FOURTH TRIAL

[bathymetric]

Alright, that's quite enough time. Move along towards the trial, if you would all be so kind. You know what's coming.

[ It's routine by now - go to the vault door, get let into the elevator by Angel, head down to the trial room... it's hard not to notice the losses on the ride down by now, though. Your numbers are starting to really dwindle, even if you're often spread out enough not to notice as much normally. The trial room and its podiums, too, seem more than ready and willing to remind you of the same. The red glow of the empty spaces is constant, potentially unnerving. ]

Remember that as there are two victims to consider, up to two votes may be counted at the end of proceedings. As always, I am but a direct address away, however rude you choose to make it.

Find the party or parties responsible for the deaths of your comrades. And to those parties: Good luck.

[ The screens rise!

Welcome to your fourth trial. ]

Comments

[philoxenia]

[ ..... ]

The, ah-- the poisons in the garden... Could they have been used? Not on Shelley, but...

[archboxer]

The poisons? I am afraid I do not follow... what would they have been used on?

[philoxenia]

I don't know anything about how they're used, but... could the tool there have been sort of... coated in them?

[bogwife]

[Oh, oh, she sees where you're going with this, Mira!]

It's a possibility. Poison coated weapons are common where I'm from and they're not difficult to make if you're careful and know what types to use.

[archboxer]

Certainly a possibility but did we have any evidence to suggest anything was taken from the gardens?

[philoxenia]

That's... true. I didn't think to look in the gardens.

[archboxer]

Certain plants have poisonous sap, yes, and others you can grind but we would have noticed plants taken from the garden, I think.

[bogwife]

Not if they only took a little at a time. A few leaves missing here, a broken stalk, those would be easy to miss even if people were paying close attention all week.

[Poison coating weapons is a premeditated act after all.]

[archboxer]

That is true but... Hm. I feel that poison does not quite fit somehow... a single strike can kill without it.

[bogwife]

That's true...poisoning it would just be overkill. [And she doesn't think any of them are that kind of rogue.]

[mouflon]

And you think... What? Maybe that the reason a single strike incapacitated her was poison?

[philoxenia]

I'm not sure what I think, aside from hoping we can rule something out.

[fivestagegod]

Hit hard enough and in a vital enough location, and a single strike can definitely kill without poison being involved.

[mouflon]

That's fair. Like Rhea says, though, you don't need poison to kill like that. We're better off focusing on what evidence we do have, instead of speculating on things that might have been there.

[ Rin can't believe they're agreeing like this?? gross ]