URL 	irc://irc.sorcery.net/totallynotmadokaIC 	Mode 	+nrt 	Users 	9, 1@, 0%, 0+
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#totallynotmadokaIC
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	=-=	Atosen is now known as Honoka
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	baka	At the appointed time, all the magical girls file into the courtroom Throne has prepared.
	Masako	takes her seat at the defense's bench
	Honoka	shuffles in and takes her seat, fidgeting to find a place for her tail.
	baka	Haruka goes right to the prosecution bench and sits down. Astrid, Stella, and Isis make their way to the jury stand, followed fairly soon after by Tara and Lydia. Rosie has elected not to attend.
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	Masako	looks determined, but otherwise calm
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	Yukari	Yukari sits next to Ran...more sleeping on Ran's shoulder.
	Keiko	trails along close to Tara and Lydia, whispers, "Is... is magical court a thing? I didn't know magical court was a thing." ._.
	baka	<L> "It was not until now."
	Tomiko	follows Haruka, wearing a BUSINESS SUIT and carrying a briefcase. She looks unenthused. u,,u
	Masako	glances over at Tomiko and narrows her eyes.
	baka	Throne raps his gavel. "Glad you could all make it. We are here to convene the first ever, and hopefully last ever, session of magical court."
	baka	"The case is Haruka Kimura... Kimura Haruka? Versus Nona Meg Iv--you have to be joking, /that's/ your full name? No Name Given?"
	baka	"Well, never mind that."
	Yukari	Yukari peaks an eye open with things finally starting.
	baka	"Nona stands accused of murder in the first degree, perpetrated upon Haruka's mother Kimura Aika."
	Masako	taps on the bench, waiting to enter their verdict
	baka	"We have assembled a jury of Nona's peers, and will /attempt/ to at least somewhat mimic the standard court system for this trial, but as none of you are exactly what I would call unbiased I expect it will all go up in flames sooner or later."
	Masako	"Possibly literally."
	baka	"Preferably not."
	Masako	"No promises."
	baka	"Jurors, please pay close attention to all evidence presented by both sides and /do/ try to be impartial."
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	Yukari	Ran eyetwitches.
	baka	"In the unfortunate event that we must convene a similar court again, this case, its evidence, its ruling, and any sentence passed will be used as precedent."
	baka	"So try not to turn it into a circus."
	=-=	Vinyl is now known as Nona
	Nona	is sad.
	Masako	eyerolls. "The defense would like to formally enter a plea of not guilty to all charges."
	baka	"Noted. We will now take opening statements. Defense first."
	Masako	"Your Honor," Mas somehow manages that word through gritted teeth, "the defense intends to show that my client did not commit murder, and indeed that she is incapable of such an action."
	baka	"Succinct. Wonderful. Prosecution?"
	baka	Throne glances over at Tomiko and Haruka.
	baka	<H> "You wanna do this, Tomi, or me?"
	Tomiko	*SIGH.*
	Tomiko	Tomi opens her briefcase, pulls out some papers and shuffles through them. Stands up and reads, "Your honor, the prosecution-- that is, my client asserts that Miss Iven is in fact responsible for the alleged wrongdoings, and we intend to demonstrate that there is in fact reasonnble evidence to back this claim as likely."
	Tomiko	**reasonable
	Masako	"You're really going to help her?!" Mas jumps to her feet!
	Tomiko	*wince.*
	baka	<Th> "Order in the court."
	Tomiko	"Masako-senpaiiii, I'd promised-- we made a deal. I'm sorry."
	Nona	is /extra/ sad now.
	Masako	"Dammit!" Mas sits back down, but grips the table hard enough to make a cracking noise.
	baka	"Now, why don't we begin by calling some people to the stand." Throne looks at a little list on his desk. "... is there a /single/ person we can call to the stand who isn't an active member of the defense, prosecution, or jury?"
	Tomiko	"If I may, your honor?"
	baka	"Yes, Kaneshiro-san."
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	=-=	VinylS is now known as Yuna
	Tomiko	"Considering the, um. The unusual circumstances of a court for and composed of such a limited subset of the population. My client would like to request permission to call on jury members as character witnesses."
	Tomiko	"It's a little unorthodox, but as you note, we can't exactly have much of a trial otherwise."
	baka	"Granted." *dismissive handwave* "Who will be your first witness?"
