A Trial for the Centuries - The CW Districts vs. Lazarus

[pinkroses]

When Jake looked at Murphy he would see a frown on his face as he watched events unfold. It sucked, watching Jake describe his relationship with Lazarus, especially knowing how it had turned out.

He was confused about how he felt towards Jake now; he was pissed at him for not telling him anything about all of this, but he still wanted to get to know him more, to forgive him, and he didn’t know why. He’d only known him for a few days, so why did this matter so much?

Murphy made no notes throughout Jake’s testimony, but tapped his pen gently against his knee, mulling it all over quietly. After that hug he’d given Sam, Murphy guessed Jake would choose to sit by her once he was released from the stage. He should be with his family after this, not with some guy he hardly knew. Yes, they’d got to know each other a lot the night before, but how much of that really meant anything to Jake? They’d only met a few days ago, it shouldn’t really matter.

Then Lazarus began to talk. He really was silver tongued, telling his side of it all, describing it, admitting things he’d likely not told many people – other than Jake. Murphy could easily see how he would be convincing, how he could turn things his way.

Not having the artistic skills of the witch beside him, Murphy made a couple of notes about Lazarus’ ring, then glanced sideways at her to see if she was drawing it. It was pretty far away, so his notes were vague. Maybe Jake or Ben could tell him more about that later.

Pain or pantomime? he jotted down without tearing his eyes away from the stage. Had he really been clueless to the feelings of Jake after he’d been chucked across the room? Did he really think they’d then just start fucking and all would be forgiven? Perhaps for vampires, who could take a lot more physically, being chucked across the room might not be such a big deal… but to Jake it sounded like it had. Of course, all Murphy had to go on was what was going on in front of him, since Jake hadn’t wanted to tell him much at all. He held his breath, as seemingly the whole room did, waiting for Jake’s response. He wouldn’t change his answer now, would he? He was stronger than that, he had to be.

*

What a fucking idiot. How the fuck had Jake got so sucked in by Lazarus?

Ichabod instantly felt guilty for the thought – he’d been sucked in just like that years ago, but he’d been a stupid kid. Jake was supposed to have centuries of experience, surely in that time you learnt how to see beyond the façade creatures like Lazarus put up?

Unless that person had millennia of experience to counter it with.

Ichabod chewed gently on his lower lip as he turned his gaze towards the blonde. As much as he hated the ancient, he couldn’t tear himself away from whatever was about to happen. Well, he thought that, until he became aware that Kerr and Ben were moving further away. They were leaving? He half rose in his seat, then settled himself down again. They might just be moving away from prying ears, or maybe they wanted to be alone to get over what had just happened on stage.

Are you leaving? he said mentally to Kerr, unsure whether it would reach him through the rest of the mental hubbub in the theatre.

Ichabod was close enough to see the tears on Lazarus’ face, but he thought they were nothing bu crocodile tears, an act put on to garner sympathy, to win people round. He only needed to convince Sabrina though and Ichabod had confidence that she would see through his pathetic display.

[The Cedar Witch]

The pen continued to move.  During Jake's testimony, the vicious flash of a whip made itself known again and again, each time making her flinch.  A heaviness settled over the witch.  If it did not seem that the trial was nearly over, she would've considered leaving.  Some things were too much.  Sometimes the Sight showed more than she was willing to witness--but that was the price she had consented to pay.  She hadn't spent so much time practicing this skill since she moved from her home in Denmark.  While as familiar and natural as breathing, it felt like exercising a muscle that had been neglected for a time.  She would need some serious recovery time after this, and thoughts of returning to her room at The Parlor gave her a taste of the reassuring comfort that was to come.

Astrid's countenance visibly darkened as Lazarus began his cross-examination.  His tears, the emotion behind his voice--it all seemed true, at least to him.  She wondered briefly if her tattoo could help see through it--if there was something to hide--or if the ring would block the attempt.  The witch wasn't sure if she wanted to know for sure and kept her fingers on the pen scribbling away at the notebook.  Her eyes fixated on the ring as he called attention to it, willing her eyes to take as much detail in as possible as she sketched a close-up detail of his hand baring it.  While she was only human, the Sight filled in the rest, moving the pen in sync with intuition.  It would be interesting to compare it to the physical object to see how close her rendition was.  The chances of her getting the opportunity to examine it further in person were extremely slim.  The image of a sword slashing through the ringed-finger with a dramatic arc of red brought a brief smile to her face.

