T̢H̢҉̴E̢͝ ̡S͝E҉̡C̡̢O̵N̡̕͠D̵͡ ̕͠T̀͢R͞IAL

[strangerpeople]

T͝HE͘ S̴̸E҉̶̀C͜Ơ̷̢N͏D̡͟ T҉̧R͘I͟A̧͟͠L̢

Heyyyyyyyyy, Strangers! How's Valentine's Day going? Unfortunately we have to start the trial soon if you want to get any dinner dates in before midnight!

I know some of you have a very special day near today, too! So let’s get a move on, shall we? You know the drill! Though you know… since we saw one of those clues, you can bring your pets in today.

[And so it is. Just like last week, the elevator shoots everyone down to the trial room. Lala's podium, now, is Xed out in red. And like last week, five of the podiums' dot matrix name plates suddenly flash with a red border.]

THE BRITTLE	THE CIRCUIT	THE ENEMY	THE NOODLES
				THE UNKNOWN

[And clashing with the borders whether red or not, on each Stranger’s podium is a little piece of candy: A gray heart, printed with a message in nearly black capitals. These candies are similar to the pills in that they taste like nothing at all rather than sand; while a pill is meant to serve as a full meal, one candy is about as filling as a single apple.

The messages are as follows.]

KING: BEST FRIEND	ARTHUR: LOOKING GOOD	OSOMATSU: ONE OF A KIND	ESTELLE: BRIGHT SPARK	MCBURN: NEVER MEANDER	JONATHAN: DOUBLE THE FUN
AMBROSINE: QUEEN OF MY HEART	CALEB: HOT	KARMA: YOU’RE A DOLL	VITA: TRUE BLUE BEAUTY	KURAMA: FOXY	ERIC: SEW NICE

I'd call what you had to look at "inhumane", but Lala Hagoromo wasn't human, was she?

Now, now, Hiyori. I’m not human, either.

Doesn't change how sad it is that she lost her chance to be happy... Oh, why don't you give them a good look at what you have there, Link?

[Link holds up the heart labeled "OUT OF / THIS WORLD". The hosts are visible behind the glass of their sterile observation room this time by the way.]

We made too many because we hoped all of you would finally join in on the fun by today... So, if you retire, culprit, you can eat this one!

[...Well, maybe the evidence will cause the Hosts to eat their words. BOOM. Burn........or...well, it doesn't matter. The clock is ticking.


The trial for the murder of Lala Hagoromo, The Chance, has begun.]

Comments

[unwittingking]

[He'll look to Caleb and nod.]

Be my guest. Tell me if you want to keep him down, though.

[Because he's not letting this thing go when he's got a good grip on it.]

[cuteandinnocentpet]

Of course.

[katzenpfote]

I was looking elsewhere... toppled over or just shoved?

[poorlovefool]

[WELL HE WOULDN'T. And he's still bitter at being told to STFU]

You're the one telling people not to waste time, asshole.

[backuphero]

So when this you says "I didn't have a reason", does that mean just the you right here, or all of you?

[relieable]

...Were you around for all the "games" before this one?

[mermaidkin]

To us, this type of predictable and satiating taste is really satisfying! I have every reason in the world to believe you just got into the right mindset, you'd enjoy it too!

The pills and such don't directly change your thought patterns at all. You have to decide to enjoy life here, and then you find yourself enjoying the local food. It's very simple.

[poorlovefool]

So you just don't give a shit about any of this, huh?

[cuteandinnocentpet]

...What is it about the concept of flames that make people want to enjoy hurting us? I just don't get it.

cw: limb injury???

[katzenpfote]

Oh, really? Let's see.

[He just reaches out and grabs one of Kyuubey's front limbs, twisting it.]

[unwittingking]

It's still annoying, right?

Imagine that, you're stuck in a place like this, and the only body you can use either can't see or has to drag half of itself to get to anywhere. It'd almost make someone want to pity you.

Almost.

[katzenpfote]

This is cold fire, it's not the same.

[incendiarize]

L-Lots and lots....more than, than I could..


[He's. Recovering?]

[cuteandinnocentpet]

All of us, of course.

[illusionarymelody]

The rooms are also all well kept. Everything all nice and neat in their proper sections. All the culprit would have to do is return the gun to the same spot they found it in.

[Seriously, she's snooped in places many times and knows the basic concept of putting things back the way you found them so no one knows anyone was in there.]

I don't think it's important to focus on the gun, but more why the difference between them.

[katzenpfote]

It's called 'getting information'.

[backuphero]

No... problem.

[From the sound of that, everything is problem, though.]

[cuteandinnocentpet]

Not all of them, no.

But we're more than aware of them.

[cuteandinnocentpet]

Cold or hot, god or devil, it's all apparently the same.

[byanyother_name]

That assumes this is the only body it can use.

[cuteandinnocentpet]

[S N A P






No reaction.]

[poorlovefool]

The hell it is.

[relieable]

[well]

I guess, what I wanna know is... are all of you involved, somehow? Did you help someone else plan these games?

[cuteandinnocentpet]

She talked to me, of course. She did that quite a bit!

[backuphero]

Christ, you looked at - you saw all of it!?

[DON'T POKE CTHULU IN THE EYE, PLEASE, KID, WHO KNOWS IF CONAN AND RED SONJA REALLY ARE ACTUALLY REAL TOO IN THE WORLDS WHERE YOU LITERALLY CAN DO THAT -]