From the way Seifer paced the SeeD cabin, Quistis guessed that he was nervous. He appeared agitated and every now and then, he glared at the cuffs around his ankles and hands. The sound of the chains clanking together was beginning to grate on Quistis' nerves, which were already raw from lack of sleep and the tension surrounding the whole event.
"Seifer, sit down!" she demanded. "You're driving me crazy."
Seifer fixed her with his patented death glare, but he took a seat beside her without a complaint. "Are we there yet?"
"No, Seifer. We're not there yet."
He groaned and closed his eyes. The tension was getting to him too. Well, she couldn't blame him. His life was at stake, after all, and Quistis knew she would be a wreck if she were in his shoes. "You think I've got a chance?"
"I don't know. All I can say is, we did our best."
But what if our best isn't good enough? Quistis wondered to herself.
Oh why couldn't the trial have been in Esthar? At least there, they might have a more sympathetic judge and jury. In Galbadia, both had likely been paid off to render a guilty verdict and the worst possible sentence, regardless of what they thought. The Galbadians were notoriously corrupt, and she feared this was merely a formality before they took Seifer to his death. But then, the entire WTO would be there too, and not all of them were from Galbadia. If any of them felt that the jury had been paid off, then the sentence might be overturned or they might be given another trial in more neutral territory.
It wasn't like Galbadia was innocent, either. They'd set the plan into motion long before Seifer came into the picture. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time and fell into it. Half of Galbadia's politicians and leaders had been behind the plan to use Edea to take over the world, some had even backed it with private funds, so Seifer wasn't totally guilty. In fact, the only one Quistis could think of who hadn't been for the plan had been General Carraway, who'd gone against orders when he'd asked SeeD to assassinate Edea. Quistis wondered if this might be useful and made a note to research it once they got to the hotel.
Beside her, Seifer fidgeted with the chains that hung from the cuffs on his wrists. "Can't wait till this is over. I can't stand these damn things."
"Seifer, what do you know about what was going on politically during that time? You commanded the G-Army for a period, right?"
"I don't know. I just did what I was told," he said. Then he chuckled. "If that's doesn't tell you how controlled I was, I don't know would."
"You're right about that," Quistis mumbled and closed her eyes.
She was tired, so very, very tired.
Upon their arrival in Deling City, Seifer was immediately taken into custody. Quistis was reluctant to let him go, for she knew the Galbadians had policies about prisoner welfare that were somewhat inhumane. Quistis knew the guards wouldn't take it easy on him, and she was a bit worried he'd get into a scuffle with them. She was also concerned about his nightmares. She wouldn't be there to calm him down, and it seemed no one but she was capable of doing it anyhow. The guards wouldn't understand. All they would see was that a prisoner was raging around his cell like a madman and take him down.
She was surprised when Squall put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "He can take care of himself."
"I know," Quistis replied as she watched Seifer be lead away. Seifer looked back at her over his shoulder and flashed a quick grin as he followed obediently behind the guards. She was amazed to see that something he said brought a laugh from two of the guards. He must have turned on that disarming charm of his.
It was funny. Seifer had the ability to put people at ease when he wanted to, but he rarely used it on those closest to him. He'd always been instead, an arrogant bastard that only Raijin and Fujin could stand to be around. Quistis doubted that he was ever charming with them, either and she wondered in passing, why that was.
Quistis knew that his charm was only part of the appeal. She had seen underneath the hostility and arrogance to the real Seifer, and the truth was, he was actually a pretty good guy. He'd just never bothered to let anyone know.
"Quisty, you'd better get some rest," Rinoa suggested. "You've got a big day tomorrow."
"Rinoa, I've got so much work to do, there's no time for rest," Quistis told her. "I'll rest when this is all over."
Everyone was sharing a room with someone else. Quistis was the only one with a room all to herself, the odd woman out. That might have delighted her a few years ago, but now it was a reminder of the emptiness in her life. As soon as the door closed, she felt like crying. She was glad that all her friends had come to show their support, but it also depressed her to know that she might leave here alone, while all her friends would still have someone to share their life with.
She might as well face it. Seifer could very well get the death penalty for this. It was a very real fact, and she didn't know if she was prepared for that. Her public face made everyone think she was, but inside she was tormented. It felt a bit like someone was about to flip a coin and decide her own fate.
