Wars of the Roses II: Return to Rosebriar [Complete]

[desert ashes]

Gently rubbing her temple, Morning absently frowned at those gathered around.  Who were the Thorns?  Surely none of those here now, so stuck by grief and pain -- enough emotions to have them sniping at each other it seemed.  Quietly sniffling as she sadly gathered up her cut flowers, half of them crushed by now, she offered, "I hate to point this out, but... "  She looked to Doomsday. "You accused him of being a Thorn.  Were you enacting some misplaced rogue justice?"

[Doomsday]

He didn't like being accused. Not at all. But he could appreciate how gutsy it was to incriminate someone who you had barely any evidence on. "Well, that would be an interesting hypothesis... But dear, you're overlooking one simple fact.

I only voted for Ryven, because he voted for me. I'm being painted as a criminal here." It was really beautiful, because if he was the thorn, he could use that same exact excuse. It was a nasty spiral. He was getting a good appreciation how flies felt whenever they ran into finely spun spider webs.

[Valerian]

Current Voting:

Doomsday Jesus (3) - morningsdreams, Elandra, Kurzyk
Xandi (2) - Doomsday Jesus, Bliss
Bliss (2) - Xandi, Remiel
Morningsdreams (1) - sinera
Marguerite (0)
Remiel (0)
Kurzyk (0)
Elandra (0)
sinera (sinderella) (0)
tes11 (0)

Yet to vote: Marguerite, tes11

There are 3 Thorns, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 5 Roses.

[Elandra]

Distraught over discovering yet another rose brutally slaughtered, Elandra had once again sought comfort in Xandi's arms. "Who could do such a monstrous act?" she wailed, as she looked around at the others, eyes reddened as accusations fell upon one who had gone out of her way to help her.

It was obvious to her, Doomsday Jesus must be guilty of this tragic act and he was attempting to shift the blame unto Xandi.

[Kurzyk]

Pensive from the tragedies of the last few days, Kurzyk sat alone in the corner. Each of them could be suspect and yet with the lack of evidence, it was tough to tell.

As the sun slipped behind a cloud, shadows filled the corner where he sat and as the voices of panic and dismay filled the room, one voice caught his ear.

"Why should we not believe it was you Doomsday?" Walking towards the group he continued. "Morning dreams makes an excellent point."

[Doomsday]

Okay, now that made him squirm. He looked to sinera sheepishly, wondering where her loyalties would lie. Now they were all looking at him like an animal on exhibit. Never before had he sympathized with a chimpanzee, other than his occasional desire to fling poo. But obviously, Doomsday had much greater restraint than his hairy third cousins.

"You're making a mistake," he muttered quietly. He scratched at his neck, wondering how much it would hurt to have a noose tightened around it. Looking to Kurzyk, he wants to laugh. As a matter of fact, he does laugh. Is this what hysteria feels like? "I'll repeat myself. I voted for Ryven, that I won't deny. but I voted for him because he voted for me in the first place." It was beautiful; the thorns were hiding in plain sight, and soon the mob mentality would bury him. He clutched sin's hand, wondering when she would disentangle from him and cast her vote.

[sinera]

sinera squeezed DDJ's hand in sympathy. She couldn't believe a man with such a good heart could ever be on the side of evil.

"I believe DDJ's as much a victim here as any of us." She looked pointedly at morningsdreams. "I know as deeply as any the sorrow of choosing incorrectly. If DDJ says he's innocent, I believe him."

She sighed and wished she didn't have to make a choice; fearful of being wrong again she looked around the assembly. "I wonder why morningsdreams is so sure it's him?"

[Remiel]

Remiel listened to the accusations being tossed back and forth like the fecal missiles of Doomsday Jesus' simian relatives, blowing the occasional bubble from his pipe.  He paused to tap some of the soapy water out of its cup, then stuck the pipe back between his lips. 

"I certainly agree that Doomsday here seemz to be acting singularly suspicious," he said, "but my instincts are telling me he's actually not a Thorn.  Unless I'm wildly mistaken," he added, blowing another bubble, "all the circumstantial evidence seems to point to Bliss."

[Bliss]

"All mistakes lately seem to have been quite wild," she murmured with a sad smile and a shake of her bowed head. "My own included; I cannot right the wrong I helped to perpetrate upon LadySky, but I would beg you to reconsider the evidence before you, Remiel, lest you make me too an unnecessary victim of circumstance."

[desert ashes]

Morning's eyes widened in disbelief as she gasped as sin.  "Me?!" The lady squeaked, pressing her finger tips to the side of her throat as if to check her pulse, ensure she was still alive and not in some disillusioned hell.  First her neighbors and friends start dying and now this?  "From a purely logical point of view, Doomsday is sadly the best suspect."  She turned apologetic eyes on him.  "I really am sorry, but ... He voted for you, you voted for him out of spite, things get out of hand. Perhaps it's just my over active imagination."

[Remiel]

"I am sorry, my lady, but I cannot," responded Remiel, shaking his head. He blew a few more bubbles for effect, and then took the pipe out of his mouth.  "You see, I have a theory.  I'm pretty sure I know the identities of two of the Thorns; there were subtle clues in the way they reacted, the way they voted.  Likewise, I'm almost positive that Doomsday Jesus is innocent.  As for the third Thorn, though -- I'm not sure who it is, though I suspect either yourself or morningsdreams.  I'll make you this promise, though: if we do lynch Doomsday, and it turns out that he was a thorn all along, it means that my theory was absolutely, completely wrong, and I'll be happy to vote with you from now on."

