High noon.
If all goes according to plan, the man behind all this will arrive in the Constabulary any minute.
That was why the Judge could be found pacing to and fro in his courtroom, just...Sweating like a river.
“Wh-where is everyone?” He mumbled to himself as he paced back and forth.
The Judge wasn’t alone in his woes. He was kept company by the many Constables and court guards within the room – but they aren’t exactly the people he was waiting for.
Inspector Lee and Martial Kim have yet to arrive to prepare. Even Martial Yellow Sister has yet to return from her errand. No sight of her, neither a word of her progress out of the Capital for the whole month.
The more the sun kept ticking away at the sky, the harder he paced and sweat.
Just as the Judge was about to summon a guard to fetch either investigators, the Inspector finally burst into the courthouse. The Judge was happy, but he ended up snapping, “LEE! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!?”
“B-big problem your honour!” Inspector Lee gasped as he tried to catch his breath. “F-Fae Fae. Her heart just failed! M-Martial Kim i-is trying to resuscitate her w-with his healing energy, n-not sure if she’s going to make it through!”
“WHAT!?” The Judge nearly fell over arse over elbow were it not for the guards and Inspector grabbing onto the old man, “OF ALL TIMES, WHY NOW!?...Oh gods. The man is going to be here any minute! Q-quick, close the doors. Pretend no one is home!”
“B-but sire! The plan!”
“I know, but what options do we have!? Fae Fae is dying, Martial Kim has his hands tied, a-and Martial Yellow Sister has yet to come back with hard evidence we need! We can’t afford tipping off the man with our blunder! Better to let the fish go and catch him another time!”
The Inspector face palmed. Of all days for trouble to fall onto their laps like a dead cat. As much as he agreed, deep down he wanted to object.
Sadly, before either of them could make a decision – a Constable rushed into the court room to warn them.
He’s here.
“YE’GAWDS!” The Judge literally fainted on the spot. Before he hit the ground, everyone grabbed onto him to keep him upright. Inspector Lee had no choice but to give the old man a few slaps to his face to restart his consciousness. The second the Judge snapped awake, he screeched “P-positions! Get into positions! Act natural! GO GO GO!”
The Judge and the members of the court scrambled to their spots. By the time they calmed down and pretend to act level headed, someone was escorted directly into the courtroom.
Following a group of station guards was a man in a rich flowing robe with vibrant colours and decorations. Golden clouds swirl across the ends of his robes and the cuffs of his sleeves. Well shaved, well cleaned, and held himself with pride.
The man would then bow before the judge with humility as he greeted.
“Noonien Turquoise, present before your honour. Many greetings good sir.”
“WELCOME MR. TURQUOISE! I-I AM SO GLAD Y-YOU ARRIVED SAFELY TO THE CAPITAL!”
Noonien Turquoise returned a polite nod – followed by an ear splitting twitch. Why was the Judge yelling, he wondered? It’s not like Noonien was born deaf or hard of hearing. He tried to ignore it as he returned the conversation in polite tandem.
“I appreciate the opportunity,” the rich scholar continued, “to be part of the development of the new Imperial Academy of Excellence in the Capital. I will do everything within my power and talents to make sure this project will be carried out smoothly. Please, instruct this civil servant where you would like me to begin my assistance.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“HAHAH! GOOD! GOOD YOU’RE HERE! W-WE’LL GET THAT PROJECT SET UP IN NO TIME AND OPEN THE DOORS TO NEW STUDENTS T-TO SERVE HIS IMPERIAL HIGHNESS SOON! SOOOON! HAHAHA!”
“...Sir. If I may ask. Are you...hard of hearing?”
“What? Nooo! Noo! Of course not!” The Judge jumped at the question. He had been busy glancing at Inspector Lee, who kept an eye on the back doors leading to the courtroom. If Martial Kim were to join them, they would spot him coming down the corridor that way. So far, Inspector Lee kept signaling ‘not yet’. Thus, the Judge tried to play it cool. “Hahaha! I-I am an old man. I-it’s coming around the t-time where I am starting to be hard of hearing you see. Hahahaha!”
Noonien just...sighed. As much as he thought about voicing this thoughts, the one thing he learned as an Imperial Scholar is – not everything needs to be told bluntly. Last thing he wants is to get off on the wrong foot with the higher ups. So, he let the mistake slide. “Please take good care of your health, your honour. I know the sector of the Capital depends on your leadership.”
“Hahaha! Wh-why thank you! I’ve ate breakfast already and uh-hahahahaah!”
Noonien stared.
The Judge felt sweat running down his forehead. He wanted to wipe it off, but was afraid it would give away his thoughts. Like revealing his true hand in a game of dice. Still that couldn’t stop him from glancing at Inspector Lee, who kept shaking his head.
“Um.” Noonien chanced to break the awkward silence between them, “Your honour?”
“YES! WH-where were we, M-Mr. Noonien?”
“Ahem. Would you like for us to continue our conversation in your office? Perhaps, talk about the overview of the project and what documentation is needed? I would be happy to offer my experience to draft up proposals and supporting documents.”
The Judge started to stutter, “What? Oh! N-no need to rush straight into business! W-we have time! Uh ah...How was your trip!?”
“I-it was smooth. No doubt with your honour’s hard work, you’ve kept the roads safe of any banditry or devilry of any kind.”
“Good. Good. Smooth is good...have you had lunch yet, Mr. Noonien?”
“Uh. Um. No. And I prefer not to eat anything before working, to keep my head clear...” Noonien then couldn’t handle the gnawing feeling and he finally voiced his thoughts. “Your honour, is something the matter. Was it something i said, or perhaps done. Please, good sir, do not take anything I’ve done as offensive.”
The Judge...had no clue how to answer. Despite how simple of a question he was given, his mind just...shut down. He quickly gave Inspector Lee one hard look. The latter quickly left the courtroom to check around the grounds for any signs of Moon Tavern – or a miracle in this case.
Three minutes of awkward silence later, Inspector Lee came back – empty handed.
The Judge just...face palmed.
This was it. He was completely done for, kaput. Going to lose his job, his pension, his home. He let everyone down, Inspector Lee, Moon Tavern, everyone. Why was he a fool to go along with all this...
What would Fae Fae say...........................Fae Fae...
“... Screw it. MEN! CLOSE THE DAMN DOORS!”
SIR! The court guards quickly ran over and slammed the main doors shut. They made sure to cover all exists and entry, no one getting in or out without the Judge’s permission! They then filed in into two lines of men and women, grabbing onto wooden staffs.
They lined up across the sides of the court house and tapped their staffs into the ground into a unified rattle! In unison, they would bellow:
Justiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice is mightyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
An official call to order in the court!
“Y-your honour!?” Noonien started to panic when he realized he was boxed in...and left standing alone in the center of the crowd. “Wh-what is the meaning of this!?”
The Judge responded by picking up his gavel, a wooden brick in the shape of a just lion dog, and slapped it onto the table with a rumbling BANG.
“COURT IS IN SESSION!”
If they only got one chance – might as well make it count! So, let’s freaking gooooooooooooooooo!
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