Quistis pushed these thoughts aside and pulled the large stack of files from her brief case. Then, she took out a lap top computer that she'd borrowed from Zell and plugged it in to the data connection. There was still much to be done, and she had already written off sleep for the night, for she still hadn't prepared her opening statement.
There was so much that went into this, and Quistis didn't understand how lawyers did this sort of thing day in and day out. She for one would not enjoy such a career, and she wished that she'd at least had the benefit of a legal advisor. But, all that was done now. In the morning, the trial would begin. The proof would be in her research, and she could only cross her fingers and wish herself luck.
She did manage to stay awake most of the night, but some time before
dawn, she fell asleep with her head resting on her half written opening
statement.
Seifer had, thankfully, for the most part, escaped brutality from the guards. He'd been knocked around a little, but it was nothing major. A few bruises here and there. He'd had far worse injuries in his life, and it made him smile to think that Squall had given him most of those injuries.
Beatings aside, it was trying to sleep that he found brutal. Thanks to the wacko in the cell on his right who cried for his mommy all night, and the nut job in the cell on the left who shouted insults at warp speed, Seifer had not gotten a wink of sleep yet. He tried to ignore them and lay on the hard cot, concentrating on the trial that lay ahead. He hoped he'd be able to testify, for he knew his testimony would make or break the case.
He had a good reason to want to live. As much as he didn't want to care about Quistis, he was head over heels for her. He wanted to stay alive so that he could properly thank her for working her ass off. And maybe . . . what? Love? The very idea of love was more terrifying to him than the idea of dying, and it was with great trepidation that he even allowed himself to feel anything for her. His feelings for her had started before he had any real grip on who he was, and now, he wasn't so sure he wanted to go there. She knew him too well already, and that was scary. She knew exactly how to hurt him if she wanted to, and he'd never allowed anyone close enough to do that.
He wasn't afraid that she'd break his heart. If that happened, it wouldn't be that big a deal. It would be just like anything else that had happened to him. No, Seifer was afraid that he'd be the one to break her heart, and as much as he already cared for her, loved her even, he was scared of hurting her. But, if he knew himself and who he used to be, which he still didn't remember everything, he knew that was exactly what would happen. He would hurt, maybe even destroy her. She was a woman who was positively wasting away from a lack of attention, and she deserved better.
If he went free, he didn't know if he could go through with it. He cared. No. He loved her, but it might be for the best if he backed off.
Or not.
He didn't know. What he did know was that he was impulsive. Impulsiveness is what had gotten him into trouble most of his life. Starting a relationship with Quistis wasn't something he could do just because he felt like it, so if he did, he would have to be careful.
Caution had never been one of his stronger points.
Seifer groaned and rolled over on his cot. He didn't know what to do or what to think. Why did it have to be so damned confusing? The guy he used to be wouldn't have given a shit, but that guy died with Ultimecia, so why did he feel so conflicted?
"Hey Almasy! I hope you burn in hell!" The idiot in the next cell called and let out a peal of laughter.
Seifer ignored him and sighed. What a mess. Everything was so complicated.
"You're going to get the electric chair! Bzzzt-Bzzt!"
Seifer grimaced and hoped this wasn't the truth.
The courtroom was packed with people, and Seifer looked around anxiously at the faces that stared at him. Most of them glared at him with hate in their eyes, though a small group directly behind him all had a little bit of hope and encouragement in theirs. It was from them that he gleaned a bit of hope for himself, and he was glad they were there.
They went through the motions when the judge came in and made his speech, and Seifer paid little attention to what the man said. That part wasn't important. He wanted to hear what the prosecution was going to say.
A balding, older gentleman approached the jury and he glanced down at his notecards before speaking. Seifer seized Quists' had under the table and held his breath. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and he saw her stiffen a little as the man began to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are here today to prove that Seifer Almasy is a cold blooded killer of the worst kind. We all know the facts about what he did during the Second Sorceress War. We all know he served an evil from the future without regard for the safety or welfare for anyone but himself. We know that he was a troubled youth and was raised an environment that promotes violence and warfare.
"The defense is going to try to sway you with a sob story about a poor orphan boy who didn't know any better. They're going to try and convince you of his innocence. Ladies and gentlemen, you and I both know that this man is not innocent. He committed every act, every atrocity, and he is guilty."
As the man sat down, Quistis stood, smoothed her skirt and approached the jury. Seifer noticed that she left her own set of note cards on the table top.
