THIRD TRIAL

[despairection]

[Ashley Blair, the SHSL Witch-in-Training, is dead. She's had her life snuffed out, but how and why? It's a murder both mysterious and menacing.

Portraits of Betrayus and Ashley, depicted in monochrome coloring, stand at their podiums. But more importantly, the courtroom this time is an exact and functional replica of the Eggman Factory. If only for the evidence they'll never be able to move...

Will they be able to use this evidence to find the truth? Or will the culprit's confusing conundrum get the best of them?

10 students remain.]



[Let the class trial in the murder of Ashley Blair...begin.]

 

Comments

[theothersissel]

[Yomiel is shaking his head.]

No, no, that isn't where the mallet goes. It was used for the end of the rope on the pulley. It was nowhere near the bottles.

[green_mario]

[Blinks.]

... Why do you sound so sure about that?

1/2

[theothersissel]

Well, because that's just...

[Oh.]

2/2

[theothersissel]

[There's a very noticeable pause here.]

...I, uh, just made a good guess.

[green_mario]

[Yeah no, Luigi is not going to let you off the hook this easily.]

You sounded really convinced though, like you weren't-a guessing at all.

[theothersissel]

I've seen stuff like this before. And it's just logical, I mean, I don't think that there would be space for the mallet near the bottles for it to work the way it should.

[green_mario]

... How many Rube Goldberg things have you seen?

[It's really hard to tell if he's skeptical or genuinely curious.]

[theothersissel]

A couple. There was a case back home that involved one, I remember. I kind of, uh, followed the news about it.

[green_mario]

There was a case involving a Rube Goldberg?

... Did someone die?

[theothersissel]

Yes. Someone did.

But anyways, that has nothing to do with this. Let's move on.

[green_mario]

S-sorry, but I can't-a imagine a lotta people knowing how to create Rube Goldbergs, especially with so few people here.

[He miiiight be implying something here.]

[theothersissel]

[An annoyed look crosses his face.]

So? What's your point?

[green_mario]

[Luigi finds himself shrinking. No, he has to push through this.]

I'm-a just saying that not all of us could-a pulled something like that off, a-and we should consider our options!

[theothersissel]

If you want to accuse me, at least have the damn courage to do so.

[green_mario]

[Luigi takes a big gulp. Okay, be brave Luigi, either you live to see another day here or you die.]

Fine. Yomiel, I think you murdered Ashley.

[theothersissel]

There we go! Finally. And here I thought we'd be too afraid to point fingers at anyone else.

[There's something different about Yomiel. He's no longer laidback, casual. There's a certain bitterness to his tone, hidden behind a very wide smile.]

Okay, let's see. Why do you think that? Where's your proof?

[green_mario]

[Luigi pauses as he thinks about that. Well there was no real proof that Yomiel was at the scene of the crime ever before the body discovery, so he'll have to work through this.]

Well so far you've been the only one to show experience in-a Rube Goldbergs, especially ones that involve people dying in the process.

[theothersissel]

I read about it. It doesn't make me an expert. It's like saying somebody killed in an aquarium is likely to have been killed by a guy who has read about aquariums.

Besides, Rube Goldbergs aren't that hard to figure out. It's all about steps, that's all. Getting things where they need to go.

[green_mario]

[... Luigi isn't entirely sure that the first comment is accurate but well that would derail from the point.]

But still it's a lotta steps, I imagine whoever did this would have already been interested in Rube Goldbergs to do this and not just-a stab her.

[theothersissel]

What if the guy didn't want to do it because the last two murderers messed up and got evidence on them? I mean, at this point, are we really expecting anyone to be stabbed now after those failures?

[green_mario]

That's true, but that means that the culprit must-a been pretty desperate to kill someone to remember that and instead made it impossible to get evidence on themselves.

[So that must mean that the culprit wasn't at the scene of the crime when the murder happened. Luigi was about to bring that up when suddenly a question popped up relating to how desperate the culprit must have been.]

Yomiel, is there something in your past that you didn't-a want us to find out about?

[theothersissel]

[He practically bristles at the question, his smile cold.]

My past has nothing to do with this.

[green_mario]

... Yomiel our pasts has-a everything to do with this. That's the motive for this week.

[theothersissel]

Shut up! I-It's not like... [His hands are trembling at his sides, he's that angry.]

You wouldn't understand! None of you would! A-and there's still no damn proof it was me! You have nothing on me!

[sunflowerfields]

What wouldn't we understand? Yomiel, we're all in this together, you can talk to us.