Before the trial started, Athena was having a hard time controlling how nervous she was, even more so than she did the day before. She and Apollo had stayed up late preparing for today, wanting to be sure that they didn't miss anything they could use in their defense, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant it seemed to be. Despite how prepared they were this time, there was so much at stake in this trial that she went from feeling confident in their case to feeling like a nervous wreck. But, no matter how she was feeling on the inside, she kept a bright smile on her face. Not only was that the only way to make sure the defendant didn't lose hope, but she would never be useful to Apollo if she let him see how scared she was.

And with the way he stood there, his shoulders tensed and the V in his forehead more pronounced than ever, she knew she needed to keep a level head in order to support him all the way.

And she kept that confidence as the trial went on. Even after the first witness took the stand and they'd strengthened their case through the contradictions they found during their cross-examination, even after the Divination Seance was performed and they found contradictions and evidence that no one else had, she didn't relent. It didn't matter if they felt like they were making progress, or that the proceedings were seeming to go their way; she wouldn't let her guard down. She had to keep a level head and prepare for any turn the trial might take until it was all over.

And now that the next witness was about to be called to the stand, Athena knew their battle was far from over.

When Mr. Idly was asked to take the stand as the next witness, he walked to the stand slowly with shaking knees. During the trial, the new evidence that had come up made Athena and Apollo realize that the client's testimony was needed to fully figure out exactly what happened. Though Athena had been helping through the entire trial, Apollo was still the acting attorney, so he told her to leave it to him to get the judge to agree to let Mr. Idly take the stand. And though she heard the fear and anxiety in his voice, he put up his argument to the judge with a confidence that she'd never seen in him before. He'd always been an exceptional lawyer, and she never once doubted his abilities. And yet, the way he fought through the trial without showing any signs of fear made it clear that the many trials he'd faced on his own before she arrived here had helped him grow to be even better than he was before.

And in spite of herself, even though she knew she needed to keep her focus on the trial, she found herself holding back tears when she was overwhelmed by how proud she was of him. She didn't think it was possible for her to be more proud of him than she already was. But here he was, showing how much he'd grown and proving her wrong in the best way.

When Mr. Idly reached his spot at the stand, he stared at the floor instead of looking up at anyone around him. Athena felt for the poor man as she watched him stand there, gripping his hat while he shook uncontrollably, his eyes full of terror. But this was why she and Apollo were here, this was why they'd worked so hard to build their case. They knew he was innocent, and they were doing everything within their power to prove it.

"The defense may start their questioning," the judge said, watching the courtroom with a concentrated frown. During regular court proceedings, it was usually the prosecution that called the witnesses. But the defense was allowed to call for them as well if they found it was necessary. Apparently, that was a fact that was still being accepted by the legal reform, which was why Apollo had to fight so hard to make it happen. And after he worked so hard for it, Athena was going to do everything in her power to make sure his efforts were not in vain.

"Mr. Idly," Apollo started, watching the client with a calm expression. Athena just watched, letting Apollo handle it and preparing to step in if she thought he needed her to help.

Mr. Idly stopped shaking for a moment and turned his terrified eyes to look at Apollo.

"We need you to testify for us," Apollo said, keeping his voice at a steady level. He paused for a moment, as if he was trying to give the client a moment to calm down. "Can you do that?"

Mr. Idly watched Apollo silently for a few moments. Then, he turned his eyes back to the floor and started shaking again. "No talking… no more talking…"

"We need your testimony, Mr. Idly," Apollo continued. Though Apollo still seemed to be remaining calm, Athena could hear the wave of helplessness in his voice when the client refused to answer him. "We can't prove your innocence unless you tell us what you saw when you went back to the resale shop for the second time."

And when Mr. Idly refused to speak, it was looking like the lead they'd worked so hard for was going to be thrown away.

But Athena wasn't going to let that happen. Not when they both still believed in Mr. Idly's innocence. The client may have been refusing to speak right now, but it wasn't because he didn't want to cooperate; it was because he was being overwhelmed by fear. When he'd spoken earlier, Athena could hear the out of control terror in his voice. Whatever he saw when he was at the shop on the night of the theft had scared him so badly that he couldn't talk about it. And it was Athena's job to help him past that fear so they could use his testimony to prove his innocence.

