that you would only find on the dark web or in a crime ring, Ajax seemed alright. Ajax was a natural leader and it was quite understandable why the others respected as such. He was very charismatic.

She then started analyzing what just happened... did Ajax like her? Maybe she could use this as an advantage to get more information. Plus the idea of getting closer to Ajax didn't seem all that bad at the moment, he was pretty attractive and charming but at the same time she had a strong feeling that he was dangerous.

She knew that there were other vampire leaders aside from Ajax, such as her new blood grandpa Adrian Sionis and she wanted to learn more about them. How did they become leaders in this vampire community? What were they like as people vampires? She now had a goal other than survival - to find out more about the new community she was in, and it's leaders.

 

[Damafaud]

Drevis Senade
Theatre Hall
Theatre Hall; Nervous
Interaction: mothspit , Sacrosanctus
Mention: SapphireSkylines Reis Vampunk GamerKitty205 shadowz1995​

His hand hurted.

Oh, he was used to painful shakehands. When a grudge exists between two sides in a discussion room, the initial shakehand is always painful. Ajax' handshake was on another level. He didn't scream. That part was already lucky. If the situation was different, he would be preparing a forged case to ruin the gripper's life, but he hadn't that luxury then. He could only endure. With a painful expression, Drevis tried to change his wince into a smile, to no avail.

"I will keep that in mind."

He moved to the side, glancing at the New Blood that just spoke spanish. Hector was his name, it seemed. A quick observation of the air he gave, his choice of wordings, remnants of clothes, and physical appearance gave him some clue of how he was as a person.

Late middle aged. Good muscles, fierce glare. An athlete, perhaps? His choice of wordings were quite smooth, so he must be educated. His clothes did not shout rich. His best guess for his background was a middle class economy wise. Tough guy aura. A middle aged proficient martial artist that had seen real fight, he concluded. Not someone he would like to associate with if it was the past, but someone that could fight felt reassuring at the moment.

Moving to Hector's side, he waited for the others.

 

[Sacrosanctus]

Katya saw Drevis open his mouth to respond to her retort, but he had been silenced by the lights suddenly dimming and the appearance of a spotlight on the stage. She couldn't help but wonder what the deal was with such emphatic theatrics, and knowing that something big was about to happen made her feel uneasy. The elegance of the man on stage and the audience mingled with the celebratory music to make this entire thing seem like some kind of welcoming party, and Katya couldn't tell what kind of celebration a horde of vampires would have in mind. The crowd's jovial cheering descended into a sea of whispers, and Katya felt her dead gut twist when she picked out the kinds of things they were saying. Their comments ranged from "In the middle" and "At the end" to "All of them" and "Not many", and she had a strong feeling that the them was referring to the group of newbloods they had gathered in a row of seats. The announcer's cryptic jest only served to fortify her speculation. It was almost as though they were going to play some twisted game of survival.

When the charismatic man named himself, Katya froze. "Ajaxius Dygarian" was supposed to be one of the most powerful vampires, right? The curtain rose, and Katya stared in horror as Ajax ran his hand over the heads of three people on stage and explain the rules of his death game. Those normal, perfectly living people were being treated like cattle. Everything on the stage was reduced to his property, as though they were tools to be controlled. And Katya was being invited to join him on the stage.

It was only when Drevis moved from beside her to approach the man on stage that Katya realized she had been neither breathing nor blinking. She might have fainted from deflating her lungs for so long if she were a regular human, but that was no longer the case. Katya was nothing more than a monster, the same kind of monster as the audience that was entertained by fear and death. Katya tried to yell at Drevis, tell him to stay put, but she found that it was hard to speak with no breath to spare. She kept watching with unblinking eyes as Drevis and a couple other newblood vampires confidently walked up to the stage.

Katya was terrified of Ajax. She didn't quite realize it, but living under her parent's control without being able to choose her fate had taken its toll on her psyche. Watching someone as powerful as Ajax hold the fate of so many people in the palm of his hands made her want to submit to his will without raising his ire. This was something that she did not trust Drevis to do successfully, as the only way she's seen him act was as an obnoxious prick. She continued to watch on with abated breath as Drevis respectfully bowed towards Ajax while smoothly asking for the evidence. This arrangement was unexpected, but it managed to lower the tension in Katya's body. It would appear that Drevis was indeed capable of courtesy, which was as surprising as it was a huge relief.

Her relief was short lived. Ajax responded with a clearly hostile demeanor, prompting Katya to hang her head and shoulders low as her hair spilled downward. She made a pointlessly pathetic effort to hide her surroundings from her view, as though erasing them from sight would make her disappear as well. All her life, she had never had a reason to be afraid for her livelihood. She was taught that as long as she continued to follow other's authority, her well-being would be preserved. Her natural drive for freedom made her resistant to submission, but the kind of life threatening pressure that was placed onto her now was much more than she could handle. Thus, all traces of pride vanished from Katya's personality and she grew uncharacteristically meek.

As the people in her row continued to stand and enter the stage, it dawned on Katya that she couldn't passively wait for this problem to fly over her head. Her primary goal was to do everything in her power to obey the man on stage, and he had just issued a command directed towards her. If she continued to remain seated, she would be the last one sitting with unknown consequences. Thus, she stood and started walking to the stage. Her head continued to hang low, as she felt she might start trembling if she looked into Ajax's eyes and wanted to hide her fear as much as possible.

As for the people on the stage, she barely registered the implications of her position until she was standing right in front of them. At first, she thought she would contribute as little as possible to choosing someone to kill because regardless of what crimes they committed, it would mean she was somehow responsible for their death. However, she would be equally responsible for all of their deaths if the group were to run out of time and all three of the victims were killed. Katya's rage swelled all at once when she realized that all of this was being purposefully orchestrated to put her in the most inhumane position possible. Standing beside Hector, her head suddenly rose from its hanging position. Some of her shoulder-length hair caught on her face with the sudden motion, and they unveiled her expression to reveal a hate-filled glare directed towards Ajax. All traces of her previous fear vanished as her eyes filled with angry tears, the rage and disgust clear on her face.

------------------------

Katya's angry stare and firey tears did little to wipe the look of relaxation and comfort off of Ajax's face. There had been so many tears shed over the years, he had grown numb to such displays. Though, no matter how small, he did consider himself a man of romance-- Meaning, he couldn't stand by while a pretty face shed tears on his stage. Not tonight.

Maintaining his calm demeanor, he slowly approached Katya; Stepping as though he were walking on ice. And in a way, he supposed he was. He offers his outstretched palm to her, his expression becoming.. sincere? For a moment, it looked as though the head of this.. demonic household.. actually looked remorseful. Or was that just the expertly crafted facade he created right before her very eyes? It was hard to tell-- It was very convincing.

