FIRST TRIAL

[whimsicalism]

Honestly, if all you're going to do now is try to smoke out the castle I think it's time for a trial.

A trial, yes, a trial, Alice! Let's find out who it is. Come to the stairwell, everyone. I'm feeling better so I'll even be able to meet you there.

[The wall at the top of the stairwell is gone by the time everyone arrives. In it's place is a giant teacup being held by a doll's hand. For some reason it has a hinged door that swings out and closes shut once everyone gets in. It's big enough to hold everyone inside comfortably. Well, at least, as comfortable as you can get with a possible murderer in your midst.

While there are buttons for various other 'floors' in the castle none of them currently work. It takes a moment before the giant doll arm begins lowering. The visible area around you is just a dirt hole. It's as if you're descending down a rabbit hole as the teacup starts to descend quickly.

Eventually the teacup lands with a thunk in a room that's definitely more suitable as a place for a party than a park. It's a large outdoor room with great hedges surrounding the entire area. White roses dripping red paint (blood?) stand out among the green foliage. In an elevated area, safe from any potential angry 'friends, the Alices can be seen behind a desk emblazoned with a familiar symbol.

Down on ground level, though, there's a circle of podiums with a copy of your portrait to tell you where to stand. Both Ib and Violet's portraits are currently crossed out in red.]

Welcome to the trial room! Well, trial court? Mm... doesn't matter, I guess. I'm feeling better today so I'm glad that I can at least make sure that someone doesn't mess everything up for everyone.

[The cat, in Alice form, looks away.]

That said, time to find out who killed Violet. Trial, begin!

Comments

[strictura]

[ ...Well, this is a lot. The podium setup, at least, feels familiar in an odd way, even if he'd never actually seen it in person. ]

This is... still in the castle, right?

[littlebratziska]

Obviously not, does it look anything like it? We've clearly been brought somewhere else.

[That might be nice if not for the fact that there's a hitlist of portraits and also possibly blood dripping off the roses. That's less good.]

[strictura]

My understanding was that the Cat's domain in this world is the castle alone, and there were buttons in the elevator [ ...as much as one can call it that ] that appeared to indicate they went to other floors of the castle. I think it would make the most sense if this were somewhere beneath the floor we know.

[littlebratziska]

I-I guess.... But look at it! How can it possibly be?

[strictura]

How is there a clock that rewinds time or food that magically appears and disappears in the dining hall? Normal logic only seems to go so far here.

[imozon]

It might be a completely different place.

[strictura]

I don't think we would have been brought anywhere outside the realm the Cat set up, though -- the castle, or the Nameless Forest.

[imozon]

So it's a completely different place that's still in the castle?

[strictura]

Something like that, I would guess.

[imozon]

Hmmmmmm.

[Her head hurts.]

I guess the castle is even more complicated than we thought.

[octopups]

Th-there's no way! I measured everything!

[Don't mind the dogs they're just having a tails-chasing panic attack over on their podium.]

That r-room with the cup, I know where it should be b-but the hole, the hole went through the castle!

[rhododendronhoney]

[She'll walk a bit over to their podium to try and comfort them a bit.] The castle can change depending on how you look at it...could this be something like that?

[octopups]

M-Maybe? It-it's made of something soft sometimes, so maybe it... moved out of the way? [He does not sound convinced]

[strictura]

I agree that it doesn't make spatial sense, but as you understand it, where we came down would indicate that we were still technically within the boundaries of the castle in any case, right?

[octopups]

I... I think so? Um, I guess, below it?

[strictura]

Right. That's where I think we are too.

[octopups]

Y-yeah, yeah! That's probably true. [He says, clearly trying to convince himself that anything here makes sense.]

[soverainty]

How about you think for a second instead of chasing your tails, hmm? What makes your measurements accurate? For that matter, what makes your measuring devices accurate?

For a bunch of dogs, you sure rely a little too much on your eyes, don't you?

[She's pretty matter-of-fact about this, because the fact of the matter is just that there are very few facts about the matter, period.]

[octopups]

[He actually does completely stop chasing his tails at that, if only for the purpose of completely staring across the room at Niko.]

Wh... what?

[He seems confused.]