But she wouldn't be able to do that unless she used the Mood Matrix, the program inside Widget that put the client's emotions on display to give a visual understanding to what was causing his fear. Even with how accustomed Athena was to understanding the emotions in every voice she heard, sometimes the visual aid that the Mood Matrix provided helped give a better understanding that sometimes showed things that even she might have missed. It was also the best way for Apollo to understand what was going on. She could explain the fluctuations to him as she heard them, but it was easier when he could just see them for himself. And with the client being crippled by his fear, she knew she had to use it.

The only question was, would a court currently undergoing a legal reform allow her to use it.

"Well, if the witness refuses to testify…" the judge started, seeming that he was going to dismiss the witness after he seemed to be unable to speak. But Athena wasn't going to let that happen. Not only would Apollo's effort be in vain, but they both truly believed that the client's testimony was the key to understanding this case. Even if the court refused to let her use the Mood Matrix, she still had to try.

"Hold it!"

The judge raised his eyebrows. "Hmm? Does the defense have something to say?"

"You heard something, didn't you?" Athena turned to look at Apollo when she heard him speak. He was watching her with a concentrated frown and, though he most likely just sounded determined and focused to anyone listening to him right now, she heard the wave of desperation in his voice that was practically begging her to say that she had indeed found something.

"Yeah," Athena said. Apollo's shoulders noticeably relaxed at her answer, making her see just how much he was depending on her for this. Now that she saw how much Apollo needed her for this, it made her more determined to succeed than she was before. "It's not his fault that he can't answer you. His fear is so out of control that he can't speak."

"Well..." Apollo started, clenching his fists as the desperation in his voice rose. "Can you do anything about it?"

"Yeah..." Athena hadn't meant to sound unsure when she answered, but she needed to be honest with him and make him aware of the possible problem in front of them. "But… do you think they'll let me use the Mood Matrix?"

Throughout the trial, Athena had already used Widget's holographic screen when she needed to look at her own copies of the evidence. Because of this, the court had already been made aware that her necklace was used for court proceedings. Despite that, she didn't know if she could get away with using the Mood Matrix while making everyone think she was just looking at evidence. In the past, she'd been able to use the Mood Matrix casually in court many times. She didn't always need to announce a therapy session as an excuse to use it; sometimes she just kept an eye on it while the witness was speaking, just in case they said something that had any unusual fluctuations in emotion that seemed suspicious, then she would bring them to the attention of the acting attorney next to her if she thought it was important enough. The court never seemed to know or care whether she was checking evidence or keeping an eye on the witness's emotional state. Because of this, she often got away with using it without anyone ever knowing. It had become such a casual part of court proceedings that she never had to explain when she was using her necklace for any reason.

But, with the people in charge of the Khura'in legal reform keeping an eye on every trial as a learning experience, she worried that trying to use it without permission would lead to problems that would lose them the case. She didn't think it was worth the risk to try, so she was hoping Apollo would know the best way to approach the idea to the court, or if it should even be brought to their attention at all. He'd been through countless trials here before she ever arrived, so he had a much better grasp on what was going on and would have a much better idea how to bring up the subject than she would. She would gladly take care of the testimony after that, but she thought it would be best to let him try and present the idea since he was more familiar with how the Khura'in court system worked.

"Yeah, I'll handle it," Apollo answered, giving her a reassuring nod. He turned his attention back to the proceedings and went on to present the idea to the court. His explanation was very specific, just descriptive enough that the court understood the basis of the idea he was presenting, but also just vague enough that it wouldn't bring up any possible questions that would result in a refusal. She just watched him, impressed by how confident he appeared and how expertly he worded his explanation. It seemed like it didn't matter how long they'd known each other or what they faced together; he never ceased to amaze her.

There was a small commotion in the gallery when Apollo finished his explanation. The judge called for order and didn't hesitate to give his answer. "Though it is hard to fully understand the defense's request…" the judge started. Though Athena kept a calm expression, she was feeling a little afraid of what the answer would be. "...it would be against the current efforts of the legal reform to not give every method a chance to show its worth. Therefore… the court will allow it."

