THE SECOND TRIAL

[strangerpeople]

THE SECOND TRIAL

[The chimes don't announce the opening of the doors this time. Instead, the loud creaking of the doors to the Debate Hall echoing through the Depths are the only signal that the Titled are given. There is still the sense that they do not dare refuse to go.

There is, after all, two death to deal with, as the Intercessor's voice beckons.]

COME.

[This time, upon entering and taking their seats, two of the desks have been draped in black. No picture to commemorate the dead, no memorial of any kind - in fact, nothing at all save the black draping. It's like those in charge simply had no care to remember those two. It's likely the same befalls those who die this week, as well.

The chanting in the darkness on the stage is still present, and as before, the logs are folded neatly on the desk. Of course, this time, there is also an extra paper which seems to give a brief description of the evidence found.

Kindness? Or perhaps cruelty to dangle those things in front of the Titled? As the remaining Titled take their seats and the chanting stops, there is only one way to figure things out.

So, get ready, Titled.

The trial of Harley Quinn, the Deceiver, and Ai Haibara, The Dawn and Dusk, has begun.]

Comments

[almightyconflagration]

[McBurn yawns loudly when this starts off. More utter tedium. Maybe he can make things a bit more interesting this time.

So he starts off by taking the sludge he found and throwing it towards Eric's face.]

Seems someone sucks at making potions.

1/2

[poorlovefool]

[The mysterious goop goes splat against the side of his head. Gross.]

!

[poorlovefool]

What the fuck, man!? Do we have a problem?!

[At least wait until he deserves it!!

Also that's dangerous, what if even a crappy potion could make something bad happen to him.]

[socialhacktivist]

[Futaba's eyes are stuck for a moment on the desk next to hers-- empty and draped in a dark black.

...it takes her a moment to shake it, before she turns her eyes to the others. Her voice is stiff, but full of resolution.]

So... are there two murderers to find? I mean... there are two people dead now. Why would one person kill two different people? It would be too risky right?

[And... honestly she doesn't want to think that there might be a serial murderer among them.]

[defriendestration]

[.....Ok Papyrus is the least qualified person to answer this question but]

I DON'T KNOW??

BUT...UM...WHOEVER THEY ARE THEY SEEM TO LIKE BAKING! I FOUND LOTS OF PIES IN THE KITCHEN!

[carries_war]

[Oh. Rubedo sees that, Futaba. After giving his evidence, he'll get up from his seat to walk over and put his uninjured hand on her shoulder.]

[carries_war]

[As people file into the courtroom, they might notice that Rubedo's right hand, the hand with his number, is bandaged with a strip of cloth across the palm. Unlike last week, today he takes a seat from the beginning, though he's leaning forward in focus.]

This time, I was investigating with Eric, and we covered multiple areas.

The body in the workshop was probably Ai Haibara's, but it's hard to be sure since it was fully cremated. I found some tatters of modern looking clothing in the forge, and while size is impossible to determine, I suspect they were put in there after the body to destroy evidence. There were also several twigs and leaves, despite the forge running on coal.

Across the hall, we found a warhammer and a sooty, snotty handkerchief. We compared the weapon to Harley's wound, and it looks like it could have caused the bruise on her face. It even still had strands of her hair on it.

The body itself was cold and stiff, obviously dead for hours. There were also damaged branches on the tree and several broken twigs around it.

[lightnen]

Great job, Rubedo.

[ Killua flashes him something of a grin briefly before his expression turned more serious. ]

Though I just gotta put it out there so we're aware of this possibility, but did anyone at all consider maybe there wasn't just one killer but two different ones? I mean... it seems meticulous and time consuming to go after two people in one night.

[kiddefender]

[Raphtalia is just awkwardly listening at first, after seeing the broken neck she couldn't go any further. So oops?]

Um... I found Harley's body in the conservatex, her neck looked funny and she had a mark on her face... After I found her I went to look for someone else and say the others in the forge to let them know. Then I went back to make sure nothing happened afterwards again.

It looks like there was another body next to Harley's, a smaller one that got moved. It looks like they had been foraging in there.

I don't think anything else was changed while I was looking for everyone.

[poorlovefool]

We figured out the hammer matched the wound on Harley's face. What do you mean another body though? What did you see?

[He wasn't able to notice that on his own because MOTHS!!]

