WEEK 3 TRIAL

[foundationmods]

It was noon on Saturday.

No matter where they were, no matter what they were doing...the moment the chimes rang out through the hall, they felt a change.

The world...began to expand, as they felt themselves leaving the world they were on, and towards another, much larger world...🗈

...As always, the courtroom was there - along with the audience, watching, waiting for the entertainment before them.

The Witch - Nirrti - was there, sitting in the most important place, watching all of them with a sharp, cruel gaze, a smile of pure delight on her face.

Watanuki was also there, but he merely lounged in the back behind them, smoking a kiseru pipe in silence.
...It seemed as if he was content to watch - that he had to watch - as part of the rules of the game.

There was no music to be heard, but... perhaps on another plane, in another place, someone else heard music as they gazed upon the proceedings.

Again, their forms had changed - perhaps into something different than last time, but...still a change, no matter how dramatic or inconsequential it was.

...There was a deep silence in the room, one that no one wanted to break. It was the faint tension in the air, like the moments before a race or a competition begins.

They had found the truth last time....but now, two people had died.
Was it possible for them to find the culprit this time?
A culprit that....had...

No, it had to be.

For the sake of the dead...and the sake of them all.

Comments

THE THEORY

[fullbodied]

[SHE'S A WRECK, BUT nothing like pure, unadulturated rage to get you through the day.]

The true story is this:

Akira wanted to undo his greatest misfortune. This would have meant never meeting myself or Ryuji.

So, he ripped the note to shreds, because it no longer mattered whether he said anything nice about us. And after that, he told Ryuji that he couldn't handle being one of many Akira's. He took advantage of Ryuji's blind trust, or Ryuji's willingness to find fault in himself, and Ryuji's need to prove he could still be useful and helpful. They left me behind, and Akira made them tea.

Akira then went to the balcony, and convinced Ryuji to stand on the edge with him. He pulled him in close for a final hug-- and pushed him.

Ryuji instinctively grabbed him and they both fell.

That's how they both died.

[lutea]

[As she says that....everything goes silent as her great blue truth, as large as that spear, comes charging forth...

And...as the conductor of agony she was, she raised her arms...

...And then dashed every last bit of hope they had left.]

I ACCEPT YOUR TRUTH! AKIRA KURUSU WAS THE CULPRIT!

[And like that....all the spears she had flung vanish, making Ruler collapse to the ground with the spears keeping him up vanishing.

But she still laughed...And laughed and laughed, looking the very picture of gleeful insanity.]

Aaaaaaaahahahahahahah, you see? You see? I had to keep myself from laughing the moment all of you screamed and cried and said that Akira, dear sweet Akira, could never hurt his best friend! They were loyal, and true - they could never, eeeeeeever commit such a horrible muuuuuuuuuurder!!

What a damned jooooooooke! Nothing keeps anyone from killing someone, even if it's their lover or their faaaaamillllyyy!! You hear about it all the time, right? Someone stabs someone, someone shoots someone, strangulation, death - to their parents, siblings, children, spouces, partners!! It doesn't maaaaaaaaatter even an eetsy wincy, itty bitty bit!!!

Look, look at you! At your tears, your rage! You drove him to commit this murder through kindness and you never even knew it! You never stopped to think about how he must have felt, hearing about a 'him' he would never beeeeeeeeeeee, because you were so busy trying to be his frieeeeeeeend, to help him ouuuuuut!

Hahahaha, kyaaaaaaaaahahahahahah! Burn it! Burn this ending, burn his ending, into your eyes and into your very soooooooooooooooull! And next time, next time, if it hurts, if it's too much to bear the thought of, Give into me! Let me be punished in their plaaaaaaaaaace! Admit I, the Witch, exiiiiiiiiiiiist!

[And then she screams with laughter, wrenching her hand forward - and drawing out Akira's Body from it.]

Ha, hahahaha, You all want to see it, right? You want to see the sinner get punished, riiiiight? Then I will give it to yooooooooooou!!!

That is what I am, as an evil creature known as a Wiiiiiiiiiiiiitch!

[aleph_armed]

Honestly, he already died, so he's already been punished from where I stand. You're the one that wants to see him punished.

[foundfate]

[That.

That's not good.]

He's already dead! That's enough of a punishment, isn't it? Just leave him dead and bring him back as your Furniture later!

[lutea]

You agreed to this, Witch of Dimensions!! Or are you forfeitting alreeeeaaaadyyyyyy?!

[foundfate]

I'm not forfeiting! But there is no reason to make him suffer further.

[lutea]

Drop the aaaaaact!

You just don't want to be hurt any worse than you already will be!!

[improbablenotimpossible]

[He grunts, hitting the ground, blood and gold mist spreading from under him, his fingers twitched]

Don't... listen... to her. Giving in will... save... no one.

[cryosurgeon]

[Erhard gathers Holmes into his arms as if trying to hold him together. He's practically vibrating, he's shaking so hard, and his voice is hoarse.]

... hang on... you'll be okay once she drops the illusion....

[fullbodied]

[each word is like a dagger in her heart.

But she refuses to shrink. she refuses to look away.]

Nirrti, wait. Wait.

[lutea]

Whaaaat? Do you have something to saaaaaaaaaaaaay?

[fullbodied]

Yes.

Make me furniture instead. Akira will have to live with the guilt of what he did-- everyone who is here will have to watch me suffer, and I lose the opportunity to ever strike back at you.

so much shade

[chaoscontrol]

[Shadow just rolls his eyes. "This is who I am?" Honestly, how extra can you be?]

[respring]

[ same

dude

dude ]

Is she going to do this every time...?

[chaoscontrol]

Probably. It's annoying, isn't it?

[aleph_armed]

Until she gets what she wants, probably.

[goldenmaniac]

[Takumi, softly to himself:]

"Let me punished in their place"... a Witch made to blame. A comfortable lie instead of the truth... "Things can't be like this, clearly, there must be a Witch cursing us. It's not REALLY our fault..."

Damn it... so that's how it is.

[keydomhearts]

What's up, Takumi?

[goldenmaniac]

Not sure yet. I need to do some research first.

[aleph_armed]

...You've got something, then?

[goldenmaniac]

Maybe... we'll have to see. I'll let you all know if I can confirm it.

[anonnomnomnom]

[Peers at him, but he'll save his questions for later! There's a few of them, anyway.]

[excavated]

Are you done yet?

[ He's just giving her a rather exasperated look, really. ]

[rikuchi]

[ ....... ]

You're really that desperate, aren't you?

[anonnomnomnom]

Well, we were kind of right -- the killer really was somebody close to them! [He gives a little laugh from where he's mostly spectating the conclusion.] We still have a lot to work on, but thanks for the lesson! Giving in to you sounds pretty boring, though -- isn't that what you said humans would do? [He's just shaking a little skeletal finger at her, as though admonishing.]