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

[prismbloom]

We would have lost a friend. There's no way this situation could have been better, unless we all escaped this place.

[pokexplorer]

[Colress doesn't say anything, but stares uneasily at Bruce. Not in a disappointed way, but in a sort of baffled way?

To offer oneself up like that...it's completely ridiculous to him.]

[capyper]

... Well, I guess I can at least go out being proud of one thing. I protected one person from making a bad life decision.

[ ... ]

I wish that's what I had said, though.

[amygdalae]

...

I wish I could say the same thing.

[penduli]

[ Bad luck, huh. ]

Those are my favorite. [ Heh. ] ...Yato, if it means anything, I really am impressed by how many talents you have, and how much you've helped people, and that you've obviously tried very hard to throw off whatever you used to be. One mistake here doesn't mean you've failed completely--I still believe you're a god of fortune. Or a delivery god, whichever you'd prefer to be known as.

[ ... ] And I won't forget you, so I hope you reincarnate like every other god does.

[notjustawriter]

[.........]

I can't say I forgive you, but....

We'll get out of here. I want this bloodshed to end.

[captainobnoxious]

[... She's really pleased to be complimented by a god. It's bad timing, but Sigrun's kind of lighting up.]

It won't. It'll make everyone think I have a higher chance of it, and if there's anything else like this that happens again I'll need an airtight alibi, but I'm going to keep protecting people with these skills like I always have.

[Though... if that means killing someone someday, then it may come to that. But she'll keep that to later.]

Is there anything you'd like me to burn in your honor, God of Fortune? [Yes, she's keeping it.] Or what do you do for your dead? I'll do it with Mion too.

[capyper]

... Well, that would've been the best case scenario, right? Even if Mion had died, she could still have her posthumous life, and... the rest of you could get out.

[notjustawriter]

Don't.... don't be ridiculous.

[amygdalae]

[somehow that just gets out a small, bitter laugh from Bruce]

That's probably the kindest thing anyone has said to me.

[capyper]

... Thank you. I'm glad we met too.

[sleepingkogoro]

Yato-san, if that's what you were trying then your chances were zero since much earlier than you think.

[Mouri doesn't hate Yato, he just dismisses everything because he knows it's senseless to try to beat down some sense if that person doesn't want to listen. Now that Yato is a bit more vulnerable may as well say what he wants to say]

You can't erase in one moment the kindness and love people felt for you during these three weeks. Believe it or not, it's not so simple. People are going to inherently believe in the goodness you have because what is what they have seen. You murdered Sonozaki-san but that doesn't make you stop being friends of some people here.

We may not have talked much but I could see there was certain sincerity in all that. I'll never approve what you did, but I'm not going to label you a monster for that. A monster isn't defined as easily as you wish.

There's simply nothing else to be done. Why you did it or how you did it doesn't matter now, but you do matter. Surely you see it now.

[amygdalae]

Still better than 1 out of the rest of us.

[capyper]

That's fair.

[amygdalae]

I know better than to joke about my own life, detective.

[capyper]

... You guys will manage it. I'm sure you will! A god I know... a far better, more selfless god than me, he once told me this: "Only humans can save other humans".

Gods were only ever meant to support humans. You guys will save each other through your own means.

[captainobnoxious]

And it's the hard, bitter truth. Swallow and deal with it.

[ratingspoint]

One out of two, assuming no one else volunteered outside of you and I.

[...Because really, there's only one reason to call the Kingmaker regarding volunteers.]

[amygdalae]

[just a small wry smile here]

It kind of loses its impact after the first time.

[bloodisthicker]

...I'm sure some people still thought about it, even if they didn't go through with it.

[He just frustratedly smooths his hair back because ggggggod yato why]

Then we would've just lost one person instead of two. But... you really don't have to say that twice, since I can do math.

[cherryblooded]

[Cherryblod looks a lot like someone just punched him in the face.]

[capyper]

You don't have to burn anything, but... do you have altars with offerings to your gods? If it's no trouble... something like that would be nice. Just a small one. And my offerings come cheap, you can just put some vending machine trash there every once in a while!

[wokeupdead]

[You know who are on opposite sides of the courtroom from each other? Lynne and Yato.

You know who is jumping off her stand to run around suddenly all the podiums? Lynne.

Sure, he has some time to brace himself but the second she is over there she whacks him over the head and then hugs him. She feels really impotent because she knows what's going to happen next and she has no way to change it. She hasn't from the first trial. The only option is to vote for the culprit and that's him.

Lynne is publicly crying for the first time in the vault and you're the cause you giant dumb god so just accept the fucking hug.]

[sleepingkogoro]

[Now Mouri looks outright scandalized]

Mettaton, you too were going to...

[amygdalae]

I'm not, I assure you.

[and by now Bruce just sounds... really tired.]