griefstreet | A PARTY TO DIE FOR

The invite instructed you to come to the manor to celebrate Mr. Edgar Lionheart's 75th birthday party at precisely 7 PM. An ominous peel of thunder rumbled in the distance as the guests began to arrive at the manor. Passing through the estate's grand gates was like passing some invisible threshold from one mundane realm to one more fantastical and heightened in reality.

As the front door opened and you walked into the vestibule, you were greeted by Mr. Lionheart himself--a large, bearded man with graying hair wearing an expensive royal blue tuxedo. He smiled, holding out his hand for a handshake.

"Welcome to the Lionheart Estate, my good fellow. May I take your coat? Ah--dinner will be at 8 PM, following a speech. I have a few important announcements to make...but that can wait until later. For now, help yourself to a few drinks--we're here to celebrate, after all."

And with that, he departed to tend to the other guests. The sound of a grandfather clock somewhere in the house echoed throughout the hallway, counting down the minutes until dinner. The entrance hall loomed before you, beckoning you to...well, enter, if you dare.

One thing was sure--this would be an unforgettable evening.

Welcome to the murder mystery! Make sure that you carefully read over your dossiers to understand the scenario. Each character has been given a pre-murder task, which can be completed at any point during the week. The murder investigation will go up on Saturday, June 4th. In the meantime, just enjoy the party and mingle with the guests while you can. Perhaps you'll discover some interesting information for later....

MAP | GUEST LIST

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Another little nod. It's hard to get a good read on how Michael feels about- well, anything, really- but he seems to relax ever so slightly, losing some small amount of the tension built up from being around other guests.

He steps further into the room and approaches one of the cabinets, opening it to reveal a collection of drinking glasses. He selects one, then pauses, seemingly lost in thought.

After a moment Michael glances down at Deadly, then inclines his head in the direction of the pantry- if he recalls correctly, the popcorn should be on one of the lower shelves.]

Glad to ‘hear’ it.

[Deadly chuckles a little at his own joke, and watches as Michael goes first for the cabinet, then gestures to the pantry.]

Excellent. Thank you, Michael.

[He nods in appreciation.]

I don’t suppose you’ll be too busy helping the old boy out to join us down in the screening room?

[In lieu of an immediate response, Michael brings his empty glass to the fridge and fills it with ice and water, turning Deadly's question over in his head. He's not yet sure if Lionheart will have more work for him tonight. He wouldn't necessarily mind spending most of the evening watching a film instead of dealing with guests directly... but then, that might depend on which guests attend Deadly's screening. He did say "us", after all.

He turns back around to face Deadly and shrugs, a gesture which looks vaguely comical when performed by him. He nods to the glass in his hand, then towards the door; while it's a bit hard to decipher, he's trying to say he won't know how busy he'll be until after he brings this to Lionheart.

Michael fidgets slightly, then sets the glass down, trying to think of how to phrase the question that keeps bubbling up in the back of his mind. Normally he wouldn't bother asking at all and would just wait to see if Deadly offered the information on his own, but given the circumstances... He nods at Deadly, and then vaguely gestures around them with one hand, indicating the estate as a whole.

He's surprised to see Deadly here after all this time, and is curious about his return. He doesn't seem to be judgemental about it- just interested to know the answer.]

A shame - but I understand. Do pop by if you have the time.

[Though Deadly mostly offered it as a courtesy, he is a little disappointed that Michael may have to sit the viewing out. The value of someone who keeps their trap shut during a film cannot be overstated.

When he makes the next gesture to him, Deadly’s face darkens ever so slightly.]

You wonder why I’m here, don’t you? [He sighs.] I know - everyone’s thinking it. Wondering how I could bear my face after such scandal.

[He says the word with very clear contempt.]

The truth is, I was invited. Edgar has been a dear friend of mine - more than just a business partner - for many years. And if he deems it fit for me to make an appearance, to cast off my shackles of shame, then - [He straightens himself up with pride.] - that I will.

[Michael turns back to his original task and begins rifling through a drawer as he listens to Deadly's woes, only registering the important details and discarding everything else. He had assumed, of course, that Deadly came by invitation like every other guest- he simply wanted to confirm as much.

Privately, he wonders if Lionheart is certain he knows what he's doing- but then, he supposes it's not his place to judge such a thing. Besides, murderer or not, Deadly was always one of the more tolerable guests at the estate. Michael certainly won't say no to seeing more of him in the next few years- and hopefully less of some of the others as a result. He gives Deadly an approving nod.

After a bit more digging, he fishes out a small, half-empty pill bottle from the back of the drawer, and slips it into his pocket.]

[Deadly watches Michael, wondering what goes on inside that head of his.

Well - he’ll take that nod, and finds himself more at ease by it than everyone else’s pleasantries.

After Michael secures the pill bottle, Deadly goes back to rifling through the pantry.]

A-ha! There you are, you elusive devil.

[He takes the popcorn out with an air of triumph.]

I can see why the old boy keeps you around. [He nods in appreciation to Michael.] You do lend a very good ear.

[Frankly, there's not much going on in there but static and barely-restrained impulses. Now that he's got his answer, he's set aside that information in a nice and secluded corner of his mind and will promptly stop thinking about it unless it becomes relevant again.

He is a good listener in the same way that a brick wall is a good listener- he doesn't interrupt and often doesn't bother expressing any sort of opinion about what he hears, let alone retaining it long-term. A useful sounding board, if nothing else- and sometimes that is all someone needs. It also makes Michael rather invaluable as an employee.

Though, speaking of a good ear- Michael grabs the water glass and moves to leave the kitchen, having decided the conversation is over and done with for now, but pauses mid-step, his head tipping to one side. He hears... something. It's muffled, but it sounds like voices. Or one voice, steadily growing louder.]

[Deadly stills, and tilts his head to the direction of the sound. He might not be able to quite make out what’s being said - but he can at least make out the voices. Barely.]

My, I thought they’d wait until after dinner.

[He whispers, careful not to ruin their moment of eavesdropping.]

I might reccommend you let them finish before going up there.

A PARTY TO DIE FOR

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