And then he asked his question--and the darkness filled her face again.  She pained physically for Jake now, knowing that this snake had so eloquently attempted to manipulate the event in his favor.  Why would Jake go through this circus of a trial if he hadn't believed that rape had occurred?  Consent was a living conversation, a thing to be sought at each encounter, not something given once to write off an entire lifetime of them.  The absence of a no never meant yes--and the yes must always aways be enthusiastically given without coercion or threat.  No telepathic communication should be needed here--the intimacy that came from being truly in tune with your lover, openness of conversation to fill the spaces of uncertainty, constantly checking in especially after moments of violence!  Offering sexual acts to make up for being physically abusive wasn't an excuse--it was appalling.  If anything, Lazarus convinced her that he was more interested in his own appearance, his own needs and satisfaction, saving face for the sake of himself--than actually giving a shit about another person.  The lengths that he would go to convince others, and himself, otherwise were equally as telling.

[Black Philip]

The whole room was on edge as Lazarus finished his statement and subsequent question. Jake hadn’t had many loving relationships in his life. He had Sam now, and Lisa-Joe of course. He had Scott, who’d only recently blood bonded to him to be closer. He looked at Sabrina, his replacement mother for both a human one who died, and a sire who was murdered. He thought of Charon, who he didn’t think loved him by any means, but who was someone he thought he could learn things from, a mentor to replace the abusive one from his past. These ties were all more caring than he’d felt in years but none of it was romantic. Murphy would likely run screaming from him now, and Jake couldn’t blame him. He just had too much baggage and had made too many bad choices.  He was so lonely for a partner, someone to share his life with. He’d thought Lazarus could be that person. Jake thought that his attempts at increasing his own humanity would rub off on the blonde. Perhaps it had to an extent, as despite everything else, he did believe Lazarus loved him and that in his own twisted way of viewing the world he really did think he hadn’t done anything bad to Jake. He still thought this was all just a misunderstanding. 

However, ring or not, he’d been wrong. He’d only bowed to Jake because he was afraid of losing him, not because he really felt guilt for hurting him in the first place. It was a selfish kind of love. Lazarus probably would think of him as his king if Jake played his cards right. He’d worship him like an obsessed puppy dog because that’s what he thought love was; worship. Love to Jake was about mutuality, connection, partnership. These were all things the blonde ancient couldn’t see. Jake remembered the week of self loathing, nightmares and the strong desire to kill himself at Charon’s that Sabrina had helped normalize. None of that would have ever happened if Lazarus hadn’t bowed to him. If he’d just apologized and held him that night when he tried to lie down, maybe he wouldn’t have raped Ben either. It was all connected. He also wished he had just talked to Lazarus. It’s not like the man had no point. He could see why he felt blindsided. He wished he had told him what happened. Had he never raped Ben there was a chance they could’ve figured it out. But as Charon once told him there was an equal chance that Lazarus would’ve raped him again and again, and every single time he would’ve loved him while doing it. They would never really know. 

He realized he’d been silent for a while, and honestly felt disconnected from the suspense that seemed to grip Lisa-Joe and the strength emanating from Sam. He alone had to decide how to respond. He summoned his resolve, his confidence, and honestly his compassion. He didn’t want to hurt Lazarus. He didn’t hate him. In fact, despite everything, he still cared deeply for him. His voice sounded raspy, but strong. The audience was gone. It was just the two of them. 

“Yes. You did.” He had an I’m sorry in his mind, but realized he didn’t need to say it. He had no reason to be sorry, at least not for telling the truth now.

