Solange had explained the events of Daisy’s trial to Apollo and Athena, and both of them looked shocked and solemn at the events that had been narrated. “Wow… that’s rough.” Apollo murmured, stunned. There were a lot of papers on the desk he was sitting at, and Solange swore he was trying to read them over during her story, but by the end of the narrative he seemed to have given up on the endeavor.

“It sounds like you were set up to fail,” Athena said. Widget turned blue and chirped in an “That’s really sad!” that made her adjust the orb-monitor’s position around her neck. “Widget, shush…”

“You know, Athena, I’ve been wondering about your Mood Matrix,” Solange said. “How does that work?”

“Hmm! Well.” Athena put her hands on her hips and grinned, leaning slightly against her desk. “Widget works with my hearing abilities a little. I can input what I hear, but it also does some fancy scanning on its own to confirm my input and keep things standardized. From there, it’s all analytical psychology!”

“That’s really something,” Solange said, making a mental note to check the definition of analytical psychology later. It sounded a bit like Athena was using a buzzword to get out of actually explaining how the Mood Matrix worked. “Do you think that Widget works through magic, or pure programming?”

“Magic?” Athena’s eyebrows raised, and Widget turned yellow to indicate surprise. “That’s… huh. What would make you say that? I’m pretty sure that Widget is totally robotic, but it’s not every day that you hear someone say something works through magic anymore.”

“Yeah, you can say that again,” Apollo said, his face scrunching up just the slightest bit as he slid a paper over to the side. “When I hear ‘magic,’ I think of Trucy’s tricks, not… putting on a robe and wizard hat and doing all those kinds of things.”

“Apollo, Athena, I believe there is magic in this world,” Solange said, more sure of this notion than of anything else. She stood up from the couch, a subtle resolution creeping into her voice. “Spirit mediums exist. I know about that. What is channeling, if not some form of magic? Summoning, not elemental, but still magic.”

“I think Mr. Wright would know more about that,” Apollo mused, his eye contact drifting to a door in back of the office.

“That’s right,” Athena said, shifting her balance off her desk. “Mr. Wright has a friend, Maya, who is a spirit medium. He mentioned her being in some intense training.”

“Speaking of which, where is Mr. Wright?” Solange asked, only for the door Apollo was looking at to open, and for Phoenix to step out of it.

“So you’re our visitor,” Phoenix said, a gentle smile on his face. “It looks like you three are getting along pretty well.”

“I’m trying to pick their brains a little,” Solange said. She couldn’t help but smile back at Phoenix. If anyone had the ability to put her at ease right now, it was Mr. Wright. “Right now, we’re talking about magic.”

“Magic? Like Trucy’s shows?” Phoenix stroked his chin, his gaze drifting over to the large magic prop currently being used as a shelving unit on the side of the office.

“No, magic like this,” Solange said. She reached behind her head, unclipped her compact from her hair bow, then unfolded the compact in her hand. Without warning, Phoenix was sprayed with water from the compact, making Solange jump. “Oh no, I’m sorry! It does that sometimes.”

“Uh, don’t worry about it,” Phoenix mumbled, wiping at his face and shaking his hand off. “Is there a water gun hidden in there?”

“No,” Solange said. “This compact makes special effects on its own.”

“How do you know that’s coming from the compact?” Phoenix asked.

“Because these things only happen when I wear or hold it,” Solange said, putting the compact back on her bow. “It must respond to people’s natural magic.”

“Do you have any proof, though?” Apollo asked, echoing Phoenix’s critical words and gaze.

“Um, well… I’ll admit, I’ve tried to research this world’s magic, but I haven’t found anything conclusive,” Solange said. “I went to Medium Valley once, and no one could really tell me anything.”

“Why were you in Kurain Village?” Phoenix put emphasis on the location’s proper name.

“I believe channeling is a type of magic,” Solange continued, her voice becoming passionate. “I think, if I understood the mechanisms of channeling and my compact, I could gain a great understanding of how this world works.”

“That’s an interesting thought,” Phoenix said with a nod.

“Do you know anything about channeling, Mr. Wright?” Athena asked. “Apollo thought you would.”

This time, Phoenix shook his head. “I’m afraid not. I’ve seen it happen plenty of times, but no one has told me too much about how it works, either. I’m sorry I can’t help you in your quest.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Solange said. “It’s something I’d be best off investigating myself.”

