PREVIOUS: 026: Breaking and Entering
Thump thump!
The second day of Togan's trial has commenced, and Duncan looks as serious as ever. Practically all of Mossgrove has gathered in the square once more to witness the young man's fate.
DUNCAN: "Residents a Mossgrove, we have gathered here today tae resume the trial a Togan o' Stormfall. Ye were all present here yesterday-- I need nae repeat the charges, except tae add that we also wish tae seek justice fer one Baerli the Sober, who was found dead last night on the edge a town after the... hauntin'. It seems his death may be related tae the case..."
DUNCAN: "Shall we begin?"
BRAJAN: "The defense is ready, yer honor!"
Brajan blurts out, a little out of turn.
Togan looks as meek as ever in the defendant's chair. His parents sit beside him, now that the blackmail threat is less of a concern. Lucya stands behind Brajan, looking a bit restless but otherwise well. Whether the same can be said for her travelling companion, however...
Jagal does seem a little worse for wear since yesterday, but when does he not look at least a little dragged through the mud? At least his hair and clothes are in good order. He seems to be in a decent mood, too.
KEELA: "...."
Keela simply nods.
DUNCAN: "Alright then... do ye have an opening statement, madam?"
He looks over at Keela with a bit of concern.
KEELA: "......"
KEELA: (eye closed) "The other victim... Regrettable."
KEELA: "The accused still killed m... Pearce. This changes nothing."
DUNCAN: "And thee, sir?"
Brajan puffs up a bit at being called "sir."
BRAJAN: "W-with all due respect, madam, it seems increasingly clear that the two murders are connected, aye, and that Togan has naught tae do with either a them! We must find the true culprit or culprits posthaste."
DUNCAN: "And is the jury prepared fer today's session?"
KEELA: "........."
GRANNY: "Aye..." (downcast, sighing) "Just tae have a second death on our hands altogether... 'Tis a sad day fer our wee village."
DELKAPH: "It's completely incredible! And not in a good way! I'm unsure I even wannae know what happened."
DELKAPH: "Er, but I'll do my sacred duty as a jury member, aye! Of course!!"
ISHANA: "Um, aye, sir."
HALLR: "Oh, what is this town coming to?! Next thing ye know, there'll be raiders on our doorstep..."
OTYLIA: "I saw that ghost in my dreams last night... We must put it tae rest, aye?~"
COLUMB: "Ahh, I got my own little theory, see... but hey, I'm in da jury, let's hear everybody out, yeah?"
DUNCAN: "Hmm... Then let us begin. The first witness may approach the stand."
Adda lumbers over to the stand, just as many things in her arms as there always seem to be these days. It doesn't keep her from sipping at her mug.
ADDA: "I'm nae sayin' his name again after yesterday, thank ye kindly. Dinnae care if the ritual's done. We all know who I mean anyway, aye?"
Adda checks her notes one more time, then begins.
ADDA: "Body was found down the river, caught on a collapsed bridge. No tellin' just how far upstream he couldae come from."
ADDA: "No tellin' 'xactly what it was that got 'im, either. Had a nasty hole in his neck, but nary a thing in it."
ADDA: "Nae much else a' note on 'im. Typical traveller things. ...And a, uh, suspicious package a' sorts."
🎲 Jagal rolls Face Danger for this leg of the trial and gets a miss! Thankfully, he has enough momentum to burn to salvage it as a weak hit. That means we successfully put together an argument, but it has an unintended effect.
BRAJAN: "What can ye tell me of the shape a the hole in his neck?"
Brajan looks sideways at Lucya and Jagal, a little on edge. What was going to happen if they brought this up...?
ADDA: "Shape? Wee bit hard tae tell given the state a' the body, but..."
ADDA: "Seemed like it was somethin' less, eh... straight, than a knife? More a hole than a slit, that sortae thing."
Adda gestures vaguely, tea threatening to slosh out of her mug (though it doesn't).
BRAJAN: "Humm... As I suspected. Would ye say it couldae come from a trowel?"
Brajan sighs.
