RP:That's Not MY Cenril
Part of the Through A Glass, Darkly Arc
Summary: Meri valiantly gives a testimony against the prosecutor in the case of Cenril vs Alvina Landon. The prosecutor is shut down by Hudson once she attempts to dig deeper into Meri's story. The trio find out that the tip about Meri's suffering was anonymous, which begs the question why authorities would follow up on one anonymous tip without any investigation or questioning of the 'victim' beforehand.
Cenril Courthouse
The meeting at which Meri is set to give testimony takes place in a conference room inside the courthouse. The Landons, along with Alvina's attorney, are on the scene first, having been let in by a clerk. They are early. The prosecutor will be late, an intentional oversight intended to afford both defendant and witness a little time together. The back and forth the prosecutor has had to date with Alvina's attorney has made it clear that the evidence to be extracted today should scuttle the case, and the messaging from on high is that this prosecution is not a 'priority' of the Abelin Administration. Subtext: let the Landons and Meri make it go away, if that's what they want to do. Whatever momentum had existed to start this thing, it's dried up now, and there seems to be little left, if anything, to see it through to the end. Irritatingly for Team Landon, whoever had set this thing in motion seems once more to have faded into the shadows. The guard who had ordered Alvina's arrest and been dismissed by the Mayor? He'd skipped town. And that's not a euphemism for what Hudson would like to do to him.
That's all right. He might come back. And beyond him, Hudson has a few leads he wants to chase still. Wherever did Sterling Townsend get to? Was he really just licking wounds?
Alvina's lawyer is explaining how this will work, if everything goes as planned. The prosecutor, and a scribe to take down what Meri will say, will show up, and Meri will recount her version of events. The prosecutor will ask a few clarifying questions, and perhaps ask Alvina some as well. Assuming all goes well, the prosecutor will file a motion that should withdraw the charges. It's doubtful there'll be much public outcry. People have limited attention spans and without a sustained PR blitz against the Landons - which of course there isn't - the public mindset has forgotten about this.
Hudson strokes Alvina's back as the attorney talks. "Seems like it'll be squared away in time to have the baby," he remarks. "What's worse," he continues playfully, "week in fake-jail, or giving birth?"
Hudson and their attorney have been explaining the process to Alvina but she’s struggling to keep up. There are a lot of things she doesn’t understand like –why do they have to document Meri’s testimony? If she’s willing to give one, why can’t they all just meet in a room with a judge and hash it out that way? Instead it’s an Event (in her mind) with a scribe, the prosecutor, their defense attorney, their family and Meri.
It makes her uncomfortable, suppressing all the guilt she felt over actually COMMITTING the crime she’d been accused of and then sitting through the processes that would remove the truth with a band aid lie. Meri was lying for them out of the goodness of her heart. She wasn’t bound by any obligation to do so. It was a kindness, in Alvina’s mind, and every time they had to ‘discuss’ the event (truthfully or otherwise) felt about as helpful as reopening a wound to see how much it’s healed since the LAST time you opened it. It was building scar tissue that could have been avoided. Alvina’d hoped the matter would only take the time Meri mentioned before. Having (or agreeing) to lie publically about a wrong that befell you (Meri) felt counterproductive.
Hudson can tell she’s in her own head. “All of this just feels like overkill…” She’d told him before; due process wasn’t satisfying. They couldn’t bring charges (legal or otherwise) against a shadow for defamation (even if it the accusation was true). “It depends. People are more likely to remember a week in fake jail as opposed to ANOTHER Landon child. I’m a pro at delivering these ‘precious angels’." Loving sarcasm implied. "I’m not a pro at enduring a wounded reputation.” She scans the room for Meri’s impending arrival. “I’m also not thrilled by the fact Meri got pulled into all of this, on the ‘having to defend us’ side of things.” Paranoid that opinion could be taken a certain way, she adds “she’s a new mother and shouldn’t be spending her time dealing with someone else’s mess.”
The prosecutor might be late, but so was Meri. Alvina is already aware of this detail to the point of guilt, but Meri is a new mother. One moment she is saying goodbye to her daughter and trying to pass her off to the babysitter and the next she's needing to change her blouse because she's been puked on. Thanks Fleur. There are times when Meri appreciates the fact that her child will be aging rapidly. Thankfully, she is not so late that she arrives after the prosecutor. That would be embarrassing. Meri is not aware that this oversight is intentional, but she is grateful for it.
