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]

I don't know about a fight, but...someone tried to heal Lala.

[Said kind of sadly, since he's got an idea, but he doesn't like it.]

[katzenpfote]

If they were trying to kill her, why would they do that?

[unwittingking]

I'm...I'm not sure it's the same person.

[This might get him in trouble again, but...he needs to be sure, this time, even if it is sad.]

[katzenpfote]

What do you mean?

[unwittingking]

It's just that there's two different weapons that were used, and...there was time for Lala to try to stop the bleeding. Apparently time for someone to go make a healing potion. Time for someone to maybe...run.

I think someone shot Lala, and when that didn't kill her, someone else finished the job.

[It's horrible, but...how else is he supposed to take it? That Lala just randomly had a healing potion on her, without even knowing potion basics? That the person who left her came back to clean her up? It doesn't match up...]

[poorlovefool]

Oh... then I guess we have the answer to that. But why would they do that if they tried to kill her?

[he pauses, a bad memory coming to mind.]

Just to be sure, no one here has a power that makes other people crazy on accident, do they?

[relieable]

I don't have that power, but... that sure sounds like a time.

[poorlovefool]

We dealt with something like that in the first case in the depths. It was the only time one of us actually killed someone, and it was just bullshit over Yusuke not knowing what his power did and having to kill in self defense.