SECOND TRIAL

[despairection]

[Callie Kubodera is dead. The SHSL Squidol is no longer a kid, and is a dead squid now. Any one of these 12 campers could be responsible.

Three podiums now stand empty. Two more portraits have joined Mac's. Pittoo and Callie gaze out at their classmates, depicted in monochrome coloring and splattered pink X's across their faces.

They'll have to comb through their collected evidence to find the truth. Will the culprit be found and executed? Or will the rest of the campers face a grisly fate?

12 students remain.]



[Let the class trial in the murder of Callie Kubodera...begin.]

 

Comments

[tsungeonsanddragons]

Nothing that bear does will be enough.

[Not even looking at Alastor.]

This piece of garbage didn't even deserve to touch Callie, let alone kill her.

[fitnessenthusiast]

[Wiitney glances between Betrayus and Clair in concern. She doesn't like the Weird Hair Guy all that much. Especially now that she fully understands his role in Callie's disappearance. But Clair is very upset. She doesn't like it. She's just not sure how to communicate it.]

What about your balance?

[tsungeonsanddragons]

[Wait...what? That's so totally out of nowhere that Clair can't help but turn around.]

Wha...? What about my balance?

[fitnessenthusiast]

[She struggles to form the words.]

Your balance is shaky. And... We need your balance.

[tsungeonsanddragons]

["We need your balance"

Leave it to Wiitney to talk the most sense. Even with the deaths of those she really cared about, with one being especially horrific, the world isn't over. It might seem like it is, but there's still things to do. And there's still a place for her. She doesn't have to give up now. She doesn't have to throw it all away.]

...

[Clair tilts her head down and...steps away from Betrayus.]

...likewise, I...I still need you all, too.

[fitnessenthusiast]

[It seems like its working? Keep doing whatever you did Wiitney.]

Thank you for keeping your balance stable.

[tsungeonsanddragons]

No. Thank you for reminding me about what's important.

[Just gonna...walk over toward Wiitney. No problems. She's totally fine. Yep.]

[fitnessenthusiast]

[She's not angry on the face anymore, so she must be alright now! That's gotta be how emotions work.]

[tsungeonsanddragons]

[Exactly how they work.

...

...

...

...okay no, she needs another hug. Just a quick one. Hope Wiitney doesn't mind.]

[fitnessenthusiast]

[This is Wiitney's third hug in her entire life. She's surprised at first, but by now she's got the hang of it, so she hugs back. She thinks they both need it.

[tsungeonsanddragons]

[They totally do.

...okay. That should be enough. When Clair pulls away, she coughs into her hand.]

A-hem. S-sorry that was so sudden.

[Also let's be real, Clair's hug count isn't much better.]

[fitnessenthusiast]

[Huzzah for being emotionally stunted. She gives Clair a standard thumbs up.]

[tsungeonsanddragons]

[A thumb's up. Clair kinda doesn't feel well enough to return the gesture, but...she'll do it anyway. She owes Wiitney that much. And plenty more.]

[superstylishschism]

That's why we make him suffer before turning him over. There's a lot you can do to a man before he dies.

[tsungeonsanddragons]

[That actually gets a little laugh out of her. Thankfully it's not as creepy as before.]

...thanks, Alastor, but I think I'm alright now. Let's...just get this over with.

[After the wedgie, of course.]

[superstylishschism]

Right.

[Hand on her shoulder. His grip's a bit tight, but...he's keeping himself restrained.]

We owe it to Callie to keep looking for a way out and to stick it to that bear on our way.

[tsungeonsanddragons]

[Nodding.]

Right. Just gotta...stay positive.

[Totally quoting Mac right there.]

[superstylishschism]

Don't let him win.

[He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.]

As long as we stay strong and don't give up, we won't lose unless every last one of us dies. And if we stick by each other, that won't happen.

[tsungeonsanddragons]

[Another nod.]

He has to try and turn us against each other in order to acomplish anything. Someone as weak as that...I refuse to lose to them.

[superstylishschism]

It's cowardly and pathetic. Even the Evil King was proud enough to let the heroes face him together.

But the bear's made a mistake. Our biggest internal worry is gone, and what he's putting us through is only making us closer.

A friend of mine once told me, one who carries everything is stronger than one who's lost everything. So we'll support each other until we get out of here, right?

[tsungeonsanddragons]

You bring up a good point. Without Betrayus here, there aren't many people we have to worry about any longer...

[Yomiel might have been one, but seeing as how she shoved her tongue down his throat...]

[superstylishschism]

So we can focus on learning about each other's strengths without worrying about him selling us out.

[tsungeonsanddragons]

Perhaps we should set up a meeting to share information with each other. Not just what we've found, but also our skills.