TRIAL

[consolemods]

Well, Niles is dead now, and in a very unpleasant way. The investigation has progressed for some time... but after a certain amount of time, a marker appears on the player's console HUDs directing them to a particular location, much in the same way as it did when directing them to the paddock for Thursday's challenge.

This time, though, it's directing them to the courthouse, which has been locked up until this time... but not now. The doors are wide open, and you might as well go inside. The interior is lacking the audience benches you'd expect, but... there's a large, oppressive emptiness to the space. It almost seems bigger on the inside than the outside... no, it definitely seems much bigger on the inside. And after you walk the long, long walk to the center, you'll find a circle of 23 podiums with your names on them, with... two of them being much, much smaller to account for the, uh, pets.

Those... seem really out of place, by the way. They stand out in stark contrast to the rest of the quaint, old-timey Western town by being more on the technological level of the consoles on your faces, with touch screens and pictures of all of the current players... and the two former players, too, with the icon of Niles' and Makoto's faces having the word DEAD stamped across their faces.

As you stand at your podiums, you do begin to notice some wrongness about the whole thing... like that there might actually be some audience benches behind you, depending on the angle you look at them, but they seem to flicker in and out of your peripheral vision. Ditto with the two holes in the podiums, too-- they're... sometimes there, but not always.

The judge's box looms high over the podiums, towering for the animals but really only a few feet higher. The sheriff stands there as comfortable as he's ever seemed, arms crossed and silent the entire time. There are flickers of something uncanny in him, just like the architecture - the color of an eye, the shape of an arm - but nothing sticks for long enough to confirm.

It isn't until everyone's settled at their podium that he speaks, and any hint of the laconic tone he's taken all week is finally gone to be replaced by one far more formal. He seems in his element as he leans down to address the podiums.

"Welcome to round two! You've all done well to make it this far! The first attack has succeeded, and now Niles lies dead. But for every offense, there must be a defense! Will you find his killer? More of your lives may be at risk of you do not. Share your findings with each other, and come to a conclusion based on the evidence: Who killed Niles?

Now, let's play."

Comments

[fuckthemancers]

Did you hear anything from the stables?

[exclusiverelease]

If I answered that, it would be too easy for you! You have everything you need in this room, Zulf!

[flagrants]

Hey, you. How long do we have to stay in this stupid room? I'm starting to get bored.

[exclusiverelease]

Until all of you decide on a killer. You've been working to defend yourself, but who do you suspect instead?

[flagrants]

Uh, how about anyone in this room? The stupid turtle, the stupid girl, or one of the other ones are my best guess.

[exclusiverelease]

They haven't had much to say for themselves, have they?

[flagrants]

Not really. Especially the girl.

[exclusiverelease]

Then ask her what you want to know!

[flagrants]

Like she'll answer me. [ Shrug! Then looks at the UH... CEILING. Yeah the ceiling!! For... a fairly long time, actually! After a bit.]

What do you get from all this anyway?

[exclusiverelease]

We'll talk about that once you're finished here.

1/2

[flagrants]

...

[flagrants]

Hey, kid. The cute one, or at least cuter than this ugly bunch. Come here. [ He means you, Zulf! Come here, boy, come on! ]

[fuckthemancers]

What do you want from me, if I may ask?

[He's mildly concerned. And also a grown man, Dito, come on]

[flagrants]

[ Listen he doesn't care how old you are!! Or if someone's taller than him. Fight him. ]

I think we can agree this is getting us nowhere, right? And tall, grey, and old isn't going to talk unless we leave this room, so let's leave this room.

[fuckthemancers]

And how do you propose we do that?

[He will, against all his better judgment, come a little closer.]

[flagrants]

Three ways. Say nobody did it because this whole thing is stupid. Just name someone, and I agree with— [ Points at Mcburn. ] —him about the turtle. That hard-shelled reptile is as shady as it gets. Or...

[fuckthemancers]

...Or?

[flagrants]

Just kill everyone else here. [ Pause. ] Except Z and the sleepy guy. Since you and I are innocent, there's no point in trying to figure out which one of these assholes did it. Someone's guilty, I'm getting tired, and killing all of them means we get rid of the killer too. That's a win for us without having to drag this out any longer.

[fuckthemancers]

....I don't think everyone will let you just kill them.

[AMONG THE MANY OTHER ISSUES HERE]

[flagrants]

Uh, yeah. That's why I want to team up. I thought that was obvious.

[cantread]

I'm pretty sure neither me nor Missile are even capable of this.

[Just. Putting that out there.]

And I wouldn't be alright with two innocent people dying if the killer got away.

[flagrants]

Fine. We can leave the stinking animals too. Happy?

[ No, Dito. No. ]

[condemnedone]

[ His eyes narrow.

Bruh. ]

[flagrants]

[ He has the face of an angel how could you look at him like that...! ]

[carbide]

That would be a bad idea.