A/N: Aight listen up.
1st off: If you want me to do a chapter on them watching a RWBY fanfic, please send me your OWN. I don't want to go off and beg other authors to let me use it. It feels selfish.
2nd: Remember, most chapters aren't going to be as long as the last one.
3rd: My updates WILL NOT come as quickly as the last one did. I'm a master at procrastination
4th: I love all the reviews. I really do. Waking up and seeing people actually liking what I wrote is amazing. But please, when I say something like "Tell me what chapter to do next, and try to keep it lighthearted." You all sent me something like "Thanos snap." or "Naruto: Pain cycle of hatred." Which are all AMAZING ideas, but not the ones I'm looking for.
5th: Anybody curious if I might do the other r6 animations like "Hammer and scalpel", "Outbreak event", "DLC Operator videos", or "Tournament of champions", I will. Not anytime soon, because I don't want r6 to clog this fanfic, but maybe further down the line.
Also, this chapter is based on the Phoenix Wright ANIME. NOT the GAME. Some of you might be angry at this, but this is because the anime is made to be WATCHED. This helps it flow better for the purpose of the story.
Alright, here we go, the chapter nobody asked for but everybody got:
Standard disclaimer. I don't own RWBY or Phoenix Wright, blah blah blah blah.
IMPORTANT: From now on, older Ruby will be referred to as O. Ruby and younger Ruby will just be referred to as Ruby.
O. Ruby had left the cinema, so Ironwood took his opportunity. Ironwood managed to drag Ozpin to some corner of the cinema for a private conversation. Well, at least they thought it was private. Blake was watching them from the corner of her eye. Ironwood was the first to speak.
"Don't you see now? This is what happens when you don't meet the threat halfway!" Ironwood hissed.
"From how I see it, their military mobilized and they still couldn't do anything until they striked first. If your military comes in, it will merely cause distress. " Ozpin countered. "Should something like this happen, the staff, Huntresses, and Huntsman of Vale will take care of it."
"How many will die before the situation comes under control?" Ironwood asked. "Are you really going to sacrifice the students for your little war? The video said it itself. These students are our future. They are the next generation. Without them, you could win your battle, but not the war."
Ozpin let out an uncharacteristic glare. "I would never put my students in danger," (*cough* But he throws them off cliffs *cough*) "End of story. This conversation is over."
As Ozpin walked away, Ironwood threw his hands in the air in exasperation.
O. Ruby appeared on stage in a flurry of rose petals. "I'mmmmmmmm back!" she exclaimed. "And I got a mostly non-violent clip!"
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Mostly?"
O. Ruby chuckled nervously. "Well, it's basically a murder mystery, so we see a murder at the start. But that's the only violence! I swear!"
Glynda sighed and waved it off. "I'm fine with it as long as it's not as violent as the last one."
O. Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "You won't regret this!" O. Ruby then paused as if remembering something. "This world also takes place on Earth, so keep that in mind."
The screen turned on.
"Hmm…" The voice was male, but slightly robotic.
The screen was black, but a bloody gold statue on a grey box being held by a gloved hand came into view.
Ruby shifted a little in her seat from the sight.
"It's two o'clock, I think…"
The shot pans to show a woman on the floor in a pile of blood. It zooms out more to show the man holding the statue in his hand.
The shot pans up to show the man's face. He is fairly nondescript, in a purple suit with a dot on his forehead.
"I-I've gotta pin this on someone."
Glynda's eyes narrowed. Framing someone can cause large legal messes that she's had to deal with before.
"Oh, I know!"
The shot cuts to show the man passing another man in an orange blazer.
"He'll do…"
"He's framing an innocent passerby." Weiss said disapprovingly.
It cuts to the man sweating bullets and laughing evilly
The scene then cuts to show a large city from the top
"That's a nice view." Ruby muttered. "I guess cities like this would be everywhere without the Grimm."
O. Ruby hummed. "They face an overpopulation issue. With them being on the top of the food chain, nothing stopped them from spreading around the world like the plague. Now, with almost no more new land to discover, they are beginning to overpopulate."
The shot cuts to inside a messy house, with boxes and littered items everywhere.
"Did this guy just move in or something?" Yang questioned.
A man in a blue suit and red tie fixes his hair in the mirror. He then attaches his badge and smiles.
"Perfect!"
It then cuts to show said man riding a bike and monologuing in his head.
'I'm Phoenix Wright, a rookie attorney, who just got his badge three months ago.'
He bikes over a bridge past some Sakura trees.
"So pretty!" Ruby squealed.
"Why is this kid riding a bike? Aren't lawyers supposed to be rich or something?" Qrow questioned.
Winter shook her head. "Maybe if you mind wasn't always on booze, you would've heard he's still an upstart. He has yet to make his own path."
Peaceful music plays in the background. The shot cuts to show a close up of Phoenix's badge, before zooming out to show the vast city behind him.
"So big!" Jaune gaped.
"Some of those buildings are taller than the CCT tower." Glynda muttered in surprise.
"And today, for the first time, I set foot in the courtroom as an attorney."
The shot cuts to show a stone wall with a sign reading "Courthouse" on it. It then cuts to show Phoenix rushing in on his bike. It pans inside the courthouse, showing the multitude of people inside.
The shot goes into one of the rooms labelled "Lobby 2". A woman with long black hair and a black suit is standing there, checking her nails.
"Is she waiting for somebody?" Tai asked.
The words "Fey & Co. Law Offices Chief - Mia Fey"
"What's keeping Wright?"
"Yup." Tai answered his own question.
