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Tree branch: check. Assorted lightweight seed-bearing fruits and nuts: check. Other seeds: check. Water bottle, for when she has to veer away from the river: check.
Better not linger in her starting place too much longer. Yellow's faster than her and may have already come home to a wreck. Thorn might have a habit of checking up on the place, even, just in case. She's invisible, inaudible, unsmellable - that won't help if he sends someone thorough. Or comes in person.
She sets out.
She's been flying for about thirty minutes after her shopping trip when she falls through a tear and squeaks inaudibly and lands in the middle of -
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imeanforever
wormcan
He hangs up before she can tell him not to try to think of a way out. And then starts trying to do that. Calling his lieutenants to say where he's going counts as regular, right? ...apparently not. And he starts making his way to New Jersey.
imeanforever
"All done," Promise says to Canary, who has just been sort of there the entire time.
imeanforever
"Well, there's still a possibility that they'll think of something clever between wherever they started from and New Jersey, I did make one minor mistake Kaiser noticed when I didn't stop him from lying to me, but yeah. I think I need some way to get legal advice. Do you happen to know how to do that, having recently needed it?"
wormcan
"My lawyer was a public defender. That is, lawyers are expensive, but if you're on trial there's a right to have one. So the state hires one for you and they end up too busy to do well on any of their cases. I don't know where to get a good lawyer."
imeanforever
"Well, maybe the internet knows. Anyway, thank you very much for being my names buffer."
wormcan
"You're very welcome.
One other thing. I've found a volunteer to test my power on, the command part not the making my voice sound better part, what kind of an experiment would it take?"
One other thing. I've found a volunteer to test my power on, the command part not the making my voice sound better part, what kind of an experiment would it take?"
imeanforever
"With a consenting test subject, making sure that anyone in earshot knows what's about to happen and wants to be there, you may perform the following experiments -"
Promise has given this some thought. She has lists of things to try to determine the scope of the power.
"I don't want to inconvenience you excessively, so if you get certain results you may consider certain parts of your orders rescinded immediately -"
Promise has given this some thought. She has lists of things to try to determine the scope of the power.
"I don't want to inconvenience you excessively, so if you get certain results you may consider certain parts of your orders rescinded immediately -"
wormcan
"Thank you! I'll make sure to let you know if it works, and invite you to my next concert of course."
imeanforever
And Promise goes on the internet and googles "lawyer" and reads the wikipedia page about lawyers and then googles "cape legal advice".
wormcan
Most of the top results are on the general theme of "some of my stuff got wrecked in a cape fight, who do I sue." As for legal advice for capes, Brockton Bay has a specialist. Bit of a reputation for dealing with villains, but his web site insists that that's not a requirement. Name redacted, of course, but there's an email supplied.
imeanforever
Sarkany thought ahead: email addresses often contain names, but Promise can just click on them and let the computer handle knowing what the address actually is. (She assigns this redacted email address and the numbers that correspond to his name the handle "Lawyer 1".)
She writes, I may be in the market for some general legal advice, starting as I do from a position of considerable ignorance about the mortal world and a disinclination to neatly position myself within an organization here. Is that something you could do?
She signs the email "Promise" and links to her forum profile.
She writes, I may be in the market for some general legal advice, starting as I do from a position of considerable ignorance about the mortal world and a disinclination to neatly position myself within an organization here. Is that something you could do?
She signs the email "Promise" and links to her forum profile.
wormcan
Quinn Calle gets the message. It's that Promise.
Certainly. Do you have particular issues in mind at the moment, or would you prefer to start with a basic rundown of how capes typically interact with the legal system?
Certainly. Do you have particular issues in mind at the moment, or would you prefer to start with a basic rundown of how capes typically interact with the legal system?
imeanforever
The basic rundown would be useful. I'm also curious about my legal status as an intermittent visitor to the country, and about whether or not sending villains to New Jersey to turn themselves in will work as I was hoping.
wormcan
Entering the country without being explicitly permitted is generally illegal. The PRT is not the relevant authority for allowing it, but under the circumstances it is unlikely that anyone will object. I can help you get a more official status.
The typical interaction between capes and the legal system is, naturally, criminal charges against alleged villains. Most are treated similarly to unpowered defendants: held in if they seem unlikely to voluntarily return for trial, afforded the same rights to defend themselves against the accusations, and so on. Often they or their teammates stage an escape. Three such 'strikes' can get people sent to the Birdcage, a life sentence with no supervision and no appeal. More serious crimes can get villains sent there on a first offense. Convictions of both types are rarer than they may sound, there are between six and seven hundred inmates sent from all over the world.
When tried, they—or their lawyer, on their behalf—has the authority to require witnesses to testify. The government deploys the same power to prove they're guilty, and if the jury isn't convinced they're free.
If you know about New Jersey's recent change in law you might be better informed than I'm assuming.
Villains arrested there will be charged with any crimes they've committed in that state. During their sentence, other jurisdictions can bring charges for alleged crimes committed elsewhere. Which means if they've committed sufficiently serious offenses outside New Jersey—in Brockton Bay for instance—they could still end up in the Birdcage eventually.
The typical interaction between capes and the legal system is, naturally, criminal charges against alleged villains. Most are treated similarly to unpowered defendants: held in if they seem unlikely to voluntarily return for trial, afforded the same rights to defend themselves against the accusations, and so on. Often they or their teammates stage an escape. Three such 'strikes' can get people sent to the Birdcage, a life sentence with no supervision and no appeal. More serious crimes can get villains sent there on a first offense. Convictions of both types are rarer than they may sound, there are between six and seven hundred inmates sent from all over the world.
When tried, they—or their lawyer, on their behalf—has the authority to require witnesses to testify. The government deploys the same power to prove they're guilty, and if the jury isn't convinced they're free.
