Judge Donahue nodded, triggering the white noise barrier as the attorneys approached the bench. The static hum wasn’t quite enough to mask their heated exchange from the straining ears of the gallery…

“Your Honor,” Roma began, his voice dripping with exaggerated concern as he leaned forward conspiratorially. “Ms. Valenca is attempting to draw impossible parallels between physical patents and algorithmic frameworks.” His head swiveled between the judge and Juniper, eyes glimmering with barely contained misdemeanor. “Though I must say, she’s quite remarkable at it.”

Juniper’s nostrils flared as she fought to maintain composure, her lips pursing the thin line that separated them… Yeah, keep digging that hole, she thought, watching Roma’s thespian performance unfold. Her jaw clenched, and her temples answered with a rhythm that had nothing to do with patience.

Roma moved closer to the bench, his voice adopting a nearly paternal cadence as he stage-whispered. “You know, Miss Valenca and I could basically be regarded as former colleagues. I’ve seen her work before… truly impressive. She could probably find a way to argue that a pipe wrench is functionally equivalent to a disk operating system given their age.” That familiar twinkle surfaced… Roma telling a joke the room wouldn’t get until the ride home… amusement given freely now, billed later.

“Mr. Roma,” Judge Donahue warned, his head snapping back slightly at the peculiar analogy. But Roma was building momentum, practically bouncing on his heels.

“I mean really, Your Honor,” he continued, glancing theatrically over his shoulder at the gallery before leaning in even closer. “She’s a marvel with these doodads and widgets. Probably could equate the laws of gravity to my winter weight gain…” He paused, letting out an admiring chuckle that made several spectators lean forward in their seats, straining against the static barrier.

Juniper’s expression drained to something neutral in a way that wasn’t neutral at all. She watched him the way a photograph watches a room…