[ WEEK THREE – 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

[court_chesster]

Try not to overdo it, okay?

[ He says as he hands over the entire bottle. ]

[alcobrawlic]

I know. But right now, they need you.

[ The adults need to be adults. ]

[dmails]

Thanks. Take your time, okay? [It'll give her something to do, he figures, and somewhere to channel that emotion. Besides, she knows more people than he does...!]

It'll be Tuesday around noon, at the church. The town hall is too risky. We'll compare notes and go from there.

[and. get nowhere. they're not exactly a competent bunch.......]

[sidearmofthelaw]

[ She thinks about that. ]

Not especially. Did you have some sort of subject in mind? I'm afraid I don't really have any dying insights.

[dubiousalignment]

So.

[Hello, person in the other cell. How's the night going]

Do you think the Sheriff would let us do a duel on our terms, or will we have to endure someone killing us?

[He did what he could: vote for a duel. Now it's out of his hands]

[thatsthespirit]

[do they? the words float in her mind. she never ever thinks like this, so they feel so. . . foreign. she's a great spirit. a woman of pride, a woman devoted to her duty. she doesn't have uncertainty. she just. . . doesn't]

[uncertainty makes one weak]

[. . .]

[she isn't weak]

[Maxwell has always been the type to bounce back. to stand on her own two feet even when her legs refused to work. Sara's right. she's needed]

[she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and straightens her shoulders. when she opens them again, the broken expression is gone]

. . . yes. You're right. Thank you. . . for the reminder.

[sidearmofthelaw]

[ She takes the bottle with an even wider grin, and lifts it at him in thanks. ]

Don't worry, I have to stay sharp for tomorrow. I've got a pretty high tolerance, though.

[court_chesster]

[ Meekly arriving with his monkey. ]

...Hey. Is there anything I can do for you?

[thatsthespirit]

[stands up a little straighter, and nods]

If you give me a few minutes, I'll fetch some for you. What about food? I'll bring back anything you'd like.

[dubiousalignment]

[Oh boy what to say]

Dimensional travel is something we haven't quite achieved yet. However, the principles of the matter should be the same than opening portals to other places in the same world.

[He hasn't made any of that himself, and it'd be easier to think about this if he still had his spark, but he's going to try]

It'd need a machine capable of canvassing a different world, but for that one'd need to know a place in another dimension to aim for. That's the basic principle of portals in my world, having a clear target. Do you know anything about portals or teleportation?

[expelliarmed]

[ Harry drops his face into his hands.

All that, all that, and they hadn't come close to the truth. Two innocent people were going to die now.

And there are, what, four killers among them now?

He can't keep this up. ]

[glaring]

[ A small pause, and then she's laughing quietly. ]

I was dying before I arrived here. My last thought before I was supposed to die was that I needed to hug my sister... I could offer you a hug, if you'd like.

[sidearmofthelaw]

Assuming everyone votes for the duel, which it seems like they will, he'll probably let us do what we want as long as it ends with us both dead. ...You really think you can stand up to a duel with me?

[ He already more or less said as much earlier, but she asks again. To highlight the irony of it coming to that this way. ]

[dmails]

Not in the context of spatial travel, exactly, but there are people in my world using Kerr black holes to transport things back or forward in time, across what we call 'world-lines' - things like matter or data. Me, I've only used it for data, but... [A future 'him' and a future 'lab' have done it with matter, so that has to be something?!]

[Okabe is pretty desperate.]

If you use a Kerr black hole to try to transport matter, it jellifies because of the compression involved. That's the problem. What I want to know is if anyone knows what kind of teleportation got us here.

[ceded]

[ Xion gasps a little when she feels it, reaching up to grasp the note and glancing around for who might have given it to her.

It's not hard to spot who.

Xion stares after him, then looks down to read the note clutched tight in both her hands.

Whatever is contained within it causes her to dissolve into fresh tears, though these are far quieter, and she hugs the note to her chest like it's the most precious thing in all the world. ]

[dubiousalignment]

Voting for me and Nisha to have a duel is enough for me.

I don't expect to win or survive even if I win, but I'm not going to let myself die without doing anything.

<[You voted for a duel, right?]

[sidearmofthelaw]

[ After a surprised blink, Nisha also laughs out loud at that. ]

I died before I came here too, in a duel with some real badasses. Wasn't thinking about much else other than making them feel the pain. And then feeling it myself. 'M not really a hug sort of person.

[uraniumnumnum]

[ uhh... that wasn't the outcome he expected?! he accidentally did the right thing, oh shit. It's still amusing enough that he doesn't totally back off in confusion. ]

At least someone has finally learned to listen to me.

[ he puts a hand on his hip. ]

The world won't change for you. You need to fix it yourself. If you want next week to be different, I suggest you change tactics.

[ceded]

[ Trying to breathe still, not even realizing her tears have quieted at least a little, Xion nods again, a little more quickly this time.

She'll make it happen. ]

[dubiousalignment]

Soup is good enough. If you can bring a can opener then even better.

[Tarvek smiles faintly]

Did you get used already to the finicky gizmos of the town or do you still have trouble with that kind of thing?

[There he goes, talking as if he wasn't in jail and with his maybe-death coming tomorrow]

[flippity]

[ she will not struggle because she is dead and gone and everything about this is awful

in fact, papika will just immediately cling to sara. ]

[impulsiveness]

[he's sorry for being a fuck up :')

as always]

[thatsthespirit]

[she returns that smile, although it's. only like. half a smile]

I'm learning. I still have difficulty with some of them, but I absolutely know how to use can openers now.

And I have you to thank for that.

Do you have a favorite type of soup?

[dubiousalignment]

I didn't think I'd have to prove it, but I can.

[...]

You can be sure I won't stand around and let myself be shot like a chump. As the Storm King, it's my duty to give you a truly respectable duel.

[Nisha has the advantage in terms of using guns, and he's supposing it'll be a duel by guns. He's sure he has his own advantages, though]

[glaring]

I can picture that. I hope at least... there's something interesting enough for you in your duel. Though I'm not sure what that'd be... a real badass fight, maybe?