Turnabout Defiance

by KC_R

Summary:

Shortly after Kabbu's first murder trial, he's forced to return to the courtroom to prove an old enemy's innocence.

Notes:

Very sorry that this took nearly four months to write, but I got really busy at one point, and tried to write some HK. It's done now tho, and I'm off to the next case!

Chapter 1: Reminiscence: Termite Twins

On this night, in the tallest building of the Termite Kingdom, a young termite opens the door to her room, silently sneaking out of her room. With a pink cloth wrapped around her head, and her antenna sticking out, she exits her parent’s luxury home with nothing but a small backpack filled with food, water, a mask, and medical equipment. As she leaves, another bug watches them. Her destination is Defiant Root, the planned meeting place.

Her new life starts now, and finally she can be happy…

—

Defiant Root is never calm, never quiet. Always a squabble, a larvae crying, a crime occurring, but as of lately, the last has become rather rare, but clearly not rare enough.

On this night, there is an argument between sister and brother, both foreign to these lands, never having even stepped foot out of the Termite Kingdom.

“What are you doing out here?”

“Wh-what? How did you find me?”

“I saw you leaving. What are you doing? Where are you going? W-why?”

“I… I can’t tell you. Please, go back home. Know that I’m safe, and that I’m happy.”

“No… you aren’t safe, it's dangerous out here! There are bandits! They’ll kill you if they see you.”

“They aren’t like that, they aren’t even bandits anymore. Please, trust me on this.”

On this night, a life is snuffed out, blood is spilled, an innocent person’s life taken by the hands of a murderer.

“No! No no no, please, please stay awake, please, I didn’t even… no… it wasn’t supposed to be like this.” The bug whimpers, pressing their face against the corpse’s chest.

Two bugs witness something they shouldn’t have. One pays the price that night, and they pay with their life.

On this night, Defiant Root goes silent. Two bodies lay slain in pools of blood, and nearby, atop the rooftops, a bug watches, enveloped in a white cloak.

Chapter 2: The Prosecutorial Pardon Program

Summary:

Kabbu gets to know Monsieur Scarlet some more, and tries his best to ignore the fact that he's talking to a serial killer

Defiant Root was always a nice place. Usually peaceful, bustling with usually friendly faces, and has plenty of places to eat, most of which don’t discriminate against criminals. The perfect place to have brunch with a serial killer.

The ex-convict sat across from him, wearing his fancy suit and his sun hat, clearly trying to look as professional as possible. His fancy cufflinks are gone, replaced by simple, dull, round ones. One hand always stays on his head, holding down his hat, and the other taps nervously on the table. His eyes scan across the other tables, watching the other people as they eat. Occasionally his eyes land on Kabbu, only to dash away when their eyes connect. “So… what made you choose to be a prosecutor?” He asks, after several minutes of awkward silence. He’s reminded of the awkward silence in the lift to the Bee Kingdom. Monsieur Scarlet glares at him.

“I didn’t choose to be a prosecutor. I would have no interest in law if I had anywhere else to go.” He explains, not even giving Kabbu the courtesy of eye contact. The silence continues, and soon an oddly professionally dressed waiter approaches their table, placing down a bowl of water for Kabbu, and a bowl of berry juice for Monsieur Scarlet. He takes a long drink before placing the bowl back on the table and staring off into the sandy land beyond Defiant Root.

“I’m… sorry, I don’t quite understand what you mean?” Kabbu asks. It’s hard to even say what he’s confused about, but he doesn’t quite understand the ant’s words.

Monsieur Scarlet exhales, rubbing his temples in annoyance. “Trust me, if I had an option I wouldn’t be a prosecutor, but staying in prison was not an option.” He explains. “When you got me convicted, I was given thirteen life sentences, for twenty counts of homicide. There was no chance that I would be free again. I believed that prison wouldn’t be that hard, that I could easily take it. On my first day someone approached me and asked me if I knew an Ian Allen. I told them I had never heard of them, and he told me that that was his younger brother, and that I had killed him.” Monsieur Scarlet explained, voice catching slightly. “I was so surprised, and then he threw the first punch, and then he kicked me. And the beatings got worse and I screamed for help but it only brought in more people. The guards never came to help me. By the end of the night I had been kicked so many times that I couldn’t walk, punched so many times that I couldn’t see, bloodied and beaten past recognition.” Monsieur Scarlet’s voice cracked, and for a moment it seemed he would break into tears, but he stopped himself, taking a deep breath and looking Kabbu in the eyes. “I’m not the criminal that attacked you way back then. Monsieur Scarlet, the criminal… the serial killer… is dead. I’m just Scarlet now, and I would prefer it to stay that way.”

Kabbu wasn’t sure what to even say. He simply sat silently. “I am not looking for forgiveness or redemption of any kind. I’ve learned my lesson, I’ll never even touch a weapon again. I simply want to live my crime free life, and continue to fulfill my contractual obligations, which is to finding people guilty of murder.” Scarlet says, averting his eyes and looking back into the sandy wastes.

“I see…” Kabbu says. There isn’t much else to say on the matter, he supposes. “Do you know when your next case is?”

“I don’t. I am simply sent the case files and must appear in court the next day. I am no failure of a lawyer, I don’t need more time than that.” Scarlet explains, taking another sip of berry juice.

Suddenly, they’re approached by Crime Scene Overseer K, wearing his usual attire. “Sorry to interrupt your ‘crime free life’, but I’m gonna need both of you to immediately leave the area. The marketplace has been relocated to the area just south of here, you can continue your little relaxation there, yeah?” He says with a smug look on his face.

“Ah! Why do we have to leave? Did something happen?” Kabbu asks.

“Yup. Crime happened. Can’t leak any details at the moment.” K explains.

“Oh Venus, that's horrible!” Kabbu exclaims.

“Just a regular day out in Defiant Root.” K mutters to himself. “So buzz off! Before I fine you for loitering.” Scarlet nods, and Kabbu reluctantly follows, across Defiant Root and toward the area where the Bees of the Bee Kingdom had set up camp only a few days ago. The mayor of Defiant Root is waiting there, and the merchants who usually reside deeper in the small town are setting up shop. Chrisbee is carefully putting their pastries in a see-through container, Sun has just moved his blanket and bag of berries out here, Tory is grumbling to himself about not being allowed to stay in his museum, Xic and the other shadier merchants set up a false wall to stand behind, and almost everyone else is standing around. The only bugs not here were Butomu, Kali, Engira, and Anne. Oh Venus… if they aren’t here then… surely they’re either victims or witnesses. He hopes it's the latter. He knows most of these people, he’s helped them, bought from them, talked with them. And two of them are dead, and another in critical condition.

Scarlet choses a spot far away from the rest of the bugs and stands there awkwardly. Maybe they can conclude their conversation out here?

~Life as a Convict~

“So… how is life as a convict? I’ve never really talked to an ex-felon before.” Kabbu asked.

Scarlet gave him a baffled look. “How the fuck am I supposed to reply to that?” He asks. “I… it fucking sucks? I’m not allowed anywhere, I can’t eat at any public restaurants, I can’t buy anything from anywhere unless I can have it delivered to my house while I’m not there. Everyone in Bugaria knows who I am, so the moment they see me, they scream and run off, or call the guards on me. It’s awful. I haven’t committed a crime in years but it’s something I’m never going to be able to move past.” Scarlet explains.

