Origins: Gloín
…
"The council for the prosecution may present their open statements."
"Thank you. Your honor, esteemed members of the jury... my client, Gloín Farin was employed as a security guard for Mirkwood Laboratories. He was always on time, never took a sick day. For almost seven years he was a model employee. But on the night of July 13th, he was the victim of a terrible accident. An accident that was caused by inadequate safety procedures, which resulted in his being bitten by a highly classified, radioactive spider. A top-secret project that should never have existed, much less been unattended. And after the accident, did Mirkwood Laboratories offer my client restitution? No, they fired him! They fired him for something beyond his control! They fired him for an accident that destroyed his life! They fired him for being a victim! Your honor, respected members of the jury... my client has four arms. He will never again be able to go out into the world without being stared at. Today, I aim to prove to you that Mirkwood Laboratories was at fault for the terrible accident that befell my client. And once you understand the horror that Gloín Farin has faced, I'm sure you'll do the right thing and award him a fair settlement, so that he can make the most out of his now shattered life."
Gloín sat at the front of the courtroom and attempted to look solemn as his lawyer spun his story for the jury. He wore a suit that had been specially made for the trial, designed with subtle pinstripes to draw attention to the two extra arms he had grown because of the accident.
It was an accident, the way he slipped on the damp tile floor while doing his rounds. It was an accident and dumb luck that he fell against the glass tank on the lab table, that the tank broke, that the toxic whip spider escaped. Gloín could remember the entire night with startling clarity- the pain when his hip connected with the corner of the table, the damp from the floor creeping through his pant legs. He could still feel the small pucker of flesh on his neck where the spider had injected its venom.
Mirkwood Laboratories should have kept it's experimental projects under lock and key. That was the sticking point of the entire court case. If the spider tank had been better secured there would have been no accident. Gloín was not asked to give testimony during the trial, because there were things he was not willing to say. He didn't want to admit the way his wife purred long into the night under the caresses of his extra hands, nor the way he could carry both the groceries and his infant son from the car into their apartment. He certainly didn't want to mention that he finally felt that he could contribute to the team of Supers his wife was a part of. No, he let the lawyer spin a tale of woe- of someone stricken by a horrible affliction that ruined his life.
So, Gloín sat in the front of the court room, with Loni at his side, and tried to look despondent. He knew Loni was using her own powers to peer into the jurors' minds to see how their case was fairing. When she squeezed his hand and sent him an affirmative thought, Gloín had to hide his smile behind one of his hands. Loni had been born with her telepathic powers and never thought twice about using them. After the accident, Gloín had not been worried at all over how she'd respond. She was not bothered by his outward appearance, because she knew his heart. He was lucky to have her.
By the time the final statements were made, Gloín had all but stopped paying attention to the court case. In the eyes of the jury, Mirkwood Laboratories was at fault. The verdict was delivered and the compensation was far more than they had hoped for. He shook hands with his lawyer, who asked what his plans were for the large cash settlement he'd been awarded. "It's time we left Ered Luin. Loni tells me that Erebor Tower is for sale. I think that will be my first purchase."
...
