fourth trial

[stagemanagers]

[When the investigation finishes, the lights begin to flicker on and off as that low, gentle rumble echoes through the opera house. Again for those investigating the grounds the outdoor lights illuminating the still night flicker to get their attention.

Your intermission is ending. Please return to your trial room.

The court room looks just as it did before: the grand chandelier glittering above your heads, the dusty red velvet seats. In the orchestra pit your circle of wooden podiums are waiting. Angus, Riley and Shilo's podiums are draped in black crepe with their greyscale funerary portraits, just like your friends before them. The ghost light glows softly behind the podiums.

The curtain is closed, waiting to open when a decision has been reached and the execution can commence.

When everyone is in their places, the Phantom's voice echoes loud and clear through the theatre from his place in box 5. He still sounds distracted, just as he was for his other public appearance this week, like there are other things weighing on his mind.]

You must now determine who was responsible for the death of Shilo Wallace. Submit your vote on the podiums when you are certain of your choice.

[Gather your evidence and let's begin.]

Comments

EXECUTION: I'D RATHER BE ME

[inside_yourmind]

[As the last of the votes come in, the lights go down. For once, no one is hugging the culprit; there's nobody there to feel Jeremy slip away.

Jeremy stands alone onstage - well, as alone as he’s ever been, since he took the SQUIP. Shilo enters from one wing. As always, she seems healthy and whole despite the state you last saw her in; strangely, she seems a little healthier than she used to look. That’s all as expected. What seems a little stranger, especially after last week, is that the Phantom joins her, striding in from the other wing. Jeremy stands straight - so straight that you can tell it certainly isn’t really Jeremy - and glances between the two, as if trying to determine where the greatest threat lies, and what more can be done to save his life.

Jeremy’s, that is. It’s always been about saving Jeremy’s life here, for the SQUIP.

But the Phantom merely lifts a hand and snaps his fingers, and Jeremy sags suddenly. All that surety has fled, and he flinches, terrified - ah, yes. There he is. That’s Jeremy Heere. The Phantom’s the one who swoops in before he can collapse, holding him up with a hand on each of his arms.

They're of a similar height, and it's easy for the Phantom to put his head alongside Jeremy's to croon in his ear:]

You blame everything on that voice in your ear
But isn't the crux of your problem right here?

[He moves Jeremy's hand along with his, both of them touching Jeremy's chest, then yanks it away. Shilo's there, and the Phantom pulls Jeremy along, forcing him to dance with Shilo.]

You need that little oblong pill to be your nerve
To grab everything you want in life but do not deserve
Like if some girl's out of reach, there's only one thing to do
You buy a computer to revamp your whole life
And throw out the old one so you'll become somebody new!
And your dreams come true
And your dreams come true
And your dreams come true
And your dreams come true, oh, oh~

You want that killer instinct, doesn't matter whose
Are you just the loser, or do you set them up to lose?
And if there's a problem to face, you know just what to do
You do what you wanted
And you SQUIP the whole school
Then you blame the SQUIP and you help your friend kill it
And you act like it was always just pure evil
So that it's the scapegoat and no one will ever blame you!
And your dreams come true
And your dreams come true
And your dreams come true

[Shilo spins away from the pair, and reaches into a pocket to produce a knife. The sight of it seems to galvanize Jeremy a bit, but the Phantom's standing very close to him, with a very tight grip. Still, as she approaches, he manages to find his own voice, repeating like a mantra:]

I'd rather be me
I'd rather be me
I'd rather be me than be with you
I'd rather be me
I'd rather be me
I'd rather be me
I'd rather be me than be with you

[Shilo moves her hand quickly, and Jeremy flinches - but she hasn't stabbed him. Instead, the Phantom releases one of Jeremy's hands, takes the knife, and plunges it into the boy's back himself.

Jeremy lets out a choking sound, eyes wide. The Phantom steps away fully, letting him fall into Shilo's waiting arms. She stumbles under the weight a little, but manages to bear him up for the most part as he dies.

The Phantom turns away as it happens, head bowed. His hands are visibly fists at his side. After a moment, he turns to look out into the house - over the cast's heads, perhaps?]

So go on and lie - playing nice and shy is insulting my IQ
I'd rather be me than be with you

[madgiganticfeelings]

[Mephisto is still holding her tight, so no matter how she strains, she can't see. But that doesn't mean she can't hear it. The way it talks about what Jeremy did... she can't believe it. She won't believe it.

No matter what Jeremy is to her, she knows he could be better person. She knows that.

She screams when she hears the sound Jeremy makes, the sickening sound of blood dripping from a fresh wound, and thrashes in Mephisto's grip, trying to rush the stage.]