Calming influence

Valentino Takamitsu, Gondolier

[bdb-aoi-blog]

Lost cause | Valentino | Kumitheatre | Re; Mizuiro

[TW; Suicide mention, animal death mention]

He didn’t mind the fact Mizuiro walked up and punched him in the face. He totally deserved that. They had a chat after trial, and thinking about it, maybe Valentino was searching for empathy then. Mizuiro had every right to punch him near unconscious. 

He does raise himself up surprisingly easily, standing up with a bit of a stumble. His hair and clothes disheveled, he looks up at Mizuiro - but he looks… different. His eyes are blank as always, but they’re more… hollow. Lifeless. Valentino has many things he could say - how he died a long time ago, how he hates himself - but people didn’t come here for an edgefest. He hears Akae’s words in the background, mixed in with a small ringing noise - and wiping the blood off his mouth he only diverts his eyes. 

“…Life is precious… but when you do nothing but hurt others with a life… how is that acceptable?”, he retorts, looking at the ground as he clenches his fist. “…I gave myself a chance already. I wanted to give myself the chance to change. I– I even took to my mother’s religious habits, hoping it’d do something about my…” He trails off, closing his eye with his brows furrowed before he straightens. 

“…I’ve seen a girl kill herself because of me, Mizuiro. I’ve hurt animals to the point of death. And while both of those things were spurred on by a shitty friend, I– It doesn’t give me an excuse! I– I still killed living beings without remorse! And now– Mana is not here! I… I killed someone…”

His shoulders slump a little, his bangs falling to cover his eyes. “…How… is my life more precious than Lily’s…? It’s not. I deserve to pay for what I did. You’re the only one that’s really upset about this, anyway.” He does know Yuudai was upset too, but he wasn’t punching him to the high heavens, at least. 

He then raises his head, and for the first time, he looks… emotional. He looks regretful, broken, tired - like he’s had enough. And he has. 

“…I’m a lost cause, Mizuiro. I can’t be a good person. Not after everything I’ve done. I… I’d rather it be me who dies, rather t-than any… of you…” His voice cracks a little before tears start to stream down his face. 

“…I… I might be scared, b-but… It’s… it’s better than a-anyone else…” He knew that this martyr act was pretty useless, since nobody else had been blamed for Lily’s death. But… It him justify it. He did still believe life was important, so… he needed to justify it somehow. Let him have that, at least. 

[bdb-aoi-blog]

The tale of a drowning fish | Valentino | Monotheatre

When the votes come in, Valentino sighs from relief. “…T…thank goodness…” He seemed oddly relieved to be voted. Conor(?)’s words make him smile faintly, though… he is pretty worried about his skin.

Regardless, he has a story to tell. “…I… As promised, I’ll tell you everything.”

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “…On the night of the murder, I couldn’t sleep properly. I headed out, feeling responsible to make sure nobody did anything, as I was unaffected. I couldn’t justify my inactivity just because I was scared.” His voice seemed much less slow… he was making an effort to talk faster, it seems.

“I bumped into Lily. She was struggling, and had taken water to try and calm herself down. She… she was looked disheveled… I was worried she’d done something, so I held my distance to her per her request, but I felt too worried to leave her.”

“…I should’ve left. I really should’ve. She warned me. But because I stayed, she soon screaming out and attacked me.” He swallows, putting a hand to his neck. “…I didn’t know what to do. I was tired, scared, and overwhelmed by a sudden pain on my neck.” He looks ashamed.

“…I pushed her off, making her collide with the oven, accidentally turning the stove on. But she got up fairly quickly.” He swallows, a hand moving to his other arm, rubbing it. “…So I… I slammed her head on the stove. She started to burn. I didn’t want her to suffer– I didn’t want her to die in such an agonizing way… she kept screaming. I didn’t know what to do.”

