Snyderverse Neptunia Snippets

by Derald Snyder

Snippet 75- Not Everyone Is Innocent

Timeline- Takes place between 'The Ten-Year Turnabout' and 'The Mech-Suit's Turnabout', after Snippet 01.

"Dammit, what are you doing?! Say something!"

But she said nothing. There were no avenues of inquiry left to pursue. The truth had been laid bare, and it was not in her client's favor this time. (Mr. Samson warned me this would happen eventually...) Nobody was perfect, after all. Hell, she knew that better than anyone, after all she had done...

"Miss Ryghts?" the judge prodded. "Do you have any further inquiries?"

"...I do not," Rei Ryghts finally conceded. "Your Honor, due to loss of faith in my client, the defense now rests."

"DAMN YOU!" the man in the defendant's chair screamed, suddenly jumping up and lunging at the defense's bench, causing Rei to scream in surprise as she fell backwards and scrambled away, the defendant soon being restrained by the bailiffs. "I trusted you, bitch! You were supposed to get me off! How could you leave me (bleep)ing up shit creek without a damn paddle?!"

"Order!" the judge banged his gavel. "Bailiffs, remove the defendant from the courtroom, and put him in a holding cell!" And so the man was dragged off, still hurling curses and epithets at his former lawyer.

"...Your Honor, seeing as the defense has abandoned their case, the prosecution moves for an immediate verdict," the prosecutor spoke up.

"So be it. On the charge of aggravated first-degree murder, this court finds the defendant..."

GUILTY

"Court is adjourned." One final bang of the gavel, and it was all over.

*Samson & Co. Law Offices*

Rei trudged into the office, her footfalls heavy... roughly tossing her briefcase aside, she turned, and after a moments' consideration, punched the wall beside the door. There was no damage, but the (thunk) was quite loud. "Dammit... how could I have been so stupid...?" She went over and dropped into one of the visitor's chairs, crossing her arms and bowing her head as she stewed in her self-pity...

The door to the back office opened, Bartholomew J. Samsom promptly stepping out to see what was going on. "Rei? What happened?" He asked as he approached his subordinate... but one look told him all he needed to know. "Oh, I see. You lost the case, didn't you?"

"It's not fair! I should've known...!" Rei grunted as she pulled off her glasses in frustration. "I-it was s-so obvious in hindsight, th-that that maggot was lying th-through his t-teeth about his alibi..." She paused to wipe her face with her forearm. "A-and then he attacked me a-after I c-conceded t-to the p-prosecution..."

"Oh, dear," Bartholomew sighed and shook his head, resting a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Rei, I can assure you, a client trying to attack you is the exception, not the rule... I can count the amount of times a guilty client attempted to assault me one hand..."

"B-but you're so b-big and strong! Most p-people would th-think twice b-before attacking you...!" Rei countered. "Without my evil g-goddess powers, I'm completely h-helpless...!"

"You and a number of other lawyers. That's what the bailiffs are for, Rei, just in case something like that happens," Bartholomew pointed out. "Listen to me. I felt much the same that you did when I had my first loss in court. I dang near threw a temper tantrum when I got back to the office. My father had to grab my wrist and chastise me for acting like a child... Do you know what he told me when I calmed down?"

"What?" Rei looked up at her boss.

"He said, 'So the outcome did not fall in your favor. Do you believe that your career is over after one loss? That is not how an attorney should think, Bartholomew. The point of being a lawyer is give a voice to those who have none, even the guilty ones. Simply assuming that someone is guilty or not guilty leads to anarchy; that is why the courts exist to begin with. Remember, my son, even the guilty deserve a fair chance in court. That is the very foundation of a civilized society.' He was right, and I never forgot those words." Standing back up, he then said, "After all, weren't you supposedly guilty as sin for what you did? And yet, thanks to Lady Neptune and Nepgear testifying on your behalf, you were simply exiled here instead of serving life in prison..."

"Oh..." Rei blinked several times as realization dawned. "Y... you're right..." Sniffling as she wiped her face again, she put her glasses back on... "B-but it d-doesn't take away th-the sting o-of realizing I was f-fooled..."

"It does hurt, to realize that your faith in your client was misplaced," Bartholomew nodded grimly. "But you have to keep a stiff upper lip, and keep moving forward, within the confines of the law, to represent your client. I can tell you that quite a few guilty clients of mine actually thanked me for putting up some sort of fight for them, since most lawyers in Lowee don't even want to go to trial in the first place... they would rather just roll over and plead out at the first opportunity, even if their client is innocent..."

"Right... I haven't forgotten that part," Rei sighed as she straightened up. "B-but this isn't g-going t-to help me repair m-my reputation..."

"That depends on your actions," her boss countered. "If anyone gives you grief for defending a guilty client, just tell them that at least your client had proper representation, unlike what any other lawyer in this country would have done. If everyone understands that you are a lawyer who will give everyone a fair chance, instead of a tyrant that would destroy the world just because they refused to worship you, that would go a long way to fixing your reputation, I think."

"I... I n-never th-thought of it th-that way," Rei admitted. Heaving a sigh, she pushed herself back to her feet, Bartholomew backing up to give her some space. "Th-thank you, Mr. Samson... I f-feel a little better now..."

"Good. Now go pick up your briefcase, and then get back to work," he ordered, though his tone was still light. "Those piles of paperwork aren't going to shrink themselves, after all."

"Y-yes, sir," Rei couldn't help but smile as she went to retrieve said briefcase...

Snippet 75- End