Take Responsibility.

[kingmakereffect]

The allotted time for investigating comes to an end, and those elevator doors slide open at the end of the first-floor corridor; it's a bit of a walk down from the fifth floor, but at least the ride down is swift and smooth. To say nothing of spacious. Your numbers are running low. The podium circle, as always, stands out against the black-walled courtroom where it's encircling that pit in the center; Mettaton and Shirazu have joined the ranks of the deceased, photographs in greyscale watching the proceedings from their podiums draped in black. The Kingmaker, too, is watching all of you; as always, it isn't until everyone has settled at their podium that he speaks, his voice sounding out through the room for all to hear. "Sacrificial has been taken from you. Maybe this time the guilty party is going to actually succeed at Rule Seven - but of course, whether they manage it is still up to the rest of you." Eleven Survivors remain. How many are still standing by the end of the day is up to you.

Comments

[captainobnoxious]

[It isn't easy to keep her eyes off the space where Mettaton would've lounged, but she's had a week to steel herself for and she manages. She's also about four inches taller with the most bitchin' stiletto heels this side of the vault.

(She's never regretted anything more in her entire life.)]

Riiiight, so, where do we begin. Because Stan and I can say with total certainty that whatever went down started in the arcade. And whoever did it had the mind to clean up, too, 'cause it smelled like vinegar and apparently you can use that to clean bloodstains.

[You learn something new every time someone dies.

... There's also the strange, metal electronic device that has seen better days, but you know. If she's learned anything it's that putting too much forward only convolutes things.]

[notjustawriter]

...Vinegar? That's kind of a strange thing to try to clean up blood with. Guess it was all the murderer was able to find.

[captainobnoxious]

I'd agree, but I don't know how many of us carry it on hand for one and two, there's cleaning supplies on the way up. Why not just take one of those? It wouldn't have made much difference though, both stink.

[pokexplorer]

Hmm. You would describe the smell of vinegar to be rather pungent, correct?

[Colress pulls out several bottles that he gathered during his investigation.]

I had a feeling that some chemicals may have been at play here, so I paid a visit to the chemistry lab. A few bottles from the wall have been nearly emptied since I last took stock: iodine, ammonia, and acetic acid.

The latter may be of importance for this bit.

[sleepingkogoro]

I don't know much about chemistry, but I don't think purple haze happens unless there's some serious work to create it. Maybe those chemicals were used in the bomb.

[notjustawriter]

[Gabriel looks surprised.]

That iodine you found... is it liquid, or is it a bunch of crystals?

[captainobnoxious]

[..... Colress.

Look at her. Look at her.]

It was really strong and gross, yeah. Are those strong and gross smells too?

[amygdalae]

[--wait what.]

Did you say iodine and ammonia?

paging mods

[cherryblooded]

[She may not be bringing it up, but Cherryblod is literally right next to her, and he's got (damp) largish pieces of an electronic thing that he doesn't recognize, so don't mind if he swipes the electronic from her podium to compare to his pieces.

Do they look like they're from the same thing?]

[trustharder]

[Yes!]

[cherryblooded]

[Progress!

Also, there weren't any buttons on the device itself. Are there buttons on his pieces? 'Cause usually electronics have some way to control them.]

[trustharder]

[They normally do, yes, but there aren't any buttons on your pieces either.]

[sleepingkogoro]

If the victim died in the Arcade then it is doubtful Shirazu-kun was killed with the bomb. Speedwagon-san and I found pieces of a machine of sorts - I think it is a machine - which seems to be the cause of the haze and the explosion, and that can only have happened in the sauna.

Any ideas what the real cause of death could be, anyone?

[notjustawriter]

I have an idea. I found this in the chapel, taped up under one of the pews.

[It's a bloody knife. The blood on the blade is dried, but it sure looks like it could be the murder weapon.]

[cherryblooded]

At least we're getting slightly more creative about disposing of evidence.

[amygdalae]

The body had a stab wound on the right shoulder. That's probably where the knife comes into play.

[WITH THAT SAID...]

The wound itself, however, was not fatal. It didn't hit any major areas of the body, or any important vessels and nerves.

[captainobnoxious]

So more like to disable, then? Or stun.

[... Though she doesn't see why, if there's a goddamn bomb in play.]

[isafraid]

It's bloody something! Whatever it was, it was crackling and popping like mad. Released some more purple smoke, too.

[amygdalae]

[If Bruce is that kind of guy he would be flipping the bird at the Kingmaker for his words, but there are more important things at hand compared to indulging in petty revenge. Bruce takes his podium again, tries to ignore how--empty they are now compared to where they were at the start. Eleven of them now...

And only ten were going to walk out of here.

He's about to start with his report on the body, but before he can begin Mouri's words beside him catch his attention, and Bruce goes to respond to that first.]

No--the cause of death is most likely the bomb. The other wounds he had on him had nothing to indicate that it was fatal.

[Unless, of course, the bomb itself was to hide any wound that had been in the area that was, ah, exploded.]

[isafraid]

Hang on... you're saying that the bits and pieces lying around there were part of a bomb?

[....And. And he almost touched it.

Hoo body there's that cold sweat. Thanks for this trial, Kingmaker.]

[penduli]

Cleaning up might explain the towels missing from the first floor storage room.

[ Black... also has about four more inches of height today.

Because he's also wearing bitchin' stiletto heels LOOK, SIGRUN ASKED HIM TO, HE CAN'T SAY NO TO HER.

Um, but that aside— ]

I don't suppose anyone found those?

[garudynamic]

[Why tho, why you do this]

[captainobnoxious]

[because hes fuckin whipped enjoy the show you bisexual mess]

[penduli]

[ look we're like.... height buddies now... almost... ]

[captainobnoxious]

[Solidarity, Black. Solidarity. She appreciates it.]

I didn't. But that'd explain those.