Chapter 752: Motivations

“So? What did Vraekae say?”

Dys stretched, arms held far out to her sides as she pushed her chest forward and let a grunt escape her throat. The slight cracking sound that came from her neck as she rolled her head and shoulders felt good, and she made sure to work all the kinks out of her system before letting her arms relax and fall to her sides again. She also made sure to hold the pose just long enough that Aila’s cheeks would color as she stood before her, watching the display. There was never a wrong time to tease her freckled lover.

“The trial is happening a week from now,” she answered with a long exhalation. “Since the chaos around Somerulf’s announcement has died down.”

“I meant about the process,” Aila clarified, arms crossed before her as she leaned against the edge of one of their dressers. “Is there anything more we need to do? Anything we should do, to help?”

“Not really,” Dys shook her head as she took a seat on one corner of their bed and began unlacing her boots. “All the evidence is lined up, all the witnesses have given their sworn statements before inquisitors, and since none of us were present for the event, we aren’t involved. I thought we might be summoned as character witnesses or something, but apparently that isn’t how it works around here.”

“Character witnesses?” Aila raised an eyebrow, then nodded after a moment. “Oh, I see what you mean. A witness intended to testify as to the moral standing of the accused individual.”

“Right,” Dys nodded as she slipped one boot off, then the other. “On my old world, or at least in the country I came from, it was common for witnesses to be called during trials to testify as character witnesses, to help cement the idea that the accused couldn’t have committed the crime, or if they had, it wasn’t for purposefully cruel motivations.”

“From what I have studied of imperial law, we do have a similar system, but such testimonies are only given after the individual has already been convicted. The trial is only meant to establish whether the crime was committed, not whether or not the convicted was a good person who made a mistake or an evil person who purposefully caused harm. Those considerations are for the judgement of sentencing.”

“Yeah, that’s basically how Vraekae explained it,” Dys sighed.

With careful aim, Dys tossed her two boots across the room, landing both perfectly in their appointed spots next to her towering wardrobe. It was the sort of throw that she would have botched horribly as a human, or even as a newly reincarnated Nephilim a year ago; however, with her Dexterity attribute as high as it was, she was capable of making trick shots that most professional athletes could only dream of.

A part of Jadis wondered if it would be alright if she introduced basketball to Oros, just to have the satisfaction of making the free throws she had never been able to accomplish back on Earth.

“See, part of that still confuses me,” Dys said as she leaned back on the bed. “For Cobbler’s case, I understand that the question isn’t really whether or not she acted in self-defense, or in the defense of Gert, but is actually about whether or not self-defense laws apply to her as a non-hostile Demon who has rejected Samleos. Well, I guess another way of putting it would be, can a Demon even act in the defense of another or not? To me, that seems like it’s entirely about motivation, not whether she committed the action. In my opinion, character witnesses seem like the whole point. It’s Cobbler’s character that matters, not what she physically did during that riot.”

“I do see what you mean,” Aila nodded as she pushed off from the dresser and approach the bed. “My assumption would be, then, that Vraekae is purposefully ignoring the question of motivation the same as she would in the trial of another self-defense killing, reserving that portion for the sentencing, rather than the initial determination of action taken.”

“Yeah, that’s what she said she was doing,” Dys murmured as she put her hands around Aila’s waist and pulled her to stand between her knees. “She’s doing things the same as she would any trial. It’s meant to be a statement, showing that Cobbler isn’t being tried any differently from anyone else.”

“Then what confuses you?” Aila asked, her head tilted to one side, allowing her long red hair to fall over one shoulder.

“How does a normal self-defense trial determine guilt if no one is asking for the motivation behind the killing? I mean, if I get in a bar fight and the guy pulls a knife on me, and I fight back and accidentally kill him in the process, doesn’t the motivation of the fight matter? What if I was provoking him? What if I knew the guy and I wanted him dead? What if I was just too drunk to even think of the consequences and I didn’t hold back my Strength when I struck him? I feel like those are all considerations that need to be investigated before you can say that I am guilty of murder, or that I just acted in self-defense.”

Aila listened silently, digesting the explanation while her hands rested on Dys’ arms. When she eventually spoke, her answer was carefully worded, her thoughts thoroughly considered.

“The trial in your example would not be about whether or not the defense you took was justified. The trial is meant to determine whether you were the person who killed the man. Because, even in your example, you did kill someone. That is the immutable fact that must be established. The law seeks to prove without a shadow of a doubt that you committed this act. It is only after this fact has been established that motivation is considered. The act is not changed by your motivation, only the consequences. Your punishment, if there is to be any at all, is where your motivation comes into play.”

“Then, theoretically, I could confess to the act of killing the person in this imaginary bar fight and skip the whole trial process, right?” Dys asked as she thought through Aila’s explanation. “Just go straight to sentencing, where motivation matters.”

“Theoretically, yes,” Aila nodded. “However, I believe a thorough magistrate would still require an investigation and perhaps a short trial to confirm that you were telling the truth, and that your confession was not intended to hide the act of another person.”

“Alright,” Dys agreed, “that part makes sense. Then why haven’t we done that with Cobbler? She’s not disputing that she took that man’s life. She admitted freely that she did so, because she didn’t want him to hurt Gert or Grape. Why not just have her state her confession, skip all of the rest of the investigation stuff, and just go straight to the motivation and sentencing?”

“As you said before,” Aila made a considering expression. “Vraekae is making a statement. I would assume that she is purposefully showcasing all the evidence, every witness statement and inquisitional testimony, specifically because everyone in Eldingholt will be paying attention to this trial. Everyone in the whole empire will, and beyond. She wants everyone to know exactly what happened on that day, so there can be no doubts.”

“So there can be no doubt,” Dys echoed. “Yeah, that’s probably it.”

