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

[Valerian]

The Roles:

Roses: Most players will be Roses, the villagers of Rosebriar, trying to keep their village safe.

Thorns: There will be three Thorns, who want to take over the village, at any cost.

Bee: There will be one Bee, who has the knack of learning others' roles.  This player can choose one other player during each night via PMs and request to learn that person's role from the storyteller (me). 

Ladybug: Each night the Ladybug will be able to send the name of one other player to the storyteller via PM, and thereby protect that person from the Thorns.  They cannot protect anyone from being lynched by the villagers.

The Rules:

Just as in the usual game of Mafia, any player can lie, deceive, or mislead as much as they think they can get away with, all in the name of having fun.  Please don't quote anything directly from any PMs you might send or receive regarding the game; but any information you might get that way can be repeated in your own words as much as you like.

-The traditional day/night cycle will remain.  The first night, one of the Roses (an NPC) will die!  The next day, the players will vote on a character to be removed, and will discover if their choice was a wise one.

-That night, another will die at the hands of the Thorns, unless the Ladybug happens to intervene.  The next day, the cycle repeats itself, until a winner is declared.

-Do not vote to lynch yourself.

-The Ladybug has the option to protect him/herself only once during each game.

-The Thorns will all know each other, but no one else will be sure who to trust.  Will the village ever be safe again?

-Questions can be directed to me via PM, or asked in the OOC thread.

[Valerian]

It was a cool morning in early spring, mist hanging low over the valley.  The villagers were waking up, going about their business, and at first, no one realized that there was one of their number who had not yet risen.  Then someone realized the terrible truth: Charles Lawson was dead, killed in the night, his blood staining the floor.  The signs were unmistakeable -- their old enemies, the Thorns, had returned, as they had threatened to do generations ago.

The village was in turmoil, and no one knew which way to turn.  If Charles could fall to the Thorns, then no one was safe.  Something had to be done!

The Players:

• Bliss (Drama Llama)
• Doomsday Jesus (Darkly Dreaming Doomsday)
• (Elusive) Elandra
• Kurzyk (Khelek)
• LadySky (Lady Leopard)
• Marguerite
• Morningsdreams
• Remiel (O'Lantern)
• Ryven (Scaryven)
• sinera
• tes11
• Xandi

Let the lynch voting begin.  Choose wisely!

[Kurzyk]

It was a mysterious morning, or at least that was Kurzyk's perception of it. Most of the days were shiny, but today clouds coated the sky like a gray blanket. To the east, a sharp red lined the horizon which filled his heart with dread. Red always meant conflict or trouble, or so the superstition went.

Shaking his head, he reached Charles' door. He knocked on the heavy wood and was surprised when it slowly swung open.

"Hey buddy you home?"

Blood coated the floor with spatters on the floor. window and over the furniture. Charles had been brutally killed. His mangled body lay crumpled on the floor in the kitchen.

In shock, Kurzyk rushed over and felt for a pulse. His own heart pounded in his chest as the realization of what had happened flooded his mind.

[Ryven]

Ryven strolls down the street toward Charles' home to make his morning delivery of muffins to find the door open.  He peers in curiously, knocking softly on the open door.

"Charles?  Your door is open.  Can I co--"  He began to say until he saw the man lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.  Kurzyk was standing near him, one hand checking for a pulse.

"My god!  What's happened here?!"

[LadySky]

LadyLeopard stretched and yawned slowly coming awake as the sunlight shone down upon her face. Another day and she was thrilled, life in the garden was always pleasant and beautiful. She climbed down from her tree house, located in the heart of the garden and set about greeting all the new blooms and bright rosebuds surrounding her home.

Coming upon Charles's home she felt a funny flip in her belly as she spied the door wide open. It was unlike Charles to leave the door ajar that way unless he was outside tending his own roses.

Stepping up beside Ryven she looked to see what was happening. Her smile vanished and a scream sounded throughout the village as she froze in place.

[Elandra]

She had slept in, not much, but a little and so it was the anguished scream that caused her to bolt upright in bed. Quickly she rose and dressed, leaving her quiet abode and running toward the direction of the scream.

She arrived at Charles’ home just after LadyLeopard, only to see the man and been torn asunder. Devastated, Elusive Elandra fell to her knees, her words of sorrow spilling forth, though not a one made sense as she sought comfort in anyone that was willing to offer it.

[Doomsday]

Doomsday wanders in, being dragged around on sinera's leash. Noticing the dead body inside, he ponders to himself that perhaps a Dexter theme was not the best choice for this game. Unlike the rest of them, he's not scared of harmless corpses, though his naturally inquisitive nature kicks into action. "Hmm. That doesn't look like an accident. So which one of you dastardly baddies stuck him?"

[Kurzyk]

Kurzyk sat back against the kitchen counter in shock, blood all over his hands from checking Charles' pulse.

"He just... was like this when I arrived. I..." Shaking his head he looked dazed, then looked at the others confused.

[Remiel]

Despite the overcast sky, and just a hint of a bite in the air on this crisp, spring morning, it was shaping up to be a good day.  Every day was a good day in the village of Rosebriar.  After all, the village was world-reknowned for its eponymous crop of roses, which were larger, more vibrant, more fragrant, and came in a larger variety of colors than anywhere else in the world.

Remiel was in his garden, carefully pruning some weeds from his prize Blue Fire rosebush, when he heard the  scream shatter the morning tranquility.

Dropping his pruning shears, he raced in the direction of the scream's source, which turned out to be the house of Charles Lawson.

Upon entering the house, Remiel's face went pale.  Who would murder Charles? He was universally liked, as far as Remiel knew.  Everybody got along well with him.  He didn't have an enemy in the world.

Well, apparently, he did.

"My God," Remiel gasped, his hand flying over his mouth.

[Autumn52]

Xandi is tending her roses this morning when she hears a scream one of which she has never heard the like.

Xandi rushes toward the sounds and enters Charles Lawson's house, where everyone seems to be gathered. She walks up beside Elusive Elandra, who seems quite upset, making no sense at all. Putting her hand out to comfort Elandra and then looks to where everyone is staring, saying at the same moment, What is going.........and she sees it...Charles on the floor torn to shreds, bloodied, Xandi gasp and then says, What happened? Poor Charles he was such a kind soul. Oh my god who would do this? Reaching out further to comfort Elandra, now understanding her upset, I pat her back to easy her grief and my own.

[sinera]

Sinera was swimming in her garden pool, enjoying the scents and sounds of Rosebriar, when suddenly a scream ripped through the air.

She quickly swam to the edge, got out and wrapped a towel around her loosely. She wasn't even completely dry when she ran toward what was obviously the source of the scream; other Roses were huddled near the door of Charles' home.

She slipped in through the door and gasped at the carnage, burying her face in DDJ's chest to close out the sight of what remained of poor Charles.

[Elandra]

She rose, taking comfort in Xandi's hand upon her back, pulling her in closer unconsciously for a hug, before she voiced her thoughts, "perhaps we should tell the others in the village and then talk about whom among us has done this dastardly deed." Her voice quivered as she spoke, unable to look at the body any further, she buried her face into Xandi's shoulder.

[Remiel]

"That's right," said Remiel, once he had the chance to get over the initial shock.  "It could only have been a Thorn who would stoop this low."

Everyone knew about the Thorns.  They were a secret group of conspirators who wanted to sell the village to RoseMart(TM), an evil mega-corporation which had been after Rosebriar's world-reknowned roses for years.  They had offered to buy the village, but most of Rosebriar's inhabitants had bluntly refused.

Charles Lawson had been one of the most vocal critics of RoseMart.  As long as the Roses refused to sell, RoseMart could do nothing; but if the Thorns could eliminate all of their opposition, they stood to make millions from the sale.

