TLC Shots

C.A.J. Part 5

(Two weeks later, 11:00 AM Wednesday, New York County Courthouse)

Cinder walked into the courtroom and let her enthusiasm and deviousness show. The usual weight of her prosthetic leg didn't weigh her down today. Nor did her cane present a burden. She was far too excited about this case, and she knew she would put Thorne away for a lot longer than the sentence for this one crime. Of course she was overjoyed at reading the fine details to the case.

This case would make her career and destroy that of Eastern Commonwealth Law's. It would give her some well deserved satisfaction after what that wretched excuse for a law firm did to her. They would all pay, and Kaito Huang would be but the first to fall.

As Cinder sat down by her clients, Mr. and Mrs. Clay, Cinder couldn't help but feel some pride in herself. These two people had done more for New York than any other couple, save the Hamiltons. And now, Cinder could do them a service. It was as if she was helping all of New York by lending a hand in taking down the thief and his corrupted backers.

She'd already compiled a convincing case towards Thorne, and made sure her logic was bulletproof. She also made sure to include a few ... personal details about Thorne in her argument. To convince the jury of what kind of person Thorne was.

Speak of the thief, he was behind the Defendants side next to a young man Cinder could only hope was Kaito Huang. Upon seeing him, she had to admit, he was handsome. Like a movie star who stopped working for Hollywood before his career was officially over.

But that wasn't going to stop Cinder from making an absolute fool out of him for the whole world to witness.

Of course, Iko came into the courtroom shortly after and took a seat close behind the Plaintiffs side. She smiled to Cinder eagerly and gave her a double thumbs up. Making Cinder grin. She was ready to do this thing. She owed it to her lost loved one, and everyone who'd ever been wronged by Eastern Commonwealth Law to do this.

The Bailiff, whom Cinder also knew, stood by the Judge's entrance. His name was Liam Kinney, and he and Iko loved to get into petty squabbles for fun. "All rise for Judge Erland," he announced. Everyone did as requested, in exception for Thorne. Cinder had an excuse to stay seated, as she had a cane and prosthetic that qualified her as disabled. Still she stood, and the defendant who didn't even have a strained pinkie sat. He stayed seated in his chair, even as Kaito urged him to stand.

But it was too late. Cinder knew Erland was a stickler for tradition, and would not be thrilled that Thorne was breaking one of the most common ones of any court. She was proved correct when the judge scanned the courtroom, and his beady eyes stuck on the man in question for several crimes.

The old man cast the convict a deadly glare, and grumbled something no one in the room – save Kinney – could catch. By the way the Bailiff's eyes bulged upon hearing it, Cinder knew it had to be at least half as bad as she hoped.

The first session of court hadn't even started yet, and the verdict was already in Cinder's favor.

.................

The court room was dreary, and Thorne had only been inside it for a few minutes. He didn't like the judge already, the Bailiff was too pushy, the guards were rude, and his lawyer was incompetent.

The last bit he got from the last few weeks of dealing with him. Kaito Huang was alright, but Thorne really would have preferred his father instead. Hearing that the man had retired made him hate the cycle of life he lived in. Find one things that was supposed to be constant, you lose it, you try to find something to replace it. Rinse and repeat.