A Nascent Kaleidoscope.

Chapter 180: Chapter 172

I gave Raikou a little hip bump as we walked down the street.

She shot me a little smile, poking me with a cute little laugh.

It really did brighten up my mood when she was happy. The area around her seemed to brighten at her upbeat demeanor.

"That should be them at the end of the street." I nudged her again to gain her attention, jerking my head towards that direction.

She pursed her lips looking over there. From the outside, it didn't look like anyone was there, but the faint fluctuations of Magical Energy were hard to miss to those who could sense such things.

A few Bounded Fields layered upon one another. If I had to guess, mostly to keep people out or stall for time if the worse happened.

"Master." Raikou pouted a little. "Do we need to meet with them again?" She latched onto my arm."Wouldn't you rather spend the day with your mother?"

That smoldering look in her eyes did make me hesitate, but I did need to speak with Mordred. I couldn't help but put my hand on her head. "I promise we'll be able to spend lots of time together after."

"Momma will hold you to that." She beamed happily, but there was still a faint sense of depression in her tone.

I held back a sigh. It just keeps making me feel bad that she's like this. I can see the person underneath, but her Mad Enhancement is doing gods know what to her mind.

It was Frustrating.

I just shook my head in resignation. I kept telling myself this to settle my own conscience, but I'll definitely help her once we're done.

Approaching the Bounded Field, there were no surprises, and it was obvious they were expecting us. I just did the magical equivalent of knocking on it to let us in without disrupting the spells.The part immediately in front of us pulsed, as if inviting us in.

Well, no need to refuse a polite invitation.

Raikou didn't speak, but followed me inside. We were greet by the sight of both Kairi and Mordred sitting at the table of a little cafe, completely devoid of people. Well, not completely devoid, there appeared to be a barista inside and a server who was sitting down due to the lack of customers.

Kairi gave a little gesture of greeting, and I noticed his lack of sunglasses, even though it was very bright outside compared to the last time we met during the night.

It wasn't very important, but I was nonetheless a bit curious.

Mordred looked at me strangely, and I raised an eyebrow as she almost mechanically played with a cat in her arms. And, she was sporting some modern day clothes. I wanted to comment on how cute it was, but I was going to try and keep the teasing to a minimum for now.

She didn't immediately react with any kind of disgust or annoyance when seeing me, so I thought that was progress.

"Impressive Bounded Field." I decided to speak first. "You couldn't even tell there was a Cafe from the outside. Using the idea of a mirage over the standard illusion. Would probably throw most Magi for a loop the first time they saw it."

"Something I picked up doing a job in Egypt." He said nonchalantly and gestured towards the open seats across from him and Mordred.

"Nice little spot you found." I decided to be a gentleman and pulled out Raikou's chair for her. The smile she gave could melt ice. I joined her quickly enough, taking a glance all over. "Three escape routes, backs to the wall." I tapped the table, pulsing a little bit of Magical Energy. "Oh, an interesting method of Reinforcement. And Perfect to use as a quick shield."

He didn't seem at all nonplussed by my discoveries. "You can never be too careful." He said simply. "With all the things going on these days, a bit of paranoia is healthy." He reached into his leather jacket, pulling out a newspaper and tossing it onto the table. The look he gave me basically said to give it a glance.

I mentally shrugged, picked it up and read the title. I furrowed my brow as I processed it for a moment. "The Return of Jack the Ripper." I repeated the heading out loud, setting it down, and tapped on the table in thought. "You must have some certainty if you're showing me this. You don't seem the type to make assumptions."

"I was contacted by my employers at the Mages Association. A priest in Bucharest reported it up the chain, and since there was a Grail War going on nearby...."

"Dammit." I pulled my hand down my face. "I haven't met either of the Assassins yet." I let out a sigh. "Too many coincidences then. Bucharest is the capital of Romania if I'm not mistaken, and it shouldn't be too far away." Well, I could get close enough with a Portal by eyeballing it regardless.

"Yeah." Even Kairi let out a sigh. "The higher-ups told me to take care of it. It's drawing too much unwanted attention."

