[ WEEK TWO – TRIAL ]

[sheriffexe]

TRIAL

In the morning, the town comes back to life. Birds crow overhead, a snake nearby hisses, a lingering coyote dips behind a shop before disappearing into the wild. It's a frightening contrast to the stillness of yesterday but it doesn't mean it's over yet. After all, today is the trial. The Sheriff stands on the porch of the Town Hall and brings his hand up to his mouth to let out a whistle. He'll thumb back to the Hall behind him and very clearly state -- "Trial time, folks. Get in here and figure out who did it." And then he'll turn to leave before pausing and adding on, "Bring a snack or somethin' too. The Town Hall is set up more like a court house, a Judge's bench at the front but instead of at center, it's off to the side as if more for observation than participation. There's a table at the front of the room already holding a small box and a pad of papers and pen, for voting apparently. A side room containing only a metal gurney is next and today it's obvious why there's a gurney there at all with the corpse, resting right on top of it. Aside from that, there are rows for everyone to take a seat and it's only after everyone is inside and settled, that the doors close and the Sheriff speaks. "Well, have at it. You've got till nine." And then, he points to a clock on the wall that reads 12:00. Good luck. Welcome to the trial post! Characters are free to discuss everything related to the trial here. They won't be let out of the room until 9PM when voting ends. Every character must vote and the voting post can be found here. If there are any questions, please shoot a message to this journal or to robowest.

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Comments

JAIL CELL

[sunnashi]

[ ...Mission accomplished?

He's probably in the corner, on the bench/bed/whatever you're supposed to sleep on. Knees drawn, face buried, and muttering something over and over. He'll poke his head up if he has a visitor though. ]

[cherrypuncher]

[Yuna's here as soon as she can be, crouching down in front of the cell so she isn't just hovering over him where he's curled up.]

Higekiri-san? [Her voice is soft, but steadier now.] You shouldn't have to be all alone. Can I stay out here with you?

[She stayed with Tiara, too, made herself a nest of her blankets on the floor outside the cell; Higekiri is her friend, too, so she'll do it again.]

I'll be able to bring back snacks and stuff this way, too, if you want.

[sunnashi]

[ Well... He wants to say he doesn't want visitors, but... Yuna is a sweet girl, and he feels calmer. ]

Yes. You can.

[ He shifts to sitting on his knees, all properly. ]

...Yuna, right? That's your name, isn't it?

[cherrypuncher]

[In spite of everything, Yuna smiles, thin and sad but sincere.]

That's right, I'm Yuna. [She nods, shifting to actually sit on the floor now that she's been given permission to stay.] You remembered.

[guiltlevel]

Mr. Higekiri..?

[ Russell will squat down by the jail cell! Hello. ]

... Are you going to be okay? [ he knows he won't be but ... ]

[sunnashi]

...This feels like it will be a long night.

[ Hello, strange but nice kid. He liked Russell, honestly. ]

Are you okay?

[ He knows a lot of people are angry or upset at him. But... that's supposed to be expected. ]

[guiltlevel]

Yeah... I'm fine. Not sure how to feel about all this though.

[ Because what Are feelings still... ]

Uhm... Will you now answer why you did all this ...? I'm just curious.

[insincerely]

[Shinnosuke almost doesn't visit; he's careful not to get invested in others' affairs, and all.

And yet, here he finds himself. He lets himself make noise towards the end of his steps, as to alert Higekiri to his presence, before:]

Was it worth it, being chosen as a Bandit?

[It's not asked in a judgmental manner, but simply neutral.]

[sunnashi]

[ He's looks at Shinnosuke, surprised, before shaking his head. ]

...I don't know anymore. Even if we killed that kind of horrible person...

[ Living a bit longer... would have been nice.

He takes a deep breath. ]

I just tried to make the best of it.

[insincerely]

[Is there anything you want to live for? He remembers the question Higekiri asked him, once. He won't return it to him now.]

... Sucks to have been selected, huh? Though at least you get a reward out of it, from what I understand.

[thatsthespirit]

[HI HIGEKIRI]

[guess who brought you a bag of chips]

[hint: it was Milla]

. . . these are on me.

[sunnashi]

[ ...

He takes them, stares down at the chips, then back to Milla.

