Cinnabar Courthouse - Early Morning - Cool
Nevena Solomon
Nev sighed softly for what seemed like the umpteenth time today. Her palms were clammy and sweating, and she felt a nervousness she hadn't felt in years. They had all arrived almost an hour early to the courthouse, but that didn't stop the way her heart was beating so fast inside of her chest. She could almost hear it thrumming in her ears. She wiped her hands down her black pencil skirt, frowning slightly when it did nothing to relieve the nervousness she felt.
This was the first time in a while that she'd dressed so formally, too. Her hair had been pulled back tightly into a bun, her white dress shirt had been ironed the day before, and she was even wearing lightly applied makeup. It felt strange on her face, but this was all so that they could go with Aidan to his trial. She certainly didn't want to seem like she wasn't taking his charges seriously, because she was.
Drake shuffled in his spot, huffing slightly as he attempted to shove his hands in his pocket. He thought against it, though, and dropped his hands to his side. He was wearing a crisp black suit as well with a white shirt underneath. His tie, however, was a sapphire blue color that almost matched his hair. He seemed about as nervous as he'd been the last time they had arrived at the courthouse, and Nev couldn't blame him. She certainly couldn't put herself in his shoes. She just hoped that he would be okay.
“You should probably drink some water, Drake. You look more nervous than before," she stated as he glanced in her direction.
“I'll be fine, thanks for worrying about me, Nev," Drake replied as he offered a small smile. Nev wasn't so sure about that, but she returned his smile. “I still don't understand how you're so calm and collected, old man," he stated, turning towards Aidan.
Aidan, dressed sharply as he'd been the whole time, lifted a red eyebrow at the comment, then shrugged. "We've done everything we can do," he said evenly. "Worrying isn't going to change anything."
There was still a while before court started for the day, so he was allowed to be standing near them, and had leaned on one of the benches near where they sat. Everyone was here, today, as it was supposed to be the day the jury delivered their verdict. Ana, Eryk, Kasimir, and Cyrilla were due by a little later; even some of the grunts had shown up on their days off. Several of Aidan's friends had been called to give testimony of various sorts—the highlight of that had been Ana telling the prosecuting attorney that he was 'not being very nice' and that she was going to finish answering his question whether he liked her answer or not.
Half the courtroom had had to hide smiles at that, including the judge, a sharp-looking man in his fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and perfect posture. Judge Henderson, apparently. He'd told the prosecutor that if he wanted shorter answers, he'd best ask more precise questions, and let Ana finish hers accordingly.
In addition to Ana and Drake who'd been there, Nev herself had been called as a character witness, as had Cyrilla, who was able to explain in general terms how she'd come to share Aidan's last name.
The other side's testimony had been... more of a mixed bag. Captain Hayes was a charismatic fellow, well-liked in the community, and had the jury's ear almost immediately. As he hadn't been there for events, however, he kept his opinions professional, and wasn't able to say anything too damning, except of course to point out that it would have to be ridiculously irrational of Kevin to pick a fight three on one, especially when one of the three was, well, Aidan.
And to be fair, if Kevin had been a rational person, the story would have been unbelievable. But then he'd taken the stand himself, and well... that had been something else.
Nev hadn't really understood what Kevin was trying to do, but it's not like what he said would actually stick. At least she hoped it didn't. “I'm not worried; I'm just nervous is all," Drake replied as he furrowed his nose in Aidan's direction, causing Nev to smile a little.
“They are pretty much the same thing, Drake. Like Aidan said, we've done all we can. Hopefully the jury will be rational and see the flaws in Kevin's statements and testimonies," she stated, placing a hand on Drake's shoulder and giving it a little squeeze. He huffed slightly, though, and nodded his head. “Besides, I don't think anyone could make sense of Kevin's gibberish," she added.
“It's his own special language," Drake retorted, snorting softly. “But he's also a little charming to some people," he added, making a slight gagging noise.
