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Chapter 8 - Jurisdiction

Courtrooms.

Having parents as lawyers meant that she saw her fair share of them.

But never one quite like this.

She had lost count of how many times she had gone into this room. Sit around and watch as her parents went up against the myriad of lawyers that Sycorax tried to throw at them.

Today's wasn't any different.

At least with this meeting she didn't have to sit at the table with her dad; she was in the seats behind him. Normally, she would be right by her mom, but she had stayed at the house to take care of some errands.

What Karmi wouldn't give to be with her right now.

This courtroom squabble was just like the others. The lawyers for Sycorax would call into question every little process of the case. Her dad would retort with sound evidence and facts. And then the lawyers would proceed to pretty much ignore everything that he had said.

It was a tiresome process, and it had been going on for weeks with no end in sight. Karmi had no idea why the judge didn't just declare the case done and punish Sycorax...

But from the looks of it right now, she was just about done with them. The judge leaned into her mic, abruptly cutting off the lawyer's latest deflection.

"Mr. Madrox, may I ask a question to you?"

The man stopped, surprised that she spoke up. "Umm...sure?"

"Why are you wasting our time here?"

Karmi's ears perked up. Her father took a seat at his chair, ready to hear what was being said.

"I understand that you are operating on short notice here, Mr. Madrox, but you are one of several lawyers that Sycorax has pushed here over the last couple of months." The judge picked up a piece of paper. "Gabriel Flores left after the preliminary hearings. Harold Leland only stayed on for a week after that. Cynthia Bernhammer suddenly decided to retire after one meeting. And I have no time to count all of the others that have stepped into this courthouse. I'm half surprised you didn't want to exorcise the body of the great Jonathan Murdock and wheel him in yourself."

She pursed her lips.

"So do you wish to tell me what is actually going on here?"

The opposite lawyer smoothed out his tie, sweating profusely.

"Your Honor-"

"Mr. Khan." The judge smiled in his direction. "You have been tremendously patient during these hearings, certainly more than I would have given your position. I would like to hear Mr. Madrox's answer, please."

"Of course."

Karmi peered over at the other side. She was also eager to hear what he had to say.

"And need I remind you we are in a court of law, Mr. Madrox. Lying would make your already precarious situation much more troublesome."

Mr. Madrox dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief and fiddled with the strap of his case. After a moment, he took a deep breath and looked at the judge. "Your Honor, I have been a lawyer for many years. I've done many high-profile cases. I've built a firm with multiple men going on to open their own. I've seen everything that the world has offered."

Another sigh.

"But I've never come across a client as unresponsive and disruptive as Sycorax."

Karmi and her father stared at him.

"Believe me, Your Honor, I would love to provide everything that the opposing counsel has requested. Evidence, testimonials, all of that. But the reason why all of the lawyers before me quit was that we were not getting any cooperation from the company at all. And we continue to stonewall us with every request."

"Mr. Madrox, the person responsible for all of this-"

"Is not the same person who is in charge of the company."

Given the enormous legal consequences and Karmi's involvement in the ordeal, the judge had made everyone sign affidavits that forbid them from commenting on the case to the public. Even the mere existence of it had been made off-limits. That hadn't stopped certain details from leaking out since Sycorax was a giant company (not to mention that Megan had someone found out and Karmi had told Hiro about it at the park), but all in all the judge had been pleased with everyone.

So far.

The judge had begun speaking again, so Karmi perked her ears up to listen back in.

"You have the women in jail, Mr. Madrox. Is she being uncooperative?"

"Your Honor, Di Amara is not Liv Amara. She may be an exact genetic match-up with Ms. Amara, but she claims that she is her own separate person, and as such, she says she is not subject to the charges and accusations that she is facing."

"They are not accusations! They are-"

"Mr. Khan. Please."

The judge held her hand up in an effort to calm him down.

"Mr. Madrox...where is Liv Amara?"

He was sweating again, but Karmi felt like this was for a completely different reason.

"We do not know, Your Honor. Shortly after the arrests were made, and Ms. Khan was medically transported to the hospital, the authorities began their interview process and quickly realized that Ms. Amara had left the premises. The chief of police, Officer Diego Cruz, quickly dispatched his force to look for her, but as of now, their searches have been fruitless."

