THE FIRST PROSCRIPTION

[strangerpeople]

THE FIRST PROSCRIPTION
(CW: Coffins, claustrophobia in general, skeleton bones)

My goodness! You are all so fascinating. Your convictions change like the tides, your certainty wavers so easily! So many whiffle-whaffles among you!

[Suddenly, a bright light from above lights up. It's a chandelier...made of human skeleton bones and skulls. Despite all of the candles lighting up, the light only seems to shine on one individual, as the Elder Steward strolls forward.]


I must say, for a moment, it seemed all but certain that you would condemn an innocent woman. If only The Embarrassing kept her mouth shut for a few moments more, hm? Then no one would have noticed the mistake that The Enemy had written upon the evidence list!

[A thoughtful tap to the lips, then-even visible beneath the cowl-a cruel smile as he turns to look at Felicity.]

Though I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that she was so cruel to a young one while attempting to condemn another using a so-called 'moral high ground'. After all-it's not the first person, much less child, whose life she's ruined with her hypocrisy.

Is it, my dear?

Comments

LAST WORDS

[strangerpeople]

[Well...we would actually be surprised if she didn't have any last words, after that.

Likewise, to the remaining Strangers. Whatever you may have to say to her, it appears the Elder Steward is allowing you all to say your piece.]

[necroyalty]

Who were the others.

[belovedsuffocator]

NO ONE!

[Oof, that screech has got to hurt the eardrums!]

[joinhands]

You are pathetic! I L—

[It looks like Krone was about to shout a LOT more, but she reads the room and sucks in air through her teeth.]

I hope you burn!

[belovedsuffocator]

Oh, I'm sure you're much better Miss "Shred My Secret Right Then And There!" What did you have to hide that was so bad?!

[She is just whining like a child at this point, isn't she?]

[belovedsuffocator]

[...huh...that's...

She's genuinely unsure how to react for a good second. How are you supposed to react when it's announced that, not only did she actually commit murder, but that she's also going to die for it? That's not even going into detail about that last comment, too!

She takes a deep breath, before glaring directly at the steward that just spoke.]

That. Is. A. Lie.

[She seems quite sure of herself, despite anything to the contrary.]

[15unknowns]

Mm? Which part?

[He hardly seems cowed by her.]

Or do you truly want me to list all of your crimes here, so you may rebut them all?

[silvertongueheir]

Why did you have to stab her twice more? She was already dead!

[relieable]

[he hisses, mostly at the words about him. he's such a bumbling idiot. he thought he had grown, thought he'd gotten a little smarter, but look at this. he made a complete mockery of this whole trial.

his head is bowed, he doesn't know what to say to her, but he should say something. Akko was... was...]

Akko-chan didn't deserve this. [but did any of them?]

[silvertongueheir]

[Hey, it worked as an inadvertent bluff, didn't it? Franciscus really looks like he wants to get over to Osomatsu's side, but the manacles are still stopping him.]

I told her what would likely happen, and yet she still tried...

[silvertongueheir]

[Arceus, that was nervewracking.]

...you're not going to make us volunteer as executioners?

[15unknowns]

My goodness, are you really that bloodthirsty?

[A chuckle]

Ah, but, no. We have our own ways to deal with this.

[whiterosefoes]

[Harriet has so many reasons to be angry at Felicity right now, everyone else is sure to cover them. So she's just going to. See how far off they were, since the Elder Steward is right - they really did come close to convicting Krone.]

Were you hiding a scratch after all?

[joinhands]

From fingernails? On my arms? No. Obviously not.

[belovedsuffocator]

I-

[...you know what

Her hand goes to one of her wrist, and it...

...rolls up a shirt, matching her skin color perfectly, to the level that it's almost imperceptible.

And there is a a fresh scratch there.]

I AM wearing clothes, you twat!

[She shouts that as she points at Ambrosine. Looks like that's the one thing she got wrong about her!]

[hexposition]

[Emma has one question to ask; quietly, almost too calmly.

She hasn't bothered to put her glasses back on. She never needed them, anyway.]

I have one question.

Why Akko?

[belovedsuffocator]

[She's...not looking at Emma. She's the only one Felicity refuses to look in they eye, let alone her direction.]

It seemed...she would be the most likely to come. Everyone else...they would've just stayed in their rooms, had I tried to bring them anywhere.

[It's surprisingly non-hostile, all things considered.]

EXECUTION. (cw: even more claustrophobia, constriction, backstabbing, terrible puns)

[strangerpeople]

[By now the last words seem to be devolving into just struggling and petty insults. The Younger Steward mutters something to the elder and saunters off looking bored. The Elder Steward gestures at Felicity.]

Well. If there is nothing else to say, let us not delay the inevitable. Shall we, my dear?

