Planeside

Locales abroad of the city centers, from out of doors to the outer planes.
Ironsmith
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

"Me? Oh, I'm... well, I'm nobody, really." The man says with a little wave. "But if knowing my name makes you feel any better, okay. It's Otis. Otis Adamos. Nice to meet you."

"...Well, hey." Melody smiles. "Maybe you'll take to having fans better than I do. It certainly sounds like you've earned them. Even if you don't think you earned them recently..."

"I'd say she has." Otis is quick to correct. "I mean, we'd all like to think we'd get up there and stand up for a complete stranger because it's the right thing to do, but actually doing it... that's a whole other thing. And, if you don't mind my saying so, quite inspiring." He smiles. "I'm actually here for Advocate training, following your example. It's nothing too intense so far; I just sit in on the trials and watch the Advocates work, take a few notes, you know."

"Speaking of which." The older angel interrupts, tapping her wrist. "I know it may seem like we have eternity, but miss Hopskins is not the only soul awaiting trial today, miss Hesperos."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.

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Shadowcaller
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

Jaahlyn... wasn't sure what to think of all this yet.
But she still knew how to be punctual though and that was still the priority here. She could consider how she felt later.
"Let's hurry up with that selfie then. We got a court room to catch." She gestures at the older angel.
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Ironsmith
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

"Right." Otis grins and stands up next to the two of them, holding his phone at arm's length. "Say 'cheese'!"

k-chk!

"For real, though, thank you for your time." The angel grins and steps back. "And good luck in court today."

---

Jaahlyn probably recognizes this room. Large, sort of ovular, split between a lower audience/approach section and a raised platform for all the essential courtroom features. Most of the face here are going to look fairly familiar, too; the judge seems to be the same guy from last time, Adira is waiting at the defendant's table, and the trio of demons sitting at the prosecution... well, they recognize her, at any rate. The largest of the three even gives her a little scowl, childishly sticking out her tongue at Jaahlyn as she's led up the central aisle.

What might surprise her is that the attendance from other parties is down. There's no panel of angels on one side and demons on the other. Apart from essential personnel, the courtroom is deserted.

"Miss Hesperos." The judge greets, shifting through some paperwork on his stand. "Have a seat."

If Jaahlyn complies, the judge will raise his gavel and give it a little tap. "Now that all are accounted for, we will hear the case for the entry of Melody Janine Hopskins into Elysium, in accordance to the Lecti Peccatrum."

clunk!

"Advocate Tuhma, if you would."

The demon nearest Jaahlyn stands and straightens his tie. "Of course. In the matter of Miss Hopskins, I-"

"Laaaaaaaaame." Drones the oversized demoness next to him.

"...Beg pardon?"

"This whole thing is lame. Like, seriously, who wants to go to the hassle of getting into a whole debate about whether we should get her soul or not?" The demoness continues, idly picking at her nails. "You windbags can figure out for yourself if you can stomach tossing her down to us." She leans back in her chair and kicks up her heels onto the table, folding her arms behind her head. "Wake me when there's a verdict, all right?"

Tuhma opens his mouth to object, but clearly thinks better of it and reclaims his seat. "...The, um... prosecution... rests, your honor."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Shadowcaller
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

Cheese?
Click
A moment too late. Too distracted by the sudden memory of goat cheese. Oh well, she was sure it turned out great anyway.

Jaahlyn then glances at Melody to confirm that she was still there. Just so it hadn't been one of those soul/essence stealing cameras she had heard about.
She gives Otis a nod before turning to enter the courtroom. "Thanks! I think I'll need it."

You always needed luck regardless of how experienced you were and in this case, not very.
She didn't even know this legal system and yet here she was again to defend someone like the total amateur that she was.

The best she could do was what she was told so with a nod she takes a seat once bidden to do so. Her attention focused completely on the judge until the giant demon in their midst suddenly speaks up. She had no idea how someone got that big but it seemed to reflect her ego in this case.

...

"I object."

