First Trial

[stagemanagers]

[As the investigation ends, you'll hear Hester's voice inviting you to the auditorium. As this happens, the twin doors on either side of the concession stand, across from the gym, will click open. You can enter on either side; both go to the same place.

When you enter the auditorium, it's dark. There's only the small lights along the walkway behind all the seats, just enough to illuminate where you're going. There's a central path between the seats, down towards where you know the stage must be. That's where you must be going, right? As you pass each row of seats, the lights at their ends flick on, marking your procession and slowly making more and more of the room visible. Shortly, you can see your destination: a circle of podiums stationed in the orchestra pit, below the lip of the darkened, curtained stage. They're all identical, labeled with a cast member's name, save for Mumble's, which is draped in black crepe and has a framed monochrome photo of him - Elijah Wood him - on top.

When you reach the podiums, the lights above the stage finally come on. It's time to meet the Wizard.

The mechanical head, with glowing green eyes, is installed above the stage and the still-closed curtain. Even if you were standing on the stage, it'd be well out of reach. It peers down at all of you, its motions fluid, and speaks with a booming, artificial-sounding voice:]

Welcome to your first trial, everyone. I am the Wizard. It's time to determine who was responsible for the murder of Mumble. Feel free to talk amongst yourselves and work together - you'll have to show teamwork if you want to leave this room alive.

Comments

VOTING

[stagemanagers]

[As the cast joins their voices together in an attempt at defiance, the WIzard...smiles. Practically beams down at all of you, for all that his face is odd and metal-plated.]

Look at you! That was fantastic! You're all doing so well - you're going to be a great team. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. This week, you still need to vote for the person responsible for Mumble's death.

[As he says so, the tops of your podiums slide back, revealing the voting mechanisms. It's just buttons labelled with each cast member's name; no write-ins, sadly.]

Re: VOTING

[employeeoftheyear]

[Spongebob is still laying on the floor, but his eyes open a little when he hears The Wizard's cheery voice.

He looks up at him with an ice cold glare that's completely uncharacteristic of him.]

... Fuck you.

[brokeforgood]

Holy Shitballs!

[sugarlumps]

[...mentally bumps Bob up to a soft four out of ten, holy glob.]

[yourattention]

[NEVERMIND TRIAL'S GREAT]

[sugarlumps]

That's not how cop dramas work, this is dumb.

[voicerights]

Most Beautifully Misguided

[Like anyone doubted it'd vote without hesitation. But it will look around, fully willing to place others' votes for them.

Wouldn't be the first time it's done that kind of thing. Acting for others, that is. You might say it's what it's born to do.]

[mayavericks]

And if we fail to vote, then Madame Elisabeth will have gotten away with it, by your rules? Meaning our own lives would then be forfeit.

Do I have that correct, Wizard?

[violentenvies]

[As the top of the podium slides back, Salieri recoils at that, head snapping up to glare at the Wizard]

You--There must be another avenue than this! [it's snapped, as panic starts to roll in his stomach and his expression twists]

We cannot be expected to send someone to the gallows for an accident.

[mcfife]

You would dare tell have us condemn the beautiful, misguided Empress to her death? Despite everything, she showed a noble heart in attempting to save Mumble. [Even if he doesn't get her whole religion.]

You are a wicked wizard who revels in slaughter, though a man as evil as you are cares not for anything but himself!

[alchemistake]

[The voting mechanism appears, and all of a sudden Varian feels sick. Well. Even sicker than he had when all of this first started coming to light.

He's still holding Farrah's hand, and he's aware of Salieri's presence next to him, yet everything else all around is...dark. Muddy. He can hear people shouting with defiance, even cursing, but Varian looks hollow. Sissi, of all people, does not deserve this.

The photo he kept burns a hole into his chest, straight to his heart. He can see the cart. The chains.]

W...what right...do I have, to...

[He starts, quiet, but then trails off without finishing.]

[samefacesyndrome]

[ Rina just stares at the buttons, not moving. ]

...Why?

What do you even get from this...?

[themuseabandonsyou]

[ Orpheus shakes his head and continues to sing, finishing out the verse. ]

And drawing out the shades
The shades of our sins
It's kin eating kin
Cogs living in
This monstrous game
When will this story end
The words from within
Will break down these walls

[ But that's all they are. Just words. And for all his glaring, for all his fury, the SQUIP has already voted. Which means they can't just refuse to play the Wizard's game. He staggers a bit, the rush of adrenaline starting to wear off, and leans heavily against his podium. ]

This isn't a game. You can't do this. You can't.

