trusthell | Taking Responsibility.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

When you hate yourself enough, its easy enough to do anything if you believe it would mean something better.

[As we all remember what dumb thing Bruce attempted to do before.]

[Stan remembers that conversation they had more than anything, but doesn't give any sign of it in front of the others.]

Takin' advantage of a friend with problems...it woulda been child's play.

...I can't believe I ever thought Mettaton-kun wasn't so bad.

[Yeah, that is still kind of sore]

Don't feel too bad. He told me I'm the kinda guy he'd have worked with, back home.

[Which, right now, is rather sickening.]

It's tough to imagine anyone like that at first. That's what reading people comes down to.

[And sometimes he hates it.]

... Can we not talk badly about him right now?

[A quiet request. They can later, but right now Sigrun has her own feelings on the matter to deal with.]