THIRD TRIAL

[bathymetric]

[ Two bodies this week. As a result, it's a little longer before Mayor Fontaine's voice calls out over the loudspeakers. ]

All right, that'll do, all of you. Get to the bathyspheres. Trial time.

[ There's fewer bathyspheres this week, aren't there? It's starting to get really noticeable. One by one, alone or in pairs, you descend into the depths. The bottom of the seafloor, a place no human life was meant to travel to unassisted. It's dark, until it isn't, the same bio-luminescent slugs as before lighting up the area and revealing the great glass dome in which the trial takes place.

Within, three more podiums have gone dark. They remain empty as you all gather around into the circle.

The projector clicks on, and you see the silhouette of Mayor Fontaine above you. ]

We all know why we're here. Florida Man and Cryptobro got themselves got. Up to you to figure out who did it, or... well, you know by now.

[ Welcome to your third trial. ]

Comments

[sastruga]

Everyone is sad every week. Yelling hasn't helped once.

[allatonce]

I mean. Yelling is kind of how we figured out it was Hodaka.

[sastruga]

Ah, should we start taking turns, then? Yelling at each other until it forces a confession?

[allatonce]

Beats standing here for six hours while everyone pretends to play junior detective and ends up at the same place.

[The yelling's entertaining, at least.]

[hotpaprika]

While it could work, I do not think we should just be pointing fingers at each other. We do not want a repeat of last week.

[He gently looks at Mielle. He doesn't want to outright mention her meltdown but like... it wasn't good!]

[sastruga]

I doubt that it would work at all.

And that's a very good point, Harker-san. We should avoid doing the same thing as last time.

[how can someone make smiling feel so menacing?]

[allatonce]

How very noble of you all.

[Unfortunately, Joy's deeply not intimidated or threatened by Mafuyu. Or anyone else here, really.]

[specialyellthing]

Come on sis, at least everyone's behavin' better.

[sastruga]

It isn't about nobility, but look at it however you wish, Joy-san.

[buriedstar]

Who was the sociopath again?

[allatonce]

Did I ever say I wasn't? Funny, I don't remember that.

[buriedstar]

Well, as long as you admit it.

[sastruga]

About a third of the people here, I think.

[dullshooter]

[Trying to do the math on that one-]

[buriedstar]

[ He's just laughing at this. ]

[inaclearing]

I don't...think it was.

[Brett doesn't really want to be involved with this, but as a guy who was kinda at ground zero for the Hodaka thing...well, he sure wasn't yelling at the boy.]

[allatonce]

Right about when we all started yelling is when he started really going into shock.

[She shrugs.]

So it depends on what you think would have happened otherwise.

[inaclearing]

If we'd been paying closer attention to him at the start...

[Ah. But Brett's own self-blame is really not helpful here and now.]

Nevermind. It doesn't really matter.

[bootyhunter]

Some of us tried and he pushed us away.

[Dandy mulls on that for a moment.]

I don't blame him, though.

He had bad luck and was just lookin' out for himself the only way he knew how.

We shoulda pushed harder.

[inaclearing]

Oh, I didn't mean...

[That was his self-blame, not an attempt to blame others! But this is an entire different murder trial, and Dandy's grieving. He doesn't want to get into this.]

Yeah. I don't know. It's over now.

[bootyhunter]

[That's right.

He is. Grieving, that is. Dandy flinches, whispering softly-]

Is it?

[It's clear by the way his his nose scrunches up that he immediately regrets what's been said.]

Sorry. 'S not relevant.

I'm movin' on now, I promise.

[inaclearing]

[Brett withdraws a little, as he so often does. He picks listlessly at his sandwich and is quiet for a moment.]

...talk later?

[bootyhunter]

Don't need to.

[When Dandy really should be talking, he hardly ever does.]

Don't worry about it.

[inaclearing]

[Well, great, now he's going to worry about it.]

[bootyhunter]

[He smiles, tired.

Dandy doesn't know Brett very well, but he can tell that he is gentle. Well-meaning.]

I said don't worry about it, baby!

[This isn't the first time this has happened.

Not in all the threads and the infinite limitless nature of cosmic streams... All of which Dandy is a part of in some shape or form.]

I'm a big boy. I'll be fine, I promise.