July 21

Courtroom No. 5

1:00 PM

Cotoli Morix

When I finally came to, my head was pounding. I hadn't anticipated any illegal drugs like that to be used, so this was more than a little surprising for me. I didn't want to linger on it for any longer than I needed to. I could finally get the innocent verdict I had been longing for and go home. Chrysalis was undoubtedly missing me.

Judge Frost raised her gavel and slammed it against the bench before her. I noticed that nearly everybody was conscious now. Yuri shot me a small smile, which brought comfort to me instantly.

"It seems as if we all know now who the real culprit," declared Judge Frost. "That being said, I think it's time for my verdict. I don't wish to hold it off any longer now. Are there any objections?"

Prosecutor Kalles was silent, staring down at the bench before her. Prosecutor Wood ended up having to respond. "N-No, none here," she declared shakily.

"The defense also has no objections," nodded Deirdre.

Judge Frost nodded. "In that case, this court now finds the defendant, Cotoli Morix, not guilty," she announced. I smiled a little bit, even if I got the feeling nobody else was really in the mood for it. "This court is now adjourned." She hit her gavel down once again, prompting conversation to burst forth from everyone's lips.

I didn't say a word as I shuffled over to the doors. To my surprise, they were open. KJ had said in the heat of the moment that they were barricaded. I assumed that another group of people from outside had discovered this and opened the doors for us. I internally thanked them for their help, not really able to do much else at the time. For now, all I really wanted to do was get out, so I didn't want to linger.

July 21

Defendant Lobby No. 5

1:05 PM

Cotoli Morix

I had been sitting on the bench of the defendant lobby silently for roughly two minutes when I felt the shadows of people above me. Deirdre, Yuri, and Lily were all standing nearby. Each of them looked tired, not that I blamed them. Given the situation, that was perfectly natural.

"Hello," Lily said simply, sitting down beside me. "How are you guys doing? That sure was a strange trial, wouldn't you say? I can't really say that I've seen anything like it."

"I haven't either," I admitted softly. "I didn't expect the culprit to have illegal drugs like that. Prosecutor Kalles was right about him being involved with big criminals like Occisor. No regular person would be able to get their hands on something like that without ending up caught or something similar... But that doesn't matter now. How are you all feeling?"

"We're fine, if not a little shaken," Yuri explained with a nervous smile. "I don't really know how to describe it, but it feels like my heart won't ever stop pounding. I wonder if that's normal after a scary experience like that."

"I bet so," I nodded. "I don't really know what to say about the whole situation as of now. As terrifying as it is, there's not much to say. Mr. Stabbin got away. There's nothing we can do about that. He and the rest of Occisor are all together still."

"In a way, it feels like we aren't any closer to catching them than we were back when this whole mess started months ago," Lily sighed with a shake of her head. "It feels like we're never going to figure this mess out. Then again, I guess we can't expect that... We're dealing with a criminal group that's been killing people for two years now. It's not like they're going to be found out easily by a group of new lawyers that are trying to figure out how to navigate the courtroom."

"I'm sure that we'll be able to figure everything out one day," I assured her. "You don't need to be so hard on yourselves. It's all going to be fine in the end."

"Hey, Mr. Morix?" Yuri asked. "I have a quick question, if you don't mind my asking."

"What is it?" I questioned in return. I figured that she was going to ask something about the trial that had just taken place. It was sort of the elephant in the room, and a big elephant at that.

"What do you know about Oracle?" Yuri frowned, crossing her arms. "Occisor seems pretty interested in Oracle, so I guess that it would be wise to get as much information about them as we possibly can."

"I'm afraid you already know pretty much all I've heard about Oracle," I told her. "If I learn anything new, I'll gladly come to you, but there simply isn't much for me to say at the moment. I told you about the case from a year ago, which is pretty much where my knowledge reaches its endpoint. I've been doing research since then, but I wouldn't be able to tell you anything more than what the average person knows. Sorry about that."

Yuri nodded slowly. "Alright, I understand," she responded. "Well, the three of us should probably be on our way. We all said we were going to hang out and talk about stuff after the trial. You should be getting home. Chrysalis will wonder what's taking you so long. She's been cooped up in her room ever since you were arrested."

"That sounds like her," I remarked with a small smile. "Well, I suppose it's time for me to go and check up on her. I'll be seeing you all later. I hope you enjoy whatever conversation it is you're going to have."

I waved at the three as I headed for the door. It took me a moment to realize that I couldn't exactly head out as things were. My car was still down at the carnival where it had been at the time of the crime. In other words, I didn't have a way to get back home. I was going to have to get a ride from somebody, which I didn't exactly want. I was in the mood to be alone with my thoughts regarding the trial.

