Voir Dire

Intérêts civil

Gilles Moreau's apartment was his own property, bought with the entirety of his first cheque. It was located on Estival Avenue, next to the Lumiose Press, and leading northwards towards Centrico Plaza and the Mairie d'Illumis − the Lumiose City Hall. As he yawned on the walk towards the borders of the city, Lumiose was packing up her expended lights and readied to retire until the next night. The twinkling stars of the Prism Tower had winked out in the distance, leaving its silhouette as a marker against the brightening skies of dawn.

The City of Light was retiring for the briefest moment, and Gilles reflected on it as he queued at the Café Gallant on Estival Avenue for a more solid breakfast. on how it was on such a nice day that he had to work. It had also been a nice day, on the day that he had made the trek from Anistar to Dendemille to Lumiose for le bac, and his subsequent education and permanent settlement, on top of his job.

"Oh, Gidie!" the big dark-skinned barista boomed, dusting floury hands on his linen apron behind the coffee machines belching steam. Under the wan lighting he loomed even larger. "Bonjour, petit Sharpedo. How is the little lawyer today?"

"Bonjour, Arsène," Gilles nodded in reply. "What's good today?"

"The best for you, for free, chéri," Arsène assured.

"Sounds biased," a woman behind Gilles commented.

"This man saved me from a murder charge," Arsène told her, eyes narrowing in a manner that indicated looming rage. "He gets free pastries."

The circles around his eyes deepened, and several other people in the queue stepped back, leaving the quivering woman to shake like an Oddish.

Gilles put his face in his hands. "I just pointed out to the Officer Jenny that you could not have possibly fit through the window she claimed was the point of entry. Arsène, what's good?"

Distracted, the proprietor studied the smaller man. "Eh ben, you need feeding. The chausson au Baie Grena is good today."

Floating up onto the counter, Sybil made a show of tapping her feet. Bonjour, Arsène.

"Bonjour, petite Mistigrix," the man cheerfully greeted. "Are you taking care of him, Sybil? The little Sharpedo looks like he hasn't eaten in days."

"Oi!" Gilles protested.

You do look terrible, Sybil acknowledged, reading the menu. A tarte au Baie Sitrus meringuée for me.

"Bien, madame, and an Oran Berry for the baby," Arsène greeted Guignol as the Mime Jr bounced about.

"Gee, thanks," Gilles yawned, studying his face in the reflection of the café's glass windows and deciding that the purple dandelion staring back at him needed a haircut.

Unfortunately, Coiffure Clips had yet to open today. Plus, he was being summoned on a prospective case. So he abandoned the thought for later.

"I need you to babysit again," Gilles explained. "Prospective client. I'm so sorry to cut into your time… again."

"Oh, it's not a problem," Arsène swept the counter with a trunk-like arm, hulking like a Conkeldurr to carry delicate-looking pastries into paper bags as the Mime Jr looked around. "C'est encore toi et moi, petit clown!"

Gilles left behind the seventy Poké for his pastries before leaving the café with Sybil. A few moments later, swear words in Arsène's guttural accent could be heard reverberating about Estival Avenue in their wake.

He's going to put it on your reverse tab again, Sybil observed, nibbling her Sitrus meringue tart.

"Humph." Gilles was already attacking his breakfast. Having his speciality Lumiose Galette stolen by a passing Gogoat only needed to happen once before one got vigilant about food, after all.

The Pomeg Berry turnover safe in his mouth from passing Gogoat, and Sybil silenced with hers, he set out strolling across Centrico Plaza, through the Lumiose markets of Jaune Plaza, and through the gate for Route 16 on the Kalos map. Sybil followed along, eyes wary. Flocks of Murkrow flew high above the eternally fallow path of yellowed nature, and Gilles knew it was to indicate the sudden intrusion of human authorities in their territory.

"You know," Gilles commented some distance from the Fishing Shack, under a large Berry tree, "I didn't expect this to be a real murder case. And I just lost my breakfast."

The Berry tree and the area around it had been surrounded by yellow plastic tape. In the middle of the area lay the half-chewed body at the centre.

"Hey!" Gilles leapt about to spot an Officer Jenny approaching him. "This is a crime scene."

"Er, yes, I'm Gilles Moreau, Attorney at Law, here to represent Léa Morelle," Gilles nodded. "This is my partner, Sybil. May I ask where is my client?"

"Oh," Jenny sniffed, pointing towards the tree, which seemed to have become a temporary quarters. "She's over there."

Léa Morelle was a slightly gloomy-looking girl, with the dark eyes and hair common of the Morelle. Her knife-like ears stuck out on either side of her headband, and the full gloves she wore seemed too hot for the nice weather. Around her floated a Gourgeist, its ghostly energy mingling about to comfort its owner, and beside her stood a stoic-looking Golett. Then again, Golett were stoic by default, partly due to being animated robots in some views.