“That sounds awful!” Kabbu exclaims.

“You have no idea.” Scarlet grumbles.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have committed the crimes, asshole. If you don’t want to face the consequences of your actions, don’t perform the actions, okay? It’s really that simple.” K says with a smug smile.

“Go fuck yourself.” Scarlet hisses back, flipping K off. K flips him off in return.

~The Incident~

“So… what do you think about the incident? Any idea what happened?” Kabbu asks.

“Probably a murder. Bandits, I would assume.” Scarlet says. Now it was Kabbu’s turn to give Scarlet a baffled gaze. “It’s very common out here, hell, when I… way back when, when I was on the run, I went out into the desert. Guards don’t come out here, but it’s infested with monsters and bandits. I don’t plan on touching this case, I don’t want to get involved with the bandits.” He continues.

“I see… I certainly know how vicious bandits can be sometimes. Not fun.” Kabbu says.

“There's no case here, don’t worry about it.” K interrupts. “It’s just some bandit assault, with some poor fools wrapped up. If you’re bored you can go down to the Rubber Prison and talk with the guy they caught. Here’s my business card, show it to them and they’ll let you in even if you aren’t the official investigator.” He says, handing Kabbu a black business card with a candy cane on it.

“Um… thank you? Sorry, I expected you to be a bit more rude to me, considering yesterday's case.” Kabbu said. “And… since when do I need permission to visit people?” He asks.

“It’s a new rule put in place. Some bug broke out with the help of their ‘lawyer’. Last I heard the guards are searching for them out in the Deadlands but haven’t found any traces of them yet. But yeah, you need it if you want to visit any criminals.”

“Ah. Well, thank you, I appreciate it.” Kabbu says with a nod.

“Don’t thank me.” Is all K says, before leaving the conversation, and walking away. Well, he hadn’t planned to do anything today, maybe this’ll be interesting, though he doesn’t know many fugitives… so he probably doesn’t know them.

~The Prosecutorial Pardon Program~

“Vi told me about something called ‘the prosecutorial pardon program’. I was wondering if you could tell me about what that is?” Kabbu asked.

Scarlet sighs, rubbing his temple for a moment. “It’s just some stupid program for prisoners with longer-than-life sentences without parol. I was picked out of about a hundred other prisoners. I’m out of jail as long as I’m a prosecutor. If I didn’t need the program, I wouldn’t be using it.” He explains, before pausing, looking at Kabbu with fear in his eyes.

“Are you okay? You look a bit pale…” Kabbu asked, reaching towards Scarlet, but he didn't even flinch like he did with every other time someone tried to physically touch him. His eyes don’t even move.

“Prosecutor Monsieur Scarlet, Defense Attorney Kabbu, fancy finding you here,” says a gruff voice from behind him. Kabbu turns to see Arioch, that friendly smile across his mandibles. “I hope the prosecutor isn’t bothering you, Kabbu.”

“Oh! No no, he isn’t at all! We were just having a little chat.” Kabbu says. Arioch nods.

“Well, I’d like to have a little chat with the prosecutor as well, if that isn’t an issue.” Arioch says, and then doesn’t wait for an answer as he approaches Scarlet, grabbing the bug’s shoulder and practically dragging him away. “I’d like to talk to you about yesterday’s case.”

Kabbu watches the two walk off. Well… he’ll have to ask his quest again later. But for now… maybe he should pay a visit to that fugitive.

Notes:

I'm so sorry for the late chapter everyone! I was supposed to have one out yesterday and then another out tomorrow, but I ran into some trouble down proof-read ally. It's all settled now, and I'll post the next chapter tomorrow.

Chapter 3: The King of the Bandits

Summary:

Kabbu goes back to the Rubber Prison to meet the criminal arrested, and is surprised when he finds out who it is

As much as he wanted to go pay a visit to the fugitive, he needed to change out of his dress shirt first. He can’t go to the Rubber Prison in anything but his armor! Especially not without his helmet, the last thing he wants is for the guards to think he looks silly (though he is happy that he’s been getting more comfortable with himself).

He made his way through the tunnels and back to the Ant Kingdom, giving a friendly wave to the guards, before heading out across the drawbridge and to the statue plaza, greeted by a group of ants, whispering among themselves and staring at him. He ignored them and quickly made his way into his home, closing their new door behind them. They had purchased one after someone walked into their home thinking it was their office. At this point, Kabbu felt like more people knew them for the court case than they did for when they saved Bugaria…

“Whatcha doing back so soon?” Vi asked, peeking out from over her top bunk. Leif looked up from the book he was trying to read, and judging by the fact that he was holding it upside down, he was failing.

“My little meeting with Scarlet got interrupted by a crime scene, unfortunately. We were asked to leave by Crime Scene Overseer K.” Kabbu explained, putting his armor on over his suit, and applying his fluff gel to slick back his fur, before putting on his helmet and his mask.

“Oh? What kind of crime?” Leif asked, closing his book and putting it aside.

“K wouldn’t tell me, but apparently they caught a criminal.” Kabbu continued.

“Are you defending them? Like in court? Can I come?” Vi asked.

“I don’t think I’m going to be defending them. Just a bit curious. And since I have permission, why not?” He says. Vi nods, before jumping down from the top bunk.

“Yeah but go with you? I haven’t been to the rubber prison in, like, four years! I have people in there that I need to go laugh at. Can I go with you? Please?” Vi begs. Kabbu sighs, before nodding. Vi smiles, grabbing her boomerang and grabbing her wallet and her other things, including the junior detective ‘badge’ she was given by Zasp.

“I’ll be here, trying to read.” Leif said, picking the book back up and opening up to a random page. Kabbu walked over, flipping the book over. “Ah, thank you.” He said with a smile.

“We’ll be back soon, just going to check it out. If you need someone, ask Ann to go ask a guard to go get Neo.” Kabbu says, before heading out, followed by Vi, who shut the door behind them.

Back to the Rubber Prison they go… he’s heard from beginner defense attorney’s that being in court is traumatizing and terrifying… but honestly, the worst part about being a defense attorney is having to go into that damned prison.

—

The Rubber Prison is as awful an experience as always. And, thanks to the electrical issue still being present, the two explorers had to take the long way around again. Kabbu grabbed Vi’s hand tightly as they passed by the cells, moving quickly and keeping his eyes focused forward, while Vi took glances at the prisoners in their cells. Kabbu didn’t even bother looking at that lady bug prisoner this time, he just kept walking as quickly as he could.

Finally, they arrived where they wanted to be, the Detention Center. A guard approached him. “Halt, sir and miss! This portion of the Rubber Prison is for officials associated with a current trial. If you are representing a client in an upcoming case, please present your Queen-signed paperwork. If you have not received any such paperwork, I will have to request that you go to the Queen of your kingdom and request one.” The guard explained. This was… new? He had never been asked to present something like that. This is probably what K was talking about, and why he gave him his business card.

“Actually, we’re here on behalf of Crime Overseer K, we’ve been given special privilege to speak to the one arrested in the crime at Defiant Root.” He says, handing over the business card. The guard takes a moment to look over the business card before letting out a long sigh.

“When is that lazy fool going to take this job seriously…” the guard mutters before stepping aside. “Please head into the third room on your right, I will bring the prisoner to you as soon as possible.” Kabbu nods, dragging Vi down the hallway and into their side of the Visitation room. Finally inside and safe, Kabbu let out a deep breath, pulling up a second chair from the corner of the room for Vi to sit in, before taking his own seat.