Prosecutor Kalles would probably be okay with taking me over there. We had been close friends for a few years now, so she surely wouldn't mind. Plus, I got the feeling she needed to talk to somebody about everything. It wasn't like her to be so quiet when spoken to in a trial.

July 21

Prosecution Lobby No. 5

1:10 PM

Amy Kalles

Niamh had been uncharacteristically quiet since we got out of the courtroom, constantly staring down at her feet. I tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump. "I apologize," I told her with a small nod. "Are you feeling alright? Do you need to talk to me about what's been going on?"

"I'm just feeling a bit sick. I guess it's that drug messing with me," Niamh said. She sat down on the bench and continued looking at her feet. "Plus, I'm a bit bothered about everything that's been happening. I didn't expect to see an experienced killer in the courtroom... It's frightening, to say the least..."

"I understand that," I nodded. "It's going to be alright. He won't be coming back for quite some time. I bet that he's going to run back to his friends with his tail tucked between his legs. I doubt that Mr. Stabbin would be bold enough to come back soon if he saw that we defeated him this way. He's going to come back sooner or later, but we'll be ready for him, so we can beat him once again."

Niamh smiled gently. "That's encouraging to hear. Thank you for talking to me, Prosecutor Kalles," she told me with a polite nod. "It was nice to work with you too."

"Maybe we can do it again sometime," I suggested. "I'd be happy to cooperate with you. Though you may be young and inexperienced, I know that you'll make a strong prosecutor one day with some cases under your belt. Feel free to come to me whenever you think you're ready for another case."

I saw her face flush red at the compliments. "Thank you," she repeated softly. "I didn't expect you to be so nice to me. Most people around the office are harsh towards me since I'm so new to the work, but you seem more than happy to treat me with kindness..."

"Why wouldn't I? You're a sweet young girl. I just want you to see success one day in the future," I replied with a smile. "Keep working and you'll reach that. Consider it a promise from me."

Niamh smiled up at me once again before speaking. "I should be getting home. I think that Mom—erm, Prosecutor Lin, will be by soon to pick me up," she said.

"You don't need to be shy about calling her your mother," I told her. "I think it's sweet that you, Prosecutor Lin, and Chief Prosecutor Bespoke have a family dynamic like that. It's not something you normally see in the Prosecutor's Office, so I'd call it rather welcome."

"You think so?" she asked with wide eyes. "Some others think that it's cheap that I'm so close to them... They must think they're getting cheated out of a promotion since I'm so close with all of them..."

"They just have jealousy issues. I think it's fine," I assured her. "If they happen to disagree, feel free to come on and talk to me. I can try and set them straight."

"What are you two up to?"

Prosecutor Lin appeared behind me, so I turned to face her. I smiled gently in response. "Hello, Prosecutor Lin. Are you here to pick up Niamh?" I questioned.

"That I am," she replied. "And we've been over this, Amy. You can just call me Sora. I don't think that formality is needed when we hang out so much outside of work."

"We should be as strict with our business as possible," I told her. "It's the way that I am, I suppose. Business has always been important to me, to say the least."

"I've figured that out," Prosecutor Lin muttered with a shake of her head. "Anyways, I guess it's time for me to take Niamh here back home. She's been working herself a lot these past few days because of this case. She was so excited that somebody wanted to work with her that she barely stopped for sleep. Even after having a panic attack yesterday, she insisted on continuing to work as much as possible..."

I shook my head at the younger girl, who was growing red with embarrassment. "You shouldn't do that, you know. You'll never become a fully-fledged prosecutor if you work yourself this hard. You'll only exhaust yourself," I told her. "Don't let the paperwork swamp you, okay? You can always come to me if you need any help."

"Alright," nodded Niamh. "I won't do that anymore. At the very least, I'll try not to..."

"I suppose that's an okay place to start," I laughed. "You go on home and get some rest. Prosecutor Lin, make sure she gets as much rest as possible. I trust you'll be happy to baby her, yes?"

"It's what I do best," Prosecutor Lin laughed. "I'll see you around, Amy. Stay out of trouble."

"Before I go, can I ask you one more question about the trial?" Niamh asked, looking up to me.

"Of course," I answered.

"How did you know the killer's motive like that? I didn't see anything to hint at that," Niamh frowned.