Huh?
The words just slips out of her mouth since there was suddenly a plan.
"The persecution has an unfair advantage as they know everything about me yet I know nothing about them. The least they can do is introduce themselves and their duties in this case." Since if those rags were any indication the rumor mill was running hot around her right now.
The satyr gestures towards the resting demon. "Since if she can be sleeping during this entire case, what is she even doing here? I would motion to have her thrown her out of the courtroom unless she explains her presence in this court of law." The provocative wording she used was quite deliberate here...
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Ironsmith
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

"Hm?" The demoness looks up from her nap and turns her attention to Jaahlyn. "...Yeah, okay, whatever. I mean, if you're really rather deal with one of my siblings instead, that's fine too. Libidine's been aching for another crack at her, I'm sure she'd be glad to-"

"The defense withdraws that request, your honor." The angel sitting next to Jaahlyn interrupts, before taking a moment to explain the situation in a hushed tone. "You might remember her from last time. She's a sort of proxy for the Devils; last time, she was here as an extension of Libidine, the Deviless of Lust. Today, she's standing in for Intertius, the Devil of Sloth. We couldn't ask for easier opposition; all we have to do is convince the judge Melody is ready for Elysium and we're golden. Let's not have him thrown out because he's annoying, okay?"

At the other table, Tuhma adjusts his tie and stands back up. "Perhaps this court should consider the nature of its advocates." He says silkily. "You know me, of course. Tuhma. One of the Devils' go-to advocates for the judgment of souls. At an approximately eighty-five percent win rate, I have proven to be quite a thorn in this court's side over the past couple of centuries." The demon splays out his hands on the table in front of him. "And while you may not much care for me, your honor, I have always served a vital role in this court. To parse the worthy from the unworthy. The virtuous from the wicked. And so on and so forth. Where I have been involved, the verdict has always been one of clarity, whether it is in the soul's favor or not." He glances back at the demoness behind him, who seems to be giving him some ferocious side-eye right now.

"The same can not be said of Miss Hesperos." He continues with an impish smirk. "Though she has only involved herself in our affairs once, the damage she has done to the system has been substantial." He snaps his fingers and points upward, at a large screen that materialized over the court in response to the gesture. "Was it not through her involvement that Marianne Van Braun came to be admitted into Elysium? Is she not, in some form, responsible for the absolute disgrace miss Van Braun has brought to the title of 'angel', up to and including the arrangement of Miss Hopskins' murder, to which she was also party?" Tuhma shrugs. "On her word, this court has created something far worse than a demon; an angel that should not have been." He turns to look at her, an expression of open disgust on his face. "How can we listen to anything she says?"
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

Jaahlyn watches the exchange. Taking note of the information she had managed to glean from that.
So a devil had personally tried to get Melody's soul yet for the trial they had sent a henchman that was mostly asleep by the looks of it. Guess this explained why they had wanted to skip the trial.
"I asked for information, not for you to leave." She remarks calmly while attempting to meet the demoness gaze.

And information she had got even if they still had refused to tell her anything.
"And Intertius was the devil that attempted to eat Melody?" She quietly inquires as she gets the angels explanation. She of course assuming that they had seen that happening through their all-monitoring scrying device.

But then it seems like the demons would actually answering her question. Just in a way that made her want to roll her eyes so badly.
This guy sure was full of himself, unjustifiably so even.
"I believe this court is above textscroll examples of ad hominem attacks, advocate Tuhma. Or do you actually want to waste the judges time discussing my virtues and sins rather than the case itself? Since that would be a lot of wasted time. My request of information was to make this case easier for everyone involved. Simply so I wouldn't have to interrupt the trial once we're in the thick of things with questions." She clears her voice before turning to address the judge.

"So let's not confuse what we're actually here to for. We're not here to discuss me, Tuhma or Marianne van Braun. They are completely unrelated up to the point their lives intersect with the person we're actually here for. Melody." The satyr gestures to her. "Speaking of which, Melody was murdered by the same person who had killed Marianne after being psychologically tormented for an extended period of time." She eyes Tuhma. "And as our advocate will be eager to point out, Marianne was the one that had this person, Ilpholin Xar'chan, to do it. Something she would no doubt would have done anyway. But that, like Marianne's involvement in the murder, are completely irrelevant in this case. What we're here for is to discuss Melody's virtues, not the ones of her killers."
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Ironsmith
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

"...Pfffffthahahahaha~"

Tuhma frowns as the demoness bursts out laughing, slapping her knee. "Oh, she got you good!"

