[Private] Lounging Around

A small bead of sweat makes its way down Kuriko's forehead, despite the cool air being blasted out by the air conditioning. Her shallow breathing can barely be heard by the two guards standing opposite, staring. She simply gazes at her feet, studying the chain-links that connect the two. She moves her feet slightly, which causes a clinking sound to fill the room. The younger of the two guards flinches a little, his hand beginning to reach for his belt. Reaching for what? She didn't know. A gun maybe, perhaps a taser. She didn't know which she would prefer right now.

"Are you scared of me or something?" She asks with a smirk, "The little girl in chains? What the hell am I going to do against you?" She shakes her head when her questions are met with silence, still grinning. She returns to staring at her feet, her smile disappearing once her face is hidden by her unkempt hair falling in front of her face; with her hands cuffed she couldn't even tie it up into her normal ponytail.

I shouldn't be here. They can't kill me. I didn't do anything.

As she opens her mouth to ask for a drink of water, the door opens with a click, and her attorney is met with a stare from her bright blue cybernetic eyes.

"This shouldn't take too long, mister, I'm totally innocent." She says with a smug grin, and leans back onto the sofa.

Shinto sits down with a cup of coffee. He looked at his client as if he would expect a little more. After a moment of awkward silence he starts to talk:

"That is a totally terrible way to start this of, and i am not being sarcastic here.
You sit there with a smug grin on your face telling me you are innocent and then lay back. Aren't you aware of your situation at all? And where is the introduction. Step by step. Shinto Sequence is My name, i will be your defensive attorney. And before you ask me if i am serious about your name: I know it, but i prefer if you introduce yourself to me before i use it."

He takes a deep breath and drunk a sip from his coffee before continuing his speech.

"Let's see what we have here. Murder. In an open-and-shut case, in which you ended up pleading innocence. This would not even go to court if it weren't for that.
Believe me or not: this is going to be a long day, and you better take your god damn time and tell me everything. You understood? Please start with your name and a detailed after-action report of what exactly happened and why you are in this situation. I can't dig into it much more if you don't open up."

Kuriko simply stares at Shinto for a few seconds, giving him a cold gaze. "I know exactly why I'm here." She begins in an icy tone, "I've been accused of a crime that I didn't commit and I'm more than likely going to be executed for it before the end of the year." She leans forward, face deadpan, "I am well aware of my situation."

Kuriko leans back onto the sofa, letting her face relax into a more natural form, then smirks a little. "Hatsuhara, Kuriko. Convicted murderer, first victim: Tiberius Hawke. Currently standing trial for the murder of Ayama Hara, and vehemently denying it." She pauses for a few moments, and appears to collect her thoughts, "Detective Hawke and my guard, Ayame Hara, were escorting me in a van to another prison further up North. We got about twenty minutes down the road and the van broke down. Hawke left to go investigate, leaving me and Hara together. The idiot left the door open, so when he didn't return for twenty minutes, I pushed Hara to the floor and made a break for it. I guess she followed me, but I didn't really check due to the whole bolting for freedom thing."

She stops talking, appearing to recollect her thoughts once again, looking up to the roof. "Then I heard a noise. Sounded like a struggle. Being silly ol' me I went to check it out. If I'd run away I wouldn't be here... but alas, I am." She gives a shrug of the shoulders and gives an expression as if to say 'what can you do?'

"I got there and found Hara dead and Hawke came outta nowhere and arrested me. The end." She finished her last sentence in a rush and looks off towards the opposite wall.

"Alright, so let me put this together."
Shinto started.
"So basically, you got arrested, and you where in prison. Mr Hawke and Ms Hara where escorting you. The Van broke down, and hawke went outside to investigate.
investigate what? Do you know that?
He did not came back,so you threw Hara to the ground. You left the van, and ran away, you did not really care what was behind you at first. Correct?
You heard a struggle, you went back, you saw a dead Hara and Hawke came one second later just to arrest you for murder, correct?"

He takes a breath.

