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Night of the Golden Witch

TheSequelReturns

Faithful Crusader
~ Cainhurst Manor - Dining Room ~

The somber mood that hung over the group seemed to dull everything, even the taste of Violetta's five star cooking. The chef hadn't been seen since her initial appearance, but it seemed that she didn't yet know about the strange circumstances that had so far befallen the estate.

The staff did their best to follow the standard routine, but it was easy to tell their hearts were no longer in it. There were few smiles. No jokes. Hardly any small talk. The festive decor and delicious food did nothing to change the fact that someone had been killed and the master of the home was missing. This was a fact Alena was the first to voice.

"I can't bear this! Why can't we all stop ****ing avoiding it and just talk? This is a free country, someone just got bloody murdered and Gramps isn't in his room! We eat dinner, grab a few drinks...and then what? We're just sitting around quietly like weak little lambs, waiting for the next bad thing to happen!"

Jules' expression softened at his daughter's outburst. As much as the decorum-obsessed side of him wanted to reprimand her, he knew she was right. They should be doing more, hunger be damned.

"It is natural defense mechanism for prey to gather in herds. Makes it harder for predator to enter their mists." a familiar Russian voice said. Yuri and Belle entered the room together and took seats at the table where they could. "Now we are all together." Yuri said. "We stay close, killer can not strike unseen."

"Unless one of us is the killer." Belle said quietly. Though the curly haired maid had taken a seat, she simply sat with her head down. She hadn't even reached for a plate. Lucy gave her a raised eyebrow and a glace that suggested she should do her job, but Belle either didn't see or simply ignored her.

Yuri shrugged as he stuffed a bite of vegetables in his mouth. Not a single meat item was on his plate. "Still, killer will have hard time killing in crowded room."

"Isn't Alena right though?" Orianna asked. "Shouldn't we be out doing something about all of this? Looking for Kieran? Anything?"

The orange haired maid, Katrina, sighed. "What else can we do? We can't even go looking without putting ourselves in harms way. Especially if some psycho is out there in the dark."

Jules nodded. "I agree with Yuri. What is safest for all of us is to stay together."

"In that case..." Gregory looked off towards the kitchen and gave Lucy a look.

The raven haired maid nodded. "Yes, I should tell Vi what's going on." Lucy took a deep breath, clasped her hands to compose herself, and headed off into the kitchen. For a moment, everything was quiet. Then the door burst open and Violetta came stumbling out of the kitchen, a batter soaked whisk still in one hand and a flour stained apron around her waist. Her face was twisted with grief.

"Not my little Sai Sai." she said between sobs. "Please tell me it isn't true."

Lucy knelt with her against the wall, Katrina and Gregory heading over for support. It became apparent through her sobbing that she and Saizo had shared a special relationship between them, though what exactly that entailed was not elaborated on.

After Vi managed to calm herself, she simply sat there on the floor, her back against the wall, whisk sitting on the floor in a small puddle of batter. Katrina stayed with her. Lucy had gone back to the kitchen to ensure that whatever Vi had been working on didn't burn to a crisp in the oven and returned a few minutes later with a large cake pan upon which rested a massive chocolate cake, though by this point Yuri seemed to be the only one looking forward to it.

"I'm sorry Vi." Lucy said. "I truly am. If only all of this could have been prevented somehow."

"Oh, but my dears, this is all just the beginning." a voice called out from the back of the room. The voice fell over the group like honey, sweet and smooth and rich. All heads in the room turned to see a figure standing at the far side of the room, opposite the kitchen doors. It was impossible for them to have gotten in the room through the kitchen or the entryway doors without being seen by someone, and yet there they were. The honeyed voice belonged to someone even more impossible though. For the woman who now stood before the group looked for all the world like the woman from the painting in the foyer. She looked like Beatrice.

"Everything that has happened this evening was all set in motion long ago." Her words fell from perfect lips that rested upon the face of an angel. Blond hair as richly colored as spun gold flowed over her shoulders in flawless waves. She wore the same wine red and royal purple and brilliant gold dress depicted in the painting, the same pristine white gloves on her hands with the lace around the edges, the same unearthly air about her that suggested all adornment was beneath her. And her eyes were the same icy blue, her gaze piercing right into your heart, as it had in the foyer when those eyes were but a painting that held you in its gaze. "You all have a part to play dearies." she continued. "There was never any other way."

"Who are you?" Orianna asked.

"Is it not obvious?" the woman said. "I am Beatrice."

"Did you kill Saizo?" Gregory asked. Beatrice laughed, a haughty but strangely angelic sound. "Answer me!" Gregory shouted. He started to repeat himself but Beatrice simply snapped her fingers and his voice stopped. Gregory stood there, mouth agape, trying to form words but no sound was coming out.

"I don't recall giving the furniture permission to speak." Beatrice said coldly.

"What is the meaning of all this?!" Jules was on his feet, eyes burning a hole through the strange woman.

A thin smile slowly spread on Beatrice's lips. "I'll tell you, Blood of Kieran." Her gaze slowly fell across each of them in turn, but spending a second or two longer on Sybil, Callum, and Haze than the rest. "The tragic tale you find yourselves in tonight is simply the closing act of a long story. The final, penultimate chapter in the history of this island, of your family." She laughed, the angelic tone fading into something far more sinister.

"I am Beatrice," she continued. "The Golden Witch. And tonight dearies you are at my mercy. If any of you wish to escape this island, there is only one thing you can do..." Her porcelain face broke into a demon's grin. "Play your part."

No one in the room moved. The weight of this strange woman's presence was suddenly so heavy that the air seemed suffocating.

"You have four options dearies." Beatrice said. "Of course the easiest way off of this island is to die. That is your first option. For the second, if any one of you can locate Kieran's fortune, I will grant you my blessing. No matter what fate befalls the others on this island, I assure you that the one who receives my blessing will survive the night. But be warned, this applies only to the first one to find it. No one else."

"To the one who can solve the mystery set out before you this evening, the tragic tale of murder and disappearance, I will grant one wish. There are limitations of course, but not many. Even the dead could be restored, if the wish-earner asks." Beatrice smiled that angelic smile from the painting once again. "I am a benevolent witch dearies, so in this difficult pursuit I shall grant you all a boon. Anything I say in red will be absolutely true."

"What do you mean... 'say in red'" Jules asked hesitantly.

Beatrice seemed confused. "Why, this of course dearie." She took a deep breath and snapped her fingers. "Anything I say in red can not be a lie." As she spoke those words, the same words appeared in the air before her as bright red letters seemingly made from glowing light.

"You will see me again, I assure you." Beatrice said. "And anything I say to you in red will be information you can trust. As for anything else... well, I am a witch." she grinned. "Wither you trust me or not is your responsibility. But I will leave you with a head start."

"I am not the one who killed Saizo, nor was I the one who made Kieran vanish." Again, the words appeared before her as she spoke, floating in the air like magic only to fade away after a moment.

"How can we trust you to tell us the truth?" Orianna said nervously.

"It is quite simple dearie." Beatrice said. "The Red Text can not lie. It is not my rule, it is simply how it works. Let me show you what a lie looks like in Red Text." The golden witch cleared her throat. "My name is Kieran." she said with that same power. But this time, the red letters only appeared as:

"My name is"

The word Kieran simply did not appear. Instead, only broken red shards appeared in its place, like the word "Kieran" had been smashed to pieces.

"Red Text does not lie." Beatrice said sternly. "Doubt me if you will, but the rules of magic are unbreakable."

"And what is our fourth option?" Lucy asked.

The largest and creepiest smile yet graced Beatrice's face. For the first time, she truly looked like a witch. "Your fourth option is simple." she said, a maniacal laugh starting to build in her throat. "I will allow every soul on this island to live if any of you can do one simple thing, prove to me that magic does not exist."

And with that command, the Golden Witch Beatrice snapped her fingers and exploded into a cloud of golden butterflies that flew through the walls and vanished, her laughter echoing as it faded away.
 
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Monster Guy

Fairy type Trainer
Bianca Leonhart
Cainhurst Manor; Dining Room


Despite the great tasting food, and the wine that was chosen to compliment the food perfectly, the tension in the air was so thick it was difficult to enjoy it properly. Bianca couldn't blame them. After all, someone had killed under mysterious circumstances, and their grandfather had gone missing. It got to be too much for her cousin Alena, who was the first to give voice to the obvious elephant in the room. In her usual manner of doing things of course.

"I can't bear this! Why can't we all stop ****ing avoiding it and just talk? This is a free country, someone just got bloody murdered and Gramps isn't in his room! We eat dinner, grab a few drinks...and then what? We're just sitting around quietly like weak little lambs, waiting for the next bad thing to happen!"

This got all the elders to start discussing amongst themselves about what should be done. Bianca kept quiet as she ate her food, and took sips of her wine as she watched the discussions go back and forth. She agreed that something to be done, but what could they do? It's not like they were detectives or anything. During all of this, Lucy went to inform Violetta what had occured. She came out of the kitchen sobbing about hearing the morbid news. Judging from the chef's reaction, Bianca had to wonder if the chef and the butler had a relationship going on. She did give the man an affectionate nickname after all.

"Oh, but my dears, this is all just the beginning." an unfamiliar voice called out from the back of the room.Everyone in the room turned to see a figure standing at the far side of the room, opposite the kitchen doors. How she got into the room without being seen was unclear. What was even more strange was the fact that the voice belonged to the mysterious woman in the painting depicted in the foyer. It was Beatrice. Bianca's eyes widened with both shock and excitement. She had to prevent herself from letting out a squeal. She had a feeling if she ran to the foyer right now, the portrait would be empty. She had heard stories of ghosts hiding in portraits of themselves.

"Everything that has happened this evening was all set in motion long ago. You all have a part to play dearies." Beatrice went on. "There was never any other way."

After she confirmed her identity, Gregory spoke up next. "Did you kill Saizo?" Gregory asked.

Beatrice laughed haughtily, but didn't reply.

This only made Gregory mad. "Answer me!"

Beatrice simply snapped her fingers and his voice stopped. Gregory stood there, mouth agape, trying to form words but no sound was coming out. "I don't recall giving the furniture permission to speak." Beatrice said coldly. Immediately, Bianca ran over to Gregory's side.

"What is the meaning of all this?!" Her uncle shouted

Beatrice smiled. "I'll tell you, Blood of Kieran. The tragic tale you find yourselves in tonight is simply the closing act of a long story. The final, penultimate chapter in the history of this island, of your family." She laughed sinisterly again.

"I am Beatrice," she continued. "The Golden Witch. And tonight dearies you are at my mercy. If any of you wish to escape this island, there is only one thing you can do..." Her face broke into a creepy grin. "Play your part. "You have four options dearies." Beatrice said. "Of course the easiest way off of this island is to die. That is your first option. For the second, if any one of you can locate Kieran's fortune, I will grant you my blessing. No matter what fate befalls the others on this island, I assure you that the one who receives my blessing will survive the night. But be warned, this applies only to the first one to find it. No one else. To the one who can solve the mystery set out before you this evening, the tragic tale of murder and disappearance, I will grant one wish. There are limitations of course, but not many. Even the dead could be restored, if the wish-earner asks."

Bianca's ears perked up at the mention of granting a wish. If the Golden Witch was to be believed, she could bring Alistair back. That would be a dream come true if she could solve this mystery before anybody else.