“Charming? I don't see how. He clearly has issues that he needs to seek professional help for. You're charming, Drake. Aidan is charming, and so is Kas and Eryk in his own strange way, but Kevin?" he wasn't charming in the slightest. And she'd only met the guy once, personally.
"I'd make a joke about his taste, but I don't want to insult myself," Mel added with half a smile.
Whatever any of them might have responded with was cut off when the door opened and Michelle entered, gesturing Aidan over to the defendant's table and giving the rest of them a significant look. No doubt the judge was almost here.
"Well, wish me luck," Aidan said on a sigh, standing straight. "If I'm guilty I'm headed right back to prison after this." He didn't seem too concerned about it, but then... he wasn't the sort to make a fuss even if he had been.
Nev furrowed her brows at his statement. “You won't be," she stated, confident that the ruling would turn out in his favor. How she knew, she couldn't say. It was a gut feeling, she supposed. Aidan was a fundamentally good person, and everyone who was in the jury had heard it from other people. Nev took a brief step forward before Aidan had to go inside, and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a quick hug.
He returned it, giving her a brief, but tight squeeze before loosening his grip.
“I won't wish you luck because this is bullshit, and it'll be fine," she stated softly before pulling back and grinning at Aidan. “Once this is over, we'll go get a celebratory lunch or something."
Aidan blinked at that—for a moment it seemed the words hadn't quite registered, as if his thoughts had been elsewhere, but then he huffed quietly, eyes coming back into focus.
“Oh, maybe we can go to Jo's!" Drake chimed in, snickering softly. Nev rolled her eyes at him before shaking her head.
“Well, let's go inside to get this over with, shall we?"
Aidan entered the well, meeting Michelle at the table and taking his seat. The rest of them had to find seats on the same side, but it wasn't too difficult. Within a few minutes, the others had arrived, too, sitting a bit further back. Kevin was in the audience on the other side of the room, as was Captain Hayes, though he sat well away from the other man.
Part of Nev wondered if the reason Hayes sat so far away was because he was afraid of getting contaminated by whatever disease Kevin had. The stupid sort. Chancing a glance in Kevin's direction, Nev furrowed her brows when she'd caught his eye. It looked like he was attempting to glare at her group, and his expression was a little too sour for Nev's liking. She wanted to be childish and stick her tongue out at him, however; they were in a very professional place. And so she was going to act like the mature adult she was, and smiled in his direction.
“Kevin certainly knows how to make a group feel special," she spoke softly so as to not disturb the ambiance of the courtroom. Drake blinked confusedly before glancing in Kevin's direction. There was almost a spark of hope in Kevin's eyes, however; Drake shuddered in what Nev could only guess as disgust.
“Nope, he knows how to make a group feel creeped out," Drake stated as he shook his head.
"It might be impossible, but try not to pay him any mind." Mel's tone was gentle; she gave Drake's hand a squeeze where she was holding it. She herself didn't bother looking in Kevin's direction, which was probably a good idea considering what she probably represented to him. It had come out in testimony that Kevin had previously asked Drake for the name of the hussy he was seeing, and while they hadn't actually been yet dating at that point, well... it wasn't hard to put the pieces together, seeing them as they were now.
She didn't seem afraid or apprehensive, though. Rather it was like she was simply trying to minimize the headache for Drake.
“All rise." The bailiff's command was obeyed immediately, everyone standing as Judge Henderson entered from the front of the room, taking his seat at the bench and waving at them all to be seated.
“All right, let's get to it. We've heard closing arguments. Are there any motions to take care of before I instruct the jury and send them to deliberate?"
The prosecutor shook his head, but Michelle stood. “Yes, Your Honor. At this time, the defense renews its motion for the dismissal of the case. We've heard all the evidence the prosecution has to offer and submit that it remains so far from meeting the burden of proof that it would be a waste of this court's time to entertain it any further."
