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

[fivestagegod]

Not really. It's pretty easy to figure out how to nail things together. Carving's a different story.

[bolderfell]

If you say so. All right. If I was involved, why would I use what was left of the luminol at all? I could've just as easily sprayed it somewhere I knew there wasn't any blood at all.

[fivestagegod]

Because everyone would question why the hell you did that, for one thing.

[I MEAN??]

[bolderfell]

Did anyone even know I knew what this stuff does? Ema showed me two days ago. We obviously wouldn't have it in Orsterra. Please, think.

[fivestagegod]

If you didn't know what it did, why would you have sprayed it at all, or not asked? There were others in the room, from what's being said.

[bolderfell]

Exactly. So I knew how to use it, and I used it, and I found that blood trail, because I want to find the killer, Birkin. It wasn't. Me.

[fivestagegod]

You found something ultimately useless, that would have been obvious to anyone who can put a simple sequence of events together. Unless the point of cleaning up the blood was to get Ema or someone else to use the luminol on something pointless, and not on something we should have been using it on instead.

[bolderfell]

Fine, then if it were me, and I knew how it worked, why wouldn't I have gotten rid of it in the first place? Or lied and said it was empty when I found it? You think I wouldn't be able to hide it away with witnesses around?

[fivestagegod]

Hey, believe it or not, I'm actually not accusing you of anything. I want to believe it's not you as much as the next person. Not because I trust you, or because I like you, but because you're useful.

We've just got to get out all the reasons it wasn't you first, because I'm sorry but "it just wasn't me" isn't going to cut it. You follow?

[mouflon]

But why even leave the luminol there, then? Just so he could use it and say he was helping?

[ Rin sighs out a frustrated, groaning sound. ]

I think we're talking ourselves in circles, at this point...

[reallyhatesharks]

That definitely fell out of Ema's pocket. It was kinda tucked away, neither Anna or I noticed it.

[mouflon]

[ actually— ]

Hey, Therion. I know you said the bottle was empty, but did you bring it?

[bolderfell]

Yeah.

[Rin's right there, so he'll hand it over.]

[reallyhatesharks]

It's more suspicious not to find blood, isn't it? Besides, Anna and I were in the room too.

[bolderfell]

Yeah, and would either of you have blinked if I didn't know what the hell this thing was, or how it worked?

[reallyhatesharks]

I think Ema showed that stuff to everyone, she was so excited about having it.

[emberserker]

But Therion's got a point. He only learned a few days ago, and he rarely tells anyone anything.

[reallyhatesharks]

Okay, in that case: shouldn't he have asked us how to use it? It's weird either way, honestly.

[emberserker]

I'm not saying it isn't him for sure. It could well be. But is he the only one? It doesn't look like that to me.

[reallyhatesharks]

Fair. Birkin hates everyone, so he's just as suspicious.

[lovelikeyou]

Oh, that's not true.

[He doesn't hate EVERYONE! Everyone here. She thinks?]

[nothingcanstop]

...Hating and wanting to get out of here alive are two different things.

[ Tiny Birkin defense(?) squad. ]

[emberserker]

It isn't just him, either. If we're looking for a thief, there's still that one, silent as he is during these things.

[A pointed look at Sly. Sorry, Mr. Cowboy.]

[archboxer]

Right now that is not why we are suspicious of Therion.

[She hates thieves, too, but c'mon.]

[bolderfell]

Never tell anyone anything again, if this is where it gets me.