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[color=skyblue]Location[/color]: Château de La Lune: Lavender Room
[color=skyblue]Skills[/color]: N/A
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With his mind still spinning from the conversation he just had with Constance, Tony heads back to his way-too-much-lavender room. His morning up to this point has been utter chaos, but [i]finally[/i] he has a moment of peace to try to figure out how the hell he can regain some semblance of control over this situation. Stripping out of the few clothes he was wearing, he heads into the bathroom, locks both doors, and steps into the shower. As the warm water rains down on him, Tony reviews everything he knows about the situation.

When he'd arrived at the château, there was an envelope on his desk containing receipts identifying the source of the funds used to pay for all of his education. Over the course of the evening, it had become rather clear - in Tony's opinion, at least - that all of the nominees had surprisingly little in common, considering they'd all been nominated for the same award. The first evening was, overall, far more chaotic than these sort of events had ever been in Tony's experience. Then, in the morning, one of the nominees was found dead with injuries that [i]could[/i] be a result of drunken clumsiness, but... considering everything else that was happening, that really would be too much of a coincidence. And now he knows that Constance is being blackmailed too. For all they know, [i]all[/i] the nominees are.

The fact that they know [i]who[/i] had invested so much into his future certainly isn't great, but wouldn't necessarily be the end of the world; it's the [i]why[/i] that would mean he's truly fucked. But them pointing it out in the first place certainly implies that they [i]do[/i] know why. And if so... Tony doesn't really want to think about it much, but the reality of the situation is that there probably isn't much he wouldn't do to keep that information secret. Tony may not see an issue with the [i]why,[/i] but most people would vehemently disagree - so every single person that knows the truth is a major liability. There's no getting around the fact that he [i]needs[/i] to figure out who is in on this, what they know, [i]how[/i] they found out if possible, then the problem needs to be fully - and permanently - solved. It's not a comfortable thought.

The fact that a nominee is dead seriously complicates the situation. If her death was not an accident - and Tony has a gut feeling that it wasn't - then someone here at the château - or maybe multiple people - is willing to kill. But once again, the "why" matters significantly. Was it a fit of rage? The image of Lawrence flashes in his mind. Or was it a cold, calculated decision? If the theory he'd discussed with Constance was true, she may have been blackmailed too; did the blackmail factor into her death? Did she ask too many questions, or uncover the truth of what's going on here? One reason would have a wildly different impact on how the problem could be safely investigated compared to another. For now, Tony concluded that he'd have to assume any and all of those reasons are true. So for now, the killer has an explosive temper, and/or is willing to kill to keep [i]their[/i] secrets safe, and/or has vendettas against the people they've invited into their home.

Well, that is completely unhelpful for trying to narrow the list down. [i]Ugh.[/i]

In the end, what he'd discussed with Constance was undoubtedly the best course of action to start with. They had to find out if for some reason they were being targeted specifically, or if [i]all[/i] of the nominees were being blackmailed. If they were all in the same boat, the possibility of working together would be one of the only advantages he had in confronting this dangerous problem. He definitely couldn't afford to trust them [i]too[/i] much, though - they can't find out what his true intentions are. None of them would understand. [i]I mean, how bad of a secret could someone like Constance, a ballerina, possibly have?[/i] At the thought, Tony felt a vague sense of déjà vu, a memory somewhere on the periphery of his subconscious... but he couldn't place it.

Dismissing the thought, he turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist. He was as clean as he was going to get; now it's time to quit stalling and start finding allies. Well... after getting dressed, anyway.