Aila raised her eyebrow at Dys, giving her a knowing look.

“Something still bothers you.”

“Yeah, yeah I think so,” she sighed.

Leaning back and letting herself fall onto the bed, Dys embraced Aila and brought her with her, causing the redhead to lay across Dys’ chest. It was a comfortable position, having her lover lying on top of her, and Dys immediately felt more at ease than she had a moment before. She didn’t ignore the way Aila’s member twitched against her stomach, but she didn’t draw attention to it, either. Jadis’ mind was still focused on the Cobbler situation.

“I think Vraekae is hiding something from me.”

Sitting up slightly, Aila meant Dys’ gaze, her concern evident.

“Has she lied to you about something?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Dys shook her head. “I don’t think she would, either. Not unless she really had to. But some of the things she said, the way she answered some of my questions… it was like she was being extra careful to avoid bringing something up, something that she wanted to keep my attention away from. She even asked to have sex before I was done asking my questions. Vraekae always puts business before pleasure. It’s not like her to skip over details in favor of fucking.”

“Maybe you’re a negative influence on her,” Aila muttered.

Dys snorted at the thought.

“I don’t think Valtar himself could influence Vraekae to change once she’s made up her mind about something.”

“Then, you’re saying she purposefully distracted you with sex because she was avoiding an untouched topic?”

“Again, I’m not sure,” Dys shrugged. “But I think so.”

The two were silent for a while, laying in each other’s arms in the quiet of their privacy. The sound of distant shouts and construction coming through the open window wasn’t enough to distract Dys from her slowly turning thoughts, but it was enough to lull her eyes closed for a few moments.

“Are you going to confront her about it?”

“No,” Dys shook her head, her eyes still closed. “Not right now, anyway. I trust Vraekae. If she’s keeping something from me, then she’s doing it because she thinks it’s in my best interest. I’ll leave it alone. For now.”

“That’s honestly quite surprising,” Aila murmured. “I would have expected you to be upset with the Magistrate. Certainly, bothered enough to demand answers.”

“Hey, I’m not exactly happy about being left in the dark,” Dys frowned. “I’d rather be in the know then not. But again, I trust Vraekae. She’s earned that trust. And I’m not stupid. I know there are situations where me knowing about something can cause issues. Plausible deniability or some crap like that.”

“That’s an interesting term. Plausible deniability.”

“It’s a politician’s word. I hate that kind of shit. But again, I’m not an idiot. I’m not going to throw a tantrum and screw up whatever delicate issue Vraekae is dealing with just because I feel l should be informed. She has good reasons not to tell me, I’m sure. And once she can, she will tell me.”

“What if she doesn’t?” Aila asked. After a pause, she clarified. “I mean, what if she doesn’t have a good reason, or what if she never tells you at all and you have to find out for yourself?”

“Then I’ll be really upset with her. But Vraekae isn’t stupid either. She wouldn’t risk pissing me off and ruining our relationship unless she had a really, really good reason.”

Opening her eyes, Dys smirked at her redheaded lover.

“After all, she won’t get any more sex from me if she does.”

Aila scoffed, lightly slapping Dys’ shoulder before shimmying her way out of her embrace and rolling off the bed. Dys let her go, but not without planting several kisses on her beautiful mage’s arms, neck, and back.

“Speaking of sex, I spoke with Sabina earlier. You’re going to be ‘milking’ seed this evening, yes?”

When Dys nodded in the affirmative, Aila went over to her private wardrobe and pulled out one of her many enchanted canteens. She tossed the metal object to Dys, then began rummaging through her clothes, pulling some out to hold up against her body before putting them back.

“Would you please refill that one for me? I depleted that one entirely during the training session at Metethys’ Temple the other day.”

“What, you aren’t going to help?” Dys asked as she held the canteen up to her ear and shook it, confirming it was empty.

“While I would love to,” Aila replied with a teasing tone, “I promised my mother that I would take her out to dinner this evening. It’s turned into something of a thing, actually. Thea, Sorcha, and Bridget are bringing their mothers as well.”

“And I wasn’t invited?” Dys pouted, her voice colored by genuine surprise. “You didn’t tell me about this at all!”

“It’s somewhat spur of the moment,” Aila admitted as she decided on a lovely green and white summer dress that contrasted nicely with her red hair. “And you wouldn’t be invited anyway.”

“Why not?”

“Because our mothers are going to be spending most of the night talking about you and your role as a supportive spouse. It would be awkward if you were present.”

“Oh, well, then I guess have fun gossiping about me to your mothers,” Dys laughed. “Wait, what about Eir? Her mother is in town. I’m walking home with her right now from the tailor shop.”

“Did you pick out your dresses?”

“Yes, I got a nice suit, Hope got a cute little white dress with lots of red and yellow trim and highlights, and the dress they're making for Alex is going to make her look like a giant flower.”

“I look forward to seeing that…”

“But what about Svana?”

“I will invite her and Eir both when they return to the compound. I assume Eir and your other self are on the way back as well?”

“Just about to leave,” Dys confirmed. “Cora’s coming with us. We still need to introduce her to Estelle. Want me to tell Eir about your plans?”

“That’s fine,” Aila nodded, then paused. “Actually, will Eir be able to join us if you are… utilizing her abilities?”

“Mm, she just needs to cast the spell,” Dys said thoughtfully. “She doesn’t have to stick around. Especially not with my upgrades. But now that I say that, I’m not sure she’s going to want to leave…”

“What a choice for a woman to have,” Aila murmured as she slipped out of her work clothes and put on her nice dress. “A lovely night out with friends and family, or an evening spent milking gallons of semen out of her Nephilim lover.”

“Yeah,” Dys let out an exaggerated sigh. “How do some girls get all the luck?”