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

[isafraid]

You're spot on there. Founds a couple of blood stains myself, in the game room.

[He almost stepped in them.]

[notjustawriter]

I saw 'em, too.

I don't know if it was enough to be fatal, though.

[sleepingkogoro]

How large were those bloodstains?

[notjustawriter]

Not too big, but there were two of them, and they weren't that far apart from each other.

[capyper]

Was there anything else in there?

[notjustawriter]

It looks like Mion was playing cards with someone. There was a friendship bracelet on the card table that was being used, one of those bracelets from the vending machine.

And this little piece of metal was near it. Don't know what it could be, it's a little too small to figure out what it's from.

[capyper]

That's... sort of a weird set-up, isn't it? I mean, doesn't that mean she was in there before she died?

[notjustawriter]

I think it also means she considered her killer a friend.

[goodforsomething]

Maybe, maybe not! We've only got so many things to bet.

[sleepingkogoro]

That is despicable. The culprit, taking advantage of that...

[Yeah, Mouri isn't happy to hear that theory, but it does make some sense]

Has anyone noticed who Mion got along with?

[capyper]

That doesn't really make sense to me, actually. Because then why wouldn't the killer put the bracelet on?

[notjustawriter]

I never said the bracelet was for the killer. We don't know who it was for.

[capyper]

I guess it could also have been for Mion, huh? Unless whatever happened in the games room is completely separate from what happened in the art room, that is.

[notjustawriter]

I don't think it's separate-- there was blood on the floor. Mion only had the one injury, so that means it's likely someone else was attacked.

[capyper]

Oooh, are we gonna do a strip search now?

[notjustawriter]

[.......]

I think just removing shirts would be enough.

The ladies here can inspect each other. Unless someone has a better idea in which case I'm all ears.

[penduli]

Do we have to? [ THERE ARE WEENIES STILL ALIVE IN THIS COURTROOM, YATO... ]

[captainobnoxious]

[Did someone say strip search?

'Cause Sigrun's already got her jacket off and all, she'll starting pulling up her turtleneck too. Look at that nicely toned belly.]

[ignorantly]

[ Shirazu shrugs off the top half of his shitty jumpsuit, and grabs onto the middle section so it won't drop and expose his undies.

He's got some decent-looking muscle on him, just saying. Also, he's clean. ]

[goodforsomething]

[Stan's wearing his orange prison jumpsuit today, but he unzips the front and shrugs off the shoulders, rolling it down enough to see the white undershirt he's got on beneath. It's clean.]

[notjustawriter]

[Since he's the one who brought it up, Gabriel will strip off his shirt after a few people do it, too.

He's clean.]

[capyper]

[ ... You know, he's the one who brought it up, so Yato supposes he can oblige too... it takes him a while, but once he has the top of his his robes suitably undone, he can go ahead and reveal... yep, nothing. ]

[sleepingkogoro]

[Sure, Gabriel's suggestion works. Mouri obeys and demonstrates he has nothing that could be useful for the trial]

[sleepingkogoro]

Then I don't think it was Sonozaki-san's blood. There were no other wounds other than the one on her thigh, and that wouldn't leave small amounts like the ones you saw.

[isafraid]

If it isn't... then we could very well have an attempt at covering something up.