"Just between the two of us, that was a bluff," I admitted. "I guessed based on his behaviors that he had a motive relating to that. He was acting a lot like the previous members of Occisor with how he wanted to leave the courtroom. Their motives all related to Oracle, so I figured his did as well. It was the only explanation for why he would want to kill Cassidy despite the fact that they didn't know each other. I got the feeling that we lacked the final critical piece of evidence used to seal him away. I assumed it was destroyed in the explosion, so I laid on the pressure until he decided to confess to his crimes."

"That sure was a lucky guess," Niamh whispered. "But in the end, you were right."

"And I'm glad I was. I couldn't have Mr. Morix being locked away for a crime he didn't commit," I explained. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

Niamh nodded. "Yes. Thanks again, Prosecutor Kalles," she said.

"No problem," I replied with a smile. Niamh and Prosecutor Lin waved my direction as they walked away, leaving me alone.

However, I wasn't left with only my thoughts for long. Mr. Morix appeared beside me. "Hey, Amy," he remarked, hands stuffed in his pockets. "You look pretty tired."

"You could say that," I shrugged. "I'm still dealing with what happened to Cassidy, I suppose. I can't really believe that she's actually gone."

"Me neither. I thought that we'd already had our cup of suffering when Venus passed away, but I suppose not," Mr. Morix responded with a shake of his head. "Anyways, if you don't mind, I have a question to ask you. Do you think you could take me back to the carnival for a little while? I left my car down there, so I need a ride."

"I can do that," I replied. "You're going back to see your little sister, right? How's she been doing? I doubt she took your arrest very well."

"Not at all. She's been locked up in her room for the past few days. Only the witness, Neptune, has been by to see her," Mr. Morix told me. "I should go and see her as soon as I can. I don't want to leave her alone more than I have to."

"Could you say hello to her for me? I'm afraid I won't be able to stay for very long," I said.

"Of course. For now, let's head down to the carnival. I can't really say hi to her until we get my car from the carnival," Mr. Morix smiled awkwardly.

We walked out of the courthouse together in silence. When I next spoke up, I let out a sigh. "I think we need to have a meeting tonight," I admitted. "I think that we need to talk about all that has happened recently. Now that you're out of the detention center, it's time for a serious conversation."

Mr. Morix nodded. "I'll call the others," he replied. "We all need to be together for this."

"I agree," I murmured as we got into the car. "Somehow, I get the feeling that everything we've worked for is about to bear fruit at long last."

July 21

Deirdre's Apartment

2:00 PM

Deirdre Brigit

When I arrived at my apartment with Yuri and Lily, we were instantly greeted by the clicking of feet on the hardwood floor. I leaned down and picked up the owner of the footsteps, my small dog, Kiki. She was only about a foot long, small even for her type of dog. Kiki was shuddering as I embraced her, brushing my fingers beneath her chin. "Hello, there," I smiled softly.

Kiki had been living with me and my sister, Moira, for roughly two years now. Moira had trouble getting around these days because of an incident from a while back, so Kiki was around there to calm her when she needed it and to fetch things. She wasn't exactly an official service dog, but she was still incredibly helpful.

"She's so cute!" Lily chirped as I continued to stroke the black and white dog. "What's her name?"

"Kiki," I replied with a grin. "You can pet her if you like. She's not the best with new people, but I'm sure that she'll be okay after a little while."

"I can't believe you never told us you had a dog," Yuri muttered with a shake of her head. She began to stroke Kiki regardless, a wide grin on her face. "Anyways, we should get down to business. What are we going to do about Mr. Morix? He said he didn't know anything after the trial, but I could tell that he was lying. Could you guys hear it too?"

"It was clear as day to me," Lily said. "I don't know how we're going to drag the truth out of him, but we've got to do it somehow, right?"

"We'll just have to figure out when the perfect time to strike is. Until then, all we can do is wait around and hope that something happens. Oracle hasn't exactly been making a huge scene lately, so there isn't much to go off," I replied. "I'm afraid that we're going to need more information to crack this."

"You know what I think the scariest part is?" Yuri asked. "If Cassidy and Venus, and Mr. Morix, for that matter, all know Oracle, what if one of us knows them too? We could easily be unaware given how secretive they tend to be... They could be right in front of us!"

"That certainly is troubling," I frowned. "I guess we'll just have to see when we eventually learn the truth. Until then, there isn't much we can do."

"I wonder what Oracle is up to now," Lily mused. "I know we'll never find out, but I can't really help but wonder, you know?"

"I understand," Yuri nodded. "I guess we can just keep talking about Oracle and see if we can figure anything else out. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me," I agreed. Lily nodded her response simply. "In that case, let's get down to business. We have quite a bit to discuss."