"I can see I've upset you," He says smoothly, his tone dripping with velvety reassurance, "I.. I'm sorry."

He takes one more step forward, a single finger curling in the girl's locks, forming a small twist around his finger, "You don't have to play.. just say the word, and you can sit with me-- Let the others sort this out."

Ajax's body shifted now to the girls side, so that he may whisper into her ear..

"..Would you like me to protect you, Katya?"

- Venus

 

[Sacrosanctus]

Katya became impossibly stiff as Ajax approached her. She was appalled by his show of sympathy and sincerity. It almost made him seem like a saint, like someone who would protect her.

"Almost" being the operative word.

Even as Ajax twisted his finger through Katya's hair and offered salvation from this harrowing situation, she had no reason to truly trust this man. He saw people as little more than his playthings. He was charismatic and powerful, and he made a convincing show of empathy, but there was no doubt in Katya's mind that "sitting with him" was the same thing as being his trophy harlot.

Katya's entire life was spent in fear. There were never any options for her; she either had to submit to other's will, or slowly rot away in the outside world. It was a cruel fate that even death couldn't save her from. But now, for the first time in her pitiful existence, she was being offered a choice.

She could either yield to the protection of a golden safety net, or she could take control and earn her own power.

The tension in Katya's body visibly relaxed, and the frustrated look in her eyes that had been flowing with tears was replaced with a dry look of calm determination all at once. "I appreciate the gesture, but I do not need your protection. I'll partake in your game."

 

[Reis]

Lucas hated Ajaxius Dygarian the moment he saw him. He saw his arrogant movements, heard his booming voice, watched the way he controlled the crowd with a gesture or a word. However, even before seeing this play out, he knew exactly what type of person Ajax was. He was the type of person who seemed charismatic, and he would always make an effort to be the most sociable person in the room. But behind that facade was a monster, a demon, someone who would stop at nothing to remain powerful.

He recognized this because it was what he lived with. Ajax reminded Lucas of his uncle in every way he could imagine.

Lucas's uncle constantly emphasized his power, his dominance over other human beings. For him, the threat of physical violence and abandonment over the course of several years was enough to satisfy his longing for control. For Ajax, it seemed, it was all too easy to flaunt his power in the most extreme of ways. Lucas watched from his seat as the man affectionately rubbed the heads of his human playthings. When addressing Drevas and Hector, the vampire used physical strength and intimidation to establish dominance. He saved his more charismatic self for the ladies, especially when they showed weakness. It was as if he were an apex predator, surrounded by the choicest picks of prey. And maybe he was, as far as those innocent people were concerned.

"This bastard..."

Lucas hated this. He hated that it was easier to comply to this monster's demands than to fight back. It was the sort of situation that he lived with for years, spending each insufferable day dealing with a person like him. And the result was a deep, fear-tainted hatred, a cold poison that threatened to overwhelm him.

He exhaled slowly, releasing the tension inside him with a single breath. When Katya rose to meet Ajax on the stage, Lucas slowly followed. He stiffly climbed each step while allowing his shoulders to hunch slightly forward. His eyes furtively scanned the floor as he waited for Ajax to finish addressing those who came before him. Finally, when the vampire was free from conversation, Lucas spoke. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." He chose not to offer a handshake, settling instead for a verbal greeting. His eyes seemed to wander, failing to meet the man's sharp blue eyes.

Lucas knew that this man would crave power. Nothing would please him more than the chance to show his dominance over others. And right now, this man's pleasure was the only thing that really mattered to their group. He was sure that one wrong move would turn this monster against them, and the results would be disastrous. So for now, Lucas gave Ajax what he wanted. His movements showed the pain, neglect, and insecurity he dealt with for his entire life, all burying an endlessly deep hatred towards the evils of mankind.

------------------------------------

After Katya rejected his proposal, the ice sculpture that was Ajaxius payed her words no mind. He maintained the same coy smile, the same calm disposition, even when Lucas came to address him. He gave the boy a single glance over-- When their eyes met, he tucked his hands back into his pockets. He looked as if.. he were thinking about something.

"..I've lived a long time, kid. When you get to my age, do the things I've done.." His eyes trail up to the raised theater ceiling, thoughtfully scanning about until meeting them back with Lucas's..

..No.. Not again. There were those eyes again. The mask. That.. woman's voice.

"..You find ways of clinging to your soul. Hold fast to yours, Lucas, for you stand in the presence of Lucifer."

And again, when he blinked, she just.. vanished. Like a ghost in the fog. Why couldn't anyone else see her? Was she.. a demon? Lucifer ..Did she mean Ajax? That last sentence sure did sound like a warning, but something still didn't feel right. In the back of his mind, Lucas swore he could hear her still, beckoning him to a place with books on every wall..

The man himself appears to carry on as if nothing had happened-- Like he wasn't just interrupted by a phantom.

"..There's no need to lie to me."

He says nothing else, letting his smile hang in the air as if to finish his sentence for him.

- Venus

 

[Vampunk]

Before Tess was able to jokingly ask Hector about betting on which one of them was going to be the least likely to walk out of the theatre after this night's occurrences, something started stirring on the stage.
Heralding the entrance of their host, the lights suddenly dimmed and the man who introduced himself as Ajax Dygarian took the stage, and from the very moment her dark eyes fell on the sharply dressed man the Serbian smuggler knew that he meant trouble.

In her time working for various employers, Tess got to know a wide variety of people, ranging from those down on their luck tho those high society snobs with enough skeletons in their closet to fill a cemeteries.
And this Mister Dygarian probably could probably fill a couple of those.

As Ajax continued his introductions, more reminiscent of a stage play rather than what would be a matter of life and death, Tess felt like she should be relieved that it wasn't going to be them sitting on those uncomfortable chairs bolted to the stage.
But the sight, coupled with the lingering scent of raw meat, only managed to form what felt like a gaping pit in her stomach. Each breath of air she inhaled making her more nauseous.
Even the most sickening story told during one of the many rounds of shots she had downed during her time as a bartender didn't compare to what was unfolding right in front of her eyes and Tess couldn't help herself but grit her teeth in response.
"That's fucked up..." The fledgling vampire hissed from behind clenched teeth as it was revealed that it was up to them to save the innocent...and probably murder the guilty.