"We know the facts," Quistis began and she walked the length of the jury booth with slow steps, peering into each juror's face as she passed. "Yes, the facts are clear cut, aren't they? But most of you know that nothing is ever as it seems and that there are always two sides in every story. How many of you have heard Seifer Almasy's story?"
The jurors glanced at one another to see if anyone raised a hand. When no one did, Quistis continued. "The prosecution would have you believe that Mr. Almasy is the epitome of evil, that he did these things in cold blood for his own gain. However, there are many other factors that play into this, and there is a story here to be told. It's about a talented, spirited young man with a bright future ahead of him who somehow fell under the spell of a powerful sorceress, a sorceress that controlled his actions and made him do things against his will.
"It is our contention that Mr. Almasy did not commit these acts of his own doing, ladies and gentlemen. We have evidence that proves this, and I promise you, if you listen to his testimony and the testimony of our witnesses you will indeed agree with me. After hearing his side of this story, I believe, if you have a heart, you will understand what this young man went through and you will find him innocent."
Seifer decided right then and there that Quistis should have been a lawyer. Even without her note cards, she'd said all the right things and made the jury stop and think. Seifer could see it in their eyes that she'd made her point She returned to the table, red face and flustered. "That's not what I intended to say," she whispered. "Left my damned notes on the table."
"I noticed," he said and sat up straight. "You did good."
The prosecution paraded a house full of witnesses through, each telling the story of how Seifer behaved during his command of the G-Army. Most of these witnesses were G-Army themselves or former students of Galbadia Garden, and though Quistis didn't see the need to question them, she did ask a few, to clarify details.
Then came the family members of victims. This was something Seifer had been dreading. Each story he heard made him want to sink into the floor a little bit more if the angry looks from the crowd didn't already. A few times, he had to swallow back the bile that kept threatening to rise to his throat. The things she made him do were sickening.
Quistis had no questions for these witnesses.
"Your honor," Quistis said after the sixth victim told her story, "I'd like permission to approach the bench."
"Permission granted," the judge said.
Quistis rose from her seat as did the lead prosecutor and she walked quickly to the judge's bench.
"Sir, I'd like to ask that there be no more of these kinds of witnesses. The jury already knows all this and I don't see why it's relevant or necessary," Quistis began. She was growing tired of hearing the sad tales of lost family members. As tragic as they were, they had already lost their impact, and even the jury was growing restless.
"Mr. Vann, how many more witness of this kind do you intend to question?" the judge asked the prosecutor.
"I have five more."
The judge stared at him as if he were a moron, and Quistis might have smiled if it had been proper to do so. "Mr. Vann, I think we've heard enough. You may call your next witness, as long as there are no more like these."
"I don't have any others, your honor," Vann said, flustered.
"Fine," the judge said. "Commander Trepe. Call your first witness."
The prosecutor sent her a startled look. "Commander?"
"Lt. Commander, actually," Quistis replied and she turned her attention back to the judge. "Thank you, your honor."
Quistis returned to her table and winked at Seifer. "Our turn,"
she said and then turned to address the court. "The defense would
like to call Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly to the stand."
Rinoa's testimony was not only convincing, but the jury seemed to warm
to her almost immediately. She told the court of how Ultimecia had
used her to unlock Adel's seal while the team was in space, about how it
felt to be possessed and made to do things she never would have done in
sound mind. She went into great detail on these things, and Quistis
was glad that she'd taken the time to prepare Rinoa for questioning.
"When your powers were passed on to you, were you immediately possessed by Ultimecia?" Quistis asked.
"Yes. She made it appear as though I was in a coma so that she could get to Ellone and Adel," Rinoa said.
"What about Mr. Almasy? Did she still control him as well?"
"Yes. She felt that he'd failed her, yet she still used him after the Garden battle to activate the Lunatic Pandora and take it to Tears Point, subsequently bringing about the Lunar Cry which brought Adel with it and destroyed half of Esthar."
"How do you know she continued to control Mr. Almasy?"
"Well, she was in my mind. I could hear her thoughts as clearly
as I could hear my own," Rinoa said.
When Quistis finished questioning Rinoa, the prosecutor, Vann began his questions. "Miss Heartilly, you dated Mr. Almasy for a period of time, didn't you?"
"Yes sir."
"What was your impression of him at the time?"
"I thought I was in love with him," Rinoa said.
Quistis silently cheered. For Rinoa to admit this showed that Seifer couldn't have been all bad before the war. He had to have had some good qualities for someone to care about him enough to think they were in love with him.
"You thought or you were?"
