He’s painting the whole picture now, Juniper thought, her fingers curling against the polished oak. Making it personal, relatable… She caught Sophia’s eye, seeing her own recognition mirrored there. Even their strongest arguments would struggle against this kind of emotional resonance.

“I didn’t want to lose everything that I had become…” Delaney’s response came quickly, almost defensively.

“Exactly, Mr. Delaney. Exactly.” Roma’s smile carried genuine warmth as he moved closer to the jury box. “And this is the point the Department of Justice and myself seek to make here today - that the unique struggles humanity faces are sensitive and unknown at this point in time. That if one chooses, whether it be the government, a small business, or an individual, to make hiring decisions based on the needs of the individual person or application… that is more than fair. It is indeed a constitutionally protected activity.”

His animation returned, but tempered now - like a conductor moving from classical to ragtime. “Like for example, we’ve been up here a long time, Mr. Delaney. Kinda my fault but heyyy…” He flashed that disarming smile again. “I’m starving… how about you?”

The gallery remained silent, captivated. Roma gestured casually to his midsection. “I’m guessing you heard my stomach a minute ago,” he grinned. “Thing was making noise like some kind of thingy… like what is that called? Oh yeah, a six-cylinder compression brake going down a hill…” His eyes found Juniper’s again as he added, “Crazy stuff I reviewed for this case, you know.”

Oh my God, Juniper’s internal voice grew frantic. He’s using this moment to humanize himself to the jury.