…

It really takes a long time for them to fetch prisoners.

…

Finally, the silence is broken when the door on the other side of the glass is opened, and a familiar looking cricket is shoved inside, before the door is locked behind him.

“WHA—YOU?!?” Vi practically yells, causing the cricket to flinch slightly, before taking a seat across from them. Astotheles, the bandit king, sits before them, his single arm attached by a handcuff to a chain and weight attached to his legs.

“Team Snakemouth. Or most of you, I see the moth isn’t here.” He says with a frown. “As servants of the Queen, you’re some of the last people I would want to see… but… it is comforting to see a face of justice in this hellish place.”

Kabbu is taken aback, unable to form words. The mighty thief, head of the bandits… he’s the fugitive they caught? “I… I hadn’t expected to see you after the ceremony… especially with all of the anti-bandit laws that all of the Kingdom’s have passed.” He managed to say. “I certainly hadn’t expected to see you here.”

“Well, I had planned to keep it that way, but… well, I got in the wrong place at the wrong time while retrieving something. A prosthetic arm, to help me aid my fellow bandits.” Astotheles explained.

“There are still bandits in the Lost Sands?” Vi asked.

“... do you expect me to tell you? I would not trust their location with soldier’s of the Queen.” He growls. Well, he did say there were bandits. Somewhere out there… though with how little he’s heard about them recently, they must be in hiding. “Well… I would like to ask why you have come to me? Did you know the victims? If so, I am very sorry.” Astotheles continues.

“No… to be honest… we didn’t really have a reason. I was curious.” Kabbu explains. “I am sorry if I got your hopes up, I don’t plan on defending you in court.” Astotheles nods.

“I didn’t expect you to. I do not deserve to be defended.” He says with a solemn look. “My only hope is that this does not last long.”

…

This is very awkward. He hadn’t expected the fugitive to be someone he knew. “Thank you for seeing me. Perhaps we will meet again in the future.” Kabbu nods, before slowly getting to his feet and walking for the door. Just as he reached for the door knob, the door opened, and he was greeted by none other than Queen Elizant.

“Elizant? What are you doing here?” Kabbu asked. She was in her full regal outfit, though she was unaccompanied and guardless.

“Kabbu. I’m glad you’re here, I need to speak to the two of you.” Elizant says, before stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. She pulls a remote out of her pocket and, with a click, turns the cameras in the room off. “I’ve received word from the prosecutor for this case that Astotheles is to be tried for the murders of Term Ite and Butomu, and the assault of Dolo Ite. Kabbu, I would like you to defend Astotheles in court tomorrow.”

“What?! Y-your majesty–!” Kabbu gasped, completely taken aback. Even Astotheles seemed surprised.

“Why would we defend this dirtbag? He nearly killed us!” Vi hissed, drawing her beemerang and pointing it at the cricket on the other side of the glass.

“I know this is sudden, and I knew you would not react well to the request, but it is of utmost importance that Astotheles is defended by you, Kabbu. If not, he will be immediately convicted and sentenced to death.” Queen Elizant explains.

“I… I’m so confused. Why would he be immediately convicted? If this is just a matter of him not having a lawyer, surely he can get a public defender?” Kabbu asked. Elizant shook her head.

“It has nothing to do with lawyers, though that would be its own separate problem. The issue is that Astotheles was not born in Defiant Root, and does not reside within any of the four kingdoms. Unlike with the previous trial you faced, where Queen Bianca ruled over the court and made sure both the defendant’s and the victim’s rights were being protected, Astotheles has no such person. Furthermore, the victim, Term Ite, is a member of the very wealthy Ite family, and his sister, Dolo Ite, is a very promising student at the Termite Kingdom’s highest school. If he were to be taken to court with a public defender, or any defense attorney that doesn’t have government status, Queen Layra would immediately declare him guilty.” She continues.

“Oh.” Vi mutters, the magnitude seeming to even dawn on her.

“So… if I don’t defend him…” Kabbu started.

“He will be convicted on two counts of first degree manslaughter, one account of assault with the intent to kill, and three counts of armed robbery, and would be promptly and publicly executed.” Queen Elizant concluded. “Kabbu, I ask you this not as your Queen, but as your friend. I know this is a monumental favor to ask, but if it is possible for him to receive a fair trial for his crimes, it will be with you at his side.”

Kabbu could only stand there, taken aback. “I… I am not sure. He did nearly kill us in the past… and only a few minutes ago he said he didn’t want to see us because we’re your explorers. Why do you want us to defend him? I assumed you two were at odds with each other.”

“That… that is not something I can tell you.” Elizant answered, looking almost shameful for a moment. “But even if he has hurt my people, and even if he did commit this awful crime, it is unjust that he not be given a fair trial.” Kabbu nodded. “Please, Kabbu. I cannot imagine how upset the idea of defending a bandit must make you, but I need you to do this.”

“Well, we don’t want to!” Vi huffs, crossing her arms. “This guy is a real jerk! Kabbu would never defend him!”

Kabbu takes a moment to think, and the diary he found in Astotheles’s room is unearthed from his memories. He thinks back to his first case, to Hoaxe. He made up his mind. “I’ll do it.” He said with confidence.

“W-WHAT?!” Vi gasped. “What the hell Kabbu!”

“I know he has hurt people, and that he has done awful deeds in the past, but… but…” But what? Why? How does he put it into words?“He… he may have not given mercy to bugs in the past, and he almost killed us… and I can’t say if he’s changed since then… but… he has no one, no one to defend him or give him a fighting chance. He deserves to at least be given the chance to show his innocence!” Kabbu explained.

Queen Elizant nodded. “I’m grateful that you understand.” She takes a side glance at Astotheles. “If anyone is to ask, I was never here, and I was not the one to encourage you to take this case, okay? Thank you, my loyal knights, and my closest friends.” She says, before pulling the remote out and turning the cameras back on, before leaving.

“Astotheles.” Kabbu says, slamming his hands down and getting the crickets attention. “Will you allow us to defend you in court tomorrow?” He asks.

Astotheles thinks for a moment, giving them a side glance, before looking at the door to the room, as if hoping it would swing open and grant him an escape. “Yes.”

“Great! Now can we get out of here?” Vi asks.

Kabbu shook his head. “I need to ask some more questions, first, if you would be willing to answer.”

~The Incident~

“So… what do you know about the incident?” He asked.

“Two bugs are dead, and someone is heavily injured. I had nothing to do with any of it, I was only in the market to retrieve my order from the blacksmith, Butomu. It’s an order that’s been in the making for years now. As long as there were no bandit incidents, she would make me a prosthetic arm… but when I got there… she was already dead, and then I was apprehended.” Astotheles explained.

“So you aren’t related to this incident at all? Save for one of the victims?” Kabbu asked. The cricket opened his mouth as if to speak, but hesitated. “Do you know something about the other victims?” He questioned. Astotheles said nothing. Maybe he’ll have to come back to that later…

~~The Victims~~

“Astotheles. You clearly know more than you’re letting on. We can’t help you if you don’t tell us everything you can.” Kabbu said.

