theairlock | fourth trial

[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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

What- why- how- WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?!

Why? Mm... There are a lot of reasons. Perhaps you can start with the motive?

I wasn't lying, when I said it had nothing to do with others learning about the Holy Grail War.

But maybe if you think really hard, starting from there, you'll be able to come up with something else?

Not about the war itself.

About the prize--the wish it grants?

Mm! Yes, you're getting warm now. What about it?

You meant to hide it from someone--from Saber, because whatever it was, it was going to be something you knew he didn't approve of. He would have tried to stop you.

You're very, very close, Kaiba-san. Yes, he would have tried to stop me.

But it's already done.

Then--what's the point of hiding it from him if it's already done? He'll hate you either way for it. And then you'll be alone again.

He doesn't know.

And, I think... It might break him, if he found out.

Was the wish...for him? That it would change him, and he would never have known?

Kaiba-san... Alright, I'll give you a hint. The start of my motive goes like this.

The true nature of the Holy Grail is...?

Edited 2017-11-18 20:38 (UTC)

...I dunno about in your world. But in mine it's an evil god out to destroy humanity.

...Aha. Ahaha!

[Manaka's laughter is high and pealing and girlish.]

That's right! That's exactly right, Kurusu—no, Akira! The Holy Church made that cup to grant their own wish, but what is it? It's a thing that receives wishes. The wishes that humans are filled with—hatred, greed, jealousy, bitterness, all of it!

It was never going to give birth to their God. It was never going to grant anyone's pure wish. It was always going to give birth to that Beast, the very one foretold in the Church's own holy book!

...The hell kind of universes are you two from that that makes any sense?

I told you it was magical bullshit.

It's true, humans are full of sins. It's our nature. Anything that would take in all of human nature with no distinction would become corrupted and distorted.

And that's the secret you want hidden, that you learned that truth?

No. What she wanted secret is already done. Her secret is that she was going to willingly unleash the beast, isn't it?

(no subject)

le_mat - 2017-11-18 21:00 (UTC) - Expand

immaculacies - 2017-11-18 21:06 (UTC) - Expand

le_mat - 2017-11-18 21:07 (UTC) - Expand

Yes. But it's also more than that.

To use the Grail, all seven Servants must be added to it in order to complete the ritual. But—I was never going to use Saber that way. Of course I wouldn't. I had to find a substitution instead.

—But, that child. It was really good, you know? It ate, and ate, and ate, all the souls I could find it, because it wanted to be good and please its mother!

le_mat - 2017-11-18 21:05 (UTC) - Expand

immaculacies - 2017-11-18 21:10 (UTC) - Expand

le_mat - 2017-11-18 21:11 (UTC) - Expand

playthedamncard - 2017-11-18 21:10 (UTC) - Expand

immaculacies - 2017-11-18 21:14 (UTC) - Expand

playthedamncard - 2017-11-18 21:17 (UTC) - Expand

casualty #3 of this case: my feelings

immaculacies - 2017-11-18 21:20 (UTC) - Expand

playthedamncard - 2017-11-18 21:27 (UTC) - Expand

...Saber.

Aha, that isn't the secret—but that is who I meant to hide it from.

...winning meant something was going to happen to him, didn't it.

Mm, in a sense! But that wasn't what the secret was, not exactly.

[She thinks for a second.]

...You cared about him a lot. You said you wanted to marry him. But you never said- did he return those feelings?

[There's a bittersweet edge in Manaka's smile, but she shakes her head.]

No. Whether or not he returns my feelings has nothing to do with it.

[Though, surely she will, after everything she's done for him...?!]

...I don't believe that. Whatever the secret was, if he knew he would leave, wouldn't he. More than that, he'd probably HATE you, right? Because of something you'd done to win- or- or what you'd done with the prize.

Mm... I can't deny that. Something I had done to win played a part as well.