Despite how much Athena knew she needed to keep focus on the trial, she felt herself suddenly overwhelmed by how proud she was of Apollo. Even with how unsure he was at the start, he faced the problem in front of them with a confidence and authority she'd never seen in him before. For just a moment, she turned to him and gave him a warm smile.

And when she saw him returning her smile with one of his own, it gave her all the assurance she needed to go forward without any fear in her way.

"The defense may begin whenever they are ready," the judge said as he watched the proceedings with a stern expression.

Athena and Apollo spent the entire previous day building their case, carefully going over each detail and piecing it all together to the best of their understanding. By the time they reviewed all the evidence and considered every possibility from every angle they could think of, they'd both reached the same conclusion. It was that conclusion that they used as the foundation of their case, and it was what they'd brought with them to court today. And, as the trial went on and revealed more evidence and new testimonies, it confirmed their suspicions the longer the trial went on. And now, the last piece they needed was the client's testimony.

But with Mr. Idly's current emotional state, Athena was the only one who could make it happen. And she refused to fail, no matter what happened. Not just because Apollo was depending on her to succeed, but it was quite possible that the client would be found guilty if she failed.

But they both still believed in the client's innocence. And as long as they both still had that driving them forward, she wouldn't give up until it was all over.

"Mr. Idly," Athena started. One of the keys to using the Mood Matrix was to keep the client calm enough to give testimony in the first place. But if she was showing fear herself, it would be impossible to instill any confidence or reassurance in the client. So, though she was feeling her nerves rising under the pressure she was under, she made herself relax and watch the client with a calm expression in order to assure him that everything was going to be okay.

Mr. Idly stopped shivering and turned his eyes to look at her, looking more terrified than he ever had. In addition to being too afraid to talk about what he saw at the shop, Athena suspected that the pressure of giving his testimony under the watchful eyes of everyone in the room was one of the other reasons he was having a hard time speaking. So her first step would be to calm him enough that he could give his testimony at all. And thanks to the interviews they'd already had with him, she already had the key she needed to make it happen. "Do you remember the first time you saw the stars?"

Mr. Idly was still for a moment, then he stopped hunching over, still looking terrified but standing up straight. "...Yes…"

"How did you feel when you saw the stars for the first time?"

The client paused, his eyes moving back and forth as he seemed to be trying to remember something. After a moment of silence, he released his grip on his hat and wrapped his arms around himself, shivering slightly but looking more calm than he had since he walked up to the stand. "H...Hope…"

Athena nodded in understanding. "And you continued to watch the stars after that because they gave you hope?"

The client didn't hesitate this time, nodding in agreement. "Yes…"

"I'm sure you're ready to see the stars again." Athena paused, giving the client time to think about what she said so his nerves could start to settle. "And we can make that happen for you. But only if you help us."

Mr. Idly just watched her with unsure eyes, not saying anything as he seemed to be thinking about what to do.

"We know that you're afraid to talk about what you saw. But instead of thinking of it as something that makes you afraid… think of it as the first step."

Mr. Idly watched her carefully. "...First… step?"

Athena nodded. "Yes. Your testimony isn't something you should be afraid of. It's the first step that will lead you to your freedom. And, once you have that... you'll be able to see the stars again."

Mr. Idly continued to stare at her with unsure eyes, and Athena just waited silently. She'd done everything in her power to bring the client to a point where he could tell them what happened. There was nothing left for her to do, and nothing more would be in her control. From this point forward, the rest was up to Mr. Idly.

Athena could only guess how much time passed in the silent courtroom before Mr. Idly stood up straight. He was still shaking, he was still holding his arms as if her were cold. But he was holding his head up high, higher than they'd seen since they first accepted his case. "I… I talk. I say… what I see. For… the stars…"

A feeling of relief washed over her, but she didn't let it distract her from the task in front of her. Instead, she nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Idly." She paused for a moment. "You'll be watching the stars again before you know it." Without hesitation, she drew the shape of a circle in front of her with the two first fingers of the glove on her right hand, and Widget's holographic screen appeared in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Apollo take a step closer to her in order to see the screen for himself. It assured her they were in this together, and she felt more ready than she ever hoped to be. After she took a moment to activate the program, she gave the client her full attention. "Now, please tell us what happened that night, Mr. Idly. Start from the moment you entered the resale shop."