The lawyer held up some papers, which the bailiff came over to grab. "That's why Sycorax has essentially been brought to a standstill. Liv Amara had no board or internal hierarchy to her company; she was the company. Without her around, work came to a halt, and with that the assets that the prosecution are filing suit for. The building near the SFIT campus was completely cleared out after the initial investigation was done, and her other offices are undertaking the same thing. But without Liv Amara...I have been unable to do my job."

Her father didn't wait for the judge to give him the time to speak. "Your Honor, this is ludicrous. The defense has had every opportunity to be prepared for this case. Why are we being punished for their ineptitude?"

"Mr. Khan."

It wasn't the judge this time that cut him off. It was the lawyer. He stared over at her father, his nervousness put to the side. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for you, especially..."

He glanced for a second over at Karmi.

"Especially given the circumstances with this case. I followed your career from the time you first came to the United States. You're part of the reason why I decided to become a lawyer to begin with. While I am representing Sycorax in this case, my job is to bring this to a conclusion as quickly and as fairly as possible. I have too much admiration for this court, yourself, and the system for anyone to think otherwise."

Her father's eyes softened, and he decided to take a much quieter tone. "I appreciate all of that, son, but that doesn't solve any of our problems. How are we going to proceed with all of these obstacles?"

"I believe I can be of service in that regard."

The voice that haunted her dreams carried into the courtroom, and Karmi wheeled around to see her worst nightmare entered the room. She was wearing her usual red dress, red heels, and that sadistic smile on her face. Her long blonde locks cascaded behind her as she stepped up to the gate.

"What in the world are you doing here?" Karmi's father spat out.

"You beat me to it, Mr. Khan," the judge said. "But in the interest of all parties involved...what are you doing here, Ms. Amara? You are suppose to be incarcerated."

"Believe me, Your Honor. I still am." She motioned to her ankle, where Karmi saw a ankle bracelet beeping on it. "I was granted a partial release in accordance to my good behavior, and I heard about this little shindig happening and thought I could help."

Karmi saw her father's hand grasp the table so hard that she thought it was going to break off. The other lawyer looked supremely confused. The judge, in her supreme patience, narrowed her eyes at the new arrival. "And how exactly do you plan on cooperating?"

Her grin got even wider.

"I know where Liv Amara is."

She couldn't stop the gasp from coming out. Even the judge was aghast at her proclamation.

"If my information leads to the location of Liv, then we will work to accommodate every single request that the prosecution is asking for. The damages, the penalties, all of it. But in exchange...all of the charges against me must be dropped."

"That is not happening," Mr. Khan said. "Your opportunity to 'cooperate' came and went, Ms. Amara."

Di examined him closely. The glint in her eyes had not gone away, and naturally it was making Karmi very uneasy. "I am giving you an opportunity, sir. I would suggest that you take it."

"Miss-"

"Quiet, Mr. Madrox." She waved her finger at the lawyer. "I don't know who hired you, but your services are no longer required."

"Miss, as your lawyer, I would suggest you not speak any-"

"Enough."

The judge had found her voice again, banging her gavel to quiet the talking. "Mr. Madrox, Mr. Khan, Ms. Amara. Let's take this to my quarters. There's no need to drag this out in the open."

"Your Honor." Karmi's father motioned to her, and she recognized the silent question.

"Yes, of course." She nodded to the bailiff. "Can you escort Ms. Khan outside? I don't anticipate this taking long, but she does not need to be here for this."

What in the world was happening?

Twenty minutes had passed since Di's abrupt arrival, and Karmi had been led out to the courthouse law library. She sat at one of the tables, an officer sitting close by as people studied up on the law, perhaps to represent themselves in a pro se litigation.

On any other day, she would be grabbing all of the books and reading alongside them. But now, her brain was only focused on one thing: Di.

The last time she saw her, it was right before her assistant Chris stuck that chip into her neck. Karmi had fallen to the ground grasping it, and as her heels walked up to her, the person who she had gotten to know as Liv bent down to her. In two short seconds, she had sent a chilling whisper into her ear.