"I thought I was."
"Please explain what you mean."
"I was young," Rinoa said. "You might call it puppy love."
The jurors smiled at this, and Quistis suppressed her own grin behind her hand. Beside her, Seifer blushed with what might have been memories of their summer together.
"Miss Heartilly, were you not a member of a Timber resistance faction when you met Mr. Almasy?"
"Not a member. A leader," Rinoa said. "The Forest Owls."
"I see. So you too are against following rules?" Mr. Vann asked.
His question sent Quistis to her feet. They were trying to discredit her witness! Quistis hadn't thought about Rinoa's days as an anti-government leader and she cried, "Objection! This line of questioning is irrelevant. Furthermore, he's forming opinions for the jury!"
"Overruled," the judge said.
Quistis was outraged. Rinoa's involvement with the Forest Owls had nothing to do with Seifer's innocence. Quistis sat down, quietly seething about where the prosecution was taking this.
"Miss Heartilly, please answer the question."
"That's a loaded question sir. Sometimes, to do what is right, you have to break the rules," Rinoa said. "Timber was an independent nation before Galbadia invaded and stole their lands. They have a right to have what is theirs back."
"That's all very nice, Miss Heartilly, but while you were a member of this resistance group, you spearheaded a plan to kidnap lifelong President Vinzer Deling, did you not? Using the aid of SeeD, you planned to kidnap him and force him to return Timber's rights. Am I correct?"
"Yes sir," Rinoa said and she turned an interesting shade of red. She was getting flustered, and Quistis prayed that she wouldn't lose her temper before the jury.
"You and the SeeDs failed, am I right?"
"Yes. We failed."
"And you know your actions could be considered treason?"
"Yes sir."
"Thank you. No further questions," Mr. Vann said, and he smirked
at Quistis as he made his way back to his seat. Quistis wanted so
badly to make an obscene gesture at him that she had to grab Seifer's hand
under the table to prevent it. In a few short minutes, the prosecution
had just discredited their first witness. She could only hope that
Edea's testimony would go better than this. Edea herself had a clean
record, and Quistis knew they'd have a hard time finding dirt on her.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, court is adjourned for today," the judge announced, and Seifer let out a long, deep sigh of frustration. Things were not going as well as he'd hoped, and he knew that Quistis was just as frustrated as he was. He could see it in the way she packed her notes away in her briefcase and in her tense posture.
"Stupid son of a bitch," she mumbled under her breath as she slammed the case shut. "I don't see why any of that was necessary."
"That's the way it works. You make her look good, they make her look bad," Seifer said. "Don't you watch Law and Order?"
Quistis chuckled bitterly. "It's too bad I don't."
"Yeah, well. I don't think it would have helped anyway," he muttered. "I guess it's back to the cage for me."
"Not yet," Quistis said. "I'm having a meeting with all of you in the judge's conference room."
"For?"
Quistis stared at him as if he were dense. "To discuss who we want to play the Garden Festival, Seifer. What do you think we're going to do?"
"Sarcasm does not suit you, my dear," he said and he followed her to the conference room. He had a terrible headache and all he wanted to do was get some rest.
"Mmm," Quistis said by way of reply. "By the way, Dr. Odine is going to examine you tonight."
"Oh, great. Another sleepless night. Thanks, Quis."
Quistis turned around and glared at him. "I don't want to hear it, ok?" she said. "I don't know what sleep is anymore!"
Seifer felt bad about making the remark when Quistis had been working
so hard to help him. She was cranky, exhausted and more than a little
frustrated, and he had no right to upset her. But, he didn't say
anything, he merely patted her on the back and followed her down the hall
to the conference room.
"Seifer came to the orphanage when he was about two years old," Edea said as she sat in front of the court the next morning. "His mother was killed by Estharian soldiers during a raid on Dollet during the First Sorceress War, and his father presumably died around that time as well. He'd been taken in by neighbors until the time he came to me."
"Why were the neighbors unable to continue their care?" Quistis asked.
"They had six children living in their home at the time and Seifer was the only one who wasn't family, so when the learned they were expecting another child, they were forced to give Seifer up. It wasn't that they didn't love him, it was that they no longer had the ability to care for him."
This was news to Seifer. He'd never been told any of this, and he wondered why Matron had never said anything. He'd gone his entire life thinking that no one had every really cared for him except for Matron, and now he knew different. Perhaps as a child, he wouldn't have understood the circumstances, and Matron had decided to leave it be.