Beatrice then explained something about red text, and that she didn't kill Saizo, or have a part in her grandfather's disappearance. It really was not that much help as far as clues were concerned.

"And what is our fourth option?" Lucy asked.

The largest and creepiest smile yet graced Beatrice's face. For the first time, she truly looked like a witch. "Your fourth option is simple." she said, a maniacal laugh starting to build in her throat. "I will allow every soul on this island to live if any of you can do one simple thing, prove to me that magic does not exist."

Bianca rolled her eyes at that. Clearly that wasn't going to happen. Magic was definitely real, or the witch wouldn't have offered to grant a wish.

And with that, the Golden Witch Beatrice snapped her fingers and exploded into a cloud of golden butterflies that flew through the walls and vanished, her laughter echoing as it faded away.

For a moment, everything was silent as the people in the room took a moment to process what had just occured. Eventually though, Bianca was the first person to speak. First, she turned to Gregory. "Oh dear... I hope you're alright. Please tell me that witch didn't render you mute..." After that, she turned to everyone else. "Well, looks like we have our answer. As scary as this whole situation is, I still think this is well... rather exciting! It's absolutely magical! Oh, if I had known something like this was going to occur, I would have worn more practical shoes!" Bianca then knelt down, and took off her shoes, and dropped them on the floor so she had more freedom of movement. "Well, we're not going to get anything done by standing here looking terrified." She then took her brother by his arm, and made her way to the double doors out of the dining room. "Come along dear brother! We have a mystery to solve!"
 
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Schade

Metallic Wonder
=-------------------~~-------------------=
Callaway Gilbrand Leonhart
Cainhurst Manor

The dinner somehow managed to go by, allthough there was a tense atmosphere of silence, without anyone realy saying anything, the only sounds being the forks against the plates, and the occasional chewing. Everyone was probably occupied by their thoughts, and Cal was also guilty of this. He couldn't stop thinking about where his grandfather could be. He was, of course, still pretty uneasy by the thought of the random murder earlier. Not really out of character, it was Alena who was the one to break the awkward silence.

"I can't bear this! Why can't we all stop ****ing avoiding it and just talk? This is a free country, someone just got bloody murdered and Gramps isn't in his room! We eat dinner, grab a few drinks...and then what? We're just sitting around quietly like weak little lambs, waiting for the next bad thing to happen!" she said angrily. She seemed impatient, and with good reason.

After this, some of the others started discussing amongst themselves about the happenings. Cal looked towards his sister, who as still quiet. Better not stir up any trouble right now, he thought, and kept quiet himself. The last thing he wanted now, was for someone to start yelling at another, which could escalate pretty quickly. Instead, he focused on finishing his meal, while keeping his ears open so he didn't iss out on anything of potential importance. At this point, the staff started discussing with each others how the cook from earlier hadn't heard the dreadful news. Lucy turned out to be the lucky winner of having to break the news to her, and the cook was openly distraught by the news, naturally.

"Oh, but my dears, this is all just the beginning." an unfamiliar voice called out from the back of the room. Everyone at the table turned around, only to see a woman eeriely similar to the woman named Beatrice in the painting in the other room. There was a wave of shock and surprise that rushed over the family as they sat there, no one daring to speak until the woman spoke again.

"Everything that has happened this evening was all set in motion long ago. You all have a part to play dearies." Beatrice went on. "There was never any other way.". Well, that's a weird thing to say, Val thought. but after hearing all the crazy stories in the media about his grandfather, this wasn't really as surprising and weird as it would have otherwise been.

Gregory was the first one to speak, and did so in a very angry manner. "Did you kill Saizo?", he asked, to which Beatrice only laughed for herself. Gregory then took an angrier approach. "Answer me!". Beatrice simply snapped her fingers and his voice stopped. Gregory stood there, mouth wide open, trying to speak but no sound was coming out. "I don't recall giving the furniture permission to speak." Beatrice said coldly. Now, that was freaky. Cal gawked at the woman. Bianca ran over to comfort Gregory, and Cal followed, taking a stance in front of her, in case the woman suddenly decided to do something (Even more) crazy.

"What is the meaning of all this?!" Jules asked her. He had stood up now, and there was a more uneasy atmosphere in the room. Beatrice smiled. "I'll tell you, Blood of Kieran. The tragic tale you find yourselves in tonight is simply the closing act of a long story. The final, penultimate chapter in the history of this island, of your family." She laughed sinisterly again. Not a good sign.

"I am Beatrice," she continued. "The Golden Witch. And tonight dearies you are at my mercy. If any of you wish to escape this island, there is only one thing you can do..." Her face broke into a creepy grin. "Play your part!". Yep, they were chess pieces now. "You have four options dearies." she said. "Of course the easiest way off of this island is to die. That is your first option. For the second, if any one of you can locate Kieran's fortune, I will grant you my blessing. No matter what fate befalls the others on this island, I assure you that the one who receives my blessing will survive the night. But be warned, this applies only to the first one to find it. No one else. To the one who can solve the mystery set out before you this evening, the tragic tale of murder and disappearance, I will grant one wish. There are limitations of course, but not many. Even the dead could be restored, if the wish-earner asks."

None of these grim options were of any comfort, and Cal raised an eyebrow. Well, dying, getting rich and your family dies, good old fashioned detective drama aand... "And what is our fourth option?" Lucy asked, as if reading his mind. The largest and creepiest smile yet grew on Beatrice's face. "Your fourth option is simple." she said, a maniacal laugh starting to build in her throat. "I will allow every soul on this island to live if any of you can do one simple thing, prove to me that magic does not exist." "Hah..?" Cal said in wonder. That was just not logical. "Are you joking right now?" he then asked, sounding more annoyed than worried as he was before. She didn't answer him, and exited in a fancy magical fashion, though they could hear her echo for an eeriely long time after she had vanished.

After this, everything momentarily went quiet. Everyone was likely weighing their options. "Well. Looks like this is the day our family dies." Cal sighed. He had zero hope that he would be lucky enough to pass one of the witch's tests, and even if he did, everyone else would likely die. "Oh dear... I hope you're alright. Please tell me that witch didn't render you mute..." After that, she turned to everyone else. "Well, looks like we have our answer. As scary as this whole situation is, I still think this is well... rather exciting! It's absolutely magical! Oh, if I had known something like this was going to occur, I would have worn more practical shoes!". She sounded more excited than anything else, as if she had gotten a new doll for christmas.

"Are you joking now, sister? This is absolutely dreadful!" Cal snapped back at her, but she was too busy taking off her high heels. "Well, we're not going to get anything done by standing here looking terrified.", she said. She then yanked Cal's arm and started pulling him with her. "Come along dear brother! We have a mystery to solve!" she exclaimed as they exited the room.

"What mystery? A Witch wants to prove to us that magic isn't real? That would be like..." He couldn't even come up with a proper example for his line. "Dumb! It would be plain dumb!" he just said. "Besides, if she is serious about that, that witch is probably some sort of a demon who Grandpa sold his soul to back in the days, who is now here to collect!" He was almost surprised by how logical that sounded. "Besides, she said Grandpa wasn't her doing, and neither was Saizo. Maybe Grandpa ran out on their deal!" He was starting to feel excited himself now, throwing out wild ideas as if they were real.
 

Minteh

It's so shiny!
Sybil Leonhart
Dining Room, Cainhurst Manor


Despite the delicious food, and the wine served to compliment it, there was a tense atmosphere of silence. There was little talking - perhaps Callum and Sybil's compliments of the food and drink being the only words that were uttered for a time - with most most of the noise eminating from forks against plates, and the occasional sound of chewing. It seemed that most of the Leonhart's were occupied in their thoughts; and although Sybil discussed the food with Callum, she too, was guilty of doing just that.

"I can't bear this! Why can't we all stop fucking avoiding it and just talk? This is a free country, someone just got bloody murdered and Gramps isn't in his room! We eat dinner, grab a few drinks...and then what? We're just sitting around quietly like weak little lambs, waiting for the next bad thing to happen!" Her cousin, Alena, shouted. She seemed impatient, and though any other time Sybil might have had a problem with that, she could not fault her reaction at that moment. Though Sybil wasn't sure what to say to this, she did find herself agreeing with her cousin a little bit. She didn't say anything following her words though, not knowing what she could say, because although she partially agreed with her words, she did think it were better to stay where they were. However, her words had stirred up a little discussion. Following this, Sybil returned to what was left of her meal, only lifting her head once again when Violetta reappeared having found out about Saizo's death. The rest of the staff went over to comfort her, since she was rather distressed at learning of his passing.

"Oh, but my dears, this is all just the beginning." An unfamiliar voice called from the back of the room. Everyone seated turned to see who the voice belonged to, and were shocked to see a woman stood there, who bore an eerily similar appearance to the Beatirce in the painting in the other room. They were even dressed alike...

There was a general sense of shock and we from the family, and the room was filled with silence till the woman started speaking again.

"Everything that has happened this evening was all set in motion long ago. You all have a part to play dearies." She went on. "There was never any other way."

After this, Gregory spoke up. "Did you kill Saizo?" He asked.

She said nothing, and only laughed haughtily, which served to make him mad.

"Answer me!" He called out.

Beatrice simply snapped her fingers and then his voice stopped. Gregory stood there, mouth agape, trying to form words but nothing came out. Beatrice made a crude remark about how she hadn't asked the "furniture" to speak, and Bianca rushed up to him.

"What is the meaning of all this?!" One of the older relatives shouted, having risen to his feet.

Beatrice smiled. "I'll tell you, Blood of Kieran." Her gaze slowly fell across each of them in turn, lingering for a second or two longer on Sybil, Callum, and Haze in particular. Sybil picked up on this, and immediately an unsettling feeling washed over her. Why had she looked at the three of them for longer? Was it because they weren't direct blood relatives of Kieran? Perhaps she was thinking of disposing of them first. "The tragic tale you find yourselves in tonight is simply the closing act of a long story. The final, penultimate chapter in the history of this island, of your family." Her angelic tone became more sinister now.

"I am Beatrice," She continued. "The Golden Witch. And tonight dearies you are at my mercy. If any of you wish to escape this island, there is only one thing you can do..." A creepy smile formed on her lips. "Play your part!"

Nobody in the room moved an inch; the mere presence of Beatrice had certainly left it's mark on them.

"You have four options dearies." She said. "Of course the easiest way off of this island is to die. That is your first option. For the second, if any one of you can locate Kieran's fortune, I will grant you my blessing. No matter what fate befalls the others on this island, I assure you that the one who receives my blessing will survive the night. But be warned, this applies only to the first one to find it. No one else. To the one who can solve the mystery set out before you this evening, the tragic tale of murder and disappearance, I will grant one wish. There are limitations of course, but not many. Even the dead could be restored, if the wish-earner asks."

None of the three options presented were of much comfort to Sybil, though the third option took her by surprise a little. It seemed that the likely scenario was that most of them would die, at least one could become rich, and one would have their wish granted.

"And what is our fourth option?" Lucy asked.

A large smile spread on Beatrice's face. "Your fourth option is simple." She said. "I will allow every soul on this island to live if any of you can do one simple thing, prove to me that magic does not exist." And with that command, she snapped her fingers and exploded into a cloud of golden butterflies, that flew through the walls and vanished. Her ominous laughter could be heard for some time after.