"What horrible timing." I pursed my lips. "I doubt the war will still be going by noon tomorrow." Kairi didn't reply but gave a 'what can you do' gesture. "Ruler's probably aware too." I grunted in annoyance. "If we don't deal with it, it's entirely possible she puts the war on hold until it's dealt with." Rulers had that kind of Authority with Command Seals to back it up.

I had no doubt her skills included some kind of 'Revelation' or 'Clairvoyance' that would alert her to disruptions to the war. Who knows if the real Big G was sending her missives, or the Counter Force was acting through her in some capacity. Either way, we had a pretty damn good reason to nip this in the bud.

"I'm surprised you're bringing this to me. Are you asking me for help?" I questioned. He seemed like the kind of person to not like working with others if he had the choice. "I feel like I'm getting an abrupt influx of trust here." Enforcers and Mercenaries in our world had an interesting relationship with one another.

You have the camaraderie that comes with the job, and the absolute distrust that comes with being a Magus. Eventually you learn who the people you work with are, who you know to have your back, who you know will try to stab you in the back it if they get the chance. Freelancers, like Kairi, do not like working with people they're unfamiliar with.

Better the devil you know.

Heh.

"I checked with my Contacts at the Clock Tower." He grunted. "Verifying your story."

"Wait, how did you check the only way would be through gramps."

"Imagine my surprise when one of my Contacts messages me saying the Wizard Marshall paid him a little visit." Kairi snorted, whether in amusement or exasperation, I had no idea.

"Huh, so you trust me now?"

"I trust who you are at least."

"That's fair." Yeah, trust was a commodity that was hard to come by in this hidden world. I was kind of an outlier here where I seemed to gather people around me that I would trust nearly unconditionally."I guess it doesn't hurt that I can take us there and back in a snap of my fingers."

"Yeah yeah, Magus shit." Mordred finally seemed to get bored with our conversation. "You gonna help or not?" She said directly, making Kairi sigh.

"Well, if you're asking." I shot her a smile. Honestly, I would have needed to deal with this either way.

"Never understood all that back and forth crap. Just spit it out and get it over with." Mordred scowled.

I guess that's one way to settle it. "Do you want to head out immediately, or....?"

"I'm going to get a drink." Kairi suddenly stood up, and didn't even turn around as he walked into the Cafe.

I just blinked, watching him leave.

Well, I guess that just happened.

I turned to look at Mordred, who seemed a little.....hesitant. She was hugging the cat tightly, which it apparently didn't mind.

Raikou still hasn't spoken, which I figured at this point she simply does not like talking to anyone but me unless she had to.

"You look good." I wanted to try and compliment her on her choice of dress. She wore some jean shorts, a white tube top and a red jacket over top. Not the most conservative clothing I've ever seen.....but if she likes it then who am I to say anything?

I think she smiled a little, but forced it back down. "The clothing in this era is nice. Not even Nobility had clothes this comfortable. I can even wear it under my armor and it's easy to move around in." There was a hint of excitement in her voice that was just kinda adorable.

Though it didn't last long, she sort of withdrew back into herself. Very odd to see the boisterous girl this reserved.

"Well, lay it on me." I offered her an opening. I did promise to talk with her about whatever she wanted.

She visibly perked up. And it was a little amusing how this brash person was being so conservative with her obvious desires at the moment.

"Father.....where is he?" Mordred finally asked.

I wanted to tease her, but I knew now would be an inappropriate time. "She's in another world at the moment. She's running around with Rin – Her Master and friend while they do whatever it is she's wanting to do for her studies."

"Another world?" Mordred mumbled. "So I wouldn't be able to meet him even if I won."

"Says who?" I commented, breaking her from her thoughts. "I'm here, aren't I? I can take you there if that's what you want."

She frowned. "And what do you want in return." She looked a bit serious. I think her only examples of Magi were her Mother, Merlin, and now Kairi. All of which no doubt emphasized the benefits out of every interaction.

