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

[pokexplorer]

Mr. Speedwagon mentioned "bits and pieces" lying around the scene. Perhaps those were iodine crystals?

[amygdalae]

He did say they were making noises, so... possibly. Nitrogen triiodide, even in small quantities, explode with loud, sharp snapping sounds.

[pokexplorer]

And he nearly touched them? ...My, that would have been unfortunate.

[amygdalae]

It wouldn't have ended well.

[Though, with everything else that has been said...]

You mentioned earlier that there were crystals?

[pokexplorer]

Indeed, the nearly emptied iodine bottle was iodine in a crystalline form.

[He holds the bottle up for Bruce to see.]

I should also mention that whomever was in the chemistry lab set out beakers and took several pieces of filter paper. The beakers had no residue in them, however.

[amygdalae]

[Hmm.

...hmmmmmm.]

Pure iodine crystals have a particular property - in that they stain on almost anything, including human skin. These stains are also particularly tough and near impossible to get out through conventional means.

If the person had handled these crystals with their bare hands, there's a good chance that the stains are still there.

[pokexplorer]

...Would someone who is familiar with chemicals like these actually do that? Something tells me no.

[cherryblooded]

No, they wouldn't. But they wouldn't be able to wear their stained gloves right now, and they wouldn't have a replacement pair.

[pokexplorer]

Hmm. I doubt we are lacking in extra pairs considering we have the chemistry lab and infirmary.

However, I can confirm that I did not notice anything out of place in the chemistry lab apart from the bottles, beakers and missing filter paper.

[cherryblooded]

Do you think you'd notice if they'd taken a pair of gloves?

[amygdalae]

They might know how to mix the chemical, but that doesn't mean that they'd be familiar with the full properties of iodine.

[pokexplorer]

I would sincerely hope that they would at least be wearing gloves no matter the case! That is standard practice, which they should also know!

[amygdalae]

[...this is probably not best time to say that Bruce probably hasn't been wearing gloves half the time too.

whoops]

It's not like they're exactly posted up in the room.

[Only all the goddamn rules of this game.]

[goodforsomething]

Even I know that. You gotta be careful with science stuff!

[cherryblooded]

So... hand check? Or do we remember who usually wears gloves?

[amygdalae]

It's worth a shot.

[Bruce's hands, by the way, are clean and gloveless, if perhaps a tad bloodied.

...look he had to dig into Shizaru's stomach to get out that glass shard, okay.]

HAND CHECK EVERYBODY

[cherryblooded]

[Cherryblod is, as usual for this suit, wearing gloves, which he promptly removes.

His hands are clean.]

Re: HAND CHECK EVERYBODY

[sleepingkogoro]

[No gloves! And his hands are intact and clean]

[captainobnoxious]

[Well, Sigrun hasn't been wearing gloves the past few weeks (since they're really more fit for cold environments) except when she's working with things, and today's no different.

That is, gloveless. But clean. Free of all weird smells too, since he's close enough, but honestly who would think her.]

[isafraid]

[Speedwagon doesn't wear gloves, so you can all see his rUGGED MUSCULAR HANDS

That are clean of course. Speedwagon wouldn't know what to do about a bomb in the first place. No strange smells either.]

[goodforsomething]

[Stan mostly uses gloves to keep from leaving fingerprints behind, so he doesn't have them here.

Regardless, his hands are clean.]

[garudynamic]

[He still has his fingerless gloves back in his room, but he's never worn them outside of when he's working on something. His hands are clean]

[notjustawriter]

Seems like we do something like this every trial.

[Gabriel's hands are clean, and he never wears gloves.]

[cherryblooded]

And I even have a bruise to show off from yesterday, I was already preparing to explain it at the strip search.

[isafraid]

[WE'RE ALL VERY PROUD OF SPEEDWAGON TODAY]