The prosecutor stood as if to argue, but Judge Henderson stopped him with a look. “The motion is granted. Frankly, these accusations are an obvious farce. Were it within my power to do so, I would remand the prosecution's chief witness for a psychiatric evaluation. As it is, however, that is not the subject of this trial. I nevertheless wholeheartedly recommend to Mr. Becker that he consider therapy, and be glad that Mr. Bellamy has not elected to file charges against him. Though, Mr. Bellamy, I remind you that you have the right to change your mind on that front if you wish. I am certain Ms. Kane would be able to assist if that was your desire." He gave Michelle a short nod, something like respect in it.
“As for the rest, it is clear to me that Mr. Klein is of upstanding character, whatever black marks others might take his profession to make on it." His brows pulled down, and he glanced once at Captain Hayes. “It takes a remarkable presence of mind and restraint to act so quickly and decisively when a person we care about is in danger, and to do so without an excess of force. I am convinced that, beyond whether the self-defense argument is warranted, there is simply no evidence to support the charge of assault in the first place. You acted to de-escalate the situation, and when Mr. Becker would not cooperate and himself escalated, you took the minimum necessary steps to prevent further harm. If everyone could be so judicious, we would live in a better world."
He nodded again, this time to Aidan, and smacked his gavel once against its housing. “This case is dismissed."
Nev couldn't stop the smile on her face even if she wanted to. “Fucking knew it!" she stated, loud enough that Drake heard and arched a brow at her. She cleared her throat softly before feeling a faint flush on her face. She hadn't meant to say that out loud, but she couldn't help herself. She was beyond happy at the moment. She knew that the accusations wouldn't stick. How could they when the charge was assault when there was no assault to begin with? With the exception of Drake, of course. Nev was still a little surprised that Drake hadn't taken the opportunity to press charges on Kevin, but she supposed it would be more time spent in Kevin's company than he'd like to be.
“This is great news, though!" Drake stated. Once they were dismissed from the court room, Nev grinned broadly as they waited for Aidan to be done with last minute things with Michelle. The case had been dismissed, and Nev felt a little happier that her friends could return to a somewhat normal pace, now. At least in Drake's case. He had been so nervous and worried that Nev couldn't help but feel worried and nervous for Drake. She knew Aidan would be fine, felt it in her bones, as the saying would go.
“Are we still doing lunch? Can we go get lunch?" Drake asked, glancing at the others.
“We still have to wait for Aidan, but yes, let's go do a celebratory lunch," Nev stated, grinning broadly.
"Lunch sounds good," Aidan said, reappearing at last. "The others have to get back to the office, but I'm free for another day at least." He said it with a half-grin, about as much as he'd expressed for the whole trial. "I've invited Michelle though. Hope no one minds."
“Of course not. The more the better!" Nev stated happily enough. She was just glad that Aidan wouldn't have to go back to jail, or prison, or wherever they would have tried to send him. Drake, however, looked a little nervous, and Nev chuckled slightly. “It'll be fine, Drake. She's not your in-law," she stated as Drake gave her a flat look. She couldn't help it, though, and allowed a small grin to form on her lips. “At least not yet," she stated, watching as Drake's eyes widened slightly.
“Oh my arceus, Nev, you're horrible," he stated as he pursed his lips in her direction.
“No, I could have sworn my name was Nevena," she retorted.
“You're not funny."
Aidan rolled his eyes, Mel laughed outright, leaning into Drake a little and grinning at him. "She likes you, I promise."
She chose that moment to appear, pulling pins from her hair as she walked and handing the stack of files in her hand off to Aidan like he'd volunteered to carry them. He didn't seem to mind, and tucked them obligingly under one arm as she freed her hair from the confines of its professional bun.
“Always gives me the worst damn headache anymore," she said with a sigh, fluffing her hair a little until it sat right before favoring the group of them with a slight smile. “Congratulations, everyone; you made it. It's over now."
Nev smiled and nodded her head. “It is," she replied, glancing in Drake's direction. “Hopefully this will be the last you'll have to deal with him, as well," she continued, watching as Drake nodded his head.
“Yeah, well he's persistent if anything. Hopefully this sends a message loud and clear though. I've got a new life that I want to move forward with, you know?" he stated, linking his hand with Mel's and smiling at her warmly. Nev felt strangely out of place, though she wasn't entirely sure why. It was sweet the way Drake looked at Mel, and she couldn't help the warm feeling in her chest as she nodded her head.