“I… I know of the surviving victim. Dolo Ite. She’s a very talented doctor. A few years back she dropped all of her classes in engineering to take up medicine, and quickly rose to the top of her class. She makes frequent trips to Defiant Root, to purchase medicine from Isau. We have talked on few occasions, but she clearly did not know who I am.” He explains.

“I see… did you talk to her enough to know if anyone would want her or her brother dead?” Kabbu asked. Astotheles shook his head. That… didn’t lead anywhere. But perhaps that was important somehow? He would have to keep it in mind.

~Regrets~

“Do you regret doing all those awful things now? People died because of you, you know!” Vi yells, interrupting their conversation.

“Vi, please be respectful, we’re supposed to be defending him.” Kabbu requests, earning a huff from Vi.

“If I were given the chance, I would not have killed.” He says, with some shame in his voice. “But stealing… stealing supplies was necessary. My people needed food, warmth in the cold, water in the heat, weapons to protect us from the scorpions.” He says. “But none of that would have been necessary if she had approved our settlement! We could have had a safe place for my people, where we could trade and farm and live in solitude away from the rest of the world that had done us wrong! If I were given a second chance, I would not change my ways. I would have given them mercy, yes, but the supplies of one traveling trader fed the entire hideout for weeks. This was the only way we could have lived”

“The past is in the past. He can’t change his actions even if he wanted to, but what he can do is try to change for the better.” Kabbu says. “Thank you for your cooperation. If we have more questions, we’ll be sure to come back.”

Astotheles nods. “Thank you, Team Snakemouth. Good Luck.”

Chapter 4: Junior Investigator

Summary:

Vi begins her second investigation, but this time without her senior investigator.

Defiant Root looked… well, exactly as it did when he was here only a few hours ago. Everyone was moved away from the marketplace, and had set up their shops, and the residents of Defiant Root continued on with their daily lives. Tourists and bees came down and bought products, as if there had not been a murder. Was it truly this common? It looked a lot like the previous crime scene, all done up and covered in bright red tape with the words “DO NOT CROSS. OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION.” written across it. The first thing Kabbu noticed before he had even entered the crime scene was the distinct lack of ants in uniforms. Where were K’s men? When he attempted to enter the crime scene the day before yesterday, it was swarming with ants, but… there’s no one here, save for Crime Scene Investigator K, standing alone at the very edge of the crime scene, eyes focused on the boundary that the tape created.

“He looks lonely. And upset.” Vi commented, pointing at K. “I hope he isn’t a jerk today, so you can finally get a look at a REAL crime scene.” She adds with a smile.

“Honestly… I’m hoping I don’t have to see a real crime scene… blood makes me queasy.” Kabbu admits.

“Wha—? Then why’d you become an adventurer? Adventuring is all about blood and fighting and death and all those cool things!”

“No… it’s about adventuring, helping others, I haven’t had to seriously hurt anyone in any mission before.” Kabbu rejects. “Let’s… not talk about death and get to the scene.” He says, before approaching K. The bullet ant is sipping on an iced coffee, seemingly having realized that drinking steaming hot coffee is possibly more pain than it's worth. As always, he reeks of peppermint. The candy cane that hangs out of his mouth is starting to melt due to the intense heat of Defiant Root. He looks rather upset, with a slight frown on his face.

When Kabbu and Vi approach, he puts his hand out. “Hold it, no civilians on the crime scene.” K says. “And especially no defense attorneys, and more especially a completely unrelated lawyer. Let the officials get this scene detected, yeah?”

“Well… I didn’t expect to be let onto the scene, sorry Vi. I actually wanted to talk to you about something, if that's okay.” Kabbu says.

K shakes his head. “Nah, I don’t have the time to talk. If you have something to ask me, send an official complaint and it’ll eventually make its way to me.” Well… K will be K, he supposes. “Junior Detective Vi, glad to see you’ve arrived on time, unlike that lazy wasp. He’ll be here eventually, I’m sure, but since we are a bit short staffed at the moment, I would appreciate it if you stop standing there and do your job.”

“It's not even my job!” Vi whines, but she still pulls her badge out of her bag and attaches it to her fluff, before pulling a clipboard and pen out of the tiny bag. K steps aside and allows her to pass, before moving back in the way. Kabbu clears his throat, but K simply puts his hand up, before turning around. Gosh! Rude! Well, he supposes he can go home and take a nap… or he could go investigate some more… or he could go take a nap. Yeah, he’s taking a nap.

—

Vi enters the crime scene with a small bit of hesitance. There… there was no one here. The small marketplace that she had never seen as anything but packed full of people… and now it was completely empty, save for two obvious puddles of blood, some clothes and tents where traders usually set up shop, and some footprints in the sand. It’s surprisingly all well preserved… better than the last scene, but that might be because none of K’s men are here. Maybe it would be a good idea to ask K why none of his men are here?

…

Is she supposed to start an investigation without Zasp? Should she wait for him to arrive, or should she get started? Doesn’t she need a camera to photograph everything at the crime scene? And should she approach K again? Will he get frustrated like Malbee does whenever she asks too many questions? Well… she supposes she can start the investigation as long as she doesn’t touch anything, right?

 

--Begin Investigation?--

She should probably get the autopsy report from K before she starts looking around, and maybe ask him a few questions while she’s at it. Crime Scene Overseer K is standing where he was before, not having moved an inch, mind seemingly elsewhere at the moment as his eyes drifted lazily across the scene before them. She waves a hand in front of him to get his attention. “What’s up, kid? You got a problem?” He asks.

“No… I just had a few questions.” She answers.

K takes another sip of his iced coffee. “Shoot. I’ve got nothing better to do than answer some questions.”

~Autopsy Report~

“Could I get the autopsy report? I think it would be easier to look for clues if I knew what I was looking for.” She asks.

“Sure. I got it right here.” He says, pulling a few pieces of paper from the pocket of his cloak. She attaches them to her investigative clipboard. “First victim, Term Ite, died by blunt force trauma to the head. He was probably hit by something hard, like a rock. Face down in the sand. Dead on arrival. The second victim, Butomu, died by multiple stab wounds to the chest. The knife was still buried in the victim’s chest when the officials arrived at the scene. No blood on the handle, yatta yatta, you know the deal. She was also still alive when they found her, but she passed before they could get her any help. The third victim, Dolo Ite, was knocked unconscious by a heavy impact, but is thankfully still alive. She was laying on her back when they found her.” K explains.

What a bloodbath! It made Vi queasy just thinking about it, and looking at all of the blood stained sand only made her want to throw up more. Maybe Kabbu was right, and death isn’t as cool as she thinks it is. “Do they know who died first?” She asks.

K shook his head. “Nope. Scar is going to figure that out by tomorrow, so you’ll get your answers then.” He explains. Monsieur Scarlet is going to be prosecuting this case, huh? She thinks she remembers Kabbu saying something about that… or maybe it was the other way around? Eh, it probably isn’t important.

~Crime Scene Overseer’s Bad Mood~

“Um… are you okay? You seem upset.” Vi asked.

K sighed, pulling the brim of his hat down. “You could say I’m a little upset. Thanks to yesterday’s conclusion, I’ve lost everything. My men… my pride… my pay… I’m most upset about the case, though. That stupid prosecutor. He had it in the bag and he fumbled and cost us both.”

“What do you mean you lost your men? Aren’t you the head of the investigation bureau or something like that?” Vi asks.