"Now you're mine."

Karmi shivered in her seat. She was going to have a nervous breakdown right in the middle of the library. She quickly got up from her chair and beelined straight for the bathroom, not even caring if the officer noticed.

The door flew open, and Karmi hurled herself in. The bathroom was empty, thankfully, as she bent over the nearest toilet, her nerves ready to empty her stomach of its contents.

Why was she here? Who on Earth would let that woman out of jail? Did they not know what she had done? To Liv? To Hiro?

To her?

She had to get herself under control. The reflection in the toilet water stared at her in an attempt to calm her down. It wouldn't do anybody good if she lost her mind (and her lunch). Karmi slowed her breathing down as she stood back up. She smoothed out her ponytail and stepped out of the booth.

Her bigger reflection in the mirror looked terrible, so she turned on a tab to get some cold water on her face. She splashed it on, letting the droplets run down her chin.

Calm down, Karmi, she thought to herself. She can't hurt you any more. Let Dad take care of her. He'll stand up to her.

Feeling slightly better, she bent down to get another scoop of water.

"Well, look who it is."

The water slapped down into the bowl.

"Little Miss Perfect."

Karmi's eyes came up to the mirror and saw the woman behind her.

"Fancy seeing you here."

Di walked up to the sink to Karmi's left, starting to rinse her hands off. Karmi was still staring straight ahead, flummoxed.

She was there. Right there.

"What are you doing here?"

Di shrugged at her question. "Washing my hands. I'm allowed to do that, I'm sure."

"No." Karmi's hand came down in her pocket. "What are you doing here?"

She didn't respond as she grabbed a paper towel. Seeing that both of her hands were occupied, Karmi saw her chance.

Her hand holding the nanoreceptor came screaming toward her neck, ready to slap it onto her body. And it was a split second away from connecting...

Had Di not been anticipating that action.

"Now, Karmi."

The genius had closed her eyes in her assault, so when she opened them back up, she saw her wrist was in Di's clasp, the tech hanging precariously from her fingers. With a twist, it fell into the sink, the water inside deactivating it.

"That wasn't very nice."

She let go, and Karmi stepped back, wringing her wrist. She glanced behind her at the door, hoping that someone would walk in.

"Don't even bother. I locked the door. It gives us some much needed privacy."

Di plucked the towel off of the counter, resuming her wipe down. "As I was saying, I'm here to help you, Karmi. That's always been my goal. Just because I've lost the company doesn't mean that I can no longer can do that. I said as such during the conversation I had with your father."

"What did you do with him?"

"Oh, don't worry. They're still in the judge's quarters. My attendance was just redundant. He's a very loud man, your father. I haven't seen him since you won the internship."

Her eyes sparkled with that demonic glint, and Karmi felt like heaving again. But she had to be strong.

At least for a little bit longer.

"You're just trying to mess things up. You're not actually going to help us. You were better off in jail."

"Karmi, that's a hurtful thing to say to your mentor. I helped create you."

"No, you didn't!"

Why wasn't anyone coming? Surely the walls to the courthouse weren't that thick. Or someone would've noticed the door was locked and gotten maintenance.

Di's smile didn't waver. She tossed the towel and the broken nanoreceptor into the trash, her eyes never leaving Karmi. She took a step forward, Karmi taking an identical step back.

"I meant what I said earlier, Karmi. I can help you. I can make all of this go away. You can be rich beyond your wildest dreams. Your parents would never have to work another day in their life. You can be known as the girl that took down Sycorax, the once all-mighty corporation helmed by Liv Amara. Even that little brat Hiro will be in awe of you. He'll have no choice but to recognize your genius."

Another step. Another step back.

"And all I ask...all I ask in return...is for you to come back and set the ship straight."

Karmi's back hit the wall. She was out of room.

"Because I own you, Karmi. You know that."

And out of time.

"So wouldn't it be better if you just gave in?"

Di stood over her, Karmi almost cowering to the floor. She turned her head towards the skins, searching to look at anything but her. The woman's face contorted to one of anger.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, Karmi!"

Her hand came down, ready to grab her face to turn it toward her...

But out of the blue, another hand grabbed the woman's wrist.

