Mia took a deep breath. Standing in the courthouse lobby and outside of the third chamber, she looked down upon her client. She was pleased to see that Iris was standing straight, clothes without a single crease, her face neutral, and her eyes determined.

On the other hand, Mia murmured internally, maybe she will come off as too strong today…

Iris coughed politely. "I understand we do not have much time before the trial starts, but...how would you rate our….chances of success?"

Mia put a finger to her chin. "We should start by looking objectively. This is the prosecutor's first-ever case, which means he is inexperienced. Unfortunately, he will be supervised by an older person. As for the judge…." She stopped herself from calling him by his nickname "Old Racoon", somehow not entirely sure he wasn't listening in from his seat in the adjacent room.

"He's delivered 'guilty' and 'not guilty' verdicts, but that is because things always go the way he wants, I hear."

Iris nodded, but Mia saw her unconsciously tap her foot in anxiety. She smiled gently. "But then, there's the most important thing for any defense attorney." She paused.

"Believing in your client, no matter what. And I believe in you."

The gallery of Courtroom No. 3 was rendered silent by three strikes of the gavel. All eyes turned to the judge's seat. The man sitting upon it wore the traditional black robe, contrasting his short gray hair and mustache. He gazed upon everyone through large, oval-shaped sunglasses. Old Raccoon, indeed.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Iris White."

Mia spoke first. "The defense is ready, Your Honor." She looked across at the prosecution's table. The young attorney, Robert Gray, adjusted his Ivy University ascot and pushed a strand of hair out of his face. "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

Next to Mr. Gray was a woman Mia had seen, but had not personally encountered. The face and hair were unmistakable. It was the wife of Manfred von Karma, the God of Prosecution. This did not bode exactly well.

Old Raccoon tilted his head slightly. No one could see his eyes behind the lenses. He finally called down in the direction of the prosecutor's bench. "Mr. Gray," he began. "I understand that this is your first courtroom session. Are you sure you are prepared?"

Mr. Gray opened his mouth, but Mrs. von Karma cut in. "I promise he knows all he needs to know and that he will do what is necessary, Your Honor." Old Raccoon grunted in approval and turned his head to the defense's bench.

"I should like to ask the defendant to please take a seat in the defendant's chair." Iris, who was standing right next to Mia, tried to keep her demeanor neutral, but she could not deny her resolve was starting to crack. The judge was looking straight at her, the lenses making it look like he had holes for eyes.

She could not help but sag as she felt Mia put a hand on her shoulder. She walked a few feet behind the bench to the defendant's chair and let herself fall into it. As she let her head flop to the side, her eyes fell upon the gallery of spectators. Workers, men in suits, a few women with their shoulders, and a flash of pink…..wait, pink?

She began to breathe harder as she squinted. Yes! It was Phoenix! He was there in the crowd, dressed in jeans, a blue hat, and the pink sweater she had given him. And next to him was….Franziska? She could not believe it, but it was true! Her face was stern, but she was there, right next to Phoenix!

Iris' eyes fell upon the young man again, and they met his. He nodded supportively. She felt dazed for what seemed like an eternity, and then she heard Mr. Gray speak. She snapped back to life, watching as he walked a step in front of Mrs. von Karma and clear his throat.

"The prosecution would like to call it's first witness!" His voice was a tad shrill, but this surprised no one. The court's attention was instead focused on the burly detective walking out from the gallery and stepping behind the witness stand. He lowered his head as Mr. Gray trained his eyes on him.

"Please tell us what..."

"Your name and occupation is." Mrs. von Karma cut in again, pushing her green spectacles up her nose. Iris could see it was taking Mr. Gray all of his willpower to not sigh, but the thought was short-lived.

"Detective Dick Gumshoe, sir and ma'am!" The witness tugged on the lapels of his longcoat confidently. "I work down in the homicide department!"

Mr. Gray nodded. "Understood. Please tell the court the details of this case."

"No problem!" Gumshoe coughed, then proceeded with his testimony.

"What we have is a double charge. Murder, and assault! Jane Dodder's body was found below the Pride of Ivy at Ivy University! And one Doug Swallow was found at the scene, all busted up! He had a metal detector with him that led him to the body by mistake! Our sources indicate that the weapon used against Swallow was a rock found at the sight!

"I see," Mr. Gray crossed his arms. "So the defendant murdered the girl, and tried to murder another to keep it secret!"

"Yes, sir!" Gumshoe smirked. "There is no suspect other than the defendant!"

OBJECTION!

It was Mia. The court's attention was on her. Iris could not begin to understand how someone could come off as so strong when looked at by so many people. She watched as her attorney folded her arms.

"If I may ask, Detective, were there fingerprints on this rock in question?"

Mr. Gray glanced at Old Raccoon. A cross-examination had not been announced, but he was not saying anything or even raising his gavel. He forced his attention back to Gumshoe, who was scratching his head.

"Well, uh, the boys at the labs are still working it over...we only found the rock after it had already been wiped off. We have luminol testing for bloodstains, pal, but not a magic wand for smudged fingerprints!"

Mia closed her eyes and smiled. "So you do not know for sure who was holding it."

"Uh…"

"And what of your witnesses? If they saw the attack take place, how could it have taken you a week to find the weapon?"

Gumshoe was scratching his head now. "Um.."

The people in the gallery began to chatter, only for the gavel to slam down.

"Order!"

Old Raccoon looked back at the prosecution's bench. "The court would like a new witness to testify the moment they witnessed the crime."

"Will do, Your Honor." Mr. Gray sucked in his breath, his hands tightening into fists. He did not dare look to his right, where Mrs. von Karma was sharing a glare with Mia Fey. Both women had a feel for how the two operated now, and they knew how they could get at each other in the near future.

Back in the defendant's chair, Iris smiled as she looked at Mia. It was one of simultaneous hope and worry. Then she shot a glance at Phoenix, who was still visible in the gallery.

He gave a thumbs-up.

-A multi-chapter story; Chapter 26; story idea by CRed1988 and writing by Jerviss.