ACCIDENTAL | lyney [✔︎]

viii.*

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER IV: ACT I
LOTS OF DIALOGUE
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

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[name] froze, eyes widening. 'fatui?!'

it appeared she wasn't the only one shocked as the blonde girl spoke up with a frown.

"they're...fatui?" the crowd was muttering among themselves, talking about how it made sense that the fatui were behind the serial disappearances case.

"that's irrelevant. our identities have nothing to do with what happened," lyney snapped. lynette nodded in agreement.

"indeed. then perhaps you could tell is everything that happened during that one minute. your first priority is to prove yourself innocent, after all. i'm sure there is little that needs to be kept secret now...unless your "script" already has holes in it."

lyney fell silent as paimon spoke up. "hey, lyney, why didn't you tell us this before?!"

"order, order. mr. lyney, allow me to re-establish the facts. lady furina has raised two points...first, when the thud was heard in the opera house, you were neither in the tunnel nor the box. second, you and ms. lynette are both members of the house of the hearth. are these claims true?" he didn't respond, causing neuvillette to clear his throat. "please answer my question, mr. lyney."

"i'm sorry...yes, they're true, your honor."

"permission to speak, your honor," lumine spoke up, an expression of focus on her face.

"granted."

"my client had withheld some key information. i request a brief adjournment. there are things that must be discussed."

"your request is reasonable and we shall adjourn. this trial will reconvene in one hour."

furina laughed, smiling coyly. "heh, so you would stick to mr. lyney's defense even after knowing what you do now? you certainly have more professionalism than i thought. in that case, my dear audience, let's allow the joy of victory to steep for a little while longer, haha!"

•••

"both parties have returned to their positions. let is continue the trial. when we last left off, mr. lyney acknowledged the new evidence presented by lady furina as fact. therefore, lady furina may continue stating her reconstruction of the events."

"that took long enough. now then, if everyone would lend me their attention. at this stage, let's revisit that scene from lyney's perspective. as the countdown began, he entered the tunnel. when the flatbed trolley passed, he opened the box and got into an altercation with halsey, which caused the loud thud.

"he did not realize that this sound could be heard by everyone in the opera house, which is why he claimed earlier that he could not hear the sound. finally, he used the vase to knock her out, before making her change clothes to prevent others from recognizing her.

"at this time, cowell arrived in the tunnel, having heard that strange noise, and caught lyney red-handed. so lyney proceeded to knock him out too before stuffing him in that box. afterward, lyney passed the unconscious halsey to his accomplice through the magic box in the audience stands, before operating the devices such that cowell's death would be ruled an accident. and there you have it, that's the truth behind what happened..."

"does the defendant's side have an objection to lady furina's description of the events?" neuvillette questioned, looking towards where lyney stood with lumine.