Life's no fun without a good scare

[thalassino]

It starts some time around 3am, Tuesday morning. Thin whispers of fog start appearing all throughout Vatheon, creeping through the narrow, winding streets, up the steps, and over the park. It starts in the lower district, but as the night progresses and daylight approaches, it spreads to the other districts as well, growing thicker and thicker as it does. By the morning rolls around, the mist is thick enough that visibility has been compromised greatly, and the temperature seems to have dropped a few degrees, an odd chill filling the air.

And on the walls, there are stains.

They are infrequent at first, just a odd ruddy brown smear and a oddly bright red drop here and there, but the closer to the Plaza, the more numerous they become. There is a large smear across the steps leading up to the Plaza, as if something big was dragged up them. In one place the blood -- for it is blood, there is no deny it at this point -- pools thickly as if whoever was responsible took a casual break there, leaving the poor victim to bleed out on the steps.

On the plaza, the mist is thinner, but that is no relief. Rather, it just functions to make the gruesome scene all the more clearer.

A woman is draped upside down on the coral. Or, well, woman. It was once a woman, certainly, but now it is nothing more than something straight out of a nightmare. The flesh seems to have been torn carelessly from her limbs here and there, showing the white gleam of her bones, her nurse outfit torn as if raked apart by giant claws and her head...

well, it isn't there anymore.

The ground in front of her is smeared with blood as well. But where the previous smears had been accidental, these are deliberate, long lines curving and meeting to spell out



hel pm e


But no help had been forthcoming, clearly. No, it seems that this murder, this brutal murder, was nothing more than a game to whoever did it. The walls of the buildings surrounding the plaza are coated in bloody, spelling out a long string of mocking 'HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA's and directly in the center, behind the coral.


Who is next?


The notice board seems to have been hit too. The killer did not tear down any of the notices on the board already, but they did cover the entire board with blood-stained sheets of paper, each adorned with the same text over and over and over again.


Chop chop, sweet Charlotte
Chop chop till she's dead
Chop chop, sweet Charlotte
Chop off her hand and head.


For those brave enough to check, no, the poor girl still has both her hands. Was the killer just sloppy, or does this mean this is not Charlotte? So many unanswered questions, more born every passing moment.

Who had done this? Why? Where they going to strike again? And why had nobody heard anything?





[ooc note: Consider this your mingle log. Have fun, go forth, threadjack.

And as a further note, the fog does not seem to be clearing up as the week goes on. ]

Comments

[lamorteblanc]

[ He's actually pacing about, looking at the corpse, the notices and the blood with the most evident frown on his face. It was bad enough that they were severely understaffed in the clinic and now there was a dead nurse on their hands.

To top it all off, this killer was sloppy. VERY sloppy. The mutilation, the blood, there was simply no finesse to it whatsoever. It was just sheer brutality despite the messages and the attempt at poetry.

What irked him more however was another matter entirely.

So don't mind him if he takes his time to light a cigarette and start furiously puffing away while inspecting the crime scene. ]

[pactum]

[ Hey, Muraki. Have a young earl by your side, smirking far more than is appropriate for the situation. He's sent Sebastian off to the other side of the plaza to see if there's anything else they might have missed, away from the main attraction. ]

One of yours, wasn't she, Doctor?

[lamorteblanc]

[ Well, color him surprised. He was aware the boy was into some interesting things but this? ]

Earl Phantomhive. Good to see you up and about.

[ Another puff of his cigarette, making sure to turn his head away respectfully. ]

Yes. Yes she was though I can't say I know her name. The Head Nurse's staff. I usually rely on Cielo if I need assistance.

[pactum]

I've you to thank for that, Doctor.

[ This, and so much more. And he doesn't mind the smoke--he's used to it, really, given just how many gentlemen smoke at home--not to mention the occasional necessary visit to a certain opium den. ]

I suppose you have little idea if there is--or was, as the case may be--a nurse on staff called 'Charlotte,' then?