Under his façade of normality, Gilles flinched at the ghostly energy that dominated her. It was almost like facing Arsène, but in a different way. There was a valid reason to be afraid of the Pangoro half-breed barista; there was nothing about Léa Morelle that needed to be worrying, aside that she was possibly a Kiloude Mafia princess. Who was also possibly a Hex Maniac, and thus the worst thing short of Dr du Bois that could threaten a Psychic of Gilles' stature.

"Madame Morelle?" Gilles spoke up, drawing her attention. "I'm Gilles Moreau, and this is my partner, Sybil. We're here to defend you."

"Gilles?" Léa looked up from her seat. "Oh, yes! Dr du Bois said that you're my… attorney?"

"I am," Gilles fidgeted. "Have you given your statement?"

"No, I-" Léa paused. "I live around here, and I help Dr du Bois on her work. We were taking a walk through the Lost Hotel, and I let Citrouille wander ahead. Citrouille-"

"Wait," Gilles cut in, "who's Citrouille?"

"This is Citrouille, my Gourgeist," Léa introduced the waving floating Ghost, who grinned at a scowling Sybil. "I let Citrouille off for a bit, and Citrouille came back to report the t- thing. Dr du Bois and I found a Ranger, and we came across the thing in the midst of chewing that… man. Body."

She shuddered, her lips parting to sigh. "The Ranger called it in, and Dr du Bois insisted on this… thing. She called you in to be present, so I couldn't say anything."

"That's a good idea," Gilles nodded. "Even if you're innocent, you should call a lawyer when you're being interviewed by the police and not free to move. It would save a lot of trouble in the long run, and you'd also be playing your part as a responsible citizen as well. Speaking of which, I need to speak to your guardian."

"She went aside with a hat full of Lum Berries from the tree," Léa made a face as she pointed towards the far side of the cordoned crime scene.

Gilles forbore to mention his awe that anyone could eat in front of a half-chewed corpse, since the Officer Jenny's Litleo was doing the same thing beside its partner.

"Merci. Sybil would stay to assist you in this trying time," Gilles nodded to Sybil, who floated towards Léa as he made his own way towards the direction indicated, taking care to follow the trail marked by the line of plaques that marked evidence or traces thereof. It led to the side, under a large tree, and a presence that commanded both awe and terror.

Sheltered under the tree's shadow, The black-haired woman looked up from her boater that Léa had described as filled with Lum Berries, one of said green fruits. The purple-ribbon smock top matched with an aqua striped pleated skirt seemed to Gilles like a touch too formal for a walk, though the white knee socks, leading to aqua Mary Janes, made her legs stretch for miles. As she carelessly cracked open a Lum Berry, the pit slid into her hand, awash in the tart juice that dripped into the soil.

Slowly, the woman licked the juice off of her fingers, carefully biting into one Berry half. The other one she held up. "Here you go."

Many thanks, Marguerite.

Gilles looked up, and immediately wished that Sybil, or even Guignol, had his back when the Pokémon in the tree's branches. "A Darkrai?!"

Said Pitch-Black Pokémon delicately pinched the Lum Berry half, delicately licking it before crunching it down. Bonjour to you too, Monsieur.

Realising that the Darkrai was, in fact, better-mannered than him, Gilles shook his head. "Bonjour."

He looked at the woman. "Doctor du Bois."

Marguerite Linden du Bois, having chewed through her half of the divided Lum Berry, delicately licked her fingers clean of the juice. "Bonjour, Monsieur."

"You know, today is my day off," Gilles commented.

"So it is, and you seemed to have taken your own sweet time getting here," was the arch observation. "You are necessary because of the corpse."

"Huh?" Gilles blinked, trying not to turn behind. "Who's he?"

"I do not know," was her reply, "but he did not deserve to be eaten by a Mawile."

"It was a Mawile?" Gilles perked up. "They usually don't eat people, and especially not in open areas."

"If you would study the tree, you would notice traces of Light Clay in the scratches," Dr du Bois pointed towards the Lum Berry tree.

"Light Clay?" Gilles echoed.

"You work with Pokémon," Dr du Bois sighed. "Surely you know what is a held item."

"Yeah, I know that," Gilles frowned. "And I also know that Light Clay in Kalos is obtainable only in Geosenge, by catching a Golett there, or mining it along the Menhir Trail- Oh," Gilles glanced back, towards the Golett. "I see."

"Yes," Dr du Bois nodded. "It would be a standard interview were Léa a normal Trainer, but Léa is not a normal Trainer, as you can see. Léa is… what she is."

"You mean, she's a Hex Maniac in training," Gilles clarified. "And any wrong move would involve her… teacher? Mistress? Family?"

Marguerite considered it. "Perhaps more. It is a lot to ask, but I know you know what it's like to be persecuted for what you are."

Gilles glanced up to the tree they were under, a stocky thing with weeping branches and leaves only, bearing no fruit save for the occasional Lum Berry. As he glanced, a Lum Berry snapped off of its stem and floated down to his feet. "I see. My usual hourly fee applies."

"Duly noted," Marguerite dismissed, snapping her fingers. "Cyprès, if you would please."