At that moment, Wright came rushing in.
"Excuse me!" He exclaims.
He is audibly panting from the rush. He rubs the back of his head as he approaches Mia.
"Sorry I'm late…"
"The kid was riding here on a bike. I think he deserves a break." Qrow put in.
"He should have taken that into consideration first. It's not like he realized ten minutes beforehand that he didn't have a car." Winter countered.
Qrow only glared.
"The trial begins at 10 AM. I hope you're ready." Mia said.
Wright bowed in respect.
"Sorry to force you to take time to be here for me, Mia."
Qrow whistled in appreciation. "That woman has quite the rack." Every female in the room glared at him. Tai elbowed him in the gut, but Qrow didn't seem to notice.
The woman put her hands on her hips.
"Don't mention it. I mean, it's my beloved subordinate's first-ever defense. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Mia winked.
Qrow's nose bled.
Phoenix stood upright and smiled.
"Thank you!"
The scene cuts to them walking down the hall.
"But I must say I'm impressed. Not everyone has the courage to take on a homicide trial, right off the bat."
"That's right! He's just a rookie lawyer, but he's taking on a homicide case." Ruby looked at Glynda. "Wouldn't that be like us trying to eliminate a herd of goliaths right after graduation?"
Glynda shook her head. "The analogy probably isn't the best example, but you make a fair point. I would always recommend getting experience before going out on bigger jobs."
"I wanted… no, I had to do this."
Everybody looked on curiously.
The screen cuts to show a keychain attached to his bag.
"Because I owe him a favor."
Blake's book nerd mind was running at a thousand miles per hour. Juicy backstory. Maybe they were childhood friends that grew into something more and they ha-
Yang grew concerned for her partner when Blake started drooling.
"A favor? To the defendant?" Mia questioned.
Wright nodded.
"Yes. Actually, I kind of owe my current job to him. He's one of the reasons I became an attorney."
Blake's M rated fantasies were cut short when their relationship was revealed.
"Well that's news to me."
They reach a door guarded by two officers. The door has the label "Courtroom 2" above it.
"I want to help him in any way I can!"
"Aren't lawyers supposed to be manipulative and selfish as well? This kid is breaking every stereotype!" Qrow exclaimed. Nobody could tell if he was happy or sad about it.
Wright and Mia walk into the empty courtroom. The camera cuts to show each part. The defendant stand, the judge stands, the witness stand, the evidence stand, the prosecution stand, and the jury stand. The camera then pans up to show the icon of a balance beam above the judge stand.
"Impressive room." Winter commented.
A man in a grey suit and glasses walked in. The words "Prosecutor - Winston Payne" appeared.
The man from before in the orange blazer walks in, escorted by an officer. His face can be seen, with a goatee and brown gravity defying hair.
"That's my client, Larry Butz."
"Butz. Hehe." Nora snickered.
"He's been my best friend since grade school."
It shows a flashback of them as kids playing together.
Larry sees Wright and starts crying anime tears.
"Phoenix!"
"This reminds me of a certain man child." Qrow added.
"Really? Who?" Tai asked. Nobody answered
"It wasn't me!"
The officer grabs Larry by the shoulders and sits him in the seats.
"What's your problem? Lemme go!"
"If you are ever in a situation like this, where the officers are just doing their job, try to be compliant. It will help clear everything up if you are willing to provide your story and evidence." Glynda lectured.
"Wright! It wasn't me!"
Wright had a sweat drop going down his face.
'I know. I believe you.' Wright thought.
"That's a good sentiment, but he has to be careful not to let his personal bias affect the trial." Winter commented.
"Wright!" Larry continued to cry in the background.
"Cough, man-child, cough." Qrow said.
"Wait… are you talking about me?!" Tai exclaimed incredulously. Nobody replied.
'But the newspapers say it was you.' Wright continued.
The headline popped up which read "Model Murdered in Own Apartment in Broad Daylight!"
"This is why I hate the news. They no longer serve to inform, only to get the next juicy stories." Glynda hissed.
An image of Larry was in the papers. Below his image are the words "Suspect Larry Butz (23).
"Wright… so he's the one who motivated you to become an attorney?" Mia questioned
"Yes. He's a good guy at heart. He just had terrible luck."
"Now that reminds ME of a certain someone." Tai said smugly.
Qrow just downed his flask.
Larry kept sliding down his seat, making the officer have to pull him upright multiple times.
Mia and Wright both have a sweatdrop running down their head.
"He doesn't seem to have the best attitude." Mia added
"He just has terrible luck and a terrible attitude." Wright amended
"Definitely like a drunk old crow we all now." Winter jabbed.
"Anyway, you must believe in his innocence to the very end." Mia said.
The close up of her face gave Qrow another nose bleed.
"Do not forget that."
"I won't!" Wright exclaimed with determination
An old bald man with a long grey beard walked up to the judge stand.
The word "Judge" Appeared when he sat down.
"We already knew that. Does it not tell us his name?" Yang retorted.
"Court is now in session for the trial of Larry Butz." The judge had a deep, powerful voice.
"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor." The prosecution had a slightly nasally voice.
"The defense is ready, Your Honor." Wright declared.
Panels on the stand opened up, revealing TV screens.
"Did they really need to put those behind panels? What's the point?" Ironwood questioned.
"Then, your opening statement, Prosecutor Payne." The Judge declared.
"At once, Your Honor." Payne responded.
"Is it just me or do people have names that sound like a word but aren't spelled that way? Like Butz, Payne, and Wright?" Jaune questioned. Others were surprised by his observation.
