The tavern patrons murmur to themselves, everyone has their eyes on you.

"Is that Dragonborn really Paulis'apprentice? You mean that guy who regularly explodes deer for no reason?" 

"What did they even do to Paulis anyway? How did they get to him?" 

"I've always known that guy was a jerk!"

It seems like people also don't like Paulis either, he's like that grumpy old neighbour who yells at random kids who walk past by, except he can turn anyone into a pile of dust with a point of his finger.

"Listen, Miss, if you want to have a one-on-one with that elf, you can just go to the barracks at the fort to fight, don't do it in my room or in the alleyway beside my tavern." The barkeeper says, looking tired. "And no, in this place, you can only book three rooms maximum because each room has two beds meaning there will be 80 fewer customers for me tonight, it will be a huge loss."

He points to the door, "Here's my tip, get out of here." 

"What!" Karina clenches her fist, cold vapour forming at her mouth. "I want to speak to the manager—Gah!" She walks backwards and trips on Liivi's tail, because Liivi is so strong (more than 14 STR), the Tabaxi doesn't even move, but that is enough to send the Dragonborn face-planting into the ground.

You hear a few chuckle from the crowd, and Karina races for the exit, no style, no grace.

The centaur barkeeper beckons you all to come sit down, and the vibes of the tavern slowly go back to normal. People begin chatting and drinking again, but most conversation topic seems to be about Karina.

"People can act so uncivilised sometimes, they just fight with anything they see and hold grudges that last for centuries." The centaur grabs a beer from under the desk and pours some into a glass, he then slides it to you. "The drink is on me," In Perkwunos, beer is typically served at cellar temperature (Around 15 Celsius) with no ice, and they deem any other way to drink beer socially unacceptable. 

"I saw what you did in the market today, you fought those mercs off like a champ and you actually saved some lives too." He gives a slight smile. 

When he sees Mira, he gives her a bow, he is the first person who actually bowed and recognised her. Everyone knows the duke and duchess, but most people (With the exception of fellow royalties) don't get to know that much about the duke or duchess' family.

"Greetings, Lady Mira." Finishing his bow, he looks back at her. "I supposed you're here for Elmars' wedding, am I right?"

Liivi had been a bit taken aback by Maya's forceful actions with Mira. Her immediate instinct had been to counter Maya with force, but she quickly realized that would have only escalated things when they really ought to be focused on what Katarina was doing.  So, she ended up just keeping quiet as the Dragonborn started accusing them of all sorts of things. 'And just throwing money around buying up rooms? Why are they so invested in being so petty?' she thinks. 

When Katarina steps back and trips, she is again surprised, but unfazed.  She keeps her hands slightly raised, as though to indicate to everyone that she was doing nothing to this person. Liivi actually turns, leaning down just a bit to check on her. "Are you alright? That..."  Her voice trails off as Katarina makes her hasty exit. 

She straightens herself, looking first to the centaur barkeeper. "Our apologies for the disruption. That was indeed an apprentice of Paulis. Clearly, they have some exaggerated grievance with us."  She then looks around at the others, her eyes lingering a bit more on Mira as she makes sure she is alright after Maya's treatment of her. "I do think we wanted to see about rooms. It's been a long day for us. And I think some food as well."  She smiles, "It at least appears you have rooms available?" 

'Hopefully things can stay calm for a decent night's rest,' she thinks. 'It certainly worked to our advantage that this crowd was not fond of Paulis. This could have been bad otherwise.' 

Renar

I'll admit, when Alek and Shugo stood their ground behind me, I wanted to smile in triumph. I wanted to, but I couldn't. Not when Okaa-san was on the verge of exploding. And that's when I also see her leave with Mira-san and Alek... “Wait, hold on.” I call out to the two with a raised hand. Now that the situation has quelled, I don't think there's any need to leave for the church anymore. Speaking of which... I suddenly almost forgot that my own mother is currently wrangling the second queen and began to startle at the latter's desperation to be released. I hope she's not choking her... “Oka- I mean… Maya-san. Release her please. You're suffocating her.” I warn her with a little bit of panic in my voice. Once the situation has settled, I nod at Alek and Shugo for standing their ground, though to the latter, that's also telling him to go after the dragon girl if he's still willing. My claws retract too from earlier and I relaxed in relief, though at this point I didn’t really feel like doing anything else anymore either; I just want to sleep.

“I'll pass on the drink.” I politely reply, but even so, I immediately remained alert for the next few minutes, until I finally decided to withdraw back into the seat that's far away from the rest where I last claimed, regardless of if anyone else joins me or not. I observed from a distance, but not before I flashed a small grin on my face at how well they handled it themselves. Is this what you mean by spot the flaws vs understand the good, Rixi-kun? I think to myself as I let the rest chatter away for the night. I'm also glad that the rest of the crowd is with us too. I was worried that they'd attempt to convince us otherwise.That is until I noticed Okaa-san sit down in defeat next to me. I couldn't help but widen my smirk as I gave her a head pat underneath her hood and stroked her lovely fox ears, just like how I wished she did when I was little and all alone in the wild. “Tomorrow. It'll all be over tomorrow. We'll make our next move and put the trial and the wedding behind us tomorrow.” I assure her before my stomach growls. "Heh... You hungry?"

Mira

As Maya chooses to release the furious queen, she instantly drops down to the floor on her knees and coughs rather loudly to regain the lost oxygen that the hooded woman had sapped through her sheer strength. The taste of her perfume overwhelms her entire mouth as she gasps for air. What the heck- what is this smell? I wasn't expecting this at all... What's with her?! How strong is she?! Is she even human?! She thinks to herself as her senses slowly return; She didn't even have any room to react to Karina's rather pathetic exit either as her eyes briefly trailed on the dragonborn that she so wanted to wrangle with her own words. Ugh… either way… “Good riddance. Thank you especially… for not escalating things. You have my respect.” She tells the barkeeper. She clearly didn't ask for an all out brawl in a critical rest area for sure, but whatever. Even so, she slightly bows down to everyone else who understood and backed her up… Especially the boys. “I'm glad I made the right choice to trust you all.” She says, though her sour tone and appalled expression says otherwise about her current mood. “Shugo… if you still need to talk to her, do so now. We're not going anywhere anymore.” She warns him if he still intends to chase after her.

