Seventh Trial

[candlelightsflicker]

[Once again the stretching room descends and the Hatbox Ghost seems impatient.]

Ugh where's that Serling guy's stupid death elevator when you need it? This is taking forever.

[But soon enough you arrive in the trial room, now with Freddie and Jyn's voodoo dolls on their podiums. And your 100% new friend Hatbox Ghost is there too!] 

If you guys don't all die next week, I'm installing the death elevator.

[TRIAL START]

Comments

[kickbuttseatnuts]

[There's a monster here and she knows it. They're all monsters, all stupid lousy humans who destroy everything they touch, ruin all hopes and dream, eliminate all that is good and wonderful in this horrible universe.

She'd been considering ending the trial early with a distraction, regardless of who died and who did it. Fuck Randy and his stupid trials. She's got paint thinner under her jacket and everything. But now she had to know. She needed to know who did it. The escape plan paled in the face of this death.

They were supposed to escape together.

So she's scratches anxiously at the podium, looking from person to person, going through all their faults and motivations in her mind. Would they...? Maybe...?]

...If you confess now, whoever you are, I won't claw your heart out of your f%$#ing chest and eat it. For sustenance.

[not_over_yet]

[ ...Maybe now's the time to bring this up, rather than when the culprit's found out. ]

Miss Green. Once we sort this one out, before you attempt anything rash--do at least ask yourself who is best capable to dole out the worse punishment: you or... [ Does he keep humoring Randy? Hm. ] ...that fellow.

[hasit]

[It seems like "Hatbox Ghost" aka Randy is just really giving up the theatrics. Not that Leia minds; she's eager to get this thing over with. Figure out Jyn's killer. Wallow in the inevitable sadness and pain. She hates how jaded she's become about all of this but it's the only way she's pushing herself through.]

Basil and I...looked at Jyn's body. We should talk evidence.

[kickbuttseatnuts]

[As she stomps to her podium, Allene has to force herself to remember the plan. She really should have told more people about the the plan but she was kind of in very gooey "jyn is so beautiful" mood all week.

And look where that got her.

She bumps into Leia noticeably, trying to subtly hand her a blade, and quickly whispering:] Be ready for when I have Randy's attention.

[not_over_yet]

[ Climbs his podium again. He's... he's getting really low on fucks to give by now. Actually. Pauses to take a look at who's left. Hm. Hmmm. Well he's not going to risk letting Randy end the game on his terms--no more of those "are you ready" shadows--oh wait, right. Facilier might still be in the building.

...

Well fuck. Ok, one reason left to not rush the hell break-in plan. Fine. ]

Let's look at cause of death, then. Miss Erso was stabbed in the femoral artery, but I believe she was dead before that. Unless someone else found another crime scene? [ Looks around at the others. ]

[athleticallyinclined]

[ Gaston frowns vaguely to himself, looking around the room with his lips moving silently. He may not be saying anything, but anyone paying attention will probably realize that he's trying to figure out who's missing this week. ]

[sorrydoods]

[...oh for fuck's sake-]

Jyn, burro.

[He's lucky Soos doesn't wanna see Allene immediately kill someone, otherwise he wouldn't have whispered.]

[angelgoatdemon]

In the fourth floor bathroom, there was blood in the sink. I also found a wet paper towel and a screwdriver in the trash.

I think the screwdriver is what stabbed her? There was a bit of dried blood on it.

[hasit]

[Leia's head jerks up in concern.]

Did you bring the screwdriver...?

[hasit]

I have more evidence. [Leia pulls out a length of red yarn from the pocket of her robe. But first:]

In the greenhouse, I found a large pot overturned and the dirt spilled out of it. The dirt was disturbed, but I couldn't see any hand-or footprints.

Secondly, Jyn's Kyber crystal was missing. She always wore it around her neck, and I saw it with her last night. It's very unusual for her to be without it, as I believe it was...a gift from her parents.

Thirdly: [Leia holds up the string.] I found this piece of yarn in the mouth of one of those carnivorous plants. It might have come off the culprit's clothing as they were leaving.

[not_over_yet]

What is a "Kyber crystal"?

[kickbuttseatnuts]

Oh. [She didn't know that about Jyn. Now she'll never got a chance to tell her on her own time.]

Disturbed how? Like someone was looking for something?

[sorrydoods]

Oh! I almost forgot about this!

[Flips though the notebook he took from his room, then stops on a certain page.]

The medical room was also missing a couple of other things, like some gauze, supplies to sature wounds, and some compression bandages.

Jyn didn't have any bandages on her, did she?

[stanbyme]

I tripped in the greenhouse. The plant tried to chomp me but it just got my beanie - I didn't notice the rip until after I got my hat free and hauled it outta there--

[He looks at the tears in Leia's eyes, at the heartbroken look on Soos' face. He can't bring himself to look at Mabel, so he drops his gaze to the top of his podium.

He grips his podium, knuckles going white and shoulders tense.]

You gotta have more than just a hat if you want me to fess up to anything!

[MTB start!]

[kickbuttseatnuts]

[Allene just. Starts laughing. It all just suddenly strikes her as so funny and so asinine.]