He said it far gentler than he needed to. His cheeks were now covered in two crimson streaks to match the water on Lazarus’s. He felt their eyes connect, and as he looked at him he felt love but also now pity. He pitted that Lazarus could never truly connect with another, and he no longer blamed the ring. Lazarus just didn’t know how. It was actually a tragedy.

[Trillian]

The answer was both expected yet not. Lazarus' gaze shuttered, his emotions pushed and squashed and shoved back down into the depths. He realised, now, that his side of the story didn't matter. It wouldn't have changed a thing. Jake's opinion that he'd been wronged was the only one that mattered.

When had the world changed? He hadn't been looking.

It had taken its time, but the future finally revealed that Joshua's prophecy had finally come true. The meek really had inherited the earth. Lazarus had laughed at the time, at his sire's dystopian prophecy, finding it ironic that the weakest in their society had misinterpreted Joshua's warning and added to his camp of followers. Lazarus had learnt so much about manipulation and calculation from his brief time with him. But look, his words had come true. What a fucking riot.

Now civilisation was all about rules and morals, when convincing someone to do what you wanted was bullying, and charming them to eventually say yes to sex was harassment... and would be considered a form of rape if they felt shitty about themselves afterward. When doing what you wanted was considered selfish and voicing unpopular opinion was considered a privilege.

It didn't matter. The men he was drawn to, the men he loved, the ones who pretended to share the same viewpoint, they all turned on him in the end. His oldest living fledge Cicero, who would murder someone for backchatting and physically fight Lazarus for the dominant position (and cheat when he was losing by using mental domination), he'd turned on Lazarus over a woman when he'd made her his fledge. A stupid punk woman with little to offer. Dumb shit. And Halwyn, who he'd taken and held this city with and gave it to the supernaturals to rule! He'd also left him over a fledge vampire. He loved their shared fledge more than he loved Lazarus. Stupid fuck. And now Jake, putting him through this bullshit instead of just saying 'you raped me, you know' in their bedroom that night. But no, he was scared of Lazarus, because he'd got down on his knees and sucked him off! Fucking boohoo. Little bitch.

And so he embraced his anger and ignored the pain in his chest, the one that wanted him to apologise, to say sorry for making Jake feel like shit, because he hadn't meant to. He pushed it down along with the rest because what good was that now to him? Jake had won. He'd got what he wanted. Lazarus had offered himself up by handing Jake that question. He'd been willing to gamble everything - everything - on the hope that Jake would realise this would ruin Lazarus. When he'd asked that question, he hadn't been after the truth, he'd been after loyalty.

Jake demanded it. But he didn't give it.

He knew the rules of this new world. He'd orchestrated this entire trial to openly sacrifice Lazarus and win himself mercy. Lazarus, who knew what it was like to be raped, had dusted himself and moved on. The strong took advantage of the weak. That was always how it would be. And while Jake bared his belly to the audience to win their favour, Lazarus would never supplicate himself to anyone who didn't deserve it. Getting on his knees in front of Jake was perhaps the most honest thing he'd done.

Jake was the fucking worst.

"No more questions," he said, the emotion completely gone from his voice. He broke eye-contact with Jake and never wanted to set eyes on him again. How clever Jake had been, and Lazarus hadn't seen it until now. He looked at Sabrina. "Judge me guilty right now, so this can be over and I won't have to listen to that cunt talk again."

His voice shook as he spoke, and he called it anger.

[Black Philip]

Jake dismissed himself and turned to face the crowd. The two red streaks were still there, his clan crying blood instead of tears. However, he looked oddly at peace for the moment and moved towards Sam. He would grab her hand and guide her back to where Murphy sat. He plopped next to the human and wiped his face.

“Murphy this is my daughter Sam. Sam this is my friend Murphy.”

Yes they’d met, but only at the party which had been so awkward. With that he was quiet, but was happy he was introducing them. He held Sam’s hand and would offer the free one to Murphy. Now they waited for the end. Jake felt like he made the right decision and waited for Sabrina to pass judgment.

