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Well, he couldn't say that was entirely unexpected. He sighed, hung his head, then held up both hands. "Yes, of course, it was me. You've caught me. I suggested that we pair up together just so I could sit next to someone and poison them in plain sight." Sarcasm practically oozed from every pore.

He looked around at everyone again. "Because that's not completely obvious. Because, in fact, I am the stupidest murderer ever to have been foaled. And, naturally, it explains how I sliced up one student and blew apart the other."

He shook his head. Ridiculous.

((Gonna post later on tonight with the official ic accusation, but Nuk suspects Cooper.))

Nuk's attention had been focused completely on Kashi just before the lights had gone out, eyes flashing angrily. Baring his teeth, the skinwalker leaned forward just a tiny bit, as if on the verge of getting out of his seat and -- knowing Nuk -- get a little physical. And not in the good way.

"Call me puppy one more time, see what happens, fox boy," he growled, voice a low, gravelly rumble.

But any implications of physical violence ceased as the lights flickered out once more, leaving them in complete darkness again. And when the lights shifted back on, there was Salali, face first on the table. Nuk would have found it tragic, except it was so ridiculously cliche. Ok, no, he definitely wouldn't have, but seriously, face down on the table? The only way it would have been more cliche would have been if there was a bowl of soup in front of her for her face to land in. Then he would have burst out laughing. As it was, it was probably best that it happened the way it had. Wouldn't want to be suspected or anything. And laughing would probably have been very suspicious.

Once again, the skinwalker stayed remarkably quiet through the whole thing, listening to the other members chat nervously amongst themselves, the smell of fear practically tangible in the train car. Even in his human form he could smell it faintly, which was remarkable in itself, as well as extremely telling. They were terrified. Well, most of them, anyway. Every once in a while he'd catch sight of something that'd make him pause, even for just a second. His gaze, however, finally settled on the acid monster that was initially accused.

"Well, she was batty," Nuk shrugged, agreeing with Oliver. The comment was an offhanded and disinterested one, certainly not something that was important, but he said it none the less. They'd hear his two seeds whether they wanted to or not. In fact, the less they wanted to hear it, the more he wanted to say it.

He was going to make a comment about how daft Fauste could be, thinking the train was possessed, when he decided to refrain. Instead, he shrugged, nodding in the Necromancer's direction. "We live in halloweentown, I wouldn't just say it could be, I'd say it probably is."

Probably the first comment that hadn't been snide. He should probably feel special.

((Sorry for the late reply, Drac! For the moment, Vic is agreeing with the accusation of Breic. More because he was trying to throw suspicion on the ghosts than any actual evidence.))


"Methinks?" Vic pressed her lips together. It was hard for Vic to be on the aggressive when she was sitting down; instead, she was starting to get jittery, mumbling under her breath as she mulled events over. Methinks I'm damned lucky to have paired up wit' you, mate. Methinks that if I hadn't, I mighta just become public enemy number one. She'd been the one yapping off at Salali so much, after all - not even the Captain would've given her the benefit of the doubt after that. Her gaze went warily to Belladonna, then flicked over to Betty. If they went down next, would eyes start turning towards her?

Better that she kept close to Balumf for the remainder of the trip, just to be safe.

"Methinks," Vic intoned, returning to the question, "that nothin' we see makes a damned wee bit of sense. Three attacks, three diff'rent manners? All in the same speedy, blink'o the eye fashion so that no ones sees what's 'appened?" One hand started wrapping around a loose strand of black hair, squeezing a few drops of ghostly water from it. A nervous reflex, but a calming one. "I'll tell ye what I thinks; I thinks that it weren't book-boy in yonder brig that did it. I think he was set up." A nice thing of Vic to say, after she'd been one of the accusers. "And I'll tell ye what else - the manner o' the attack ain't gonna tell us squat. We's needs a dif'rent tell - yanno, like in poker, right? Y'ever play, mate?"

As it happened, Vic was pretty sure she had a poker deck somewhere. She could deal out a game, have a friendly conversation about whodunit over some healthy wagering, see who had trouble keeping focused on the cards once they lost their betting money and the conversation got pointed in their direction. Damned if she'd be getting up from her seat (and away from her safe alibi) in order to fetch her playing cards, though!

Puck grinned broadly at Breic. "Yes! 'Xactly! Clever as I thought!"

The poltergeist glanced around at the other students, tapping his chin with one finger. "Too many diff'rent kinds of 'tackin. Gotta be two - or one wi' lots of vinegar. Not student, no." His eyes narrowed in the direction of the car door. He couldn't understand why the other students seemed determined to glue themselves to their seats. Hadn't they ever heard about moving targets?

((Petra is agreeing with the accusation of Breic))

Petra could not believe what was going on around her, she wasn't even in school yet and everything was so intense, even the conversations she had trouble keeping up with! She finally moved her bones from her seat, they were trembling. Maybe she could muster up a conversation with someone in the cabin. Perhaps one of the ghosts? The acid monster Oliver intimidated her a little bit, she wasn't sure if acid went well near bones, and she just had them polished before the start of school, she had enough holes in her head, she didn't need any acid near her, that was for sure!

Breic leaned forward on his seat. "What exactly am I supposed to do? Would me saying that I'm innocent make you all change your minds? It certainly didn't work for the last one. I can't run for the doors. They're locked against us getting out. And I'm sorry," he added, "but I'm just not the sort to cry."

He exhaled and rubbed his face. "Look. I sat beside the girl because people were pointing fingers at her for an attacker because she happened to be a little..." He wobbled a hand side to side. "Off. I thought someone ought to take her side." And hey, sitting beside the girl hadn't been terrible, after all, except maybe for his luck. "Clearly, my mistake."

He shook his head again. "I tell you, though, I'd be seriously insulted if I'd done it. People thinking I'd be sloppy enough to attack the girl sitting next to me? It's not very, as you put it, sneaky. It's not subtle. It's stupid." He'd said it before. He'd stick by that opinion. "Whatever else whoever it is might be, it's not stupid."

((Belladonna is still holding out on accusing anyone yet, but she's getting pretty close to voting.))

The young witch listened to all that was going on, focusing on Betty and her logic. With a glance across the way Belladonna noticed Vic give not only herself, but Betty as well a wary stare. Hadn't she been rather rude to the girl attacked before? Belladonna didn't say anything, but it did give her an idea.

"The idea of two attackers is very likely. One of the attackers would deal physical blows and the other mental. It would also seem that the one who deals physical attacks would probably be a bit loud, maybe someone who gets angry easy." She paused to listen to Breic's testimony, giving a sigh. Honestly, she didn't know who to trust, but he had a point. Or did he?

Having just thought of what Vic was reasoning, Belladonna frowned, bringing a hand up to her forehead. This was all getting a bit out of hand.
"Aren't you pinning the blame on others a bit heavily?" She asked, directing her question to Vic and mentally preparing herself for the rash backlash from the watery ghost.