Taking Responsibility.

[kingmakereffect]

And a while after that strange, dark floor is accessed, after you've had time to look things over and get some idea of what's happening...well. There won't be any sort of official announcement to tell you to get downstairs, nor will there be a personal invitation for you to do so. Instead, the doors at the end of the corridor (were they there before? You find that you don't remember. It doesn't matter anymore, though-) slide open, as they always do, and the elevator ride to the courtroom is probably the first familiar thing that's happened all day. It's smooth and quick, though it seems to take a bit longer than it usually does. And when the doors open at the end of the line, the courtroom looks different. The dark, weirdly cylindrical room is largely the same in and of itself, but the usual twenty-seven podium circle is gone; instead, there's a smaller setup in the center of the room - ten podiums total, and you'll likely find the way your spots have been distributed to be very familiar indeed. Of further notice is the balcony - there's a structure that wasn't there before in view of the courtroom, situated high above, barred-in by a railing that'd probably be at about waist-height on your average person; there's no one up there just yet, however. There are so few of you now. It seems that today there are no speeches to give; maybe the Kingmaker is absent, maybe he just doesn' have anything to say. Either way, however, the implication in the fact that you're here at all is clear. For one last time, make the guilty take responsibility.

Comments

[garudynamic]

Yeah, we still have a lot of items we don't really understand.

[goodforsomething]

That book I found makes a lot more sense now - us not bein' in as much danger as we thought, and bein' watched.

[garudynamic]

I still have the arcade book- we still haven't even been able to READ it.

[goodforsomething]

Yeah, what the hell's with that? You think the viewin' audience can?

[cherryblooded]

Bruce said it was in... something he sort of recognized but couldn't read.

...KM page? he's mostly just being a shit

[garudynamic]

Maybe? I mean, it's almost like this language specifically is blocked by our translation... thing.

Hey, KM! Let me guess, knowing how that works 'isn't important?'

[captainobnoxious]

[Surely it will get passed over somehow, Cherry, have at it.]

[sleepingkogoro]

Now that I think about it, wouldn't it be likely Glory was the one to leave all those items around? She was in charge of keeping the Vault in order and all that.

It is part of the Kingmaker's game, so it is possible they hold some sort of vital clue for us.

[garudynamic]

Yeah, that still doesn't make sense. It has to be on purpose.

[kingmakereffect]

[in the driest tone imaginable:] Congratulations, you answered your own question.

[notjustawriter]

[Yup, Gabriel will gladly pass it on over.]

paging kingmaker!

[cherryblooded]

[Hm. Hmmmmmm.]

If we're in a virtual reality, and evidence points to yes, then Ambitious certainly isn't a ghost. But he's not a survivor in this round like the rest of us - he's a former victor.

And given that this is a show... Hm.

Gracious Kingmaker, are you currently in cooperation with Ambitious?

[garudynamic]

Love you too.

[captainobnoxious]

[Sigrun messes with the figure for a moment, thinking herself.]

... Maybe some of them belong to past winners?

[kingmakereffect]

Absolutely not.

[WELL NOW HE JUST SOUNDS REALLY OFFENDED]

[cherryblooded]

It's a valid question, no need to be hissy about it.

[penduli]

[ ...mmm. ]

They're probably people who were important to him somehow, or were his peers in his round?

[captainobnoxious]

You two really didn't get along, did you. I'd really like to meet this Ambitious guy if he gets your goat so much.

[garudynamic]

[After being a little shit to the KM:]

Actually, this being VR would explain the translation on it's own: odds are we're basically sharing thoughts. Probably why we 'hear' everyone in our base languages?

[goodforsomething]

Aw, so I took all his sentimental trinkets?

[He sounds so sorry

so

sorry]

[penduli]

[ snort.

sorry yosuke, what were you expecting— anyway. ]

Is it important to know what languages you speak, Kingmaker?

[ ...this is the first time he's speaking to him since Wednesday night. Hi, KM, how's it going overseeing the stupidest group you've ever had. ]

[kingmakereffect]

Good luck with that. He's dead.

[notjustawriter]

Makes me wonder about that one book, the one in German-- the one that was talking about chemistry and changing things around. I couldn't understand much, but obviously it's gotta have something to do with whatever this is.

[sleepingkogoro]

Are you, by any chance...

...Vainglorious?

[The Kingmaker must be either Vainglorious or Observant, in Mouri's opinion. Both fit pretty well in the position, being a sadist and a sociopath. If he isn't one then he is the other]

[garudynamic]

[Look, you gotta get your jabs where you can]