Silence followed this, though Sybil thought this was because everyone was weighing up their options. The girl Bianca seemed excited about the whole situation, which Sybil found to be a bit odd. This was hardly the situation to be excited. It seemed her brother felt the same way, if only for a moment, before she pulled him away with her.

Sybil meanwhile, was pondering about Beatrice's fourth option: proving that magic didn't exist. It seemed a simple enough problem at first, until she realised it basically contradicted her earlier remark about "granting a wish" to whomever solved the mystery. Sybil frowned, unsure what to believe. Perhaps all the options she had given them, were, in fact, a lie. After all, they hadn't shown up in red text which Beatrice claimed would be a sign of truth.

Sybil sighed slightly. "I agree with Bianca that we won't get anything done whilst sitting here," Sybil began, addressing her remaining relatives. "But surely it'd be wiser to discuss what we know before charging off. People could die tonight. I'm not sure it's very wise for us to seperate."
 

*Jean Grey*

Night Triumphant
Alena Leonhart
Cainhurst Manor


"It is natural defense mechanism for prey to gather in herds. Makes it harder for predator to enter their midst." a familiar Russian voice said. That damned doctor, Alena thought as Yuri walked in along with Belle. She glanced momentarily at him, and quickly averted her gaze before anyone could notice, her expression hardening. She ate a few more slices of her steak as Yuri began to caution everyone to stick together, reasoning that the killer couldn't strike unseen.

"Unless one of us is the killer." Belle chimed in softly.

"Yeah, unless it's you, Yuri," Alena mumbled under her breath. The doctor had started eating, his plate full of what seemed to be all the types of vegetables laid out on the table - a stark contrast to her own simple meat-and-potatoes pickings. A vegetarian diet was probably the last thing she imagined a murderer's diet to be, but then again, appearances were often deceiving. Uncle Cisrian was a health care professional himself, but it didn't stop him from being a murderous one. It wasn't far-fetched to believe that there was a possibility the house doctor had a hand in committing the crimes...they weren't at the foyer when the murder was committed after all, so anyone who had not gone with them to the anteroom was technically a suspect.

As the older members of the family discussed, evidently prompted by her words, Alena quickly finished her meal, not wanting to delay any further. The steak, under normal circumstances, was something she would have wanted to savour, but she couldn't bring herself to waste her time on something that seemed so trivial at the moment. The wine...she wasn't very big on most wines to begin with, unlike most of her family, preferring beer, bourbon and stronger alcohol. Lucy had approached Violetta in the kitchen, and presumably broke the news of Saizo's death, as it caused the larger woman to stumble out of the kitchen, sobbing. From her reaction, there was a possibility that she and Saizo might have been more than friends.

"Oh, but my dears, this is all just the beginning." a voice called out from the back of the room, a woman's voice so smooth and rich that it beckoned Alena to turn her head. In fact, everyone did, and all eyes fell on a figure standing at the far side of the room, opposite the kitchen doors. What the-... It was impossible. It had to be. The last ones who came in were Yuri and Belle, and Alena sure as hell didn't see anyone else accompany them, especially not one this conspicuous-looking. What were the chances that she could slip past without being seen anyway? The woman who now stood facing them was the spitting image of the lady in the foyer painting, Beatrice. It was as if she had walked out of the painting or something.

"Everything that has happened this evening was all set in motion long ago. You all have a part to play dearies. There was never any other way." The woman continued. To Alena's ears, it sounded as if she was describing a game, and if there was anything Alena loved to do, it was to play games, the higher the stakes, the more exciting. She arched an eyebrow at the woman, as if daring her. If the woman expected her to look nervous or cower in fear, she was terribly wrong about that.

"Who are you?" Orianna asked.

"Is it not obvious?" the woman said. "I am Beatrice."

Gregory spoke, angrily asking whether she killed Saizo. The woman who claimed to be Beatrice merely laughed and snapped her fingers. The valet's mouth continued to move, but no sound came out.

"I don't recall giving the furniture permission to speak," she spat coldly. At this, Bianca and Cal ran towards Gregory, prompting Alena to roll her eyes. Her lovestruck cousin dragging Cal along to be her wingman, as usual. Furniture? Alena wondered at the strange choice of word. Not being much of a a literary enthusiast, she quickly reminded herself to ask her father whether it was some kind of euphemism, because she didn't recall Gregory being made of wood, or being inanimate for that matter.

"What is the meaning of all this?!" Her father got on his feet, his haunting violet eyes, eyes that Alena herself happened to inherit, blazing, as if they could burn through the woman if he tried. It was a rare sight for her normally mild-mannered father to raise his voice, and him doing it meant that his buttons were really pushed. The woman's lips curled into a thin smile, seemingly unfazed. "I'll tell you, Blood of Kieran." Her gaze slowly fell across each of them in turn, but lingering longer on her Uncle Callum and her cousins Sybil and Haze in particular. "The tragic tale you find yourselves in tonight is simply the closing act of a long story. The final, penultimate chapter in the history of this island, of your family." She laughed, the voice that once sounded like bells deepening into a more sinister tone.

"I am Beatrice," she continued. "The Golden Witch. And tonight dearies you are at my mercy. If any of you wish to escape this island, there is only one thing you can do..." Her porcelain face broke into a creepy grin, which prompted Alena to get up, and rather loudly at that. "Play your part."

Who does this asshole think she is? A goddamn deity? Someone who, for some reason, thinks herself above us? Alena thought, gritting her teeth from behind her closed mouth. If there was one thing hated, it was being anyone's pawn. Dispensable, submissive, easily manipulated...these were the very qualities she thought weak and useless. Though she stood unmoving, her mind worked out the possibility of engaging the woman in a man-to-man fight. She seemed delicate, while Alena had more than enough cage-fighting lessons. If Beatrice was expecting her to act like a pawn, she wasn't going to be giving her any satisfaction. Her father had once affectionately teased that she might have been descended from the Morrigan or perhaps, the Queen of Air and Darkness of lore, and she knew that neither were ones to surrender or give in. She wasn't about to do so either.

"You have four options dearies." Beatrice said. "Of course the easiest way off of this island is to die. That is your first option. For the second, if any one of you can locate Kieran's fortune, I will grant you my blessing. No matter what fate befalls the others on this island, I assure you that the one who receives my blessing will survive the night. But be warned, this applies only to the first one to find it. No one else. To the one who can solve the mystery set out before you this evening, the tragic tale of murder and disappearance, I will grant one wish. There are limitations of course, but not many. Even the dead could be restored, if the wish-earner asks." The woman's face turned serene and angelic once more. It was a face that most people, at first glance, wouldn't put on a murderer. As for the choices she placed before them...they didn't seem like choices at all. Everyone dying, one of them taking all of the fated fortune, or one of them being granted a wish? They seemed more like twisted, macabre jokes than anything. What were the chances that they were hollow lies and empty threats? That it was all part of a show?

"I am a benevolent witch dearies, so in this difficult pursuit I shall grant you all a boon. Anything I say in red will be absolutely true," the woman added. Alena crossed her arms silently, pondering on whether to ask what the hell say in red meant, or dismiss it as just trickery. Her father, however, beat her thoughts and asked straight away. The woman looked confused, before taking a deep breath and snapping her fingers. She opened her mouth once more, declaring that anything she said in red could not be a lie. As she spoke, the words materialised in glowing red in front of their very eyes.

Alena wanted to throttle the woman, knock her to the ground and find out what kind of cheap parlour trick she was pulling off to make them believe. Actual magic didn't exist...it was impossible. She was all too familiar with illusions, and thought the words to be just that - an illusion. Another sentence in red materialised as Beatrice, or so she called herself, revealed that she had nothing to do with the murders. Yeah, of course you didn't, but whoever is pulling this elaborate prank is, Alena murmured.

"How can we trust you to tell us the truth?" Orianna asked, her face giving away her nervousness.

"It is quite simple dearie. The Red Text can not lie. It is not my rule, it is simply how it works. Let me show you what a lie looks like in Red Text." She cleared her throat and opened her mouth. "My name is Kieran," she said with conviction. More letters materialized, but "Kieran" wasn't one of them. Instead, broken red shard-like wisps appeared in its place, before dissipating. It seemed like magic, but the silver-haired woman did not want to believe it. The choices were empty words, the red text was some form of elaborate illusion. The woman was not Beatrice but someone who was dressed as her, and the murderer was still lurking around. It had to be, it just had to be. Magic was something from fantasies after all, wasn't it?

"And what is our fourth option?" Lucy asked.

The largest and creepiest smile yet graced Beatrice's face, looking truly like a witch for the first time. "Your fourth option is simple," she said. "I will allow every soul on this island to live if any of you can do one simple thing, prove to me that magic does not exist." And with a snap of her fingers, she disappeared in what looked to be a cloud of golden butterflies. Not real, Alena reminded herself as she pondered on the fourth option. Prove that magic didn't exist? But magic wasn't real, was it? Illusions and parlour tricks were more likely. If the woman had claimed that the red text was a sign of truth, shouldn't she have just said that magic was real in red and just left them with three options? It was all too clear that there had to be a logical explanation behind what had happened, and Alena was the last person who would attribute the events to mere magic. Any wish could be worked out in a roundabout manner, and anyone with half a scientific mind could come up with the red substance, as well as whatever it was the golden butterflies were made of.

"Oh dear... I hope you're alright. Please tell me that witch didn't render you mute..." Bianca was the first to speak, directing some of her usual sweet, comforting words to Gregory before addressing everyone else. "Well, looks like we have our answer. As scary as this whole situation is, I still think this is well... rather exciting! It's absolutely magical! Oh, if I had known something like this was going to occur, I would have worn more practical shoes!" The blonde girl then knelt down, and took off her high heels. Alena scrunched up her nose in mock disgust, pretending to smell something bad. She did enjoy teasing her younger cousin's girly tendencies. "Well, we're not going to get anything done by standing here looking terrified." She then took her brother by his arm, and began to drag him to the double doors. "Come along dear brother! We have a mystery to solve!"

"What mystery? A Witch wants to prove to us that magic isn't real? That would be like..." Cal began to protest, pausing before he continued. "Dumb! It would be plain dumb! Besides, if she is serious about that, that witch is probably some sort of a demon who Grandpa sold his soul to back in the days, who is now here to collect? Besides, she said Grandpa wasn't her doing, and neither was Saizo. Maybe Grandpa ran out on their deal!" Alena wanted to knock some sense into Bianca for believing the whole magic thing immediately. The girl loved her fantasies too much, and Alena just wanted to teach her not to be so gullible sometimes...she was probably in it just to get a wish of her own, whatever it was!

"I agree with Bianca that we won't get anything done whilst sitting here, but surely it'd be wiser to discuss what we know before charging off. People could die tonight. I'm not sure it's very wise for us to separate." Sybil addressed everyone else. Alena was getting antsy, however, and hated planning. It was wasting time that led people to become victims after all. Beatrice and the tricks were obviously distractions, ones the murderer used to buy some time and throw them off. Magic indeed! She strayed away from her place at the table and strode towards where the woman in the painting appeared, stood and disappeared. She then unfastened her left glove and held her hand up, trying to feel for some remnant of the strange red substance, or the strange gold substance. The air felt the same, however, although she was no rocket scientist, so what did she know? She then tugged her glove back on and knelt down onto the floor, giving the wood a few hard raps to check for any sign of a trapdoor, a hollow space, anything! There was nothing. She got back on her feet and turned towards the others.

