Forum Mafia 76: Your Summer Vacation (BO Wins)

[Yurikochan]

Danger....Huh, I walk on the wild side, I laugh in the face of danger.... *flees from crazy laughter*

[Raiden]

All this talk about danger makes me want to go
Danger, danger, don't talk to strangers
Stranger, danger, don't you talk
Danger, danger, don't talk to strangers
Danger, danger, don't talk keep away

Spoiler: *Hides*

[blurfbreg]

You waste no time to enjoy the amenities of the ship. You explore the ship. You climb to the top deck. You watch the sun fall below the horizon, the moon appear on the other side of the ship. You're certainly not the only guest to have thought of enjoying the beauty of the night sky. Some guests even chuckle amongst themselves, possibly having made quick acquaintance when they waited in the dining hall. As the lights of Tokyo disappear from the horizon, you head down to the dining hall and grab a quick bite. Soon, you turn in for the night.

(As Italo Calvino says, "The you that was shifted to [others] can, at any sentence, be addressed to you again. You are always a possible you. Who would dare sentence you to loss of the you, a catastrophe as terrible as the loss of the I. For a second-person discourse to become a novel, at least two you's are required, distinct and concomitant, which stand out from the crowd of he's, she's, and they's.")

Elsewhere, you change into your bathing suit and dive into pool. The pristine water, its characteristics regulated by the diligence of the invisible engineers, welcome you into its embrace. You also spy one of the guest The aroma in the dining hall beckons you as exercise whets your appetite. You quickly change and eat the first thing that the chefs recommended.

Of course, you didn't want to miss out on the main attraction of the cruise, the art by Rembrandt. A few guests wander the center of the dining hall, and waited impatiently for the crew to remove the dust cover over the easels in the middle of the room. You grab food that can be finished instantly without a trace of it left on your hands. You don't want to run off to the washroom to clean your hands and miss the reveal.

At long last, the crew reveals the painting. They are in two sets. The forward set displays five landscape paintings by Rembrandt:
Landscape with Cottages, which was recently recovered after it was stolen in 1972,

Spoiler:

Landscape with a Castle,

Spoiler:

The Mill,

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Winterlandschap,

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and The Stone Bridge

Spoiler:

The aft set displays four paintings nicknamed "Kamerlicht". The paintings play on the room lighting:
A Scholar Near a Window (a study in ‘kamerlicht’),

Spoiler:

Interior with a Window and a Winding Staircase (a study in 'kamerlicht'), or otherwise known as Philosopher in Meditation,

Spoiler:

its companion painting, Philosopher with an Open Book,

Spoiler:

Tobit en zijn vrouw, two characters featured in the Philosopher in Meditation,

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and Philemon and Baucis

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You can't help but hear this one guest keep gushing about the brilliance and awe that this one Dutchman should inspire in all of us. Near midnight, the paintings were covered once again, and four crew members asked all guests to stand away from the paintings until tomorrow morning when breakfast service starts (at 6:00 am).

You may have instead found yourself drawn to the comforts of the hot tub. A few guests dropped by. More conversational chatter. You notice a few guests enter the sauna room next to the gym. As you reach the end of the time limit allowed for guests entering the hot tub, you go out and grab a bite in the lounge. The crew plied you and other guests with a variety of drinks enjoyable for those who had a soak in the hot tub and sauna. With your muscles relaxed and your hunger sated, you retreated to your room.

In another part of the yacht, you find yourself drawn to the submersible. At the cruise yacht's current speed, the submersible cannot explore on its own and must be kept attached on a cable and anchored to the yacht. However, you can still enter with two of the crew members escorting you, allowing the submersible to act as a glass bottom deck for your viewing pleasure. You see the diverse wildlife brought about by the Kuroshio, which is an ocean current moving from the seas south of Taiwan along the sea south of Japan, eventually carrying the waters all the way to the Americas, so the crew tells you. In the past, it's known to be the strong current that leads to death. Nowadays, we understand it to be an unique ecosystem. Due to the high salinity and temperature of the equatorial waters, it attracts and provides a unique environment for all kinds of aquatic life. The warm waters promote algal growth, which feeds the fish that can survive in the area. The swarms of bonito, horse mackerel, pollock, sardines, anchovies, and squids that thrive here boosts the fisheries industry. The currents promote the formation of corals by Okinawa and other tropical islands. The marvels you now see beneath you show you the dark sea. When the submersible lights turn on, a glittering display of lights reflect from the scales of the many schools of fish that move around in the distance. You even catch a glimpse of a fishing rod hook, as someone tries to catch a fish for a cat that came on board.

Elsewhere, you climb in bed for an early night. You find yourself awake at some unknown hour of the night, nary a sound on the ship. You head over to the pantry and grab some food. You snack at the nearby table, listening to the gentle, barely-audible waves hitting the side of the boat like a timpani.