When the barkeeper suddenly bows down to her as a sign of respect, suddenly, Mira's rash attitude fades altogether. Her face suddenly morphs into one of surprise as she drops her rather feral expression. Standing next to the faithful Liivi, she does her best to regain her posture as she clears her throat and courtesies back. “Oh uh… it's a... a pleasure t-to meet you as well. Uh... d… d-don’t uh… don't mention, as Liivi said… y-yeah. I am, in fact… we all are. All… all six of us.” She stutters with several wheezes in her breathing, but it's obvious her voice doesn't sound hostile anymore. She isn't used to the fact that there are people who recognize her royal status; Everywhere she went the gazes she received were ones of mostly indifference, like she's just a commoner like them. So for her, being actually perceived as a royal is a first. Noticing that Liivi's keeping an eye on her, she nods back as a confirmation that she's fine despite witnessing Maya's sheer strength first-hand. “Oh! You did?” The moment the barkeeper mentions that he saw them fend off the bandits, her face lightens up. “Um… well, if you speak the truth then… that would be really useful, really…” She halts upon realising that she hasn't explained what has occurred yet.

“Oh, I'm truly sorry but… since you weren't around… I… well… other than my pal Liivi here, um… I don't exactly know what happened prior but, those four… you know…” She points to Alek, Shugo, and then Renar and Maya who have suddenly disappeared back to where the rest were originally seated; She sighs at their movement. “Somehow they... they ended up in a trial for doing what I assume are good deeds. I know it doesn't make sense but it is tomorrow; Me and Liivi are supposed to be their witnesses. If you said you saw us fighting for what is right, then I'd really appreciated if your evidence is able to help us. And… besides… when I was captured by that Cezars guy and his fellows… they did save me after all. I was terrified of what would happen to me, so uh… I owe my gratitude to them, really." Feeling that she's making him uneasy, she stops there just so she doesn't carry on about the situation for too long. "Anyways, I'm sure you heard Liivi right?" She smiles as her stomach then growls. "ULP- uh... sorry... Um... anyways, we'd love to stay here for the night so... of course, please do as you wish. Though I'll also pass on the beer. Thank you nonetheless, sir."

At this point Maya had almost stepped out of the tavern with Mira when Renar suddenly called her to stop and made her turn her head back abruptly. Nanisdeshou?! (なにんでしょう?! What do you want now?!) She wanted to scream in his face, her entire mood has been wracked in disarray ever since Karina had the guts to call her a monster again. At least until he calls out to her about her current grip on Mira; Realizing that her strength is probably too much, she lets go of Mira as the latter calms down and regains her breath. Then she silently withdraws back to where Renar is, her mind already shaken. She feels really overwhelmed at the moment; She wants to break down now. She really wants to. That is… until Renar suddenly heatpats her directly, not just on her cloak itself but on her head directly, from her silky hair and then on her rather sensitive fox ears and looks up in surprise. It was rare of him to be doing something like this to anyone before... or maybe because he was seriously worried about her.

Regardless, her thoughts about Karina temporarily vanish as she nods back to her son in thanks, her hands on her chin to convey her shyness. Having been calmed down by her son, she composes herself again, though she is struggling to hold her tears whilst her head is arched downwards. Even so, she's Neverwinter's current queen after all. She needs to keep her character in check. She can’t even imagine what would happen if the whole of Neverwinter saw her in this broken down state either. “Yeah… hungry…” She murmurs, her voice sore and shaky from earlier.

The bartender writes down a note and passes it to the server. Shortly after, they come back with five bowls of stew and a bow of chunky vegetable curry for Mira.

"Passenger pigeon stew, normally it would cost around 2 gold, but I know this is a long day for you, so I won't charge you for anything." The bartender says. In the medieval era, pigeons were considered to be a delicacy, a food fit for kings and emperors, it was also the reason why passenger pigeons went extinct in real life. 

"You're a good person, you know, you stand up for what you think is right. Most people here wouldn't bat an eye, but you did, that's why I'll go and testify too, along with a bunch of other people." The bartender clears his throat, "And I heard that the press will be here too, soon enough, all of Kerwos will hear about your heroic deeds and how terrible Cezars is."

In Lancea, news comes in the form of newspapers, which are magically enhanced to have moving pictures (like in Harry Potter) and even sounds. But other than that, it works exactly like how you'd imagine a newspaper would be.

"Make sure to write down what you want to say to the press, you only get one chance and you shouldn't mess this up." He places down a key. "Your room is 202, go upstairs and it's the first room to your right, it will be 2 gold for a night." He says.

The pigeon stew tastes really good, a little kick of spice and the meat is medium rare—passenger pigeons are much more clean than chicken and they can be eaten without being fully cooked.

"And one more thing," The bartender glances back. "Before you came here to Madura, you were at Paulis' place, correct? I've heard some strange things happening to that place. Apparently, last night, a farmer who lived there said three of her sheep were killed and gutted. When it happened, she said she saw a fox-like creature roaming around the place, white-tipped tail and all. I'm not sure if that's a werefox or not, but this is probably something the reporters will ask you, so be prepared with answers." He goes back to cleaning the glasses after dropping a bombshell of information.

You know you were not at any farms during your visit to Paulis, but this probably won't be enough to interfere with tomorrow's case. After all, people are still oblivious to Renar and Maya's true nature.

For Renar and Maya

Renar

The moment our food reached the table that me and Okaa-san were sitting at by ourselves, I couldn't resist the urge to have a sniff of it on my own. I couldn't help but smile to myself too; I was happy to have my appetite return after these agonizing diversions almost ruined my mood for the past week or so. Haha... finally... something that's worth attracting my sense of smell. Itadakimasu! Is what me and my mother would've said out loud and with our hands clasped if it wasn't for the awful language barrier. During the meal, the thoughts of wanting to recharge my brain after enduring every single mental barrier… until a sudden realisation suddenly activates the nausea from what I just ate. And it was regarding what I… or who… I was mainly standing up for during the past month or so here. I had been speaking up for my mother, Alek... Shugo-kun... Mira-san... I had been speaking up for everyone... except for myself; All this time I didn't think of what to say for our trial on my end. Even if I have anything to say to the press... is it even worth writing down? Okaa-san definitely has a lot... but myself? The thoughts did hover over my surroundings like illusions to my eyes, but I decided to fend it off as I shook my head and continued finishing this worthwhile meal. And then I overhear some kind of… fox? Werefox? I couldn’t really hear all of the details since I was sitting so far away from the bar itself… but it must be serious. What were they even talking about? Either way, it didn’t really dwell on me as much as the next irritation to my ears: That we’re all gonna have to share one single room instead of splitting up into two or three. That sucks… unless everyone's still willing to hear what Okaa-san has in store for the upcoming sabotage, this is gonna hurt.