“So I stabbed her. Panicking, wanting to just… end it for her, I stabbed her until she fell quiet.” He falls silent, his eyes empty and glazed. His eyes closed, he shudders at the memory.

“I immediately knew what I’d done. I wanted to blame the disease, but I couldn’t. I… I never caught it. I always had the scarf around my mouth. …Regardless, I– I intended to immediately confess to what I’d done. I couldn’t handle the idea of someone else being blamed for my crimes. I didn’t want people to go through the doubt and suffering again.”

“But… Kumi stopped me. They said they’d get Nikki - my significant other - involved if I revealed anything before you figured out yourselves.” He looks down, bangs covering his face. “…I… didn’t want to get anyone else involved anymore. Nikki… has nothing to do with this. So I had to keep everything hidden. …I’m sorry.”

“…Let me make one thing clear, though. I’m fully to blame. I will not blame Lily for anything, nor should any of you. And I will not blame any of you for voting me. I am glad you did. I… I simply let my old nature through, and hurt people because of it.” He lifts his head, smiling weakly.

“…I won’t ask for forgiveness, either. If you hold any hate towards me, please don’t hold it back. Nothing changes the fact that I resorted to murder. I… am a murderer. And you guys were right to have voted for me. And if you didn’t… You are compassionate, and I understand.” He looks sad, but… kind of proud. He’s… honestly pretty afraid. But since he brought death on someone, it’s only right that he suffers through the same. 

[bdb-aoi-blog]

The Edge Hurts || Kumitheatre

Kumi continued clapping as the votes are counted, and they finally stop as the tally lands on the condemned. Were you right again this time? They seemed irked still, and as they spoke it was with an edge. Ow, the Kumi edge.

“Congratulations. You were all correct, once again. Though I must admit it’s getting a little boring, all of these confessions. You do realize you’ll die if that happens. You have the overwhelming potential to die. Though I figure my words aren’t enough, eh, Takamitsu?”

They trummed their nails on the wood chair.

“Or should I say Valentino Kazuhiko Celso Takamitsu. Bet I could have put that on a motive card - too bad it likely wouldn’t have fit. Alas, like the ripples an oar makes when it skims through the water, it seems your days are numbered. Too bad you won’t live to see another sunrise, it’s very clear and pleasant out.”

Kumi shifted, getting to their feet.

“But isn’t this what you wanted? After all, you essentially gave yourself up, and were perfectly willing to die. Please wait patiently and don’t try escaping while I prepare the execution - it might take a bit of time.”

Another pause.

“In the meantime, feel free to react to the shocking reveal that Takamitsu has not one, but two middle names. I wonder what else he’s hiding… maybe he has a datemate back at home? Or maybe he kills theatre technicians while being gripped by the motive. Either way, have fun.”

Kumitheatre Start!

[bdb-aoi-blog]

Tallies Up 2 || Kumitheatre

Valentino Takamitsu - 7

Mitsuki Arai - 1

Charger Nitrous - 1

Mizuiro Ren - 1

Shiroi Kato - 1

Shirou Sonozaki - 1

Shun Nagase - 1

….. With 7 votes, Valentino Takamitsu, Super High School Level Gondolier, has won.

Preparing execution…

[bdb-aoi-blog]

Who Tells Your Story || Trial Votes

So, the end of the trial had come once more, as signified by Kumi clearing their throat and placing their hand on the arm of the chair they were on, before slamming it down again. As at the end of the last trial, they began clapping as they leaned forward, staring at each of the people who had spoken up in the trial, irritation clearly present in their gaze. Their tone was clipped too, and there was none of the usual inflection they usually gave. 

“Stop your incessant whining. Please. Voting has come to a close, let us see how this…. turns out. One of you will be taking the axe, so to say. Your execution might not actually involve an axe, so do not get your hopes up.”

As they paused, they exhaled audibly, reaching for the lever at the side of their chair, speaking again.