BRAJAN: "The defense has, auh... obtained... some relevant evidence."
LUCYA: "Auh!"
Lucya digs through her lovingly embroidered evidence bag and retrieves the trowel and rolling pin.
Adda's brow furrows.
ADDA: "P'rhaps a more curved 'r angled sortae one, aye."
Jagal snort-coughs into his hand at Brajan's awkward streak. Imagine not just boldfacedly declaring your crimes in the middle of literal court.
Ah, but he neglected to swipe the evidence back from Lucya first for the bit. Oh, well. She could have it this once.
VEREN: "—!"
JAGAL: "Yes, that is blood, in case anyone was wondering. On both of 'em. Little suspicious, yeah?"
LUCYA: "Hummmm? Veren, 'tis a funny look yer givin' me...~"
VEREN: "Urk—"
Veren quickly busies himself looking over some documents.
BRAJAN: "I cannae condone their methods BUT the evidence must be accounted for ne'ertheless! Tae be found in such a place, a-and tae match the wound so closely..."
DUNCAN: "My boy, ye sound quite rattled... Where, pray tell, was this evidence found?"
BRAJAN: "Err..."
Jagal swooces in as smugly as the other non-Brajan member of the defense team.
JAGAL: "The scene of the crime, of course! The shop, I mean."
JAGAL: (gesturing with dagger) "Specifically, a little hidden space in the back, which somebody sure went rushing off to check on after finding out the lock was off."
Jagal grins viciously at Veren.
KEELA: "The back of our shop?"
JAGAL: "That's the one."
KEELA: "Who let you in."
Keela side-eyes Columb for a moment, but he just blinks back at her bemused.
JAGAL: "Me."
JAGAL: "Still didn't go out and get a better lock, didja?"
KEELA: "......"
KEELA: (to Duncan) "Breaking and entering."
DUNCAN: "My goodness! Is this true, defense?"
LUCYA: "Aye, sir-- but what choice did we have?! Had we nae done what we did, the truth may well have escaped us..."
Duncan strokes his mustache pensively.
DUNCAN: "'Tis nae the proper order a things, Lucya. Should the town see fit, a punishment may be laid upon thee and thy... companion."
DUNCAN: "But likewise has the prosecution offended the court, fer nae bringing this evidence tae attention, aye, even seeming tae hide it from sight. What have ye tae say fer yerselves?"
JAGAL: "And what, the murder is the proper order of things?"
At least Jagal's voice is easily covered by Duncan continuing.
KEELA: "We had no knowledge of it."
KEELA: "If they did find it there."
Keela clearly has her suspicions.
VEREN: "....."
JAGAL: "You accuse me of breaking and entering, then accuse me of not actually being there? Make up your mind."
KEELA: "....."
LUCYA: "Ms. Keela, I can believe that ye may nae have known, though the odds be slim. But Veren?"
Lucya glowers at them, steamrolling over Brajan's careful legalese once again.
LUCYA: "The trowel, 'twas nae the only thing we found..."
Keela tilts her head.
KEELA: "What are you accusing my son of."
Veren seems even more interested in his papers when Lucya glares that way.
VEREN: "Aye, the trowel isnae familiar..."
LUCYA: "Hmm? Then what about this?"
Lucya motions to Jagal to show the prosecution... well, she doesn't get to communicate anything specific before Brajan jumps in with a whisper.
BRAJAN: "The yrr, NAE the-- y'know-- nae yet! And keep it in the package--"
JAGAL: (whispering back) " 'Yet'? How about never. Way too expensive to waste."
Jagal rolls his eyes—so fussy—but retrieves the small packet of yrr to show off.
JAGAL: "There somewhere else in town I coulda got my hands on this? Feels like a general store exclusive."
Jagal swivels his wrist so the onlookers can get a nice three-dimensional look, for all that's possibly worth here.
JAGAL: "Yrr, for those too far away to smell it. Which is most, since it's wrapped up, but."
aceattorneycrowdmurmur.wav
FREIDA: "Aye, that's the stuff..." (sniffs) "I knew it!"
