THE FIRST TRIAL

[strangerpeople]

THE FIRST TRIAL

[The hour is up.

A bell chimes.

Soon enough, the Conductor collects everyone.]

Right, come now. You don't want the rats come and drag you in.

[And indeed, if any of them do try to resist, the rats will swarm them and drag them down to the locked gate.

Soon, the Conductor is standing where the lock is, hands on her hips. Soon enough the Empress' Shadow, the Other Victoria, the daughter of Her Thrice-Renewed Majesty, hobbles in, still dressed in her black, using a cane, her head held high as she stared at the Conductor. If the Strigoi do indeed remember her, perhaps they have informed her of what is happening. The two stare at one another, silent, for a moment.

Then, with a sigh, the Conductor begins to recite words that she has clearly said dozens of times.]

Private citizen. In the name of the Empire and your eternal Empre-

[Beep. The Dowager's thumb is immediately on the fingerprint scanner, and there is a click before the chains dissipate, as if by magic. Then, the fingerprint scanner-a familiar, of all things, of a Strigoi-then hops over to the Dowager, squeaking over to the Outer Terrace. Then, the Dowager herself turned and began to walk off, though not without giving a small, sympathetic nod to the Strangers as she leaves.]

...oh. Well then. Thank you, your Majesty.

[Clearing her throat, the Conductor throws open the gates. It's a small English garden in twilight, with a fountain and bushes and a few animal-like familiars here and there. There is a small station which to make tea and crackers with accompanying crockery near the house, though there are no servants manning it.

In the center of the garden is fifteen podiums-something McBurn would recognize almost immediately-in a very large, wide circle, and a larger, sixteenth chair which the Conductor sits in,. Each podium has a pair of sunglasses chained to them; there's no way to unchain them.

Above them is darkness. On the side of the house facing them, a window curtain is slightly open; the Empress' Shadow is the only other live witness to this aside from the crew.

The conductor presses a button on the chair, and everyone's cuff beeps. There is a clock again, along with a list.]

THE ROSE	THE FORLORN	THE GOLEM	THE DISCORD
				THE HALVED

[She then presses a second button, which seems to do nothing. She then speaks laconically, if not bored.]

This is the trial of Weftlander Proto Man, alias Blues, alias "The Alphabet" . We are in week 2 of our journey; our current stop is Victoria's Chasm. The suspects are as recorded in Little Courtesy Registration No. 36244-H. This is Conductor Lilac recording; I am empowered by the edict of Her Thrice-Renewed Majesty to magister the following proceedings.

[Then, much more lively (if not a little sarcastic).]

Bureaucracy. Isn't it grand?

Now. Let's begin, shall we? You have the information, and you have your suspects. You have a time limit to which you must adhere to, and you must vote before that time ends. You may ask me questions if you wish, but-don't ask me to tell you who did it. Or anything else ridiculous. Do make your questions pertinent to what is happening, please.

[With that, she stands and strolls over to the station to make herself tea. Looks like there's no other choice aside from having tea and crackers; the clock is ticking.


The trial for the murder of Proto Man, the Alphabet, has begun.]

Comments

THEORY

[awitchdidit]

So, we've demonstrated the only burns on any of us are the ones I sustained from touching Proto Man's corpse!

[She gestures emphatically with her pipe.]

I propose, then, that the burn cream is a red herring! The culprit wanted us to think he had an injury he didn't have!

...

Hm. Doesn't have the same punch when I can't say it in blue...

[technicolourdifficulties]

A shame. You have a wonderful flair for the dramatic.

[He appreciates that. More's the pity that he's not entirely convinced Beato is not in fact trying to throw them off the trail, though obviously this puts the others back in the pool for consideration.]

[awitchdidit]

It's good to be appreciated. If I'm right, and I don't see how I can't be, faking a wound is a really interesting choice of red herring. Especially when it's a wound one of us is immune to.

[technicolourdifficulties]

Mm. Of course, had I been the one to plunge a knife into him, the resulting power surge would surely have fried both of our circuits. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm far too invested in my own survival to choose a victim like that.

[He has no problem owning up to the fact that he's a coward.]

[awitchdidit]

You're that vulnerable to shocks, hm? Seems like a design oversight.

[technicolourdifficulties]

I can only hope so. Unfortunately, I can't rule out the possibility that it was intentional on the part of whomever created me either.

[awitchdidit]

You poor fragile thibg. And you wouldn't even risk your life to save someone you cared about?

[higanbana]

How does one speak in colors...?

[Ris, is now really the time?]

[awitchdidit]

It's something a Witch can allow you to do in certain kinds of metaphysical arguments. I don't think that that particular feature is enabled in this universe, though.

[higanbana]

I see... witches have so many fascinating abilities.

[RIS. IS NOW THE TIME]

[technicolourdifficulties]

Ah, right. I can't believe that I forgot for a moment that speaking in colour is uncommon in most worlds.

[Jeebs, how did you forget that when you're surrounded by mostly normal humans...]

[higanbana]

Wait, you can, too? Why is my world the only one without such an interesting power? [Weh!]

[awitchdidit]

Maybe I can teach you later. The Conductor speaks in purple, so theoretically...

[technicolourdifficulties]

Only in black and white. Most don't change colour or shape as that would involve changing the way they speak, but each is unique to the person.

[biddentodance]

[At some point, not sure how long after...]

One thing... Not trying to accuse, but - if you'd already had those burns, before touching the body, wouldn't what happened earlier disguise that?

Though - how many of us got healing or curative potions from Eliza-san? Know better than anyone how effective those are.

[otherworldlyking]

He has a point.

[awitchdidit]

Oh? You think so? You think I'd willingly electrocute myself to cover up my involvement in a murder?

Ahaha, I'm flattered you think I'm so dedicated to justice, that I'd subject myself to the electric chair before we even knew the identity of the victim! What kind of absolute lunatic would I even have to be?

[charmingheroine]

Not a lunatic, but a witch who thinks she found a way to break the system.

[higanbana]

...Is that an accusation, Ms. Charlotte?

[She's bristling a little...]

this is SO late but I feel like if I don't tag back there's no hope for any further CR orz

[charmingheroine]

No! I don't - we'd talked, that's all, about how magic always has rules... about how we didn't know the rules of this place....

[It's too much. It's too much at once. She can't be right - she doesn't want to be right, for the first time ever, and yet - ]

[awitchdidit]

Oho? Throwing my occupation at me now? Why not just set up an auto-da-fé and be done with it, huuuuuuuh? I've already started burning, why not finish the job?! Or maybe a gallows would be better for the Americans in the audience! For someone so concerned about anti-robot hate crimes, you suuuuure throw around the word "witch" lightly!

[She's gripping the podium. It's rather painful, in her condition, but her grip on it is increasing in proportion with her volume.]

[otherworldlyking]

[ He'll just yawn... ]

...Anything's possible seeing as the killer already thought so far ahead.

[biddentodance]

If it had been you, would have already known who'd died, and thus about the shock. Thus a way to disguise the cause...

Just.....is there a way to measure how old an injury is? To make sure?

[eternaldivide]

... Maybe McBurn can tell how dated the injury is.

[ He'll just glance over at McBurn as he says it ]

[charmingheroine]

You both do.

[She picked smart ones to hide behind - metaphorically speaking, of course. And yes she's totally been here the whole time....]