[color=#00ff00](OOC: This is a continuation of 2127.07.25 – A Girl in Hell)[/color]
The myriad of stairwells, corridors, and passages became a dizzying frenzy as Judge Nathaniel Criss guided the attorney, Nataska Marks, and her charge, Shannon Auvryndyr, through the majestic cathedral. Shannon stared at the back of the Judges’ armored feet as they followed. Lost in her own thoughts, she ignored all the artistic creativity of the Faith of Kaine which was abundant around her.
They had just departed her parents’ trial. The remainder of which had left Shannon dazed and in emotional confusion. For it was after her attorneys’ warning that Shannon had expected to be challenged by Fresenius and his cohorts. She was terrified that they were going to throw angry words of false accusations and blasphemy at her while her father looked on in shock and despair. Instead, much to Natasha’s surprise (Shannon noted) the trial proceeded without her father’s presence. Instead, the Council woman Mindera did nothing but spout bloated legal jargon that no one in attendance seemed to pay any attention too. Even Shannon, with her acute linguistic capability, couldn’t manage to follow the archaic legislative words describing the entire case in minute detail.
Shannon actually became bored with it; an apathetic emotion that snuck up on her life a thief from an alley. Upon her discovery of the rogue she mentally shook herself as she stood listening to Mindera’s monotone voice. She decided to prepare an eloquent speech for this assembly, one that would allow her to convey her complete disappointment with the government and its leaders but didn’t directly perjure herself before the court. As she weaved the narrative in her mind, she had smiled at its brilliance. Finally, at the close of the trial, Fresenius had offered her one last opportunity to make an official statement before all in session. As they all watched she steeled herself for the moment of truth…
…but one last look at Natasha Marks reproachful glare shut down her tongue. Within her attorneys’ gaze was the warning she had made to Shannon in the waiting room, [b][i]‘Miss Avryndyr, if you can promise to refrain from speaking out of turn, I promise you that you will have a final conversation with your parents’[/i][/b].
“No…your…your Honor,” Shannon had replied to Fresenius. The word of his title burning in the back of her throat as a few tears escaped her eyes. This was the world’s justice, and beyond the torment of losing her parents the small girl also lost something even as precious, she had lost her faith in her fellow man. Shannon sighed as a Quintescent Cleric came from an adjoining hallway and strode aside them on a parallel route to somewhere in the massive building. The smelled of odd powders and fumes from wherever his laboratory resided broke her out of her memories of just a hand ago. When the cleric turned down a side passage Shannon was thankful to be able to breathe fresh air again.
At some point Shannon lost sight of any of the large windows which gazed upon the splendor of the park outside. She wondered if they had completed their journey of the upper thirty floors and were now traversing the dungeon levels below. Sure enough they turned a corner and she recognized the passageways. She shivered at the memory of being lead down into this very same dungeon when she had been jailed during that first night after her parents’ arrest. “Almost there,” said the Judge from inside his massive plate-mail helm.