And Mr. Idly went on to tell them everything that happened, starting form when he entered the unlocked store and all the way up until he fled the scene after the sound of the security alarm. New possibilities were brought to the surface and new points were brought up that further confirmed Athena and Apollo's suspicions.

But they were brought to light through means that they never would have predicted.

Because Apollo was still the acting attorney, Athena let him handle the questioning. She would handle adjusting the testimony in the Mood Matrix as it went along and make sure he noticed all of the emotional fluctuations that seemed worth talking about. Thankfully, the first one that came up was so obvious that she didn't even need to point it out.

"Mr. Idly," Apollo started. "When you saw this 'sign of death'… you were very afraid. But… you were also happy."

Mr. Idly paused, then started to shiver, like he was worried he'd said something wrong. "H...Happy?"

"Yes," Apollo said, keeping a calm expression in order not to upset the client. "When you saw this 'sign of death,' did something happen that made you feel happy?"

After a moment, the client stopped shivering, seeming to calm down after he understood what Apollo was trying to ask. "My… my wallet…"

"Your wallet?" Apollo said, clenching his fists and leaning on the desk. "You saw your wallet?"

During Mr. Idly's testimony, he explained how he entered the shop that night per the store owner's request to get his wallet. He was afraid when he walked into the store and found that it was dark and empty, but the storage room door was open and the light was on inside. When he went inside, he said he saw a sign of death which scared him enough to run out of the store. Now that they'd asked him why he felt happy, he added that, next to the sign of death, was his wallet. Since it was missing up to that point, he was happy when he found it.

"I see," Apollo said. Then, he pressed his finger against his forehead and closed his eyes, like he was suddenly confused and trying to think of an answer to whatever question had entered his mind. "But… if you saw your wallet…" He closed his hand into a fist and laid it on the desk, looking back at the client with a calm expression. "...Why didn't you take it with you?"

Instead of answering, Mr. Idly suddenly started to shiver again.

"Hey, good point," Athena said as she entered the new information into the Mood Matrix. She turned to look at Apollo after she started running the update. "He was there to get his wallet, so why didn't he take it with him when he left?"

"Yeah," Apollo said, watching Athena with a concentrated frown. "And if it was still there when he left… How and when did it end up near the victim's body?"

"Hopefully we'll find out if we continue the testimony," Athena said. She turned her eyes back to the holographic screen. "There's still a little discord left, so he's still feeling confused about something that happened."

The first strange emotion had been obvious; happiness during a feeling of fear was something that Athena didn't need to point out in order for Apollo to find it for himself. But the next one wouldn't be as easy as that. Though Athena had easily been able to hear this one with her own ears, it would be a little more difficult for Apollo, even with the Mood Matrix. But he'd already made a point long ago that he wanted to get better at reading the fluctuations in the Mood Matrix for himself, saying that he didn't want Athena to have to carry him through every therapy session. So she waited to see if he could find it on his own, prepared to tell him if he was having trouble.

And she couldn't have been more proud of him when he found it without her help.

"Mr. Idly," Apollo started. "You were feeling afraid when you first picked up the statue." He paused, like he wanted to be sure that Mr. Idly was understanding what he was saying. "But… your fear got worse after you set it back down. What happened that made you feel even more afraid than you already were?"

Mr. Idly suddenly started shaking harder than before, slouching slightly as his eyes stared off into the distance. "...M-My… hands…"

"Your hands?" Apollo asked. "What about your hands?"

Mr. Idly hugged himself tightly. "...Sign… of… death…"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Idly," Apollo said, standing calmly as he watched the client. "You've mentioned this sign of death a few times now. But we don't understand what you're trying to tell us." He paused, appearing as if he were trying to carefully choose his next words. "I know you're still learning English… but do you think you could try to describe it in a different way?" He clenched his hands into fists and leaned against the desk, like he was worried he was saying something that would upset like client. "Do you know of any other English words that could describe this 'sign of death?'"