[Saiketsu]

Damien shifted uncomfortably in his seat, frowning at the stage as the show went on. Each testimony brought the assaults to new light that he hadn't heard before. He hadn't been privy to the entire scandal - for which he was thankful - until the story was spun in front of him, on stage for the entire city to see. The entire affair could have taken place behind closed doors, and he actually began to feel sorry for Ben Samson. He watched Lazarus as he spun Ben's words. It felt like watching Lucretia work all over again, a thought which made him even more uncomfortable. He considered leaving, spending time with Rachel instead. He forced himself to stay seated throughout the entire testimony, to face the words of Lazarus.

But most of his discomfort came not from himself and his own past - that which he had moved off of long ago - but on Rachel's. It was odd to be thinking of Rachel in the middle of the trial here, but after she had told him about what had happened to her, Damien couldn't help but fear. His human companion had been raped, tortured, and forced into prostitution in her short life, and was still smiling at him every afternoon as she awoke. It made him fiercely protective of her, and perhaps made him project a touch of that feeling upon Ben Samson, and yes, even Jake McCloud. More importantly, he could feel his revulsion at Lazarus, projecting once again an image of his lover's torturer upon the Ancient.

What did Kerr Galvin feel, knowing this had happened to his fledge, his lover? Helplessness? Frustration? Rage? Damien didn't quite understand how they all could be so civil about the event. Damien exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding, adjusting himself uselessly into a more comfortable position. There could be no escape from heavy things tonight, no matter how many movies he and Rachel watched. Best to just strap in and handle it. At least a verdict would be reached soon, one way or the other.

--

This dull little event was turning out to be more scandalous than she first expected and Zoheret was actually beginning to enjoy herself as the drama unfolded. She hadn't the slightest idea that the Ancient and McCloud had been sleeping together. Zoheret had tried to hide her interest in the situation at first, but was now leaning forward in her seat with a serious look on her face. Why did they all insist on fucking each other, these vampires? Was there even one political situation in this city that didn't involve one of them in the other one's pie? She doubted it. While the thought made her want to roll her eyes, she was rather enjoying the tension. Like watching a novella.

Michele, her assistant, had taken excellent notes on the trial so far, with little help from Zoheret. With so many immortal ears around her, she had to be cautious about the things she said out loud. The two women noted postures and behaviors - Zoheret being most interested in that dazzling display of power from Sabrina - and the testimonies. They traded whispers about the drama and the events unfolding before them from time to time, but spent the majority of the trial listening, Zoheret ruffling her wings uncomfortably under her glamour.

The least she could say about Lazarus was that the ancient was funny. His first comment about Lisa-Joe had forced a smile to Zoheret's face. As he called the prosecution a cunt, she had to stifle a laugh. The pain may have been too present for him, but the humor was ever welcome for the Dark Angel. She sat patiently in her booth with a smirk on her lips, waiting for whatever came next.

[Harlequin]

As Lazarus spoke, Sabrina looked past him. To her eyes, the gallery was filled with ghosts. Young men with their throats torn out, with marks on their wrists, or their faces. Dozens of pairs of pale, dead eyes staring back at her. Sabrina tore her gaze away and focused on Lazarus once again. Hallucinations or not, she could at least listen to the doomed man, terrible as he was.

And as she listened, it became clear just how terrible. He believed he spoke truth. That he got to decide whether or not he'd hurt these men, one of whom he said he'd loved. He was thousands of years old, and the only truth he knew was that which he manufactured. He was the most dangerous sort of man in the world.

Her eyes flicked back to the audience, finding only the living (or, at least, corporeal) there. Except for a young woman with black and pink hair standing in the center aisle, wearing a pained expression on her face. She shook her head slowly, hugging her arms around herself as if to stave off the cold of the grave. The Treacle murmured hungrily in Sabrina's ear, decide. She looked away, down at her hands.

"Lazarus of Bethany," she said, finally, raising her eyes to meet those of the accused, "You are a fountain of blood in the shape of a man. This court finds you guilty on all charges. You are remanded into the custody of the Central and Western districts for sentencing. May whatever God made you have mercy on your soul."

When she looked again, the last ghost was gone.