Freida's nose crinkles as she speaks up.
FREIDA: "Ye saw that, aye? The laddie was all tense afore we e'en knew what it was!"
KEELA: "Curiosity. Not guilt."
VEREN: (shrinking) "Aye..."
JAGAL: "Mm, no, pretty sure it was guilt."
LUCYA: "We can show ye the spot where we found it-- then ye shall believe us, aye!"
DUNCAN: "Lucya..."
The makeshift judge sighs.
DUNCAN: "Hummm. The evidence is hard tae deny... but due tae its illicit nature, I think it best tae confiscate it, and decide its fate at a later hour. Aye?"
LUCYA: "Aye, pa..."
Brajan nods furiously. Duncan waves Rhoddri over to the defense's table.
Rhoddri trots over and holds a hand out.
RHODDRI: "If ye please, sir."
JAGAL: "And if I don't?"
RHODDRI: (unperturbed) "Nyalso if ye don't."
Jagal grumbles but didn't really have a trick ready for this one. Not like this was the most valuable illicit drug on hand... And not like he couldn't snoop around for it later.
JAGAL: (handing it over sullenly) "Teach me to bother bringing cases to court."
Lucya peers over Jagal's shoulder and huffs at the paltry amount of loot he hands over.
LUCYA: "...Tsk tsk, that is nae e'en the half a it! Empty yer pockets, wee man."
She doesn't hesitate to hand over the evidence from her own bag-- if anything, she's a bit relieved over not having to hide the stuff anymore. Being sneeky is hard!
JAGAL: "What's that supposed to mean? I didn't have time to divvy it up—"
JAGAL: "—which apparently woulda been a good idea—"
JAGAL: "—and I am not emptying my pockets for you or anyone. You know how many supplies I have in here? Nobody's got time for that."
Jagal seems slightly less combative after watching Lucya hand over some less psychoactive evidence. Did he have more of that?
...No, he was pretty sure she'd carried everything of that sort herself. Darn.
Rhoddri carefully takes the evidence offered so far with a nod. Even if there's supposedly more, it's a good handful already.
RHODDRI: "Thank ye very meowch."
LUCYA: "Ye know what I mean, the-- bah!"
Lucya would much rather the deadly whiteout be removed from Jagal's possession, too, but would the trouble that would cause be worth it? Brajan interrupts regardless.
BRAJAN: "T'return tae the initial point, aye, this trowel was found in the shop wi' blood upon it, and whoever hid it must have known a the secret compartment... There are nae many folks who do, Yer Honor."
DUNCAN: "Humm..."
Jagal just tilts his head at Lucya innocently.
KEELA: "Including us."
VEREN: "Aye..." (finally settling down with the notes) "I dinnae suppose you have a list of who knew? And proof?"
JAGAL: "Gonna say it's the people who go through that door, into that room."
KEELA: "Which includes even you."
JAGAL: "Well. Got me there."
LUCYA: "Aye, but the poor wee man, he cannae read, can he? And we found in that wee hideaway a second, secret store register..."
Lucya gestures to the confiscated materials.
Jagal shoots Lucya an irritated look. Excuse you, they were worshipping his mad skills at breaking and entering right now, thanks?
JAGAL: "Same place as the yrr and other goodies, yeah."
JAGAL: (low)"And since I'm apparently the only person in the whole of the Ironlands who doesn't read, you sure can't argue I set this one up."
Brajan doesn't dignify Jagal's grumbling with a response this time.
BRAJAN: "A comparison of the handwriting in the two registers should make it clear that both Veren and Mr. Pearce knew a the place. And since Mr. Pearce is no longer with us..."
VEREN: "Veren, the burden a proof now falls on thee. Ye must tell us all that ye know."
KEELA: "......"
VEREN: "......."
DUNCAN: "...It pains me tae do this, laddie, but I must ask ye tae take the stand."
🎲 Lucya rolls Face Danger with Heart for this chunk of the trial. Weak hit.
Despite Keela's clear disbelief and displeasure, there's little she can do to fight it. A brief recess is called for preparation, but the defense has little to discuss before court is back in session.
