Dave Kuribo perched on the chair facing the well-dressed human male known as Keldon Vorlan. He was one of the 'briefs' to use the colloquial term, a legal representative. They sat in the small room, one of several in the hotel which had been pressed into service as an office for all in the Trial to discuss with their representatives.

He was not looking forward to what he was going to ask him and what he was going to say.

"You did well in your last interview. It was much food for thought and what we wanted to hear. But you need to keep this up if you want justice for youself and your fellow Goombas. Now, we really need to know about your interactions with Luigi AFTER he became the entity conveniently referred to as Mr L."

Dave took a deep breath. This was difficult because he had seen very little of that man after Nastasia and her minions had brought him to Count Bleck.
Subsequently, when not on patrol duties, he had been given a job in one of the Castle stockrooms. His duties were to check requests for items and to hand them over to those requesting them. He had only seen Mr L a handful of times since whenever he requested items after the first week or so he sent his Brobots to collect items from stores.

"Well, I didn't have much to do with him after Nastasia had dealt with him. I was working in Stores and didn't spend so much time on patrol."

"But you say you DID see him. Please tell us even if such visits were infrequent. How did he look? How did he act. Did he seem ...happy with his work, say?"

"Hmmm."

Dave racked his memory. Think! This is your chance to get your justice. That man has been responsible for the deaths and maiming of so many of your race!

One thing for certain, despite his antipathy, he still shuddered when he heard Luigi's anguished screams on his capture. And what exactly did go on in Count Bleck's office? He shook his head. Focus!

"Ah yes. I did see Mr L not long after he was taken to see Count Bleck."

"What sort of timescale are we taking about?"

"About 4-5 days. He looked...different to how he was when we got captured by Nastasia."

"In what way, different?"

"Um..ah well he seemed more...there. Like he knew what he wanted and what he was going to do. That the Castle was where he should be and that the Count was whom he served."

Vorlan couldn't help but comment.

"Dave, at this point YOU were serving Count Bleck too?"

Dave looked downcast. He sighed hard.

"In that place you do what we must. I'd lost Gary. I'd lost King Koopa. All there was as far as I know was that Castle. Or the freezing Void with its funny purple light. I did it because I wanted to live. I wanted to find Gary at least! You gotta understand, you'd do the same!"

Was that what was going through Mr L/Luigi's mind? Did he vow to serve Count Bleck like he did? He shuddered. These thoughts would serve to undermine him if he was to ensure Luigi was to be prosecuted and him to receive the rewards promised by the consortium who was funding his legal representatives. No...Focus. He almost didn't catch what Vorlan said next.

"Very well, we understand. All of the other survivors from Castle Bleck were interviewed about this. You are not on trial for that. But we need your witness statement to be as detailed as possible. So, returning to the topic what did Mr L ask for on his first trip to the stores?"

"Well, he asked for a flip chart, blueprint paper, pens, rulers and set squares on his first trip."

"Interesting. So he was fast to start planning those robots of his it seems. How did he seem to you mood wise then?"

"Um well. He didn't seemed scared. He acted like a man on a mission. I wasn't talking to him much, I was ticking things off a list. He did seem kinda...flat. Like nothing interested him other than those robots."

Vorlan looked uneasy like he wanted to change the subject. He wished he hadn't had to recall this as the strange silvery look in Mr L's eyes reminded him of the look in Gary's eyes when they were re-united. Gary was friendly enough but didn't seem to recognise him. It had hurt him more than he'd like to admit. Vorlan started again.

"What did Mr L order the second time round?"

"Um he didn't need to order that much stuff I had - he had a workshop with no shortage of tools. So it was stuff like duct tape, washers, more pens. Then after the first week he just sent his brobots in."

"Can you explain what a 'brobot' is?"

"Brobots! That was what Mr L said he was going to build. It was like a light going on in his eyes when he said 'brobot'. The ones I saw where these little robots with four legs and pincers. They could climb and carry things. Wasn't sure what they were for."

Brobot! Keldon Vorlan had heard that word before. The giant fighting machines that Mr L was alleged to have built and piloted. But the only surviving witnesses of these machines in action where King Koopa, Mario and Princess Peach. He wasn't so sure that O'Chunks, Mimi or even Nastasia had seen those machines. But now, although those robots were small it would make sense to start off with little robots first. Keldon smiled. He had enough for now.

"Ok Dave, that will be enough to be going on for now. We will reconvene tomorrow when my colleague will take over. But you have done well Dave, think of this as another stepping stone to justice for you and your confederates from Castle Bleck."

Dave nodded. He should be happy or at least relieved. He had told only the truth and it was exactly what his brief wanted to hear. But why did he feel so empty. And why did he feel a knot of what felt like guilt in his middle? Whatever. There was a job to be done and a trial to finish. And he was a star witness.