A much darker one.

"Threatening teenagers in public restrooms isn't very becoming of you, Ms. Amara."

Never had Karmi been so relieved to hear Professor Granville's voice. She looked up to see her former teacher's frame behind Di, her hand firmly grasping her arm.

"Ahh. Grace." Di didn't seemed that put-off to see her. "It's so good to see you again. I was beginning to wonder if you were ignoring me."

Granville stared her down. It was one of her more impressive looks, one that would have brought any misbehaving student to order. "Oh, I have been ignoring you. I tend to do that with criminals. They don't usually deserve the attention. I'm sure you'd agree."

"How did you get in here? I thought I locked the door behind me."

"You did, Ms. Amara." In her other hand holding some sort of folder, she twirled a small paperclip on her index finger. "But I learned from one of my former students that it's always best to be prepared for such situations. Plus it gives me an opportunity to repair my haphazard lockpicking skills."

Di wrenched her arm out of her grip, the smile still there. "I was simply reminding Karmi of her circumstances, Grace. That's all."

"No, you were not. You were threatening a child in a house of the law. That won't sit well with your probation officer...the one that you gave the slip when you exited your meeting with the judge." Granville adjusted the papers in her folder. "Sometimes I think you're even more troublesome than Mr. Hamada. At least he kept his antics sequestered to the university."

"Yes, he is quite the troublemaker." Di cast a glance backwards at Karmi, who had gotten herself up to a standing position. "The stories I could tell about Karmi's little hero..."

Karmi didn't understand the joke, but maybe that was just as well; Granville had the stare on her again. "Ms. Amara, I am taking my student back to her father. You will remain here so that the officers waiting outside can take you back into custody. And you are never to speak to Karmi or her family directly ever again."

She scowled right into Di's face.

"Do you understand me?"

Any lesser human would have been reduced to jelly at that point. But Di brushed it off with a shrug of her shoulders. "If you say so, Grace."

Granville stepped around the former CEO, putting a hand on Karmi's back. Silently, and quickly, she lead her out of the bathroom, Karmi still feeling the cold gaze on her head.

"I cannot begin to express how profoundly sorry I am, Karmi. Ms. Amara should have never been afforded the opportunity to get near you. It represents a tremendous breakdown in protocol…"

Granville handed Karmi her cup and took the chair next to her.

"Which is what I'm sure Chief Cruz is politely reminding his officers about in the other room."

Karmi and Professor Granville were now in one of the witness waiting rooms, away from the prying eyes of the other people in the building. This was also where officers came when they needed a break from their own cases.

But of course, this was the place that the two policemen that were suppose to be watching Di Amara were being given an earful. She could hear the police chief through the wall yelling at them. She took a sip from her water to keep her hands busy.

"I was here on a separate, personal matter, and I found it quite suspicious that someone would take the time to lock the bathroom behind them. And then I heard mumbles of Di Amara in the building and...well, I was glad that I was able to get to you before she was able to do anything." Granville put the paper clip back into her wallet. "I need to remember to ask Ms. Tanaka where she gets her lockpicking kits from."

"I should have listened to him."

She looked down at her former student, who had her hands clasped under her chin.

"If I had just payed attention to what he was saying, I would have seen all of this coming." Tears started coming down her face. "Hiro kept trying to convince me that something was up with Liv. He even showed me one of my nanoreceptors. Said Liv was using it to turn people into monsters. But I pushed him away."

She put her face in her hands, her cheeks now red and burning.

"I hate myself for how I treated him."

Di bringing up Hiro had brought up all of those thoughts back up in her head. She didn't even care about whatever cryptic thing she stated before they left the bathroom. Hiro had known. He had known all along.

And all she did in return was treat him like dirt.

Granville cleared her throat, and Karmi took the tissue offered to her. She dabbed her eyes as she tried to regain her composure.

"Karmi, you are not at all to blame for anything that has transpired. So please remove that thought from your mind." She patted her back in comfort. "And yes, Mr. Hamada can be...annoying correct most of the time, but keep in mind that you were not the only one who was fooled. We all were. I had known Liv for years, and I didn't have any suspicions at all. I was just as shocked as everyone when I heard what had happened."