She might be late, but at least she is dressed appropriately for the occasion. Today the woman has chosen to wear her hair down, if only because it helped to hide the tattoos upon her neck. For this very same reason, she has also chosen to wear a long sleeved button down shirt, it's green. Finally, she has managed to find a pair of black slacks that don't have paint stains on them. Look, this is more effort than Meri puts forward when attending some of the fancier parties in the land. At least she is trying to look respectable. She's shown into the conference room and flashes the Landon's a sheepish smile due to the fact that she is late. "Hey. I'm here. Not flaking. So sorry. Kids."
Once Meri is settled, she does not dive into trying to hash out their story. The blonde is not entirely sure how all this lawyer-trial stuff works, she usually does her damnedest to avoid being in these situations to begin with. Plus Meri firmly believes in the saying that loose lips sink ships. She's not usually prone to speaking more than she needs to. The attorney will have to take the lead if there is questions as to what Meri might say.
Hudson hadn't even thought about the added stress alongside Meri's duties as a new mother. That's .. probably typical. He opens his mouth to acknowledge the oversight, but Meri arrives at this very moment and saves him from what probably would have been a 'of course you didn't realize, you're a man' genre of rebuke from his wife. He stands up to greet Meri, clasping her by the hand, presumably in some sort of greeting assembly line that also includes Alvina's lawyer and Alvina herself.
After a few self-deprecating, understanding remarks that people who have kids make to other people who have suffered a kid-type delay, everyone gets settled. The lawyer briefly explains to Meri what's about to happen, just in time for the prosecutor to arrive herself.
"Oh boy," sighs the woman, who of course had been typecast for this gig because it would be a Bad Look to have a man prosecute Alvina. "I'll be glad to get you off my docket," she comments to Alvina, licking her finger and paging quickly through some documents. "Got some gang bangers I need to put away, you know, real criminals." She says it very flippantly, with humor in her voice, her eyes flicking between Hudson and Meri. "Hello, by the way." She smiles in a perfunctory manner to Meri, reaching over to shake hands and introduce herself. "Are we complete?" she asks aloud, after that.
"The scribe--" says Alvina's attorney.
The prosecutor glances toward the door, her glasses sliding down her nose. As if on cue, the scribe lets himself in, sitting beside her. "He's here. Alright then," declares the prosecutor, arranging her documents in front of her. She directs her attention to Meri, "Anytime you want to take a break, you can. When I'm done my examination, the defendant's attorney will have the opportunity to ask you questions, though I strongly suspect there will be no need." She taps her pen on the outline of questions she has ready and smiles, flashing her whitened teeth. "Alright then, we begin."
The woman then begins to very methodically take Meri through a sequence of general questions, beginning with the simplest ones. Are you a werewolf. Were you born or turned into a werewolf. Can you please indicate the werewolf that turned you into a werewolf. Can you please indicate the day on which this happened.
And then the big question: Please take us through what happened.
Alvina's quick to turn towards Meri when she arrives. Children are truly the worst, at times. Alvina recounts a similiar but brief example of Harper putting gum in Luna's hair and the meeting feels more normal until the attorney runs them through the gambit. The prosecutor receives a tense smile when she speaks. This trial was a formality if even the prosecutor started out with mentioning 'real' criminals by contrast to Mrs.Landon.
Alvina didn't think she looked like a criminal but gods above how she felt it. How she felt that renewed pang of guilt as Meri took to explaining her side of the 'story'. Not what actually happened but a flattering narative that removed Alvina as a Criminal. The scribe scribbles deligantly in messy shorthand after each question and answer. The easy way he manuevered the conversation continued to draw her attention. Once Meri approaches the night of her infection, Alvina's hand snakes over to steal Hudson's. Where she's nervous, he's confident. His palms weren't even sweaty. There's no danger here. Her attorney looks equally confident while the prosecutor questions Meri.
Meri was not fully able to find any brief moment of normalcy, though she would be glad if she knew that Alvina found some relief for a moment. For Meri this was an experience that was out of her normal comfort zone. She was dealing with it just fine, but as she shakes hands with this person and that and gets briefed on how everything will play out, she was thinking about how all of this confirms that politics/government just is not the sort of thing she is into. How can any stomach this? There really is not much time to really explore this analysis and if it was misplaced or not, the questions start coming in and Meri needs to answer them.
