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?

...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?'

[kingmakereffect]

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

[garudynamic]

Love you too.

[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. ]

[garudynamic]

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

[kingmakereffect]

You understand what I'm saying, that's the only important thing.

[u guys r so dumb]

[penduli]

[ he knows they are. all of them. himself included. ]

Thank you for the answer. Can everyone watching understand what we're saying too, or do they need help with that?

[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?

[notjustawriter]

That would make sense, wouldn't it?

[garudynamic]

So yeah, I'm guessing the arcade book has to be either blocked on purpose, or we are...sharing our languages? We can't read something at least one of us doesn't know?

[goodforsomething]

Bruce couldn't read when I used a code without decipherin' it first, though. I knew what I was writin'.

[garudynamic]

Then yeah, it has to be a ...programming thing.

[cherryblooded]

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

[garudynamic]

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

[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.

[goodforsomething]

Chemistry could've just been whatever's got us like that.

[Stan waves a hand at the creepy coffins.]

[cherryblooded]

[A nod.]

The drugs, and everything.

[notjustawriter]

[A thoughtful head tilt.]

It's possible, then, that we're in Germany or Austria, if we're in the world I'm familiar with. Switzerland's a possibility too, I guess, but I think they speak French there, too.

[amygdalae]

There was that book written in German.

[The one that seemed to be science-related.]

[notjustawriter]

Yeah, exactly.

It wasn't automatically translated-- I don't know how that works, but it might point to a location.

[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.