Murder Tale VII: The Devil's Carnival

[Bomb]

~Chapter Update!~

"El Carnaval de sangre"

Things seemed to have been progressing rather nicely for the most part in the carnival. The groups had split off as they had been instructed and went to the tents of their choosing. Although what they found inside was often more than they had bargained for. Such as finding what appeared to be an innocent boy in a cell, or a bunny that can seamlessly transform into whatever it's master wishes it to. That's not even getting into the others like the firebreather and the fortuneteller!

But all fun must eventually come to a grinding halt at some point however.

For as Monsieur Loyal was wandering the carnival's grounds, making sure everything was in tip top shape, the sight that awaited him was not a pleasant one.

"UGH! WHO DECIDED TO LEAVE THIS-THIS FILTH LAYING OUT WHERE ANYBODY COULD STUMBLE UPON IT! FREDERIKA! FREDERIIIIIIIKAAAAA-"

Holding her hands over her ears, the chief of the carnival's security made her way over, grimacing at the sight. It was her duty to make sure all of the participants in this carnival had a good time but it didn't make seeing stuff like this go down any easier.

"..Vhat should we do, Loyal? If ve vere to just let this go unaddressed and one of the other patrons were to stumble across it, who knows vhat might happen!"

"Don't you think I know that!? W-We'll have to get them all gathered up and show them all at once! It's better than listening to the wailing of one or a group of them finding it themselves, that's for bloody sure..."

Before Frederika and Loyal could go about this task however, they could have heard a skittering coming from nearby. Similar to that of a spider. As Frederika glanced around for any potential threats, she would have had to glance quite a ways down so that she could see the giggling sack boy standing at her feet.

"Heh heh.."

"Y-You! You're that sack headed..thing that showed up at the start of the carnival! Were you behind this?"

If Sam was intimidated by Loyal raising his hand to him, he certainly didn't let it show. The child simply shook his head from side to side and both Frederika and Loyal could have felt a powerful aura emitting from Sam and at Sam's feet instead of his usual shadow, there would have been a much larger adult-sized one that seemed to be adorned in a black robe. This was reflective of Sam's true form and a warning that Frederika and Loyal should keep their hands to themselves.

But if they wanted an explanation of Sam's whereabouts then he was more than eager to provide it! Pointing over to the Firebreather tent, words began to appear on the ground near Sam's feet courtesy of his power.

"What was I up to? I was looking for my dear friend Aika's dolly! Then I lost track of the bunny and ended up here! I teased the zombie boy and played around with the other child. But then I heard something and snuck out to go see it. I saw...Everything. I couldn't see who did it but that's okay. I had fun despite it. Can't say that they did though. :)"

"Hee hee.."

This revelation didn't shock Loyal because he already had a feeling something was odd with this boy even if Sam really was one. Frederika however was more taken aback that the odd little boy she had spoken to earlier would be so joyful when addressing a murder of all things! Not to mention that he apparently watched the whole ordeal occur. Taking a step forward, Frederika glanced down at Sam.

"Sam..Did you do this? Vere you the one who ended this poor man's life?"

Sam stared up at the guard and no giggles came this time. But he did take a step forward with his lolipop in hand as he ran it across his neck.

"I didn't hurt this man. He didn't break any of my rules. I only punish rulebreakers."

Rules?

Did Sam mean the rules of the carnival? Or was he referring to his own cryptic set of rules? Frederika couldn't understand and Loyal was losing his patience. He didn't have any desire to get into some drawn out battle with Sam, least of all when he didn't know exactly what the boy was. But every second they kept talking to Sam, it was another second wasted figuring out who did this.

So raising a loudspeaker to his mouth, Loyal shouted into it.

"ALL ATTENDEES OF THE DEVIL'S CARNIVAL! REPORT BACK TO THE MAIN AREA! THE SAME GOES FOR THE CARNIES! I WANT EVERYONE PRESENT, NOW!"

His message made loud and clear, Loyal turned towards Sam and grit his teeth at the pagan spirit. Walking towards him, he sough to grip Sam by the collar of his costume and pull him off his feet.

"I don't know what you are behind this mask. But I know for certain that you're no innocent little boy. I don't know what you may have really seen but you'll be a cooperative little brat until we figure out exactly what happened. Am I understood?"

Displeased at this sudden physical provocation, Sam vanished from Loyal's grasp and hissed in his direction.

"I'll do what I want and say what I want. So long as it's not breaking any of your carnival's rules, Monsieur Loyal. :)"

***
The kid gripped the bars of his cell and threw a sour look Kuroko's way at the notion he was was an idiot of any sort."Hey, you don't understand, he's persuasive. How was I supposed to know a deal with some shady carnival guy would get me... hrm." He sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. "Maybe I'm a bit of an idiot."

Cordis only looked bored. He paid the guest's discomfort little heed and physically waved off what was being said."The boy is just being held until I can think of what to do with him," he said, saying boy as if the kid wasn't even there to hear him. "The real show lies further in."

Leonard's ears flattened at the conversation, though he tried his best to look cool in front of the disgruntled guests."Of course the real show lies further in! What do you take this carnival for? Cordis, it is rather unseemly to place the innocent ones at the entrance here... where is that grand mummy you said you had prepared?"

"Hm." The freak show operator shrugged.

"There were... complications, ones that I'm dealing with. Now, Leonard, if you have an issue with how I conduct my own tent, then I should remind you that you have been the one to interfere with my operation. The boy was given to me without warning and so I simply placed him where I had space. I am not the mind reader of this carnival. If that is insufficient for you, then I suggest you remove the child from my establishment yourself."

Leonard seethed slightly, baring his fanged teeth. "Then maybe to avoid some needless hand wringing--"

Monsieur Loyal's voice cut through the conversation, feeding into the tent from a distant location outside. Leonard froze where he stood, blinking in confusion for a moment. "Now, why would he..." He shook his head, his mood changing for the better now that he had an excuse to shuffle everyone out of here. "Well then, may as well get this boy out of here as well. If you all want to keep the tickets I've so graciously awarded you, get going!"

Leonard produced a key ring from his pocket, moving to the cage and letting the kid free. The boy mumbled a thanks as he shuffled out to join the others leaving the tent. Rubbing at the back of his head in embarrassment, he said, "I'm not sure if you did anything at all, but thanks anyway. Oh, hey, just so you know, my name's Dipper..."

He followed the others as they proceeded back to the main area of the carnival, per Loyal's orders.

***

"Hm? Now, I wonder what Loyal could want with us.."

Well, orders were orders and Loyal was his boss. He still hadn't seen Sam return but perhaps the strange child had wandered off to another tent of his own. As Houdini sat on his master's arm, the illusionist motioned for those present in his tent to follow him.

"I do apologize for the inconvenience, my dearest guests! Least of all after what we've just gone through! I'm sure this will take only but a moment!"

Presuming Arvid and all of the other carnies/guests in this fair carnival did as they were instructed and met back at the main area of the carnival, Loyal didn't look too happy as he continued to pace around in a circle, his eyes boring holes in the ground with his gaze. As soon as Frederika poked him on the shoulder, he noticed that everyone had been gathered and quickly cleared his throat to speak.

"Ah, took all of you long enough! What? Did you think just because this is a carnival you could lounge around to your heart's content? There are still responsibilities one carries even while they're supposed to be having fun! But, oh, ohhhh that's why we're here! Someone has their own brand of fun and they're not shy to let us all know! For those of you who are squeamish? I suggest you look away or man up! For what I'm about to show you is not for the faint of heart!"

Giving a brief look over the group to judge for reactions, Loyal stepped to the side and revealed none other than the corpse of Michaelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti!

