THE SECOND PROSCRIPTION

[strangerpeople]

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

Most interesting.

[Suddenly, a bright light from above lights up, same as last week, from the bone chandelier. Once more, the light only seems to shine on one individual, as the Elder Steward appears, looking pleased as punch.]


Excellent, excellent. You have condemned The Noodles to die by quite the majority, so certain you were of her guilt!

[There is a long, long pause. Finally, though, the Elder Steward does something unexpected. First, he throws his hood off to reveal--huh. A rather young-looking and handsome figure. Odd.]

But...

[A slow, fanged smile appears on his face, before he turns to Eric, raising a toast with a glass of something that might be red wine-or something else.]

You were wrong. Congratulations, Fast. You have exceeded my and Our Lady's expectations. You have damned an innocent woman to the cruel death you deserve for your crime, and your fellow shall be forced to watch. For this you shall be rewarded protection for that special person, as promised.

Now.

How does it feel to know what you've done, hm?

Comments

LAST WORDS

[strangerpeople]

[Well. Does Zelda have any last words for everyone after this?]

1/2

[inadequacyfeelings]

[She had hoped it wouldn't come to this, yet here we are. Zelda gasps when she's announced as the one with the most votes. For a moment she says nothing, until...]

...so this is it.

[She sighs]

To this day I have been having doubts if me being here would mean Hyrule is doomed. I wanted to think it wasn't, and I focused myself on the events that were happening here to not think much about home and what it may be going through at this very moment. I kept telling myself that once I returned everything would be fine, that I could save everyone or at least stop it from getting worse.

Now that's moot. I will die here. Without Link to defeat Calamity Ganon, and without me to keep him imprisoned it's all over. One hundred years sealing him...and it all ended through no fault of my own.

[...]

Given everything that was said in this trial I cannot blame anyone but one person. A lot of the clues were pointing at me, and I had no convincing rebuttal. I bear no ill will.

[But as she said: 'All but one person']

Eric...

2/2

[inadequacyfeelings]

...the protection of one person better have been worth the demise of an entire kingdom. I hold you responsible for the fall of Hyrule.

[Looks like that's all she has to say]

[yonosoymaria]

You didn't deserve this. You didn't -

[He does not look away. His voice has failed, but he does not look away. When he does find his voice again, it is broken. Humbled. Horrified, really.]

If there is a way to put things to rights, I swear to you that I will find it.

[inadequacyfeelings]

[She snarls at him:]

Silence! Don't meddle with me or anyone else anymore!

[relieable]

[Osomatsu is shaking. the wrong person was accused. he stares at Zelda for a few moments, his breathing getting faster. then he whirls around on Eric looking murderous, spitting venom]

You son of a bitch.

cw: literally translated misogynistic AF Spanish cursing

[yonosoymaria]

You shouldn't hang, or - or whatever it is they're planning. Not for me. It was a mistake. There was fire - I didn't know it was him - damn it all, I've -

[With the jerky motion of a puppet badly handled, he turns just enough to face the Elder Steward.]

Kill me instead, you son of a thousand whores!

[icanhearscreams]

[Ushiro’s expression is cold.]

Don’t worry... Princess. As his senior, I’ll take care of it.

[joinhands]

You should have thought of that before you won my favor.

[The words come out like a wind-up doll's music box. She rotates her head, also like a doll.]

I suppose you deserve to know this, Zelda. I certainly had some confidence in the case against you, but the reason I insisted like I did was because I ~believed~ in Eric and he was on the hook. I'm sorry.

[15unknowns]

I'm afraid that won't be possible. You got away with murder.

...

Though, of course, you are free from the...restrictions of everyone else...

[inadequacyfeelings]

I believe I would have done the same if I had been in your position. The benefit of doubt has no place in a trial when it's about finding a culprit.

[yonosoymaria]

Leave a woman who would cast me to hell herself out of this. Call me bastard, my father wouldn't want a son so foul, but leave her out of it.

[He closes his eyes, agonized, unable to believe he's quibbling about language at a time like this.

No matter where he looks, his teacher is there, furious and disgusted. It does not occur to him that even a dhampir cannot move so fast.]

He loved you. That was... it didn't even look like him, as he said that, but it was... that was what he said, at the last.

[yonosoymaria]

What do you mean, bloodsucker? All of them?

[His eyes narrow, and seem to... go dead, almost.]

Do we count as your Lady's property, sir?

[relieable]

[at the last... ah. Osomatsu wasn't going to cry, at least not in front of everyone here, but he's gutted, and frustrated with himself for letting Franciscus down. tears prick at the corners of his eyes]

...You... You chopped off his head! [it comes out a strangled wail, and he grabs his face in between his hands, trying to focus himself] He was trying so hard... to do right by everyone...! And you...

[icanhearscreams]

As someone who’s a literal bastard, he’s worse than that.

He’s an enemy pilot.

[15unknowns]

Oh, no, you're still expected to carry yourself well. Not destroy anything here.

[And clean up your language, plz.]

I refer, of course, to the restrictions concerning what happens should someone murder you. You are no longer part of that system; you can no longer benefit from it, and should, for example, someone should decide that an unfortunate end should be warranted for you...they will not be punished for it.

[That smile he's wearing is terrifying and dark as he speaks.]

Re: cw: literally translated misogynistic AF Spanish cursing

[necroyalty]

I expected far greater things from you.

[notadinosnack]

[Well, he's disappointed, but at the same time he can't say he wasn't tempted at all. But there's a few things that are curious and before they go and kill Eric, maybe they should find out what really happened.]

What do you mean there was fire? Were you defending yourself from him?

CW: request for execution via (likely) torture with some detail given

[yonosoymaria]

The first thing I saw was fire. After that, this... I am mad. I see a man who is not here beside you looking at me as though he'd rip my throat out with his teeth if he could. There was fire. I saw Dracula, as he was last year when John and I had to... had to pick up where our fathers left off. I did not know it was him. I swear to you I didn't know. When - when he didn't go to ashes, I... it's what I had to do for Gwendolyn, it's what my father and Ar - Lord Godalming did for Lucy, I didn't...

[He shakes his head, slowly, momentarily at a loss for words.]

I deserve worse than this place could do to me. You're from somewhere... that he'd tell a stranger, even if it were a secret, you're from some place like the America Whitman hoped for, you're from somewhere that it's safe to - to - God! God, Almighty God, you were both of my kind and I have killed not just him but -

I -

Let the woman with the talons have me. She will take her time, if you tell her what I've done, I'm sure. I've crossed - there is no going back from what I've done.

[yonosoymaria]

Good. They have earned the right. I should have said nothing, I should have told him to - I am a son of a bitch, John would call me exactly that.

[There is an unhinged rictus-grin on his face now.]

So. Then. To the matter of my reward.

[necroyalty]

...thank you.

That's what I wanted to know most of all.

[incendiarize]

[At least one person here isn't looking at Eric with hate or anger.]

So that's why you said what you did about taking the fall...

[But maybe the understanding is worse.]

Living with it is harder.

[15unknowns]

Yes, of course.

[yonosoymaria]

I -

[But there's nothing to say, is there? Not when she's moving like clockwork.

Truly, he has damned himself this day.]

[yonosoymaria]

Must I say it in front of everyone, then? It's better if I'm the only target, isn't it, to leave your shield-spell unstressed?