"...I remember her being easier to distract than that." The demon lawyer mutters to himself, scooping up a folder of papers from his table and tapping them back into a neat stack. "...Very well, then. And what, exactly would you say this woman's virtues are, precisely? Our records show almost nothing of merit in her past." The demon shrugs. "Oh, I'm sure you'll be able to say something about how she's never hurt anybody. How she's just a victim in all of this, she's suffered enough and it wouldn't be right to make her suffer more by sending her to the Abyss. But I think we all know that's not enough."

Tuhma gives a little pat to the demoness sitting next to him, who shoots him an annoyed glare in return. "Doing nothing is practically master Inertius's raison d'etre. She could not more clearly be bound for him."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Shadowcaller
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

"Do we? Since yes, you are actually correct. Melody is a victim. But that only makes it especially appalling when you are so quick to put the blame on her. Not that it's unprecedented." Jaahlyn gives Tuhma a quick glare before turning to the judge again.
"Since it isn't her fault that she has had to struggle against her own parents her entire life. But I want to bring the courts attention to that word, struggle. Since yes, Tuhma can show the court all the examples of her being out partying that he wants but those are only proof that she rebelled against the restrictions put on her. Melody wanted to strike out on her own, to be her own person rather than just accepting the mold her guardians wanted to put her in."

The satyr raises her hand. "I can't say what Melody would have accomplished once she had broken free of that mold since that opportunity was taken from her as well but the initiative was there. Since what I can say is that if she had just accepted that mold then she would have truly deserved whatever fate you believe those that do nothing deserve. Yet from what I can tell she fought against that tooth and nail. So Tuhma can say whatever he wants about her virtues but saying that she did nothing is just preposterous."

Jaahlyn turns to the accused now. "But tell me, Melody, what were your plans for the future? If it hadn't been taken from you that is." They hadn't had the time to prepare like last time so she hoped that Melody would tell her something good here.
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Ironsmith
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

"I... I, um..." Melody stiffens as Jaahlyn asks her what could potentially be a damning question, should she answer wrong. "...I... I was actually pursuing a degree... you know, back when I was, um... alive, the first time." She pokes her fingers together nervously.

"Really." Tuhma smirks. "And what, exactly, was that degree for?"

"Well, um..." Melody grimaces. "...That's not relevant to the trial, is it?"

"Oh, it's very relevant." The demon continues, standing and leaning against his table with a knowing little smirk. "Your parents wanted you to be a doctor, correct?"

"...Um, well... y-yeah..."

"And were you pursuing that career?"

"...I... I was pursuing a ca-"

"That's not what I asked." Tuhma purses his lips and steps toward her. "...Would you say you were incapable of being a doctor, miss Hopskins?"

"...Like, that I wasn't smart enough?"

"If you like." Tuhma shrugs. "Not everything is a matter of intellect. Suppose you just didn't have the stomach for it. Or the bedside manner. Or it was somehow a bad fit in some other sense. Would you say you were incapable?"

"...Um..." Melody looks over at Jaahlyn briefly, looking for some silent cue from her.

"I didn't ask her, I asked you." Tuhma admonishes. "And I'm still expecting an answer."

"...Well... maybe."

"Maybe? So you think it might have been in your capability? And yet instead you chose to pursue... let me see, I have it here somewhere..." Tuhma shuffles a few files around on his desk, before pulling up a mostly-blank sheet of paper and giving it a little smack. "...Nothing. You never picked a major, did you?"

"...What does that have to do with-"

"Did you ever consider becoming a doctor, Miss Hopskins?"

"I didn't have to!" Melody snaps. "Being a doctor is what my parents wanted for me, not what I wanted!"

"And what did you want, Melody?"

...Melody, unfortunately, doesn't have an answer for that.