Mr. Idly paused, his eyes darting back and forth as he thought. "...Hurt… pain… red…"

"Apollo," Athena said when she thought of something. When he looked at her, she told him what she was thinking. "Do you think he means blood?"

"Yeah, it sure sounds like it," Apollo said, watching her with a concentrated frown. "But…" He paused, but his expression didn't change. "…Do you think maybe there was already blood on the statue when he picked it up?"

"Maybe," Athena started. Though it would mess up the timeline that the court had presented by this point, it wasn't out of the question for the statue to already have been bloody by the time the client went back for his wallet. She'd already considered that as an idea, and Apollo's lack of surprise told her that he had considered it as well. But, despite that being a possibility, she didn't believe that was the case. "But I don't think that's it."

"Why not?"

"There's still discord," she said as she looked back at the screen. After she double checked her findings, she looked back at Apollo, feeling more sure than she had before. "I think it's more likely that he thought he saw blood. It would explain why he's still feeling confused about it."

"So…" Apollo started, suddenly looking unsure. "What do you think we should do about it?"

"Well…" Athena started. She did have one idea, though she knew it might be a stretch. But, since it seemed the client was arrested not long after he fled the scene, it was still possible that it would lead to something. "What if… he never got a chance to change his clothes before he was arrested?" When Apollo's brow furrowed in confusion, she continued. "Maybe… he's still wearing the same thing he was wearing that night." Though it might seem that it was obvious that he hadn't changed his outfit, considering that what he was wearing now and what he was wearing in the footage looked identical, it wasn't out of the question that he had clothes of similar color that he could have changed into. But, if he hadn't changed his clothes before he was arrested, it was possible that he had evidence that could help them on his clothes right now. "So, if he's still wearing the same gloves…"

Apollo's eyes lit up when he understood what she was trying to say. "...the 'blood' might still be on his gloves!"

"Yeah!" Athena smiled brightly at him. She knew she shouldn't feel so excited about a point that could very well go nowhere, but they had to keep their spirits up, no matter how dire the circumstances looked. "So, what are you waiting for, boss-man?" His expression stayed mostly the same, but she saw the slight narrow in his eyes. It was subtle, but she could see it was there. It was enough of a reaction from him to brush away the nerves she'd been feeling, and she gave him a big, toothy smile, as if she had no idea what she'd done wrong. "Find out if this 'blood' is our next piece of evidence!"

It only took Apollo a moment to get over the tease, and he turned back to Mr. Idly. He asked the client if he was wearing the same pair of gloves that he had on the night of the theft. When he said yes, Apollo asked him to show them the palms of his gloves. In order to make sure there were no misunderstandings, Apollo demonstrated by holding up both of his own hands with the palms facing outwards. Mr. Idly seemed to understand, and held out his hands for them to see.

And what they saw on the palms of his gray gloves, were what looked like blotchy bleach stains. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been anything important to note; it would have been considered normal to spill bleach on clothing while it was being washed. Anyone could have easily overlooked it, even the people investigating the theft. But, thanks to a piece of evidence they'd received earlier in the trial, Athena knew that this was the clue that would help them win the case. But they never did anything with that evidence because it wasn't relevant to anything that came up during the proceedings.

That was, until right now.

"Mr. Idly," Apollo said. He folded his arms, smiling like he couldn't be more confident. This told Athena that he'd come to the same conclusion that she had, so she waited for him to make the point and finally get them to the goal they'd set out to do since the trial started. "When those stains first appeared… were they red?"

Mr. Idly paused, putting his hands back on his arms as he nodded. "Yes…"

"I bet you were confused when those red stains turned white later on," Apollo said, still smiling. Athena could hear that the nerves in his voice had lessened significantly and there was a small wave of joy in its place. It made her glad to see that he was just as happy as she was that their plan was falling into place. "But that happened because… that wasn't blood. It was a cleaning solution."

