Prelude to Resolution (Open)

Andrew heard the clicking of another set of shoes as he paced. He wasn't alone anymore. Andrew looked in time to see Jorge dressed for court and waving at him. He stopped mid-pace and smiled tensely at the man.

"Hey old man."

Jorge tried his hand at calming Andrew down. He appreciated the gesture but it was a little sloppy. When the time came he would shape up. It wouldn't do for the court to see him like this so they wouldn't. Andrew fixed his smile into something more relaxed.

"I was thinking coffee actually. Shouldn't take too long. They won't have a leg to stand on once this thing gets going."

False assurance was better than nervous pacing. It was so much easier to just lie to himself and Jorge. Jorge would know easily that it was fake but hopefully he wouldn't say anything. Anything less than perfect composure would get him torn apart in there. That's what he thought anyway. True or not he needed to be calm once he walked back through those doors to face this thing.

"How are you doing old man?" Andrew took a longer look at the man before commenting again, "You're looking a little scruffy. Might wanna fix that before you see Gemma next."

Verdy awoke from a rather pleasant dream to the rather unpleasant feeling of Jack’s slobbery tongue sweeping her face. The second it took her to leap from the bed and dash to the bathroom to spit in the sink and ferociously brush her teeth was soundtracked by a wailing ‘eeeeeeeeew’ followed by swearing through frothy paste.

“Why would you do that?!”

Jack cocked his head at her innocently and she frowned, it was difficult to stay mad at the little pirate captain. One final spit and rinse and she felt sufficiently cleansed from the rude awakening to return to bed. Jack barked at her as she moved towards the bed, then barked again as she sat down on the edge of it.

“What is wrong with you this morning?”

She glanced at the clock and saw a few minutes past eight. Far too early to be out of bed, the lazy side of her complained, and she felt a great desire to agree with it and tumble beneath the covers for another forty winks or so. The rational side of her was yelling something incomprehensible but she ignored it with a sigh and fell back against the soft mattress. Jack began barking the moment her head touched the pillow.

“What!!!”

She shoved herself out of the bed and raked the room with her eyes looking for the lead. If she took him for a quick walk now perhaps he would calm down and she could catch some more sleep before noon. She glanced at the clock again and froze.

She wasn’t supposed to be here.

Andrew’s trial was today, and she had promised-kind-of-sorta, that she would come and be there, as emotional support. Jack couldn’t go, of course, but he would be fine to stay in the room by himself. In fact, now that she was tearing around the room rummaging for a clean shirt to wear under her work suit Jack seemed content to jump onto the bed, turn around three times and settle into the warm patch she had left, his work done.

Finally retrieving a pale blue blouse from where it had been lurking in the bottom of a draw she shook it out and inspected it. The front was mainly ok, but the sleeves looked like they could do with an iron before an important occasion, and the trial of her boy-gap-friend on the subject of murder was definitely an important occasion.

Cursing her lack of foresight and hanging space she slipped a hanger into the shirt and hung it from the inside of the bathroom door, the steam would encourage most of the crinkles to fall out of the thin material, and any that didn’t… well she could either live with it, or dash down to find an iron in the shared laundry, depending on how much time she had.

She was in and out of the shower in a flash, only spending enough time to scrub herself into a clean pinkness and wash her hair. She speed-dried and brushed her hair simultaneously before scraping it into a sensible bun with all the green carefully concealed. Despite the fact it wasn’t her on trial demonstating that the company Andrew kept was wholesome could make a big difference if it were a juried trial, people were incredibly judgemental and she was secretly glad that neither herself nor Andrew had particularly obvious mutations, there was bound to be at least one bigot in the jury. Cursing her lack of foresight she recalled a concealer she had read about which would cover tattoos, although if Andrew had on long sleeves that shouldn’t be an issue.

Drying her bangs so they left her eyes well and truly exposed she touched on mascara and eyeliner with a shudder. Why did women have to wear makeup to be taken seriously? Slipping on a sheer pair of tights and the sensible, flat, mary-jane-type shoes she wore to work she tugged on her skirt and checked the time. She was still running late, but she might just have enough time to iron if she ran. Snatching her bag up and pulling on her jacket over her bra, the blue shirt dangling on the hanger from her other hand she wrestled for a moment with her phone on the charger. Skipping out on the vest she ducked into the hallway, grateful for the lack of people, and dashed onwards to the laundry where she was certain she had seen an iron. Perhaps they had one in their room, but she wasn’t sure where it was. The seconds until the iron was warm enough were spent organising a cab on the phone and praying nobody walked in on her, as she had removed the jacket in the steamy warmth. A quick job with the iron and her shirt was respectable. Not wishing to crease it she re-hung it, donned her jacket once more, buttoned it to a decent level and dashed to meet the cab at the gate.

