He has nothing to say. Not yet. Reichenbach stands like a judge before him and oddly enough Only feels calm in front of him. The Night King is a some
one and not a some
thing as he originally thought and so, he tries to appeal to him like the stranger he is with honesty. Reichenbach's presence is a cooling relief compared to the firestorm that brought him in.
The trick to being a good thief is never getting caught.
A trick to never getting caught is to never be suspected in the first place.
The trick to never being suspected - well, Only cannot give away
every secret he keeps inside of that dark black brain of his. He accepts that they think he is doltish and unwise. Quietly he listens, eyes discreetly taking inventory while the allegations start stacking up against him. Between Aislinn and Lavinia's pleas, the voice that belongs to Stephan quiets down knowing now that Only has become successful here - but how?
Later, reassures Stephan, his voice one of great Reasoning in situations like this.
I'll explain everything later, he says.
Only keeps a cool look but he cannot help but wonder when Dawn will show up to represent him. Maybe they won't - he hasn't been home since the day he arrived and he has been wandering farther and farther away from it. Now here he is, caught in the clutches of the farthest reaches in Novus. And my oh my! -- how they hold him in a pair of proverbial handcuffs. Still, despite all of that which goes against him here in this moment, Only cannot help but think about how rich he can get off of the jewelry that Reichenbach's ears are laden with.
He stole from her in plain sight; in the middle of a crowded square,
-he knew exactly what he was doing, my King.
Aislinn's plea is solid, he has nothing to go against her with, and Lavinia's words echo in his mind as he tries to find his voice. Lavinia raises a good question - should he be able to go free? There are so many lies he could use - so many excuses he can make to get out of this - but why? He decides to speak up at long last lest he hold his tongue forever.
"If your aim is to imprison me then I declare my rights to be represented by Florentine of the Dusk Court -- Delumine and I are complete strangers." Only not knowing his own court well-enough to trust them is a shameless admission, although on the inside he wonders if that will hurt him more in the end by having no loyalties except to those who are personal friends of his. He shifts his weight uncomfortably off of his charred foot - he'll be limping for days but he refuses to let the pain show through the clarity he tries to maintain while addressing his jury.
But now, for his plea - and he prepares for it to fall upon deaf ears.
"I chose thieves and assassins because everywhere else I have gone it has been .." he hangs on what he is about to say as if considering the weight of his words against the crime he has committed ".. not very challenging." Only lifts his head and bravely meets the Night King's steady gaze with one of his own despite how hard it is to look the man in the face after making such a loud fuss in the halls not long ago. If he was courageous enough to knowingly enter Denocte with the intent to filch off of an unbeknownst Crow, then he could certainly be brave enough to look into the eyes of a man who would ultimately decide his fate.
"I could have buried those knives in your kidneys while I had them in my control - and I didn't. I consider - that - a
right choice. " Only turns and affixes a very sober golden-eyed look upon Lavinia. He does not hate her nor does he find her anger or distrust in him to be misdirected either. He knows he deserves it - now if only he could find the compassion to truly apologize to her but even he thinks that words are meaningless right now.
"You can have
my knife, if you want, but technically it isn't mine either and we'd both be stealing. But fair is fair and where I come from, I owe it to you to take my belongings." Someone else's blade slips from the looms of his golden hair which has kept it safe and out of sight this whole time. It clatters loudly against the stone floor at his front feet and he makes no attempts to pick it up. At most, a pale touch of telekinesis sends it away from him and to Lavinia's feet where it sparkles in guilty-golden silence.
.only
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