Take Responsibility.

[antitrust]

And when the door at the bottom of those stairs unlocks and it swings open gently of its own accord, allowing everyone back down into the courtroom, there are decidedly fewer of them than there were just a few days ago. The change in the podium circle is massive this time; Dio, Logan, Marty, Yuuri, Hibiki and Mordecai have all joined the ranks of the deceased, their podiums adorned with black cloth and greyscale photographs. Furthermore, the mass of shadows in the pit at the center seems agitated again, shifting and breaching upward toward the glass if one looks at it long enough. It's been something of a bad week, to put it gently. Not that it's evident from the Conductor's behavior; as usual, the proceedings are being watched from behind that panel of translucent glass behind podium 30, and he'll speak as soon as everyone has found their place in the circle. His words are a bit more rapid than usual; he seems interested in this one. "Temporal, Lucent, Vivacious and Universal...all four of them have been taken from you. Does whomever is responsible for this really deserve your compassion? There can be no hesitation; you should offer no mercy. It's you against the guilty. Take control of your fate, and hold them responsible." Thirteen Participants remain. You've lost five people this week, and eight since the last investigation; we'll see how many more you lose today.

Comments

[ninehundredlives]

I'm only trying to take advantage of having such a brilliant scientist in our midst.

[rickdiculous]

Smarter than any of you dipshits. Or any dipshts, for that - that matter.

[ninehundredlives]

Obviously.

So what's your clever plan then?

[rickdiculous]

Clever plan...clever plan.

Heh.

[ninehundredlives]

[Susan inclines her head with a pointed look.

She's waiting.]

[blazeit]

Yeah, okay, we fucking get it, you're genius enough to murder us all and get away with it.

So, let's say you're right. Who killed Mordecai, then?

[rickdiculous]

It wasn't me.

[zomgboom]

Well, like. That seems weird since he's dead and all.

[rickdiculous]

Sucks for him. Being - being dead and all.

[zomgboom]

It's, like, super convenient for the guy framed to be dead.

[blazeit]

... First off, I wasn't accusing you... [ Yet, at least?? ] Second, that wasn't the genius insight I was expecting.

[rickdiculous]

Yeah, well, you're not getting that today.

[icysemblance]

Where's your evidence?

[rickdiculous]

What t-the fuck does evidence matter here. There's a lot of evidence pointing to me because I was framed, Jesus. What about...the red cups? Empty. Who the fuck throws empty red cups in an art room?

[withabigsmile]

[...]

What about your robot?

[rickdiculous]

What about it?

[withabigsmile]

I couldn't for the life of me figure out what those little mechanical bits were, but now it makes sense.

You smashed your little robot friend too, didn't you?

[ninehundredlives]

He's got a robot?

[withabigsmile]

It's a teeny tiny little thing that only knows how to pass butter!

[blazeit]

Wait a sec, what the fuck is this about a robot. Is this like, a robot that could lift something heavy?

[ Say... a warhammer...?? ]

[sunsong]

First I heard of it.

[perpend]

[........]

What color is his robot?

[withabigsmile]

It matches those parts, if that's what you're asking!

[icysemblance]

Evidence matters a lot. You've been too quick to point the blame at a dead man this entire time. How do we know you didn't go up to the bar, get a bunch of cheap drinks in red cups, and leave them wherever you felt like it?

[rickdiculous]

You don't see the fucking easel? The letter? He had that fucking pen on - on him. I saw it, bitch.