If you know about New Jersey's recent change in law you might be better informed than I'm assuming.
Villains arrested there will be charged with any crimes they've committed in that state. During their sentence, other jurisdictions can bring charges for alleged crimes committed elsewhere. Which means if they've committed sufficiently serious offenses outside New Jersey—in Brockton Bay for instance—they could still end up in the Birdcage eventually.
imeanforever
I'm not well informed per se, I'm just the reason they changed that law. That's very annoying that it matters where the crimes were committed, I should have checked before I sent people there. Probably too late to turn them around, too, although if I can what would you recommend? Because six to seven hundred people in the Birdcage sounds like far too many and I dislike extremely that in order to make supervillains stop doing supervillainous things I have to interact with a system that sends anyone there.
I didn't come here on purpose the first time; I don't know if that matters. What are the advantages of having a more official status?
I didn't come here on purpose the first time; I don't know if that matters. What are the advantages of having a more official status?
wormcan
Casually entering and leaving the country unofficially, they could try to lock you up for six months. Extremely unlikely that anyone would want to, since you're a cooperating cape, and you'd have a strong case in defense if they tried, but it is technically a crime.
You're why they changed it? Congratulations on Nilbog, then, that's quite a feather in your cap.
If you want legal advice on specific cases, I'll need to know more than the jurisdiction. Who, what they're likely to be accused of, and so on. And in that case you should unambiguously hire me first, as that means no one can force me to talk about anything either of us said unless it was plotting something illegal. Generalities are one thing, but for specific questions the privilege can be quite important.
I agree with you about the Birdcage, naturally, on behalf of the entire defense bar. But it got upheld against the constitutional challenges early on.
You're why they changed it? Congratulations on Nilbog, then, that's quite a feather in your cap.
If you want legal advice on specific cases, I'll need to know more than the jurisdiction. Who, what they're likely to be accused of, and so on. And in that case you should unambiguously hire me first, as that means no one can force me to talk about anything either of us said unless it was plotting something illegal. Generalities are one thing, but for specific questions the privilege can be quite important.
I agree with you about the Birdcage, naturally, on behalf of the entire defense bar. But it got upheld against the constitutional challenges early on.
imeanforever
What classes me as a "cooperating" cape for this purpose?
How do I officially hire you? Also, be advised that my policy on things that cost money is "I do not know enough about money to gauge if I am being cheated yet, but if I find out that I have been later on, I will be annoyed". Also be advised that part of the reason I want to talk to you in the first place is that I've noticed I barely know when things might be illegal.
How do I officially hire you? Also, be advised that my policy on things that cost money is "I do not know enough about money to gauge if I am being cheated yet, but if I find out that I have been later on, I will be annoyed". Also be advised that part of the reason I want to talk to you in the first place is that I've noticed I barely know when things might be illegal.
wormcan
He names a figure, and a means for transferring it. (Some clients have irregular income sources, when one works for capes.) It's a relatively high hourly rate but not outside the very broad range of amounts lawyers charge.
Don't worry, I can warn you if anything you're considering would be illegal. And if it's something you already did, that's protected.
Cooperating isn't a strictly defined legal category, it's just relevant that the authorities would rather have you in the country than not. Since you're a hero this is unlikely to change, and if you were to do anything they objected to strongly enough to want you gone, they'd charge you for that before the illegal entry came up.
Don't worry, I can warn you if anything you're considering would be illegal. And if it's something you already did, that's protected.
Cooperating isn't a strictly defined legal category, it's just relevant that the authorities would rather have you in the country than not. Since you're a hero this is unlikely to change, and if you were to do anything they objected to strongly enough to want you gone, they'd charge you for that before the illegal entry came up.
imeanforever
She sends him a chunk of Meaningless Currency Integer and then describes the little trip Kaiser and Krieg are currently taking. I could maybe call them back, but they don't have to answer their phones - they could even have left them behind, as long as no one would find that strange as far as they're aware - and even if they do pick up I'd have to know what to tell them to do.
wormcan
I'm not aware of Krieg or Kaiser having been in that jurisdiction before. Absent any significant crimes chargeable there, they'll be handed over to law enforcement here. Calling them back would accelerate the process, but not substantively change it.
The trip takes a matter of hours. If they haven't arrived yet they will soon, and the people holding them there might put you through if you asked to speak to them. How would you change their orders if you could?
The trip takes a matter of hours. If they haven't arrived yet they will soon, and the people holding them there might put you through if you asked to speak to them. How would you change their orders if you could?
imeanforever
I don't know! I turned over the paper with the rest of the Empire names on it before reading past those two, so leaving them running around is unsafe unless I make them give me the other capes' names and lock them down too, but I don't want to send anyone to the Birdcage, even indirectly. I suppose I could call them and have them generate compromises, but that could take hours.
wormcan
If you're considering amending their orders, keep in mind that breaking them out after they're arrested would be a felony. You're under no obligation to turn them in, but using your power on people for almost any other reason is highly likely to be illegal.
If you were to give orders narrowly designed to neutralize their ability to inflict illegal harm, that would not be any kind of crime. Fantastically complicated, though. I could draft some for you, if you'd prefer that to them risking the Birdcage.
I must comment that the justice system is, for all its flaws, better than having anyone with sufficient power enforcing their own opinions, but it's your interests I'm representing right now.
If you were to give orders narrowly designed to neutralize their ability to inflict illegal harm, that would not be any kind of crime. Fantastically complicated, though. I could draft some for you, if you'd prefer that to them risking the Birdcage.
I must comment that the justice system is, for all its flaws, better than having anyone with sufficient power enforcing their own opinions, but it's your interests I'm representing right now.