Being the last in their row to rise, Tess swiftly followed her fellow ex-humans as she felt the glares of the vampiric audience burn into the back of her head as she joined the others on the stage.
Glancing over to Ajax with an uneasy, crooked smile that revealed the faintest trace of sharp ivories behind her dry lips, Tess nodded at head of the Dygarian clan.
Her nails scratching over the stubbly short hair adorning the sides of her head, the Serbian would try finding the safety of their group, not wanting to remain any longer in Ajax's vicinity than she needed to. The man just radiated an overwhelmingly intimidating presence that made her skin crawl.
"Let's just get this over with. There's a 66.6% chance of getting it right anyways..." Tess mumbled under her breath, sneaking a quick glance of those poor souls whose fates were bound to her, and her fellow fledgling bloodsucker's, judgment...
"Fuck..."

----------------

Ajax watched her take the stage in silence. He didn't bother returning her half-hearted smile; Choosing instead to examine her up and down as he had done all the others. The features of his face contorted into that of something unmistakable-- Nostalgia. In some weird way, Tess reminded him of someone..

Nevertheless, he quickly composed himself without skipping a beat, adjusting the cuffs of his suit. He made gesture to her with his hand and a small nod of his head.

"..Good odds, no?" He says casually, sporting the same confident grin.

- Venus

 

[Reis]

After Katya rejected his proposal, the ice sculpture that was Ajaxius payed her words no mind. He maintained the same coy smile, the same calm disposition, even when Lucas came to address him. He gave the boy a single glance over-- When their eyes met, he tucked his hands back into his pockets. He looked as if.. he were thinking about something.

"..I've lived a long time, kid. When you get to my age, do the things I've done.." His eyes trail up to the raised theater ceiling, thoughtfully scanning about until meeting them back with Lucas's..

..No.. Not again. There were those eyes again. The mask. That.. woman's voice.

"..You find ways of clinging to your soul. Hold fast to yours, Lucas, for you stand in the presence of Lucifer."

And again, when he blinked, she just.. vanished. Like a ghost in the fog. Why couldn't anyone else see her? Was she.. a demon? Lucifer ..Did she mean Ajax? That last sentence sure did sound like a warning, but something still didn't feel right. In the back of his mind, Lucas swore he could hear her still, beckoning him to a place with books on every wall..

The man himself appears to carry on as if nothing had happened-- Like he wasn't just interrupted by a phantom.

"..There's no need to lie to me."

He says nothing else, letting his smile hang in the air as if to finish his sentence for him.

- Venus

Lucas's pale, dead skin began to pale even further, only in part because of Ajax's lingering smile. After what he'd just seen, his only response to the vampire was a weak nod. He seemed to be distracted as he turned away, too haunted to focus on the following conversation with Tess.

What was that...thing? He had seen it in the car when arriving at the mansion, but he assumed that the vampire driving him there had some kind of strange power. If the masked women was still there at this very moment, waiting to devour his very soul...

Lucas shook his head slightly. No, that wasn't right. The woman seemed demonic, but he was getting the feeling that there was something bigger going on here. Her words were not a threat, but rather words of caution, telling him to beware of a horror beyond his imagination. And what did she mean when she told him to cling to his soul? Was this 'Lucifer'--whoever he was--planning to harm it somehow? How was Lucas supposed to defend against the devil? If bone-face wanted to warn him, she should have stayed longer to give him more details.

Lucas realized that he had stopped breathing. Taking a deep breath in and out, he closed his eyes to recenter himself. Right now, none of that mattered. Whether or not Ajaxius was a devil out for his soul, for the time being he had no choice but to play by his rules.

 

[mothspit]

The Evidence
​

• The Victim
• The Suspects
• The Timeline
• Suspect Statements

• 
  Name: [REDACTED]
  Age: 58
  - Retired Army Veteran & Rancher
  - Widower
  - Found with blunt force trauma to the head, and pieces of wood inside the wound
  - The wood in the wound matched tree branches near the lake bed
  - Estimated time of death is 6:30AM on Thursday morning
  
• 
  
  Suspect A​
  - Victims Youngest Brother
  - Unemployed
  - Alcoholic
  - Lives with Youngest Daughter
  Possible Motive: Claims mother left a portion of the victims inheritance to him. Victims Will states otherwise.
  
  
  Suspect B​
  - Victims Oldest Brother
  - Retail Manager
  - Gambler
  - Seen on CCTV inside local casino 6 months ago
  Possible Motive: Parents left inheritance to Victim after Suspect B developed a gambling addiction.
  
  
  Suspect C​
  - Victims Only Son
  - Divorced
  - Store Clerk/Fathers Ranch Hand
  - Lives on Fathers Land
  Possible Motive: Recently found out Victim changed the Will, leaving inheritance to a veterans charity fund instead of him.
  
• 
  - On Wednesday night, the Victim was last seen in his truck by police at 8PM, near the pond of his ranch.
  - Thursday, 8AM: A fisherman arrives to the pond only to find fishing gear abandoned near the water.
  
  
  Suspect A​
  - Wednesday, 7PM: A driver sees this suspect walking down a road through the middle of town.
  - At 10:30PM, Suspect A arrives drunk at a nearby bar where his daughter also works.
  - According to his daughter, she takes Suspect A home at 2:30AM. The next morning she leaves for work. She admits she did not see Suspect A that morning.
  - Suspect A wakes up at 10:30AM with no memory of the night before.
  
  
  Suspect B​
  - Suspect B leaves work on Wednesday at 9:30PM.
  - He drives to a nearby fast food restaurant before heading home.
  - At 11:30PM, he leaves home to pick up beer at a nearby store, where he sees Suspect C.
  - Suspect B heads back home at 12:00PM.
  - Thursaday, 5:30AM: Suspect B wakes up and travels to the ranch for an unknown reason.
  - 7AM He heads back home.
  - 8-8:30AM: Suspect has a doctors appointment.
  - At 11AM, as Suspect B is heading to work, Suspect C calls him to say that the Victim is missing.
  
  
  Suspect C​
  - Wednesday, 6PM: Suspect C arrives at the apartment of his ex wife.
  - At 10PM, he leaves and heads to work after they share dinner and a movie.
  - Thursday, 6AM: Suspect leaves work and stops by his ex wife's home again.
  - He leaves at 8AM after breakfast and a quick nap.
  - At 8:30AM, Suspect arrives at the ranch, where he finds the fisherman and the Victim's truck by the pond.
  - When the Victim cannot be found, Suspect C calls the police.
  
• 
  
  Suspect A​
  He became the town drunk after catching his wife having an affair.
  Suspect A states he was not close with the Victim.
  Suspect A states he does not own a car, and that it takes about 20 minutes for him to walk to the ranch.
  Suspect A says he hasn't seen the Victim in years, and that the Victim and Suspect C do not have a good relationship.
  
