Take Responsibility.

[trustbound]

This investigation seems to have been difficult for many; while your time here hasn't been particularly easy on anyone, it's been eight straight weeks of people dying, of losing those you care about - or at least, losing those you had some sense of solidarity with. There's only about a quarter of your original number left. Either way, however, there are some things that remain constant, even if your numbers do not - the corridor down below the dorms, the way the door sounds when it unlatches, the gentle outward swing of the door. The darkened stairwell that it leads to. The courtroom. The podium circle remains in the center of the room, the spots marked out from the dead having increased in number yet again; Aligula, Hibiki, Sayaka, and Alex all have had their podiums altered, draped in black with greyscale portraits set atop them. They'll be keeping an eye on the proceedings today, for better or for worse. As always, the thirty-sixth podium remains blank. Once everyone has found their place in the circle, Jericho can be heard over the public-address system; he doesn't seem to have settled any from the investigation. "Attentive and Submerged are gone - and trust me, for at least one of them, it's better for everyone that way. Maybe you disagree with that, maybe you don't, I don't really give a fuck - and at least for the guilty party, their deaths might be their ticket out of here. So it's probably better for them, anyway. Either way, I'm pretty sure I don't need to tell you what you're here to do. Once again and as always, it's the innocent versus the guilty. Whichever side wins is mattering less and less every week, isn't it? Even so, you should still put some effort in, just to satisfy the dead - so you know what, do your best!" Nine Participants remain. However many leave here at the end of the day is up to you.

Comments

[hesperos]

[ It could. Except apparently Yuri is not ready to take it as that today. ]

Huh, would you look at that? Looks like you're the only one so far who has paint anywhere and it just so happens to be on your shoe. I bet there's a fair chance of you making that smudge on the paint trail too.

[chessturner]

The keyword being 'so far'.

[She doesn't seem concerned at all]

[heritrix]

While we wait for everyone else to be checked, you wouldn't mind answering my question about your stun grenades earlier, would you? You dodged it before.

[chessturner]

Ah, yes, that question.

[Kyrie smiles...apologetically? And roots through her pocket. She tilts her head]

How unfortunate, it seems I don't have them with me today.

[She covertly does take something out and puts it on her podium, hidden from sight]

[bloodisthicker]

Alright. We're doing this little dance, apparently.

[heritrix]

I thought you said last week you always have them. Maybe I misheard, but it seems strange you wouldn't follow your own advice.
[To Sayaka, that is.] Are you sure you didn't use them?

[chessturner]

Of course I used them. I had to see the effects of those grenades -- how else would I have informed you all about what they do, last trial?

[evilfrenzy]

What, so you used them on yourself? Or do you have a test subject to vouch for this?

[chessturner]

Why, I actually did have a test subject. Did you know Eide-san was willing to undergo such risky experiments, if it meant gaining information that could possibly save everyone?

[bloodisthicker]

...

Wait, if you tested them out before Sigrun died, why did you let me volunteer...?

[bloodisthicker]

...

...

...

For the record, we never tested out stun grenades after the trial.

In case anyone was wondering.

[perpend]

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

I'm glad.

[hesperos]

[ Annnnnd after Yuri has checked everyone... ]

Yeah but now that I'm sure no one's hiding paint on their clothing and it's just you who has anything, it makes you look infinitely more suspicious than anyone else.

[chessturner]

I suppose today's not my lucky day.

[Blame the killer for not doing this earlier in the night so she didn't step on half-dry paint]

[hesperos]

[ Normally, Yuri would've layed off (not really, actually but let's pretend) but ... he's actually been keeping it under wraps about how pissed off he was. So sorry not sorry for how aggressive he's going to get here. ]

Yeah it is. But I also now think it's a sign you were involved in the murder, and you just happened to screw up at the worst time possible.

[chessturner]

So you believe I killed the two of the three people I cared about the most here?

[perpend]

It was a trap. It could have killed anyone.

[chessturner]

Now that's true, but someone who sets the trap would have some way to control who gets killed by it.

[Kyrie shrugs]

For example, trying to keep people from dying. Why wouldn't I try to keep Sayaka-chan or Alex-san away, if I set that trap?

[perpend]

And potentially out yourself as a murderer?

As a I recall, several of us tried to protect Alex.

You were one of them.

[evilfrenzy]

Yes, let's put ourselves in the mind of the culprit.

[Oh boy.]

You could have done that, but unless you manipulated their actions perfectly subtly, it would put you at risk of suspicion.

[notaccurate]

Is that what the string tied to the armoire was, then? The control? After all, if it is tied to a stuck door then there is no way it could accidentally be set off by someone trying to open it. Someone would have to pull on it instead, and most people wouldn't think to do that.

[heritrix]

[To +1 this:]

I don't think anyone but Alex saw what happened to Sayaka. But I remember you tried to pull Alex back.

[chessturner]

Why wouldn't I? Someone had died, she was trying to lunge towards Sayaka-chan...anyone would have tried to stop her.

[bloodisthicker]

...

The killer wouldn't have any way of knowing who'd be caught in the trap, though. For all we know, it could've just been me.

[hesperos]

I had no idea you gave a crap about any of them. Why should I believe you now?

[ ..... ]

Besides, even if you did, you had no control over who'd come into contact with the trap, anyway.