[August 17, 10:45AM - Detention Center]
"And no one has any idea where this girl came from?" Phoenix seemed skeptical at best about the dossier he'd been handed. He was not at all sure how to take the desperate pleas of a client who barely spoke English, not to mention totally lacking any sort of identification... or attire.
"Well, I don't buy it! I'm telling the truth, Nick! Naked women don't just appear out of thin air! She's just a deviant, and I can't believe you want to defend her!"
"Innocent until proven guilty, Maya. You know the law."
The shorter of the two bit at the inside of her lip and looked aside with a pout that the blue-suited lawyer knew all too well. Maya would gripe and mutter her complaints, but in the end, she'd make the right choice. At least, Phoenix hoped so. He supposed there was the very likely possibility the shrine maiden was simply jealous.
It wasn't every day the state presented him with a client accused of exhibitionism, and he had to be honest, the girl wasn't particularly rough on the eyes either.
No one at the detective's office had been fluent in Japanese. It had taken one of the more intuitive deputies to think to consult an online translation guide; enough to make out the flustered girl's frantic words as a vague attempt at conveying her innocence.
So, that meant they couldn't press charges without giving her fair representation. No one was willing to take on such an open-and-shut case, so it went to pro bono circles.
Which meant the case was left sitting right in Phoenix's lap.
Still, before he accepted, he'd meet with her first. He always trusted in his clients... but he had to see them in person first.
[August 17, 10:50AM - Detention Center, Room 3]
"W, what?"
"That's correct, Mr. Wright. The accused is, well, still naked. You'll have to speak to her through the glass. We've specifically modified the viewing area so that no one can, well, ogle the girl."
"You must be joking! That has to be against all kinds of rights violations!"
"We had to take her with minimal fuss before the media took notice. You can surely imagine the furor that would be stirred if word got out that naked women were parading around in the streets."
"It was just one person..."
"And the state means to keep it that way. Be that as it may... she was hurried into isolated custody, and we don't have much in the way of women's clothing here. The blanket will keep her warm until the detective returns."
"...and no one's spoken with her apart from her claims during her arrest?"
"That's correct."
"Fine... let me in."
Phoenix rubbed at his temple while he took a seat apart from the darkened glass, setting the dossier down in the empty chair beside him. He'd taken on some weird cases in his day... but none like this. Exhibitionism was a minor crime, and usually not the sort of case he took. However, due to all the additional charges the woman was being accused of, she stood to face serious jail time if convicted.
"No passport, lack of identification, lewd conduct, illegal immigration, exposure to a minor..." This was ridiculous. Did someone at the office have a grudge against the poor girl? For all anyone knew, she was a minor too! Sadly, no one could be sure of that, since she lacked identification... least of all Phoenix.
Then the light came on, and Phoenix looked up to see the distraught face of a blue-haired, near-topless girl staring at him. Were it not for the blanket loosely wrapped around her shoulders, one would rightly assume she had little to nothing on beside it.
"H, hello." Phoenix tried to best to maintain his composure, but even as he caught his breath, he couldn't help but realize he was feeling a little on the flustered side. He quickly distracted himself with a page from the dossier, then nonchalantly cleared his throat. "You must be... Mercury, I believe they said?"
The girl, clearly blushing in the dim light, gave a swift series of nods. Then as if things couldn't get any more confusing, Phoenix felt his skin go cold. His field of perception seemed to darken, then right before his mind's eye, he saw a series of interwoven metal chains criss-crossing over the front of the girl... fastened by three solid crimson locks.
She was lying.
"Perfect..." Phoenix sat up, adjusted his tie, and proceeded to try and inform the girl in as simple terms as possible that he would be defending her.
As to how, he had absolutely no idea.