Still, he'd grown up with the belief that he was no good.
"Why weren't you able to find a home for Mr. Almasy," Quistis asked.
"Well, at that time, there weren't many places for a child to go. Many families had already taken in children from neighbors or friends who died in the war, and for that reason, it was difficult to find an adoptive family or even a foster home for him."
"So it had nothing to do with his personality?"
"Not really. Seifer was a rambunctious child, like most of my children were, and he had an aggressive side, but I'd seen worse. For the most part, he was a good boy who'd been through more than any child should. All the war orphans had. Some of my older ones had witnessed their own parents deaths, and several of my older girls had been held prisoner when Esthar conducted a search for a successor to the Sorceress."
"I see," Quistis said. "You say he was aggressive. Would you elaborate on this?"
"He was a boy. Boys are typically aggressive, and often competitive, especially in group home situations. It was normal, really. There are so many of them, all needing love and attention, they feel they have to compete or act out in order to get attention. It's very typical of this kind of situation."
"Thank you," Quistis said and she glanced back at Seifer. "Now, you were possessed by the future sorceress, Ultimecia, correct?"
"Yes."
Seifer sat forward with interest. They'd been over this at the meeting the night before, and even though he'd heard much of it, it still held him in thrall. His Matron had been through the same things as he had, and though she did not experience the after effects that he did, she understood. This part of her testimony would be very important in deciding his fate. He hoped that she could articulate what it was like.
"Tell us, what happened?"
"She . . . essentially, she went into my mind and controlled my actions. The words I spoke were not my own. The things I did were not my doing. It was as if I were a puppet and she controlled the strings."
Edea echoed Seifer's feelings exactly. Except that she had not
gone willingly, she had merely been taken over.
"Did you try to break contact with her?"
"Yes," Edea said. "Several times."
"Were you ever able to?"
"Only after the SeeDs defeated me a second time was I able to get her
out of my mind because I was greatly weakened by the battle. Unfortunately,
when I did so, I passed my powers on to Rinoa, and consequently, Ultimecia's
possession."
"Ultimecia used your body to have an affair with Mr. Almasy in attempt to lure him into her service, am I correct?"
Edea's cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson and she looked down. "Yes," she said softly.
"What did that make you feel?"
Seifer's own cheeks flamed and he too was forced to look away. It was humiliating to have this exposed, but he saw the reasoning behind Quists' decision to bring it up. If the prosecution had no dirty little secrets to reveal, it made it harder to discredit Edea.
"It made me feel . . . well, now," Edea said as she collected her bearings, "I felt disgust at having my body used that way, of course. Who wouldn't?"
"Are you angry at Mr. Almasy about this?"
"No. No, I'm not. He was as much a pawn as I was."
As Quistis sat in her hotel room that evening with Dr. Odine and Rinoa, she was deeply concerned about her decision to have him testify. What he was asking was a bit absurd, even scandalous, and she didn't want to make a mockery of her defense. But, she was desperate to find a way to prove to the jury that a subject of possession had no control over his own behavior. It was fine to say it was so, even with Odine's research to back it up, but they still lacked proof. She knew that balding bastard Vann would discount this as merely a theory, or worse, a story told by guilty souls to get out of the crimes they'd committed.
She was further concerned that Odine would become belligerent on the stand, as he was not known for being tactful when his research was questioned. She hoped that he'd behave himself and she prayed that the prosecutor would not make Odine mad enough to make him use the word 'fisticuffs.'
Presently, they discussed his unorthodox suggestion regarding proof.
"If ve hav Sorceress Rinoa possess a body for ze court to see, it vill make for very interesting evidence, vill it not?" Odine said as she sipped a glass of bourbon.
"Yes, I suppose it would," Quistis said. "But who will we have her possess? No one would believe it if she were to possess Seifer. The prosecution will say it was all acting."
"So ve ask for a volunteer!" Odine said as if the answer were obvious.
"What do you think, Rinoa?" Quistis asked skeptically.
Rinoa sighed and rubbed her eyes. "First of all, I don't even know if I can possess someone. I mean, I've read a lot of books about it and how it's done, but I don't know if I could do it. And second, it seems a little . . . silly."
"Maybe," the doctor said. "Perhaps ve should try it out."
"On who?" Quistis asked.
"A neutral party, of course, preferably a man who von't hav to testify."
Quistis looked at Rinoa who was grinning back at her. "Zell," they both said in unison.