That sparked something in Karmi's brain. She knew that Professor Granville was very well connected; she had heard as much from Hiro and his friends. Maybe she knew...

"Professor, do you know where Liv is right now?"

The dean didn't seem particularly surprised by her question.

"I do not."

"Would you tell me if you did?"

She had been less prepared for the follow-up, but she kept her composure all the same.

"I would…because that is actually what I was here for."

Granville held up her folder and opened it up, revealing a bunch of paperwork, pictures, and other documents. "The police have been attempting to locate the real Liv Amara, and as a close friend of her, they have asked me to assist in her search. Liv had many retreats and personal spaces around the country, some of which are off the beaten path. I'm certain that they will find her. It just may take a while to do so."

Karmi sniffed, balling the tissue in her hand. "Why is she in hiding? Don't you think she would want to be involved?"

"Well, to that I can only guess. But I believe that Liv is ashamed of what her company had become under Di's control. Even though the general public doesn't have much information, I'm sure she had access to all of it. So she saw Di's itinerary, what she did with the company and with you...and she couldn't take it. She's gone to recollect herself. She'll resurface when the time is right. Or maybe when it's required for her to do so. If she doesn't want to be found, then she won't be."

"Karmi!"

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of her father, who came barreling through the waiting room. He came up right to Karmi and held her tight.

"I heard what happened. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Dad," Karmi mumbled.

He held her for a moment longer...and then notice Granville, standing off to the side quietly. He pulled away from his daughter and stared her down. "And just what are you doing here?"

"Dad! Stop it. Professor Granville was the one who found me."

"And what are the odds of that, Karmi? I bet she was in on it, too."

The dean didn't take kindly to that accusation, but her tone was as even as ever. "Mr. Khan, Karmi is correct. I found her and Ms. Amara in the bathroom and was able to de-escalate the situation. I am not sure why she was even allowed into the building to begin with, but I am-"

"Looking into it? Were you looking into it when you allowed that monster to run around turning people into monsters? Including my daughter!?"

The few people in the waiting room had gone deathly quiet. Even Chief Cruz had fallen silent in the other room. Karmi could see Granville's teeth grinding together through her cheeks. After a very tense few seconds, she leaned in and lowered her voice.

"Mr. Khan, if you want to have a conversation about the possible failures and responsibilities of the institute, I would be more than welcome to have that talk. But I will have it in the proper place and circumstances, not in a courthouse with an emotionally-distressed parent and child. You may not believe it to be true, but I am on your side. And I will continue to be on your side...whether you believe that or not."

Granville tucked her folder further under her arm. "I must take my leave. Karmi, you have my ear if you need it. As do you, Yusuf. Please send my best to Muneeba. Have a pleasant rest of your day."

With one last look at Karmi, Granville left through the door. The rest of the people started up their conversations again, as did the one on the other side of the wall. Her father looked like he was going to burst out of his suit, but Karmi sat back down, perhaps helping in deflating his aggression.

"I'm going to go talk to the chief. This won't take long."

He pushed open the door while Karmi slunk into the chair. This day couldn't get any worse. She wished she could just run away for a while.

"Karmi?"

A girl's voice came from around the corner, and Karmi saw a pair of brown eyes peeking from one of the other rooms. Her full head came into view, the black tuft of hair poking out from the back of her head.

"Sorry you have to hear all of this."

The girl squeezed through the door and shut it behind her. Karmi saw she was wearing a black jacket and green and white striped shirt, blue pants and shoes completing her look. Her darker skin tone matched what the chief had from her brief look at him before the chief went into the room.

Wait. The chief.

"And...sorry this is how we're meeting for the first time."

"...Megan?"

"Oh hey. You remember my name. I was worried there for a second." The younger Cruz glanced over her shoulder. "C'mon. Let's go get something to drink."

"But my dad-"

"Is talking to my dad. So they'll be a while."

A short walk later...

"What soda do you want?"

"I don't really drink soda."

"You're a teenage girl. Of course you do."

A look of confusion was aimed toward Megan.

"Here. I'll close my eyes and choose, OK?"

