15strangers | T̢H̢҉̴E̢͝ ̡S͝E҉̡C̡̢O̵N̡̕͠D̵͡ ̕͠T̀͢R͞IAL

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

No way! You're not even on the list.

[NOT HIM. God. If... If it's like that...]

...if it comes down to it, then it should be me. I'm the one who wanted to protect everyone here.

You kids shouldn't die!

[oh]

No one should. And I'm definitely not lying down. And no one should.

But I wouldn't be able to sit here and call myself a Bracer if I didn't do something.

At least you can still help people! I don't have anything to protect anymore, aside from you guys!

Then that's what you should do! We still need you!

You're so willing to throw away your lives, you and Arthur. Why? Why should you suffer alone? I haven't done anything... to help...

[the wind is being knocked out of his sails, he has no idea what to do]

Sorry... it's not like that. Really. I'm gonna put up a hell of a fight. I just-- don't want anyone else to die. And so should you. Because I haven't either yet and I'm not satisfied with that.

[She's just gonna squeeze Osomatsu's hands. Hang in there.]

(no subject)

relieable - 2020-02-16 01:31 (UTC) - Expand

carryabigstick - 2020-02-16 02:51 (UTC) - Expand

You're the reason we caught Felicity. Me, none of my visions've actually helped us much - if anything, I made things harder. I made stupid choices, like voting at random when I didn't know what to do. I couldn't save Emma.

And I've done bad stuff back home, too. Odds are my world's already wrecked, with or without their threat. I don't plan on going down quietly, but i'm sure as hell not letting anyone else go.

relieable - 2020-02-16 01:43 (UTC) - Expand

illusionarymelody - 2020-02-16 01:48 (UTC) - Expand

incendiarize - 2020-02-16 01:51 (UTC) - Expand

relieable - 2020-02-16 01:52 (UTC) - Expand

And you're even less deserving of being killed for this than he is.

I know, but--!!

[Hrghgjfahsdg this SUCKS.]

No buts. I know Joshua well enough to know that voting for someone he cares about is a bad idea.

[....................................]

U-um. Probably?

[Yikes.]

[She's going to go over and give Estelle a hug.]

You should live and go back to him. Your future in my timeline is a good one that I'd not want you to miss out on.

I've screwed up enough, and there's nothing they can do to me that'll hurt more than stuff I've already gone through!

We've all screwed up. That doesn't mean you should just give up. If we don't fight then no one will!!

I want all of us to fight! Together! I'm sick of all this nagging compulsion to not trust eachother, I'm sick of not being able to trust what I eat, I'm sick of having my head messed with...

I don't plan to die quietly, if I have to die at all. But there's no way I'm gonna just leti this happen!

[ Damn, y'all are so loud with your lack of self-preservation and hero speeches. There goes getting in some more nap time ]

Edited 2020-02-16 01:26 (UTC)

STOP IT.

[ He practically growls the words out. ]

You guys dying here isn't going to do a DAMN THING.

[Ah...]

Don't get me wrong. I'm still planning to fight like hell.

[Because--]

The only ending I'm going to accept is the one where we all walk the hell out of here together!!

That means not acting like an idiot and not trying to cover for something someone else did, whether it was accidental at first or not. Use your head.

[He pauses for a long moment. Does he really want to spill this? Risk his relationships with everyone here?]

[... Fuck it. He doesn't care if they hate him. If it keeps Arthur safe, it's worth it.]

Actually... it should be me.

After all, I've already gotten away with it once.

...what the hell does it say about all of us if we're all this eager to die?

That doesn't mean anything you're still one of us, we still need you. We all need to knock it off and start thinking about what we can do instead of the worst case scenario...

[He laughs, but it's shaky. Frumpkin leans into his chest.]

And I don't... I don't know, all I know right now is that I do not want any innocents to die...

I am far from innocent.

I know. Neither am I. But none of them have killed in the context of one of these events.