"None of us would do something like this," Remiel added, warily glancing around the room. "...Right?"

[Autumn52]

Xandi wraps her arms around Elandra in a comforting hug.

I don't understand what is going on? This can not be happening, not here in Rosebriar. The Thorns, they are not among us.... are they? How could this happen?

Xandi turns to Elandra burying her face into Elandra's hair in an attempt to block out what is going on.

[LadySky]

LadySky looks about the room and tries to figure out who is unaccounted for. Seeing that there are a few who have not yet shown themselves she whispers a name....unsure if her choice is right or wrong but sure that something must be done to stop the Thorns attack.

"Bliss(Drama Llama) is not here.....why I wonder?" she says softly.

((OK! I made the first vote!))

[desert ashes]

The last of her homemade strawberry pies was just coming out of the oven when Morning heard the initial screams, and although her curiosity was incredibly peaked, she wasn't about to let her precious pies go unattended. 

She'd barely peeked her head around Charles' doorway, pausing to hear the last of Remiel and LadySky's words, before she shuddered.  The doorway was quite close enough to the body, really. 

"I don't see Marguerite either," she chimed in after looking over the nearby faces.  Craning her neck, Morning attempted to get a better look without having to get too close to the body.

[Kurzyk]

Kurzyk stood and thought for a moment while looking around the room then at the corpse.

"These wounds look like they could have been made by sharp incisions." He knelt at the body, and looked at the bloody wounds that coated Charles' body.

"See here," he pointed to a massive wound in the center of the chest and another in the lower abdomen. "These all look like stab wounds."

Standing he took a step towards the group.

"Remiel, you usually tend to your garden in the mornings. A pair of shears could have inflicted these wounds." Reaching for a dishtowel he began wiping his bloody hands.

[Autumn52]

Well if we are talking about people who have not shown up yet tes11 has been very quiet, and he is new to our village.

But Marguerite is never so quiet, it seems strange to me that she begin a sudden quiet streak today, of all days.

[Ryven]

Ryven eyes all the suspects.

"Since we have nothing to go on, let's keep the trend of one vote for everyone going.  I vote for Doomsday Jesus."

[Valerian]

Current Voting:

Marguerite (2) - morningsdreams, Xandi
Remiel (O'Lantern) (2) - Kurzyk (Kehlek), Elandra
Bliss (Drama Llama) (1) - LadySky/Leopard
Doomsday Jesus (Darkly Dreaming Doomsday) (1) - (Sca)ryven
Kurzyk (Khelek) (1)
LadySky (Lady Leopard) (1) - sinera
Xandi (1) - Marguerite
(Elusive) Elandra (0)
Morningsdreams (0)
Ryven (Scaryven) (0)
sinera (sinderella) (0)
tes11 (0)

Yet to vote: Bliss, Doomsday, tes11

There are 3 Thorns, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 7 Roses.

[sinera]

Sinera narrows her eyes as the accusations start to fly. "Seems to me LadySky was quick to point fingers. Perhaps she is trying to deflect suspicion from herself!"

[Marguerite]

Marguerite rubbed her eyes and glanced around. "For one thing, I have been dead with the sickness that has been going around. That is one of the reasons I have been quiet and not around. I vote for Xandi because she has something against sick females."

[Really, I have been sick and have not had a chance to reply in many threads]

[Remiel]

Remiel blanched as Khelek accused him of the foul deed.

"Yes, and I was in my garden all morning, doing some weeding and pruning, " he pointed out.  "I could not have had time to murder poor Mr. Lawson.  If we're going to be throwing around accusations, though..."

Suddenly his eyes narrowed.

"You, Khelek, were first to discover the body, were you not? How can we be so sure that you didn't do the deed, and then just pretend to 'discover' him? Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I saw you skulking around Charles' back door last night..."

[Elandra]

Taking comfort in Xandi's arms, Elusive Elandra looked up and nodded as Khelek spoke. His logic was sound and so she too put her voice to Remiel as the one who must be guilty of this foul deed. Was he not attempting to defend his name too much?

[Doomsday]

Doomsday sits up on a chair, kicking off his shoes and hugging his knees to his chest. "This helps me think," he explains. "Hmm. I have no leads as to who it could be, but I'm not very fond of being accused of murder. I think Ryven had something to do with this."

[Valerian]

Current Voting:

LadySky (Lady Leopard) (2) - sinera, tes11
Marguerite (2) - morningsdreams, Xandi
Remiel (O'Lantern) (2) - Kurzyk (Kehlek), Elandra
Bliss (Drama Llama) (1) - LadySky/Leopard
Doomsday Jesus (Darkly Dreaming Doomsday) (1) - (Sca)ryven
Kurzyk (Khelek) (1)
Ryven (Scaryven) (1) - Doomsday
Xandi (1) - Marguerite
(Elusive) Elandra (0)
Morningsdreams (0)
sinera (sinderella) (0)
tes11 (0)

Yet to vote: Bliss

There are 3 Thorns, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 7 Roses.

[tes11]

tes11 was lost on his way to Charles's house as he is new in the village and not familiar with the roads.

As he reached the destination, He was surprise to know that everyone has started to point their fingers at each other. He was told that it was LadySky who started it and the reason was that person is not available at the time.

"It could be me since I'm late! How dare you accuse someone that is not around! They are defenseless since they're not even here to defend themselves!"

[Bliss]

Rising late, it seemed a lovely fall day when Bliss rose and puttered around her cottage and then the yard of her wee little llama farm, before heading into the village to get some errands done - where, oddly, it seemed everyone was milling about in front of Charles' house. Puzzled, she wandered over as none of the shops seemed to be open, looking in puzzlement at the frightened, pale faces she walked past - and once she managed a peek in the door, seeing the blood-spattered form, hers went pale as well, with a horrified gasp.

"What happened here?!"

[Elandra]

Wiping her tears on the back of her hand, Elandra looked up from Xandi's shoulder to see Bliss enter the house. It was becoming a bit crowded and certainly stuff, the stench of the body almost overwhelming. Holding back the sobs, she spoke softly, gasps interspersing her words, "One amongst us murdered poor Charles."

[Bliss]

"Charles?! Oh no, it couldn't be-" Her words cut off abruptly as the smell of the body hit her, thickly slaughterhouse, and she pushed her way back out into the yard trying not to lose her breakfast into the bushes. "How could anybody have done such a thing?" Her head snapped up, searching the face around her. "Who did it?!"

[Autumn52]

Patting Elandra's back Xandi says, We have begun pointing fingers, but I can't believe one of us would have done this. It is just to horrible. What do you think Bliss who could have done this?

[Bliss]

Looking uncertainly around at the others, listening to their whispers and accusations, her face fell, and she sighed softly. "It's a sad truth that there tend to be two reactions of the guilty; either to stay silent and out of the way, or to point fingers immediately to throw off blame. As I was last to arrive, I certainly know I was not trying to avoid anything... therefore I must turn my eye upon LadySky as the misfortunate perpetrator of this terrible deed."

[Valerian]

Final Voting:

LadySky (Lady Leopard) (3) - sinera, tes11, Bliss
Marguerite (2) - morningsdreams, Xandi
Remiel (O'Lantern) (2) - Kurzyk (Kehlek), Elandra
Bliss (Drama Llama) (1) - LadySky/Leopard
Doomsday Jesus (Darkly Dreaming Doomsday) (1) - (Sca)ryven
Kurzyk (Khelek) (1)
Ryven (Scaryven) (1) - Doomsday
Xandi (1) - Marguerite
(Elusive) Elandra (0)
Morningsdreams (0)
sinera (sinderella) (0)
tes11 (0)

Her fate decided, LadySky was led out to the center of the village.  The Hanging Tree there had not been used for generations, but it still stood, ancient and twisted, but sturdy.  It took only a few moments for her life to end, and the villagers stood watching anxiously for a sign.  But the only sign was that of a single perfect Rose, for LadySky was quite innocent.