Are you a werewolf, she is asked. "Yes." The one word answers continue, "Bitten." For the question that she indicate who might have bitten her, Meri points toward Alvina. All of this may not help to put Alvina's nerves at ease. Until Meri is asked to walk them through what happened that night. The one word answers find their end, and Meri speaks her mind quite freely. "Honestly I don't even understand why we are here. This is something that is clearly between Alvina and myself. I did not report her to anyone, no one has bothered to confirm the charges against her with me before she was even jailed. I am not trying to seek redemption for any crime committed against me...because there was none. So why are we here?" A beat. "Alvina is a long time friend who did me a favor and that is really all anyone needs to know about what happened as far as I am concerned." Meri lifts a brow as her blue eyes dart between the faces that have summoned her here today, more attorneys and judge versus Landon's. She is waiting to see if they do or do not have any more questions for her.
Hudson sits placidly, focused on the wood grain of the conference room table, at some point finding himself holding Alvina's hand as they all listen to Meri. He is used to keeping his face unreadable, used to facing stress - so long as it's expected. It's the unexpected stress that he and the Wolf deal with poorly. But then they are perhaps not alone in that.
Speaking of facing stress: their agreement and generally pleasant working relationship aside, it's very difficult for him to not stare intensely at Meri as she testifies. But he manages, because that would not seem very natural or tranquil at all.
(Perhaps this attempt at chill would have helped .. before.)
His patience is rewarded, because Meri comes out swinging against the charges brought against Alvina. His hand goes slightly slack against Alvina's: Meri had delicately sidestepped whether she'd had asked Alvina to bite her.
The prosecutor has noticed too. She opens her mouth, takes a breath, studies Meri levelly. "By no crime, do you mean that you asked--" she begins, only to furrow her brow and pause. By now Hudson has glanced up too, and is looking at her. His expression is cast in casual indifference that fails to conceal a feral look of attentiveness. The prosecutor licks her lips, glancing at her outline of notes. "Actually, withdrawn," she addresses the scribe. She flushes and smiles briskly, recovering by pivoting her attention to Alvina's attorney. "I think I have what I need. Do you have any clarifying questions you wanted to ask?"
"No," says the woman.
"Great," says the prosecutor, the word sounding very brittle. She indicates the scribe, who is sliding a piece of parchment over to Meri, alongside a quill. "Would you mind signing here to indicate that your testimony is a true and accurate accounting of what happened, under penalty of perjury?"
Meri did not mind any of the stares that were sent her way, regardless of duration. She was fully expecting it, and mentally braced to deal with it. That is not to say that Meri is cool as a cucumber, as has been noticed, the blonde is feeling a little feisty. Meri had hoped that her approach would work, as it enabled her to give less in the way of details rather than more. It could have backfired though and a barrage of questions requiring details could have been sent her way regardless of her points made. And for a second? It seemed as though that might be the case. Meri is relieved to find that it's not. When she is asked to sign her name, she does so without blinking an eye. Hopefully this topic does not bubble back up to the surface in the future.
Alvina's eyes bounce between the prosecutor, their attorney, Meri and then Hudson while the testimony crests with a dark stare from the latter. She takes her hand back, balling up the hem of her blazer with white-knuckled anxiety. It was almost over but she wouldn't feel completely free until the anklet was removed. Even now, it continued to bite at the raw patch of skin it encompassed. She gives Meri a weak, apologetic smile while Meri's testimony is gathered up and she's escorted back to the table with Alvina and Hudson.
Hudson summons from within himself a reserve of tranquility, or the appearance of it at least. He glances at Alvina, smiling mildly at her in the manner of a doting husband who is just relieved to have this all behind him. Meri signs the document in the corner of his eye.
"Well then," that now done, the prosecutor flashes the blond woman a quick smile, and then slides the parchment into a folio with a mechanical sweep of her hand. She tucks the folder into her oversized bag and gestures at the scribe, who has followed her lead and put his notes away in his briefcase. They both stand. It's everyone's cue to follow.
"You'll let us know?" asks Alvina's attorney.
"Yep," agrees the prosecutor, stepping forward to shake everyone's hand. "Thank you for your cooperation, you were a wonderful witness," she addresses Meri first. She steps forward to address Alvina and her lawyer next. "I'll have the case dropped soon. No more ankle jewelry." She gives Alvina a smile that's perfunctory and doesn't quite follow to her eyes. Hudson is the last stop. "For the record I prosecute all cases that are assigned to me," she says to him. "It doesn't mean that I agree with them. Where there isn't supporting evidence, such as in this case, I am gratified to drop the charges. Personally speaking, I don't like that there is growing anti-witch and anti-werewolf sentiment in Cenril. That's not MY Cenril." She glances between Meri and Alvina.
Hudson is appraising her, his demeanor having demonstrably grown more pleasant. "I suppose you can't tell us where the initial complaint came from."
"I'm .. afraid it's confidential," she says. "We can't share that information for fear of witness intimidation."
