Hang In There, Serah Sanjar!

A new order that came from the Lord Governor threw the courthouse into absolute disarray. His visibly overworked secretary came down in person to look through the scheduled hearings and rearrange their date and time, in preparation for the trial. They learned that the Royal Envoy ordered it to be in three days' time, and the already decently unpopular Lord Governor managed to annoy an entirely new group of his citizens.

Well it made sense, Sanjin thought as they were penning a letter for him. First he decided to go on a tour of his colony with a man that the commoners found highly disagreeable. While Vice Admiral managed to keep himself looking impressive in the eyes of nobility, the commoners were the ones on the receiving end of his occasional carousing around the city. Secondly, after he supposedly died, the man returned to Hipparcos with two ships full of pirates in tow. And the highly notorious Pirate Queen, too. With whom he was - allegedly! - having an affair with. The real cherry on top had to be the incident that had several guardsmen exiled from the city. Of course his newfound grievances against Vice Admiral weren't going to make up for all of that. People thought he was thoroughly corrupt and removing the guardsmen for the sake of pirates.

All in all, he would have seemed as the worst administrator this colony had, were it not for the people who had to personally interact with him.

The Governor worked very hard every day. Many people visited him in the manor, almost daily, as he listened to the issues in the colony and made improvement plans. Occasionally he even made his way down to the city to see if everything was coming along well. He worked hard on plans for assessment and fixing of damages caused by storms, there were plans for a new lighthouse, a cleaning service, street lights... Sanjin even overheard that several people asked to be permitted to attend class in pirates' school, which he allowed. According to their colleagues, he was a well-mannered, eloquent, and intelligent man.

Despite his completely abhorrent reputation.

It was an interesting contrast, really. On one hand, they wondered if he truly wanted to weaken the city guard so that the pirates can have an easier time taking over the place. On the other hand, they were among the people who had the misfortune of meeting one of the exiled guards. They hardly missed the bastard.

There was a distinct possibility that the man was ignorant of - or too incompetent for - managing his public image. Sanjin sealed the envelope, curious to find out which it is. In either case, someone in such a high position presented a prime opportunity for a freshly graduated lawyer from the Honorable Society of Lazuli Inn. Whether or not they manage to prove the Governor's innocence before the Envoy didn't matter. The fact that someone in such a high position trusted them with the case will launch their career like a cannon.

The best bets, they decided, are those where your success is guaranteed.

They gave the letter to one member of Lord Secretary's flock of assistants and returned to work, very pleased with their plan. The fact that they got the response on the same day, with the meeting scheduled for early morning tomorrow, only told them that Lord Governor was surely desperate. Truly a perfect opportunity.

Sanjin woke up before dawn to get ready. They put on their best robes and fine shoes with small heels. The outfit cost them a fortune, but you must always leave best impressions, especially when starting out. The end result was perfectly elegant and more than appropriate to appear before the Governor. They wiped their large circular glasses one last time, made sure they packed all their documents, and left to catch the morning carriage to the manor. They will travel with servants and groceries, but it didn't matter as long as they made it in time.

The journey took less than an hour and they arrived just before eight. It wasn't particularly uncomfortable and they managed to keep their clothes from dirtying. They will dust them off before entering the manor and they will be right as day. As they were handling the cleaning with a brush they carried, they were approached by a small servant.

"Who are you?" he asked directly. And rather rudely, but they let it slide. It wasn't their job to reprimand the Governor's servants.
"Sanjin Sanjar, a lawyer. I have a meeting with the Lord Governor at eight thirty. Please let him know I have arrived."
"That's... early."
"Yes. But I am on time nonetheless."
"Right. Can I see some invite or something?"
"You are rather rude, young man. You should lead me inside instead and offer me something while waiting, you know?" They should be speaking to someone important, not to a random servant!

The young man stared them down, looking directly into their eyes with visible confusion. This wasn't normal servant behavior at all! What was going on? Just as they were about to say something, two guards walked out of the manor, dragging a severely beaten man in chains.

"What in the-" they stopped themself from cursing, stepping aside so that the blood from his nose wouldn't get on their clothes.
"Assassin from Coterie," the servant said. "Look. Show me documents, an' n' invitation. Else I ask Hexkey to take y' too."
They frowned at the accent before deciding to give in. Arguing with the Guard Captain would certainly be more appropriate than arguing with this miniature menace, but then they could be late. The boy saw them reach inside their briefcase and stepped back, on guard. He relaxed when they offered him a letter from the Governor. The servant carefully accepted it and slowly read through it. He also checked the seal on the envelope before returning it to them.

"Aight. Come inside, then. I'll tell Lord Governor you're here."