	Tomiko	"Ummm." She consults her papers, then leans over and whispers to Haruka.
	Yuna	sits primly and properly in the jury box.
	Tomiko	clears her throat.
	Tomiko	"Miss Tara Shiro, if you would?"
	Masako	"Really?"
	baka	<T> "Uh. 'kay."
	baka	Tara walks over to the stand, looking suspicious.
	Tomiko	"Hello, Tara-san-- I'm to understand that you and Nona have had fights with each other on a few occasions, is that true?"
	baka	<T> "Very." :l
	Tomiko	"I'm told, in fact, that you were the aggressor in many of these instances. Can you tell the court why?"
	baka	<T> "She's a youma, plain and simple."
	baka	Astrid, Stella, and Isis fold their arms in near-unison.
	Nona	shrugs.
	Tomiko	"A youma, you believe, and you consider her to be dangerous?"
	Masako	"Objection!"
	Masako	"Witness is presenting her assumptions."
	baka	<Th> "Overruled, miss Iven's state of being is relevant to the case."
	baka	<T> "Well yeah. You've seen her magic out. It's like one of our enemies ate a girl and then barfed."
	baka	<T> "And those claws /work/, too."
	Tomiko	"Have you ever seen her behave dangerously, rather than just having a frightening appearance?"
	Nona	nods with the claws statement, they are really good at stabbing stuff. <.,
	Masako	resists the urge to facepalm
	baka	<T> "She's fought my group more than once, and considering all her stuff's Nightmare I'd say any magic she does counts as dangerous."
	baka	<T> "Half the shit she makes tries to bite you."
	Nona	"Hey!"
	Nona	"It's like, a quarter a best!"
	Nona	*at
	baka	<Th> "... Defense, please control your client." >.>
	Masako	puts a hand on Meg's shoulder. "You've gotta be quiet for now."
	Keiko	"So, you testify that you believe Nona is a youma, and she is dangerous." u.u;; "Do you believe she could have hurt someone innocent? Whether intentionally or by mistake."
	Nona	"Fine...."
	Tomiko	*says Tomiko.*
	baka	<T> "For sure. I'm not saying she offed Haru's mom in particular, but she /definitely/ could hurt someone. Especially someone without magic."
	Keiko	*Keiko just chews her lip, frowning.*
	Tomiko	"The prosecution rests." -.-
	baka	<Th> "Defense, your witness."
	Tomiko	"Thank you."
	Masako	stands up and glares a little at Tara, before she composes herself. "Witness, how many times would you say you've fought with the defendant?"
	baka	<T> "Let's see... Probably at least half a dozen, if you include blasting her to no effect."
	baka	<T> "Real fights, though? Two."
	Masako	"And would you characterize those as serious fights?"
	baka	<T> "Yeah."
	Masako	"And how many of those fights did you win?"
	baka	<T> >.o "One."
	Nona	._.
	baka	<T> "The one /she/ started."
	Nona	.____.
	Masako	"So the girl you characterize as so dangerous, and who you have repeatedly provoked by your own admission, defeated you in at least one serious altercation. But she didn't kill you, despite having motive and opportunity."
	Nona	puts her hand up.
	baka	<T> "No, she hasn't."
	Masako	"Thank you, witness. The defense requests that this testimony in regard to the defendant's character be noted by the jury."
	Masako	"That will be all."
	baka	<Th> "In theory all of it's being noted by the jury." Throne casts his eye over the jurors to make sure they're all awake and attentive.
	Masako	"Just making sure." Mas returns to her seat.
	Yuna	is dutifully paying attention.
	Yukari	Ran is paying attention, Yukari is keeping an eye open at least
	baka	<Th> "Tara, you may return to the jury stand. Defense, please call your next witness."
	baka	Tara huffs and goes back to sit down next to Lydia.
	Nona	puts her hand down.  "But I didn't start any fights...."
	Masako	"It's okay, Meg." Mas gives her a little smile. "The defense calls Honoka Shinohara to the stand."
	Honoka	stands and moves to the stand. Her ears droop and she wrings her hands anxiously.
	Yuna	pats her back reassuringly.
	Masako	approaches the stand. "How long have you known the defendant?"
	Honoka	"Um. About six months? Ever since I found her in the alley, in the old world."
	Masako	nods. "During that time, have you ever seen her harm or display intent to harm non-combatants?"
	Honoka	"Non-combatants? No! Never."