Wow.... I was really betting on Gaston.

[And now she's racing over to tackle Stan if no one stops her.]

[hasit]

[Without realizing it, Leia's brought one hand up to cover her mouth, the other resting on the front of Stan's podium as she stares at him in horror.

The beanie...the screwdriver?]

Stanley, I don't...I don't want to believe you'd do anything like this. Please tell me it wasn't you, please tell me you didn't go anywhere near Jyn last night.

[sorrydoods]

[This...this is insane...Stan wouldn't...he'd never...

Soos takes a deep breath before he can even bring himself to say a word.]

Did...did you really forget the screwdriver, Stan?

...?

[scrapplinghook]

[... she can't take it anymore. .]

EVERYBODY STOP!!!

[Mabel has always been a loud kid, but the sudden shout is probably enough to turn some eyes towards her. And when they do, they'll see not the hurt and betrayed face of a kid whose uncle just admitted to murder, but a look of fear. Fear, and...]

I can't... I can't let you guys keep hitting and yelling at Grunkle Stan!! He may have done a lot of bad things, but he didn't kill Jyn!!

And a look of guilt.]

I did.

[stanbyme]

[Now he looks at her. And it's a look of horror.]

Mabel!

[hasit]

...

[Leia's eyes go wide as she hears those two words, and then she looks slowly between Stan, and Mabel, and then back to Stan, and suddenly she understands.]

Oh, Force be a fence around me. [Haha, this is. Worse? This is worse.] Stan?

[kickbuttseatnuts]

[Its this that gets Allene to finally shuts up, staring in complete and utter horror.]

...you're lying. T-that's not possible!

[not_over_yet]

...

[ Ah. That's depressing. Makes more sense than what they'd had, and is worse.

Typical. ]

1/2

[sorrydoods]

[...]

VOTING

[grimgrinningghosts]

In your one moment of victory, one moment of rest, a loud “CLANG” comes from the doors. Bars have appeared in front of them.

Your voting equipment appears on each podium.

A voice goes through the crowd:]

Vote. Now.

[kickbuttseatnuts]

Mother of-

I vote Ub Iwerks Ub Iwerks Ub Iwerks Ub Iwerks!

[grimgrinningghosts]

The method of execution has been voted for.

[drumroll...]

CHOSEN METHOD: Bill Cipher

[hasagun]

[...and a hatch from the ceiling opens up, and a really shitty looking triangle man floats downwards.]

...ME! IT’S ME! JUST LIKE TYLER PERRY IN AN OLD SPICE COMMERCIAL, IT’S ME! HIYA, FOLKS, BILL CIPHER HERE! OWNER OF DISMALAND, KILLER OF PINESES AND GENERAL ALL AROUND FUN GUY. HI. HOW YA DOIN. EXECUTION TIME? OKAY.

[With just a snap of Bill’s fingers, both Mabel and Stan appear onstage. Why both? Not just one? If Stan was having thoughts about her death being painless, those have been dashed. He holds her, for comfort, as they face they inevitable.

A wheel appears on the ground beneath them, drawn in. They’re suspended in the air above it, and they...pause.

Bill floats in.]

WHAT AM I DOING? WHO DO I LOOK LIKE, RANDALL RECH? PSSH. I DON’T NEED TO GET SHOWY, I JUST NEED SOME SWEET SWEET R-RATED REVENGE!

[Bill cracks his nonexistent knuckles.

His eye grows, and he decides on Mabel first. That’ll be the fun one. Make Stan watch. Make Pine Tree watch. Make them all watch. In horror.

With another finger snap, her sweater starts...tightening around herself. It gets smaller and smaller, suffocating her. Her face turns bluer and bluer by the second as her sweater collar becomes unbearably heavy. Stan is suspended in place, unable to turn away, face stuck in an expression of pure terror.

Mabel gasps, struggles for air. It’s a hard noise to hear, hard to watch and hard to fathom. Stan can’t open his mouth, but if he could, he would scream.

Eventually, however, the struggle for air stops. After so many agonizing minutes, Mabel ceases. And Stan attempts to thrash, cry, fight, something - but he’s unable.]

AW, WHOOPS! I FORGOT ABOUT THE LESSER PINES! OKAY! LETS DO THE BORING PART!

[Bill grows, taller and taller, and his golden texture turns to a blood red. He reaches out with his huge arms, and...

He claws Stan.

It’s a light scratch at first. Like a cat reaching out to paw at something, and accidentally scratching someone in the process. It happens again, with the other arm. He lightly scratches Stan.

Bill chuckles.

Left arm. Right arm. Left arm. Right arm.

Hahaha.

Left arm, right arm, left arm, right arm.

...HAHAHA. HAHAHAHAHA!

Leftarmrightarmleftarmrightarmleftarmrightarm

Bill laughs maniacally as he rapid-fire scratches at Stan, and a large amount of blood begins to pour downwards as the older man gets virtually disemboweled by the triangle.

It stops long after Stan is dead, and Stan is left to float next to Mabel. One suffocated, one with a not-entirely-intact torso. The bodies both drop to the ground the same way: uselessly.

Bill turns to the rest of them.]

AS FOR THE REST OF YOU...