• Bliss (Drama Llama)
• Doomsday Jesus (Darkly Dreaming Doomsday)
• (Elusive) Elandra
• Kurzyk (Khelek)
• LadySky (Lady Leopard) Rose, lynched
• Marguerite
• Morningsdreams
• Remiel (O'Lantern)
• Ryven (Scaryven)
• sinera
• tes11
• Xandi

There are 3 Thorns, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 6 Roses.

[Bliss]

Having cast that final vote, Bliss forced herself to stand and watch as LadySky was strung high - and at the sight of the Rose sign flaring, she went pale and took a stumbling step backward. "Gods... what have I done?" she whispered.

[Doomsday]

Doomsday watches with some regret as a rope is wrapped around Sky's delicate neck. It would be worth it if she was a thorn... A lever is pulled and she's pulled into the air, and soon the life goes out of her pretty eyes...

But she's not a thorn. She's just a rose, like he is. "Gods," Doomsday gasps, turning his head away.

[Autumn52]

As the rope is tightened around poor LadySky's neck, Xandi hopes and wishes this is the right thing to do. When the life is choked out of her, Xandi gasp and cries out in horror at what we have all done. Another rose is dead tonight and this time we have only ourselves to blame.

[Kurzyk]

As the life escaped from her, he turned away and rested against a tree. With a deep sigh he watched the clouds pass and thought of the times he'd tried to gather the nerve to ask her to dance at the festivals, and had opted to stay silent. Or how he longed for her when the night was dark, and the bed was empty. Now he would never get his chance.

"Innocence suffered at our hands," he said in a grave tone to those present. "We've lost a kind heart."

[Ryven]

The muffin man gasps, his hand moving up to cover his mouth.  "My god..."  It was all he said before laying a muffin with the deceased Lady before she was buried.

[sinera]

Tears form now in sinera's eyes as she realizes that LadySky was indeed an innocent.

"How many more of us must die before these accursed Thorns are once more removed from our lovely garden?" she weeps bitterly even as the realization that the thorns will strike again once darkness falls.

[Valerian]

Mourning, the villagers wandered away to their homes, preparing to face another uncertain night.  Few slept well, in spite of having locked up their houses as best they could -- even the faintest sound seemed sinister, and no one could rest easily.

As the sun rose the next day, the villagers breathed a sigh of relief at having survived another night... all except one, for the Thorns had in fact claimed another victim.  Ryven would no longer bake muffins for his fellow villagers, and another Rose was lost.

• Bliss (Drama Llama)
• Doomsday Jesus (Darkly Dreaming Doomsday)
• (Elusive) Elandra
• Kurzyk (Khelek)
• 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 5 Roses.

[desert ashes]

"Ooh, these smell so wonderful," Morning murmured, burrowing her nose into the wicker basket overflowing with freshly cut flowers as she came up to Ryven's kitchen door.  Lightly she knocked, waited a moment and then knocked again, harder the second time.  Still, nothing but silence -- there wasn't a peep coming from the kitchen. Strange.  Normally Ryven was up before now to start his delicious muffins, the precise reason for her visit. 

With a growing frown, Morning quietly admitted herself into the kitchen.  She took only two steps before she saw just why Ryven wasn't awake and baking -- the muffin man was dead in his own kitchen.  A second later, she let out a piercing scream, the basket of flowers spilling out over the floor.

[Remiel]

It truly was a dark night for the villagers of Rosebriar.  First an innocent, Ladysky, had fallen prey to the fear-fueled bloodlust of the mob; then, the muffin man, Ryven, had been killed by thorns.  And it was a double tragedy, because who now would deliver the muffins every morning?

Remiel knew that his prize BlueFire rose bushes would have to wait -- the village was in dire jeopardy of being picked off, one by one. If there was to be any hope for the future, the villagers would have to identify and eliminate the Thorns, and fast.

"All right, my friends, let's try to use deductive reasoning to figure out which of us might be depraved enough to do this deed.  Fact: we know that three people voted for ladysky, who turned out to be innocent.  These three people are sinera, tes11, and Bliss.  Fact: there are three thorns.  Is it possible that all three of those who voted for ladysky are thorns? Yes, it is possible. 

"However..."  he stuck a corn-cob pipe in his mouth and used it to blow some bubbles.  "If that were the case, it would be extremely obvious who they were.  Too obvious.  I posit that the Thorns are not that stupid.  However, they would have needed to make sure that an innocent--ladysky in this case--would get the noose, and not one of their own; so I think we can safely say that at least one, or possibly two, of these three are guilty.  The only question is, which is it?"

[Doomsday]

Doomsday Jesus had slept most of the night with a baseball bat in hand and one eye open, making him groggy and wholly unapproachable the next day. He was calmed a bit by a nice cup of coffee, and decided a fresh apple cruller would go along spectacularly with the coffee, so he set out to Ryven's bakery, only to find a crowd forming around the place.

"What's this?" He asks, gently nudging himself through the crowd, and immediately regretted it when he saw Ryven's lifeless body on the ground. "Gods," he gasped, shaking his head and backing away from the scene a bit.

He listens to Remiel's theory, while leaning against the brick-walled bakery. "This is interesting. I think it is highly plausible, but i doubt that a thorn would have waited so long to cast her vote. Either Miss Bliss is not a thorn, or just a terrible procrastinator." He looked over to sinera, smiling grimly. He didn't think it was her... "I think it might have been tes. Or maybe you, Remiel? Awfully quick to color other people in shades of gray are you."

[sinera]

sinera hummed to herself a little ditty as she made her way to Ryven's bakery. He'd promised to have some of her favorite corn muffins ready today. She really needed the pick-me-up after the horrid events of the last two days.

She prayed the thorns hadn't struck again in the night, though deep down she was afraid they had. Seeing people gathered at Ryven's wasn't an unusual sight, but there was something different today. "Oh no," she gasped and hurried her steps to reach DDJ's side.

"Not Ryven!!" she exclaimed.

[Autumn52]

Xandi still shaken from the events of the previous day gets up slowly this morning. She did not sleep well with the knowledge that the thorns have returned. Xandi dresses and as she is drinking her first cup of coffee ambles outside, heading over to Ryven's to get a fresh blueberry muffin.

As Xandi draws closer she notices that there is a crowd gathering and just thinks everyone had the same idea she did of getting a fresh muffin until she hears Sinderellas cry "Not Ryven".

Xandi's heart sinks into her stomach as she approaches, she ask, "What has happened?"

When she is told Ryven has been murdered she falls to her knees, dropping her cup of coffee, crying out, "Not again, not one such as Ryven. The thorns must be stopped, Not One More Rose Can Be Allowed To Fall At Their Hands. We must conquer this evil. Who are the current suspects?"

[Doomsday]

He cradles an arm over Sinera's shoulder, not quite as distraught by the death but the message behind it. Someone was out there killing... And they were hiding in plain sight. How arrogant.

Turning to Xandi, he says, "I'm not sure. I don't think we can rule anyone out yet. We have no prime suspects." He stops to think for a moment, his gaze distant. Then Doomsday snapped back into reality. "I'm going to place my vote for Xandi. Call it a hunch," he mumbled, looking intensely at her as if trying to gauge her reaction.

