Take Responsibility.

[wordsmithery]

The time allotted for this week's investigation passes fairly briefly, but not easily - what with the state of the body and the things that have been found, the mood is perhaps oddly sobering. Either way, eventually the elevator will be waiting for you at the exit of your floor of choice, bringing you up to the courtroom swiftly and easily. There are so few of you now. Two more portraits have joined the ranks of the dead, watching over the proceedings. Gangrel and Orihime's images watch over you with with eyes that see nothing, all colored in greyscale and set up on their places in the podium circle, black fabric draped over each setting. As always, the lectern remains empty and unaffected by what's happened here. After a while, however, once everyone has found their place in the circle, the Wordsmith can be heard addressing the group, voice audible throughout the room. "Sacrificing one to save many—that is ostensibly why Harmonious is no longer among you. Truly, that is the most pragmatic of options in a situation with no chance of victory. I may even come close to commending such a decision. But I must also wonder if the dead can be said to have been 'saved', when they have passed beyond your reach in all but mere messages. Unless you should wish to follow Harmonious and join them, hold the guilty accountable for their practicality." Eleven Apprentices remain. However many leave this place is up to you.

Comments

[matchbreaker]

I just said there was none!

[ Yet. ]

... But we should probably return to it.

[firstaid]

[Her hands now wrap around her, gripping on to the sleeves of your white dress... that thought... she doesn't like it.]

So... in order to receive the incentive, they chose Orihime... and then you think they chose me to frame since it would have been the easiest give... this last week?

[She shakes her head.]

But... why? I... I don't get it. Why? Who would do this?

[iaspis]

It doesn't make any sense, if it was truly to save the others.

[acherontiastyx]

...I guess. But I kept wondering about if there literally wasn't another way.

You still wind up feeling like shit that you can't do anything, whether it's killing or being killed.

[oyashiromama]

[Hanyuu jumps at that, and she almost bustles over to try and get him down, lest he fall and hurt himself. Ever the mom. His words, though...

She can't do anything but stare at him.]

Silver...

[...There are some apologies to make, she thinks. When this is over.]

[matchbreaker]

What duty?

[feistytrader]

"If none of you invoke Rule Seven by the end of the week, then your departed fellow Apprentices will be completely eradicated."

[...]

You don't think he'd clarify now, would you?

[He doesn't think it means they need to win from the wording, but... Needing to win would make more sense, wouldn't it? The Wordsmith's an ashsole.]

[firstaid]

M-my apologies. I suppose I panicked a bit.

[foundfate]

There's also the possibility that they didn't mean to frame you.

Orihime likes spicy food. It's possible that she made the curry to eat herself.

[firstaid]

Because in the end we would all die here in order to save the others. It's a catch-22 if that ends up being the case...

[acherontiastyx]

...yeah, okay. That still seems really vague and unhelpful, but whatever. That's just been the past couple weeks in a nutshell.

[firstaid]

Did she? I thought she couldn't cook well...

[matchbreaker]

[ Elda...

Elda actually laughs at that. She laughs in a way which isn't quite her evil old lady laugh but it's not far off. She doesn't mean it sarcastically, but it's possible it could come off as such, given the circumstances.

No, she's just so surprised what else could she do?

She even agrees. ]

[tsugomori]

To protect against the Historical Revisionists' attempt to change history.

[matchbreaker]

If anything, it seems more likely he would continue to be silent until this is over.

[matchbreaker]

Honestly. Finding answers out of that man is pulling teeth.

[matchbreaker]

[ Wait, what? When has that ever come up...? Wait- ]

... Like, back home?

[feistytrader]

What do you think would've happened when you died, Hanyuu? Elda loves you! You think she wouldn't have done something crazy out of grief next week?

[tsugomori]

It is.

No matter what you ask, he tries to dodge clarifying anything.

[foundfate]

He probably wouldn't, but it makes sense, in a weird sort of way.

Look at who's left here. We all get along reasonably well, even if we don't talk to each other every day. And we have been working together to find a way out of here. Maybe we're even getting close, and he's starting to panic.

Would any of you kill someone here just for the chance to escape? I think not. So the motive must have been crafted carefully, with the people left here in mind. While I don't think anyone here now would kill just to go home, especially not since we're figuring out more and more of this place as each week passes, I absolutely believe that many people here would kill to save the dead. Especially if they knew that 'death' here wasn't the end of things.

[matchbreaker]

[ WAIT WHOA- DON'T BRING HER INTO THIS??? ]

[tsugomori]

[ Because Mikazuki keeps such things a secret most of the time -- ]

Oh yes.

[matchbreaker]

Truly! Ever have I tried to be civil, and he ignores my every overture!

[oyashiromama]

[...]

That's what stopped me. I couldn't bare to leave her alone...even if I thought it would be temporary.

[foundfate]

There probably were other ways out of this, ways we hadn't thought of. But wondering about the what ifs won't help us now.