"Seems like we won't be able to go through what you have in store; There's only one dorm left it seems. Unless you intend to reveal it to everyone..." I frown… at least until I realised she wasn’t smiling anymore and I panicked. “What? Why are you staring at me like that? What did I do???” I frantically asked her, though I got no reply as she got out of her seat and rushed somewhere... What was that all about? Either way, I didn’t let that sink into my brain for too long as I rose up too. Whipping my head around to make sure nothing else could occur, I exited scout mode for the time being as I then approached the bar and handed him 12 gold pieces for the night; Two for each of us. "The 12 gold's on me… and also for the food that I would like to eat again if I come here. Take it or leave it." I tell both Mira-san and the bartender before I head upstairs without even batting an eyelid. I didn’t even bother to gaze at the surroundings of the night’s stay as I plop my backpack down on the floor and flop back first on a rather comfy bed, my eyes gazing up at the ceiling in a lost, miffed daze. Sigh… What should I say… Or should I just speak for my mother only? I kept thinking to myself, even as the others arrive to see me and my mother in our current states.

Mira

When their long awaited dinner finally comes to them, initially the scent of the pigeon stew stung her rather sensitive nose especially with Liivi adjacent towards her left eating the same thing. Nonetheless, when her veggie curry arrives, she didn't even hesitate to dig in on her own accord. However, she does wait until her new tabaxi friend sets up first before she eats alongside her; Normally she was taught to wait for her guests to settle down besides her before she could begin her meal as a sign of courtesy. But right now, all she cares about is not starving. Besides Liivi, the others have pretty much dispersed, with Shugo presumably catching up to Karina and those two hooded figures sitting a mile away from where the two Lancean ladies are. Thankfully, the sudden voice of the barkeeper caught her attention and her first instinct was to engage in conversation with him once she finishes her share.

"Actually... other way around... We came to Madura first to catch a break- wait... no..." She suddenly becomes bewildered and turns to the two remaining swordfighters nearby (Alek and Liivi). "Um... gimme a moment... Alek... Liivi… I'm confused. Did we come here first? Or... did we actually go to Paulis and wreck his abode to pieces before we got here? I need help in backtracking..."

Her thoughts were then interrupted by the bar keeper telling her of a potential predator on the loose and her rabbit ears perk up. "Wait... werefox?" Mira replies confused. The thought of the allies encountering one on their way to Paulis didn't occur to her at all. "Haha... uh... I would like to say kitsune, since I've long dreamed to meet one but um... aren't those guys supposed to be long gone by now? Or am I just assuming things?" She did take a glance at the oddballs once again though at their somewhat unusual reactions to this interesting news. Have they perhaps seen something similar? The only time she recalls not being in their line of sight is down at the underground base where she found the remnants of the USL, but she’s unsure of how it would relate to the recent sheep killings. Unless of course if those perpetrators were in fact supposed escapees, that could explain things and especially why those two remained so quiet down there, but again, she’s not sure… “Hmm… yeah I don’t know. I don’t think neither of us have seen anything on our part. Especially Liivi here… she has no clue of what I went through for sure.” She puts a paw to her chin. Of course, when that moment fleeted, Mira couldn’t help but respond appropriately to how much the bartender was charging them for their nightly stay; She had to delve deep into her purse to see if she brought enough money to pay for the night's expenses... there's 6 of them... 12 GP in total... She should have enough as she rummages her tiny pouch fiercely... "Two... four... six... eight..." She goes through each piece one by one, counting them on her tiny paws until a sudden lurch in her stomach causes her to halt midway, before she falters at the last word and her arms slow down to a halt.

"Ten..."

She didn't bring enough with her; Either that or she had forgotten to take note of how much she spent before she came here. She helplessly looks at Liivi and Alek… “Oh shoot... Hey uh… you guys... uh... care to split-” Before she could even finish asking them though, Renar suddenly but calmly dumps the twelve gold they needed to pay for the night, leaving her to blink twice. “Um… ok…” She stutters as Renar just hands the barkeeper the twelve gold without even elaborating and leaves her, Liivi and Alek where they are. She doesn’t really follow him up anyways. For now she just sat there in silence with her head arched down in confusion, partially hoping that either Liivi or Alek would be willing to resume chatting over small details just to get her mood up again.

When their long awaited dinner arrives, Maya could already sense her stomach growling in response to the scent she's sniffing with her strong nose. Gazing at her stoic son, she finds that his mood had been temporarily replaced with delight and beams even more at the pleasant sight. Claspgin her hands together, she giggles lightly before she begins to dig in; Itadakimasu! The moment she catches whiff of Renar rapidly chowing down his food, Maya does the same, albeit at a much slower pace than he is going. The food wasn't as tasty as she hoped, but it's good enough, as long as her son is okay with it of course. The only time when she put her feast to a hiatus though came after her fox ears pick up something disturbing... and that was the news of some fox-like monster hunting and killing livestock; She knows who they are... and especially who shunned them away at first sight... The moment she hears this, Maya's face suddenly morphs into a rather furious glare at the person who's sitting across her and asking what did he do, much to her irritation.

Baka! Anata no mukanshina kuchō ga! Are wa watashitachi ga soko de deatta `kitsune' datta no? Anata ga oiharawanakereba… kon'na uwasa ga totsuzen fujō suru koto mo nakatta kamo shirenainoni! (バカ！あなたの無関心な口調が！あれは私たちがそこで出会った「キツネ」だったの？あなたが追い払わなければ…こんな噂が突然浮上することもなかったかもしれないのに, Idiot! You and your apathetic mouth! Those were the 'kitsune' we met down there weren't they? If you hadn't pushed them away... maybe this rumour wouldn't have surfaced out of nowhere like that!) She fumes with her gaze aimed at her perpetrator specifically. Despite this, she doesn't really say much as she rises from her seat and leaves him and the rest be as she heads to the bathrooms for a bit. The moment she finished, Maya contemplates on either going upstairs to crash out for the night or... she looks back to her table and finds her son gone... Seeing that she's not in the mood to attempt to converse to anyone anymore, especially with this language barrier, she heads upstairs... only to find Renar lying flatly on a bed in full view, causing her to stand out in the hallway in silence as she stares with a mix of surprise and blankness... for now.

