Chapitre 5: Chapter Three: The ground over the dome
(May 10)
The flashes of the cameras and the crowd that was contained by the security guards at the main entrance of the court kept Aether's head in a trance, he could count the number of hairs that the police ripped from his head with the grip that forced him not to raise his head. As he was forced to advance based on tugging at his clothing and unnecessary physical contact through a maze of columns and digital projections with resources and information on judicial issues, which he clearly could not access. From the window came the neon lights of the commercial product screens that showed an almost unreal environment of the outside with those vivid colors. From a front buildings point of view, the high court still had a classical feel to it, but from the inside it had clearly fallen victim to technology, yet the timeless aura of the place was too striking.
He noticed how the floor changed once he crossed the hall of the audience room, from white tiles to a neat and clean wooden floor. Inside the feared room for many in his situation, they let him raise his head and began to loosen their grip on his body. Near him, he managed to see her lawyer Jean, who was waiting for him sitting next to her from the defendant's dock, in front of him. Then, there was a large cube-shaped and projected screen that showed a black background. At his sides were various members of the court and other important figures who stand out for their delicate clothing and a visible Shogunate insignia on the left pectoral of their blazers. However, what captured his attention was a young man with blue hair that fell wildly across his face, highlighting a patch over his eye. He wore a suit as white as snow and an arctic fox stole. They both exchanged glances for a few seconds, until the blue-eyed young man gave him a smile and broke contact shortly after due to the press who wanted to enter the room at all costs with ostentatious implements and an intrusive attitude, questions that were asked. in the distance and exclamations after being retained by the guard, which even surprised the members of the court and spectators, including his sister, who was mixed between some party attendees and people she had never seen. Then, the one who brought him back to reality was an old man of approximately 60 years old, as well dressed as the rest, who was in front of the microphone, next to the blue-haired man.
"The civil hearing will begin shortly, please, we request that the media present stop the recordings inside the room" demanded the old man.
On the large screen that had the appearance of a cube a brown-haired, brown-eyed lady in a black garment and the resounding insignia of the lightning empire was projected. There was no doubt for anyone that she was definitely an entity that embodied the will of the Almighty Shogun Raiden through artificial intelligence, and was not a real human. It was no secret that the ability to generate technology and various advances that overwhelmed the economy of adjacent nations was what started the overwhelming colonization of Teyvat and left various leaders on the ropes who had to go into exile or be recognized as threats. for creating organizations against the new central government.
"Good morning to everyone here. This is a preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial in the case of the State of the Shogunate against Aether Bonafeste, whose civil number is 16.789.562-0. The defendant has been arrested and charged with second degree murder of deceased citizen Amber Krauss."
Her tone of voice was easily mistaken for that of a normal human. Only that face lacks expressiveness or life.
"The purpose of this hearing is to allow the lawyers and defense attorneys to present the evidence they have against and in favor of the defendant and thus allow the judge to determine if that evidence is sufficient to proceed with the conviction, as it is a charge of qualified homicide, which is contrary to the fundamental principle of respect for human life according to our law, the only punishment for this crime is banishment to the four-dimensional prison "Oblivion", however, and depending on the evidence, we can discuss the penalty into the oblivion and determine if the defendant can obtain a reopening which will be achieved on appeal in the near future.During the hearing, the prosecutors will present witnesses and evidence to support the charges and the defense attorney will have the opportunity to challenge the validity of the In the event that the evidence is not compromising enough, a reopening of the case may be appealed within the next 5 months from the resolution of this hearing. It is important to note that at this stage of the process, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, we will listen carefully to the prosecutor's presentation and evaluate the evidence presented to determine whether prosecution of the defendant is warranted. Thank you."
The blue-haired young man got up from his chair and went down some stairs until he reached the ground. From there, he took a breath and looked at Aether, which was once again being devoured by the flashes of the cameras.