"...That's what I thought." Tuhma gives a little shrug. "No direction of your own, save for rebelling against people you'd come to loathe. You had an option in front of you, a noble calling that cumulatively, could have saved hundreds of lives. Given the context of this court, it would not be out of line to say you could even have saved their souls, as there are so many people who, like you, are damned by lack of evidence of virtue, evidence which could be obtained after the years granted to them by a life-saving surgery. And yet you chose not to pursue this career, not because you were called elsewhere, but because you did not like the people who were pushing you toward it, is that right?"

"...I... I... I don't..."

Tuhma steps back and gives Jaahlyn a diabolical smirk, while Melody quietly sniffles and hides her face, not able to look her, or anyone else in the room, directly in the eye.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Shadowcaller
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

Jaahlyn practices her emotionless face as Tuhma speaks which wasn't nearly as easy as when she was using her death aspect.
Unfair was a word that kept repeating in her mind. The court hadn't even given her time to prepare this time. Nor had Melody told her any of this. If she hadn't been so distracted by those newspapers...

Perhaps she should ask for permission to punch Tuhma in the face? She was fairly sure she could take him in a fight-

-no, she had to focus here. This was far from over. Just had to improvise like she always did and focus... on not do bodily harm to Tuhma.

She responds to the smirk with a (metaphorically) deadly glare. Her tail wagging back and fourth as she walks which nearly causes it to brush right into the advocates face as she goes past him on her way back to Melody.

"Melody, whatever Tuhma think he's proven with your exchange, he's wrong." She starts, her voice strained as she had holding them back ever since Tuhma had gotten into this line of questioning in the first place.
You didn't want to be a doctor and the only reason Tuhma is framing that as a bad thing is that job is generally seen as respectable. If your parents had been pushing you to become a sex-worker, a cleaner or take any other low-status job there would have been no question about that you did the right thing to resist them." The satyr turns to look at the judge and the rest of the court.

"Since if anything, he's basically been proving my point here. Melody didn't just do what she was told, she resisted and tried to go her own path. Though may I remind the court, this has nothing to do with her virtues. Unless obeying your parents without question counts as a virtue here." Jaahlyn glances around, did they have glasses of water in the underworld? Since she could really use one by now.

But the show had to go on. At least for a little longer.

"Because if it does, it really shouldn't considering it would disqualify most if not all people who've ever been a teenager. Nor should becoming a doctor counts as a virtue in itself. In fact, this whole discussion seems to imply that we should judge Melody for not finding anything she felt passionate about until after she met her all too early demise which is frankly ridiculous. Her caretakers did nothing to help her find anything but what they had already decided that she should do. Which probably made it even harder to rebel against them."

She pauses, not just so the people listening could take it all in easier but to spare her voice.

"That said, as I've already suggested earlier, Melody has a passion. Music. That should really be obvious to everyone but as Tuhma has insisted on pointing out the obvious then perhaps that's needed now. Since if anything, Melody is perhaps the most positive influence within her band and that is actually a virtue unlike all the imagined sins that Tuhma has insisted on wasting the courts time with."
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Ironsmith
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

"Ah, yes, and that brings us to the heart of the matter for the court to hear today, doesn't it?" Tuhma chuckles. "As up until now, we have only been discussing the finer points of Miss Hopskins's first life. One the court has already ruled on, which was not in her favor." The demon lawyer leans against the table, supporting himself on his hands and just barely sitting over the lip of the table. "It seems necessary to contextualize what the court will be looking at today, which would be the intervening year. Not an especially long and prosperous life, is it?"

Tuhma gestures up at the screen overhead, which whirrs to life as he speaks. "So, how has Melody spent the past year? Has she, as Miss Hesperos claims, come to find herself with a calling, through music? Or has she yet again allowed herself to be pushed around and used as a tool?" The demon chortles. "And wouldn't you know it, there's some relevant footage from just before she died for the second time."

"...Please no..."
Melody wrote:...She said we were the first. That nobody had ever made music like we did before. We're the originals.