“Either way, let’s see who will die this time. Funny, back in my time we had people who actually wanted to escape death. Or was this a false confession, a desperate attempt to deflect suspicion, with the hopes of clinging to life? Would somebody else take the fall for them?”

Another moment.

“Let us see who lives, who dies.”

[bdb-aoi-blog]

Closing his eyes, Valentino sets in a vote for himself.

Vote Counted!

[bdb-aoi-blog]

Since it’s obvious... | Valentino | Trial 2 | Re; Yuudai, Mizuiro

Valentino keeps his eyes closed as he takes a deep breath. For some reason, the two people he had the biggest arguments seem to care the most. How… painfully amusing. 

He eventually does open his eyes to address them both. “…Yuudai… I will explain in just a bit… …But…” His eyes drift to Mizuiro, hollow yet regretful. “…Let me… clear things up now. That… that is acceptable, right, Kumi…?” 

Regardless of the response he got, he takes a breath and unties his scarf– and spreading the large sheet of fabric open, it’s pretty clearly visible. 

The red fabric has some drops of blood on it. Valentino had apparently folded the scarf to hide them, but… now that it was open, the evidence was there. Even on the bright red scarf, the blood still showed, having dried up since the murder. 

“……I think this… is the only evidence you need…” He gives Mizuiro a pained look before looking away. “……I’m sorry… I have no reason to protect anyone. I don’t know any of you well enough. Nor… do I disrespect the dead enough to defend a murderer… ……Not even myself…”

“…I… I had to choose whether I’d let her kill me… or if I’d somehow put her down…… …And I……” He feels he doesn’t even need to finish that sentence. What he did is obvious. 

[shsllongdistancerunner]

@shslgondola

[bdb-aoi-blog]

adds this bc cee is a nugget | Valentino | Trial 2 | Re; Conor?

He turns to Conor(?) and looks at him straight on, quiet for a moment before he starts to talk. 

“…I… would not say we were friends… but we did get along……” He pauses for a bit, soon sighing deeply. “……Lily… was one of the first people I spoke to…..I thought she was really nice…” He does seem genuinely sad. 

[bdb-aoi-blog]

Thanks, roomie | Valentino | Trial 2 | Re; Mitsuki, Yuudai, Mizuiro

Valentino looks at Mitsuki, smiling a little before he sighs. “…I never take my cross off, and I always keep it hidden under my scarf…”, he replies, closing his eyes. “…So, no. I’m afraid not.” 

Turning to Yuudai, his expression falls slightly and he looks to the side, staying quiet for a while. “…This motive… scared me. I was really scared, so I couldn’t sleep. ……Take that… how you will.” 

When Mizuiro looks at him, Valentino’s eyes… grow empty. Ah… he can tell how he feels. And he wishes that he could comfort him. Offer him a knee to lean on again, like during the investigation. Yet… 

“……Removing evidence would make me even more suspicious, don’t you think?” …He tries. But he sighs, regardless. 

“…I didn’t remove it because I threw it in there for a reason.”

[bdb-aoi-blog]

Frustration | Valentino | Trial 2 | Attn; Everyone

Valentino was getting more and more anxious. This… this trial was dragging on and on. He didn’t like it. Nobody could agree on whether the culprit was taller than Lily and Kumi or not. 

“Kumi is not a liar.” 

He said it so suddenly, and so strongly, it feels very out of character. Though right after, he takes a deep breath before sighing. “……I… I have proof to support that… But I can’t say it… …In this case, anyway, they… they are speaking the truth…” 

“……Yet I… I know that Kumi is speaking the truth…… Even if they forbid me from telling……” He smiles weakly. “…Please believe me…” 

He then falls quiet for a bit before he looks down. “…Also… I ignored it before, but… That cross…” 

“……That’s mine. …I assumed you all would’ve seen it… when I took my shirt off last trial…” That’s all he says before he falls quiet. That’s pretty incriminating, isn’t it? Valentino, what the heck. 

