trustfelled | Take Responsibility.

As before, once the investigation is done the corridor at the northwestern edge of the foyer opens up; it wasn't open, and then it simply was, and the hallway is no less claustrophobic as you enter it.

And the podium circle still stands in the middle of the courtroom at the end of those tightly enclosed walls – though the journey may be a bit less cramped, given that there are fewer of you than there were the last time you traversed it. Rideaux, Chitoge and William have joined those with podiums draped in black, their framed, greyed-out profile portraits keeping a watchful eye over the rest of you.

Presumably, they're doing so along with Juri; he's nowhere to be seen, but judging from the feeling permeating the room, someone – or something – certainly does see you. Either way, you'll be addressed once you've all found your spots in the circle.

"Unconventional is dead; whatever the reason was hardly matters by now. Clearly, whomever acted knew what they were doing; the completion of Rule Seven is possibly on the table for them, as is taking advantage of the incentive if they succeed.

It's your job to hold them responsible. Good luck."

Twenty-four Competitors remain. How many leave this place is up to you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[You know what. He gets where she's going.]

Mahiru, dear, are you implying that Sharpedo might've been the one who got hurt, rather than anyone here?

What? If- we don't even have a vet-

[If the shark is hurt uh.]

Woah, hey, Sharpedo's fine. You think I'dve left him alone if he was hurt?

[He seems more indignant about this than any of the rest of the conversation.]

[Visibly relaxes.] Oh. Ohh, thank God- I mean, no, of course you wouldn't've. I just...was worried.

...nah, it's fine. I know you were.

[Brady isn't the one who came up with all that]

[...]

That doesn't clear him of suspicion, though.

[He bites the inside of his mouth.]

I... Y-yeah, I know, just. I wouldn't want him to be hurt somewhere.

If it were for his own good, perhaps. It certainly explains why none of us have any wounds that could've been the cause of the drops of blood.

[... Provided it wasn't a nosebleed.]

Perhaps, but have we considered the other option? Everyone is certain that the murderer was injured, but based on what? Flemming's knives were clean. There's nothing to indicate that he managed to successfully retaliate, aside from a few slivers of gold.

[ Her words pick up in speed as she speaks, her tone getting steadily more manic. ]

I don't believe the murderer was injured at all. I believe that was Flemming's blood he trailed down the hallway. And of the candidates that have the physical strength necessary to make such a blow and larger than average hands, Archie is the only one that regularly wears gold.

More to that, if we could be duped into believing the murderer was injured, an animal could easily make the same mistake. Especially a faithful one. If the murderer paused in the hallway and leaned against the door for support, couldn't it be because he needed to reassure a concerned pet that he was uninjured?

[...]

You know, Mahiru, I can certainly see why that man is so in love with you~.

[You're suuuuch a good ally, look at you go!! And so maniac, wow. Lovely. A beautiful sight, etc.]

Then I'm sure you understand why I'm eager to be done with this.

Mahiru...

[Just a little bit more unnerved. Why does she sound so excited?]

[ ... Yeah, he definitely hears this, and as terrible as it sounds (besides Mahiru sounding uh. excited), something about it sounds plausible as well as makes a ton of sense. And he's less unsure about this than anything said earlier. ]

That's one hell of a deduction you made there. I think you've pretty much managed to nail it.

Edited 2016-07-24 01:23 (UTC)

[Das creepy yo]

...well, it's all conjecture without proof, yes? So why don't we pause this trial so he can go grab his, er, anchor and shark? Then we could prove or disprove this all very quickly.

We couldn't leave last week to compare. Juri's probably not gonna let us leave this week either.

Yes, exactly! At this point it's only fair to put the onus of proof on Archie himself, isn't it? It's terribly convenient both potentially damning pieces of evidence have been left behind.

(no subject)

meanttobe - 2016-07-24 01:40 (UTC) - Expand

middaymoon - 2016-07-24 01:44 (UTC) - Expand

meanttobe - 2016-07-24 01:51 (UTC) - Expand

That certainly gives an explanation for all of the clues. Since all other leads turned up nothing... this is an option we need to explore.

How high was the handprint on the door anyway?

You'd have to ask those that investigated the area itself. Naoto? Kirigiri? Aligula?

I'm sure trainers know how to take care of their own Pokémon, Brady. A thing like that wouldn't be necessary. We do have an infirmary now.

Indeed. That would just be distasteful to leave one's Pokemon in a critical condition, and considering how strong Archie and Sharpedo's bond appears to be in terms of flavor, I doubt that he would really do something like that...

No, I'm aware how much you all care for your Pokémon. I just find it hard to believe that anyone would welcome such a large, toothy creature to float about in a city setting, so I was thinking about what you may have to... contain them, in a way.

[Say it, Cilan. Say it for the crowd.]

[But he doesn't want to be the one to say it...]

... There is, obviously. After all, how else would we have been able to recover them from the vending machine?

[In fact he might still be holding onto that very object from the metal check earlier...]

[Yes, that thing. The ball.]

What else do these things do, besides provide transportation? Are they comfortable for your friends to stay in and the like? If was one wounded, or in critical condition, would it be alright for them to be in there until they could be taken care of?

[i am so sorry cilan you don't deserve this]

[no, no he doesn't]

Yes, but... regardless, I really don't think that Sharpedo had anything to do with this crime! That would just be a horrible taste to even consider...

[And apparently, Archie is proving us right by thinking the same way here.]

Edited 2016-07-24 02:05 (UTC)