	Masako	"And based on her actions during this time, not her /appearance/, but her actions - could you in good conscience characterize her as a threat to innocent bystanders or non-magical humans?"
	Honoka	shakes her head. "I couldn't imagine it. She just wants to kill monsters and bad guys."
	Nona
	Masako	smiles, a little more genuinely. "Thank you witness. That's all for the defense."
	baka	<Th> "Prosecution. Your witness."
	Honoka	returns to her seat and exhales.
	baka	<Th> "Honoka, please return to the stand. Cross-examination is a key component of the process." >.>
	Honoka	:<
	Honoka	*sad kitty*
	Honoka	stops and returns to the stand.
	Tomiko	"Um."
	Tomiko	Tomi gets up, stands in front of Honoka.
	Tomiko	*FIDGETS, looking guilty.* >//>;;
	Tomiko	"Hello, Honoka-san-- um... u-ummm. I know that Nona always says she just wants to fight bad guys, but-- but she's sometimes of somewhat questionable judgment, isn't she?"
	Honoka	"..."
	Honoka	*reluctantly* "Could you explain what you mean?"
	Tomiko	"..." *lipbite.* :x "I just... mean... that she might sometimes assume things that don't really make sense to us, yes?"
	Honoka	"Yes. She... does make a lot of assumptions that I don't really understand."
	Nona	0.0
	Tomiko	"She doesn't really think normally, and it's possible that she could have, umm, made a mistake... even if she otherwise seems okay..."
	Tomiko	Tomi looks terribly guilty. .,,. She looks back at Haruka.
	Nona	:I
	baka	Haruka nods and makes a 'keep going' hand gesture.
	Tomiko	"So that she... might... /possibly/ make some kind of mistake, and it's not unreasonable that someone could be hurt. Do you disagree with that?"
	Masako	"Objection! Leading the witness."
	Honoka	*saddest kitty*
	baka	<Th> "Sustained. Kaneshiro-san, the witness is supposed to testify, not the lawyer."
	Tomiko	"oh um sorry the uh, the prosecution rests" *meekly.*
	Tomiko	"Nevermind about all that." >//>
	baka	<Th> "Alright. Honoka, you may return to your seat. Tomiko, call the next witness."
	Masako	fumes quietly at Tomiko
	Honoka	scurries back to her seat beside Yuna. ;.;
	Yuna	holds her hand reassuringly.
	Tomiko	fidgets, stepping back over to the prosecution bench. She leans over and murmurs to Haruka, "Do I haaaave to keep doing this...? My friends are all looking at me funny..."
	baka	<H> "If you don't, I will. You're doing fine, just... just remember the plan, alright?"
	Tomiko	"Mmpfh."
	Tomiko	clears her throat, "Yamashita Kichirou, please? -- Uh... Keiko? ...whichever." <.<;;
	Keiko	"Huh? Me? -- Oh, um... okay." .//.
	Masako	narrows her eyes and watches for tricks!
	Tomiko	"Haruka-chan, you talk to her. You had been the one who saw the bar afterwards..."
	Keiko	shuffles out from the jury box, and sits awkwardly where instructed.
	baka	<H> "Keiko! How long have you known Nona?"
	Keiko	"Uh. Two months? I dunno." ._.
	Tomiko	settles down back at her seat, sitting on her hands and looking sad.
	baka	<H> "Mhm. And during that time, has Nona done anything which struck you as needlessly violent or destructive?"
	Keiko	"...I mean... I don't think she's a bad person..." >//>;;
	Keiko	"...but uh. She has been a little. Rough, sometimes."
	Nona	??
	baka	"Please elaborate." >:3
	Keiko	"We went on a date a few weeks ago." <//<; "To go play pool at a dive bar on the rough side of town."
	Nona
	Keiko	"Two other patrons got in a fight-- non-magical people. And Nona went over to break them up with her super-strength. Things escalated and she ended up fighting, like, at least half a dozen guys." ._.;
	Keiko	"She wasn't the one who started it, mind you-- and I think she was careful enough that no one was /seriously/ hurt..."
	Keiko	"I didn't really hang around to check and make sure about that."
	Nona	"Also they were about to stab each other with a broken bottle." ._.
	baka	"Mhm. Well, it happens that I have photographs of the bar from immediately after the incident. I would like to enter those into evidence as exhibit A."
