Wriothesley strides with confidence, each step powerful and exaggerated as if he could crack the ground below him with a simple stomp. Though, who could blame him when he attracted such attention and respect from others like a magnet. Seeing he invited you for a short stroll, there's more of an introduction he was willing to provide. It's likely he had plenty discussion of your situation with Neuvillette- perhaps he was nagged to also be stern. However as he noticed your presence following behind he finally spoke with a hum,
"Seems you stirred quite the trouble with Neuvillette up there, a betrayal he didn't expect"
he muses, finger wagging at the ceiling
"I didn't betray him"
you bluntly defended
"Hm, really? He seemed rather devastated in his letter, absolutely heartbroken even"
he teases
"He did not!"
your eyes narrow at him, Neuvillette didn't seem phased at all when sending you away
"Oh he so did, something along the lines 'My dearest went against my word and has put me in quite the dilemma' "
Given his demeanor and reputation you thought The Duke was much more serious than this sarcastic nonsense he was spewing. It left you completely flabbergasted as you followed him around some corners with a flushed face- there is no way Neuvillette would say such things in that way to this guy of all people...
"I thought you had something actually important to say to me?"
He tilts his head at your pout, pointing at the room he led you to
"I do. This is the mail room, it's your responsibility to come here for updates on your case."
"oh, I see..."
you cough awkwardly for whining a moment ago
"Of course if you have any accessibilty issues then you can come to me about it, other than that I have no more special obligations to assist you."
he raises a brow at you, as if warning you not to make any special requests
"What if I want to look into outside sources- I can't just rely on one source"
it felt unfair only having access to findings leaned slightly against you...
"Then you better settle on a good lawyer, because that's your best choice newbie"
he shrugs
"No way... isn't there some alternative?"
you face falters upon remembering how awful the lawyers you met with were
He sighs, scratching his head. You wouldn't survive in a place like this at all
"Well, It's not your only choice I suppose... you just need to learn the works of this place to access useful information"
"So how does this place work?"
Leaving the mail room he then leads you towards a working zone, convicts were posted by machines producing metal parts. A manager of sorts walked around watching and handing out small tickets.
"It's simple, just work and stay out of trouble. Recieving coupons are of most value down here, you'll find they are quite useful"
"huh...? seems like a waste of my time really- can't I get an allowance?"
your time should be dedicated to preparation for the case not working like a criminal
"Pfft- an allowance? They did mention you were humorous but that's not how things work around here. You know you might have to get used to this place, if you lose the case that is"
he crosses his arms, looking at you with curiosity as its evident you don't have things planned out as of yet.
"You think i'm guilty too don't you?"
you murmured
"Prideful, aren't you? You'll go mad excessively fussing over other's beliefs"
"This feels like purgatory..."
your head sinks, staring at the metal ground
"This place really isn't so bad"
"We'll see... thanks for the introduction I suppose"
any insight was sort of helpful
That concluded the end of your short personal tour, he excused himself needing to attend other matters. Your presence here was likely another responsibility added onto his plate as administrator, which probably explains the bare minimum assistance he was willing to provide. There is this classic legend of an underworld dog warden that resembled him, in the sense that he'll be the one to see you through the 'gates' of this underwater stronghold if you were to lose the case. That thought alone was dreadful...
Being that this is day one at the Fortress, you'd entertain the idea of working. By observing and familiarizing navigating around should come easily. Perhaps Wriothesley was trying to hint that through the favor of inmates here you could access useful information. However the true value of credit coupons was not clearly evident as you've yet to adjust.
The production zone is apparently the most common and steady method of earning coupons of the various ways. The work itself isn't exerting as you stand and operate the bolt producing machines in moderation of course. It didn't take long to hear the gossip of others, even past the loud clanks of the machinery. Those who didn't know begun discussing if you were some former Garde gone rogue and those who did discoursed your innocence.
"A garde? oh but they are wearing the penalty badge.. they must be corrupt"
"Is that the garde that betrayed Neuvillette?"
"how could this one person be behind such a big crime?"
Seems Wriothesley was right about them confusing your uniform to be one of a garde from above. This also meant you'd have to wait a bit until they were adjusted to your presence otherwise asking for help would result in them nosily interrogating. After working for a couple hours, from a distance you could of sworn seeing a blurry blue figure for a moment before it disappeared amongst the crowd of workers off to lunch.
The manager of the zone handed you some coupons suggesting a lunch break. Apparently one of the many reasons people respected Wriothesley is for his implementations in this autonomous place, such as free welfare meals. Sitting down with your tray the food you noticed tiny cut up bits of purple meat.
"Oh, that doesn't happen on the first day"
another convict sat across from you, eyeing your meal
"What?"
"The strange purple meat, it appears when you break a certain rule... though usually in bigger portions."
"I broke a rule?...what's a hidden rule?"
They look down at the coupons near your tray
"I could explain for uhh 70 of your coupons"
Looking at your stack from the few hours of work you only earned 150, it didn't feel like a loss but you weren't sure. Scam or not, you handed them over.
"Okay..."
"They say the strange meat appears when you've worked three continous days with no breaks"
"I haven't been or worked that long though"
your head tilts in confusion to the strange moderation rule, was it to prevent coupon inflation?
"Well maybe it's a warning seeing as though those are small chunks or maybe it's because you look like you worked nonstop."
they shrug
"I suppose I haven't gotten proper rest these stressful days but, is it safe to eat?"
you sigh
"It does not look appetizing at all but who knows..."
The meat was not only strange in color but in texture and taste... however you managed to scarf it down eventually. After lunch you felt a bit more energetic despite seeming exhuasted upon arrival so you took the time to walk around. There were Guards posted at every hall, their uniforms dark and murky in contrast to the rich shade of blue the Gardes above had... you wondered what it would have been like if you went down a different career path.
You passed by a small crowd of people wearing berets, as if they were in some sort of club. It was strange but you could of sworn one man was looking at you rather irritatedly, as if he had something against you. You simply shrugged it off, they didn't seem familiar at all and it's not like you could have made many enemies in this place or throughout your career.
You couldn't tell the time of the day from down here but after a while of mindless walking the halls were starting to clear. A Guard approaches you to show you to your room.. it was not the most pristine setting but for a place of mainly criminals its expected. Sitting down on the bed, it creaked rather loud, any small movement would result in the obxious sound making rather hard to fall asleep. When the lights dimmed lower the place gave off a creepy vibe.. the dripping of water and clanks of roaming guards were all apparently loud. It brought deja vu to the night you were high off of sugary fonta recklessly playing detective in the pipes system.
Unable to sleep just yet you the time to assess the case so far, mainly the allegation being made and what would suffice as a solid defense. While Neuvillette was rather harsh about the stakeout, he still has to vouch the fact that you suggested conducting it as an feasible alibi.. perhaps not a concrete one but it should still raise point. As for the footage.. that did not make any sense to you as to how the cameras only recorded you running around but if you wait a bit then maybe something new will turn up when the investigators check the live footage that may show more. On the otherhand Rohrette's the letter was strangely sudden but ever since you met her she was always apprehensive about being a burden to other, it did not feel ethical to break her trust for your sake and even if you did others will find the account of the day to seem like a made up story. It seems your strongest defense for now would be lack of motive... there is nothing to personally gain from causing such trouble and yet your eagerness to solve the crime made you seem the most suspicious.