WEEK 3 - TRIAL

[foundationmods]

TRIAL

The morning seemed so far away yesterday - yet, it also seems too soon when morning comes and you are all yet again ushered to the third floor by The Lady. The Captain is there, in all of his....wait, no, he's asleep.

The doors close, and...nothing happens. There's still the box labeled 'VOTES' in his lap on the couch, but...

On the table is a letter, that reads 'Only one person may be voted for execution this week. Please figure out who that will be during the time limit.'

As you finish reading that, music begins to play in the room...


VICTIM: SHIROU EMIYA, HIMEKO INABA, AND MUNEHISA IWAI

23 GUESTS REMAIN.

Comments

[messianic]

... It's not over.

[Grimly:]

We can still save Makoto-san. There's a way to get rid of the monster and not kill Makoto-san.

[wrongtiming]

...How?

[messianic]

The puzzle said so, didn't it? The Barghest can be exorcised. If the Barghest is exorcised and executed.... then why does Makoto-san have to die too?

[13thpromise]

The exorcism, right?

[messianic]

Yes... to me, that would still be... some sort of execution, right?

[13thpromise]

It would.

[ ... ]

I was talking to Ichigo about exorcisms and he said something ritual-like could take care of the Barghest. Since exorcisms are kind of about "ritual and belief".

[messianic]

We can't give up yet. Makoto-san... I want to believe we can still save her, and get rid of the Barghest at the same time.

[A beat, and..]

.... And Roxas-san... thank you.

For...saving Akira.

[13thpromise]

No, we can't. If we can save her - no, I think we can, so...that's why we have to try.

[ Roxas looks a little guilty at that, though, because... ]

... It's nothing to be thanked for, I think. I'm just I'm sorry that I didn't act sooner...I didn't know who to pick who would take your place. But, I just knew I couldn't let Akira die like that.

[messianic]

No. You're right.

[The small smile he flashes Roxas is nothing but sincere.]

I'm not offended. Akira... what he can bring for everyone here is so, so important. It's important that he survives.

[13thpromise]

I think it's important that he survives, but it's also important for others to survive too.

[ Roxas' eyes are on Minato as he says this. ]

[messianic]

[Minato's fingers curl into his shirt, in front of his heart--

And then he smiles, a little distantly, and nods.]

Yeah...

It's important that we all survive. As much as we possibly can... let's survive.

[dolleyed]

I... I can play a lot of religious music. If it helps.

[13thpromise]

...I think it might help.

[ He'll smile a little, not because any of this is happy but...any assistance is appreciated. ]

Thanks for the offer, Kohaku.

[jumpedtheshark]

Yeah... if there’s any outfits needed for the exorcism, I can make them.

[Time for someone to be a miko.]

[13thpromise]

That sounds like a good idea too, I think.

[ Go all out or go home ]

[jumpedtheshark]

Alright, I’ll do it then!

[Come to think of it...]

I could see if there’s anything on exorcisms in the anime, video games, and manga they gave me. I’m not sure if it’d be useful though... fiction can’t effect reality. I mean... I know there’s stuff like seals, chanting, holy water, miko, and other stuff. Umm... not all at once though. I guess we could do that though...?

[13thpromise]

I think as long as we make it all ritual-like and stuff... it'll be fine. Maybe we wouldn't need all of it all at once? But it has to sort of have that theme, I think. So some of it would be good for sure.

[ It'd be kind of funny to have all of it at once, though. ]

[latebluemer]

... If we exorcise the Barghest, is the execution off?

[That's something she's been thinking about ever since that puzzle. What kind of game is this? Is it that merciful a game? She... doesn't know.]

[messianic]

That... that's what we really need to find out.

But what do we have to lose at this point?

[latebluemer]

I don't think I want to know the answer to that question at all.

[Her voice kind of just... fades off. She's quiet for a moment, trying to get the gears turning again. They stopped around when the vote was carried out, and have been only jerkily alive ever since.]

But you're right. We have to -- we have to try. We have to find out how to exorcise this.

[messianic]

... Let's...try. Please, Blue Angel... help us all try.

[latebluemer]

I know.

[Her fists tighten a little again, from where they've slackened. She's not ready to pick herself back up yet -- she doesn't really have any leverage anymore to go anywhere right now, and won't for a little while yet. But.]

I have to... [...] We have until tomorrow.

[messianic]

Y...yes. We have until...tomorrow.

[His shoulders slump. Sorry, all of this is really crashing into him now, he needs A Minute.]

[latebluemer]

[She'll give him that, staying quiet. They really... don't have anywhere to be, right now. In fact, she has no idea if they're ever going to leave this trial room, there are still two monsters in the room with them and she has no idea how they're going to deal with either of them.

Maybe the clock won't start ticking until they walk out of here.

She'll wait.]