Ralph woke up in the morning feeling better than he had when he'd been able to get back to sleep. Largely because no one had interrupted his sleep again. That he'd been able to sleep as much as he wanted to.
Though, he knew that they'd still need to continue the conversation from the night before. That much was certain when they'd left off discussing it. Although, another thought came to him as he got out of the bed. About Beth. That she'd be able to confirm or at least shed more light on what was going on in the world in question. That if Charlie was there, Beth would be the best person to determine that at the moment. Especially with how they couldn't be sure that Charlie was actually there or how often she was if she really had led them to the gate leading to that world.
As Ralph left his room, he felt a pull on his arm before he was even aware anyone else was outside his room.
"Took you long enough," Amelia remarked, her tone full of impatience. "Tim and Wes have been up for at least an hour already. We were waiting on you, so now we can fully discuss what we'll do to get Charlie from that world."
Ralph sighed, he figured he should have known that he wouldn't have gotten a chance to get something to eat before getting dragged back into that discussion. It was a tempting fantasy that was quickly broken with harsh reality.
As Ralph was dragged back into Hannah and Amelia's room, Ralph could see Wes and Tim sitting down, looking bored, almost like they'd been held here until Ralph woke up and hadn't been allowed to even get something to eat themselves. Not that Ralph was that surprised given Amelia's behavior with him so far this morning.
"So, we're good to go?" Wes asked, sounding rather bored, which didn't surprise Ralph in the slightest.
"Not yet," Hannah said, seeming to be on the same page as Amelia. "We'll get some breakfast soon. We just first need to discuss a plan of action for when Beth gets back so we can get with her about what to do about finding Charlie."
"Uh, on that note, since Beth went through that same gate you mentioned, wouldn't it be good to hear what she has to say?" Ralph remarked, feeling like he might be drawing Amelia's wrath, since she was clearly set on finding Charlie there and wasn't interested in alternative theories. Or at least as far as Ralph saw it.
"What're you getting at?" Ameila asked, sounding more confused than Ralph had expected.
"Well, it's just that Beth went to get more of the magic rocks and she'd likely have encountered the people that you said were probably led through the gate by Charlie. So, wouldn't it be likely that Beth might have learned something about that when she was there? Or at least assuming she's found the rocks and is on her way back here already."
"You know, Ralph does make a good point," Hannah remarked, looking thoughtful. "She at least would have been there, so waiting until she gets back and we can hear what she saw isn't the worst idea out there."
Amelia nodded, though she didn't look very happy about that matter, and Ralph figured it was because she wasn't getting the discussion she wanted right then. Though, Ralph couldn't care less about that at the moment. All he wanted right then was to get something to eat.
"I guess we'll just have to wait for Beth to get back before we can do anything about Charlie," Amelia said, though her tone was the only thing that indicated just how put out she was about the whole 'waiting for Beth.' "Not much else we can do otherwise."
_
As the demonstration unfolded, Jenn noted how the witness held the knife, the manner of which wouldn't be possible for the ogress, given the handle fit the girl's hand perfectly, while the entire dagger would have been swallowed up in the ogress' hand. A point that Jenn doubted anyone else present had picked up on. Though, she supposed Tchisa might have, but since she hadn't yet had a chance to see what her take on the matter was, she couldn't be sure right then.
When the young woman finished her demonstration, Jenn sighed. The way the dagger was used would only have been possible with a smaller hand than the ogress had, unless a few bones were broken as well. However, Jenn doubted that the witness realized that. Which meant that she hadn't really thought this through as thoroughly as she probably thought she had.
Jenn then directs Tchisa to check Jianopra's body for broken bones, explaining how the ogress would have had to break Jinaopra's bones with the strike that the witness demonstrated, causing the color to drain from the witness' face. However, Tchisa reports that there weren't any broken bones.
At which point, Jenn turned to her, as if she was concerned with something about the girl. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale."
"I- I'm okay," the young woman stuttered, visibly shaking, though Jenn pretended to not notice just yet, afraid she might try to run if that was pointed out. Though, Jenn noticed others were aware of it as well given how she heard the guards by the doors adjust their positions to block any attempt to reach the exit.
Jenn wished this was over, but she knew that she had to play it through, no matter what else happened here. Though, just looking at the others, Jenn could tell that they'd already ruled the ogress out as a suspect, given the demonstration and how it was clear the dagger would easily sit in the ogress' hand if she tried wielding it.
