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

[heathencall]

[Mephisto looks Stephen dead in the eyes as he approaches his podium. He has one last thing to say to all of this.]

You forfeit all rights to my heart
You forfeit the place in our stead
You'll sleep in the ground instead
With only the memories of before your crime.

I hope that you burn

[And with that he slams his hand down.]

The Willing Pawn.

[madgiganticfeelings]

Mephisto...

[Christine's heart aches for him. For him to be going through something like this... She had thought her complicated feelings for Jeremy had been bad.

She hopes whatever's on this paper, it'll make some of this agony lesson for Mephisto. But it will have to wait.

She moves to her podium, selects >The Willing Pawn, and then returns to Mephito's side, the hand not holding the paper firmly taking his.]

[37773972]

[Thanks to Christine, whatever madness he clung to seems to have left him. But while his eyes are closed, the tears aren't stopping, and his voice...oh, his voice.]

I know I will.

[Exhaustion. Defeat. But through it all? A single iota of hope.]

[heathencall]

[There's something there, something that breaks and aches. But he can't crumble now. Not here.]

Your fragile heart feeds my contempt.

[37773972]

This is what I brought you, this you can keep

[And he opens his eyes, now, looking towards Mephisto with the saddest of smiles]

This is what I brought, you may forget me.