"That's right my lovely guests! A life has been snuffed out and now we're left to deduce who may done it! It could have been you, you, who knows! But what I do know is that unless we find out who did it, who's to say they'll refrain from snuffing out another potential light among our group? I know for certain that whoever this murderous entity may be, we've someone who's seen their carnage up close! Isn't that right, Samhain?"

"Heh, heh.."

Sam had said his piece as far as he was concerned. He hadn't killed this man himself for reasons known only to the spirit. But he had been a witness to this man's murder and if there was anything more to it than Sam wasn't saying. The other people here could feel free to ask him questions at their heart's content, perhaps even through physical force. But who knew what kind of results that would garner?

"Disturbing little whelp..IN ANY CASE, if what this boy says is true than he managed to see this man's murder! Not only did he see it but he didn't raise a finger to help! Question him at your leisure! That said, the last thing I want is for any of you to lose your heads! Refrain from panicking and think about this rationally! Otherwise who knows what could happen?! That is all!"

Cast
@T.O.M. as Sam (Trick R' Treat) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Crow as Tenkuuji Takeru (Kamen Rider Ghost) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 2 ]
@The Tactician as Luso Clemens (Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: Grimoire of the Rift) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Verite as Hisoka (HunterXHunter) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 2 ]
@C.T. as Bazett Fraga McRemitz (Type-Moon) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@The Silver Paladin as Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca (Final Fantasy XII) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Archmage Jeremiah as Jhin (League of Legends) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@DapperDogman as Ayumu Aikawa (Is This a Zombie?) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@CrunchyCHEEZIT as Iggy (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Ryu Keiko as Seras Victoria (Hellsing) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@york as Cat (Stray Cat Crossing) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1]
@OrlandoBloomers as Deadpool - aka SkullpoopL - (Marvel) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@Krieg as Frisk (Undertale) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Ringmaster as Tobias (League of Legends) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@Schnee Corp Lawyer as Conner Kent (Young Justice) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@Atomyk as Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Jeremi as Shirari Kuroko (A Certain Magical Index) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 2 ]
@Kaykay as Kyousuke Hyoubu (Zettai Karen Children) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 2 ]
@Gummi Bunnies as Aika (Animal Crossing) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Archwar as BOB (Original Character) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1]
@IntrusivePenDesperateSword as Rumble McSkirmish (Gravity Falls) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@Gwazi Magnum as Morgan Freeman (True Facts About Morgan Freeman) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@ResistingTheEnlightened as Michaelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti (Flashpoint) [ Status: DEAD/Tickets: 0 ]
@GlassTrinity as Lorde (South Park) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@Bomb as Daisuke (Chaos Rings III) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@MrSandman as Michael Ehrmantraut (Better Call Saul/Breaking Bad) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]​

"What? Hey, why is there a corpse here!?" Daisuke shouted. Frustrated, he went over to the corpse or whatever.

@i don't even anymore​

 

[Kaykay]

"What are you talking about? I totally saved you!" Kuroko replied with a grin. "Try to keep out of trouble for now one though, I won't be around saving your butt at every turn."

Making her way to where they were herded Kuroko would not be pleased by the news of a dead man in their midst. This whole deal seemed to be ending up as a total nightmare after all...

Using her powers Kuroko would teleport to the body to try and see if she could find any clues to how he had been killed. "As a member a Judgement I have to do this but...ugh...I really don't want to touch him."

@Atomyk @T.O.M. @InvestigatingBody

Kuroko's teleporting didn't escape Kyousuke's notice. This carnival had at least one other esper after all. Interesting. His usual cocky smile on his face, Kyousuke teleported to the corpse after her.

"I doubt there's a need for that. It seems we can gleam what we need to know just by looking, don't you think?"

With the new information given by that sack thing, Kyousuke cocked his head in the direction of the mirror maze.

"What say we see the real scene of the crime, miss?"
@The Tactician @Gummi Bunnies @Atomyk @Jeremi @Bomb @T.O.M.​

 

[Jeremi]

Sam looked at Luso as if the boy had three heads. Or at least it came off that way with Sam's head tilt. Without even so much as making any kind of movement, some invisible force began carving words into the ground again to get across Sam's thoughts without him actually needing to speak.

"Why would I go and do that?"

Although Sam hadn't spoken, it was clear that he didn't see anything personally wrong with Mike's death. Perhaps he had broken a rule Sam wasn't aware of and that's why he met his end. Or maybe he was just someone who deserved to die. Sam had seen plenty of those types of people come and go like the wind in his long lived existence. So now that he had seen such a brutal display of carnage first hand why would he go and spoil it? Point out the killer and take away all of the mystery and fun of it all!

The carving resumed after a moment's notice and Sam's giggling matched up with the words as they appeared on the ground before Luso.

"You want to find out who killed this man, huh? Are you scared? Scared you'll be the next to go? You shouldn't be..Unless you broke a rule here in which case I don't see any other alternative. Or maybe you were just destined to die. Maybe that's what happened to this man. But you're right, Aika's a friend. Someone I'd like to see happy. So I'll tell you what I know.."

The carving stopped however and Sam promptly stuck up his middle finger in Luso's direction.

"Hehehehe!"​

As Kuroko teleported to get a closer look at Mike's corpse, she'd have seen that his throat appeared to be slit and there seemed to be two bruises adorning Mike's face, as if he'd been punched.

"Real nice work. Don't think I've seen such a clean cut in a long time. But whoever did this must have been really angry given the bruises. Or they were just having fun."

The words appeared on the ground next to Kuroko as Sam seemingly 'appeared' right next to her as she was looking over the body. As Sam stood close to the girl, she'd be able to feel some kind of dark presence emitting from the sack boy. One that clearly didn't feel human.

"Heh, heh.."
​

"Ehhh?! How am I supposed to know? I'm not the one who killed him! Perhaps the killer wanted to show off his handiwork and figured leaving him out in the open would have gotten everybody's full attention. The bastard certainly succeeded in dirtying the place up, that's for sure." Loyal grumbled before glancing back at Sam who had appeared next to Dipper as the boy spoke up.

"That thing wearing the sack over it's head claims to have seen this all go down. So perhaps you should be directing your questions towards him! The sooner he tells us what he seen, perhaps we can get this whole mess under wraps before it gets any worse!"

Sam pretended to be hurt by Loyal's disparaging way to refer to him as a 'thing.' Leaning on Dipper's shoulder, Sam held a hand up to his mouth and shook his head. If Dipper glanced down, he'd see words appearing before his very eyes.

"What a rude way to treat one of your patrons! I'm just trying to enjoy my time at this carnival like everyone else! It just so happened to be that I was the sole witness to a grisly murder! Yet you treat me like a monster! I have to admit that's very unprofessional behavior, Loyal. But this boy here is onto something. Leaving bodies out for others to see is a nice tactic to help ward off other potential people from breaking the rules-my rules at least. Other times it may just be what you said. Leaving it out for others to see just for fun!"
​

Before the mischievous little sack baby could taunt Loyal and the others any further with his knowledge, he glanced over and saw Aika in such a prone position. It caused a curious stir in Sam's thinking. He had gone out of his way to look for Dolly in her bunny form only to be distracted due to his child like mentality. Yet here he was having his fun by refusing to give up the knowledge of what he'd seen, treating it as if it were some kind of game that the other patrons would have to beat him at. How long could they last before they eventually worked out some way to get the information out of him.

Waddling over to Aika, Sam glanced down at her and offered her a hand up if she'd take it.

He supposed the game wasn't as fun if not everybody was playing and Aika certainly didn't seem like a player.

"Hissss.."

"If just to stop my friend's sadness, I'll give you a little hint of what I saw. I couldn't make out who the killer was but I saw them drag the body out of the mirror maze. Why don't you look there? See what you find..Hehehe.."