"So, are you wanting to tell us what really happened?" Jenn asked the young woman, who looked like she wasn't sure what to say, only that the wheels in her head were turning as she likely tried to find a way out of the hole she'd dug for herself.
The witness looked around, as if she could find a way out of the predicament she was in. Though, Jenn suspected that she likely was the killer, it was possible that she was still being blackmailed or threatened to cover for the real killer. She wasn't sure which, but she was pretty confident that they'd be able to get her to crack one way or another with just waiting for her to come up with some other story if she didn't give up and tell them what really had happened.
"Are we really going to sit here and wait for her to come up with some other story?" Reiwis snapped breaking the tension in the air, clearly having run out of patience.
"If she doesn't tell us what happened, we will have to assume she's the killer, but I'm willing to let her save herself if she isn't the killer by telling us the truth," Jenn replied calmly. She wished she wasn't in this position, but given she hadn't set up any courts or judicial system for her people as of yet, she was pretty much all the had as far as she could tell. Especially since she really was the Blue Rose and not just a stand-in as Reiwis thought.
"How long do you plan on waiting for her to think of what to say?" Tchisa asked casually, as if they were discussing what to do about some hole that appeared in the wall. "If you'd like, I can look into her mind and see what exactly it was that happened. After all, she was one of those who joined with me."
The young woman turned to Tchisa clearly startled, as if she thought Tchisa was either betraying her or would have done something else. Jenn wasn't sure what to make of her behavior, but she suspected that she was the killer and had done it to help Tchisa out somehow, without having ever told Tchisa what her plans were. Which if she thought that Tchisa would be able to become the next Blue Rose, she supposed she understood how it might have helped Tchisa out, but she seriously doubted that Tchisa would be next in line if Cithis didn't become the next Blue Rose. At least assuming something happened to Jenn herself.
"You know, I'm starting to get bored myself," Jenn remarked, drawing a startled look from the young woman, which Jenn supposed meant that she'd hoped for more time, but even though she would prefer the witness to tell them what happened herself when she was ready, she also had to admit that it really was taking too long for her to make up her mind. "If you don't tell us what happened, we'll rule that you either were the killer or an accomplice. Which means we'll have to figure out what to do with you and figure out who else you were working with to try and kill the Blue Rose."
The young woman looked at Jenn startled, then at the others present, skipping over the ogress before sighing. "Alright, I killed her," she admitted so softly that if Jenn hadn't been listening for it, she'd likely have missed it. "I wanted Tchisa to be the leader because she's much more of a leader than the Blue Rose. Tchisa would have had us conquering these mountains rather than acting like twigs and scraping before these monsters." The more the young woman spoke, the stronger her voice got and the more venom contained inside it. "I acted alone and my only regret is that I didn't know there were stand-ins for the Blue Rose. Otherwise I'd have waited to make sure I got the right one."
Jenn sighed, glancing at Tchisa. In a way, this confirmation might hurt Tchisa's position here. Mostly from others wondering if she had somehow urged this young woman in her attempt when Jenn was confident that Tchisa would have revealed that Jenn was the Blue Rose if she had been involved in any manner of this attempt.
Then before Jenn could speak, Tchisa opened her mouth, "So, the options for us to deal with this girl is to either execute her or turn her into a man."
Jenn blinked. While she understood the first punishment, the second had her bewildered. After all, it's not like they had anywhere they could put this young woman for a life imprisonment sentence nor did Jenn care to divert resources to build such a structure. Not when there were more important things that they needed to take care of first. Though, what was more surprising was how everyone else, aside from the ogress, were nodding their support in the matter.
–Uh, what am I missing?– Jenn begged Tchisa, not wanting to draw more attention to herself by the fact that she had no idea why turning this young woman into a man was an option let alone how to go about doing it.
–What? You don't like giving her an option?– Tchisa replied, sounding a little surprised.
–Not that.– Jenn returned, wanting to shake her head, but realizing that would just draw more attention to herself when she was trying to maintain an appearance of being calm and decisive. –Why is being turned into a man an option? Shouldn't we consider exile in this world as an option instead?–
Jenn wanted to glare at Tchisa with the amusement that entered her eyes, but knew the effect would be pointless given she was wearing a mask. As while it hid her identity, it also would make it harder for people to recognize if she was glaring at someone or even who if were able to see her eyes.
–Seriously? That's been a sentence since they first figured out how to use magic to change a person's gender. Many men want to be turned into women and it's been used as a means to keep women from breaking the law to keep from ending up as a man.– Tchisa answered, her mental voice full of amusement.
