Turnabout Tactics

Maribelle sighed to herself, tugging at the shoulders of her perfectly refined clothes to ensure she was looking her best. It was to be an… interesting day, the trial that would unfold was sure to be a sight for her to see. The accused was… special. She couldn't bear to think of him in the context she had known him so long. She couldn't allow her judgment to be clouded by her feelings. She stepped into the courtroom, running a hand along her hair, prepared for what was sure to be one of the most trying experiences of her life. There he sat, the bowl-cut, ragged, orange hair cropped and sitting flatly upon his head, a black bandana tied around it. He had a lollipop shoved into his mouth, like always, and was biting on the stick as she took to her desk and picked up the summary of charges that lay upon it. After what seemed like forever in the little courthouse, several pairs of eyes, ranging from utterly disinterested to riveted, staring straight down on them, Maribelle's lips parted and she began to read from the paper: "Mr. Gaius. You stand accused of stealing several priceless artifacts from the personal treasury of Exalt Chrom, the punishment for which is death. How do you plead?"

His green eyes narrowed and fixated on her. She could sense the sweat on his brow and the tension in his cheeks as he opened his mouth, pulling the lollipop out of it, "I plead…"

"Pardon me, Lady Maribelle, but it would appear that Mr. Gaius stands without legal representation," commented the gray-bearded, balding man who sat at a bench before Maribelle.

"Oh, indeed, Your Honor," she composed herself, "I suppose I'm simply in a bit of a hurry to have this trial over with."

"Don't sweat it, pops," Gaius grumbled from the stand, "nobody's a-coming to defend some worthless petty thief like yours truly."

"Still," the man sighed, reclining in his seat, "protocol dictates that we wait—"

"Gods curse your damn protocol," Gaius sneered, "just bang your little hammer and end this stupid shindig."

"Can I consider that a confession, Mr. Gaius?" the judge inquired, carefully stroking his beard.

"Su—"

"Hold it!" beseeched a voice from the other side of the courtroom. Maribelle's head whipped around to examine its source. Her eyes widened at the sight of her former comrade, Robin, standing in the doorway, folding together a set of papers. "Please, hold on, Your Honor, Gaius does have legal representation," he begged, hastening to the table that was opposite Maribelle's own.

"Oh, yeah?" Gaius cocked an eyebrow, "And who's that, Bubbles?"

"You're looking at him," the tactician remarked flatly, spreading a few binders out on the table.

"You can't be serious…" he dismissed, "you're not even a lawyer!"

"Oh?" a smile crept across Robin's face, "what did you think I was doing after the Grima affair? Not a lot of use for a tactician when there's no war to fight."

"But… why me?" Gaius stared back at his comrade. His desperation shifted into a grim smirk, "Anyone with eyes could tell ya this heist was all me."

"I don't think so," Robin shook his head elaborately. "The defense," he adjusted his lapel, "intends to prove Gaius is completely innocent of the crime for which he is accused. His plea is 'not guilty,' Your Honor."

"You're makin' a mistake, Bubbles," Gaius sighed.

"I suppose that means we have some business to attend to," Maribelle watched the tactician with eagle eyes.

"I suppose we do," he nodded, striking up a bold pose before the desk.

"Then, given the circumstances, I shall hereby declare the trial of Gaius to be in session," the judge announced. A few whispers passed through the courtroom. "It was my understanding," the judge continued, withdrawing a sheet of paper from his desk, "that the prosecution has a witness to bring forth. Is that correct?"

"It is, Your Honor," Maribelle bowed her head, "he can testify as to having seen the defendant at the scene, committing the act. Definitive proof of his guilt."

"That remains to be seen," Robin reaffirmed.

"The prosecution will call upon Mr. Vaike, Your Honor," Maribelle proceeded dully.

Vaike? Robin raised an eyebrow. Did I hear that right? Her "definitive proof" is from Vaike?

"There you are, sir," Robin heard the judge remark. He turned to watch the man with the spiky blond hair take his place at the stand.

"Yo, Robin! That was a helluvan entrance, buddy!" Vaike smirked from behind the stand.

"The witness will refrain from making extraneous remarks," Maribelle cut him down with a glare. "Will the witness please state what he observed on the night of the crime?" she stared at him.