Or so you think. Is that a thud you hear from Deck Three? Nah. The Captain did say the crew like conducting séance belowdeck. This probably is just them, relaxing for the day. You leave the pantry and returned to your room. You take a few swigs from the drinks in the refrigerator in the pantry and return back to your room.

------------

You slept early yesterday. There was so much more to do, and so much more to see in the morning than at night. You wake to the dim light coming through the window. You walk towards the aft stairs to reach the submersible deck and get a good look at the sunrise port side. As you climb the stairs to Deck Three, you notice one lifeboat is missing, and Captain Buregu and several crew members are staring at the remaining lifeboat.

"Ah, I see you're awake. Please stay here as I call the rest of the guests to our location. A murder is afoot."

As you waited, you looked into the remaining lifeboat. The lifeboat contains several charred remains, one of which bears a resemblance to the clothing that a guest was wearing earlier. All of the bodies appear to be kept in a bind and made to face another body's back. The mechanisms of the lifeboat is thoroughly damaged by a fire, such that it will sink when placed into the water.

Soon, you and all the other guests now gather by the lifeboat. Captain Buregu sigh, "I don't know how to start this. As you can see here, our lifeboat are in ruins. Inside this lifeboat contains several corpses, one of which appears to have the clothing of the one called "PhoenixTears", who appears to be holding a police badge with the name Takagi Wataru."

The captain pulls out a note that appears to have survived the fire. The captain shows everyone the note, which reads:

Well... that was fast. I haven't even talked to anyone yet lmao. Guess the benefactor doesn't like cops.

"Another corpse carries the memento that my second-in-command carries with him at all times. Not only that, all my engineering and technical crew members somehow disappeared from the yacht, possibly dead on the other lifeboat. All the navigational and communication systems have been damaged such that anyone without technical knowledge cannot repair them. Due to the damage to the navigational systems, it will take some time for me to correct course to deal with the Kuroshio. As I have mentioned before, I really can't run this ship well without Yokomizo-san. We will attempt to reach Ogasawara to notify the authorities as soon as we can."

"This may be harsh of me to say, but one of you is a murderer. As per the organizer's request, all crew members must work and travel in pairs at all times, as though realizing that this situation may happen, and allow all of us to have an alibi. I have been in my quarters, which can only be accessed through the bridge. You'll find the security footage from last night of the several entrances to the bridge, showing that I've never left the bridge."

"My mother told me of a tradition back in her home island. When we encounter a terrible deed upon the community and we know the criminal is among us, we would all vote together on the one who is most likely to have committed such a crime, and throw them in the sea. We continue this tradition until we are sure that the criminal is no longer among us or have learned from the error of his/her ways. No, I don't mean to suggest that we murder them. That's violent. I simply suggest that we throw them overboard. The Kuroshio has a much high salt content than most of the sea, helping him/her to float a little despite the ocean currents dragging you down. However, there MAY be sharks that lurk in this current full of delicious fish. There MAY also be giant squids that aggressively attacks their prey. You may be recognized as a squid's prey, but there is a chance you'd be rescued before that happens, right?" Captain Buregu's laughter booms across the open sea.

"Normally, I'd say it's a beautiful day and tell you to enjoy the delicious traditional breakfast from several Asian countries." Captain Buregu chuckles. "But considering all the dead bodies, I doubt you'd be in the mood. Also, asking you what you may want to enjoy during the day on this luxurious cruise yacht may seem a little disrespectful to the dead, but I still must ask. What would you like to do today? It's not like the dead should stop us from enjoying the rest of this trip. My crew will continue to be on the look-out for any murderous intent to ensure that you'll all be safe."

Day 1 Begins.

[Yurikochan]

Well I’d ask for a cop to contact me, but I believe its in bad taste, so Wifey! Noooooou! I shall avenge you! ( If a cop wants to contact me, I wouldn’t mind though)

[shinichi'sapprentice]

As you waited, you looked into the remaining lifeboat. The lifeboat contains several charred remains, one of which bears a resemblance to the clothing that a guest was wearing earlier.

WHO TRIED TO BARBECUE LINKERU

Also I was the one who went to bed early and sneaked later in the pantry then...

Or so you think. Is that a thud you hear from Deck Three? Nah. The Captain did say the crew like conducting séance belowdeck. This probably is just them, relaxing for the day. You leave the pantry and returned to your room. You take a few swigs from the drinks in the refrigerator in the pantry and return back to your room.

I should have checked

oh and i seem to have been tricked :<

[blurfbreg]

One of the guests requested that we catch some fish for food. A net caught some sardines and bonito, and they are being prepared as we speak. They shall be ready for consumption by the end of breakfast.