"Then we all charge off and do something, then! Unless some of us are too scared to get their asses off their seats," she spoke, half-hoping that Yuri was going to be one of those, not wanting to deal with being around him for the moment. "There's a murderer, and the longer we take, the more time they have to fuck us up. What we just saw? I think he's just distracting us and trying to scare us with a costumed woman, lies and cheap tricks! Murderers like easy victims, manipulators like pawns," she continued, before approaching Mira and taking her hand.

"Come, Mira, Pops. I'll take this son of a bitch down if it's the last thing I'll do," she spoke grimly, looking up at all the others before she set her mouth in a determined line. She then turned around and pulled Mira protectively along with her, hoping that her father at least, would see some sense and refuse to believe the threats. If the murderer was going to take her down, then take her down by all means...but Alena wasn't about to allow herself to give up, run like a coward or go down without a fight.
 
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Vern

Why not both?
Haze Leonhart
Cainhurst Manor

Haze blinked.

A woman had just walked through the door, entering the dining room as though it was her own property and thought them to be outsiders. No, Haze corrected herself, grimacing slightly, not ‘a woman’. Beatrice.. There was no mistaking it - this woman, Beatrice, looked exactly the same as the portrait in the grand foyer. ”Oh, but my dears,” she murmured, her voice sweet, smooth, and rich. Haze suddenly felt an unease envelope her, as if she was being covered up with honey to be fed to a bear. “this is all just the beginning."

Now that she had seen Beatrice in person, Haze couldn’t help but feel that there was something fake about this woman. In a painting, her beauty was nothing exceptional. There were many exceptionally beautiful women, painted exceptionally beautifully, in paintings. But now that she was in front of them in real life, and no less beautiful, Haze almost felt cheated. Ever since she had seen that painting, she had been harbouring a desire to lay eyes on the subject of it. Now that she had, Haze couldn’t help but feel like she was simply just looking at a painting that moved and talked. It was a strange feeling, almost as if the woman had simply stepped out of the picture and into their world.

"Everything that has happened this evening was all set in motion long ago. You all have a part to play, dearies." said Beatrice, almost as if appearing out of nowhere and talking authoritatively to people that had never met her before was a routine. "There was never any other way."

That was when Gregory spoke up, his tone almost accusatory and most certainly not containing the respect this woman seemed to demand. “Did you kill Saizo?” he yelled, his voice anguished. “Answer me!” Beatrice did not answer him. Instead, she snapped her fingers, and cut of his voice. Just like that. Despite his mouth still moving, with a hint of desperation in it, his voice had just disappeared. “I don’t recall,” Beatrice said, her voice cold and unfeeling, putting an extra emphasis on the word recall and pausing dramatically, “giving furniture permission to speak.”

Normally, Haze would have been shocked by this type of statement. But the way Beatrice carried herself and delivered her speech seemed to suggest that this behaviour was the way she had always acted and was used to acting. She didn’t have time to run this thought over in her head before a middle aged man sprang to his feet, his eyes burning with an emotion Haze couldn’t quite decipher. Hatred? Fear? Haze could not tell. “What is the meaning of this?” he yelled, his eyes staring at Beatrice as if his gaze could burn her. Had it been any normal human, Haze would be sure that they would have been stunned by this display. But Beatrice, evidently, was no normal human.

"I'll tell you, Blood of Kieran." Her gaze slowly fell across each of them in turn. As she looked at Haze, the girl could not help but feel a strange chill in her bones, like she was being inspected in the way a man would inspect a painting he was interested in purchasing. Perhaps it was her imagination, but she couldn’t help but feel that Beatrice had looked at her longer that she had the others "The tragic tale you find yourselves in tonight is simply the closing act of a long story. The final, penultimate chapter in the history of this island, of your family."

“I am Beatrice.” she said, confirming Haze’s assumption. "The Golden Witch. And tonight, dearies, you are at my mercy. If any of you wish to escape this island, there is only one thing you can do..." Her porcelain face broke into a demon's grin. "Play your part.” Haze winced and turned away slightly, finding herself unable to look directly this… woman? creature? demon? she no longer knew.

"You have four options, dearies." Beatrice said. She appeared to be particularly fond of the word ‘dearies’, and put undue emphasis on it. "Of course the easiest way off of this island is to die. That is your first option. For the second, if any one of you can locate Kieran's fortune, I will grant you my blessing. No matter what fate befalls the others on this island, I assure you that the one who receives my blessing will survive the night. But be warned, this applies only to the first one to find it. No one else."

Haze could almost see ‘terms and conditions apply’ written below the words, in a much smaller font. But she kept that to herself. Angering this person was definitely not a good idea.

"To the one who can solve the mystery set out before you this evening, the tragic tale of murder and disappearance, I will grant one wish. There are limitations of course, but not many. Even the dead could be restored, if the wish-earner asks." Beatrice continued, her face returning to the face of a beautiful woman. "I am a benevolent witch, dearies, so in this difficult pursuit I shall grant you all a boon. Anything I say in red will be absolutely true."

Haze could almost see it again. ‘Terms and conditions apply’. Beatrice explained what she meant by ‘say in red’ by demonstrating it, stating clearly that she did not kill Saizo, nor did she have any part in Kieran’s disappearance. As she did so, red text began to appear in the air in front of her. Haze almost immediately dismissed this as a form of manipulation, but realised that if they were going to survive (the chances were looking slimmer by the minute) then they would have to make do with whatever they had.

"And what is our fourth option?" Lucy asked. The maid had remained silent until now, as if she was afraid Beatrice would shut her up the same way she did Gregory.

The largest and creepiest smile yet graced Beatrice's face. For the first time, she truly looked like a witch. "Your fourth option is simple." she said, a maniacal laugh starting to build in her throat. "I will allow every soul on this island to live if any of you can do one simple thing, prove to me that magic does not exist." Haze could feel the eye-rolls and groans spreading across the room. Personally, she was not surprised that many had dismissed the idea entirely. But having read her own fair share of fantasy novels and riddles, she knew that there was more to this that meets the eye. It all hinged on two things - how this witch defined ‘magic’, and how she defined ‘exists’. By the time her brain had finished running through these thoughts, Beatrice had vanished, her maniacal laughter still echoing through the chamber.

The instant the witch left, chaos broke out in the chamber. Slightly overwhelmed, Haze didn’t manage to take in much of what was happening. Instead, she focused on one goal - find someone to talk to. She felt that she was onto something big that the others were missing. There was definitely a way to prove that magic did not exist. Otherwise, the witch would not have posed such a problem for them. Haze decided to seek out Sybil. Her half-sister was the only one she had had any sort of meaningful contact with, and Haze had a feeling that she would listen.

She arrived at Sybil’s side just as she had finished saying something about safety in numbers and how they should stick together, something Haze would have forced herself to voice if nobody else had done. Even now, as she approached Sybil from behind, she could feel her own nature, the mask that she had become, tugging at her, telling her to stay away, to do this herself, to not draw the attention of others. But this was different, and Haze managed to keep these thoughts at bay as she walked up to Sybil and, lacking any better way to make her presence known, tapped her on the shoulder. “I want to talk to you about the fourth option.” Haze said, her voice coming out as little more than a whisper.
 

REAL DADS

Shampoo Thief
Callum Leonhart
Dining Room

They all sat around the table discussing the safest way to go about things that night. Staying together sounded like the best bet. Some were talking about looking for clues and trying to solve the murders. As ambitious as that was, Callum wasn’t sure how practical. Perhaps their best option would be to leave the island and bring the murders to the attention of the authorities. As soon as the storm passes, they should be on the boat off of this forsaken rock.

The cook was crying in the corner as she was brought up to speed on the events of the night. Hopefully she will now understand was he ate so little of his food. He was shifting it around with his fork nervously. Suddenly, the voice of an angel caught everyone’s attention. Callum looked up and saw the beautiful woman who was the subject of the painting in the foyer. Beatrice. She exuded a sort of magical aura, and Callum could feel the power from her. How had she appeared there without being seen by anyone? Were the stories of her being a witch true?

As she talked, Callum couldn’t help but be captivated by her beauty. Threatening words of a nefarious plan set in motion long ago fell from perfect plump lips. Her golden hair cascaded down over her shoulders. Callum was terrified of her. Callum was enamoured by her.

Gregory began yelling at her, accusing her of killing Saizo. It was what everyone was thinking. But instead of answering, she snapped her fingers to shut him up. Curiously, it worked. She called him furniture, an odd insult to make. Jules then demanded to know the meaning of this.

A smile curled across the witch’s face and the room seemed to drop 10 degrees.

“I’ll tell you, blood of Kieran.” She looked around the room at all of them. When she and Callum locked eyes, she lingered for a second. He dared not breathe.

"The tragic tale you find yourselves in tonight is simply the closing act of a long story. The final, penultimate chapter in the history of this island, of your family." She let out a chilling and dark laugh. She began telling them the rules of the night. Die, find the treasure, or solve the mystery: these were their only options to get off the island. That, or prove magic does not exist.

After she presented the final option, she disappeared into a cloud of butterflies. That seemed pretty similar to magic.

Suddenly everyone was talking. Bianca was eager as a schoolgirl to get started on solving the mystery. She began discussing her shoes and how magical everything was… What had Oriana done to that girl?

"Are you joking now, sister? This is absolutely dreadful!" Callaway asked her what they were all thinking.

Meanwhile Sybil was trying to be a bit more cautious and practical. She was proposing they discuss what they know so far before charging off and playing Scooby Doo. She was met with the exact opposite approach from Alena, who was ready to stage a full on manhunt on the island. She grabbed her sister and they headed out of the room.

Callum stayed in his seat at the table. He pulled out one of his cigarettes. If they were dying tonight he would have a damn smoke first. Not like Gregory could tell him no anyhow. He inhaled deeply. After exhaling he shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. After a moment, he finally said something.

“Don’t know how we are expected to prove that magic isn’t real. It is real, I’ve seen it before. There's a witch in the bayous of Louisiana with a voodoo doll of me. I still get pains in my *** from time to time. We may as well rule that option out.”

Everyone was already rushing off this way and that. Did they even know where to look? He put out his cigarette on his plate and followed the crowd out of the dining room. He wouldn’t be left anywhere in this house alone if he could help it. Beatrice had said in order to live tonight they just had to play their part. What was his part?
 

Minteh

It's so shiny!
Sybil Leonhart
Dining Room, Cainhurst Manor


It soon became apparent, that Sybil's words did not have the desired effect she had hoped for. Her idea of discussing what they knew was swiftly rebuked by Alena, who suggested the complete opposite to Sybil, once she had finished investigating the spot where Beatrice had stood moment before.

"Then we all charge off and do something, then! Unless some of us are too scared to get their asses off their seats," She spoke. Sybil shifted uncomfortably in her own seat at that, unsure whether that had been meant as a stab at her. "There's a murderer, and the longer we take, the more time they have to **** us up. What we just saw? I think he's just distracting us and trying to scare us with a costumed woman, lies and cheap tricks! Murderers like easy victims, manipulators like pawns," She continued, before taking her sister's hand.

