June 21, 11:37 AM

District Court~ Defendant Lobby No. 3

Iris and Maya sat down on the couch in the Lobby, with the latter tending to the former's whip-induced wounds.

"Alright, just a little more..." Maya mumbled to herself, wrapping Iris' wounded palms with bandages. Once she was done, the medium then covered Iris' wounded cheek with a gauze.

"Done!" Maya smiled, while Iris motioned her palms around to see if they were okay. They still stung, but the pain wasn't as bad as before.

"Thank you, Mystic Maya," Iris whispered gratefully before frowning and letting herself slouch on the couch in exhaustion. "Oh my god, I thought I'd die in there...!"

"I know," Maya agreed, sharing the lawyer's exasperation. "You managed to give us another chance, but I could still feel the death penalty hanging in the air..."

"But you did great though," Maya added, trying to give her lawyer some comfort. "You already gave us another shot to win this, and I know you can spin something up to get me out."

Iris gave a tired, yet sincere smile. "That really helps a lot, Mystic Maya. Thank you."

Maya nodded in response before a thought came into her mind. "By the way, who do you think the next witness is?"

"Ini Miney," Iris answered flatly.

"Wait, she's your best friend, right? Maybe she can help us out!"

Somehow, I highly doubt it, Iris thought to herself.

"May the defendant and her attorney return to the courtroom!" the bailiff shouted out to them.

"Well, here we go," Maya stood up and turned to Iris. "Remember, Iris, you promised to save me! If you lose, my ghost will get Diego and we'll both haunt you!"

Iris' eyes widened in pure terror. "I-I-I w-won't fail then M-M-Mystic Maya! I-I promise, j-just-!"

Maya laughed, nudging Iris's shoulder. "I'm just joking, Iris! Geez!"

. . .

June 21, 11:43 AM

District Court~ Courtroom No. 2

The Judge pounded his gavel. "The court will now reconvene. For the first order of-"

whp-CRACK!

"OOOWWWW!"

"I don't want to hear it, old man," von Karma sneered. "After I call my witness, sit there and watch like a good little dog."

"If you insist..." the Judge squeaked out in fear, hiding behind his desk.

"There, there, Your Honor," Iris said sympathetically.

"Bring in the college student that witnessed the crime!" von Karma ordered, striking her desk.

On queue, Ini stepped into the courtroom and gave a ditzy smile and wave to Iris.

"Witness, state your name and occupation if you please," von Karma ordered, but Ini ignored her.

"Hey, Iris!" Ini greeted happily. "How are you, like, doing?"

"Just great..." Iris answered, chuckling nervously.

"I'm sorry I have to, like, testify. I didn't exactly have, like, a choice-"

whp-CRACK!

"EEEEK!"

"Name and occupation," von Karma growled, her patience already growing thin.

"W-wait a minute, this isn't right!" Ini protested, turning to the Judge. "Hey, Your Honor, s-she whipped me!"

"It's fine," the Judge replied, not wanting to get whipped again.

Ini's jaw dropped in disbelief before becoming enraged. "That's not fine! That's, like, a crime-!"

whp-CRACK!

"OWWIE!" Ini cried out, rubbing the arm von Karma had struck.

"Enough with the foolish protests from foolishly foolish fools!" von Karma snarled. "Just hurry up and testify what you witnessed on the day of the murder!"

"But I didn't even, like, say my name and-AAAH!" Ini frantically shielded herself with her arms as von Karma raised her whip to strike her again.

"I wouldn't do that, Ms. von Karma," Iris interjected, crossing her arms and glaring at the prosecutor. "The witness is simply trying to introduce herself. There's no need for your pointless violence."

Von Karma's eye twitched, feeling a vein burst in her head as she tightly gripped her whip's handle. "You little...!"

"N-now, now, there's no need fight!" the Judge chimed in, sweating nervously. "Let's all get along and listen to the witness' testimony! Please!"

TESTIMONY

"Mr. Armando and the defendant were, like, the only people in the Chamber.

"We were, like, just waiting outside the door until we heard a scream.

"Iris broke down the door and there she was.

"The defendant was acting crazy with that knife and, like, tried to attack us!

