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

[madgiganticfeelings]

He told me last week about the gems, after the trial. Not a lot, but... I understood where his was.

I never really looked around in the infirmary though.

[She hesitates, but...] Do you think it's possible that this really was completely a suicide, but someone just tampered with the evidence? Even if the patron didn't kill Steven, that doesn't mean he couldn't have... tried to frame one of us.

[37773972]

I think...that makes a scary amount of sense.

[heathencall]

I think you may be onto something. It seems as if Steven was the only one with the exact depth of knowledge about gems. Considering the blood I found, and the lack of wounds anywhere else.

If nothing else, I think Steven was aware of what was happening.

As for tampering... [A breath.] I worry that there was yet another among us who was tapped by the Phantom to interfere. Unless the Patron did directly.

[37773972]

If the Wizard did it...does that mean all our evidence is suspect?

[heathencall]

It might. But I don't suspect that's the case. The Phantom said we were barking up the wrong tree. I want to be sure we narrow down everything else before we return to that line of thinking.

[likemypicture]

With the trash can and the bottle being obvious-- what if We were getting help from the other side?

[madgiganticfeelings]

Even I didn't know enough. Even if I could have guessed it was possible to remove it, I feel like I don't know I'd take it out without damaging something. The other thing, though, is that once a gem is shattered, like Spinel's, that's supposed to be death, so...

... [Actually, now she's had a horrific thought, thinking this through in her head.]

Wait. Wait, I think... Do you think it's possible Steven might have tried to do what King Richard did, and remove his gem after someone else poisoned him to make it a suicide?

[heathencall]

Oh.

[He makes a face]

That could be possible.

[madgiganticfeelings]

I-It makes sense. He wouldn't have wanted someone to have to suffer through being executed, even if they hurt him. He... he wanted us all to be safe...

[heathencall]

So. Who, then?

Who among us would have chosen him as a victim?

[He... pauses for a moment]

I think I was the least close to him of us all.

[madgiganticfeelings]

And I think you admitting that makes you less of a suspect to me.

I... was good friends with him, and he helped me a lot while I was here. I wouldn't want him dead, but... you can choose not to believe me if you want.

[heathencall]

I want to say that I don't think you have it in you. But I would not have thought any of us had it in them at this point.

[His knuckles tighten against the podium.]

I'm tired of having to guess at who I can trust.

[madgiganticfeelings]

[Christine doesn't say anything for a moment. She just leaves her podium to carefully approach Mephisto's, and maybe put her hand on his, if he doesn't flinch away.]

I-I know. I am too.

[heathencall]

[He will not.]

Promise me you didn't do it, Christine.

[madgiganticfeelings]

[She holds up her hand with a pinky outstretched.]

You know I wouldn't break a promise. And you? Can you do the same?

[garbageface]

I didn’t know him super well, but we were cool. And I think you all know I’m not the type to regret anything.

[ this motive definitely didn’t tempt santana. bad bitches have no regrets! and she’s too young for any really serious ones, anyway. ]

[musacal]

...Now that--

That I can see Steven doing.

[madgiganticfeelings]

I mean, now I'm really just theorizing, but... that someone could have interfered then and shattered the gem after Steven removed it. That would explain why we're still doing a trial, and why none of us would have marks from struggling with him.

[heathencall]

The Phantom said we would still have a trial, even if it had been Steven to end his own life.

[madgiganticfeelings]

So then I guess it's a matter of us figuring out what killed him first.

[musacal]

But why would Steven do that though...? Unless he and someone else conspired to rewind time together but he seemed pretty against all that.

[madgiganticfeelings]

...Steven had a lot of issues with his worth, though. He might have been convinced this was to save us somehow.

[Christine had thought about attempting her own self-sacrifice a few times before, after all. This place wasn't great for those with too much care for others. She swallows hard around the lump in her throat.]

[heathencall]

How many of these trials have been directly related to the motive?

He could have gotten... tired. Could have remembered something he couldn't bear to come to grips with.

[musacal]

...That doesn't sound like Steven at all to me though.

[ like she understands you can't tell if someone's struggling internally or not all the time because lol that's her fam, but this doesn't sound right to her. ]

[heathencall]

Who else could have removed his gem? That's the only part that sticks out to me.

Especially without a notable struggle.