"Come, Mira, Dad. I'll take this son of a ***** down if it's the last thing I'll do," She spoke grimly, casting a look at all those who remained. She then turned around and pulled her sister along with her, likely off to go stage a full on manhunt. It honestly didn't surprise Sybil that she had been the one to rebuke her statement, from what she had seen of her, it didn't seem she was one for planning or sitting and biding her time.

After she left, Callum mentioned something about how he believed magic was real, as a witch in the bayous of Louisiana supposedly had a voodoo doll of him, thus they should rule out the fourth option being viable. He then took off after that, following the crowd out of the dining room. Sybil was about to leave too - having decided it was better to start investigating rather than waiting in the dining room - when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned and found her sister, Haze, looking at her. “I want to talk to you about the fourth option.” She said, her voice little more than a whisper.

She taken by surprise that her sister had come to her, having kept to herself mostly, but she was relieved that someone else was thinking more into the fourth option. With a nod of agreement, Sybil then gestured her to follow her, leading her out of the dining room like everyone else, and then pulling her to one side.

"I wanted to talk about it too," Sybil admitted to her, keeping her voice low so that only Haze could hear her. "It's a bit odd don't you think - how she wants us to prove magic isn't real, but yet promises to grant our wishes presumably with magic." She pauses, eyes quickly looking at relatives in front of her. It seemed only Callum was the more hesitant to charge off, so Sybil made a note to herself to talk to him if she could, as he seemed more reasonable than the others. Turning back to her sister she added, "Of course, it could all be a lie, as it was never spoken in red."
 

TheSequelReturns

Faithful Crusader
~ Everyone ~
- Dining Room - Cainhurst Manor -


The arrival of the one who called herself Beatrice had certainly shaken things up.

Within moments of the Golden Witch's disappearance, groups were already starting to form as individuals decided to follow one of the witches options or another. The kids were naturally the first ones to start charging out of the room, leaving the adults with little choice of what to do next.

"We can't be splitting up? Isn't that normally what they do before people start dying off in the movies?" Orianna asked to whoever decided to pay her attention. Right now, that seemed to be only her brother Jules and the doctor Yuri.

"Is bad idea." Yuri said with a shrug. "But, what can be done? If splitting up is done by some it is done by all."

"Unfortunately..." Jules started. He nodded his head to where his daughters were heading out of the room alongside their cousins. "We don't have a choice."

"But we can't-" Orianna started to protest, then she too spotted Bianca and Calloway headed out of the room and stopped talking.

Jules stood up from the table, drinking his glass of water in the process, you never know when such things will be available in a time like this. "I'm going with my children, to keep them safe if I have to. You should do the same."

Orianna nodded and stood as well. "Yes, you're right." Together they both joined up with their kids as they exited the room and into the hallway beyond.

The maids were whispering back and forth excitedly to each other during this time. Sometimes, rather animated as well. It was clearly something of importance, though they were keeping the volume too low to be eavesdropped except by those closest to them.

"Hold on everyone!" Lucy shouted. "We can't have our guests running off into the manor without an escort. Everyone, please pair up with several people to avoid getting caught by whoever is out there. We will make sure one of the staff is with you at all times to guide you through the estate. We don't want anyone getting lost out there tonight." The "or worse" part she left unspoken.

Lucy and Vi joined up with Jules, Alena, and Miraela. Gregory went with Orianna, Bianca, and Callaway. Yuri and Katrina decided to tag along with Callum. Belle stayed in the dining room with Sybil and Haze

"Of course, it could all be a lie, as it was never spoken in red." Sybil said quietly. It was all Belle heard when she walked up. Like most of the others, Sybil was keeping her voice low. No one was sure who to trust anymore.

"I don't think we can trust her, or her promises." Belle said, talking about Beatrice. She waited until the rest were walking out the room before turning carefully back towards Haze and Sybil. "I don't think we can trust the staff either." She shook her head as if to say I'm not talking about myself. "What I mean is, your family was all together in the Anteroom when Saizo was killed. And I was there with you. So we all have an alibi." Belle seemed to be on team "Magic is not real" as well from the way she was talking. But her bright blue eyes were alive with fear.

---

~ Everyone except Team Sybil ~
- West Hallway - Cainhurst Manor -


The West Hallway where the dining room was located was a little more than a long straightaway. At the front end it hit the bottom of one of Cainhurst Manor's towers. The walls curved out in a quarter circle and a spiral staircase wrapped around the inside of the tower, leading up the second floor. The hallways also took a 90 degree turn at the tower, leading back to the Grand Foyer. The Dining Hall sat right in the center of the long straightaway, on the inside wall. On the opposite wall, the occasional large window showed little more than darkness and rain. At the far end of the hall, far towards the back of the manor, was another set of double doors. It was up to each group where they wanted to head now.

“Don’t know how we are expected to prove that magic isn’t real. It is real, I’ve seen it before. There's a witch in the bayous of Louisiana with a voodoo doll of me. I still get pains in my *** from time to time. We may as well rule that option out.” Callum was going on about some story from his past.

"Oh?" Yuri nodded. "Perhaps is less magical problem with posterior? Voodoo is, how you say, hogbath."

Katrina laughed a little. "I wouldn't go that far. I happen to know a thing or two about magic myself."

---

"Remember, stay close to me." Jules was telling his kids. I'll follow your lead for now, but don't go running off. And if I think things are getting to dangerous we will all turn back together, agreed?"

Jules was only being so generous because he really wanted to explore the manor himself. And find the killer. The stench of mystery was in the air and he was like a bloodhound on the chase. He knew his daughters would see right through him, but he really wanted to solve this thing before the others. He wasn't going to let his daughters get hurt because of it though.

Lucy nodded. "Ask me if you need directions, I can show you the way." She gave a bow. "I know these are harrowing circumstances, but it is and always shall be my pleasure to serve your family."

Vi was still trying to compose herself. The poor woman was still shaking a little.

---

Orianna was scared. She wouldn't have any problem admitting it either, if she weren't surrounded by her family. That brother of hers even looked excited. Excited! People were dying, this was serious business not a game. But her daughter was excited too. She sighed. For the first time, she was starting to regret filling Bianca's head with pretty stories.

"Lets make sure we don't get separated." she said. "I won't let you out of my sight. Neither of you are getting hurt tonight."

Gregory smiled. "Same here. It would really reflect poorly on my performance if my masters were killed on my watch. You have nothing to worry about."
 
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Monster Guy

Fairy type Trainer
Bianca Leonhart
Cainhurst Manor; Dining Room > Hallway > Headed to Grand Foyer


"What mystery? A Witch wants to prove to us that magic isn't real? That would be like..." He started to protest. Though that didn't stop Bianca from taking him out of the dining room with her. "Dumb! It would be plain dumb!" he just said. "Besides, if she is serious about that, that witch is probably some sort of a demon who Grandpa sold his soul to back in the days, who is now here to collect! Besides, she said Grandpa wasn't her doing, and neither was Saizo. Maybe Grandpa ran out on their deal!" Bianca could tell by the way he was throwing ideas around that he was just as excited as she was, despite the high class front he tried to put on.

"It makes perfect sense to me!" Bianca replied. "He made some of deal for power, and now his time is up. I remember a story about that. Those kinds of deals never work out well for the one making them. Still, why bring all of us here?" She then broke out into giggles. "Hehe! See? That's why I'm so lucky to have a brother like you!" She praised him as she messed up her brother's white hair. "You're one of the smartest people I know!"

Once they left the dining room, their mother had followed them out as well. "Lets make sure we don't get separated." she said. "I won't let you out of my sight. Neither of you are getting hurt tonight." It was clear that she was frightened of this whole situation, which was why she didn't drag her along with her brother. She figured she wouldn't want to be involved in this. Still, Bianca was glad to have her mother along.

Much to Bianca's joy, Gregory had also followed them out. "Same here. It would really reflect poorly on my performance if my masters were killed on my watch. You have nothing to worry about." He said with a smile. Although, Bianca had to wonder if there were any other reasons why he decided to follow her and her family specifically, out of all the Leonhearts he could have chosen. Bianca smirked, and twisted a loose strand of blonde hair between her fingers.

"Goodness, I would hope one will be getting hurt tonight... Well regardless, I am glad both of you could join us. The more the merrier right? Anyway, let us go back to the Foyer. The witch is probably around the portrait of herself. It is also the scene of the crime, maybe there's some sort of clue there we missed the last time?" She turned around and headed in the direction of the grand foyer. Although she wouldn't dare say to the others, she didn't have any clue what to look for once they got there. The last time she was there, she didn't notice anything of note, besides what was already found by others. She hoped this would work out alright in the end. That's how things usually went in the stories.
 

Schade

Metallic Wonder
=-------------------~~-------------------=
Callaway Gilbrand Leonhart
Running around in the Cainhurst Manor

Even though his earlier thoughtprocess about demons had sounded weird and downright crazy, Callaway's sister was just as enthusiastic as ever, which was slowly starting to infect him as well. "It makes perfect sense to me!" she said. "He made some of deal for power, and now his time is up. I remember a story about that. Those kinds of deals never work out well for the one making them. Still, why bring all of us here?" She sounded serious as she speculated, but then broke out into giggles. "Hehe! See? That's why I'm so lucky to have a brother like you!" She praised him as she messed up his hair. "You're one of the smartest people I know!". Cal also laughed at this. He loved having his sister around, and even though they were very much likely right outside of death's door, she made it seem less scary than it really was.

"Heh, thank you, thank you. Couldn't have done this without my master detective sister!" he proclaimed dramatically, before laughing even more. "Lets make sure we don't get separated." A familiar voice said said. Their mother was running after them, looking worried. Cal's good mood toned down a bit. His mother was like a pair of breaks on anything fun and exciting, and she would likely just gloom up the atmosphere by her mere presence. "I won't let you out of my sight. Neither of you are getting hurt tonight." she then said. "That's oddly generous of you, mother, To what do I owe this sudden kindness?" he replied sarcastically.

"Same here. It would really reflect poorly on my performance if my masters were killed on my watch. You have nothing to worry about." another voice said, as Gregory came into view. This lightened Cal up a notch. He was just so incredibly atractive, and though he had to act subtle due to his mothers presence, he was more than happy enough by him just being there. He could also see a new glow in Bianca's eyes as she, similar to himself, stared at Gregory for juuust a bit too long as he spoke.

"Goodness, I would hope one will be getting hurt tonight... Well regardless, I am glad both of you could join us. The more the merrier right? Anyway, let us go back to the Foyer. The witch is probably around the portrait of herself. It is also the scene of the crime, maybe there's some sort of clue there we missed the last time?", His sister spoke, being very much into this detective thing. He sighed, but cracked a small smile. "Lead the way, detective!" he said, as he followed her close by.
 

*Jean Grey*

Night Triumphant
Alena Leonhart
Cainhurst Manor


"Remember, stay close to me. I'll follow your lead for now, but don't go running off. And if I think things are getting to dangerous we will all turn back together, agreed?" The familiar voice of her father prompted Alena to turn around. Typical Pops, always too worried for his own good, she thought. She knew that he was, in a way, more worried for Mira, whose combination of beauty, an almost waiflike build and a certain naivete perhaps, inspired people to feel the need to protect her. Alena herself was occasionally guilty of it herself, being the doting, Black Sabbath-loving older sister that she was. However, what many failed to see was the steel behind her younger sister's silk. As far as she knew, Mira was tougher and bolder than she looked; taking painful first aid procedures without tears despite her natural pain threshold, and somehow being able to run in heels when Alena herself couldn't stand walking them for more than an hour or so.