"Your Honor, I, Kaeya Morgestern, am here today on behalf of the State to file charges against defendant Aether Bonafeste. Defendant has been arrested and charged with first degree murder. The task before us at this hearing The preliminary examination is to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to warrant prosecution of the defendant. As the prosecutor, I have the burden today to demonstrate that there is a reasonable basis for the charges and that the evidence presented is sufficient to proceed with conviction."
Kaeya was mysterious and captivating, a powerful aura emanating from him that left everyone present speechless, including Aether. But, the one who showed the most annoyance was definitely his lawyer, Jean. From a distance they could appreciate that they didn't get along in any way, Jean was just trying to hide her frown. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Aether since the "grace" time where the perpetrator is allowed to talk to his lawyer had ended, and even when she tried to approach Aether, Aether refused her visit. Therefore, his plan had definitely failed.
Jean returned to get in tune with the audience, noting that Aether was probably in a state of shock that did not allow her to assimilate the information, not even the slamming of the doors that left the room totally hermetic for the journalists made her see reason.
"During the course of this hearing, I will present evidence and witnesses that support the charges and that prove the defendant's guilt. My goal is to present a clear and accurate picture of what occurred, proving beyond any doubt that the defendant committed the crimes of which he is charged. Therefore, I will use audiovisual media and the testimony of people that I deem appropriate. The final decision will belong to the jury here present, and I will exercise my profession in good faith to find the truth." Kaeya continued.
"Without further ado, I will start the preliminary interrogation session to present the evidence. Hoping that both parties exercise good faith, I invite the defendant to the stand to begin his statement. Please, I demand that you give as much detail as possible and tell the truth so as not to face additional charges." added the woman on the screen.
Aether had just snapped out of her trance, so he didn't move a muscle until Jean whispered to him.
"Aether, you need to go," Jean murmured.
"That?" Aether was too confused.
"Mr. Bonafeste, I reiterate my order: it is necessary that you come to testify and allow yourself to be questioned by Mr. Morgestern"
"I..." Aether paused, noticing the sepulchral silence of the room which was broken by the sound of the chair being dragged across the floor, then he began to advance to the dais and went up on stage, standing on one side of the screen. He gave her a quick glance, then looked straight ahead again.
Aether had said that he was going to just accept that sentence, but suddenly everything fell on him like a bucket of ice water. He was regretting denying his lawyer visits, but was there a way out for him in this situation? In his view there was no gap that would allow him to escape his sentence, everything seemed tailor-made so that there are no doubts.
The man strode confidently in front of him, just like a peacock displaying its tail.
"Mr. Bonafeste, where were you at the time of the murder?" Kaeya addressed Aether, holding a rigid posture with his hands behind his back.
"The last thing I remember is that I was with my sister and with our college classmates" Aether answered truthfully.
His memories were never cleared up regardless of the time he was at rest, there was still a gap that was impossible to fill in his memory.
"You told your lawyer that you don't remember anything that happened," Kaeya tried to spun.
"Correct." Aether agreed with him.
"How was your relationship with Miss Amber?"
"We were best friends"
"When did you meet?"
"When we came to the city, she was from a rural area and then she came to the capital. We met because we lived nearby, but he didn't attend the same university as us."
"Did you develop romantic feelings for her?"
"Impossible, she is like a sister to me, just like Lumine is my sister"
The whispers were heard louder after that statement, some were of laughter, others of deep tension. Of course, it wasn't normal for a perpetrator to claim that the homicide victim had a bond with him similar to that of his sister. However, when Lumine listened from her place, her eyes were dull and fixed without breaking her gaze towards her brother. She was dressed very simply, just a white jacket and light blue jeans, she didn't feel like dressing in something more complex and less comfortable than that when she could barely get out of bed. I just wanted it all to be over so I could drink some more. Since in order to testify she needed to be sober, so she slept on Jean's sofa, far away from any bottle.
Kaeya went to his place and returned with a bat in a plastic bag.
"Do you know what this is?" Kaeya showed him with a cynical smile
"My father's baseball bat" he replied.
