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

[clearasmud]

Uh. We've seen that play out here before.

[ DIO WAS ONLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, JEEZ MAN

...AND LOGAN'S LIFE CAN BE IMPROVED SANS CHICKENIZATION ]

[perpend]

.....protecting ghosts is a biiiit different from turning people into vampires.

[clearasmud]

Turning people into chickens, turning people into vampires.

Of the two, I'd actually rather go with Dio's stupid plan.

[perpend]

[........]

Why do you think it's Sukuyo so strongly, anyway? She didn't kill the chicken the other day.

[clearasmud]

Chicken, salt, and "S". It's either Sukuyo OR somebody's trying to frame her.

[perpend]

I reeeally don't think it could be Sukuyo-- why would she kill one of the chickens if she wants the ghosts to possess them?

[withabigsmile]

Why would any of us kill one of the chickens? I mean, other than to eat it, I guess.

[perpend]

That's been bothering me, too.

Maybe someone was going to eat one?

[withabigsmile]

...That can't be it, can it? The kitchen's closed at night.

[So why the heck was there a dead chicken?]

[housenurse]

I swore when we first got them that I'd never cook the chickens, anyway! It would've made too many people upset to eat beloved pets!

[clearasmud]

But that's not how you perform that kind of ritual in the first place. I know that much.

I'm not sure we should be focusing on the logic behind any ritual too hard.

[housenurse]

... Why would anyone want to frame me?

I'd never be able to get away with a murder in the first place! I'd crumble at the first sign of pressure and give everything up! [it's a family trait tbh]

[clearasmud]

I don't know. Ask them that when we find them.

...Although you seem like a very capable woman.

[ of anything! like murder. ]

[housenurse]

I'm capable of lots of things! But, I'm definitely not the criminal in my family!