@The Tactician @Gummi Bunnies @MrSandman @Atomyk @Jeremi ​

Sam's nearness to Kuroko made her skin crawl, but she had to push it aside for the moment because this murder would not solve itself. "I wouldn't call killing someone in cold blood like this to be fun." She remarked to the boy with a bag on his head.

Whoever did this no doubt had a rather vicious mean streak going for them.

Kuroko's teleporting didn't escape Kyousuke's notice. This carnival had at least one other esper after all. Interesting. His usual cocky smile on his face, Kyousuke teleported to the corpse after her.

"I doubt there's a need for that. It seems we can gleam what we need to know just by looking, don't you think?"

With the new information given by that sack thing, Kyousuke cocked his head in the direction of the mirror maze.

"What say we see the real scene of the crime, miss?"
@The Tactician @Gummi Bunnies @Atomyk @Jeremi @Bomb @T.O.M.​

Huh another teleporter...that's interesting. "I don't know what else the body can tell us..." Kuroko as well would turn her attention towards the mirror maze. "Maybe we can even find the murder weapon?" Doubtful but a girl can dream can't she?

@The Tactician @Gummi Bunnies @Atomyk @Kaykay @Bomb @T.O.M.

 

[Atomyk]

Leonard managed a moment of calm in-between his seething. He grumbled and closed his eyes, crossing his arms as he thought on this disaster of a problem. "If no one informs his family..." He continued to mumble for a moment, until a stray comment from Kuroko snapped the carny to attention. He smiled at the young girl and placed a hand to his chest.

"Not only as a member of Judgement... but you are contractually obligated to investigate as well! The fine print ensures my authority to give you this task!"

Leonard nodded confidently, seeming please as punch with himself. One of these unruly guests was no doubt to blame for the crime, so surely corralling them all into the investigation would be a good way to keep an eye on them. If they could serve the murderer's head on a plate, maybe they could obtain some leniency from the rube masses.

As for Dipper, he found his curiosity piqued at the idea of the murder taking place in a mirror maze. He had no interest in seeing the grisly scene of the crime on a personal level, but it seemed to him that such a location was a rather strange place to attack somebody. He had to look into it further.

But, man, was this ever a odd place to be. Most of the guests looked totally... crazy... weird. The kid wearing a sack on his head, the clown, the strange armored guy-- Dipper was finding himself hitting sensory overload with all these mysterious sights sitting right in front of him. He felt uneasy, like shivers were rocketing up his spine every minute he spent here.

Seeing as Kuroko and the others who'd helped him out of the cage were sort of his default friends around here, Dipper decided to inform them of his plans.

"Hey, yeah... I'm gonna check out the mirror maze with these guys, but somebody should definitely stay here and examine the body. There could be important details hidden if we don't look carefully."

@T.O.M. @Bomb @Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi @The Tactician @Verite @Kaykay @Crow
​

 

[Ringmaster]

And there was the other shoe dropping.

Twisted Fate had called it, the carnival that had made his instincts scream verifying his suspicions. Whoop-de-freaking doo. Now he just had to survive the rest and while he was planning originally on pickpocketing everyones tickets while distracted? Might make him a target now. And if Fate was good at anything, it was the bottom line.

So walking alongside Luso, hands in his pocket he spoke casually.

"Not without me."

@The Tactician

 

[Crow]

Takeru had more prowess in paranormal activity involving spectral beings, as opposed to fresh corpses.

You'd think a dead-person investigator would be a good roll, but not this kind of dead person inspector.

"I'm not good with corpses, but I think that someone should find more evidence of weapon usage, so that I can confirm the nature of the kill."

Takeru looks to the sackheaded one. He was well aware that he could not speak. Placing a shoulder on him, the ghostly Kamen Rider asks, "can you point to everyone who was at the tent when you witnessed the Murder?"

Takeru noted that the four who were present at the Freakshow were unlikely, since they were... well... occupied, and he possessed no evidence that they simply snuck out. With the security here, there's no way it could be them. That's four out... he thinks.

There were two general possibilities now. Three, if you include the possibility of someone sneaking out of their tents to strike.

For someone better with ghosts than corpses, the spooky Rider was coming up with something.

@CCC Kouhai @T.O.M. @Atomyk​

 

[Verite]

Oh-ho, so there's been a murder here, has there? How mysterious. How strange. How scary. How intriguing.

Going with the rest of the crowd, catching sight of the corpse of a man who was evidently too weak to defend himself against someone stronger than him, the murderous jester couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Judging from the panicked words and expressions around, it had appeared that an actual murder was not something that had been planned for the so-called Devil's Carnival. How banal that that possibility could have been, so really, Hisoka felt that everyone should be thanking the culprit of the murder.

Personally, he had little desire to find the killer. If they had to resort to murder and feel the need to do it while nobody was looking, they probably weren't strong at all. And people weren't strong didn't interest Hisoka in the slightest. Still, if there was one thing that he did enjoy, it was a fun game. And if they could make a fun game, a carnival attraction even, out of solving this murder. A game where the goal was to find the dastardly culprit of a most dastardly crime! Like a detective game where he had to piece together the whole story. To himself, the jester figured... Sure, why not? After all, an individual could only be as strong as their mind.

With that said, reaching the scene of the crime along with everybody else, Hisoka stared, a small, calm smile tugging at the edge of his lips, at the body of Spike, his hands placed on his hips.

"A slit throat, eh?" Hisoka said, cupping his chin in thought as he pondered the scenarios in which the murder could have transpired, "Well, wouldn't that be easy? After all, assuming that the body was not dragged from another spot, who's to say the murder weapon wasn't some stray shard of glass?"

@T.O.M. @Bomb @Gummi Bunnies @Jeremi @The Tactician @Atomyk @Kaykay @Crow​

 

[C.T.]

Before the mischievous little sack baby could taunt Loyal and the others any further with his knowledge, he glanced over and saw Aika in such a prone position. It caused a curious stir in Sam's thinking. He had gone out of his way to look for Dolly in her bunny form only to be distracted due to his child like mentality. Yet here he was having his fun by refusing to give up the knowledge of what he'd seen, treating it as if it were some kind of game that the other patrons would have to beat him at. How long could they last before they eventually worked out some way to get the information out of him.

Waddling over to Aika, Sam glanced down at her and offered her a hand up if she'd take it.

He supposed the game wasn't as fun if not everybody was playing and Aika certainly didn't seem like a player.

"Hissss.."

"If just to stop my friend's sadness, I'll give you a little hint of what I saw. I couldn't make out who the killer was but I saw them drag the body out of the mirror maze. Why don't you look there? See what you find..Hehehe.."

@The Tactician @Gummi Bunnies @MrSandman @Atomyk @Jeremi ​

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

The raised voice shouted at the top of her lungs as she jumped in out of nowhere since her player had been occupied with other things and missed a lot, Bazett landing right atop the sack baby that is Sam. "That is more than enough of your mockery and your taunts! I had a feeling you would be an issue the moment you waddled up to me, playing the innocent card. No more mockery, no more little hints! You will reveal it all or I will break you."

@T.O.M. @sorry I was absent here accept this random shit, are you happy Marky :|​

 

[DapperDogman]

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

The raised voice shouted at the top of her lungs as she jumped in out of nowhere since her player had been occupied with other things and missed a lot, Bazett landing right atop the sack baby that is Sam. "That is more than enough of your mockery and your taunts! I had a feeling you would be an issue the moment you waddled up to me, playing the innocent card. No more mockery, no more little hints! You will reveal it all or I will break you."