"Do you plan on attacking her when you meet?" I asked.

Mordred scoffed. "I'm not going to go berserk." There was a joke to be made there, but I held back.

"Then I don't mind taking you anywhere you want." I tried my best to reassure her. "If you want a new start somewhere, I know plenty of places you could thrive. If you wanted to go meet Artoria – "

"...Would father even wish to see me?" Mordred said quietly, bringing the cat up to sort of hide her face. "I rebelled and killed him. I ended his perfect kingdom and his legacy."

It was funny in a sad way how they both said the same thing.

"I spoke with Artoria earlier." I replied, she looked at me intently again. "I explained everything that was going on and all the Servants who were summoned."

"So father knows I'm here then?" It was a rhetorical question on her part. "Did he tell you to stay away?"

"Nothing of the sort." I denied. "She was interested in how you've been doing. And at the end, she asked me to pass on a message."

"A message, from father?" Mordred didn't really seem to know how to react to that.

"It was something along the lines of — If you desire, i'll be waiting for you after you win." I smiled.

Mordred looked.....surprised at the message. "Father really said that?" There was a trembling in her voice. "Father doesn't...doesn't despise me? He actually wants to see me and believes I'll win?"

Fucking hell. What had Mordred been through that those few words would elicit such a reaction. "We got a few more minutes to kill, want to hear some stories about Artoria in the meantime?" I offered.

"Father's exploits?" Mordred seemed quick to calm down, back to her usual haughtiness. "Sure, I guess." She tried her best to sound uninterested, but the way her eyes sparkled gave away her true feelings.

It was hard to resist the urge to pat her head.

***

Non-canon Omake. Wilhelm Attorney at Lawn round 2 Part 2.

The Judge slammed his gavel down, quieting the courtroom. "This court is now in session."

There was a lot of buildup between when I first came and now, but I wasn't really paying attention.

I'm sure it wasn't anything important.

I took out my phone and started going through my pictures.

"Hey." Loki whispered, elbowing me.

"What?"

"Pay attention." He hissed.

"Yeah, yeah." I ignored him, still scrolling through some pictures to pass the time.

"Hey!" He hissed again, elbowing me a little harder.

"Wanna see?" I grinned.

"What in the Nine Realms is so damn interesting that you're ignoring my trial." He whispered with a little bit of venom in his voice.

I tilt my phone over for him to see.

He rolled his eyes. "How uncouth." He said dryly. "Yes, it's a naked women, very humorous."

"From last night." I smirked.

"Do you want a trophy?" He scoffed, glancing down again. "Though....she does look familiar. Do you have one of her face?"

"Nah, just a few shots like this.....or if you want to see something more....intimate."

"Absolutely not." He scowled.

"Mr. Schweinorg." The judge's voice overtook the room. "Are we boring you?"

I cleared my throat, putting my phone away. "No your honor."

"Then why do you have your phone out in my courtroom?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Well your honor...." I straightened my tie. "I'm already having to work from scraps here to build a defense, I needed some access to the internet. You wouldn't want this case to be retried because of my incompetence, right?"

His narrowed his eyes. "And how exactly was this 'helping your case'?" He raised his gavel up towards me.

"It involved Loki's mom." I replied without hesitation.

"What!?" Loki stood up, slamming his hands on the table.

"Loki Odinson, sit down!" The Judge yelled as all the guards raised their weapons.

There was a furry in his eyes, and I couldn't for the life of me place it. But he sat down all the same, promising death with his glare.

I wonder who he hates so much?

"I will tentatively allow this, Mr. Schweinorg." The Judge grunted. "Do not abuse this privilege. Any other time, I would have you in contempt for such a thing."

"I'm going to kill you." His whispered words like knifes into my ear.

"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed." I hummed. "You know who also –"

"One more word." Loki Interrupted. "One more, I dare you."

Hmm.

I don't like being threatened.

"Your honor, I would like to call Loki Odison to the stand." I stood up, pointing at my client.

"What?" Loki blinked. "I wasn't prepared for this? Aren't we supposed to have a back and forth about what questions you're asking?"

