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

[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?

[kingmakereffect]

That's not important.

[penduli]

Noted. [ ...okay. ]

Are we allowed to ask questions that might be a little personal for you to answer?

[kingmakereffect]

Why don't you try figuring things out on your own first instead? I'm not here to assist you.

[penduli]

I just wanted to know the name of that cat you played with when you were younger, that's all. I made a stuffed one for Glory, but since she's just a collection of your memories... [ a shrug. ] It belongs to you as much as it does her.

[kingmakereffect]

...Cat? What cat?

[penduli]

[ ...oh? Something that isn't "That's not important"? ]

An orange one.

When we first talked, Glory mentioned she used to play with it when she still lived in a big apartment full of people, back in her world—but she told me earlier when I asked about it that that was part of your memories, since she's only an AI. [ Of course—Glory could be lying, but...

anyway. It's something to question. ]

[kingmakereffect]

I never played with an orange cat...

[...]

It's not important. Focus on the trial.

[penduli]

[ ... ]

All right.