alive || jerome valeska

common cause

A few weeks later Lili was sitting on Theo Galavan's trial, after finding mayor James, and have him as living proof of Galavan kidnapping and torturing him. Everyone sitting in the room was so sure he'd be back behind bars by the end of the day permanently, but not the girl. She saw how confidently he walked in, how sure he looked of himself, he definitely had a plan.

She was sitting next to captain Barns, on the other side of her an empty seat, waiting for Jim Gordon to take it, who was nowhere to be seen when the judge began the trial.

"Mr.Dent, your witness." she spoke.

"So, mayor James-" he started, only to be interrupted by the man he was speaking of.

"Excuse me, Mr.Dent, I think you mean former mayor. I'm just a citizen of Gotham, here to tell the truth."

"Mr.James." he corrected "You could begin by telling us where you spent the month of October this year?"

As the victim began his answer Jim finally decided to show up, occupying the seat the girl saved for him.

"Where the hell where you?" Barnes hissed before Lili could.

"Bullock and I captured one of the monks. I was right, they're completing some sort of ritual to clean the city of sin. There's only one victim left, they're calling him the son of Gotham." he explained.

"Did they say anything about Galavan?" the commissioner asked, Jim only looked away "They didn't, did they?"

"I was not kidnapped by Theo Galavan."

Their heads snapped to the man, people began to whisper to each other, some panicking, some relived, some just simply confused. Lili was angry, in her head she imagined every way she could kill him right there, in front of the commissioner and Jim, but she didn't, she stayed on her seat, and kept her poker face.

She expected things to go this way, she figured Theo wouldn't go quietly.

"Quiet!" the judge said "Mr.James, please repeat what you said."

"Theo Galavan did not kidnap me."

"Your honor, the witnesses has suffered-"

"Please explain yourself, sir. Why did you lie? Who held you captive?"

"Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin."Lili let out a sarcastic dry laugh, of course he'd blame it on Oswald. "He hates Theo Galavan. He tried to kill him multiple times." he wasn't the only one "He told me what to say. He threatened me with terrible things."

Unexpectedly Jim stood up, taking the girl by surprise, she could see how angry he was "He's lying!"

"Gordon!" Barnes hissed, trying to pull the man back, Lili only watched him with wide eyes.

"Detective Gordon, silence!"

"Your honor, I move my client be released at once." his lawyer spoke up.

"Your honor, the state requests a recess to further-" Mr.Dent tried, only to be interrupted again.

"Quiet! Mr.James you do realise you are under oath?"

"Oswald Cobblepot tortured me, put my head in a box. He made me lie." a few seconds of silence followed his words "I'm so very very sorry."

"In light of Mr. James' testimony and the complete absence of any other evidence provided by the state, I hereby order Theo Galavan released and the case against him dismissed."

"Your honor!" Jim made his way up to the woman, now Lili stood up as well to grab his hand.

"Jim, come on, there's nothing we can do." her voice seemed to hold the man back "We'll find something else, there's no point in causing a scene."