July 21

Unknown Location

6:00 PM

Unknown Perspective

"So, what are we supposed to do now?"

Everybody had arrived at our little meeting place high above the streets. There were two other women present. Two men were there as well. I was tapping my foot anxiously against the ground as I stared at my feet.

It was a woman who had spoken, her long hair falling down her back. "I mean, it's not like we can just ask her now. She's gone," she remarked. "Of course, there's always spiritual contact, but I don't know if that will work..."

"It won't," I interrupted. "I've been trying for days now. Cassidy cannot be contacted. It's abnormal for spirits to be cut off from the living world like this. I mean, I was able to sense a ghost the first time I entered this place, but for some reason..."

"I don't know what to do then. Cassidy might have been a traitor, but we have no way of figuring that out," huffed the other woman.

"Wait, what? Cassidy turned traitor?" asked one of the men, shock painted on his face. "I never would have expected her to abandon us like that... I need an explanation. One of you has to know the truth, right?"

"It's just a chance right now. We can't say for sure," the first woman said hurriedly. "It all has to do with that Neptune girl. She knows a lot more than she should."

"She figured out the truth without even meeting me. That shouldn't be possible without outside interference. We all took an oath when we pledged ourselves to this type of justice. As much as I hate to say it, Cassidy is the most likely traitor. She met Neptune Mercure before any of us and helped her investigation," I frowned. "I don't want to believe that she abandoned her duty, but it seems she did."

"Cassidy wouldn't do that!" the first man cried out. "She was as dedicated to this as the rest of us!"

"We can't say for sure if that's the case or not, so take a breath, will you?" the second woman huffed. "We can figure out the truth later. For now, I feel as if there are much more important things to discuss, such as the trial today. What in the world happened in there?"

"Occisor showed up," I said with a sigh. "That's the fourth time we've had somebody end up part of the group on our cases. It seems almost unsettling that it's gone this way so far."

"Do you think somebody turned away and told them who's behind it?" the first man asked.

"No way. If they knew the truth, none of us would be alive. They've guessed it on their own. Besides, it's pure coincidence that they've been culprits on cases we've been on. They didn't manipulate us to do such," the first woman told him. "It's an incredibly coincidence that doesn't even seem real, but it's the only thing we can believe at the moment, so we'll have to go along with it."

"Everything that's been happening recently is just a mess," the man murmured. "Is there really nothing we can do about all of this? We can't talk to Cassidy about her potential betrayal, we can't talk to Venus since she's also beyond our reach, and we can't find Occisor. Everything is going against us. How are we supposed to find him if we have countless obstacles and our helpers are falling like leaves in the middle of a storm?"

"I don't know, but we'll have to figure something out. Even if the world is working against us, we have no choice. We need to find him and track down the people that chased him off to begin with. It was Occisor," I declared. "Occisor is responsible for the departure of our dear comrade, so we'll have to take them down. We have no other options."

"Everything that's been happening lately is coming to a head," the second man, who had been silent up until this point, cut in. "I get the feeling that the end is coming, whether we like it or not. They're getting suspicious. They're figuring out who it is that's behind this. With just a little more digging, they'll hear the truth."

"Then we'll just have to swear them to secrecy. I wasn't exactly looking forward to employing more help after what happened last time, but we don't have a choice. We need to get them on our side before they can go against us," I announced.

"They aren't the type to just leave us in the dirt like that. They won't sell us out to Occisor," the second man assured me, placing one hand on my shoulder to comfort me. My shoulders relaxed at his touch. He'd always been able to calm me easily like this.

"Well, if you're so sure... Alright. I'll believe you," I said, letting out a sigh. "I'm still a little scared. As helpful as they are, they're close to joining Neptune in finding out the truth. I can't believe her... When I first went to meet her, she acted like she knew everything. She acted as if she heard all about every single alias, every single infiltration, everything. Nobody could have that much information without somebody from the inner circle telling them."

"Who did you give that much information to?" the first man asked, fiddling with a knife he always kept at his belt. "I know he already knows everything, obviously, but is there anybody else?"

"The innermost circle has always been me, Oracle, and Venus," frowned the second man. "There's no way that Venus could have told her though. You've been doing a bit of digging behind Neptune, haven't you?"

I nodded. "She first appeared to the world after Venus' death. If you ask me, there's most certainly another force acting with her. Nobody by the name of Neptune Mercure existed before the date of February 18. Venus died on the fourteenth. I know that you've been loyal. So have I," I said to the man. "I have to stay loyal. It's my neck that's on the line with all of this."

"What about that company she might be working with?" the first man questioned. "Doesn't she work with an information gathering company or something? Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but..."