"It was scary, but I, like, managed to take a picture of it!"

"And can we see this picture that you took?" the Judge asked.

"Sure!" Ini nodded, handing the Judge a photo, who placed it in a device that allowed it to be displayed to everyone.

The image of a photo showed the back of Maya Fey, who was staring down at the dead body of Diego Armando. Iris winced at the sight, disgusted and saddened by it, much to von Karma's pleasure.

"Hmm, there's no doubt about it," the Judge said, studying the photo. "The defendant was indeed the only one in the room."

"Obviously, Your Honor," von Karma added. "What else could be in it?"

Iris rubbed her ...it's a flawless testimony. I was there and I would've said the same thing, but something is missing here...

"Ms. Hawthorne," the Judge spoke, breaking her train of thought, "you may now cross-examine the witness."

"Yes, Ms. Iris Hawthorne, cross-examine!" von Karma repeated mockingly. "I'll take pleasure as your foolish self foolishly crumbles into foolishly foolish pieces!"

Iris glared at the prosecutor for a moment, her eye twitching in irritation.

CROSS-EXAMINATION

"Mr. Armando and the defendant were, like, the only people in the Chamber."

"HOLD IT! Are you certain it was only those two?"

"OBJECTION!" von Karma shot back. "What are you blabbering about, foolish fool?! You were there too!"

"Oh...right..." Iris chuckled nervously.

"Answer your own question!" Von Karma ordered. "How many people did you see enter the Chamber?!"

Iris sighed. "Only the victim and the defendant..."

"Hold on!" the Judge spoke up. "We can't have the defense testify against her own client!"

"Can I, like, keep going now?" Ini chimed in.

"This is none of your concern, witness!" von Karma shouted angrily. "Now continue with your testimony!"

"We were, like, just waiting outside the door until we heard a scream.

"Iris broke down the door and there she was."

"HOLD IT! You helped me break down the door too, you know."

"Yeah, but you were, like, sooo into it," Ini replied. "You were, like, charging and banging and screaming like a crazy person-"

"OBJECTION!" von Karma shouted angrily. "This holds no relevance to the case! Stop wasting time!"

"We're trying to, like, have a talk here, okaaa..." Ini trailed off when the prosecutor brandished her whip in front of her. "I'll stop now."

"The defendant was acting crazy with that knife and, like, tried to attack us!"

"HOLD IT! How can be so sure it was the defendant?!"

"The picture kinda says it all, Iris," Ini answered solemnly, gesturing at the monitor that displayed the photo. "Sorry..."

"But the picture only shows someone's back!" Iris protested, jabbing her finger at the screen. "For all we know, the person standing there isn't the defendant!"

Von Karma laughed haughtily, "Oh, really? Because everything else points to the contrary. The door was locked shut and the only people were seen entering were the victim and the defendant."

"Face it, Ms. Iris Hawthorne," von Karma rested her hand on her, gave Iris a sly smirk, and wagged her finger at her. "You cannot defeat me. My case is perfect and holds no flaws. The picture itself is clear proof of that!"

The picture...Iris thought before her eyes widened in realization. The picture!

"It was scary, but I, like, managed to take a picture of it!"

"OBJECTION! You managed to take TWO pictures of it, Ini!"

The ditzy girl let out a frightened 'EEP!', a bit of sweat dropped from her forehead. "L-like, I don't know what you're talking about, Iris!"

"I was there at the scene of the crime, and I remembered that two flashes came out of your camera..." she paused to point at Ini dramatically. "That means you took two photos at the scene of the crime!"

The people in the gallery gasped in shock and started to an uproar, only for the Judge to pound his gavel.

"Order! Order!" he shouted. "Ms. Miney is this true?!"

"L-l-look, I-I'm not a bad girl, I-I was just, like...like...!" Ini's stammering trailed off, too stressed to form a coherent sentence.

"Tell us why haven't you shown the court this other picture yet!" the Judge demanded, furious.

"I..I..." Ini suddenly jabbed her finger at von Karma. "Her! She told me to not tell anyone!"

The entire courtroom gasped in shock.

