Take Responsibility.

[wordsmithery]

The time allotted for investigation this week is a bit longer than normal - not due to anything done wrong on the part of the Apprentices, but perhaps due to a basic understanding that two corpses are going to be decidedly more difficult to handle than one. However, at the end of the time period you've been given, the elevator is waiting for you, as cold and sterile as always in its journey up to the courtroom; you're down to almost half of your original number, and if anything is going to indicate that this shows no signs of stopping, it's probably this week. The deceased have had three more join their numbers since you were here last - Gold, Varric, and Viktor's portraits have been greyed-out and set atop their spots in the podium circle, the podiums themselves draped in black fabric. As always, the lectern above stands empty. Whether he's with you or not, however, once everyone has found their place in the circle, the Wordsmith's voice can be heard throughout the room. "Welcome back. Two more Apprentices are missing from your number today, and I have little doubt that weighs heavily on your minds. Balanced and Capricious have been lost to you, so that the guilty may have a chance to leave the academy and possibly even gain something otherwise impossible to attain. If you wish for your fallen Apprentices to receive justice in death, then you know what to do: yet again, hold the guilty accountable." Sixteen Apprentices remain. However many leave here at the end of the day has yet to be seen.

Comments

[oyashiromama]

[...Unlike the others, Hanyuu doesn't look...surprised. Instead, she looks pained, resigned.]

You...too, is that right? [No...] A demon...would of course have...another form.

[deofoled]

Not another form, this is who he really is. Or who he used to be.

[oyashiromama]

Who Lieze saved him from.

[matchbreaker]

[ . . . What?

She doesn't know any of this backstory, but Elda's shifting closer to Hanyuu now. Half to ground herself - okay, no, mostly that, all but leaning on her ]

[oyashiromama]

[...She can but Hanyuu's...sort of tense right now. Tense and...gripping her podium.]

[matchbreaker]

[ tbh she expected that, given she's missing something here.

It's okay, she'll just stay here unless shoved off because she's selfish. ]

[plegia]

[...With the red hair and everything he can absolutely see how Killia looked at him and was reminded of himself...]

Killia— Killidia. Why did you frame me?

[The words are a bit cautious, uncertain. He has no idea how to approach this and it's obvious.]

[iaspis]

Gangrel....

[Now she's feeling bad she ever doubted him, um]

[plegia]

Don't...

[He's gripping the sides of his podium tightly now and he won't turn to look at her. He doesn't know how to end that, though.]

[iaspis]

[She's just. Going to cautiously put a massive hand on his shoulder, half expecting him to bat her away.]

[plegia]

[He kind of wants to. He moves like he's going to, but then... Then he drops his hand back to the podium. He doesn't really care enough to get her to stop right now.

(That's what he tells himself, anyway. She can probably feel that he's shaking a bit.)]

[deofoled]

[ Oh hey there Gangrel, he likes you.]

I didn't. He was trying to eat the creampuffs to hold me back.

[plegia]

...So it was just a coincidence. Just a stupid, stupid coincidence...

[And for some strange reason, that's a relief.]

[deofoled]

We both like you.

[ Congrats Gangrel???]

[plegia]

...Because I'm similar to you, right?

[He's sort of smirking, but it's very obviously just because he doesn't know what to do with his face.]

I'm closer to a demon than most of the people here.

[deofoled]

Right, you get it.

...not that I wouldn't kill you.

[plegia]

Oh, I know. I'm not stupid enough to believe otherwise.

[He waves a hand as if to dismiss it.]

Tell Killia I'll miss sparring with him.

[...can you and killia talk?? hell if he knows.]

[deofoled]

He can hear you. He can hear everything just like I did.