stealth_andsecrets | Where the Wicked go after Death

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Where the Wicked go after Death

Purple leans against a wall, inside the back-room of the Caritas. For the last hour or so, she has watched Winston (War) tend carefully to the ailing Lorne. Many of her siblings were around the bar, as one of Lorne's requests was for them to get acquainted with the business (so they could run it once he was gone from this world.).

It was almost too much to bear at times, to watch Lorne get sicker and sicker... and feel so helpless to help him. There were so many times when she was so close to tears... sick to her stomach with the thought of losing him.

Winston came to sit beside her. He smiled softly, looking at his younger sister. "Where is your boyfriend today?"

"You need to speak to him?"

"Yes. I do."

Purple pulled out her PINpoint, sending Niverian a message, asking him to come to the Caritas as soon as he was available.

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"My Lady?" Hades looks at Demeter. She smiles, "I trust your judgement too, Hades."

"Then we shall commence with our proceedings." With a wave of his hand, the Throne Room gets a court-like appearance (with many touches of the Underworld). Lindsay, as the defendant, sits at a table, where Niveian stands. Persephone sits with her mother, across from him.

"Call your first witness, Council Guardian." Hades gestures to a chair (made from skulls) next to him.

Cipher Nine looks over at Lindsay, then turns back to Hades. "That would be Lindsay MacDonald, my Lord."

Lindsay MacDonald stands, and goes to sit at the skull chair. Hades then turns back to Cipher Nine. "Go ahead with your questioning."

((based on the conversation with Lindsay, feel free to answer for him, to speed things up))

((Actually, I would prefer not to play out the trial at all, except to just... go over the key points. I'm not sure what about the prospect is causing it, but it's really nerve-wracking for me. >.> Which should serve to speed things up even more.))

Cipher Nine nods and begins questioning Lindsay about the 'escape attempt' and the events leading up to it. His argument hinges on the fact that Lindsay did not make a conscious choice to escape—rather, he was lured away and placed under an intoxicating influence, something that essentially amounts to entrapment. The argument to consider the 'crime' entrapment is based upon the fact that the Lethe flowers are extremely rare and don't grow outside the banks of the Lethe River, and it is therefore extremely suspicious that one suddenly appeared right near Lindsay, in the first circle of Tartarus—presumably far from its natural environment. If someone made it appear there, they would have to know about the flower and know how to make it grow and blossom. So far as anyone knows, the only person with that knowledge and ability is Persephone.

His heart is fluttering nervously the whole time, though he keeps the nerves off of his expression and outward demeanor—he isn't usually involved in anything like this. Spies don't handle trials, so he's a little out of his comfort zone. That doesn't stop him from arguing the case as best he can, laying out, through his questions, each step in the chain of logic. Hopefully... it'll be enough.

((eep. Sorry. Didn't know it was nerve-wracking for you. I had a hidden twist planned, but can abandon it))

Demeter keeps her questioning simple. She asks Lindsay if he left his post, which he admits. Then calmly explains to the court that it should not matter if he was lured away or left on his own choice ... the fact was that he had left without permission. She also stressed that what happened to Lindsay once he left his post could not be controlled or should have any bearing on the case. After all, the souls are under protection at their post. But there are dangers everywhere.

She also asks Lindsay if he has any proof that Persephone placed the flower there. Which he does not.

((If you can find a way to work it in while still glossing over, go for it. It's mostly the whole questioning part and the testimony that's stressing me out. Same thing happened to me when we did a mock-trial in street law this one time in high school. I froze up.))

Cipher Nine argues that a lack of intent to escape should at least mitigate a sentence. And when Demeter points out that they don't have any proof that Persephone was the one who placed the flower there, he decides to go for the next best thing, and to call Persephone herself and ask her if she placed it there, knowing that Hades will be able to tell if she's lying. If she says no and she's being truthful, though... he's already planning contingencies, additional lines of questioning: did she get someone to do it for her? If not, can she name anyone else who would be able to? He's also internally processing other possible people who could have done it, preparing himself for possible answers.

((I will gloss over the trial then quickly))

Persephone sits delicately on the skull-chair. She blinks, replying softly, "I placed all the flowers in the Underworld. I spread the seeds, and let them land as they desired. I did my best to call the Lethe flowers along the river that bares the same name... and if one did wander, then I will admit that it was because I released it in the first place. But my mother taught me not to control the flowers... to let them grow where they desire."