"The victim is Cindy Stone," The screen turns on to show an image of the woman.
"Are all women super stacked in this universe or something?" Qrow asked. This earned him more glares.
Below the image read "Cindy Stone (22)".
"A twenty-two-year-old model." The prosecution continued. "She was found dead in her apartment's living room. We have concluded she was murdered from autopsy results and the state of the scene."
An image of the crime scene appeared. Cindy was laying down in a pool of blood with the statue on the floor.
"Why did that guy murder Cindy anyways? He probably didn't just walk into someone's house and murder someone, he seemed to nervous for that." Yang questioned.
The TV zooms in on Cindy's face and the presumed murder weapon.
"Time of death is estimated to have been around 4 or 5 PM."
The TV zoomed in even further, giving a clear view of the golden statue.
"The cause, blunt force trauma to the head."
"Wait, didn't something say "2 o'clock" at the beginning? If the cause of death is blunt force trauma, then she couldn't have bled out." Jaune noted.
Ozpin smiled. "Quite the mini-detective. If we keep watching, I'm sure it will give us the answer."
"The murder weapon was this statue of "The Thinker"."
The prosecutor pulls out the statue.
"I present it to the court as evidence."
The prosecutor puts it on the evidence stand, and an electric sound is heard.
"Accepted." The judge said.
"Ooh! Ooh! Is that some sort of high tech table?" Ruby asked, excited.
Weiss just sighed at her teammate's enthusiasm.
"But I must say, this is a modern thinker indeed." The judge noted.
It shows a close up of the carefully crafted statue.
"It is a fairly impressive piece of art." Glynda complemented.
"Not "modern"! It's "Rodin"!" Larry exclaimed.
'Rodin?' Was the general question in everybody's head.
"That is the gift of love that I made with all my heart and soul!"
"So… he bought it for ten lien at a gift shop?" Qrow asked.
'I don't think so. Something hard enough to cave in somebody's head... that would have to be some really hard plastic.' Jaune thought.
"Oh, so it's handmade?" The judge questioned.
"I doubt a Qrow 2.0 could craft something like that." Winter scoffed.
"By the way, we found the defendant's fingerprints on the murder weapon." The prosecutor added.
Qrow looked at Winter smugly. "You were saying?"
Winter rolled her eyes. "That doesn't mean anything. It could have gotten there when he bought it."
"Huh?! No way!" Butz exclaimed.
Wright had an exasperated look on his face.
'You made it by hand. Of course your fingerprints are all over it!' Wright thought.
Qrow continued to smile smugly at Winter, before Winter finally said something.
"That just means this person at least has some redeeming qualities. You're just a sack of negative characteristics." Winter jabbed.
"Wright!" Larry cried with comical tears.
Larry stood up.
"Let me state my case, man… At this rate, I'm gonna be found guilty!"
"The prosecution would also like to call the defendant to the stand." Payne requested.
"Wait, he actually gave him a chance to do it? Don't they do witnesses first or something?" Ruby asked
"Very well. You may proceed." The judge declared.
"All right! Hell, yeah!" Larry exclaimed, jumping up and down.
"Looks like your friend has a foul mouth, to go with his terrible luck and attitude." Mia said. Wright just looked exasperated.
"A foul mouth, along with terrible luck and attitude. He really is Qrow, but with some redeeming features." Winter said snidely.
Qrow just snorted. "Hell isn't even that bad of a curse word. He isn't cursing like a sailor, so he isn't me."
'That's not something to be proud of." Was the general consensus of everybody.
Wright rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.
Larry got a serious look and stepped up to the witness stand.
Wright had a flashback of himself crying as a child in school.
Blake's book nerd mind was already piecing together the backstory.
"So, Larry," The prosecution started. "It seems you were recently dumped by the victim."
"Watch it, buddy!" Larry exclaimed. "We're the twentieth century's greatest couple!"
'The twentieth century ended a long time ago, dude.'
"You would think the trial for a homicide case would be taken a little more seriously." Weiss condemns.
"But lately, she'd been ignoring my calls, just a bit. And standing me up, just a bit."
"How do you only get stood up "just a bit"? Yang asked.
"That is generally what we call being dumped-" The prosecutor was interrupted by Larry.
"Shut up with your nonsense!"
"Denial is the first stage of grief." Tai joked.
"Then you knew about her trip overseas?" Payne pressed.
That shut Larry down. "T-Trip overseas?" Larry stuttered.
Larry put his hands on his hips.
"That's news to me, just a bit."
The prosecutor lifted a small red book that read "Japan Passport".
"Japan?" Ozpin questioned.
O. Ruby decided to elaborate. "Japan is a small island off of the main bodies of land, sort of like Menagerie."
"This is the victim's passport."
Payne opened it to show all of Cindy's information.
"According to this, she returned from New York the day before the murder."
That sent Phoenix, Mia, and Larry for a loop.
"So the prosecution is trying to convince the jury that the defendant killed the victim out of jealousy or anger? It would probably not be the first time that's happened." Glynda noted.
"We also found a photograph taken during the trip."
Payne showed a picture of Cindy standing in front of the Statue of liberty, along with the thinker statue.
"That's a very impressive statue." Ironwood admired. Ironwood might have one made of himself.
Larry gasped.
"My present…"
"That must be heartbreaking." Tai sympathized.
"I present these two items to the court as evidence, Your Honor." Payne said, placing them both down on the evidence stand.
"Accepted." Declared the judge.
"Huh?!" Larry exclaimed. "Hang on a second! Who took that photo?"
