faentasy: (Default)
𝔒𝔫𝔠𝔢 𝔘𝔭𝔬𝔫 𝔐𝔬𝔡𝔰 ([personal profile] faentasy) wrote in [community profile] onceuponacomm2021-06-05 09:53 am

TRIAL I

Trial V


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.
mearry: (pic#10450561)

[personal profile] mearry 2021-06-05 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Breaking dress code? I said that people wouldn't usually kill over that, and she responded that I'm lucky to say that.

[ he sighs, shrugging ]

I really hope she was kidding.
zloushka: (GIVE A BIG WARM WELCOME)

[personal profile] zloushka 2021-06-05 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
What part made you think I was kidding?

[Life expectancy in the Girl Genius world must be real low]
mearry: (PGSJGJA)

[personal profile] mearry 2021-06-05 08:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Are you genuinely this bad at making yourself seem less suspicious?
zloushka: (on this very game!)

[personal profile] zloushka 2021-06-05 08:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[She shrugs, actually giving him a devious smile.

Looks like she plainly doesn't care]
mearry: (pic#14949569)

[personal profile] mearry 2021-06-05 08:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ good fucking god why is talking to girls So Much. ]
crimson_flamel: (empty)

[personal profile] crimson_flamel 2021-06-05 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
[Sexism is bad.]
ideismo: (18. Of those I've served)

[personal profile] ideismo 2021-06-05 08:43 pm (UTC)(link)
In what is likely an ill-advised defense of Zola, at this point I'd be more surprised if she did it. Obviously I'm not ruling out the possibility based on that, but she knows what her profile looks like, and she knows we suspect her.

I have a hard time believing that she's stupid enough to act this smug if she were a guilty party, and I also find it hard to believe that she's stupid enough to move this early into the game. Not without having the terms laid out solidly enough for her to feel confident.
reallyfishy: (★ thoughtful)

[personal profile] reallyfishy 2021-06-05 08:58 pm (UTC)(link)
And if there really was hand-ta-hand goin' on here, she probably wouldn't have been a match fer Asahina.

Honestly I think she's just really paranoid of gettin' attacked.
adorabilities: (pic#14277365)

[personal profile] adorabilities 2021-06-05 08:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Dress... code?

You mean like not wearing a uniform?

That doesn't seem that petty to me. You could get thrown into solitary for at least a week, depending on who caught you back in the Horde.
mearry: (pic#6796024)

[personal profile] mearry 2021-06-05 08:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, but that's not murder.
adorabilities: (How do we know so little?)

[personal profile] adorabilities 2021-06-05 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Well...

You're right. Just something like that isn't always petty?
crimson_flamel: (hmmmmm)

[personal profile] crimson_flamel 2021-06-05 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Soldiers are a lot more highly valued than servants captured from foreign territories.
mearry: (05K0T0L)

[personal profile] mearry 2021-06-05 08:28 pm (UTC)(link)
I can't help but feel concerned for all your worlds.
zloushka: (pulchritudinous face...)

[personal profile] zloushka 2021-06-05 08:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Perhaps you should consider yourself lucky about yours.
Edited 2021-06-05 20:31 (UTC)
crimson_flamel: (i am speaking)

[personal profile] crimson_flamel 2021-06-05 08:22 pm (UTC)(link)
It depends on the circumstances behind the dress code and the social status of the one who violated the rule. Death seems a bit ridiculous though.

[Common in Agarthia though, she's pretty sure.]