[Autumn52]

Xandi shocked at DDJ accusations, says why would you be so quick to cast the first stone my dear if you did not have something to hide. But I refused to get drawn into this with you and since I am sincerely trying to rid the garden of the true threat which is the thorns I will not retaliate.

I still think that Bliss is suspicious, so I cast my vote there.

Hurt by DDJ accusations Xandi stands quitely and awaits the others votes.

[Bliss]

Another day, and another attempt to do her shopping, trying desperately to cast off the terrible and clinging psychic residue of the day before - only to find not only the muffin shop closed and its owner ripped from their midst, but herself fingered as one of the culprits!

Wide-eyed and genuinely baffled, her eyes were hurt as she stared at Xandi. "Fear does a terrible thing to a community, and I swear to you all my hands could not be more clean of this horrific deed. Perhaps you know this, and that is why you choose to point at me, Xandi?"

[Autumn52]

Perhaps I know that it was you Bliss who truly sealed innocent LadySky's fate, and so are doing it again perhaps.

I implore of you my fellow citizens do not be drawn in to the obvious plot against the garden. I beg of you to look at who could have done these things and there motives.

I have no way of benefiting from any of the deaths but others here do. As our numbers dwindle the enemy keeps growing in strength.

[Valerian]

Current Voting:

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

Yet to vote: Elandra, Kurzyk, Marguerite, morningsdreams, Remiel, sinera, tes11

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

[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.

[Remiel]

Remiel awoke with a start.  As the sound of robins warbling in the rosebushes outside filtered in through his bedroom window, he realized, much to his amazement and surprise, that he was still alive.  Of course, it meant that another innocent had been slain in his place.

He dressed and performed his morning ablutions with resolute purpose.  He selected his hat, a brown Victorian derby, and stood in front of the mirror while adjusting it for appearances.  At last, finally satisfied with the way it tilted so rakishly upon his head, giving just a hint of foppishness, he left the house and locked the door behind him.

He stood in the center of the village commons, right below the Hanging Tree, and cupped his hands around his mouth.  "Gentle villagers!" he shouted.  "My friends! Please assemble on me.  Another innocent Rose, Xandi, is dead.  We must take action soon.  Our beloved village is in great peril.  Heed my words, fellow Roses, lest we all succumb to the villainy of the perfidious RoseMart and its treacherous Thorn agents.  You see, I have cleverly deduced the identities of two of the Thorns, and can maintain my silence no longer.  The time for action is upon us."

He filled his cork pipe with soapy water from a small bottle, and stuck it in his mouth, blowing bubbles while he waited for the rest to appear.

[sinera]

sinera rubbed her eyes and stumbled out of her home, Remiel's shouting having woken her. She was in a foul mood; yesterday her dear Doomsday had been lynched by a frantic mob, and last night she had tossed and turned. She'd finally fallen asleep near false dawn, and now Remiel was proving himself a pain in the tail and waking them all early.

"How do you know the identity of the Thorns?" she mutters. "Could it be that you are the third thorn and trying to save your own skin by ratting out your friends? It seems curious that you already know the name of the Rose murdered in their sleep, when no one else has even stirred yet."

[Remiel]

He shrugged. "Call it a...lucky guess," he murmured around his pipe, blowing another bubble.  "I did some early-morning sleuthing, and discovered footprints outside Xandi's window.  The footprints going from the window were on top of the ones going to it, indicating that someone had entered the house via the window and then left in the same fashion.  In addition, there were drops of blood on the windowsill.  Peeking in, I spied Xandi's body slumped upon the floor in a pool of blood, presumably her own.  Q.E.D."

He sneezed, and then reached into his pocket to produce a handkerchief.  "Now, please, have patience, my dear," he said, wiping his nose.  "All will be revealed shortly.  I still have not deduced the identity of the last Thorn, and am hoping to achieve some insight into the question by observing who appears, how they do so, and in what order."

[Kurzyk]

With a heavy head, Kurzyk walked to the commons where Remiel was. In a foul mood and filled with worry at the events that have transpired, he folded his arms and leaned against the wall.

Eyeing Sinera and Remiel suspiciously, he said, "Well? What's your theory? Who do you believe is responsible for this?"

[Bliss]

Bliss waffled this day over the prospect of travelling into town at all. It was not that the walk was long, but simply that, upon waking and finding herself alive, she rather feared going to the village and discovering that it was not the same for everyone. She did not want to contemplate in the least of a world from which any more of her fellow villagers had been forcibly removed.

Yet to stay home, and not know... that made it all the worse.

Her misgivings, sadly, were soon given light as her entrance to the village revealed several people already gathered, grimfaced, outside Xandi's house, and Remiel making some sort of observation to the others. "Oh no... not another, please say she's not...?"

[Elandra]

When she awoke that morning she could not shake the feeling that she had lost someone dear to her heart. She dressed as the sense of doom surrounded her. Finished she went outside to see who had been killed and to her horror she saw the others gathering around Xandi’s home. “No, it could not be her,” she cried out as she joined the crowd to listen to Remiel was going to say.

She looked forward to exacting revenge on the person or people that had done this to her.

[desert ashes]

It took longer than she expected to be able to find the courage to leave her house.  This was getting so ugly and horrible, everyone dying around them -- truly she wanted nothing more than to hide inside her house and keep herself safe.

Her arms were hugged tight around her waist when she finally found her way toward where the voices were coming from, where Remiel waited to make his grand announcement.

[Remiel]

Remiel looked around at those who had gathered.  "I do not see Marguerite or tes11 here. Have they been murdered as well? No? Very well."

Realizing he had everyone's attention, he cleared his throat and began.  "Friends, we now reach a critical juncture.  There are--by my reckoning--five roses left in the village, and three Thorns.  If we choose wrongly again today, there will be four roses left.  And then, after the Thorns strike tonight, there will be three.  This will effectively mean that the Thorns have won.  Therefore, it is crucial that we choose wisely this time."

Frowning, he walked in a straight line, peering into each face, scrutinizing every villager closely.  "I said I have discovered the identities of two of the Thorns. And I have. But I will get to that in a moment.

"I think it is time to reveal that I am a Bee.  My father, too, was a Bee, as was his father before him.  I come from a long line of Bees, in fact, whose job it traditionally was to ferret out those Thorns who would betray us.  I have kept this a secret until now, because there has never before been a need.  But the need is upon us, and the hour is grim. The fate of the village hangs on the razor-thin balance of this final vote. 

"When I first discovered that Charles Lawson had been murdered, I decided to do some investigating.  Charles was nobody's fool; he would not have fallen prey to a stranger. No, he had been stabbed in the back, gentle villagers, by someone he knew well. Someone, in fact, he trusted.  And that someone was Elandra!"

With a flourish, Remiel pointed the finger of accusation at Elandra. His tone became more urgent, more tense.  "Elandra knew that Charles was planning on filing an injunction against RoseMart to stop the acquisition of the village.  Little did he know that they had hired her as a consultant to facilitate the sale.  If they could not get our roses, Elandra would not get her million-dollar consultant's fee.  She was desperate. She had to stop him.

"So she visited him the night before his untimely demise.  The conversation, I believe, was amiable enough.  But she drugged his tea, and as he lay sleeping, she stabbed him with a knife from the kitchen."

Unfortunately for her, Ryven happened to be strolling by just as she was leaving the scene of the crime, on his way to deliver an order of banana-nut muffins.   I do not think Ryven thought anything of it at the time, but Elandra knew it was only a matter of time before he put two and two together.  Clearly, Ryven had to go.

"But how to do it? Only someone who knew Ryven's daily routine would know when he was most vulnerable. Someone like...Sinera."  Once again, Remiel pointed the finger of accusation, this time at Sinera.  "Elandra went to sinera, explained what she had done, and promised Sinera half of her RoseMart wages if she would help her hide the crime.  Sinera approached Ryven at night, under the guise of discussing a new kind of muffin, and waited until he was distracted before slipping a cord around his neck and strangling him to death.

