fourth trial

[airlockedmods]

[With the announcement and the evidence, 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. Karamatsu Matsuno, the Champion of Painful Secondhand Embarrassment That's So Cringe Inducing, Narcissistic, And Eye Blindingly Glittery It Makes You Wish He'd Go Away, Korra, the Champion Avatar, Yuri Plisetsky, the Champion Figure Skater and Max Olguin, the Champion Portrait Artist.

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. He's also sporting a black eye patch with a flaming snowflake embroidered on it over his left eye. Rox is smiling like that cat who ate the canary while Blaze is standing a little farther away than normal and looking uncomfortable.]

Welcome back, Champions! There are ten of you here but, if things go correctly, only nine of you will leave. I don't think I have to explain at this point what will happen if you choose wrong.

As usual there's no time limit but be sure to keep things interesting. [She folds her arms across her chest, looking down on the Champions with a grin.] Let the trial begin.

Comments

[karappo]

[Karamatsu does not want to be here, but he has to be. They all have to be, if they want to find out what happened to poor Max.

He almost goes for his podium, but seeing his own portrait there turns his blood to ice and causes him to veer off to literally anyone else's. ...it's unfortunate that he really has no choice but to take up the empty place at Osomatsu's, but hopefully Penny and Akira won't mind if he stands extra close to one or the other of them during this trial.

He has some grisly evidence, but he wants to wait to see what the others present first.]

[playthedamncard]

[Kaiba is doing all he can to keep going, and that apparently means robotic motions and shut down emotions. He's going through the motions and happens at his podium and is silent and still for a few long moments.

His good eye finds Rox up there, and though he doesn't smirk, there's enough in him to say something snarky.]

And there she is. I suppose she had to get tired of her temper tantrum eventually. Let's hope she exerts a little more control over everything than she's managed all week.

[le_mat]

Seto.

[He doesn't yell, but honestly does he NEED to?]

cw: fingore

[in4apounding]

[Penny shoots Rox a withering glare as they file into the courtroom, before quietly placing a jar on her podium. The label has been mostly removed, and the inside appears to be full of small balls of gauze fabric.]

Um- Mister Thomas and I- in the sewing room- we found- ....um. Pieces.

[playthedamncard]

...There were several 'pieces' missing that we couldn't find in the infirmary.

cw: fingore, mouthgore, just gross over all

[le_mat]

[Akira is... not great. Eyes dark and skin pale. Shaking and exposed eye red.]

Max was.... me and Kaiba investigated Max's body. From the looks of it he, fuck, exploded from the stomach out. The force was enough that one arm and one leg were blown free. From looking at the wound I was able to tell that the explosion didn't leave any burns.

From how the blood was pooled it looked like Max didn't struggle in any way, like he was unconscious or paralyzed in some way, though it didn't look like his spine was broken or any drugs were missing. Like Penny mentioned his fingertips were missing. Along with his teeth and tongue.

[He leans on his podium, staring downwards instead of at the others.]

Re: cw: fingore, mouthgore, just gross over all

[in4apounding]

[Well that's just awful.]

Why would someone go that far- ...wait, all his fingers? We- there were only five in the sewing room.

[karappo]

[...Karamatsu can't speak initially, he just goes very, very pale, and leans closer to Penny.

He's so, so glad Akira warned him to stay back.]

[unhappylittletrees]

...His tongue was-was in the greenhouse. [What up, friends, Jamie speaking up for once over on his Sea of Death side of the courtroom.]

Karamatsu and I found it.

[karappo]

[Karamatsu is just going to shoot Jamie a sympathetic look before nodding to confirm. He waited to comment on it, mostly because...well. He wasn't alone. And he is so damn sorry.]

[immaculacies]

Eh, really? Why would it be all the way over there if Penny-chan and Maclaine-san found the other parts in the sewing room?

[le_mat]

How did you find it, Jamie? Just tossed aside or did it seem to be put there with intent?

[dejabrew]

Oh Jesus God.

[Hi Jamie Bolton's standing with you at your podium today.]

cw: more gore

[playthedamncard]

The parts are concerning, yes, but damn near any of us could be physically capable of mutilating another with the right tools--which we have.

We need to figure out how he seemingly exploded from the inside. Whatever happened, that is not something just anyone could manage.

[le_mat]

If it was just his gut I'd say he might have been inflated somehow. But that wouldn't have the force to tear off a limb, would it?

Pocket Check!

[in4apounding]

There's- um. Still some. Things. Missing. I hate to ask, but can everyone turn out their pockets? Just in case.

[Penny starts with herself, of course. Shovel-kun, the scissors, and the jar are already on her podium; her pockets themselves are clear, except for some stray glitter from a cannon refill.

[immaculacies]

[Manaka is wearing a dress from the benefactors. It does not appear to have any pockets!

...Except it totally does, they're just hidden. Manaka obligingly turns them inside out, revealing absolutely nothing.]

[le_mat]

[Akira does the same, including his bag- There's his notebook of course, some handsanitizer, Miki's ribbon, Max's copy of the full Lord of the Rings trilogy, one of Zombina's yaoi doujin.

A condom. You know, normal things.]

[andjerry]

[he's still wearing the homemade murdercoat replacement, which is essentially a giant shirt, and his space trouser pockets have only a second pair of rubber gloves]

[karappo]

[Karamatsu is wearing his blue hoodie along with Osomatsu's red tied around his waist, so he makes sure to turn out the pockets of all of them, including his jeans.

His pockets are clear, save for a little clay horse that he pulls from his hoodie pocket and keeps held in his hand.]

[playthedamncard]

[He turns his inside out, and there's nothing. (His cards are in his duel disk ever since he got that.)]

[dejabrew]

[Bolton is wearing the pink shirt and pants from the benefactors;

He put on pants for this, after finding a body in his boxer shorts that morning.

He has a red paisley hanky in his pocket, but other than that they're empty.]

[immaculacies]

[When Akira asks that question, for a second, Manaka only smiles. Then, behind her podium, her hands shift beneath her skirt, untying a knot that had been fastened there.

There was nothing to find in her pockets, because it had been wrapped around her hips this whole time.

She lifts it into plain view for everyone in the room to see. The same cloth that was cut from the sewing room. The same ribbon. It's been folded into neat little charms, shaped like omamori, each one tied with a cute bow at the end. There are exactly eleven, if anyone cares to count.]

Ahaha... You're so clever, Kurusu-san! But, everyone— Thank you for playing along this far, even if it's no longer necessary.

[She draws both ends of that braid of ribbon tight around her fingers, and smiles brightly.]

I am the one who killed Max Olguin.

[ FATAL BATTLE
1/1 ]

[karappo]

[What the fuck]

...so you are prepared to admit to torturing him as well then, Manaka-chan?

VOTING TIME

[airlockedmods]

Attention, Champions. Please cast your votes for the Champion you think is the culprit.

[karappo]

[Karamatsu is furious. But this has to end, it has to.

He knows that his vote won't count unless it's at the podium of who Petuu wants to consider still alive. This time, he won't hesitate.

He slips behind Penny, and puts in his vote at Osomatsu's podium.]

>Champion Mother

[theoverseeing]

[In the silence that falls over the aftermath of Thomas' suicide, comes the slow, pleased sound of applause.

She even put her phone down for this, grinning her shark-like grin down at the Champions.]

Congratulations, Champions. I think if you're all quite done, a vote will be unnecessary.

[in4apounding]

...shut up, Shark-bitch-chan.

[The quietest, tiniest profanity, still muffled by Akira's shoulder.]