The Great Mafia Game - GAME 4 OPEN [MULTI-FANDOM] [6/20]

[Blaze Crimson]

Not very calm or gentle bump

[betulacarelica]

Gah, my sincerest apologies to the players! Things have been very up-in-the-air since Christmas and I've only now got time to sit down and do all the writing and managing that this game requires. Please forgive me! :0

Anyway, the werewolf has made their first kill, so we can get the game started (finally)! Let's see what happened...

Smoothieville had been a peaceful village for quite some time. It was a pleasant place, not too far towards the outskirts of the kingdom of Squidtopia, and it had never been known for any king of controversy. The mayor, Frozen Paw, was a witch; the kind, peaceful type, who knew all sorts of interesting but benevolent magicks. Some thought of this as intimidating, and many stayed away from the town for that very reason, but those who could see past it lived happily in the harmonious settlement for as long as they liked.

The current residency stood at fourteen pets, though the town had been bigger in the few years prior. Larger, more attractive towns and cities had been opening up closer to the capitol, and people had moved there either for pleasure or for fantastic job opportunities, leaving small rural villages like Smoothieville at a bit of a loss for residents. Nevertheless, the people living here at this point were all familiar with the village, and even the newer folk had been there a decent amount of time and blended in with society.

It was as peaceful a night as ever when all that began to change.

Poopkee padded around his room, examining his various experiments and concoctions with three eager eyes, grinning to himself in the dim light. Some had thought him mad, others just plain creepy, but everything the scientist had been working towards up until this point would have been beneficial, if actually successful. He had found Smoothieville a pleasant place - the mayor at least was very much in the same boat as he was, 'creepy by nature', but a good person on the inside. Perhaps in truth that was all that was keeping him here specifically, the certainty that he wouldn't be judged.
His ears pricked up when he heard a small tap, like a pawstep on the wooden floor. He was sure he'd locked his door tonight, though there was nothing in the village to make him think that was altogether necessary.
"Hello?" He called out into the darkened hallway. He paused, before asking again. "Hellooo?"

A sharp BANG echoed through the village, startling some from their sleep. Many who had awoken dismissed the noise and went back to sleep, wary, but a few others went to wake the mayor.

The next morning, the scene that greeted the villagers leaving their houses was a terrible one. Yellow tape blocked the door to Poopkee's house, and Frozen Paw stood outside talking to a worried Crispin, who had been one of the few to go to the mayor last night.
It didn't take long for Frozen Paw to call a meeting in the town square. Everybody but Poopkee was there, and even before a formal announcement had been made, the villagers all knew what had happened.
"I regret to inform you that Poopkee was murdered last night." Frozen Paw declared. "As I am the witch of the town, protocol dictates that we villagers must be diplomatic about the investigation, and unwavering in our action. There must be a vote, as to who believes who was the killer, and he or she with the most votes..." Her voice trailed off. She paused, then returned to her sentence. "They must go through a test, a magical test. A rigorous test that will not leave them able to return. This magick can determine whether or not the tested is guilty of murder, but there is no going back once the test is performed. I hate to ask this duty of you my friends, but the law is clear. Please vote with your head, and not your heart."

So, sadly it looks like Poopkee ♂ [Winkatuck] was the first victim! Sorry, my friend!
The voting starts now; everyone who votes will have their name bolded on the player list on the front page, to show that they're active, just so we can keep an eye on who is playing and who isn't!
Voting will end when all players have voted, or at 2pm tomorrow (6th January)!

[flightoftheowl]

Sakura had gathered with everyone else. She closed her eyes at this terrible news. Murder? In their quiet town? How could they vote for anyone? How could she vote for anyone? She trusted the townspeople, all of them, no matter how eccentric they might seem, as they were all good pets... or so it had seemed. The young dryad glanced mournfully back at her tree, which seemed to be drooping as well. Then she turned her gaze to the townspeople. "How could this happen? And here, of all places? How could someone remove the life of another without reason?" Sakura said quietly, downcast. Her gaze landed on Cecil Vi Brittania, the zebra-striped dog with a part-time job reaping souls. She knew that he would remove the souls of those he deemed wicked. Had he deemed Poopkee wicked? It was not her duty to judge, and she had never said anything about it, though it made her uneasy, but certainly he could have done it. Oh, how terrible this judging, doubt and fear was! She again closed her eyes as she spoke up, and the grass around her paws shivered. "Selecting one for this trial will be difficult and sad work indeed... but one pet must speak up first, so I will, despite the pain it gives me to do so." Sakura hesitated, then stood, turned and looked to Cecil. "My vote is the dog Cecil Vi Brittania, he who reaps souls as a 'part-time' occupation. Sir, my sincerest apologies if it is not you, but this 'voting' must begin somewhere." She slowly sat again, with the terrible emotions of doubt and fear gnawing away at her heart like aphids eating the leaves on her tree. She quickly looked backwards, to make sure there wasn't aphids in her tree. No, just the doubt and fear in her heart.