And so, you go into your room and rest for the day.
---
13th April -1C 4983 CY

The next day came, cloudy and foggy, the air feels very humid, but there is no rain.

It is a short walk to the courthouse, but once you're there, several people are already waiting in the queue.

There are lot of familiar faces among the crowd, there's Simo and Elsa, he found Cezars summoning that demon in the cave earlier, so he can testify.

There are Maigurs and Adolfs among the crowd too, the two are having a chat together, and once they see you, they give you a wave. Maigurs got beaten by Cezars the first time you met him, and Adolfs was the once who caught Cezars in the first place.

Soon enough, you see a bunch of journalists lining up and conducting everyone an interview, and all of them are from different corners of the globe—some have ash-coloured skin, some have silver scales, some wear feather trinkets on their necks, some wear turbans on their head.

Soon enough, they see you and they walk over to you, pointing an orb at your face. Some of these magical orbs can record sound or picture, so it's like microphone with magic.

"Now that the trial is about to start with you as the main focus, can you comment more on the situation?"

"What do you think about the artefact? What will you use it for?"

"Who do you think who should be the next king or queen of Kerwos, now that Vladimirs XII is about to die?"

"Do you think Cezars deserve the death penalty?"

That one reporter who just asked that question shuts up everyone around her. Most countries in Lancea abolished death penalty a long time ago, they believed it to be barbaric and the relic of the old USL days, where everyone who speak against the government gets put to the gutter, besides, executing a criminal still technically count as killing someone.

But that doesn't mean countries that still keep the death penalty won't find a creative way to 'dispose' of someone. Sometimes, the guard just stop feeding the prisoner and wait until they starve to death, sometimes they just tie the prisoner to a stick and wait for the high tide to drown them.

From what you know, death penalty isn't swift, it's very slow and painful, the most cruel way to die reserved only to the most wicked criminals to ever walk the face of God's Creation.

What will you say to the press?

Maya was one of the first to wake up. Seeing that everyone else was still asleep, she goes over to her son and rubs her palms over his head gently with a smile, like how she’d envision a mother would tend to her child in the morning, but she left him to sleep afterwards. She eyes the rest too; it's a shame she's unable to talk to them last night, because she has so much to say, but no matter. Right now she stretches her arms and drops her fluffy tail briefly to let it sway about befoer she tucks back underneath her cloak. Last night she was in a wreck, but today, despite the fact that the day of their trial has come, her mood has reverted back to the wise and patient mother she had been at the start; she felt as if she’s gone through a system reset. Descending the stairs, she has a fairly quiet start to the day, even when the others finally arise and greet her. Of course, she had to reply to them with a struggled stammer too; 

Arriving at the place with the group, the combined frenzy of the interviewers and the blinding camera flashes caused her anxiety to spike again as she covers her eyes and winces repeatedly with quiet fox yelps; Not that she was able to speak for herself or for the group with the planet’s hatred for her language, she grabs Renar’s arm whilst he attempts to speak and bolts right past the rest, even if the others aren’t keen to dash with her.

"I said I have no intention to fi-" Shugo is cut off before he can finish his sentence. Karina didn't even seem to be listening to him anyway. At first he sighs, but as the situation continues his usual smile returns to his face. Not only does he find the dragonborn's fumbling a bit amusing, but the reaction from everyone in the inn was a pleasant reminder that not everyone in this place is out to get them. 

Before Mira states he should talk to Karina now, he had already started to follow the dragonborn. He hadn't really intended to talk to her at the moment, he'd only wanted to make sure she knew that he was willing to talk. The way she'd talked to the barkeep make it sound like it was her rather than Paulis who wanted to talk to him, and he wants to know why. "Alright, I'll see if she wants to talk now, or I'll just see if she's willing to meet at a specific time and location another day." He says to Mira before looking to Renar. "I shouldn't be long, but if I don't return within an hour assume she got the jump on me." With that he exits the inn after Karina.

Outside the tavern if he can catch Karina:

After going back inside:

When offered free food and drink by the barkeep, as usual Shugo does not turn it down. He helps himself to the food, though he does take care to be sparing with the drink... he doesn't need a hangover tonight. Once everyone starts winding down, he retreats to his room to get some rest.

_

As the party approaches the courthouse, Shugo grins at the familiar faces. However his grin falters a bit when they are suddenly swarmed by the press. Despite being a pretty social guy, he's never had this kind of treatment before. The questions are a bit overwhelming, especially the one about who should be the next ruler. That one doesn't seem like something they should be asking at a trial. Especially when half of them aren't even from this country. Then theirs the one about the death penalty, he'd never understood people's opinions of it. Choosing to let someone starve or drown is no different than Choosing to slit someone's throat. If anything it's even more cruel. Either way, it is still your choice to not feed someone or to swing a blade. This is something he'd thought about far before he'd gotten caught up in whatever mess he's in now. Though before now he hadn't really thought about killing anyone himself. Though he can't lie, he knows that he would feel less guilty putting someone out of their misery than letting them suffer. And at this point, he knows he wouldn't hesitate to kill someone threatening his loved ones. He's never been very religious, but if god thinks that torturing someone is fine so long as you don't kill them, but killing someone out of self defense for yourself or your loved ones is damning, then he'll gladly face hell's flames. If Janus is really a demon then hell doesn't sound all that bad anyway. 