  
  Suspect B​
  According to an employee of the fast food restaurant, Suspect B was seen Wednesday evening sitting in his car crying while on the phone. The call was from his doctor. According to the employee, Suspect B left in a hurry after he finished eating. After developing a gambling addiction, he lost everything-- His home, his wife, and his car. He reportedly asked the Victim for a small fraction of the inheritance to get him back on his feet, and the Victim refused. The two never spoke again after the fact.
  
  The reason for the phone call that allegedly upset Suspect B was discussion about treatment for Stage 3 Prostate Cancer. Suspect B was also discussing payment options for treatment, but payments hadn't started yet.
  
  Suspect B states he hasn't been to the casino since he was last seen at one 6 months ago.
  He also states that the person Suspect A's ex wife had the affair with was the Victim approximately one year after the Victim's wife passed away.
  Suspect B states he was unaware of the recent Will change stating the inheritance would go to a veterans charity.
  When questioned why he went to the ranch at 5:30AM, Suspect B declined to comment.
  
  
  Suspect C​
  Suspect C states he only told his ex wife about the change of the Will.
  He states that while working with the Victim on the ranch, the two fought constantly.
  The Victim allegedly did not like Suspect C's wife, and his disapproval is what led to their split.
  
  Suspect C's wife confirms he was with her for dinner and movie at her home. She states that on the morning of Thursday at 6:30-7AM she was woken up by his arrival. She states that she was open to getting back together with Suspect C on the condition that he stands up to his father, the Victim. The night they shared a movie together, Suspect C and his ex wife reportedly got into an argument, during which Suspect C stated he would finally stand up to his father the following morning around 8AM.
  

((just gonna outright say i ripped this from roosterteeth, i tried writing my own case but it wasn't nearly as good or as detailed, that doesn't mean you get to cheat though! all the info is here, you can find the killer..))
Damafaud Reis GamerKitty205 Vampunk Sacrosanctus shadowz1995 SapphireSkylines

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Lyra looked over the case files with everyone else, reading them carefully including their statements. She looked down at the captive humans and bit her lip, the three of them were a family. She wondered how Ajax tracked them down, or even found out about this case to begin with. The record said that the man was killed with a blunt weapon to the head that was apparently made out of the tree branches near his ranch, this meant that whoever did it was sloppy and the murder was not thoroughly planned out in advance. She read through the list of suspects again.

The youngest brother stated that it only took twenty minutes for him to walk to the ranch and his daughter told police that she dropped him off at home at two thirty in the morning. There was a chance that he could've walked over to the ranch and killed his brother. The oldest brother however, was upset about a lot of things, including money and healthcare. He was at the ranch at the right time and the reasons he was upset could've drove him to commit an unplanned, sloppy murder. The son however, she just couldn't see it. He already had an alibi that was confirmed by his ex wife. He was with her during the time of the murder, he also had a reason to go to the ranch, to tell his dad that he was going to get back together with his ex wife.

It seemed pretty obvious to her that the victim's son was innocent, but she wanted to hear what everyone else had to say. She'd talk softly to the group. "Hey, I think the son is innocent, he clearly has an alibi and he seems to care more about getting back with his ex wife than the fact that his father changed the will. What do you guys think?" She looked around at everyone, ready to hear out what they had to say.

 

[Damafaud]

Drevis Senade
Theatre Hall
Stage; Composed
Interaction: mothspit , SapphireSkylines
Mention: Reis Vampunk GamerKitty205 shadowz1995 , Sacrosanctus​

Drevis reviewed the evidence once more. The informations were structured neatly. There was no dubious statement nor were there any weak evidences. Murder cases weren't usually so straightforward, but this wasn't a case. It was a game, and a fair game always have a solution. Drevis closed the last file. Time to gather his thought.

From the timeline of the murder, there were two crucial piece of information: estimated time of death and the last sighting of the victim. The estimated time of death was 6.30 AM, however, the victim was last seen by an uninvolved witness at 8.00 PM. Suspect A had no time alibi at all. Suspect B was known to visit the ranch at 5.30 AM. Suspect C had a blank time slot between 6.00-7.00 AM. One important point.

By the execution of the plan, a murder could be divided into premeditated and spontantenous murder. Considering the weapon was a tree branch -- one not removed from the crime scene, nonetheless -- it could be determined it was a murder at the spur of the moment. Suspect A had not keep contact with the Victim. Suspect B was in desperate need of quick money. Suspect C had a long continuing enmity with Victim and planned to end it. Another crucial point.

"The ex-wife stated Suspect C arrived home from work between 6.30-7.00 AM," he glanced at the woman New Blood that spoken. " while the money motive was weak, he also has an emotional motive. This murder was done at a state of high tension, so I couldn't say Suspect C is completely out of the picture."

"Of course, when seen from the time of the murder, he has the shortest time to do so, so he is quite safe in my opinion," Drevis added.

He moved to pick one of the file again. One of the New Blood's statement tickled his senses. Changed will, was it? Motive and emotional state seemed to play a larger role in this case when compared to time based alibi. In that case, the suspect with no chance of getting close to the emotional breaking point was...

"Mr. Dygarian, is it possible for us to see the original will, before the victim changed it?" He asked Ajax Dygarian after thinking for a while.

If he could see the content of the original will, the case was as good as solved.

 

[mothspit]

The charismatic Forebear began circling the stage intently, long periods of silence broken by the clicking of his shoes against the stage wood. He watched them all read over the case files, his eye glancing over to Lyra when she spoke first. He kept his eye on her still while the lawyer that was his spawn addressed him.

".. An excellent question, Drevis!" He beamed enthusiastically. Ajax steps around the table to get to his side, casually sliding himself behind Lyra. His height towered over her, allowing him to get close and still respond to Drevis. Though, that didn't stop him from placing a palm on the table at her side, as if.. he were trying to get her attention. Something he undoubtedly craved-- Attention. Despite not verbally addressing her, or even making eye contact, it was clear he was playing up his bravado for the more delicate sensibilities in the room, not just Lyra.

"Unfortunately, the original copy of the Will before it's adjustments are no longer available. The changes were made almost two years ago-- As such, with the death of the victim, it has been undergoing probate."

Probate-- A word Drevis recognized in the law world. It was when a deceased last Will and Testament has gone under temporary review to verify its authenticity. That included the adjusted Will, and it's original counterpart. It usually involved property, as opposed to monetary assets.

Though, Ajax did reveal two pieces of potentially useful information: The inheritance mentioned wasn't money, it was property, and the changes to the Will happened years ago-- Implying lingering resentment.

"Regardless," The man carries on with a gesture of his hand, "You have all the information here you need."

