[Spooky thread!] A DEAD BUTLER IN THE WAYNE CELLAR

[Deleted]

Psyman watched with sadistic glee as Robin punched Penumbra square in the jaw. He then watched as the other telepath staggered away and Psyman listened to his words which made no sense to the green cladded telepath. He glared. “Calm down? How do you expect any of us to stay calm at a time like this? Not only is there a thief on the loose, but said thief is now a cold blooded killer and worst of all we don’t even know who or where the…culprit is,” he exclaimed in a panic before lowering his voice in such a way only Pen could hear him. “But between you and me I still think you’re the guilty one,” he hissed in a voice most serious. There was no way Pen was going to forget about him after that one. After that he walked away from Pen and stood instead over near Robin.

From there Psyman watched as Red Star, Irkalla, and Speedy entered the room. Arms firmly crossed he smirked at them. “Well, I see you lot finally decided to join us. Where you been anyway?” But before either of them could answer, Red Star kneeled down beside the recently deceased and whispered something in Russian or at least that’s what it sounded like. Not knowing Russian Psy had no idea what Red Star was saying, but guessed that it was some sort of prayer. When Red Star got up Psyman merely nodded in agreement at his suggestion to round up the others even though it was mostly directed at Robin. “Agreed, the girls should be found. For all we know they could be in grave danger even as we speak.”

But before he could say anything more, Speedy acknowledged him and asked for his help in locating Starfire. No, he demanded his help and remembering their earlier rather rocky encounter the green cladded telepath already did not like where this was going and even moreso when the archer grabbed him by his scarf and practically dragged him away. He gave a startled grunt. “Don’t worry we’ll find her and bring her back safely. You can count on us,” he managed to choke out as Speedy dragged him away in an effort to pull suspicion away from himself assuming there even was any to begin with. Not that the archer gave him much choice on the matter.

Once they were out of range, Psyman pulled back on his scarf. “Hey, what’s the big idea dragging me around like this? And if you really did want my help all you had to do was ask. You didn’t have to practically strangle me,” he complained giving the archer a sharp glare as he gave his now sore neck a rub.

[Silv]

Robin's fist smashing into Penumbra's face wasn't as satisfying a moment as the boy had hoped. But then, he really didn't get to enjoy it. He felt himself being shoved back, his shoulder's in a tight grip, and Batgirl's voice yelling his name resounding in his ears. Robin's green gloved fists were still clenched, but he made no further move to attack. Eventually her movements became more gentle. Her face was inches from his, he could feel the warmth of her breath as she reassured him that they would find the murderer.

Suddenly he found himself surrounded. Penumbra was saying something, it was probably stupid, but he was more preoccupied by the arm suddenly around his shoulders and giving him a reassuring squeeze. Robin glanced at Speedy before his gaze flipped to Red Star who was covering Alfred's face with the teen's own coat. The boy's determination wavered at the display, his knees buckling slightly, but he managed to remain standing when Red Star clapped a hand on his shoulder.

Speedy was suggesting they find the missing people. Robin nodded in agreement. “We'll keep in contact through our coms. When you find her, let us know!” the Titan leader replied as his friend walked out with a somewhat disgruntled Psyman. “Red Star, let the authorities know, Batgirl, I need you to call Br- Mr. Wayne and make sure he knows the situation. When you've managed that see if you can find Dar. Irkalla, Penumbra,” he turned to the other two teens, his gaze meeting Irkalla's and not Penumbra's. He was still a bit peeved with the other boy. “Let's go find Hotline.”

[A.G.]

((At some slightly earlier turn in the thread... >_>))


"Oh for crying out loud..." 

Wouldn't it be just like a creepy mansion in the remote reaches of some ridiculous amount of acres of land to lose power out of nowhere? While she was alone? In a library room? What kind of luck was that supposed to be? "See, this is why I don't play horror games. Somehow I always end up alone, in the dark, about to die or something..." She grumbled disconcertingly, before tapping a few buttons on the side of her sufficiently advanced goggles-- Also known as the headlights. It didn't take long before a beam of light began to emit from the from of her headgear; A built-in flashlight for those lovely, cozy moments where you're trapped in a cellar, or wandering through a cave. It also, apparently, was quite useful for navigating Wayne manor! 

