trustfell | Taking Responsibility.

A while after that space behind and above the game room has been accessed, after things have been looked over, Jericho can be heard over the intercom; apparently, it works over in that area as well.

"Wow, you guys really are having a great time going through our stuff, aren't you? Good for you! Seriously, look at all of you go, utilizing Rule Four and everything. It's cute as hell.

I'm guessing you want something out of all of this, though – I mean, we absolutely could leave you there to just sort of mull things over until somebody else dies, but that seems like a waste of everybody's time, and believe it or not, I'm not too crazy about wasting tme.

So if you're all happy with what you found, go ahead and head down to the courtroom – as always, we'll be waiting for you."

And as he's said, the door the courtroom below is unlocked and open when you arrive; as always, feel free to follow that darkened stairwell down to that familiar room made of concrete and steel.

There are so few of you now.

Kyrie's photograph has joined the others in the circle that have their pictures in monochrome, their podiums draped in black – but notably, the podiums have all been rearranged. There are definite patterns to it, if you look; either way, feel free to find and take your place.

The pit in the center of the circle remains darkened, but it isn't as though it matters much for the time being, given that there would be no one in it; after all, the thirty-sixth podium, across from all of you, is occupied.

Hilda is standing there, dressed in black as always, a notebook folded tightly against her chest – not the notebook that killed Aligula, but a nice leatherbound one. She looks at everyone expectantly as they walk in; the implication is incredibly clear.

It's you against the guilty. Take control of your fate, and hold them responsible.

When she does speak, it's simple and straightforward, especially as compared to Jericho's rambling.

"Let's begin, shall we?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[So after some talk of very fun subjects like being on a universal hit list, Rideaux is here to...bring up another very fun subject...and the reason why he was kind of pale after the investigation.]

I found what appears to be the morgue. Granted, it was unlike a morgue I have ever seen. It was an enormous spire, containing doors with matching panels all the way around. The technology involved seemed rather out of place considering the rest of the school. That said, all of the dead were present and accounted for.

There is one thing that I cannot explain, however. All of the panels gave the option to view the vitals of those inside. I checked several, and they all showed the vitals of a living person.

[...

With a disgruntled sigh,]

However, I can assure you that those inside are still very much dead.

... What? They collected all the corpses and now they're... also alive still?

[ So does that back up that dimensions thing? ]

Apparently? [He was just as bewildered when he found out.] But at the very least they aren't alive here.

... Could it be saying they're alive in another dimension?

[ Rideaux is the dimension-guy after all. ]

That... Well, I cannot completely deny the possibility, but dimensions typically don't work like that. It is rare for those without the Chromatus to traverse dimensions. They certainly wouldn't end up in one after death.

[He's frowning a bit at the last part.]

It's clear we do have a few contradictions though. You're saying it's clear they're corpses, but they have vital signs of being alive. What's more, we have ghosts that aren't operating like any ghosts I or mage-girl are familiar with. And then there's those little blurs Cabanela saw...

I'm not sure if that's how it fits together - honestly it seems barmy to me too - but it's clear that somehow or another "dead" isn't always really "dead" here. And this might be a hint about it.

Right. That's why I don't want to discount it. The universal rules of these dimensions may be different from the fractured dimensions that I dealt with. Tabitha Smith had a different description of alternate dimensions to mine as well, so it is possible.

[It feels like so long ago that they discussed dimensions at that meeting...]

I don't know how else to explain those vital signs, other than them being an outright lie.

Jericho didn't know we were going to those rooms. And there's no reason for there to be a lie there if that's the case other than to lie to Hilda. Which... well, I don't see why she'd care about our companions, really.

If anything, it would probably annoy her some of them were still alive, right? She killed three of those people personally.

Even the ones that Alena killed were there.

[...

Keeping everything they've gone over in mind...]

There were other options on those panels. Along with the option to view vitals, I could also select to release or neutralize whoever was inside.

[Which could mean a lot of things in different contexts.]

If their goal is to have us eliminated, why are our dead—even the four that Jericho specifically wanted eliminated—still alive? What are they waiting for?

...Yuri and I have spoken about this before, but it may have something to do with our souls, rather than our bodies. Precisely, whatever it is the Coordinators want with them. Maybe the reading you saw we're monitoring the state of those souls, rather than the physical bodies of the dead.

[...]

No, I don't think so. These were clearly vitals for a living body. Brain activity, breathing rate, oxygen levels, et cetera.

Souls are tricky things. They can be moved to new containers, so I wouldn't rule it out completely just yet.

Those people we saw on the other side seemed to have flesh and blood bodies like the rest of us. Complete with the need for daily hygiene, given one of the girls looked like she just stepped out of the shower before joining the seance.

"New containers" that look exactly the same? You know I've seen alternate versions of people, but never would it be possible to use those alternate bodies for such things.

[At least with the way his universe works. He'd love to trade places with a Rideaux who never had the illness that he's had to suffer with...

...

...ah.]

[Well, this is apparently going to be relevant, so:]

Yes. It doesn't matter what the container originally looked like; once you put a soul in it, the details of that soul will superimpose itself. Your soul remembers what you're meant to look like, so it alters its vessel accordingly. There are mages in my world who have used that technique to artificially extend their lives.

Perhaps it’s related to how we can still speak to them...?

Perhaps. It could connect to Rin's theory, but dimensions don't work like that. At least, not the ones that I am accustomed to.

Taking Responsibility.

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