...God. You know, I hated running around onstage in those outfits she'd make me wear. I hated opening my mouth and having all this filth come out. I hated the way people would look at me while I was up on stage, like... Like I was just a piece of meat, or maybe a toy. But at least I could console myself with the fact that, hey, nobody had been our particular brand of depraved before. We were at least being clever.

...And come to learn that, no, people have apparently been doing this for years. I just hadn't met anyone old enough to remember.

...So what's that make me, then? A whore and an idiot? Letting myself be led on like this? Not saying anything? Just being some fucking set dressing? Just the fourth girl they apparently fucking needed to do their shit? Huh? Is that all I fucking am?!
"...Well, I'll give you this much; she's certainly passionate about her music." Tuhma quips as Melody sinks under the table. "But that hardly constitutes an improvement. She seems to have regressed from her more rebellious days, if anything."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

The fact they didn't rule in her favor the first time honestly made Jaahlyn question the judges judgement.
Was there some kind of quota of people that they had to condemn to hell or something? Since the fact that simple things like "not having life goals" was enough to condemn someone to eternal torture was just outrageous.
The afterlife she served might be worse in a lot of ways since people just ceased to exist when they died but at least there was no one claiming to be an arbiter of what was a good life or not. Especially with criteria like these.

Also, was laughing that much when you made your statements really appropriate? Not that it was the most outrageous thing Tuhma was up to but it was really starting to bother her.

"May I have a moment to talk to my client in private, your honor?" Jaahlyn inquires once Tuhma finishes his speech, trying to ignore the implications that these people were not only monitoring what people did but also their thoughts.
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

The angel sitting next to her and Melody lets out a quiet sigh as Jaahlyn makes her request; it's a little difficult to tell if that's out of relief or exasperation, or possibly both at once.

"Under the circumstances, a longer recess may be in order, Miss Hesperos." The judge says with a little nod. "The standard allotment is fifteen minutes. Use that time wisely." He gives the gavel a tap. "Court is now in recess."

At the other table, Tuhma sneaks Jaahlyn a little smirk before sitting down next to the demoness he's representing, who is yet again giving him some uncalled-for side-eye. The satyr might get the impression that Inertius is dissatisfied with this trial in some way, and is blaming Tuhma for the perceived failing.

Melody, meanwhile, is still far enough down in her seat that just the top of her head is poking out over the table, and she visibly winces when the gavel falls, despite the fact that she's clearly not going to the Abyss right away. Her still-wide eyes shift over to Jaahlyn, as though she's expecting the satyr to blow up at her over something... failing to let her know about her brief breakdown just before Ilpholin stabbed her to death, for instance. If Jaahlyn was paying attention at the time, she might remember hearing those exact words coming from Melody's mouth; Tuhma had somehow edited the clip to omit all the in-between actions, most likely for impact.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Shadowcaller
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

Jaahlyn makes a point of not looking in Tuhma's direction as she's expecting exactly that. Instead she turns her whole attention to Melody.
She approaches and gently places her hand on her shoulder as she leans in to whisper.
"Despite what it looks like right now, this is going well. I just need you to give me some material to close out on, alright? The fact it's going this well is honestly pretty amazing as Tuhma holds all the cards yet the best he can do with them is showing the court something that happened seconds before you died. So unless there's any other event, that you should mention to me, which he's saving for later I think we got this."
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

"...It is?" Melody asks incredulously. "...I... I really don't see how, but..." She glances up at the judge, over at Tuhma, and back to Jaahlyn. "...I believe you. I, um... I'm not sure how he'd be sitting on anything, I mean, his whole point is that I really didn't do that much between getting out of the Abyss and... well, now. Nothing that was just me, at any rate."

"It doesn't really have to be. All we really need is proof that you're willing to struggle for something. It doesn't have to be on your own, it just has to involve you."

"...Oh. Is that it? Um... I mean, pretty much all the concerts were a struggle, I don't think that's going to be a problem."