“Well all things aside, I think you two are adorable, so... let's go get our celebratory lunch!"
This was the first time in a while that she'd dressed so formally, too. Her hair had been pulled back tightly into a bun, her white dress shirt had been ironed the day before, and she was even wearing lightly applied makeup. It felt strange on her face, but this was all so that they could go with Aidan to his trial. She certainly didn't want to seem like she wasn't taking his charges seriously, because she was.
Drake shuffled in his spot, huffing slightly as he attempted to shove his hands in his pocket. He thought against it, though, and dropped his hands to his side. He was wearing a crisp black suit as well with a white shirt underneath. His tie, however, was a sapphire blue color that almost matched his hair. He seemed about as nervous as he'd been the last time they had arrived at the courthouse, and Nev couldn't blame him. She certainly couldn't put herself in his shoes. She just hoped that he would be okay.
“You should probably drink some water, Drake. You look more nervous than before," she stated as he glanced in her direction.
“I'll be fine, thanks for worrying about me, Nev," Drake replied as he offered a small smile. Nev wasn't so sure about that, but she returned his smile. “I still don't understand how you're so calm and collected, old man," he stated, turning towards Aidan.
Aidan, dressed sharply as he'd been the whole time, lifted a red eyebrow at the comment, then shrugged. "We've done everything we can do," he said evenly. "Worrying isn't going to change anything."
There was still a while before court started for the day, so he was allowed to be standing near them, and had leaned on one of the benches near where they sat. Everyone was here, today, as it was supposed to be the day the jury delivered their verdict. Ana, Eryk, Kasimir, and Cyrilla were due by a little later; even some of the grunts had shown up on their days off. Several of Aidan's friends had been called to give testimony of various sorts—the highlight of that had been Ana telling the prosecuting attorney that he was 'not being very nice' and that she was going to finish answering his question whether he liked her answer or not.
Half the courtroom had had to hide smiles at that, including the judge, a sharp-looking man in his fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and perfect posture. Judge Henderson, apparently. He'd told the prosecutor that if he wanted shorter answers, he'd best ask more precise questions, and let Ana finish hers accordingly.
In addition to Ana and Drake who'd been there, Nev herself had been called as a character witness, as had Cyrilla, who was able to explain in general terms how she'd come to share Aidan's last name.
The other side's testimony had been... more of a mixed bag. Captain Hayes was a charismatic fellow, well-liked in the community, and had the jury's ear almost immediately. As he hadn't been there for events, however, he kept his opinions professional, and wasn't able to say anything too damning, except of course to point out that it would have to be ridiculously irrational of Kevin to pick a fight three on one, especially when one of the three was, well, Aidan.
And to be fair, if Kevin had been a rational person, the story would have been unbelievable. But then he'd taken the stand himself, and well... that had been something else.
Nev hadn't really understood what Kevin was trying to do, but it's not like what he said would actually stick. At least she hoped it didn't. “I'm not worried; I'm just nervous is all," Drake replied as he furrowed his nose in Aidan's direction, causing Nev to smile a little.
“They are pretty much the same thing, Drake. Like Aidan said, we've done all we can. Hopefully the jury will be rational and see the flaws in Kevin's statements and testimonies," she stated, placing a hand on Drake's shoulder and giving it a little squeeze. He huffed slightly, though, and nodded his head. “Besides, I don't think anyone could make sense of Kevin's gibberish," she added.
“It's his own special language," Drake retorted, snorting softly. “But he's also a little charming to some people," he added, making a slight gagging noise.
“Charming? I don't see how. He clearly has issues that he needs to seek professional help for. You're charming, Drake. Aidan is charming, and so is Kas and Eryk in his own strange way, but Kevin?" he wasn't charming in the slightest. And she'd only met the guy once, personally.
"I'd make a joke about his taste, but I don't want to insult myself," Mel added with half a smile.