[Idrial]

Maria breathed a sigh of relief as the verdict of guilty was handed down, a low rumble of satisfaction came from Takhar within her mind. Now all that was left was for Jake to decide punishment and that would be no easy task for the Prince. Tainted feelings of love rippled through Lazarus, he could never know true love. Only the twisted love he normalized within his mind and after seeing his plea to Jake that would never change. Once more she feared for Sam, she could see Lazarus becoming jealous and killing her as an end result. He raped two people and he would not be above killing someone too.

Sam nodded at Murphy wishing they could meet under better circumstances, yet again. Not letting go of Jakes' hand the whole time, his tears pierced Sam to her core. Lazarus had toyed with his emotions and his sick thinking of love disgusted Sam. Jake deserved better than Lazarus and Sam wanted to help him find his way again. A tight squeeze of triumph on his hand when Sabrina found Lazarus guilty, it was almost over. Punishment was the only thing left to do and she worried what Jake would choose as a punishment. Sam firmly believed death was too good for Lazarus but how did one control one so old?

[pinkroses]

Ichabod felt himself relax slightly at Kerr’s mental response. He watched with intently as Jake gave his final confirmation number that yes, Lazarus had definitely raped him. He was glad the district leader had stayed strong in that, no matter how stupid he had been to think he was in a real relationship with the ancient.

And after all the theatricality, Sabrina gave her verdict. It was the right one and Lazarus looked... well, pissed. That was understandable, whether or not he believed he had been in the wrong. Ichabod hoped that however they were planning on holding him it would be in some deep dark cell where he had no chance of escaping or seeing another living soul ever again. They could just lock him up and forget he even existed.

*

Murphy was surprised that Jake returned to him, he’d expected him to just sit by Sam, but no, he came back. As frustrated as he was at not having been told the truth, he couldn’t help but give a small smile as Jake returned.

He gave Sam a small nod in return, guessing that Jake was just in shock still since they’d met at the party. He hesitated for a minor moment before accepting Jake’s hand and giving it a small squeeze.

“You did well,” he whispered quietly to the vampire, before turning his gaze back to the stage and Sabrina. She half looked like her mind was elsewhere, gazing beyond them, through them, Murphy glanced behind them but could see nothing out of the ordinary and then she was speaking.

Murphy felt a wave of relief as the verdict came. It had been obvious what it would be, but there was always that risk. Lazarus had resigned himself to the fact he was going to lose this, but it didn’t look like acceptance on his face. That was anger and as he watched him Murphy felt like he would be afraid. But Lararus would be secured again, he couldn’t hurt anyone else.

“When will the sentencing be?” Murphy asked, glancing sideways at Jake. He didn’t know whether it would be Jake who would be deciding - that didn’t feel like it would be right. You couldn’t let the victim choose the result. Sabrina should do it.

[Black Philip]

Once the verdict was given, the young Anarch who'd kicked things off, Amy, came out of the wings, her beanie cap and septum piercing screaming Anarchs of the White Rabbit. She found a mic and tapped it, clearing her throat and pushing her purple streaked hair out of her face.

"Okay, thanks for coming. Sentencing and punishment will happen after everyone leaves. Only Sabrina, Lisa-Joe Hampton, the prince and the convict need to remain. Everyone else please collect all your shit and thanks for coming."

She sounded sweet overall, even the vulgar word sounding cute. She then left the stage and people everywhere started to make their way to the exit.

Drew turned to Murphy, Astrid, Sam, and Jake, looking pleased at the verdict.  He'd made a lot of mental notes, and while others thought he was just a drunk, he had a pretty good idea who the power players were now, making notes about the dark angel in the box, and of course Charon in his. "Glad you got justice, your princness. Princeship? Your royal highness? Anyways, glad that guy's not going free. Nice meeting yous guys, but, I gotta go feed and air nymph or he'll get cranky. Later."

With that Drew Sulivan, Private Eye left, making sure to drop several more of his card near the exits before heading out and into the night, towards Zeph.
Lisa-Joe Hampton had won her case. She didn't even care Lazarus had called her a cunt. So what? He'd be dead within the hour. The insult sounded like the desperate lashing out of a defeated man. She gathered her notes and made her way towards Seb once the dead was done. She sat next to him, while the others cleared out.