	Keiko	"Yeah, it was a good thing that she broke it up to start off with. I don't really know how it got so much worse from there. But she did kick around a bunch of normal humans like it was nothing."
	baka	Haruka pulls out her phone and sends the pictures to everyone in the courtroom.
	baka	<Th> "... how on earth did you get my cell number?"
	Keiko	"I definitely don't think she'd kill anyone on purpose, though! Don't get the wrong idea here." ._.; "...maybe by mistake?"
	baka	<H> "Well, that brings me to my next question. You noted that she didn't seriously harm any of the humans present there... which my evidence corroborates."
	Masako	"Your Honor, we've already established Meg doesn't harm bystanders. That she protects her date from assault is immaterial."
	baka	<Th> "She has a point, Haruka. Please get to yours."
	baka	<H>
	Masako	gives Haru an angelic smile
	baka	<H> "Keiko, have you ever noticed Nona behaving strangely? Or showing a lack of understanding about the limitations of non-magical humans?"
	Keiko	"...well... yeah." <//<;
	Keiko	"We went up on a roof for another date. This was, um, this was before I was a magical girl."
	Keiko	"And she didn't get that I couldn't just jump down easily without getting hurt like she can."
	Nona	"You climbed up!"
	Nona
	baka	<H> "Interesting. She didn't understand that jumping off the roof would cause you serious harm, yet she knew just how much harm she could inflict with her magical weapons without causing lasting damage."
	baka	Haruka turns to address the jury.
	Masako	"The defense fails to see the point of this speculation."
	Nona	"I knew if /he/ jumped he would've hurt himself...."
	baka	<H> "Which would imply, to me at least, that she discovered those boundaries beforehand. Perhaps because, I don't know... she'd used her claws to /seriously/ harm someone in the past."
	Masako	"Objection. Speculation."
	baka	<Th> "Sustained."
	baka	<H> "The prosecution rests."
	Nona	"...How would stabbing someone let me know how far people can fall without getting hurt?" ._.
	baka	Haruka glares at Masako and Nona on the way back to the bench.
	baka	<Th> "Defense counsel, I /really/ must ask that you control your client."
	Masako	leans over. "Meg, you've gotta be quiet until you're on the stand. You'll get us both in trouble. You can talk to me and I'll pass it on, okay?"
	Tomiko	*mope, mope.* u,,u
	Nona	"Sorry."
	baka	Haruka goes and gives Tomi a nudge.
	Masako	gives her an encouraging pat, then heads onto the floor. "Witness, could you tell us a little more about this date you went on? Why exactly a fight got started?"
	Tomiko	*mmpfh.*
	Keiko	"Um." >//>; "Like I said, that wasn't really on her to start with-- they were already starting to get up in each others' faces, and one of them was brandishing a bottle."
	Keiko	"A broken bottle, like a weapon."
	Keiko	"Nona went over, forcibly separated them from each other, chided them for fighting-- and I guess everyone else flipped out because she was being all super-strong and magical?"
	Masako	"And how did you feel in this situation?"
	Masako	"Before the defendant intervened, I mean."
	Keiko	"Frankly I was pretty surprised they didn't just run screaming." ._. "I didn't expect them to dogpile her."
	Keiko	"I was feeling uncomfortable with the entire situation."
	Masako	"Were you concerned for your own safety?"
	Keiko	"It seemed like a dangerous place, and like someone was going to get hurt."
	Keiko	*nod.* "I guess so." >//>;
	Masako	"So would you characterize my client's actions as in your defense?"
	Keiko	"Neither of them were moving towards me in particular, but it felt like a generally unsafe situation and I was certain /someone/ was going to get hurt if they didn't back down."
	Keiko	"She was definitely just trying to help."
	Masako	"And to the best of your knowledge, no one was seriously injured by her actions?"
	Keiko	"So far as I know, yeah."
	Keiko	"There was a lot more fighting than there had to be, but I don't think anyone was badly wounded, and I don't think it was really fully her fault."
	Masako	"I'll ask you to refrain from judging how much fighting was actually necessary."
	Masako	"But you would agree that her actions constituted a minimal necessary defense of herself and her companions, and in fact, of everyone present in the bar under the circumstances?"
	baka	<H> "Objection! That information is relevant!"
	baka	<Th> "Overruled."
	Keiko	"You just said I can't judge if the fighting was necessary or not." >.>
	Keiko	"But to start off with was definitely to try and stop them from hurting each other, yeah."
