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

[amygdalae]

[Bruce here, to give the report on what their group found.]

The most effective way to summarize what we found in our room is essentially records of previous games similar to this one. Gabriel found a book with some details over who we presume were previous winners, and there was a room further within that had thirteen folders regarding previous participants, judging from the adjectives given to each of them.

[As he says that he taps the stack of folders at his podium, then starts to pass them around for everyone to see.]

The folders themselves have nothing much beyond photographs of each participant attached to them. The only thing of note is the fact that three of them - Visionary, Persevering and Reticent - were explicitly singled out and put aside from the rest of them.

In addition, Stan found what we believe to be the personal items of these previous participants - the parasol, at least, is a match with the one in Regal's picture.

That should be able it, unless Gabriel or Stan has anything to add.

[notjustawriter]

I also found this.

[He lays a smart phone on his podium.]

It has folders number 1 through 27, but every one of them is blank. Whoever used it before wiped the information.

[.....]

The book's hand-written, too. It's not typed or anything like that.

[amygdalae]

Its weird that the phone was blank, though.

[Why even leave it there at all?]

[notjustawriter]

I thought so, too.

It also can't make any calls.

[cherryblooded]

It doesn't need to, if it's the Kingmaker's, since he doesn't call us.

[goodforsomething]

Yeah, most of this stuff seems like it could be from anyplace...some of it might be identifiable. Anyone know what this is?

[He holds up a Pokedex.]

We've also got a - [He squints at what appears to be a figure of an anime catgirl.] - "Mew Mew Kissy Cutie" toy? And this big anchor thing.

[He is wearing the Mega Anchor around his neck, because of course he is.]

[garudynamic]

'Mew Mew Kissy'? It's a figma, but I've never heard of it... erm... it's not really my kinda show though so. [Shrug]

[goodforsomething]

[Stan shrugs.]

I wouldn't know if it was from my world or not. Mabel doesn't watch anything like that.

[garudynamic]

It might have a distributor's mark on it, but yeah, none of us here probably have that kinda nerd-knowledge to know for sure either way.

[pokexplorer]

[Colress' attention immediately snaps to the Pokedex.

He isn't 100% sure at first, but...]

Mr. Pines, could you pass me that device? I would like to have a closer look.

[goodforsomething]

Yeah, here. [Passing it to Bruce to hand over.] It still turns on. I messed with it a little, couldn't find anything in there.

[amygdalae]

[Bruce hands it over.]

It's nothing like what my own world would have, so I'm pretty stuck myself.

[Can you make it work, Colress...]

[captainobnoxious]

[...]

It's kinda cute. Can I have it?

[goodforsomething]

Sure, it's yours!

[Stan tosses the figure across the circle.]

[captainobnoxious]

[Oh hell yes, she gets a cute figma of a catgirl, her day's improved. Minorly.]

[sleepingkogoro]

Only thirteen people? Could it be possible you didn't find all of the folders?

[He doesn't see Glory, there is no Ambitious...]

[notjustawriter]

The profiles in this journal don't match with what Stan and Bruce found.

[...Please get what he's implying.]

[captainobnoxious]

[-- Oh holy shit she actually recognizes one of these.

Holy shit, Mettaton would've fucking killed Kingmaker if he knew, holy shit.]

This-- I know this person!

[She's holding up Reticent's folder, annoyance clear.]

This is Dr. Alphys. Mettaton's creator. He drew her once for me.

[... And she was in a fair amount of the pages of his sketchbook along with Napstablook after she searched his room, but that's a secret.]

[cherryblooded]

[Well now he's paying attention to that one-]

Oh, she's cute.

...And also probably dead...

[garudynamic]

Mettaton's mom is a raptor?

[Yosuke, I am seriously starting to wonder if you know what a raptor is at all.]

[cherryblooded]

Or some other type of dinosaur.

[amygdalae]

[Wow, Cherryblod.]

I heard about her before too.

[He certainly didn't expect to... well, see her like this, though.]

She was singled out along with the other two. Why was that?

[captainobnoxious]

She's very cute, and very powerful. Good with technology and magic, but she doesn't like to fight.

[...]

If she's not, then I'll have to apologize to her for Mettaton.

[She means in Mettaton's place, but it could very well mean apologizing for the fact he's dead, which is great.]

[sleepingkogoro]

No way!

[Mouri is definitely going to lean forward to take a look at Reticent]

...huh. Doesn't look like I expected Mettaton-kun's creator to look like. I thought she'd look more like a mad scientist, not...

[Not this slightly cowering creature. Welp]

[captainobnoxious]

She lived in a volcano. Does that help?