Accountability.

[trustbound]

Perhaps there's an expectation of a grand entrance here – something over-the-top and loud and flashy, something that speaks to either ego or a desire for a certain kind of presentation. But the fact of the matter is that nothing like that comes. There's just a light tapping in the direction of the stairs that lead back up to the dorms, like something's entering the room, something small and light and as it comes closer, there's an enthusiastic little jingling noise that comes with it. And then there is catfriend, making its way down the last of the steps and coming to a stop near the door, where it sits casually and calmly until something, inexplicably, seems to shift. It's difficult to say what it is, but it's apparent that something in the room has bent in a way that it shouldn't – it's the sort of jolt that comes with a sudden earthquake, a brief shock down the spine and then there's someone here that quite simply wasn't before. And whatever those in the room were expecting out of Jericho, it...likely isn't the person who's standing in front of them, near the thirty-sixth podium where Rachel has moved easily out of the way to allow the woman who's appeared from seemingly out of nowhere to take her place. Her hair is long and brown, similar to Alena's, done up in a thick plait that she's got pulled over one shoulder; she isn't particularly attractive, and not pretty in the way that Alena and Hilda were. She's just kind of plain, with eyes that are a little too large and wide-set for her head, and though she's fairly tall and well-built for a woman it's not in the same way that Sigrun was – its softer, in a way that doesn't suit the hardness in her expression. She's dressed simply, in the way that the clothes in the closet upstairs were simple – a dress that's well-fitted but plain, with brown knee-high boots under it. She glances over at the cat, which makes its way over and jumps up onto the podium in front of her, where it proceeds to curl up and set its head down as though asleep – though it's very clearly watching the rest of the room. The woman sets her hand atop the cat's back lightly, smiling a bit to herself before looking back up at the group; the smile doesn't leave her, though it seems more than a bit forced – but when she speaks, while her voice sounds different (it's higher, lighter in pitch) it's incredibly obvious that the cadence and delivery are exactly the same as what you've been hearing over the public-address system for the past ten weeks. "Hey, guys – well, I guess you got what you wanted. And congratulations, it's going to be a complete waste of time! Let's not pretend that we're here to make friends or play nice with each other; Rule Five's still in place, but damn if I don't expect to hear you guys whine at me for the next couple of hours until we decide that this is pointless, face-to-face meetings always kind of suck, and the universe is a cold, unfeeling place. But you know what, while we're all here and staring at each other – my name is Lisbeth Larimore. Though I guess for the past two and a half months, you've been calling me Jericho. Let's see what you guys have to say, and how things look coming out the other side." That odd, overly-bright smile still hasn't left her face. "And as always, do your best!" Your hostess for the evening, everybody. Let's begin.

Comments

[trustbound]

It did, actually! Just not quite the ones I wanted.

[evilfrenzy]

I presume you mean you're after destroying them rather than simply neutralizing them.

[From what he has gathered there...might be a difference...?! This is all so much, and he's one of the dimension/many worlds people.]

[trustbound]

Yes.

[heritrix]

What were the results?

[notaccurate]

That is my point here: there is one specific result that you want, and there is also one specific person you have not neutralized yet. Going at this objectively, it would be best to neutralize that one person and see what happens.

[trustbound]

I don't know if I'll be able to fix it if I do that and I'm wrong, however.

[notaccurate]

Because he was the one who gave you your powers, and if you neutralize him then you might not get those powers in the first place?

[trustbound]

Given how my powers work, yes.

[matchbreaker]

... Do your powers not actually revive the dead, just reset time or ... something? Like we go back to before they got killed?

[trustbound]

That's how it works, yes.

[...Oh, look, someone actually asked. She looks so pleased.]

I can reset time.

[matchbreaker]

[ Rem.... nants? ]

... And what, it's not safe to reset things while we exist? But no, you'd have had to reset to kill us dozens of times. Or do you have more than one reset point?

[ This is.

Insane. Ugh. ]

[trustbound]

My Stand's reach is much better now than it used to be, seeing as I don't age and as such we've had all the time in the world to practice and strengthen her ability.

The points I can reset to are pretty variable by now, in other words.

[bloodbiter]

[...Actually, out of curiosity—]

How many times have you killed all of us?

[trustbound]

I've lost track.

[bloodisthicker]

...you know, with all this messing with time and space you've been doing, it's starting to sound like we're not the problem here.

Just a thought.

[trustbound]

No. The cataclysm happened before any of that - it would have happened regardless of anything I did before then.

[notaccurate]

Then why would killing us stop the cataclysm? You have to go back further, to before it happened, to stop it.

[bloodbiter]

[That's... horrifying, but.]

And if it has never worked, don't you think it might be time to try something different?

I told you that if it were for the good of my world, I would not mind dying, and that much is true, especially if I have done so many times already. But if this began as a way to punish criminals... You must have some respect for morality, if that is true. You know that not all of the people here deserved to be neutralized.

Isn't it time to try something new so we can end this and spare them?

[notaccurate]

Well at this point I don't know what to tell you. It sounds like you are going to have to choose between your entire world and your vampire boyfriend.

[matchbreaker]

... So when you say we're Remnants, you mean you can't go back to the beginning safely. And when you say you can you wake up Alena, you mean going back to before she was killed.

... For that matter, Hilda and Alena aren't immortal, right? Or did you make them vampires too?

[trustbound]

Oh, no, Alena is safe because she's in this simulation with you. She was killed here, not out where your bodies actually are, and Rachel hasn't severed her soul yet.

And I haven't done anything of the sort to Hilda and Alena, no.

[matchbreaker]

[ . . . So when the dead said that Alena was there that must be the real Alena. Does that mean anything though, can that help them in any way...? ]

... So the gaps in everyone's memories. Those are from phantom timelines you reset. Is that it?

[trustbound]

No, that's more like being yanked across dimensions kinda fucks with your head. That tends to happen to everybody Rachel does that to.

[heritrix]

[Rin shakes her head, tapping her fist to her mouth.]

I don't think it's just that. He's someone she's fond of, right? Lisbeth specifically hid from us because she was worried those who knew her before would remember her. That implies we stand a chance of remembering whatever happened to us in those games.

By that token, if she ripped out Dio Brando's soul and was wrong, then reset everything... If she wanted to be around him again just as before, he could remember what she did to him. Lisbeth wants to avoid that.

[notaccurate]

Rin, I'm pretty sure everyone here can tell that Lisbeth is in love with Dio and is not behaving objectively regarding him at all. But you can't just come out and say that.