“Yeah, but I’ve got higher ups. They didn’t like the mess up with my boys not finding the second letter, and demanded that everyone who helped on that case be fired immediately, which, of course, was everyone. It hurts to see them go, but I’ve dug this hole and now I must lie in it.” He explains.

“And your pay?”

“From twenty-seven berries an hour down to fourteen. Don’t know how I can support four kids on fourteen berries an hour but I’ll figure it out.” He continues. Four kids?! He doesn’t look like the type of person to have kids, much less more than one. Vi tries to imagine smaller Ks but she can’t imagine it. K answers her confusion by showing her a photo of six ants. K, kneeling beside four ants, the oldest of which can’t be more than seven. Next to them is a pink ant with their face scratched out. “Len, Owen, Maxwell, and Dante. They’re all balls of energy.”

Vi nods. Well… now she’s curious about how yesterday’s case was so bad. They found the truth, right? So surely that's the best outcome? And why would K’s boss make him fire everyone over a mistake? Not even the Bee Kingdom is that harsh!

~~Yesterday’s Case~~

“Um… could I ask you about yesterday’s case? I didn’t think you and Monsieur Scarlet did that bad, so why did you get in trouble for it?” Vi asks.

K lets out a chuckle. “If you think I got in trouble for it, you should see Scar. Prick got what he deserves.” The Crime Scene Overseer says with a smile, before it is quickly replaced with a frown. “Yesterday was supposed to be an easy win, for both me and that prosecutor. But he messed it up. He lost the case, allowing a not guilty verdict. He’s a crap prosecutor if he can’t even win a case that easy.”

“What do you mean by that? Isn’t the goal to find the truth? How is he losing if the innocent person was innocent? And why would anyone want an innocent person put in jail?” She questions.

“You just don’t get it, kid. It’s our job, me and Scar’s, to find these people guilty through any means necessary. Just like it’s that defense attorney’s job to prove people innocent. Their actual guilt or innocence doesn’t mean crap, yeah? It’s just the job.” K explains.

That… that doesn’t seem right. Why… Why would anyone want to get an innocent person proven guilty? In H.B.’s case, she was only almost found guilty because the truth was obstructed… but would she have been found guilty regardless of if the truth was obvious? If K got a bug locked away for a crime they didn’t commit… maybe she should ask him something else, to get her mind off of this. The more she thinks about it, the more upset it makes her.

~Monsieur Scarlet~

“So… what’s your connection with the prosecutor again? Monsieur Scarlet?” Vi asks.

“Old acquaintance. We fell out when he got arrested. The disgusting bastard really thought anyone would even tolerate him after all of the people he hurt. I would have preferred to never see him again, but fate had different plans I suppose. He’s a disgusting person.” K explained.

Hmmm… something about that statement feels off. Is he really just an old acquaintance? “In that photo of your kids you showed me… is that him on the right? Monsieur Scarlet? I haven’t seen many pink ants in Bugaria so it stuck out to me.” She questioned.

K pulled down the brim of his hat and said nothing for a long moment. “I would prefer you not dig into my personal life, yeah? But… if you’re gonna be a worm about it I suppose I should explain, but only so that you can never say anything about it again. Monsieur Scarlet is my ex-husband. Way back when we ran into a spot of financial problems, and he started robbing people… and when I found out I kicked him out of our house. Went to court to make sure he couldn’t come near my kids ever again. I don’t want someone like him ruining them. A few months later they found a body in that pass that he robbed people in, and I immediately knew it was him. I despise criminals more than anything in the world. And even if I had, at one point, had feelings for him. All of that ended the moment he brought in those stolen berries.” K concludes, averting his gaze.

“Wow… I’m… sorry for digging that up.” Vi says. She hopes he never finds out about the time she stole someone’s berry pouch… but that was before Team Snakemouth! She would never do that now, she had food and money and a house.

~The Surviving Victim~

“So… I think you mentioned one of the victims surviving? Dolo Ite or something like that?” Vi asked.

K nodded. “Yeah, Dolo Ite. Got clubbed on the head but managed to survive with only a minor fracture. We’ve got her down at the station, so when she recovers, we can question her and get this bandit behind bars once and for all.” He explains.

“Is Dolo Ite alright? I can’t imagine how horrible it must be to lose a sibling.” Vi says.

“Not just a sibling, a twin. They’re exactly alike. I imagine she feels like a half of a whole right now. When she woke up, she was incredibly distressed. She stared at the floor for a while after that.” K answers, pulling down the brim of his hat. That poor girl… Vi can barely imagine how she would react if Jaune died. But this only helps motivate her. She needs to help find that murderer so they can be brought to justice!

“Um… Mr. K, aren’t I supposed to take pictures of the crime scene? Before I touch it and stuff?” Vi asks. “I’m not a very good artist so I don’t think I could draw anything here, do you have a camera or something I can borrow?”

“A camera? How do you know about cameras? That’s supposed to be confidential information.” K growls.

“My mom invented it. Well, not really invented, but she improved the design and made the film cheaper, I think.” Vi explains.

“Ah… the scientist, yeah? H.B.? I’ll make sure to put a complaint in with her. She shouldn’t be spouting important information like that.” K mutters to himself. “Eh, screw it. I’ve got a model of the camera. Old kind, my higher up won’t buy me the kind that uses cheap film so I’m gonna bill your mom if you use too much, yeah?” He says, pulling a pretty large bag out of his coat and hands it to Vi.

It’s an old satchel with an adjustable strap, kind of like those purses she sees rich bugs on Metal Island carry around. She slings it over her shoulder and adjusts it so that it isn’t dragging across the ground. Okay… let's see if she can figure this out. She knows that H.B. taught her how to use it, but it’s definitely been a while. She pulls the camera out of the bag, and presses the button on its side, causing the film box to slide out. Taking one of the slips, she feeds it into the camera through a slit on the top, using the crank on the side to pull it into place. When it clicks, she knows she’s ready to take her first photo! She turns it around and smiles, pressing the button, only to be blinded by a bright flash of light.

“I said don’t waste the film!” K hisses, but quickly grabs Vi’s shoulder to stop her from falling over. “And watch out for that flash, it’s hella bright.” He adds. Vi blinks a few times, until her vision comes back, and gives K a nod. The flash, right. She forgot old cameras had that.

She takes a picture of the whole crime scene to start with, before approaching the blood stained sand and taking a photo of each. One of them is close to the blacksmith building, and the other is right next to where Neil sells his ice. There are some objects here and there… she should probably start from the far left, near Crispbee’s bakery. Taking a peek inside, she sees nothing of interest. “Hey! Don’t go into any of the shops, unless it’s part of the crime scene.” K yells. Well… she supposes that’s fair… wait… no? That doesn’t even make sense! She’s supposed to investigate everything and she can’t investigate anything that isn’t this sandy marketplace?

Vi grumbles to herself but moves on. She approaches one of the victim's imprints in the sand and takes a photo of it, before crouching down beside it to get a closer look. The bloodstains in the sand are located all around the head region, just like the autopsy report for Term Ite said. But… despite that, it almost looks like some of the blood is… missing? There’s a deeper imprint just above where the head should be, but it’s void of blood. She makes a note of the strange, box shaped imprint. If it were still here, one of its six corners would surely be pointing directly up. She takes a photo of it, but when she looks at the photo she notices something strange. There’s a small corner of what almost looks like cloth poking out of the sand. She looks at the imprint and finds that it’s here in real life as well! Grabbing the corner, she pulls until the entire cloth comes loose. It’s… a partially bloody bright pink scarf of some sort? Vi takes a picture of it on the sand before folding it up and making a note of it. Just as she’s about to put it away, she feels a lump in it. Unraveling it, a bell falls out, hitting the ground with a soft thunk. What’s this doing here? She picks it up and gives it a shake, but it makes no sound. She shoves it in her pocket and makes a note of it. She’ll be sure to hand these all over to K after the investigation.