"...Let me rephrase." The angel folds her hands in her lap. "The whole point Tuhma's trying to make is that you're sort of just taking the path of least resistance in all your decision-making. The concerts aren't going to help, at least not without some extra context, since he's arguing that is the path of least resistance for you... staying near your friends and doing what they say, not having the guts to stand up to them and say 'no, this isn't what I want'. Being, in your own words, 'set dressing' for them." She nods toward Jaahlyn. "I don't think Miss Hesperos would have to go very far to find counterexamples; instances where you put your foot down and didn't let them walk all over you, or really challenged yourself for the sake of self-improvement. Did something hard when you had an easier, but not so virtuous, option. That sort of thing."

"...And if we can do that, I'm in the clear?"

"I can't guarantee it, but I don't think Tuhma will be able to salvage the case. It's hard to argue that you've been wrathful, lustful, greedy, gluttonous, proud, or envious. Or at least, to argue that you've been so to such a degree that it would ruin your chances at Elysium. Miss Hesperos is right; we're in the home stretch."

"...Okay, then. Okay." Melody runs her hands through her hair anxiously. "Okay okay okay. Okay. Just... just got to think of something that shows I can be brave, right?" The singer nods to herself. "Okay. That shouldn't be too hard. There... there has to be something. Okay."

A tense moment of silence passes as Melody racks her brain, and her hair, slowly growing more and more unsettled before collapsing into her chair again.

"...I can't think of anything." Melody shakes her head, hands on her temples. "I'm sorry, I can't... I can't think of anything. I can't. I just... I just can't."

"Shshshsh..." The angel puts a hand on Melody's shoulder, the singer letting out a low, quiet sigh of relief at the soothing touch. "We have time to go scrying if we need to. You'd be surprised what you can find in ten minutes." She looks at Jaahlyn. "...And we might not need to anyway. You were holding her soul inside you for a while, correct?"
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few,
And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

"I would argue that just breaking out of hell supports the fact you're not taking the path of least resistance, even if it was with the help with the rest of the band. You're the least experienced in the group so of course you have to lean on somebody. Your entire life you've been a victim of one thing after another so what Tuhma is advocating for is victim blaming essentially. You shouldn't even have to prove that you did something especially virtuous at this point since you haven't even been given an opportunity to." Jaahlyn argues in a calm and supporting tone.

Then she clears her voice.

"Also, just like I feel like it's worth mentioning, I have never seen anything like what you did on stage back there and I've been alive for like thousands of years. But believe it or not, both music and partial nudity had been invented even back then." The satyr smiles.

Then she turns to the angel. "Yes, I did. Though its not something I've had a lot of experience with. Not a soul like hers at least."
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

"Actually... neither of those is really going to work well as a defense here." The angel says with an awkward hiss. "The former because she didn't break out of the Abyss so much as she was broken out of the Abyss. And with three eager helpers, Tuhma might be able to extend his case as far as saying it was against her will, even."

"...Against my will to get out of hell?" Melody raises an eyebrow incredulously.

"Unlikely he'd win that particular point, but that's about the degree to which he'd have to push before we have any room to push back." The angel replies, straightening up. "The latter defense, claiming Tuhma's advocating victim blaming... well, a lot of cases having anything to do with Inertius tend to run into that one sooner or later. Victimhood isn't considered evidence of virtue, and worse, it limits her agency, which is going to make it difficult to find evidence of virtue. If we go up there and declare Melody to be a victim of circumstance and abuse, it may well cost us the trial."

The ex-succubus nervously runs a hand over her throat. "...That's kind of fucked, isn't it?"

"From a mortal perspective, certainly. There's a whole thing about why we're kind of okay with it here in divine court, but there really isn't time to get into it just now. We'll have to save that for later." The angel turns toward Jaahlyn. "Think of it this way. We aren't trying to prove her innocence. That's a futile exercise in a courtroom where her literal entire life is on trial. We're trying to prove she has potential. Tuhma's best case against Melody relies on her being unassertive, and therefore unable to truly change for the better, as she will never take it upon herself to change, because she doesn't take it upon herself to do anything."

"..." Melody falls silent, looking at her hands, fidgeting anxiously.

