"Aw, crap!" Yuna swore, hearing her cellphone ring. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," she muttered, finding a place to park before answering it. "Yes?"

"Hello, this is Dr. Paine." She was surprisingly calm and nonchalant despite Yuna’s angry greeting. Then again, she worked somewhere known as Loose Cannon Hall. "You pulled over?"

‘Great, bad news from a psychic’ Yuna thought. "Yeah."

"Well, Auron’s listed next of Kin is Jecht and vice versa, and Rikku’s phone is turned off."

"Aw, geez. Look, I didn’t know Auron that well."

"If you’re not concerned, I’ll stop updating you on him or Jecht, but I thought you should hear about this. It kinda involves Tidus."

"Is he okay?"

"Yes, but Seymour isn’t. You met him yesterday. Auron finally got himself into ISO."

"I remember him."

"It was after the security guards shooed him inside. Tidus was in the reading a comic book. Apparently Seymour started watching Tidus for about two hours, and the security guards started watching him. They aren’t too sure when Auron came down. Seymour started getting closer to Tidus, and eventually he actually said something to him. I’ve never seen him do anything like that. Unfortunately, all he got out was Tidus’s name before Auron grabbed him and… made a derogatory comment about Seymour being gay. Tidus ran off and Auron picked up a chair and hit Seymour over the head with it before anyone could stop him. Seymour needed stitches for the injury."

"Holy crap," Yuna said. "Did you tell Seymour’s parents?"

"They’re dead. He never has any visitors."

"No one?"

"Not in the three years he’s been here."

"Wow. Look, I’m busy, I’m on my way to McDonalds right now. I wanted to ask about Seymour, would he appreciate something? A hamburger maybe? I was thinking about the flower and I just wanted to kinda pay him back, at least tell him he didn’t really do anything wrong."

"I don’t understand."

"Well, I thought it might be good to encourage behavior like that. And, well, I felt sorry for him—I mean I feel sorry—I mean… Damn, I’m too hungry to get my grammar straight."

"I’ve never had anyone want to give him something."

"It’s just a burger. Besides, Tidus says the food there sucks and I was going to drop something by for him anyways."

There was a pause over the phone. "You’re very sweet. I’m sure he’d love it."

"So that's a ‘yes’ then?"

"He’s never reacted that way to anyone before. He could use the encouragement. Besides, the food does suck here."

* * * * * *

Yuna put her head on her desk and tried not to think. Maybe she wouldn’t get caught and she could get a nap in. How did these maniacs find out her phone number here?

The phone rang. Speak of the devil.

Yuna sat there and waited for the person to give up, but after three rings she couldn’t stand it; her head was already pounding and she was bursting with anger. Her patience had gone on a lunch break while she had stayed in the office eating a chocolate bar.

"Look, Belgemene! I told you, you can’t have your kids back, I haven’t found them, and you call me one more goddamn time I’m going to—"

"Bad timing?" Dr. Paine asked.

"Oh, thank god it’s you."

"I really wouldn’t say that, Yuna."

"Why? This is the first time today I’ve spoken to someone not throwing a temper tantrum and you already deal with crazies, so you know what I’m going through."

"The mandate for a mental assessment was overturned."

"The who did what?" Yuna asked. What did that have to do with her? She suddenly felt like she had woken up in Oz and she was talking with the lawyer of the emerald city.

"Seymour’s going to court; a friend of his father’s convinced the courts that’s he’s perfectly sane and just doesn’t want to go to go to trial."

"So?"

"So technically she’s right on the part that he’s doing all he can to keep from going to court, but he refuses to plead innocent or insane."

"And?"

"And he’s not taking it well. He’s charged with murder, Yuna. He tried to hang himself with the drawstring of his pants. He’s on suicide watch and we had to give him barbiturates to calm him down."

"What’s this have to do with me?"

"Yuna, this is a death penalty state. You’re the only person he’ll respond to positively. I need your help."

"What about Tidus?"

"After the incident with Auron he picks up a chair and prepares to defend himself with it every time Tidus walks into the room."

"Holy shit," Yuna said. "Look, I help kids, I’m not some Clarice Starling you can throw at him."

"Yuna, he is a kid. He’s only nineteen."

"He can’t be! He’s huge!"

"He’s also absolutely silent when I try to talk to him. If I could give him an assessment I’d just say he’s nuts and that would be it for at least six months. He’s not going to survive in court. He’s going to break down after he’s pestered about refusing to talk, or he’s going to snap and attack someone."

"What do you want me to do?"

" I just want you to talk to him. I want you to ask him questions. If we can turn this into a self-defense case we’re in the clear."

"This is out of my jurisdiction."

"It’s not out of mine, but I can’t make you do this Yuna. It’s your choice. You were willing to pick up a meal for this kid."

"When’s the court date?"

"Two weeks."

"I can see him tomorrow," Yuna said, sighing heavily. "I don’t promise any miracles."

"You’ve done one already."

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