THE SECOND TRIAL

[strangerpeople]

THE SECOND TRIAL

[Soon after the failed attempt to contact the dead, the tell-tale alarm suddenly rings out, rattling everyone's teeth alongside Marie's voice.]

ATTENTION! EMERGENCY ALERT! PLEASE GO TO THE ELEVATORS IMMEDIATELY!! HMHMHMMM! I WILL NEVER GET TIRED OF SAYING THAT...!

[And so, once again, the elevators bring everyone back down to the trial room, where the table has been...altered, slightly, color-wise, to reflect those who are no longer among you. And once more, upon entering the force field, weapons disappear - and powers fail to work.

Bottson hops up onto the center of the table, transmitting the evidence found.]

heRe yOU Are eVerYBOdy! THe sUsPECt lISt!



YoU cAN Do THiS!


[Above everyone once more is Marie, floating around in her hover platform.]

WELL, WELL! FANCY MEETING YOU ALL HERE AGAIN! I GUESS YOU ALL FAILED TO KEEP THAT GUY ALIVE, HUH?? AHAHAHA!!

WELL, LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN GET WHO DID IT THIS TIME, HMM??

Comments

[vividsins]

...I'm sorry to ask this, Sir Naoya, but...

[ Listen Naoya is the most useful person here with his skills. ]

...You stated you wouldn't kill for this motive. That you wouldn't kill to go home, either. ...But did anyone say you had to go home and not some new, less awful world?

[ ...The devil's in the details, or so they say. ]

[crouching_sin]

I assumed that was the case. It would make sense for her to put us back there, even if it's awful, because... look who we're dealing with?

[vividsins]

...I'm not so sure she calls those shots, Sir Naoya.

[crouching_sin]

True, but whoever she's working with must be just as twisted, given the situation.

[vividsins]

But they're also willing to reward murder. So I don't see it as impossible that they wouldn't send you wherever you wished.

[crouching_sin]

Yes, but I wouldn't trust any reward this place gives me, anyway. I have a zoo in my room.

[vividsins]

...Let me lay this out, Sir Naoya. While you don't have any cuts, the blood evidence could have been faked if what Sir Molly is saying is true--he'd be an easy target if he hurt himself this week. Meanwhile, you work with computes, giving you the knowledge and know-ho to strip and splice wires, nevermind that you know how electrical current works. With no roommate to watch you, no one would know if you left in the middle of the night to strip a wire for a trap, you were incredibly reluctant to prove your actual flexibility, and you have a bruise you can only attribute to nightmares--but only one bruise and nothing else. You also didn't show up at all, on top of all that. That's a lot of small things stacking up into a big thing, Sir Naoya. Wouldn't you say?

[losergod]

[ Side-eye. He's. Got a point. ]

[crouching_sin]

I did in fact show up at the investigation. It's possible that Rosenkreuz did some research in order to set a trap. The bruise proves nothing - I had no way of knowing that Molly hurt himself.

I don't desire to be around people who blame me if I kick someone hard enough to hurt them. On top of that, I'm interested to see in how all of this ends - and putting myself in a position to be framed for murder is not exactly conducive to that.

[vividsins]

You weren't there when he died, was my my point. As well, Pass had actually offered. That negates the idea that you'll be blamed--we know what it's for, it's all out in the open. And for someone who doesn't like being framed, you're certainly being successfully framed right now. While Rosenkreuz could have, the far simpler explanation is also that someone with pre-existing knowledge did it--especially if he did indeed have the knives on hand, it makes little sense to electrocute someone, too, when he could stab them to death. And while you didn't know, if there is, indeed, someone working against us, then there's little reason to think they couldn't have known.

[crouching_sin]

There was little point if there was someone with medical knowledge going in. And the fact that I'm being framed is more evidence to the point that I didn't do it, honestly. I'm an easy target - I don't get along with most people and I'm relatively detached, which makes it all the more reason why I would look naturally suspicious for crimes I didn't commit.

The knives could have been a contingency plan, or possibly something that was planted. In short, all you have is circumstantial evidence and nothing that proves actual guilt.

[vividsins]

The same can be said for all of us. And yet, you're the one with the proverbial mountain of circumstantial evidence on your shoulders, Sir Naoya. Eventually, a lot stacking up has to mean something. Though the fact you considered it not worth it to go in just because C was there... We had no way of knowing if someone was dead yet when we first arrived, or even how many.

[crouching_sin]

I assumed the scream meant someone was either dead or dying. Crowding a body isn't going to help anything.

[vividsins]

You're missing what I'm saying, Sir Naoya. You said you didn't go in because someone with medical knowledge was there, but unless you'd already been present beforehand, you had no way to know if there was need for more than one person with said knowledge.

[ LISTEN NAOYA HE IS JUST DOING THIS TO THE BEST OF HIS ABILITY HE PREFERS YOU OVER MOLLY. ]

[crouching_sin]

[He sighs deeply and shakes his head.]

You're correct, I didn't. But given the nature of this place I assumed that we would find a body anyway, given the pattern Akira told me. Unless you want to claim that I killed him by not being there?

[vividsins]

There are very few people it could be, Sir Naoya. And I do hope it's not you. But I also must be as thorough as possible.

[crouching_sin]

Oh, I understand. I'm just responding to what's been presented to me.