The halls of Axis Mundi always seemed so much more ominous when an investigation was underway. Even in times of relative calm, they certainly weren't welcoming, but every corner seemed to be hiding all manner of imagined horrors at times like these.
There had a been a moment of clarity when Calvin had first seen Marianne's body. It was a terrifying sort, the kind he wouldn't wish on anyone he knew, but still. This game would continue, whether he took part or not. While he could simply give up and check out - he had been on the verge of doing so - it wouldn't change anything. The game would continue. Perhaps not for him, but for the others. And he wasn't prepared to leave them behind. Not all of them. Not yet.
He turned a corner on the 2nd floor of the building, letting out a deep breath.
"Come on, Ibbs." He muttered to himself. His attempts to find Monokuma had been fruitless, and now he thought it best to wander and try to collect his thoughts.
"Time to get back in this thing."Before Calvin could get very far, he could hear a voice coming up the stairs.
“Oh Baldwin number... Uh, Calvin, I totally need to ask you something.” The voice belonged to Jezebel. While the two hadn't spoken to each other much, the valley girl accent made her voice particularly memorable to the smith.
“Come on Calvin, I know you're around here some wheeeeeeeeere.” Calvin didn't have to wait very long before he saw the clown peek around the corner of the stair case. Though he saw her hat long before her eyes could get a look at him.
“There you are!” With a giggle, she sprung up the stairs to meet him.
“So like, this is probably an odd question, but how many of those arrows did you make?” She folded her hands behind her back and spun her hips side to side.
“Did you make any for anyone else?”Calvin shook his head gently. He looked at Jezebel, taking a moment to truly take in the Trickster. He had seen her in Axis Mundi quite often, but they had never truly had a frank discussion.
"Only made some for Zach. Nobody else would have known how to use them to begin with." He took a moment to rack his brain.
"I made a full quiver. 24 arrows." He looked at her intently.
"Do you think you know who did it?" He wasn't expecting a straight response, not from the Infinite Trickster, but any information might be of use.
“I have a few suspects, totally.” Jezebel placed her hands together.
“The murderer so happened inside Shaun's room. So like of course I suspect him the most. Or at least I did. But now, like...” Her finger shot out and pointed at the smith's nose.
“I'm suspecting you!” The clown giggled.
“You spend way too much time in that forge to only make twenty-four arrows!” She folded her arms.
“B-but like, if we find out that you are telling the truth, then, like, maybe Shaun... Or Cyrus could have used his political powers to, like... Or maybe Ice's bandages concealed like... or Krista used a violin string and like totally... Perhaps the Poet in a fit of Passion like..." With a sigh, Jezebel's smile vanished. She looked at the smith out of the corner of her eye.
“Yea, this would be so much easier if it's Shaun.”Calvin blinked, taken aback by the Trickster's openness and candour. But when his name was brought up, a bit of fire came to his otherwise cool eyes.
"Hey hey hey - I'm being serious. Not a huge fan of making arrows in the first place, so I just made enough to be done with it." Jezebel continued to list off a variety of killers and methods, and Calvin simply stood, shocked.
"It could be Shaun... but I don't know! Kid doesn't really seem like much of a killer." He took a moment.
"Neither did Lucas, though." He shrugged.
“Well, I need to see what everyone else found I guess.” Jezebel turned to face Calvin.
“So like, did you open your motive note thing? I didn't look at mine. Seemed kinda campy.” She giggled again.
"We agreed not to." Calvin said, shaking his head.
"Anything Killgood does is set to hurt us. If it had just come from Alexandria..." Calvin looked away.
"Some ass probably opened theirs and killed Marianne for it." “Perhaps.” Jezebel tapped her arm with her index finger in thought. But before she could respond, all of the monitors turned on. It was Willow up on the screen.
“Hello, Vagrants!” The proud queen started.
“Your time to probe the premises for evidence is over. It's come time to head off to the court of carnage. Steel yourselves for the trial ahead, and...” Her eyes shifted to the side.
“King Killgood? You um, you look a little mad. Aren't you happy to see how capable your daughter is?” There was a long pause.
“So I'll go get my sisters and scrounge up all of the vagrants.” The queenly carnage sister slowly moved out of screen.
Just seconds later, Monokuma rose into view.
“So um... I think the investigation has gone on long enough.” The bear was looking at a spot between his feet.
“You'd better get going. It would be unsightly to be dragged into court by one of my daughters.” The monitors turned off.
“I guess we're going to have to move or something now.” Jezebel sighed with a smile.
“Going into the court is always a nerve wrecking experience, but I think it's going to be easier for me this time. It helps when you have a few people who so couldn't be the killer. You know?” Jezebel was making her way back downstairs.
“Do you have anyone you trust like that, Calvin?”Calvin shook his head lightly.
