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”Rubbish! We will be out on a stroll!”
That was the last thing Detective Simon Blackquill said before grabbing Fulbright by the arm and dragging him out of court, grumbling to himself all the while. Of course, Fulbright had found Hugh’s ‘confession’ to be absurd as well, but to this extent of anger had surprised him.
Unjust as it may be, Fulbright was hardly in a position to complain. The sun outside shone down on his skin, a feeling he’d sorely lacked being locked up 95 percent of the time. The walk itself was nice too, even if Blackquill was beside him looking like he was ready to kill a man. The man being Hugh, he assumed.
He’d found it a bit funny, because surely, if Fulbright had left of his own accord, Blackquill would’ve shocked him with that device of his until he saw stars. He really wasn’t sure why the detective was letting him get away with this at all, much less taking him with him.
Actually, why had he chosen to taken Fulbright with him? He could’ve just left by himself.
Huh, odd.
“If I may, I don’t see why it bothers you so much, Detective Blackquill.” Bobby offered with a grin. “I’m the one who has to deal with such a ludicrous testimony, after all!”
“Use your brain for once, Fool Bright!” Simon responded, flashing the prosecutor an angry look. “My profession looks like a joke if half-brained witnesses completely discard all evidence for their own benefit.”
Fulbright hummed. He’d never seen it that way, though it made sense Blackquill would take his profession so seriously, the way he’d taken just about anything else.
“Fool Bright.” Blackquill snapped his fingers, and Fulbright perked up like a dog. “Let us get some refreshments, all the nonsense in court has left me parched.”
Before Fulbright could ask where, Simon pulled out his quill pen from his back pocket, pointing towards a coffee shop across the street. Bobby could vaguely remember going there from time to time, when he was still a free man. He shoved those memories down quickly, instead turning to look at the detective with a sheepish grin.
“Don’t you think it’ll be odd for a detective and a convict to get coffee together?” He asked, “It almost sounds like the setup to a joke, don’t you think?”
Blackquill rolled his eyes, waving dismissively. “Please. I doubt anyone will object to this little outing.” He glanced at Fulbright, “Unless you want to go back?”
Fulbright shook his head, “No, nothing like that of course!” He laughed, “You won’t mind if I take a while to order, will you?”
Simon snickered in response, “I’d expect nothing better from a fool such as you.”
┈┈・ ✦ ・┈┈
The café was decently full, with no line to speak of. Fulbright ignored the judging glances from the other patrons, all too used to the response. If it wasn’t due to his all-too-obvious cuffs around his wrists, it was surely because they knew the crime he’d been accused of. There was no use being upset over something that had long become the norm by now, he figured.
Bobby sipped on his iced coffee, the taste being like a small bit of heaven after years of prison mush. Simon had ordered a dark coffee— fitting for a man like him, Bobby thought. The two sat in a booth next to a window, the courthouse visible in their view.
Bobby turned his view to Blackquill, who’d been somewhat uncharacteristically silent during this part of their excursion. It wouldn’t hurt to make conversation, he guessed, even if it was deathly obvious the other was far from the biggest fan of him.
“If you don’t mind me asking, sir, what about that bird of yours?” Fulbright asked, sporting his usual smile.
Blackquills gaze turned to Fulbright, piercing as usual. “Resting atop the old fools bald head, of course.” The detective replied, fidgeting with his pen. “And he is not ‘that bird,’ as you so eloquently put it. He is Taka, my second-in-command investigator.”
Fulbright couldn’t help but laugh a bit, only slightly at Blackquills expense. For a man who’d struck such fear into his colleagues, a man who threatened to strike any criminal down with his sword in his holster, dare he say it was a bit endearing for him to care so deeply for something as simple as a pet.
“Ah, there it is.” Simon said suddenly, a satisfied smile on his lips. Fulbright blinked, confusion written all over his face. “A real laugh, I mean.” Blackquill elaborated, smile growing just a bit.
Fulbright let out a nervous chuckle, a twinge of panic settling in his bones. “I, ah, I’m not sure what you mean, Detective Blackquill.”
“Oh, you don’t?” Blackquill drawled sarcastically. “You laugh a lot, Fool Bright. It’s a rather grating noise, really. But I’ve noticed there’s very little instances where you’re being genuine.”
Simon propped his elbows on the table, resting his head in his palms. “I’ve been paying attention to the times where you give me a genuine laugh, Fool Bright. This is one of them.”
Fulbright stuttered dumbly, tripping over his words like he’d only just learned how to speak. Was it really that obvious? Nobody had ever noticed before, or at least not pointed it out.
It was weird, how out of everything, being seen for how he really was caused Bobby the most panic.
Fulbright composed himself after sometime, it was already out now, wasn’t it? He swirled his iced coffee in his hand, a reserved look on his face. He allowed a tired smile to play at his lips as he stared into his drink. “Nothing gets past you, does it, Detective Blackquill?”
“Hardly.” Blackquill snickered.
“Hah,” Fulbright sighed, “Well, that’s what you were aiming for, right? You said you wanted to see what’s under my ‘mask?’ Thats your answer, sir.”
“Do you think I’m some type of halfwit, Fool Bright?” Blackquill scoffed, sounding nearly insulted. “I know there’s still more that you’re hiding. Criminals such as yourself are rarely so one-note.”
Blackquill was correct, of course. Fulbright was hiding things. He was hiding the way he’d stay up late at night, wishing his life could’ve gone any other way. Wishing that this wasn’t where he was fated to be, rotting away in a dingy cell. He was hiding the way the stares of misplaced judgement hurt his spirit, breaking him down bit by bit.
And of course, he was hiding the fact he’d never killed Metis Cykes in the first place.
“If that’s what you believe,” Fulbright shrugged, leaving it at that.
“Although,” He added, perking up. “Shouldn’t we be heading back to the courthouse? We have missed a bit of time.”
“Ah yes, that nonsense…” Blackquill groaned, taking a sip of his coffee. He stood up from his chair, one hand holding his beverage while the other fidgeted with his pen. “I suppose so. Don’t dilly-dally, Fool Bright; unless you’re in the mood for a shock.”
“I can assure you I’m not!” Fulbright shot up, trailing behind the detective, iced coffee in hand.
┈┈・ ✦ ・┈┈
“Where were you two?!” Athena questioned, pointing an accusing finger at the prosecution.
“Aha! Detective Blackquill and I were simply discussing matters concerning the case! It shouldn’t worry you, Miss Cykes.” Fulbright lied, the iced coffee on his stand clearly contradicting his words. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind, may we get back to the trial?”
Apollo grumbled on the other side of the court, but the trial went on without much fanfare.
Fulbright kept on with his usual demeanor, loud boisterous laughs, ‘friendly’ suggestions towards witnesses, a confident love of justice. A ray of sunshine, some may have called him, if not for the ivory white cuffs around his wrists.
Only Simon knew how dull that shine was, even if he was only scratching at the surface. Each poignant glance towards Fulbright reminding the prosecutor of their previous conversation, just how exposed he’d felt during it.
He remembered what Simon had said when they’d first met.
”No matter. By the end of this, I’m sure that mask of yours will be ripped off, and I’ll see who you truly are under that veneer of happiness.”
Bobby shook his head, shaking himself out of such memories.
Blackquill was bluffing, thats all. He was a little perceptive, and he’s using it to get into Fulbrights head, thats all it is. He wouldn’t find out that Fulbright was innocent, and nobody would, and thats how it would end.
Though, he felt a bit less confident about that than he did before.