"Von Karma?!" one attendant shouted

"She...hid evidence?!" another shouted. "Why would she-?!"

"Order! Order! Ms. von Karma is this true?!" the Judge demanded. "Are you hiding critical evidence?!"

Von Karma remained silent, crossing her arms and glaring at Iris, who returned the favor with her own glare.

I shouldn't be surprised, Iris thought to herself bitterly, balling her hands into fists as she glared at the prosecutor with narrowed eyes.

"Your Honor!" Iris shouted, raising her hand to point at von Karma. "The defense requests that Prosecutor von Karma be held in contempt of court!"

The prosecutor scoffed. "Me? In contempt of court? You can't be serious."

"You purposefully hid evidence from the court and physically assaulted anyone who so much as disagreed with you!" Iris fired back, scowling. "That's...that's just not fair!"

"Have you devolved to petty whining, Ms. Iris Hawthorne?" von Karma retorted, laughing cruelly. "I expected a more witty comeback, but I'm probably giving you too much credit."

Iris growled as she tightened her fists, a few seconds away from tackling and beating von Karma to the ground!

"Enough!" the Judge shouted. "Ms. von Karma, care to explain yourself to this court?"

"I thought the second picture was unimportant and thus, felt no need to submit it," she explained flatly. "That's all."

"H-how can you think of that!?" Iris complained.

"The pictures were more or less the same, and it's just so much more trouble than it's worth so why bother with the second?" von Karma retorted. "But if you want to see it so badly, Ms. Iris Hawthorne...here."

Von Karma pulled out the second photo from her pocket and threw it straight at Iris, who managed to catch it. Upon looking at the photo, Iris's eyes widened in shock.

"What is it, Ms. Hawthorne?" the Judge asked, feeling tense. Iris handed the Judge the photo and he quickly shared the same expression she had.

"I-I don't believe this!" he cried out. Placing the photo in a device, the photo was revealed to the entire courtroom and the audience gasped in shock as to what they saw: rather than Maya Fey, they saw another woman in the scene of the crime, wearing the bloodied robe, wielding the murder weapon, and flashing a deranged grin that sent shivers down to anyone who saw it. Looking at the image, it was beyond the shadow of a doubt, this woman wasn't Maya...she was a different person altogether...to be precise, she looked exactly like Iris.

"Ms. Hawthorne, are you perhaps the true killer?!" the Judge accused.

Iris reeled back, flabbergasted. "What-I'm not, Your Honor! I was one of the witnesses of the scene, remember?!"

"Oh, that's right..."

"Believe me, Your Honor, that may look like me, but it isn't," Iris said. "And it isn't Maya Fey either. It's my twin sister...Dahlia Hawthorne!"

The crowd went silent for a moment, unsure on how to respond...until von Karma let out a smug laugh. "I told you that photo was more trouble than it's worth...for you, that is."

Iris blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"As you have seen in recent media, known murderer Dahlia Hawthorne died in a prison fire several months ago. If that was the case, how exactly is she in that photo if she's dead?" the prosecutor said.

"Y-yes, why is that?" the Judge asked.

Von Karma grinned slyly and explained. "It is due to the Kurain Channeling Technique, which I researched for the trial. When one channels a spirit, their appearance changes to resemble that of the spirit when they were alive. The victim and the defendant were planning on channeling the spirit of Dahlia Hawthorne for reasons she refuses to explain..."

The prosecutor paused to give a quick glare at Maya, making her yelp in fear, before continuing. "...but it is clear their plan went awry and as result, caused the death of Diego Armando."

The crowd in the gallery began murmuring to themselves as to what Von Karma had said.

"Ms. von Karma, what you said is ridiculous!" the Judge said in disbelief.

"But it is how the Channeling Technique works," von Karma retorted before turning to Iris. "Isn't that right, Ms. Iris Hawthorne?"

"Y-Yes..." Iris answered hesitantly, sweat dripping from her brow. I know how the Kurain Channeling Technique works, I can't lie about it!

The Judge blinked in surprise at Iris's answer and stroked his beard for a moment. "I find all of this hard to believe, but as long as the defense accepts it, we must consider it fact."