They followed the servant inside and remained standing in the foyer. Servants were rushing by, busy with their morning duties. They had no idea where the Governor's office was, or if he even was in any shape to see them now. I mean, there was an assassin! They presumed that there was also an attack. Was the Governor... alive?

"...decently- decently, Bluebell! I swear, if he doesn't stop picking fights with criminals I'll... I'll..."
"Khm."

A shouting man with short hair and common clothes stopped his tirade when the gentleman by his side cleared his throat. The older man was wearing the outfit of a majordomo and looked rather elegant, while the young man had a few blood stains on his sleeve. Must be one of the guardsmen, then. His clear silver eyes stared them down as his attention shifted.

"And who the hell are you now?!"
"Sanjin Sanjar, a lawyer," they replied, ready for it this time, holding the letter in hand. They decided to look away from the commoner, speaking with the majordomo instead. "I have a meeting with Lord Governor at eight thirty. Please let him know that I have arrived."
"What kind of a meeting?" the younger man asked, snatching the paper from their hand.
"I believe that is none of your business," they replied sharply. Sure, they were a commoner too, but they were an educated person of a higher status. A mere guard shouldn't speak to them like this.
"I believe I have the right to know what you plan to do with my thrice-damned brother," he snarled in return.
"Pardon? You are-"
The majordomo cleared his throat again. Sanjin immediately shut up while the gentleman easily took control of the situation.

"Do you mind telling us who allowed you inside?" he asked.
"A servant of yours."
"What did they look like?"
"He was- uh. Hm." Sanjin tried their best to remember his appearance, but somehow their mind drew a complete blank. Who let them in? "I- I don't remember. He had your livery. I don't... hm. He, uh, he had cyan eyes, I think?"
"Oh, that little menace," Honorable Mage Master said. "They're probably lurking around Rose."
"Is Lord Governor in good shape? Can he see me?"
"Lord Governor is uninjured," majordomo said. "Please allow me to go and let him know you are here. Ekliptik will take you to him when he's ready."

Sanjin gave the men a nod. Honorable Mage Master left, heading into the unknown, while majordomo made his way upstairs. They waited in the foyer some more, until the servant from before came back downstairs. They showed them the way to the Governor's office. Sanjin stopped the rude fool from entering without knocking, and personally knocked, deeply frowning. They could forgive the youngster's indiscretion, the assassin must've been quite a frightening ordeal. But they weren't about to allow them to ruin this.

"Come in."

Sanjin put on their finest, most professional smile as they walked inside.

Lord Governor was an elegant tall man, with a dark blue beard and long hair tied in a ponytail. His face was rather handsome for an older man, and he had the same eyes as his younger brother. He looked like a man who rarely smiled. His eyes were cold and distant, looking at them with only mild curiosity. A proper nobleman! They gave him a deep bow, suddenly feeling somewhat nervous.

"Good morning. Have a seat," he said, approaching his table and taking a seat. His voice was soft and polite. The man had an aura of dignity and confidence around him. They hurried to do as he ordered, almost dropping their briefcase as they dug around it for their papers.
"Good- good morning, my lord," they said, handing him their certificates and a curriculum vitae. He accepted the documents and flipped through them with a completely neutral, unreadable face. That servant placed a tea set on the table and served them a cup of tea before returning to the Governor's side.

They cleared their throat to calm themself down. They can absolutely do this. They started to speak with a calm confident smile. "Lord Governor, my name is Sanjin Sanjar. I am a lawyer that recently obtained my certificates at the Honorable Society of Lazuli Inn. For the past five years I have worked as an apprentice and a scribe, and I was one of the people working on several high-profile cases, as listed on my resume. I am at your service."

His hand was injured, they noticed. If the assassin was beaten up, and Lord Governor had bandages on his knuckles, they could put two and two together. He was also left-handed. How strange that he used his right hand to attack. He continued flipping through the papers, reading them at rapid speed before closing the file and sipping his tea.

"Very impressive results..." he checked the first page again before continuing, "serah Sanjar. Please understand that you caught us at a rather hectic time. I unfortunately cannot spare too much time for you, but I will hear you out. Who is the person you are representing? Do you have the details of the case for me?"

Oh, oops. Did he misunderstand? Sanjin offered him a friendly, patient smile. "You are, Lord Governor. I am offering my services to you, as an advocate on your trial."
"Vice Admiral Khamil already declared he will be representing himself," he absentmindedly said.
The assassination attempt really must have left him shaken. They tried again, for the sake of the poor man. "My lord, I am here to represent you."

Something happened.

Lord Governor finally caught up to what they were attempting to say. He looked at them, piercing them with his eyes. They felt as a cork under his drilling gaze.

