AD-3 Dramatique

...Shelly is dead.

What?

First Dalton, now Shelly... What's going on here?

I said, Shelly is dead.

What's with that tone?

Anyway, thanks for coming to inform us that another accident occurred. We're shocked too.

The last person she met before she died was Michael.

......

Don't make baseless accusations, Tip.

She was watching movies with you and Moira. I heard all about it.

Exactly. She was with us, but left partway through after she got a message. Molly and I didn't ask, and we didn't go with her. But maybe we should have...

Which is why we need to find out exactly what happened. So I asked around, and—

Someone saw her with you at the studio near the warehouse!

I just bumped into her!

She looked distracted. I thought she must've been feeling guilty about interrupting the shoot, so I offered to comfort her.

How was I supposed to know she would take her own life?

Comfort her? In an empty studio? Just the two of you?

Come on, babe, you know you're the only girl for me.

Just shut up already!

So did you really kill Shelly?

Two accidents in as many days?

And not just accidents, fatalities. Of all the film crews in Wrankwood, how'd I end up in this one? Just my rotten luck...

Oh, come on. You blame your luck whenever a can of paint gets spilled, whenever a shadow dashes across the studio door, even when the intercity net has a bad signal.

Well, I say this is our big break! Do you even realize how much the tabloids will pay for a firsthand account from a witness?

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go make sure I remember every last detail of Shelly's corpse.

Ugh, could you not? And we still have work to do on set.

You go first, Hautin. I have notes to take!

......

Abner said Shelly's been out of sorts for a while now. Did the shock of Dalton's death drive her to suicide?

Sounds plausible, but it's not much of a story.

If there's more to it than meets the eye... then I wouldn't have to worry about rent for half a year. Why should I be holding up mics just to make ends meet?

Huh?

Didn't the medical team say she died of hypothermia? Then what's with all these wounds on her left palm?

Yikes, that's creepy. Is it some kind of occult ritual?

Not a ritual, but the sign of a struggle against herself.

...Struggle?

Isn't everyone saying she walked into the cold storage from stress? Could there really be a dark secret to this...?

Whoa, Lucian! Where'd you come from? I didn't hear you at all!

I suggested that she fight her hallucinations with pain.

She had been hearing echoes of the past, but wanted to finish her work and bring this movie to a satisfactory conclusion.

She wouldn't have taken her own life out of despair. The self-inflicted wounds on her hand are proof of that.

This time, however, the pain was not enough for her to escape.

That stubborn, neurotic, and paranoid Shelly actually listened to you? Now that's hard to believe...

But it sounds like you knew her well, Lucian.

Not especially.

Are you kidding me?

I killed Shelly just because she rejected me? Babe, do you even hear what you're saying?

......

Tip, you said she left because she got a message, right?

I noticed her holding her terminal too. So whoever sent that message must've killed her, right?

And you're saying it wasn't you?

I'd also like an explanation, Michael.

The terminal was damaged by the cold, making it impossible to retrieve the logs, but everyone on the film crew was given the same company-issued model. There shouldn't be anyone but crew members on the contact list...

And what's that supposed to prove, Detective?

It could just as well be Greta, or Melanie.

They sure weren't happy with how she interrupted the shooting that day. Maybe one of them decided to give her a piece of her mind.

Shelly and Greta are glued at the hip when working, giving them plenty of opportunities to deal with anything unexpected.

And Melanie is a stickler for the rules and etiquette of the industry. She always respects the crew's schedule and would never disturb a coworker when they're off the clock.

The only clue we have is that she was with you right before she died.

Look, I don't know who sent her that message either, okay? I just ran into her at the studio!

At that hour, wouldn't you normally be drinking with the girls from the art team, or in Marion's room?

Aren't you usually busiest at night?

So why did you go back to the filming area, Michael?

Oh, my lovely little birdie, are you jealous that you haven't had the chance to drink with me yet?

Well, you'll have plenty of chances once you grow up—

So you came to the studio for whatever unknown reason, where you ran into Shelly, who had left the prop room to meet someone else. If all you did was offer a few words of comfort, why won't you give me a straight answer?

Did you really have nothing to do with her death?

