She waits, as so does everyone else for you to answer her question.
You were running a risk not only for what had gotten you into this situation in the first place, but for the person who you were denouncing, as well. You had left your job for not agreeing with its principles, you had moved out of the town run by him, and now you were confronting him in front of a judge for a crime that had been dismissed by some and overlooked by many -- at the very least, covered up due to the influences of the person behind it all.
Aside from your evidence and a few testimonies, you were more than small in comparison to him.
What were you even thinking, coming up to court to take down the very same mayor responsible for keeping this building standing?
You’re not given much space to think about that, time running out.
"I believe he was the one responsible behind my kidnapping and the damage done to some of my closest friends."
"And why do you make so high of an assumption? Do you have any immediate evidence to support your claim?”
Again, you’re caught between a rock and a hard place, confidence diminishing the more you allow yourself to think about the scarce likelihood of succeeding. Eyes watch you from all around, increasing the pace of your thinking.
“I have recordings with his voice in them -- recordings from when I was being held captive in an unknown location. There’s also pictures of the location, and some witnesses willing to speak about what happened.”
“It was reported you were stripped out of all your possessions and brought unconscious back home. Who were the ones to gather that evidence, then? I require to speak with them to gather more detail on the subject.”
The next thing you do is hesitate, against bringing up the names of those who had rescued you for the sake of not involving them in your troubles. You try to think of an alternative, choosing to say the first thing that comes to mind.
“Well, Your Honor, I-“
“I- It was me,” Alphys’s voice intervenes, breathless with panic. Everyone turns their heads to her side to see her cower back right after standing up, anxiety clear on her features sweaty and shaking. “I did some research and l- later tracked down where (Y/N) had been t- taken off to. I created an infiltration plan and asked others to j- join in.”
“State your name and occupation before you proceed to tell me anything else, miss,” the judge requests, staring at her. "I assume you were one of the people who used to work for the Dreemurr family, correct? I feel as if I recognize you from somewhere.”
Alphys’s yellow skin pales as she casts her gaze down at her lap, twiddling with her fingers as a frown shows on her face. She seems more than reluctant to speak up, though Undyne places a hand on hers, giving her a gentle squeeze and smiling when she sees the lizard woman regain part of her courage. The scientist stands up again, facing the judge and avoiding the audience’s gaze at all costs.
“I’m Alphys, Your Honour. My rights as a scientist w- were revoked after I. . . after I confessed to what I had done to some of my patients at the Underground -- th- those experiments involving the creation of the Amalgams.”
Whispers fill the courtroom again, chaos surging when one person chooses to stand up and yell about how Alphys’s experiments were one of the many reasons for monsters not to be trusted. Some agree while others do the opposite, guards rushing towards the scene to calm people down, these already close to erupting into physical confrontation.
“Do you see why your beloved fiancé’s chained up now? If a submissive woman like her can do that much damage to her own kind, who knows what he could do to you? For all you know, Sans could be a much bigger threat.”
The mayor helps with quieting the room down, voice surpassing the confidence you took long to gain.
“And are you not living on the same roof as him these days? Although I can understand Jessie took a questionable path, they were right in taking Faust off your hands. A boy like him and a weak (man/woman) like yourself would be far from able to defend yourselves were Sans to act violently with you two. You are running a high risk simply by wanting to continue a relationship with him.”
“What proof do you have for Sans being a threat?” the judge questions, remaining unshaken.
“He has magical powers beyond your imagination, Your Honour,” the mayor replies, looking away from your side. “While I am not one for making assumptions, I believe the only reason (L/N) hasn’t left him is because of them not knowing to what extent his powers can reach -- They are ignorant of his capabilities and dangers as a monster. Nobody would want to stay with someone like him, were they to find out how ruthless he can be with his magic.”
The more he speaks, the more you continue to grow self-conscious of your beliefs, though you try not to doubt your relationship as quickly as you had the day of the winter gathering. You were still learning about the differences between his and your kind, the book he had given you serving you to learn more about the magic he scarcely used when around you. According to it, he was capable of teleportation and summoning bones for attack, yet you had only ever felt subtle, sometimes ghostly traces of his magic over your body, mostly during the time the wound on your leg was too severe for you to move around without struggling. His teleportation powers were not only capable of the basic function of moving around, but they helped balance you out during the time you were too weak to do that when so much as walking up some stairs.
Subconsciously, you place a hand over the wound, the fabric of your dress (skirt/pants) thin enough to make you feel the bump Sans had traced when having some time alone with him at the gathering.
“Excuse me, Your Honour,” you intervene, finally capable of regaining the confidence lost with the growing havoc of the courtroom. “I believe I haven’t offered my statements or evidence yet for the mayor to intervene like he has now. I still haven’t presented my reasons for bringing him here.”
The judge’s features soften up at your intervention, a near untraceable smile crossing her lips as she nods, allowing you to continue.