Also laying next to the body was a satchel of some sort, similar to the camera bag K had handed her. She took a separate photo of the bag before carefully lifting it and moving it away from the sandy imprint. Inside the bag were bottles of medicines, antiseptics, bandages, and several tiny bottles labeled ‘Isau’s Miracle Cure’. She knew what that was! She had helped Isau get the materials needed to make it! But… Why did it have a Termite Kingdom label on it? And what was it doing here? And why did the price tag read four thousand berries?! Isau said that it would be cheap and affordable to everyone! Vi put the bottles back in the bag and made a note of it.

But what should she look at next? There admittedly isn’t much here… maybe she could find something in one of the buildings? Even though K told her not to go in there? Maybe she could sneak in? Vi looks behind her, at K who is currently staring directly at her, before stepping across the threshold into the building she had always seen Butomu in. “Vi. What did I tell you about going into the buildings? That’s private property.” He yells.

“But what if there’s evidence inside? I can’t pass up possible evidence!” She yells back.

“If I let you in there, then you’re going to ask to go into the next shop, and then the next shop, and the next one. No going into shops, and that's final.” Vi wilts at that. But… what if there's something important in there?! She can’t just not collect the evidence! She stares at K with her upset glare, the one that she uses on Kabbu and Leif to get them to buy her ice cream. “Ugh… fine. But only if you can see it from here. I’m not allowing you to ransack the place.” He sighs. Yes! It worked! Vi looks out into the shop, eyes focused, looking for anything of interest.

“There’s a big box hidden in the corner; can I grab it?” She asks. K sighs and nods, so she quickly runs into the shop, taking a photo of the box, before running back outside. Of course, she made sure to quickly look over the rest of the building, but nothing really stuck out like this strange box. It was rectangular, with a piece of parchment slipped under a ribbon tied around the middle of it. Vi carefully pulled the paper out, scanning through it. It was a receipt for three thousand berries, and whatever was in this wooden box was from Butomu, and to Astotheles. Strange that Astotheles would even have his name on an official document… surely that could get him in trouble? What if some guards found out?

Vi carefully opens the box, which is secured by a simple and loose latch, something that could easily be opened by someone with one hand. Inside is… a metal contraption of some sort? It almost looks like Engira’s claw, but an entire arm. Was this supposed to be a replacement arm for Astotheles? Cause he is missing an arm? Maybe that’s why he was in Defiant Root in the first place! Vi makes a note on her clipboard about the mechanical prosthetic arm, before making her way back outside.

And that's when she realizes that she’s made a major mistake. There are footprints, everywhere, all over the sand, but… how many are from her? That’s probably super important to solving this mystery! And she ruined it!

Wait… she has the crime scene photo! Vi goes through the photos attached to her clipboard, eventually finding the first one she took. In the undisturbed crime scene, there appears to be about six trails of footsteps… that's a lot of bugs walking through a murder scene! One ends at the blood stain in front of the blacksmith place. One comes onto the scene from the direction of the discreet market before immediately going. Another very light trail goes through the scene to where the strange imprint is before going straight into the wall. The other five walked all over the place… it was difficult to make any sense of them.

Well… that's pretty much it. What else could she even find? And where’s Zasp?! She hasn’t seen him at all! He should be here by now! Vi grumbles, looking down at her feet and crossing her arms, when she notices a small, focused point of light on her knee, almost like sunlight through a magnifying glass. She looks up, to the rooftops of the marketplace, and she spots what looks like… a diamond?! Holy shhhhoot! That’s a full on gemstone! Like a diamond gemstone! Like the one she saw a while ago in Tory’s museum! Vi snaps a picture of it, before flying up a few feet to grab the gemstone off of the roof. What’s it doing up here? And who would leave it here? Surely this was worth a ton of berries! Vi makes a note about it in her journal.

Well… with that amazing discovery, that’s probably the best she can do! She’s ready to argue with Crime Scene Overseer K!

Chapter 5: Getting the Facts Straight (And Paying a Visit to Bugaria's Department of Law)

Summary:

Vi argues with Prosecutor Scarlet and Crime Scene Investigator K on the facts of the crime scene.

Meanwhile, Kabbu tries to get an early hearing of the witnesses tesitimony.

With the crime scene mostly investigated, it was time for the argument. Unless she missed something, or if this kind of argument isn’t usual, and K was just being rude last time. And last time Monsieur Scarlet was here… but he definitely wasn’t here now. So, does she just go tell K that she finished the investigation? And where is Zasp during all of this?!? She’s only a junior investigator! She shouldn’t have to be doing all of this on her own!

She should probably hand over the evidence she’s collected to K. That’s definitely the first step, and the one thing she knows she did last time when she handed over the second note. Approaching K, she clears her throat to get his attention. “I think I’ve finished my investigation, Mr. K. What do I do now?” She asked.

“Well, you’ll hand over your photographs so I can get them filed, yeah? And then once I’ve verified everything, I’ll collect the evidence and have it put in a safe place.” K explained. Vi nodded, before handing over her photos and returning the camera.

“I also have this box with some sort of arm in it? It says it's for Astotheles, from Butomu, it’s got a big fee tag on it.” Vi explains, handing the box over. K nods, not very interested in whatever this contraption is. “I’ve got a gemstone? I found it on the roof?” She says, handing it over, this object also meet with uninterest. Oh come on! This is a rare looking gem! It’s super cool! He can at least try to not be a jerk about it! “And I got this as well. I pulled it out of the sand and couldn’t put it back, so I thought it would be better to just give it to you.” Vi explains, handing over the bloody cloth as well. “There was also a little bell wrapped in it, but it won’t make any noise.”

“Well well, what do we have here?” K said, taking it out of Vi’s hands, the cloth suddenly sparking curiosity in his eyes. “I don’t know anything about clothes, but I know Scar is a big fan of ‘em. I’ll have to ask him when he finally shows his face.” The bullet ant says with a smirk, pulling out a plastic bag out of his trench coat to put the cloth and bell in.

“Sorry I’m late.” Monsieur Scarlet says as he approaches. He’s still in his suit, which now has a noticeable stain on it, and judging by the bruise he has on his mandibles, the battered eye, and the cut down the side of his face, it's safe to say that the stain on his suit is blood. “I got… held up with previous engagements.” He says, turning his body sideways when he realizes that Vi is staring at the blood on his suit.

“And speak of the devil’s lapdog, here he is!” K laughs, and when he notices the blood, he laughs louder. K must really hate him, because even Vi feels a little bad for Monsieur Scarlet. The way his carapace is split on his face looks painful. Just a little though, he is still an awful person. “Just in time to look at some evidence. You have thirty minutes and then I’m going to make you argue with this kid over here, cause it doesn’t feel right to yell at a kid without someone else to back me up.” He explains. Monsieur Scarlet nods, before limping off into the crime scene, using his umbrella as a walking stick of sorts to support his right leg.

