Take Responsibility.

[kingmakereffect]

And after a given amount of time, those elevator doors at the end of the first-floor corridor open up; as it was last week, the ride down is smooth and quick-moving, even if there are less of you this week. (Technically, you're only down by one in the elevator; Bruce has ensured that Pearl is with you in some way, albeit unconventionally and by the grace of Ziploc.) However, when the doors open up to the podium circle standing in the middle of that black void of a courtroom, there's no mistaking the fact that there are fewer people present than there were last week – Kamui and Pearl have joined those with podiums draped in black, their framed profile portraits watching the proceedings in shades of grey. It's still impossible to tell exactly where the Kingmaker is watching the proceedings from, though it's obvious that he is; he'll wait until everyone is settled before he speaks, his voice coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. "Devoted has been taken from you. All of you know what the stakes are now, but this happened anyway – looks like someone's determined. Whether they succeed or not is up to you." Twenty-four Survivors remain. We'll see how many are still standing by the end of the day.

Comments

[garudynamic]

[DON'T BLOCK HIM SHRIMPDAD]

[notjustawriter]

Started in the laundry room, continued at the stairwell.

You're right, that's probably the course of events we're lookin' at.

[cherryblooded]

[Not in front of dad, god. Have your teenage hormones somewhere else.]

[wokeupdead]

[thank's for the save, friend.]

[cherryblooded]

[No problem.]

[amygdalae]

I can attest to that.

[Since Bruce, you know, actually picked them up to put in the ziploc bag.]

[prismbloom]

[ Aqua's also wearing white, but she's completely clean--no tears, cuts, injuries etc. ]

[notjustawriter]

Were there any smaller pieces anywhere?

I wonder if they were crushed into dust.

[captainobnoxious]

Unless Pearl took up that way to get the higher ground. The water could even have been her attempt to slow the attacker down, as long as we're throwing theories out there. There's no reason for them just to toss some rocks up there even as a decoy, I'd think they'd just toss them someplace no one goes, like the incinerator. That's all.

PAGING MODS

[prismbloom]

[ like an hour later rip me

is it the handprint the left or right hand? ]

[wokeupdead]

I think Yosuke proved that he found dust in the laundry room. He has a scarf covered in it.

[which is gross, that's her body.]

[lackinginfaith]

[The only white on Caren belongs to the bandages on her hands. Which might be a little torn up from everyday wear, but there are damp traces of suspect dust.]

So?

[notjustawriter]

If the killin' happened in the laundry room, it wouldn't make much sense for the.... for her remains to be moved, would it?

[prismbloom]

If the fight started in the laundry room and ended upstairs, how is it that pieces of her pearl were crushed into dust? I'm not sure it's easy to make powder from a gemstone.

[wokeupdead]

[That........ is super suspect. Lynne will stop for a closer inspection.]

Did you search the laundry room with Yosuke and Aqua earlier?

[notjustawriter]

You'd have to be pretty damn strong, I'd think.

[amygdalae]

Pearls - as in the gemstone - are relatively dense, but not impossible to break. A sledgehammer with enough force might be able to do the trick.

[He's no expert though - this really isn't what he's proficient in.]

[lackinginfaith]

[She stiffens and frowns at Lynne.]

I didn't. I just got out of bed at the siren and saw that everyone was going, so I took some of my things down.

[prismbloom]

[ .... ]

How did the dust get onto your hands, Caren?

[cherryblooded]

You weren't investigating the body with us, either. And if you didn't see the body -

Exactly how did you know that Pearl was killed with a sledgehammer?

[notjustawriter]

....Caren.

[wokeupdead]

[It's a good thing that Lynne has no personal boundaries when it comes to investigating cause she will try to take Caren's hand to turn it over and look closer. How much of a sparkle is there on that dust?]

You didn't handle any of the evidence either, right?

[amygdalae]

[Oh.

Oh.]

...I'd like to know the answer as well, Miss Caren.

[lackinginfaith]

Sigrun was carrying one into the elevator, it wasn't hard to guess.

[captainobnoxious]

[Ooooooooooh.

Ooooh. Is it wrong to want popcorn.]