"I do not see why I would be blamed... of a person choose to leave their post to get one of the wild flowers."

When it comes to Demeter's turn for the cross-examine, she asks one simple question. "You are the only one who controls the flowers... you admitted that yourself. But who in the Underworld would be immune to the Lethe effects?"

"Myself. Lord Hades of course. The Goddess Lethe. Any of the Guardians. Any of the Lord's brothers or sisters."

Demeter then calmly pointed out to the Judge that any immune to the effects could have easily led the mind-controlled Lindsay further down the road of his own betrayal. She also wondered.... "It almost seems too easy that it was a flower, something my daughter would only be able to plant. Almost like someone wants her to be placed at suspicion."

Cipher Nine frowns for a moment, then gives himself a sort of mental dope-slap, entirely internal. "More than one frame job going on..." he mutters. "Then the question would be, who's setting up Persephone?"

"And if that is the situation... then we have a bigger problem to deal with." Demeter frowned. Then quickly added, "Not that the safety of your friend is not important..."

"But if Persephone is found guilty... she would be banished from the Underworld." Hades added softly.

"We're not finished yet, then," Cipher Nine answers immediately. "There mustn't be any doubt about who is truly responsible for all of this."

"Perhaps while you investigate... things should appear as they went the way that is planned. Lindsay stays where he is... Persephone is banished." Hades spoke cautiously.

"I don't mind the Fourth Circle... pushing bags of coins beats getting shot." Lindsay noted.

Persephone hugged herself. Hating the thought of being banished.

Cipher Nine frowns, tilting his head to one side. "Make them think they won in order to flush them out," he muses. He looks up at Persephone, grimaces a little, and adds, "I'll get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible."

Persephone frowns, not meeting his eyes. She knows that he doesn't like her... and doesn't believe him. Demeter takes a moment to take her daughter's hand... "It is spring... and you have your six months with me. I am sure that you will be able to return to the Underworld when winter comes."

He may not like her, but that doesn't mean he'll let her take the fall for something she didn't do. Despite her assertions to the contrary earlier, he isn't petty. "Six months. Understood," he says quietly.

Just like he won't change her mind about her -- Persephone is not about to change her mind about him.

It seems that the decision has been made, and Lindsay disappears back to his new post. And Demeter and Persephone leave to return to the Earth above.

"Anything else Guardian?" Hades knows that Niverian is anxious to make his leave. And that a new investigation is not going to start right away.

"No, my Lord," Niverian replies. "We should probably be on our way back home now."

"We appreciate your investigation... this would have come to complications if you had not discovered it." Hades said, before dismissing them. Winston arrives, to provide them with a ride from the Underworld.

And soon they are back in the real world, back at Lorne's bar.

Niverian gives Hades another bow of his head just before they leave. Once they're back at Caritas, he lets out a long breath and leans back against the nearest wall, closing his eyes and taking a moment to collect his thoughts. This has certainly been a trying experience, and a moment to catch his breath will do him some good.

Purple leaves him alone, allowing him to collect his thoughts without disturbing him. She will give a brief run-down to Winston, since he had brought them to the Underworld in the first place.

He takes several minutes alone before going to find Ana, coming up behind her and getting an arm around her waist, resting his chin on the top of her head. Solitude isn't always the best balm for him; these days, he takes more solace in being with Ana than in anything else. (Except perhaps building things.)

((I think that is a good place to end, with them in each others arms))

((Excellent place to end! :P For their next scene, I could definitely use some fluff with these too >.> Any thoughts?))

((not really. hard to plot fluff threads))

((Yeah, by their nature, they're not really plot-heavy, other than allowing for the growth of their relationship. I dunno, I kinda want to do something involving their future kids, but I also have this picture in my head of them having a date in for once, maybe of having Niv make dinner for her or something. Could still keep it on the topic of the future kids by having them discuss it in hypothetical terms only, along with the idea of getting married or something. >.>))

((quite honestly... Ana is not ready to hypothetically discuss children; as it would just upset her, since she believes she can't have children. If you wanted something FutureVerse related, we could do that.))

Where the Wicked go after Death

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