fifth trial

[stagemanagers]

[When the investigation finishes, the lights begin to flicker on and off as that low, gentle rumble echoes through the opera house.

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

The court room looks just as it always has for you: the grand chandelier glittering above your heads, the dusty red velvet seats. In the orchestra pit your circle of wooden podiums are waiting. Jeremy and Steven's podiums are draped in black crepe with their grey scale 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. His tone is even, with none of the distraction or terse notes in the weeks before. He almost sounds curious for how this all will play out.]

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

[Gather your evidence and let's begin.]

Comments

[musacal]

[ phew. ok.

...not that it being one of them is much better but at least they've ruled it out now ]

[37773972]

All he cares about is a winner.

[heathencall]

Hard enough to send him flying back and disrupt the angel.

[The fuck.]

Is he... invisible? [Magic? Wtf.]

[garbageface]

I think the nerd over here wants to know if your patron can do magic.

[inside_yourmind]

And those who choose not to will spread deadly diseases to a vulnerable population who is unable to receive the protection they so easily turn down. They should obviously be required.

[are we. is this what we're getting into now.]

[inside_yourmind]

He does not appreciate demon summoning.

[There's a whole rule about it!]

[37773972]

Magic's just something we don't understand. We don't understand how he brought us here, so...

[madgiganticfeelings]

That's... that's possible. But if someone helped him, would they be responsible for what happened? Maybe that's, that's why we're still having a trial...

[Which is horrible to think, that someone just trying to help would be killed for this... even if she doesn't agree with the methods.]

[madgiganticfeelings]

We didn't intend to summon a demon! I just wanted to talk to Sigyn and Jonny!

[inside_yourmind]

They do.

[And he's gonna assume someone else might explain vaccines to you for the moment...???]

[37773972]

Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, they're misinformed. Telling them what's going on works wonders!

[inside_yourmind]

And what would you know about him, Dr. Browning?

[37773972]

...I think it depends on if Steven took it of his own will, or if someone made him drink it. It's why...I was so careful with Jeremy, before.

[37773972]

It's pretty clear, isn't it?

[madgiganticfeelings]

...These rules are just made to make us suffer, aren't they? It's pathetic.

[inside_yourmind]

I'm sorry to inform you that you did not break an entire granite statue with the force of your mighty blow.

[seriously]

Invisible? [...hm. Well.] Perhaps it is more like being present, without being physically present. Here, without being here in person.

[inside_yourmind]

And that is why he allowed the incident to pass, and made the rule afterwards.

[musacal]

[ ...... ]

...I apologize for bringing him up.

[ Nana...... what...... ]

[madgiganticfeelings]

...He's a ghost, then. Is he o-one of the people who died before?

Catherding?

[heathencall]

We're getting sidetracked.

[Mephisto takes a deeeeeep breath.]

The Phantom has confirmed that we are chasing the wrong angle. For right now, we should believe that, and focus on who we have here. I don't want to believe any of us would kill at this point, but this is what we have to go off of.

So far, we have discovered no wounds on anyone else. He was poisoned, presumably by the liquid Santana and Stephen found. His gem was removed and destroyed, possibly by the hammer Anne found.

Let's focus on what we know. We can come back to this logic later.

[garbageface]

Why? Do you, like, care about our kidnapper’s feelings?

[ jeez why are all you people like this ]

[musacal]

[ .............................

Sloooooooooooooooooowly points over to Mephisto

bruh ]

[inside_yourmind]

That is a very optimistic viewpoint. In practice, people will tend to cling to their prejudices no matter how much harm is caused.

[.....]

Though I admit, left to my own devices, I would have attempted that route first.

[musacal]

[ maybe ]

I've just led us in a wrong direction, that's all.

[ sure ]

[garbageface]

There’s also the whole deal with the two mugs. Maybe figuring out who used them will help? Like, maybe whoever had coffee or whatever out of them still has it on their breath, or something.

[ it’s not. an ironclad plan but it’s? something? ]