Not long after the trial started, they were given a paper that documented the state of the statue after it had been used as the murder weapon. Among the discoveries made, it was found that the statue was still damp with a cleaning solution. It didn't resemble any commercial cleaning solution the investigators could find, so it was assumed to be a homemade mix of different chemicals. They were able to confirm that at least one of the ingredients was bleach. It was also noted that the solution had gotten on some cloth during its examination, and it left a red stain that eventually turned white.

And now that the solution was found on Mr. Idly's gloves, they could finally use that as their evidence to prove that the client never stole the statue in the first place.

A sudden look of understanding appeared on Mr. Idly's face. He was still holding his arms and shaking, but he appeared to understand what they were telling him. "...No… death. Not sign of death."

"We did it, Apollo!" Athena said excitedly. "All the discord is gone!" After Mr. Idly heard that the stains on his gloves weren't blood, he finally understood what happened and there was no discord left. They finally understood what happened that night. They finally had evidence to take down the last bit of circumstantial evidence the prosecution was using to claim that the client committed the theft.

And once they finally broke that down, the court would have no choice but to bring the key witness to the stand.

Apollo turned to look at Athena. He had a concentrated frown on his brow, but he smiled at her. "I knew you could do it."

No matter how brave she made herself appear, she'd been worried throughout the entire therapy session that she would fail. Not only was she relieved to see that her worries had been for nothing, but Apollo's approval on a job well done gave her the courage she needed to finish the trial without fear. After she turned off Widget's holographic screen, she put her hands on her hips and stood by Apollo, ready to give him her support as he prepared to take the trial to its end.

Apollo wasted no time in arguing the point that the therapy session had brought to everyone's attention. The stains on the client's gloves showed that, if he had indeed put the statue in his pocket that night, the same stains would be found on the inside of his coat pocket. And, after the client's coat was searched, no such stain was found. Finally, the last remaining point the prosecution was using to accuse the client of theft had been taken down.

But Athena and Apollo knew that wouldn't end this trial. Because the statue was the murder weapon used in the other case, they'd been hoping that, as long as they could prove that the client never stole the statue in the first place, that would be enough to clear him of the murder charge as well. But some new points had come up during the trial, ones that questioned the victim's actual cause of death, so it was no longer enough. So, instead of proving the client didn't steal the statue in order to clear him of the murder, they used it as a way to further prove what they'd been fighting for from the beginning; that the store owner needed to be brought on as a witness.

Athena had been confused on why the store owner hadn't been brought on as a witness from the start. Since the statue had been stolen from his store, she thought his testimony would be a given. When she mentioned this to Apollo, he ended up having an answer to her question. Before the legal reform started, there had been no laws to protect people that didn't want to give testimony; the right to not testify didn't exist. Now with the legal reform trying to change for the better, there was a new rule that, as long as the witness didn't want to testify, they were not required, no matter what the reason. It was a new rule that was being tested, so there was nothing concrete in place that could really force someone to testify if it was against their will. On one hand, it was a change in the right direction to give people the power to refuse instead of being controlled. But on the other hand, the right to not testify usually came with rules that would still require testimony under certain circumstances, even against the witness's wishes. It was that rule that was normally put in place to avoid exactly what Athena and Apollo were fighting so hard for right now. If this rule was better implemented, they wouldn't have had to spend the majority of the trial fighting so hard just to get testimony from someone who should have been brought to the stand from the start. It made her further understand how much stress Apollo had been under, working through cases with rules that sometimes made things even harder for him. It made her even more glad that she'd decided to come help him right away. No matter how capable he was, no matter how much he'd grown from his experiences, continuing to do all of this on his own would have surely caused him to break down.

But now, with the new evidence that finally came to light, it was enough for the courts to finally require testimony from the store owner. Finally, after a short recess, Athena and Apollo returned to the court room to see the store owner ready and waiting behind the witness stand.

Athena found herself having a difficult time staying calm. So much had happened throughout the entire trial that she'd felt her nerves slowly rising the whole time. But she never let it take over her; she couldn't put her all into the defense if she didn't keep control of her emotions. And she'd succeeded up to this point.

But now, as she watched the witness as he stood behind the stand and waited for the questioning to start, she felt her nerves suddenly start to boil over.

