“Now,” Roma drawled, casually brushing an invisible speck from his lapel, “it’s probably best to get back to that fascinating point the plaintiffs raised about stepped butterfly valves and their relation to temperature settings in these… widgets.” His lips curled around the last word like it was his own private joke.

Juniper exploded from her chair, righteousness radiating from every inch of her frame. The gallery drew a collective intake as she sliced through Roma’s casual disdain with surgical precision:

“Your Honor, counsel’s persistent use of derogatory terminology to describe the affected individuals…” She stopped. Swallowed. When she continued, her voice had edges she wasn’t bothering to file down. “…demonstrates a pattern of calculated disrespect that prejudices the jury and mocks the gravity of these proceedings.”

It was as if the surrounding fixtures seemed to dim as Judge Donahue’s expression darkened. Even the most seasoned litigators found themselves leaning away from his thundercloud glare.

“Mr. Roma,” steel wrapped in velvet, “you will refrain from such characterizations for the remainder of these proceedings. Is that clear?”

Roma began to speak, then closed his mouth, regret played for effect. “I digress, Your Honor, my sincerest apologies to you and… ‘he glanced briefly at the plaintiff’s table’, …and Ms. Tombstone Baritone.” His face remained stone cold with sincerity, but his bottom lip twitched as if holding back laughter. Judge Donahue and Juniper’s expressions struggled to make sense of the apparent madman, their brows furrowed in confusion.

“Back to the point,” he pivoted smoothly. “Mr. Delaney, you should know this very well, being a product of 2029… What level of comprehension do you possess regarding the Supreme Court’s decision in Eeogle v. MLopen?”

The question hung like a guillotine’s blade. Delaney’s face drained of color as he stared at Roma, who met his gaze with a lingering patience. The silence stretched until it nearly snapped.

“The witness will answer,” Judge Donahue commanded, his words falling like lead weights ripped from their jackets within the hushed chamber.

At the plaintiff’s table, Daniel and Juniper leaned forward in perfect synchronization, their shared tension vibrating like a drawn bow plucked. Sophia sat frozen beside them, jaw unhinged, bottom lip jutting forward in disbelief, eyes wide enough to catch flies… arrested completely by the gravity of the moment.