"It was almost the perfect crime.  Charles was dead, and the only person who had witnessed it was dead too.  Meanwhile, we were busy wrongfully eliminating two of our own, two innocent villagers--Ladysky and Doomsday Jesus.  It looked like nothing would stop their evil plans.  Nothing, that is, except for one thing: me.

"I became suspicious of Sinera almost right away.  She was far too good at blending in with the crowd, acted far too innocent.  She had a rock-solid alibi; she made sure that several people spotted her in her garden pool at about the time Charles was killed.  There is a saying, among the Thorn hunters: look for the least likely suspect of all, and there you will have your Thorn.  Sinera was very good at covering her trail--too good.

"And as for Elandra, I suspected her shortly afterward.  She made sure that she was never the first to cast a vote for any one individual, but instead voted for someone after they had already been accused.  In this way, she was sure to eliminate a wrongfully-accused Rose as quickly and expediently as possible.

"A little bit of investigation confirmed my suspicions.  Both Elandra and Sinera are Thorns. However, there is one problem: There is another Thorn, one whom I have not yet identified."

Remiel folded his arms behind his back, beginning to pace back and forth.  "Someone else knew about Charles' injunction.  Someone else arranged for Elandra to kill him, and for Sinera to kill Ryven."

He narrowed his eyes.  "I do not know for sure who the last Thorn is, but I have my suspicions.  Let us go through the suspects one by one:

"I am almost 100% positive that Kurzyk is innocent.  He was the first villager to discover the body, and often the one of the first to cast a vote.  I am certain he accused me the first day completely at random, and the only reason I accused him in return was so that our votes would cancel each other out.  It really had me worried when Elandra added her vote to his, and I nearly informed her of my status--heh--to try to persuade her otherwise.  Kurzyk doesn't seem to care about blending in at all, and that's usually an indicator of innocence.

"Likewise, I am nearly certain that Marguerite is innocent as well.  She has been extremely quiet up until now, due to--she claims--an illness. Either this is the most devious ploy I have ever heard, or she is telling the truth.  I believe she is telling the truth.

"I believe tes11 is also innocent.  Prior to last night, I sent both he and Xandi letters, informing them of my suspicions, and urging them to carry on in the event of my expected demise.  Xandi, of course, as we all know, was the next target of the Thorns, so she cannot attest to this.  Tes11 has not spoken up either, which seems extremely suspicious, I must admit.  However, it is possible he has fallen to the same illness currently afflicting Marguerite.  So, acting on a hunch, I approached sinera (who did not know, of course, I already knew she was a thorn), and told her I suspected either Kurzyk (who I am sure is innocent) or tes11 (who I wasn't sure about) of being a Thorn.  She indicated that she believed tes11 was guilty, thus convincing me that he was, in fact, innocent.

"That leaves only Morningsdreams and Bliss. Although there were certain things morningsdreams did to set off my radar, I believe that the third conspirator--and the mastermind of the Thorns--is, in fact, Bliss. You'll notice that none of the three ever voted against either of the others.  Xandi suspected Bliss in the second round of voting, and, lo and behold, fell victim to an attack during the night.  A little too obvious, perhaps, but I believe the Thorns are growing overconfident.  Also, if you'll remember, Sinera accused Morningsdreams this last time, leading me to believe that morningsdreams is innocent.

"And thus I give you, gentle villagers, your thorns: Elandra, Sinera, and (probably) Bliss."

Remiel finished his speech with an air of exhausted satisfaction.  He took a deep breath, fished in his pocket for his corn-cob pipe, filled it with soapy water from a hip flask, and stood back, blowing bubbles, while he awaited the outcome of the voting.

[desert ashes]

Was the man out of his bloody mind?  Dumbfounded and shocked from Remiel's speech -- a lengthy one at that, gracious she'd nearly fallen asleep how many times? -- she stared at him and then slowly looked around at the others.  He'd made some horrific accusations about women she'd lived next to for years.  After all the killings and the lynching, hadn't they'd gone through enough? 

"Where's the proof?" she asked after a moment and clearing her throat.  "If you want us to suspect those three women, where is your proof?"

[Bliss]

It was a silence fraught with emotion and tension that filled the square around them as they listened to Remiel's pronouncements, and Bliss stood quietly, discreetly daubing her eyes with a handkerchief; she was still pale and dumbstruck by the idea that Xandi had been ripped from their midst, and if Remiel had proper clues to who might have done it, she was eager to hear it so that perhaps at last this terrible daily slaughter could be put to rest.

She never thought she'd hear herself accused.

In a way that she's always thought literary exaggeration, her mouth fell open with a shocked and confused little squeak, protestations boiling up the back of her throat. Yet she swallowed him - was it not always the innocent who protested the loudest? And having revealed himself as the Bee, there was likely no doubt that the others would surely take his suppositions over her own true claims.

Especially because, due to his mistake, there was likely at least one Thorn among them who was laughing inside right now.

"Remiel," she said hoarsely, and this time did not lift her hand to wipe away her tears, "This is a terrible mistake - I am no Thorn, and if I am lynched as one today, I am certain we shall find thee a grave man tomorrow!"

[Remiel]

Remiel shrugged at morningsdreams.  "I have told you all I know.  It is up to you, now, whether to believe me or to draw your own conclusions. My vote is for Elandra.  You can join me, or you can vote for me, instead; just be aware that if you are wrong, you will not have another chance."

At Bliss' protestations, he looked a little uneasy.  In truth, she was the only suspect he was unsure about.  But his instincts had not steered him wrong thus far, and unless new information came to light, she was still his #1 suspect for the last Thorn.

[sinera]

sinera has none of Bliss' reasoning, nor her restraint. She marches straightaway across the clearing and punches Remiel right in the nose. "Lying scoundrel!" she snarls, whipping around to face the rest. "It's true that Remiel contacted me secretly last night, and that I supposed that tes11 could be one of the thorns - truth be told, I don't know who they are. All I know is he hasn't even mentioned Kurzyk as a possibility - and he's quick to dismiss Marguerite and morningsdreams.

"How do we know he's not in actuality a thorn, protecting himself and his conspirators? Are we to take him merely at his word? Anyone could say they're the bee - perhaps I should claim to be the bee myself!"

She narrows her eyes at the raw memory of her beloved Doomsday dangling after having been lynched the day before and shakes her head. "Do what you want. I for one don't believe him, since I know myself to be blameless in these affairs."

[Valerian]

Current Voting:

Remiel (3) - Elandra, Kurzyk, sinera
Elandra (2) - Remiel, Bliss
Bliss (0)
Kurzyk (0)
Morningsdreams (0)
Marguerite (0)
sinera (0)
tes11 (0)

Yet to vote: morningsdreams, Marguerite, tes11

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

[Bliss]

"At the risk of falling in line with the very behavior of which Remiel accused her, I found his arguments compelling - aside from the obvious flaw of pointing the finger at myself - and will join him with a reluctant and heavy heart in naming Elandra. I do not know if it will be worse to find it to be true, or if this Bee is proven to be mistaken and to blame for the death of yet another Rose."

[Elandra]

That she was accused of this treachery had not been surprising, eventually with only so few left and the nights still filled with horror, she knew the villagers would start to grasp at straws. She listened as the man ranted, listened as he spoke of his reasoning, listened as she was accused and through it all she remained silent with no anger in her heart. When he was done and the others had responded angrily, she spoke softly, just loud enough for others to hear her words.