"Pardon?"

They could feel the hairs on their arms raising. They tightly gripped their robes with their cold hands. Something happened. Something was wrong. It was as if the temperature in the room suddenly dropped below freezing. A single word was enough to make them wish to run away screaming. Panic was creeping over them like a cold hand of death. They tried to open their mouth to say something, but nothing came out. What did they do? What was wrong? Why did they suddenly feel as if they made a grave mistake? As if they stirred something older than they could ever imagine, something dangerous that lurked deep inside his heart? The way he was looking at them was completely incomprehensible, but one thing was suddenly clear in their mind.

They were going to die.

"Say it again, please," he quietly said, tapping the file. "You are here to represent me?"
"I- I am he-here to represent y-you, m-m-my lord," they obliged. Their hands were covered in cold sweat. They were feeling dizzy and unwell. They were feeling as if they were facing five Masters and attempting to convince them they were competent and confident again. No, this was worse. Lord Governor made them wilt like a rose with no water. The speech they planned to try and sell him was completely forgotten. "I- I'm sor-" Their voice cracked before they could finish the sentence. Their mouth was dry, so they reached for the tea cup with their shaky hands, trying not to spill it.

Lord Governor watched their humiliating display for a few moments, allowing them to try and calm down a little.
"Young serah," he calmly said. "What do you know of this case?"
Right! Sanjin knew a lot! They could ace this! Forcing themself to keep their voice only slightly shaky, they managed to answer coherently. "I know Vice Admiral attempted to kill you, my lord. And that you survived. I know he committed fraud and embezzlement, and slandered your name and honor."

"And do you know who the Royal Envoy is?"

This was a trap. They will die if they answer. They didn't dare to open their mouth, hoping to somehow make it out of this. How far was the door, again?

"No?" Lord Governor asked. "The Envoy is none other than the Second Prince Alberic."
Oh. They could feel themself starting to shake under the weight of his words. They still refused to say anything.
"Considering this presentation, your youth, your inexperience, your opponent, and your judge," he continued, each word feeling like a dagger aimed straight at their throat, "what exactly did you plan to do in my courtroom?"
"I- I have a family. A wife and a daughter," they blurted out. "Please have- please have mercy."

"Is that so?" he asked, still tapping the file. He looked to the servant for a moment, before turning back to them. "Do you think lying to me at this very moment truly the best course of action for you, young serah?"

Lying? Did he think that because there was no mention of family on their files? No- no this was different.

He simply knew.

"I think I- I shouldn't play poker with you, m-my lord."

Oh gods. They were certainly going to die for saying that. They completely lost their mind, didn't they? This was it. They gave up on everything. Whatever happens, happens. Hopefully it will be swift and merciful. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry... They sniffled, but they were intent on not showing tears as they were spiraling downwards into a pit of despair.

"A wise decision," he replied, taking it in stride. He dug around his pockets for a moment before offering them a handkerchief.

That broke them completely. They started openly sobbing. They didn't want to die. They just didn't know that Lord Governor would be so- so- so much! They took the handkerchief, trying to calm down. They were just wasting his time now. They were so horrible. The worst. Who allowed them to graduate? They didn't deserve it. They should start their education from scratch.

Lord Governor leaned back in his seat. He took the file and started flipping through the papers again, patiently waiting for them to calm down.

"I must admit I am impressed by your audacity," he said. "May I assume that your plan was to start off your career by having me as your defendant?"
They gave him a silent nod.
"You are quite a cutthroat," he pointed out.
Oh, they were. They were just the worst. "I'm- I'm sorry."
"I am not interested in your apologies," he cut them off. They winced at the sharpness of his voice. He noticed their reaction and softened up as he continued. "I do appreciate people who show initiative, though. You will fit in marvelously with the rest. Several of them attempted to murder me, but you really got creative. I am impressed."
"Wh-what?"
"You are hired. Not to represent me, mind you. I am more than capable of doing that myself. However, rest assured you will be buried in work from this day on." That sounded like a threat. Why did that sound more frightening than him ordering their execution? "Ekliptik, bring them to Lord Secretary and have him look up an appropriate wage for them. Actually, take them to freshen up first, if they approach him like this he will throw them out. You will start with your work today."
"What?"
"Take your papers with you. You can keep the handkerchief for now. Give it to the servants later to wash it."
"What?"
Ekliptik grabbed them under their arm and pulled them on their feet. Their strength surprised them, but they managed to remain standing. The servant picked up their file and pushed it against their chest before pulling them towards the door.

"What?"

Lord Governor gave them a small undecipherable smile.


"Good luck, serah Sanjar."