"Which, of course, I don't quite believe, myself. Unfortunately, we still need evidence of that to convince the judge."
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Re: Planeside

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[Peccatorium]

"I think I could argue my way out of the first one but-" The satyr let's out a small sigh. "-it isn't important anyway." Jaahlyn makes a dismissive gesture. "Since I already know this place is fucked up. By this logic you would condemn a toddler to hell since they have only relied on others their entire life. Since how exactly do you prove that a toddler has potential? You can't. So I must assume you send all children directly to hell around here." Her tone is grim but far from emotionless, a far cry from her 'death aspect'.
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

"Actually, toddlers get fast-tracked into Elysium." The angel says cheerily. "Very young children are essentially raw potential; it's easy to raise them into good people in the right environment. We call them cherubs and they are absolutely adorable." She lets out a wistful sigh, her smile fading a bit as she shaked her head. "Always a bit tragic, dealing with death at that age, though. Old enough to miss their parents, too young to understand what's going on. I've got three at home, myself, and I don't think I've ever seen anything more heartbreaking than one of those little angels looking up at me and asking where mommy is."

"...Wait, so if I'd died as a toddler, I'd be fine, but because my parents raised me first I went to the Abyss?" Melody frowns. "What are you saying, they basically ruined me for heaven?"

"That sort of mentality doesn't help... but in succinct terms, yes." The angel shakes her head. "Don't get me wrong. Your parents aren't looking too good in their prospects, either. They were negligent, cruel, and selfish, and their actions resulted in the sort of learned helplessness problem you have today. But this trial isn't about them; it's about you. If we were to push you through on the grounds that your parents were... how do I put this..."

"Assholes."

"Right, okay. If we were to push you through on the grounds that your parents were assholes, we'd have to consider the circumstances that led to them turning out that way, which would invariably involve your grandparents, your great-grandparents, your great-great grandparents, and so on. There's a whole branch of philosophy tied to that, and I could explain it all, but as we're pressed for time, I'll just ask you, does 'it's not my fault I'm blah, my great-grandma was a total jerk' pass the sniff test to you?"

"...Not really, no."

"You see. We work more on the grounds of personal accountability up here." The angel looks back to Jaahlyn. "How about you? Is that at all unclear?"
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
Who's like us?
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And they're aaaaall dead.
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Re: Planeside

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[Peccatorium]

"Right."

A curt reply with a longer pause as she tried to signify that she was done discussing this.
She had already got carried away and wasted time on something which ultimately wouldn't matter here.

Pragmatic.
She had to be pragmatic.

Then she is suddenly being addressed and the words just seem to fall into her mouth. "-so there's a certain assumption of guilt once you've above a certain age then? If you haven't had the opportunity to do a good act before you died it's assumed to be a sign that you're 'lazy'. Even if that's due to circumstances beyond your control, like in Melody's case."

...crap.
She had been supposed to say 'no'.

"I mean... it doesn't matter. It's just the insane dichotomy of it all. Either you're being tortured forever or you will have a swell time. Nothing in-between and judging by how the band members have reacted they don't even seem to realize this system exist." Even while she was trying she couldn't bring herself to let this go.
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

"We get that all the time." The angel replies evenly, steepling her fingers together. "It's only as sane as you would expect. On one side, you have a consortium of angels trying their hardest to sift through massive quantities of souls to save everyone that they can, through their human and therefore flawed lens. While they're going to get better over time, perfection and infallibility are not realistic expectations." She nods over toward the demons' table, where Tuhma is watching them with a satisfied smirk. "And on the other side, you have not one, not two, but seven beings of godlike power and their much-larger cabal of minions, who do everything in their power to prevent souls from being saved, and do not have to clear nearly as high a bar to accomplish that on an individual basis. If you were expecting fairness, you would not be the first one to be disappointed by reality."

"Two minutes." Tuhma taunts, chuckling at Jaahlyn.
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

Tuhma was sure obsessing over them with how he seems to catch every glance in his direction.
She wasn't sure what to think of that.
People often stared at her for one reason or another. Was he trying to get in a read on her or was there more to it? She couldn't imagine her appearance was too unusual for someone hanging around demons all the time.

Well, she wouldn't pay him more attention to him than necessary at least.