“That seems reasonable,” Phoenix said. “Now, can I ask why you’ve been lurking on the bench across the street for the past week?”

“Actually, about that…”

Solange retold the story of her last trial, and Phoenix’s face fell as much as Apollo’s and Athena’s had. “Wow,” Phoenix said. “That’s really rough… I’m sorry that you had to go through that.”

“It’s over now,” Solange mumbled. Being in such a pitiable position was rather uncomfortable for her. “Nothing to be done about it.”

Phoenix shook his head. “It’s a shame that your hope was crushed like this. All I can say is… don’t quit. This job has a tendency of pulling you back in, even when you think it’s all over.”

“That’s right,” Apollo said, standing up at his desk. “Don’t lose hope, Solange. We all need to stay on our feet. Every defense attorney still standing is important.”

“Yeah!” Athena grinned and flashed a peace sign. “All you can do is keep fighting! I bet you’re going to be able to do something great someday, even with this setback!”

Solange smiled, putting one hand to her chest. “Everyone, thank you.This is why I wanted to watch you all from the courtroom gallery. Your spirits really are indomitable.”

At that point, someone new entered the Wright Anything Agency, and Solange thought her heart was going to pop out of her chest. Simon Blackquill strode in and shut the door behind him, as though his entrance were the most natural in the world. Athena whipped around and gave the prosecutor an enthusiastic greeting. “Hi, Simon! What’re you doing here?”

Simon gave a small grunt in greeting. “I don’t expect to be here for too long,” he said. “Who’s this?” he asked, his sharp gaze landing on Solange.

“Hello,” Solange said with a wave and a smile that came out wider than she intended. He really is a tall drink of dark and handsome, she mused to herself now that she could get a closer look at Simon.

Simon nodded in acknowledgement. “I see. I remember hearing whispers of an attorney who underwent a small explosion when her client was convicted. Was that you?”

“It was just a puff of smoke,” Solange murmured, suddenly feeling worried that her failure was becoming exaggerated somewhere along the line. “The verdict was a foregone conclusion. There was no evidence that could be used to prove anyone but the defendant did it. It kind of made me feel, uh, broken.” It sounded cheesy, but it was apt. She had been left feeling like a broken, defective attorney that couldn’t function properly.

“Is that so?” Simon paused and folded his arms, leaning against the door behind him. “Do you know about kintsugi?”

“Isn’t that that Japanese practice of fixing cracked things with gold?” Solange put her hands behind her back and cocked her head, curious as to where this was going.

“Close,” Simon said, stepping away from the door and towards Solange. “More than that, it’s a philosophy that accepts imperfections and breakage as part of an object’s history. They’re put back together in a way that highlights their use throughout their life. You say this event made you feel ‘broken,’ but surely, there has to be a way for you to put yourself back together, stronger and more beautiful for it.”

“Oh, is that so…?” Solange wasn’t expecting Simon Blackquill of all people to attempt to cheer her up. In fact, the verbiage used made her feel a bit like she was being flirted with, but she quashed that notion. He was furthering the metaphor, that was all.

Simon gave a short chuckle, his gaze meeting Solange’s in a way that made her feel as if he’d scoped through her soul with just one glance. “It is so. Chin up. I would very much like to test my blade against the Modern Mage Attorney.”

“You know about that title, and who I am?” Solange sounded a bit more incredulous than she felt was necessary. It was curious to her that Simon knew who she was while Phoenix and company didn’t, but then again, she seemed to occupy a different sphere from them.

“What are you talking about?” Apollo asked, shooting Simon a befuddled look.

“One of my compatriots in the clink mentioned a young woman who seemed to be able to call on a lick of flame whenever she wanted, and time dramatic breezes perfectly,” Simon said, tapping his forehead like he did when he was presenting a point he was fond of. “It sounds like you’ve done well up to this point.” That resolved the gap well enough for Solange; Simon had made quite a few connections while in prison, so someone she had put away could have mentioned her at some point.

“Whoa! Can you really do that?” Athena asked, nearly jumping in excitement and knocking into her desk loudly. She made an awkward pained whine as she straightened herself out.

“It takes a bit of concentration to make it happen deliberately, but yes,” Solange said, closing her eyes. She pointed to the ceiling, and a small flame appeared above her pointer finger. She opened her eyes and it flickered out as quickly as it appeared. “This is really better for making my own special effects than for, say, launching fireballs.”