"Pops, what is your definition of 'dangerous', anyway? You know that I've got no coward, chicken, pawn or tool in my blood. Plus, don't you think a murderer would want just that? For us to be afraid so that they could take advantage of us?" She challenged, standing her ground as she folded her arms. She then allowed her expression to soften a bit. "If this is about Mira, you and I both know that I'd rather die than see her get harmed, or you for that matter...but if we don't get to the bottom of this, find the murderer and the costumed woman before anything stupid happens, it's just like letting them win!" Turning back was the last thing Alena wanted, not only because her need for adventure, typical for a Sagittarian like herself, was calling out to her, but also because nobody, not even her, signed up for what was to come. She knew how it felt to be manipulated and intoxicated, knew that they were some of the worst things she experienced, and she wasn't going to let manipulation of any sort slide so easily. She wasn't anyone's pawn. None of them were. Magic...it had to be a bunch of tricks that were part of the game the murderer was playing in order to gain control over everyone else. Her father, who had taken in every word she said, placed a firm, yet reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Ally, this isn't just about Mira and me. You are my daughter too, don't you ever forget that...and don't you ever think that I love you less. It would kill me to see any one of you come to harm...and I would never forgive myself if anything happens to either of you," his voice was strong, resolute and steady as his eyes met hers, two pairs of purple eyes that mirrored each other. Purple eyes that may or may not have been one of the reasons why her grandfather chose to legitimize her. "We have to all look out for each other, Ally. There is a murderer on the loose, and any of us could be next. We don't know how they strike, or when they will, for that matter, and we can't afford to be reckless. Promise me that we turn back together if it gets too dangerous?" He explained, and Alena was silent for a few moments, before nodding, a lopsided grin on her face. Her father could be protective to a fault, but she knew that at least, it came out of love.

"Alright. We turn back together...and carry on finding the killer or some proof elsewhere. No sitting around and waiting to get killed. Pops, I know you, and I doubt you'd consider turning away and hiding like a fucking coward the right course of action," she replied, sweeping some of her long, silver bangs away from her face, her expression a mix of excitement and determination. "I just want us to prove that what we saw were just distractions. We hunt down that asshole and his costumed accomplice, find out what tricks they've been playing, then we don't have to agree to any of their damn terms!"

"Ask me if you need directions, I can show you the way." Lucy's soothing voice cut in, and Alena turned around as the maid bowed. "I know these are harrowing circumstances, but it is and always shall be my pleasure to serve your family," she said. Alena took the woman's hand and eased her off the bow. She didn't know why such stiff, old-fashioned etiquette for household staff still had to exist, and she wanted Lucy to know that she wasn't dispensable or someone to be used. She then went over to Vi and gave her a rough but playful slap on her back, causing the woman to give her a look. The silver-haired Leonhart wasn't fazed by it, however.

"There's no need for that, Lucy, Vi. You're on Team Awesome now, you're part of us...call me Ally," she chuckled, trying to make the dark-haired woman and the purple-haired cook feel more at ease with them by squeezing both their shoulders. Although she didn't want to admit it, she was glad that Lucy and Vi were tagging along, mostly because the former was sure to know the manor and its many rooms, knowledge that they sorely lacked, and the cook, from what she had seen of her, was just as fierce as Alena herself was. Alena looked in both directions down the hall, noticing another set of double doors on one end, and on the other end, the wall curved into an arc. She looked towards the doors, then at the curved wall, then at the doors again.

"Lucy, what's behind those doors?" She asked, pointing a finger at said double doors as her feet began to move towards them. They had to find something sooner or later. After all, there was only so much space in a large manor in the middle of a storm.
 
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Vern

Why not both?
Haze Leonhart
Cainhurst Manor, Dining Room.


Haze watched as the rest of the group streamed out of the doors, probably to look for Beatrice, or look for Kieran’s fortune, or perhaps to find clues about this supposed ‘tragic tale of murder and disappearance’, leaving only Sybil, Belle, and herself in the room. As the sudden flurry of movement calmed down, Haze heard the hippie guy (she realised that she still didn't know much of her relatives names) murmur something about a voodoo dolls and how magic definitely existed. It only served to further her suspicion that Beatrice was trying her hardest to make the last option seem impossible. And whenever someone is trying to make something seem impossible, there is definitely a way to accomplish it.

“Um…” she said, unsure of how to begin. There were many things she wanted to say, many things she wanted to theorise about, but it would probably be good to start with the fundamental part of her idea. Perhaps, though, it would be better to state her opinion on the matter at hand first. “I think that it is possible to prove that magic isn’t real.”

In her childhood, her mother had often told her tales about Sphinxes and their riddles, and she had soon developed a sort of intuition when it came to puzzles, both verbal and physical. And this puzzle seemed solvable. All it required, in her opinion, was some clever wordplay, general knowledge, and, perhaps, luck. Since Beatrice was obviously using some form of magic, or, perhaps, conjuring, all that there was left to do was find out what she meant by proving that magic didn’t exist.

“The idea is to…” Haze paused, turning her words over in her head before saying them. She noticed that her voice was coming out as only a slight bit louder than a whisper. “We need to find out what Beatrice means by that. I think that she… phrased it in that way… to confuse us… make us think that it’s impossible… so she doesn’t have to keep her promise…” She gave herself a mental slap, wondering why her voice seemed to not be working, why she couldn’t articulate her thoughts. She knew what she wanted to do, she knew how she wanted to do it, but somehow, she couldn’t find a way to voice it.

“Anyways,” she said, shaking her head slightly, to clear her head. “The first step is to try and get Beatrice to… say the options again to us… in red. We don’t want to go on… a wild goos chase.” Haze breathed out a small sigh, deciding that her point was already made well enough for Sybil to understand. As she leaned back slightly on the chair she was sitting on, the rocks in her pocket suddenly seemed to get a bit heavier. Her left hand twitched involuntarily, and she quickly put it into her coat pocket, grasping the rocks tightly. The sensation faded quickly, and she dismissed it as her imagination.
 
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REAL DADS

Shampoo Thief
Callum Leonhart
Doorway to the dining room


Callum stood just outside of the doorway to the dining hall. This way and that, people were splitting up into groups to solve the mystery of the witch. He found himself left with the fearless Russian doctor and the fiery haired maid. If the stakes weren’t so high, he may have laughed. This was an episode of straight out of Scooby Doo.

"Perhaps is less magical problem with posterior? Voodoo is, how you say, hogbath," Yuri replied to his tale. Typical thing for a man of science to say, thought Callum.

Katrina laughed a little. "I wouldn't go that far. I happen to know a thing or two about magic myself."

“It’s easy to think it’s hogbath until you experience it yourself,” replied Callum. “But Yuri, let me tell you, there are all sorts of things in this world we don’t yet understand. Energies and happenings that defy our understandings of the universe. Magnets, for instance.”

“Katrina,” Callum continued without taking a breath. “What do you know about magic?”

Katrina’s knowledge of magic may be the first step in solving this mystery. After all, if she's been living on the island and is familiar with magic, then perhaps she has noticed something that a person such as Yuri may have overlooked. It would certainly be a step in the right direction, in any case.

Of course, if Katrina was a witch as well, he didn’t know how well he could trust her. From his experience, witches are cunning and manipulative. They are not like the ugly hags you see witches portrayed as on television. No, they are always beautiful and enchanting. They seem kind and welcoming, all to gain your trust. They reel you in until they know they’ve got you in their grasp. Only then do they tighten their grip and crush you.

From what he could tell, Beatrice was no different. She was beautiful, elegant, and charismatic. She probably charmed his uncle just as he was charmed by his own voodoo witch. He remembered her well. Her skin was as dark as the brackish water that surrounded her overgrown home in the swamps. Her eyes seemed to eat the light, and she had a smile that looked as if she was about to eat you. He had never met a woman more beautiful in his life. He should have known she was trouble the moment he laid eyes on her, but Callum had always been inexplicably drawn to danger. He chalked it up to another mystery of the universe.
 

Minteh

It's so shiny!
Sybil Leonhart
Dining Room, Cainhurst Manor


Whilst Sybil waited for her sister to respond, her purple eyes observing, as her relatives split off into groups accompanied by members of staff, charging off to go and solve the mystery. Sybil still thought it had been wrong not to sit and discuss it. She wanted to figure out what was going on just as much as anyone else, but, to her it seemed more wise to discuss what they knew before deciding to tackle the problem.

“Um…” Haze began, seemingly unsure of what she was going to say. “I think that it is possible to prove that magic isn’t real.”

Sybil was surprised that Haze had thought that way, but nodded her head in understanding, allowing the girl to continue what she had been saying. “The idea is to…" Haze paused for a few moments and then continued. “We need to find out what Beatrice means by that. I think that she… phrased it in that way… to confuse us… make us think that it’s impossible… so she doesn’t have to keep her promise…” Sybil found herself nodding along with most of this, sharing her sister's views on the matter, albeit in a slightly different way.

“Anyways,” Haze said, shaking her head slightly, as if she were mentally chiding herself. “The first step is to try and get Beatrice to… say the options again to us… in red. We don’t want to go on… a wild goose chase.”

"I agree," Sybil said, almost as soon as her sister had finished speaking. It seemed that for the most part, Haze was on a similar wave length, as to how to go about tackling the mystery. It made Sybil thankful that her sister had not inherited their father's impulsive nature, else she feared she'd be charging off like so many of their other relatives were. "The question is - how do we get Beatrice to reappear again? I doubt she's just going to pop up and surprise us again..."

Truthfully, there was something about Beatrice that put Sybil on edge, something which made her want to limit contact with her as much as possible. However, if they ever wanted to find out what happened to Kieran - and by extension - find a way to solve the mystery, then she feared they would have to come into contact with the "Witch" a lot more.

"I say we start at her portrait, check and see if there was anything we may have missed." Sybil suggested, turning to her sister so that she could gauge her reaction to this. "Then I think we should head upstairs and do some more exploring up there, permitting we don't find anything by her portrait that is."
 

TheSequelReturns

Faithful Crusader
OOC: Finally back in gear. Sorry for the long delay everyone.

---

~ Cainhurst Manor - Grand Foyer ~
- Bianca, Ace Detective, and Co. -

The siblings Bianca and Callaway, their mother Orianna, and their escort Gregory arrived in the Grand Foyer after an uneventful trip back through the hallways. At first glance, not much had changed here. Any trace of Saizo's demise had been wiped away, everything except for the few spots of blood that managed to land on a rug rather than the tile floor. It was odd almost, how quickly the body had vanished into the night. If it wasn't for those few spots of blood, one could almost surmise the whole thing had never happened.

"Oh dear." Orianna said, perking up. "I just remembered, Saizo was supposed to arrange for the rest of our luggage to be brought off the boat. In all the excitement, I forgot about it." She spared a glance outside the windows and into the very dark and very stormy night. "I was hoping the rest of the bags would be okay but with this storm its all I can ask that the boat survives."

"Don't worry about that boat," Gregory smiled a sad smile, "It doesn't look like much, and its a little old, but it can handle this storm just fine." The butler seemed so worn down. It was quite the change from the confidant wink he had given when the guests first arrived. But he was also holding up the best he could. It was hard to tell if the young man wore a well made mask of bravery or if he was simply a stoic.

