second 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. Elisabeth and Connor have joined Mumble in having theirs draped in black crepe and with a framed monochrome photo of them on top.

When you reach the podiums, the lights above the stage finally come on. the Wizard is once again waiting for you. Beside it Hester is slowly lowers in on her bubble. Her dress this week is a purple monstrosity, more akin to a voluminous prom dress than the simple outfits she usually wears.

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

Comments

[brokeforgood]

It’s more like I know of him.

Not from Connor. From... the internet. I didn’t really— I didn’t know that he was that Connor.

[comeandfindme]

[ Her jaw tightens. ]

Farrah. Who is he?

Cw: suicide, cw: Evan Hansen

[brokeforgood]

Connor? He’s — [Oh. We’re not talking about that. Farrah sharply inhales.]

He went viral last year. But—- [She looks at Connor’s podium. She doesn’t want to say. This all feels wrong. Her arms wrap around her waist, hugging herself.]

It was this bullshit thing— it was after my fall went viral, so I wasn’t super into it. It was like, an anti-bullying, pro-mental health thing—- “You’re not alone, reach out to someone, Blah Blah Blah, You’re not alone—“

It all started after a boy named Connor killed himself.

Cw: suicide, cw: Evan Hansen

[comeandfindme]

That's complete bullshit!!

[ Ah, Peregrine's yelling, a day ending in y. ]

If— if that's the same Connor, he— no one cared about him! He was alone!! They told him to just— [ Ah, wait, she thought she was done crying. Breathe. ] Who- who was- what's Evan Hansen have to do with this?

[brokeforgood]

His only friend. [She says it with an extra level of cheer, that makes it clear that she’s calling it bullshit— Then, just because Peregrine’s hurting—-] I know it’s bullshit, Per. But that’s what they claimed. I knew it was bullshit even then, but now I really—-

Evan Hansen made a big speech at Connor’s memorial, and it went viral. It was about how you don’t have to be alone, or whatever. Even if you’re broken on the ground. [She spits the words out. They’re painful to her. They were then, they are now. That speech has always taunted her— those words in particular.]

[comeandfindme]

Connor's only friend was Miguel!! He taught him how to- to work pie crusts, they hung out under trees, Everyone else was—

[ Breathe, Peregrine. She roughly wipes her face and tries to calm down; she doesn't want to yell at Farrah, Farrah isn't causing this. ]

...Whoever that guy is, he's a fucking liar. Connor didn't know him.

[brokeforgood]

[Farrah doesn’t like being yelled at like that—- but she can’t exactly yell back at Peregrine. And she can’t break down either. So she slips back into her vain, hot-mess, no-care Farrah facade, smoothing flyaway hairs and examining her nails.]

I said it was bullshit.

[comeandfindme]

[ ...She swallows. ]

I know, Farrah. I— I know. [ ... ] I'm sorry.

[brokeforgood]

You don’t have to be. It’s whatever. [She stares at her fingernails, simultaneously grateful and frustrated she had done her own nails.]

It was... a really big thing on the internet. They were trying to save some apple orchard, because I guess Evan was like, oh, Connor was super into—- [Apples. The apples in the vending machine. The pies he’d made. She’d always thought it was bullshit— but she hadn’t really ever thought about Connor when she dismissed it. She was always thinking about herself. But now— she knew Connor. He was real. He was funny in the same ways that she was. He was a good listener, and he tried to look out for her. About a hundred apples tumble out of a vending machine, and then he made them into pies for them.

Her elbows drop to her podium, and she lowers her head down, clenching her braids in her fists.]

[alchemistake]

[When Farrah doesn't finish her sentence, instead bowing her head over her podium, Varian puts his free hand on her shoulder.

This is the cool kid's corner, but cool kids don't have to be okay.]

[sugarlumps]

...After we get out of here we should totally kill that guy.

[comeandfindme]

[ ... ]

That won't bring Connor back.

[sugarlumps]

It'd be honoring his memory! And it'd make me feel better probably.

[comeandfindme]

[ Something about this makes Peregrine not want to answer. She just pulls the cloak around her, running her fingers over the hand-embroidered deer right over her heart. ]

[employeeoftheyear]

You can't be saying that whoever this Evan is, he made up being friends with Connor? Why in Neptune's name would anyone do that?

[sugarlumps]

Probably because they're really pathetic and lonely and know deep down they're awful.

[Spoken with zero irony]

[tellthestory]

Sounds like it made him famous. People'll do a lot worse, for that.

[employeeoftheyear]

But... but that's still terrible! Friends don't start being friends with people just to be famous! Especially not when they're dead before you befriend them!

[tellthestory]

I'm not saying it's right. I'm just saying people do.

[themuseabandonsyou]

Connor kept getting letters out of the machine in the cafeteria from someone who only signed them 'sincerely, me'. He said he didn't recognize them. Do you think they were from this Evan Hansen person?

[brokeforgood]

Yeah. I do.

cw suicide

[employeeoftheyear]

W-What?

[His voice is quiet, horrified.]

But... Connor is such a good person.

[Suicide is not exactly something Spongebob thought about a whole lot, so this was a particular shock to him. Were there signs of him wanting to kill himself here? Was he just too blind to pick up on it?]

Re: cw suicide

[sugarlumps]

He was the best of us, Bob. The hottest one here.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

[Spongebob...]

He didn't deserve to die like that. Nobody does.

[employeeoftheyear]

[He sniffles.]

I just... I just don't get why...