Trial 04

[shimmershimmer]

[It's time for another trial! Gather 'round the temple and... huh. That's weird. Does the Lady seem a little agitated to you today? Before you can even fully assemble, she makes an announcement:]

Jotaro Kujo, a Demon, has gone to the barn instead of coming to this trial. Isn't that strange? It's almost like some kind of horrible ravenous thing lives in there and is luring in victims. Gosh.

We may mourn him afterward. For now, let us proceed. I wish the best of luck to you in this difficult task, as always.

((Vote!))

Comments

[genuine_human]

The stage is set, the players are here. Let's begin.

[With a mad smile, the Major looks over at the Lady. He's cringing a little bit, but he bears with it.]

My Lady, I'd like to make this trial a little more interesting. Would you be interested in a proposition?

[shimmershimmer]

...Of course it is my duty to listen to whatever my people might propose.

[thefaceofjustice]

[Bobby looks totally miserable.]

[imfine222too]

[ I GUESS BOBBY IS MY UNCLE NOW ]

[backdrafted]

[KILLJOY ROY IS HERE TO KILL ALL JOY THAT GOES ANYWHERE NEAR HIM]

[genuine_human]

[The Major raises up his hand and cries out in a booming voice.]

Ladies and gentlemen, Achtung!!

[Looking to see that he has everyone's attention now, he smiles first, then bares his teeth as he does.]

... Are you all well today? I can see even through these thick spectacles the pain and confusion the lot of you must feel at this moment. This hunt has claimed the lives of our dear friends and you've been betrayed many times over.

If it is a Demon you want, then look no further...

[He raises his arms up and spreads them wide as his golden eyes flash with malice that would flood an entire battlefield.]

Your nemesis is here! Right in front of you! It is I, the Archdemon, finally revealed front and center on the Lady's chessboard!

[As if the spotlight is over him and as if he's addressing a theater of thousands, he looks up at the air with absolute triumph.]

[thepawfectcrime]

Toldya so.


You want to be set on fire or what?

[lifescratched]

Why are you confessing this now?

[imfine222too]

[ has been waifing by Fulbright, but at this she! Slaps her own cheeks good and hard! Then marches right over. Since this guy is obviously in full Villain Breakdown Mode. ]


Your the Archdemon, huh? Does that mean you're the one who put Simon to sleep? And... can you prove it?

[fourleafcleaver]

Wait, what?!

[For the first time all day, she's managing to make an expression that isn't completely miserable. She's far too dumbfounded to think about being angry, though, and her eyes go wide as the gravity of this settles.]

Wh...why...

[skyentificmethod]

Why... What are you after? Are you gonna eat us, too?

[thefaceofjustice]

[OKAY MAYBE HE SHOULD ANNOUNCE HIS DREAM RESULTS NOW... though he still looks totally miserable about Simon.]

My vision last night... was about Ms. Clover. I saw her as a demon.

I think The Major must be telling the truth about them both being the Archdemon.

[lifescratched]

[Connor interrupts his conversation with the Major to address the Lady. He's standing on the far side of the room, wanting to keep out of the Lady's appendages reach.]

I have a question, Lady. You are obliged to answer your Prophet with the truth.

When a victor of this game is decided, will you or the Gentleman eat the survivors?

[shimmershimmer]

[The Lady pauses before replying.]

Of course I am happy to answer any question you may ask. But that's a very... specific question. Why would you ask that?

[genuine_human]

On the first day, I gave the other Demons a choice to put either you or your father to sleep. I convinced them to choose your father.

[He's unable to contain his excitement. As he smiles, his entire body is shaking, fists raised.]

And as you can see, I don't regret that.

[stringmealong]

What the hell?! Since when is that a possibility?!

[thepawfectcrime]

[ tiiipping her head, looking confused ]

[stringmealong]

[Jolyne's just standing to one side for the moment, watching everything that happens with cold anger.]

[shimmershimmer]

[Does the Shimmering Lady seem taller? Sharper? A little more unhinged? Even if you weren't visited in the night, the world seems just a bit more fake now. It's hard not to notice there's something behind that beautiful face of hers, something pointedly inhuman. And your old memories are starting to seep back in...]

I see how it is. I understand now. That Gentleman really has been making a mess of my game. Fine. So be it, if that's how he wants to play it, I am more than capable.

It wasn't supposed to come to this, you know! I tried to make it nice for you. I tried to make you happy. Do you even care? No. My brother this, my father that. Don't eat us this, don't burn us that. Mental breakdowns right and left. How am I supposed to get anything done around here?

All right, no more Ms. Nice Shimmering Lady. Here's how we're going to do this. You're going to find the demons and vote for the demons. I'm going to eat the demons. Anyone who refuses to cooperate gets punished. Anyone who refuses to go to sleep at night will be devoured.

And anyone who's left when the demons are gone gets to go home. I mean that. I won't need you anymore once he's out of my hair.

[stringmealong]

[clenching a fist slowly]

So it really is just some game, huh... What happens if the demons win?

[defenceservice]

[or for some of us there is apparently still no reason to see anything out of the ordinary about any of this]

Good idea. Let's get some order restored around here.

[imfine222too]

ATTENTION! ATTENTION S'IL VOUS PLAÎT!


It's time to turn this case on it's head! The defense would like to call for a vote of the Shimmering Lady as the demon to be ousted.

[ COURTROOM MURMURS ALL AROUND, MUSIC GETS SUPER INTENSE (in athena's head, at least)]

[thefaceofjustice]

[MANDATORY GASP OF SHOCK]

[backdrafted]

...

Well, why not.

[backdrafted]

[Mustang is not on his best game when his important person just got murdered! Or with bugs. Mostly his strength is military totalitarian regimes of which he is a part of. But he at least likes to TRY. He doesn't really have any better or more elegant ideas, it doesn't interfere with any other plans, and he certainly doesn't have a single fuck to give left.

So he steals all of the happily married stoner couples' ripened marijuana crop, takes it to the target that is in an enclosed small space, uses his alchemy to install an effective half-reverse-chimney half-giant-bong in the barn's wall, and is using what little firepower he has left to hotbox the barn.

And see what the fuck happens.]

[imfine222too]

.........................................................................


Why are you burning a bunch of tiny maple leaves?