"Good grief; Next, I'll probably be seeing demons, or singing Avenged Sevenfold songs, or--" She began to babble, a means of keeping herself company in the encroaching darkness, as well as convince herself that there was no one and no thing near or around her. God forbid if--

“check the cellar.”

Okay so that whole talk to herself plan wasn't going very well. "Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope!!!" Ellie practically began chanting at the top of her voice, heart officially out of her chest as she leaped from the chair she was sitting in, and flew to the nearest wall, aided by her mini-flashlight. Once there, she spun around immediately; Wild-eyed, she tried to scan the area as best she could with her headlights as possible; This was made horribly difficult by the fact that SHE WAS SCARED OUT OF HER MIND, but even in doing so, she found no one and nothing in her flashlight's range.

Moments later, the lights came back on, which was such a relief that the helpful heroine crumbled to her knees; The waves of reassurance running down her spine were far too heavy. "Okay, okay, you're fine; Everything's fiiiiiiiine..." She muttered to herself, trying to get herself together. Slowly she stood again, and dusted herself off (for some weird reason). Now, any normal person would probably have said "Hey, it's leave-this-mansion-o-clock on the dot", but unfortunately, our plucky heroine isn't exactly 'normal' by any means. "...Cellar," She muttered to herself, spotting the doorway earlier revealed by Mr. Pennyworth. Well, it had to be better than staying in the library. Five Nights at Freddy's had taught her not to sit still for too long.

Hotline went to open the door to the cellar as such, poking her head inside the dark stairway, attempting her best to remain quiet, but what she saw at the bottom of the stairs nonetheless caused her to let out a swift shriek, and fall flat on her behind in turn.

There lay Mr. Pennyworth... unmoving.

[Elenaphant]

[HINT: The hall is just outside the cellar. Maybe someone saw something worth mentioning...? ALSO--the library has a fun surprise.]

By the time anyone reached the conservatory, it was empty aside from a note. It read:

"Dearest friends, by now you may have discovered what I have done.
The right thing to do would be to turn myself in. However, when I think of being locked away again my heart seizes and I just cannot bare the thought... or see the look on your faces. Know I didn't mean to hurt anyone, but in my thoughtlessness I have robbed you of a dear friend. By the time you read this, I will be gone.

- Starfire."

[Kenni]

"The big idea's why'd you hightail it so fast back at the Billiards Room? And since when did you become a cowpoke?" interrogated the archer, finally having Psyman as captive audience, and quite literally poking at the other guy's jacket where he'd spotted the rope-roll earlier, and walking with an ever-readiness to dash after Psy again if he decided to make another run for it.

As he tensely awaited a suitable response, they reached the conservatory.
A quiet, empty conservatory.
Frowning as he spread the double-doors wider and plucked a single sheet of paper from the top of a plot of periwinkle, something icy cold balled up in his gut.

Where had she gone..?
What was this about?!


"Perfect," the disgruntled ginger muttered as he quickly skimmed the note, his mind analyzing the content and arriving at several different conclusions. Some of them were rather unsavoury, but all of them worried him for his and the team's sweet alien friend. What exactly did Star do..to make her think she'd done something worthy of hiding?
...or, worse, God forbid?

Since he'd dragged Psyman along, Speedy knew he had to share the contents of the note with everyone. If he tried to hide it, the telepath might make the archer into the alien-girl's accomplice when they didn't even know for sure if she was as guilty as she thought.

Speedy refused to believe a note that could have been planted, or forced out of Star; at least, he was pretty sure this was her handwriting.

These and such thoughts tumbled from his mind and manifested in furtive glances around the conservatory as the two entered, but it didn't look like a single trace of their friend remained after she'd made her mysterious departure.

"Here. Read this on the way. We've got to get back to the others and regroup. All I ask is you save your judgments until we've thought trough all the possibilities. She's simply..not capable of what this sounds like."
Speedy rubbed his temples and heaved a sigh, again hypocritically ridding his friend of blame before they'd gotten any evidence either way.

This was turning out to be a horrible house-call.

OoC; Since these two found Star's note I won't have them also be first to the library so others get interesting plot changers. Maybe others will bump into them on their way back to the cellar in other posts though. c; ||

[Deleted]

Psyman angrily pulled his arm away from his interrogator. "Okay well first of all will you kindly cut that out," he angrily demanded clearly annoyed by the other poking at him. As much as he wanted to try ditching Speedy again he didn't dare try since he realized that doing so would make him look even more guilty. So he stuck by Speedy...for now anyway. "And if you must know I ran away because I did not like the way you were asking. Your tone was so...accusatory. You treated me like a criminal, just as you are now. You're acting as though I'm the one behind the theft and the butler's murder. Well I assure you, I am not! And that is why I ran away."

