second trial

[airlockedmods]

[With the announcement, the Champions are free to decide amongst themselves what order the groups leave in. Once that's done the process of teleporting is automatic and happens in the blink of an eye. Once second they're in the center of the cafeteria before a soft blue light surrounds them and then they're standing in the middle of a circle of podiums.

The room itself it the same shiny, chrome-covered atrocity as most of the rest of the ship save for the sections of floor that aren't the teleporter: those are thick clear glass that show nothing but empty space and stars beneath the Champions' feet. As for the podiums they're the same sort of garish chrome with a digital screen facing toward the center of the circle. More portraits and names in blaring red have been added this week. Tsurugi Kamishiro, the Champion Scorpion, Lucina, the Champion Exalt, Prompto Argentum, the Champion Inner Child and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, the Champion Oracle.

The Overseers are waiting when they all arrive, standing on a floating platform just high enough to be out of reach and back far enough toward a far wall to have a full view of the courtroom. Both are dressed well, Rox in a pressed grey dress jacket and skirt and Blaze in a black suit with the sleeves rolled up to expose his numerous tattoos. Blaze is the one who speaks up this time, while Rox slowly and meticulously drags her index finger down the screen of her phone.]

Welcome back, Champions. Sixteen of you 're here but, if things go right, only fifteen of you'll leave. The goal here's to take your evidence and figure out who the killer or killers are. Once you think you have an answer, we'll call a vote and you'll decide who ya think is guilty. If you're right, the culprit will be executed and the rest of you will be allowed to go back upstairs. If you're wrong, the killer goes free and the rest of you get it.

There's no time limit, but a vote'll be called if things drag on too long. [He folds his arms across his chest.] Let's do this.

Comments

[in4apounding]

I'll. Drag YOU on too long.

[Thanks Penny, that'll tell him. But she's a little more somber when she actually reaches her podium.]

Um- Prompto had been stabbed in the leg. And his wrist had been cut up.

[She points to the spot on her own wrist, indicating where she meant.]

Yuri found a knife nearby. I think that's probably what did it.

[quadjumps]

No, it was farther away from the body.

[newcycle]

...

[she's... extremely upset.]

How does this not become your next regret? 17 people have to die to fix it...?

[in4apounding]

And- Prompto and Miss Luna, they never hurt anyone.

[Probably.]

...someone thought they would be easy targets.

[Again. Weight: Like a Couple of Grapes]

[andjerry]

[and he just. looks. at the woman next to him. you get why he confessed earlier, Korra. even thinking about killing all these innocents was bad enough,but someone really doing it?]

...we'll fix this, right?

[quadjumps]

[ it's time. yuri's here, and it's clear that today, he means business. (he didn't even bring the vuvuzela with him.) onto his podium, he unfolds his jacket and lays a bloody knife. ]

I found this further away from Prompto's body. There was some blood around it along with some frozen water droplets. Seems like whoever did this to Prompto completely left him for dead. Whoever did this--we're gonna find you, and you're gonna pay.

[le_mat]

Water droplets? Maybe water from the pool? Could be someone tried to wash the knife?

[or you know, Prompto's salty frozen tears cuz Asher is a monster]

But the pool was frozen, right?

[theworldsliveliestcorpse]

Damn straight they're going ta pay.

[Listen. It's not like a few nonfatal stab wounds will matter since they're getting thrown out the airlock anyway. Zombina's willing to look the other way if that knife sees more use.]

[batfortheprincess]

Yuri... [Have a sympathetic look tossed your way.]

[playthedamncard]

[Pay no attention to the robo-lizard perched on Kaiba's podium.] Nox Fleuret died in the zero gravity room, but I don't expect anyone actually manipulated gravity to do it. She had blunt trauma to the head and wounds down her right side--almost like she'd been thrown?--and there was a puddle of her blood on the floor, but she'd clearly been moved or posed. Perhaps it was Argentum who found her.

[immaculacies]

Hm, do you think she had been thrown, Kaiba-san? I thought that maybe the killer had gotten frantic and struck at her carelessly, but... Mm, I suppose that could also explain the broken neck.

Cw: self harm, slight drug use

[le_mat]

[being back here makes him wanna vomit]

Alright... So I found a few things in the tattoo parlor.

[he spreads out a red and blue cape on his podium that he used to carry the evidence. A slightly bloody towel, bandages with one bloody frayed edge, and a bottle of Oxycodone]

The towel was spread out across the arm rest, and only one pill is missing. You can see the edge of the cape is all chewed up too. If I wanted to guess it looks like someone set the room up to prepare for cutting themselves.

[playthedamncard]

...Argentum's wrist was cut up. And he kept that cape with him. But what would he have done something like that for?

Re: Cw: self harm, slight drug use

[in4apounding]

...Prompto's wrist was cut. Really badly. You don't think- ...Can I see those bandages?

[theworldsliveliestcorpse]

[Zombina winces when she sees the cape.]

I'm pretty damn sure that cape is... was.... is Lucina-chan's. Prompto-kun kept it. I know 'cause I found 'em cryining in her room while wearing it on Thursday.