[Bliss]

"To protest my innocence further would do little but make it seem overly insistent and ring false, I imagine," Bliss mused, and sighed softly, moving to sit upon a stone bench before the hedgerow lining one part of the square.

"Truth be told, I'd much rather see no one be hung, nor anyone killed by the Thorns. The amount of blood shed in these last two days sickens me to my core."

[Valerian]

Current Voting:

Doomsday Jesus (4) - morningsdreams, Elandra, Kurzyk, Marguerite
Xandi (2) - Doomsday Jesus, Bliss
Bliss (2) - Xandi, Remiel
Morningsdreams (1) - sinera
Marguerite (0)
Remiel (0)
Kurzyk (0)
Elandra (0)
sinera (sinderella) (0)
tes11 (0)

Yet to vote: tes11

There are 3 Thorns, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 5 Roses.

[Marguerite]

-Ponders-

Doomsday Jesus.

[Doomsday]

Doomsday realizes that he's doomed now. "When I die, and you find out that I'm a rose, you'll all realize how foolish you've been." Of course, now there's literally no way he'll survive unless someone changes their vote. He begins to rub at his neck, wondering how much it'll hurt when he's roped up...

[sinera]

sinera gets tears in her eyes as she realizes that Doomsday is about to be lynched. She pulls him into her embrace. "I wish I could change their minds," she sniffles.

[tes11]

tes11 looks around. He knew that his vote can't change anything now but he still need to vote. He is willing to believe that Doomsday is innocent. Therefore, he is going to vote for the other suspect, Xandi even though his vote will not change the outcome of the lynching.

[Valerian]

Final Voting:

Doomsday Jesus (4) - morningsdreams, Elandra, Kurzyk, Marguerite
Xandi (3) - Doomsday Jesus, Bliss, tes11
Bliss (2) - Xandi, Remiel
Morningsdreams (1) - sinera
Marguerite (0)
Remiel (0)
Kurzyk (0)
Elandra (0)
sinera (0)
tes11 (0)

No one's wishes could help Darkly Dreaming Doomsday now.  Still insisting on his innocence, he is led to the Hanging Tree to meet his fate, fortunate only in that his end is indeed mercifully quick.  And his true role, also, is quickly revealed.  He had not lied, for the sign of the Rose appears on his hand, proving that once more, an innocent has died.

• Bliss
• Darkly Dreaming Doomsday Rose, lynched
• Elandra
• Kurzyk
• LadySky Rose, lynched
• Marguerite
• Morningsdreams
• Remiel (O'Lantern)
• Ryven Rose, killed by Thorns
• sinera
• tes11
• Xandi

There are 3 Thorns, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 4 Roses.

[sinera]

sinera sobbed the entire time the others were stringing Doomsday up. When the symbol appeared, confirming his innocence, she turns and without a word retreats to her home.

[desert ashes]

Guilt washed over Morning, fueled the tears that stained her cheeks and the heavy ache in her heart.  She'd panicked pointed the finger at Doomsday, and now there was one less beautiful rose among them.  How could she ever forgive herself?  With her basket of crushed flowers hugged close, Morning returned home to grieve. 

[Remiel]

"I've got a bad feeling about thizz," muttered Remiel as he watched morningsdreams, Elandra, Kurzyk, and Marguerite march Doomsday Jesus to the Hanging tree and string him up.  As Doomsday's body gave its last twitch, and the sign of the Rose appeared, he nodded to himself.  His expression was grim, of course, but lacked any sign of surprise whatsoever.

The night would be setting soon, and Remiel knew that the Thorns would once again strike.  Sighing, he tucked his pipe away into a pocket.  "If anybody needz me," he said.  "I'll be tending my BlueFire bushezz."

So saying, he set off to do just that.  But there was something he had to do first...

[Elandra]

Distraught that she had lynched an innocent man, Elandra broke down as she help others remove him from the rope. She would bury the poor Rose, it was the least she could do. Before night fell upon them, she finished laying the most beautiful of roses upon his grave. "I will never forget you Doomsday," she whispered before returning to her cottage.

[Bliss]

Watching the life go out of Doomsday's swaying form, and the Rose symbol appear, Bliss felt as if all the breath went out of her, and she sat heavily to watch as he was taken down to be buried. "Rest well, and may you be the last of us to be so wrongly slaughtered."

Her heart clenched and fluttered uncomfortably inside her, and she bustled out of the square, wanting to spend some time among the wild gardens of Rosebriar, hoping to find some peace in the sunshine.

[Autumn52]

As Doomsday drew his last breath Xandi looked on with tears in her eyes as the sign of the rose appeared. She had known he was innocent and refused to be swayed to vote against another Rose. She knew the thorns were growing confident in their attacks and tonight they would strike down another rose.

She knew who would be doing the striking this time and would try to prevent another rose from falling at the hands of the villagers in an effort to protect themselves.
If only another Rose did not have to die during the night, she wept for the fallen Roses and hoped that the surviving Roses could stop the murders once and for all.

[Valerian]

Once more the villagers dispersed to their homes and huddled inside them, mourning the lost and hoping that they would not soon join them.  The night seemed full of terrible sounds, and many a villager felt truly helpless.

At dawn's light, as everyone began to creep cautiously out to start the day, once more it was discovered that one of their number would stir no more.  Xandi, another Rose, had fallen prey to the cruel Thorns during the night.

• Bliss
• Darkly Dreaming Doomsday Rose, lynched
• Elandra
• Kurzyk
• LadySky Rose, lynched
• Marguerite
• Morningsdreams
• Remiel
• Ryven Rose, killed by Thorns
• sinera
• tes11
• Xandi Rose, killed by Thorns

There are 3 Thorns, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 3 Roses.