Hudson grunts under a mild smile, slipping his hands in his pockets. "Weeeell," he intones, "no concerns at all here. Understand and thank you for getting to the bottom of this."
"Of course." She hesitates. "But for the record, the complaint came in anonymously ..."
And she and the scribe are gone, leaving them alone in the room.
Hudson speaks first, wasting little time in commenting, with no small amount of saltiness undergirding his tone, "Of course it was anonymous." He snorts. "And yet they treated it seriously, nearly broke our door down."
"There is a certain faction within the guard ..." offers Alvina's lawyer.
"Evidently," Hudson doesn't need her to finish explaining. A certain faction that can't be bought, that resents the grip organized crime has on Cenril. That would rather see a city without witches, werewolves, vampires, and other things that go bump in the night. That would take joy in seeing beloved socialite Alvina Landon rot in prison. Check all that apply. He slips an arm around Alvina's shoulders. "You good?" he asks her, before turning his attention to Meri. "Thank you, seriously. We owe you."
Alvina’s momentarily confused when the prosecutor and their attorney exchange a quick word. She looks at Hudson in dismay. Meri’s testimony didn’t immediately clear her? She had to keep wearing this thing? She did say soon though so…light at the end of the tunnel. The prosecutor goes on to chat up Hudson and Alvina hovers at his side like an accessory. His own personal enchanted ball and chain. Alvina has to hold back a groan at the woman’s punctuating sentiment. That’s not ‘my’ Cenril. Still, her face holds up pleasant and polite. “Thank you,” she offers the prosecutor a nod before Hudson’s inquiry. Alvina isn’t sure why he even asked. The source was no doubt connected to whoever finagled a bomb in their house and whoever randomly approached her on the street without offering a name. Someone smart. Smarter than them, at present, because they had the upper hand in knowing who THEY were. She’s looking at Meri, waiting for her to join them so she can thank her profusely. Hudson distracts her, pleasantly, by checking in with his wife. Her tension breaks under his attention. “Fine,” said to mean exactly that. “Yes, thank you.” Alvina parrots behind Hudson’s thanks to Meri. They probably owe her more than one; Alvina’d like to say so but fears it’ll be too suspicious. She breaks away from Hudson to try and give Meri a side hug. “I’m so sorry for all this trouble. WE are so sorry but thankful for your help.” After a beat, it only feels proper to ask about Fleur, but they don’t have too long to chat in the courtroom. Their attorney is ushering them outside.
Soon. This was a word that stuck out in Meri's mind too. Hopefully by soon the prosecutor meant within an hour or two? If Meri's testimony was not enough...That thought process was cut short when Hudson is brazen enough to ask who might have lodged the complaint. Of course he does not get an answer, but admittedly Meri is more disappointed to hear that the complaint was anonymous. This city really just makes arrests on anonymous complaints? Meri's red lips are pressed together so that they form a hard line if only so that she manages to keep herself silent. She has been a good witness, like the prosecutor has said. No since in muddling that up by making a scene, though she really wants to. Just like she has to resist the urge to roll her eyes when the prosecutor explains that this is not her Cenril. This is not a line that Meri is able to buy into, for if this was not her Cenril how would an anonymous tip make it nearly this far? Meri manages to keep silent, but she does not manage to soften her expression enough to fake any pleasantries with the prosecutor. Ushered outside they are, which makes any amount of small talk feel awkward to Meri. "Well. That was..." Even though they are outside, Meri opts to keep her commentary to herself for the time being. "You're welcome. I am sure you guys have a lot that you need to work through still..." Or at least so Meri imagined. One step down, a ton of paperwork to go? "We'll catch up soon, yeah?"
"Yeah, we should," Hudson agrees to Meri's suggestion of catching up. "If only to chat about who's filing 'anonymous' tips about us," he smiles cavalierly at Alvina's lawyer, who is giving him a cautioning, motherly glance. Safe to say there had been a talk about how discussions of FUTURE crimes put her in an uncomfortable ethical position. The woman turns to go, and Hudson squeezes Alvina's shoulder affectionately, calling after her the other question everyone has been wondering: "When do we find out about the case being dropped?"
The lawyer pivots on her heel, answering as she walks backward, "I expect they'll need a day to file the papers, but the court should sign off right after. Will be in touch."
"Thanks," says Hudson, wanting more certainty than that but trusting in how unbothered the woman is. He turns back to Alvina and Meri with a shrug. "We'll let you know when we hear," he says to Meri, taking a step forward to give her a loose embrace goodbye. "Thanks again," he says, before they part to go their separate ways.