Taking Responsibility.

[trustbound]

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?"

Comments

[trustbound]

Using a tool for its intended purpose isn't taking advantage of it - would you even care if I looked like a machine and not a person?

Just leave him alone - I'm responsible for this, like I said.

[perpend]

....you are a person. You might not be human, but that hardly matters.

[trustbound]

I know I'm a person.

People like you tend to not care about that if people don't look like it, though. Is Ziska a book or a person to you? How about the cat?

[perpend]

[girl you’re talking to the man who befriended a cat]

I haven’t spoken to her but I’d say Ziska is a person. The cat might not talk— at least not to us, but that doesn’t make... her?... any less of a cat. I wouldn’t have spent a decade trying to save Jowd if I didn’t think life is valuable.

[matchbreaker]

I would, as long as we could still speak, and have had the experiences we've had.

[ Elda says, pushing up a little on her podium. ]

I realize now I was reading into "Hilda," but I think the fact remains that your existence seems lonely to me. And-- Rachel. Would you be willing to be my friend?

[trustbound]

[...]

I like having friends.

[...i mean she sounds like an absolute five-year-old but at least it's less. everything she's been for like the past five or ten minutes.]

[matchbreaker]

[ Well then.

Elda's going to walk over towards Rachel-Hilda. She's carrying Ditty in one hand and Ziska in the other. ]

You've allowed me to sleep in that office, and you've seen me cry. You words allowed me to re-frame my hatred, however cruel they were. Humored my grieving, and dealt with a lot of asinine questions. You've not killed us now, and I still believe that you or some face of you might well have been the one who led us to the evidence we have now.

I realize there's some lack of depth here, and I have been prepared for war with you before now. But I see now that my qualm is more with the one holding it than the "tool" itself.

So I'm going to state, quite simply, I want to be your friend.

[trustbound]

[...That's a lot of words, but.]

...Okay.

[matchbreaker]

I don't know if I know you well enough to say it definitely, but you've been a good person for me. And - well, I'd like to hope you don't think I'm a bad person.

[ Elda says this with a smile and she- well, she'll if not stopped set Ziska on the podium here and then offer her hand for Rachel, with Ditty sort of in the other to hand off. You know, whichever she wants. ]

[trustbound]

[...can she play with ditty for a while]

[matchbreaker]

[ Of course.

The blob will go into her hands pretty easily, which Elda smiles at. The blob like... I mean, its not kept up with all of this that well and Blue's still dead, but he's played with this one before, so. ]

[notaccurate]

When Kyrie shot me in the arm, I didn't get mad at the crossbow bolt. The crossbow bolt had no choice in the matter, it was doing what it was made to do.

Jericho is using you. That's why I want to talk to him right now: he's the one holding the weapon, making the choice to shoot people. It's not your fault that you are hurting everyone here, so I don't blame you for it. But I do want to talk to the person who is to blame.

[trustbound]

I'm not entirely innocent. I like executing bad people.

[...no...further comment on Jericho, apparently...]

[notaccurate]

[Today is just a day of revelations, isn't it?]

...be that as it may, it still isn't your fault. Jericho wanted to punish those 'four people' for taking over games like this, so why does he get to escape punishment when he is doing exactly the same thing?

[trustbound]

...He's trying to fix things.

[notaccurate]

Right. By eliminating those four people entirely.

And how long does it take until 'neutralizing them is the only option, they're breaking the game' becomes 'they don't agree with me, they need to be neutralized', hmm? Because that's how it always goes when someone has power over the lives of others: they start out with noble goals, but those goals become less noble as time goes on.

If I had to guess, Jericho is already starting to head down that path, seeing as how he has a hit list going.

[trustbound]

The people on that list are people that the world is better off without. Jericho knows why, better than I do. But there's tangible basis behind the list itself.

[notaccurate]

Perhaps. Maybe he is right, maybe the world would be better off without them.

But what if he is wrong? Jericho is clearly doing this on his own, if you don't know his methods. What if those methods are flawed, and someone was added to that list that does not belong there?

And let's say you two do go through with it. Let's say all of those people are taken care of. What next? Do the games end? Does everyone else involved go home? Or does Jericho make another list, a list of the new 'most dangerous people' who weren't quite as bad as the current list, but are now the worst because the previous 'worst' are gone?

When will this all stop?

[trustbound]

[...]

I don't know. Maybe when this is over he'll go back to being the way he used to be.

[perpend]

The way he used to be...?

[matchbreaker]

[ She's literally in front of Rachel now so she'll sort of softly give her response. ]

That doesn't seem likely to me. The sum of experiences changes people. He might be more kind eventually, but he's never going to be quite the same as he used to be.

[notaccurate]

I think you already know that this will never be over, not if things continue as they are now. So let us speak to him. Perhaps we can change his mind about continuing this.

[hesperos]

[ Using a tool for its intended purpose isn't taking advantage of it.

Yeah. About that. He's pretty sure Raven would have some words to say about it too. ]

Nah, it is. Even if you looked like a machine, you'd still be a person in your own right. You have your own thoughts and your own feelings. But all along you've been manipulated by him so that you would think otherwise.

[trustbound]

...He thinks he needs to do this.

[Just saying.]

[hesperos]

Well, what he thinks is full of crap.

[ There was a point in here somewhere originally but whatever. ]