FINAL TRIAL

[strangerpeople]

FINAL TRIAL

[The Strangers manage to escape. By the time anyone has realized they have left, the Analemma is already on a course to a new destination, one not intended by their Conductor-who was certainly surprised to find their ride gone, hours later.

Cardia has turned off radar and other equipment that would allow anyone to find the train easily. There is no barrier around this train, so everyone can see the Clockwork Sun as it gets closer and closer.

They aren't going to London, obviously. Cardia manages to explain that, originally, the Throne of Hours was located there, but after Victoria became Twice-Renewed, the Throne was ordered moved closer to the Sun. Now, it is connected to the station called Sunspur-a desolate place, formerly an exhibition hall, where only the Sun's engineers and wayward captains now go. No one dares to cross the bridge that connects the Throne to it, when they are there.

That will change, but not immediately. Even at top speed, it will take several hours for the train to reach its destination. Cardia suggests everyone relax in the Lounge of this new train. Apparently, this one was going to pick up its newest passengers very shortly, and so the bar and kitchens are stocked with food and drink, at least.

There is much to talk about. Much to look through, and much to consider. The past four weeks have been difficult to process, but the evidence from Perdurance has been especially daunting. It only shows just how stark the situation is-and it's up to the Strangers to figure out just what they will do when they do, at last, confront Her Enduring Majesty.
After all.

Whatever happens, a reckoning cannot be postponed. Not indefinitely. And the bill is almost due...]





[It's time! The objectives are simple in this trial: untangle the story of this place and decide what to ultimately do when they finally confront Victoria, the Mastermind of the Little Courtesy! It will not be easy and the truth, as ever, will not be a light one.

Will they triumph? Will they go home? What else might happen? What else could be in store? There's only way to find out!

Have fun, and good luck! And remember-

All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.]

Comments

[charmingheroine]

Well, it's definitely not Jules Verne.

[Charlotte doesn't really direct the answer to King, per se. She's taking advantage of his yelling and seizing everyone's attention to grab three of those small jars that Minato set out.

No time to boil water, but honey dissolves as fast as anything in alcohol. It's not like she's aiming to savor any of this, just get it thinned to the point where she can drink it, so whatever is closest and clear from the bar will work. She won't need much, probably. Hopefully.

A spoon, a heavy glass... it should be obvious what she's planning, if anyone sees.]

[unwittingking]

[...part of him wants to mope more, but...]

Are we sure that’s safe?

[It should be noted, however, he’s not moving from his seat.]

CW SUICIDALITY + EXISTENTIALISM - mods?

[charmingheroine]

Well, it'd be poetic justice if I die of it, right? You know it would, the crazy one who'd rather something that definitely thinks it's her get to live instead of her just not existing anymore doing the second thing because she thought she could get answers....

[If each serving is one memory, this could render them incomprehensible, but... if she could be honest, she could admit she's really just hoping this makes it so she can't be awake. If she never gets back to that state... well, that's that. That's all she wrote. Goodnight, Irene....

She'll spoon the honey, or whatever it really is, into the glass and add just a little.. oh, lovely, she grabbed gin, this really will be exactly like cough syrup... stir until the consistency is thin enough...]

Here's looking at you.

[And... she downs it, in several quick swallows, and grimaces more at the taste than the onset of the headache. Sitting down first might have been a good idea, but it's a bit late for that....]

[unwittingking]

[Okay, first moral of the story, don't keep sitting when a friend is doing something concerning?? That's the first thing he's realizing right now.

King is now shooting up out of his seat, but since she's probably already done he just sit of...stares? He's mainly panicking internally and hoping Charlotte didn't just hurt herself in some way.]

MYSTIC MESSENGER SPOILERS

[strangerpeople]

[She falls. It is a bit of a rush, a bit of a pain, but one more scar, what is-


She stands in Jumin's house. The "tour" had her come see a cat owner, so here she is.]

Welcome. Here's the item he told me to give you.

[You take it. It's...it's-

Oh. It's so-it looks so much like him. It's...utterly adorable. You can't help but smile.

You squeeze it-



And then, Charlotte is back, albeit, on the floor.]

[katzenpfote]

[Caleb immediately goes to prop her back up, making sure she's still breathing.]