“Whoa.” Apollo echoed Athena’s amazement. “Maybe you’re onto something with that magic talk. Maybe.”

“Maybe,” Solange repeated. “Seeing is believing, as they say.” She came to the darkly comical realization that she had more evidence for the existence of magic right now than she did for Daisy’s innocence during the trial.

Simon made an affirmative hum, and Solange noticed a relative lack of surprise from both Simon and Phoenix. Perhaps they were more used to bizarre things than the younger attorneys were. Simon could create a slash with his fingers, after all, and Phoenix had gotten to see channeling up close. “I’m here to speak to Mr. Wright about a few things. Shall we?” Simon said, giving Phoenix a look that indicated that the only answer was “yes.”

“Y-yeah, of course,” Phoenix stammered, nervously rubbing the back of his head.

“Good.” Simon’s attention went back to Solange. “I hope to meet you in court… Radcliffe-dono,” he said with his head slightly tilted and a cunning smirk. With that, he and Phoenix exited through the same door Phoenix had entered from. When the duo had exited, Solange felt a tingle of excitement go through her. It was something in the way Simon looked at her that made her feel fired up.

“Oh boy, he’s pulling out the -dono,” Athena said, clasping her hands and hopping to sit on top of her desk. “He’s got you in his sights, Solange!”

Despite herself, Solange laughed a little. She also thought she saw Apollo give Athena a glare of disapproval regarding sitting on the desk. “I didn’t think I’d say this, but I think I’m looking forward to that matchup.”

“Well, there you go! You sound like you’re ready to get back on your feet!” Athena gave her signature fist-pound and kicked her legs a little. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes, actually,” Solange said, clasping her hands together in an unintentional mimic of Athena’s earlier gesture. “You three really are inspiring. So is Simon, in his own way. Somehow, it feels like everything will be okay now.”

Apollo grinned. “You could say you’re fine now, huh? Glad we could help.”

“Yes, thank you for lifting my spirits,” Solange said, looking to the door. She felt like she could blast out the door and do something great again, whatever the “something” was.

“Oh, Apollo, we should make her say the thing!” Athena blurted out, scooting off her desk. Apollo didn’t have a chance to ask what she meant before she kept going. “You should do what Apollo and I do to psych ourselves up. Say it out loud: I’m Solange Radcliffe, and I’m fine!”

“Oh, haha, yeah, that,” Apollo mumbled, smiling awkwardly. “Give it a try, Solange.”

“Hmm, okay.” Solange decided she would indulge them on this point, especially after their having to put up with all her nonsense. She sucked in a breath, then spoke firmly. “I’m Solange Radcliffe, and I’m fine.”

“Louder!” Athena clenched her fists eagerly and leaned forward, Widget turning red. “Even if you have conviction in what you’re saying, that’s not enough. You need to say it with gusto! Put your whole being into it!”

“I, uh, all right.” Not even when objecting in court was Solange ever particularly loud, so this was a change of pace for her. She followed Athena’s instructions and projected some more. “I’m Solange Radcliffe, and I’m fine!”

“Okay, that’s better!” Athena said with a bounce. “One more time now! I wanna hear every drop of emotion in your voice!”

“That won’t blow your ears out, will it?” Apollo asked.

“Hey, we do this all the time, and I haven’t gone deaf yet,” Athena answered.

“Okay, here goes.” Solange took another deep breath, mentally prepared herself for the noise about to come out of her, and gave the best solid shout she could. “I’m Solange Radcliffe, and I’m fine!”

“Whoo!” Athena jumped slightly, and Apollo jumped not so slightly, to the point that he nearly fell out of his chair. “That was great! I could probably put that through the Mood Matrix and get some interesting readings.”

“What do you think it’d say?” Apollo asked, scratching his head and wincing a bit, as though he was recovering from the power of Solange’s shout.

“Hmm, well, if I had to make some guesses now…” Athena played with her moon earring as she thought. “There’s happiness there, but I feel like there’s also a little anger and sadness. It makes sense, given what happened. All in all, I think you sound pretty determined, Solange. I don’t think there’d be even a bit of discord right now.”

“Thank you,” Solange said, placing one hand on her chest as if to feel her heart thumping away. “Maybe I ought to get going. I should notify the office that I’ll be ending my hiatus earlier than expected.”

“That’s great,” Apollo said. “Good luck out there.”

