"Are you even listening?" The judge asked as he frowned across the room from where he sat at the bench. "Because I can tell you right now that I'm not going to repeat myself if you have no respect in this courtroom."
Kaoru felt a nudge at her side as the person next to her attempted to get her attention. Finally, she slowly lifted her head off the table and looked up at the judge with dark circles under his eyes. "You've been making threats at me for eight years," she pointed out. "You've repeated yourself for eight years. What makes this time any different?
The judge scowled at her and leaned across the desk. "This case wouldn't have dragged out this long if you hadn't tried to," he made air quotes, "settle out of court so many times with the prosecutor.
Kaoru shrugged, "I feel like I made plenty of great offers that they," she nodded vaguely in the direction of the opposing lawyer and his client, "decided to turn down. I mean, who just turns down a-"
The judge banged his gavel. "We're not doing this again! All you do is waste the time of everyone in this room. You're making a mockery of the court, and I could hold you in contempt-"
Kaoru threw her hands up in the air, but then let out a loud "Ow!" when the handcuff tugged at her wrist and yanked her shoulder. "Stop that!" she scolded as she turned her head to look at a toy she'd created to look like Ray, a flying squirrel that Sonic had once saved however many years in the past.
"Sorry," Ray the flying squirrel the toy apologized. "I'm still not used to being handcuffed to you."
"It's been eight years!" Kaoru retorted.
The judge banged his gavel again, a look of confusion on his face as he took in Ray as if seeing him for the first time. Soon after, a look of clarity crossed his face. "Haven't I told you before you couldn't bring him here with you?"
Kaoru the hare shook her head in disbelief! "And I told emyou/em that when I was served those papers, the guy knocked the key out of my hand and we haven't been able to find it since."
"To be fair your honor," Kaoru's director, and acting lawyer, cut in, "it has been an awfully long time. If you would just permit us to have some bolt cutters for a few minutes so we can handle the handcuff situation, it would be much appreciated."
"How many times do I have to tell you that they're not bolts?" came Kaoru's voice. "They're handcuffs." In response, the director only sighed and brought a hand up to his forehead. "Besides, I can't unhandcuff him until the latest episode is out or else I'll forget that he exists!"
"Objection your honor," said the prosecuting lawyer, "my clients cease and desist letter had that show cancelled eight years ago. She's not legally allowed to produce any more episodes."
The judge opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. "That's- that's not an objection?" he said. "It doesn't currently have anything to do with the matter at hand."
Kaoru rolled her eyes and spoke up again. "Listen, the show's not cancelled until I say it is. There's only one episode left! You can't cancel a show with only one episode left! That fiscally irresponsible. I've already paid the staff for that episode! I already have all the plans in place! I handcuffed myself to Ray so I'd remember to bring him along! Right, Ray?"
"I'm not even sure I want to go on your show. I don't want to get sued like you're being sued," the squirrel said.
"If you'd do your job properly, we wouldn't even be in this mess," Kaoru muttered to herself before speaking louder to add. "I already told you, this court case will be over and forgotten about in no time. Then we can get back to the studio, film and air the episode, get the last thing I need for my-"
The director cut her off. "Well," he said, drawing out the word more than he needed to in a way that made Karou feel immediately suspicious.
She narrowed her eyes. "Well, what?"
"We had to sell the studio and a ton of other things in order to pay for all of this for so long."
"YOU DID WHAT?!" Kaoru jumped up from her seat, wincing as the handcuffs dug into her wrist.
Immediately, the judge banged his gavel again. "Sit down!" he told her. "None of this is important. We need to get back on task, so we can all get out of her."
Kaoru attempted to cross her arms, and when she couldn't, she settled for throwing herself back into her chair. "Fine," she muttered, her ears drooping in the disappointment of it all.
