trusthell | Take Responsibility.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I don't care why you were born or what you were supposed to do. [Real honesty in her voice.] If you didn't care you would have said that from the start instead of saying you were a delivery god. If all you're saying is true why would you do everything else you did here? Anything else? The party, the comics-

[She shakes her head angrily]

Why did you kill her? You say she offered but what really happened?

... It's true that we agreed to it. Neither of us wanted to leave our lives to chance... we both thought we would rather at least live and die on our own terms.

The games room... we were there beforehand, that much is true. We didn't fight, though, we just played a game of cards... and I gave her that friendship bracelet.

Then we went to the art room... it's one of the emptier rooms, more room to move around. The sword was Mion's, but she didn't have much experience with it, so I disarmed her and stabbed her, and... well, it takes a while for a body to bleed out, so I knocked her out.

After that, I tried to clean up... but I was also looking for Mion's spirit. I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to do it, but I can make a human spirit into a Regalia, a divine weapon, so I thought maybe I could at least use her as a Regalia to cut a path out of here. That's why the games room and her room were messed up.

... What else do you want to know?

[She's... sobering up. Getting answers hurts but at least she's getting them. She won't watch another friend die because of lies to help another person. It's the one thing she will refuse with her entire being.

Except that last bit bothers her.]

If you killed her and won the game you would be free to leave. Why bother making a Regalia to cut your way out in the first place?

[Unless it was for everyone else. Which she thinks is the answer.]

... 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.

[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.]

[ ... He wasn't going to cry but now they're hugging and Lynne is crying and Yato is also crying and he really didn't plan for the conversation to go like this. ]

... Thanks, Lynne. You... stay strong, alright? I believe in you guys, and especially in you.

[GOOD. HE DESERVES IT.

She'll just cling to him until she feels slightly more grounded. This could take a bit. This was the opposite of how she wanted to end this week...]

Of course I will- I'm the best... detective in the world.

Take Responsibility.

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