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

[edamamepon]

... If we can't narrow it down more than that, then we should probably start listening to defenses, right?

Because if we're going to be forced to do this, it should be done as fairly as possible.

[incompletely]

Are you asking for defenses from those on the list, then?

[edamamepon]

Yes. I'm not going to condemn someone without hearing their side first. If I can help it.

[heroicact]

Yes, I think that's possibly the best way to go about it. Not only will it give us a way to understand the situation better, but we may find new leads in the process. We've been looking at the situation more than the people so far, haven't we?

[crimson_flamel]

Agreed. But I think we should all keep an open mind when hearing them anyway, and try to keep personal bias out of our assessment.

But obviously that goes without saying.

[Except not in practice.]

[edamamepon]

[ Just a nod, because okay he really respects Edelgard for some reason and is happy she agrees with him at least.

Will he still use his gut to decide? Most likely. ]

[mearry]

I get what you're saying, Makoto-san, but...would we even be able to catch them in a lie when the most obvious defense would be "I was asleep"?

[libirdian]

It would be, but at least we all didn't fall asleep in the same place.

[edamamepon]

Then maybe asking them about what their wish is would be fair? I know an alibi might not be possible, and they might lie about their motivations... I don't know.

But giving them a chance to say their peace is still the right thing to do.

[mearry]

I think that would be fair. But depending on the person, their wish may not be something we'd kill for. So we should do like Edelgard-san says and keep an open mind. We can't assume that, just because it's a small wish, they wouldn't take someone's life for it. Vice versa as well.

[edamamepon]

I know. I just think if we can just understand them a little better, it will make it easier to figure out how far they'd go no matter what their wish is. I haven't even talked to some of them and I'm supposed to decide if they're guilty or not?

And I doubt Hamelin would tell us if anyone lies about their wish, either. [ Have a glare in their captor's direction if he's still around. ]

[begrimed]

Bingo.

[ideismo]

Huaisang has verified that at least one person saw him fall asleep. Admittedly, that one person is also on this list, which lends itself to the possibility that either that SQ was lying or she has no one that can vouch for her.

[mearry]

That would be a bother if they were acquaintances... but what is there to gain from helping someone out with a murder?

[ideismo]

From the sound of it, nothing. Which is why I'm reasonably inclined to believe them for now.

[mearry]

Me too.

[libirdian]

They'd have to have the same, or similar, wish. Other than that, I don't see much to gain.

[mearry]

But wouldn't that only work if they were from the same world? Or else that just make one envious that they weren't able to get their wish fulfilled while the other did. Though I'm not sure if SQ-san and Huaisang-san are from the same place.