Veren is still reluctant to take the stand, let alone testify, but he's duty-bound now and unwilling to shirk that. He stands up straight and grips the table before him for support.
VEREN: "The shop had a second face, still run by my pa. I was... learning tae manage it."
VEREN: "Some wares that may be frowned upon, aye, but nothing dangerous."
VEREN: "Still, we wanted t'protect the identities of those customers, for their own safety."
His gaze drifts to Miga briefly but pointedly before wandering again.
VEREN: "But I'm afraid this still dinnae change who was and wasn't in the store when the murder occurred."
Lucya scowls when she realizes just who he's eyeing. For their own safety? Bah! She's already on thin ice, though, and she best not put cracks in it. Don't draw too much attention to Miga, stick to the evidence.
LUCYA: "Veren, prithee, dinnae lie tae us now! A'course I dinnae believe ye had a hand in yer pa's death, and I dinnae believe ye would kill in cold blood, so-- help us find the truth!"
VEREN: "What of the bloody implements we found? Who put them there if not fer thee? And as fer dangerous wares..."
She turns her steely gaze to Jagal. She WILL get him to show the dang whiteout.
JAGAL: (low) "What? If something's so dangerous, you really want it out in the open more than absolutely necessary? You wanna risk that?"
LUCYA: (whispering to Jagal) "I dinnae know, just-- tell 'em what it is and the jury can come over and look fer proof? I guess??"
VEREN: "......"
VEREN: "...Aye. I put them away in a rush without much thought."
LUCYA: "Aye, that ye did! And where did they come from?"
Veren's gaze flits across the jury area briefly.
VEREN: "...I'm afraid I don't know. As you've said, I didnae put them in the shelf."
JAGAL: (whispering back) "Yeah, we can prove it easy, just bring over some alcohol and ask who in the jury wants to have an especially exciting day."
Jagal is clearly just whiny about revealing/giving up any more expensive drugs.
Lucya starts to talk back to Jagal, but Veren's comment hits her funny.
LUCYA: "They were in the shelf? But we found 'em... Auh!"
LUCYA: "So they were there when it fell on Mr. Pearce?! Then the blood is-- Jagal, didn't ye say somethin' about the body the other day?"
Jagal's response is briefly delayed until he successfully remembers that the shelf and the stash in the back weren't the same place. There are simply too many secret compartments involved, especially when he doesn't get to keep any and all of their valuable contents.
JAGAL: "Said plentya things about it, uh."
Jagal now has to catch back up to the actual argument again.
JAGAL: "The rolling pin'd explain that head injury, but I don't think anything else was unaccounted for."
JAGAL: (nodding at the trowel) "Not what the blood would look like if it just splashed into a puddle of the stuff, either."
LUCYA: "I see...!"
Lucya scratches her chin and chances a glance over to Pendry. Wasn't she missing her rolling pin? Surely she wasn't the murderer, though, and she had no more right to spill her secret than Miga's.
Brajan is back on the offensive.
BRAJAN: "So the rolling pin was in the shelf, but the trowel was not. Thus the blood on the trowel mustae come from Baerli, fer I am unaware of any other trowel-induced stabbings... and Veren, ye must explain thyself further."
BRAJAN: "Where did the trowel come from? Who does it belong to?"
Veren grips the table in thought for a hard moment.
VEREN: "I dinnae know who it belongs tae, exactly."
VEREN: "The person who stabbed me with it, I s'pose."
KEELA: "What."
Veren's hand goes to his stomach, a bit to one side.
VEREN: "It was earlier that morning, nae far from the river... They got me 'fore I ever caught sight of them. Exactly what they were hoping for, I would imagine."
VEREN: "I was a bit too, ah... preoccupied t' even notice the body, if there was one. Just hurried away tae fix myself up, then put the trowel in the first place I thought of."
VEREN: "I spied nothing of any use, so I didnae think it was worth worrying everyone... I apologize."
Veren gives a pretty genuine sheepish look to his mother.
