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

[amygdalae]

[...WELL IT LOOKS LIKE LUNCH WILL HAVE TO WAIT.]

You know there's no penalty here for admitting anything now, right? This isn't a trial. We're not downstairs. We're not going to send you to your death.

[Why even go through this?]

[penduli]

There's nothing to admit to, though.[ A shrug that's far too casual. ]

That's all that happened. I've never lied about anything before, right? There's no way I'd start now.

[amygdalae]

If you haven't then why did Captain Eide go through so much trouble to try and hide evidence about you? Clearly there's something about it that's incriminating you.

[captainobnoxious]

Just that it's his, and it's... the only evidence that hadn't been shown, yet.

[At least she can't really look at Bruce in particular. She knows, she knows and still...]

I thought it'd put him in a bad spot. I didn't want him to lose what he had here, since there's nothing for him back home, and... if he tried to killed Gabriel like I know in my gut he did, then I wouldn't want anyone to think he'd do it again, or to be careful around him.

[She's more willing to talk this time, anyway. Being honest is hard though.]

[amygdalae]

And doing it just puts him in a worse situation than before. [Admittedly Black himself isn't making it any better, but.]

You already went through this once, Sigrun. Are you really so willing to go through this again? [Was Mettaton not enough of a bloody lesson for you?]

[captainobnoxious]

No one's dying this time.

[Without hesitation.]

[amygdalae]

Don't use that as an excuse for your actions.

[captainobnoxious]

You're right, it's not, because even if this was life or death I'd still do this.

[This part of her might be the worst, honestly, but she's... still not looking at him.]

I'm willing to go through with it especially this time because no one's dying. It wouldn't have been a problem if we just swept it away and forgotten it. We could've had a nice Friday and just... eaten, then gone around to our usual places. We didn't have to do this.

[amygdalae]

Black didn't have to do anything either, and look where we are.

[Bruce is just

so done with you people jesus fucking christ

how can you just take people abusing your trust like that, Sigrun, seriously]

[captainobnoxious]

[It's a curse. Really, she's cursed, she's decided that.]

Gabriel didn't die. I would've taken Black aside myself and gotten answers out of him if-- if this whole thing didn't happen, if we didn't have this whatever this is, and I would've handled it.

[penduli]

[ A SHRUG. ]

There's nothing incriminating in those [ ...he has others that are worse. ]

Going by what I'm missing... it's just a list of stuffed animals for everyone and notes on everyone and their titles. That's all. I guess she thought that if everyone saw them, they'd immediately think I was the one who did it since my stuff was left here?

Miss Sigrun's always jumping the gun when to comes to people she loves. You know that.

[amygdalae]

[He does, yes, and he can understand, but all the same.]

Then you could have mentioned it yourself earlier, at any given time. Why didn't you?

[Sigrun had been weird this entire fucking time and they really could have come to this so much quicker.]

[penduli]

Because they're not a big deal, they don't mean anything, and they're not the notes I'm worried about. Simple as that.

[amygdalae]

Not the notes you were worried about?

[Black

Black what are you saying.]

[penduli]

[ haha he did just say that, didn't he. ]

That's right.

[ ...............GOOD LUCK GETTING THAT OUT OF HIM. ]

[captainobnoxious]

[... Sigrun is right there behind him, she's gonna make a grab for his sketchbook.]

[penduli]

[ ...well, there goes his sketchbook, with a panicked expression from Black. ]

Sigrun, give that back!

[amygdalae]

I think we're all going to need to see all of your notes right now.

[Bruce is not really going to take 'no' for an answer at this point.

Just saying.]

[isafraid]

Before.

[He just... c'mon, man.]

Honestly, nothing's gonna happen to ya if you confess. Nothing like what the Kingmaker might have done.

[penduli]

I gave my confession. [ You know. About how he didn't do anything. ] There's nothing else to say.

[isafraid]

[yes, that thing.]

I'll say this much: there's something about this whole thing that doesn't sit well with me, and I don't believe it's only me that feels that way. [As simple as this trial was, it was becoming just as de-energizing as the last.]

Sorry, seems we'll all be sticking around a while longer.

[goodforsomething]

Everyone's lied about something.

[penduli]

Lying by omission isn't the same as actually lying, thankfully.

[notjustawriter]

There's no such thing as a person who never lies.

[penduli]

You're looking at one.