......

What, after working every stupid little oddjob in Wrankwood, from cleaner to stagehand to set decorator to background painter, now you're playing at being a detective?

Or did Shelly become an honorary member of your little sisterhood with Moira after watching a single horror flick together?

Give me a break.

How many times has she yelled at you for those scribbles you call work? You're hardly friends. I don't see why you're coming after me now.

And you think there's a culprit behind every accident? Maybe all those movies have rotted your brain!

...In the two months I've known Shelly, she's almost never smiled or praised anyone's work.

Sure, I got more criticism than anyone. I've had to put in a ton of overtime to make a background we were both happy with.

But I've also seen the joy on her face when she was checking the film at the end of each day. And she could catch all the obscure movie references I snuck into my backgrounds.

If... she was in so much pain that freeing herself of it like this seemed like the best option, then I'll just have to accept that.

But if someone else was messing with her feelings, and taking away her chance to enjoy the movies she loved so much... then I'll never forgive them!

......

I really did run into Shelly by chance. I went to the studio to... see someone.

See someone? Can anyone corroborate that?

I...

It was me.

......

Molly?

Michael came to see me last night.

Were you close to her?

I simply empathized with her pain.

She needed to stay lucid. So did I.

(Mutters) Hm, a mysterious curse, or a love turned to hate... Which would sell better?

Ahem. So, where were you last night?

The second-floor office.

That's where Shelly and Greta keep their important documents. What were you doing there?

Solving a puzzle.

Anyone see you there?

Miss.Christine.

Hah, I'm supposed to take the word of that creature who's always following you around? She doesn't even talk!

......

Come on, don't look so pissed.

I saw you perform opposite Dalton the other day. I know how good an actor you are. You could tell me anything and it'd sound believable.

But to tell you the truth, I don't even care how Shelly died. And I wouldn't tell the police even if you were involved.

Heck, getting your name in the tabloids might even make the cops less suspicious. Tons of people read them, but no one believes a word they say.

So, how about you cooperate a little—what's this puzzle you were solving in the office? Trying to set a trap for Shelly?

You're not worried that a murder occurred on the plate?

Hey, this film crew's got no shortage of grudges and scores to settle... And how else am I supposed to make a living? You think there's any money in being a camera assistant?

Even if the answer might threaten everyone's lives?

Hah! You sure can talk big.

Then I must ask you to keep this a secret...

Of course! The tabloids will pay good money for it, so why would I give away my own golden ticket?

What?!

A Catastrophe is about to hit the plate?!

Miss Stone! Is it true we're heading straight toward a Catastrophe?

Even if we're outside of town, shouldn't we be getting warnings from Wrankwood's intercity net? Why haven't we gotten anything on our terminals?

So all those times I lost signal weren't just my bad luck—

Someone sabotaged our comms!

Enough with the baseless speculation!

Baseless?

I found a few strips of paper in your office. When you put them together, they form a Catastrophe forecast from Trimounts University... and a storyboard.

Signed by you, Greta Stone. What are you planning?

Let me see that.

No one told me about any of these new scenes. Aren't I supposed to be the director of photography?

And why do we need to set up cameras at the edge of the plate? There aren't any sets out there... wait, I get it.

What the Ford, Greta?! You planned all this! Why did you hide it from us?

......

Calm down, Abner... Maybe she just didn't have time to update you on the new schedule, in the chaos following Shelly's death...

You're still defending this lunatic? She wants to get the plate close to a Catastrophe to film it! Putting all of our lives at risk!

I've had enough of this shit! I'm leaving this place NOW!

As impulsive as ever, Abner.

Real persuasive coming from a goddamn lunatic!

How much of your own money did you put into this, to make up for the box office losses of that movie five years ago? You're counting on this one for your comeback after all those failed investments...

So if this film flops, are you gonna use Dalton and Shelly's accidents too, the same way you used that girl who fell to her death?

Calm down, Abner.

I see you've been closely following my career, but what about yours? How many films have you worked on in the last three years? This is the first, isn't it?

Sloppy, short-tempered, unprofessional... Camera equipment is expensive—what other film crew would even give you a chance? You wouldn't even make it as a freelance event photographer.

