"Barrister Oriol! I have marked up your drafts."

It's extended some clockwork manipulators; a penlike hollow spike to write with and a dextrous two-fingered "hand" with fine texture to hold and move papers with. Most of the case file is spread out horizontally across a long desk, and some patches of documents are highlighted with archonly luminance. Rather than use ink directly on the documents, it's shredded some small, precise paper rectangles out of a larger sheet and folded them over the margins to put brief notes on.

"I will Review them now, then. Here is another Affidavit I have just now Collected."

She looks over the layout, but isn't sure where to put it, and just holds it out.

The archon is radially symmetrical and not facing in any particular direction as regards the plane of the ecliptic. It takes the document with another clockwork arm. Reads.

"Is Jilia Bainilus expected to know the law well?"

"I would have, in my Naiveté, expected President Cotonnet to Promptly Opine on any Potential Lawbreaking. But his Silence is not as Salutary to me as could be Hoped for; he has made a habit of Silence, to all appearances Napping Soundly as his chief Manner of Presiding. The Archduchess is of high Rank, presiding over two notable Governments, those of the City of Kintargo and the Archduchy of Ravounel, and to be expected to know the Law at least as well as any in that Hall. Moreover as a matter of Practicality the Archduchess is Helpfully Inclined and able to be Located, while the Archmage is presumably in his own Plane of Archmagery or Tower of Wizardry or else in Far Castrovel or wherever it is Archmages retire to."

"The Archduchess is an Exemplar of the silence of the Whole Hall as regards any Thought that the Speech may have been Unlawful, and a Notable one, not being a Retiring Personality but having immediately spoken in Opposition to it."

"What annoying political concerns. I think I understand you. You like the Archduchess, then?"

"To my own Surprise, yes; she is a Lord Mayor and seems more Inclined to that and I believe this may be why."

"A loyal child of the city, you are. Is this perhaps why you have written 'Erastil-damned' as an imprecation several times in your personal notes? Did you perhaps mean 'damned Erastil' and transpose the words?"

Lluïsa takes off her hat and brushes some invisible dust from it.

"Erastil does not have a habit of causing damnations and you may wish to choose a less perplexing imprecation. Though it was amusing to read. Like a small lantern archon picking up a language and misusing it quite adorably."

Hat back on head.

"...I will be Mindful of it."

"I will consider it a portion of payment in kind if you bring me to attend the trial, incidentally. I am very curious about this matter. And I will inform my superiors and be assured of being available."

"...I am not certain if it is Permitted, or a Wise Idea even if it were, to bring openly an Outsider with me."

"Certainly not openly. I am by no means qualified to wade into the politics of all this. A country sold to Hell, my mind still boggles. No, I will disassemble myself and go under your cloak. It cannot be forbidden for the entire staff of a lawyer to sit at the lawyer's bench; I will simply avoid being visible."

"I suppose that is Agreeable. I have not yet asked your Name for Calling, may I have it?"

"How is your Celestial? I'm somewhat proud of the wordplay here, and I'm afraid it won't translate."

It states its name in a few musical syllables of Celestial, which Lluïsa doesn't know enough to really get; unfortunate, since it's pretty clever.

"Something relating to Stars? I am sure it is Clever but its Cleverness is unfortunately Beyond Me. I shall recall it well enough to guide my Spell at any rate."

Mildly disappointed chime. "Ah, well, make a study of Celestial sometime perhaps."

"...Sometime."

"...perhaps."

"Now, before you're focused on reviewing that draft, let me first draw your attention to this set of comments..."