@T.O.M. @sorry I was absent here accept this random shit, are you happy Marky :|​

Ayumu had gripped the handle of Mysetletainn, and was about ready to carve Sam's pumpkin head into a jack o' lantern, when he stopped mid step, realising someone had landed on the child's back in the time it took him to blink once
"Er..." he stands, chainsaw raised above his head, one leg raised in a step, and a dumb look on his face as he watches the woman work. He lowers his leg, letting out the huge breath he'd intended to use to deliver his killer one liner. Shame, he had no chance to use that line right now. Maybe later, when the sack baby starts being a little shit again?

"Ummm...yeah..." he mutters, resting the blade of the chainsaw on his shoulder gently "What she said"

@C.T. @T.O.M.
#SoLostRN​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"Why, you little!" Luso couldn't help but go red in the face at the sack boy's gesture. However, the boy's next comment kept the teen's hands from reaching for him, instead eliciting a annoyed huff from him as he turned away, "If you think trying to scare is going to keep me from finding the culprit, you've got another thing coming, Sam! Keep Aika safe because I'm heading out to the mirror maze!"

"Heh, heh.."

"You'll never find out who did it! Who knows who'll be the next to go by the time you do! I wish you luck though!"

Sam's true intentions didn't line up with the words his magic made however. For his fingers were crossed behind his back. Luso and anybody else who went into the mirror maze could soak their heads as far as Sam was concerned. He was having so much fun withholding details! Pushing himself off Dipper however, Sam glanced up at the man who had asked for his name and Sam nodded and then pointed for the man to look down at the ground. There he would have seen words that had been magically carved into the ground.

"My name is Samhain but you can call me Sam! :)"

@Crow
​

Kuroko's teleporting didn't escape Kyousuke's notice. This carnival had at least one other esper after all. Interesting. His usual cocky smile on his face, Kyousuke teleported to the corpse after her.

"I doubt there's a need for that. It seems we can gleam what we need to know just by looking, don't you think?"

With the new information given by that sack thing, Kyousuke cocked his head in the direction of the mirror maze.

"What say we see the real scene of the crime, miss?"

Huh another teleporter...that's interesting. "I don't know what else the body can tell us..." Kuroko as well would turn her attention towards the mirror maze. "Maybe we can even find the murder weapon?" Doubtful but a girl can dream can't she?

"Hey, yeah... I'm gonna check out the mirror maze with these guys, but somebody should definitely stay here and examine the body. There could be important details hidden if we don't look carefully."

And there was the other shoe dropping.

Twisted Fate had called it, the carnival that had made his instincts scream verifying his suspicions. Whoop-de-freaking doo. Now he just had to survive the rest and while he was planning originally on pickpocketing everyones tickets while distracted? Might make him a target now. And if Fate was good at anything, it was the bottom line.

So walking alongside Luso, hands in his pocket he spoke casually.

"Not without me."

For those who took Sam's advice and went within the mirror maze, they'd see the following.

The decor at the very least seemed to match alongside the general theme of the carnival. Keeping in tone with the macbre theme, skulls and the like could have been etched into the furnishing. But what might have caught their attention the most was how the carpeting of the maze seemed to grow darker and darker as they continued further. If anybody took a moment to analyze the darker spots on the carpeting, they'd be able to tell they were blood drops that seemed to have formed a lengthy trail.

Along the way mirrors could have been seen with sizable cracks in them, some of them even had glass shards laying out on the floor. Others looked like the impact was more focused in one area almost as if someone had struck a blow onto the mirror. Perhaps it was the killer struggling with his victim? Or was there something more to it? Given the two bruises upon the corpse's face, the former wasn't a stretch by any means. But it seems the group would have to come to their own conclusions for this.

@Atomyk @Kaykay @Jeremi @Ringmaster @The Tactician @Mirror group ​

"What? Hey, why is there a corpse here!?" Daisuke shouted. Frustrated, he went over to the corpse or whatever.

With that said, reaching the scene of the crime along with everybody else, Hisoka stared, a small, calm smile tugging at the edge of his lips, at the body of Spike, his hands placed on his hips.

"A slit throat, eh?" Hisoka said, cupping his chin in thought as he pondered the scenarios in which the murder could have transpired, "Well, wouldn't that be easy? After all, assuming that the body was not dragged from another spot, who's to say the murder weapon wasn't some stray shard of glass?"

For those who decided to stay near the body, Sam held up a finger as if to say 'one moment please' to Takeru and waddled back over to Hisoka and Daisuke.

"Hehehehehe!"

"Slit throats are easy! But that's not all! Take a closer look..."

If Daisuke followed Sam's request, he'd see that there were noticeable grazes on Mike's face such as the cheek, even running right over one of the bruises. Then there were other ones on his leg and arm. Clapping his hands in what almost seemed like earnest glee, Sam hopped from one foot to the other.

"It almost seems like whoever killed this man was toying with him! Taking little snips here and there before finally finishing him off! If he really was a rule-breaker than there's no more suitable a punishment that I can think of! But this is certainly one of the most malicious! Hehehe!"

Having given the group a little more of a push in the right direction, Sam turned back to answer Takeru's other question.
​

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

The raised voice shouted at the top of her lungs as she jumped in out of nowhere since her player had been occupied with other things and missed a lot, Bazett landing right atop the sack baby that is Sam. "That is more than enough of your mockery and your taunts! I had a feeling you would be an issue the moment you waddled up to me, playing the innocent card. No more mockery, no more little hints! You will reveal it all or I will break you."

Or he would have if he didn't have other matters to attend to. Turning with a speed that might have surprised Bazett, Sam held up his lolipop and enhancing it with his magic, Bazett's feet pushed against the otherwise seemingly normal confectionery treat as Sam was steadily pushed back. He had underestimated Bazett before but now that he had already been struck by her, the spirit knew how powerful this woman could be and he wouldn't take any chances with her again. Least of all when she was currently trying to ruin his fun. But even so, her strength was a bit more than Sam usually dealt with and before he could fully adjust, he was sent flying back as Bazett finally smashed into the ground.

Rolling along the ground, the rope around Sam's mask came undone and as he rose to his feet, the mask which had been knocked loose by the blow slowly drifted off Sam's bulbous head and landed in a heap next to the sack baby. But Sam wasn't laughing this time around. He had been having his fun by teasing all these people who were so concerned about the death of one man and Bazett not only wished to get information out of him and spoil the mystery and game like atmosphere of it all but ruin his fun!

Reaching for wherever his lolipop had ended up after the roll, Sam hopped to his feet and looked himself over.

Didn't seem to be any major puncture wounds as far as he could see. Which meant that he wouldn't have to waste time healing. But it also meant that Bazett had come out of the clash relatively unharmed as well. Perhaps a bit surprised at how much power Sam actually had within him but nothing more than that. Still, it'd been some time since Sam found someone capable of forcing him to actually show why he was the guardian of Halloween and it's enforcer. Most rulebreakers were run of the mill humans who Sam either disposed of himself in short order or he had his werewolves/zombies do it for him. Here? There would be none of that. He'd deal with Bazett himself.

"Hissss!"

Pointing his lolipop in Bazett's direction, Sam motioned for her to come at him if she pleased. Wouldn't be any fun if they just stood around and yelled at each other now would it? Besides, she'd gone and put him in a poor mood! There had to be some resolution to this sudden conflict!
​

"Ummm...yeah..." he mutters, resting the blade of the chainsaw on his shoulder gently "What she said"

As usual Sam paid the zombie little mind. Except for the fact that now that his face was revealed once more, he turned towards Ayumu with a blank expression.

"BOO!"