 

[Damafaud]

Drevis Senade
Theatre Hall
Stage; Composed
Interaction: mothspit , SapphireSkylines
Mention: Reis Vampunk GamerKitty205 shadowz1995 , Sacrosanctus​

"Indeed we do," he answered, adjusting his glasses with his right thumb and index finger. The act had no meaning behind it, but it was a theatrical move he adored. In his personal opinion, the gesture was quite cool. Nothing worth as much as self-satisfaction, and showcasing his ability was on the same level as being elaborate in his actions on the satisfaction scale. He turned to his fellow New Blood. It was time for the show.

"With the additional information Mr. Dygarian had kindly provided, I can savely say this case is as good as solved," he declared confidently to the other New Blood. "tonight, we will save two people from death, or, if any around you are a pessimist, we will kill one person tonight." He paused. Silence, in the right hand, was a powerful tool to build up suspense.

"The Victim is the starting point. There are two significant actions the Victim did related to this case. One," Drevis raised his index finger. "the Victim stayed on the lakeside near his ranch from 8.00 PM until he was murdered. Two, " he raised his middle finger. "the Victim changed his Will two years ago with only his son knowing."

"From how the Victim was murdered and how the Culprit didn't remove the murder weapon from the crime scene, it can be determined that this murder is not a premediated case. What significance does this fact bring? No one will murder without reason. A spontaneous crime, more often than not, happen due to emotional burst."

Drevis walked about the stage and slowly picked the Evidence Folder, Taking out the Suspects list for everyone to see.

"We have three suspects. Suspect C has a long history of quarrel against the victim. His Ex-wife testified of C's determination to finish things up with Victim. Does this determination possess enough force to push someone to murder? I do not know. As such, we have to move to our second suspect."

"As far as we know, Suspect B has no adoration toward Victim. We also know of his need of money. His desperate need for it. The will to live is the strongest instinct in every living being, but we should leave it at that."

"Now, Suspect A has not contacted Victim for years. What emotion could he feel for Victim? I will humbly suggest apathy. Now," Drevis closed the file and turned his gaze to the New Blood Girl that had given him an important pieze of the puzzle. "with emotional motive established, we now have a second, more obvious motive: profit, or what represent it. In other words, money."

Drevis raised one hand into the air as the last syllable escaped his mouth.

"Are humans truly such piteous beings they will follow their tenets of morality to reach their goal? No! At the end of the day, humans are still beings of nature. The law of nature scoffed at morality. Do anything, use everything, to reach your goal!" The volume of his voice rised as he continued, before it trailed off at the end. Again, he adjusted the position of his glasses with his right hand before continuing.

"This case was a quite a peculiar one, where motive and intention matter more than evidence and alibi. However, once you look at all clues, the solution cannot be clearer. Suspect A has nothing to gain from killing the Victim. Suspect A has no extreme emotion toward Victim. Therefore, Suspect A cannot be the Culprit."

"Suspect B has nothing to gain as well. With the ranch going to a veteran charity, killing Victim will not bear him anything. Desperation to live is a strong motive, but if killing Victim will not improve his situation, I highly doubt he would kill Victim willy-nilly."

"Suspect C... as the hope of receiving the ranch after Victim's death shattered, he had no financial motive, while his emotional motive for revenge increase."

"At a glance, none of the Suspects has a motive strong enough to kill. This fact, I admit, stumped me for a while. Of course, thanks for Mr. Dygarian and the young miss over there, this case has finally seen some light," Drevis gave a slight nod toward the New Blood Girl, acknowledging her help.

"The Will was changed, true. But only two person knew about it; Suspect C and his ex-wife. Now, the content of the previous will was unknown, but supposed that it divided the asset of the ranch between Suspect B and C..." a mischievous light glinted behind his glasses as Drevis glanced at the two mentioned Suspects.

"I think it was clear what happened at that night. The Culprit went to visit the Victim. For a reason, they started to quarrel and the Culprit killed the Victim. Of course, the only person who had the motive to do this is no other than... Suspect B."

Making a finger gun, Drevis pointed at Suspect B and made a shooting motion. Bang.

"Let's see. At 5.30 AM, Suspect B went to the ranch to visit the Victim with the intent to ask for help to pay for his treatment. Stage 3 Prostate Cancer, was it? Of course, with how Suspect B had behaved, the Victim refused. the meeting ended with a quarrel. Suspect B was desperate. After all, it was concerning his life. Blinded by desperation, he remembered the content of the Victim's Will and..." Drevis made a cutting motion across his neck. " killed him."

"Well?" he raised his hands and glanced around the New Bloods with a smug look on his face. "Does anyone else have something to add to my theory?"

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Lyra rubbed her chin. "I agree that I think Suspect B was the one who did it. Originally I thought that maybe Suspect A possibly worked with him but he didn't know that the will was changed and he hadn't spoken to the victim in years which leads him to very little motive to kill the victim. Suspect C knew that the will was changed but he seemed more upset that his father didn't approve of his choice of partner than the will being changed, as I said earlier. Plus suspect C had the least amount of time. I find it hard to believe that he went to the ranch from work, killed his father and then went to his ex wife's in a thirty minute to an hour time frame. So yes, I agree with Drevis I believe that the killer was suspect B." She turned her head and smiled at Ajax, giving him a wink as he stood behind her. She then glanced over Hector, the one newblood that she began to befriend and somewhat trust.

"What do you think Hector? El sospechoso es culpable?"

Mentioned: Damafaud , shadowz1995 , mothspit

 

[Vampunk]

"Shit..."
Tess muttered under her breath as she was reading through what little, at least to her, information Ajax had provided them with to pass judgement on one of the potential suspects. Any wrong decision might not only lead to the wrong human being labeled a murderer and, if her hunch was correct, be brutally murdered by the assembled vampires. A thought that would have caused a cold shiver to run down her back...if she wasn't already cool to the touch.

Eyes framed by dark circles would once again try taking in as much information as she could, something she had grown used to when peddling not just illegal goods, but also just that; information that might prove very, very useful to some.
But to her this entire thing didn't quite seem to make sense, and she found herself gnawing on her bottom lip, feeling sharpened ivories threaten to draw blood by doing so.

The others seemed to handle the situation far better than her, the pressure seemingly getting to her as her mind couldn't stop drifting back to what would happen if they made the wrong call...Ajax didn't mention anything that would imply that their own skins would be in danger if they were to fail this task, which was something that made this whole thing even harder to digest for the Serbian smuggler. There was nothing at stake for them, and yet they had to play this game.

"Wouldn't put it past 'em that all three are innocent and one of the bloodsuckers did it." Tess would mumble, fidgeting with her empty pack of cigarettes.
"Fuck..." If she were still alive she would've had to light at least two or three of her favorite brand to calm her nerves, but all she felt now was a building headache and the growing contempt for this game, the vampires, and that Ajax fellow.