Before Karmi could respond, Megan slapped a hand over her face and started blindly poking at the buttons. She missed a few times before finally connecting on one. She peeked through her fingers to see what it was.

"Grape? Could've been worse, I guess." She retrieved the can and handed it to Karmi.

"Thanks."

The two went out to the steps in front of the courthouse, taking their seats at one of the nearby benches. Megan clicked open her drink and downed half of it in one gulp. Karmi took her time with hers, lightly sipping it as she saw the sugar work its magic on Megan.

"I should really stop drinking root beer. It's too addicting to me. Maybe I should try something a little more fruity."

"They have lime soda back where I used to live," Karmi said. "Also ice cream soda."

"Ice cream soda!? Ugh! You shouldn't have told me that. Now I need that in my life."

"It's pretty much only in my country, though."

"Can you special order it for me or something?" Seeing her confused look, she held up her hands. "Know what? We'll talk about it later. Are you OK after what that woman did?"

"I'm fine. My...former...professor stopped her before she could do anything."

"Yeah, she seems super scary. I tried to interview her for my paper on Big Hero 6, and she kicked me out really quick. Maybe it was for the best. Doesn't seem like the kind of person I want to mess with."

Karmi was staring down at the sidewalk. Talking about this wasn't having the cathartic reaction she was hoping for. She knew Megan meant well (she was kind enough through her private messages on the fanfiction website), but what she wouldn't give to go on another vacation...

"Wait."

Megan was glaring into her can, perhaps to see if it would magically refill itself, but she looked back up at her companion.

"Hiro said you were on vacation. What are you doing here?"

Megan laughed. "Yeah. We were. For a little bit. But work called and had a bunch of stuff that was going on, so my dad came back to take care of it. I know that there's going to be some giant event at the San Fransokyo Conference Center, so he's helping Detective Kato with the prep. After that, we're heading out to Florida for the next couple of weeks. I'm going to drag him out if I have to."

"Take me with you," Karmi said sadly.

"I wish I could. But me and heat don't mix together well. You wouldn't like me when I was hot."

The teen genius nodded, rotating her soda in her hand.

"You and Hiro talk about me in secret? I'm flattered."

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

Now Karmi didn't know all of the details, but she knew that Megan and Hiro had gotten to be friends during the time she was gone. She had been happy for him, even a little jealous. Hiro was better at making friends than she was.

"If it makes you feel any better, he doesn't like talking about you with me."

She narrowed her eyes at her.

"Probably because he likes you."

Now this was a conversation she didn't want to get into. She had done a better job in keeping touch with him during this trial, but ever since the comic event for her series, something had changed. She didn't feel the same way about him than before.

But the other way? She wasn't sure.

"I don't know."

Megan gave her an incredulous look.

"I've been away for so long. Keeping my distance away from him. He's better off finding someone else to focus his attention on. I'm just too damaged at this point."

She tapped the side of her can.

"He's better off with someone like you."

A sudden gagging came from her left, and Karmi refocused on Megan to see that she had snorted into her can. She gagged and waved her hand into her face.

"Ah! Root beer in the nose!"

Karmi watched Megan shake her head violently to get all of the suds out of her nostrils. She sniffed loudly, her nose pointed to the sky. "Ugh. I'm going to be feeling that for a while."

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! I was just too busy laughing at what you said."

"What did I-"

Megan cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Karmi, I'm going to say this to you in the nicest way possible. And I say it will all due respect to Hiro."

She raised the can up to her lips, not even attempting to hide her smile.

"Boy has it bad for you."

Karmi blinked rapidly.

"I...know."

Megan almost choked again.

"Hiro has a crush on me. I've known that for ages. It's been kind of obvious."

"No no no no. I don't think you understand."

The younger Cruz pointed off into the distance.

"He..."

She slashed at her heart.

"Has it bad..."

And then jutted it out at Karmi.

"For you."

Megan sat back into the bench. "When you were gone, I got kidnapped by some giant robot girl that was going to turn the entire city into goo. A few weeks later, I got kidnapped again by some psychopath that wanted to put a bunch of arrows into people, including some cop that he had been tailing for years. I've been through the ringer. And that pales into comparison to what you've been through. I get it. But Hiro helped me so much to get through that. He is a great guy, and...I'll admit. I like him a lot."

