thefoundation | WEEK 6 TRIAL

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, the smile on her face bright once again.

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.

...There was so few of them now.
All of them...were now alone, having to come to this conclusion themselves.
Yet, they had to find the truth.
Why did three people die?
Who did this?
The answer...stretched on ahead...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It was erratic to begin with. And yes, I doubt it could reach through Nirrti's magic sleep.

Now that some time has passed, are you sure you didn't see or hear anything strange from her Thursday night before you went to bed?

I'm sure. Unless you count irritation with a video game character as strange.

Got it.

Sorry to keep pressing you, but you and Ann were the last to see her, so the more I know about her mental state that night the easier it'll be to make sense of what happened.

Her and Erhard clashed really hard last week- did she say anything to you about it?

That's understandable, Takumi, you don't need to apologize.

Not really, but she didn't need to. I understood her feelings even if I didn't share them.

I understand why she was upset too- she probably wanted to kill Anon in a way that would be quick and less cruel. Or at least would be respectful for someone like him.

Erhard taking that, and then torturing him? I can see why she'd be furious.

Erhard's attitudes didn't help, I would think. I had more sympathy for what he was going through than Emi did.

All of this was too much for him. I'm sure he at least considered killing for Sherlock- that phrase in the table is what he said to Akira... but that could be him telling himself not to kill, OR someone mocking him for breaking it with Anon.

It's also part of the Hippocratic Oath taken by physicians.

I see... so definitely something written with clear intent to point at Erhard in some way.

Unless it was put there to throw us off. But it does seem related.

She did say something to me about it, because I asked her.

Can you go into detail?

I asked her about the relationship she had with Anon, after what she said about defending him no matter what.

I got a pretty clear idea of how dedicated she was to the monsters. But more importantly, a lot more insight into what she thought of humans. It’s safe to say she would never have trusted Erhard again after that.

Which makes sense- and would explain why she punched him. Did she say anything else? Or was she acting strangely in any way?

No. I think she went out to face whoever killed her. Is it possible there are multiple killers?

Nirrti and Caas didn't confirm or deny, so it's in the air.

I think there was.

[she exhales softly.]

Think about the motive— who do we think would be most likely to act on it?

[She can definitely understand that Erhard would have been very motivated by it]

Erhard is definitely the top option, but he's not the only possibility. You think Erhard intended to or DID kill Emi, and someone else killed him? And one of the two killed Clear as well?

Honestly,... yeah. Erhard wasn’t a strong man— Emi would have been an easy target, especially after their low opinions of each other.

But more importantly, Emi made it clear that being... [a pause] Being a youkai was a bond closer to blood.

[she then glances at Kurama.]

What would happen if you saw someone killing someone you considered that close?

Edited 2019-05-04 19:31 (UTC)

You would rush to save them, of course. But anyone else awake would either have to be another intended victim OR a second intended culprit.

(no subject)

fullbodied - 2019-05-04 19:44 (UTC) - Expand

goldenmaniac - 2019-05-04 19:46 (UTC) - Expand

fullbodied - 2019-05-04 19:51 (UTC) - Expand

Presuming I was in a position to see it, I think you already know the answer to that.

If the culprit in Akira's case had been anyone else, the trend of executions by pieces would have started a week earlier.

beguiledcard - 2019-05-04 19:47 (UTC) - Expand

byanyother_name - 2019-05-04 19:49 (UTC) - Expand

beguiledcard - 2019-05-04 19:51 (UTC) - Expand

byanyother_name - 2019-05-04 20:05 (UTC) - Expand

fullbodied - 2019-05-04 19:49 (UTC) - Expand

byanyother_name - 2019-05-04 20:02 (UTC) - Expand

fullbodied - 2019-05-04 20:30 (UTC) - Expand

[Ah, nothing like the credo of a soldier: When your side does it, it is just. When the other side does it, it is unforgivable. She just kind of snorts at all this.]

I think you've come to the same conclusion as me, at least.

Edited 2019-05-04 19:46 (UTC)

[Kurama is side eyeing Ann's choice of wording, there. "Monster" is a very loaded term.]

[it’s literally the term emi used. So. \o/]