WEEK 2

[bathymetric]

So far, good news! You've managed to avoid killing! A week has passed in the facility, but how many more are there to go until one of you tries out Rule Seven? I mean.... we know, but.

No new areas just yet, it remains you guys and yours here for now. Well, and Angel, but again - you don't exactly see her unless you want to. It's more than a little lonely... maybe someone ought to shake things up.



SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[ ooc: Welcome to Week 2, your first case week! Remember to turn in regains here, your AC for last week here, and if you like, come visit Angel's office hours here!

Comments

[snackooed]

Not all of them. Since I work for the police, not everyone at the scene with me is an investigator. As a matter of fact, before I got this job, I was just a regular detective on the force, which I didn't like at all because I barely got to do any forensics...but, even when I was on that job, I was working closely with the other forensics staff to get to the bottom of whatever cases we were assigned.

[ Which was kind of like pouring salt in a wound... ]

But even within the forensics department, there are experts who specialize in certain areas of analysis. We have a "latent print technician," for example, who tends to be the go-to when it comes to examining latent prints and pulling them from trickier surfaces. We also have a "photo technician," who takes photographs of the crime scene from all angles before we disturb it by investigating.

[ ...Hm, wait. ]

I probably have to explain to you what a "photograph" is, don't I?

[bolderfell]

[Ah! No, he knows that one!]

Shelley has a camera. I get it. That way, you know exactly how everything was when you found it. Or, if you miss something, there's a chance you'll see it later.

[He shakes his head wryly.]

Criminals in your world have it rough.

[snackooed]

We need to make sure that we're extra thorough. A little over a decade ago, they changed the law regarding trials...

[ Hoo boy. ]

When a suspect is detained in connection with a crime, as you may know, there's a trial before a judge who determines whether they're guilty or not guilty. [ Not necessarily "innocent"... ] Under the older system, trials could take months on end...but that system created an enormous amount of cases, with judges having to dedicate a significant amount of time to each. So now we have what's called the "initial trial" system, where all trials have a maximum time limit of three days. It's a lot more work for the attorneys, and the police who provide the evidence, but the government is able to process detainees much more quickly that way.

It just means I can't afford to be sloppy, really.

[bolderfell]

Three days sounds... rushed.

[Why is Ace Attorney like this.]

What happens if you find out you were wrong after all?

[snackooed]

It's definitely not a lot of time. My sister was the Chief Prosecutor, so I've seen first-hand how much work it's put on the attorneys. For the defense attorneys, too, of course...

If there's some kind of problem at the initial hearing, it's possible to appeal, but they're rarely granted, and even more rarely result in an overturn of the initial sentence.

[bolderfell]

...

[Head tilt.]

Defense attorneys?

[snackooed]

So at that trial before the judge, you have two advocates who are arguing to determine whether the suspect actually committed the crime. The prosecutor argues on behalf of the state, and she uses our evidence and says something along the lines of, "The police department's forensics team found the suspect's prints at the crime scene, we have an eye-witness who saw the suspect exhibit suspicious behavior that day, and the suspect has no alibi. Therefore, it is clear that the suspect is guilty of the crime."

Now, on the other side, the defense attorney argues for the suspect. When the witness gives his account of what he saw that day, her job is to look for contradictions in his testimony, things that don't line up with the evidence. The defense attorney not only has to argue that the suspect isn't guilty of the crime, but also offer an alternative theory of the case, where someone else is.

Really now, I don't envy them even a little.

[bolderfell]

[wHAt the fuCk]

Somebody tries to help the criminal? That's allowed?

[snackooed]

Well, the idea is that even if someone is accused of a crime, we want to make sure that they have a chance to plead their innocence, so to speak. Just because the evidence is pointing one way doesn't ever mean that the case is open-and-shut.

[ Though her job is to be on the other side, it sounds like she's fairly passionate about this? ]

After all, this is the rest of someone's life at stake, here. Three days may make it a bit of a race against the clock, but more than anything, our goal isn't just to ensure that there's justice, it's also to make sure we give the attorneys all of the tools they need to reach the truth. And when someone's back is to the wall, having someone who believes in you...it makes all the difference in the world.

[ She can't keep her feelings out of her words. ]

[bolderfell]

...

[Momentarily at a loss, Therion looks back down at the cord in his hands. After a moment, he begins to braid once more, as if gathering his own thoughts with the motion. Grab, loop, over--grab, loop, over. Maybe it works. He speaks up eventually.]

I wouldn't know.

[He clears his throat.]

Gaolkeepers and judges don't exactly work that way where I'm from.

[snackooed]

[ Ema can't help but sigh and scratch the back of her head. Deep breaths... ]

Our system isn't exactly perfect either, of course. As a matter of fact, it was only recently that we moved on past a period called "the dark age of the law". [ Why is Ace Attorney like this, indeed. ] Not everyone involved in the process has noble goals, to put it mildly. And I'm certainly not naive enough to think that the police force is above that.

[ Quite the opposite, actually. If there ever was anyone who would know just how deep corruption can run... ]

Still, on the other side of the coin, there are plenty of prosecutors and defense attorneys alike who act with dignity in the face of all of that, who are willing to fight for what's right and turn the situation around. Those are the ones who keep people's faith in the system alive.

[bolderfell]

You put a lot of stock in that. In faith. Having belief.

[He sounds tired.]

[snackooed]

I think it's an important thing to have.

[ Though she can understand the exhaustion. It can be hard to keep, sometimes. ]

I've been in my fair share of hopeless situations. I wouldn't have made it through if I didn't have something to believe in. Whether it was my sister Lana, or my colleagues, or even my own abilities as a scientist.

[bolderfell]

[A sister, huh. Colleagues. Her own abilities.]

Just take care that that faith doesn't betray you. ...Seems you've got a lot left to teach me, after all.