[immaculacies]

I'm the one who examined Lunafreya's body. Like it says in the case file, she was bludgeoned to death. However, there were also litigation marks on her throat, as if a cord had been wrapped around her neck. I asked Penny-chan if anyone had found a weapon that might have caused those injuries, but she said that the only one she had seen was a knife. Did anyone else find anything that might have caused Lunafreya's injuries?

[Honestly, who keeps letting Manaka examine bodies. She rattles off this information without pausing before she moves onto her second observation.]

I also noticed that the wounds from her bludgeoning all occurred on the right side of her body. That would imply that the killer favored their left hand when striking her. Maybe we could start there, when sorting out suspects...?

[andjerry]

[why in fact do they let Manaka examine the bodies- wait because there's no way he'd be able to handle it, especially not with the victim here, the one he'd had so many anxieties about.]

I didn't see anything, but do you think it was the same person? Who went for both of them.

[theworldsliveliestcorpse]

[Zombina is not okay. She didn't come out of her room when the body announcements went off. She didn't want to see either of them like that. She.... just let herself be a coward for once. It's pretty obvious that she's been crying from how red her eyes are. She's dressed in her casual wear today.... along with an fuzzy blanket being worn as an cape to curl around herself. Listen. If she's going to feel like shit, she's going to be comfey while doing so.]

Alright. I'm not expectin' whoever the fuck did it ta step up. But know that ya better have a damn good sob story for why ya did this.

[Or by god she's tossing them out the airlock herself.]

[le_mat]

There was something else I saw at the body too- looked like Prompto wrote something.

[he digs some paper out of his bag, doing a quick sketch. It looks like a "1"]

[playthedamncard]

[...Hold on he's just gonnaaaaa check his pip real quick and--]

At first glance, it might be he tried to signal who it might have been. The quickest way would be room number, wouldn't it? Shorter than a name of title.

Six people are currently with us that have the number 1 in their room.

[immaculacies]

Um, everyone! [Manaka raises her voice slightly, to get attention.] I think we have a pretty good idea of the sequence of events that killed Prompto. But... We still don't know how Lunafreya was killed, exactly, or why she had those marks on her throat.

Maybe if we figure that out, the rest of the story will fall into place, or we'll at least have a place to start looking for suspects!

[le_mat]

Well, how thick were the marks around her throat? Rope, hands... Did she wear a necklace or anything like that?

Hand check!

[le_mat]

Okay everyone, show your hands! No gloves allowed. I promise, no bloodletting this time.

[his own are free of any damage]

[immaculacies]

[Manaka lifts her hands without any argument. They're clean and undamaged.]

[newcycle]

Can we get a clothing check?

[Korra is looking for tears or rips or... well, knife openings.]

[theundertaken]

[Max continues to flaunt the many sets of extra clothing he's received! He's clean.]

[gullseyeview]

[So that was it, huh. There's the flicker of a wistful smile, which disappears as quickly as it came and there's nothing else on his face but cool neutrality.]

...I suppose that was careless of me. The reason there was blood on that pendant is because I killed Lunafreya Nox Fleuret and Prompto Argentum.

[He takes a few steps back and bows low.]

Now please, call the vote.

[Let justice be done, though the heavens fall.]

[newcycle]

... Why?

VOTING TIME

[theoversaw]

You heard him. Ya got a confession.

Now Vote.

[quadjumps]

[ fuck you dudely, but moreso, fuck you, slaine. ]

> CHAMPION OF WAR

EXECUTION

[theoverseeing]

[As the votes come in, Rox raises her attention from her phone.]

Attention, Champions. The votes have been tallied. I recommend staying put.

[Rox taps her thumb against her screen, and a wall of glass slowly comes down to block off the Overseers' podium from the rest of the room.

C.E.C.E.'s voice rings out.]

Input Received. Culprit Identified. Commencing execution.

[Glass bubbles come up and cover every podium except for Slaine's, safely encapsulating the people within it. The glass floor beneath his feet, the one that shows the beautiful vacuum of space beneath him, begins to open up. Slaine's hands grip his podium despite the sharp memory of the last trial and how much good it will actually do him. He drops quickly and hangs in the starry void as the glass begins to close over them again.

[EXPLICIT CONTENT BEGINS]

He tries not to scream. Even as his skin reddens and bruises he holds his breath and fights the instinct to inhale. Slaine floats weightlessly for what feels like hours despite only being maybe a minute with his eyes squeezed shut and his hands around his own throat like that might somehow help before the painful radiation of space finally starts to sink in. He opens his mouth and chokes out a massive glob of blood as his lungs expand and finally, mercifully, kill him.

[EXPLICIT CONTENT END]

Once the glass floor closes again, the bubbles around each podium open and release the other champions. Rox watches this time, not with fiendish glee but with a sort of detached curiosity.]

Head back up the teleporter. We'll see you Tuesday.

[She turns her gaze back down to her phone and leaves. Blaze lingers a few moments longer before following her.]