Take Responsibility.

[kingmakereffect]

For the third time, those elevator doors at the end of the first-floor corridor open up at the end of the allotted investigation period; the ride down is, as ever, smooth and quick-moving. You're down by five. When the doors slide open, the podium circle still stands in stark contrast to that now-familiar black void of a courtroom, and once again, it's changed to reflect your losses – Caren and Mion have joined those with podiums draped in black, their framed greyscale profile portraits staring out at the rest of you. (The portrait of Pearl hasn't been removed from her room, but it seems the Kingmaker has replaced it with another; either way, her photograph is in the courtroom along with the rest.) As before, the Kingmaker waits until everyone is settled at their podiums before he speaks; he still isn't visible, but he can clearly be heard, his voice coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. "Capable has been taken from you. I'll confirm one thing for you so no one will waste time asking – the killer wasn't me. Looks like the guilty decided to take a shot at Rule Seven after all – and whether they succeed or not is up to you." Twenty-two Survivors remain. We'll see how many the group has lost at the end of the day.

Comments

[ignorantly]

And who's good at tying knots.

[cherryblooded]

...She's not going to take offense now.

[wokeupdead]

[rude! she could totally lift that much!]

[garudynamic]

[Almost over your head, Lynne? Long enough to string her up?]

[happysweets]

Oh thank goodness! How can we narrow it down, though? There must be some way to make what we're looking for easier...

[wokeupdead]

[...not in the short amount of time allotted.]

[bloodisthicker]

And we can thank whoever it was that decided to kill her for that. Granted, we don't know if anyone would've actually done that, and it's not like the Kingmaker gave us a down to the hour deadline...

[...]

...pun absolutely not intended.

[amygdalae]

I would be able to do most of those, but I'm not as strong as I look - carrying the victim quickly for one would be rather beyond me.

[he's not really made of muscle.

Also his profile has violence as a dislike so.]

[garudynamic]

[There ya go]

Any of us that are close to her size would have a harder time since she'd drag. If it's one of us smaller people we'd have to be pretty strong just to counter how awkward moving her and using the rope at the same time. Not Impossible, probably. But hard to do fast.

[garudynamic]

... wait. Do we know it was only one person?

[ratingspoint]

...I think someone would have, sweetheart.

[happysweets]

Why would there be an accomplice?

[cherryblooded]

She's five foot four, so... about how much taller would you have to be to make things easier? We have people up to the six foot range.

[uro_cyon]

I don't think being a vigilante automatically means I could do that. But you're not wrong.

[sleepingkogoro]

Are you suggesting there may have been an accomplice?

[Adult stare again, condescension onwards!]

Idiot! If there had been more than one person involved we would have found some clue pointing that already! The more people in the crime the less likely it is to get away with it without leaving evidence!

[amygdalae]

Would the accomplice benefit in the first place?

[bloodisthicker]

[...

hm.]

You know, Yato, I don't believe Sigrun got to you during the first trial, when things descended into utter insanity and somehow managed to reveal who the killer was anyway.

Forgive my lack of familiarity with the divine, but do gods bleed normally, or...?

[garudynamic]

To avoid one us getting killed randomly. Like usually it'd make no sense since only the killer can escape. But this incentive changes things up. I doubt it's the case, but it's not impossible either.

[garudynamic]

Yeah, the issue is the accomplice would end up killed with the rest of us

[happysweets]

Probably not, since letting the culprit get away with it means they die too, right?

[garudynamic]

Yeah, no, it's pretty unlikely. It would make it easier to move her... but I doubt any of us would risk getting killed in the trial.

HEY MODS.... AGAIN.

[captainobnoxious]

[don't you just love hearing from me--

Sigrun'll take it out of its bag, because why not, and try to figure out what the hell is this thing.

What's its shape. What's its luster. Does it have sentimental value, can it take care of its kids in these troubling economical times. All the details, because we're a group of certified dumbasses.]

[bloodisthicker]

There's a time and a place for them, you know. If you start flexing during a eulogy you're not going to be able to look at the newspaper for weeks.

[amygdalae]

I doubt that most people would be willing to give up their life like this.

[happysweets]

I guess we should make sure we cover all our bases, if nothing else!