[lamorteblanc]

Just a doctor's duty, nothing more.

[ Another drag exhaled before he tapped the ash by the side of a nearby wall. ]

I'm afraid I'll have to get back to you on that. As I said, I'm not at all that familiar with the Head Nurse's staff but if I get wind of there being a Charlotte, I'll make sure to let you know.

However, this doesn't seem to be Charlotte.

[ A beat. ]

What do you make of it?

[pactum]

Doesn't it?

[ Looking closer, and then--ahh, the name tag. He doesn't hesitate to reach out and turn it towards him. Cosette. Not Charlotte at all, then. ]

Ah. [ This just got even more interesting. ] In this case, it would be advisable to find out. If the notice board is any indication, 'Charlotte'--whoever she may be--is the next target. It would be logical to check the clinic staff for her first, I think. In any case, she must be found as soon as possible and kept under careful surveillance.

[ Releasing the name tag and taking a step back. ] It is messy is what I make of it. But other than that, it is farily obvious now that unfortunate Miss Cosette isn't the real target; she is a warning.

[lamorteblanc]

[ Cosette. He never really knew her. But then he kept to his office instead of socializing with the rest of the staff. Charlotte... was there a Charlotte...? He couldn't recall. ]

A warning... or perhaps this killer has a taste for badly worded poetry.

[ There's a wrinkle of his nose as he takes another slow drag. ]

Messy. Very messy. The killer seems to be unnecessarily dramatic. This reeks of attention gathering.

[pactum]

Agreed. [ Ciel crosses his arms over his narrow chest, fingers curling around his elbows. ]

The killer wanted to make a show of it, that is for certain. They've succeeded well enough.

[ The toe of his dainty shoe taps against one of the messages written in blood by their feet: Who is next? ] But they've already answered their own question, haven't they?

[lamorteblanc]

Charlotte.

[ Bit of a scoff. He'd always looked down on the careless killers, the ones who did it for show and never seemed to have a purpose to their kill. Just plain brutality at best. ]

But was it a show they wanted or was it mere blood lust they needed satiated? However...

[ Letting the cigarette drop now, crushing it underfoot with a step as he moves closer to the corpse. ]

Time of death, the early hours. Judging by the blood. The cause of death seems... inhuman. Almost as if an animal had its way with her.

[kingwithnocrown]

[Have a long whistle, good doctor.]

This is like straight from Jack the Ripper. Ever hear of the guy? Just as sloppy. I wonder if she was a prostitute on top of it. I bet. Is that crude? Calling a corpse an ex-whore? I like to think of it as 'dark humor'.

[He's right by the body himself, reaching a hand out to touch one of the stubbed wrists. No, he really doesn't care that much.]

You seem bothered by something.

[His observation is made as he, in detail, touches the lines along her body where the slashes were made and he tilts his head to the side, looking highly thoughtful about something. Finally, he turns away and looks at the doctor.]

And I don't think it has really anything to do with this murder.

[lamorteblanc]

Her name was Cosette. I'm afraid I have no other details about her save for that. The head nurse and I aren't very well acquainted.

[ Another drag on his cigarette just to take the edge off. There's a crease on his brow as he opens his mouth to speak and decides against it. But he steps closer to Izaya just so he can lower his voice. ]

Sloppy. Very sloppy. Done purely for the sheer spectacle of it all. A mindless kill.

[kingwithnocrown]

Hahahahahahaha. Muraki. The head nurse.

[The head jokes are just too much for him. Laughing forever. But no really. He gives Muraki a look that blatantly states: obviously>]

Really? You don't say. [Sarcasm.] I could never have figured that out on my own. Thanks for the input.

[But he steps in closer, his shoulders hunched. Look at them, being so hush-hush]

So what's with you? Bummed out about the head or something?

[lamorteblanc]

Orihara-san. Really.