	Masako	"Very well. And in regard to later events, do you think the defendant intended any harm to you by jumping from the roof?"
	Keiko	shakes her head, "It was just a brief moment of being thoughtless, not like she meant anything bad. She helped me down."
	Keiko	"She just had to be reminded that it was dangerous for me on my own."
	baka	<H> "Objection, that was to establish Nona's lack of understanding for human limitations."
	baka	<Th> "Sustained." Throne looks bored, as any man in a room of teenage girls would be. -.-
	Yukari	Yukari has just closed both eyes.
	Masako	rolls her eyes. "Fine. The defense is finished with the witness."
	baka	<Th> "Good. Keiko, you may return to the jury box."
	Keiko	"Thank you sir." .//.
	baka	<Th> "I think that's quite enough testimony. Prosecution, unless you can provide real evidence, I'm afraid I'm going to have to dismiss this case."
	Keiko	She goes and shuffles back to her seat, plopping down next to Lydia with a sigh.
	baka	Lydia pats Keiko. The chair under Keiko buckles, legs bending.
	Tomiko	Tomi sighs in turn, and reaches in her briefcase for a tape, which she hands up to Haruka. u,,u;;
	Keiko	*wince*
	baka	Haruka takes it. A projector hooked up to a VHS appears next to her, both covered in a thick layer of dust on account of VHSes being a dead technology.
	Masako	leans back in her chair, crossing her arms.
	baka	<H> "I'd like to present exhibit B."
	baka	Haruka inserts the tape! It plays the whole memory sequence as experienced by Nona and Haruka the other night.
	baka	Complete with static and blank segments.
	Nona	is sad again.
	Yuna	watches intently.
	Keiko	"Oh, gosh." .__.;
	Yukari	Yukari is suddenly attentive. Actual evidence!
	baka	Haruka is shaking by the end of it. "So, your judgeness, members of the jury. You can see that, beyond a reasonable doubt, Nona was not only /capable/ of committing this crime, but /did/ in fact do so!" She points dramatically at Nona. "This tape was retrieved from her own memories, and proves her guilt utterly!"
	baka	Haruka waits for the dramatic gasp.
	Masako	offers a slowclap
	Keiko	dramatically gasps at the violence, and faints across Tara's lap.
	Yuna	"Heavens..."
	Keiko	is still a wuss.
	Honoka	's gasp catches in her throat. ._.
	Nona	:<:<
	baka	<T> "Oh, for..."
	Masako	stands up, still clapping. "I should hand it to you - that was a great job you just did. Now we have proof my client is innocent!"
	Tomiko	fidgets in her seat, uncomfortably. She looks over at Masako and Nona.
	baka	<H> "... excuse me?"
	Masako	"First lesson in logic - don't get so wedded to your conclusion you ignore the evidence." Mas crosses over to the VCR and tracks the tape back to the 'birth' segment.
	Masako	"Okay, see here? That's one heartspawn being created."
	baka	"Yeah, Nona. Looks just like her." >.o
	Masako	lets it play for a moment longer, then pauses. "And this part here? A /second/ one. And I can prove it!" Mas is grinning now.
	Tomiko	"A second one...? You think so?" *hopefully.*
	Nona	mumbles something.
	Masako	"The defense calls my bro- sister to the stand. Hitoko Tanaka."
	=-=	Honoka is now known as Hitoko
	Masako	"Not as a witness, exactly. But I need her for a sec."
	baka	Throne looks around for Hitoko, slightly confused.
	Masako	"Uh, Yukari, could you speed things along?"
	Masako	>.>
	Yukari	"Certainly, luckily I met her just the other day."
	Keiko	has stirred again, mumbled apologies, and watches in confusion. ._.
	Yukari	Yukari leaps out of the jury stand and cuts a portal open with her fingers in a grand (unneeded) gesture...and sticks her head in to where Hitoko is. "Ahem...by Order of the first Magical Court, you are here by requested to serve as witness in a trial...right now. Come on."
	Hitoko	"Ah. Masako warned me you might call."
	Hitoko	steps into the courtroom.
	Masako	"Technically more like a paralegal, but close enough." Mas waves to her sister.
	Hitoko	gives a small smile, waves back.
	Masako	"Okay, like I said - there's evidence of another distortion on the tape, but it's hard to make out. In fact, there are gaps all over the place that make it hard to know what's going on."