You want to leave? Fine by me. I'll even waive the contract penalty, for old times' sake. But where do you think you can go, Abner?

Does it matter? Worse comes to worst—

What, you leave town? Change jobs? Spare all those poor camera lenses from your abuse? Say whatever you like, swear as many oaths as you want—

If that's really how you feel, why are you even here?

......

So are you leaving? Or not?

Have you calmed down?

Look on the bright side. If we do finish this movie, maybe you'll win a few more awards for Best Cinematography. Feel free to reject me once the other offers start rolling in.

Dream as big as you want, Greta.

I stopped dreaming five years ago.

......

Now, these latest two accidents have reminded some of us of the tragedy we've experienced together, and led others to be taken in by half-true rumors.

So I'd like to take this chance to lay everything out on the table, for the sake of our cooperation on the rest of this project.

Most of the crew here also worked with me five years ago, when an unfortunate accident occurred due to aging equipment—

A young actress, Laura, was killed.

Feel free to look up the police reports. Everything is out in the open. I have nothing to hide.

But the only connection that incident has to my decision to film a Catastrophe is that it taught me a lesson.

What we lack is not skill. It's courage.

Of course, by no means have I disregarded your safety.

Before our plate departed central Wrankwood, I visited expert Catastrophologists at Trimounts University.

I obtained a detailed report, and tested the data in the plate's navigational system multiple times. The studio plate will keep a safe distance from the Catastrophe.

Access to the emergency escape landboats will remain unrestricted. Any staff member who feels their life is in danger may use them at your own discretion.

And I will be the last to leave this plate.

If there are no further questions. Dismissed.

Not you. Stay.

M-Miss Stone...

I-I won't apologize for telling everyone!

No need to be anxious. I just wanted to know how you got the documents.

Like I said, I did it myself—

Don't lie to me. You have no talent for it, and I have no time.

...I'm obliged to protect the identity of my informants.

Disturbing the peace of the studio is a violation of the second and fifth clauses of your contract. Would you like to see the outcome of that reflected in your bank account?

But there are exceptions made under exceptional circumstances—

(Whispers) It was Lucian.

......

......

You said Michael came to see you last night?

...Yeah.

But we kept going after Shelly left, didn't we? We watched a Yanese jiangshi movie next. ...Wait, come to think of it, you did leave the room for a little while.

Michael sent me a message on my terminal. He said he was waiting for me in the studio, because he had some important questions.

I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left in the middle of our movie night. Please don't be mad...

I'm mad alright...

Tippi...

I'm mad you didn't ask me to come with you.

Huh?

What if Michael tried to assault you? That sleazebag wouldn't know morals or self-restraint if they hit him in the face. Or, what if he was frustrated about the shoot getting interrupted and wanted to take it out on you? You're, like, a magnet for bullies.

Hey, I don't bully girls.

Yeah right. You're an asshole even to Marion, never mind other girls.

Heh, even the kid sees right through you.

......

I wanted to ask you to come, but he said I had to come alone...

I've been in a few film crews. I could guess it was some kind of prank. But I didn't want you to get caught up in it too.

Molly...

I've been in Wrankwood way longer than you have, and I know way more jobs. Next time you meet someone like that, just tell me, and I'll help you think of a way to get back at them.

Alright.

Well, what now, Detective? With Moira's testimony, can I take it I've been cleared of suspicion?

Maybe it really was a coincidence that he ran into Shelly.

We saw how she was when she left last night...

Like she wasn't all there, right?

Yeah. Maybe she was at her limit...

But...

Thank you for testifying on my behalf, Moira.

I know it took courage. After all, Tip might be even more protective of you than your actual sister...

Speaking of which, is she still working as an actress? If she's as cute as you... do you think you could give me her number? Maybe I could help her land a role or two.

Seriously? Even after getting accused of murder?

Come on, babe, I'm just trying to lighten the mood.

Whatever. Don't change the subject.

You still haven't told me why you were looking for Moira.

Yeah, I wanna know too.

I think they deserve to know, Michael.

Moira, don't—

He asked me if there was a way to sneak off the plate.