"Aw, c'mon, Mary! Aren't you gonna ask the Vaike his name and profession?" he grinned, thumbing at himself.

"No," Maribelle growled, "you never stop saying your name, and we all know you don't have a job."

"But I'm a man of the people!" he beamed a smile.

"You're a man who's going to testify or lose his head," Maribelle barked. Vaike quit smiling.

"This is already a rather strange affair, so I would appreciate your cooperation in expediting things, Mr. Vaike," the judge remarked, massaging the bridge of his nose.

"All right, all right, sure thing, gramps! The Vaike is gonna win one for justice!" Vaike shouted, slamming a determined fist on the stand.

'Win one for justice?' Robin sighed,what is this, a stage performance?

Vaike cleared his throat quite deliberately, and then stared straight ahead into the faces of the judge and opposing counsels, "Here's how it was, all right? The Exalt and I, we're old pals, see? I happened to be dropping by on one of my very special visits to His Highness, when, all of a sudden, I heard this weird noise. I entered the halls of the castle and saw Mr. Sweet Thief over there duck into a different hallway. I followed him until I figured out where he was goin': the treasury. I watched him bag a couple of artifacts and saw him dash for a wall. I lost him in the shadows after that."

"A relatively concise and descriptive testimony, thank you, witness," the judge nodded, pleased.

"You bet, Your Oldness," Vaike stuck his tongue out cockily.

"I'll thank you to refrain from referring to my age, unless you'd like to be the next one on trial, Mr. Vaike," the judge admonished.

"Right," Vaike squirmed, "my bad."

"Well, there you have it, Your Honor, decisive proof," Maribelle dismissed, exhausted, "please render your verdict now."

"Hold it!" Robin exclaimed again, "I-I mean… Just, hang on a second! I have the right to cross examine this witness's testimony!"

"Oh, apologies, that you do, sir," the judge laughed.

I'm glad one of us finds that funny, Robin shook his head.

"Robin," Maribelle strained a whisper, "what are you doing?! Just let me get this over with!"

"Gaius isn't the culprit, Maribelle," Robin returned, "why don't you want to believe that?"

"It's not that I don't want to, I just can't, Robin," her eyes fell to the floor.

"Then I'll have to convince you otherwise," Robin surmised, a knowing smile on his face. "Vaike!" he announced aloud.

"W-whaddya want?" the blond man returned.

"I've got a question for you: How did you know it was Gaius you saw down in the castle?"

"Oh, that's an easy one," Vaike flashed another smile, "you thought you could trick me, huh? Probably woulda said, 'it could have been anyone with orange hair and a black outfit,' right? Nope, I know it was Gaius 'cause of that bandana wrapped around his right arm! He never takes that thing off!"

"Well, Sir Robin?" the judge looked to him expectantly, "do Mr. Vaike's remarks have any significance?"

"They certainly do, Your Honor," Robin nodded, "Vaike, where did you say that bandana was?"

"Around his right arm, like always, why?" Vaike cocked an eyebrow.

"'Like always,' eh?" Robin smirked, "Your Honor, I would ask you to look at the defendant."

"Oh, I see," the judge remarked, staring at Gaius, "…I don't see your point."

"Use a Snapshot tome, it'll last longer, pops," Gaius quipped.

"Look at the defendant's left arm, Your Honor," Robin continued.

"Oh, there's a bandana wrapped around his forearm, just like the testimony," the judge nodded.

"But it's on the left arm, not the right, as Vaike said," Robin smiled aside.

"Oh," the judge regarded the thief with renewed interest, "indeed."

"S-So what?" Vaike gritted his teeth, "Left, right, what the heck's the difference? Maybe he was just wearing it on the other side that day!"

"Not a chance," Robin held his finger up demonstratively, "I happen to know for a fact that Gaius wears that bandana for a very specific reason: to cover up a certain tattoo. One that would easily be visibly distinct if the witness could make out the suspect's bandana on his arm."

"Bubbles, I thought we had an agreement about that…" Gaius whispered irritably.

"Yeah, but this is a court of law, and it's life or death for you, so, no holds barred," Robin asserted.

"Crivens, how did I let myself get roped into this?" Gaius muttered.