"I don't understand what-"

"Karmi." Megan cut her off again. "The boy won't shut up about you. He can't stop thinking about you. I can't compete with that. All he wants for you is the best, and seeing him talk about you is something that I've never seen from anybody else."

She was shocked. She had known that Hiro had a thing for her. It had been prevalent during their time at SFIT, and even when she stayed at his house. But what Megan was talking about...it was a whole different level.

"And I think you owe it to him to try to sort it out not push him away."

"I can't, Megan. The trial-"

"Girl, you know that there's nothing stopping you from talking to him. You already said that you talked to him recently. About my vacation, remember?"

Oh.

"So what's your excuse? Why are you purposefully avoiding him?"

Karmi looked away, her cheeks burning.

"Is it because you like him, too?"

Megan scooted a little closer.

"You want him all to yourself for kissing and smooching?"

She could feel the smoke pouring out of her ears.

"Unless...you've done that already?"

What she wouldn't give for another soda to pour over her head.

"OK, OK. I'll back off. You don't have to say anything. But I mean it, Karmi. He's a good guy."

"I know."

"And he's really kind."

"Agreed."

"And he's a good cuddler."

"A really good one."

"I...I was just joking about the cuddling part."

Karmi yanked her head around at Megan, who was softly smiling at her.

"But I won't tell anyone." She looked down at her phone. "Come on. My dad's probably wondering where we are, and I don't want your dad to yell at me."

Discarding their cans, the two girls made their way back towards the courthouse doors. Megan poked her hip out into Karmi's on the way there. "In all seriousness, if you want to talk about Hiro behind his back, I'm all ears. We can talk about his tragedy of a haircut, the fact that he says super long words that he thinks that I would know for some reason..."

Karmi chuckled.

"The fact that he helped save your life twice."

She looked at her, confused.

"Just like he saved mine twice." Megan took a few steps forward. "Not that it's a contest or anything."

"Megan."

She stopped and turned toward Karmi.

"How do you know about Akuma Island?"

Karmi knew that Megan had slipped in saying something she shouldn't have, because she started stammering. "I-I read the report about it! Yeah! You can't just blow up an island without someone knowing about it."

"Oh. Good." Karmi was walking again. "Because I thought for a second you were saying that Hiro was part of Big Hero 6." She smiled as they came up to the doors. "It'd be ridiculous. He couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag."

"I don't know." Megan had recovered, reaching out for the handle. "Boy can take care of himself. I think he'd surprise you."

"Would he?"

Karmi stopped again, a smirk growing on her face. "Megan. I made a cartoon series and multiple fanfiction about Big Hero 6. I'm their biggest fan. He would either tell me or spill the beans accidentally. If Hiro was a member...I'd know about it."

She couldn't decipher the look in Megan's eyes, but there seemed to be a hint of amusement in them. She leaned into her, the door now wide open.

"...Would you?"

Megan motioned for the door, beckoning her forward.

"Guess there's only one way to find out."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Given the fact that we're probably not going to get a conversation in the show between the two of them, I figured that I would give the people their long-awaited Megan and Karmi talk. And of course, it's about Hiro. Because again, Megan's not stupid. She knows that Hiro has it bad for Karmi. But that doesn't mean she can't have a little fun at her expense.

This is probably the first time that I've completely ignored a part of an episode for a Continuity chapter, and that is "The MiSFIT". I...don't really know what to think about the whole situation about Rishi. I don't like him as a character at all, but as a writer, I do want to give him his proper due. But until then, he's going to be on the sideline.

The situation with Sycorax, on the other hand, is something I can work on. There's a lot of unanswered questions about the company and Liv/Di, and I hope that I can make a proper story with what the show has given us.

Who knew there were that many lawyers in the Marvel Universe? But I'm not using the obvious one...because there's reasons for that.

Also, I gave Karmi Kamala's parents' names because...well, people who follow me know why.

Next up is "A Fresh Sparkles"/"Noodle Burger Ploy". Maybe I won't wait until next Monday to get that uploaded.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time, everyone.