((OOC: Crazy long post, and it's only half of what I wrote... I split it up 'cause it looked too weirdly long. The other half can wait. Working tommorow, so I mightn't be on until late.))

>> "You know, I don't know. I haven't really seen her this morning. She said she was going to be here. Today is her day with Jack though, for obvious reasons. That might be what's holding her up."

Jorge nodded but didn’t say anything at first. He was sure that Verdigris would be here for Andrew, after all the pair of them were as thick as thieves. This often made him wonder if they were actually a couple. After all, he usually sees them together as well as the fact that they own a dog together. But there always seemed to be reluctance between those two that he noticed whenever he was around them. Maybe it was an unrequited love, or a caring that they dared not take beyond what they had grown comfortable with. Whatever the case, he did not doubt that the woman would be here, he just hoped that she arrived on time.

He looked up to Andrew as he continued to pace. He knew the kid was nervous and he really didn’t blame here. He was facing murder charges and though all the evidence supported this story, sometimes judges can be swayed by enough crying family members.

The detective prayed that this one was a hard hearted person.

Unfortunately he had seen it enough times where the entire grieving family of a victim managed to sway judges to the point where they can bend the rules just enough to bring them justice. Normally Jorge had no fear of that when it came to thugs like this man who passed away, but the sad truth was that...through some research, Jorge found that the man was clean. He had only a minor record of loitering and harassment, but nothing more serious than that. For all intensive purposes it looked as if the man were a saint with just an attitude and a mouth that got him more and more into trouble. But the assault of an officer and a college student was new for him.

Of all the times to try something new, Jorge thought as he looked back up at Andrew who paced.

“Kid, it might be better if you sit down. I know you’re trying to get the nerves out now, but you need to relax.” he said as he sat back on the bench, his arms still crossed over his chest. “You’re going to be just fine. We’re just going to go in there and tell the truth.”

Jorge prayed that everything would be that simple. For months now Andrew had to live with this and he would have to live with it the rest of his life. But is that enough to condone what he did? Jorge thought so. He felt Andrew shouldn’t have beat himself up at all for what happened on that night, but when someone kills for the first time…it is a life altering experience. So far Andrew survived and he hoped that would continue…even better if it would be outside of jail.

He glanced at Andrew again and smiled warmly. “You saved my life, Andrew. They can’t condemn you for that.”

Andrew shook his head and continued to stand where he was. He had too much nervous energy at the moment to just sit down. As for relaxing, he could do that once the trial was over. Jorge asserted that they couldn't punish him for saving his life. Andrew knew darn well that they could and might. With the way their legal system worked all it would take was a clever enough lawyer on the other person's side asking the right questions. Though Jorge was trying to cheer him up and get him to calm down entirely it wasn't going to happen. Honestly he'd be a little afraid if he was completely calm about being here. How many times would he have had to have seen the inside of a court house to be entirely calm before a trial? Andrew smiled at Jorge apologetically, as if to apologize for the fact that his well meant words were not doing any good.

Right about then Verdy appeared. She took a moment to greet Jorge and then turned to Andrew. He felt something cool and glassy slip into his hand right before she hugged him briefly. Apparently her alarm clock had failed to activate at the proper time.

"Hey, you're here now so no harm done."

Andrew accepted her assurances as calmly as he could. Until the verdict was read he would continue to be nervous. Having people he knew in the court room was something of a double edged sword though. On one hand he was glad for their support but on the other hand he didn't like to worry them like this.

Though, all told there was something to be said for this trial finally happening. Once it was done he wouldn't have to worry about legal repercussions of what he'd done anymore. That would be a huge weight off of his mind. He gave a glance at the clock to check that they still had time before he needed to be in the court room. They did. So he took a moment to examine exactly what Verdy had given him. It wasn't much. Just a blue glass marble. It was the thought that counted. He tucked the little marble into his pocket.

“Of course, we couldn’t leave you by yourself to face this bunch of crazies, that’s what friends are for.”

That, and sharing a dog and going on rampages and sword-fighting in a shopping centre and all manner of things not yet done or planned. Jorge wandered off down the hall as Andrew inspected the ball of glass, she flushed a little as she tried to explain. In her head it sounded right, outloud it was a little stranger.

“It’s for good luck, and blue is the colour of peace and clarity of mind.”