"You'll do fine, I promise." I pat him on the shoulder with a smile.

"I am not filled with Confidence." He drawled.

"That's strange, I'm usually a pretty good liar." I appeared thoughtful.

He started walking towards the stand then stopped. "Wait, what?"

"Go." I shooed him forward.

Loki growled but still moved towards the witness chair.

"Loki Odinson." The Judge asked as he placed his hand on a Bible. Which was odd to ask a Norse God to do. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the whole truth, so help you God?"

"I swear to tell the truth in my name, yes." He said dryly.

The judge let out a sigh. "That's fine. The Defense may proceed."

I happily jumped to my feet. "Loki Odinson." I grinned, looking at him. "Is it true you once – "

"I did not have intercourse with a horse!" He slammed his fist on the bench, cracking it.

The courtroom got silent.

"....what?" The Judge questioned.

"Can we ignore that – very strange – outburst from my client?" I asked.

"Proceed." The Judge rubbed the bridge of his nose. "And Mr. Odinson, no more outburst like that."

"As I was saying." I clapped my hands. "Loki Odinson, is it true you once coveted the throne of Asgard?"

"Of course." Loki said without hesitation. "It is mine by right." He eyes darted towards Thor who watched from the corner. "And I would have been a much better king than my oaf of a brother."

"Interesting." I nodded my head. "Then why come to Earth? Is there something here you wanted?"

Loki visibly scoffed. "Of course not, what would a God like me want from this ball of dirt?"

"So these – " I swept my hand around the room. "—Humans are beneath you? You didn't intend on conquering Earth to build up an army and take Asgard?"

"You mortals trying to siege Asgard?" Loki actually laughed. "I guess meat shields would be beneficial to any army I roused."

The people in the courtroom got angry, even the Jury look rather put off by his statements.

I glanced at the Prosecution who seemed just baffled at my line of questioning. I straightened my tie again.

He was trying to play chess while I was over here playing Mario Party.

And everyone knows that Mario Party is complete and utter bullshit.

"So if I'm getting this straight, you attacked Earth for the hell of it?"

"I am a God. Stepping on ants is not something I do for fun, just a hazard of my existence." He turned up his nose.

"Mhmm." I nodded. "And why did you come to Earth?"

"Pardon?"

"Loki Odinson, why did you come to Earth in the first place?"

"I....." He looked blank for a moment. "I do not need to reveal my intentions to this group of primates. I will not be judged by you mortals!"

Again, everyone turned to him with complete contempt.

"Wonderful." I replied. "One final question." I withdrew a rolled up piece of Parchment from my pocket, unfolding it for everyone to see. "This is a picture of a Hors—"

A dagger flew by my face, stabbing through the parchment and impaling it on the nearby wall. Followed by a handful of similar looking daggers.

There was silence again.

"Brother!" A hammer came flying through the air and smacked Loki in the face.

And all hell broke loose.

***

"Order!" The Judge slammed his gavel down several times. "I will have order in my court!"

Everyone began to settle down.

"That was a stupid move, Loki." I shook my head. "All my work may have just been for naught. But I can't believe how thoroughly they checked you for anymore concealed weapons. I mean, I know I suggested a full body cavity search, but I didn't expect them to go through with it."

"Mmmppfh" Loki wiggled around in his restraints, mouth gagged, a fire in his eyes. All with Magical restraints added on, courtesy of Thor of course.

"It's okay." I pat his shoulder. "I don't expect you to understand my brilliant plan. Maybe when you graduate from an apprentice into an actual sorcerer, I can fill you in." I gave him a good natured smile.

"MMMPFPMFMFP!" He clearly was touched by my words.

"Now." The Judge addressed this courtroom. "Once again, I will iterate that this is a highly unusual situation, as we're taking an unusual approach." He turned towards the Prosecution. "Would you like to cross examine the witness, Mr. Walker?"

"Um....no your honor." The Prosecution still looked a bit unsure of my scheme. "The Prosecution rests."