	Masako	"So we're going to fix it! With Truth and Order! Or something like that."
	baka	Haruka looks suspicious... but nods. "Alright, good. Let's see the truth of it."
	Yukari	Yukari smiles and portals through the floor and plops down into her seat again.
	Tomiko	Tomi leans forward, smiling at the new development.
	Hitoko	takes the tape and inspects it. "Give me a hand, sis?"
	Masako	nods and goes over to assist her.
	Hitoko	focuses and murmurs a few things to herself. The tape glows with a silvery sheen, and faint geometric shapes bloom around it. It winds back and forth a few times and then returns to normal.
	Hitoko	"The tape should now be repaired. All distortions smoothed, all flaws re-knit. Orderly, correct, and entirely truthful." She nods and passes it back to Masako.
	Nona	._.
	Masako	nods, and pops the tape back in, grinning. "Let's take a look."
	baka	<.<
	|<--	Hitoko has left irc.sorcery.net (Ping timeout: 121 seconds)
	Keiko	The tape starts, from the moment of the Heartspawn's birth! This time, though, it depicts not one, but /two/ vantages, side by side. The new images begin moments after the "second" Heartspawn's birth, as identified by Masako, from the new girl's perspective. She stumbles to her feet, and mutters in confusion as she takes in her surroundings, staring down at
	Keiko	the unconscious Haruka in the parking lot for a few moments-- then gasps as she spots the claws-and-black-eyes "Nona," stumbling back away from her! The heartspawn stares back, then down at Haruka as well. Then, with a moment of consideration and a hungry grin, it takes to the air, flapping off.
	Keiko	From the original Heartspawn's perspective, in the other image, the second girl looks all but identical to Haruka. She calls out after it, with a familiar voice, "No, stop! I know what you are, I won't let you hurt anyone!"
	Tomiko	"Hah! Nona, that must be you!"
	Nona	"???"
	baka	Haru gives Tomi a little glare. "What the hell..."
	Keiko	The video continues as the Heartspawn stalks its way towards Haruka's home. "Nona" tries to shake Haruka and wake her up, but with no success. She soon gives up and breaks into a run, making her way towards the house as well.
	baka	Haru looks angry and confused... then just confused. o.o;
	Keiko	As before, the Heartspawn soons breaks through the window, stalking towards the poor screaming woman-- but in the nick of time, "Nona" barges in through the front door! "Leave my mom alone!" D:< "I won't let you hurt any innocents!"
	Masako	me is wearing a /very/ satisfied smile
	Keiko	She charges at the Heartspawn, tries to punch it out, and gets slashed across the chest. The girl cries out, then stumbles and falls to the ground, bleeding heavily.
	baka	Haruka winces.
	Nona	._.????
	Masako	patpats Meg
	Keiko	The Heartspawn advances towards and takes another slash at Haruka's mother, and she falls as well. It glowers, shapeshifting and taking on the form of a horrible amorphous blob of Nightmare, claws, spikes, and /so/ many mouths It advances on the sobbing woman, preparing to consume her. D:
	Keiko	But, just in the nick of time, the new girl tackles the monster aside, pinning it down and punching and biting at it, heedless of her own injuries! She wrestles with it and sinks down into the Nightmare, which writhes violently as she vanishes.
	Keiko	With an unsettling, inhuman gurgling noise, it finally starts to still-- then explodes with blackness, leaving behind nothing but for a heavily wounded, black haired girl. She groans, and crawls off to the side.
	Keiko	There's no sign left that there had been two separate entities. The girl's taken on the monster's clawed, spiked, "magical" form. She mutters something about "justice," then collapses, too exhausted to move. None too long later, and Haruka bursts into the room, as shown previously. The girl's gaze focuses intently on Haruka's throat, but she's too weak to
	Keiko	call out, and goes unnoticed.
	Keiko	The clip ends shortly after.
	baka	<H> "What. The fuck!?"
	Tomiko	o.o;
	Tomiko	looks at Masako and Nona.
	Nona	looks confused.
	Keiko	.__.
	baka	<H> "You know what? There! We have the truth now, and the truth is that at /least/ half of Nona killed her! So what if... if half of her tried to... to save her, too..."
	baka	Haruka collapses, crying her eyes out.
	Masako	"...the defense rests its case."
	Nona	"I still....did it...."
	baka	<Th> "Well."