“It hurts that you would be so spiteful, that you would throw my name around so nonchalantly and back up this accusation with false evidence, Remiel.” She paused for dramatic effect, sighing heavily, “Tell me, if I were this beast you say I am, why would I kill Xandi, the one person who gave me comfort when I so desperately needed it? Why was it you that held the pruning sheers that first day when we discovered Charles had died?”

With that she once again fell silent, knowing if she protested too much the crowd would lynch her for her words.

[Kurzyk]

Considering the events of the last few days, Kurzyk lit his pipe and puffed, watching the swirls of smoke make its way up before fading through the fingers of the trees above. His heart was heavy for the loss of Doomsday, especially since it had been a miscalculation on his part that led to the death of another innocent.

As the hour grew farther into the day, he worried that another tragedy would strike from their hand, or perhaps also from the Thorns. His heart pounded as he looked around at those gathered, listening to the accusations and denials fly.

With his pipe still held, and lost in thought, he spoke. "The last few days have held great tragedies for our village. We have lost many; some due to murderers in the night, and others from our hand as we attempted to exact justice."

With a sigh he looked around, "Each of us is suspect. Each with suspicious activity in the last few days."

Turning towards Elandra, "You do raise an excellent point Elandra. One that I wondered as well from the first day. Being distracted with the other killings has caused me to believe there is more than one murderer among us. But the first death did show signs of sharp incisions."

Now turning towards Remiel with a piercing gaze, "As you were working in your garden that first morning, and at this time of season working with your shears, I still find you suspect."

[Remiel]

Remiel listened to the protestations and accusations against him without a single indication of surprise.  He just nodded, occasionally blowing bubbles from his pipe.  When sinera punched him in the nose, he winced, and appropriately said, "ouch."

When Kurzyk accused him, however, his jaw dropped open in astonishment, his pipe dropping to the ground. "Kurzyk? Really?!?" he gaped, staring at Kurzyk in disbelief.  "Hrmm...I may have been wrong about Bliss after all."

[sinera]

She wishes she could do more damage to Remiel, but she knows any further protestations on her part would just make her look more guilty than the hurtful words he had said.

She retreated to the edge of the crowd, her eyes filled with tears. Thanks to Remiel she'd likely be reunited with her beloved Doomsday soon.

[desert ashes]

Well, she had been attempting to wait for Marquerite and Tes to vote ahead of her, but as their silence continued she could no longer keep hers.  Sucking a breath, she turned her eyes back to the crowd.  "My vote is for Remiel."

[Marguerite]

-Torn between two people she knows-

Damn, I have no clue.

-Closes her eyes-

I will randomly vote for Kurzyk.

[Remiel]

He smiled weakly as morningsdreams joined the group of those accusing him.  Taking a deep breath, he turned to Bliss.

"My dear, it appears I owe you an apology.  It seems I had guessed wrong.  Morningsdreams was the last thorn, not you. I hope you can forgive a smug old fool."

Turning back to Kurzyk and Marguerite, he beseeched them earnestly to vote for Elandra.  "My friends, think this over.  If you kill me, then that means the only shot you have of saving the village is if the Ladybug correctly guesses who the Thorns will eliminate during the night. If the Ladybug fails to save a villager, the Thorns will have won. Period. Game over.  End of story. 

"Once again, I say to you: Elandra and Sinera are thorns.  Trust me.  Vote for Elandra now, and if she is not a Thorn then you will know that I am one.  But she will be.  And now I know, too late, that morningsdreams, not Bliss, is the last.

"Think about it.  If I was a Thorn, then why is only Bliss voting with me?  Don't you think it's odd that all three of them--and you, Kurzyk--are all voting in unison?  Don't make this mistake.  Think it over very carefully."

He sighed, his face ashen.  If he had to die, he had to die--truly, he had not expected to live this long--but if the village did not vote for a Thorn this night, only a miracle would prevent RoseMart from razing the once-quiet and peaceful little village of Rosebriar.

[Kurzyk]

Sighing Kurzyk turned away and puffed on his pipe, not willing to face another trying decision that could well mean the fate of another innocent and yet...

The cries of a nearby willow dipped its leaves into the pond that hugged it and as he watched the wind skitter across the surface of the water he heard Remiel's desperation. Closing his eyes he shook his head and tried to free himself from the guilt of Doomsday. Could his judgement be wrong? After all it was only circumstantial...

Turning back to the crowd that had begun to stare at the votes hanging over Remiel, he gathered his strength and spoke.

"Wait! He makes a point. Elandra and Morningsdreams have voted in unison before. There is a pattern here." Smiling at Remiel he continued, "I'm willing to let this one pass," his expression turning to deadly seriousness. "But if you are misleading us, it will be your neck to bare in the nights that come."

Speaking out to the group, "I have changed my vote." Walking up to Elandra he sighed, "As lovely as you are, I'm sorry but your actions have been very suspect as of late. I believe that not only are there more than one murderer among us, you have conspired with them and must be held accountable."

[desert ashes]

Dumbfounded she stared at Remiel and then even moreso at Kurzyk as if both had lost their minds.  "Are you serious?  Truly, absolutely serious?!"  She nearly erupted, unable to fathom the depths of this madness. 

"Kurzyk, this is the same man that not only almost accused me of being a thorn -- and then did so -- but also you!  The only reason I vote for him now is because I cannot help but feel he is resorting to trickery.  Who else but the so called mastermind -- as Remiel coined it -- would claim to be the Bee and do this entire show? He is panicking and casting the biggest net he can."  Tears pooled now in her eyes as she began to back away from the square.  Remiel was turning them all insane -- truly, he was! 

"Of course he wants you to change your vote, he's just trying to save himself.  Please... please, think of Doomsday.  I am responsible for Doomsday, perhaps more than any because it was me who pointed the finger -- in fact, the same time Elandra voted with me so did you and Marquerite.  That's no pattern!  That is my stupidity leading to Doomsday's death! Please, Kurzyk," she whispered now, her tears falling freely.  "Please, let us not have another innocent Rose die because of a Thorn's foul play."

[Valerian]

Current Voting:

Remiel (3) - Elandra, sinera, morningsdreams
Elandra (3) - Remiel, Bliss, Kurzyk
Kurzyk (1) - Marguerite
Bliss (0)
Morningsdreams (0)
Marguerite (0)
sinera (0)
tes11 (0)

Yet to vote: tes11

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

[sinera]

sinera watches dumbfounded as Remiel swings like a pendulum responding to the rotation of the earth.

"Oh, so all we have to do to convince you we're not thorns is to vote with you?" she barks a laugh. "You were so sure that Bliss was the thorn until she voted with you!"

If there was a note of hysteria in her voice, it's because she knows that if by some chance Elandra was a thorn, she would be the next to feel the hempen collar, even though she know in her heart she's innocent.

"Please, friends - stop this madness! Why would the Bee reveal him- or her-self to us, even now? The thorns would certainly go after him next - look what happened to Xandi! Yesterday she alluded to being the Bee, and this morning she's dead!" her voice breaks as she pleads for her own life, pleading with them to listen to reason before it's too late.

"How can he know the reasons behind what the Thorns are doing? He's making up stories to make himself seem more believable. Perhaps Elandra is a Thorn - I don't know - perhaps Remiel is the Bee - I don't know that either - but as I knew deep in my heart Doomsday wasn't a Thorn, so also do I know that I am not."

She whispered brokenly, "I don't know how to convince you." She looks at Remiel with tortured eyes. "I thought you were my friend, Remiel. I thought you were coming to me to offer me hope after losing my beloved Doomsday... had I known you were only going to twist this knife in my heart, I'd have never trusted you."