Many images came back to his mind from when he and his father played with Lumine. Although his sister was more skilled than him at the game, he felt good just being with them. After his father's death, when he felt low on himself, he used to take him in his hands and do the game poses. Every time he held that bat in his hands, he could feel his father with it. They decided to leave their bats downstairs as a souvenir, but they used to leave their father's very well cared for in the attic. In fact, since they had already processed the death of their parents well, they thought about buying a stained glass window and leaving it in the first floor. floor. His father's bat was made of light wood, however, it had some pink stains on it that appeared to be blood marks that did not come out after cleaning.
"According to the video I have, you used it against Amber in the middle of the dispute that no one remembers how it started. Your Honor, I request authorization to begin with the audiovisual evidence."
"Granted" mentioned the judge.
In front of the screen that gave the image of the girl, another screen was generated, which seemed to show a video to play with lousy quality. Once the video started, they could see how, with excessive zoom, a man with blond hair and a bare hand repeatedly hit the head of a brown-haired girl. With a great deafening noise of music, screams of surprise, bad lighting and of course: Lumine frozen at the entrance to the attic when she saw her supposed brother in that scene.
Lumine didn't want to see that scene again, she started nauseated as soon as the video clip started, so she fixed her gaze on the bag with the bat that Kaeya was still holding in her hand. Noting that nowhere was his father's name engraved. It was true that perhaps she wasn't eating well or drinking anything other than alcohol, in fact she took an energy drink to come to the place without a hangover. But something that was certain is that she was not blind, she needed to see the bat from another angle, since she did not remember that this engraving was on the back of the bat, so she had no better idea than to check the bat from Ignoring the crime video that kept replaying, he swallowed hard and focused on the details. Once she finished examining it, she noticed that there was a very notable difference for her, she was not sure that Aether had noticed it, since that expression of regret corresponded to that of someone who has already accepted her destiny. But she couldn't just shut up in the face of the fraud that it wasn't her father's bat, but Aether attacked Amber with a bat with the same characteristics as the impostor's bat. Also, Aether in the video was wearing gloves? Suddenly, and after turning around in his head many times, he managed to remember. One of Aether's companions gave him black gloves, and that night he put them on at the same moment. So, assuming he did it, how would he have Aether's fingerprints on it, especially if it wasn't his father's bat. And of course, everyone knew that Aether doesn't play baseball anymore, no one would give her that. The prints were on Amber's body? At what point? Amber was too late to the party because she was working overtime to buy her new sneakers and her academy tuition.
The bucket of cold water hit her suddenly, she couldn't believe it. As soon as he managed to get the alcohol out of his blood to be able to give a negative result in the audience's drug test, he managed to have more precise memories. She wanted to vomit, but she didn't want to abandon his brother in that audience, even less she wanted to abandon Jean who helped her to have this mental clarity. She had to think more and more until she could remember everything. She didn't realize that while she was wandering in her mind much of the audience had moved on. She knew that they should call her as she was one of the witnesses, but there was also a strong discreditation due to her family ties and her shattered image after the event. But still he made a mental note that he should testify in favor of Aether.
"I request that Miss Bonafeste take the stand," Kaeya mentioned.
That sentence was enough to cut off her rambling state, so she clenched her fist and walked forward with her eyes more alert than ever. She did not know who or what was willing to bring her brother down, but from a very young age she swore that she would protect him even if the world turned against her and turned its back on her.
She sat in the designated seat and watched all the expectant looks at his brother's worrying statements.
"Dear Miss…," Kaeya launched with her smile.
"That wasn't my father's bat," Lumine declared without any context.
"Excuse me?" Kaeya was deeply confused at the sudden statement.
"Miss, I'm afraid to say that that wasn't the question I asked, how…" he was interrupted again.
"I said what I said. The bat you are holding in your hands is not my father's bat, and also the one in the video is a very different bat. I have a proof."
"Miss Bonafeste, I'm afraid that if you had this proof you should have commented on it in the first instance..."
"What's happening? Do you know that it is false and try to blame my brother at all costs?