Time to look at those Order 7 papers

[zephyranthe]

[Okay, she may not like to read books and stuff, but she'll check out the Order 7 papers, at least.]

...These look different from last time.

[Did the Intercessor just decide to make us all suffer with Comic Sans get a new hobby or what?]

[lightnen]

Yeah. I noticed that too. Why would someone write up another of these on their own?

[ Killua shook his head, a thoughtful look on his face before exhaling a sigh ]

I mean.. there's no reason unless they felt guilty about murdering someone.. other than that I really can't figure out why this would have happened.

[kiddefender]

Hey! Did anyone else go to the conservatex this morning? Before the body was found in the workshop to be specific?

[defriendestration]

I DIDN'T!

[almightyconflagration]

Not before that.

[He just passed through on the way to the lab and that was after.]

[carries_war]

Nuh-uh. I didn't go up there until after I finished on the floor below that.

[zephyranthe]

Nope.

[carries_war]

[So many scattered bits of discussion, but all he's getting from it is one thing: something isn't right here.]

None of this is adding up. The Order 7 note went up early, and was in a different handwriting from last time and put up by someone other than the Intercessor. Two people were killed, but only one body was disposed of. Someone was baking shepherd's pies in the kitchen, probably to try to make a cure disease potion, during a time when the kitchen should've been locked. Since the people in charge here have gone to radio silence, we can't be sure whether that means they had special permission to go in or they just didn't get caught. The most recent pies were also made long after Harley and Ai died, which raises the question of why they were being made if the virus was already cured. There's also the possibility that they wanted to become a vampire, because normally people don't drink blood from a wine bottle.

So far, it seems safe to assume that something fishy is going on, but we still don't have any evidence that points to anyone in particular. From the evidence of someone crying, we can assume it wasn't a professional; that lets out me, Killua and probably McBurn. Papyrus doesn't have a nose and I couldn't see him killing anyone anyway, and I don't think Futaba could've lifted the murder weapon even if she was motivated to kill. I can't imagine Fie crying, either. Unless the handkerchief actually wasn't hidden because it belonged to the culprit, that leaves three suspects.

There's also still the possibility that someone tampered with the crime scene. It could explain why only one body was burned, and also why the handkerchief wasn't burned too. We also have the damage to the tree left to explain, and there's a few pieces of evidence listed on this sheet that nobody's given the full details of yet.

[almightyconflagration]

Actually, one of the ingredients for the potion being made was vampire dust. Was wondering how someone could find such a thing here.

And you can say I definitely am not capable of crying. That would require me being capable of thinking about something besides if it was a good fight or not when I kill.

cw: mention of suicide and suicidal intent

[zephyranthe]

There's some stuff me and Maglor found in Ai's room.

[She dumps a book with an incomplete chemistry formula on the podium.]

I think she was trying to make something with the lab equipment. There was one of those potions books lying around too, with a page torn out.

[While she was barely fazed whenever the body was mentioned and such... even Fie feels a little awkward talking about this last bit.]

The last thing was a note near the bed. ...I think she wanted to die.

...Maybe the broken tree branches meant she jumped.

Cw: suicide

[lightnen]

[ Ugh why did it feel like they were just going in circles here? Such a thing was frustrating and they weren't making much leeway on figuring out who'd done this. ]

Just so we're clear... it looks like that Ai wanted to die so she possibly killed herself, and that she was trying to make something on her own in private.

My guess is that maybe she ended up killing herself, Harley found her and someone might have misunderstood this as a murder and got the weapon to take care of her because of it.

[ He shrugged, hoping that was enough to maybe get them somewhere ]

[defriendestration]

THAT...THAT'S SO...SAD...

[strangerpeople]

[Hmm.

Well.

After a few moments, a young brunette girl in a red shirt and white dress shifts into view, sitting in one of the seats normally reserved for the Titled. Her red eyes - a betrayal of her innocent-looking demeanor - look at everyone with a discerning look.]

So, I guess we finally meet face to face.

I have to say, Decayed, I was going to be quiet, but between you and those accusations, I guess I just couldn't resist.

[FTB - START]

[carries_war]

[He steps forward, injured hand still gripping his knife. Red eyes don't necessarily mean much to him, unusual hair and eye colors are common in his world and his brother is an albino, but...]

Are you going to answer our questions now? Who the hell are you, and why were you invisible?

