FINAL TRIAL

[strangerpeople]

FINAL TRIAL

[Soon after the final clue it found, the large set of double doors at the end of the hall finally open.

And beyond is what Nyaf-ya calls the Room of Reckoning. And this room is...]





[...rather impressive. Large, for certain. Maybe a bit too large for the space it would have to occupy beneath the mall, or to have light streaming from the windows, all things considered. But given everything else that the surviving strangers have encountered, this might not be the strangest thing with this situation overall.

There is a wooden throne at the top of the staircase, and at the bottom of the staircase are four large, comfortable-looking sitting pillows - one green, one orchid, one gold, and one pink. The red pillars surrounding the staircase are also decorated with markings that definitely don't look like they fit the aesthetic of the room.

There are also two low hot pot induction cooker tables in the great hall area before the staircase. One table has six spots, all with sitting pillows, each with a name written onto a paper placed carefully on a plate. When everyone sits at their place, they will find that the stove in the center is already heated and ready to go, and every imaginable ingredient for a proper barbecue and hot pot meal is available to them for cooking. A pitcher of their favorite drink is also next to each respective cup.

And, once everyone finds their place, their phone pings with a message.]

Once you've figured everything out, the Boss....wants to talk to you. She doesn't want to fight. Not this time. Please, take your time, but please be careful, ok? The rules of the Game are still in effect.

We're rooting for you. I know you'll find a way!

[So it's time, then. The objectives are simple in this trial.

It's time to finally answer the questions the Titled have about why they are here - and face the Masterminds behind the Game.

Good luck, Titled.]

Comments

[thegreenhornet]

Okay, uh...

[Britt cracks his knuckles. He wasn't ever so good about the brainy stuff, but he's not so clueless he doesn't understand how everything's relying on this trial]

So, apparently security guards on Thursday nights can see people dying in stuff like what we're going through, and that made everyone think that turn is cursed. Also, we're all here because we're being trained to become Conductors, and we all came here willingly. Signed contracts and all.

[He tips his hat upward]

Pretty messed up, huh.

Come Get Yer Pins

[scienceofmagic]

Hey, I found a bunch of pins. It seems some are compatible with certain people.

[ She'll pass the bag of pins around, just so people can get them. While the boss may want not want to fight, it's better safe than sorry.

Also, if she can, she's checking the effects of her own pins. And if she can, getting rid of the Red Skull Pin, she really doesn't need that one when she already can't fight. ]

[theirmagic]

[ Deep breaths. ]

Yes, adding to what Britt said, I have some more things to say. Miss Nyaf-ya was created by Miss Kana taking a piece of her soul and inserting it into her, I... think... but they did horrible things to her in experimentation, it looks like. She seems to have gone through a lot. Having seen her soul's true form, she's just a young girl.

I would like, more than anything, for us to build her a body that suits her when all this is over, and maybe take her with us, if we could.

As well, she was injured when Loewe attacked. We found the room where she was created, as well. And to clarify, we're here to be trained as Composers, not Conductors. Also, I found Coco's diary about us, and it... well, pretty much confirmed what I already thought. Coco's been through a lot. I took pictures of it.

[ Which she will share, if people need it. ]

There were two entries on a computer in a cute girl's room, presumably a room Coco shares with Kana I'm guessing. One of them talked about how someone was worried about losing her humanity... and the other about the time Coco got attacked by Helena.

Also, I saw someone's... memory. It was a lot to unpack in full detail, but it was someone talking to some glowing person while some people in robes fought with strange tattoo-looking monsters.

[ She glances at the symbols on the ground. She looks... uncomfortable. ]

[comesaround]

Not really believing that part about us all being completely 'willing' to do this unless we weren't told all parameters of what this game entailed, or things were selectively left out.

[ Yeah, not buying all that supposed 'signed contracts' thing. Even if he'd seen them but it just didn't seem reasonable to willingly put themselves into this kind of situation. For any reason. ]

awww yeah

[beguiledcard]

[ He's pausing in his... efforts... to eat. Things may be stressful, but someone works very hard on this?

