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]

The radar's broken. And even if our worlds weren't destroyed, that still wouldn't do Noel any favours.

[prismbloom]

Is Noel the person you wanted to see?

[ The answer's pretty obvious, but she says it softly, more curious than anything. ]

[lackinginfaith]

My sister. I heard she was captured trying to escape, that another target was with her, but she got free and just let Noel be taken.

[prismbloom]

And you couldn't sit idly by with that knowledge.

[lackinginfaith]

It was up to me and no one else. There's no one I could trust. Not here or in my own world.

...I'm sorry.

[prismbloom]

...

[ Murder is unforgivable. Aqua knows it, everyone does. That's why they're doing this, right? To make the guilty take responsibility. It's harder, when it's a friend...

She pulls her wayfinder from her pocket. ]

I'm glad we met, Caren. Even if it ends like this.

[lackinginfaith]

...

[Caren touches her pendant again and looks away.]

Get everyone out of here, Aqua. I know you believe in them.

[prismbloom]

I promise I'll do my best.