Welcome to Gaia! ::

After the first part of the trial, Shiloh is shown to a side room. It is depressingly bare, concrete walls, concrete floors, metal chairs and tables. At the table sits the Burning Man, relatively unscathed, unbound and flickering with flame. But he doesn't move, or even acknowledge that the door to his little containment cell has been opened until it's closed, and Shiloh is inside.

"Advocate," he says, and his voice is a deep gravelly rumble.

The Burning Man had no eyes to stare at Shiloh with. His human form beneath the flames was nothing more than shadows and the smudges of ash he left on the tabletop. It seemed the containment of his powers did have one effect: the healing which kept him alive had slowed. Where he had presented a solid, fearless front before the Court, now his breathing sounded as if he were in terrible pain. He left smudges of ash where he never had before. When he spoke, his words were a harsh rasp, slow and hesitant.

"You'll have a difficult time arguing I coerced or threatened many of those whose thumbprints I took," he said. "I told them the truth of what their magic was responsible for, that I intended to fix it, and in many cases, they surrendered their consent willingly. The prosecutor is the only one who can argue I used force to obtain her consent. She wanted to wait until the day of.

"None of them can argue that I did this knowing that they wouldn't approve of what I was doing. None of them know what my intention was." He paused, a heavy rattling inhale.