[Mithlomwen]

After taking all things into consideration, Mithlomwen finally spoke up.  "By revealing himself as the Bee, Remiel is putting himself in great danger, as the Thorns will now want to eliminate him before he finds out who the third Thorn is.  I am inclined to believe what he says as his argument makes a lot of sense."

Her gaze travels over each one of the people present, her eyes studying each person closely.  "My vote is for Elandra, and I can only pray that we are right in this, else our numbers will dwindle after this night and the Thorns will have won." 

[Valerian]

Final Voting:

Elandra (4) - Remiel, Bliss, Kurzyk, Mithlomwen
Remiel (3) - Elandra, sinera, morningsdreams
Kurzyk (1) - Marguerite
Bliss (0)
Mithlomwen (0)
Morningsdreams (0)
Marguerite (0)
sinera (0)

Elandra was led to the Hanging Tree, following in the footsteps of several innocents, insisting that the villagers were making yet another tragic mistake.  Then the rope tightened around her neck, and her face twisted with rage, her fingernails suddenly transforming into the wicked, sharp talons of a Thorn as she died.  The villagers had at last scored a victory against their enemies.

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

There are 2 Thorns, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 3 Roses.

[Mithlomwen]

Mith let out a sigh of relief when she saw the razor sharp thorns appear.  They had finally managed to rid themselves of one of the Thorns that had led to the death of so many innocents.  Now if they could only find the other two, perhaps the rest of the Roses could be saved. 

[desert ashes]

Stunned and shamed, Morning was starting to doubt her own sanity.  She had been so sure of Elandra's innocence!  The arguments had been so compelling, so believable... But Remiel had been right.  He'd been right about Elandra.  Unable to fight her tears, Morning left the green.

[Remiel]

Remiel relaxed, all the tension unwinding from his body.  It had been a very close vote, with the fate of the village balancing on a razor's edge; he had been vastly relieved when Mithlomwen believed him, after all.  He registered no surprise at all when Elandra turned out to be a thorn, but nodded, matter-of-factly.  Returning to his house, he slipped into bed, sure in the knowledge that, even if he didn't survive the night, RoseMart would not now lay their grasping claws on his prize-winning Blue Fire rosebushes.

[sinera]

Sinera's face was pinched as she watched the villagers string up Elandra. "Please be a rose, please be a rose," she whispered over and over; a mantra, surely, for if Elandra was a Thorn, as accused, then the villagers would believe her a Thorn as well, thanks to Remiel's broad statements.

As the proof of Elandra's guilt manifested, Sinera fainted dead away.

[Bliss]

Were her ears hearing right - was Sinera actually pleading that they be stringing up an innocent? Bliss hoped it was not so, but before she could ask, the other woman tumbled to the grass.

She had her doubts about Remiel's powers of deduction - after all, he'd been rather convinced of her own guilt, which was preposterous, of course - but Sinera's whispers made her wonder. That didn't stop her innate desire to help, though, and she went to Sinera's side to fan her awake, and help her home.

[Valerian]

The villagers sighed in terrible relief.  They had been betrayed, but at least there was one less danger in their midst.  Doors and windows were still barricaded, but the innocent, at least, slept a fraction more easily that night.

But all was not well.  Thorns were still prowling, as was evidenced by the fact that with the sunrise, once more a villager was found to be missing.  A visit to Marguerite's little house revealed her body there, torn and bloody.  Another innocent Rose had not lived to see the morning.

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

There are 2 Thorns, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 2 Roses.

[Remiel]

Again, Remiel arose the next morning,  and again he was surprised to still be breathing air.  Anticipating death on a nightly basis had given him a new appreciation for life.

Still, it meant that another innocent was dead.  It was a weighty thing to have on his conscience, but then the life of a Thorn-hunter was never easy.

"One down, two to go," he muttered, as he dressed himself and strolled out to the village commons to find out who the night's victim was.  "Sinera is next, and then morningsdreams." 

He rolled up his sleeves, prepared to carry out his grim duty, a duty which, nevertheless, had to be done.

[Valerian]

Current Voting:

sinera (4) - Remiel, morningsdreams, Mithlomwen, Kurzyk
Remiel (1) - sinera
Bliss (0)
Kurzyk (0)
Mithlomwen (0)
Morningsdreams (0)

Yet to vote: Bliss

There are 2 Thorns, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 2 Roses.

[sinera]

Sinera awoke with dread in her heart. Elandra had indeed proved to be a Thorn; whether Remiel was the Bee or a Thorn using rhetoric to sway the remaining Roses to his side, the others would believe that she too was a Thorn now, no matter what words she would use to protest her innocence.

She rose from her bed, wondering who'd had the kindness in their heart to help one already accused and proven guilty through false logic. She gathered up the last of the roses from her garden to adorn Doomsday's grave, knowing that after today there'd be no one left to tend to them anyway.

[Kurzyk]

Slumped outside Marguerite's house, Kurzyk grieved her loss. So much tragedy and as he churned in anger at the murderers still out there, his mind spun in suspicions.

He saw Remiel walking up to the Commons. With hesitation at the decisions that must follow he got up and approached him.

"Regarding Elandra, it seems your argument held merit," he said with suspicion. These days noone could be trusted and for all he knew Remiel was manipulating them all.

"How do we know the murderers, or.... " Stepping forward he peered at Remiel's eyes. "You perhaps, did not sacrifice one of your own to throw us from our trail and increase trust? After all, the Thorns are not known to be honorable even among themselves."

Leaning against a tree he lit a pipe casually then continued while taking a puff, "I heard you muttering the belief that it was Sinera. What thinking do you have of this? She was seen this morning resting roses on Doomsday's grave. Surely her love for him would negate the possibility of her conspiring to have him killed with the rest of us? Are you suggesting her to be some sort of black widow?"

[Mithlomwen]

Mith had gotten word that Marguerite had been murdered during the night.  So many innocents had lost their lives in all of this.  So much death.  How many more were going to have to die before it was over?

Her mind raced, recalling all of the past events that had led them up to this,  wondering if they were going to be able to identify the last two Thorns.  She prayed that they would be able to, and quickly before even more innocent lives were lost. 

[Remiel]

"Considering that I was the one who led the charge against Elandra, Kurzyk," said Remiel, wearily, "I either have to be telling the truth, or I'm the sneakiest, most disloyal bastard that ever there was, to sell out my fellow thorns in order to save my own hide."

He thought about it, and shrugged.  "Which, of course, is certainly possible. I don't blame you for being suspicious.  But consider that both sinera and morningsdreams voted with Elandra last night.  That alone should convince you of their guilt.  When the chips were down, when it mattered, they could not vote against one of their own."

"Now, I'll admit I'm not perfect.  I was dead wrong about Bliss, for example.  But I am now one hundred percent certain that Sinera and morningsdreams are Thorns."

[sinera]

Sinera rose from Doomsday's grave and trudged into town to see who had been murdered in the night, sure it had been Remiel. Elandra's co-conspirators could not have allowed him to live after his proclamations the day before.

In her heart she hoped they had taken Remiel; surely she could be forgiven wishing him ill after he had tried to convince the others she herself was a Thorn. She raised her eyes in surprise when she realized the others were gathering at, not Remiel's door, but Marguerite's.

She darted in to see for herself - maybe he'd been killed at Marguerite's instead of his own home - but no, she caught a glimpse of a feminine foot.

"You BASTARD!" she screamed and launched herself at Remiel. "Why her? They should have taken YOU! You with your hateful accusations!" She beat at him as she raged.

