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[color=skyblue]Location[/color]: Château de La Lune: Foyer -> Evergreen Room
[color=skyblue]Skills[/color]: N/A
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Tony wasn’t totally sold on Sam’s suggestion of documenting everything he’d observed with the body - he probably shouldn’t be doing this at all, strictly speaking, and his medical license would mean nothing in France, and he wasn’t wearing gloves or even a shirt, for christ’s sake - but everyone else seemed to be in favor, so he did not argue. Sam asked if he truly believed that the teacher’s fate was merely an accident, but Tony was absolutely not willing to give his true opinion in front of Felix, not even in whispered conversation - so for the moment, he stuck to the facts. Once the photo session was done, Tony strode upstairs and past everyone still gathered near the stairs; if anyone tried to question him as he passed, he would look exasperated and answer, [color=skyblue]”Look, I just woke up, I’m hungover, I haven’t even had a chance to shower yet. Ask me after breakfast.”[/color]

Walking down the hallway past all the bedrooms, the only thing on Tony’s mind is taking a nice, long shower after the terrible start to the day he’s had so far. Or perhaps more accurately, he’s fighting to avoid thinking about anything else until he’s alone. However, those thoughts are interrupted as he passes the Evergreen room - Constance’s room - and hears muffled sounds of… [i]is she crying?[/i] For the briefest of moments Tony wonders whether he even has the energy to deal with this, but subconsciously he realizes that not only does he want to comfort her, but he doesn’t want to be alone with his thoughts right now, either. Mildly stunned by that realization, Tony stops in front of her door and tentatively knocks. [color=skyblue]”Can I come in?”[/color]

Constance was holding the pillow against her chest as she sobbed before she heard the knocking on the door. She listened and thought before she got up, almost against her better judgement and opened the door. She looked up at Tony, stunning herself a bit as she answered. [color=#e31e1e]”Please… come in. I… I’m not sure I want to be alone right now.”[/color]

With one look at her face, Tony closes the distance and pulls Constance into a hug, kicking the door closed behind him. To think that just minutes ago, his most pressing concern was a hangover, but now… this vacation was quickly becoming a disaster. [color=skyblue]”What a shit morning,”[/color] he comments dryly. 

Constance blinked a bit at surprise at the hug, but she pressed in close to Tony, and hugged him back. She found herself nuzzling in close, trusting him to see her at her worst when usually no one would see her like this. [color=#e31e1e]”To think it started with such promise.”[/color] She muttered a bit into his chest.

[color=skyblue]”To think the only problem yesterday was a drunk asshole, but now…”[/color] Tony trails off. But in the back of his mind, he knew that wasn’t true. The blackmail on his desk was a far bigger problem than Lawrence, even if Tony had spent the night trying to avoid thinking about it. First the blackmail, now someone’s dead… could it be a coincidence? Tony was skeptical, but how could he tell anyone? Telling anyone [i]how[/i] he was being blackmailed was simply not an option, but the situation has become too dangerous to keep ignoring it. Would anyone believe him if he refused to explain? And anyways, what possible connection is there with his blackmail and the teacher’s death? Tony’s mind raced as he continued holding Constance, trying to figure out what to say, how to explain his suspicions without saying too much.

Constance knew there was more going on… those photos she had burned and discarded were proof of that. However, could she trust Tony with that information? [color=#e31e1e]”I… I thought about my father. I don’t know why. But when I saw her body like that, I thought of him, and how I had been rude to her by keeping her out of the bathroom yesterday and I just… I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”[/color]

As he listened, Tony began gently rubbing her back. [color=skyblue]”Nothing’s wrong with you,”[/color] he soothed. [color=skyblue]”Death is a terrible thing for anyone to have to see, even moreso when you’re not expecting it. And especially when…”[/color] Tony pauses, then sighs. [i]Here goes nothing…[/i]

[color=skyblue]”I don’t think it was an accident,”[/color] he whispers, almost inaudibly.

Constance’s eyes went wide and she pulled back a bit to look up at him. [color=#e31e1e]”Are… are you saying someone killed her?”[/color]

Tony sighs again, meeting her gaze. [color=skyblue]”I don’t know. But there’s too much weirdness going on, it can’t all be a coincidence. It really doesn’t make sense that we’d all be nominated for the same award, we’re all so different. Nothing has gone how I would’ve expected so far, yesterday was way more chaotic than any formal gathering I’ve seen before. And…”[/color] [i]how do I tell her?[/i] Tony wonders. [i]She can be trusted, I think… but[/i] that [i]much?[/i] After a moment, he continues. [color=skyblue]”Yesterday, there was something on my desk, that… didn’t belong.”[/color]

Constance could feel her heartbeat slow for a moment before starting to race at Tony’s words. He had noticed it as well, and at the mention of something that didn’t belong she could feel the color drain out of her face. [color=#e31e1e]”Tony… Someone is blackmailing me.”[/color]

Tony’s breath hitched. [i]What?[/i]