T̨̛H͝E͡ ͏̷͟S̛̕E͞C̵͢Ó̡N̨͟D̕͡ ̀͢EX̵E̴̴CU̴͡T͞I̕O̡͜N̶̨

[strangerpeople]

T҉͝H̸E͏ ̡͝SĘ̴̵C̵O͘̕͞N̡͞D̷ ͢͏Ȩ͟X̢͡Ȩ͏̕C̡UŢ̕I҉̨ON

[Just as before, as time runs out, an alarm blares, and the dot matrix screens on the podiums of the suspects flash. The suspect with the most votes flashes red three times.]


[Once more, the true culprit is marked with a blacker-than-black X.]

Congratulations, Strangers, on yet another unanimous correct vote... and this time, you also figured out what actually happened!

It took you a while, but your deductive reasoning skills finally kicked in.

Kyuu-lun's duties will continue to be fulfilled by their many comrades.

That was extremely rude of you, you know! Fortunately for you it doesn't count for this.

All that counts is that Kurama shot and then fatally slashed Lala Hagoromo.

I guess all that's left to say is...

[They speak in unison.]

Sit back, relax, and soon enough you’ll get to enjoy the execution!

Comments

[incendiarize]

[Arthur isn't okay with this. And he's not about to just do nothing to stop it. Someone will need to grab him and hold tight, to get him not to run in - he doesn't know what a force field is. He's not very strong, or heavy. Not hard to hold back.

No matter if someone grabs him or not, he's going to at least try to swing his arm overhand, a throwing motion--

Stop him?]

[carryabigstick]

[Estelle doesn't think, she lurches after him--]

--Arthur no!!

[Hit her with your worst, she can take it. She's not letting something bad happen to anyone else today!]

[incendiarize]

[He's not trying to hit her, he's trying to help Kurama fight--

But Estelle grabs him, tugs him back just as he's about to let go of the object in his hand, and instead the small glass bottle of yellow liquid falls where the two of them are. It's not sturdy - it's meant to shatter with a little impact.

And it releases a powerful, if brief, electric current. Arthur yells. They'll live, but they might not be getting up on their own.]

[carryabigstick]

Yikes!

[Lucky for her, Estelle is used to getting hit with elemental attacks-- but boy does it suck as a surprise. What she will do instinctively however, is use her body to shield Arthur from it as much as she can. It might not spare him completely, but she's going to try and take the brunt of it.]

Damn... that sure packs a punch... [But before she worries about herself--] Arthur! Are you okay?!

[incendiarize]

[It's difficult to shield him from, considering how currents work. She can take the better half of the damage, though.

Fortunately Arthur would be a poor Alchemist if he couldn't weather his own work. He's left groaning, but conscious.]

Why.... Why did you stop me?

[carryabigstick]

[As long as he's alright, that's what's most important. But dang. It'll be a bit before she can pull herself together either.]

Do you have any idea what they might have done to you if you interfered?! What good would it do us to lose both of you? I... I didn't... I couldn't just let that happen...

[incendiarize]

What if I could've saved him?

[He knows he couldn't have, of course. Knows it in parts of himself he's refusing to acknowledge. Probably couldn't have done anything, and would've been left with the Hosts' mockery and scorn. So, maybe it's better Estelle stopped him.

Because this way, he can keep telling himself he isn't powerless.]

[carryabigstick]

[She gets it. She does. So she won't take that from him. Instead--]

Maybe you could have-- but then what if they took you instead? Would you really want to save Kurama just to make him watch someone die for his crimes? Do you have any idea what kind of burden that would put on him?

We need to do something... I agree. But we need to find a better way. I know there is one-- I've seen it. But we need to get in contact with the right people first. And if we do, then we can save everyone.

[incendiarize]

I do know. Too well... I saw what it did to Eric, watching Zelda die for what he did. I watched Thanatos fight, just so Emma and Ambrosine wouldn't be executed alongside him. I....I'm the one who told Eric....it's harder to live with it.

I'm not innocent, either..... I've done stuff I'll never be clean of.

[He hasn't gone into a lot of detail about the things he faced in his own world. But it's weighty stuff. Things he can't run away from or forget. He exhales heavily, grimacing at the lingering pain from his volt formula. And then he drops his voice low, very low, barely audible.]

You've seen....? ......I've.... I've had contact with someone on the outside. An ally. I'm-- I'll try to reach him again.

cw: suicide mentions

[carryabigstick]

[Time for a better explanation.]

Yeah. There was... a special condition for us, when we were taken last time. We had to keep this special object on us and not let it get damaged or lost. If we did, we'd die. Well... a girl tried to get herself killed by leaving her item in another room. Lala found it and tried to return it to her but-- they tried to blame her for the murder because of it.

But the important part is that the guy that saved us from that house--

He was able to put the girl that died into another body through some kind of weird technology. We were able to talk to her. And she was okay. If we can get out of here... there's a chance we could save everyone. I want to believe that anyway.

[incendiarize]

[He'll...have to invite her to conspiracy board with him this week. Nothing about the house was in the videos, and he hasn't seen it in his visions - it was even a question in his notes, there's just nothing. Someone rescued them...and had a way to revive the dead. He remembers Osomatsu asking about that at the final trial in the mansion. About how it'd been impossible. He remembers how Arachne had a way to revive only because she'd planned for it...

Do miracles exist? He wants to believe it. He wants to believe he has more than a crater and a mostly-doomed world to return to. He wants to believe Simon and the others are okay. He wants to believe Emma and the rest can come back. He wants to believe something of Kurama still exists.]

Did.... Did you get his name?

[carryabigstick]

Oh yeah-- it was Linkara. He's the commander of a ship. The... Omnicron-one or something like that.

[No, wait--]

Commicron-one. The Commicron-one, I'm pretty sure.

[That's better.]

There was a girl with a train too... Cardia... She got us all out of there...

[unwittingking]

[He was going to just go back on his own again, but hearing that?]

ARTHUR! ESTELLE!

[He's running over to help. He doesn't care if he gets hurt-he can't risk it, don't you dare die-]

[incendiarize]

[They're alive! Just. Slightly microwaved.]

[unwittingking]

[What is with teenagers and self-sacrifice for 'the greater good'...]

Arthur? Arthur, are you okay?

[Just. Lightly shaking him, since Estelle seems (mostly) fine.]

[incendiarize]

[He hisses in pain a little bit.] I...I'm okay. I made the formula, I can withstand it.

[unwittingking]

[He can't hold back the sigh of relief, even if it's small.]

Just...you got me worried there.

[Not that he blames Arthur for the worry, more that...maybe Estelle should've calculated the situation more? I don't know, kids just need to be more careful here.]