A Drop of Justice 6 (Patreon)

A Drop of Justice 6 - Or ‘Playing Ace Attorney has never been so French!’ (Genshin Impact AU, Lawyer!SI)

Bubbles! What an odd phenomenon!

I wouldn’t say I was worried about what had transpired three days ago, but I sure as hell was confused by this very thing. Like, I had expected to have some sort of those ‘mystical powers’ born from Visions. A Hydro one coming from Furina would have been an acceptable outcome.

Yet I had no Vision on myself.

And I couldn’t replicate this phenomenon beyond just waking up to see my sweat being ‘taken away’ by these unexplainable bubbles. It was convenient as I would wake up less filthy than I usually am, but it kept on nagging me that something about the ‘poison’ could have been behind this situation.

Still, as the few days came by, I realized that my clientele had suffered a bit of a ‘decrease’ due to the few ‘petty’ statements from the Garde and my assistance to the ‘Fatui’. So, instead of wasting time hoping for this to fix itself without any personal intervention, I had booked an interview with a reporter of The Steambird.

I admit that it sounded a bit too delayed of a response, but I had long gauged that timing in handling this sort of stuff needed some patience. The ‘steam’ behind a big rumor can’t be exactly tackled early on without some proper planning.

A few days allowed for the rumor to run out of fuel and provide some cool-minded assessments to be drawn from the other side, which was my point of view on the matter.

Miss Charlotte had been recommended as a ‘suitable option’ when it comes to peculiar circumstances, so I was very glad when the young woman agreed to meet at the Café Lucerne in the Vasari Passage.

Maeve and I arrived there first, but Charlotte didn’t take too long to come and greet us. After ordering some coffees, we took a seat at one of the available tables, and the interview started as smoothly as possible.

“So, you had some awareness of your client’s connection with the Fatui, however, you ruled out that this affiliation may have played a role in the matter.”

“In truth I did find this to be a relevant factor, just not in the manner of incriminating my client. My understanding, as it became clear when I was handed the original version of these copied documents I still have, was that someone working with the protection of elements well-asserted in the establishment had tried to create a case on an innocent man. Had purposely tried to create reason by leveraging my former client’s affiliation- willingly ignoring the fact that the House of Hearth is indeed part of the Fatui, but not all members are known to be loyal to such institutions.”

“So, it’s your firm believe that your former client, Monsieur Freminet, is not involved with the Snezhnaya?” Charlotte inquired, her hands swiftly writing down what was being said.

“I do not think so. Upon first impression, Monsieur Freminet appeared to me as someone willing to pursue a rather productive civilian work, with no pressing interest which may be seen as aggressive or even violent,” I answered comfortably. “However, and this is a rather big hypothetical scenario, if he were to entertain a retaliatory position as the stain of being considered the ‘outsider’ once more, then I would understand his view and know where the blame is.”

“Where, monsieur Bukharin?” The pinkette pressed and I continued.

“The lack of a very basic rule: ‘innocent, until proven guilty’,” I brought up. “It may not sound important, but Fontaine does not have a proper law that protects the accused side. They are instantly known as the ‘guilty side’ or the ‘criminal side’. So, when it comes to cast proper judgment, it becomes difficult for defense attorneys to produce something of a ‘protective layer’ to work with when the people are already ‘certain’ that one of the sides is to be blamed. Which is why I have offered for a new law to be enshrined with the purpose of providing the same amount of respect an accusing party may have compared to the accused group.”

Charlotte nodded, her hands deft in catching all details. “I see, but do you… do you feel it will pass? I believe yours wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to pass such a law but was rejected on technicalities.”

“I am aware of this detail, which is why I have spent many weeks drafting the piece I delivered. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect, but it’s one of the best foundations for a good law meant to defeat any attempt to cast early judgment before any effort to follow the due process is made. The recent trial is also going to be taken as an example of the necessity for such a well-regulated law to be approved.”

“Your optimism is very refreshing, especially since some have aired that you have engaged in… intimate activities with your secretary. I suppose those are not true.”

I actually had a doubleback at that. They did what?! I saw Maeve almost fall off her chair upon hearing that, eyes wide open as the poor Melusine tried to make sense of what she had just heard.

“I-I am not the one that spread the rumors,” The reporter assured, embarrassed by the reactions. “But some have started to question such a thing and it would be fair for the readers to know more about this.”

“That’s… a first,” I finally spoke, trying to pick a point where to make it clear this was wrong. “Well, I will start by saying that if this really made it as a news and we will not see a redaction and apology within the next three days, then a few journalists and their employers will be met with a libel accusation for this sort of slanderous accusation.”

Charlotte held back a flinch as she knew the Steambird was not shy to tag along the shitfest when the news had the right amount of weight behind it. Still, she was safe as she didn’t seem like the individual that would write that sort of crap.

“Now, to explain why such an ‘affair’ would be impossible, one has to understand that the Melusine biology is not like us humans. Hell, I am sure you are aware that many Melusine walk around bottomless.”

“I have noticed,” Charlotte confirmed and my secretary jumped after that.

“We don’t have genitalia like you humans,” Maeve remarked calmly, lifting her jacket and showing that her chest, albeit sporting curves similar to small breasts, was devoid of curves. “We reproduce asexually and produce eggs through our mouth.”

“What about-”

“We have teeth going through our entire throat,” Maeve swiftly muttered, expecting a quip on the possibility of oral sex.

Charlotte’s blush and embarrassed look suggested something else. “A-Actually, I wanted to ask about how you two came to live together in the same place. After all, that’s where the rumor started to pick up ‘source’ from.”

I leaned back on my chair, thoughtfully looking at the old memories that saw me arrive in Fontaine and being given that one good act of kindness that started this ball entirely.

“You mean our first trial?”

Maeve perked when I tended to word it that way. It made her feel less ‘guilty’ about what happened, and more like it was the first time we acted as an unlikely team. She barely had any clue of Fontaine, while I was completely aimless.

We both struck a good balance and the work-basis pretty much helped us overcome the little injustice that could have seen her banished from Fontaine due to her being Moraless and unable to pay any fee for losing that trial.

“That’s correct. You two just started from nothing and made it to the point of incredible relevance within the Court in less than a few months. You have established records by becoming so prominent that many now utter your names when discussing trials,” Charlotte elaborated. “Many feel it would make sense that with that kind of collaboration something like a love story or more could be born from that.”

I chuckled at it. “I love Maeve quite dearly, but I think I speak for us both when I say that we just can’t look at that perspective for a very simple reason. We are friends and coworkers, beyond that it wouldn’t make much sense.”

“One doesn’t need to be a lover to trust someone with their full heart,” Maeve added mirthfully. “John is my boss and my best friend, and that’s all I need to be happy.”

Offering a smile, Charlotte nodded and the interview ended up positively. The paper published the next day would contain the full unredacted piece, and, much to my delight, it also added an apology from the Steambird in regard of ‘believing unproved rumors and ashaming the journalist pride they were so earnest to protect for their readers’ sake’.

A good PR game for me, but one that did little to change the minds of those that had already decided that I deserved to suffer.

Especially those that had all the right reasons to be shocked about my survival after being injected with an unhealthy and unstable version of the infamous Sinthe drug.

—--------d-d-d-d—-----------

AN

Bubbles!

And Maeve is now here!