"I wonder if Saizo had anything else on him." Gregory mused. "Belle and Yuri sure cleaned up the crime scene in a hurry, I can't help but feel that they missed something."

"Children." Orianna was staring up at the portrait of Beatrice, her eyes wide. "I don't mean to interrupt, but that wasn't always in the painting was it?" she asked, her voice shaking.

There, resting on a table in the background behind the ever smiling figure of Beatrice, was Saizo's disembodied head, a gold coin in each eye.

---------

~ Cainhurst Manor - West Hall > Library ~
- Team Awesome -

"Pops, what is your definition of 'dangerous', anyway? You know that I've got no coward, chicken, pawn or tool in my blood. Plus, don't you think a murderer would want just that? For us to be afraid so that they could take advantage of us?" Alena had that fire in her eyes that Jules had come to know so well. In many ways, it was his own fire, so he supposed he was to blame.

"Dangerous, in this case, meaning that we don't see a safe path forward." Jules allowed some of that fire to enter his eyes too, now that Orianna had gone elsewhere and couldn't scold him for it. "But don't you worry. I want to solve this mystery as much as you do, I just don't want anyone else to get hurt for it."

Alena's expression softened a bit, but she still posed a new challenge. "If this is about Mira, you and I both know that I'd rather die than see her get harmed, or you for that matter...but if we don't get to the bottom of this, find the murderer and the costumed woman before anything stupid happens, it's just like letting them win!"

Jules smiled and placed a hand firmly on his daughter's shoulder. "Ally, this isn't just about Mira and me. You are my daughter too, don't you ever forget that...and don't you ever think that I love you less. It would kill me to see any one of you come to harm...and I would never forgive myself if anything happens to either of you," his voice was strong, resolute and steady as his eyes met hers, two pairs of purple eyes that mirrored each other. Purple eyes that may or may not have been one of the reasons why her grandfather chose to legitimize her. "We have to all look out for each other, Ally. There is a murderer on the loose, and any of us could be next. We don't know how they strike, or when they will, for that matter, and we can't afford to be reckless. Promise me that we turn back together if it gets too dangerous?" He explained, and Alena was silent for a few moments, before nodding, a lopsided grin on her face.

Alena went on a bit longer about her view of the matter and Jules could only smile, language aside. She had already reached the same conclusion he had, that the was certainly something amiss here and it wasn't because of any witch's curse or some such. As much as he loved those sorts of stories, the real world never quite lived up.

"Ask me if you need directions, I can show you the way." Lucy's soothing voice cut in, and Alena turned around as the maid bowed. "I know these are harrowing circumstances, but it is and always shall be my pleasure to serve your family," she said. Alena took her hand the way a loving sister would and Lucy had to fight back a tear.

Of course, Alena followed that up by giving Violetta a friendly smack on the back. The chef jumped, pulled back out of her thoughts and cast a look at Alena. "'Jeune fille, tonight is not the night for messin' around." Vi's voice was like stone. It might take some time for her to snap back to her old self after what had happened to Saizo. Still, the corner of her lips turned up a bit.

"Lucy, what's behind those doors?" Alena asked after some deliberation, pointing a finger at the double doors at the far end of the hall.

The group headed that way together, Alena and Lucy leading the way, Vi trailing closely behind them. "You all should be quite of found of this room." Lucy said with a smile that said just wait and see. "It's Belle's favorite room in the house. The Master's as well."

She opened the double doors with a loud click of the old tumblers and pushed them open to reveal a masterfully built library. Every conceivable place a shelf could be put had one loaded to the brim with books. Though it was richly decorated like the rest of the house, mahogany furniture, rich hardwood floors, lavish rugs, priceless paintings, the room itself was in total disarray. Books were everywhere, on everything. Resting in chairs, lining the walls, stuffed into nooks and crannies, stacked on the tables, books of all shapes and sizes and ages. This collection was worth as much money now as the rest of the house was put together, Jules was almost certain of it. Some of these writings were so old, that they were written on scrolls.

"I could spend the rest of my life in this room and not have half an idea of the knowledge in all of these..." Jules said with almost childlike wonder. "Where do we even start?"

----------

~ Cainhurst Manor - West Hall ~
- Team Callum -

“It’s easy to think it’s hogbath until you experience it yourself,” replied Callum. “But Yuri, let me tell you, there are all sorts of things in this world we don’t yet understand. Energies and happenings that defy our understandings of the universe. Magnets, for instance.”

Yuri nodded his agreement. "Is true that. Wise man once said 'magic is only science we do not yet understand'."

“Katrina,” Callum continued without taking a breath. “What do you know about magic?”

The maid gave him a coy smile. "Oh this and that. My mother was a Gypsy you see so I've dabbled in just about everything at least once." She motioned for Callum to lean closer. "Here, let me show you something."

Yuri rolled his eyes as if to say here we go again as Katrina pulled Callum in close and, with a flourish of her hands, produced a playing card out of thin air. A Jack of Hearts. Katrina grinned. "Of course, my father was a professional magician too. I've learned more from him than my mothers rambles."

The Russian doctor chuckled. "She keeps cards hidden up sleeves just to have surprise ready."

Katrina frowned at him, but didn't snap back. Instead she handed the card to Callum. "Don't pay him any mind. He doesn't believe in magic, but I've seen my father pull a rabbit out of an empty handkerchief and I've seen my mother find long lost heirlooms and predict deaths with an old cup of tea leaves. I know there's more to it than simple tricks."

"If convincing me, I will eat my socks." Yuri said. "I am still thinking whole display in dining room simply the work of hidden projector."

----------

~ Cainhurst Manor - Dining Room ~
- Team Sybil -

“Um…” Haze began, seemingly unsure of what she was going to say. “I think that it is possible to prove that magic isn’t real.”

Belle looked a little concerned, but she nodded as well.

“Anyways,” Haze said, shaking her head slightly, as if she were mentally chiding herself. “The first step is to try and get Beatrice to… say the options again to us… in red. We don’t want to go on… a wild goose chase.”

"I agree," Sybil said, almost as soon as her sister had finished speaking. "The question is - how do we get Beatrice to reappear again? I doubt she's just going to pop up and surprise us again..."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Belle said. "They wouldn't go through all of the trouble to set up that display if they weren't going to appear again."

"I say we start at her portrait, check and see if there was anything we may have missed." Sybil suggested, turning to her sister so that she could gauge her reaction to this. "Then I think we should head upstairs and do some more exploring up there, permitting we don't find anything by her portrait that is."

Belle looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't decide if she should. She kept tugging at her blue ribbon around her neck and glancing up towards the ceiling.
 

Monster Guy

Fairy type Trainer
Bianca Leonhart, Ace Detective
Cainhurst Manor; Grand Foyer


When the group arrived in the Grand Foyer, it seemed that there wasn't much there worth seeing except for the small blood stains on the rug. It was exactly the same as it was when they first arrived. Any other evidence that a bloody murder took place in this room was gone. The staff must be very efficient at cleaning up.

"Oh dear." Bianca's mother spoke up. "I just remembered, Saizo was supposed to arrange for the rest of our luggage to be brought off the boat. In all the excitement, I forgot about it." She looked out the window, and at the chaotic storm that was rumbling outside. "I was hoping the rest of the bags would be okay but with this storm its all I can ask that the boat survives."

"I had thought our belongings were already off the boat... Well, that's unfortunate." Bianca hadn't thought to make sure her things made it into the manor with her, and now some of her good clothes were going to get lost in the storm. Although, if any of her belongings didn't make the journey, she could certainly afford to have them replaced. She did have the funds for it, and it was the perfect excuse to go on a shopping spree. Not that she needed one.

"Don't worry about that boat," Gregory smiled sadly. "It doesn't look like much, and its a little old, but it can handle this storm just fine."

"Well, that's nice to hear..." Bianca replied trying to stay positive. Gregory did look upset about this whole situation. She didn't think this would be something one prepared for when you train to become a butler. Regardless, he hadn't become a complete wreck yet.

"I wonder if Saizo had anything else on him." Gregory went on. "Belle and Yuri sure cleaned up the crime scene in a hurry, I can't help but feel that they missed something."

Bianca nodded and sighed. As far as she could see, there wasn't anything in this room that could help them solve this mystery. Now what was she going to do? She didn't have any ideas of where to go next.

"Children." Her mother interupted her thoughts. She was staring up at the portrait of Beatrice, her eyes wide. "I don't mean to interrupt, but that wasn't always in the painting was it?" she asked, her voice shaking.

There, resting on a table in the background, behind the smiling figure of the Golden Witch, was Saizo's disembodied head, a gold coin in each eye.

Bianca breathed a sigh of relief that somebody had found something, and walked closer to the portrait. "You are right, that definitely was not there before..." Even though she knew it was only a pointing, she still couldn't help cringing in disgust at the sight of the disembodied head. Bianca reached out her finger to touch the new addition to the portrait. It was perfectly dry, and not a drop of paint had rubbed off on her finger. "There is no way somebody could have painted that onto this. It wouldn't have dried this fast. Yet, there it is..."

As nice of a clue as this was to find, Bianca still didn't think this brought her any closer to solving the mystery. Although, with all this attention on the painting, there was one thing she had become curious about. She turned her attention towards the handsome butler. "Gregory, dear. You know this manor well. By any chance, would you happen to know who the artist of this painting is?"
 
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*Jean Grey*

Night Triumphant
(OOC: I had to bunny Mira a bit here. The observation is a lot more in-character for Mira to make, as compared to Ally.)

Alena Leonhart
Cainhurst Manor


"You all should be quite fond of this room. It's Belle's favorite room in the house. The Master's as well," Lucy commented as the group stopped in front of the double doors, a knowing smile gracing her face. In a way, it made the young maid even more beautiful in a mysterious way. Not a bad mysterious, but a good mysterious. The kind that drew people in, wanting to know its hidden depths. For a moment, Alena allowed herself to appreciate the dark-haired girl's expression. Surely, she really meant it when she implied that what lay beyond the ornately-carved doors would pique their interest? Now, Alena was probably the last person who would know about her mysterious grandfather's proclivities beyond his seemingly love for opulence and unique pieces, but of course that was what exploring the manor was for in the first place...well, aside from hunting down the murderer and their possible accomplice, naturally!

As Lucy opened the double doors with a loud click, Alena immediately saw that said room was...a library. Her heart sank a bit at the sight. Damn, but of course it's a library, she thought, remembering the books in his chambers and knowing that her father had to get his love of literature and books from somewhere. She wasn't illiterate - far from it actually - but she wasn't the scholarly sort either, unlike her father. She had expected, perhaps, an armoury filled with antique weapons, going by her definition of something she would be fond of. Nevertheless, that wasn't to say that the room wasn't interesting, in fact, it was different and not in a bad way.

Like all the other rooms in the manor, the library was richly-decorated with mahogany furniture, Persian rugs and priceless paintings, and as would be expected for a library, there were shelves stuffed full of books as well as scrolls that could've perhaps been from a time before printing became widespread. However, unlike the other rooms she had seen so far, this one was in a state of disarray, with books not only lining the shelves, but also stacked on the tables and even some resting on chairs. It was as if someone had been there before they entered.