"Your handcuffs where found broken, did you free yourself of them? How did you do so, or where they already broken?
The murder was committed with a shiv. The fingerprints where wiped. Tell me about the weather, about your surroundings, where there any ways for you to wipe off the fingerprints? If not, chances are we have something there.
The scene happened between 19 and 22, are there any discrepancy you know of?"

He drunk his coffee.

"Please tell me things you know for sure and make a remark whenever or not you are grasping at straws, but don't miss out those information."

*He makes small notes and prepares to take larger ones once she starts to speak.*

"Oh, the handcuffs, right..." She begins, then pauses for a few seconds, "Bashed 'em around a lot and broke them. That's how I got these" She says, holding up her wrists to show large bandages beneath her cuffs. "As for the weather... nothing out of the usual. A calm night, no rain. And I don't know about a shiv; all I had to wipe them was my jumpsuit. No cleaning chemicals or anything."

She thinks back again, "I found Hara in an abandoned building at the edge of the forest. Probably should have mentioned that." She says in an apologetic tone. "And I have no idea what time it was. No watch."

"So you have not seen a shiv and never touched one? Alright then, lets proceed.."

*Shinto starts taking a lot of notes and creates a small flow chart."

"Is there anything more, i think you dont tell me everything there is.
By you not disagreeing with my statement, i believe, my reconstruction of the case was right?
Oh, by the way, do you by any chance want something to drink ?"

Kuriko shakes her head at the notion of a drink. Too awkward with the cuffs.

"I know what a shiv is, but I didn't have one that night." She explains, then adds, "I'm fairly certain that's everything."

She leans back in the sofa, trying to look as casual as possible, "So, Shinto, how's it lookin'?"

Shinto couldn`'t form a smile, his visage turned rather grim.

"Taking the testimony i can only say that it looks rather grim. Don't you remember anything else? a shadow, perhaps? What was in the factory, was there anything at all?
Look, i am an Attorney and i don't want you to die, that's how it is. But right now it's really just dire. i think i have some straws, but i have to wait till the trial.
I will try everything i can.
Let me assure you one thing however, i believe in you. I believe in the words you say, and i will fight till the very last to get the best out of this.


But i have one question: What do you expect what will happen? Honesty, please.

And, if you for whatever reason didn't tell me the littlest detail ever. Do so now. This can make a big difference."

Kuriko shrugs. "I'm not hopeful. The odds are against me, I'm already a convicted murderer and it's my word against a detective's." She shifts her focus back to her feet and her voice gets pretty quiet.

"The cute girl charm ain't gonna work this time, huh?" She says with a bitter laugh. Moments later her breath gets pretty shaky, and she makes infrequent sniffing sounds. Her cybernetic eyes don't allow tears to form, but if they could, they almost certainly would.

"Just feel a little cheated." She says, looking back up at Shinto, "I mean... it was so easy. I wasn't even handcuffed to the van and he left the door wide open." She looks back down at her feet, falling silent.

"Wait, what did you just say?"

His fingers were starting to tip against his forehead,before he took wild notes.

"Could it be that the Detective wanted you to escape? Or was it the girl that didn't cuff you to the van? Or where is the feeling of cheatery coming from?"
With an serious expression shinto watched the girl infront of him, hoping that she would drop crucial information's she didn't yet say.

"I dunno... why would they want that?" Kuriko says in a confused tone. "I meant cheated as in I was cheated out of victory. I had my escape right in front of me but I was caught out at the last second."

"I Don't know why they would want that, that is why i am asking you if you would know why.
Think back, anything in the whole situation that didn't feel right, any remarks about you not being cuffed to the van, any conversation or anything at all?"

Shinto rose a eyebrow.

"I mean, they didn't just put you in there. I am sure there was something not completely right, because otherwise you couldn't have overpowered Ayama Hara, she would have watched you if she were aware of the fact that you are not correctly cuffed. That is, unless the story you told me isn't completely right. We need to get on the ground of this. Can you reconstruct this whole scenario please and tell me everything in great detail? Or why was it you overpowered her if she was aware of your status?"