@C.T. @DapperDogman




​

 

[Ringmaster]

The decor at the very least seemed to match alongside the general theme of the carnival. Keeping in tone with the macbre theme, skulls and the like could have been etched into the furnishing. But what might have caught their attention the most was how the carpeting of the maze seemed to grow darker and darker as they continued further. If anybody took a moment to analyze the darker spots on the carpeting, they'd be able to tell they were blood drops that seemed to have formed a lengthy trail.

Along the way mirrors could have been seen with sizable cracks in them, some of them even had glass shards laying out on the floor. Others looked like the impact was more focused in one area almost as if someone had struck a blow onto the mirror. Perhaps it was the killer struggling with his victim? Or was there something more to it? Given the two bruises upon the corpse's face, the former wasn't a stretch by any means. But it seems the group would have to come to their own conclusions for this.

@Atomyk @Kaykay @Jeremi @Ringmaster @The Tactician @Mirror group

Well, well, well.

Twisted Fate knelt to touch the tip of his finger to the blood marks. Rubbing the tips of them together afterward, he hummed thoughtfully before moving on. To the cracks, he tried to find some sort of pattern to them. Like for example, a head smashed into them would leave a spider-web mark pattern. A weapon slammed, would leave a different mark- Things of that nature. Because if that was the case? He voiced his opinion aloud to the people with him.

"Keep an eye out for a weapon. If the killer didn't just use their bare hands or what have you, its likely they just dropped it around here."

@Atomyk @Kaykay @Jeremi @T.O.M. @The Tactician @Mirror group​

 

[DapperDogman]

Or he would have if he didn't have other matters to attend to. Turning with a speed that might have surprised Bazett, Sam held up his lolipop and enhancing it with his magic, Bazett's feet pushed against the otherwise seemingly normal confectionery treat as Sam was steadily pushed back. He had underestimated Bazett before but now that he had already been struck by her, the spirit knew how powerful this woman could be and he wouldn't take any chances with her again. Least of all when she was currently trying to ruin his fun. But even so, her strength was a bit more than Sam usually dealt with and before he could fully adjust, he was sent flying back as Bazett finally smashed into the ground.

Rolling along the ground, the rope around Sam's mask came undone and as he rose to his feet, the mask which had been knocked loose by the blow slowly drifted off Sam's bulbous head and landed in a heap next to the sack baby. But Sam wasn't laughing this time around. He had been having his fun by teasing all these people who were so concerned about the death of one man and Bazett not only wished to get information out of him and spoil the mystery and game like atmosphere of it all but ruin his fun!

Reaching for wherever his lolipop had ended up after the roll, Sam hopped to his feet and looked himself over.

Didn't seem to be any major puncture wounds as far as he could see. Which meant that he wouldn't have to waste time healing. But it also meant that Bazett had come out of the clash relatively unharmed as well. Perhaps a bit surprised at how much power Sam actually had within him but nothing more than that. Still, it'd been some time since Sam found someone capable of forcing him to actually show why he was the guardian of Halloween and it's enforcer. Most rulebreakers were run of the mill humans who Sam either disposed of himself in short order or he had his werewolves/zombies do it for him. Here? There would be none of that. He'd deal with Bazett himself.

"Hissss!"

Pointing his lolipop in Bazett's direction, Sam motioned for her to come at him if she pleased. Wouldn't be any fun if they just stood around and yelled at each other now would it? Besides, she'd gone and put him in a poor mood! There had to be some resolution to this sudden conflict!
​

As usual Sam paid the zombie little mind. Except for the fact that now that his face was revealed once more, he turned towards Ayumu with a blank expression.

"BOO!"

@C.T. @DapperDogman




​

Ayumu shrinks backward slightly "Jeez" he mutters as he takes a few steps back, looking to Bazett for a moment. He couldn't place it, but he felt very powerful magic coming from her, and the way she was able to send Sam flying like that told him she wasn't as simple as she looked

Perhaps she was a masou shojou?"

He watches the pair for a moment, deciding he'd rather not get in this woman's way, and he'd see if she could handle herself before he jumped in. Knowing his track record, she'd end up snapping his spine by punching him when he got in the way of her strike...just like that one time with Haruna

Yeah, being sawed in half was a bitch. He didn't need that happening again

@C.T. @T.O.M.​

 

[C.T.]

He'd deal with Bazett himself.

"Hissss!"

Pointing his lolipop in Bazett's direction, Sam motioned for her to come at him if she pleased. Wouldn't be any fun if they just stood around and yelled at each other now would it? Besides, she'd gone and put him in a poor mood! There had to be some resolution to this sudden conflict!​

She charged forward without another word, closing the distance as fast as she could. Her gloves lit up with her runes, hardening her gloves. As she came in, her fist slammed down, aiming to piledrive Sam into the ground until only his little sack head was able to be seen.

@T.O.M. @DapperDogman​

 

[Verite]

For those who decided to stay near the body, Sam held up a finger as if to say 'one moment please' to Takeru and waddled back over to Hisoka and Daisuke.

"Hehehehehe!"

"Slit throats are easy! But that's not all! Take a closer look..."

If Daisuke followed Sam's request, he'd see that there were noticeable grazes on Mike's face such as the cheek, even running right over one of the bruises. Then there were other ones on his leg and arm. Clapping his hands in what almost seemed like earnest glee, Sam hopped from one foot to the other.

"It almost seems like whoever killed this man was toying with him! Taking little snips here and there before finally finishing him off! If he really was a rule-breaker than there's no more suitable a punishment that I can think of! But this is certainly one of the most malicious! Hehehe!"

Having given the group a little more of a push in the right direction, Sam turned back to answer Takeru's other question.​

"If that's the case, then with little cuts like that, all the more possibility that it could have been glass, no? And I imagine that--"​

She charged forward without another word, closing the distance as fast as she could. Her gloves lit up with her runes, hardening her gloves. As she came in, her fist slammed down, aiming to piledrive Sam into the ground until only his little sack head was able to be seen.

@T.O.M. @DapperDogman​

Or he would have if he didn't have other matters to attend to. Turning with a speed that might have surprised Bazett, Sam held up his lolipop and enhancing it with his magic, Bazett's feet pushed against the otherwise seemingly normal confectionery treat as Sam was steadily pushed back. He had underestimated Bazett before but now that he had already been struck by her, the spirit knew how powerful this woman could be and he wouldn't take any chances with her again. Least of all when she was currently trying to ruin his fun. But even so, her strength was a bit more than Sam usually dealt with and before he could fully adjust, he was sent flying back as Bazett finally smashed into the ground.

Rolling along the ground, the rope around Sam's mask came undone and as he rose to his feet, the mask which had been knocked loose by the blow slowly drifted off Sam's bulbous head and landed in a heap next to the sack baby. But Sam wasn't laughing this time around. He had been having his fun by teasing all these people who were so concerned about the death of one man and Bazett not only wished to get information out of him and spoil the mystery and game like atmosphere of it all but ruin his fun!

Reaching for wherever his lolipop had ended up after the roll, Sam hopped to his feet and looked himself over.

Didn't seem to be any major puncture wounds as far as he could see. Which meant that he wouldn't have to waste time healing. But it also meant that Bazett had come out of the clash relatively unharmed as well. Perhaps a bit surprised at how much power Sam actually had within him but nothing more than that. Still, it'd been some time since Sam found someone capable of forcing him to actually show why he was the guardian of Halloween and it's enforcer. Most rulebreakers were run of the mill humans who Sam either disposed of himself in short order or he had his werewolves/zombies do it for him. Here? There would be none of that. He'd deal with Bazett himself.

"Hissss!"

Pointing his lolipop in Bazett's direction, Sam motioned for her to come at him if she pleased. Wouldn't be any fun if they just stood around and yelled at each other now would it? Besides, she'd gone and put him in a poor mood! There had to be some resolution to this sudden conflict!
​

As usual Sam paid the zombie little mind. Except for the fact that now that his face was revealed once more, he turned towards Ayumu with a blank expression.

