robowest | [ WEEK SIX

Entry tags:

murder: trial

[ WEEK SIX – TRIAL ]

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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[. . . she isn't sure why she's doing this]

[but sometime after Barnham stops by, Milla enters the station with pillows and blankets tucked underneath her arms. it's an offer she's made to everyone who was voted guilty up until now, and regardless of Will's actions, she's doing the same for him]

[she slips the material through the bars without a word. but even as she turns to leave, she. . . hesitates]

[ It's just like with Barnham and Will doesn't expect much. He doesn't even expect the pillows and blankets even and he feels himself a little confused at the offer. But he'll take them regardless and doesn't begrudge her either as she turns to leave.

He notices the hesitation, of course, but he won't pry. Instead he will do the same thing he did for Barnham and murmur a thank you as he takes the pillows back to his cot and spreads them out to rest in. ]

[there are so many things she wants to ask why and how long have you known and why did you just sit there and do nothing for most of our trials when you could have helped us with the abilities you possess?]

[. . .]

[she asks something else entirely instead]

What do you feel right now?

[ He looks up then as he sits back down, Winston hopping onto the cot beside him to press close and keep the hollow feeling in Will's chest from eating him up entirely. Milla's question has him look curious for a moment and he asks first, voice soft -- ]

From you? Or from me.

[ After all, he's not a stranger to people wanting to borrow his empathy. ]

[a deep breath, and she turns around to face him, expression stoic]

From yourself. Do you read your own emotions the same way you read others. . .?

[ He nods, and despite everything, he finds himself surprised. It's been too long since anyone cared to ask what he felt. Only what he saw instead. He is, for just a moment, entirely speechless.

Then, slowly, he finds his voice again. ]

I feel what I feel just the same as anyone else. Maybe a little more accurately though.

[ ... ]

Guilt. Grief. Loneliness. Weariness. Resignation. I could go on but it sounds pitiful to even me.

[she had been ready to leave, depending on his answer. to leave him to spend the night alone with his thoughts. but that gets her to stay, even though she still isn't quite sure why]

[but she is Maxwell, isn't she? the Lord of Spirits, dedicated protector of humans and spirits alike. she wishes to understand humanity. all parts of humanity, including the bad and the ugly]

[she turns around. takes a step towards the cell, and folds her arms. looks like she's lingering for a bit longer]

You once said killing doesn't make someone less human. I agreed with you. I still do.

[and now she asks one of the questions that had been tickling the front of her mind. she's angry-- he'll be able to feel it. but it's a more personal anger. . . anger that Natalie was his victim]

Why? You could have killed her any number of ways. So. . . why?

[ There's a risk in explaining this here, he knows. Risk in explaining the depth of it because someone could decide then, suddenly, to change their mind and not let Hannibal and Will go. Send them to their deaths out of misplaced righteousness. So, he does not what to explain the extent.

But, he supposes he should give an answer. ]

I didn't kill her like that. I gave her a quick death, I didn't want her to suffer.

[ And then he pauses and how, how, how. How does he explain? God, he never wanted to explain. ]

... After, I had to. Hannibal wouldn't have it any other way and if I didn't -- I couldn't face him again after that.

[her eyes slip shut. she nods, grateful for that much, at least. Natalie didn't deserve to suffer]

Thank you for that level of compassion.

[buuuut as for the rest. . . she opens her eyes again]

So it was all out of a sense of devotion? Because Dr. Lecter would have wanted it that way?

[ It feels too trite, too simple, to leave it at that because that's not how it works between them. Not exactly. There's more layers there and in the end, he had to because it's what Hannibal and Will discussed but --

But, to say more would be folly so he just nods. ]

Yes.

[ It's not enough, it's not enough. ]

[. . . human relationships are complex. messy. somewhat of a hassle. that's what Milla's books had taught her, and that's what she had observed from her position as the Lord of Spirits]

[but she isn't quite sure she's ever seen a relationship like this. it's why her questions don't stop]

If that devotion drives you to do something that makes you feel guilt, then. . .

[she shakes her head]

I don't understand.

[ He admires Milla, really, for trying to get past her disgust to -- to understanding. She shouldn't, he thinks. This isn't something that should be looked at further than this, to have the curtain peeled back on. Ignorance is better. ]

It's -- it's almost like worship, Milla. You shouldn't try to understand it. You'll be better for that, in the long run.

[it's funny, that he uses the word "worship" with someone who spent most of her years among humans being worshiped by them. she feels a small sense of understanding, like she can kind of see the bigger picture here. like she can see exactly why Hannibal and Will were, for lack of a better word, "soulmates"]

I want to understand.

[she reiterates firmly]

I am the Lord of Spirits. It is my duty to protect humanity-- all of it. How can I protect it when there are parts of it I've yet to understand?

[she shakes her head]

. . . but I believe I'm beginning to see it. Worship. He has. . . immense power over you, doesn't he?

[ There's a part of Will, the rational, logical part that sees everything as what it is and agrees. Yes, Hannibal's really did a number on him, his way of thinking in the past is too muddled, too distant to reach anymore, he's not sure if he can. Yet, he can't seem to voice this, that part becoming too locked away on top of everything else.

So, he shrugs and smiles grimly. ]

I suppose you have a point. If it's any added consolation, I feel you've done a good job of it. Aside from -- [ The smile leaves for a moment. ] Me.

[ He's the monster that people can't protect themselves from, huh? God, what has he become.

For her question about Hannibal, all Will can do is rub at his face, unsure of how to answer. ]

It's a zero-sum game, he and I. I just try to limit the... damage. I can't leave, so I guess you could call it that.

. . . I do my best.

[she always has. and she would continue to do so]

But even I'm not perfect.

[and there will always be people she can't help, no matter how hard to tries.]

Are you prepared to face the consequences for your worship tomorrow? If Percy is the executioner, I can't imagine he'll go easy on you.

[ Just like with everyone else, Will can taste the weight of those words as they hang in the air and Will can only nod and close his eyes, feeling tired with the weight of it all. He wonders if Milla means that she'll blame herself for him, and he hopes not -- he was like this long before this town happened.

Her question can't help but amuse him and he smiles, soft and sad. ]

I asked him the other day to be my executioner. I'm only grateful that he still decided to, even after seeing what I've done. I'll accept his punishment, he has every right to give it.

Edited 2017-03-01 23:13 (UTC)

[she might. . . a little bit. but she also realizes that he was like this long before he met her, so she can't blame herself entirely.]

Then. . . that acceptance is all the rest of us can ask for. The rest will be in Percy's hands.

[she props a hand on her hip]

Do you think you will ever break free of his hold? [a pause, and though she doesn't clarify who "he" is, conversation context probably makes it obvious] Or should the question I be asking is, "do you even want to?"

[ Once upon a time, someone he once considered a close and dear friend asked him the same thing. Alana was a little more critical in it -- after everything Hannibal had done to them both, she couldn't fathom why Will continued to chase after him like a dog with a bone. She asked and Will could only look away in his shame. But there was one thing she could trust Hannibal with: Will's physical safety. His emotional safety on the other hand, that's a bit more up in the air.

So, all Will can do is smile sadly and lift his shoulders in a slow shrug. ]

Where else would I go?

[ Because really -- where? After this game is over, he returns with Hannibal. Who else would take him, would love him, someone as much of a monster as Will is? Because isn't that just what he is, a monster? There's nothing else for him, anywhere. ]

Don't worry about me, Milla. I've paid my dues and this is the fate handed to me. There's no fighting that.

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[ WEEK SIX – TRIAL ]

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