The offended telepath took a deep breath before continuing on in his defense. "And what this old thing?" he asked the overtly suspicious archer as he removed his rope stash from his pocket to prove he has nothing to hide. Glancing anxiously around he lowered his voice to a deadly whisper, "can you keep a secret?" Without waiting for a response, Psyman cleared his throat. "I read somewhere in a book that tying knots in rope brings good luck," admitted the telepath clearly a bit embarrassed by his own superstitious behavior. A sigh then escaped him. "'course now I am not so sure if it even works considering nothing good has happened all day," the telepath grumbled as he folded his arms.

As he explained himself to Speedy they at last reached the conservatory. He watched the archer very carefully as he looked around. After all accusing others is the perfect cover for a traitor. Psyman watched him pick up a note and studying the archer's expression it didn't look good. "What is it?" he inquired.

It didn't take long for Speedy to hand him the note and the telepath quickly read it. His eyes widened with shock from the contents of the note. "But...you are correct this...this note it simply cannot be! It's got to be a trick or a someone's idea of a sick joke! Yes, that's gotta be it because there is just no way Starfire could have... She is much too nice to be the one behind these dastardly deeds. Although, I hope she can explain this note when we do find her. I really do," he mused as he followed close behind Speedy. His mind raced with more questions than answers. 'The Tamaranean a...a thief and...and a cold blooded murderer? There is just no way. Someone is trying to trick us. That must be it and that note must be an illusion of some sort. An illusion? Now who do I know...' Suddenly the telepath stopped walking. "Pen," he hissed accusingly under his breath. "I knew he was behind this whole thing! I just knew it! This note must be one of his illusions," he obsessively exclaimed with his eye twitching.

He then thought of something else that bothered him about this whole thing. "Say, so you are willing to give Starfire a benefit of a doubt, but not me? What gives? Am I not an equal and valued member of this team? Have I not earned your trust?" he confronted the hypocrite clearly offended that the archer was more than willing to give Starfire a chance, but not him despite the admittedly pretty incriminating note written by Starfire herself and in her handwriting.

ooc: Apologies for not being around lately, but I'm pretty museless at the moment. Trying to get it back. So hopefully this post of mine isn't so bad.

[Aly]

Ooc; Hold up, hold up guys. We got out of order. Next it's Joe, Avi, then me, and then we can go back to Silvo. Keep your pants on guys.

[Deleted]

Penumbra met more hostility than he expected. Barbara was mad, Robin wanted to murder him, and Penumbra just wanted to do the right thing. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to upset people who were already suffering, but it was in the past. Honestly, he was wounded, but he wanted to find out who was the murderer. In the end, he decided that the best course of action was to go to the place he could concentrate. It was a quiet place. It was his place. Any library was instantly the realm of the bookworm.

Silently, he walked up out of the cellar and walked towards the library, examining the halls on the way there. There wasn't much to think of on the way. There were no clues yet, and he was afraid. Alphy was afraid for his friends, and he was afraid that they would start witch-hunting each other. It was terrifying to think about. He noticed a few things, but he didn't know how or if anything was connected, but he didn't look directly into the room when he entered. He started looking at the books on the walls. Penumbra finally turned with the intention of sitting in a chair when he looked into the center of the room...

OOC: Short reply because it's mostly action without thoughts, and there is no dialogue. WHAT'S IN THE ROOM?

EDIT:

Penumbra's keen eyes fell on the body in the center of the room. Human brains pick out human shapes specifically, that's why camouflage breaks up the outline of bodies. Two steps towards the body gave him an identity, and a third gave him their state. It was Dar; Dar looked dead. Dead Dar was dead. Penumbra felt his gut tighten as he ran towards the door as he tried to calm his nerves. Once he got to the hallway, he yelled down the hallway, "GUYS, GUYS, Oh GOD oh GOD, ROBIN, BAR-BATGIRL, HOTLINE, ANYONE?"

He slumped by the wall and the end table, staring at it intently while he waited for the others. Maybe they would notice it too.