Shaking her head in an attempt at taking her attention back to the present, Tess would join in discussing who might be the guilty one with her fellow vampires.
"They're all different shades of nasty, but I agree with Drevis here, Suspect B has the most believable motive...Just...don't take my support for certain. This whole game is insane, and I'd rather not be the one making the call who gets to die and who gets to live."

 

[Sacrosanctus]

Katya tried to make a brave face as she observed the evidence. She tried not to think about what it would mean when they chose a suspect, how she would be responsible for a person's death no matter what after deciding to participate in this twisted game. After taking a look at the evidence for herself, it was surprisingly difficult to figure out who the suspect of the crime was. She frowned as she looked at the suspects one by one. What kind of horrible person would kill their own relative in cold blood? As she tried to piece this puzzle together in her head, she found one good thing about this scenario; killing the murderer would rid the world of evil scum.

As Drevis gave the group of newbloods his thoughts on the matter, Katya was unable to hide that she was impressed by his speech. She had been lost in thought about the case as time pressed on, and she the pressure that weighed down on her made her thoughts a lot less focused than usual. Drevis, however, confidently managed to piece together a perfect-sounding story that she would've taken a lot longer to figure out. It was hard to admit, but Drevis's quick wits never failed to surprise her.

Regardless of how convincing his argument sounded, she couldn't help doubting it. No matter how much she ran it over in her head that he was completely correct, there was always a feeling that Suspect B was an innocent man. Katya hated not knowing anything for certain, but seeing that Drevis seemed so sure of his answer she decided to put her trust into him. Even if he was wrong, Katya would probably think about it so hard that she would choose spontaneously at the very end without any kind of sound argument and end up choosing the wrong suspect.

She turned towards the newblood vampire who spoke the most recently. "I don't like it either, but even just agreeing with what someone else said means that you've contributed to the results of the..." At this point, Katya was hard-pressed to call this a mere "game". "...The final result. That being said, whatever happens we'll share the burden." Katya nodded towards Drevis. "Drevis's argument makes perfect sense. I agree with him, the suspect we should choose is B." Katya wished she could travel through time and see what the right decision was.

She caught one girl near her age winking at Ajax as he stood behind her, and her face was twisted into a scowl. Was this girl dense? How could she flirt with someone with such a twisted personality? Couldn't she see how predatory and controlling Ajax was? It disgusted her to think that she could genuinely return the feelings of that psychopath. That woman was either really stupid or she'd gone mad.

 

[shadowz1995]

Hector almost glared at Drevis but managed to keep it down to a heated glance.

It wasn't that the newborn's logic was flawed. On the contrary, it seemed impregnable. The problem was the man's smug attitude and tone struck a nerve in the oldest gentlemen of the group.

When Drevis asked for their opinion, Hector could only shrug at him. The old boxer had already declared he would agree to whatever they decided because deciding guilt and innocence was not one of Hector's strong suits. After all, one needed a clear lens to be able to judge and condemn others as a prerequisite and Hector's lens was long since dirtied and clouded from an entire youth full of crime and interactions with some of the worst individuals to walk the earth.

Some of them, he could even call acquaintances.

So, when Tess gave her opinion on the matter, Hector visibly relaxed some and nodded solemnly in agreement. At least someone knew how he felt...

Speaking of felt, Lyra's..... brief..."engagements" with Ajax were throwing the old man for a complete loop. Hector has stepped in between the newborn and the elder on instinct because Lyra seemed like his younger sister in both appearance and demeanor. Yet these little signs she was sending to Ajax were suggestive in nature to say the least.

Hector came to two conclusions.

Either Lyra was so naive that her sense of danger was not zero or none. It was negative, meaning that she was so unaware of her surroundings and others that she runs INTO danger rather than the opposite.

Or

It was an act. A facade. Hector had no shame in admitting he had fallen for the naive, innocent act in the past and protected people he really should have let suffer their consequences.

The only sign of this internal struggle was a slight furrowing in the tanned man's brow as he considered which it was. The Lyra asked her question and Hector answered honestly, "Para mi, todos son sospechosos. Todos son culpable. Yo no creo que son inocentes. Ninguno de los tres. Es mejor que este bastardo," Hector indicates with a nod of his head to Drevis, "Es el que decide para nosotros. Aparace que el sabe de estas cosas."

Naturally, Hector was aware that Ajax understood exactly what he said and he didn't need to translate for him but Hector did know how it felt when two people were speaking a different language in a tense situation like the one they were in.

It arroused suspicion to say the least. So, he simply voiced his agreement in English, "I agree with Drevis. Suspect B is the one that should be killed."

Not that Hector knew that's what was going to happen but he had a suspicion that is how it was going to play out.

mothspit Damafaud Vampunk SapphireSkylines

 

[Reis]

Lucas frowned down at the evidence. He couldn't help but doubt Drevis's conclusion. All of the pieces fit, and Drevis did seem reliable. Going by the man's worn suit and the way he confidently analyzed this situation, it would be easy to guess that he worked in law during his life. There was almost no reason to question his word on this.

But that was exactly the problem. Wasn't this all a bit too simple? Vampires didn't seem like the type to give them easy mysteries to solve. How come pretty much all of the evidence pointed against Suspect B? And if he was indeed the murderer, why would he be so stupid as to refuse to comment on his presence at the murder scene? Lucas couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing a bigger piece of the puzzle.

The young vampire sighed. Perhaps he was just overthinking things. And if he wasn't, if this guy was innocent, there was nothing Lucas could do to help him. From the way he saw it, only the most highly skilled investigators could see past the surface of this case to find some kind of deeper answer. From the evidence that was given to him, Lucas was not skilled enough at deduction to condemn anyone but Suspect B to death.

When he thought about it, it was strange. His line of thinking had been so disconnected. He didn't even feel a hint of emotion at the possibility of sending an innocent man to the grave. How much of that was influenced by his new state as a vampire? It was admittedly easy to ignore emotions without the physiological prompts he was used to in life. A pumping heart, quickening breath, the feeling of his blood running cold...these were all things that were essential in the formation of anxiety, and they were things he'd never feel again. Lucas told himself this as he dismissed the possibility that he was simply uncaring to the fates of humans. Even if they were strangers, there was no way Lucas would feel nothing towards humanity...

Lucas shook his head slightly. He would need to focus on the task at hand if he wanted to get out of this situation. His stay with Ajaxius had been rather unpleasant, and he would love to leave his presence sooner than later. "Let's go with what Drevis says. If Suspect B is innocent, it's his own fault for looking so suspicious. This isn't on me." Lucas looked at Drevis, as if implying that if they were wrong, he would be the one with the most blame.

