THE SECOND TRIAL

[strangerpeople]

THE SECOND TRIAL

[Soon after the finals clues are found, there is a beep on everyone's watch. Then, the Conductor's voice echoes through the jail once more.]

Attention. All passengers of the Eventide, please come to the building in the courtyard. If you are not a passenger, you must have a ticket to enter.

[A ticket? Oh boy. And everyone's suspicions are confirmed when they come to the courtyard and find people-many of them who had been fleeing the prison that very morning-queuing in line to enter the building. Not the Strangers-they are immediately escorted in.

They find themselves in a courtroom, with them sitting at podiums in the center. Above them in the ceiling is a retractable dome; all around on the walls are large screens, so people can watch the proceedings no matter their location. People are filing in, even as a recorded voice drones that the jail isn't responsible for lives lost during the trial-or the sentencing.

Hm.

Lilac is in the judge's seat, the pangolin in her hands. Nearby, the captured animals-sans the rabbit, for some reason, and the sheep-are inside another pen that has been set up. The force field seems to have been quickly erected. After announcing the court proceedings and registering her right to magistrate, as she did the previous week, she clears her throat.]

THE WATCHFUL	THE CAVIAN	THE BRITTLE	THE FORLORN
				THE ENGINEER

You all know what you must do. You have your evidence, and you must decided who is responsible. Remember-every vote counts. And...just pretend you're alone again, if it helps, I suppose.

[There's not much else to do. There is the option to ask for the concessions they are selling to everyone, though its mostly water and popcorn. Otherwise, you are once again on a time limit. This time, the audience is watching. Their eyes stare hungrily at every action.

The trial for the murder of Atsushi Nakajima, the Rushlight, has begun..]

Comments

[overworker]

[Seeing her name up there is a strange feeling. Nonetheless she has little choice.]

Um... if you have any questions, I'll answer them to the best of my ability.

[As for something to contribute--]

Regarding the state of Atsushi's head... I can speak a little bit about that from experience but I wasn't much help during the investigation itself. It's not the first time I've seen it come off actually.

Zack's Alibi

[zackthekiller]

[Hey, you know what's worse than having your face in the suspect list? Being put on trial in front of millions of people who probably hate your guts on default.]

For the love of god-

OKAY. LOOK. I'm gonna be perfectly honest here. There are three things wrong with this picture.

One. I barely spoke with the guy or anything.
Two. I don't like this prison, so I never really looked around this place.
Three... If that was me killing him, I woulda just stabbed him a buncha times in the chest!

Anyway, if ya really need to know, I was in my room all Thursday night until I got woken up by everyone screaming. Then I spent a while looking for Eliza because she didn't wake me up before going somewhere? I don't know, that's what she told me...

Tch, just ask me anything. Do whatever checks you need to- I don't fucking care.

[unwittingking]

[King is back on his podium again, a towel also draped over part of it, and possibly hates this situation even more than last time...actually yeah, it's worse than last time. At least then they didn't have an audience.

In fact...]

Okay, three things. First:

[Looking at the crowd.]

If this and staying in a prison is the way you people get entertained, I'd genuinely pity you and your sad, sad lives, but I hate you, so.

[Shrug

Turning back to the others that are part of the trial.]

Second, ask me whatever. At this point I think I'm just getting judged for wanting my family to be safe.

[Glaring at Lilac.]

And third, pretty sure someone used the shower, 'cause there was a used bar of soap, this wet towel [Gestures to said towel] and what I think were footprints. There was also some weird wax in the sink, but I have no idea where that comes in.

[And that's all the important info he has, so he'll just wait for the others to ask him things.]

[zackthekiller]

Wait, what?

[charmingheroine]

I think I speak for everyone by asking for a little more information about his head being... detachable. When did you witness this, and why?

[overworker]

When we met back up on the Eventide, his head came off once before. Although-- it was just the two of us then, so I'm not sure if he ever told anyone else.

[zackthekiller]

Wait, hold up. You're saying his head came off and he survived that?! How the fuck does that work?!

[overworker]

It was... the first week, when we met up on the first day. I'd remembered him from the other train so we talked for a while.

There was a mark around his neck, so I'd asked him if he got hurt but-- when he pushed on it, his head suddenly detached.

It scared me, honestly. But he was fine back then... I think it must have been part of his power. He was... sort of like a human candle.

[overworker]

I think it's part of his ability. There was a wick on his neck when his head detached... sort of like a candle.

Honestly, it scared me a great deal until I realized he was okay.

[biddentodance]

Then-- Should we put it back?

[Speaking of the head, it's here. Still cradled gently in Minato's arms.]

[zackthekiller]

...

[Zack is just... Utterly confounded.]

You're telling me that guy was a living candle?!

[unwittingking]

[…]

…is...is that his head?

[why

why couldn't therapist be brought here

why]

[zackthekiller]

Should we put wha-

[And now he sees the head.]

Why the fuck did you bring a severed head to a trial?!

[strangerpeople]

[BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

popcorn to the head stupid dog!!]

[overworker]

It... seemed that way, yes. It freaked him out quite a lot, so I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't tell many people about it.

[charmingheroine]

Minato, he's not -

[But even if it won't fix anything, at least then he'd be whole.]

It's... if they let us have a proper funeral this time, yes.

[overworker]

Um... well... m-maybe? I don't know if it will do any good now though.

He was still alive the last time it was separated from his body so...

[charmingheroine]

So, then, the wax King found might have been... he didn't have blood anymore, did he?

[otherworldlyking]

[ He yawns...well it's whatever. ]

If you want to ask me anything, get it over with.

[ But anyway. ]

Found the computer on in the warden's office. The key cards for the animal pen and off limits were missing, and the docility levels of some of the animals were lowered.

[unwittingking]

[Not even gonna respond to that. They're the ones wasting popcorn, after all.]

[telecosmetic]

[Eliza stares at the suspect list in shock when she sees both her and Zack's faces on there.] Wh-why? I-I don't know why I'm up there, but I really had nothing to do with this! I got run over by all those animals, so it's not like I had time to do anything else...you...you can ask me whatever questions you want...

[biddentodance]

Yeah.... Found this halfway across the room from his body.

[otherworldlyking]

Why not?

[telecosmetic]

The computer was controlling them? Those poor animals... [A pause] Well, I guess it's good to keep the ones that eat people and souls from doing that...on the other hand do they really need to be there at all?

[dragonmouth]

I'm not sure what happened with the other animals, but...

The... sheep? Seemed rather disturbed.