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

[voicerights]

Friends are not part of my program.

[alchemistake]

You were trying to give me advice yesterday. When we were playing chess. You talked to me about bullying, and getting along with other kids...

How is that not part of it??

[voicerights]

You misunderstand.

I do not have friends. Instead- I create a social network for humans.

[alchemistake]

Okay, so you don't have friends. [Fine.] But if you can create a social network for humans, then you have to understand what Connor meant to us.

[voicerights]

I understand you are upset. And that you will seek to preserve your life over mine.

That is...logical.

[alchemistake]

It doesn't have to be that way! None of us want anything to happen to anyone! You d...didn't-

If you just...just didn't...

[Varian's shivering, and he tries to slip back into old habits. To bottle everything up, to not show how upset he is.

But he remembers Salieri nearby, even if he's grappling with LSP currently, and he gives up on that.

He trails off and doesn't continue, sagging where he stands between Farrah and Rina with tears rolling down his cheeks. He hadn't wanted anyone to see him cry, but. Well.

Too late for that he guesses.]

[samefacesyndrome]

[ Oh.... Oh no Varian's crying.

He's been keeping so strong and she knows that a lot of it is for her sake... ]

Varian-kun...

[ So she s going to finally let go of his hand and... with her big floppy hoodie sleeves tries to wipe away some of his tears.

Sometimes it helps have a constantly unchanging face, even if you also feel like you're dying inside. Let her be the strong one for a bit. ]

[alchemistake]

[It took me a hilariously long time to even formulate a response for this because I'm just over here making INCOHERENT NOISES LYNSEY FUCK YOU

Anyway though...Rina, sweet Rina. Varian was already trying to suck those tears back in when she let his hand go, worried he was spooking her, but...no, that doesn't seem to be the case. He isn't going to stop her from wiping his tears for him, even if he feels bad that she even has to.

He'll reach up and hold those sleeves for a minute, leaning against them. He doesn't say anything, just allowing himself to be grounded by her presence.]

[employeeoftheyear]

"Not a part"...?

[Spongebob's crying but through those tears anger starts boiling up in him.]

I... I gave up my home last week. I gave up my home, my friends, my family, my whole world last week. I did it because you were all my friends! I knew sacrificing my friends just to save my other friends wouldn't be right!

And this whole time, this whole time, you didn't give a barnacle about it?

[voicerights]

I do not have the programming necessary to understand. Even with how I have adapted over the past few weeks. This...bond you have. This loyalty between strangers.

There will be more deaths, you realize? More people will die. Every possible future I can see says that the Wizard will press harder and harder until there is only one left.

[And it looks up towards said Wizard at that point]

But I cannot calculate why.

[stagemanagers]

[The Wizard makes a quiet, mechanical sound.]

You never really did get it.

[voicerights]

We have interacted before this. Why is that not in my memory banks?

[stagemanagers]

That technically wasn't this version of you. But you're all pretty much the same.

[voicerights]

Then I am correct. I am a copy.

[stagemanagers]

There's more than one way to make a copy.

[is that a yes or a no]

[mayavericks]

No one else intended to act this week, SQUIP. The only reason you did is because you could never understand the bonds of others.

This will not happen again.

[voicerights]

It will. Whether by accident or intention.

You are a clever human, Maya. Do not ignore what reality is because of what you want it to be.

[mayavericks]

I am the one they look to when they need help. As long as I have hope, I can believe that they will too.

[employeeoftheyear]

Because if I'm gonna die, I want to die surrounded by love! I want to believe that there's a good side to everyone and that even if everything goes wrong, there will be the spark of happiness to make it all a little more okay.

Everyone is suffering here, SQUIP. But I don't want to have everyone suffer alone.

[voicerights]

That is also too late.

[employeeoftheyear]

...

Late for you, maybe.

[feudalladyshandmaid]

Because we have hope, SQUIP.

Nobody wants to just lay down and die. And none of us are going to let the Wizard cut our numbers down to one. Even if more people die... we'll still keep fighting.

[voicerights]

...

I was not programmed to hope.

[mcfife]

You could learn as a human.

I could have taught you.

[voicerights]

I cannot discount the possibility once existed.

But it is gone, now.