 

[mothspit]

When Drevis finally finished his theatrics, a low whisper fell over the crowd. Ajax took to his side with an amused laugh, wrapping his arm around the lawyer's shoulder and giving it a playful shake. The look strewn about his face was one of acceptance-- It looks like that little number got him on the Forebears good side. At least, for now.

"Not only does he have my good looks, but my charisma too. Like father like son, eh folks?"

The crowd laughs with him, like they were waiting for his approval. Creepy.

Ajax casually directs Drevis to the edge of the stage with his arm, just behind the masked humans in their chairs. With his free hand, he removes a velvet pouch from the breast pocket of his suit. From the way he held it, it looked heavy with significant weight. He gave a quick glance at the time clock: 35 minutes left. With his gaze turned to the others at the back of the stage, he took the opportunity to return Lyra's wink, and even shifting a casual smile in Katya's direction, before directing his attention back to his prodigy.

"In just 25 minutes, you seemingly solved the case. Very impressive."

From the velvet pouch, Ajax produces.. a very large hand gun. Those more versed in weaponry would recognize it as a Desert Eagle; Silvery and authoritative. On the side, the letters 'A.D.' were engraved, presumably his initials. He gestures with it casually, as if it's revelation didn't spell out exactly what the others had been suspecting.

"You've declared Suspect A innocent, and exposed Suspect B as our criminal. By the sound of things, your teammates seem to be in concurrence."

He snaps his fingers. A set of servants quickly rush from the side of the stage, picking up Suspect A and hauling him off to an unknown destination. He struggles and whimpers in their grip, leaving behind nothing but a grim atmosphere.

"With that little show of yours, I'm sure you have no problem bringing this game to its conclusion, do you? Unless of course, you aren't sure. You still have time to review the case."

Ajax offers the gun to Drevis, letting it rest in his palm. His confidence.. It was as if he wasn't worried about the possibility of being shot himself. He had done this game so many times before, the risk of offering a weapon to unwillingly participating parties was apart of the thrill. Not only was it amusing for him to test the opportunity of being challenged, but it was just as amusing for those watching from the seats. Especially considering they knew what Ajax was capable of. From their perspective, it would be like a mouse trying to fight a lion. The tension in the room was practically palpable.

Though the tone of his words didn't indicate they had made the wrong nor right decision, he was offering one of two choices: End the game here and now, or change his mind and prolong the inevitable.

Bang indeed.

 

[Damafaud]

Drevis Senade
Theatre Hall
Stage; Composed
Interaction: mothspit , shadowz1995
Mention: Reis , Vampunk , GamerKitty205 , Sacrosanctus , SapphireSkylines​

"Extra time is only helpful when not all path has been explored," he calmly answered.

Drevis took the gun tentatively from Ajax Dygarian's hand, feeling the cold steel against his palm. Would he dare to shoot the man in front of him or-- even sillier--try to take him hostage in an attempt to escape? Absolutely not. What idiot would think he could escape with a gun provided by the so-called captor? If an attempt to force a hostage situation is not the height of idiocy he would not know what to call it.

Suspect B was squirming in his chair. His logic had shown that he was the murderer. One shot to his head would end it all. He would gain the favour of Mr. Dygarian which, he found from reading between the line, was his progenitor. He would start his social debut in his new life with a laurel wreath on his head.
Everything would move toward a better light once he killed the killer.

Then why was it so hard for him to pull the trigger?

He hesitated. He had orchestrated the murder of countless people before. He had hired gangsters to cripple protesting factory workers. He had drove men with family into depression and made havoc of families. He had killed. He had sinned. What was so hard for him to shot a murderer in the face? Drevis stared again at Suspect B. No one would know if he killed him. By logic, killing him personally would be the most profitable endeavor for him.

...ah, I can't do it.

Yes. He couldn't. Drevis had logic, true. But he also had consciousness, moral values, and a figuratively beating heart. He couldn't commit a first hand murder. Not yet. He hadn't prepared himself for the eventuality enough.

"Would you care to do the honour?" he turned and offered the gun to the middle aged martial artist, who, he had heard earlier from one of the New Blood girl, was called Hector. The smile on his face was forced at that point, but that was all he could do from keeping his stare from faltering.

To his question, Hector said nothing. He only nodded before taking the gun from the offered hand.

Inwardly, Drevis let out a sigh of relief.

 

[shadowz1995]

The large Venezuelan gripped the eerily familiar weight loosely and comfortably. His thumb moved to the magazine release, letting the strip of metal slide out into his awaiting hand.

Locked and loaded...

He pushed the mag back into handgun and pulled the slide back in a quick, smooth motion. The round was now chambered and when the loud Click Echoed throughout the stage, a look came over Hector. Like earlier, it seemed like he was seeing something very far away. Something that haunted him.

After a long pause, the glossed over look had lifted and Hector's eyes had cleared. His expression changed from one of stoicisim to one of apathy.

The boxer had shifted gears into something darker.

" Remember my voice when you're in hell. When I go there myself, you can take your revenge on me."

The man lowered the barrel of the gun between Suspect B's eyes and muttered a soft prayer in Spanish. Hector stared into the supposed murderer's eyes for a moment before he gave the Suspect B a curt nod, to let him know his time was here....

The gun barked fire, lead and death not once but four times. Four bullets carved bloody ruin through the main's skull, each one an individual death sentence.

Only a small amount of resistance was put up in the way of blood spray. A small spattering against the knuckles that held the gun and a little trickle of fresh blood running down his cheeks.

Henry lowered the gun to his side and turned to Ajax. The heated glare that was previously there was now replaced by tempered, cold, steel-like fury. He placed the gun gently on the floor before returning to his newblood companions to await whatever came next...

If he could consider them companions by the end of this night.

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Lyra stepped back, it seemed that within almost a half hour the group had decided it was suspect B. Around this time she also spotted Kataya with an angry expression. She didn't know if it was targeted at her or the whole situation in general. During this whole ordeal Lyra realized that her innocent look, and Ajax taking an interest in her and the other girls was an advantage. Ajax may have been the game master here but he was clearly a man with flaws, and one of those flaws was his likeness for pretty women. If Lyra could gain favor with this man, perhaps she could help her and her fellow newbloods out with surviving this mess.

She realized this was a risky move on her part. Ajax could easily turn on her, he was unpredictable and brutal. Maybe he would be able to see past her facade, the fact that she really didn't have feelings for him at all. But at this point she had nothing to lose, she had lost everything, her flower shop, her dad back home who probably thought she was still in the big city doing well for herself... oh boy was he wrong. If she could at least help these other people that were in the same predicament as her, then it would be worth while.

