EXECUTION FOR WEEK 2

[parasomniacs]

Week 2 ‹ Execution ›

Saturday

victim

culprit

Once everyone has placed their votes in, the trial finally comes to a close. The dream scenery fades from everyone's sight into the oblivion that comes with those sleeping, and the world of the waking materializes in front of everyone as they wake. The tablet beeps obnoxiously with the words urging them all to head to the Ballroom. Once they all gather into the ballroom, the irritating beeping noise stops and the doors close shut behind all of the participants. The room is much more than large enough to fit all the participants and yet it still feels claustrophobic, perhaps because the animatronic cultists who executed Dio are still here.

...Although everyone will notice that Keenan is already within the Ballroom before they even entered.

Comments

EXECUTION

[parasomniacs]

[Like last time, the lights suddenly black out in the ballroom and Keenan is suddenly taken. When the lights return, he is sitting inside of what appears to be a large mecha that's only barely shorter than the ceiling. It's a strange creation - the body of the mecha, in which Keenan is locked inside, resembles the head and torso of a strange and translucent teenage girl, though its right eye is a bright red sensor that looks like a camera, and there's a strange battery in its stomach. It has a sprightly step, for it walks on chicken legs. Its left arm is thin and blue with big claws, holding a stafflike gun that shoots golden energy beams. Its right arm is heavily armored for combat, with a gauss gun that occasionally pops out and can fire metal stakes. Red runes circle it as a hologram, but they're implying a protective force field.

In short, this mecha looks completely ridiculous. But still, everyone may want to clear space for it as it stomps around, firing its weapons upward. Though, the energy beams are just holograms, and a stake misses its target - a small and robotic version of Sheepy, that's flying around with a jet pack. It giggles, dodging around his attacks.

And then it happens. First, the rune hologram sputters out. On the screen on the front of the translucent girl, error messages begin to flash over the screens inside the mech. Critical failure. Electricity comes out of the inner control panel, shocking him a little, but he grits his teeth and carries on. His gauss gun fires - it falls off from the recoil. He drops his staff as he tries to claw the sheep, accidentally stepping on it and breaking it. The sensor explodes - the robot grabs its head with its clawed hand in pain, scratching and tapping against it. Meanwhile, the robot arm malfunctions and falls off, and soon, so does one of the legs. The sheep robot is just hovering at this point, but one by one, the claws fall off too, leaving this robot a hunched over wreck. Finally, the battery in the stomach explodes. Keenan is blown to bits, and the rest of the machine dismantles into a pile of broken and disjointed parts. Sheepybot spins in the air, unharmed and uncaring.]

[lienhearts]

[Leo watches, flinching here and there from some of the bigger booms and sounds, but otherwise unfazed. The moment the door unlocks, he turns immediately to leave.

Time to find the contents of that locker.]

[parasomniacs]

[Okay, you're at the locker. Enter the password?]

[lienhearts]

[10082016, if Keenan is to be believed.]

Re: EXECUTION

[abysmalactor]

...

[. . .]

I...There's nothing left of him...

[At least the death itself was quick, but...the buildup to it, and how sudden it is...there isn't even a proper body to (not be able to) bury this time! Are they seriously upping the execution ante around here...?!]

[olivefuranotherday]

[As quiet possibly the closet friend she still has alive right now, have a blubbering Nepeta crashing into you Shingo. She's kinda getting green tears and snot all over your jacket now.]

[abysmalactor]

Uh-!!!

[Sawatari nearly topples over in surprise when Nepeta barrels into him. He almost freezes in shock when she starts crying into his jacket, oh god oh god. how do you deal with this. there is someone crying into your clothes and you're also still kind of a mess yourself.

Hesitantly, he puts his arms around her, too.]

Geez...this whole thing...

[anindomitablewill]

[ Oh god. That was both traumatizing and odd to watch at the same time, and he's left looking a bit pale; shellshocked at what just happened. Dear lord he just had tea with him not long ago and now he was gone. ]

...Hah.... at least his death was painless...

[ What else could he say to that, anyway? ]

[respring]

[ And here come the waterworks. From a combination of the stress of being a suspect and wondering if she might die and someone who was so kind and friendly to her turning out to be the culprit, Sakura really can't hold herself together.

Face in hands, she refuses to watch the execution and scurries out of there as soon as possible. ]

[karmauberalles]

...just hang them or decapitate them or something! This is so absurdly unnecessary!

[inordertobelieve]

[ Mikami won't say anything but this is certainly a +1 from him. ]

[frozenmemories]

[Without anyone to turn her away, Cirno watches. She's shaking and wide eyed and stifles a scream. Watching until the end though but starts looking about at everyone and slowly backing away towards the door.]

[inordertobelieve]

[ ... this was. bizarre. In some weird way it was almost bizarre enough to distract Mikami from how grossed out he is, but only almost.

The explosion is not as nauseating as the hacked up Grinch had been, but Mikami is still left feeling somewhat sick to his stomach.

Delete. He mouths the word quietly to himself, not averting his eyes from the wreckage.