[ Tears are falling freely from his eyes now, dropping onto the voting mechanism. His hands are white-knuckled on either side of it. But he watches everyone around him grapple with the problem, some clearly having it easier than others, and he understands it - looks at Eurydice and thinks about her dying along with the rest of them in Elisabeth's place - but the anger in him refuses to burn out. Looking the Wizard directly in the eyes, he casts his vote. ]

>Fastest Meeting-to-Proposal Turnaround

[yourattention]

> Empress Elisabeth of Austria

[he is disassociating and simply cannot do complex moral decisions at this moment, thanks]

[fourbutts]

[ janis looks down at her podium, looks back up ]

And if we don't vote?

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah watches everyone else-- But she can't be strong. Not like them. Not even Orpheus' song that had rallied them had helped. And even with Varian holding her hand...]

Cold, clammy, and crowded
The people smell desperate
We'll sink any minute
So someone must go--

[Her other hand has found the button. She pushes it before she can stop herself.

> Empress Elisabeth of Austria]

I'm sorry. [She doesn't know if she's saying it to Sissi, or Salieri. But they're both in the same place, and it makes it easy to look pleadingly at them both]

[disharmonizes]

Now I'm just torn. On the one hand, I'm not really the pawn type. On the other hand, I'm also not the throwing myself on the pyre for someone else's sake type.

[...Yeah, he'll just go ahead. Who can resist a big shiny button?

> Empress Elisabeth of Austria]

[violentenvies]

[after Farrah looks at him like that, and a few people have already voted, Salieri's stomach is in knots as he glances over at Sissi, turning back to her]

Madame Elisabeth. [he reaches out to put his hand over hers, singing quietly, just loud enough for her to hear]

On se reverra, On se reverra
Là où rien n'est plus rien
On comprendra d'où l'on vient


[he looks at her, jaw tight, trembling, eyes wet]

...I'm sorry. But I must.

For the children.

[whatyouwant]

[Elle is sobbing. She looks across to Elizabeth.]

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

>Empress Elisabeth of Austria

[comeandfindme]

[ She can't die. She can't do that to her mom— ]

> Most Beautifully Misguided

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[Cassandra's song has tapered off, leaving her sullen and sunk where she stands. Her hands rest on the podium, near the buttons she's consciously trying to avoid.

She thinks about Elisabeth, her roommate. A innocent who would've never taken a life, and only did so on freak accident.

She thinks about the others, who are going to die if they don't do something]

And so I keep on keeping on...

[She enters her vote for Most Beautifully Misguided]

[defyingfrigidity]

[Elsa is tired. All of this has rattled her in a way she hasn't felt in years. She wants this to be some sick joke, she wants the power of their resistance to work, like it does in stories. But there's none of that here. There's just... a hollowness, as she stares at the panel before her.

She knows she has to do it. Not for herself, but for all her new friends - for Orpheus, for Varian, for Cassandra. They could die if they don't vote, but even with that knowledge, Elsa's hands feel like lead as she tries to reach for the button....]

[wanderlusttitania]

...

[At some point, it becomes her time. She must vote. She could be petty and vote for someone else, deprive the Wizard of his perfect trial and damn the consequences. She's already going to die; it wouldn't matter.

In the end, though.]

Empress Elisabeth of Austria

[She quietly straightens herself up, and looks up towards Hester, pointedly ignoring the Wizard. She can at least have some kind of queenly dignity in her final moments, even though she's still very much trembling violently.]

Mademoiselle...all I can ask of you is that...if you cannot bring me to that crypt I saw in my photo, then at least to give my body the dignity of a burial when I am dead. And...to tell my family...I am sorry.

And...thank you. For the zither.

[She looks down.]

If you'd like it, you can play it. You had mentioned you wished to learn about it...when I first asked for one.

[tellthestory]

[The Balladeer doesn't like this any better than anyone else. But, looking around and seeing how many people are breaking down - he can't be somebody that someone else needs to protect. Others here need that a lot more than he does. He needs to just...steel himself, and do it.]

It didn't mean a nickel,
You just shed a little blood,
And a lot of people shed a lot of tears...

> Most Beautifully Misguided

[barberic]

[Maya casts Spongebob's vote for him, and that, he supposes, leaves him to return to his podium. He puts a hand on Maya's shoulder, with a grateful smile, and leaves Spongebob reluctantly with a final pat, as well.

His podium seems so dismal - it's an executioner's block, of course.

But if he doesn't, then it's all their necks. And he'll never see his girl again.]

We're forced to choose the unimaginable...

[He closes his eyes tight as he presses the button.

> Empress Elisabeth of Austria]

I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry...