The Trial Of Luisiani

[*MimiFearthegn]

The three witnesses come up one by one. They were all among the first people to find the body.

Hegmind Stinsel is a street sweeper. He swears he heard a yell the night of the murder, and then ran around the corner to see the crumpled figure that turned out to be Lord Alandris.

Kyle O'Velimond says he was walking by the Alandris estate, and saw the Lord walking towards his front door. He turned away for a moment, and then heard a screech of rage. He turned, and saw Lord Alandris fall, and another figure running away.

Candelaria Fortis is the most loquacious of the three, and the lady in waiting of Lady Alandris. She flounces up on stage, and promptly decrees that she knows "that witch, the accused, who I cannot bear to look upon" did it, because she'd been hanging around the house all that week.

"Always asking for m'lord, she was," Candelaria went on, "Going on and on about how he owed her. Of course we turned her away. Lord Alandris always paid his debts, and it was downright unsavory the way she kept going on and on about it."

The woman looked very in earnest about the entire thing, even as she stopped for a moment to make sure the ruffles on her skirt were just right.

"But she was there, earlier the day of my poor late Lord's demise. I thought I'd gotten rid of her for the night after assuring her three times over that he wouldn't be back until very late, and she wasn't going to get her way by hanging around at all hours anyway. Truth to be told, though, I think she was a little slow, and I think she'd been drinking. Ugh, disgusting creature. . .

"Then I saw m'lord coming up the path to the house, and went to open the door - just in time to see her reappear from the dark corner she'd been hiding in and stab him right in front of me! Oh, I can't bear to think of it."

She whipped out a handkerchief, and began dabbing her eyes dramatically.

[*Xndar]

Alathusra has little to ask the first two witnesses, save to inquire as to whether or not they can furnish any additional details about the perceived assailant.

Candelaria Fortis elicits simply a sympathetic display from the prosecutor.

"Thank you for your courage in speaking of such things before the court, Miss Fortis. Lord Alandris was much beloved, and will be sorely missed by his staff it would seem. Just to clarify a point you raised:

What visible, or otherwise detectable signs of drunkenness did the accused exhibit during your interactions with her?"

[*MimiFearthegn]

The first two witnesses don't seem to have much more to say, but Candelaria delights in the sympathy. After recovering from her short spell of distress with the aid of Alathusra's sympathy and a great deal of handkerchief dabbing, she speaks again:

"Yes, I really will miss him. Such a good man."

She took a deep breath to compose herself.

"The night of the murder, the accused" - she spat out the reference to Luisiani - "seemed . . touched in the head. Slow, if you would, and a tad uncoordinated. That's why I said drunkenness. Of course, with Sensates you really never can tell."

[*Xndar]

Alathusra gives an appreciative chuckle at that last comment.

"No, one really cannot. I'm sure Lady Alandris is quite proud of your courage and candor, helping us to bring justice to this awful affair. I'm sure the aggrieved woman draws strength from yours."

She gestures mildly toward where Lady Alandris sits in the observation gallery, before focusing her attention on the witness once more.

"Now, you mentioned your frequent, nigh daily, interactions with the accused in the weeks prior to the murder. You told the court that the accused repeatedly demanded payment from Lord Alandris in each of these interactions. When you spoke with the accused on the night of the murder, intoxicated as they were, was their motive in seeking an audience with Lord Alandris consistent with your previous interactions?"

[*Selebius]

"I object. The use of drugs is mere speculation."

[*Midnight]

There is a short sharp strike of the gavel on Caterina's desk.

"As the cause of the defendant's erratic behaviour will have baring on the verdict and there is no evidence offered that the defendant was influenced by intoxication or other factors the objection is sustained. Please continue."

[*MimiFearthegn]

"Well I-" Candelaria's sentence was cut off by the objection and sharp gavel rap. She gave a slightly startled glance back up at Lady Alandris - who was seated in stoic silence and decorum in the gallery - before continuing.

"Yes, she was making the same demands as every other night she'd been there. She wanted to see him. He owed her. I didn't listen long - her stammering didn't make the request more interesting."

[*Xndar]

Alathusra waits for the witness to complete her thought before addressing the judge.

"Your honor, the stenographer can verify for the court that the witness has asserted several times that the accused's behavior on the night of the crime corresponded in her mind to the influence of an intoxicating substance, be it alcohol or something yet to be defined.

I made a statement based on witness testimony made here in this courthouse, which as far as I am aware is evidence or else we would not be calling witnesses. Therefore the notion that no evidence has been offered to justify my statement makes little sense.

I would formally request that either the objection be withdrawn and stricken from the stenographer's account of this trial, or else the act of sustaining this objection based on the grounds you have specified would create one of the following precedents:

1) Either it would render inadmissible all previous and planned witness testimony on the basis that witness testimony cannot serve to justify any statements or arguments made by the legal councils involved in this case on issues relating to the charges in question.

2) Or it will render objectionable any statement by the prosecution or defense based solely on witness testimony as, according to the logic previously used in your statement sustaining the objection, such testimony cannot be verified as fact."

She pauses briefly before adding:

"I can revise my previous statement to replace 'intoxicated' with 'drunk', as it more closely fits the words used by the witness, if it would seem more palatable to the defense."

[*Midnight]

Caterina re reads what has been recorded.

"The witness stated how the defendant seemed and what they think. And have even said they cannot be sure. Neither of these statements were presented by your witnesses as a fact by their own admission. Therefore it is misleading for you to present them as such. The objection stands."

[*Xndar]

"Very well, so any statement made by a witness expressing any degree of doubt shall not be treated as evidence or fact, and assertions to the contrary shall be objectionable.

The prosecution is done with this witness, the defense may cross-examine."