consolemods: (Default)
Console W.A.R.S. Mods ([personal profile] consolemods) wrote in [community profile] consolewars2018-02-04 12:51 pm

TRIAL

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."
flagrants: shrugging, so what, lookin' at the camera (#oo2)

[personal profile] flagrants 2018-02-05 12:08 am (UTC)(link)
Uh, yeah. That's why I want to team up. I thought that was obvious.
fuckthemancers: (Now I'm even sadder but I'm afraid)

[personal profile] fuckthemancers 2018-02-05 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
....There's issues with much of that, but I'll talk about it after we get out of this.

Besides.... Even if you did do that, it sounds as though there's a chance you'd die anyway.
flagrants: glancin' (#oo4)

[personal profile] flagrants 2018-02-05 12:14 am (UTC)(link)
Ugh, whatever! At this point, I'll take it if it means getting out of this room.
fuckthemancers: (I found the pot of gold last night)

[personal profile] fuckthemancers 2018-02-05 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
...What other things do you like besides... making fun of dead bodies?
flagrants: shrugging, so what, lookin' at the camera (#oo2)

[personal profile] flagrants 2018-02-05 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
Do you mean my likes and dislikes?
fuckthemancers: (I'm trying to reconcile with what I did)

[personal profile] fuckthemancers 2018-02-05 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
Yes, essentially.
flagrants: surprised?? (#oo5)

[personal profile] flagrants 2018-02-05 12:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ He looks genuinely confused at that answer. And a little wary, he's not used to questions like this. ] ... I don't really understand why you're asking.

[ Then again... Ah, yeah. That'd make sense, that happens sometimes. People see his face, think he's cute, decide they can't be without him. Yadda, yadda. ] Oh, wait. This is because you have a crush on me, isn't it? Sorry, but you're going to have to take that up with Z.
fuckthemancers: (I found the pot of gold last night)

[personal profile] fuckthemancers 2018-02-05 12:30 am (UTC)(link)
[...]

I was going to ask you so that I could make this trial a little easier, actually. Also, I'm engaged.
flagrants: shrugging, so what, lookin' at the camera (#oo2)

[personal profile] flagrants 2018-02-05 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ugh. Disgusting. Another lovey-dovey type. Zulf gets a look of disgust before Dito moves on. ]

How is that supposed to make it easier?
fuckthemancers: (I'm trying to reconcile with what I did)

[personal profile] fuckthemancers 2018-02-05 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
Distraction to make the time go past. Or at least something worthwhile to wait for.
flagrants: thinking (#oo7)

[personal profile] flagrants 2018-02-05 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
... you don't make any sense. Quit asking stupid questions when you don't care about the answers.
stavros: Kokoro posing dramatically. ([a] just like any other)

[personal profile] stavros 2018-02-05 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
Nobody would have a crush on you, you're disgusting.
flagrants: (#o11)

warning: dito being dito idk

[personal profile] flagrants 2018-02-05 12:39 am (UTC)(link)
But not as disgusting as that girl's corpse. It's been a few days, right? By now, it's gotta be all bloated and rotten, and that's just looking at from the outside! Her insides have gotta be absolutely horrid!
stavros: Kokoro ready to fight. ([a] beside you)

[personal profile] stavros 2018-02-05 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
Nobody cares about your necrophilia!
flagrants: shrugging, so what, lookin' at the camera (#oo2)

[personal profile] flagrants 2018-02-05 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
And nobody cares about you either, hag.
acherontiastyx: yeah. (oh.)

[personal profile] acherontiastyx 2018-02-05 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
I mean, if we're boring Creepy McCorpsetoucher over here, maybe we should take that hint the Sheriff tossed us.

We're missing a piece of evidence that's in here, right? And something that wasn't a pitchfork caused some of the stabs. So I guess like.

I dunno.

Maybe the pointy thing is here.
fuckthemancers: (I found the pot of gold last night)

[personal profile] fuckthemancers 2018-02-05 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
...True. We just need to figure out what it is.

We emptied our pockets, so it can't be anything carried.... Maybe something worn?
acherontiastyx: yeah. (oh.)

[personal profile] acherontiastyx 2018-02-05 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, maybe. Or they like, hid it in their shoes or something. But maybe we should look into the wearables first.
fuckthemancers: (I found the pot of gold last night)

[personal profile] fuckthemancers 2018-02-05 12:25 am (UTC)(link)
I suppose then it would be time to do another check and see what everyone is wearing...

[And if any of it can be used for impromptu murder.]