"Defendant," the judge announced ceremoniously, "would you be so kind as to remove your bandana so we may see the aforementioned tattoo?" Begrudgingly, the thief complied, unraveling the black wrapping, and exposing a rather intricate, stark black tattoo with lettering in the center. Again, the judge's interest was renewed, "I recognize that tattoo all too well. It is given to convicted criminals."

"Oh, wow, look at that. I'm a thief," Gaius scoffed.

Vaike's eyes grew wide, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whaaaat?! Gaius, man, you're a thief?! Like, by trade?! The Vaike is stunned!" The courtroom was also stunned, however, all eyes were on Vaike.

"…At any rate," the judge digressed with a grandiose breath, "what does this mean for us, Sir Robin?"

"One of two things: either our witness misremembered things, or his testimony is a bold-faced lie, both of which would exonerate Gaius," Robin slapped a hand on his desk.

"Robin, you swine! How dare you?! The Vaike never lies!" Vaike growled, pounding his fist on the stand repeatedly.

"Then you must have misremembered," Robin concluded.

"Yeah! Yeah, I misremembered, is all! I'd never lie in court!" he cut Robin off.

"Then why don't you deliver us a new testimony? One that's factually accurate?" Robin continued, stance challenging the enraged blond.

His nostrils flared in resentment as he began, "All right. I'll tell ya only the bits I remember clear as day."

"That would be preferable," Robin scoffed.

"Shut it!" he shouted, "It went like this: I was going to see the Exalt, like I said, 'cause we're old pals and all. I got to the entrance and heard a weird noise, so instead of going to the throne room, I looked toward the sound and saw somebody dressed all in black with a bandana on his right arm headed for the treasury. I followed the guy and saw him pick up some stuff before he disappeared into the shadows. How's that?"

"Better," Robin smiled, "Your Honor, the witness's testimony reveals there is no way to place Gaius at the scene. The witness knows he cannot, in fact, accurately recall the defendant entering the treasury, and, thus, there is no reason to suspect him of the crime."

Maribelle sighed exaggeratedly, "Oh, yes there is. Along with several orange hairs, there was a particular candy found in the treasury that was not there at any other prior time of day." She retrieved a report, as well as the candy in question.

"I object!" Robin slammed a hand onto his desk, "That's ridiculous! Gaius is far from the only person with an affinity for sweets; that could belong to anyone!"

"You might think that, looking at it, but this is a very special confection, containing a specially refined sugar found only in possession of Ylissean royalty. Only the Exalt, himself, has the authority to distribute the stuff, it's so rare. So, unless you mean to suggest that the Exalt was robbing his own treasury, tell me, who else was in the treasury that evening that might have had such a treat?" Maribelle explained in a calculating manner.

"But, that could still be anyone close enough to the Exalt!" Robin argued.

"Robin," Maribelle sighed, "if you can't let this go, then maybe you ought to ask your defendant what he was up to the day of the incident."

Robin turned his head, "Gaius…?"

"I was… talking with Chrom. He… gave me a couple o' those sweet puppies as a commendation for my support of the Shepherds," Gaius admitted. A roar of surprised chatter erupted through the court.

The judge slammed his gavel down, "Order, order! Please, keep quiet. Sir Robin, have you any response to the statement your client has just made?"

"Dammit, Gaius" comes to mind, Robin shook his head. "I… have the right, if not the responsibility to evaluate the defendant's statement, Your Honor," Robin finally announced.

"Very well then," the judge pounded the gavel again, "The defendant will formally testify to his own actions on the day of the crime."

"This sucks," Gaius spat, "All right, Robin. You wanna know what I was up to? I was invited to Ylisstol, into the castle, to speak with Ol' Blue. I came there maybe half an hour after noon, but the Exalt wasn't around. I waited in town for a good long while and marched back up there. That's when I met with Blue Blood and we had a good chat, him telling me all about what a hero I was to Ylisse and how I deserved to be something more than a thief. He gave me some o' these unbelievable sweets as a thank-you before he left."

This calls for a little quick thinking, Robin noted internally. "So, you and the Exalt were good friends, then?" he asked.

"I s'pose. What's that matter?" Gaius droned.

"If Chrom was willing to give you an item so valuable as those candies, why would you bother having to steal from him? If you had asked, by the sound of it, Chrom would have given you whatever you wanted," Robin remarked with a smile.

"A fine supposition, but it doesn't change the evidence against Gaius, Sir Robin," Maribelle shook her head defiantly.