He just stood there, using a cloth to wipe the witness stand, his hand behind his back and hunched over slightly, as if he were trying to look like a waiter that was at your beck and call. He smiled brightly at the room around him, introducing himself with the friendliest tone and demeanor she'd ever seen.

And that was what ultimately caused her nerves to finally snap.

She turned to look at Apollo, clenching her hands into fists and gritting her teeth against the anger that was suddenly welling up inside her. "Is this guy for real!?" she shouted. "After how nasty he was to us, he suddenly wants to play the nice guy!?" She knew she didn't have to explain her sudden anger to Apollo. Since they'd both interviewed the store owner together on two occasions, he knew exactly what she was referring to. Even when they considered that the store owner could feel frustrated over being constantly interviewed by the police, he'd still treated Athena and Apollo with an unnecessary amount of spite. From the moment they introduced themselves to him, he'd done everything within his power to be as rude and nasty to them as he could. He never showed anything but a frown and every word he spoke to them was with an angry shout. And he treated them that way all the way up until he threw them out of his store. And now, here he was, addressing the court like he was the nicest guy you would ever meet. Athena understood that he was just putting on a nice face for the court, but after how uncooperative he'd been with them, seeing his false cheer just got to her. She hadn't meant to lose her temper, even if it was only for a moment, but her nerves had been building throughout the entire trial and this was the final straw that made her snap.

Apollo looked back at her with a knowing frown, like he fully understood her outburst. Though his reaction wasn't as animated as hers, she could tell that he was feeling just as frustrated as she was. "Yeah. It's… pretty frustrating."

Athena let out a breath and made herself calm down. She put her hands on her hips and turned her attention back to the proceedings, her expression calm and giving no hint to the sudden anger she'd been feeling just a moment ago. "Well, we're gonna get him now." She turned to look at Apollo and gave him a mischievous smile. "We'll wipe that stupid smile off his face."

And it didn't take long before that was exactly what they did. The longer his testimony went on, the more they broke it down. And the more they broke it down, the more he showed his true colors. By the end of it, his fake cheer had vanished, and he was showing the court how spiteful he really was. He screamed, slamming his hands against the witness stand as he tried to make excuses for his behavior. He tried to say it wasn't his fault that he owed the victim money, it wasn't his fault that he brought the statue as payment, then decided on the spur of the moment to hit him over the head with it when he turned his back. How the victim wasn't dead after that, so he pushed the cabinet over him to prevent him from getting help, and how it would also confuse the Divination Seance if he prolonged the time of death. And how he would be a fool not to take the opportunity of a customer's missing wallet as his chance to frame Mr. Idly for the crime that he committed. How he brought the statue back to his shop and cleaned it before setting it up and tempting the defendant to take it by placing it next to his wallet, and how he had no choice but to bring the statue back to the crime scene when the defendant didn't take it with him. And how he hated defense attorneys because they were ruining the court system. Before the reform started, it would have been so easy for him to frame Mr. Idly and get away with it. But now, with defense attorneys taking the side of the accused, he hadn't been able to get away with framing someone else for his crime. It was why he'd treated them with so much disdain from the moment they walked into his store.

But, neither Athena nor Apollo were affected by his outburst. This was exactly why they were here. To help change the legal system for the better. It was so flawed, so on the side of guilty verdicts that even the citizens were taking advantage of it, using the lack of defense attorneys as a way to easily frame others for their own crimes. And, now that the people in charge of the legal reform were watching this trial, it would be an example of why defense attorneys were so important in the first place.

Finally, it was over. After so much hard work, after they fought so hard to prove what they already knew from the start, the store owner's confession finally led to Mr. Idly's 'Not Guilty' verdict.

As Athena walked back into the defendant's lobby with Apollo and Mr. Idly, she could barely contain her excitement. Even with the current state of the court system being rocky, even with how difficult it had been to get to this point, they'd still managed to find the truth in the end. They kept an innocent from being convicted of a crime, and that made it all worth it.

