second trial

[stagemanagers]

[Just as with last week, once the investigation finishes, that slow, ominous sound from the main lobby rumbles through the opera house.

The doors to the court room have opened and the time has come for a trial.

The court room looks just as it did before: the grand chandelier glittering above your heads, the fine red velvet seats. In the orchestra pit your circle of wooden podiums awaits you, just the same as before save for a few recent additions. Like Valjean before them, D-ne, Gabe, and Hime's podiums have been draped in black crepe with their greyscale funerary portraits. Behind them, where the performers themselves stood only a week ago, a metal pole stands with a softly glowing lightbulb atop it.

The curtain is closed, waiting to open when a decision has been reached and an execution can commence.

When everyone is in their places, the Balladeer's voice echoes loud and clear through the theatre. He still sounds slightly bewildered by all of this.]

Okay, everyone, you all know how this works now. Trial rules are the same, still no time limit, just...keep at it until you figure out what happened. You can do this.

Comments

[robitussin]

[She's not angry at Anna. She's not even that angry at Astarte, she just does what she always does when she's afraid or desperate or hurting. She lashes out, deserved or not. It's an instinct that she would change if she knew how; it feels like there's always a layer of anger neatly disguised inside her, just waiting to come out at the slightest provocation.

That being said, she's overwhelming and tired and scared (they all are, really), and this is what brings her over the edge - this moment of kindness and understanding. She doesn't say anything, but she brings a hand up to her mouth as she stops being able to stop any tears from falling.]

[sunshineprincess]

[She understands better than anyone here. Carefully, she comes around the podium and pulls Natalie into a hug. It's the only thing she can think of at the moment.

After all, they have had such similar pasts. Anna just hopes that Natalie can find some peace.]

[robitussin]

[As soon as she registers what's going on, every instinct tells her to pull away - she's close to doing it, bringing her hands up enough that they nearly touch Anna's shoulders, almost pushing her off. But something stops her, be it the unexpected warmth of the embrace or her ever present loneliness, a consuming force inside her that has never faded once in all the years she can remember.

Her hands don't wrap around Anna to return the hug, but they at least fall to her side instead of pushing the other girl away. She weeps.]

[sunshineprincess]

[That's okay. She lets Natalie cry, waiting till it seems like the other is done before pulling away with a soft smile.]

You can come to me for anything, okay?

[She has your back. Invisible Girl or not.]