True enough, Robin cursed. "Tell me, Gaius, from whence did these candies come? Did you see where Exalt Chrom kept them?" he pressed.

"He had 'em in some old-looking wooden box by the window, as I recall. What are you gettin' at, Bubbles?" Gaius asked interestedly.

"Is there any reason to doubt that perhaps a third party entered the Exalt's chambers at some point during the day, stealing one of the candies?" Robin continued.

"And just why would anyone do that?" Maribelle admonished.

"Why, to divert suspicion. Maybe such a person knew Gaius would be there that day and was aware of his profession and affinity for sweets, and used those special items to construct false evidence against him," Robin explained.

Maribelle's eyes widened, but her tone remained the same, "An interesting theory, but with no proof to substantiate it, that can only be conjecture."

"And what if… I did find some proof?" Robin smiled smugly.

"I would want to see it right away," Maribelle fixated on Robin intently.

"Well, you'll have to travel to the castle to see it, but it's rather obvious: near the window of the Exalt's chamber is a scratch, and on the window itself: the impression of a hand in the dust collected on the sill," his disposition remained.

"Y-You don't say…" Maribelle's voice softened. She turned away from her desk and clutched her chest.

Robin pressed his advantage, "Given the considered existence of a third party, to draw this trial to a close here would be a gross misappropriation of justice. There is adequate proof to suggest our defendant was not, in fact, the culprit in this matter."

"Well said, Sir Robin. Would the prosecution care to deliver a response?" the judge posed.

Maribelle was busy biting her lip, "The prosecution…has no objection. We agree with the defense's consideration."

"Oh?" the judge fixed his glasses at Maribelle, "Very well, then. I will allow a recess so that Sir Robin's findings may be verified and so that both counsels will have adequate time to prepare themselves for the further explication of this trial." He swung the gavel quickly and with the resounding noise, all the attendees began to file out of the courtroom.

Robin wiped a few drops of sweat from his brow as he entered the lobby, sighing loudly in relief. He jumped as a hand landed on his shoulder, but was relieved to find it was Maribelle's.

"That was some good digging you did, Sir Robin," she folded her arms.

"Necessary to reveal the truth," Robin surmised, looking away, "Do you want to tell me what's going on here? Why are you working so hard to prosecute your own husband?"

She bit her lip again, staring at the floor, "No special reason. He was arrested, brought in under the law. I have to do the most I can to see him... Brought to justice." She lifted her head to stare at the young man, "And you have to do yours to keep him alive."

"Of course," Robin nodded understandingly.

"I leave you to it. I've preparations to make," she droned, quickly pivoting away.

"Right," he also turned away, running a hand through his hair when she left his field of view. He sat down and collected himself, Nothing's right here, nothing at all. First and foremost, Maribelle is going above and beyond the call of duty to see Gaius executed. That doesn't make any sense; if she wanted him free, she could say next to nothing and let me take this trial. Then there's Gaius himself, he kept telling me he didn't want me to bother. He told me I was "making a mistake," but why? There's something deeper going on here, and I'm willing to bet it has something to do with that third party. Whether you want me to or not, Gaius, I'm going to figure out what's going on here.

"Bubbles," Gaius growled in a low tone as he entered the courtroom.

"Gaius, I was looking to have a chat with you," Robin stood.

"Nothin' to chat about. Just give this up, Bubbles, it's bigger than you or me. It's just like that, okay?" he spat.

"No, not okay!" Robin shook his head, "I bothered to take up this case because you're a friend, Gaius, and because I could tell, from the moment I set eyes upon that impression in the windowsill that it wasn't you."

"Bah," Gaius dismissed.

"Stop that," Robin chided, "Tell me what's going on, I can help you through this is you just give me information."

"No go, Bubbles," Gaius crossed his arms, adamant.

"Then I'll drag you before the judge and pull it out of you, your choice," Robin stared intently at the thief.

"You are one arrogant, persistent dastard, aren't ya?" Gaius snickered, "Maybe there's hope after all…" He looked to the ceiling, then quickly back down, "I gotta go, Bubbles, I think they're summoning me."

"Gaius, wait-!" he threw a hand out after him, but was too late. Robin cursed his luck. The recess would be over soon.

"Father!" Robin lifted his head to a voice.