Take Responsibility.

[trustbound]

And once everyone has done what they need to do and gathered at that bottom of that stairwell in the dormitory, the door before them once again seems to unlatch and swing outward, lightly and of its own volition. It's the fourth time in the span of about a month; perhaps there's some strange, dark sense of familiarity in it. Perhaps, too, that stairwell leading further down is beginning to feel familiar, dark and unwelcoming though it is; the courtroom is still illuminated at the bottom of it, sending a slight amount of light up the stairs and guiding everyone down to that stark room made of concrete and steel. The podium circle stands still and silent in the center, waiting for everyone to take their place around the darkened pit below; once again, there's been a change in the circle itself in the form of three more podiums joining the ranks of the deceased. Fern, Tabby, and Sigrun all have their places in the circle marked with black cloth and a photograph in greyscale, keeping watch over all of you in a manner both unseeing and vaguely judgmental. As always, the thirty-sixth podium stands blank and unoccupied among you. Once everyone has found their place in the circle, Jericho can be heard over the public-address system; he seems to have collected himself at some point during the investigation, it shows in his voice, as little as anyone really wants it to. "For better or worse, Boundless is no longer among you. I'm sure you guys all know what that means by now, what you're here to do. And before you ask, because I know it's going to come up eventually and now's as good a time as any - yeah, we'd have you down here if someone tries to be a big damn hero for the group, because someone's still dead because somebody fucked up. It just means the dead person and the guilty person are the same person. So you know what, the game's the same, no matter what happened here - innocent against the guilty, fourth time, let's go! And as always, do your best!" Twenty-six Participants remain. However many leave this place is up to you.

Comments

[firstaid]

What more do we need?

[matchbreaker]

Put the knife in his hand. We need to do that.

[ Or confirm she died from the drugs or... something more insane. ]

[firstaid]

Then do that. What have you done, Elda? I at least did something.

[explosivecombat]

She gave you the idea to check my left hand in the first place.

[firstaid]

And she still wants to defend you. I suppose that's why you're supporting her.

[explosivecombat]

No, I'm supporting her because you're being insufferable, actually.

[firstaid]

As are you right now, Mr. Kimblee. [Estelle...]

Please tell me, why did you write the note? We'll start there, then. Was it because you valued Sigrun's life?

[explosivecombat]

Because I valued her life... How do you mean?

[...you know, he is aware that his ways of thinking are a little off-kilter but holy shit listening to you people try to explain or figure them out is an Adventure]

[firstaid]

You said when you take a life, you still do something to value them. Was that note something of that sort? That you wanted it to seem like Sigrun died nobly?

[Listen she will try. She's pissed but she'll try.]

[matchbreaker]

Don't be uppity, brat. I gave you the idea. I forced Kimblee's hand to this outburst. I helped drag out his confess to drugging Archer. I've been thinking outside the box this whole time.

If you want to claim you're special then you can go to hell for all I care. But I'm not dying and I'm still fighting.

[firstaid]

As am I. You wish to believe Sigrun killed herself, but I still believe otherwise, Elda.

[matchbreaker]

[ Humans. ]

[explosivecombat]

[...and this is when his day went from good to great

drag the fuck out of her, elda]

[heritrix]

Just because we didn't say anything at the time doesn't mean we didn't believe you.

[Also what's this shit about "what have you all done", like they've just been twiddling their thumbs this whole time? Rin would say they had nothing before certain questions were asked, so she's looking pretty annoyed right now.]

Our questions, including Elda's, have gotten us to this point, not just you. Stop being so self-righteous; you're not the victim here.

[firstaid]

Yes, but you still didn't have anything to pin Mr. Kimblee to this.

[So yes, she sort of thinks she's a special snowflake, I'm sorry.]

Why would he be there? Why would the cut be the wrong way for a suicide?

[brandnewday]

Ain't it possible the cut was just done that way to mess with us?

[notaccurate]

I can do that much at least.

I think we can all agree that the cut was probably made by someone else. If the cut is on her left arm, then someone sitting opposite of her would use their right hand to support hers and make sure she didn't move. Meaning they would use their left hand to make the cut.

And who here happens to be left-handed and present during the murder, hmm?

[firstaid]

[God bless you Luca.]

It would be Kimblee!

[I'm sorry Estelle is being a bipolar mess today, oh my fucking god.]

[explosivecombat]

[...]

[firstaid]

It's exactly as Luca said, isn't it, Mr. Kimblee?

[She's just... smiling... because... she's so fucking done.]

[bloodisthicker]

...yes, that definitely makes a lot of sense!

[GOD BLESS, FASHIONABLE YOUNG TENZIN, YOU'RE MAKING A GOOD ARGUMENT IN TARRLOK'S EYES

FOR ONCE, IN TARRLOK'S EYES]

[notaccurate]

[WHY THANK YOU, HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BECOME A PATTERN FROM NOW ON.

It probably won't, Luca's bad at overthinking things, but still.]

[matchbreaker]

That would match with Ashworth and I's theorycrafting.

[notaccurate]

Is that enough proof for you, then?

[matchbreaker]

Probably. I would see the man's reaction, but...

Ah.

[ Well, there it is. ]