"We did it!" Athena said, raising two fingers in a V as she smiled brightly. She always felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders whenever they finished a case, especially when they were as stressful as this one had been. But they'd faced so many new challenges in this case that the weight had felt heavier than it normally did. But, now that they'd worked together to conquer them all, she was feeling lighter than she had in a while.

"Yeah," Apollo agreed. Though there was still a small frown creasing his brow, he returned her smile with one of his own. She didn't have time to say anything to him before the client started saying something to them.

"Defense… people?"

Athena and Apollo both turned their attention to Mr. Idly when they heard him speak. He was holding his arms and shivering, his eyes darting back and forth between them. Then, after a moment of silence, he suddenly stopped shivering and stood straight up. He let his arms relax at his sides and his eyes were bright, looking at them as if he was never afraid in the first place. And, for the first time since they met him, he smiled. "Thank you."

Athena was suddenly feeling overwhelmed with how happy she was for Mr. Idly. In the entire time they worked on the case, she'd heard a constant wave of fear in his voice that never fully went away. Even when she encouraged him to think of the stars, the one thing that seemed to ease his mind more than anything else, the fear only lessened, and the happiness it brought him was minimal at best. Now, not only was the fear gone, but the happiness was at a higher peak than it had ever been.

But she didn't let the emotions overwhelm her. Instead, she put her hands on her hips and gave him an encouraging smile. It didn't matter that the trial was over and that he'd already been found innocent; she would keep a smile on her face and show him everything was okay until he was officially released. "You're welcome, Mr. Idly! Now you can get back to your vacation!" It was unfortunate that Mr. Idly's visit to Khura'in had taken such a drastic turn, but she hoped he could at least enjoy the warm weather that had brought him here in the first place.

"Yeah," Apollo added. "Summer just started, so you still have the entire season to enjoy the warmth."

"Yes," Mr. Idly said, still smiling at them. "It is warm. Khura'in is warm."

Right after that, the door to the defendant's lobby opened, and Mr. Idly was called away to be officially released. They said their finally goodbyes, and Mr. Idly left to enjoy the rest of his vacation.

Athena just watched the closed door for a few moments, feeling more relaxed than she had since the case started. No matter how much of a brave face she'd put on, she'd been feeling afraid throughout the entire trial. Even though she knew from the start how difficult it would be to defend in a country that was still accepting defense attorneys into their courts, there was still no way for her to predict the challenges that they ended up facing during that trial. But, despite a fear that almost took over her, she never doubted that they would succeed. When she and Apollo were working together, there was no doubt they would get through it. As long as they helped each other along the way, she knew they were prepared to conquer anything in front of them.

"Hey."

Athena turned to Apollo when he spoke to her. Because they had to focus on Mr. Idly before he was officially released, this was the first time she'd been able to really look at Apollo since the trial ended. Though he was visibly more relaxed after the trial ended, she was worried that he might still be feeling the stress of everything that happened.

Which was why she was so surprised when that wasn't what she saw.

It was so surprising that she almost couldn't believe her eyes. Ever since Apollo first left for Khura'in months ago, it was rare for her to hear anything stronger than sorrow in his voice. Even after she moved here and she'd succeeded in improving his mood significantly, she rarely saw him without a frown on his face. But now, as he stood right in front of her, all of that was gone. His shoulders were relaxed, and the V on his forehead was nowhere in sight. And the smile on his face; it was the most genuine smile she'd seen on his face since before he left. He looked so content, like he'd never had any sorrow in the first place. It was like a flashback of the way he was before he left, before his sorrow overtook him. For the first time since she arrived, she was seeing the relaxed and content Apollo she'd always known.

And when he raised his open hand to chest level, offering her to take it in one of their high handshakes, she felt like everything was back to the way it was before.

"Way to go, tiger. Couldn't have done it without you."

It was the first time he'd called her by that nickname since he left. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed it until now. And in his voice, she heard his joy at the highest peak it had been since she arrived. She suddenly felt overwhelmed, and tears began to blur her vision. But she blinked them away, refusing to ruin this moment with him, no matter how joyous the tears would have been.

Instead, she accepted his handshake and gave him the brightest smile she had.

Chapter Song – 'Beautiful' – Trading Yesterday