Gilles watched another Lum Berry flower where he had snapped it off. The trunk of the tree mysteriously grew a scowling face, at which he wisely decided to back away from the doctor and her hidden Trevenant.

Steeling his shoulders, Gilles walked back to Léa. Sybil was nowhere to be seen, a fact that Gilles chalked up to the Pokémon exploring the scene. "I'm taking this case. You can tell them to start the interview now."

Léa nodded uneasily, getting to her feet and drawing the attention of the uniformed officers beside the crime scene technicians. "Officers? This is Gilles Moreau. He's an attorney."

"Finally," a dour man with what seemed to be a permanent facial shadow walked up to them. He wore a white shirt and black chinos, leading to short boots that hid his socks."I'm Lieutenant Rémy Souci of the Lumiose Surêté. Thank you for your cooperation, Madame. Would you mind giving us your statement?"

"Y- Yes," Léa nodded. "I was walking with Doctor du Bois – she's over there – from our house in the Lavarre Nature Trail, and we walked through the Lost Hotel. We came out, and because Citrouille – my Gourgeist – was agitating to run about, I let her loose. She came back very quickly in Shadow Sneak to report a body being eaten, so Dr du Bois found one of the passing Rangers while I went ahead."

"I see," the Lieutenant nodded, dutifully scribbling everything down. "We'll have to get more details from Dr du Bois later, but I need to ask a few more questions. At what time did you leave the... house? Actually, where is this house?"

"The house is by the Roseli Berry tree at the west side of the Trail," Léa replied. "We left at... seven am."

"Quite an early walk," noted the captain.

"Dr du Bois is a walker," Léa agreed.

"I see," Rémy nodded. "Normally, it's impossible to cross the copse of trees between the Routes."

"We went into the city – Laverre City, I meant – and got into Brun Way from there, and then we entered the Lost Hotel for my research on Ghost-type Pokémon," Léa explained. "And to find a Rotom. We couldn't find one, because the Punks had descended on the Hotel and they were making a lot of noise."

"I hope for your success," Rémy demurred. "So, to clarify, you went through Laverre City to Brun Way, entered the Lost Hotel, and came out."

"Yes."

"The Lost Hotel is a hotbed for Punk Girls and Guys," Rémy noted.

"Right," Léa nodded, "so we fought out-"

"Excuse me?" Rémy blinked.

Léa stared back at him evenly. "We got challenged, and we fought our way out. Durand – my Golett – hits hard."

"I... see..." Rémy did not look convinced. "Madame Morelle, we found traces of Light Clay on the victim's body. You caught your Golett at Menhir Trail in Geosenge, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"And your Golett, was he carrying a Light Clay with him then?"

Léa hesitated. "Yes? Yes, he was."

"Leading question," Gilles chipped in, earning a look from the Captain. "The Light Clay is not relevant to this. You're trying to pin this on my client without checking that Durand still has the Light Clay."

Rémy pursed his lips. "Does the Golett still have the Light Clay?"

"No," Léa blinked. "I used it for eye shadow."

It was Gilles' turn to be surprised. "Huh?"

"I worked with the Coumarine Gym on the preparation of cosmetics from natural ingredients," Léa admitted shyly. "That includes using Light Clay for my eye shadow. I'm working with Tempera Illumis as an on-site cosmetician on the recommendation of Ramos."

"How interesting," Rémy said, in a way that implied that the fact was nothing interesting. "But is any of your Pokémon holding a Light Clay at present?"

"No, why would they?" Léa complained. "And what does this have to do with the investigation?"

"Calm down," Gilles assured. "I'm on your side."

"We're trying to investigate this, Madame, and you were the first person on the scene," Rémy nodded in a placating manner. "Do you need some water?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Léa subsided. "Who is he, anyway?"

"His name is Théo Martin," Rémy stared at her. Gilles would have done the same thing, but he already knew that she was not lying, had not reason to lie, and was honestly perplexed about someone dying, though hardly unsurprised.

"...Ah," Léa said. "He does nature photography, right?"

"Yes," replied the Lieutenant, "though it's interesting how you know that."

"His work, Les Motifs desPrismillons, is the research basis for Tempera's contribution to Lumiose City's spring collection," Léa explained. "He's a known Vivillon enthusiast and photographer."

"Alright..." Gilles nodded, slowly growing more confused. "You don't know him personally."

"Nope," Léa quipped.

"That's even more interesting, Madame," Rémy answered. "Thank you."

Gilles saw the officers walk away and leaving his clients behind, feeling, perhaps, a touch left out of the loop. As the officers passed, Sybil floated by them towards Gilles.

"Sybil," Gilles asked. "Did you check the victim's possessions?"

Yes.

"Was there a camera?"

No. The officers I passed by said something about no film or memory cards either. The Holo Caster was also missing.

"Which would not be strange if the guy took so many photos that he resorted to his Holo Caster in the end," Gilles nodded. "Who the hell would want to steal Vivillon photos anyway?"

Critiquez, s'il vous plaît!