LUCYA: "H-how many stabbings have there been?!"
BRAJAN: "So ye took the trowel from the killer? And didnae see anything?"
Brajan sighs mightily.
BRAJAN: "There must be some way tae identify who it came from..."
After a moment of awkward silence, Miga stands up with some effort.
MIGA: "Dunno if they'll listen t'me... But I can look at it. I've done repairs on every tool in this town. Where's it at again?"
Jagal snort-almost-laughs at Lucya. What, like three stabbings in a couple of days is a big deal? He's done worse in his sleep. Or nearest equivalent.
VEREN: "Didnae take so much as, ah, left in. For the bleeding, you know."
VEREN: "But I apologize..."
KEELA: ".........."
Veren slouches further.
Jagal briefly checks his hands to make sure he didn't take the trowel himself while he wasn't paying attention.
RHODDRI: (holding it up) "Aye, it's here. Sir?"
Rhoddri looks to the judge for permission to hand it over.
DUNCAN: "Aye, that's alright. The prosecution may watch fer tampering if they must."
Miga takes the trowel from Rhoddri with a nod and turns it over in her hands.
MIGA: "Hm. It's old. Older than I expected. This joint looks familiar..."
She stops and looks around, her eyes a little wider.
MIGA: "...Yeah, they're not gonna believe me."
LUCYA: "I will! Ye must tell us, please!"
MIGA: "You're not the one I'm worried about, girl."
KEELA: "........"
Keela is very definitely watching for tampering.
JAGAL: "Oh, we'll find a way to make them believe. Practically my specialty."
For things that weren't true in the first place, at least.
MIGA: "...Well, I'll just say it, then."
MIGA: "I remember solderin' this handle back on last year... fer Granny."
She holds the trowel out towards the jury.
COLUMB: "Well gee whiz!"
OTYLIA: "Granny? But she's... Granny!~"
HALLR: "She's been a pillar of our community for longer than any of us! How dare you?"
ISHANA: "Nay... Nay, that can't be right..."
DELKAPH: "Granny?! If you're ginnae make up a scapegoat, at least make it believable!—Or, er, dinnae make up scapegoats in the first place, I mean."
GRANNY: "Dearie me..." (gently) "There's nae need t' be up in arms, dears. I'm sure there's just been a wee mix-up, is all."
LUCYA: "Granny? Are ye sure?"
Lucya gawks a bit at Miga, but her face quickly turns into a frown. She chances another glance at Pendry, then turns back to Brajan and Jagal with a whisper.
LUCYA: "Should we... talk a the rollin' pin? Pendry should be safe in this crowd, aye?"
BRAJAN: "If we could get her tae testify herself, that would be best, but..."
Jagal gives her a bit of a shrug. What, like anyone's really safe anywhere?
JAGAL: (more to the crowd) "We can circle back to that. Make sure she's had enough time to give the thing a real good look, yeah?"
KEELA: (with a nod) "Let's move on."
Keela makes the slightest face at Veren. Somebody's wound will be getting a real good look soon as well.
JAGAL: (spinning a dagger in his hand) "So, far as the other murder weapon. Rolling pin didn't come from the store, either, right?"
VEREN: "I... s'pose not. I didnae recognize it."
🎲 Another Secure an Advantage roll to convince Pendry to confess. Weak hit.
LUCYA: "I believe I know its owner, fer I heard such a thing was missing, and in strange circumstances, aye..."
Lucya looks over to Pendry again. Come on, take the bait... No luck.
She hesitates, winces, then...
LUCYA: "Auh!! I'm sorry, Pendry, but this is important! Tell them what happened!"
Pendry freezes up noticeably.
PENDRY: "I—Uh—Ah..."
VEREN: (panicked) "N... Nay, nay, it wasn't hers! I'm sure I've seen hers before, and... And it wasnae..."
Pendry shrinks but shakes her head.
PENDRY: "Ye are.. mistaken, Mr. Veren."
Pendry feebly approaches the stand.
PENDRY: (to Duncan) "May I, sir...?"
NEXT: Pending