"BOO!"

@C.T. @DapperDogman​

"..."

@nobody </3​

 

[Khan of the Mardu]

"Heh, heh.."

"You'll never find out who did it! Who knows who'll be the next to go by the time you do! I wish you luck though!"

Sam's true intentions didn't line up with the words his magic made however. For his fingers were crossed behind his back. Luso and anybody else who went into the mirror maze could soak their heads as far as Sam was concerned. He was having so much fun withholding details! Pushing himself off Dipper however, Sam glanced up at the man who had asked for his name and Sam nodded and then pointed for the man to look down at the ground. There he would have seen words that had been magically carved into the ground.

"My name is Samhain but you can call me Sam! :)"

@Crow
​

For those who took Sam's advice and went within the mirror maze, they'd see the following.

The decor at the very least seemed to match alongside the general theme of the carnival. Keeping in tone with the macbre theme, skulls and the like could have been etched into the furnishing. But what might have caught their attention the most was how the carpeting of the maze seemed to grow darker and darker as they continued further. If anybody took a moment to analyze the darker spots on the carpeting, they'd be able to tell they were blood drops that seemed to have formed a lengthy trail.

Along the way mirrors could have been seen with sizable cracks in them, some of them even had glass shards laying out on the floor. Others looked like the impact was more focused in one area almost as if someone had struck a blow onto the mirror. Perhaps it was the killer struggling with his victim? Or was there something more to it? Given the two bruises upon the corpse's face, the former wasn't a stretch by any means. But it seems the group would have to come to their own conclusions for this.

@Atomyk @Kaykay @Jeremi @Ringmaster @The Tactician @Mirror group ​

For those who decided to stay near the body, Sam held up a finger as if to say 'one moment please' to Takeru and waddled back over to Hisoka and Daisuke.

"Hehehehehe!"

"Slit throats are easy! But that's not all! Take a closer look..."

If Daisuke followed Sam's request, he'd see that there were noticeable grazes on Mike's face such as the cheek, even running right over one of the bruises. Then there were other ones on his leg and arm. Clapping his hands in what almost seemed like earnest glee, Sam hopped from one foot to the other.

"It almost seems like whoever killed this man was toying with him! Taking little snips here and there before finally finishing him off! If he really was a rule-breaker than there's no more suitable a punishment that I can think of! But this is certainly one of the most malicious! Hehehe!"

Having given the group a little more of a push in the right direction, Sam turned back to answer Takeru's other question.
​

Or he would have if he didn't have other matters to attend to. Turning with a speed that might have surprised Bazett, Sam held up his lolipop and enhancing it with his magic, Bazett's feet pushed against the otherwise seemingly normal confectionery treat as Sam was steadily pushed back. He had underestimated Bazett before but now that he had already been struck by her, the spirit knew how powerful this woman could be and he wouldn't take any chances with her again. Least of all when she was currently trying to ruin his fun. But even so, her strength was a bit more than Sam usually dealt with and before he could fully adjust, he was sent flying back as Bazett finally smashed into the ground.

Rolling along the ground, the rope around Sam's mask came undone and as he rose to his feet, the mask which had been knocked loose by the blow slowly drifted off Sam's bulbous head and landed in a heap next to the sack baby. But Sam wasn't laughing this time around. He had been having his fun by teasing all these people who were so concerned about the death of one man and Bazett not only wished to get information out of him and spoil the mystery and game like atmosphere of it all but ruin his fun!

Reaching for wherever his lolipop had ended up after the roll, Sam hopped to his feet and looked himself over.

Didn't seem to be any major puncture wounds as far as he could see. Which meant that he wouldn't have to waste time healing. But it also meant that Bazett had come out of the clash relatively unharmed as well. Perhaps a bit surprised at how much power Sam actually had within him but nothing more than that. Still, it'd been some time since Sam found someone capable of forcing him to actually show why he was the guardian of Halloween and it's enforcer. Most rulebreakers were run of the mill humans who Sam either disposed of himself in short order or he had his werewolves/zombies do it for him. Here? There would be none of that. He'd deal with Bazett himself.

"Hissss!"

Pointing his lolipop in Bazett's direction, Sam motioned for her to come at him if she pleased. Wouldn't be any fun if they just stood around and yelled at each other now would it? Besides, she'd gone and put him in a poor mood! There had to be some resolution to this sudden conflict!
​

As usual Sam paid the zombie little mind. Except for the fact that now that his face was revealed once more, he turned towards Ayumu with a blank expression.

"BOO!"

@C.T. @DapperDogman




​

Well, well, well.

Twisted Fate knelt to touch the tip of his finger to the blood marks. Rubbing the tips of them together afterward, he hummed thoughtfully before moving on. To the cracks, he tried to find some sort of pattern to them. Like for example, a head smashed into them would leave a spider-web mark pattern. A weapon slammed, would leave a different mark- Things of that nature. Because if that was the case? He voiced his opinion aloud to the people with him.

"Keep an eye out for a weapon. If the killer didn't just use their bare hands or what have you, its likely they just dropped it around here."

@Atomyk @Kaykay @Jeremi @T.O.M. @The Tactician @Mirror group​

"Got it," Luso called back, carefully picking his way through the maze of mirrors in order to discover any sort of weapon within the labyrinth. It wasn't an easy task, given the nature of the paths, but hopefully, he would find something to report back to the man who had given them their direction and dressed like a cowboy- Who also hadn't ever told his name to Luso. That was an important piece of info he should know, and he called back through the corridors, "Hey, cowboy guy, name's Luso if you haven't caught it before. Mind telling us yours?"​

 

[Ryu Keiko]

~Chapter Update!~

"El Carnaval de sangre"

Things seemed to have been progressing rather nicely for the most part in the carnival. The groups had split off as they had been instructed and went to the tents of their choosing. Although what they found inside was often more than they had bargained for. Such as finding what appeared to be an innocent boy in a cell, or a bunny that can seamlessly transform into whatever it's master wishes it to. That's not even getting into the others like the firebreather and the fortuneteller!

But all fun must eventually come to a grinding halt at some point however.

For as Monsieur Loyal was wandering the carnival's grounds, making sure everything was in tip top shape, the sight that awaited him was not a pleasant one.

"UGH! WHO DECIDED TO LEAVE THIS-THIS FILTH LAYING OUT WHERE ANYBODY COULD STUMBLE UPON IT! FREDERIKA! FREDERIIIIIIIKAAAAA-"

Holding her hands over her ears, the chief of the carnival's security made her way over, grimacing at the sight. It was her duty to make sure all of the participants in this carnival had a good time but it didn't make seeing stuff like this go down any easier.

"..Vhat should we do, Loyal? If ve vere to just let this go unaddressed and one of the other patrons were to stumble across it, who knows vhat might happen!"

"Don't you think I know that!? W-We'll have to get them all gathered up and show them all at once! It's better than listening to the wailing of one or a group of them finding it themselves, that's for bloody sure..."

Before Frederika and Loyal could go about this task however, they could have heard a skittering coming from nearby. Similar to that of a spider. As Frederika glanced around for any potential threats, she would have had to glance quite a ways down so that she could see the giggling sack boy standing at her feet.

"Heh heh.."

"Y-You! You're that sack headed..thing that showed up at the start of the carnival! Were you behind this?"

If Sam was intimidated by Loyal raising his hand to him, he certainly didn't let it show. The child simply shook his head from side to side and both Frederika and Loyal could have felt a powerful aura emitting from Sam and at Sam's feet instead of his usual shadow, there would have been a much larger adult-sized one that seemed to be adorned in a black robe. This was reflective of Sam's true form and a warning that Frederika and Loyal should keep their hands to themselves.