Jenn couldn't help but feel baffled at that info drop. She really didn't see what it was about these people that made them look down on men so much, though she supposed that it might be that part of their culture has been sexist and would contain other surprises that she wasn't going to see coming. Though, she doubted any of the potential surprises would be like this one.
–Well, take it off the table. Either execute her or exile her into this world.– Jenn replied, not wanting to even have forcing a person into changing their gender as a potential punishment. Aside from the ethical aspect of it, she had a feeling that it would only continue the sexist nature of the culture of her people. Which was something she'd like to change as much as possible. –I'm not going to make it so that being a man is a form of punishment or that being a woman is a sort of reward. Everyone is born what they are and if they want to change it for whatever reason, we can work with them on that front, but not if it's going to be used as a punishment.–
Tchisa sighed, drawing the attention of the advisors sitting next to her. "The Blue Rose has just told me that the only consequences will be a sentence of exile into this world or we'll execute her."
"Seriously?" Zirisia said, glancing briefly at Jenn before looking at Tchisa again. "What option is that? At least with being turned into a man she'll be able to be useful in some way."
Jenn gritted her teeth at the nods and murmurs of agreement that were sounding in response to Zirisia's statement. Though, she was at least confident that they'd accept her ruling in the matter, regardless of anything else that came out of this.
Tchisa merely shrugged, looking at perplexed as Zirisia sounded. "That's what she told me. She didn't give me a reason, nor did I ask. She said that she's not going to make being a man a form of punishment or something like that." Tchisa paused for a moment, looking around at everyone before continuing, "I guess I understand where she'd coming from on that, but I'm still not sure if it's a good idea or not. However, she's the one who gets to decide on that and it's clear that she made a decision. Even if it's not one that any of us are likely going to understand."
Jenn let out a soft sigh of relief. Knowing that Tchisa would back her in this was an immense relief. Though, she hoped that the others, especially the ones who knew who she was, would react at least similarly to how Tchisa was reacting. She wasn't sure if this created a divide between herself and her people. Given it seemed to be part of their culture, she wouldn't be surprised if it did create a rift. While she'd probably be able to find a way to get out from being the leader of her people, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret if that turned out to be the case. Which surprised her more than anything else at that point.
With the bomb that Jenn had apparently thrown into the room, she wasn't surprised to see the young woman starting to inch her way towards the door. If she managed to escape to the gate, Jenn supposed it would only be fair that she be allowed through as it wasn't like any sentence had been passed so far in regards to what she'd done. Even though she certainly wouldn't be able to return to Jenn's people, she'd at least be able to live her life on Telekario rather than this world. So, in a way, it'd be a choice of exile of sorts, though Jenn doubted that her advisors would be happy to have this set as a precedent. Especially if it emboldened others who might have similar views as this young woman as in regards to who would lead this people.
"If I could have everyone's attention please?" Jenn called out, her voice silencing any hushed discussions about what had been revealed as well as halting the young woman's attempt to escape.
Jenn waited for a minute in silence before continuing. She wanted to make sure that there wouldn't be any interruptions for what she was about to say. If only because she didn't care to deal with any more pockets of side dialogue that would show others weren't paying attention to her at the moment.
"The choice has been offered. We need to hear what choice this young woman will make. It's her life and she can choose how it ends," Jenn stated, not sure if she was making a mistake with giving this young woman the choice of what sentence she received. Even though she doubted that it was much of a choice, she wasn't sure if it was something that those who committed such acts should be entitled to. No matter what mitigating circumstances were involved or the reasons they had behind their actions. She hoped that her decision here wouldn't come back to bite her.
The young woman stared at Jenn, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Frozen in place, unable to think of even how to react to what was just said. However, after another minute of silence, she seemed to collect herself and even smirked at Jenn, like Jenn was showing something that she found contemptible. As if it was another sign that she wasn't suited to be the ruler of her people.
"If I'm the one who gets to choose, then I choose death," the young woman replied casually, with maybe a touch of arrogance, as if this was a topic that came up everyday. "Better than being trapped on this world where I'd be slowly dying anyway." She paused, her eyes full of contempt and malice, which surprised Jenn again. "Besides, I'd rather die than live in a world ruled by such a twig anyway. She's not even worth thinking of as a leader with how she doesn't want being turned into a twig as a punishment. She's likely going to upset the natural order of things just because she's already such a twig herself!"