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

AGGRESSIVE CAT HERDING

[cherryblooded]

Could we please focus on the trial at hand, and hair colors and the internet later, after we've solved the murder?

[Cherryblod sounds more exasperated than anything else.]

Let's review the timeline of events as well as our pieces of evidence. I'm certain there's plenty we're missing here.

[captainobnoxious]

[Meow meow meow.]

Sorry. [At least she sounds a little sincere there.]

Uh. Knife was stuck in the wall of the bar, alcohol, tables, chairs turned over, and the noise.... the piano was broken bad enough it can't be played. Blood only on the knife and by the entrance. Possibly the last place the killer went.

[She feels like a scolded child.]

[penduli]

[ ...oh. ]

Wouldn't the culprit smell like alcohol if they made such a big mess out of the bar? [ It's a pretty strong, distinctive scent after all.

...especially if you break a lot of bottles?? ]

[captainobnoxious]

Are you telling me I can sniff everyone here?

[penduli]

[ He should just keep his mouth shut. ]

No?

[captainobnoxious]

Awww. I have a good nose, too.

[cherryblooded]

Oh.

[Yeah, that's a good point.]

My nose isn't half bad [animal and all!] so, if you don't mind, I'd like to check that.

[...he says 'if you don't mind' but he's just going to go around and give everyone a sniff without waiting.

Any of you guys smell like alcohol?]

[wokeupdead]

[Not at all with Lynne! She doesn't go to the bar!]

[amygdalae]

[Bruce hasn't even so much as gone near the bar since it became available so no, he's totally clean.

...he might smell a bit like King though but that's because they're sharing a room.]

[cherryblooded]

[Smells like sad bird, got it.]

[garudynamic]

[Nope! Hasn't drank since Taichisplosion]

[psychoh]

[nah, smellin' fresh and clean in his jumpsuit.]

[penduli]

[ ...papa shrimp he just told sigrun no--

but no, not at all. ]

[isafraid]

[Seems like this is the way things are going.

Speedwagon hasn't been drinking since, like, Wednesday with Sigrun. So there's no smell on him.]

[captainobnoxious]

[Sigrun does smell of booze, but she's got her reasons for it.]

I investigated the bar and had a nice counter's worth of alcohol on Wednesday with Black, so if you're smelling anything that's all it is. You can ask him and Misa.

[penduli]

Wednesday's wouldn't have stuck around unless you hadn't showered since then, anyway.




[ ya did bathe, right ]

[cherryblooded]

You're a little too banged up from the fight with Colress and Klinklang to go destroying a piano and carrying Megumi, I think we said? So I'll believe it.

[garudynamic]

Oh! And make sure to sniff their hair really good! If they had time to burn stuff they probably had time to shower and change too.

[uro_cyon]

[Well Aiden's been at the bar a fair bit, he's also pretty meticulous about being clean, so there shouldn't be anything too discernible.]

[cherryblooded]

Thank you, Sigrun.

[And that's sincere too - as... herself as Sigrun is, he knows she wants to solve this murder too.]

If that's the last place they were at, and Megumi showed no signs of putting up a fight, can we assume she was fleeing her attacker?

[captainobnoxious]

Maybe... But then again, I'm not sure. The most blood was in her room. Now that I'm thinking about it, not sure why they couldn't have just punched her in the back of the head and then killed her in her room.

[cherryblooded]

If they did that, they'd have to get an awful lot of blood on themselves to trail it all the way to the incinerator and bar. So whatever happened, it wasn't that.

[wokeupdead]

I think that's the most likely... None of the blood seemed pooled or from dragging in the hallways. I doubt she left her room.

[Which brings it back to someone abused her trust and is Horrible.]

[notjustawriter]

Maybe the incinerator was used to destroy something they were wearing that got covered in blood.

[isafraid]

That's a reasonable idea.

[meow]

I... really don't want to sound rude to the dead, but Miss Megumi didn't strike me as someone that would put up a fight. And against someone that could do that much damage? It couldn't be her first thought.

[Ninja warrior theory aside... Speedwagon sounds rather depressed when he says it.]