Take Responsibility.

[kingmakereffect]

The elevator doors slide open at the end of the allotted time for investigating, and the ride down is quick-paced and smooth; there's a lot more space in here than there was at the start of the game, that much is obvious. But then, perhaps that's to be expected with almost a third of your original number dead. The doors slide open when the courtroom is reached, the podium circle waiting as always in the middle of what still seems to be an endless dark void; Yato, Taichi and Megumi have joined the ranks of the dead, their podiums draped in black, greyscale portraits set upon them. Watching the proceedings. And as always, they aren't the only ones watching. The Kingmaker waits until everyone is settled at their podiums to begin speaking; it's still impossible to tell where his voice is coming from – other than, perhaps, 'everywhere.' "Protective has been taken from you. Looks like the guilty thought their secret was worth more than her life... Or maybe they just wanted out and decided to be the one to succeed at Rule Seven where everyone else has failed. Whether they succeed or not is up to you." Nineteen Survivors remain. How many are still alive at the end of the day is your decision.

Comments

[amygdalae]

[As usual, its time for Bruce to give his report about his findings on the victim.]

Detective Mouri and Mister Knight have their own findings, so I'll leave those to them. As for my examination of the victim...

[A brief pause. It never gets easier, really, despite the fact that this has happened more than thrice now. But he has to push on - for them, when not for himself.]

The cause of death, if not from extensive injury from her wounds, would most likely be blood loss. There are multiple stab wounds that are notably deep on her chest and abdominal areas, and the damage done to her clothes corresponds to the wounds inflicted on her. I'm no expert, but as far as I can tell the blood splatter on her clothes seem to be consistent from her wounds, too.

...in addition, I also found this in her pockets.

[And at this point he takes out the Kingmaker-given device that he found on Megumi, shows it to everyone and places it on top of his own podium.]

There was nothing else on her besides that device - I made sure to check thoroughly.

[ratingspoint]

[...That's interesting.]

So either the person who killed her put that device back in her pocket, or she was alive to open her own door.

[Given that people are arguing about the bar being the actual crimescene.]

[garudynamic]

She let them in? She KNEW the deadline was coming up... damn it Megumi-san.

[amygdalae]

'Deadline'?

[Bruce doesn't remember there being a 'deadline' of any sorts. Of course, he could easily be wrong.]

[garudynamic]

[Nah, Jess just mis-remembered the incentive]

Well I'd think the Kingmaker would expose them eventually, right? Or what's the point of showing us he had them? Either way, letting someone into your room at night that you don't 100% trust is way too risky!

[amygdalae]

None of us really know why he's hanging it over us, but...

[Yosuke has a point there.]

Still, its hard to say. While we're not going to be exchanging Facebook profiles anytime soon, we have been stuck together for a while now. I wouldn't call us strangers either.

[psychoh]

[for the most part, Norman is able to control his overwhelming urge to know everything about the future, mostly because whenever he asks, it's usually super fucked up.]

... What's a Facebook? [if it's a book made out of faces he's fucking quitting.]

[captainobnoxious]

Maybe it's a book made out of faces.

[amygdalae]

[Oh. Ah.

...also thank you, Sigrun, for being so helpfully informative.]

Its a... website. [Brief pause as he realizes quickly that Norman probably doesn't know what 'website' even means. Or 'internet', for that matter. ...Bruce also doesn't use Facebook at all so this is going to go well.]

Its sort of a thing where people use to talk to each other and share things like pictures and audio. [That's... close enough right.]

...I'll try to explain it better after this.

[This probably requires diagrams and a better explanation when they're not busy solving a murder.]

[notjustawriter]

.....I'm with Norman, the heck's a Facebook?

[amygdalae]

[AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE.]

[pokexplorer]

[The hell is a Facebook.]

While that may be, this was during night time hours. I am not wrong in thinking it would be at least somewhat suspicious to have someone at my door during that time, am I? At least, unless I was expecting them.

[uro_cyon]

All that Facebook is good for is data mining.

[garudynamic]

Facebook? Is that like Tweetster?

[You kids and your MyPlaces and LifeJournals]

[ratingspoint]

Incorrect.

[...Mettaton, can you not- ]

Tell me something, Yosuke-darling - when was a deadline ever announced?

[garudynamic]

Oh point! I kinda just assumed since he held it over us. Still, why would she trust someone to come into her room when it was such a risk?

[ratingspoint]

Maybe she didn't think it was a risk at all! Maybe it was someone she trusted - Cherryblod has been sleeping in my room sometimes, and Sigrun has fallen asleep with me in her room. I could have killed either of them at any time, but I didn't.

[cherryblooded]

[Nod nod.

...Cherryblod, you should look at least a little worried when he says that.]

[captainobnoxious]

[Nod nod!!!

... Sigrun's a light sleeper anyway, and... there was that time she could've killed him is she'd really wanted to too, but it's nothing she'll speak up about.]

[amygdalae]

Personally I'm leaning more to the latter - I didn't look around her room like the others in there did, but I don't recall there being any signs of a fight in there.

[Maybe Mouri or Gabriel or anybody else who had been in the room can confirm this...?]

[notjustawriter]

I agree, it didn't look like any sort of fight occurred in her room. She either was already unconscious when it happened, or she let her attacker in willingly.

[amygdalae]

There's nothing on her clothes that suggested that she was in a scuffle, either. Even if she was taken by surprise, I'd think there had to be some evidence of a fight.

[pokexplorer]

You are right about that, there weren't. It is...very likely that she allowed this person in.

[And he really wishes it wasn't the case.]

[sleepingkogoro]

It may have been somebody she had no reasons to be wary about. That doesn't narrow the field much, though. She was a nice person, I'm sure she wouldn't have rejected anyone.

[Besides opening the door just an inch could have been enough. The culprit just would need to barge in and BAM she dies]

[amygdalae]

We've all been stuck here together for a while already. Even if we don't fully trust each other, we're all not exactly strangers at this point.

[Meaning she could have just opened it for anybody.]