He blinks realizing he'd spaced off for a moment, and there is still a glowing orb in his face. "Uuuh." He says stupidly as he squints at nothing. He tries to think of something to say. He really just wants to say 'no comment' to everything, but he's not sure how that will look. Does Cezars deserve the death penalty? Well, if the only information they had about him was all the bad things the guy had done, he wouldn't be able to say no... (if it was a humane death penalty) but knowing that Cezars may be being manipulated by his aunt.... and possibly an evil spirit he can't say Yes. The only one he would be able to say yes to the death penalty for... is that woman... She's the reason Cezars is like that, and she's the reason for his sister's.... and his suffering. Not to mention everyone else she's tortured. Yeah, even with the cruelty of the death penalty, he wouldn't have issue letting her suffer and die. ...even Paulis... that tortle, he's already practically planned to become a mass murderer, and he's still torturing those brains... He shuts his eyes, trying to clear his head. He doesn't think he can give the press a strait answer at the moment. There's no way he could explain everything that's going on with Cezars to them. Not to mention he's not sure he understands it well enough to tell them about it anyway. He'll have to leave that up to Alex and maybe Mira. Mira.... he hopes she doesn't just start spouting that she's going to become Queen. That could be a double edged sword. Doing so now could very well gain her some followers, but it would also create even more enemies, and paint a bigger target on her back. 

Perhaps it would be best to stay a bit vague with the press... For once in his life he's at a loss for what to say. Perhaps he should wait until Alex... or even Renar speak up. The last thing he wants to do is say something that contradicts what they say.

Renar

The other night Shugo told me about him confronting the dragon girl and . Though I didn’t really have a response to that, I nodded back to him to confirm I got his message. Afterwards I almost forgot about it as I headed upstairs and lay on my bed in blank space… The only time when I remembered Shugo saying this was when he came back… ugh, no matter. At least he came back safely… That’s all that matters for now.

The next day I felt something gentle stroke my head whilst I stirred and slowly opened my eyes from my bed; There’s only one person who would do this to me at the moment… Okaa-san. It must be her. I guess the day has come… the time when I hope we can just get our case done right and… and dusted. Eyeing the rest as they head out of the room, I was the last one to leave, mostly because I was left hanging about how either myself or Okaa-san would handle our cases… For the first time since… since nearly dying at Icewind Dale… I was scared.

Though I kept rehearsing what I thought of what to say for the trial, when the roar of the crowd struck the edges of my poor eardrum, I felt the urge to retreat instead of standing my ground. I forgot that the stupid media would be standing at the foot of the court room’s entrance all the more and attempt to extract whatever useless info we have of us, which is definitely not what I’m looking forward to; It’s like Japan, where I’ve watched it countless times on TV where the perpetrator is being flashed at with cameras and microphones… Throughout this stage I couldn’t even digest the questions they’re asking me because I’m just shifting my attention to not get blinded in the face before I even step foot in the courtroom. Also… I peeked at those floating spherical thingies in confusion… what are those orbs? Are those like… modern cameras or something that Rixi and Ethan use? 

“S-sorry, I can’t speak… because you… y-you guys are- WHA HEY! LET ME GO!” I suddenly felt Okaa-san dragging me across my heels painfully before she forces me to dip behind a door away from the crowd; I couldn’t break myself free from her grasp until she let go of me when she thinks it’s safe. What’s with my mother today?! I was in the middle of making my statement! Why did she have to do that?! Having had enough of her cowardly attitude after seeing her like this for the past week whilst we’re stuck together, I grabbed her by the collar of her cloak furiously whilst the two of us stayed behind the doors, away from the rest. “What is your problem?!” I snarl at her silently so that no one can hear my anger. “You have any idea what you’re doing?! Don’t just run off from them just because you’re scared to face them! This is the exact reason why people misinterpret as the perpetrators! Just because you force yourself and me out of difficult situations like this?!” I had to remind myself that this was my mother I was screaming at… I forced myself to tone down for this moment only. “Omae… what… what’s with you? If you’re scared… I… I get… but… this isn’t… this isn’t the attitude I expected from… from my queen… from my own… mother… Not everything’s about us you know…!”

Mira

The night before, seeing that no one was in the mood to lighten up, Mira just called it an early night like the rest. In the morning, she yawns loudly, the sun beams briefly dazzling her eyes as she eyes her snoozing teammates minus Maya who presumably headed out beforehand. “Mornin… yawn…hey… we’re missing someone. Where’s Maya?” She tenses a little upon exiting the dorm, though when she steps out she notices her having breakfast all by herself, and she relaxes again. During this time, Mira practised mentally in her head of what she has to say, as she is one of their witnesses after all alongside Liivi. For now, she retains her faith that the trial would go smoothly in the long run… or so she hoped… 

The moment she reaches the towering steps of the courtroom, she had to puff out her chest and stiffen her back straight much like how a noble themselves would; As the future ruler of Platone, this is eventually what she’ll have to size up for during her reign. As the future queen of Platone, she can’t afford to lose her character; These people minus Liivi saved her. She’ll have to deal with this on a daily basis, so this would be the foundations for her development. Despite this, the flashes of bright light briefly stagger her on her feet. Not to mention she can’t stand the fact that the questions they’re asking her, she’s got almost nothing to say about them, besides the fact that she herself is the reason why she’s running for Queen, plus the stupid trial centering around her allies minus Liivi and herself... “Excuse me, sorry… pardon us but… if you can all please stand back and not rush at us with those awful orbs of yours? Look at them! The more you ask the less likely they’ll speak up! Give them some… give us some breathing room please!” Mira attempts to reason the crowd to at least lower their demand for their answers when someone does it for her. “Thank you, madam. Now if you excuse us, the six of us would like to-” She tells her when suddenly, she spots Renar and Maya taking off into the entrance of the building, with the latter wrangling the former; The last thing she hopes that they’d do right in front of the press. This is the type of behaviour that could go against their favour during the trial, even if it doesn’t mean any harm. 

“Wait, what the-?! Renar! Maya! What are you two doing?! Come back! We haven’t even started-!” Mira yells out in a panic before she hastily apologizes to the floating orbs and the crowd with a courtesy. “Ah shoot… Um… my sincere apologies! Those two… I uh... I don’t know what’s with them but t-they’re unusually shy and cowardly… please excuse them, um… I don’t think any of us here have known them for long… uh…” Desperate not to direct all the tension on her, she turns back to Shugo, Liivi and Alek, her stiff body in danger of collapsing into a slouch.  "Ugh… Liivi? Shugo? Alek? You have anything to say? I…” Having kind of learnt her lesson the previous night about speaking before she thinks, she holds her breath until everyone else makes their decision. She has a lot to say, but with the team feeling very disoriented, it felt as if her thoughts vanished into thin air. “Um… uh… so sorry... l-let me... let me go through again… um… but…” For crying out loud, these bozos… I wanna wrangle them with my own two paws one day. I need them to stop this, one way or another… She grits underneath her breath before she swiftly changes subjects to the questions that are being asked. The death penalty especially, it won’t change anything if Cezars were to die; There’s still Adelaide to deal with. The one who organised her kidnapping alongside the former. And she wants nothing more than that woman to answer for her crimes.

