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

[lackinginfaith]

So was I.

[happysweets]

I know why you did it. But what you did was hardly justice. Not for your people or your sister or for anyone.

You're just a murderer now. And you're one who killed for nothing with this. And one who's gonna die for nothing too. So...

I can't forgive you.

[lackinginfaith]

[Her hand goes to her shell, with the piece of Pearl wedged in beside her own pearl.]

I know that.

[happysweets]

Misa-Misa wanted to be your friend, too...I wanted to help, even if there was nothing I could have done...

[lackinginfaith]

You were always so happy, weren't you? They think it helps. If you think it'll do something, then go ahead. ...I can't complain about you anymore.

[happysweets]

...I never cared that you complained. I just wanted to see you have fun too.

And now I can't.

[lackinginfaith]

I used to be like you.

It was fun.

[happysweets]

Were you?

[ She sighs with her head in her hands... ]

Shame Misa-Misa never got to see it.

[wokeupdead]

[Lynne just nods. She can feel sympathy towards Caren but that doesn't absolve her of her crimes.]

Even if you panicked at being seen there should have been a way to get out of there instead of fighting.

[Although if the story of self defense is true it really makes her worried.]

[happysweets]

She tried to kill. She's not innocent here, even if Pearl isn't either. This wasn't justice, like Sigrun said...

[notjustawriter]

These... these things are complicated.

[happysweets]

Not as much as you would think.

[notjustawriter]

Murder is murder, but the world ain't black and white.

[happysweets]

It's not even just that it's murder, it's...who she killed, and why she killed, and what she was doing, and...

None of it's right.

[notjustawriter]

It's awful.

All of this is awful.

[wokeupdead]

That's right. There's no excuse.

I just wish there was going to be another way to end this. [because there isn't a doubt in her mind what the kingmaker's vote is going to do.]