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

[captainobnoxious]

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

[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?

[kingmakereffect]

Absolutely not.

[WELL NOW HE JUST SOUNDS REALLY OFFENDED]

[cherryblooded]

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

[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.

[kingmakereffect]

Good luck with that. He's dead.

[captainobnoxious]

And what's keeping us from just contacting the supposed dead, Kingmaker?

[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]

[kingmakereffect]

Why would you think that...?

[.........]

No, I'm not.

[goodforsomething]

Are ya Pretentious? 'Cause I like ya for Pretentious.

[kingmakereffect]

I've never liked that title. It doesn't suit me at all. I'm not pretentious.

[He sounds pretty put-out. What a godawful title.]

[cherryblooded]

Pretentious people usually say things like that.

So. Serial murderer.

[goodforsomething]

Ohhhhh my god, you are Pretentious!

[He means it both ways - title and adjective]

[amygdalae]

With his successive title being 'Kingmaker', I'm frankly not surprised.

[notjustawriter]

....Well, that accounts for two of the four, don't it?

[sleepingkogoro]

If that is correct then...hmmm...

The former King is thrown away by the new King, according to Black-kun's notes. The Kingmaker here doesn't seem to like Ambitious very much.

I suppose it's not much of a stretch to think something happened to Ambitious and a certain Kingmaker is to blame.

[goodforsomething]

Inspector, please! Use the man's title!

[penduli]

The new king can do whatever they want with the old king. If Pretentious and Ambitious didn't get along, I'd assume he was disposed of, yes.

[ .....yes he's going to start using that title instead of Kingmaker now, it's suitable. ]

[notjustawriter]

[Hmmmm.]

So it sounds like Ambitious tried to do something to the Kingmaker, or vice versa.

If the Kingmaker was from the game before ours, maybe he tried to take over for Ambitious, and Ambitious, being a warmonger, didn't take kindly to it?

[captainobnoxious]

From the definition I heard from Black earlier, it's really suiting.

[...]

Say, you mind if I ask you a few questions, sweetheart? [It's the most Mettaton sweetheart she's ever given. So insincere.] They'll be important ones, I promise.

[kingmakereffect]

That depends. Are they as pointless as most of the others you've asked?

[captainobnoxious]

No, no, these have a point.

A point I was kind of mad about before, but you know what? Could be pretty useful, seeing as what I know about you already.

[Black might know where she's going with this, seeing as he's doing it himself now.]

Glory told us she's basically made up of the memories you have. And I've talked to you and her a fair amount in the time we've spent together, so it's just about that. Would you personally consider it pointless to ask?

[She's giving him a fair chance about it. She'll probably ask anyway.]

[cherryblooded]

Why wouldn't we? If we were still running on the premise of this being real murder, then we'd still be running on the idea of the victor of one game hosting the next.

I'm leaning towards 'Pretentious' myself, but Vainglorious is a bit more flattering.

[sleepingkogoro]

It fits you rather well.

[Mouri is actually smirking. So much contempt for you, Kingmaker.

But he is kind of worried about the 'no, i'm not' part. Chances are the Kingmaker is Observant, what with that person being high priority along Ambitious and being the last of the list]