“Yeah! Go get ‘em, girl!” Athena did another fist pound, seemingly becoming more enthusiastic with every word.

“Thank you all again.” Solange took a few steps past Apollo and Athena. “I hope I’ll have good news to report next time we meet.”

“I hope so too! Come back any time, okay?” Athena put her hands on her hips now, grinning wide.

“Can you really just invite her back like that? Maybe we should check with Mr. Wright,” Apollo said, looking mildly exasperated.

“Oh hush, it’ll be fine,” Athena said, waving Apollo off dismissively. “See you soon!”

“Yes, see you around.” Solange then made her exit, feeling thoroughly invigorated. As she made her way back to her office, there was a spring in her step. Even if she couldn’t save the past, there was still a bright future ahead. She would make up for Daisy’s loss by putting her all into her next cases.

She had to prove to herself that she could succeed. It was that simple.

When Solange arrived at her office building, she was stopped by a woman’s voice. “You’re Solange Radcliffe, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. What is it?” Solange looked at the woman who had called out to her, an innocuous-looking woman with her brown hair in low curled pigtails, and dark eyes with a faraway look. The woman was sitting on a bench outside the office, and she fiddled with the green-fringed edges of her shirt for a moment, running her fingers along each fringe strip.

“I’d like to talk to you,” the woman said. “Can we go into your office?”

“I haven’t officially called off my hiatus yet, if you’ve heard about that,” Solange said. She was a bit suspicious; while it made sense to not want to discuss serious matters outside, she hadn’t taken any clients on in a while. She decided to err on the side of letting the woman in. “But I guess it would be better to discuss what you’re thinking about inside.”

“Great!” The woman stood up with a little bounce that made her pigtails bounce as well. “You can call me Amy. I’ve got something that might make you change your mind on things a bit.”

The jump from a cryptic politeness to friendly cheer was jarring for Solange. “It’s, uh, nice to meet you, Amy. Let’s go inside.”

When the duo arrived in Solange’s office, Amy took it upon herself to sit in the chair on the client’s side of the desk as Solange sat in her usual desk chair. “Let’s get down to business,” Amy said, clasping her hands and resting them on her side of the desk. Though her body language was casual, her face had gone serious. “Did you know that there’s going to be a retrial of the Daisy Thorne case?”

Solange wasn’t sure if she heard properly. “Come again?”

“New evidence has been discovered that may point to someone else committing the murder. Furthermore, a new witness has come forward, claiming a very different perspective on what happened.” Amy paused and tilted her head slightly. “What do you think about that?”

“That’s… that’s huge!” Solange nearly recoiled from the revelation. “Why is all this coming out just now?”

“Some strings were pulled, I think,” Amy said, her voice sounding a bit absent. “Anyway, I thought I heard a rumor that you would be reprising your role as defense attorney in the retrial. Is that true?”

“What? Really?” Was this a threat, an implied push, or an actual rumor? Either way, Solange didn’t feel like she had a choice. “I suppose it’s true now.”

“That’s great!” Amy tapped her chin in thought. “I don’t think the first prosecutor is available, though, so they’ll be putting a new one in his place.”

“I see.” Solange closed her eyes briefly in an attempt to focus herself. “How do you know all this?” Sure, she hadn’t been keeping up especially well on the legal world since her hiatus, but there had to be a good reason for why all of this was coming up now and from an apparently random person.

“I am that witness, Ms. Radcliffe,” Amy said with full confidence. “I should really get going now. I kind of snuck out a little before they went to officially question me.” She stood up, gave a saccharine “Bye!” and then exited with a quickness.

“Wait!” Solange’s call was useless, as she was soon facing an empty room. A hollow breeze drifted through of its own accord, and she had to slam down on a stray paper to keep it from blowing away. She sighed heavily and released the paper, putting her hands in her lap. The time to truly sink or swim had come, whether she liked it or not. This would be her one shot at redemption, all or nothing.

Nerve-wracking though the situation was, she wasn’t about to forget the pep talk she had received at the Wright Anything Agency. Phoenix had said it himself: the job had a tendency to pull people back in when they thought it was all over. Apollo’s and Athena’s votes of confidence also warmed her heart, and with their words echoing in her mind, she decided that she had to come back and face her past failure head-on.

Determination set in her face, Solange began to rifle through her files for the old information on Daisy’s case. The time to prepare for the redeemed future was now.