"I could spend the rest of my life in this room and not have half an idea of the knowledge in all of these...where do we even start?" Alena heard her father say, his voice holding notes of childlike wonder, as if he was a teenage scholar again. Typical Pops, always distracted by books, she thought, before squeezing his shoulder.

"Pops, you could spend the rest of your life here reading after we catch that motherfucker," she reminded him as her eyes swept over the numerous shelves. There had to be something in here, something that could clue them in to whatever the hell was going on, and she was willing to create even more of a mess if it meant finding something. She then looked back at her father and sister, as well as Lucy and Vi. "C'mon, maybe one of the wall shelves might be hiding a passageway or room of sorts," she said as she peered at said shelves, all of them tall enough to possibly be concealing a door behind them. She then stepped towards one of the shelves, grabbed both sides and tugged at it a few times, in an attempt to rattle it. She only succeeded in making a few books tumble ontp her head and on the polished wooden floor with loud thuds.

"Alena Alcyone Leonhart, what did I tell you about being careful and avoiding harm?!" Her father chastised as he made her way towards her and started putting the books back in place, momentarily turning towards Vi and Lucy, his violet eyes holding a look of apology and embarrassment.

"My daughter could be...extremely rash," he admitted before continuing to replace the books with Alena's help.

"C'mon, Pops, it's just a small bump. Never stopped me from anything," she assured him. Mira stood behind them, her eyes still trained on the shelves, as if she remembered something that somebody must've told her. Alena caught her look, and her gaze softened a bit. Her younger sister, dressed in a fine purple silk dress and black high heels, looked the very picture of someone who inspired others to protect her. Alena knew better than that, however, knew that beneath Mira's beautiful, waifish looks lay a curious, clever mind.

"Father...do you remember what you told me about America in the 1920s? Liquor was forbidden, and people had to drink in secret rooms and the like? I remember that you once mentioned that some of these places were hidden behind bookcases with odd triggers," Mira began, before stepping forward daintily and pulling a book from the shelf, then replacing it. "We may not be in America, but do you think that they could...open up if anyone finds a trigger? Like a book?" The younger woman continued, giving a charming smile as she looked at her father, her sister, then at the two other women in the room, her violet eyes lingering momentarily on the dark-haired, dark-eyed maid before she turned her eyes on her father again, the older man looking rather proud and impressed. Alena silently considered what her younger sister suggested, tapping her fingers on the wood of the bookcase before she turned around.

"Some of these paintings look big enough for Pops and any of us to walk through, too..." she added as she allowed her eyes to travel around the room, looking over the paintings, shelves and rugs once more. It was going to take some time, that was for sure.

"Lucy, Vi, Pops...tell me you know some of Gramps' favorite books...or which things in here are his favorite pieces?"
 
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GoldenHouou

antagoonist
Miraela Leonhart
Team Sister Dear, Please Do Not Name Us On Your Own Like That Awesome
Cainhurst Manor, Library


The bizarre string of events that had unfolded after the family had reunited around a common dinner table had left Miraela speechless once more - although this time, for a much different reason than before. When it had happened the last time, she hadn't considered herself able to contribute anything meaningful to the many conversations going on around her and thus, opted to stay silent and listen instead. This time, however, she had perhaps too much to contribute, her thoughts entirely occupied by the mystery laid out before them. As such, she simply did not have time to waste speaking – at least, not until she felt she had a decent enough grasp on the situation and her own thoughts regarding it to be able to share it with others. She'd loathe to waste anyone's time by forcing them to listen to baseless speculations, after all.

And yet, those were all she had at the moment. Ever since Beatrice, the same woman whose portrait she had taken a picture of upon their arrival, had introduced herself as a witch and presented them with four options should they wish to escape the island – three, if they indeed wished to leave alive - Miraela had been busy pondering her words and trying to make sense out of everything that had happened. The three options presented... finding Kieran's fortune and being granted safety from whatever else was to occur tonight, solving the mystery and being granted a wish, or... or proving that magic did not exist and being able to save everyone. The first option was out of the question, of course; she would never be able to accept a blessing if it meant the rest of her family wasn't granted the same sort of protection! The wish, on the other hand, sounded promising; too promising, perhaps. If one could wish for anything they wanted, then could they not save everyone with a simple wish? They could wish to turn back time, to escape the island with everyone, for a thousand more wishes... there were quite a few loopholes a well thought-out wish could offer.

But that was exactly why that option sounded a tad too good to be true. The witch had mentioned limitations, although she had also stressed that there were not many of them. But even with only a few limitations, she could easily block a wish that would save everyone - and somehow, Mira believed that would be exactly what she'd do. Surely, she was prepared for someone trying to trick her. If not, perhaps the next time they met the witch, she should ask her to elaborate on those aforementioned limitations? Regardless, solving the mystery with the few clues they had right now seemed like an endeavor doomed to fail. They should try to gather more information, more clues and hints before attempting it. After all, all they knew now was that one person had been murdered, and one had disappeared. Then there was the red text left behind on the curtain, as well as the red text that prevented lies... perhaps they should, at some point, re-examine both crime scenes, unless the others were already doing that? Either that, or wait until more clues presented themselves. Until then, however, the best option would be to try and prove that magic did not exist. But how, she wondered, could one prove that something did not exist? As far as she was aware, that was not how it was supposed to go! It was the job of whoever made a claim to prove it true, not the opposite. Proving a negative outside mathematics was simply…

Miraela permitted herself a small sigh, her delicate brows knitting only barely. No, she mustn’t give in to pessimism this easily! Perhaps if they took into consideration what would be required for magic to exist, they could work their way from there. In other words, they needed some form of evidence of absence. But… how would they be able to go about finding that, when the mysterious red text that had prevented Beatrice from lying, her butterfly trick and the way she had sealed the butler’s voice already spoke of the contrary being true? If magic was not involved, how were such feats possible? Had they consumed some form of hallucinogen with the food, or was there some other, scientific explanation to her deeds? Furthermore, if magic wasn’t real, how could she promise them a wish that could even bring back the dead? Surely, something like that would not be possible without magical means. Both of those options could not be true at the same time. Either they could prove that magic did not exist, or she was unable to grant them any wish they wanted.

Then, had the witch presented them with the option to prove that magic doesn’t exist, fully knowing it was impossible? That… certainly was a possibility, as well. They knew next to nothing about her or her intentions, after all. She could have simply provided them with an empty promise to have them all run in circles until death claimed each and every one of them. And yet, what Mira understood of twisted of minds, that didn’t seem likely. If the witch was deriving any sort of enjoyment from what she made them all do, then presenting them with an impossible mission was hardly ideal as far as a pleasurable mystery went. If this was a game to her, rigging it from the start so that she could never lose didn’t seem to be able to lead to much amusement. Or that was Miraela’s personal take on it, anyway. But then, she wasn’t a deranged mastermind of a witch.

She was conflicted, however. The logical part of her, the one that did well in school, told her that magic wasn’t real. But the other, eerie, wild and dreaming part of her almost wished it were – usually, at least. She knew her sister dismissed such a thought outright, and she would not have expected anything less of her, either! She was always the one whose thoughts were rooted in reality and logic, and Mira truly admired her for that. True, she was hot-headed and impulsive like no one else she had ever met, but she was not stupid! She simply opted to learn through actions, rather than passive thoughts. The two of them were the complete opposites in that regard, but perhaps that was why they were quite a formidable team. And, indeed, even if the mystery was a difficult one, with the group they had now, Miraela was sure they could solve it! They had her sister, the fearless leader who knew when to act, her father, the rock to depend on when troubles arose, Vivian, the lady with an attitude that nearly matched her sister's, and Lucy, the beautiful head maid that knew of this manor more than any of the family members themselves ever could. As far as she was concerned, they did stand a good chance in solving the mystery - or proving that magic did not exist. Although, personally, she was slightly more interested in the former - a fact she blamed entirely on her sister's book collection.

... If she could have had a choice, however, she would have chosen their 'team' a different name.

It was the click of an opening door that tore Mira from her thoughts with a jolt. She'd been so absorbed in her thoughts throughout their entire walk that she'd barely heard the discussions going on - only that her father had once again expressed his concern, and her sister proclaimed it was not needed. It was a common thing with the two of them and most of the time, Miraela opted to stay out of it out of respect. She wasn't unaware that the two others often brought her name up in such conversations as well, but she never knew quite what to say when it occurred. She wanted to let her father know that she could take care of herself, but she didn't want to seem ungrateful for his concern. Luckily, Ally tended to speak for her. She often did, when Mira found herself at a loss.

That aside, once the old, heavy doors opened to reveal the grandest library she had ever laid her eyes upon, Mira's thoughts focused back on the present. The room was a masterpiece of architecture, and she could only imagine the kind of knowledge one could amass upon reading some of the old books inside. That... was not something they could afford to do right now, however. Reading through everything was a a sheer impossibility. So then, perhaps the room could offer them something else? There were a few options she could think of, and for once, she decided to voice them.

"Father... do you remember what you told me about America in the 1920s? Liquor was forbidden, and people had to drink in secret rooms and the like? I remember that you once mentioned that some of these places were hidden behind bookcases with odd triggers," Mira said, her voice silky as she took a delicate step towards one of the shelves, her fingers tracing the books as if in thought. Carefully, knowing full-well the worth of every single tome in the room, she moved the book from its place - only to replace it soon after. "We may not be in America, but do you think that they could... open up if anyone finds a trigger? Like a book?"

It may have been a silly thought, but from what she'd read, old mansions such as this did tend to hold secret passageways. So, silly, yes, but certainly not impossible. Turning around to face the rest, Mira let her hands come to rest in front of her dress, a polite, charming smile on her lips. Underneath the poised exterior, however, part of her was nervous to see what their group would think of her idea - and another part of her was thinking completely different thoughts altogether, ones she'd never admit. Her purple gaze lingered on Lucy for a fraction of a second more than she'd meant to, as she imagined everyone searching for a possible trigger, with the maid bending slightly to reach a book on the lower shelves, her dress folding and giving them a peek a--- o-oh, no, that was not something she should be thinking! Things like that only happened in... in indecent films, anyway! Not that she'd know what happened in those, b-but--

Her porcelain cheeks now a hue brighter, Mira turned around to hide her shame just in time to hear her sister inquire about Kieran's favorite books as if to continue her thought. As expected, she was quick to grasp the situation! And, speaking of books... it was then that Mira remembered there was another idea she wanted to let the others hear. So, shaking away any and all dirty thoughts, she opted to continue on to her second suggestion.

"Lucy," she began, her back still turned just in case some of the redness still lingered. Noticing that her voice threatened to tremble, she quickly drew a light breath before continuing, her voice again as serene as usual. If there was something she was good at, after all, it was keeping up appearances. Perhaps it was hereditary - or perhaps her mother had simply taught her well. "You said this is both grandfather and Belle's favorite room, yes?" she let the question linger long enough for her to hear, then swiftly continued. "If so, may I also ask if you know what were some of the last things they read? The message left behind in grandfather's room, his sudden disappearance and the witch from the painting... all of it quite bothers me. I cannot think that grandfather would have been completely unaware of what was about to happen. It's very likely that he could have attempted to study Beatrice, magic, the red text or something of the sort before all this occurred."

She gave her sister a small nod. "Perhaps some of us should look for a possible trigger among grandfather's favorite books or anything that looks out of place, while some could peruse the things he - and perhaps also Belle - last read?"
 
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