Luigi paused in front of the mirror, adjusting his tie. No point in delaying the inevitable he thought as he left his room, ready to begin his final preparations for his interview. He paused to look at himself, dressed in the suit which had arrived on his doorstep a few days ago. The suit had a cut such that even though he was still underweight from his coma, it fitted well from the shoulders and the suspenders meant his trousers had the proper drape. In a way it was like a suit of armour. One thing was for certain, he was going to need all the armour there was.
"Once more into the breach." he muttered as he collected his notes and went to meet Fleur.
Fleur met Luigi outside his drawing room and they made their way down the the private dining room, which was serving as the office where the Deliberations would take place. They had an hour to prepare before the judges and selected experts arrived to cross-examine Luigi.
Fleur looked Luigi up and down appreciatively. Her Toad cap was a pale rose pink and she has blond hair in two small buns near the nape of her neck. She wore a trouser suit in pale pink.
"How are you today? You look well. I trust you find your quarters to your satisfaction?"
"Yes, they're fine, how are you?"
"I'm good thank you. Toadessa and Dr Toadia have been meticulous in their notes. We have much to discuss before the deliberation."
"Dr Toadia?"
"I thought you knew. The medical notes and the photographic evidence will be crucial to building your case."
"What?!"
Luigi went pale. He knew that over the course of his trial, his life and everyone in it would be held up to scrutiny, but only now the sheer visceral impact of such a fundamental invasion of privacy hit him like a punch to the groin. So much for the suit, he might as well be naked.
"Luigi?"
"Uh, sorry, uh just going through a few things in my mind."
"Good, let us proceed. I hope you are aware that it will be thorough and persistent. But, if you say you have nothing to hide and you answer questions concisely and clearly, then this interview will be over sooner rather than later. When then panel convenes, there will be breaks every hour for 10 minutes and a break at lunch for an hour. Now let us revise what we have so there are no surprises for us."
"Okay let's do this."
Luigi's notes were in the form of a bound journal. He had been encouraged to write his thoughts and memories as part of the therapy and on reconciling himself with respect to the brainwashing and hypnosis which had created Mr L, but has possibly saved his life. Now they were going to use that as evidence!
Fleur's were rather more ordered, consisting of ring binders and a loose-leaf folder. With it was a notebook full of cross-references. In a more serious tone that Luigi hadn't heard before, she spoke arranging her files.
"Right then, let's start at the beginning. By that I mean your return to the Mushroom Kingdom, as that is where official press records start."
"Uh, Okay."
"Be warned, they are from a very wide selection of sources. Some are rather... graphic. Some have in fact been redacted from the publications concerned. We will start with the photos, some taken by the press, others taken at the hospital."
Luigi suppressed a shudder and felt his mouth go dry.
"Right, let's start."
Fleur opened the box file and removed some cuttings, along with some photos. Judging by the glimpses of red on many of them, he could tell it was going to be bad.
"This one was taken by member of staff at the Diamond City General. It looks like they aiming for Bowser as he appeared first in the woods in the park next to the hospital. But you can also see Princess Peach, your brother and yourself."
The photo was blurry, and from a long distance but he could see the stunned look on Mario's face. And the blood, already drying, both on him, Mario and Peach. Her dress was torn, no doubt she had dressed the head wound, as only one's scalp could make that much mess. It was a mercy he could not see his own face, turned inwards to Mario's chest.
He gulped.
"Carry on."
"Please, if you want me to stop say so, but we only have until this hour is up."
"No, keep on. Best get this done."
The next photo was him in hospital and was a magazine cutting. This time he had had his wounds dressed and cleaned and was in bed, his bloodstained cap placed in one hand. He, like his brother was no stranger to being in magazines, but this was intrusive even by their standards. Some text remained, he could make out something like 'out of the void' and 'hero or villain'. He felt a surge of anger, but quashed it. Don't shoot the messenger, he thought.
And there were more. Some more magazine photos, some blurred paparazzi shots, including one of what looked like Bowser and Toadsworth of all people walking up his garden path. The date on that one tallied with what Mario had said about Bowser's visit to him when in a coma, but it seemed unbelievable even now.
Time seemed to slow down as he pored over the photos, but seemed to speed up when discussing them. Not that he could fined the words to say.
"Luigi, we have five minutes left, I know this is a lot to take in but are you alright?"
"I...I need some fresh air. There is a balcony here?"
"I'll open the window."
Luigi blinked. A mixture of shock and anger was growing like chilli heat. Fleur had implied that someone had evidence that he had somehow helped bring about the whole crisis, but the photographic evidence seemed mostly to he him lying unconscious or with Peach, Mario or Bowser. What was all this garbage about him being a hero or villain? Was it possible that Nastasia, or more possibly O'Chunks had been careless talking to people?
"I don't get this. I've been unconscious for a month, but there's all this guff about me helping to cause this. I mean no-one outside me, Mario, Peach and Bowser know about Mr L apart from the other Bleck's minions. Peach said that O'Chunks and Nastasia went straight to the dungeons when they came to the Mushroom Kingdom. And Mimi never left Flipside.
"Luigi, who is Mr L? This is the first I've heard of him! Anyway, there isn't time now and that doesn't answer your question now."
Luigi cringed and put his palm to his face. "DAMMIT!"
Fleur turned pale.
"Luigi! Calm down! What I was going to say is that the witness in question claims to be a former member of the Koopa Troop who was taken prisoner by Count Bleck and claimed to have served alongside you. Could it be possible that is what you mean?"
"YES!"
Fleur gulped.
"Well, better late than never, but I really hope you have a good memory. We might as well have some coffee and cake while we await our summons."