"Well, at least it's over now. Thank you for being here."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. She was emotional as well, although clearly not as much as Jake or Ben or even Sabrina it seemed. She hadn't connected much with the witch Jake loved so much. She wondered why she'd been so passed over the whole time. Was it just that anyone Ben didn't like Sabrina didn't like? No, that couldn't be it. She liked Jake just fine. She tried not to think about it as everyone left.
Jake realized his gaff, blaming it on his split focus. "Wait you two already met. I'm an idiot." He laughed a bit, happy to have this be the biggest of his worries for the moment. Then Sabrina gave her verdict and the house began to clear. He turned to Murphy.

"I will tell you what I decide to do with him," Jake said. "I consulted Ben too. Only the victims should get a say," he said, belief fueling him. "Can I see you tomorrow night? Sam and I are going to spend the rest of tonight together once I deal with Lazarus. I feel like I owe you an explanation or two."

Once he heard from Murphy, he would turn to Sam. "Thank you for your kindness and love. I don't deserve you my sweet." He smiled at her. "We're going to our first home once we leave. Why don't you go and get it all opened up." He would reach into his pant pocket with the hand he'd been holding of hers and pulled out a set of keys and a thumb print scanner device. "I'll be along in an hour or two. Depends on how long this takes."

He made sure to grab Sabrina's eyes and signaled that he'd be coming to her shortly. She was also welcome to come over to him, but Jake figured she wasn't up for a lot of socializing. Lazarus was escorted backstage, Sabrina's enchantments ensuring he'd behave till the very end of this process. 

[Idrial]

Sam's eyes shot up in surprise, did he mean Dante's Inferno? Why of all places would he want to go there? Sam didn't have many good memories at that place and was glad when they had to leave the place. Reluctantly taking the keys and the thumbprint scanner she smiled at him, maybe he was still in shock? Same decided not to push the issue and turned to Murphy before leaving with Maria.

"I hope to see you again Murphy," a small nod before she left. Wandering towards Maria in the rush of people, everyone had the same idea. Leave now.

"You remember the city well?" Sam asked Maria in a puzzled tone.

"I do. Why do you ask?" A quizzical look on her face at the seemingly random question.

"I need to go over to Dante's Inferno, can you accompany me before heading back?" Her voice plain jane towards Maria.

Maria didn't need to ask more as the two exited the theatre together, the walk seemed long and full of silence. Unsure of what to say to Sam other than she was proud, thinking long and hard before they arrived at Sam's first home. Not one filled with good memories.

"Have faith Jake has something in mind," Sam nodded at Maria before entering inside.

Maria would stay only until Jake arrived to ensure no one else decided to follow after the trial. Giving Jake a slight nod that Sam was inside before making the long trek back to the White Rabbit.

[pinkroses]

“You were magnificent,” Seb said, leaning his head against Lisa-Joe’s as she rested against him. “Where did you dig up that doctor?” he asked with interest. He’d spent so long trying to help other, but he was no medical expert and it would be interesting to get to know him more.

“It sounds as though I’m being dismissed, would you like me to stay or you can come find me when all this is over with?” Seb asked. He was interested to find out the sentence, but he could wait.

*

“No, the victims shouldn’t have a say, that’s the point of a fair trial,” Murphy said with a frown at Jake as he realised his hand to pack up his bag, then he gave a shrug. Nothing he said was going to make a difference now.

“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow, you do have a lot to explain.” He was confused about how he felt at the moment, so focused on the easiest one to grasp, annoyance at Jake. He slung his bag over his shoulder and slide past Jake and Sam into the aisle, walking against the crowd to get the the front of the stage. He wasn’t about to leave his equipment behind.

*

Ichabod frowned as they were dismissed. What the hell? Sabrina had still better be the one who chose the sentence, not Jake. Jake was a crazy dictator, why bother going through all of this if it was just going to be Jake’s decision at the end of the day?