[charmingheroine]

It was pointless.

[She wants to jerk away from him, but honestly her head aches too much for sudden movement.]

Some prettyboy in a suit and a plush doll of that "707 Multiversal Hotline" joker... it was fucking pointless!

[higanbana]

[Ris was running over, but definitely didn't get there in time, so while Charlotte might be on the floor, it's with a particularly tiny nurse trying to get her back to sitting up.]

[charmingheroine]

So...

[The vision was pointless. The vision was pointless and her mouth tastes worse than soap and her head might actually be bleeding somewhere besides her chin from the feel of it, and now Ris is worried? It's too much.]

So when I want to live no matter what, even if it's not this me, if it's just a me, that's wrong, but when I try to die and save you the trouble of doing that to me you're actually worried?

[biddentodance]

Charlotte--!

[Also running to try and catch her, also failing-- why did she- why did she pull a him like that?!]

[charmingheroine]

[She looks up at Minato, baffled and exhausted.]

You've got a gorgeous, smart, disciplined, amazing girl right there.

[She jerks her chin towards Towa, to make her words unmistakable, distantly hoping that doesn't make the bleeding worse somehow.]

Why do you keep looking at me?

[otherworldlyking]

[ He'll just be looking in that general direction.

...Well, at least that didn't happen to him when he tried some, but he'll still be watching, sure. ]

[eternaldivide]

[ Oh. Good to know Mithos' isn't the only one not making an effort to go help.

How bothersome, really. Guess they'll just both be seeing hat happens next from the sidelines. ]

[unwittingking]

[To put it simply, King also ran as soon as she was falling, and is now checking her over for any head wounds.

WHY DO TEENS NEED TO BE LIKE THIS. WHY]

[charmingheroine]

[Well, while she's dazed, that's mostly a headache from hell itself. The only apparent injury is to her chin - she caught the edge of the bar on the way down.

As to why she's like this... well, the flippant answer is YEP. TEENAGER. The less flippant one... she's the one who processes her partner's trauma. She didn't really have any of her own, before here.]

[overworker]

Charlotte!!

[Towa doesn't want to crowd her.... but she's going to stay close, in case there's anything she can do. Why is everyone like this.]

[charmingheroine]

[Charlotte isn't sure what she'd have done if Towa had been one of those to all but slide-tackle her as she woke back up. That she had the decency to hang back... she's the better woman, this is just one more reason why.]

Worry about him, not me.

[It'd be obvious who she was talking about even without the little jerk of her head towards Minato, right?]

[technicolourdifficulties]

[He doesn't go over. There's no point, not when he lacks any sort of medical expertise and the girl so clearly (hates, perhaps rightfully his mind whispers) can't stand him. Leave it to people that she cares about and can properly care about in return...]

[charmingheroine]

[Well, he thinks she's a suicidal idiot. He may be right.

It stings, a little, that he's not even looking over, but... in some ways that's better. At least there's a few of these people who make up their mind and keep it....]

[technicolourdifficulties]

[Well, that seems ill-advised, but he really just doesn't have the energy to waste on trying to stop her.

Though he will state casually:]

If that proves not to be enough, I do have a bit of tea that could be brewed.

[charmingheroine]

[Maybe that was addressed to the whole of the room? Surely he hasn't decided she's worth speaking to again. Better not to answer, isn't it?

Yes, Charlotte is being a petty teenager at a time when she probably shouldn't.]

[higanbana]

[It should be, and yet. It's not like Ris doesn't know, but:]

What in all the hells do you think you're doing?

[Just. Gonna draw attention to it. Make Charlotte say it with her words.]

Suicidality - I should have just put a blanket warning on the top-level.

[charmingheroine]

[Well, it's a little hard to answer when you're forcing yourself to drink something that tastes like the unholy offspring of pine-sol and a beehive, but in the moment after - ]

Maybe something useful, or maybe just beating you to the punch.

[higanbana]

Damn it— Charlotte!

[But there's no way she's getting over there in time, so. Depending on how things go, Ris may have to keep Charlotte from smashing her head into the bar when she goes down.]

[otherworldlyking]

[ Wait what the shit -

Oh. Welp. ]