"Exactly," von Karma added, smiling cruelly at Iris, who tightened her fists and glared at her.

Von Karma...she planned all of this as well...I can't believe I fell for it! the lawyer thought to herself, gritting her teeth.

"I'm not sure about the face, but the costume is clearly the one the defendant is wearing," the Judge said.

Von Karma nodded. "As stated prior, the defendant and the victim were the only ones in the Channeling Chamber. Thus, the woman pictured is the defendant in the midst of a spirit channeling."

"In other words..." the prosecutor paused and extravagantly gestured to Maya, "this proves the defendant committed the murder!"

"HOLD IT!" Iris protested. "How can you be so sure that it was only the victim and the defendant!? W-what if someone was hiding under the f-folding screen or-!"

whp-CRACK!

"-ACK!" Iris yelped, clutching the part of her face that von Karma struck.

"You're wasting your breath," von Karma mocked. "Try as you might, there's no point in denying the evidence."

"I agree with Ms. Von Karma," the Judge chimed in. "The evidence clearly points to the defendant."

"Y-Your Honor, please wait, I-I'm not finished!" Iris pleaded, but the Judge cut her off.

"There's no need to further investigate, Ms. Hawthorne," he asserted. "We've seen enough."

"No, Your Honor, please!" Think, Iris, think! There has to be something in that photo! A loose thread, a missing piece, a-

Iris glanced at the photo one more time and suddenly, her mind sparked in realization.

"I declare that the cross-examination-"

"OBJECTION!" Iris cried out, startling everyone in the court. "Your Honor, look at the photo one more time! Something is missing!"

"W-what do you mean, Ms. Hawthorne?" the Judge asked.

"During a channeling session, the medium would wear a special costume consisting of a robe..." Iris gestured to the headpiece. "And this headpiece. It was worn by the defendant during the channeling session."

"Yeah!" Ini chimed in. "I totally saw her wearing it there!"

"But in the picture, the headpiece is missing!" Iris pointed out, causing von Karma to take a step back in surprise.

"HOLD IT!" von Karma shouted. "It could have easily fallen off when she and the victim fought!"

"That's impossible," Iris retorted, her eyes narrowing. "The medium headpiece fits tightly in the hair and would never fall off easily! You said you studied the technique for this case, Ms. von Karma. Tell me, am I right?"

The prosecutor growled at Iris before letting out a sigh. "...Yes...since I studied it, I can't lie about it."

Iris smiled in smug satisfaction and turned to the rest of the court. "With this, I conclude the woman in the photo isn't the defendant, but someone else-the real murderer!"

Von Karma flinched as the gallery began to discuss amongst themselves.

"Order! Order!" the Judge shouted, pounding his gavel.

"OBJECTION!" the prosecutor protested, slamming her fist against her desk. "The defense's argument is a complete mess!"

"What part of it!?" Iris questioned.

"All of it!" von Karma fired back, sneering. "The door to the crime scene was locked. It was a closed room, correct?"

"Y-yes," Iris answered hesitantly.

"Then how did your 'real murderer' get in?" von Karma asked, causing Iris to take a step back. "Furthermore, the witness said the victim and the murderer were alone at the crime scene, correct?"

"Y-yeah!" Ini answered, slightly hiding behind the witness desk in fear of getting whipped.

"Then if what you're saying is true, Ms. Iris Hawthorne..." von Karma raised both of her arms and slammed them against her desk. "Where did the defendant vanish to?! And where did this other woman come from!?"

"Um...?" Iris stuttered, unsure of how to answer.

"The prosecution raises a good point, Ms. Hawthorne," the Judge agreed. "Can you care to explain?"

"W-well, I...um...?" Iris mumbled, twiddling her thumbs.

"Come on, hurry up and answer, Ms. Iris Hawthorne!" von Karma mocked. "Surely, you can figure this out!"

Iris began sweating nervously. Come on, come on, where did this woman come from and where did Maya go to?

She began tearing up, clutching her head and desperately trying to think of an answer, but there was nothing. T-This...this is too much! I-I'm sorry, Mystic Maya! I'm sorry, Pearl! I'm sorry...Sir...but I...