[ But he manages a single snicker for that before he takes another drag and returns to his disdain. ]

The head is nothing. The sheer theatrics of it all irks me. No planning whatsoever. There must be elegance in a kill to say the least. Blood has a particular beauty to it and I see none of that here.

[kingwithnocrown]

Sorry.

[No he's not. He just sounds sheepish.]

Aw, you're one of those poetic murderer types. How charming, Muraki. Truly charming. But I'll have to agree with you. I'm not particularly fond of these types of death. I'm all about the big scheme plan. Not that I would ever kill anyone.

[.....Directly. At least not as directly as this.]

Oh! I hope fingers begin to point and people start to go into a frenzy. It'd be awfully amusing to watch them all.

[lamorteblanc]

[ No... no need to be. if anything, he's just as amused. ]

The scheme is everything. Every movement must have a reason apart from merely hacking away at the human body like a hunk of meat.

[ But he doubts that sentence so don't mind him raising an eyebrow ever so slightly as he peers at the corpse. ]

...these cuts certainly don't look human. I begin to wonder just who would be pointing fingers at who.

[kingwithnocrown]

Really? Do you think?

[God, he really does completely agree with you obviously, but what type of person would he be if he outright said that? In any case, Izaya never liked the idea of picturing himself as a murderer.

If anything, he just calls himself a...suicidal assistant. Sure.]

No. They don't. It wouldn't be difficult to tell whether or not they come from a blade either. The way the flesh is split down doesn't really look it. It makes me wonder if she was raped as well though. Usually in gruesome cases like this, that's not a totally shocking thing to find.

[He looks again at the body, this time a bit more closely.]

I wonder who will even be in charge of taking proper evidence of the body. If this place even has a place where they can dissect her and examine her properly. Probably not though. I feel like this might be one of the first cases available.

[Too bad he doesn't care that much. He totally has the knowledge. That weirdo. He turns back to the doctor.]

It'll be a fun time, I think. I doubt any of the foreigners will be murdered though.

[messianic]

[He doesn't mind, but he does recognize you.

...hmmm.

So after a moment, he approaches.]

...Is something wrong?

[lamorteblanc]

[ At this, the doctor is suddenly pulled from his reverie. Whoops. So much for being subtle about his disdain. Thankfully, he's used to this sort of thing.

Turning his head to exhale before speaking though. ]

It simply makes no sense at all... why would anyone target one of the nurses?

[messianic]

[A quiet nod.]

I'm not sure either. It seems...really uncalled for.

[And absolutely wrong.]

[lamorteblanc]

It does. I should warn the rest of my staff... and that of the head nurse's as well.

[ Another moment to take a drag. Good thing he'd gotten a fresh pack today. The way things were going, he felt like he needed it. ]

...Arisato Minato-san, if I'm not mistaken?

[messianic]

[He blinks, tilting his head. That was a little unexpected.]

You know me?

[...ah.]

I'm sorry, I don't think we've met.

[lamorteblanc]

At the risk of sounding absolutely dubious, your name and face are familiar because I keep a few medical records on the Defense Force. Things are easier that way in case of an emergency, you must understand.

[ Have a hand offered to you Minato, along with a smile. ]

Doctor Kazutaka Muraki, one of the resident medical staff. I apologize if I've unsettled you.

[messianic]

[This guy has records on him.

...Well okay. : |b

He takes the hand, shaking it (though his other hand remains in his pocket).]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Kazutaka-sensei.

[No he's really not unsettled at all.]

What do you think of all of this?

[kid_in_disguise]

You shouldn't do that.

[ Kaito frowns heavily at the man smoking as he fixes some gloves on to his hands before glancing back at the corpse, his face paling slightly at the idea of touching a dead person. ]

Smoking at a crime scene can be charged with tampering with the evidence.

[lamorteblanc]

[ A pause, turning back at Kaito before promptly putting out the cigarette. ]

I apologize. Force of habit, you see. This situation has completely unnerved me. I meant no such thing, rest assured.