TRIAL 03

[thecomputer]

Attention, Citizens! You have ten minutes to proceed to the Loyalty Chamber. Anyone who is late to the Loyalty Chamber, or who brings any weapons into the Loyalty Chamber, will be immediately executed.

[Once you arrive, you will find a large chamber, with twenty podiums spaced around the room in a circle. On the ceiling, a massive screen showing the digital eye of The Computer, turning to look at whoever is talking.]

You have one hour to come to a consensus about who to eliminate. Ties will be broken randomly.

[The floor of the chamber begins to split apart, eventually only leaving the twenty podiums as safe places to stand, above a seemingly bottomless abyss. Each podium lights up with a touch screen showing twenty user IDs (the dead are grayed out), plus the word “ABSTAIN”. However, ABSTAIN has now been grayed out as well. The trial begins now!]

[[Vote here.]]

Comments

[angry_jerk]

[So. Previous tests have revealed that taking a lighter into the Loyalty Chamber is apparently a-okay. This has made Dan particularly curious about what Friend Computer does and doesn't classify as a "weapon".

So now he's hiding his shiv in his shoe. This can't possibly go wrong.

And apparently it doesn't because he's still alive. An arrogant shitbag smile creeps up his lips.]

Alright, so what do we debate since conehead over there killed over asshat number 2?

[schrodingers_man]

[ Yomiel is still radiating "PISSED OFF" after this afternoon, but since when has being pissed off ever kept him from participating in trials? ]

Does anybody have any arguments for why we shouldn't all vote for Sakura right now and be done with it?

[standbyrival]

[JUST LOOKS AT HIM.....but doesn't say anything]

[angry_jerk]

...That sounds like someone I'm supposed to know.

[Dan doesn't keep track of names or faces that aren't on his revenge list.]

[schrodingers_man]

The girl with the long, purple hair.

[ You know, the girl with the purple hair who he didn't already murder. ]

[angry_jerk]

You mean purple-dyed hair.

[fullonbraced]

She's Rin's friend, man!

[....]

Actually, I guess they're not friends!

[angry_jerk]

Oh, then fuck he-

What?! Well, which is she?!

[thefaceofjustice]

[Looking over his PDC.]

...No. After hearing yesterday's testimonies, she's my top suspect.

[fullonbraced]

[Robin was more exhausted than anything, considering she'd just seen both her roommates die, and one be revealed as secretly a communist.]

...Uh, I can't think of anything, man.

[in_plain_sight]

...When I suspected you yesterday, you and Kimbley seemed pretty opposed to voting based on limited evidence.

[And hey, she WAS wrong about you, so apparently it was good advice.]

There could easily be another reason Tohsaka was converted. She even said Matou was a Citizen when she confessed, and she had nothing to lose at that point by keeping quiet.

[murimurimuri]

Um... wasn't there a penalty if she implicated anyone after confessing? A really horrible one!

[in_plain_sight]

Yes, but that wouldn't have kicked in if she just refused to answer questions. ...Probably.

If she really did intend to betray the communists, actively lying to defend one would have been a waste of breath.

[schrodingers_man]

I don't remember her saying Sakura's a Citizen. She said she didn't have an important role. Sounds to me like that just meant she's not the Inhibitor or the Scanner.

I don't remember Rin making any strong impressions that first day, either. There's no stronger reason for her to have been converted than simple sentiment.

This isn't limited evidence. It's a lot more damning than having a short temper and a big mouth.

[in_plain_sight]

...I still think the timing of Greed's death made you look bad at the time... [moot point Murks just let it go]

Anyway, I'd say Communist is a pretty important role... but I guess I don't know how she meant it.

[thefaceofjustice]

If that's true, maybe we should target another suspect and remove Ms. Sakura at the next trial instead. We might catch the scanner or inhibitor... and the sooner, the better. The loyalty officer is undefended without Mr. Kimbley.

[plentyfriendly]

Her exact words were "Sakura doesn't play an important role in this game."

[what, her memory's gotten a real good workout okay?]

I don't believe there are any roles in this game that aren't important, but that does point to Sakura being a Citizen.

[staunton]

Nope. She's not our Indoctrinator, but I'm sure would have been easy to persuade Himemiya to convert Tohsaka.

[standbyrival]

Do we seriously need a whole hour for this. . .

[respring]

[ and after a while, Sakura withdraws a piece of folded paper from her pocket, holding onto it tightly ]

Well...if you're all going to vote for me either way, there's something I need to do. I'd appreciate it if someone could give this note to neesan--Rin Tohsaka--whenever she comes back. It's nothing secret, so you can read it if you really want to.

--and not vandalized beforehand or outright thrown away to spite either of us. It's somewhat important. [ lookin' at you, dan >8| ]

[in_plain_sight]

...I can keep it safe.

[respring]

Ikusaba-san...?

[ she. looks surprised for a moment, blinking blankly. She seriously didn't expect anyone to listen to her request. 'Commies don't get last rights,' or something like that. ]

Thank you.

[ she isn't trusting her reflexes to not drop it into the abyss below upon tossing it over, so she...folds it into a paper airplane and sails it over to Mukuro. HER PAPER AIRPLANE SKILLS ARE, IN FACT, PRETTY GOOD.

Is this what we're doing with last words.

Paper airplanes???

Alrighty. ]

[plentyfriendly]

I'd be willing to take it. I was going to talk to her anyway.

[And all the Communists, bar Rin, were just people who drew short straws... there's no reason to not honor them, unless they were you know genuinely terrible people.]

[respring]

[ STILL LOOKING SURPRISED..... ]

Ah, thank you. If something happens to Ikusaba-san's copy, there's another under the mattress in my room.

[stinkingdeadendjob]

Heh, hope we can nab the commie this time! I know I saw some whiskey over in the storage closet and my throat is dry, let me tell ya, kids.