"No, you're right," I assured him. "She works as a private investigator, but she lives at Gather Law Incorporated, where all sorts of information is gathered at all times. If anybody knows anything about Oracle outside this group, it would be somebody there. I don't know how they'd figure out so much, but I suppose that is what they specialize in. Not one of them has approached me on the matter, so maybe she alone has figured out the truth. I can't say for sure. I'm scared to approach them and ask what they might know since it could easily be too much."

"Maybe try to ask Neptune about it. Her looking into it would be much safer, assuming she'd be willing to," the second man suggested. "I know that being with her is a bit unsettling, but this is your best bet of getting through this with minimal issues. I'm sorry about all of this, but..."

"I don't mind. I just want to get out of this alive and with our coworker intact," I said quickly. "I still can't believe that he's been gone for so long... Two years now... It's a bit unsettling, to say the least... There isn't anything we can do about it now though... The information we've got at the moment is minimal, and that's probably putting it nicely."

"Are you close to hearing the truth about him?" the second woman asked. "I hear you've been digging more than ever before."

"You bet I have," I answered. "I'm close to a breakthrough. I think I've almost figured out where he is, but I can't say for sure. We'll have to look into things a bit more to find his exact location. I wish I had a few more hints, but it is what it is, I suppose."

"I'm sure that you'll find him soon," the first woman smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I leaned up against her slowly, taking comfort in her presence. It had been a while since the last time we'd been close this way. Normally, people stayed away due to my regularly snarky and quiet attitude, but she had always been there for me. I appreciated her presence quite a bit, even if I was hesitant to show it due to my insecurities and the other parts of her life.

"Thanks for this," I whispered into her chest. We stayed there for a while before she finally released me. "I guess that about ties up our meeting tonight. Are there any other topics we need to discuss?"

"I don't think so," the second woman responded. "I should probably be getting home now. He's waiting for me back there so I can tuck him in. He's been tiring himself out with all this worrying he's been doing. I don't want to leave him alone for much longer, even if Nelson is with him."

"Is a dog really the best companion for a kid as anxious as him?" the first man asked, still fiddling with his knife. "I feel like a boy with anxiety levels that high needs a person there with him most of the time so he doesn't completely panic."

"Nelson is cuddly enough for him. He's very good at calming him and providing therapy, I'll have you know," the second woman cut in, a smirk of pride on her face. "I'll be seeing you all around later. Stay out of trouble until our next meeting, alright?"

As the second woman walked out, the first woman turned to face me. "Are you feeling okay?" she questioned. "I hope that I was able to help you out at least a little."

"It was much appreciated," I smiled at her. "You go on home with your hubby. Don't you have somebody to be getting back to?"

"Yeah," she responded awkwardly as the first man got to his feet. "She was asleep when we left. We left a note behind, but I still get the feeling that she'd panic at least a little bit if she woke up and saw that we weren't there anymore. Nervous girl, that one."

"Then we'll see you later," the second man told her as she and her companion left, arms linked around one another. It wasn't until after they had left that he turned to look at me. "You're still not feeling good, are you?"

"Not at all. Everything that's been happening is a bit stressful, to say the least," I answered. "I'm tired of everything at the moment. Is that normal?"

"I think so, especially given your situation," he answered. "Now, let's get you to bed. You're stressed out, so you're going to make yourself sick."

I nodded and flopped backwards on the couch where I had been sitting. "I don't know what to think about all of this," I admitted. "It's so chaotic all of a sudden. Just a few months ago, everything was fine and normal, at least about as normal as our lives can be..."

"Then let's get you to sleep. Even if it's early, your eyes are sunken in. You look almost like the ghost you say lingers here," he remarked with a small smile.

"I'm telling you, there's something here," I sighed. He fetched a blanket and stretched it out over my body. "But we can talk about that tomorrow. You aren't going to leave me alone until I get to sleep."

"Then go to sleep," he said.

I let my eyes slowly slip shut. I felt a kiss land on my forehead. Sleep came in not long after, making all thoughts of fear and discovery leave my mind.

THE FESTIVE TURNABOUT

END

And here we are, finished with yet another case. Only one remains.

This final case is the longest in the story. It has 20 parts to it. Yikes.

The final case is called The Undercover Turnabout. It's super meaty like I said before. Also, it has changed completely from its original draft written back in the day. It's gotten a complete makeover, but I like the new version quite a bit. We get to meet a bunch of new characters (including some Gays(TM)) and I'm pretty excited.

Until next week, I hope you all enjoyed!

-Digital