VOTING

[intercessing]

[The Intercessor watches it all unfold, dumbfounded. It's really the best way they can describe seeing things turn into a potential food fight with one of the people assigned to basically...keep everyone there, right?

They take a breath to speak once McBurn speaks up the prounounce voting - just as the three, off-tone chimes suddenly echo loudly through the room.]

...They're back.

[Bitterly speaking.]

Vote, and vote quickly. Title or name will suffice. I do not know how they will react once they come here and find the vampire has...revealed what they have.

[almightyconflagration]

Vampire girl. Babette, whatever we want to call her.

EXECUTION: Promise Broke

[intercessing]

[The Intercessor takes a deep breath, their breath heavy. There isn't must time, before they come, and who knows what will happen.]

...Very well. The vote is for the Destroyer.

[No invisible hands, not this time. Babette simply walks up.

"I'm ready."

There is a quiet rumble, but no dragon. The Destroyer folds her arms and waits.

"Well?"

The rumbling gets louder. Babette readies her weapons, and soon enough, the tell-tale BANG, as the monster itself appears. It stops, its movements jerky and unnatural once more, as it stares at Babette.

And then, the world seems to blur to the Titled, making things hazy and difficult to see, as it turns to its side, and chomps on an invisible figure next to Babette. Or perhaps not so invisible - there is a hazy black silhouette in the dragon's mouth as it swallows.

The bluriness is brief, before everyone's eyes go back to normal, and there's nothing but blood where that hazy silhouette was. Babette is ready to attack as the dragon readies itself to finally strike Babette with a sad, screeching groan.]


K R O O O S I--

[However, there's another figure right on the side, daggers on the ready and tentacles at his side. He charges.

The dragon screams as it is stabbed, and it turns its attention to the figure who did it.

McBurn just smirks as he swings again.]



[McBurn and Babette are now fighting the dragon.



What is going to happen now?


What will you do?]

[carries_war]

[What else is there to do? Rubedo doesn't have any offensive power to use, but he does have a dagger of his own. He's going to charge the dragon on its other side, taking a swing with his knife in an attempt to distract it.]

Over here, asshole!

TRUE EXECUTION: Dragon Broke (CW: decapitation, impalement)

[strangerpeople]

[The Titled's efforts, aided by McBurn's poisoning of the beast, results in the dragon finally, finally, falling.

Its head collapses onto the floor, its eyes wide and even more unfocused, strange whimpers on its voice even as its head - for the first time - naturally turns towards the Intercessor.]

V O L...K R O S I S...FAhDoN...FrI end.

my....kOg..aaN...my...

[Streams of colored light suddenly crackle from the dragon's whimpering, glowing form, shooting towards and entering the Intercessor. The Intercessor's eyes widen, their pin prick eyes suddenly glowing as they stagger back from the sudden, unexpected force.]

Wh-!??

[Yet the dragon continues to whimper as the glow dies down, its voice warped and gurgled, seeming to lack something within its very core. Its clearly clinging to life, at the same time not fighting much. McBurn raises his dagger to finish it off further.

And is suddenly impaled through the chest by a golden sword. His eyes glaze over as the sword is ripped out harshly its wound by an invisible hand, and he tumbles off the side of the dragon's neck, the tentacles vanishing from his body as he hits the ground. As if to punctuate it, an invisible boot kicks McBurn's glasses from his face, before stomping down on them.]

You've made a foolish mistake, Titled.

[It is an accented female voice which echoes through the Debate Hall, as suddenly, the Titled feel themselves restrained by invisible hands. All save Babette, who is abruptly also stabbed; and the grumpy old man, who seems to have disappeared entirely. The Intercessor attempts to step forward, but is abruptly stopped, staggering back as blood begins to seep through a stab wound in their torso.]

You will regret this.

[Babette tries to fight back when she sees the Intercessor injured - even begins to run once she has seemingly broken free of being attacked, but she only gets a few steps before she is promptly decapitated by the next blow, turning her into dust. There is a great flash of light coming from the corner, and then, nothing.

The Titled are out...for now.]

[kiddefender]

[She was still trying to work out how many people where running about in secret. She's still while everything happens. Normally she'd jump in, sword drawn...

What?

What just happened? The dragon was a chirimera and there was a lady... And yet again. All this feels oddly familiar.]