[shslgondola]

shitposting at its finest

lily’s shoe, shsl speedrunner, is here to save the day

[bdb-aoi-blog]

She was just baking her face | Valentino | Trial 2 | Re; Shirou

“……Relying on powder on the culprit’s shoes is… pardon my rudeness… fairly foolish……”, he speaks out. He does show the bottoms of his feet, though– nothing there. Just red and white striped socks, as always. Still didn’t wear shoes, huh? Good, those dreaded fish crocs deserved to stay hidden where nobody could see them. 

“……The culprit could’ve easily… washed it off…… or maybe even brushed it off…..” He looks to the side. “…The powder is fairly easy to notice… after all……” 

He thinks for a moment before he continues. “……And why do you say…. the shoeprint doesn’t match Lily’s…? I looked at it… and it seemed to match pretty well…… The texture of the shoe did, anyway……” He didn’t actually remove the shoe from Lily and check, since he feels that’s very disrespectful, but…

[bdb-aoi-blog]

Burn, Burn Baby || Trial Start

As the students assembled in the trial room, Kumi took up their usual position draped over the chair, letting out a small laugh as they fixed the students with their usual cold violet eyes.

“Did you enjoy that? The sensation of being powerless over your actions? Ah, fear not, for you aren’t the only ones that feel that way. In any extent, please try not to kill one another in trial, I would hate to have to execute two of you.”

Execute two of you? Would that mean that you would automatically be executed if you killed another in the presence of another student? Kumi whisked past the topic as quickly as it had been brought up, leaning to the students with their hands on their lap.

“So, you know the drill. You are here for the murder of Lily Badens, who lived as she died - burning. Debate, debate, etcetera, until you reach the conclusion to this case. Good luck, and I am here if you need to ask questions.”

You then noticed how empty the courtroom felt since the deaths of three of your peers. Their podiums were empty, no indicator that someone once stood there present. This courtroom seemed like it was only fit for the thirteen members of your group left - disregarding the presence of the empty podiums. It was disheartening.

In any extent, Kumi clasped their hands together, barking out.

“I declare this trail… In session.”

Trial Start!

[bdb-aoi-blog]

Oyahou, Kumi-sensei || Trial Start

Ding ding, there came the chime again, this time to signal the end of the investigation period. Again you had collected your information and resources, and if everything went as it did the last time, then you’d be heading to the trial room. Lily had died after all, and she was obviously dead - no room for doubts this time around. Either way, Kumi’s voice echoed around the castle, summoning everyone from where they were.

<<Students, please come to the Trial Room Doors. Hurry.>>

The loudspeaker crackled off, and the students assembled quickly enough, it was almost routine at this point. Sure enough, the fox-person stood there waiting for them, appearing rather perturbed in a contrast to their usual manner and tone of voice. 

Nodding their head at those assembled, they turned to place their hands on the surface of the door, which parted beneath their touch. Motioning, they led the students up the staircase once more, up to where they would have to judge who murdered one of you number, where at least one of you wouldn’t be leaving alive.

Or would you? It was hard to tell. Either way, you had an assignment, and the consequences would be heavy either way.

[shslgondola]

[Shirou] I'm sorry if I'm intruding... do you mind if I have a look around your room? It's for the investigation.

Valentino automatically let anyone who wanted to investigate his room in! 

Enter his room?

[bdb-aoi-blog]

Stabbed thru the heart | Valentino | Body Reaction

Valentino dragged himself to the kitchen when ordered to, feeling more sluggish than usual. His scarf was still tied around his mouth and neck tightly, and as he arrives to the kitchen he just… stares at the body. 

He looks… sad. Sad and disappointed. 

“………Badens-san…” 

He doesn’t seem to have anything to say, either. He just stays there and studies the body for a while before he finally crosses his hands together, closing his eyes briefly. 

After a while he stirs back to the real world, looking around at the people around him before clenching his fists. …He can’t just stand around.