"Your Honor, this is out of line," Kaeya commented, addressing the judge.
"Objection! Your honor, this is information relevant to the case," Jean commented.
"You are interrupting me and hindering the interrogation with an unsolicited statement"
The camera flashes appeared again, this time trying to capture the majesty of Lumine in the face of the controversial accusation that stunned those present and the defendant, who began to take a closer look at the bat used as evidence.
"Your Honor, I request permission for my client's witness to continue preparing her statement," Jean requested.
"Your honor, this unsolicited statement is not relevant to the case and should be removed from the record."
"Order in the room" demanded the virtual judge.
"They are trying to accuse my brother! This evidence is fraudulent!" Lumine argued, raising her voice.
"Miss, don't raise your voice or I'll have you expelled from the room"
"This unsolicited statement has to be withdrawn immediately, in her investigative testimony she never spoke about the bat," Kaeya demanded.
"With merit" the Judge demanded of Kaeya.
The sound of the judge's gavel filled the room, drawing challenging looks from the lawyers, the witnesses, and Aether.
"It is essential that legal procedures be respected and that the truth in the case be obtained, as one of the principles of the shogunate. Therefore, I am going to request that the witness channel all possible background information through the defendant's attorney. The statement is declared admissible, but I pray that both the witness and the lawyers and those present maintain and prioritize respect for each other."
Jean got up from her chair, she knew it was too soon to start the trials, but all her requests for extension of the investigation in the face of the complexity of the case and the search for new witnesses and guarantee the availability of the key witness who is clearly Lumine coming out of a state of shock were rejected in front of the court. While she was grateful that Lumine gave such valuable information, she was shocked to be so discreditable in this way. Even so, he was going to defend and use this new card at all costs, so he started and led the new interrogation of Lumine.
"Miss Bonafeste, you mentioned that the bat presented at the audition and the one that appears in the video have many differences compared to your father's bat. Could you explain to us the reason for this statement?"
"My father's bat has an engraving with his name. I can provide the photos you need if necessary, also in the video you can see a very bad imitation of my father's engraving, while the bat that has those blood stains does not have any engraving. Therefore it is fraudulent, they are showing a weapon that was not used by my brother" explained Lumine.
"Your Honor, is it possible for the witness to project her evidence on the screen?"
"Of course, please, look for the evidence to present it and once you find it, use the metal table in front of you and press the green button to project it" replied the judge.
Lumine rummaged in the bottom of the gallery of her cell phone, she knew that it had many photos of her father and them with the bat, so it didn't take her that long to find it. He followed the instructions and left his cell phone with the photo on the table. As soon as he pressed the green button, a family photo of his father, Aether and Lumine hugging was projected. Where his father's engraving was clearly seen with a line that started straight under his name and ended curved towards the first letter, being very similar to a signature.
"Your Honor, I request permission to initiate a comparison between the witness's photo, the evidence, and the bat on the video."
"Permission granted. Initiating comparison of evidences"
Three tabs were opened on the screen, one with the bat from the evidence, another from the photo of Lumine zoomed in and another with the bat from the video also zoomed in at 300% and Lumine's statement was fulfilled: The bat from the video it had the name, but no details, and the bat presented had neither the name nor the details, including several bloodstains that did not match the video.
"As you can see, neither the bloodstains nor the halos on the wood are coincidental. They are imitations of my father's bat, and in our house we only have 3 bats: my father's, my brother's and mine." Lumine explained.
"Are you aware of the seriousness of the accusation in court that you have provided? Jean consulted.
"Absolutely"
Lumine broke contact with Jean, to look at her brother, finding that he had a spark of hope in his eyes, although he was still mired in guilt, now he was already beginning to doubt after the false evidence.
"Maybe I shouldn't told her to not get involved in this matter anymore", Aether thought, breathing a sigh of relief.
