FINAL TRIAL

[foundationmods]

TRIAL

After a very, very long six weeks, it has finally come. The last time everyone will need to trudge up those stairs and meet in the master suite. It's do or die time, and hopefully everyone knows what needs to be done by now.

As soon as the guests walk into the room, they will be able to smell the food that the chef has provided: duck l'orange, served up on a nice platter. Eat up everyone!

There are a few unexpected guests this time. A large group of the rats is here, and they show up in a swarm as they carry Gabe into the room, much like how they had carted him off to the Child Daycare last night. Once he is deposited in the room, Gabe will also stand up and remain there, crossing his arm and looking a bit standoffish.

They're not the only unexpected faces around here, though...

VICTIMS: ICHIGO KUROSAKI and THE RESORT THE HOTEL

10 11 GUESTS REMAIN

Comments

[latebluemer]

There are a lot of people here with the same hobby, you know.

[Just. Judging stare.]

[stepsinshadows]

Look! It was a hobby, back in my world. But then I came here and found out all of you are real, so now it's creepy.

And for the record, I've met Bayonetta before, and she is a very nice woman. And she would absolutely kill me for that shit so it stays here.

[latebluemer]

Well, at least you know it's creepy.

[Marginally less judging! And also, she judges Owain and Tsumugi too for the record, but she actually likes them so they get most of a pass.]

Maybe your punishment should just be apologizing to Bayonetta-san.

[She's not serious about this, even if her poker face is very good.]

[whirlingmace]

[ Hey it helped Owain realize boys are nice too.

Well that and the poster ]

[stepsinshadows]

No way. I didn't do it on purpose, the Hotel did it.

[You get the feeling that Gabe is the type to blame others for his mistakes. Hm. That might be important.]

[swordhandled]

Gabe, I love you, but you really need to learn to apologize.

[stepsinshadows]

[Don't use that language around him young man!]

Well there's your first mistake: I'm not a good person, so getting attached is a bad idea. Besides...

[His gaze ends up drifting over to a specific spot in the room, one that might appear empty to the living.]

...apologies aren't some magic cure-all that fix everything. Some things can't be undone.

[justfists]

... You know it's better than doing nothing, right? You can't just say "it's not worth the effort, it changes nothing." The effort matters.

[stepsinshadows]

No, it doesn't! Pretty words and 'I'm sorry'-ies don't make a goddamn difference when you can't actually fix what's wrong in the first place! Words mean nothing if you can't back them up with actions!

[justfists]

[she slaps him.] Then actually do something!

1/2

[stepsinshadows]

[Unfortunately, the shadows lingering around Gabe respond by slapping her back before he can stop them. They're surprisingly solid when they want to be, too.

And when she gets slapped, she will feel tired. Like a small bit of her energy just got drained.]

2/2

[stepsinshadows]

[And then the shadows die down (but don't disappear completely) and Gabe is left holding his head, like he suddenly has a migraine. Which might partially be because of the slap, but it's partially for other reasons too.]

[swordhandled]

I get attached to people I probably shouldn't be, consider it a family trait. I'll say those words again and again to you, so get used to it.

[ but he watches gabe's gaze move across the room and he can hazard a guess at who gabe is looking at. he... offers a small wave to that spot. ]

But, I know they aren't a magic cure-all. I've seen and used magic. But they can still do so much good. You can't change anything if you don't make that first step. You need to crawl before you can walk, yeah?

[stepsinshadows]

Your cousin is here too, so I can see the resemblance.

[Your family is full of people with big hearts, Owain.]

It's not that simple, kid. What happened, it was an accident. I was acting with what I thought was legit information. It ended in disaster, but I didn't make the wrong call there. Apologizing when I made the best choice possible in that situation, even if that choice ended poorly, isn't a genuine apology.

[swordhandled]

... Let's start from the basics.

Do you regret what happened to Ichigo?

[stepsinshadows]

Of course I do!

[wrongtiming]

You're not even going to consider it when, like, everyone is telling you that's the least you can do?

[stepsinshadows]

It wouldn't do any good.

[He doesn't even sound angry there, just defeated.]

[wrongtiming]

It's not about what you think, it's about what we want to hear.

[stepsinshadows]

Honestly, it's not about what you guys want to hear either.

[He's still looking at that same spot.]

[latebluemer]

[She got that feeling a couple weeks ago and it's just been growing stronger ever since.

There's a brief sigh.]

And the Hotel wouldn't have done it if you didn't ask for it. I don't think you're really in any position to blame the Hotel for things right now, Reyes-san.

[stepsinshadows]

The Hotel sent those 'friends' of its after Kurosaki and I! And then two of them ended up extremely dead, matching the two-thirds of the rest of you that died! I didn't tell it to play that stupid fucking game, so don't go blaming me!

[latebluemer]

[Her eyebrows draw down and down in a fierce frown. Okay, kid gloves off, playtime is over, bucko.]

The Hotel did no such thing. Those three didn't even know you existed until after you starting freaking out and messing everything up. And then you gave the hotel a brain disease.

You keep saying you didn't tell the Hotel to do this or that, but that's just you dodging responsibility, Reyes-san. Remember when you said that your being here is poisoning the place?

Sometimes you can screw up without meaning to. [...] But it still means you're the one who has to clean up the mess. We cleaned up most of it for you, but we're not you.

[stepsinshadows]

Hey, look, I can admit when I'm wrong. And yes, me just being here is a problem. And that's why I'm leaving as soon as we get this over with. So the problem I'm actually causing is taken care of!

But I'm not the one who told those other SCPs to eat people, and I'm certainly not the one who gave them the OK to attack all of you too. Don't put that on me.

[latebluemer]

The Jorogumo and the Barghest and the Doppelling were moving because they wanted to help the Hotel, after you killed Kurosaki-san and crawled into the brain. You heard Cinque when she said that all of this could end if you just left. That was weeks ago.

You're going to tell me that none of the deaths and-- and everything from stalling could have been prevented if you'd just had the guts to come out sooner?

[Her voice failed her a little in the middle there, because last weekend is still fresh enough that it's going to be in her nightmares for years to come. She really is at the end of her rope here with this guy.]