"The man with whom she went, of course." Payne stated.
Everybody winced at that.
"Aw! Hell, no!" Larry started flailing around and hitting air.
Wright's head dropped, and he weakly raised his hand.
'Please stop repeating that word…' Wright thought.
Qrow snorted. "Psh, grow up. He isn't even using actual profanity."
"And there we have our motive." Payne started.
"Ohhhh." Ruby realized. "Payne let Larry take the stand to provoke his reaction, that way his "murder out of jelousy or anger" argument is more convincing."
"The Defendant heard about this, and murdered the victim in a rage." The prosecutor argued.
The judge nodded.
"Yes. That is quite the clear motive." The judge approved.
Larry panicked.
"Wait a second… I didn't do it, I swear!"
"Only evidence holds up in court. Well, evidence, reasoning, and corrupt bias." Glynda admitted sadly.
"By the way, on the day of the murder, did you visit the victim's apartment?" The prosecutor asked.
"Oh, that murderer got really lucky. He picked just the right guy to pin it on, with all this extra evidence to pin it on him." Pyrrha said, slightly annoyed.
"M-Maybe I did! And maybe I didn't!"
Glynda sighed. "Don't make vague testimonies. It only makes people more suspicious and could come back to haunt you if you "Suddenly remember" what happened."
Wright and Mia both cringed.
"I can hardly bear how dumb he is at playing dumb." Mia said.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Tai agreed.
"You don't remember?" Payne pressed. He gained an evil smile.
"Then, let me remind you…" Wright's eye sharpened as Payne's voice grew cocky.
Payne turned to the judge.
"The defendant is lying, Your Honor!" Payne said.
"We all know he was lying, but we can't exactly prove that. He said he forgot, so you can't really say he lied unless you have proof. Other than that, you can just use that as a way to say the witness is unreliable." Winter informed.
Larry let out a surprised sound.
Mystery music started playing in the background.
"The prosecution would like to call its key witness to the stand." Payne announced.
The jury started gasping in surprise.
"A witness?" Wright muttered. Even Mia looked surprised.
"How much do you want to bet it's going to be the murderer?" Qrow challenged. Nobody replied. That was a sucker bet.
The judge banged his hammer.
"Order! Order in the court! Escort the witness to the stand."
A familiar purple suit walks into the shot, which then pans up to show the man's face. He had a fake pleasant smile on him.
"He looks like a pervert." Blake noted.
"Hello." He said.
"This is where things get real, Wright." Mia warned.
"It better. This whole court case so far has basically been a joke." Winter said disapprovingly.
"Really? I've been enjoying it plenty." Ruby muttered.
"A witness?" Wright repeated, still surprised.
"Please state your name and occupation." Payne demanded.
"I am Frank Sahwit." Frank said.
"There it is again!" Jaune exclaimed. "Their name is a play-on-word for another word. "Sahwit" sounds like "Saw it"!"
Nora raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're not just over analyzing it?"
Jaune looked exasperated. "It just- but- ugh, never mind.
Nobody saw O. Ruby hide her smile.
"I sell newspaper subscriptions."
"Wait, so he was probably the one that got the newspapers to get all stacked up against Larry!" Ruby exclaimed.
Glynda hummed. "We are not sure of his current position in the company. He might have leaked information as an anonymous source, but a basic office grunt probably doesn't have enough pull in a company to force something to be published."
"Please tell the court what you saw on the day of the murder." The judge requested.
"Of course." Frank replied.
Payne and Wright's face flashed across the screen, and the words "Witness Testimony" appeared.
"Is this a court case or a TV show?" Winter asked rhetorically.
"I took some… creative liberties to make it more like a movie. You may see that from time to time." O. Ruby admitted.
"That day, I was at the apartment complex to sell subscriptions,"
"A door to door salesman. Definitely not enough pull in a company to get something in the newspaper published." Glynda said.
"When I saw a man hurriedly leaving the apartment in question."
It showed a clip of Larry trying to inconspicuously leave the apartment. The word "Testimony" was moving across the top and bottom of the screen.
Frank pointed at Larry.
"It was that man, over there."
"He killed somebody then blames another for it. He ended one life and about to ruin another. He makes me sick." Ironwood spat.
The jury starts muttering to each other.
"Damn it, Larry. Why haven't I heard of this?" Wright said to himself.
The shot cuts back to Frank smiling at the judge, and Larry glaring at his back.
"I found that quite strange, so I looked inside the apartment."
"And I saw a woman lying there, dead."
"Lie after lie. Something tells me his tower of cards is going to fall down." Ozpin said.
The clip cut to the testimony screen again, with Frank looking into the door. He turns and notices the body, lying in a pool of blood.
"I was too scared to go inside, So I rushed to a nearby pay phone, and called the police. It was 2 PM."
The words 2 PM hung in the air for a bit.
"Wait a second…" Jaune said.
The words seem to go to Wrights head.
"2 o'clock…" He said to himself.
The shot cuts back to the judge.
"A pay phone? Didn't the apartment have a phone?" The judge asked.
"It mentioned it before, but what's a phone?" Ruby asked.
O. Ruby smiled and elaborated. "Phones are basically scrolls. A pay phone is a public phone used if you need to call someone, but costs money to use.
The shot changed to officers and detectives searching the area and taking pictures.
"There was a phone by the front door, but the area had a blackout that day, from 1 PM to 6 PM, so he couldn't use it."
Payne produced a paper with a blackout notice from 1-6 on it.
"A blackout?" Wright said to himself.