[desert ashes]

She couldn't take it anymore.  Huddled in the doorway, her shawl wrapped tight around her and with tears still staining her cheeks.  "Stop it, Sinera!"   She hadn't listened to Remiel before and look at what happened -- Doomsday's death, Elandra being a thorn.  Perhaps her own innocence might end up being ignored, but if it meant taking down the Thorns then so be it. 

[Mithlomwen]

Watching Sinera's display she couldn't help but think that perhaps the woman was over reacting in an attempt to sway people's opinions away from the fact that she was a Thorn.  If everyone thought her so upset and distraught about Marguerite's death, they might assume she was a Rose. 

Mith watched for a moment, listening to both Remiel and Moirae before speaking.  "Remiel was right about Elandra, and as he's taken a great risk to reveal himself as the Bee, therefore I am also inclined to believe what he says about Sinera as well." 

[Kurzyk]

A slight grin at the emotions flying, crossed Kurzyk's face. It wasn't that he was cold, it was more an unusual sort of tension in the air, the kind that was for show. Something was not right.

"It is difficult to believe Sinera would work against even her own love, but I believe the solution lies in ascertaining the sincerity of Remiel. He says he is the bee and is revealing the thorns among us. So far he was correct with Elandra."

He walked towards the center of the group eyeing Sinera and Remiel. "One of these two is not telling the truth. If I vote for Sinera and she turns out to be a Rose, Ladybug or even the Bee, then Remiel will be shown to be a liar and manipulating us all. If she is a thorn then trust is strengthened in Remiel and another threat is gone."

Deep in thought he continued, "Either way, the most logical choice is to vote for Sinera."

Walking over to Sinera he held a frown, "I'm sorry my dear, but it is for the greater good."

[Remiel]

Remiel was unprepared for sinera's onslaught, and grunted in pain as one of her fists connected with his nose with a solid crunch.  He fell back, clutching at his nose; the strength of sinera's blow bounced him off a wall and sent him sprawling to the ground.  Blood trickled from his nostrils to drip down his chin. Throwing his arm up to defend against further attacks, he muttered softly to himself:

"And thus I clothe my naketh villainy with odd ode ends sto'n forth of howy writ; and seemth a saint, when most I pway the devil. "

Raising his voice, he looked up at Sinera, daubing at his broken nose.
"Ow much thid RoseMart pay you, Thinera?  Ow much? Wad it Tirty pieces of thilver?  Or wad it much, much more? Ow much thid id take to betray Doomthday?  Ow could you?  You make me thick."

[Bliss]

Biting down on an untimely and most unseemly laugh at Remiel's sad slur, and the terrible joke about what "makes him thick" that sprung to her weary and emotionally overtaxed mind, she slipped in and reached down to cast a baleful glance over at Sinera. "Only a Thorn would have the gall to display such violence, and beside the deathbed of one of our own sweet Roses, too!"

[Valerian]

Final Voting:

sinera (5) - Remiel, morningsdreams, Mithlomwen, Kurzyk, Bliss
Remiel (1) - sinera
Bliss (0)
Kurzyk (0)
Mithlomwen (0)
Morningsdreams (0)

With Remiel's accusation against Elandra horribly proven, the townsfolk followed his words once again.  And so sinera was doomed, her desperate lashing out proving of no avail as the survivors banded together as one against her, putting the noose around her neck without hesitation.

And once more Remiel had not led them astray, for just as with Elandra's death, at the last sinera was revealed to be one of the terrible Thorns, her eyes flashing in helpless fury as her talons sprouted, and now the little village was that much safer.

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

There are 1 Thorn, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 2 Roses.

[Mithlomwen]

Mith breathed another sigh of relief at seeing the tell tale talons of the Thorn.  At least they had not sent another innocent to their death.  She was also very relieved that she had put her faith in Remiel, feeling much better in the fact that he had not led them all astray.  One more Thorn remained, and she hoped they could find out who it was before any more of Roses died. 

[Remiel]

"Two dowde, wud to go," said Remiel, covering his face with a handkerchief.  He went home to set his broken nose, more confident than ever that, even if he did not survive the night, the townspeople would do the right thing.

[Kurzyk]

With an immense sigh of relief Kurzyk grinned.

"Well done Remiel, turns out you weren't deceiving us." With a slight tilt of his head he showed respect  then looked at the darkened blue slowly spreading across the sky. Night was coming.

"Everyone be on your guard. Night is nearly upon us and if history is our guide, danger still lurks."

With that, he walked back to his hutt on the edge of the village. Murder or not, he was damn hungry and looked forward to the warm fires of his stove.

[Valerian]

Alas, the meal that Kurzyk enjoyed that night was to be his last.  With the rising of the sun, it was clear that the thorns had claimed yet another Rose, and the village had lost another friend.  It was a smaller, but still determined, group that met that morning, searching desperately for the last evildoer in their midst.

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

There are 1 Thorn, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 1 Rose.

[Mithlomwen]

Mith said a silent prayer for  Kurzyk, deeply saddened that yet another precious Rose had been taken from them.  Feeling angry that yet another innocent life had to be lost, she pointed an accusing finger at Morningsdreams.  "Remiel named you as the other Thorn, and he's been right thus far, so I'm inclined to believe him still.  Enough lives have been lost, it is time to end it." 

[desert ashes]

She knew there was little to nothing she could say in defense of her innocence.  Remiel had played his hand nicely, too well for her to even begin to counteract.  But... she could say that she'd witnessed death of at least two of the Thorns.  The others, she knew, would see the end of the third.  Sadly, she would not. 

It was with a slow nod of her head to Mithlomwen and her hands curled even tighter around her shawl.  She couldn't blame any of them for how she knew the other votes would fall.  "Remiel should be proud of himself for being so clever," she whispered and looked back to the square where she knew she'd meet her fate.

[Valerian]

Current Voting:

Moirae (2) - Mithlomwen, Remiel
Remiel (1) - Moirae
Bliss (0)
Mithlomwen (0)

Yet to vote: Bliss

There are 1 Thorn, 1 Bee, 1 Ladybug, and 1 Rose.

[Remiel]

Morning dawned.  The still silence of early day was rudely dispelled by the crowing of an insolent cock. Remiel's eyes shot wide open; he leapt to the floor, leaving the bedsheets unmade behind him.  He ran out into the village commons, clad only in his pajamas and bedroom slippers.

"Fellow villagers!" he cried. "It is time to announce the identity of the last Thorn! And the last Thorn is....me, Remiel!"  He cackled hysterically.  "That's right! I told you I was the Bee, when I was a Thorn all long! I've played you all! Played you like a fiddle! AHAHAHA!! AHAHA!!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!! AHAHAHAH--"

He froze in mid-cackle, blinked, and looked confused for a moment.  Then, very carefully, he raised his hand up in the air, and slapped himself hard in the face.

"Er. Right.  I apologize," he said, rubbing his stinging cheek. "Apparently sinera hit me harder than I thought.  Ahem. Yes.  Right.  Yes.   The last Thorn is, in fact, Morningsdreams, otherwise known as Moirae."

[Bliss]

"So few of us left," Bliss murmured wanly, looking around at the small group gathered in the ghost town that had once been their happy village center. "I, too, can only thing that the Thorn must be Moirae- Morningsdreams- whatever her name has become these days."

[Valerian]

Current Voting:

Moirae (3) - Mithlomwen, Remiel, Bliss
Remiel (1) - Moirae
Bliss (0)
Mithlomwen (0)

All protests useless now, Moirae was unceremoniously taken along the same path as her fellow Thorns.  The villagers were no longer startled by the strange transformation, though they were saddened to lose one they had thought a friend.

Still, the village was now free at last, and those few who were left could sleep peacefully for the first time in many nights, knowing that the valley was safe -- the Bee, the Ladybug, and the last remaining Rose all content and happy once more.