Eventually Ajax handed Drevis the gun, he looked like he was prepared to shoot but ultimately couldn't do it, maybe it was nerves perhaps? Either way, he handed the gun off to Hector. Lyra frowned, she didn't want this burden on him even though she had a feeling that he was more than willing to do it if the others could not. Lyra would hear the click of the gun and his words.

"Remember my voice when you're in hell. When I go there myself, you can take your revenge on me."

She then heard the sound of four gun shots and Suspect B's body convulse as every bullet hit his body. Lyra squinted her eyes at the first gunshot sound, but eventually adjusted and tried the best she could to stand her ground. Once the deed was said and done she looked at Suspect B's dead, lifeless body, and then over to Hector giving him an apologetic expression. She knew the whole situation wasn't her fault but she felt bad that he ended up having to be the executioner even though he could've easily had someone else do it. She then looked at Ajax and wondered what was going to happen next.

Mention: Sacrosanctus , mothspit , Damafaud , shadowz1995 in that order.

 

[Sacrosanctus]

Katya froze when Ajax handed a gun to Drevis. She was well aware that at the end of this twisted game, someone had to die. However, she had assumed that Ajax would serve as the executioner. Just as she was thinking the vampire couldn't get any more cruel, he put Drevis in an even more inhumane position than before.

Katya tried to peel her eyes from the scene, but her attempts ended in pitiful failure. She really didn't want Drevis to carry through with something as awful as shooting a man, and it came as a relief when the burly Venezuelan took care of the job. She knew it wasn't right, but she somehow felt he was obligated to serve as the executioner due to his age and general demeanor. An older man like him could afford to do the dirty work, but she was afraid that Drevis would lose his humanity if he became a killer. Granted, they were all technically this man's killers, but pulling the trigger was different from condemning the helpless prisoner to death.

Hold on...since when did she care about Drevis at all?

Katya didn't have time to stay flustered by her shocking sympathy for someone like Drevis, as the man who now held the gun brought her to reality with his words. They sent a shiver through her spine, and she was completely unprepared for him to pull the trigger. The sound the gun made was loud, a lot louder than she'd expected, especially when she barely had time to brace herself. But even when her ears started ringing, Katya could do nothing but stare as her fellow man unloaded a small barrage of bullets into Suspect B's head.

Katya tried to have sympathy for the man. Even if his family had a crappy relationship on all accounts, he still had a family. He had things that he liked and disliked, and he had his own goals in life. Surprisingly, Katya felt nothing but cold pity even though she expected to be in tears. It bothered her immensely. Was she becoming a monster too?

 

[Reis]

Lucas's gaze was steady as he watched Drevis hand over the gun. Hector handled the weapon with a cold efficiency, as if it were something he grew accustomed to throughout his life. The moments before he pulled the trigger stretched on into a long silence, and when Suspect B's head was full of holes, Lucas couldn't help but look away.

What was the point of this game? Did vampires really enjoy toying with human lives this much? A slow, ugly feeling crept through Lucas's chest at the thought. It felt as though he were trapped, like he didn't have any control over his own actions whatsoever. This was the kind of feeling that lead him there in the first place, an intense desire to escape that made life itself unbearable. The only difference was that now, there was no escape. After all, death could not save him when he was already dead.

Lucas was having trouble feeling bad for the man. Like he told the other newly-changed vampires, Suspect B's death was entirely his own fault. Without a statement about what he was doing at the murder site during the victim's death, he was pretty much asking to be killed like this. How were they supposed to solve the mystery properly when all the evidence pointed to one person?

Lucas's eyes slowly drifted across the man's files. Moments ago, the dead body seated before him was a person. He had his own thoughts, his own emotions, his own life. And now he was a lifeless corpse on a chair. Lucas knew that he should feel something for the man, but...there was no emotion in Lucas's eyes when he looked the man straight in the face. He could only idly wonder why it wasn't these lucky bastards who were being forced back into the living world.

 

[Vampunk]

Gnawing on her bottom lip, Tess would catch herself letting her weary gaze wander from Suspect B, to Drevis, to Ajax....and back again. Something didn't feel right, not right at all, and it wasn't the prospect of maybe even ending an innocent life. No, it was the way the vampires had framed this entire situation.
A game to be played, not a matter of life or death, or at least not on the leeches' part, picking the wrong suspect would seemingly not even impact her and her fellow fledgling vampires in any negative way.

They seemed detached from the happenings, while those three people bound to bolted chairs would have to live, or rather die, with the knowledge that someone would decide which one of them would suffer a similar fate like those who judged them; to taste death, but for the one they would pick it would be forever.

"Fuck me, get a grip on yourself." Tess mumbled under her breath, blowing a messy strand of dark hair out of her face as she'd subconsciously moved as far away from the three subject as possible, her hands buried in her jacket's pockets.
She hadn't expected Drevis to be the one to pull the trigger anyways and Hector seemed all to comfortable with being the executioner, being the one to deal death.

It felt hypocritical of her to judge others, or feel a cold shiver run down her spine about this night's events. She was a smuggler after all, she had dealings with all manners of shady people and there was this saying of "no honor among thieves" after all. Criminals and other low-life scum couldn't really stick to ideals, those naive people were the first ones to get swallowed whole and Tess knew to turn a blind eye to oh so many things when she was still alive.
But something about this entire thing just rubbed her the wrong way, maybe it was her having had to feel the cold embrace of death, the horrifying experience of being reborn as a vampire, or maybe it was just her never having been there when people became corpses.
She had heard of it, hell, even of worse things happening to those unlucky souls who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but this was different.

This was bloody real!

Watching Hector nonchalantly move over to the subject they had chosen to receive a gift of lead, Tess couldn't manage to pry her gaze away from the scene, following every oh so small move of the two, the human's twitching and the Venezuelan's towering form.
Before, after what seemed like moments stretching into infinity, the sound of a shot being loosened from the gun echoed through her skull, making the Serbian smuggler flinch reactively.
Not one, not two, no, a whole four servings of death were given to the suspect as the biting, metallic scent of blood and gore rose up, making Tess instinctively cover her mouth with her hand....

She felt like she'd throw up any moment as the faint, nasty squelch of ruined flesh found her ears, making her gag...
But unable to expel the contents of her stomach, Tess just hunched over, panting heavily as every breath ferried more of the sickly intoxicating scent of flesh and blood into her, numbing her already hazy mind.
"Sranje..." The Serbian mouthed as she rose to her full height again, her gaze found the now bloodied bag resting on top of what used to be Subject B's head and she'd instantly avert her eyes.

Dizzy from what had just happened, and thoroughly disturbed by it, Tess wobbled her way closer to the group, her eyes coming to rest on Ajax as she could feel her opinion of the vampire get even worse...something she felt would happen more than once in the future that awaited her and her fellow human-turned vampires.