Proviso

[Code Name] Proviso

[Gender] Female

[Combat Experience] None

[Place of Birth] Kazimierz

[Date of Birth] Oct 30

[Race] Kuranta

[Height] 165cm

[Infection Status]

Medical tests have confirmed that no infection is present.

[Physical Strength] Normal

[Mobility] Standard

[Physical Resilience] Normal

[Tactical Acumen] Standard

[Combat Skill] Normal

[Originium Arts Assimilation] Normal

Proviso, real name Deszcz, former attorney of Longrein Law Firm in Kazimierz. Now working in Rhodes Island's Logistics Department as a legal consultant.

Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected. Originium granules have not been detected in the circulatory system and there is no sign of infection. At this time, this operator is believed to be uninfected.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 0%

Operator Proviso shows no signs of Originium infection.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.12u/L

Operator Proviso rarely comes into contact with Originium.

Proviso left a deep impression on our HR operators the day she reported in. After all, not many new hires take the time to review each and every word in their contract, and then go on to lament with an extremely disappointed and slightly complimentary tone, 'I couldn't find any mistakes...'

Even before her arrival, the HR Department was already hesitant about hiring Ms. Deszcz, now known as Operator Proviso, after reviewing her resume and conducting a routine background check.

Proviso previously worked as a lawyer at the Longrein Law Firm, Kazimierz's top firm, in both litigation and non-litigation. She's had an impressive track record over the years, with a considerable number of cases under her belt and an unbroken streak of victories in the courtroom. When we reviewed the relevant case records, we found that Operator Proviso was never concerned with whether the results were just or not. She focused solely on earning victory for her clients, and there were many questionable aspects in the way she handled her cases.

Even though we can find no flaw in her abilities, we were concerned whether a lawyer with her values would fulfill our requirements.

Operator Proviso provided detailed answers to all of our questions. She assured us that her previous affairs had been wrapped up and would not create a conflict of interest. In addition, she mentioned she was very interested in our actions during the Major. That is also the reason she chose to join Rhodes Island: it seemed to be a company that was actually trying to do good. And she chose to give up her old job because, as she put it, she 'saw the stars.'

Many young people find it difficult to adjust during the transition from student to employee, and Proviso was no exception.

When she worked her first case as a fresh lawyer, her mentor asked if she wanted to win. When she answered affirmatively, she was told that they would hide a key piece of evidence until the hearing was halfway through. She was then to claim that 'the inspection agency has just finished analyzing the data,' at which point her mentor would enter the courtroom and deliver the new piece of evidence: a repaired recording of a conversation. With it, Proviso was able to discredit the witness's testimony and place responsibility on the secretary, who had been blinded by the huge amount of money involved. He was found guilty and sentenced to prison.

'A beautiful first win.' That's what everyone at the law firm said about her performance.

Later, while in prison, the secretary was apparently able to suddenly prove his innocence. Supposedly, it was done with a note written in his own blood. His mother is said to have committed suicide not long after. Proviso had heard many of these alleged events. At the time, she was responsible for helping a high-ranking executive clear himself of bribery charges, and among his many transactions, one of the most frequent recipients was the secretary's superior. She realized at that point that there may have been more to her first case, so she suggested to her mentor that they should get the case retried.

But her mentor simply sat behind his desk and looked at her coldly without saying a word.

She remembered that when she was still a student filled with admiration, she would head to the courtroom to watch him work. Even though he was the executive defendant's defense attorney, he argued for the staff member plaintiff, and in the end bowed deeply to everyone in the stands. 'Whatever is necessary to uphold justice,' he said at the time.

Proviso said nothing more. She did absolutely everything she could to get the executive's charges thrown out, and earned a huge sum of money. Later, she anonymously sent the full amount to the prisoner's wife and never again brought it up again.

'The ice-cold Mr. Młynar.' That's what Proviso always calls Operator Młynar. However, she often tells us that he isn't actually as cold and indifferent as he seems, and in fact they had a short conversation when they first met.