[As soon as the execution is declared, all of the Titled except Felicity will find their shackles pulling abruptly back on them - back into the coffins, which immediately close shut, leaving them nothing but a small window to see. They can no longer see each other, but they can definitely see Felicity, whose shackles release. That may be surprising, but then something else happens - the ground begins to shake, and stop. Shake, and stop. Something, something they can't see yet, is stomping its way up to her.

But Felicity can see - something monstrous in the shape of a person but three times the size, and rapidly approaching her with its big stride. It looks like it's made of clay or brick, formed as a huge half-skull without a jaw for the face, with big fat fingers on each of its thick arms. In one hand, it holds an enormous chain, the size of a grown man. In the other, it holds a strange wooden box, with multiple compartments, nearly as large as the chain. Though Felicity runs for it once she sees it, as soon as it's close enough, the behemoth golem flings its chains at Felicity, wrapping her legs together and pins one arm behind her back, yet her other arm manages to noodle its way out. The golem squeezes its chains tighter and tighter, but she can reach the box!

Desperately, Felicity's arm reaches for the compartments, but many of them are locked with strange puzzles. She manages to get one open, but it's empty - yet she can see another possibility. Another try, and another, all of them turn up empty, but she's STUBBORN, and there's one remaining compartment she has yet to try. She pulls on the appendage with all her might, and gasps - it's not empty! She can feel something inside! Felicity pulls it close to her body, excited, until she sees what it is. It's... the scraps of a secret.

It is as Akko said. Nothing she did could possibly erase them.

The golem has been watching her attempts, in the cruel way a monster might torment its food. But now that her hope is extinguished, it tightens its fist at the end of the chain. Suddenly, there's a flash of light....

Instead of a chain, something jagged and bladed has now taken its place. Deep, deep into Felicity's back. It almost looks like... a saw. Which is fitting, because those secrets are now...

The last thing she ever saw.

After Felicity drops to the floor, and the golem removes its weapon, her body explodes into ribbons and dissipates. Only one thing is left behind.

A red egg, just like the ones at dinner.]

[15unknowns]

...Hmm.

[There is a long pause, before the Elder Steward continues.]

Well, you are all free to go.

[Once the monster has departed, the Elder Steward snaps his fingers. Everyone is released, and their coffins are opened.]

Oh yes, and do feel free to take some of these with you.

[Motioning to what Felicity had called the egg-things.

The...the egg-thing that looks just like...what came...out of-]

One wouldn't want to keep starving over nothing, now would we?

[With that, the lights all die down, and the door to the outside opens. You're all free to go.]

[necroyalty]

[ She takes four eggs - two of each color - and puts them in her pockets. She seems strangely...unfazed? By the implications of all of this.

And as an egg comes popping out of dear Felicity there, one can see Ambrosine nodding intently, as if this is almost better than what she expected. ]

[joinhands]

[Looking flushed on the verge of angry tears, Krone grabs a rough handful of three red eggs and one cyan one before captchaloguing them all and storming away.]

[relieable]

[oh. doesn't that execution just take the whole damn cake? not only were they dragged into their coffins, they got to witness Felicity's death. and...

the egg.

he looks pale, stomach lurching, and he's not hungry anymore. as he's stepping back, he actually trips and then scrambles to his feet, getting out of there in a hurry]

cw: emotophobia

[silvertongueheir]

[Franciscus actually lets out a muffled cry when he's dragged back into the coffin, but he just stares at the executioner and its choice of execution method. It's so mocking, after all...and then the egg appears, and he feels like he wants to throw up. He covers his mouth, dry heaving and grateful that he didn't eat any of the eggs available just then.]

No...no wonder they could sustain us for so long...

[whiterosefoes]

[Watching the execution, Harriet goes pale and freezes like a deer in headlights within the coffin. And she tumbles out of it as fast as she can once she's free. God. It was uncomfortable watching her struggle to futility, but that... egg... and she ate one of them just to piss Felicity off. That was definitely an oversight on her part. She's very wound up.]

Bet they think they're properly hilarious, tricking us like that...

Emeto cw

[incendiarize]

[Arthur outright screams as he's tugged back into the coffin and the lid slams shut. His neighbors might hear panicked thudding - depending how soundproof these things are.

And there's that execution. He knows a golem when he sees one, but this is.... This is extreme. It's not so bad. Not until the saw. But even that is less gruesome and horrible than the fates that befall unlucky, unwise, unskilled, unprepared, and/or unwary explorers. He knows. He's found their remains.

Which Felicity, apparently, isn't leaving. Part of Arthur wonders if that's just part of being a whatever-she-is.

Except the egg remains. He stops hitting the sides of his coffin, and is still staring in horror when they're released. That looks....just like....

Abruptly, his stomach revolts, and he's on his knees retching. There's no way. He'd rather starve. This isn't entirely voluntary - and yet no matter how hard he tries, the egg things stubbornly stay down. There's bile. There's water. But the 'food' won't come up.

He....may need some help leaving....]