"Okay." The Judge nodded. "You may call your witness now."

"Yes your honor." Walker stood up. "The Prosecution calls Thor Odinson to the stand."

"Oof. This does not look good for you, Loki." I pursed my lips. "Well, at least you won't have to worry about dropping the soap. I'm sure you're used to worse things."

I ignored his muffled shouts.

The God of Thunder walked up, taking his place at the witness's seat just like Loki. Going through the same song and dance, if just a bit more polite.

"Mr. Odinson." Walker addressed the God of Thunder. "Can you tell the court, in your own words, what it was like growing up with Loki?"

"Well....." Thor scratched his cheek. "We are centuries old, it would take me many days to regale you all with tales of our youth."

"Let me be more specific then." The Prosecutor clarified. "Did your brother ever do anything.....mean?"

"Mean?" Thor looked surprised by the question. And I could tell he had no idea what was going on as this was probably his first look at our legal system. "Yes, I do remember one particular instance. When we were children, there was this time and Loki transformed himself into a snake. I, loving snakes as I do, when to inspect the creature in my arms. Holding it close to me, he transformed back and went 'Nyahhhhh!' before stabbing me with his knife."

All eyes turned to Loki who looked rather proud of himself.

Walker looked happy as well at Thor's words. "And were there similar incidents during your childhood?"

Thor looked thoughtful. "Ah I remember quite a few." He smiled. "There was the time he tried to drown me. The time he pushed me infront of a galloping horse. The time he tripped me off a waterfall. Oh, and there was the time he shot me in the arse with an arrow."

"Objection, your honor." I called out.

"Under what grounds?" The Judge asked.

"Under the grounds that this is bad for my defense."

The judge looked unamused. "Proceed." He said dryly looking back towards the Prosecution.

"Sorry Loki, I tried." I shrugged.

I'm sure his muffled screams were words of encouragement.

I just kind of ignored the next hour or so of testimony by Thor. Instead, I took out my phone again and began playing on it while Sir Wiggles handled this part. He would keep me abreast of any important turn of events.

"Hey Loki." I nudged my client when a question popped into my head. "If you were able to magically conceal some knives on you, why did you just escape during the chaos with your magic since it wasn't sealed away?"

He turned his head to look at me then slammed it on the table.

I pat his shoulder again. "It's okay. We all made those kinds of mistakes when we were at that level. You have nothing to be ashamed of. When you become a master, you'll be able to look back and laugh at this."

"MMMMPPPPPFFFF" He cried out.

I was proud of him, he was already able to laugh so hard at the situation that he began to cry.

"Defense." The Judge called out.

"Yes, your honor?" I perked up.

"It's your turn to cross examine the witness." He gestured to Thor.

"Of course." I smiled, getting up from my seat again. I walked up, leaning against the witness chair. "Thor Odinson." I greet politely. "Big fan."

"Oh, it's nice to meet fans." Thor gave a smile reminiscent of Thorum.

"Indeed." I nodded. "I'm a bit of a Sorcerer myself. I even have a lightning spell that I named after you." I was only gushing a tiny bit.

"A spell named after me?" Thor looked surprised. "I am flattered."

"Well, just needed to get that out of my system." I ran a hand through my hair. "Well, how about a question, eh?" I gave a small chuckle, one shared by him. "Thor Odin, would you please tell us, in your own words, how you would describe your brother?"

"Describe Loki?" Thor questioned again. "Well, I suppose cunning would be the best description. Even when we went of foolish quests and might have otherwise met our ends, Loki often saved us by his cunning mind."

"Cunning." I Repeated, a bit louder, turning towards the Jury. "The man who had been stabbed by his brother as a child, called him cunny." I gestured to the God of Thunder.

"And Thor." I continued. "What part of his plan in taking over the world was 'cunning'?"

"I....don't quite understand?" Thor seemed lost.

"His plan, for conquering the Earth. Can you please point out the cunningness of it? To get an alien army to attack a single city, to target a single group of people and focus so intently on them that they were able to defeat said army? Which part of this plan was 'cunning'? How about a more recent example, what cunning man would openly mock the very people where going to judge him?"