"Not in here." he lied. A small lump grew in his throat as he realized just how cut-off he was from the others. His gauntlets curled into small fists.
"There's people in here who can't kill. Who wouldn't." His face flushed slightly. He hoped he wouldn't be proven wrong.
The clown just closed her eyes and lowered her head.
“Well that's a shame. But the fact that you think some of us couldn't kill shows that you totally trust some of us.” She turned her back on the smith and started to skip away.
“I guess we should go before we get dragged into the court. That would be a downer. Make sure to bring your note with you!”
It didn't take everyone long to assemble at the roller coaster. Monokuma was already sitting at the helm, and all of his daughters, Alexandria included, were waiting nearby. They were mounted on robotic horses on the boarding platform.
“The peasants have arrived.” Willow chuckled nervously, occasionally looking towards the doctor in the front seat of the train. He did not look especially pleased.
“Well, you know the routine. Strap in and we'll send you on your way.” No one opposed Willow. Everyone got into their seats and let the carnage sisters lock them in place. Though when it came time for Alexandria to lock down Calvin's seat, she had something to say to him first.
“We had something special. I can't believe you threw away our future!” Even though her face still looked like an adorable anime character, her disapproval was evident in her voice. Alexandria lowered the restraints and pushed them tightly into Calvin's chest.
“Come on Alexandria, you-” Calvin’s breath was cut off by the restraints. He caught it quickly.
“What other option did they have?” His face was genuine, and although there was regret on it, below it was a hard line of gravitas. He was aware of the other infinites who were watching, and was trying his best to ignore the lowered eyes and dark glares he was likely receiving.
“Are you passing the buck mister?” Her entire head glowed cherry red.
“You armed each and every one of those sons of doggies!” She was vibrating, if such a severe thing could be called that.. Alexandria was shaking so hard, she was sliding across the platform.
“How are you going to make this up to me!?”“You can’t walk around with weaponry like that and expect us all to fucking wait around!” His face was becoming red.
“Your sisters are dangerous. You’re dangerous!” He chewed his lip for half a second before continuing.
“And now I have to make this up to you? You killed the closest thing that passed for my friend in this place!” In an instant, Alexandria's body stopped moving. Her the trembling, the glowing, everything. She was like a statue.
Are you saying... I was never your friend? N-not once? her voice was cracking.
You mean when I resisted the urge to boop you in my room, or when I did boop Shona, we weren't friends? She leaned over Calvin's cart.
I-is that what you're saying?Calvin stopped. He felt a small pang of guilt in his gut, and for half a moment, he considered apologizing. Anger, as it so often did for Ibbs, won out.
“Nobody’s friends in here! Have you noticed what’s going on?” He looked her dead in the eyes.
“God damn it, Alexandria - people are being murdered! There’s a lot on my fucking plate!” His voice grew cold, lacking in its usual verve.
“I’ve gotta make sure I don’t die in there.” He gestured forward, in what he thought to be the general direction of the court.
The doll just stared at him, turning it's head left and right. "
Oh okay!" She stood upright. With a giggle. "
We'll talk later then. I hope you catch the killer then. Unless it's you I mean." Calvin offered no response, his jaw set and his face white.
Geina rolled her eyes "
Fuckin' gross!" she pulled a lever that sent the infinites flying into darkness. Regardless of how much everyone liked or hated roller coasters, the ride was never as horrifying as where they would wind up. After taking some sharp twists and turns in total darkness, they would emerge in the court of carnage. Everyone's seat rotated, the restraints lifted, and the roller coaster stopped with everyone facing a podium.
“Alright, did everyone survive?” Killgood looked at everyone. His train was starting to telescope up into a large throne.
“Alright, get to your positions. The entertainment is just about to start!”
TRIAL IS IN SESSION
ALL RISE
"I said it once and I'll say it again. If the blackened is exposed during the trial, they alone will be punished. But if they aren't exposed, everyone besides the blackened will be punished. Now depending on who you are, you probably want one of these outcomes to happen more than the other. So I'd try my best if I was you.”“So it's happening again.” Bliss folded her arms.
Jezebel folded her arms and leaned over her podium, flashing a smile.
“Well doy, someone died, of course it's going to happen again. No doubt it was because of that motive. We should look and see what everyone got.”“I'm not so sure.” Bliss folded her arms
“Lucas used the motive as an opportunity to pin the blame on someone else. That's not to say we shouldn't look into it, but it's possible the motive was simply put in place to give a killer an opportunity rather than a reason to kill.” She turned to look at Shaun.
“It's the same reason why I don't want to just point fingers at who looks most suspicious.”“First we should cover our basics, make sure we understand the crime scene.” Ice turned to the rest of the group.
“Do we know how the fire started?”
Fetzen
