AHHHHHHHHHHHH GOT DUAL DESTINIES TODAY AS MY EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT :D :D :D
Now I understand those who pair Apollo x Athena and Apollo x Juniper, but I still don't understand Athena x Blackquill.
Oh well. Enjoy this chapter! :D
Oh, and before I go, I'm open for requests on characters for the big chapter on Christmas Day and the one on New Year's Eve. :)
"I hereby declare the defendant not guilty and cleared of all charges. That is all; court is now adjourned."
Those words uttered by the judge still replayed over and over in Winston Payne's mind as he trudged out of the courtroom and walked toward the bus stop he was to take the bus from, sighing. Again, he had been defeated by those rookies, those amateurs- not a day went by without his condescending smirk and equally condescending attitude taking the reins of his performance in the courtroom and steering it in completely the wrong direction. It was a shame and disgrace for Winston, and he hated it.
It was already getting quite dark outside where Winston was, and he stopped for a moment to look up at the sky. He didn't know for sure, but he swore that he could see the North Star from where he was standing- yes, he was certain of it. That bright light, shining through the darkness surrounding him and it, reminded Winston of himself; that's what he used to be. A star. The 'Rookie Killer', in fact.
It was horrible to think that he had fallen as low as to contradict his own moniker, that of which he bragged about so much- and it was even more horrible to bear because he knew that it wasn't his age that was affecting his overall performance, although he was getting older and worse for wear every year that passed in the same old way.
As he thought on this, Winston was also reminded of himself again, but not his failures; no, his hope. How else did he fail, then rise back up gradually only to be hit down again in the seemingly never-ending cycle of his losses? Day by day, he stuck it out through that courtroom, and- even when everyone there thought of him as an arrogant jerk and stuck with the defence, as always in his case- he survived as best he could. Even if he carried on receiving not guilty verdicts every trial he prosecuted, Winston just knew that one day, he'd get himself his hard-earned guilty verdict.
And in that trial, Winston was seriously going to beat the defence until his bluffing had backed him into an inescapable corner, just like many of Winston's attempts did for him.
With a new spring in his step, Winston daydreamed about that trial as he walked onward with a rictal grin, failing to notice that he had passed his bus stop ages ago.