Take Responsibility.

[antitrust]

After a while, 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; it's not as bad as it was last week, but again, there are decidedly fewer of them than there were last time. The podium circle has changed once again, with Rick, Tabby and Sukuyo joining the ranks of the deceased, their podiums draped with black cloth and adorned with greyscale photographs. The shadows are quiet down in the darkness of the pit; for the time being, it's hard to say what the pit itself looks like after the explosion last week. One way or another, we'll find out by the end of the day. As usual, the proceedings are being watched from behind that panel of glass behind podium 30; he'll speak as soon as everyone has found their place in the circle. "Familial has been taken from you. Regardless of what her affiliation was – whether she was with me or the lot of you – you know what you have to do by now. 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." Ten Participants remain. However many more we lose today is up to you.

Comments

[announcemyvictory]

What on earth are you talking about, Blue? Is this another game?

[withabigsmile]

Nope! Sorry. No jokes this time.

Sukuyo couldn't have written those letters because I'm the mole.

[perpend]

[......]

I see. Thank you for coming clean with us, Blue.

[withabigsmile]

There's no point in keeping it a secret at the risk of our lives, right?

[perpend]

You're right.

We'll solve this. We always do.

[announcemyvictory]

[Something catches in Elise's breath. She looks across the Conductor's window to Blue.]

So you've been working for Mr. Conductor, then. And that's what makes you sure she's been framed?

[withabigsmile]

Well, she couldn't feel guilty about being the mole if she wasn't one, right?

[announcemyvictory]

That's true, and Mr. Conductor did expose all of us as options.

[icysemblance]

You -

[Goddammit, this isn't happening.]

- where's the proof?

[She doesn't want to believe this.]

[withabigsmile]

You know, it's a pretty lousy thing for me to say after something like that, but...

Trust me, alright? Or if you really need to, I guess you could ask Mister Conductor himself.

conductor!

[icysemblance]

[She slams a hand down on the podium. This can't be right.]

...you're not just saying this to cover for someone. Observant, she's - she's not, right?

[antitrust]

[...That title is catching on, isn't it.]

Well, she isn't lying.

[icysemblance]

[...well, fuck.]

...I see.

[openterrain]

[ There's that tricky wording again. ]

... Observant, was there more than one mole?

[antitrust]

[And that gets a light laugh out of him, actually; it's not a particularly nice sound.]

Did you really think I would be stupid enough to rely on the word of one person?

[announcemyvictory]

[One on his left. One on his right.

Elise turns slowly.]

Mr. Conductor, you've been interfering a lot lately. Is it because you think we're not worth saving, now? That's a little strange, given what you told me before!

[withabigsmile]

[...ACTUALLY YES]

[openterrain]

[ ....... ]

Shit.

[ You sneaky son of a bitch. ]

[blazeit]

[ uwu ]

[openterrain]

Damnit, Blue.

[ He'd really been hoping it wasn't you, but somehow he's not surprised at all. ]

You realize that makes you and Elise seem even more suspicious, right?

[withabigsmile]

And how do we look more suspicious?

[Elise, maybe, but if anything, this had to be done by someone that wasn't her at this point.]

[ninehundredlives]

Good to know.

[Goddammit, she knew it.

...well, okay, the only reason she thought Blue more suspicious than the others was because she liked her less. So that doesn't really count.]

So why would someone frame her? Your life is on the line too - they should have known you'd confess.

[blazeit]

I can think of a few possibilities. The murderer really thought Sukuyo was the mole, maybe. Or they wanted to throw suspicion at the two other people the Conductor threw under the bus.

[withabigsmile]

I don't know. Maybe they genuinely thought Sukuyo was the mole.

[Maybe they hoped that she'd be killed next. Who knows?]

[ninehundredlives]

I can't imagine how they'd come to that conclusion.

[She doesn't really sound like she's disagreeing though. Just...really questioning the murderer's logic there.]