No part of him feels sad about Keenan's death, but the sense of having been dirtied is persistent and doesn't stop making Mikami feel uncomfortable in his skin. ]

[abought]

[Slowly enough that this shouldn't be startling, Aki shuffles silently to stand behind Mikami. To Not Watch. She doesn't touch him with her face, which she's already dried after the yelling at Keenan. She doesn't know what to do with those negative feelings. Knowing that he killed a man for what still seems like no good reason to her, Aki keeps thinking, "I want him to never do anything ever again". Which will be accomplished by him dying. But wanting someone to die was the bad thing that Keenan did... her head runs in circles and the big explosion doesn't make her thoughts stop. Aki wants to cling to something stable.

She tugs on Mikami's sleeve.]

Is there anything else to worry about now?

[inordertobelieve]

[ Lost in his own feelings of hatred, this time Mikami had completely forgotten about shielding Aki, but he's pleased to discover she's keeping up with Not Watching on her own either way. Because Not Watching is sane for a child.

However, when he looks down at Aki, Mikami momentarily finds himself at a loss for words. There is everything to worry about now - the sniper isn't caught, next week will have another motive, none of them are any closer to going home and none of them should ever rely on the others... but he's the adult here and Aki is the child, who couldn't do anything about all that even if she wanted to. ]

Not for today.

[ He's not even sure of that, but it's the only thing he can say that doesn't feel like an irresponsible lie.

He'd say 'let's get some fresh air' except the only fresh air is in the restaurant and that's the last place he wants to go now. So instead... ]

Let's put this ridiculous farce behind us and go to the garden.

[ Or not, if Aki refuses. Being alone or spending time with a person who depends on him, both sound equally good right now. ]

[voracitas]

[ All throughout, Conchita is silent. The conversation. The execution. The buzz afterward. She doesn't move. She doesn't say a word. Doesn't sway. It's happening again. Before her eyes, someone she cares for... Is gone. And she can do nothing. Absolutely nothing. She feels helpless.

"Take away food and what are you?"

"I hope you figure out an answer, even if it's a little late for that."

...How would he get that answer? Why do people keep dying? Why? Why why why why why why why is she losing someone else

Something inside Conchita snaps.

There, in the middle of everyone, staring at the wreckage, Banica Conchita starts laughing like a madwoman. Just... Laughing. Like this is all the funniest thing there is. And yet...

And yet...

...Tears are streaming down her face. ]

[forthemoment]

[This trial was a farce. The execution... It hurt her ears. The stink, everything--it was enough. Just. Ugh.]

...Please contain yourself.

[Please. It hurts.]

[voracitas]

[ Sorry, Mitsuko, this is Conchita in a laugh so you don't break down into tears situation. She hasn't stopped laughing, but... she's definitely quieter? ]

[brightlyshines]

[Estelle's shaken enough from the sight herself, tears brimming in her eyes again, but it's Conchita's laughter that cuts through the ringing in her head.

...She was laughing. She was laughing.....?

.....She was crying.

Estelle steps over to the woman after a few moments, reaching out to set a hand on her arm.]

[voracitas]

[ That actually startles her. Conchita jumps a bit, but when she looks at Estelle, it's obvious she's. Not doing well. Yup. She's definitely crying, or at least trying not to. At least the laughter's stopped. ]

[nevergraduating]

...

[He was just about to leave the ballroom to grab some stuff but... this makes him halt. He'll stare at her for a bit before jogging out, but he comes back in about 20 minutes, with a couple of bags in tow. He'll just... wait there until her laughing dies down for a bit before approaching.]

Hey. I don't think there's anything I can say that'll make it alright, but... here. [He'll put down a bag in front of her. It's from the convenience store, and filled with snacks. He's not sure if it'll help and he's not entirely sure how to handle her in particular, but he knows she likes food, and that's the only thing he can offer her at this point.]

[voracitas]

[ ...She appreciates it. She really does. Food has always been her comfort, so she's just. Going to stuff her face. She just nods to him, because words are failing her, but she does appreciate it and he'll probably be thanked when this is over and she feels better. ]

[forthemoment]

[There's no tears this time. She watched carefully and then turns around. A low sigh escapes her.]

Is this how it's going to be now?

[brightlyshines]

[This.... was different. Then again, could Estelle really be that surprised? People dealt with grief in different ways, and different amounts of grief in different ways.

Maybe Mitsuko had cried herself out the past two weeks. Estelle's more red eyed than she naturally is from her own tears earlier, but she's not nearly gone enough as to be blind to others in the room.]

Mitsuko.....?

[atlasrising]

[ Funny. The last time Rhys watched an execution, he got sick. Keenan had been the one to offer him some backpats and a kleenex to help him blow his nose. And now he's just been blown to bits.

How old had he been again? Sixteen?

Rhys doesn't feel good, not at all. He lets himself sit, shaking a little too hard for anything to count as normal jitters. But oh, then he's mad!

He gets to his feet and points to the chamber. ] He was only a kid! You can't do that!