FIRST TRIAL

[bathymetric]

[ After a while, once all the appropriate clues have been found, Mayor Fontaine calls out again over the speakers. ]

Alright, citizens, pack it in quick and head to the back of the Hall of the Founders. You have business to take care of.

[ When they do reach the Bathysphere station, Eleanor is manning the controls, gaze quiet and even over the crowd. The hatch at the front of the strange elevator is open, and everyone is gestured inside. A series of small submerisbles are lined up, waiting to be ridden. ]

Just hop into the bathyspheres one or two at a time, and the system will get you where you need to go.

[ It's a long, cramped ride from here, but Fontaine's word is true. At least you can tune into the radio in the pod?

The bathyspheres take you down until even the few lights of Rapture are out of sight, down until lights of a different kind are visible - the reds and blues of bioluminescent sea creatures, a little too out of your way to make out what they are, blending to a strange sort of not-quite-purple as the bathysphere reaches its final destination: a glass dome built into the sea floor, about the size of an average house.

As one by one the bathyspheres arrive carrying the new citizenry of New Rapture, less natural lights than those of the creatures around you begin to click on in the dome. In the center, most of the space is taken up by a circle of podiums, each with an image of one of you engraved into it.

A projector of some kind kicks on, which combined with the lighting allows for the familiar silhouette of Mayor Fontaine at his chair to appear on the side of the dome, watching over you. ]

Time to do your best to figure out who killed the Diamond in the Rough. And do yourselves a favor: keep it interesting. I'm here if you have any burning inquiries.

[ And here it is.

Welcome to your first trial. ]

Comments

[pairtner]

I do apologize for it, as someone who also was trying to keep secret my nature until a few days ago -- however given the evidence available, it was unavoidable it would come up.

[fuckingguy]

[ He looks mad about it still, but eventually exhales a particularly growly sigh. ]

I suppose that is true. Very well, ask whatsoever you need to know about my vampirism and I will prove that I am innocent.

[pairtner]

Perhaps the most pressing question right now is the status of your fangs, if any.

[Do you have fangs, Nandor? Are they retractable?]

[fuckingguy]

Ah, of course.

[ He opens his mouth, indicating that he does! And they are not! It is one of the many very obvious pieces of visual evidence that Jonathan has missed for two weeks! ]

Good?

[pairtner]

[Aiba seems pretty pleased. Ah, this is pretty decisive!]

I examined the bite mark extensively when I compared it to Adaman's teeth. There were no signs of fangs such as those ones.

[Probably. It's the kind of thing that really would stand out in the description of a bite mark!]

You're most likely not the one who bit him.

[fuckingguy]

I am definitely not the one who bit him, but okay.

[sastruga]

Mm, I think we can definitively rule you out, Nandor-san.

[fuckingguy]

... Thank you for that.

[ Despite it being a statement of (to him, manifestly obvious) fact, he does seem kind of genuinely touched by this, just as he was when Zinda and Misfire advocated for him and I simply did not comment to indicate that. ]

Also, not to go on about it or anything when we should be moving on, but as you can see, I have no reflection. How would I have gone about cleaning myself up?

[sastruga]

I think that would have been very difficult indeed. It may be possible, but it would've been difficult. It just makes it all the more unlikely.

[She nods decisively. She feels confident about this much, at least.]

...Thank you very much for your cooperation. Ruling someone out brings us one step closer to finding our answer.