The hearing was too long, it was declared as a complex case where even the evidence could not 100% commit Aether, however, one thing that was clear to him was that the video existed, people saw it out of the corner of their eye and did not try to stop it , and those who heard the attack left the scene immediately. According to the cameras in the house, there were unidentified people who came to the scene, but the recordings were also too diffuse. There is no full guest list, and of course, only the brothers and the victim appear on the recording. Only Lumine witnessed the scene, but no fight, Amber was late for the party, and 10 minutes later the incident happened.
He already knew that he wasn't going to let go so easily after being up to his feet, like the cat that died of curiosity. Although at the time he didn't care if he fell into Oblivion or not, now he felt more powerless. He couldn't think of a clear "I did it" after having so many gaps in his memory, but he couldn't think of a "I had nothing to do with it" either. Maybe Lumine, Jean and Aether were thinking different things when the session ended, but they all agreed on a common element: We are missing pieces.
Neither was able to speak to the other again after the session because Aether was going to a confinement area and Lumine had to go with Jean, but not before finding her a coffee in gratitude for defending her brother. From what Jean lost sight of the girl, she knew that she had not left, nor that she was going to do something dangerous, so she decided to send her a message. So he took out his cell phone to write to her on Line as he left the scene, while he was looking for Lumine's contact, she managed to feel a familiar presence.
"I don't know what you want me to say, but you were great"
That sentence made him look up as she walked down the hall, finding that blue eye that, in his eyes, was nothing more than the devil's advocate himself. With that triumphant and pretentious smile that caressed the words before releasing them.
"It is difficult for you to win this case, but believe me, if I could evaluate you, you would have a 4.3 out of 5 stars. It's a pity that you have had such a difficult client"
Jean gave him an annoyed look and just walked past.
"Hey, that's rude. I understand that we are rivals now but we used to work together "
"I don't know what you're trying to do, but you and I are no longer friends," Jean clarified curtly.
"You were nicer before" he said condescendingly.
She knew that Kaeya would drive anyone crazy, even if they were rivals, teammates, etc. He did not discriminate, it was enough that you are a person for him to make fun of you and pretend that you are very little to him. A very expected behavior for someone who would not hesitate to sell his grandmother to continue ascending.
"We were partners before you bury our partner," she clarified.
Kaeya raised his eyebrows in surprise, although she expected a response of the same caliber due to the drop in applications at the Favonius firm, she was surprised to see a slightly hurt look after hearing that. And when she thought she had gone too far, she heard the first thing that ran into her mind.
"Are you now playing host to criminals and their families as if they were stray dogs? Maybe your firm would increase their demand if they didn't insist on taking in the Underdogs. When you learn to let others die when they have to die things will improve for you.
The situation of the Favonius firm declined since the controversial departure of the founding partner Varka, leaving Jean with a large part of his responsibilities and obviously, accepting the cases as a lawyer due to the decrease in new faces in the firm, nobody would want to be involved in a buffet where the main partner is being persecuted for alleged unproven corruption. Perhaps the fact that he is out of the country is what keeps the partnership afloat.
"Don't make me regret making my offer, Jean" Kaeya mentioned seeing Jean's complicated expression.
"There is no charge that justifies me abandoning my partners" she mentioned before turning around and leaving the place.
Kaeya grabbed her arm on impulse, making Jean look at her strangely and try to break free.
"Can I ask you a favor?"
"No, you can't. Let me go or I'm going to scream"
"It's okay if you don't want to take advantage of the opportunities in front of you and you want to play at being a good person, but I'll tell you one thing and listen to me well"
Jean knew that Kaeya moves perfectly with the forces of the underworld, so she already expected what she was going to say. Not for nothing did he wait for Jean to pass through the blind spot of the establishment's security cameras.
"I always get what I want, and I'm not worried about having to get whoever messes things up out of the way. So if you're not going to use me, stay away from me. You understand?"
Jean wriggled free of his hold, still looking at him.
"You're nothing more than a thug in a tie" she mentioned with clear anger.
