TRIAL I

[faentasy]

Trial V

investigation

profiles

voting

The sounds of Hamelin's flute reach you, wherever you are. No matter the melody (light and whimsical today) it always seem to signal the start of something unwelcome. Whether you resist or not, eventually you'll find yourself drawn to the origin of the song.

The lush greenery of the palace courtyard greets you at the end of your journey, atmosphere heavy like the party from last night was simply an illusion. And at the center of it all, Hamelin smiles, his mouth curved, as he gathers everyone to one side of the palace grounds. With a short note from his flute, the quiet is broken with a small tremor that only grows and grows until the ground itself seems to erupt with chaos.

There's practically no time to react as roots and branches pierce through from the dirt in a wide circle around the group, limbs entwining around each other densely to create a thick wall of branches that obscure any sight of the outside world. And in that pitch black cage, the rumbling continues underfoot, bringing with it the strange sensation of moving up. When the shaking finally seems to die down, what awaits when the branches loosen and unwind is--

The hollowed inside of a grand tree, its size large enough to be comparable to the palace's ballroom. As you look around, you'll see several oversized toadstools (thirty-one for those inclined to count) growing about the place, and a small wooden table where ballots and quills are laid out, in addition to a hard-covered book with the profiles of each and every one of you. Directly behind the table is a particularly large knot, wide enough to stick your hand into.

A glance to the 'windows' in the tree trunk only show thick branches with their foliage and the wide blue sky; those who approach these windows and look down will also see that anyone who tries to escape this way is going to be leading themselves to a very, very long drop. No other exits are visible anywhere in the tree, either.

As absurd as this entire place was, as absurd as this entire situation was, the only way to get out was to play the game.

It was time. The trial for Samidare Asahina's death had begun.

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Comments

[vogelfrei]

Parents can have very different ideas of what 'adequacy' is. And not all care about children who aren't their own.

[laytorest]

[...]

People were talking about how it looked like Samidare fought back, right? But I still have a cut from earlier this week, so I couldn't have been healed.

As long as there aren't any scratches on me, that will prove I'm innocent, won't it?

[vogelfrei]

The jury is still out on whether or not we believed Samidare merely scratched herself in an attempt to remove some kind of rope or if she scratched a killer.

I am keeping an open mind right now, I am just pointing out that something as intangible as 'a parent wouldn't do this' is bogus reasoning. Plenty parents would.

[laytorest]

[Oh. Now she just looks down again.]

...Shouldn't we still check for wounds, at least? If it's still a possibility, we should try looking.

[crimson_flamel]

I think you attempting to get us all to check more or less verifies that there would be none. But, by all means, I suppose.

[biyishuangfei]

I think us attempting to look won't be a bad thing, necessarily. We could always find something else...

[ He'll turn to Yor ]

You can go ahead if you want. We've just been talking about it, so it could help.

[gemuinemanagement]

There might be some on other people
Not everyone has the crystals to buy potions with, I think

[biqe]

Y-yes, that's a good idea. We could find something incriminating on someone else.

[crimson_flamel]

Yes, I once knew a doting father who sent thousands of children to their painful deaths.

Selective empathy is a remarkable thing.

[vogelfrei]

[ Oh, he laughs at that, bitterly. Just a short chuckle, but... ah... ]

[purefuries]

[ ..............

Plenty parents would. ]

Yes, truly...even parents are not infallible beings...

[edamamepon]

...

[ Is that a bitter scoff? Maybe, but he'll be pretending like he did no such thing while redirecting his glare to the ground. ]

[crimson_flamel]

Not particularly, given that she seems to have struggled to loose the rope around her throat, and the skin under her fingernails was likely her own. Not to mention the scratches on her stomach.

Of course, I mean no ill will in saying this.

[Her expression is at a glance, rather apathetic and unfeeling, but under the surface there is a level of disdain to it. Regardless of anything else, Edelgard seems convinced by her own theory.]

[laytorest]

My wish isn't worth Samidare's life!

[Her cry is a mix of sorrow and frustration.]

All this time, I've only been trying to protect people here. I would never try to kill Samidare of all people!

[mearry]

But it is worth a life, then? Yor-san?

[laytorest]

...

No. No, I don't think it could be. Lives are precious things, after all. They can disappear too quickly.

A selfish wish like that... It could never be worth the life of an innocent.

[mearry]

That's... something to keep in mind.

[ he looks away. ]

We're just being thorough, Yor-san. I'd be really happy if it's not you.

[laytorest]

...Please believe me.

[She looks so distraught.]

[crimson_flamel]

You mean to tell me that your greatest desire wouldn't be worth killing over? Wouldn't be worth bending your criteria for?

I need to make this clear.

Everyone here is capable of murder. We would not be here otherwise.

[biqe]

[ ... ]

[gemuinemanagement]

A desire that we have no reason to believe Hamelin actually would fulfill even if we got away with murder
Which is a big 'if'

Even if you're right
And I don't think you are
Not everyone is willing to take a risk like that

[laytorest]

I have desires just like anyone else. But even if everyone here could kill, that doesn't mean that there are no lines we would not cross.

I may have a wish, but there are people I want to protect here - and Samidare was one of them.

[crimson_flamel]

[She stares at her, her eyes narrowed, before she begrudgingly relaxes.]

I am getting ahead of myself. That may be true. We do not know eachother remotely well enough to be able to understand the lines we will not cross.

[libirdian]

[ He's still in the middle of being distraught over Miss Asahina's asphyxiation, but he tries to speak up at that. ]

I believe that, but it's a chance to narrow down the list of suspects. So let's try to clear more of us.

[ And hopefully Miss Yor won't still be on it after. ]

[mearry]

I can testify that she cut herself while she was cooking, at least.