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

VOTING TIME

[commandurr]

WOW!! THAT WAS QUICK! I WAS SURE YOU HAD MORE STAMINA THAN THAT! WHAT, I THOUGHT YOU ALREADY WENT THROUGH ONE OF THESE "GAMES"??

AHAHAHAHAHA HA HMMMHMM!

[At this, their wristwatches activate, revealing a voting interface.]

JUST TYPE IN THE TITLE OF THE PERSON YOU WANT TO KI--I MEAN, DISPENSE JUSTICE TO!! MAJORITY RULES!! OH...

[At this, Marie's face darkens with a rather worrying grin.]

YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T HAVE VOTE FOR HIM! YOU COULD JUST LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT! AFTER ALL, IT WAS MORE OR LESS SELF-DEFENSE, WASN'T IT??

BESIDES, DON'T YOU WANT TO KNOW THE OTHER PRIZE YOU GET IF YOU DO GET AWAY WITH MURDER?? I BET YOU DO!! AHAHAHA!!

[OoC: VOTING IS HERE! Otherwise, feel free to have characters react to all this here.]

[beguiledcard]

[ He's not even going to hesitate, though his voice does strain a little: ]

Everyone should vote for me. I'm the guilty one - nobody else.

[vividsins]

[ He casts his vote and then... ]

Sir Akira. Did you take the weapons sign out log? I didn't hear about it in your recounting.

[beguiledcard]

I didn't touch it.

[ He holds a blink. ]

I didn't touch that, I didn't use a dagger on her, and I didn't move the fan from the theater.

[backuphero]

[After he's voted, and after he's ascertained that he isn't about to let a lot more than words out of his mouth when he next opens it, he does make his way over to Akira.]

It wasn't a lie, what you said. Right?

[beguiledcard]

[ He shakes his head. ]

Everything I've said during this trial has been the truth.

[toushiro]

[ if he at least had his powers, he could do a proper soul burial for akira, but...alas. hitsugaya sighs, closing his eyes for a moment before turning to face him from his podium. ]

May your soul find peace, Akira Kurusu.

[ he nods once. ] And thank you for what you've done for us.

[beguiledcard]

[ He's quiet for a moment, quietly staring at Hitsugaya... ]

... Thank you. I leave the rest to all of you.

[tiefleaf]

...

[ guess who can't fucking write ]

[commandurr]

WHAT??

[tiefleaf]

We've got a little, uh.

Problem here.

[leftthelighton]

[ Pass' eyes travel between Akira and Nagisa before he enters in his vote. ]

This is all truly cruel....

CW: Christian prayer as a method of self-reassurance

[backuphero]

[Jonathan's hands are shaking as he hesitates, left hand poised over the watch-keyboard-thing on his right arm. He lets his hands drop to his sides, closes his eyes, and then right-handed makes a gesture over his face and chest that might be familiar to some of the folks from an Earth that have certain churches, should they see it. Eyes still closed, he mumbles something that ends with "...now, and at the hour of our death."

It's a few seconds more before he opens his eyes and taps in his vote. Afterwards, he stares at the floor, looking like he isn't sure if he wants it to swallow him or if he's about to throw up on it.]

[crouching_sin]

[He'll open his eyes to Naoya glaring at him, but saying nothing, just clenching his teeth.]

[backuphero]

[If it were any other day, any other time, he might respond with more than this, but - there's a chance he'll be dying (Please God not in the furnace upstairs please) today. There's a chance someone he respects, someone he likes is dying today.

He doesn't even really return the glare, just stares dully at him for a moment, and then rolls his eyes and looks away.]

[losergod]

... No. I won't participate in this charade. I won't vote.

[ He won't. Someone may... want to. Make him.

At least, that's what he says at first, until Akira finally talks him into it, and he shakily inputs his vote. ]

[fashionfever]

[Angela votes on her watch and then addresses the crowd with both hands over her heart, forcing a smile onto her face through incredible effort.]

I just want you to know, no matter what happens, even if you already did something difficult to forgive, I'm gonna be here to help you find a solution without more people dying. I'll make you clothes... and crummy coffee... and that's about all I know how to do, haha! I don't know enough about what you guys can and can't do... but we'll discover our full potential together! And reach for the stars!

[over the course of her speech she got more and more worked up and didn't really know where she was going with this so by the end she's just literally reaching up for the stars with both hands. oh great now she has to commit to this corny gesture. she's just holding it with a trying-not-to-look-nervous smile like she's waiting for people to clap.]

[losergod]

[ He does not clap for the airplane, but he'll give her a watery-eyed, half-hearted smile. ]

[fashionfever]

C, I know I get on your nerves, but if you need anything... I'll try... I get the feeling this is gonna be pretty tough for you, after all...

[vividsins]

[ Read at 6:05PM ✔ ]

[fashionfever]

Also, our bunk is going to be extra safe because there are three of us.

[earietale]

[She's...not exactly looking up rejuvenated or anything, but...she's giving her a teary-eyed smile, and though she's not saying it, it's written all over her face.

Good job, Angela.]

[backuphero]

[She's trying so damned hard... and all he's done is fall to pieces.

He's still having trouble speaking, but does smile back, though it's crooked and doesn't reach his eyes.

He's going to remember this.]

[earietale]

[Barbara puts her vote in slowly, being careful that it's the right title. The look on her face is a somber one, knowing who she's sending to his death.

Once she's done, she just...sits on the ground. Her legs pulled up against her chest as she lets the tear flow. Her eyes closed tight because she can't look at anyone.

She wishes so much for more time.]

[backuphero]

[And look who's sitting down nearby. Or don't look, if you're a girl curled up in a ball. Jonathan's hoping that Barbara is listening, at least.]

For what it's worth, I didn't really think you'd -

[His voice went more and more strangled through that, and finally broke. ]

God. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.