crybadger | GAME 3 - Day 2 Trial

Seven years... For seven long years I have made clear my guilt. I'm no coward who would change his tune at the eleventh hour.

However, I will give a few words of advice: without evidence and sound reasoning, these farcical trials are nothing more than a leap of faith. It is easy, after all, to claim to be the prosecutor, or to claim to speak on behalf of them. To say nothing of the corrupt prosecutor who stands to gain from such misdirection... Thus, any conclusions drawn at this stage are based on naught but hearsay.

Now, are there any questions? Unlike my accusers, I've evidence. Fool Bright has me under escort, so there is nothing he cannot corroborate.

[Sebastian is listening very closely, occasionally nodding. Okay, he's gonna do it for real, this time. He's gonna listen to reasoning, and then question that reasoning and use Logic and all those other cool things that Mr. Edgeworth can do. YEAH!

... By the time they get to the end of it, he's already forgotten what Blackquill talked about at the start.]

HOLD IT! ...Fool Bright? Who is this Fool Bright person?

Good grief. I suppose it would have been too much to ask of a fourth-rate prosecutor to pay attention...

Fool Bright is the irritatingly loud detective who serves as my handler outside of the clink.

[HE IS NOT FOURTH-RATE! He's... Well okay, not first-rate, but... Second-rate, maybe? Second and a half-rate?]

Handler? Outside of the clink? Why would a prosecutor need a handler outside of the clink? [He may have... assumed the shackles are just for show.]

Maybe I should downgrade you to fifth-rate.

[Conveniently for Blackquill, he smashed his shackles earlier when trying to bust open the closet door. So he slices the air, shearing off the tuft of hair on top of Sebastian's head.]

Seven years ago, I committed murder. Yours will be next if you continue to ask inane questions.

[THREATENING MURDER IS RUDE. Presses a button.]

GAAAAAAAAAAAH!

[Is that the smell of singed hair in the air?]

[NOOO, HIS WHIMSICAL HAIR TUFT THAT'S SHAPED LIKE A QUESTION MARK! Blackquill, you monster.

At the sudden slicing, Sebastian hastily clamps both hands over his head and ducks for cover. He won't even question the electrocution; he probably won't get it anyway. What matters is that Blackquill got what was coming to him.]

HE'S GUILTY! HE'S TOTALLY GUILTY! ARREST HIM!

You dolt...! I just finished explaining I am already under police custody...!

[SO ENRAGED RIGHT NOW. But the shock seems to have worked, because he doesn't attack him again.]

Oh... Right! Yeah. [He straightens up again and hastily runs a hand past his eyes to wipe away those tears of fright.]

So... You're saying that Detective Fool Bright has been watching your actions 24/7? And therefore, you couldn't have committed any murders here?

Must I repeat everything?

Fool Bright! Get him away from me before I cut him in twain.

I've been with him every waking moment I could! It is my duty as his police escort to keep an eye on him for protection. [~~Whose protection?~~]

But in any case, Prosecutor Blackquill couldn't have committed these murders. He may have killed someone in the past, but I've been personally rehabilitating him. He has the most righteous heart of justice I know! I believe in him completely!

But if the Prosecutor says that he's guilty... [Give him a second, he's trying to think. He's thinking very hard.]

Maybe... Yes! Maybe the Prosecutor got confused because Prosecutor Blackquill committed murder in the past!

[.......... Confused prosecutors are very much a thing, here.]

What we need is a cross-examination of the person claiming to be a prosecutor. They could just be trying to frame Prosecutor Blackquill!

That's true! Because a person who's under surveyalans [He was trying to say "surveillance", bless him.] couldn't possibly strangle someone or stab someone with a kitchen knife without being seen, right?

[.....]

Unless... Unless they're in cahoots with the person doing the surveyalansing! [DUN DUN DUUUUN.]

Hmph! Don't hurt yourself by stretching your vocabulary too far, boy.

Here is another of my statements that have fallen on your deaf ears: idle speculation is worthless without evidence. Casting aspersions on Fool Bright means nothing, otherwise.

Ah... But if the Detective's word that he's been watching you all this time should count as evidence of your innocence, then... Shouldn't it also count as evidence of his own failures if you are guilty?

[Because Blackquill was the one who insisted that Fool Bright's word is 'evidence' in the first place, right? See, he can pay attention sometimes!]

Well I'm not allowed to sleep with him, unfortunately. [~~PHRASING.~~] But I've been watching him whenever my eyes are open!

I believe Prosecutor Blackquill is being framed here. It's too easy for someone to lie about being the prosecutor assigned to this case, and to target someone who is already a convict!

[He's so very oblivious to that phrasing, what a sweet summer child.]

Too easy, huh? Too easy... [He repeats the words like he's trying to solve some difficult math problem.] But if someone is lying about being the prosecutor, wouldn't the real prosecutor step forward? Because if we believe this fake prosecutor, we'll end up accusing an innocent person! No real prosecutor would want that, right?

Keeping anonymous is probably still in the real prosecutor's best interest. If they're not murdered, their role may at least wind up being blocked by the bad cop.

Huh? Uh... Then... The real prosecutor would let an innocent man take the fall just to keep prosecuting? That doesn't sound very fair...

(no subject)

thefaceofjustice - 2015-10-18 17:11 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

deverybeste - 2015-10-18 17:17 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

thefaceofjustice - 2015-10-18 17:21 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

deverybeste - 2015-10-18 17:25 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

stagewright - 2015-10-18 18:51 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

deverybeste - 2015-10-18 18:58 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

stagewright - 2015-10-18 19:01 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

deverybeste - 2015-10-18 19:08 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

stagewright - 2015-10-18 19:09 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

deverybeste - 2015-10-18 19:14 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

stagewright - 2015-10-18 19:18 (UTC) - Expand

I dunno, the fact that you carry around a hawk is pretty suspicious.

[He is joking there. Mostly.]

More importantly, it's not a good idea to trust the words of one person. They might be true, but they might not be. People lie all the time.

Hmph... There's nothing suspicious about Taka. In fact, we should be putting you on trial for assault of such a noble bird.

[wait what]

Only evidence will break the present stalemate, and I've seen precious little of it thus far. Hence this trial is and remains a finger-pointing farce.

Hey now, he's the one who assaulted me, so HE should be on trial.

[floofing up to show his displeasure.]

What do you suggest we do, then? If all we have is a bunch of people yelling at each other, then the killer will strike again tonight, right?

It is an unfortunate situation. Do nothing, and the killers will continue to whittle down our numbers. Accuse the wrong person, and we do the killers' work for them.

I suppose the question you all need to ask yourselves is which gamble you are willing to take... and whether you are prepared to live with the consequences. Will you believe a convicted murderer to be innocent, or the word of a snoop in a box, who claims to speak on behalf of another?

[He gives a dark laugh.]

I don't find either to be especially appealing.