Take Responsibility.

[trustbound]

Once again, as people finish their investigations and make their way toward the door at the bottom of those stairs in the dorms, the door down there is unlocked once again. It opens as though of its own volition, with a loud clicking sound and a soft outward swing, not firmly enough to harm anyone who might be standing in the way but enough to give them some slight encouragement to move. The stairwell it leads to is once again dark, the only light coming in from the courtroom below, if it can really properly be called that. It stands as cold and unforgiving as it did last week, all concrete and steel and the podium circle in the center, surrounding the darkened pit in the middle. Nothing can be seen down there for the time being; it simply seems like a large black hole leading nowhere. Three more podiums have joined Jean's in being arranged differently from the rest; Caren, Yosuke, and Chitoge have all joined the ranks of the deceased, their podiums draped in black with their profile portraits sitting atop them, greyed-out and watching the room with unseeing eyes. The thirty-sixth podium remains empty and blank, as always. Once everyone has found their place in the circle, the public-address system comes to life once more, and after a moment Jericho's voice can be heard "Dexterous has been taken from you; seems like a lot of you were friends with her, and you all know why you're here by now and what you're supposed to do. So hopefully you guys won't be disrespectful assholes again and expect me to make you give a damn this time! Be self-centered about it all you want, just do your jobs. After all, it's in your best interests to do that. As always, do your best - I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes." Thirty-one Participants remain. However many are left at the end of the day is up to you.

Comments

[matchbreaker]

The spirit of it isn't wrong, Green. Don't drag things out with a "child."

[ You can practically hear the airquotes. ]

[greenmamabear]

But its extremely wrong! What, are we supposed to live like a damn zombie movie?! Hating and fighting with each other until we all die?! All because we might betray each other?

Its dumb. Its dumb and I won't let it happen.

[matchbreaker]

What, are you going to tell me that you trust me Green?

[greenmamabear]

...Well, yeah. I should. You saved me this week.

1/2

[matchbreaker]

[ . . . Didn't see that coming. ]

[matchbreaker]

... Well, that's your problem, then.

[greenmamabear]

[tbf, she did say "should" instead of "do"]

[withabigsmile]

That's exactly how you're supposed to live! Haven't you ever been in danger like this before?

[greenmamabear]

Yeah, and I didn't plan an elaborate fake suicide. You know how easy it is to not do that?!

[destage]

Fern-san, you aren't going to change her mind. It may be for the best to stop engaging.

[Jesus, Jericho must be enjoying this like fuck.]

[greenmamabear]

...Its not just her I'm worried about.

[Its everyone who might agree with her.]

[destage]

[...she sighs, a bit.]

She's not entirely wrong, though. The metaphor she used was...rather cruel, yes, and you'll get no disagreement from that. But if anything, she's proof of her own statements having some kind of merit, right?

[notaccurate]

No, she's right. Leave her child out of this.

[He might be a bit too quick to say that, since he's a parent himself and all.]

[withabigsmile]

Why should I? Do you think she's special just because you have kids?

Well, how about my parents? I was finally supposed to meet them before I got here, and some stupid jerk goes and takes that chance away with me again! Is that better? Does that make me less dumb for looking out for myself? How about the fact that last I recall, they were in a lot of danger?

[...Well that just kind of flowed out, uh-]

[greenmamabear]

[....ah]

...You could've talked to someone.

[withabigsmile]

No, I couldn't have! That's not going to save my parents, or get me out of here, or stop people from dying, you stupid green lady!

I wasn't interested in playing nice with you people or waiting for a knife in my back! That's the whole reason I went through with killing Chitoge in the first place!

[matchbreaker]

[ ... Hnn. ]

... There we go, that's fair.

[ She taps her claw on the podium. ]

Sorry about your folks, girl.

[ That they're probably fucked now that you'll be dead. ]

[greenmamabear]

[She just. Slowly drag a hand down her face. Trying to keep her cool.]

...Then I don't know how to help you.

I'm sorry.

[notaccurate]

Is that what they used against you, then? The promise of being able to 'go anywhere they wanted first', as per the reward given out by the Coordinator for successfully committing a murder, to go save your parents?

[Because that's the one piece he hasn't been able to come up with yet: why Blue would be an accomplice in the first place.]

[withabigsmile]

I decided that I was going to kill someone on Monday. If there's no hope in resisting, then there's no point in playing nice. I would get out and go find my parents. The motive helped, but I already made up my mind.

I took the toaster because I'm not as strong as most of you and thought I could get someone to sleep with the sleeping pills, then shock them. It's easy and hands off That was the plan. I just wasn't sure when do it. Then last night, I doubted myself. I didn't want to be alone. So I asked Chitoge if I could spend some time with her. I couldn't get to sleep. We decided to spend the night together. I laid down, tried to get to sleep... But I couldn't.

I couldn't trust her. I couldn't stop thinking about how easily she could take me out. And if I can't even trust someone like Chitoge, there's no way I could trust anyone. So I grabbed her chair, I knocked her out, I used the sheets to take her to the bathtub, and you know the rest.

Now leave me alone. I'm so tired of looking at all of you. I just want to go home... But I guess being out of here is gonna have to do, right?

[Is she crying? She wipes at her face a little.]

[perpend]

[He's not sure what to say.

There's not anything he can say.]

[sleepytimegal]

[ ... ]

Your parents. Is there anything you... If someone gets the chance to go find them, is there anything you want us to pass on?

[withabigsmile]

...My Pokémon. They've got to be around here somewhere... I hope. If you find them, then...

[She's already explained the Pokémon briefly, so. There's that.]

[innocentloveholic]

[ ...god don't cry, you'll make her feel mad about her being mad at you—

Aligula produces a scrap of cloth from her dress and shoves it at her; use it as a handkerchief or something, she's been aggressively sewing all week and she has extra of this stuff from making ruffles, ladies always carry a handkerchief, etc etc, damn. ]

[notaccurate]

[...well then. Luca had been hoping that one of the adults here was trying to push Blue into taking the fall for this, but apparently that wasn't true.

He at least has enough sense to look away uncomfortably after she's said all of that.]

My apologies.