Silence filled the courtroom again. Fiorina worried a bit that her remark could've been bad for her entire group, if the Magic Gatekeepers teamed up against them, but her remark got them to stop arguing with each other!
"That's not how I would've de-escalated a conflict, but good job!" Felicity cheered.
"I'm kind of disappointed." Fiorina said.
"I hope they're not teaming up against us..." Ella nervously said.
"They'd have to convict us but would need proof that we're guilty." Kayla said.
The group's most infamous snarker and prankster was right again!
"Thanks, Kayla! You reminded me of what I need to do!" Camelia thanked her.
Camelia faced the Magic Gatekeepers again, and briefly waved her hands to create a projection of her own. The projection was beside her and resembled a large film strip that reached from the floor to the ceiling.
"We were on a field trip to C Flats, but our bus was sabotaged the night before. During the trip, we were sent back in time... A few minutes later, we saw the space-time continuum crash, and here we are now." She explained.
It was theatric for a short explanation but the visuals in the projection captured what Camelia witnessed. Her group stepping onto the bus; something unusual flashed in the sky during the bus trip but since it was short, silent and didn't interfere with driving, no one thought of it too much. It was plausible after all that it could've been part of a magic fight. The skies were sunny and there weren't any storm clouds nearby so the flash the group saw definitely wasn't a flash of lightning.
The group arrived at C Flats and stepped out of the bus, but Kayla checked her phone when she saw that the group had to have been sent back in time! The film projection also captured the space-time continuum falling apart, the time rift opening up, the group being carried into the air and sucked into the rift. As her camera got closer to the rift there was more distortion but it was still clear enough.
The projection dissolved and Camelia waited for an answer.
"Hmmph. That sounds plausible, but do you have any evidence?" Mia asked. Camelia was briefly taken aback since that projection and montage were proof that the group was sucked into the rift.
Suddenly, tempers flared among the Magic Gatekeepers again!
"We would've known this if we were paying attention to the human world!" Aiko argued with Mia.
"What the f**k were you doing those times I covered for a** for you?!" Mia argued back.
"Those were important meetings!"
It was mostly Aiko and Mia arguing with each other. Thutmose turned away and thought about some of his regrets. Ragnar was caught in between the other two's arguments. Order in the court and space-time were hanging on by a thread!
Camelia and the group at the defendants' tables were nervous again. "For everyone's sake, I need to bring out the evidence now!" She thought.
"Hey! Pardon me for interrupting, but I have evidence!" She exclaimed. She hurriedly rushed to the table where she put her purse, brought it back and took out a handful of photos.
"Behold! These photos were taken by the school's security bots the night before!" She confidently held the photos and placed them on the judges' stands. Some of the group helped back up her evidence.
"It's true! I do declare if I knew our school bus were magical, I would've dressed up for the trip!" Ella said.
"Yeah! We'd be the classmates who spew bad puns!" Alfbern and Felicity said.
"And I'd be the one wanting to go home-- oh wait..." Fiorina added.
The Magic Gatekeepers looked through the photos, discussing some things among themselves. One of the things they noticed was that the people in those photos weren't there at the defendants' table. When they were finished, the verdict was in and fates were decided!
Mia gave the verdict but sounded reluctant. "From the evidence presented, it's very evident you are all here beyond your control." She began, but grumbled before she continued the rest of it. "In regards to the space-time crash... You are NOT the perpetrators!" She proclaimed.
Applause and cheers filled the room as Camelia and the group at the defendants' table celebrated. Hats were thrown into the air and many people in the group hopped onto the tables to dance!
The Magic Gatekeepers silently looked on but hid their annoyance at the group dancing on the tables, possibly scuffing them, but they let the group have their moment. They were still stuck in time but had something to celebrate.
There was much rejoicing, but it was soon halted because Mia needed to explain some more details about the verdict.
"Unfortunately, we can't procedure them." Mia announced. All of the joy left the room and the entire group was in shock. Why couldn't the perpetrators, if they're known, be prosecuted? They were going to find out...
The Magic Gatekeepers found the perpetrators behind the theft of the Fomalhaut Superweapon and the time travel incident that crashed the space-time continuum, but couldn't prosecute them?!
How could the perpetrators escape sentencing from the highest cosmic court?!
"You can't?! Please don't tell us the perpetrators bribed you!" Camelia said. As the hats that were thrown into the air fell, so did the mood of the room.
A few agonizingly slow seconds passed before the Magic Gatekeepers answered.
"Oh my gosh, Camelia! You can't just ask if the Gatekeepers were bribed!" Kayla blurted out, but she may have been sarcastic.
"She can and she did, and it is a reasonable inquiry. We would like to state our integrity and character are greater, and cannot be bought out by mere gifts, money or hospitality." Thutmose stated.
"Our reputations weren most fearsome, but there art misdeeds we nilt do!" Ragnar added, still keeping his composure. ("Our reputations are the most fearsome, but there are misdeeds we'll never do")
An intense burst of magic with sparks flew around Mia when she responded. "Our code of honor guides us, but it's a f**king curse that hinders justice! We could've killed them on the spot and stopped this s*** without it!" She blurted out.
"Seriously, we're totally disappointed by the verdict!" Aiko said, offering her and the other Magic Gatekeepers' sympathies to the group of stranded people. "Some rogue time traveler stole one of our-- ahem-- she stole the Fomalhaut Superweapon, became the leader of the country and her accomplices are part of the ruling faction." She explained.
"Couldn't you just stop them non-lethally?" Fiorina asked, deadpan.
"Our rules don't let us directly intervene unless that rogue time traveler raises the space-time threat level enough. We also doubt the studio audience would be too pleased if we solved this now. The top dogs of the bureaucracy saving the day? That's so inspiring!" Aiko explained. Her last statement was heavily laced with sarcasm.
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