Now she just has to sit here awkwardly and wait for the ant to slowly observe the crime scene…

…

Gosh, he’s so slow! Can’t he walk any faster?!

…

After half an hour of Monsieur Scarlet slowly limping around the crime scene and staring at things, he eventually returned. “I’ve seen enough, I’m ready to get this over with.” He says. He really does look miserable, maybe he should take a seat? Or go to a doctor or something?

“Wonderful, let's get this argument started.” K said with a smile, continuing to ignore Monsieur Scarlet’s condition, pulling a second candy cane out of his coat now that the one in his mouth had mostly melted.

–Crime Scene Discoveries–

“First of all, what I think is obvious is that one of these deaths led to the other. No evidence or possibility of there being a second perpetrator, and with how close they are they must be connected,” K continues. “What is very likely is that Butomu died first, yeah? Stabbed in the chest when the perpetrator realized that he wasn’t allowed here. Butomu might have tried to call for help when Astotheles arrived,” K hypothesized.

“The perpetrator was most certainly interrupted, or they wouldn’t have left their knife within the victim’s chest,” Monsieur Scarlet added.

Crime Scene Overseer K nods in agreement. “The two termites hear the call of help and rush to the aid of the victim, only for one of them to meet their grizzly end and the other to survive by sheer luck.” K concluded.

Vi nodded along. Okay, this was a good argument, but she could already see some glaring problems in the two ants testimony. “Is that all?” She asked.

“All for now. I’m sure this fool over here will come up with something more tomorrow.” K says, stirring his ice coffee with his candy cane.

“Okay, well, I don’t think I’ll have a hard time disproving this then.” Vi said confidently.

K chuckled at her confidence. “Then get to it, Ms. Junior Investigator.” He laughed, taking another sip from his coffee

–Fixing the Facts–

(First of all, what I think is obvious is that one of these deaths led to the other. No evidence or possibility of there being a second perpetrator, and with how close they are they must be connected,)

“Are you sure there's no evidence?” Vi asks.

“Yeah? I didn’t see anything that would suggest any other conclusion.” K said with a nod.

“Well, what about that gemstone I found on the roof? It doesn’t seem plausible that it just ended up up there.” Vi asks.

“That,” K starts. “Is a good point.”

“No, it’s not a good point at all. The evidence here shows that both victims were found where they died, which is present by the blood and the imprints. If someone were to enter the marketplace and see two bodies, their first reaction would not be to enter the marketplace, it would be to turn tail and run.” Monsieur Scarlet corrects.

“That,” K continues. “Is a better point.” Okay, she should make a note about that. The victims weren’t moved, or there would be signs of that, and they had to have seen each other.

(What is very likely is that Butomu died first, yeah? Stabbed in the chest when the perpetrator realized that he wasn’t allowed here. Butomu might have tried to call for help when Astotheles arrived,)

“Are… are you sure that’s how it went down? That doesn’t seem very likely.” Vi asked.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense to me. If I saw a criminal walking up to me, I’d give them a piece of my mind.” K explains. Vi thinks on this.

“You previously said that the victim wouldn’t have run into the marketplace if there was a body there, but would they still run in if there was someone injured? Especially since there were two of them, if someone had to go run up and fight the perpetrator, why didn’t the other go to get help?” Vi questioned.

K thought for a moment. “Well, Ms. Dolo was carrying a big bag of bandages and medicine, yeah? One of them rushes to fight off the attacker, the other rushes in to help the wounded. The attacker hits Dolo Ite across the head, knocking her out, and then hits the other in the back of the head, killing him.” He explains. Darn it… that makes a lot of sense as well.

(The perpetrator was most certainly interrupted, or they wouldn’t have left their knife within the victim’s chest,)

“You aren’t going to get mad this time that he interrupted you?” Vi asks K. The Crime Scene Overseer shrugs.

“He’s giving some helpful additions to the conversation. And I think seeing him try to talk with that busted mandible is pretty funny.” K says. “Anyways, if you can’t disprove the statement, can we move on to something else? This is starting to get a little boring.”

Vi scratches her head in thought. “How can we be sure that the knife belongs to Astotheles? If it's bought from somewhere like the Bee Kingdom, then he couldn’t have obtained it.” She questions.

“They don’t sell knives in the Bee Kingdom, I would have expected an ex resident of the Bee Kingdom to know that.” Monsieur Scarlet says with a frown.

“This particular knife, the one found in the victim, is from the Termite Kingdom. We know this because of the logo on the knife, a logo for the company ‘Dr. Blade’s Blades’. This brand is only sold in the Termite Kingdom.” K explains.

“Then how did Astotheles get one? If he couldn’t have gotten the murder weapon, then he couldn’t have done the crime!” Vi hisses.

“Calm down there, kid. There’s a very simple explanation, and it's Butomu. She recently bought a box of some of Dr. Blades’s finest blades. She gave a couple to a nearby bar, Nish’s bar, and we managed to round up the rest of them. We collected thirty-nine of them, and the fortieth knife was in Butomu’s chest.” K explains.

“Do you know where the knife that killed Butomu came from? Like who Butomu gave it to?” She asks. K shakes his head. Vi groans. How is she supposed to help Kabbu prove Astotheles innocent if she can’t even argue right?

(The two termites hear the call of help and rushed to the aid of the victim, only for one of them to meet their grizzly end and the other to survive by sheer luck)

“That… that seems about right…” Vi grumbles, burnt out from all of the thinking she’s trying to do. What can she even say? What evidence is there to throw at them? She can’t lose her second argument… she needs to prove something, anything, that could give them a foot in the door of proving Asotheles innocent.

“Ready to give up? We can call it quits now if you aren’t feeling up to the argument.” K taunts. “And don’t forget that bet, Scar. Fifty berries she’d give up before her third investigation.” He continues.

Monsieur Scarlet grumbles, handing over the fifty berries. “What do I need them for, I can’t even spend them anywhere…” What is that supposed to mean? Oh! Oh yeah, sometimes she forgets that a lot of the places around Bugaria refuse you if you have a criminal record.

Wait… that's it!

(What is very likely is that Butomu died first, yeah? Stabbed in the chest when the perpetrator realized that he wasn’t allowed here. Butomu might have tried to call for help when Astotheles arrived,)

“Hold it!” Vi yells. “What you just said is completely wrong! Asotheles doesn’t even have a motivation to kill!” She says with a smug smile.

“Now you’re just grasping at straws. We already went over this, Asotheles got mad and stabbed Butomu cause the bug wouldn’t sell him anything. The right call, too. Don’t want to get mixed up with criminals.” K rejects.

“But that's where you’re wrong. Butomu has already worked with Astotheles, and the proof is right here!” Vi says, presenting the mechanical arm.

“A… wooden box? With a piece of paper on it?” Monsieur Scarlet questions.

“What’s more important here is the contents! It’s a mechanical arm, made by Butomu specifically for Asotheles!” She explains. “If Butomu didn’t want anything to do with bandits, why would she agree to make something for someone who is well known as the head of the bandits? Especially without informing the guards or anyone who could help him if things went south? Clearly there was a level of trust between them, one that wouldn’t be randomly broken.”

“Ack!” Monsieur Scarlet yelps, recoiling.