"You can't cry now, Flower," a voice rang in Iris' head, startling her."The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over."

"Sir...?" Iris whispered, looking around the courtroom but finding no trace of him.

"You're close, Flower, I know it. You just need to think outside the box..."

"Outside...the box..." Iris repeated quietly, ideas slowly building in her head.

Von Karma, observing Iris, thought the lawyer had a breakdown and laughed. "As you can see, Your Honor, the defense has crumbled into the pathetic, foolishly foolish self she always was."

"Hmm...it appears so," the Judge said. "Then it appears that you are correct, Ms. von Karma."

Von Karma smirked. "Was there any other outcome?"

"In that case, the court declares the defendant, Ms. Maya Fey-"

"OBJECTION!" Iris cried out, shocking everyone in the court. "I believe what happened before we forced our way into the Channeling Chamber is...that the defendant left that location at some point!"

"W-What?!" the Judge gasped in shock.

"OBJECTION!" von Karma interrupted angrily. "Foolish fool spouting out foolish nonsense that came from your foolishly foolish head! Maya Fey was being looked after by her aunt, Morgan Fey! The chances of her leaving the crime scene are incredibly unlikely!"

"Then allow me to present otherwise," Iris retorted, presenting the Black Key Pearl had given her before. "Ini, do you remember this?"

Ini nodded. "It's, like, the key to that Chamber, right? Before that channeling thingie started, Maya locked the door from the inside with that."

Von Karma's eyes widened in shock. "The defendant herself locked the door...?"

"Uh-huh! That's why we had to, like, break the door down. That key's, like, the only one of its kind."

"One of its kind...wait...Ms. Iris Hawthorne..." von Karma said slowly. "If the key is one of its kind...why is it currently in your possession?"

The Judge raised a brow. "What do you mean?

"If Maya Fey locked herself in, then the key should've been with her," Iris explained while von Karma silently (and begrudgingly) agreed.

Ini scratched her head. "I don't get it. If that's the case, how come you're, like, holding it?"

Iris then turned to the key and flashed a warm smile, her thoughts now about her dear little sister Pearl. "I got this from a sweet, lovely little girl...and that little girl was nowhere near the crime scene at the time!"

"P-preposterous!" von Karma stammered, sweating nervously.

Iris smirked. Got you!

"With this key, it means that the defendant must have left the room! If she didn't, I wouldn't be presenting this key to the court!"

"N-no...NOOOOO!" von Karma roared out, slamming her fist against the desk.

The Judge pounded his gavel. "Order! Order! It appears we are at an impasse. This picture clearly captured the face of the murderer. However, is this person the defendant or not? The defense is arguing that this person is not the defendant. Furthermore, as proof, this key has been submitted as evidence. At this point, a verdict on the defendant is impossible."

"How. Can. This. BE!?" von Karma growled, pounding her desk in frustration with each punctuation. "My perfect case! How can there be a flaw in my perfect case!?"

She then turned to Iris with a glare so intense that one could feel the anger emanating from her. Iris couldn't help but slowly back away from von Karma, mentally readying herself to make a break for it in case she does something drastic.

"Don't think you've won, Ms. Iris Hawthorne!" she roared out, dramatically jabbing her finger at Iris. "I am a prodigy! I've never lost a case and I don't intend to lose here in this courtroom to a fool like you! No matter what it takes, I will get my guilty verdict!"

"Enough!" the Judge interrupted sternly. "If you would like to continue, do so in the lobby. Court will reconvene tomorrow at 10 AM. That is all. The court is adjourned."

Court Record:

Evidence:

1. Iris' Attorney Badge

2. Magatama

3. Newspaper about Dahlia

4. Black Key

5. Folding Screen

6. Diego Armando's Autopsy Report

7. Floor Plans

8. Knife

9. Chloroform Cloth

10. Robe

11. Headpiece

Profiles:

1. Diego Armando

2. Maya Fey

3. Pearl Fey

4. Ini Miney

5. Dahlia Hawthorne

6. Morgan Fey

7. Detective Gumshoe

8. "Maggey Byrde"

9. Franziska von Karma