THE FIRST TRIAL

[strangerpeople]

THE FIRST TRIAL

[Minutes after Detective Beauford Bottson rumbled off, an alarm suddenly starts to go off, complete with flashing red lights. This is followed by the very unwelcome sound of you-know-who.

Oh, what fresh hell is this.]

ATTENTION PRISO--GUESTS! GO TO THE ELEVATORS IMMEDIATELY! IT'S TOTALLY AN EMERGENCY! AHAHAHA!!

[And indeed, the elevators are open and ready for fast travel. Only this time, the elevator immediately takes the Strangers downwards, and into a large room of controls with a force field in the center of it. Beneath everyone is a semi-translucent floor, revealing a massive, futuristic engine beneath them. Despite how giant it is, it's unnervingly quietly, only letting out a hum that can just be heard.

The controls are beyond the force field in the center, so there's no way to get to them without naturally passing through it first. And as everyone enters into the force field - complete with a slurping sound as they pass through it, they will realize two things.

The first is that any weapons on them are somehow gone.

The second is that they can't get out of the force field once they've entered it. Instead, they will have to stand in a circle, with Bottson in the middle, transmitting the evidence found to the wristwatches.]

bASed on tHe inFormATion I have hEre IS...the suspects who stole my HnduyFDUFB mu-uu-U-rdered!



tHeRE yoU Go!


[Finally, above everyone and beyond the force field is Marie, flying around on a floating platform. She looks smug as ever as she leans over, chuckling.]

WELL, SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HIGH AND MIGHTY RESOLVE, RIGHT?? SO GO ON, JUST TRY AND SEE IF YOU CAN FIGURE OUT WHO KILLED THAT WOMAN! AND REMEMBER...IF YOU VOTE WRONG, YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF KILLING SOMEONE INNOCENT, WON'T YOU?

AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Comments

[toushiro]

Really.

[ that's his reaction to all of this: the trial itself, him being on the suspect list... ]

Huh. If that's how you want to do this, then fine. [ he turns to everyone else in the room, gaze stone cold. ] Ask me whatever you'd like.

[crouching_sin]

All right. Let's start simply. Where were you when the murder occurred?

[toushiro]

Sleeping. In my room.

[ it's not the most solid of alibis but...it is what it is. ]

[crouching_sin]

Was anyone else in the room with you at the time you were asleep, to your knowledge?

[toushiro]

Yurick may have been.

[mementodagger]

I was in the library for part of the night, but when I went to sleep I saw Hitsugaya in our room. So I can only confirm part of his alibi.

[crouching_sin]

Well, that's something, at least. Hm... about what time did you come back from the library?

[mementodagger]

I can't be certain. I know it was late, no one else was awake at the time. I didn't see anything wrong on the way back to my room, so the murder must not have happened yet.

[crouching_sin]

You would have seen the glitter, that's right... did you go to sleep right away?

[mementodagger]

Yes. Sometimes the only way I can sleep is to read until I'm exhausted.

[crouching_sin]

Hmm... so he could have left the room afterwards.

[mementodagger]

It's entirely possible. Sorry I can't be more help.

[crouching_sin]

Heh. It's not your fault.

[toushiro]

I didn't, but I suppose saying that doesn't make much of a difference.

[crouching_sin]

True. Unless you can somehow show proof that you were in your room when the murder happened.

[toushiro]

[ he thinks for a moment, then... ]

It's entirely possible that the culprit may have gotten glitter on them while attacking Vita. You may want to consider checking the five of us for any traces on our person.

[crouching_sin]

[He pauses.]

Clothing, at least. Glitter is very hard to remove. Since I doubt someone killed her while naked.

[backuphero]

She was damn close to naked when she was found. There was just a sheet.

[crouching_sin]

Well, the killer, I mean.

[backuphero]

Yeah, I know that. But... why'd they do that to her, Naoya?

[tiefleaf]

I've got a few ideas.

[backuphero]

...I'm listening.

[crouching_sin]

How about we don't go the path you're thinking?

[He's seen that shit, but not even he wants to think about it.]

[fashionfever]

Wouldn't there be evidence of that if it went that far?

[crouching_sin]

The naked part, I have no idea. Still... as for why, it's because they want to leave. It's that simple.

... It's very understandable.

[He pauses for a moment.]

Or simply because they wanted to take Marie up on her offer.