[shinichi'sapprentice]

drools

[cinnamoroll]

D: PT T_T

[Memesu]

drools

O.o

Peets ;__;

[Iwamoto Yuri]

Oh my, so much for a nice holiday. We should hold a minute of silence during dinner tonight, wouldn't you say?

[blurfbreg]

The deaths come as a shock to you. How can anyone murder an entire department? The senseless deaths has numbed you as you looked down at the charred corpses. Who would do this? Who would destroy dozens of lives and their only means of escape? What purposes could it serve?

"...be safe." What was Captain Buregu saying? You slowly recollect yourself. You and all the other guests feel the same way. Now is a time of mourning.

You all mourn in different ways. One guest makes a memorial out of the pieces of belonging that still remained. In the room where the card table was set up, a little memorial is made for each person who have lost their lives to this senseless tragedy. A few guests stayed for a little bit to pay their respects.

One guest try to see if there are any clues that may lead to the killer. You doubt that will have any result, given the fire. Regardless, the guest tries hard to look for clues around the ship, especially near the lifeboats.

One guest makes ichigo daifuku for everyone. It is a nice gesture, given the circumstances. Another guest attempts to sneak into the kitchen to see what food there are. He was immediately barred from the kitchen, despite his uniform. After all, crew members must work in pairs and never leave each other's side.

One guest even cries on another guest's shoulder. She kept on saying "Conia, it's all your fault" while pounding her fists on his back. The guest "Conia" didn't seem to care, feeling as though this was a way to let her grief.

A few guests decides to relax and forget about the deaths instead. A few guests go for a walk around the boat to be alone. Another goes to fish again. One guest is so hungry she goes straight to the dining hall and eats a few meals worth of breakfast food. Some guests somehow found a cat on board and started to feed it with the fish caught yesterday.

One goes for a sauna with a few pints of imported beer. Another goes for the oldest vintage on board. Luckily, there's a bottle of 2000 Chateau Grand Village, made in Bordeaux, along with a few other imported wines from this year. The guest drinks himself away in sorrow.

One goes for a massage. She keeps insisting that the mold is going to be that much prettier afterwards, and scares the crew member. At one point, they call the doctor and nurse on board to see if she's insane. The doctor thinks it is likely grief. This guest completely ignores the medical professionals and goes into the sauna afterwards.

You can't help feeling that someone is watching you, waiting for you. The sense of distrust is thick in the air. You put in your vote into a box placed in the lounge with two of the crew standing guard to ensure no foul play. The meals and the rest of the day goes by like a blur.

At long last, the sun is setting. As you watch the sun fall below the horizon, you vaguely remember Captain Buregu's words. "At sunset, we'll send someone overboard." With the reminder of the crew, you gather, along with the remaining guests, to the submersible platform on Deck Two.

"Now that you've all gathered here, let me show you the results of your votes. It seems we do not like this guest whose name is "Memesu". Any last words, Memesu?"

The guest named Memesu reaches into her pocket, takes out a note, and hands it to the captain. The captain rips the mask off of Memesu's face, revealing someone who resemble Mizunashi Rena. The captain shows the note to everyone, and it goes:

I'm still here ;___;

"I'm not sure what your note means, but ARR, time to walk the plank, MATEY!!!"

Memesu is thrown overboard.

"I'm sorry for that outburst. I've always wanted to do that. Anyways, my esteemed guests, after all this sordid business, I hope all goes well this evening. I have corrected our course, given some of the traditional navigational tools I kept in my quarters for emergencies. We will take slightly longer to reach Ogasawara to ensure that we can deal with the changes in our positions without the computer systems. For our sake, I hope nothing else goes wrong. We will have some new paintings in the dining hall momentarily. What do you have in mind to entertain you this evening?"

Lynch candidate (number of votes): people who voted for candidate
Meme (3): cinnamoroll, darkest absol, Kamite
Conia (2): MoonRaven, shinichi'sapprentice
darkest absol (1): Giogio
dumytru (1): dumytru
Henry Gordan (1): Iwamoto Yuri
Iwamoto Yuri (1): Kleene Onigiri
Kamite (1): Abs.
Raiden (1): Memesu
Yurikochan (1): Henry Gordan

Night 2 begins.

Actions can be sent until Thursday Sep 27, 8:00 pm PDT

[Kamite]

I BEEN PUT TO SLEEP

[MoonRaven]

Meme, nuu...

[shinichi'sapprentice]

meme ;__;

sobs at will

To the person who did a thing, can ya plez meet me in the submersible later tonight so we could have a talk while staring at the fishes

[Iwamoto Yuri]

D:
This cruise is turning out to be quite brutal. Perhaps I shouldn't have joined it after all...