And he laughs. Holding them to his chest, he pushes for a smile to give her. ]

I appreciate it. Before, too.

[ Thank you for not completely judging his shitty life choices. ]

[thatsthespirit]

[n. . . no. why is he smiling. she doesn't feel like smiling. she does, however, take a seat in front of his jail cell. she hesitates, for once showing bits of uncertainty in her normally super confident shell]

. . . is this truly what you wanted?

[impulsiveness]

... Guess you got what you wanted, huh?

[Hi, Higekiri.

Jason brought him a juicebox and a sandwich, both of which he'll be holding out to him through the cell bars. This is his way of saying thank you for Thursday, but also?? Fuck you. Ugh.]

[sunnashi]

You think when that's been said to me more than three times, I can hold my head high about what I did. [ NOPE. ]

...Jason, right? Thank you.

[ He takes the sandwich and juice box gratefully though. People are being nice to him and he doesn't quite get it. Y'all were pretty angry, and he understands that...

But... yay food. ]

I prefer helping people. I didn't enjoy this bandit role at all.

[impulsiveness]

[He nods once the food items are out of his hand. It's both a "you're welcome" and a confirmation he got the right name.]

I can't see how anyone would hold their head high after playing into this game. Not unless they're a complete whack-job, anyway.

[Put a bunch of worried, frustrated people in the same room and get a lot of anger in return. Jason's still pretty pissed, but he doesn't have it in him to stay that way when he knows this guy is going to die tomorrow.

It's not fair.]

How did that happen? You winding up as a Bandit, that is. [Quiet, unsure.] I know you won't tell on your partner, but are you allowed to talk about the selection? Or... anything that could help us keep the next Bandits from landing in the same bad situation the two of you did.

[Though he's not expecting a miracle here.]

[alcobrawlic]

[ With all these offerings, there's also a beer bottle being rolled into his cell.

Sara, however, is saying nothing for now. She just looks... tired. ]

[sunnashi]

Thank you very much.

[ Dude made the entire trial very tiring. He grabs the beer bottle though, trying to to drink a few sips. Slowly, so he can maybe enjoy it like everything else he had.

But...
Drinking alone is terrible. He'd rather drink with company... like he told Sara. He'd rather drink with his friends and family. He'd rather be with his friends and family. He's not a good brother or a fighter sometimes. But did have a life to make a better, didn't he.

Dying is fine. But, he did want to live. ]

...Ugh.

So after breaking a trial, breaking a lot of people's brains and hearts, something finally breaks in him, and he just cries. Sorry about that, Sara. ]

[alcobrawlic]

I'm not going to say I agree with what you did.

[ Because she doesn't. She hadn't wanted Higekiri to die, and no matter how often he'd insisted that the murderer wasn't a bad person, she doesn't feel right killing someone who hadn't done the deed himself.

And yet, it's already been decided. The least she can do right now is take responsibility.

There's a pause, though, and she slips part of her hand through, crooking her fingers. C'mere. ]

But you won't be alone.

[leadastray]

[Elizabeth is visibly upset by tonight's events. By how this man, though she never knew him, forced the hand of others to play into those conducting this game. She's terse when she speaks.]

What kind of wish was worth your condemnation?

[sunnashi]

[ Oh, hello stranger. The sad thing is he can't even put up a front of cheeriness. He's... exhausted. ]

It was for my family back home. I thought that was an unselfish wish to strive for, but in the end...

[ He shakes his head. ]

I know better now, even if it's too late to fix it. This was wrong.

[leadastray]

If you know that now then give us the name, before they act again. Help us stop this.

[flippity]

[ papika, like some of the others, has brought a gift. she holds out a biscuit to him, similar to the one he gave her during their first conversation, as well as some wildflowers. ]

I'm sorry.

[sunnashi]

[ Ah. That's very sweet of her. He'll nibble on the biscuit thoughtfully. ]

I hope you last in this game.

[ Please, no one murder the nice girls. ]

...Papika and Cocona are cute names. Is the last one right?

[flippity]

[ she blinks in surprise. he's the first one to mention cocona since their first few days here. ]

Cocona, yes! She's my partner. So, um... I think I understand what you mean. About someone else being worth it.

[ dying, she means ]