She wasn’t sure if she believed in good luck charms, but she believed in covering all bases and seeing as truth was a given in the courtroom a little luck and the frantic taxi-cab-prayer as she struggled with her buttons couldn’t be of any harm. Giving a good luck charm seemed a little less queer than saying ‘I prayed for you’ especially since she wasn’t sure who she had addressed her plea to, more of an open request to anyone listening in the cosmos.

“I don’t know if it’ll help or anything, but everything’s so uptight in courtrooms, it might be nice to have something that’s got nothing to do with why we’re here.”

Andrew seemed to accept her little gift (how she wished she had something that would just make it all go away, for everything to be better) as he slipped it into his pocket. Before she could think of anything comforting or reassuring to say, Jorge made his way back to them, a look of worry on his face. Instinctively Verdy scanned the hall for what he might have seen to get him off the wall which he had been doing a fine job of holding up.

A group of people were far enough down the hall that even with her now clear eyes she struggled to make out details. She was fairly certain at least one of them was a woman, but other than that it was anyone’s guess. So guess she did. Her guess was that these were the people pressing charges against Andrew, and she shifted her position so that if they looked down the corridor they would see her very professional looking back, and not so much of Andrew and his nervous pacing. Wishing she was a little taller so she could shield more of him from their view she looked at Jorge.

“Is that them?”

What would they do if they noticed Andrew, the detective and herself standing outside the courtroom? Surely they would be civil. No one would dare do something stupid in a courthouse of all places, but still, Andrew was jumpy enough that it mightn’t take much to disrupt whatever little calmness he had in him. Despite the limited nature of their relationship she found herself wanting to hold his hands, reassure him that everything would be alright, if not pull him into a hug strong enough to shield him from the world. As it was she had to settle for a little nod of encouragement accompanied by a little smile. Determined to radiate calm she focused on her breathing for a moment or two, letting Hunter’s training work its way through her, putting her own nerves and tension aside for Andrew’s sake. She regretted not taking the time to meditate with him before the trial, as it seemed to help quite a bit in calming her own jitters.

His return to the group obviously warranted a look of curiosity from Verdigris as well as Andrew. He did not want to alarm them about the thug’s family arrival, but that notion was quickly taken out of his hands. As he arrived to them, the keen eyed young woman immediately turned to looked past him and spied the more angry then sad looking family. The question that followed was inevitable:

>> “Is that them?”

Mutely Jorge nodded as he turned to look at Andrew. So far the kid had been blissful unaware of the family except for snippets containing whatever Jorge or the kid’s lawyer had decided to tell him. This was different though. They were here, in flesh and blood and bone and they wanted only one thing in the world, to take Andrew down for removing a member of their family from life. Jorge wished that he did not have to go through this but even back in that alley he knew things would come to this. He couldn’t keep the kid’s actions buried for long, and the family’s lust for vengeance was more than expected. Well…maybe not as bloodthirsty as they have appeared thus far, but it was expected nonetheless.

He then saw the look in Andrew’s eyes. He didn’t know if the kid realized who these people were at first but he seemed to realize it judging from both his and Verdigris’ reactions. Andrew then stirred them towards the courtroom doors.

>> "I think we should get inside the court room. It'll look worse for them if they start a scene in the court room as opposed to out here in the hallway where no one can see…Thanks for being here by the way guys."

Jorge smirked as he shook Andrew’s hand firmly then watched as he gave Verdigris the most friendly of hugs. It had been a long and very strange journey thus far. He hated the idea that Andrew had to go through all of this just for saving the life of a grizzly detective. Jorge was never one of pity parties, but lately he had been feeling guilty about Andrew. Though he felt that he would be okay, Jorge still felt guilt that for the past few months, Andrew had to live with this on his shoulders. He had to exist forever on, knowing that he took the life of someone. Even though that thug may have not been the most innocent man in the world, killing should never be justified.

Entering the courthouse, Jorge could only shake his head as he stepped back and allowed the two youngsters to step in first. He waited for a moment and watched the family slowly making their way down the hall. The person in lead was a woman, the boy’s mother and the most boisterous of the family. He had come to know that first hand whenever she would walk into the precinct. It was like the scene in Jurassic Park where the big dinosaur’s footsteps caused pools of water everywhere to vibrate and pulse. Whenever the stomping, dinosaur of a woman walked into the office, her footfalls caused everyone to look up in surprise. She was a big woman, but not only that, she had the loudest voice and the reddest face to match. It was obvious that when she spoke, people could not help but listen.

For a brief second down the hall, Jorge and the woman locked eyes. It took her a moment, but once she caught sight of him, Jorge could see the rage building up behind her cheeks. He could only imagine what choice words she was sure to have for him.

With a sigh, he turned without a word or gesture and followed the pair into the courtroom with a prayer on his lips.