Ten minutes later, Zell sat on the edge of Quistis' bed, looking a little put out by being dragged away from Zoe by two insistent women. "Just so you know, you owe me. Big time," he said and he crossed his arms against his chest. "All right. Do what you have to, Rinoa. Just promise me, you won't do anything humiliating."
Rinoa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After several long moments of concentration, she opened her eyes and grinned. "I'm in."
"All right. Now, make him do somesing," Odine commanded. "Somesing he vouldn't normally do."
"Something he wouldn't normally do . . ." Rinoa murmured and stared at the wall across from her. Then, she snapped her fingers and gave Quistis an evil grin. "Got it."
As if on cue, Zell stood up and began to dance around the room, chanting. "I'm a chicken-wuss, yeah! A chicken-wuss! Oh baby, I'm a chicken-wuss!"
Despite herself, Quistis began to laugh. She laughed so hard, tears began to roll down her cheeks. "It's a pity Seifer's not here to see this."
"We need a video recorder," Rinoa remarked, giggling. "Where's Selphie when we need her?"
"Vat is zis?" Odine asked, in confusion. Clearly, he didn't get the joke, and it only made the two women laugh harder.
"You said something out of character . . ." Rinoa said and dissolved into giggles once more.
"Ok, Rinoa, that's enough," Quistis finally said as she wiped tears away from her cheeks. "Cut him loose."
When Rinoa severed the connection, Zell turned to her and glared, his cheeks flaming. "I said nothing humiliating!"
"Oh, stuff it, Zell," Quistis said. "You can go back to your room now."
Zell literally stomped from the room, muttering about crazy women and he slammed the door behind him.
"So . . .," Odine began, "You vant to try zis in ze court?"
Quistis smiled to herself. "Dr. Odine, you're a genius. This
just might work."
Seifer was exhausted as he took his seat the next morning. He'd been up all night for the second time in a row in the prison infirmary letting Dr. Odine run tests, poke at him with needles and ask a million questions. At that point, he didn't care if he lived or died, he just wanted a long, quiet nap. Quistis looked no better. The dark circles under her eyes showed through her make up, and she drank cup after cup of coffee to keep herself awake.
He had no idea what kind of testimony Odine would give, and he worried that Odine would either confuse the jury or anger the judge. More than once in the last two nights, Seifer felt like killing the obnoxious little man for being the way he was.
Seifer listened through Odine's speech on the mechanics of Sorceress Possession, how it happened, what the subject experienced, and all about the after effects. Then, he went into the information he'd compiled regarding Seifer himself from his studies and found it to be consistent with past test subjects. Seifer found all this quite boring, but Odine managed to stay respectful as Quistis questioned him, and Seifer noted that the jury listened with interest to what the man said. Seifer himself had forgotten that Odine was very respected throughout the world, and these jurors felt as if they were in the presence of a legend.
"So," Quistis said and turned to the judge. "We have prepared a little demonstration, with your permission of course, your honor, to show the jury how easy it is for a sorceress to possess another and make him do as she wishes."
"I'll grant your request," the judge said and nodded.
"All right. Rinoa, will you come to the front please?" Quistis asked.
Seifer sent Quistis a questioning glance, and she mouthed, "Trust me." Seifer had no idea what it was they were planning, but he hoped it would help.
"We will need a male volunteer for this demonstration," Quistis said. "Anyone will do."
"You've got to be kidding me," Mr. Vann cried. "This is ridiculous. This could be a set up!"
"Fine, then Mr. Vann, why don't you volunteer?" Quistis asked and she raised an eyebrow at him, a challenge if Sefier ever saw one.
"Certainly," he said and stepped forward.
A moment later, Rinoa had the man standing on top of the table singing 'Eyes on Me,' as he slapped himself about the head and shoulders. Seifer could barely contain his laughter, and members of the jury were doing nothing to hide their own. Even the judge chuckled a little before he caught himself.
"Thank you Rinoa," Quistis said as the humiliated prosecutor sputtered and looked as if he might kill Quistis on the spot. "As you can see, possession is very real. I'm sure Mr. Vann would never have behaved that way of his own volition, am I correct Mr. Vann?"
The prosecutor merely glared at her hatefully as he returned to his
seat.
"It didn't happen as quickly as it did with Mr. Vann," Seifer said as he sat at the witness stand in front of the court. He was nervous, though he tried hard not to show it. "It was a slower process I think, beginning with a series of very realistic dreams. In them, I was a knight, defending a faceless sorceress who whispered promises that I'd soon a great warrior."
