Take...Responsibility?

[kingmakereffect]

Unlike previous weeks in the Vault, there was no specifically allotted time for investigation; for the first time, this weekend the elevator doors remain closed at the end of the first floor corridor. There's no getting down into the courtroom from here – but then, you don't need to. After all, no one is dead. Just the same, however, a crime has been committed; perhaps not one that warrants any sort of death penalty, but one of your number was attacked by someone else still walking among you. The dining hall has been chosen as the allotted meeting place for the day; it's not the same as the trial circle by a long shot, but even so, the portraits of the deceased watch the proceedings from the far wall. Ten Survivors still remain. Let's see who wanted to lower that number by one – or nine.

Comments

[captainobnoxious]

[...]

You also trusted Mettaton with your life, too.

[just sayin]

[cherryblooded]

...So I did.

[And he slept in his room multiple Thursday nights and never came out worse for it. So as far as he's concerned, it wasn't a bad decision on his part.

Could've been worse, anyway.]

[captainobnoxious]

Mrrr.

[Yes, that's a noise.]

Nevermind. I mean, I trusted him just as much as you did, haven't got much room to talk there.

[cherryblooded]

Are we implying that I have bad taste in who to trust and thus Yosuke is a likely culprit, or are we just causing each other emotional pain for the hell of it?

[captainobnoxious]

[There's the smallest flinch before she's laughing, waving her hand.]

No, no, I'm just saying! That's all! No one's a likely culprit here, Cherry, or I should say everyone's a likely culprit here! There's nothing really special about choking someone and all!

[cherryblooded]

Well, I mean, it probably puts the more experienced of us off the table.

Like you, for example. The chances of you strangling someone, from behind, unsuccessfully, and then panicking are fairly low. I'd like to think I'd do it well or not at all, besides.

[captainobnoxious]

There's a difference in killing a person and killing a troll. Especially at this point, I don't know how many of us wouldn't just chicken out, experienced or not. Panicking's got little to do with it if you just decide it's not worth the risk.

[cherryblooded]

There were books in the hallway, I remember that much. Someone must have knocked them over in their exit.

People who are calm usually don't knock things over, unless they're a klutz, which you aren't.

[goodforsomething]

Yeah, there was a stack of 'em by the door that got knocked over. Which is a stupid place to pile books.

[penduli]

Piling books up instead of putting them away properly is stupid in general.

[ ....he's a hypocrite, he's done the same fucking thing like twice because it's just easier to stack books and put them away later instead of getting up every time you're done with them ]

[sleepingkogoro]

[Somehow Mouri tries to hide the shiny boots Sigrun made him wear. The potential emotional pain is not a good topic when there's a big reminder of the robot they are talking about, right here]

I doubt Hanamura-kun is the culprit. It's true the scene shows traits that would indicate him, but at this point I trust him to not to attempt anything...

...especially because there's no reason to do such a thing. He is not that kind of person.

[cherryblooded]

Are any of us left that kind of person...?

[sleepingkogoro]

...

[Maybe?]

It is possible there is, but...you know what, I wouldn't rule out an outside influence, if you know what I mean.

[Like the Kingmaker, or Glory possessing that weird talisman, or anything like that...]

[cherryblooded]

If the Kingmaker did it, I'd expect him to do it right.

[sleepingkogoro]

Let's remember the way Taichi-kun and Your Majesty died: in ways that involved a corpse not being there anymore. If the Kingmaker was trying to kill someone - and make us go to a trial for it - their usual ways to kill wouldn't be an option.

Especially because it was said we were all slated to die. What better way than a trial impossible to win? One where the ten of us are suspects and nobody is the real culprit?

[Shrug]

What I'm saying is that this could be a plan gone wrong for some reason. Inexperience, most likely. It is not easy to strangle someone.

It doesn't hurt to entertain this possibility, it isn't like we're in danger, either way.

[isafraid]

Not at the moment, no. I wouldn't want to believe that someone would go around and murder again right after this.

[But the thought was out there now. Not much he can do.]

You really think it could be the Kingmaker having a go at a real murder?

[sleepingkogoro]

As I said: it's just a possibility.

It isn't like I found anything worthwhile, just what Pines-san saw and what Bruce-san found about the strangling wounds. Cherryblod-san found that sink in the bathroom but I'm not sure of the significance yet.

If there's no more evidence then I can't say there's proof pointing towards a concrete person here. After all, a throwing knife can be obtained anywhere. The Kingmaker himself has shown to have access to the weapons.

[Notes and motives were given with butterfly knives, and what was with the King was a pike, wasn't it?]

[captainobnoxious]

[-- Well, Sigrun seems to relax a little, grin returning.]

Anyone's fair game, like I said. But Cherry's got a fair point in that the culprit's probably not too experienced in killing others.

[amygdalae]

...its not like its an impossible assumption at this point.

[With Glory's warning and the Kingmaker's apparent silence?? Who knows.

Anyway, to everyone at large:]

Has anybody tried to contact the Kingmaker ever since Tuesday?

[penduli]

Not this week, no. I didn't think he'd have anything to say to people he was apparently deciding to kill off regardless of what we decided to do this week, so I didn't try.

[goodforsomething]

Not me. I got sick of dealin' with him a while ago.

[isafraid]

I barely contact the blighter at all. We never did get off on the right foot.

[garudynamic]

... huh, yeah actually I was talking to Black about that last night- that the KM might only be able to attack us with his own rules.

Like how he could only kill Taichi and the King when they broke rules- uhm... assuming the King was in the kitchen when he wasn't supposed to be.

[he could have literally just called the KM out to do it, but there's no need to say that]

[amygdalae]

[Let's not remind Bruce about King

let's... not...]

[amygdalae]

I don't think Hanamura--Yosuke--did it either. The knives alone would have have been an instant give away.

[Plus... yeah, Yosuke really isn't that kind of person, from as much as Bruce can understand.]