[CorvusSchnee]

{Called it. I knew people would vote for Cecil simply because he is the way he is}

[center][size=85]Cecil bowed to Sakura, his mannerisms quite mocking in nature. It wasn't surprising that one might suspect him. After all, he was a reaper. He did take the souls of the wicked. "You've overlooked one major detail, dearest Sakura. Poopkee's soul was far too pure for me to reap. He might have been strange, but so am I. You, on the other hand, seem quite swift to judge. However, I don't believe your soul is stained by murder. Let's all calm down and think rationally. Only then can we defeat the killer before he takes too many of our pieces."

[flightoftheowl]

Sakura met Cecil's gaze, eyes troubled, then slowly nodded. "Friend Cecil, I am only trying to guess, as it seems we have no evidence. I usually withhold judgement, but these are different circumstances. However, I am willing to withdraw my vote if you direct me to your rational path of thought, and I agree with it. I am no detective, after all. I have no history in experiencing one pet removing the life- or soul, even- of another. Who do you suspect?" She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm and not rush around, yelling, "Confess, evil one! How could you do this?!" She knew that wouldn't work and she'd only lose control of the fear within. She longed to leave her pet form and to reside in the comforting presence of her tree, but she knew her vote was needed, so she stayed. She wondered if her vote would affect the votes of the others as she waited for Cecil's statement.

[Neon Taile]

Crispin harrumphed. There wasn't much to be voting on here, was there? After all, the killer would undoubtedly be excellent at hiding their intents. (But he had been rather suspicious when he'd heard that bang last night.
"I," he announced, looking towards the black-feathered bird on the outskirts of the group, "will cast my vote for Shyama." He did not have any qualms with her, but it wasn't like he was going to vote for no one at all.

[Not sure who's going to be active this time, so let's see!]

[betulacarelica]

All votes so far counted. All two, but y'know.

[alphanea]

After the mayor's words, Red stayed silent for a bit. She was worried about all these bloody acts. Who could have dared to kill the poor canine? What a disgusting crime. Red bit her lip slightly before starting to listen to the conversation between the two canines. The she-wolf was the first to suspect anyone but it did not made her suspicious. It was a rather... Uncomfortable desicion to make, trying to guess who have killed the Halloween dog. It was more of a blind guess. "I support that you do not rush to vote any innocents for this" she spoke, turning her gaze to the pets that surrounded her. "But it seems we have to do something... In my opinion... I think Althea is a little suspicious. I think I do remember seeing her along with Poopkee" Red continued with a soft sigh. "I'm sorry for it but... I vote for Althea."

[Goddess Sword]

The bird-creature at the far edge of the crowd rolled her eyes beneath the mane of feathers covering her face. To be singled out was no surprise to her by any means - She was far from a normal being, after all - and yet part of her was a bit annoyed that she would be selected so soon. Still, when the only options presented are themselves, she supposed it was only natural for them all to attempt to preserve their lives by any means necessary.

"I assure you, I am no murderer, and none of the spirits I converse with are malicious by any means, let alone powerful enough to manipulate me to such lengths that I would attack another being. They can be impish and childish pranksters, perhaps, but far from powerful, malevolent ghouls," Shyama stated, doing all she could to keep an even and patient tone. "It is, however, understandable why you might suspect me, of course, as I am far from a normal bird, and I will not try to change your mind if this indeed your choice." She nodded her head at Cecil. "The spirits I have met say that though you reap souls, you are not harmful to their knowledge - And I, for one, will choose to believe them." She paused. "Red Queen, at the least, appears to have a clear idea of who may be the perpetrator of this crime, one who is neither of us. That being the case, I will cast my vote with her - Should you not be the villain here, Althea, you have my deepest apologies, and I sincerely hope you will hold no ill towards myself and my friends."

With that, the bird-being's vote was cast for Althea.

[CorvusSchnee]

Cecil paced back and forth, going over what little clues he had in his mind. At this point, all he knew was that the strange banging sound from the night prior likely had something to do with the murderer. A banging that loud could not have been caused just by Poopkee, meaning there had to be another large animal near. That crossed any avians or rodents off the list. "Honestly, I don't possess enough evidence to find the true killer. At this point, all I can say for sure was that the killer must have been the same size as Poopkee for such a loud noise to have been created last night. That crosses quite a few of us off the list. At this point, I too will have to go with voting Althea. There is not much evidence against her, but what circumstantial evidence there is coincides with the definitive evidence I have."