Kaeya's deal was dirty: leaving the firm and dissolving all records in exchange for a Magistrate position was something that did not fit in her head, since she faithfully awaited the return of Varka and who was going to do all the possible antecedents to get him out. of that misunderstanding that they tended to him on purpose. Just thinking that Kaeya pretended that she could abandon her people made her nauseated, sometimes she thought that everything would be easier if she accepted it. And once she had that position of magistrate, her little sister, who is a well-known idol, could live at ease and without worries. But he simply couldn't betray his duty for fleeting pleasure.
She took a long breath and closed her eyes as she walked and thought about the list of things she had to do. She just got over the fact that she had to text Lumine because of the length of her work to-do list, she felt so overwhelmed and dizzy at the time. But, surprisingly, a smell of freshly brewed coffee reached her, waking her up.
"Miss Jean" she heard a voice near her.
Her migraine made her slowly open her eyes until she could focus again on the vibrant blonde girl in front of her.
"I noticed that you were very tired in the session, so I brought you a latte macchiato and a muffin," she said, holding a transparent coffee glass from one of the nearest coffee shops she could find.
"It wasn't necessary." Jean gave a tired smile, extremely grateful for this chance to revive.
"Take it. I didn't know what flavor you liked so I bought a blueberry muffin, a chocolate one and a raspberry one, I also brought sugar and sucralose packets."
Being a public defender and having to take care of a law firm that focuses on ethics before winning is difficult, but it is true that there are things that give you a certain feeling of doing what you do. She took the packages and walked with Lumine until she reached her car.
Perhaps the gratitude and satisfaction is one of the things she likes most about this job. Without neglecting the search for the truth obviously.
(May 10, at night)
Jean had already dropped Lumine off at her house after that long day. As she was walking to the threshold of her apartment, she heard the footsteps of a stranger inside her house.
Her heart skipped a beat, she wasn't expecting anyone in her house and the only person who could be inside knowing the password was very far from this place. She took a step back, her heel clicking in the hallway, still holding her half-drinking coffee. He didn't remember where he left his cell phone and through Line he found out that the camera system was defective, so tomorrow morning the building's surveillance system would surely be restored.
"Should I scream?"
With that threat from Kaeya, she didn't think she would get to that point, what she thought perhaps was that she was going to complicate Varka's case, but putting a thug in her house to scare her? They say to be a lawyer you have to freeze your heart, but Jean's heart has never been so alive. As he tried to remember how to kick and run at the intruder, the door was flung open and a familiar scent soothed her.
"Guess who came back from his trip" said the person who was in front of her, leaning on the threshold of the door.
"Lisa?" Jean on alert asked.
"Yes, that one. Did you expect someone else? Why so pale darling?"
Jean entered the house while stroking her forehead.
"No, nothing, I just haven't eaten much today. I thought you were coming next week." Jean mentioned taking off her jacket.
Lisa hugged him and took refuge in his neck, sniffing and leaving a trail of kisses until they reached his ear.
"I saw you on the news and finished my work as fast as I could to give you a massage, you looked terrible. Everything went well?"
"Yes, and no…" she mentioned.
"It is difficult to explain?" Lisa tried to finish the sentence for her.
"Something like that, I met an objective, not all the ones I wanted and then I have to organize some signature themes"
"Do you want about 10 minutes of peace?" Lisa tried to comfort her.
They began to play with their lips in a flirtatious way between laughs and caresses for not seeing each other for about a month. Lisa had such a kitty-like silhouette and attitude, and that was the very thing that excited Jean.
"Don't bite me this time, okay?" she asked.
In the middle of the game, the clothes fell to the floor with the muffins until they were both in their underwear, both wearing a bra with their skins colliding and marking with their lips, teeth, nails, pressing gently and at the same time dominance.
The sensations were so filling that neither of them realized that Jean's phone was ringing because of some messages from Line with the sender "MK".
M.K.
"Miss J, I have bad news."
"I say more than bad they are terrible"
"Very bad"
"I'm so sorry"
"Please contact me"
"It's already decided"
"The bird will fall sooner than we thought"
"Please answer."
"You already know what I mean"
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