Mia looked at him questioningly.
"Did he figure something out?" Ozpin mused to himself.
"How about it, Your Honor?" Payne asked. "You could hardly ask for a more conclusive witness testimony."
Frank turns to Larry and gives him an evil smile when nobody's looking, but Wright catches it.
"Did nobody else see that?!" Nora exclaimed.
Winter just shrugged. "Even if they did, odd looks don't count as evidence."
"What is it?" Mia asks
Wright shakes his head. "N-Nothing."
Wright's attention was turned back to the judge.
"The defense may begin its cross-examination." He announced.
"Ooh, here comes the good part." Yang said, rubbing her hands together.
"Y-Yes, Your Honor!" Wright responded.
Mia gave him a look of encouragement.
"Here's your time to shine."
"Why do I have a feeling he's going to embarrass himself?" Qrow asked.
"If your client is innocent, the witness must have lied in his testimony."
Phoenix gasped.
"Compare the testimony to the evidence. A contradiction is bound to be in there. Find it."
A bell ringing could be heard.
"I think he's putting the pieces together." Tai noted.
"A contradiction…" Wright repeated.
"That's right." Mia confirmed. "The evidence holds all the keys. Go get 'em."
"Okay. I'll give it a shot."
Wright cleared his throat.
"E-er, Your Honor! Just now, there was a clear contradiction in the testimony!"
"Really? Where?" Blake asked.
"Oh where, exactly?"
Everybody looks intensely at Wright.
Wright rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, uh, I'm saying we should all put our heads together and find it…"
Wright let out a nervous laugh.
Everybody face palmed while Qrow laughed his ass off.
"I called it! I called it!" Qrow shouted.
Jaune buried his face in his hands. He always did get a bad case of second hand embarrassment.
The jury laughed as well. Probably at him, not with him.
Mia slammed her heel into his foot.
"Ow!" Wright gasped.
Qrow winced and rubbed his foot. Glynda had done that plenty of times to him.
"What's so funny?" Mia hissed. "Right now, you need less laughter, more thought."
Mia shoved some papers in his face.
"Ah, y-yeah!" Wright agreed. He looks at it. "The autopsy report…"
"Mia probably already figured it out, but doesn't want to spoon feed it to Wright." Winter noted.
Another bell sound can be heard.
"What is this?" Wright asked himself.
'All right!' Wright thought.
'I think he noticed what I did before' Jaune thought.
"Let's try again. The defense may begin its cross-examination."
Payne and Wright's faces flashed across the screen, along with the word "Cross-Examination".
Intense music can be heard.
"That's some nice music." Ruby complimented. She might try to get a version of it on her scroll.
Wright walked in front of Frank with confidence.
"You say you found the body at 2 PM. Are you sure of the time?" Wright pressed.
"Absolutely sure." Frank replied.
Wright rubbed his chin and looked at the paper in his hand.
"But according to the autopsy report, the victim's estimated time of death was sometime after 4 PM."
"He slipped up." Tai said. "Nobody told him what the autopsy report said, so he had no idea that his time was wrong."
Wright turns around the paper and shows it to the judge. The words "2 PM" from before appeared near Wright's head.
Winter looked at O. Ruby unamused. "Those are some very creative creative liberties."
O. Ruby just laughed it off. "Nobody ever accused me of being a good editor."
"Isn't this a clear contradiction?" Wright pressed.
Frank, Payne, and the judge looked shocked.
"Remember students, critical thinking can be very useful in your career. Even outside the battlefield, Huntsman and Huntresses usually get wrapped up in politics one way or another. Having a basic grasp of these kinds of things is very important." Glynda lectured.
Music starts playing.
'Brilliantly done, Wright!' Mia compliments her head.
The judge cleared his throat.
"The witness is to explain himself." The judge demanded.
Frank was nervous, sweating bullets.
"He's nervous. He's going to make a sloppy lie, which will only dig his hole deeper." Ren predicted.
"O-Of course…" He stuttered. His hands were rubbing against each other, most likely a nervous habit. "In the apartment, I heard the time being announced. She must've been watching TV before she died."
"Oh, that makes sense-" Payne was cut off when Wright pressed further.
"Huh? Wasn't there a blackout at that time?" Wright asked innocently.
The words 2 o'clock and 4 o'clock seemed to float into the paper that read "Blackout Notice: Today, 1-6 PM".
Nora pat (read slammed) Ren's back. "He called it."
Frank seemed to tense and sweat profusely at the words.
"The TV couldn't have been on." Wright pressed.
Frank sweats harder. "My apologies, I was mistaken. I heard the clock. The table clock."
Frank points at the statue.
"The table clock?" Wright says to himself.
"That thing's a clock?" Weiss questioned, surprised. There wasn't any screen to show the time.
Mia is seen staring at the statue.
"That's right! The Thinker that he used to kill her." Frank said.
"Your Honor, if I may, this is indeed a clock." Payne elaborated. "If you twist the neck, it appears to say the time aloud."
Something clicked in Jaune's head, and his eyes widened.
Wright looks at Larry, surprised.
"Whaddya think of my genius idea?" Larry bragged.
Wright looked away, annoyed. 'Mention these things earlier!"
"While he does not seem to have that much common sense, he seems to be fairly smart and talented. Being able to sculpt and make even small technological devices is impressive." Winter complemented. Then she glared at Qrow. "It's no wonder he seems to have at least gotten a girlfriend unlike somebody I know."
Qrow just snorted and crossed his arms. "Right back atcha Ice Queen."
