WEEK 3; TRIAL

[killerwaves]

TRIAL

Like last week, the kitty bots herd everyone over to the sandbar once the time for investigation has concluded. At the least, this little piece of your personal hells has emerged unscathed in all the wreckage. Unlike last week, Overhaul and Shigaraki are already there waiting for you, the former looking about as grouchy as a mask can get and the latter looking pretty amused.

Off to the side in a booth of its own is the body as well as attendant kittybots; apparently it’s messy enough this time to require some clearance, but it’s still close enough for the admins to oversee.

This murder sure was something, even for your masterminds. Theorize and/or judge about who could have done such a thing and get a snack from your local kitty bots if you get hungry—the theme is italian today, with pizza, mozzarella sticks, stuffed meatballs and the like.

(( OOC: Welcome to your second trial! You'll have 7 hours (8PM EST/5PM PST) to find the killer and send them off their death, if you believe in justice at least. Since this is scapegoat style, finding the correct killer is not mandatory!

Please remember to vote before then unless you've spoken to a mod, as votes are our stand-in for AC. ))

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[conchy]

Oh? Are you hard of hearing? I'll only repeat myself once, so listen closely!

[Remember how he spoke directly into your head before, Beelzebub? He's doing that again, every word channeled into him pointed and so very, very personal.]

You're a coward, Beelzebub, and that much will never change. You can protect no one, save no one, let alone the brothers you fuss and worry so much for. Even Haruka and Xiao were casualties of your cowardice. How shameful...

[dupiety]

[Oh no. Oh, no no no.]

Lobelia, stop this--

[conchy]

The flow can't be stopped, Temenos!

[don't copyright claim him verg]

[dupiety]

[Why. Why is this happening.]

[finalmix]

[ honestly what did u expect ]

[dupiety]

[He's going to be asking himself that after all of this.]

[hearnoplague]

[ So will Kallamar once he's done begging the overseers for an early exit like a panicky coward. ]

[passetemps]

[ honestly. ]

[microtransactions]

[ like, seriously dude. ]

[immortalpoet]

[gluttoning]

[...

Lobelia doesn't open his mouth. But anyone with magical or spiritual abilities of any sort will be able to feel demonic energy pouring into Beelzebub. He stays frozen, but his eyes go wide, and his face tenses, and everything goes to red as his heart starts to pump violently, his breathing quick.

It's deep, deep hurt, shame, guilt... and uncontrollable rage.

In a burst of energy, Beelzebub's demonic form comes to life with a deafening roar as he charges straight past Temenos and directly to Lobelia at a frightening speed, aiming to grab him by the neck.]

[dupiety]

[The force makes him stagger, and before he knows it Beelzebub has Lobelia by the neck.

Horrified, his placid mask completely drops and he yells, with all of his might:]

Beelzebub, don't!

[It's futile. He knows it's futile.]

[necrotiem]

[This can't be stopped, can he?

She probably realizes it too.]

Don't let him -!

[dupiety]

[It can't.]

I won't get in his way. He wouldn't want me to.

[Not in this instance.]

[chosenwang]

[ He can't look away from the scene unfolding, but he does find himself moving to stand closer to the priest. He won't reach out to touch because touching when it actually matters is difficult, but he is there. ]

1/???

[conchy]

Avance, démon! Envoyez-moi en enfer!

[Lobelia attempts to defend himself, he does, but he doesn't attack Beelzebub with nearly as much passion as he had Vergilius. This battle is due to have a very different outcome, after all. What he needs from Beelzebub is one last favor.

He'll manage to land a blow on his shoulder, something that'll smart and ache when he's come to his senses, but Lobelia does nothing more than that to defend himself. In fact, as Beelzebub approaches, Lobelia holds his arms out wide to embrace him.]

2/??? CW: GORE, CANNIBALISM

[gluttoning]

[It's like watching a rabid, furious animal. Beelzebub's body jerks with the blow, but his pace doesn't blow and he doesn't flinch. He doesn't feel.

He hates. He hates. He hungers. And he does not care that Lobelia's arms are open.

He only cares that there is flesh between him and his hate.

His entire hand slams into Lobelia's face with enough force to crack the bone and some teeth as he pulls Lobelia to him, unhinges his jaw, and rips the entire left side of his neck off in one smooth motion, taking blood and muscle and nerve down to the bone.

It's swallowed instantly, going for a second bite. But midway through, he stops, spits it out, and shoves Lobelia straight to the ground, wings vibrating madly.]

