fourth trial

[airlockedmods]

[When the announcement sounds and the evidence gathered it’s time for a trial. When the remaining champions are all gathered by the docking bay doors they slide slowly slide open.

The two lines of sentry robots are there again, creating a border path from the docking bay doors to the circle of metal podiums. The podiums themselves were made of strange metals in red and gold and orange and black, each one etched with the name of one of the Champions. There are flood lights - like spot lights - in front of each podium. The lights on Oda, Akande and Leon's podiums have been turned off and their floating grey scale portraits have joined the six from last week.

Blaze Dudely stands on a repair deck on top of his ship, which looms over the proceedings ominously. His expression is still hard to read but his arms are folded across his chest and if you squint close enough there's a somberness about him that hasn't been at other trials.]

Ya'll know how this goes by now. [He's in no mood for pageantry this time.] Take the time ya need but don’t bore me.

Comments

[neverheardofhim]

Been calling me viscount since we got here.

[andneversaydie]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. If one of 'em was "it," we'd probably be like, "Oh, who the heck is that?"

[empathiser]

"Viscount", huh?

[Well. Will knows he doesn't exactly lend himself well to nicknames, so he probably wouldn't be all that aware of them happening around him.]

[nightcure]

Saw it on his profile and ran with it.

[empathiser]

Didn't say she wasn't. Just saying there are other ways to not waste breath on a person.

[Making themselves give themselves up works. He's tried it.]

[tokencanadian]

I've been hit by Akande before. [Those fights, y'know.] He can hit very hard if he wants to... I have no problem imagining that those wounds Leon had might have been from him.

[Geeze... poor guy.]

[empathiser]

But assuming Akande attacked Leon, did he know it was Leon he was attacking?

If those potberry plant clippings were used, and they do work in the same way as marijuana, short term side effects can include psychosis, hallucinations, and paranoia, to name a few.

[power_of_dominance]

So what if someone set Akande up to kill Leon, then used the gas to take out Akande and destroy the closest thing we would've had to a witness?

[empathiser]

They'd have to have lured them to that cell somehow, but...

[He's thinking.]

What was it Akande said before he died? ... It was drawn out, so... "Nn...no...t."

"Not."

[power_of_dominance]

But "not" who? Or what, we don't know. There's any number of things he could've been trying to say.

[empathiser]

True. But it sounds like something wasn't what it seemed like, if that was what he was trying to say.

[power_of_dominance]

With Akande dead, there's no way to know for certain. He could've been trying to tell us he didn't kill Leon, or that he knew someone here isn't who they say they are.

[power_of_dominance]

Wait. How did Akande's arm get burned? There wasn't anything flammable in the cell.

[nightcure]

Bleach, maybe.

[tokencanadian]

[...Hmm.]

It's possible... that he could have burned it in the incinerator, if he was ever in there.

[power_of_dominance]

I fought him on Thursday, and I didn't notice any damage to his arm then. Is it possible... the burned note...?

[tokencanadian]

The burned note is interesting, but I think it really depends if the burn on Akande's hand looked like something from fire, or chemicals.

[Can they get clarification on that somewhere?]

Is there a way to know for sure?

[tokencanadian]

So, maybe he got some on him at some point? But the question would have to be when...

[nightcure]

[ ... Noct's next question is sort of related, so. ]

Hey, Will. What did you feel in the cell?

[empathiser]

Fear obviously, but also disbelief, surprise and anger.

[nightcure]

So someone might've got caught off-guard and it pissed them off.

[ he's beginning to have a thought here. ]

[empathiser]

Yeah. We wondered about that. [But then your handwriting thing came up, man.]

But who, and when.

[nightcure]

[ oops, my bad ]

Fear might've belonged to Leon.

[ He's... hesitant about the next part, but they're not gonna get anywhere if he keeps things to himself. ]

And maybe Akande was planning something with someone, and he got played. Disbelief.

[empathiser]

I would expect the fear belonged to Leon, yeah. [... Poor Leon. He didn't deserve that.

That second part catches his attention though.]

... Which would lead to anger.

[nightcure]

Yeah, exactly.

Akande wasn't alone all night, anyway.