Winter just turned red and sputtered indignantly.
Wright goes up to the statue and twists the neck. He seems to realize something, as he gasps and looks at Frank.
The music turns dramatic.
"Mr. Sahwit! You're lying!"
Ozpin leaned forward in his chair. "He seems to have realized something."
Frank, Payne, and the judge looked shocked. Mia merely looked on with a stoic face.
"In your testimony, you said…"
The scene cuts to a flashback of Frank talking.
"I was too scared to go inside."
'He remembered every detail about his testimony. Fairly impressive.' Ironwood thought. Having to do a lot of politics himself, he understands the importance of latching onto every small discrepancy.
The shot cuts back to Wright raising the statue.
"You could only know this was a clock if you heard it announce the time."
Frank seemed angry and scared at the same time.
"That's right. You heard this clock that day. When you entered the apartment, and used it to strike the victim!"
"He figured it out without the extra information we had. Impressive." Weiss complimented.
The screen cuts to a shot of the statue hitting a surface and cracking it. The head gets turned and says the time. It then shows Frank looking at it in surprise.
"The sound must have surprised you. And the time was burned into your memory."
Frank had a frozen look of horror on his face.
"Hey, Ruby made that exact same face when she was little! I put the cookies on a shelf that she couldn't reach, and her face was stuck like that for a solid 5 minutes!" Yang laughed at the memory, while Ruby tried to curl up into a ball and hide herself in her cloak.
"Am I wrong?"
Frank seemed to struggle with their words.
"How does the witness respond?" The judge demanded.
"I never…" Frank started out with a stutter, but then he let out a scream. Everybody had a shocked look on their face, even Mia.
"That happened too! Except she started crying afterwards…" Yang said the last part to herself. Ruby let out a whimper from her cloak.
Frank started losing his shirt collar as he started sweating more.
"Shut up! Quit yammering and nitpicking!" Frank said, with an angry look on his face. "I saw it with my own eyes… He was the one who killed her!" Frank points at Larry, who has an unimpressed look on his face.
"I feel like that alone should prove his guilt." Nora said. Glynda shook his head.
"To most people, yes. But the court is based on evidence. A study shows that 59 percent of people who think they are good at telling lies are actually just as bad as everybody else." Glynda informed. "Of course, this is assuming they have the same court system as us."
Frank starts panting from shouting so much, and the judge started banging the gavel.
"Order! Watch your mouth, witness." The judge demanded. "Can the defense prove that the witness heard the clock announce the time?"
Wright was caught flat-footed for a second. "W-Well…"
Mia stepped in. "Simple. Let's sound the clock here and now, in this court."
"She definitely knows something, but isn't saying it out loud." Tai noted.
Wright nodded. "Yes."
Frank and Payne look anxious as Wright turns the head.
"Hmm… It's 9:25, I think…"
Comedy music starts playing.
"What a Rodin way to announce the time." The judge says.
'What does that even mean?' Was the general thoughts of the audience.
Larry jumps up from his seat and starts dancing around.
"Isn't it great? It's my genius voice-" Larry was cut off as the officer drags him back to his seat.
"But how is this proof of anything?" The judge questions.
Wright rubs his chin.
"9:25?"
Wright gasps and looks at Payne.
"Prosecutor Payne, what time is it right now?"
Payne looks at his watch.
"Right now? 11:25." Payne gasps in shock.
"It's two hours slow!" Ruby gasps.
"It's two hours slow!" The judge exclaims.
Wright starts pacing around the courtroom.
"Mr. Sahwit's testimony was also two hours off. Which means, what he heard at the time of the murder was most definitly this clock!"
"He figured this all out from a single slip up. And a little help." Blake complimented.
Wright holds up the statue towards Frank.
Frank lets out a frustrated scream, as the judge, Payne, and Larry all looked shocked.
Frank coughs, then starts laughing and fixes his tie.
"I'll grant you, that's an amusing story…" Wright seems taken aback. "Sure, it looks like the clock's two hours slow. But we don't know if it was running slow on the day of the murder!"
Wright gasps.
"Surely that doesn't matter? All the other evidence points towards Frank." Ruby exclaimed.
Glynda sighed. "Unfortunately, in this situation, you must prove beyond any reasonable doubt that Mr. Sahwit was the one who did it. If you look at it based on evidence, there really aren't any holes in the theory that Larry did it. While there is evidence against Mr. Sahwit, it's mostly bits and pieces. Not enough to truly convict him."
"Well? Got an answer for that?" Frank counters, and Wright doesn't seem to know what to do. "If you can't prove that, you have no case." Frank gains an evil smile on his face.
"Wright!" Mia yells, concerned.
"How about it, defense?" The judge asked.
Melancholy music seemed to play in the background.
Ruby looked up from her cloak. "Surely he has some secret weapon or something? I mean, this can't be the end right?"
'You can't back down here.' Mia thinks.
Wright looks at Larry.
'Am I going to fail you, after coming so close?'
Wright has a flashback of himself crying again, and everybody pointing fingers at him.
Ruby whimpered, sympathizing with the feeling of being a social outcast.
However, a younger Larry stands up and yells "Objection!"
"So they became friends when Larry stood up for Wright all the way back in grade school." Blake surmised.
The music turns defeated and grave.
The judge picks up the gavel. "If you don't have any proof, I cannot let you indict this witness."
Frank crosses his arms and turns away. "I come all this way to testify, and you call me a murderer? You attorneys are all scum!"
Blake's fist tightened. Although this situation wasn't exactly the same, it reminded her of the stories where Faunus was wrongfully accused in a corrupt court.
