( TRIAL - WEEK 5 )

[abhoth]

At exactly 11:30 am, all residents who are still asleep will be jolted awake by a sharp, burning pain that spreads across their whole body. A simple look will reveal no visible injuries, oddly enough, and the pain will fade away as soon as they're properly awake. Those early birds who are already up and about will feel nothing — except maybe a strange, mysterious sense of relief as they go on about their business. Lucky them. Moments later, an announcement will come through the static-filled PA system: "This is Craftly speaking. My apologies for the rude awakening, children. As the Dining Hall is still under reparations — today's trial will take place by the pool. Please do try to be there before noon. My staff members have simply too many duties to tend to, to be escorting each and every one of you out of your quarters. Good day." And true to his words, anyone who doesn't make their way to the Outdoor Dining Area before noon will be dragged kicking and screaming regardless of where they've sequestered themselves. Sucks to be you, huh? Upon arriving there, however, residents will be given the menu, one copy of the rulebook, one pencil, one notepad, and a cheque folder. Due the Kitchen and Dining Hall getting wrecked, lunch and dinner will mostly consist of grilled and barbecued menu items. Hamburgers, hotdogs, salads, and items that require little preparation — all the residents have to do is ask in order to receive. Similarly, all beverages will be retrieved from a hundred quart cooler that has been placed by the side of the pool. Not as fancy as usual, but at least the pool is clean now. Some inflatable pool toys lazily swim in the water, along with pool noodles. A single towel that still has sludge on it floats among the accessories in the pool. Looks like no one bothered to really clean it up from Friday. Every now and then, the waters will vibrate to the sound of buzz saws and assorted power tools. Looks like the Disposal Room, Dining Hall and Kitchen are under reparations still. A tent has been placed over the area to shield the residents from the sun, and to make up from the lack of transparencies everyone will receive a small booklet containing each resident's profile. They look a little bit like shitty PowerPoint presentation handouts, but maybe it's part of the charm. The profiles of the deceased are included, as always. A second tent has been set up in the parking lot, complete with an air conditioning on the inside. Its use will become rapidly apparent once the victims corpses have been wheeled in. Anyone who wishes to step into this area will be asked to wash their hands, and will be given a pair of latex-free gloves and a hairnet by a staff members who is stationed nearby. Residents are required to dispose of both items before returning to their table; a trash bin is available outside of the tent for this purpose. Evidence found during the investigation, on the other hand, will be displayed in a table by the pool shed. Any items found by the residents on Friday will be displayed here for further examination. Finally — one of the grandfather clocks has been kidnapped from its respective floor to show the current hour. Please do remember you have until 9:00 PM to figure out whodunit and cast your vote. And if anyone tries to leave the area before the trial is over? They'll discover an invisible wall blocking their path. ( victims ) Characters will be given nine (9) hours to discuss everything related to the investigation to hopefully solve the mystery behind this week's murder. No one will be allowed to leave the Pool/Outdoor Dining Area (the pool shed will also be locked), and all characters must cast their vote before 9PM EST. You may do so on this week's voting page. If you have any questions or doubts, shoot us a PM or a PP over at yuggoth. ( quick navigation ) voting | profiles | menu | locations | ic rulebook

Comments

PAY ATTENTION TO KAITO

[nowyouseeit]

OI, EVERYONE! PAY ATTENTION TO ME AGAIN!

[that is followed by the loud rapping of, uh. . . Kaito banging Akira's skeleton arm against the edge of a chair? Kaito please]

[once that's done, though, he pulls a folded note out of his pocket and slides it across the table. anyone can read it!]

I'm fairly certain everyone here knows this truth by now. Most of you probably only learned of it this week. There are a few of us who have known for a little bit longer than that, dating all the way back to the Wednesday of our fourth week here.

[his gaze flickers to Yukina and Jay, then back to the crowd]

Yukina, Jay 'n I are the Hunters who left those notes on the bulletin board. We also know who the final Facilitators-- Prophets-- are. And for those of you who heard that we agreed to work with the Facilitators to ensure this ritual only had three survivors so we could revive the dead. . . [he closes his eyes and nods] That's correct, too.

[when he opens them again, he tilts his chin up, that same determination people have observed in trial thus far evident on his features]

Using that information, I'm sure everyone thinks that all of us are guilty this week and plan on casting your votes for at least one of us. That's fine. Our determination to see our plan through in order to save every last soul in this place runs deep. You can hate us if you want, or be angry at us-- that's fine. S'not like we didn't expect that, when we decided to walk the path we're walking now. Those of you who have gotten angry at us for taking away your choices. . . you're not wrong. You have every right to be mad.

But--

[his mouth curves into a tired smile]

Even if all of you are against us, even if you would rather abandon those who had died in order to avoid seeing those you care about harmed even temporarily, even if your values are different than ours. . . we aren't going to give up. We know what the heck we're fighting for now. And even if every last one of us wishes the means were different, we still refuse to back down. That's what it means to have conviction, right?

Everyone here is fighting for something. Some of those goals are at odds with each other. That's the nature of life, isn't it? That's the nature of being alive. That's what the Hunters are trying to preserve right here, right now: everyone's right to be alive, to hate and be hated, to be angry and spiteful and bitter and upset. Because no matter how shitty those emotions might be, the fact that we feel them is what proves to us that we're living.

Those of you who agree with our desired end, who also want to rescue the dead and leave this place with a 100% survival rate. . . remember that the Hunters don't have to be the last three left standing. As long as there's at least one person out of the three who is willing to take that deal, to bring back everyone who has been lost, then the best ending to this ritual can be achieved.