"When did the dreams begin?" Quistis asked.
"About . . . three months before I met Edea in Timber."
"So, they began around the time Galbadia formulated the plan to use a sorceress to conquer the world."
"Approximately, yes."
"You had no prior knowledge of what the Galbadian Army was up to?"
"No. At that time, I was concentrating on my duties at Balamb Garden," Seifer said. He was sweating under his suit jacket, which suddenly felt terribly uncomfortable.
"When you met Edea in Timber, you went with her willingly?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because . . . I knew her as Matron. I trusted her. She was the only person in my life who'd showed me any sort of kindness, and I thought, because of that, she couldn't be evil."
"She was like a mother to you."
"She was the only mother I'd ever known," Seifer said sincerely, and he met Edea's eyes as he said this. Edea pressed her hand to her breast and smiled.
"When you went with her, Ultimecia didn't control you?"
"No." Seifer pressed his hand to his temple and grimaced.
"When did that begin?" Quistis asked and she gave him a wink of reassurance.
"I can't pinpoint it exactly, but it may have only been a few hours after I followed her. I was too caught up in the dream of being a knight to realize what was happening to me."
"And when you realized she had control over you, what did you do?"
"Well, I couldn't do anything," he said. "She had me and wouldn't let go. From there on out, I was hers."
"You tried to fight it?"
"After I knew what Ul . .Ulti . . .Ultimecia ha . . .had planned," he said. The pain in his head was growing more intense by the minute. He could only endure so much before it became too intense to bear.
"Tell me about your romantic dream," Quistis said. She was steering him away from Ultimecia, he knew, and he was grateful. He could see the concern in her face as she asked the question, and he understood his discomfort was evident in his face. Despite this, he smiled a little at the thought of his childish dream.
"When I was a kid, I saw the movie, The Sorceress' Knight. I wanted to be like the guy in that movie, you know? A brave defender of an endlessly persecuted but kind Sorceress. In the end, the Sorceress and the Knight fell in love and lived happily ever after. It's kind of silly now, but then, well, you all know how it is. When you're young, you have this idea of what it's supposed to be like, and that's how I wanted my life to turn out."
"So this is what you thought you'd be doing when you went with Edea?"
"Yes."
It had been two days, and the jury was still deliberating. Quistis paced her room as she waited for news of the verdict, and she mentally went over every detail of the trial. All things aside, the evidence she'd presented was convincing, and the prosecution had done little to discredit anyone but Rinoa. Vann had even been at a loss when he'd questioned Seifer because Quistis had brought up every scandal, every piece of dirt she could so that they'd be left with nothing to bring up.
The evidence was convincing, so why the hell was it taking so long? Certainly, it wasn't a cut and dry case, but the prosecution's efforts had been weak at best, while her own had been well planned and executed. She felt like patting herself on the back for doing such a good job with so little time. Well, she wouldn't do that unless he was found not guilty. Only then could she acknowledge her own efforts and feel good about it.
As she paced the room, she prayed that the jury would come back with a definite decision. A hung jury would be a nightmare, for she didn't want to have to go through this again. She knew she should be resting, but she was too pent up to sit down and relax. At any moment, the jury could come out of their little room and decide Seifer's fate.
She was proud of the way he'd remained calm and collected on the stand, even when the pain became intense. He'd done well and she intended to tell him so once the whole thing was over, whether he lived or died.
So. Seifer's life hinged on the decision of twelve people they didn't know. Quistis felt as if they decided her own fate, too. To work so hard for this only to fail would be devastating.
Shortly after noon, the phone rang. She picked it up and muttered her greeting.
"Lt. Commander Trepe? The jury's reached a verdict."
***Notes***
Don't you just HATE cliffhangers? *L* Damn this is one long chapter! Originally, I was going to make it two, but it just didn't make sense to break it up like that. So....here's the whole trial. Hope it's not too boring. I apologize for the amount of dialogue here....but it had to be done.
I am doing something different with this story, by the way. All my others were already written out in long hand before I began posting them. With this one, I'm not doing that. None of these chapters were written before I started typing. While I know where I'm taking this, I'm basically writing these chapters off the top of my head. I don't normally write this way . . . but . . . well, if something seems off about this, that's why.
Thanks to my reviewers! :)
Soooo....review, flame, cc? Do what you gotta do.