	Masako	"No, Meg, you didn't. You stopped the murderer."
	Nona	"I /am/ the murderer."
	baka	<Th> "Jury, I doubt we're going to get coherent closing statements at this point. Go convene, and come back when you've reached a verdict."
	Nona	"Just because I did something heroic as well didn't mean that I didn't do something bad."
	baka	<Th> "There's pizza in the room." *shooing motion*
	Keiko	shuffles out.
	baka	's menagerie shuffles out too.
	Nona	"That's as much a part of me as any other part....."
	Tomiko	tugs her sleeve uncomfortably. She goes and rubs Haruka's back a few moments, then approaches Masako and Nona.
	Masako	"Meg, you don't count the things other nightmares have done. Even when you beat them and absorb their powers."
	Masako	"This isn't any different."
	Yukari	Yukari and Ran both look at Haruka like they want to comfort her but go back with the other girls.
	Nona	"I just copy their style to make attacks!  This is /different/!"
	Yuna	walks out with Honoka?
	Masako	"You're not guilty. You never have been."
	Tomiko	"I'm sorry, Nona-san." :< "I don't think you're bad, either."
	Tomiko	"I'm glad you were able to figure out something with the tape, Masako-senpai."
	Nona	"But....but..."
	Masako	"Guilt is determined by your actions, not by your identity."
	baka	The jury begins filing back in.
	baka	<Th> "Well, that didn't take long. ... Did I ever name one of you foreman? ... foregirl?"
	Yukari	"You did not."
	baka	<Th> "Eenie, meenie miney... Yukari, please give us the jury's verdict."
	Yukari	"We find the defendant not guilty."
	Yukari	Yukari gives a smile to Nona and then sits down.
	Masako	pats Meg on the back
	baka	<Th> "Excellent." *gavel rap* "Case closed. Now go home and stop dragging me into your nonsense."
	Tomiko	n.n;
	Tomiko	"There you go! See? All's fine."
	baka	Haruka vanishes.
	Masako	gives Tomi a cool look
	Yukari	Yukari portals to the judge's stand. "Sure Throne, just designate me as Judge."
	Nona	"Ok...."
	Yukari	"For any cases of this nature~"
	Yuna	"...I have homework to do."
	Yuna	leaves.
	Keiko	"...Yukariiiiii."
	Masako	makes a note to get cookies for Meg
	Yukari	waves Keiko away.
	baka	<Th> :l "Hopefully there will be no more cases. Solve your disputes the old fashioned way, by beating the stupid out of one another."
	Yukari	"How uncivilized."
	Nona	"You're a judge, you shouldn't say stuff like that..."
	Masako	"He's also Throne."
	Yukari	"And prone to destruction of public and private property."
	baka	<Th> "You make your own rules anyway. Solve your issues based on those rules, come to agreements on what is and is not acceptable behavior, and create your own punishments for those who break those agreements."
	baka	<Th> "Just like all the humans, magical or not, who have come before you."
	Yukari	"So....form our own government...sure!"
	baka	<Th> "Great."
	baka	<Th> "I am going back to my job, unless anyone else has a pointless task for me." :l *looks STERNLY at Tomiko*
	Nona	"...Is Haruka going to be ok?"
	Yukari	"I hope so...Tomiko...could you go take care of her?"
	Tomiko	"I'll talk to her." u.u
	Tomiko	"I'm sorry again, Nona. I really just-- I tried to talk her out of this, you know."
	Tomiko	"But she was so set on it, and I didn't know what else to do."
	Nona	"You did the right thing.  I /did/ it....."
	Tomiko	"Only kind of."
	Masako	"Not really."
	Yukari	"You did not."
	Yukari	"You seem far more of the second spawn than the blood thirsty first."
	Nona	"But that's still /me/.  And it's my fault...."
	Masako	"It's a monster's fault. Which you defeated, absorbed, and restrained."
	Masako	"You aren't guilty."
	Nona	"......Oh."
	baka	*credits roll*
	baka	Later, at Haruka's house...
	Tomiko	*knock, knock.*
	baka	Haru opens the door. Her eyes are red and she looks tired. "... what?"
	Tomiko	"I'm sorry." :<
	Tomiko	"I know that didn't go like you hoped it to."
	baka	"What do you care? It went how /you/ hoped it to."
	Tomiko	"Harukaaaa... this was supposed to be about finding the truth, right?"