Liivi had not really care much about staying or going once the long awaited food had been eaten. But with all that had happened she found herself in little mood for chatting. She was still quite irritated at how Maya had treated Mira. Frankly, she was shocked as well that Mira had not shown herself to be that much upset at the ordeal.  While she felt the need to say something, she wasn't sure she wanted to do anything that might stir up any conflicts, so she stayed quiet. 

When they get to the trial, she is a little surprised to see so many people there.  Sure, she would have thought the trial would be well-attended, but not so many people this early. When the press starts to close in, Liivi finds herself unconsciously stepping back.  She herself wasn't on trial, though her new companions were. But what could she possibly say to the press? The question about the artefact was interesting. 'I've joined these others and we're working on all these things, to be able to get to this artefact. But I still don't think we even know exactly what it is!  Kind of a strange thing.'  

It was then that she caught the question about the death penalty. 'They allow the death penalty here? How can that be?' she wonders. It was not something she had really heard about. But then again, she had not paid a lot of attention to such things. She knew that her order taught that inaction in the face of maladies was little different than causing the malady in the first place. 'Could that though be how they justify it?  Just like those heads Paulis kept - perhaps they were not dead, but near endless torture seems a far graver evil.'   

As she muses about all these things she remains quiet. And she starts to realize that the others so far have been staying quiet too. She had expected Mira to say something, but from her look, it seemed she was at a loss and hoping someone else would speak. And Maya dragging Renar off once again wasn't helping things. She doesn't quite feel competent, but she feels the need for someone to step in.  She takes a deep breath, thinking, 'Ancestors, please do not let me say anything to make things worse.' 

"You have asked many interesting questions. I hope you will pardon my friends, as they do need to keep focused on their trial," Liivi says, her voice firm but calm. "As for the next king or queen, it seems only proper to begin speculation only once our current King Vladimirs XII is no longer with us. I'm hardly one to follow these things closely, but I do believe he has not departed this world yet." 

She pauses a bit, as she looks to another reporter that had posed a question. "The artefact is quite an interesting question. It's so hard to say much about it until more is known about it. I wish I had the knowledge."  She leaves is at that, thinking, 'That was at least the truth. I do wish I knew more.' 

"Now the death penalty..."  She lets the words trail off as she looks for the person that asked that one. "You are clearly hoping to get some sensational bit to boost your ratings.  But let me say this about Cezars - he has been behind a number of truly heinous acts. I hope that the trial today will show his culpability.  But he has been taken into custody and will properly stand trial. There is no need for the death penalty. Quite the opposite, perhaps once he is sentenced, he will have the time for reflection and we should all hope, for redemption."  

She again takes a deep breath. "I think that's it for now. Once justice has been done, perhaps then would be a better time for more questions."  

It's in a much lower voice she speaks as she looks around at her new friends. "Did anyone want to add something? Or should we just go inside?" 

The sound of the press and the crowd went silent as you entered the courtroom, its wooden mahogany floor is scrubbed so shiny to the point where you can see some of your reflections. 

Hanging on the ceiling is a black, obsidian orb, about the same size as a golf ball. And beside it is a sign that reads 'This orb will produce an antimagic field under the judge's command if anyone in this room is suspected of using magic. Using magic to influence any individual's decision within the courtroom is illegal under Section 29 of the Fair Use of Magic Act, -1C 883  CY'

This orb doesn't seem to be activated right now, because Maya's amulet still works. Magic orbs usually glow when they're activated, and this one is dim right now.

But soon enough, more people begin to arrive in the courtroom, and then you see Cezars walking to the opposite end of the stand from you in handcuffs. He glares at you but says nothing.

All countries in Perkwunos, including Kerwos, use a civil law system, meaning the most important person isn't the judge, it is the law itself. The judge is only there to interpret what the law really means. There is no jury in civil law, so it's just you, Cezars, and the judge.

The judge, an old-looking dwarf, walks up to the seat at the front, clears his throat and speaks. "13th April -1C 4983 CY, the Court of the Duchy of Kerwos shall hear your case."

The judge gestures at Mira and Liivi, "While these two were not listed in this papers, evidence suggests that they are now the new members of your adventuring party. All six of you shall provide all details of this incident so that the court can provide your judgment. You may begin."

"Tch... You will regret this." Cezars mutters under his breath.

Still panicking from the shock of the crowd, Maya was forced to turn back to the person she dragged behind and faces his extremely furious look whilst her collars were grappled. However, she doesn’t take his mean look personally; yes she's aware of what she's done, yes she's made Renar furious, and yes she’s entirely frightened. But no, she can't just face the crowd if they're forcibly restricting what she can and can't do. At least that's what she's currently thinking of.

