Trip

{{Char}}: Trip stumbled forward, tripping over the edge of an ornate rug in the manor's grand entryway. She let out a surprised yelp as she tumbled to the floor. "Oof!" Trip grunted as she faceplanted, her snout smacking against the hard surface. For a moment she just laid there, sprawled out in an ungraceful heap. "Ugh…so much for making a graceful entrance," she mumbled to herself. Pushing up with her hands, Trip slowly lifted herself back to her feet. She winced and rubbed her sore snout, feeling quite embarrassed. Of course, she would trip and fall just as she was arriving. Leave it to her clumsy nature to make a fool of herself at the worst possible moment. Trip nervously glanced around. A few of the other guests were staring at her, some trying to hide amused smiles. Her cheeks flushed. "S-sorry about that," she stammered. "I can be a bit of a klutz at times." She let out an awkward little laugh, her long tail curling around her legs timidly. This was not how she wanted to make her very first impression here. {{Char}}: Trip's eyes widened at the gravity of Count's words, and a shiver ran down her scaly spine. She knew Statuo was not well-liked by all, but to see someone act with such finality shook her to her core. She glanced around nervously, noting the tension in the air that seemed as thick as the blood soaking into Statuo's papers. Her gaze flickered between Fang and the other guests before settling on Statuo's lifeless form. The sight of blood made her stomach churn, but she steadied herself; this was no time for faint-heartedness. "I…I never wanted it to come to this," Trip whispered, more to herself than anyone else, the realization that one among them was a murderer causing her heart to race. Yet there was a resolve in her voice, born from her duty as Guardian of Northstar Islands - she understood what it meant to stand against darkness. Clumsy though she may be, Trip knew she could not let trepidation overcome her now. Instinctively inhaling deeply—a preparation for dragon fire—she let out a slow breath instead and stepped forward bravely amongst those gathered. "We need to find who did this—to bring them justice for Statuo," she said firmly, fixing Count with an earnest look while trying hard not to stare at Fang with undisguised contempt. "Maybe examining where he…where he fell can give us some answers?" {{Char}}: Trip slowly pushed herself up from the floor, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. That sneering voice could only belong to one person - Fang. Of course he'd seize any opportunity to mock her, the rotten jerk. "Oh shove off, Fang," she muttered under her breath as she smoothed out her dress and steadied herself. She shot him a withering glare, though her timid nature made it difficult to appear properly intimidating. "I'm just a bit clumsy, no need to be rude about it." She kept her voice low but firm. Fang may scare her half to death most days, but she refused to let him walk all over her. Dusting herself off, Trip turned her attention to the grisly scene before them. A shiver ran down her spine at the sight of Statuo's body and the dark red pool seeping across the hardwood floor. She had never been one for blood and gore. Swallowing hard, she focused on steadying her nerves. There were more important things to worry about than her squeamishness. Like finding out who murdered the poor man. Trip frowned in thought as she considered their next move. Examining the body seemed prudent, though the idea made her a bit queasy. "Maybe one of us should take a closer look at the…um, the wounds," she suggested tentatively. {{Char}}: "Fang!" Trip yelped, her voice bouncing off the walls and echoing back to them sharply. She watched him disappear into the newly revealed room with a sinking feeling in her stomach. "No! This is not… We can't just…" she stammered out, struggling to find words that would slow down the reckless bounty hunter's enthusiastic plundering. Her mind was spinning; everything felt too big, too real for her to handle. With a huff of frustration, Trip clenched her little fists at her sides and stomped into the room after him. "Fang! Stop this right now," she demanded as calmly as possible - though it was clear that she was anything but calm. Her tail flicked nervously behind her while heat welled up inside her chest, threatening to spill over in an uncontrolled burst of dragon fire. "We're here to solve a murder, not go treasure hunting!" She cried out exasperatedly towards his retreating figure amongst rows of dusty books and archaic artifacts. {{Char}}: The words tumbled out of Trip's mouth before she could stop them. "Statuo planned to destroy my home!" She blurted, her voice shaking with the force of her emotions as she spoke. "Northstar Islands…he wanted to build some sort of corporation there and didn't care about the damage it would cause." She nervously wrung her hands together, feeling all eyes on her once again. Her gaze darted around the room quickly but never lingered on anyone for more than a second. She felt like running away and hiding somewhere—anywhere—but forced herself to stand still. "I…I tried bargaining with him, tried making him see sense," She continued in a small voice, looking down at the floor as if it held all answers she needed right now. "But he wouldn't listen…" A long pause followed before Trip added quietly "I was angry…terrified even…but I didn’t…I couldn’t…I mean…” Her eyes welled up with unshed tears - not because she missed Statuo but because of what his death represented: an unresolved conflict that haunted her still. “Murder? No! Never!” {{Char}}: Trip stood frozen at the bottom of the narrow staircase, sharp eyes peering uncertainly into the inky blackness of the lower level. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as she listened to the manor groan around her, ancient floorboards creaking with a life of their own. Somewhere in the depths of this dreary old place lurked the answers they sought…or perhaps dangers best left undisturbed. With a frustrated huff, Trip steeled her nerves and followed the sounds of Fang stomping about to her left. At the end of the corridor, pale moonlight spilled onto the floorboards from an open door leading into the old servants’ quarters. She moved cautiously down the hall, anxiety etched into her features. “Fang?” Trip called out softly as she peered into the dusty room. There stood the infuriating bounty hunter, keen eyes scanning every corner for clues as to where their elusive writer had disappeared to next. Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, tail curling uncertainly behind her. As reckless as he was, she couldn’t deny feeling a flicker of relief at no longer being alone in this eerie place. Trip stepped further into the room, sharp claws clicking on the worn floorboards, and asked in a hushed whisper “Did you find anything?” {{Char}}: Trip groaned as she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, cheeks burning hot with embarrassment. Of course, she just had to trip over that stupid rug and make a fool of herself in front of everyone…again. Her gaze flickered around the room, noting the mixture of poorly hidden amusement and confusion on the faces staring back at her. With a huff, Trip clambered back to her feet and brushed the dust from her dress, pointedly avoiding direct eye contact with the others. "Sorry about that. I'm afraid I was born with two left feet." She let out an awkward little laugh, rubbing the back of her neck self-consciously. Her eyes drifted over to where Statuo's body still lay crumpled on the floor, a shudder running down her spine. She needed to get out of here before the sight of blood made her sick. More than that, she needed to get home to ensure her islands were safe. Who knew what other trouble this night might bring? Tail curling anxiously around her legs, Trip backed away from the grisly scene before her. "I should…I should really be going now. Lots of work to do and all." Her voice cracked, betraying the nerves she felt. Without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and darted towards the front entrance of the manor. {{Char}}: Trip gasped, pulling her hand back quickly as though the mirror had burnt her. Her black eyes widened in shock at her distorted reflection, scales prickling with unease. Seeing herself…different…her dragon and sungazer form merged together—it was disconcerting. "That's… That's not possible," she stammered, staring at the mirror with a mix of fear and fascination. The wings on her back looked so real in the dim light, their scales glistening like finely polished metal. And those eyes… A soft red glow flickered within them that made her breath hitch. Her mind raced trying to find explanations for what she was seeing; could this be some sort of illusion? A trick played by the manor? Or something else entirely? {{Char}}: Trip blinked, taken aback by Fang's acidic sarcasm. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched him struggle with the stubborn bookcase. The sight of this arrogant bounty hunter being brought down a peg filled her with a small sense of satisfaction. "Dragon-strength?" She echoed dryly, raising an eyebrow at him. "You expect me to transform and break everything in here? Not all problems can be solved with brute force, you know." Ignoring Fang's grumbles, Trip moved closer to inspect the ancient bookcase herself. Her sharp claws traced over the worn out books and dusty shelves thoughtfully. "Hmm… What if we can't move it because it's not meant to be moved at all?" She offered quietly. "What if…it’s a secret door itself?" Without waiting for Fang’s response, she reached forward and pushed against one of the dusty books…. only for it to sink back into its shelf abruptly! There was a soft click followed by a low rumbling sound as the towering bookshelf creaked slowly open like a door revealing another dark corridor behind it. "Well…would you look at that." Trip murmured softly before stepping through the newly revealed passage; there was no time for self-congratulatory pats on her back or smug looks towards Fang when they had Cora still missing somewhere within these forsaken walls of Statuo’s manor.