	Tomiko	"What was I supposed to say? Yes, I hope that my friend is a murderer? I'm unhappy that it happened, but I'm glad we know what really occurred now!"
	Tomiko	"It's still okay to be sad over it, and to be angry that it happened at all, but isn't it a good thing that-- well, that whatever /was/ responsible is at mostly gone now?"
	Tomiko	**is mostly gone
	|<--	Yuna has left irc.sorcery.net (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
	Tomiko	"If it turned out that she really had done it in cold blood, of course I would have backed you up on it, and I think everyone else would too! But that really just wasn't how it was, and you were so obsessed with this that you wouldn't listen to anything!"
	baka	"... Tomiko..."
	baka	"You're right." Haru turns and goes to flop on her couch, leaving the door open.
	Tomiko	Tomi smiles a little, relieved. She follows inside, closing the door behind them.
	baka	"But I'm not happy. Nona gets to be the big fuckin' hero, too late for it to matter. The thing that killed my mother's locked up and punished, but I didn't get a hand in it. In fact I /caused/ it more than solved it."
	baka	"And I can't even blame Nona for it, cuz that'd be like blaming Takara for all the shitty things /I've/ done."
	baka	"But you know what really gets me, though?"
	Tomiko	"I'm sorry. I really am-- what's that?"
	baka	"Masako knew about the tape ahead of time. Not just knew /about/ it, knew what was /on/ it."
	Tomiko	"I'd... um."
	Tomiko	"I had given her a copy." u//u;
	baka	"... You what."
	Tomiko	"I gave her a copy, because I hoped she would find something on it that we didn't see."
	Tomiko	"If there wasn't anything else there, she couldn't have done anything with it. She'd have just known what was coming but not been able to get out of the way."
	Tomiko	"But if there /was/-- if there was, and we missed it, well, then we could avoid punishing Nona when she didn't deserve it. All about the truth, right?"
	Tomiko	"If I hadn't, she wouldn't have had time to come up with asking Hitoko for help, and we never would have learned what really happened."
	baka	"Tomiko."
	baka	"You... really, really should not have done that." -//O;;
	Tomiko	"I'm sorry! But they're my friends, too, what was I supposed to do?"
	baka	"Given it to Honoka."
	baka	"Nona's just dumb, whatever. Honk actually means well even if she's sometimes really fucking stupid about how she gets there."
	baka	"Masako's a crazy bitch and she has it in for me."
	Tomiko	"What difference does it make which one of them got it?"
	Tomiko	"Masako's the one who was involved with the trial, Honoka was just a bystander in all this."
	baka	"You saw the looks Mas was giving me all through the trial. She didn't care about the truth, she just wanted me to fail."
	baka	"Her sister was the one that fixed the tape. If you wanted it done, that was the person to give it to."
	baka	"And now, well, you stood against Mas. What do you bet she's gonna have it in for you, too?"
	Tomiko	"Well you were doing the same to her! And I'd only met her sister, like, /once/, I didn't even know where to find her!"
	baka	"But not /only/ that, why the /fuck/ didn't you tell me you were copying the tape and giving it to her?"
	Tomiko	"If she does, I'll just explain this all to her, too, and she'll get it-- I hope..." -- "...oh. Um."
	Tomiko	"Because I thought you'd be angry." <//<; "You had invested so much into this..."
	baka	"You went behind my back to someone who sees me as an /enemy/, damn right I'm angry!" Haru sits up, glaring at her.
	Tomiko	"It was just to try and make sure no one was hurt! It seemed like the best way. I'm sorry. I should have told you, or been more pointed about my doubts, I was just scared to." :<
	Tomiko	"I thought you'd be unhappy if I wasn't willing to help you with this. So I tried to! I really didn't want to go up there and grill people and make them say bad things about Nona, but I did anyway, because I wanted to be supportive! I just... wanted to make sure I was fair to them, too..."
	baka	"You were supposed to be on my side, Tomi."
	baka	"Not one single person in that courtroom besides you gave a shit about me. It was just you."
	Tomiko	"I am on your side!"
	Tomiko	"I always am. I could have just left you to deal with all of this yourself! I know I shouldn't have gone behind your back, but it's what I had to do. You wouldn't have wanted something unfair to happen either, would you?"
	baka	"I'd rather that than being backstabbed by my best friend!" >//O
	Tomiko	*wince.*
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