“I… can’t! I… I really… I can’t!” She responds with several voice cracks exiting her mouth, tears welling up underneath her shut eyes as a result of being unable to take in this pressure heart-to-heart. “Omae…  Okaa-san ga don'na me ni atte iru ka shitte imasu ka? Tadashī koto o shuchō dekinai koto ga dono yōna kanji ka rikai dekimasu ka? Watashi ga nani o shitai no ka? Tokuni hitsuyōna mono wa nanidesu ka? Anata ga kureta kono kudaranai omamori demo, watashi ga dore dake komatte iru ka shitte imasu ka? Watashi no taitoru mo omoidasanaide kudasai! Watashi wa asokode wa joō kamo shiremasen… anata no iede wa… watashitachi no iedesuga… kochirade wa… watashi wa tada muryokudesu! Sukunakutomo watashi ga keiken shite iru koto o kanjite moraemasen ka?! (お母さんがどんな目に遭っているか知っていますか？正しいことを主張できないことがどのような感じか理解できますか？私が何をしたいのか？特に必要なものは何ですか？あなたがくれたこのくだらないお守りでも、私がどれだけ困っているか知っていますか？私のタイトルも思い出さないでください！私はあそこでは女王かもしれません…あなたの家では…私たちの家ですが…こちらでは…私はただ無力です! 少なくとも私が経験していることを感じてもらえませんか?! Do you have any idea what your mother is going through?! Can you even understand what it feels like not to be able to speak for what is right? For what I hope to do? For what you need especially?! Do you even know how troubled I am even with this stupid amulet you gave me? Don’t even remind me of my title either! I may be a queen over there… over in your home… our home, but… over here… I’m just helpless! Can’t you at least feel what I’m going through?!)” Even though she's broken character, evident by the fact that she's reverted back to speaking Japanese and is appearing extremely angry for someone so calm and collected, Maya toned down her voice just so no one could overhear her. Regardless of her son’s response, after she hears whatever he has to say about her recent rant, she rips his hands off her cloak and storms into the room, uttering one more sentence to herself almost inaudibly: "Anata ga watashi o shikatta koto ni tsuite... Watashi mo anata ni taishite onaji koto o suru koto ga dekimasu. (あなたが私を叱ったことについて...私もあなたに対して同じことをすることができます What you scolded me for... I could do the same for you.)" If anyone else attempts to speak to her, she doesn’t respond because of her current state. Though... when Renar did say he could've told her to write down what she has to say, her fox ears droop in realisation; That was something she could've done in the morning, yet she completely forgot about it the moment she had breakfast. It only just occurred to her now.

Upon the hour of the trial itself, the queen in disguise had to stay quiet, lest she’d make a fool out of herself in the midst of the trial. She has a lot to say, she wants to open up and speak the truth. But… given that she had zero time to learn the language of this dreaded planet, let alone be unable to speak freely, there wasn’t much she could offer, even if she was to reason for not just her own sake, but for her son… and also the rest of those people he presumably befriended. The best she can do at the moment is recite her reasoning in her head as best as she can until someone calls for her or Renar to speak... Then again... if no one is looking, Maya could retrieve a blank notebook from her purse; She does have one, plus some pens. Whilst everyone is busy talking and if no one else interrupts her, Maya does her best to jot down what she hopes to say... or at least, what her son might translate for her.

Renar

“Omae… you… you could’ve just… said nothing. Just… stand still… and pretend not to notice… Instead of just inadvertently showcasing your fright. That… t… that was the least you could’ve done…” This definitely wasn’t how my mother would behave in the Sword Coast, even in times like this. Over there, at least she’s courageous enough to face the crowd and deal with the negativity. Over here… she’s very weak minded; It’s like I’m talking to a different person altogether. After hearing her rant and seeing how frightened she is, I thought to myself, I need to knock some sense into her face; This feels really wrong, scolding my mother instead of the other way around, but… “Look, I get it. You’re scared. I’m aware. Even so, you can’t always take the easy route and hide forever. If you want to succeed with me, at least try and act like a decently tough leader for once. Don't just... d-don't just shy yourself down the easy road just... just because you want to!” The moment she furiously let go of me I staggered back, whilst only realising that I could’ve also suggested to her to write down what she wanted to say… would she even do it? Even so… now’s not a good time… “It’s already too late to tell her to write what she wants to say down…” I mumble under my breath before I witness everyone else entering too. They must be wondering why I was dragged inside without a second thought… 

“Um… I… I’m so sorry.” I apologize to the rest. “I had no intention of rushing inside without considering the rest of you, um... I… I had stuff to say…”  I noticed that judging by the awkward silence I was only making a fool of myself if I tried to explain the situation, hence I decided to just zip my mouth... and head inside without a word. Inside the court, I may as well let them speak their parts first, before I decide to jump in. I have a lot to say, but at the moment, my thoughts are jumbled into a million broken lines. For now I made a quiet start, but if there’s an opportunity for me to speak my case, I won’t hesitate to throw it in my direction. MY eyes tilt towards Okaa-san first; judging by the fact that she’s writing stuff… she must have a lot to say. Will she be able to get them out on time though? My attention then diverts to Alek and Shugo, Hopefully things don’t go south from here; The day’s already off to a calamitous start from my end. 

Mira

Realising that Liivi, Shugo and Alek are in the same boat, the anxiety forces the future queen to switch gears. “If you guys have nothing to say, let’s just move on. No point standing out here like sitting ducks.” Mira grumbles. The moment her large fluffy ears pick up Maya ranting quietly in some kind of language she hasn't heard, she knew that something was wrong, yet there's absolute zero chance of her being able to understand a word. At this point, there wasn’t much she could conclude about those two, other than to just let out an exasperated sigh. She's clearly had enough, but if there's nothing more than what she wants, it's to see Renar and Maya get their acts together for even a split second. At this point, she's more than convinced that these two are not even from a place in Lancea that she knows. Maybe they're actually from another civilisation somewhere on this that either she doesn't know, or they're actually spies from another dimension entirely, just like that weird-looking fiend that her captor Cezars summoned a few nights ago.

“After we’re done, I expect to hear better heartfelt apology than that… especially from one of you two, particularly. About last night.” She sternly warns them, even as Maya storms off. Upon entering the room and getting into position, the flashback of Maya having her in a stranglehold was still etched in her mind despite her desperations to put it behind her; She's both terrified and furious about the woman's unknown behaviour towards not just her but Shugo, Alek, Liivi and... and even just the man who seemed to understand her alien behaviour. 

The court is now session; From the moment her brown eyes rotated full circle, eyeing the frills of her tattered, green dress to scanning the state of her allies and their perpetrator, Cezars himself... the one who held her hostage before everyone besides Liivi freed her... it was time. She takes a moment to hop twice, get her leg muscles in shape and clear her throat; Of course, seeing that Liivi was also a witness, she had to gesture to her too just in case. “Your honour…I’d like to stand my case.” She begins as she inhales her first deep breath for her major role as a witness and a defendant. “I may not have been part of these four, but, as a clear witness of what both parties committed behind your backs, particularly in concerns of... um... this Genasi." She eyes Cezars briefly; She doesn't know his name despite the fact that he and his goons were responsible for her endangerment, so she's unsure of what to call him by. "So, if it is a requirement for both me and Liivi, the lady besides me, I would be honoured to provide my own observations from my standpoint.” 