Whatever any of them might have responded with was cut off when the door opened and Michelle entered, gesturing Aidan over to the defendant's table and giving the rest of them a significant look. No doubt the judge was almost here.
"Well, wish me luck," Aidan said on a sigh, standing straight. "If I'm guilty I'm headed right back to prison after this." He didn't seem too concerned about it, but then... he wasn't the sort to make a fuss even if he had been.
Nev furrowed her brows at his statement. “You won't be," she stated, confident that the ruling would turn out in his favor. How she knew, she couldn't say. It was a gut feeling, she supposed. Aidan was a fundamentally good person, and everyone who was in the jury had heard it from other people. Nev took a brief step forward before Aidan had to go inside, and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a quick hug.
He returned it, giving her a brief, but tight squeeze before loosening his grip.
“I won't wish you luck because this is bullshit, and it'll be fine," she stated softly before pulling back and grinning at Aidan. “Once this is over, we'll go get a celebratory lunch or something."
Aidan blinked at that—for a moment it seemed the words hadn't quite registered, as if his thoughts had been elsewhere, but then he huffed quietly, eyes coming back into focus.
“Oh, maybe we can go to Jo's!" Drake chimed in, snickering softly. Nev rolled her eyes at him before shaking her head.
“Well, let's go inside to get this over with, shall we?"
Aidan entered the well, meeting Michelle at the table and taking his seat. The rest of them had to find seats on the same side, but it wasn't too difficult. Within a few minutes, the others had arrived, too, sitting a bit further back. Kevin was in the audience on the other side of the room, as was Captain Hayes, though he sat well away from the other man.
Part of Nev wondered if the reason Hayes sat so far away was because he was afraid of getting contaminated by whatever disease Kevin had. The stupid sort. Chancing a glance in Kevin's direction, Nev furrowed her brows when she'd caught his eye. It looked like he was attempting to glare at her group, and his expression was a little too sour for Nev's liking. She wanted to be childish and stick her tongue out at him, however; they were in a very professional place. And so she was going to act like the mature adult she was, and smiled in his direction.
“Kevin certainly knows how to make a group feel special," she spoke softly so as to not disturb the ambiance of the courtroom. Drake blinked confusedly before glancing in Kevin's direction. There was almost a spark of hope in Kevin's eyes, however; Drake shuddered in what Nev could only guess as disgust.
“Nope, he knows how to make a group feel creeped out," Drake stated as he shook his head.
"It might be impossible, but try not to pay him any mind." Mel's tone was gentle; she gave Drake's hand a squeeze where she was holding it. She herself didn't bother looking in Kevin's direction, which was probably a good idea considering what she probably represented to him. It had come out in testimony that Kevin had previously asked Drake for the name of the hussy he was seeing, and while they hadn't actually been yet dating at that point, well... it wasn't hard to put the pieces together, seeing them as they were now.
She didn't seem afraid or apprehensive, though. Rather it was like she was simply trying to minimize the headache for Drake.
“All rise." The bailiff's command was obeyed immediately, everyone standing as Judge Henderson entered from the front of the room, taking his seat at the bench and waving at them all to be seated.
“All right, let's get to it. We've heard closing arguments. Are there any motions to take care of before I instruct the jury and send them to deliberate?"
The prosecutor shook his head, but Michelle stood. “Yes, Your Honor. At this time, the defense renews its motion for the dismissal of the case. We've heard all the evidence the prosecution has to offer and submit that it remains so far from meeting the burden of proof that it would be a waste of this court's time to entertain it any further."
The prosecutor stood as if to argue, but Judge Henderson stopped him with a look. “The motion is granted. Frankly, these accusations are an obvious farce. Were it within my power to do so, I would remand the prosecution's chief witness for a psychiatric evaluation. As it is, however, that is not the subject of this trial. I nevertheless wholeheartedly recommend to Mr. Becker that he consider therapy, and be glad that Mr. Bellamy has not elected to file charges against him. Though, Mr. Bellamy, I remind you that you have the right to change your mind on that front if you wish. I am certain Ms. Kane would be able to assist if that was your desire." He gave Michelle a short nod, something like respect in it.