He was found guilty. We’re being told to leave before the sentencing. They said Jake should stay, they didn’t mention Ben, he sent to Kerr as he stood up, unsure whether to head backstage to try to find the exit Ben and Kerr had taken, or to leave with everyone else. He doubted he’d get too far heading backstage, so he turned, almost running into Murphy.

“Oh, sorry,” Murphy said, his checks flushing slightly as he almost crashed into Ichabod. They hadn’t really seen each other since living together briefly at the beach house and he knew Ichabod wasn’t a big fan of his after everything that had happened.

“I was just... getting my stuff,” he said gesturing towards the equipment at the front of the stage and starting to pack up the mic and recorder after carefully turning it off.

“Sure,” Ichabod said, stepping slightly out of the way, watching as Murphy distractedly started packing up. He’d always seemed pretty intelligent, but clearly didn’t always think things throug, like with the article and suddenly becoming such a friend of Jake’s.

“You might want to re-think your new friend back there, this was all completely pointless other than to get him some sympathy. The result will be the same,” he added sharply.

I know, Murphy thought, but kept that thought from passing his lips, just. For some reason he felt a loyalty towards Jake which meant that even though he disagreed with him, he wasn’t able to tell Ichabod that.

“He’s doing what he thinks is right and who I choose to be friends with has nothing to do with you,” Murphy said, doing up the buckle on his carry case a little more forcefully than he needed to. “Please remind Ben he was going to call me later. I know he’s got lots on at the minute but... just remind him,” he said, not believing that Ichabod really would, but not bothering to wait for the response. He pulled on his rucksack and headed through the crowd towards the exit, trying to glance towards Jake on the way, without wanting to be seen to be doing it.

Ichabod glanced back towards the stage where Lazarus was being lead away, letting Murphy get a little way ahead before trailing after the crowd, not in any rush to leave when he was just going to have to hunt around for Ben and Kerr.

[The Cedar Witch]

Astrid sat for a moment, staring at the sketch she had done of the ring.  The end of the trial brought her no satisfaction, as the sentencing was to be private.  She agreed with Murphy but stayed silent.  There was a growing sense of dread filling her already-exhausted mind.  The witch desperately needed to rest.

She stood, closing up the notebook and pens, and put her jacket back on.  Still, she could not shake the feeling that something was not right.  Everything inside of her urged her to stay and she fought against it, moving with the crowd out of the theatre and reaching shakily for a cigarette.  The dread pulsed like a dark heartbeat and each step outside felt heavy.  She couldn't wait to leave the fucking place.

[Black Philip]

Lisa-Joe shook her head at Seb, smiling at him. She turned to where Jake sat with Murphy and Sam, a peaceful smile on her face.

“You should stay with me tonight. Jake is taking Sam somewhere tonight to talk. We’re going to do a small gathering tomorrow night to celebrate this cloud being lifted. We should be leaving shorty once Jake passes judgment.

Soon Lazarus would be dead, and they could all move on. Then she heard the commotion in the back. Her eyes grew wide with fear.
Murphy’s rebuff hadn’t been expected. He seemed upset the victims had a say, but to Jake it seemed totally logical. His face registered that suprise but he didn’t get smart with him about it. He made sure to catch his eyes once more before the human left.

“Okay. I’ll answer all your questions and tell you everything you want to know. I promise.”

Then Murphy was gone and for a moment he buried his face in Sam, grumpy and confused about a boy. Maria claimed her and the two were off. Jake began to head over to Lisa-Joe and Seb when he heard sounds like a struggle. The trial wasn’t quite over yet.

Continued in Do Not Go Gently.

[Trillian]

Charon and Jeanne were quicker than the rest to leave, but on the drive home the ancient addressed what had been bothering him all night.

I noticed Murphy - our Murphy - sitting beside Jake tonight. They looked very close. A second observation of them together since the night of the party. How many of our secrets does he possess? And what of his friendship with Ben?

For the rest of the drive home, Charon and Jeanne discussed this new outcome with one of their former mortal allies. One that, unfortunately, looked to be compromised.