You're the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted.

3/??? cw gore and death

[conchy]

[Mm, yep, that'll do it. Lobelia lets out one last laugh, raucous and without shame, feeling his carotid artery burst beneath the press of his fangs, the oxygenated blood spilling from his body, vivid and red. Clean and easy isn't how he expected he would go, but it's as he said, isn't it? Beelezebub really is a softie. That bleeding heart will kill him eventually.

So long as he continues to live, someone like himself can never know happiness. He owes Vergilius his thanks for pounding that lesson into his heart, but for now, it's Beelzebub he has to thank.]

...Merci, petit chien.

[It doesn't take Lobelia long at all to bleed out, his death rattling in his throat as he crumples to the ground. Try a Snickers next time, Beel.]

4/???

[gluttoning]

[Beelzebub snarls down at him in response, like a wild dog over its bones. Let him die. Worthless. Not even good for food. But he can tell the warmth is leaving him. So he turns, a growl as he wipes the blood from his mouth.]

5/???

[conchy]

[Beelzebub won't get too far into his meal before the remainder of Lobelia's body briefly disappears, and when it reemerges... Well. You may want to take a good look at Beelzebub's Beezeback.]

1/2 (cw small body horror mention)

[plunges]

[ Meanwhile, there's a sudden opening that appears, right as Beel dives for Lobelia's neck. There are two people that step out of the opening: Haruka and Xiao. Both of them appear to be alive and breathing.

For now, anyway, given that Haruka's got a sizable gash on his leg, and is visibly bleeding through the fabric of his pants. Xiao has his arm around Haruka's shoulder and he's pulling him along as he limps forward, towards whoever is around. He's beat, injured to hell and back, and there are mysterious black fragments that are floating up and around his body.

They take a look at what's happening, and Xiao uses the last ounce of his strength to shield Haruka from the carnage happening in front of them, when Lobelia emerges from Beel's back. ]

2/2 /o/

[townmusician]

[He can barely focus on what's going on as Xiao drags him out, adrenaline only doing so much to stave off the pain as blood drips down his legs. It's lucky Xiao followed after him, because without him he surely would have been torn apart.

He almost wishes Xiao wasn't so efficient a fighter, though, impressive as it is to see the yaksha at work, because the scene they come back to is so much worse then just monsters trying to kill him, somehow. Xiao can't block him from seeing everything, for how extended it is, watching, hearing a man die a thousand deaths. Perhaps shockingly, he doesn't make a noise. Ironic, maybe, for how much Lobelia claimed to enjoy the sounds he made that there's not a peep at all as he goes through what must be immense agony.

Maybe it's shock, or some feeling that he's never quite had to confront before. Either way, the idol is silent, even as the pain in his leg starts to set in.]

[solutionary]

[The sounds of bodies ripping and dropping to the floor is something Baizhu is not particularly partial too, especially when they nearly cover the sounds and distract the eyes from Xiao and Haruka making an appearance-- finally, finally an appearance. Lobelia and Beelzebub's standoff was both happening fast and taking more than a small eternity.

The injuries were less welcome, but Xiao is an adeptus and one known for the ability to give protection more than most. If anyone could bring Haruka back, it would be him.

Rest in Peace(?) Beel, but he has more pressing matters to attend to.]

Xiao, Haruka-- Why don't you have a seat, I'll take a look at your injuries.

[Perhaps he'll make sure they go on the far side, away from that.]

[plunges]

[ Baizhu was going to be the first person Xiao would seek out after all of...that...and so it's a relief when he approaches. Xiao nearly collapses when he sits, the drawbacks of his power as well as having to fight countless beasts over and over again weighing on him. Nothing will feel quite as heavy as witnessing Lobelia emerge from Beelzebub's body, though, and hearing Lobelia's thousands of deaths is something not even an adeptus as jaded as him could have prepared himself for.

He just sits, slightly slumped over, but his hand is on Haruka's, trembling as he gives it as tight of a squeeze as he can manage.

His voice is weak when he addresses Baizhu: ]

Help Haruka. Please. I'll be okay.

[townmusician]

[He is going to do his best to not look over at the everything happening with Lobelia and Beelzebub right now, even if he can't exactly tune out the sounds.

He's still quiet, shifting a bit so Baizhu can get a good look at his leg when all he really wants to do is collapse and maybe sleep for one hundred years.

It's a nasty wound, but it's at least not fatally deep. No arteries were nicked, thankfully.]