All of that said. . .

[tilts his head to the side to gesture to where the dead bodies are kept]

If you really think the Hunters and the Prophets are so guilty this week, then I'll throw down, right here and now: prove it to us.

Find the truth behind everything. Every victim, every murder. Leave no stone overturned, no piece of evidence untouched. Unravel the mysteries before you; don't base your conclusions just on what you heard through the grapevine.

And if, by the end of trial, you're not satisfied with the truths you've found. . . then spare Yukina, Jay, the final Prophet. Execute me.

Hold me responsible for the actions of my allies. I'll gladly bear that weight for them.

[thawedheart]

Wh-

[Execute me. Well, Yukina can't deny that she'd rather see Kaito dead than see him take the deal, but...]

Kaito-san...!

[nowyouseeit]

[waves a hand at her as he hops off the table]

S'fine, s'fine! I've got it.

[thawedheart]

But, still...

[She looks sad. She would rather see him dead than taking the deal, but she really didn't want it to be like this.]

[g101]

Sit down and eat your mashed potatoes, Splashy. I'm not voting for you.

[nowyouseeit]

[HAJIME. . .]

Why not? It's a perfectly valid vote.

[potentite]

Why should we prove it when we have better things to do than to play a game with you? You can't even take responsibility for the stupid fucking mistakes you made... [He tightens his hands into fists.] We should be talking about what we want to do with our lives, not what you assholes want for us. Jesus fucking christ you still don't get it at all!

[He's almost shaking in anger but ultimately he shakes his head, refusing to let himself say or do what he wants.]

I thought you might have listened to Dirk. Just— Fuck, shut up, self-righteous prick. We have to focus and not on you.

[nowyouseeit]

I did listen to Dirk.

[he hops off the table and bows his head]

. . . and I understand what he meant, and why everyone is angry. I do.

But you're right: this isn't a game. There are forty-two lives on the line, and I'm not saying that to make it a matter of mathematics, either. I'm saying that 'cause I think everyone deserves the chance to go home to their loved ones, and I don't think anyone has the right to take that away from them.

[taps his toes against the ground and smiles, calm and tired]

I just want you guys to focus on the truth before you, not what you think that truth might be. That's all. That's why I said what I said.

[gamerscore]

It doesn't matter in the end, does it?

[ Her voice was calm and in reality, she was one of the few people who were clueless about the ongoings. She listened, avoiding the TMZ leak because lol mod. But, for the most part, she's stubborn. Not entirely as virtuous as she wants to be. ]

At the end, the truth will only lead us towards narrowing down to the final three. To find the deal — we have to do that. Everyone that's died. Everyone that's been forced to play into this game. This can't be for nothing.

[ The truth... it seems so distasteful in her mouth. ]

We aren't going to execute you unless we find reason to. I... I don't want to die, just like everyone else, but if you're for certain this will bring people back —

[ i mean, come on guys this is magic land... ]

Stop bearing that weight now of doing this alone. We can all help you. Help the dead. Help each other.

[nowyouseeit]

. . .

[he smiles at her, tired and a little sad, but there's some spark in it anyway]

I'm certain. This is the only way. . . for everyone to make it out alive.

If you lend us your help, Chiaki, we'll accept it.

[wristbands]

You've got a lot of nerve to end on a hero note like that.

[nowyouseeit]

I'm not a hero.

[he says with a dry snort]

[splinten]

You super fucked up on my 'give everyone all the facts for themselves and don't be a self-righteous dick' protips, dude.

[Thumbs down, Kaito.]

[nowyouseeit]

[he shakes his head]

Sorry. I took what you said to heart-- I really did. You're right. . . people have different values, and we can't expect everyone to feel the same way as us.

[chin up again]

But I'd be pretty pathetic if I didn't at least fight for my own values, right?

And there are a lot of truths I think everyone is missing, or at the very least everyone is unwilling to see.

[pinesforyou]

Just because you're a poopy head doesn't mean we're going to execute you!

[nowyouseeit]

[MABEL. . .]

That isn't the point I'm making here!

[ninjay]

[ KAITO YOU FOOL, YOU ABSOLUTE BUFFOON. ]

[nowyouseeit]

[WHY IS THIS HIS FATE IN LIFE]

[ungodly]

So that's it? You're just gonna go along with what they say? I've dealt with people like this before. Cultists. That's the only word for them. They're just using you. You're an idiot if you really think we're all just gonna be revived and can go on our way. Who knows what their real goal is?

[ heather's hands are visibly shaking — she has to wring at her shirt to control them. ]

I—I'm not going to.. die again.. and come back. Not again. You're all useless.

[willremember]

I wouldn't say cultists. It seems like this was a pretty wide-spread religion.

I don't know if it was always like this, but...

[nowyouseeit]

[oh. . .]

["not again" is what gives him pause, but he knows better than to ask now. Andersen and Clementime seem to have things, so. . . he just stays silent]

[wristbands]

...You don't have to go back to where you're from, Heather. Craftly said as much.

[gamerscore]

...That sounds... awful. I'm sorry.

[ She sounds like she doesn't know the confidence in her words. But, she's trying to make sense of everything. ]

If what they say is true... you can choose your respawn. You can... I guess, start over somewhere. I understand if you don't want to, though... I think if you start over, you can choose who you want to be.

[ Like remaking a character. ]

... You can leave Heather here, if you want.