They had run into each other by chance on their way to Twierdza, and while crossing a simple wooden bridge on the way to the village they came across an old man carrying heavy firewood on his back. As the old man slowly made his way to the other side of the bridge, Proviso stretched her ankles and looked around for a place to rest. She quietly said to herself, 'I wonder how much he'll make from that bundle of firewood?'

Proviso said she kept zoning out afterwards. A few days prior, she had just won a case for a certain executive and received a huge sum of money for her services. She knew she had seen plenty of things she shouldn't have while collecting evidence, and her payment was greater than previously agreed on. In other words, she was being paid to keep her mouth shut, and she had assured her discretion. However, after celebrating at a pub, and despite the security features installed in her home, she returned to find a torn business suit hung from the ceiling. She panicked, but also felt a bit relieved, as it meant that was as far as the executive's threat went. At the very least, it was her clothes hanging from the ceiling, not her. She had already experienced similar incidents more than a dozen times, and so when she looked over the rural landscape on the way to Twierdza, all she had on her mind was whether she should purchase a home there to lay low, and how she would have to change the wording in her contracts to keep anyone from finding it.

Proviso paused for a moment, then continued to talk about her journey.

As she was zoning out, she paid little attention to the question she had posed on a whim, but after a brief silence, Młynar suddenly gave her a number. Proviso said she was flabbergasted. She could only see his fed up, sorrowful expression after he spoke, and did not understand why he would suddenly answer her question. But after the day's work, she spotted a man in the fields. It was the same old man, having finally traversed the endless rural paths and made it back to his village before dark. He had a small amount of change in his hands, worth roughly the same as the number Młynar gave her.

She was holding her terminal in her hand at the time, and just about to answer a phone call from her employer, yet for whatever reason, she did not press the button to pick up the call until the old man had slowly gone back inside his home. According to Proviso, she shuddered when she heard the voice on the other end of the line.

A 'letter of intent' instead of a 'services agreement,' incomplete bidding documents, and no thorough assessment of the workload... You have all these mistakes laid out in front of me, but won't let me seek damages. That just makes me sad, you know?

Yes, I understand. A few other lawyers have already told me about Rhodes Island's standards. But it is a serious error for a commercial corporation not to closely review the contracts it signs. As Rhodes Island's lawyer, I'm on your side, of course.

But what if I worked for a company we were fighting in court?

Naturally, it'd be to my benefit to sniff out every mistake Rhodes Island has ever made—who's to say what would happen if I actually filed a lawsuit?

Yes, I'm a lawyer.

But I'm just a lawyer. If both sides present strong evidence in their favor, the side whose evidence is lacking will lose. The law is just that straightforward.

My beliefs? What about my beliefs?

Hey!

Take a closer look at these lawsuits. These companies aren't the good guys you're making them out to be. This one had news break out a couple years ago about them abusing their Infected employees, while this one once fired a huge number of company veterans. And this one. I have proof that they've covered up their workers' deaths.

Now that I'm working for Rhodes Island, of course I know what it is you guys are trying to do— Besides, the new Infected laws they introduced these past few years are riddled with holes. Compared to all the commercial laws everyone's poured over for ages, and come up with countless interpretations for every single word, this couldn't be any easier!

That's why you have to trust me, and I'll do my best to help you within the bounds of what you'll allow.

How about it? Can you let me give it a try?

I'll hit 'em right where it hurts: the bank account!

After a round of mediation, the self-satisfied client leans back into the sofa, swirls the wine in his glass, and asks the lawyer in front of him, 'Miss Deszcz, with someone like you on our side, it's like the law is our own personal protective talisman.'

He waits for a compliment.

'Maybe you should off that director and take over the company, then?

'You aren't going to tell me you don't have the heart to, are you? You just swallowed an entire business, and I'm sure we'll be seeing the shriveled faces of plenty of bankrupt executives on the news tomorrow morning.'

The client is flabbergasted.

'What I'm saying is the law ensures that this is the best you can manage.' Deszcz swirls the wine in her glass as well. 'Perhaps this might offend you, but at the very least, you have to take into consideration that the law exists, no?'

'This way, at least their lawyers can earn them some damages for them to survive on. The law helps you win, it keeps them alive, and the worst case scenario doesn't come to pass.

'What's more, I make loads of money every step of the way.'