So she turns back to the others. "Doesn't sound too different from how things are in life to be honest." Jaahlyn mutters. "But quick, you mentioned me holding her soul inside for a while. You think I could find something good she's done?" She tries to rack her brain to recall something Melody done which could count as that.
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

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"More I think you probably found something, but yes." The angel replies. "She was dying. Her life was flashing before her eyes, so to speak, and you were there to see it. If there's anything you saw that could help her case, now would be the time to bring it up."

"...You needed a recess to tell her that?!"

"Along with everything else, yes."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

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Here's to us!
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

Jaahlyn let's out a sigh. "Let's just do this thing. Tell the judge we want to resume and I'll do my best."
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

Just as Jaahlyn finishes saying so, the judge gives his gavel a little tap, indicating the respite is over. How very convenient.

"Well?" Tuhma smirks as he stands up again. "Have you got any defense? Or should I inform the mulchmen of their new project?"
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

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Here's to us!
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

"Actually, that's a good question. Since I have one related to that for you, Tuhma. Just how many trials can a advocate fail before their master feed him to the mulchmen?" She looks to the demons side of the courtroom. "Is there a specific number or do you just decide it based on how much the advocate in question piss you off?"
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

The demon advocate frowns and steps back toward his table. "That sounded very much like a 'no' to me." He mumbles, unimpressed. "Shall I take that to mean we should move on to closing remarks?"

The judge shakes his head. "Not yet." He inclines his head toward Jaahlyn. "Miss Hesperos, please. We would still maintain some level of decorum in this court."
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

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Here's to us!
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

Rather than to reply to Tuhma, Jaahlyn turns to the judge. "We're ready to start procedures again. May I have the word then?" She inquires without as much as a glance at the advocate. "Since I have further context to provide you regarding the accused."
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Re: Planeside

Post by Ironsmith »

[Peccatorium]

The judge simply gives her a wordless nod and throws a pre-emptive glare in Tuhma's direction, silencing any further objections from him.
Who're you? ...Don't matter.

Want some rye? Course ya do!

Here's to us!
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Re: Planeside

Post by Shadowcaller »

[Peccatorium]

Jaahlyn clears her voice.
She had taken the opportunity to drink not one but several glasses of water during the break so she hoped her voice wouldn't fail her now.
"Let me first say that Melody have done something few have managed to do. She forgave her own murderer even when said murderer had set her up to fail in this very court. But despite getting one of the most final and harshest sentences possible she still somehow forgave her. I couldn't even believe that myself at first but Melody seems to indeed have a special quality to her." She makes a gesture at the succubi.

"Now, Tuhma might say that this is yet another proof of her meekness. That she wouldn't even stand up to her own murderer. But if that's a bad quality I wish that everyone had it. The world would be a lot better place if everyone was like Melody. Since yes, as Tuhma have argued again and again, Melody is meek. She cares what others think, she doesn't want to disappoint anyone despite how cruel and callous they might act towards her. But during all this time he has framed this as if that's some kind of character flaw."

The satyr shakes her head and then shots a glare at the advocate.

"It's not." She looks back to the judge.

"If Melody could say to have any 'flaw' it's caring about others to the point of her own detriment. That's why she hasn't been 'standing up to herself'. She's prioritized the need for others before her own time and time again. Exactly like Tuhma has tried to prove all this time. Since yes, there has been points where Melody has hated what her band has been doing. Yes, it isn't unique, yes she can feel degraded by it, yes it has made them an easy target for Mulchers and other terrorists. But I don't even need to look into that scrying device to know that she kept going despite all that."

Jaahlyn gestures towards the orb.
"Why?"

A dramatic pause.

Then she gestures back to Melody.

"Since she cares. Not only about her friends but the music she plays. As a musician myself I know that isn't like a dead-end job where you just keep going since it gets you food on the table. You need a burning passion and energy every time you write down lyrics, every time you perform on a stage. If Melody didn't have that in spades she wouldn't even be in the band. She would have quit or been kicked out a long time ago. That is the truth and Tuhma has helped me prove it."
Last edited by Shadowcaller on Mar 28, 2023 9:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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