But if they wanted an explanation of Sam's whereabouts then he was more than eager to provide it! Pointing over to the Firebreather tent, words began to appear on the ground near Sam's feet courtesy of his power.

"What was I up to? I was looking for my dear friend Aika's dolly! Then I lost track of the bunny and ended up here! I teased the zombie boy and played around with the other child. But then I heard something and snuck out to go see it. I saw...Everything. I couldn't see who did it but that's okay. I had fun despite it. Can't say that they did though. :)"

"Hee hee.."

This revelation didn't shock Loyal because he already had a feeling something was odd with this boy even if Sam really was one. Frederika however was more taken aback that the odd little boy she had spoken to earlier would be so joyful when addressing a murder of all things! Not to mention that he apparently watched the whole ordeal occur. Taking a step forward, Frederika glanced down at Sam.

"Sam..Did you do this? Vere you the one who ended this poor man's life?"

Sam stared up at the guard and no giggles came this time. But he did take a step forward with his lolipop in hand as he ran it across his neck.

"I didn't hurt this man. He didn't break any of my rules. I only punish rulebreakers."

Rules?

Did Sam mean the rules of the carnival? Or was he referring to his own cryptic set of rules? Frederika couldn't understand and Loyal was losing his patience. He didn't have any desire to get into some drawn out battle with Sam, least of all when he didn't know exactly what the boy was. But every second they kept talking to Sam, it was another second wasted figuring out who did this.

So raising a loudspeaker to his mouth, Loyal shouted into it.

"ALL ATTENDEES OF THE DEVIL'S CARNIVAL! REPORT BACK TO THE MAIN AREA! THE SAME GOES FOR THE CARNIES! I WANT EVERYONE PRESENT, NOW!"

His message made loud and clear, Loyal turned towards Sam and grit his teeth at the pagan spirit. Walking towards him, he sough to grip Sam by the collar of his costume and pull him off his feet.

"I don't know what you are behind this mask. But I know for certain that you're no innocent little boy. I don't know what you may have really seen but you'll be a cooperative little brat until we figure out exactly what happened. Am I understood?"

Displeased at this sudden physical provocation, Sam vanished from Loyal's grasp and hissed in his direction.

"I'll do what I want and say what I want. So long as it's not breaking any of your carnival's rules, Monsieur Loyal. :)"

***
The kid gripped the bars of his cell and threw a sour look Kuroko's way at the notion he was was an idiot of any sort."Hey, you don't understand, he's persuasive. How was I supposed to know a deal with some shady carnival guy would get me... hrm." He sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. "Maybe I'm a bit of an idiot."

Cordis only looked bored. He paid the guest's discomfort little heed and physically waved off what was being said."The boy is just being held until I can think of what to do with him," he said, saying boy as if the kid wasn't even there to hear him. "The real show lies further in."

Leonard's ears flattened at the conversation, though he tried his best to look cool in front of the disgruntled guests."Of course the real show lies further in! What do you take this carnival for? Cordis, it is rather unseemly to place the innocent ones at the entrance here... where is that grand mummy you said you had prepared?"

"Hm." The freak show operator shrugged.

"There were... complications, ones that I'm dealing with. Now, Leonard, if you have an issue with how I conduct my own tent, then I should remind you that you have been the one to interfere with my operation. The boy was given to me without warning and so I simply placed him where I had space. I am not the mind reader of this carnival. If that is insufficient for you, then I suggest you remove the child from my establishment yourself."

Leonard seethed slightly, baring his fanged teeth. "Then maybe to avoid some needless hand wringing--"

Monsieur Loyal's voice cut through the conversation, feeding into the tent from a distant location outside. Leonard froze where he stood, blinking in confusion for a moment. "Now, why would he..." He shook his head, his mood changing for the better now that he had an excuse to shuffle everyone out of here. "Well then, may as well get this boy out of here as well. If you all want to keep the tickets I've so graciously awarded you, get going!"

Leonard produced a key ring from his pocket, moving to the cage and letting the kid free. The boy mumbled a thanks as he shuffled out to join the others leaving the tent. Rubbing at the back of his head in embarrassment, he said, "I'm not sure if you did anything at all, but thanks anyway. Oh, hey, just so you know, my name's Dipper..."

He followed the others as they proceeded back to the main area of the carnival, per Loyal's orders.

***

"Hm? Now, I wonder what Loyal could want with us.."

Well, orders were orders and Loyal was his boss. He still hadn't seen Sam return but perhaps the strange child had wandered off to another tent of his own. As Houdini sat on his master's arm, the illusionist motioned for those present in his tent to follow him.

"I do apologize for the inconvenience, my dearest guests! Least of all after what we've just gone through! I'm sure this will take only but a moment!"

Presuming Arvid and all of the other carnies/guests in this fair carnival did as they were instructed and met back at the main area of the carnival, Loyal didn't look too happy as he continued to pace around in a circle, his eyes boring holes in the ground with his gaze. As soon as Frederika poked him on the shoulder, he noticed that everyone had been gathered and quickly cleared his throat to speak.

"Ah, took all of you long enough! What? Did you think just because this is a carnival you could lounge around to your heart's content? There are still responsibilities one carries even while they're supposed to be having fun! But, oh, ohhhh that's why we're here! Someone has their own brand of fun and they're not shy to let us all know! For those of you who are squeamish? I suggest you look away or man up! For what I'm about to show you is not for the faint of heart!"

Giving a brief look over the group to judge for reactions, Loyal stepped to the side and revealed none other than the corpse of Michaelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti!

"That's right my lovely guests! A life has been snuffed out and now we're left to deduce who may done it! It could have been you, you, who knows! But what I do know is that unless we find out who did it, who's to say they'll refrain from snuffing out another potential light among our group? I know for certain that whoever this murderous entity may be, we've someone who's seen their carnage up close! Isn't that right, Samhain?"

"Heh, heh.."

Sam had said his piece as far as he was concerned. He hadn't killed this man himself for reasons known only to the spirit. But he had been a witness to this man's murder and if there was anything more to it than Sam wasn't saying. The other people here could feel free to ask him questions at their heart's content, perhaps even through physical force. But who knew what kind of results that would garner?

"Disturbing little whelp..IN ANY CASE, if what this boy says is true than he managed to see this man's murder! Not only did he see it but he didn't raise a finger to help! Question him at your leisure! That said, the last thing I want is for any of you to lose your heads! Refrain from panicking and think about this rationally! Otherwise who knows what could happen?! That is all!"

Cast
@T.O.M. as Sam (Trick R' Treat) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Crow as Tenkuuji Takeru (Kamen Rider Ghost) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 2 ]
@The Tactician as Luso Clemens (Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2: Grimoire of the Rift) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Verite as Hisoka (HunterXHunter) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 2 ]
@C.T. as Bazett Fraga McRemitz (Type-Moon) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@The Silver Paladin as Princess Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca (Final Fantasy XII) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Archmage Jeremiah as Jhin (League of Legends) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@DapperDogman as Ayumu Aikawa (Is This a Zombie?) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@CrunchyCHEEZIT as Iggy (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Ryu Keiko as Seras Victoria (Hellsing) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@york as Cat (Stray Cat Crossing) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1]
@OrlandoBloomers as Deadpool - aka SkullpoopL - (Marvel) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@Krieg as Frisk (Undertale) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Ringmaster as Tobias (League of Legends) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@Schnee Corp Lawyer as Conner Kent (Young Justice) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@Atomyk as Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Jeremi as Shirari Kuroko (A Certain Magical Index) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 2 ]
@Kaykay as Kyousuke Hyoubu (Zettai Karen Children) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 2 ]
@Gummi Bunnies as Aika (Animal Crossing) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@Archwar as BOB (Original Character) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1]
@IntrusivePenDesperateSword as Rumble McSkirmish (Gravity Falls) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@Gwazi Magnum as Morgan Freeman (True Facts About Morgan Freeman) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@ResistingTheEnlightened as Michaelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti (Flashpoint) [ Status: DEAD/Tickets: 0 ]
@GlassTrinity as Lorde (South Park) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 0 ]
@Bomb as Daisuke (Chaos Rings III) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]
@MrSandman as Michael Ehrmantraut (Better Call Saul/Breaking Bad) [ Status: Alive/Tickets: 1 ]​

Seras stood behind the group of carnival-goers and blinked. Her eyes flashed red as she saw the body on the ground. What could have happened? Surely Same couldn't have done this, no? She thought to herself. She sighed, hoping to get answers soon. She licked her lips slightly. The blood on the ground had quite the... Intoxicating scent to it.