Frank begins to walk away.
Wright closes his eyes in defeat. 'Forgive me, Larry'.
Larry lets out a whimper and slumps over, defeated.
Weiss looks up to Glynda. "Surely that can't be it. He's being wrongfully accused!"
Glynda closed her eyes sadly. "It's said that hundreds of people a day are tried and wrongfully convicted. The justice system is not perfect, and I doubt it will ever truly be. It seems Larry will just be another number on a statistic."
"This concludes Frank Sahwit's cross-examination." The judge was just about to pound the gavel, but Mia's hand shot out.
"Hold it!"
The Judge seems to have the gavel slip out of his hands in his panic, and it hits his head.
Larry looks up hopefully, and Frank turns around annoyed.
"M-Mia?" Wright questions.
"It seems she's going to help him out here." Ozpin mused. "It's always okay to get help from peers or those who have more experience than you. That's why Huntsman schools exist."
The music turns intense.
"NOW is the time to laugh, Wright. An attorney can only laugh when times are desperate!"
"So stalling, basically." Winter deadpanned.
Wright lets out a gasp of surprise.
"Don't give up until the very end." Mia said.
The judge was firmly holding the hammer in both hands and looking at the defense in annoyance. "If the defense has something to say, speak up."
Team RWBY and JNPR were on the edge of their seats.
Frank lets out a scoff, but returns to the witness stand.
"Well, do you?" The judge asks.
"But there's no way to prove the clock was running slow on the day of the murder." Wright says to himself.
"With a mentality like that, you'd never figure it out. It's just like the "I'll never get stronger' mentality." Pyrrha condemned.
"Turn your thinking around." Mia advises.
"Turn it about?" Wright questions.
The music gets even more intense
"Yes. Try to figure out why the clock was running two hours slow, in the first place."
'Two hours. Two hours.' Wright thinks.
The words 2 o'clock and four o'clock seem to move around in Wright's head.
'He's figuring it out.' Jaune thinks.
"It seems the defense has nothing to say, after all." The judge announces.
There is a bell in the background, and Wright's eyes widened in realization as he stares at the passport.
'I see… Two hours!'
"I wonder what it is that he has realized." Ozpin ponders out loud.
"This concludes the cross-examination." the judge said, as he raised his gavel once more.
Frank smiled and laughed evilly to himself, but was cut off by Wright.
"OBJECTION!" Wright yelled, pointing at Frank.
The letters seem to write itself one at a time across the screen.
"Who knew court could be so intense." Ruby muttered.
Frank was shocked by the sudden outburst. The judge somehow got the gavel balanced on his head.
The music turns upbeat and intense.
"The reason the clock was running two hours slow is this… Right here!" Wright said, walking over to the picture of Cindy in front of the Statue of Liberty. He picks it up and shows it to Frank.
Everybody blinked at that.
"The…" Ruby started.
"Photo?" Weiss finished.
"Is he trying to stall, because it's working." Tai added.
"Wh-What about that photo?" Frank asks.
"That's what we want to know." Ironwood commented.
"Japan is in a different time zone than other countries. According to her passport, the victim just returned from overseas the day before the murder. The time difference between Japan and New York is fourteen hours."
Two clocks, one reading 2 o'clock and one reading 4 o'clock appeared on either side of Wright.
"When it's 4 PM here, it's 2 AM there." Wright elaborated
The clocks merged, showing a 2 hour gap between them
Everybody's eyes widened.
"Disregarding AM and PM," Wright started.
"And the difference is exactly two hours." Mia finished.
"Amazing, even I would never have thought of that." Ozpin admitted.
Frank was speechless, unable to come up with a counter.
"The victim took the table clock with her on the trip, but hadn't reset it since returning. That's why the time you heard was two hours off! How's that for yammering, Mr. Sahwit?"
The judge banged his gavel. "Arrest the witness immediately!"
"Justice served." Weiss said smugly.
Officers flooded into the hall, and the screen turned black. The screen then turned back on, with the words "Full Story" appearing at the top and bottom of the screen.
"Ooh, we get to see what really happened!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly.
Frank sees Larry knock on the door to the apartment while watching from a corner.
"As a newspaper salesman, Frank Sahwit had been burglarizing homes, while residents were away." The voice was Wright's.
"It seems this is Wright explaining to court what he believed truly happened." Ironwood surmised.
The screen shows Larry walk away from the door while Frank goes up to it and opens it. It shows Frank going through Cindy's stuff, but Cindy comes in.
"But the victim returned while he was in her apartment, and that led to the murder."
Cindy sees Frank, but Frank grabs the statue and hits her with it. The statue head turns, and it says "It's two o'clock, I think…"
"That thing's sturdy. I'm surprised the head didn't pop off, honestly." Qrow muttered.
The Full Story ends, and the judge bangs his gavel.
Frank is now standing at the witness stand, awaiting his verdict.
The judge coughs before speaking.
"Wright…"
"Yes, Your Honor."
"I am quite honestly amazed. In your first defense, you even discovered the true culprit."
"That is quite a large accomplishment for his first job." Tai noted.
"Gee, thanks, Your Honor." Wright replies, a small blush on his cheeks.
"I shall now hand down the verdict."
The words Not Guilty appeared across the screen, and Larry seems relieved.
Team RWBY and JNPR let out a relieved sigh, the tension leaving them.
"Aw! Hell, no!" Payne yells in frustration, banging his desk.
"Oh yeah, he's here. I kind of forgot he existed when he didn't contribute anything for the past twenty minutes."
