Aww... never had good luck with ski lodges. Oh well. RIP me.

Darn! Knew I shouldn'ta brought the rope. 

*rushes in* oh NO! Nonono! I'm too late! Agh! And I was so looking forward to this, too. *sigh* I meant to get my sheet in yesterday, but I was really busy, and it just...slipped my mind. I don't suppose if I got my sheet in today I might be spared another chance? 

I told you I had a bad feeling about those dragons!

I am dreadfully sorry for being a day late, but yesterday I was busy practically non-stop. Never a dull moment.

DAY TWO:

Everyone rose the next day, albeit quite jittered. They decided that they would eat together in the main room, instead of in their respective rooms. The breakfast (courtesy of me and consisting of rice, pickled plums, grilled salmon, and tea) was both delicious and uneventful, except for one small incident when I overheard someone's ae saying something along the lines of, "Despite her faults, she can cook." I would have glared at the offending persona, but I dropped the issue because I had no clue who said it.

Afterward, Summer mentioned that there were kyaks available at the lake, peaking the interest of a few. Kate-The-Great, MJ, Allie, Viola?, Rose bud, Agent Winter, and HAB decided to go hunt down the lake and the rest of the guests decided to visit the baths and afterward have a board game tournament. Reasonable decision; rain was possible that afternoon.

I was busy for most of the day cleaning the kitchen, cleaning my front desk computer, dirtying secret entrances so that they might not be found, slipping notes under doors, working on secret secrets which you are not authorized to know about, rummaging through closets, checking my supply of artificial dust, et cetera. The usual activities for me.

Later that evening, Brynn and Poison were facing off at a game of scrabble as the rain beat down on the roof. The adventurers were nowhere to be seen. 

Right before dinner,  the group returned, soaking wet, bedraggled, laughing, and smaller.

I did a head count.

"Where's Viola??"

They looked at each other in alarm. "She was bringing up the rear," said Kate-the-Great worriedly. "We all started running when the rain started and we thought she was still there."

A few people grabbed umbrellas from somewhere and ran into the immediate forest, calling.

In vain.

Dinner was eaten in silence, despite my insisting that Viola? would be fine. After dinner, everyone decided to explore a bit more before bed.

I met up with Summer in the tunnel.

"This is not going to work," she told me.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it will," I responded.

~~~

Late that night, Agent Winter was on the balcony upstairs, looking over the gardens. Although the gardens were on the first floor, there was no roof above them and a hole went through the building, with a railed walkway going around them on the second floor/ Agent Winter loved how the moonlight reflected on the pond, although... what was...

Something else was reflected on the pond. another shadow besides her own. She turned in alarm to the figure standing next to her.

"Hello," it whispered.

It suddenly pushed Agent Winter over the rail and into the pond below. The impact as her head hit the bottom was enough to knock her unconcious.

The next morning, everyone rose to find Agent Winter in the pond, frozen solid. A eerily beautiful crystalled snowflake shone behind the clear ice encasing her body.

~End of day two. Death Toll: eight.

Jwyn- broken neck

Inkling, Eliana, Hibiki Starlight, Rose Bud's Sam, Wildflower, Leeli and ViriInkling, Eliana, Hibiki Starlight, Rose Bud's Sam, Wildflower, Leeli and Viri- dragon

Agent Winter- drowned 

As the not-very-intuitive person I am, I'm completely baffled O-O

RIP everyone so far though.

I hate dragons. I hate them.

To Leeli: Apologies, but no. You have already been eaten and your body is past the point where your dragon might give it up in any recognizable form. I do wish Sukāretto had not insisted on that, but it may have spared you a worse death.

To Sukāretto: Better late than never. As long as we finish, and finish in time.

Day 3

I went with the search party to look for Viola?. With the second murder in as many days, there were fears that she would also be dead, or worse. It did not help morale that no one had tools of defense, but equipped with walking sticks and numbers, we set out.

It was still morning, just after breakfast, and dew dripped from the forest as we made our way along the trail. Birds sang in the trees--a good sign. A few guests noted that, while beautiful, the woodlands looked different when one was looking for someone lost.

Searching with me were Claaws, Noon, Aspen, Pooki P, Rose Bud, Kate-the-Great, Tuxedo Kitten, Allie, Shy Peacock, Celeste and Cockleburr. We went slowly, stopping often to go off the path and call out. This turned out to be unnecessary, though, because we found her right in the middle of the trail about half a mile away from the ryokan, curled up and unconscious.

Everyone rushed forward. She stirred at the sound of all the running and voices, and sat up when poked, dirt falling from her damp clothes.

"She's dead!"

"No, she's not, she's awake."

"She's risen from the grave! Run away!"

"What?"

"Are you okay?" several people asked.

"I think so," Viola? replied, rubbing her eyes. "I got lost... I think... I don't remember exactly. It started raining, and I somehow got separated? Just fell behind, I guess, but then I couldn't find anyone. I kept walking for a while, but I must've taken some wrong turns. Where are we?"

"We're close to the lodge," Cockleburr said.

"Oh, good." Viola? winced as she stood up. Her stomach growled. "I'm really hungry. Can we go back now?"

"Ya, come on," Claaws said, starting to walk off.

"It's this way," Shy Peacock added.

"Do you need help?" Pooki asked.

"No..." Viola? said uncertainly. She amended, "Well, maybe. We'll see."

She took Rose Bud's proffered arm, and we walked back. I watched her eat like a wolf, excuse herself to go clean up, return freshly scrubbed and changed, wave away Sukāretto's enthusiastic offers, doze in the game room. I watched the others whisper about and to her.

I was observing Blue Moon and Sam in the garden when I heard the screams.

Secret had found her Captcha Dream in the bathroom, a thin rope wrapped tightly around her neck. Dead. 

Ann stood next to her, both of them wide-eyed and staring.  Fireburst and Hotairballoon began to gently lead them away, but Poison and Spyro started to shout questions. Claaws, Kate and MJ wound up being pulled into the argument, blocking the doorway as guests streamed in. Darkfeather, Sam and Viola? looked over the body, and Claaws, Shy Peacock and Byann joined them before Tuxedo Kitten covered it with a towel (Claaws having stormed away from the debate). 

I remembered pulling Agent Winter out of the pond. Sam had been upset, crying. HAB, Cockleburr, Pooki P and a few others were theorizing, going over Jwyn's death. They spoke of night strikes. I suppose today's death disproves the theory of a darkstalker.

Sukāretto comes and shepherds the guests away. I meet her at the back door of the kitchen.

"Someone's found the secret room." 

I've found the room.

I took some pictures: 

I know the location of every secret area in the ryokan...