"Hawke was pretty much in charge." Kuriko admitted, shrugging her shoulders, "I reckon Hara was new to the job, he bossed her around a lot, telling her what to do. She didn't complain. All she really did was sit there, staring at Hawke through the corners of her eyes. I think she liked him." Kuriko giggled.

Who wouldn't?

"So you overpowered her because she was the new one on the job and didn't have much experience. But back to the handcuffs now. Try to answer my questions, don't dodge them.  She didn't knew it, correct? Hawke didn't give any remark about it to her, correct? Hawke didn't give any remark to you about it, correct? Hawke was leaving for a long while and made it easy for you to escape, theoretically, correct?
Now i have one more question which i never asked before but: What exactly did he "investigate" anyway? After the Van died?
and what did the van die off?"

he takes a deep breath.


"Look, i know i am asking a lot, but please play with me on this one."

Kuriko sighs, getting tired of the barrage of questions all at once.

"Yeah, correct, whatever. Nobody mentioned the handcuffs. He left for a while and I bolted. I think he went to check out what was wrong with the van, I didn't exactly stop to ask while I was making a break for it, did I?"

"Apperantly, i am stressing you out a little. I am sorry for that. But i just have to ask all those questions, and even my deepest apologizes wont take that.
So,little detail. What do you mean with "whatever"? i mean, what does that mean, no or yes? And, did you hear hawke outside? I know you where making a run for it, but for that you should have been aware right.

Also, the dead body was located in an old house, how far away was it from the Van.


I hope i am not making this look stupid, but you know every word that you tell me now, may or may not saves you in the process. "

"By whatever I mean yes - Hawke nor Ayame mentioned anything about the cuffs." Kuriko rubs her eyes in tiredness, struggling to remember all of the details, "I have 0 clue about where Hawke was, sorry. I was too focused on getting my ass outta there to notice him. I guess I would have noticed him if he'd shouted loud enough, but he didn't. No gunshots either. I don't know how far the building was, could'a been 100 meters or a mile. I just ran and ran. Don't know if I turned back on myself or what. It can't have been far though, the whole thing only lasted half an hour."

"allright, then relax. I am pretty sure this is all i can get out of you for now. Perhaps there is a different question a different time. What i have for now doesn't look to pointless. We have Murder material you never used, a timespan, which seem to fall a little short and your broken handcuffs which were never actually used correctly. Also, hawke was not at the van, otherwise he would have noticed you or his comrade to be in danger. There are ruins nearby where the dead girl was laying and a detective who immediately captured you after you turned around to check for...where it screams? A ruckus regardless.  I believe you are innocent, i just don't yet know how to prove it. I believe that is because i have only heard one side of the story. 've noted certain discrepancys with what i know for now and what you just told me. I cannot and will not promise you anything, but i can sure as hell make this a tuff trial for the prosecutor.

I didn't mention everything ive noted down just now. BUt this is basically the case in a nutshell. I will go over it again and again.

Or is there anything i can still do for you? our time is not yet over.
Oh, but one more thing. YOu said you dont know about a shiv and all you had to them wipe with was your jumpsuit, you where refering to the handcuffs right?"

"Eh? You asked if I had anything to clean the shiv with and I said my jumpsuit, but no chemicals to get rid of prints." She says, looking confused.

"Ah, no worries, i misinterpreted something, but it was only very minor anyhow. Tell me, did you think that Hawke is the guy that would prefer to work alone, or did he genuinely enjoy his partnership?
And, well again, if i can do anything for you still, tell me. I think, if you really did tell me everything we are over now."

"Hawke and Ayame didn't really stop chatting; they were old friends or something." Kuriko says, "But I think that's everything..."

The guard steps forward and clears his throat, "The trial will be commencing shortly, it's time for you to go on through."

Kuriko looks crestfallen as she stands up, "I guess this is it." She says as the guards flank her.

"Don't forget, no matter how much people point at you, there are people who believe you. Till we meet again in court."