Mia sticks her hand out. "Well done, Wright."
Wright shakes it. "Thank you, Mia."
The judge raises his gavel again. "And with that, court is adjourned." The judge lowers the gavel, and the sound echoes the courtroom.
Back inside the defendant lobby, Larry is hugging Wright while tears of joy streamed down his face.
Qrow opened his mouth.
"Qrow, if the next words that come out of your mouth contain "Man Child"... Well, let's just say your precious "secret" alcohol collection under my floorboard will mysteriously disappear." Tai hissed.
Qrow closed his mouth.
"You're amazing, Wright!" Larry cried.
"Congratulations, Mr. Butz."
"Hehe… Butz." Nora snickered to herself.
"Uh, my name's Larry…" Larry said, confused.
"Could you repeat that, Mr. Butz?"
"Buuuuuttttzzzzz." Nora stage whispered to Ren.
"Never mind, er, well… Thank you so much!" Larry shouted, bowing suddenly. "I'll never forget this."
"Dude, I was the one who saved you." Wright corrected, pointing at himself.
"Oh, right!" Larry held out the statue of the thinker. "Please accept this!"
Everybody double take.
"Wasn't someone killed with that thing?" Winter asked, horrified.
"Wait, isn't this the murder weapon?" Mia asked, confused and slightly uncomfortable."
"Oh, no… It's the same thing, but it's not. I made two of them, and this one's mine."
Everybody let out a sigh of relief when they realized Larry didn't just try to give somebody a murder weapon as a gift.
Mia made a sound of understanding.
Larry bowed forward and held the statue out for her.
"Then, I guess I'll take you up on it." Mia smiled. "Thank you."
Larry slung his shoulder around Wright and started crying anime tears.
"I loved her, man. How could she betray me like that?" Larry cried. He pulled on Wright's tie. "I'm so sad!"
"Oh yeah, his girlfriend dumped him before she died. Kinda forgot about that part." Qrow admitted.
"Larry…" Wright muttered.
"I wouldn't be so certain." Mia said.
Larry looked up from Wright's shoulder, surprised.
"She loved you. And here's the proof." Mia said, holding out the statue.
"That clock just keeps popping up, doesn't it?" Weiss noted.
"Lies!" Larry exclaimed, then returned to crying on Wright's shoulder. "Wright!"
"Oh, yeah. She took that clock with her on the trip, didn't she?" Wright observed.
Larry shot up in realization.
"She probably just didn't have any others." Larry reasoned.
"You really think she'd take something so bulky, just because of that?" Wright questioned.
'Kind of reminds me when I had to comfort Tai because Raven left.' Qrow thought.
The shot cuts to Cindy holding it in her picture, then back to Larry who smiles.
"I guess not." Larry puts his shoulder on Wright's. "Thanks, man."
The scene cut to Wright and Mia walking down the streets at night.
"Today got a bit exciting, but you finally took your first step." Mia complimented.
"Yeah, it was really scary, though." Wright admitted.
"But still… It was an important step you took to help someone." Mia stopped walking, and admired the sight of the large city.
"So pretty…" Ruby whispered. With all the lights on and the dark background, it looked like a distant festival with how bright it was.
"Listen well, Wright. In our massive society, there must be plenty of people out there who need your help. Do your best."
"I will!" Wright replied with enthusiasm."
"Oh, right… The reason you became an attorney?" Mia asked.
Wright let out a small laugh and rubbed the back of his head.
"I owe it all to him." Wright admitted.
'This probably relates back to that flashback we saw, where Larry stuck up for Wright.' Blake theorized.
"Tell me the whole story sometime."
Wright saluted.
"Sure thing!" Wright paused before panicking. "I forgot my bike at the courthouse!"
"Oh yeah, his rinky dinky bike." Yang snickered.
"Oh, dear…" Mia muttered.
"See you later!" Wright exclaimed, before running back.
'And so, my first trial came to a close.' Wright's voice said in the background.
Mia let out a small smile as she watched Wright's retreating back.
'But my promise to tell the chief about my reason for becoming an attorney… was a promise I wouldn't be able to keep.'
The scene cuts to show broken glass on the floor and a statue of the thinker laying next to a limb body that looks like Mia. However, the shot does not pan up to the face.
Everybody was left speechless at the end.
"Was she…" Ruby muttered. Ozpin took a deep breath.
"It appears so." Ozpin states.
This death was different from the one from the last video. The last video was pure carnage in certain scenes. However, this time, they grew attached to the person. They got to see that person's relationships and interactions. It's similar how somebody could read in the newspaper how a hundred people were killed and say "That sucks." But then have a close friend die and cry for a whole day.
Yang wrapped a comforting arm around Ruby, and Ruby leaned into the familiar warmth.
O. Ruby decided to speak. "Death, regardless of who or what, is common in almost every universe. Death in every universe is practically guaranteed. Take time to recollect yourselves, I will be back. The next one may have a little more action in it, so strengthen your resolve." With that O. Ruby disappeared in a shower of rose petals.
A/N: HEY REMEMBER THAT TIME WHERE I SAID I WASN'T GOING TO BE UPLOADING THAT FAST BUT THEN UPLOADED THE VERY NEXT DAY. Yeah.
I was supposed to be doing a school project. But then I ended up doing this. Anyway, with the lighthearted chapter out of the way, I'll do a chapter with a little more action next time. I'm currently making a list on a separate doc that tallies votes, so send in your choice of universe in the review.
Aight that's all for now. Goodbye.