"Objection your honor!" The Prosecutor jumped up. "He's leading the witness."

The Judge turned to me. "Schweinorg."

"I'll be more direct with my questions." I waived it off. "Thor, how would you go about conquering the planet?"

"Me?" He looked thoughtful. "As just a thought.....I would besiege your industries of produce. Your planet does not have access to resources outside your race. You have no alliances, no talks with other species. Your people have yet to truly leave your own atmosphere. We are a long lived race, we could simply wait you out while removing your sources of sustenance."

There were murmers amongst the crowd.

"Schweinorg, you better be going somewhere with this." The Judged grumbled.

"I am your honor, I would like to request a little leeway here."

The Judge let out a sigh. "I'll allow it."

"Good." I nodded. "As I was saying. Based on your words, we can accept that Loki's plan was not the most brilliant one he's ever come up with?"

"I would say – no." Thor agreed.

"So a plan to conquer an entire planet, an entire species was – rushed? Hafl-hearted? Does this sound like the normal Loki to you?" I asked Thor again.

"When you say it like that, I agree that Loki's actions are out of the norm." He shot a look at his brother.

"It's almost like –" I turned to the Jury again. "He wasn't in his right mind." I declared. "As if he was being controlled!" I slammed my hand down on the bench.

"Object your honor, speculation!" The Prosecution rose up again.

"Sustained." The Judge agreed. "Rephrase that, Schweinorg, or move on."

"Very well." I straightened my tie. "It's public knowledge that Loki had a scepter that could control people's minds. So, Thor Odinson, are you aware of where he procured such an item?"

"I...am not." Thor admitted.

"So it's unlikely he just picked it off the street." He hummed. "If his own brother, whom had been stabbed by him in the past, admits that Loki was acting out of character, is it so hard to put two and two together here?"

"Objection!" The Prosecutor rose again. "It's been noted that the Staff has to amplify certain emotions to successful control someone."

"Yes yes, we all read the report for the trial." I waived him off. "I will better explain." I turned to Thor again. "Thunder God. You mentioned that Loki would often times.....bully you ad children, yes?"

"That is an adequate way of putting it." He nodded.

"Pulling your hair, making fun of you, pulling pranks to get a laugh?"

"Aye, those were common occurrences." He unconsciously reached for his hair.

"So, he had been seeking your attention has he not?" I turned towards the Jury once again. "Loki Odinson is someone who sought Thor's attention ever since they were young." I declared. "And has that ever changed since 'growing up'?"

"Nay." Thor confirmed. "These have become common occurrences throughout Asgard and no one questioned them anymore."

"Very interesting."

"Mr. Schweinorg, this is your last warning, you are getting off topic." The Judge spoke up.

"Your honor, I am truly working towards something here."

"Last warning." He said again before ushering for me to continue.

I nodded at his meaning, my good will was running short. "Thor Odinson, has Loki ever showed an interest in a woman?"

"A woman?" Thor mumbled. "Aye, he once tried to court Lady Sif." Thor seemed to reminisce at the memory. "It turned out with him dying her hair black with magic and unable to reverse the change. I believe she preferred it the darker color, but would never admit it."

"Lady Sif, huh? And If I may ask, what is your relationship with this Lady Sif?"

"Well, we had a few flings over the years, but we had never remained together."

"Mhmm." I nodded along. "And his behavior towards her, did it start before or after you showed some attraction towards her?"

"Well it started....." He looked blanked for a moment. "After I had expressed some interest in her. But I do not see how that is important."

"Neither do I." The Judge stated but didn't stop me.

"Is it not obvious?" I once again addressed the entire room. "The Staff takes hold of strong emotions and twists them to turn the victim into a puppet. What more powerful emotion is there than love?" I turned towards Loki, giving him a wink.

His eyes widened in horror as he realized what I was getting at.

