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

[illusionarymelody]

How about we start by trying to establish what we can clearly figure out from the evidence right now?

We do know there were two weapons involved. Someone tried to heal the gun wound she received. Then we know that the knife was placed in the weapon storage, but there was nothing out of place among the guns.

Is there anything else we can fill in here about the events without guesses?

[relieable]

I wonder who was making the wheat potion, then.

[poorlovefool]

[...crackpot theory incoming, but]

It wasn't you who tried to heal her, was it?

[cuteandinnocentpet]

We're hardly devils.

To be a devil would imply that we have the ultimate emotion that influence us to do evil.

[relieable]

[rubbing his face. he is tired]

Is a Fabricator, like, someone who's working for the other side?

[otherworldlyking]

...Was there a lot of noise from the culprit when they first attacked? Or was it quiet and sudden?

[poorlovefool]

....Yeah. Jonathan called it the Saboteur, but I think it's whatever we wound up calling it. In our rounds it was someone who tampered with evidence so we'd get the case wrong.

[cuteandinnocentpet]

It is an annoyance, of course.

After all, I am under no obligation to answer anything, and you are being quite overzealous!

[illusionarymelody]

The game Jonathan and I were in had one as well. The person who it was made a deal with Marie to forge evidence in exchange for the return of their memories. However, the plane had no such person.

[cuteandinnocentpet]

As a matter of fact, I did try to heal her.

[unwittingking]

It's called emotion. Try it sometime if you want people to think you're actually trying to help them instead of screwing them over in the long term.

Now are you going to answer or not?

[cuteandinnocentpet]

There was shouting, certainly.

[poorlovefool]

...Not sure but, have we talked about what Lala was doing with her antenna? Maybe she grabbed onto the killer, or something.

[necroyalty]

With or without a contract involved?

[cuteandinnocentpet]

With, of course. It wouldn't be the first time.

[relieable]

Did you make the potion? Or use a potion?

[or do you have healing powers, goes unasked]

[backuphero]

But feeding me the blood of a vampire, especially one fed on mine - you at least know the movies, don't you?

The slow version's - the way Lucy got turned, in your hypothetical situation there, is where we keep eating things that taste like sand and fighting this and then fall to it anyway.

If IT's Dracula, the pills are his blood, I'm Mina, and you're the hand making sure my mouth's open against a cut on his chest, is that it?

[cuteandinnocentpet]

I will have to decline. Emotion in our species is a sign of madness.

[illusionarymelody]

No, I don't think so and truly I don't think I can answer that since my thoughts keep going to something terrible.

[necroyalty]

...and then she'd become a lich afterwards.

Thank you for your honesty, but this is extremely disappointing in many other respects.

[unwittingking]

And lack of emotion is a mental illness for us.

Now are you going to answer or not?

[poorlovefool]

At least we know what it was doing there now.

[poorlovefool]

Oh... s-sorry. [He can imagine what kind of terrible places that could go.]

[cuteandinnocentpet]

That's correct.

[Ear twitches.]

Of course. That seems to be the normal reaction from humans when they learn what happens in full.

[incendiarize]

Kyuu-lun, right? Do you know who killed her?