But yes. He'll check out the pins. ]

Thanks, Mimosa.

[theirmagic]

I don't buy it either, but there's a lot of evidence we found that shows our worlds might be in danger if we didn't sign up for this.

[theirmagic]

[ Definitely gonna check out some pins, what do they do? ]

[beguiledcard]

I'm pretty sure they just kept the bits about the murder and the executions out.

[ Relaxing... his jaw...

MMMMM YES THIS FOOD LOOKS GREAT, EH, JACK? He's not angry at all at the thought of them being tricked into this?? Haha... ]

[comesaround]

Hm... I'd personally suspect the one who was worried about losing their humanity was our dear Miss Kana. She told me she's been a part of this game for some time and that she doesn't even have a real name.

[ Going to just put that out there since he hasn't told anyone after learning that information. ]

[strangerpeople]

[That Red Skull seems to slow down her movements significantly. Oops.

Visionary Blend seems to be akin to Akechi's power, albeit not in a drink form. And quite a bit stronger.

Otherwise....her native power still has nothing. Surprise!]

[comesaround]

Which i'm really not too happy about. It's too easy to manipulate people when you tell them something like that.

[ A frown forms on his face in an instant. This all just left a bad taste in his mouth, so to speak. ]

[strangerpeople]

[The only pins that seem to work/are compatible for Ursula are Love Me Tether, Pamper Me Tether and Sweet Talk Tether. And the black pin that reads minds.

It also says she already has them on her phone.]

[theirmagic]

So you talked to her... I wish she'd talk to us in more than just phone format.

[ She sighs, offering the photos she took of Kana's diary entries. Same pink text. It's gotta be her. ]

She sounds... quite distressed. About Coco, and in general herself. And I am thinking that, perhaps, Antares might belong to her as well, because I found her down there in her and Coco's room, somehow, despite leaving her in the cat cafe.

[incrediblystressedout]

[Joey has to admit, she wasn't expecting this. A big hallway full of stuff like that followed by an enormous throne room? That is 100% guaranteed boss fight material. A message from Kana and a nice meal are completely the opposite of how she felt this should go...but on the other hand, isn't thinking and talking things out better? Isn't that what she's wanted, from video games and real life, since she was old enough to understand what her Pa was doing with those guns?]

I can almost believe I would have signed something like that, if I wasn't told about the trials first, yeah.

[Joey shrugs. She knows she has a tendency to rush into things if it means helping people, let alone the entire world.]

I guess the real question is why the trial and executions if this is a training exercise?

[scienceofmagic]

[ Okay, any way to get rid of the Red Skull from her phone? She really doesn't need it. ]

[comesaround]

Naturally. We wouldn't have agreed to do anything so willingly if we were aware of those things being a part of it.

[ Oh he's not happy about this either. Not one damn bit. ]

[theirmagic]

[ Huh... that's weird. Sad she can't do anything else, but she tried, at least. ]

Well, I suppose now I know where this odd power comes from...

[strangerpeople]

[That tra§h app seems to open whenever she finally figures out a means to delete it.]

[incrediblystressedout]

I'm not about to pass up free stuff after a month of buying everything from mall shops. Especially not when it could be as helpful as the powers we've already got.

[What works for the dancer?]

[scienceofmagic]

[ Getting rid of it ASAP. ]

If you get something called a Red Skull, tell me and I'll help you get rid of it. It slows you down.

[comesaround]

[ Ah hell why not. He's going to check out the pins himself, too.

Which ones are compatible with him anyway? ]

[theirmagic]

I don't disagree... we were probably manipulated, not realizing what was in store for us. How hard that training... would be.

[beguiledcard]

Coco's afraid of cats, though...

[strangerpeople]

[His active pins, outside of mind-reading pin, are Octo Squeeze, Snail Squeeze, and Vacu Squeeze.]

[theirmagic]

But her roommate isn't. Here, I took pictures of the room, and we found notes from Kana on the computer. I think they share a room. It also appears to have a double-bed setup.