"Loki always wanted your attention." I pointed towards Thor. "He got jealous when you sought out a companion." I looked towards the Jury. "And what happened when you showed such good will towards this planet? He lashed out and tried to destroy it." I decided to go for the killing blow. "It's all because Loki Odinson is in love with you."

"Loki....." Thor looked utterly dumbfounded. "That impossible he....." Thor paused. "But then we..." He looked lost. "And there was the time....." He stopped again. "Dear Odin." Thor whispered, turning towards his brother. "I'm so sorry Loki, I did not know." Thor looked at his brother with sadness in his eyes.

"MMMMMMMMPPPPPPFFFFFF." Loki visible wretched in his bindings. Even his Magical Energy began to try and tear apart the restraints he had on him.

"Brother, peace." Thor stood up. "I promise we shall have a true talk about these feelings of yours. I am sorry I never noticed the signs before."

Loki turned towards me with hatred in his eyes.

I smirked. "The Defense rests, your honor." I walked back to my seat among the murmurs of the courtroom.

I even winked towards the cameras that were televising this across the entire world.

****

I leaned back in my chair, hands behind my head as the Jury began to read their verdict. "We, the People of New York, find the Defendant – Not Guilty of all charges levied against him."

The court room erupted in shouts of indignation.

Even Loki, who was sporting many more restraints, looked at me with complete shock.

I let out a content sigh. "I'm good."

"Brother!" Thor swooped over, quickly tearing off his bindings. "I knew there was reason for these despicable acts. We shall return to Asgard, and our Parents will help you work through all that ails you."

"Release me you oaf!" Loki screamed. "I am not in love with you!" He snapped his head in my direction. "And you!!!" His hand lit up with a green fire. "I will turn your soul to –"

I snapped my fingers, dispelling his fire. "Go play somewhere else." I opened a portal and deposited the two brothers outside the courtroom.

"Huh." Someone walked up to me. "So, how'd you do it?"

"Tony Stark." I pursed my lips. "What do I owe the pleasure?"

"Was it 'magic'?" He wiggled his fingers.

"I am appalled you think I would stoop to such dishonorable means." I huffed.

"Uh huh." He didn't believe me. "I don't believe you. So, how'd you do it?"

"Eh, I Bribed the right people." I shrugged.

"..." He looked speechless. "You know I'm going to have to tell someone, why the hell did you tell me that?"

"Pfft, go ahead. " I snorted. "Tell the world that I bribed Nick Fury, Director of Shield."

"For real? What could you possibly bribe him with? I have like – a bajillion dollars, and there's no way in hell I could bribe him to not get justice for what Loki did."

"Tesseract." I stated.

"That's where it ended up?" Tony looked annoyed. "I searched the entire planet for like a week, nonstop, and you had it the entire time!?"

"Yup." I popped the last letter.

"God dammit." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Still, didn't think he'd let this happen. A lot of people are going to be upset he didn't get in trouble."

"Oh no." I shook my head. "He still has to face Asgardian justice.

"Wait, so Loki still gets in trouble, we get the Tesseract...so this is a good thing?" Tony sounded conflicted. "I feel like this is a bad thing, but I can't find any faults in it. So what was the point of this whole thing with Loki loving Thor, cause I met them both, and that's complete crap."

"Distraction." I shrugged again. "People are stupid, they'll latch onto this little tidbit more than the 'innocent' verdict."

"I hate that I can't argue with you." Tony snorted. "But what's the real reason?"

"Fuck Loki." I crossed my arms. "Dudes an ass."

"So you make the whole world think that Loki is in love with his brother?"

"Yup."

Tony blinked, a smile forming on his face. "Hey, you got a card?"

I flicked my wrist, a card appearing between my fingers. "Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg – Attorney at Law." I recited with a grin.

***

Sorry about no chapter yesterday. For those of you not on my discord, I strained my wrist pretty bad. It was swollen and hurting enough that I had to go to an Urgent Care place. Doing better now, lots of Icing and making sure not to aggravate it any more. So, wanted to finish part two of the trial, and it kind of got away from me.

Anyways, if you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my pat.reon.com/astoryforone

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