[Elenaphant]

CURRENT ROOM CLUES

Library: Dar lies on the floor beneath one of the tables.

Hall: A dust line on the end table suggests that something that was there (a vase? a candlestick?) is no longer there. Perhaps the bruise on the side of the head wasn't from the fall.. The cellar is also most closely situated by this room.

HELPFUL HINTS TO MOVE IT ALONG
*If the killer got the murder weapon from the Hall, it is safe to say that they would have gone to the STUDY, the LOUNGE or the LIBRARY after the murder due to proximity. However, none of these rooms have the suspected murder weapon no matter how much your character may look. The killer may know of a SECRET WAY of getting around in order to distance themselves from the scene of the crime.

The RED HERRING has some useful hints in their part of the storyline that parallels the KILLER's.

TALKING to others about what they did before the murder took place is helpful. 

UNRELATED BUT: I seem to like caps XD

[Deleted]

The leader of the Titans had given everyone their tasks.  It was time to set them all in motion.  Nodding to Robin, Leonid made his way out of the cellar.  Reaching into his pocket, he checked his cellphone.  No service.  Sighing to himself, he shook his head.  It wasn't so uncommon, really.  Wayne Manor was out in the middle of nowhere.  And, the exceedingly wealthy enjoyed their privacy.  Some even went so far as to have cellphone scramblers placed around their property.

But, it was unclear if Mr. Wayne had done so.  The only thing apparent was that Red Star couldn't use his cell.  But, there had to be a phone somewhere in the house.  Green eyes began the search as he found one in the hallway.  It was an old rotary phone, but when he picked up the receiver, he heard a dial tone.  Dialing 911, he watched as Penumbra walked into a room nearby.  The phone rang twice before an operator picked up.

"911.  Wha..."  Pop!!

He hung up the receiver, and picked it back up.  No dial tone.  Nothing.  Once more, he hung up the phone.  Crossing his fingers, he picked it up.  Give him some sound.  Instead, he was met with dead, deafening silence.  Silence that was shattered by Penumbra running out of the room.  Dropping the phone, he ran into the library to see what caused the commotion.  Green eyes fell on the dead Dar that lay under the table.

"No..." he whispered.  He was no stranger to seeing death.  But, when it was with someone you knew, someone who was on your team, it was something completely different.  He felt his knees begin to buckle.  For the first time, in a long time, he felt weak.  He didn't know what to do.  So, he ran.  He ran until he was almost back to the cellar.

There, he collapsed onto an end table, the wooden structure nearly giving out under his weight.  "Dar...  Dar is..."  Before he could say anything more, the contents of his stomach erupted onto the end table.  He was a slobbering, sobbing mess.  Two deaths in the mansion.  It was time for him to face the facts.  One of them was more than likely a killer.

[Aly]

Even Robin was slipping. Not that Batgirl blamed him, but he needed to keep his cool, especially in front of all of these people. He couldn't put all of their identities at risk. Not all as in the Titans, but the family. Wow, way to make it sound like they are a big mob family. It wouldn't be out of place here in Gotham, though. She was worried when he almost slipped with Bruce's name, but Robin recovered. Giving him a curt nod, she grabbed her modded communicator from her belt and walked up and out of the cellar.

At the top, her eyebrows raised in surprise, and she turned to call back down the stairs. “First objective complete. Hotline's here.” Batgirl turned and walked towards the study, communicator in hand. She had to wait until she was way out of earshot to call Bruce's personal phone. Or maybe he was in the cave. Probably not, it's late. He could be out patrolling. Probably should hack into his communications then. It didn't take her long to make it to the STUDY, quietly shutting the door behind her.

Batgirl made her way to the desk, plopping down on the plump chair that only got used for planning charity balls and the like, usually by Alfred instead of Bruce. The thought made her throat constrict. She needed to focus. He had to know. It didn't take her long to catch Batman's frequency.


“Batman.”

“Batgirl.”

“There's an issue at the manor. Alfred... he's...”

There was silence on the line.

“We'll find out who did it.”

Still silence. She waited until his voice crackled back onto the line.

“Robin better find out.”

“No. Don't you dare put this on him. We will find out who did it, but I'd advise staying out until we do. Let us find who did this, then you can have them.”

“Understood, Batgirl. I hope you know what you're doing.”


She shut the communicator and slammed it on the desk.