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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1785703" data-attributes="member: 1210">Pretrial Motions7/14/368 O.L.G., 8 a.m., a small town in the Brown Hills“Oh no,” whines Federico, “I hate jail.”Martini’s hands clutch at the bars.  “I won’t stay locked up,” he vows quietly.  His eyes dart left and right desperately.  “I won’t.”“Maybe Lita can do some good from outside,” Sandy mutters.  He sighs.  This is his first time in real trouble; he still hopes to talk his way out of this, but... he doesn’t know if it’s possible.To Timothy, this is a lot like a bad day at the place, except that he has his friends.  So, even with the bars, it isn’t so bad.“Hey!” Sandy yells out into the outer room.“Yeah?”  The sheriff’s voice pipes back in to them.“When do we go to trial?”“Soon as the judge is ready.”“When’s that?”“He’ll let you know.”  The halfling sheriff walks into the cell block and stares at our heroes.  Bitterly, he says, “You let a mass murderer out, you know.”Sandy only groans again.***6 p.m., in the Pleasant Pheasant Restaurant, two blocks from the jailLita is not in jail.  Her display of noblewoman’s clothing and her ability to bald-faced flat out lie has served her well; the sheriff is trusting her to show up for trial (hopefully to be cleared- she never even entered the asylum, after all; she was sick with the so-called “Buzzing Bowels”).  Well, she just might... but it depends on whether her lawyer thinks he can get her off.  His name is Morgle.  His gnomish head is waxed and shiny, sporting no hair at all.  His whiskered chin has a firm cleft, and his eyes show the wrinkles that come from much laughter.  He comes highly recommended- the sheriff himself suggested that Lita try him for a good defense.  She tells him everything that happened, from the buzzing bowels to the doppelganger in the asylum to the group’s arrest the other day.  He asks many questions, probing her description of events for possible discrepancies and looking at it from many legal angles, seeking appropriate avenues of defense.“I think we can get you off,” he tells Lita reassuringly.  “Just don’t get in any trouble before the trial.”***7/15/368 O.L.G., 8 a.m., the jailThe door to the cell block opens.  “Is it breakfast time?” wonders Federico, but stops with a gasp.Two deputies enter, followed by two orderlies from the Asylum for Advanced Mental Treatment.“That’s him, all right,” one of them says, gazing directly at Timothy.“No!” yells Martini.  “You’re not taking him back to that terrible place!”Timothy is starting to shake.“Come on, lad, you know it’s for your own good,” the second orderly calls to Timothy.  “Come on, Timothy.”“How do you know they’re legitimate?” asks Sandy desperately.  “How do you know they aren’t here to spring him?”The first orderly sneers at him.  “We came with doctor’s orders, idiot.”“They did,” confirms one of the deputies, but he looks a little hesitant.“You can’t take him!  He’s- he’s a witness!” cries Martini.  And he throws himself in front of the door.“You have no proof that he’s crazy!” Federico’s little voice warbles from behind his friends.  “Don’t worry, Tim, we’ll take care of you.  We won’t let them take you back!”“Proof?” the sneering orderly chuckles.  “We have all the proof we need- don’t we, Timmy?”“No!  No, I’m Timothy, not Timmy, not Timmy, oh nooo...”“You bastard!” spits Federico.“None of this changes anything!” yells Martini.  “You aren’t taking him!  He’s a witness!  If you try to take him, you’ll have to go through us!”For a few moments there is no movement.  The glaring orderly (his name is Gorn, but our heroes won’t know this until the trial) stares hard at Martini, while the deputies merely watch mutely as the struggle of wills resolves.  Finally, Orderly Gorn snarls, “Fine.  You can keep him until the trial is over.  That shouldn’t take long.”  He turns and walks to the door, then glances back.  “Maybe when all is said and done, you’ll be committed too.”  Then the two orderlies are gone.   The deputies follow. As he leaves, the rear deputy glances over his shoulder and says, “This is going in my report!”Martini is shaking at the thought of the asylum.***1 p.m.Lita enters the cell block.  The door is closed behind her.  ”Lita!” exclaims Federico.  “I knew you hadn’t abandoned us!”“Hurray, Lita!” calls Timothy.  “Are you a doctor too?”“What?”  Lita is confused.“You are very talented- you’re a wine taster, and a noblewoman, and an adventurer.  Are you a doctor too?  Because then you could tell the orderlies what to do, and tell them to leave me alone.  I don’t want to go back to the place.”Quickly our heroes explain to Lita about the visit from the orderlies.  “That’s terrible!” she exclaims.  “Maybe you could steal their writ or orders or whatever,” Martini suggests.  “Then they won’t be able to take Timothy.”“I might try to visit the judge, too,” she muses.  “Maybe I can ‘persuade’ him to let you guys go.  I’m going to try to work on the sheriff, too.”***3 p.m.The cell block door opens again, and this time it is a distinguished looking gnome our heroes don’t recognize.  He introduces himself as Lita’s lawyer, and asks for the party’s view of events.  He listens to what they say, thanks them cordially, then rises to go.“Wait a second,” Sandy calls to him.  “Could we get some kind of magical truth checking or something?”“Perhaps, but it would be expensive and it would not be foolproof anyway.  There are always ways to get around magical checks.”“Can we hire you to represent us?”“I’m afraid not,” the gnome replies regretfully.  “It would represent a conflict of interests with my client Lita Alexander.”  He leaves them more than a little worried.“What did that mean?” asks Timothy aloud.***8 p.m., outside the jailLita stands in the shadows of the jail and considers her options.  She doesn’t like the way this is looking.  Her attorney seems competent enough, but he’s not helping her friends.  And those orderlies coming to take Timothy back to the Asylum for Advanced Mental Treatment- no, we can’t have that.  So she lights the building on fire.Next Time: Oops, what happens when the jail burns down?  Will Lita continue to get away with murder (figuratively speaking)?  And what happens at the trial??</blockquote>

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