[Talk - Riko]
Timaeus
Um… Riko? Is Yusra–
Riko
…Hm, yes, she’s… She told me this might happen if things get stressful.
Nonverbal…? Okay, hm…
Timaeus
Well, what have you found?
Riko
We’ve mainly been looking at these dents on Ping’s chassis. There’s not much left of her now, but you can see some in her… I suppose you could call it a skirt.
Yusra knelt down, running her fingers gingerly along the beaten metal.
Riko
They’re a bit strangely shaped, see? Kind of rectangular. Whatever left them had to be something long and cylinder-shaped.
Timaeus
Oh… like a baseball bat? Or a tube of gift wrap…
Riko
It would have to be heavier than either of those to leave dents in metal.
Tiffani interrupted, looking up from her inspection of the wires in one of Ping’s legs.
Tiffani
I don’t know about that? These joints look like they’re supposed to come apart easily, being like, a demo unit and all. And that metal shit’s entirely for decoration. Baseball bat could probably do it.
Timaeus
But where would you even find a baseball bat around here…?
Tiffani
Fuck if I know, I didn’t kill her!
Still, that was mysterious. I didn’t see a baseball bat at the crime scene, or anything else that fit those criteria…
Evidence List Updated!
The dents in Ping’s body are long and rectangular. They were likely caused by something similar in size and shape to a baseball bat.
Yusra suddenly stood up straight, holding up her index finger.
I looked up first, not sure what there was to find on the ceiling, but realized a few moments later that she was trying to draw attention to the finger itself. There was something on it– a sort of… white powder?
Timaeus
What in the world is that…?
She sniffed it, started to taste it, but–
Tiffani
What the hell are you doing?!
Tiffani lunged forward to bat her hand away from her mouth. Yusra flinched and tucked her hands underneath her arms.
Tiffani
Like, I don’t particularly give a fuck if you live or die, but you know that could be battery corrosion, right? Jesus!
Evidence List Updated!
There’s a tiny bit of white powder inside some of the dents on Ping’s body.
Timaeus
B-but we don’t want anyone to get sick, either… Just be careful, okay?
Yusra nodded briefly, tugged on Riko’s sleeve, and abruptly left the room. Riko shot Tiffani one last withering glare before following her.
Timaeus
…Uh, thanks for the warning, Tiffani.
She shrugged and wandered off again. Tensions were starting to rise among us… Maybe it was for the best that we only had an hour to investigate.