“As for the rest, it is clear to me that Mr. Klein is of upstanding character, whatever black marks others might take his profession to make on it." His brows pulled down, and he glanced once at Captain Hayes. “It takes a remarkable presence of mind and restraint to act so quickly and decisively when a person we care about is in danger, and to do so without an excess of force. I am convinced that, beyond whether the self-defense argument is warranted, there is simply no evidence to support the charge of assault in the first place. You acted to de-escalate the situation, and when Mr. Becker would not cooperate and himself escalated, you took the minimum necessary steps to prevent further harm. If everyone could be so judicious, we would live in a better world."
He nodded again, this time to Aidan, and smacked his gavel once against its housing. “This case is dismissed."
Nev couldn't stop the smile on her face even if she wanted to. “Fucking knew it!" she stated, loud enough that Drake heard and arched a brow at her. She cleared her throat softly before feeling a faint flush on her face. She hadn't meant to say that out loud, but she couldn't help herself. She was beyond happy at the moment. She knew that the accusations wouldn't stick. How could they when the charge was assault when there was no assault to begin with? With the exception of Drake, of course. Nev was still a little surprised that Drake hadn't taken the opportunity to press charges on Kevin, but she supposed it would be more time spent in Kevin's company than he'd like to be.
“This is great news, though!" Drake stated. Once they were dismissed from the court room, Nev grinned broadly as they waited for Aidan to be done with last minute things with Michelle. The case had been dismissed, and Nev felt a little happier that her friends could return to a somewhat normal pace, now. At least in Drake's case. He had been so nervous and worried that Nev couldn't help but feel worried and nervous for Drake. She knew Aidan would be fine, felt it in her bones, as the saying would go.
“Are we still doing lunch? Can we go get lunch?" Drake asked, glancing at the others.
“We still have to wait for Aidan, but yes, let's go do a celebratory lunch," Nev stated, grinning broadly.
"Lunch sounds good," Aidan said, reappearing at last. "The others have to get back to the office, but I'm free for another day at least." He said it with a half-grin, about as much as he'd expressed for the whole trial. "I've invited Michelle though. Hope no one minds."
“Of course not. The more the better!" Nev stated happily enough. She was just glad that Aidan wouldn't have to go back to jail, or prison, or wherever they would have tried to send him. Drake, however, looked a little nervous, and Nev chuckled slightly. “It'll be fine, Drake. She's not your in-law," she stated as Drake gave her a flat look. She couldn't help it, though, and allowed a small grin to form on her lips. “At least not yet," she stated, watching as Drake's eyes widened slightly.
“Oh my arceus, Nev, you're horrible," he stated as he pursed his lips in her direction.
“No, I could have sworn my name was Nevena," she retorted.
“You're not funny."
Aidan rolled his eyes, Mel laughed outright, leaning into Drake a little and grinning at him. "She likes you, I promise."
She chose that moment to appear, pulling pins from her hair as she walked and handing the stack of files in her hand off to Aidan like he'd volunteered to carry them. He didn't seem to mind, and tucked them obligingly under one arm as she freed her hair from the confines of its professional bun.
“Always gives me the worst damn headache anymore," she said with a sigh, fluffing her hair a little until it sat right before favoring the group of them with a slight smile. “Congratulations, everyone; you made it. It's over now."
Nev smiled and nodded her head. “It is," she replied, glancing in Drake's direction. “Hopefully this will be the last you'll have to deal with him, as well," she continued, watching as Drake nodded his head.
“Yeah, well he's persistent if anything. Hopefully this sends a message loud and clear though. I've got a new life that I want to move forward with, you know?" he stated, linking his hand with Mel's and smiling at her warmly. Nev felt strangely out of place, though she wasn't entirely sure why. It was sweet the way Drake looked at Mel, and she couldn't help the warm feeling in her chest as she nodded her head.
“Well all things aside, I think you two are adorable, so... let's go get our celebratory lunch!"