@T.O.M. @Krieg @EveryoneElse!!! (Too much to tag....)

 

[Jeremi]

"Heh, heh.."

"You'll never find out who did it! Who knows who'll be the next to go by the time you do! I wish you luck though!"

Sam's true intentions didn't line up with the words his magic made however. For his fingers were crossed behind his back. Luso and anybody else who went into the mirror maze could soak their heads as far as Sam was concerned. He was having so much fun withholding details! Pushing himself off Dipper however, Sam glanced up at the man who had asked for his name and Sam nodded and then pointed for the man to look down at the ground. There he would have seen words that had been magically carved into the ground.

"My name is Samhain but you can call me Sam! :)"

@Crow
​

For those who took Sam's advice and went within the mirror maze, they'd see the following.

The decor at the very least seemed to match alongside the general theme of the carnival. Keeping in tone with the macbre theme, skulls and the like could have been etched into the furnishing. But what might have caught their attention the most was how the carpeting of the maze seemed to grow darker and darker as they continued further. If anybody took a moment to analyze the darker spots on the carpeting, they'd be able to tell they were blood drops that seemed to have formed a lengthy trail.

Along the way mirrors could have been seen with sizable cracks in them, some of them even had glass shards laying out on the floor. Others looked like the impact was more focused in one area almost as if someone had struck a blow onto the mirror. Perhaps it was the killer struggling with his victim? Or was there something more to it? Given the two bruises upon the corpse's face, the former wasn't a stretch by any means. But it seems the group would have to come to their own conclusions for this.

@Atomyk @Kaykay @Jeremi @Ringmaster @The Tactician @Mirror group ​

For those who decided to stay near the body, Sam held up a finger as if to say 'one moment please' to Takeru and waddled back over to Hisoka and Daisuke.

"Hehehehehe!"

"Slit throats are easy! But that's not all! Take a closer look..."

If Daisuke followed Sam's request, he'd see that there were noticeable grazes on Mike's face such as the cheek, even running right over one of the bruises. Then there were other ones on his leg and arm. Clapping his hands in what almost seemed like earnest glee, Sam hopped from one foot to the other.

"It almost seems like whoever killed this man was toying with him! Taking little snips here and there before finally finishing him off! If he really was a rule-breaker than there's no more suitable a punishment that I can think of! But this is certainly one of the most malicious! Hehehe!"

Having given the group a little more of a push in the right direction, Sam turned back to answer Takeru's other question.
​

Or he would have if he didn't have other matters to attend to. Turning with a speed that might have surprised Bazett, Sam held up his lolipop and enhancing it with his magic, Bazett's feet pushed against the otherwise seemingly normal confectionery treat as Sam was steadily pushed back. He had underestimated Bazett before but now that he had already been struck by her, the spirit knew how powerful this woman could be and he wouldn't take any chances with her again. Least of all when she was currently trying to ruin his fun. But even so, her strength was a bit more than Sam usually dealt with and before he could fully adjust, he was sent flying back as Bazett finally smashed into the ground.

Rolling along the ground, the rope around Sam's mask came undone and as he rose to his feet, the mask which had been knocked loose by the blow slowly drifted off Sam's bulbous head and landed in a heap next to the sack baby. But Sam wasn't laughing this time around. He had been having his fun by teasing all these people who were so concerned about the death of one man and Bazett not only wished to get information out of him and spoil the mystery and game like atmosphere of it all but ruin his fun!

Reaching for wherever his lolipop had ended up after the roll, Sam hopped to his feet and looked himself over.

Didn't seem to be any major puncture wounds as far as he could see. Which meant that he wouldn't have to waste time healing. But it also meant that Bazett had come out of the clash relatively unharmed as well. Perhaps a bit surprised at how much power Sam actually had within him but nothing more than that. Still, it'd been some time since Sam found someone capable of forcing him to actually show why he was the guardian of Halloween and it's enforcer. Most rulebreakers were run of the mill humans who Sam either disposed of himself in short order or he had his werewolves/zombies do it for him. Here? There would be none of that. He'd deal with Bazett himself.

"Hissss!"

Pointing his lolipop in Bazett's direction, Sam motioned for her to come at him if she pleased. Wouldn't be any fun if they just stood around and yelled at each other now would it? Besides, she'd gone and put him in a poor mood! There had to be some resolution to this sudden conflict!
​

As usual Sam paid the zombie little mind. Except for the fact that now that his face was revealed once more, he turned towards Ayumu with a blank expression.

"BOO!"

@C.T. @DapperDogman




​

It wouldn't be off to consider that the murder could've happened in here. Kuroko would kneel down where the blood trail started. "Well gang, seems like we found some more clues."

Looking up at the mirrors she'd see the destruction. "I wonder if there was a struggle here...wouldn't that mean that whoever the killer was had enough power to fight a full grown man?" She wasn't quite sure if anything conclusive could be drawn from this but at least it was a start.

@Atomyk @Kaykay @T.O.M. @Ringmaster @The Tactician @Mirror group ​

 

[Ringmaster]

"Fate. Twisted Fate."

He drawled to Luso as he paused at Kuroko's thoughts spoken aloud. With a wry grin he added.

"I sure hope so little lady. Might make it easier to discover."


@Atomyk @Kaykay @Jeremi @T.O.M. @The Tactician@Mirror group

 

[Khan of the Mardu]

It wouldn't be off to consider that the murder could've happened in here. Kuroko would kneel down where the blood trail started. "Well gang, seems like we found some more clues."

Looking up at the mirrors she'd see the destruction. "I wonder if there was a struggle here...wouldn't that mean that whoever the killer was had enough power to fight a full grown man?" She wasn't quite sure if anything conclusive could be drawn from this but at least it was a start.

@Atomyk @Kaykay @T.O.M. @Ringmaster @The Tactician @Mirror group ​

"Fate. Twisted Fate."

He drawled to Luso as he paused at Kuroko's thoughts spoken aloud. With a wry grin he added.

"I sure hope so little lady. Might make it easier to discover."


@Atomyk @Kaykay @Jeremi @T.O.M. @The Tactician@Mirror group

"Hmm... I don't know about real powers," Luso called back to Fate and Kuroko, "What if the guy is just really strong? It could be they're fit kind of like me instead of having powers like some of the people here."​

 

[Jeremi]

"Hmm... I don't know about real powers," Luso called back to Fate and Kuroko, "What if the guy is just really strong? It could be they're fit kind of like me instead of having powers like some of the people here."​

"No no. That's what I mean. I can't see someone scrawny like you doing it." Kuroko replied back to Luso.

@Atomyk @Kaykay @T.O.M. @Ringmaster @The Tactician @Mirror group