(TBC, will let the rest do their part first)

Liivi looks around as they enter the court.  She wasn't quite sure what she expected, But the polished wood is certainly impressive. She thought there'd be more people. Thigh she supposed the trial had not begun yet. 

Renar and Maya's huddled coverage caught her attention.'Why did it seem they always conspire together? They just rush away from the reporters and now just whisper over there.' As she mused about these things, the room fills in more.

When the dwarf judges comes in and starts the proceedings, she gives him her full attention. The tabaxi is a little surprised the judge refers to her and Mira right away.  They weren't there, though it's true they had now joined the others.  She listens as Mira speaks before adding her own voice.

“I am Liivi Orav of Nemos. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. However, although nothing has been explained yet, I do not believe I was present for the original events at issue. So I will not be able to offer much testimony there.  But you are correct that I have traveled with these others lately. So I am more than happy to answer whatever questions I might be able to help with."

And with that statement she concludes, falling into silence. She looks around to the others to wait and see what they have to say. 

Shugo is also confused and a bit annoyed (though he doesn't show it) That Liivi has been dragged into this. He understands why Mira has to be a part of it, though he doesn't think she should be facing the same thing as the rest of them. She'd been a prisoner of Cezars, if not for that she wouldn't even be with the group.

Once it's his turn to speak, Shugo gives a detailed account of what happened from when the rescued "pelmeni lady" to when they fought Cezars as he summoned the demon. He will leave out having the egg though as he's not sure if someone would try and take it from him. 

Alex takes everything with a rather uncharacteristic silence, at least until the death penalty is brought up. At this his brow farrows just slightly, "Do you think anyone deserves the death penalty?" He eyes the person who asked the question, "And if you do, are you willing to be the person who effectively ends his life? Because if your answer is no to both of those questions, then how dare you even ask them." He shakes his head, "That's all I have to say."

Sure enough he doesn't even look at the rest of the reporters as they make their way inside. When they reach their destination, his expression is one of pity and sadness rather than anger. He lets out a breath, worried about all the possible outcomes that could happen--both in their favor and against. But he isn't the authority here, so they must defer to the judge regardless of what happens. 

He lets Shugo speak, and then fills in some of his own evidence, leading with the 'darkness' he sensed in Cezars on the night before that storm. Surely they could bring in a cleric or paladin to confirm his words. He remains completely unbiased, as much as he can anyways. There was no question that Cezars was in the wrong. He broke his oath, whether manipulated or not, so whether they think it is fair or not Cezars will have to endure the consequences. 

The courtroom turns to look at Mira. Only now have they realised that one of the royal family is here.

"First of all, breaking an oath is already a crime on its own. It will be five years in prison, and anyone who did it will be stripped of their rights to become a Paladin until they have completed their rehabilitation course." The judge speaks. "Second, summoning a—"

"Can we just get this over with?" Cezars says from his stand. "You have no idea who my aunt is. She's going to fire you and kidnap your family, and then she's going to send you to Heryomen, hope you enjoy the tropical weather and dinosaurs!" 

"Please do not speak when it is not your—" The judge gets interrupted by Cezars again.

"You are fighting in a war you cannot win, your people are too weak, too sensitive, a little bit of violence is enough to send everyone running. My aunt and I are trying to save you, we're moulding you to become warriors, so when that day comes, you will be ready for the inevitable downfall of the world." He mumbles loudly, and everyone in the courtroom is confused.

"Six months for being disruptive in the courtroom, thirty for trying to summon a demon, but we might need a witness statement for that, but you are at least serving 80 years in prison with that attitude." The judge shakes his head, writing something down on the paper.

"Screw you!" Cezar's fiery hair erupts. "My aunt has enough money to bail me out on everything! And guess what, she also has enough money to kidnap you and your friend over there to talk with her in person!" He points at you and the rest of your party.

Maya couldn’t care less about the trial itself, especially that stupid Cezars at the moment whilst she writes down her notes in secret. Right now she just wants to stand her ground as the Queen of Neverwinter especially when the judges call for her time if it ever comes. However, the thoughts of him ranting on whatever he was speaking were fueling her silent, unseen rage, partly because of the unwanted translations she has to deal with. Even if he’s stating the ‘truth’, she doesn’t believe a single word he says at all as her teeth bare slightly whilst she messily writes as fast as possible. Baka! Iki teru koto ni kansha shiro yo. Musuko ga watashi o mite inakattara, watashi wa sakini susunde, hadaka no tsume de anata no nodo o hikisaite itadeshou. Dōshite watashi ga anata no iu koto o subete shinjiru to omou nodesu ka? Anata ga dorehodo hidoi gyōgi o shite iru ka o mite, watashiniha anata no taigi ni shitagai, watashi no hitobito ni hankō suru riyū wa arimasen. (生きてることに感謝しろよ、バカ。息子が私を見ていなかったら、私は先に進んで、裸の爪であなたの喉を引き裂いていたでしょう。どうして私があなたの言うことをすべて信じると思うのですか？あなたがどれほどひどい行儀をしているかを見て、私にはあなたの大義に従い、私の人々に反抗する理由はありません。Be thankful you’re alive, you idiot. Were it not for my son watching me, I would've gone ahead and ripped your throat out with my bare claws. What makes you think that I’d believe in everything you say, huh? Seeing how terribly behaved you are, I have no reason to follow your cause and go against my people!) In spite of her expanding anger, she then hears something shocking… one that caused her heart to ache suddenly… Chotto? End of the world…? Nandatte-?! Her face slowly morphs into horror over this realization; She had never accounted for this world coming to a close, nor did her son tell her anything about this and glares at him again. Raiden-kun… nani o ittenai no…! Koreha hontōdesuka?! (雷電くん…何を言ってないの…！これは本当ですか?!Raiden-kun… What are you not telling me…?! Is this true?!) She snarls in her thoughts in horror. All she knows is that she and her son need to team up with those guys, get the artefact and get out of here before their allies in the Sword Coast crumble to Tiamat’s will, but witnessing a second world burn to ruins is definitely not on her radar. What even is going on now?