“Isn’t it strange the mayor knows about Sans’s powers that well -- when he’s rarely ever shown them to me? I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I would say his knowledge over those powers proves he was there the day of my kidnapping.”
At the sound of the crowd growing rowdy again, you wait for the judge to give you permission for stepping forward, finally placing the evidence related to your statement and waiting for her to look through them. She demands silence before reading, beginning when the last person quiets down.
Without a word, she retrieves the audio clips Alphys had recorded along with the pictures Nasptablook had taken, a five-page medical record accompanying the evidence. The judge inspects the items thoroughly, calling out for the bailiff for him to take the audio clips to the department, all whilst keeping the files and pictures to herself.
“We will determine whether or not the audio captured is relevant to your claim,” she states, looking towards your assigned lawyer and later at the mayor’s -- the two still waiting for their time to act. “As for the pictures. . .” She pauses to take them in her hold again, eyes scanning the images a second time. “They do seem to provide a clear image of where this incident happened, though I was informed the reason for the damage was due to an explosion unrelated to your situation. And although the faces captured here are too blurry to make out on a first glance, it’s possible we can send these to the department for further inspection.”
She sets the pictures down, picking up your medical record next. Silence is maintained all the while, audience waiting for her to comment again.
“And here states you did, in fact, receive partial damage from an explosion. No weapons or narcoleptic drugs were found on the scene, however -- so that leaves us with questions as to how were you drugged and shot twice.”
The intercom above her shrieks, giving her a signal for the results of the clips sent to the department. Everyone present waits for another noise -- be it of an officer declaring the audio either relevant or irrelevant, or the audio itself.
“You're nothing but a joke, Sam.”
While it’s highly distorted due to the commotion surrounding the voice and the quality of the recording, you can still make out the mayor’s tone, unguarded by formality.
“Throwing your already failing reputation as a janitor and tutor just to satisfy your lust towards a human. Don’t you find it strange? Why else would you be given a restraining order for being near, (Y/N)? Why-“
Shouts and arguments in the background drown out his voice, though it returns after a few seconds.
“-They say history repeats itself, but it’s for a reason. We would’ve been better off minding our own business, each side to themselves. Why do you need to cross yourself with a human when there’s plenty monsters for you to choose from? Are there not enough of your type? Is that it? If not, why do you trouble yourself with (Y/N)? Or are you that desperate for their affection -- That needy for filling the void in your sou-“
The next time, his voice is cut by the sound of his body being slammed against a hard wall, the thud strong yet giving out restraint from the attacker. Wheezes and pants can be heard as the mayor recovers himself from the blow, a laugh emerging from his voice.
“Hit a bad spot there, huh? I knew a guy like you was a lonely freak underneath that exterior. Why else would you take advantage of a recent divorcee -- a victim of abuse and harassment? Of course they would choose to go out with you, having no other choice! The only reason (Y/N)’s even dating you’s because they’re too stupid not to realize how pathetic and desperate you are.”
Another voice interrupts the mayor’s forced monologue, how quick he is with his words preventing Sans from getting a word in his defense.
“Wrap it up already! (Y/N)’s losing too much blood -- They’re not gonna last if we keep this up!”
You can identify it as Undyne’s voice, the next sound to follow being the explosion, audio ending afterwards.
Not a word is spoken when the clip ends, even the judge remaining at a loss for words.
Although you revised the audio twice before turning it in, hearing it a third time and in your current state made you uneasy. You start to grow uncertain about the future despite how far you had gone with the one put into question, attention being taken off the mayor to focus on Sans instead, a tactic you were trying to prevent since the beginning, given how much time it took off your opportunity to defend yourself against the main, alleged person behind your kidnapping.
The judge coughs, invoking everyone’s attention back to her as she shifts in her seat, ready to make her judgment for the day. You don’t feel at ease knowing an extension involved more time for you to prepare, given the mayor was going to receive those same benefits -- benefits that could make him harder to prove guilty in court.
“It goes without saying this is certainly the mayor's voice. Although it is risky to base myself solely on these audio clips, they are enough for me to demand further investigation behind this case. It appears the explosion was not a mere accident as the news and the mayor have contrarily stated, hence why I will be requesting a thorough search to be made in the reported scene of crime. Any weapons that may have been overlooked should be taken into account now, and a respective group will be assigned to interrogate the people related to or present during that explosion.”
She looks towards Sans next, a frown making her lips strain, if only momentarily.
“As for you, Sans. . . I would be requesting you show me your capabilities as a monster and pledge you will wear a handicap if these powers are as strong as the mayor claims, all if you wish to keep residing amongst regular civilization. Otherwise, you would be obliged to move towards monster-only populated lands -- of which I am certain you are aware involves you leaving many loved ones behind. Please make sure to state your agreements or disagreements once the courtroom is empty.”
She brings quiet over the room again, gaze centered on the audience.
”The rest of you are currently dismissed.”