Crime Scene Investigator K grips his mug too tightly, causing it to shatter. “That… dammit.” He groans in defeat, handing one hundred berries over to Monsieur Scarlet. “My boss isn’t going to be happy hearing about this.” He mutters to himself. Heck yeah! She did it! She won! Kabbu is going to be happy to hear about this!

Speaking of the beetle, where is he right now?

—

Kabbu wished he was in bed napping right now. He doesn’t want to be going to the headquarters for the Bugaria Department of Law, but he needs to. If there is a tiny chance that he can speak to the surviving victim, he must take it, and according to the small amount of research he did on the BDL, they do keep witnesses, both injured and healthy, here until the trial is over. So, if there is any place that he might be able to find this witness, it would be here.

The building is located in the lower portions of the Ant Kingdom, which he somehow didn’t know existed until now. He tries the door, only to find that it's locked. Well, that’s odd, surely a prosecutor's office would have a lobby for people to request their services. He knocks on the door to the BDL and waits patiently for someone to open it.

No response… Maybe he should knock again?

Still no response. He knocks a third time, and finally hears approaching footsteps, and a moment later the door opens. Kabbu is greeted by a very oddly dressed dragonfly. Their carapace is a rather bluish lime green, and they’re wearing a cape, shoulder pads, a white jacket of some kind, and black pants. At their hip is… some kind of strange looking tool that reminds him of the crossbows he’s seen the termite guards use. They wear an eyepatch over one eye, and carry a strange glass helmet under their arm. “Oh. You aren’t Prosecutor Scar. What’re you doing here?” The dragonfly asks, their hand in an open position above the holster on their hip, as if they’re ready to grab it.

“I’m Defense Attorney Kabbu. I was hoping to speak to any witnesses in the trial of Astotheles. I’ll be representing him in court tomorrow.” Kabbu explains, eyes focused on the tool at the dragonfly’s waist and not at the bug’s eyes.

The dragonfly nods. “I see. Though I doubt you haven’t heard of me, my name is Captain Daxy. I’m the other prosecutor in Bugaria. If you’ve ever been in court for a lawsuit, then you’ve been a client of mine.” Daxy explains. Interesting… Kabbu has never really met any other prosecutors besides Scarlet and Mothiva… though he doesn’t think Mothiva really counts. It wouldn’t hurt to ask this bug some questions, right?

~Captain Daxy~

“So, you’re a captain? May I ask of what?” Kabbu asks.

“You really don’t know me?” Daxy asks.

“I’m afraid I don’t, I’ve never been in court for a lawsuit. I’ve only been in court for work.” Kabbu explains.

Daxy nods. “I’m the captain of the Submersible Seven, the first and only ship to reach the bottom of Lake Bugaria and return to the surface. When I’m not working on a case, I’m aiding the termites in their next project: The Supermersible One, where we will reach the clouds, and then the stars beyond.” He explains, puffing out his chest in pride.

“You’ve been to the bottom of the lake?! That– that’s incredible! I’ve been on one of those Submersible vehicles, but I didn’t know that they were capable of a feat so incredible!” Kabbu said. “What did it look like down there? Is it true that there is life at the very bottom of the lake?” He asked.

“It is true, though the creatures down there are too strange to describe. Lacking in eyes and with far too many limbs, it seems some crawl while others swim, with no need for air and no fear of drowning, never once seeing the light above. As for the bottom of the lake, it is pitch black, and the brightest lights of the Bee Kingdom were barely enough to keep it at bay while the scientists on board took notes.” Daxy explains.

“That’s fascinating! I must tell Vi about this, she would find it just as incredible!” Kabbu says. He could imagine the look of confusion and wonder on her face, and then she’d say that she’s going on the next ship to the bottom of the lake so she can fight the creatures down there. Kabbu passively thinks of the Tidal Wyrm that he and his friends defeated. Did it originally reside in the depths of the lake?

“Ah, are you acquainted with Junior Investigator Vi? My college, Detective K, made a bet on her giving up her career. Judging by the fact that you’re here, I believe the ant owes me fifty berries.” Kabbu has no clue how to respond to that.

~Bugaria’s Department of Law~

“So, you said that you were the other prosecutor? Do you mean to say that there are only two prosecutors in all of Bugaria?” Kabbu asks.

“Well, there were three, but you truly can’t call Prosecutor Mothiva a prosecutor, she didn’t work with the Bugaria Department of Law, and she only ever took two cases, one on a copyright trial, and the other on a treason trial. We don’t do that here. We don’t choose our cases; we have to take everything given to us. Thankfully we don’t get much crime in Bugaria to begin with, and most trials end after a day, at most two, so I’m never too busy. I cover everything that doesn’t involve violence. Murder trials are much rarer, but assaults aren’t. Prosecutor Scar works on all of those.” He explains.

“Interesting. Is it just the two of you? Or are there more members of the BDL?” Kabbu asks.

“There are a few more. Arioch is the head of the department. Investigator K, or as he is currently referred to, Crime Scene Overseer K, is the head of investigation. There is a doctor that works for us sometimes. There are a few detectives, other investigators, but a lot of them were laid off recently. And then there’s… him.” Daxy explains.

“Why were they laid off? And who is ‘him’?” Kabbu questions, receiving only silence from the prosecutor. Maybe he should ask K next time he sees him.

~~Him~~

“If I may ask, who is this ‘him’ you mentioned earlier?” Kabbu asks.

“‘He’ is Loki Tanoo. He’s the Secondary Court prosecutor.” Daxy explains. Secondary… Court? What does that even mean? Daxy can clearly see the confusion in his eyes, as he lets out a tired sigh. “You’ve been to a trial before, right? Scar told me you beat him in the trial yesterday, so you have to have. Did they announce the criminal's sentence at the end of the trial?” The dragonfly asks.

“Well… I don’t think a specific sentence was told, but the Queen did say that she would keep the victim’s admission in mind when deciding their sentence.” Kabbu says. This is all very strange now that he’s really taking a look at it. Back in the North the judge would decide the sentence to the guilty party right then and there in the courtroom. And he had never even heard of this Secondary Court before, and he had read all the law textbooks he could find!

“Well, that’s because the criminal, who has by this point been proven in court as guilty, is sent to the Secondary Court, where they will be heard by a set of six bugs called a ‘jury’, one from the Ant Kingdom, one from the Bee Kingdom, one from the Termite Kingdom, one from the Wasp Kingdom, a roach, and one other bug picked at random. A different prosecutor and defense attorney will argue the level of guilt that the criminal has. Now, the Queen who rules over the innocent party has a decision to make at this point as well. She gives a minimum number of years that the criminal must serve. That butterfly yesterday, Cartes, is currently being heard. She has a minimum of forty years for her sentence.” He explains.

“But… a few days ago, my friend Leif was convicted of treason, and the Queen decided his sentence before the court was adjourned. He wasn’t even sent to the Secondary Court.” Kabbu said.

“That was a special occasion. The Secondary Court is meant to take strain off of the queens. That queen chose to do all of the paperwork herself so that the case wouldn’t get to Secondary Court. Your friend is a hell of a lucky bug. Tanoo is ruthless when in court, he always gets the jury to agree on a sentence well over the minimum. I’m imagining your friend could’ve gotten… fifty years in prison for that, if not an execution.” Daxy concludes. Wow… Leif really is lucky. He needs to remember to thank Queen Vanessa later!

~Other Defense Attorneys?~

“I never knew that there were more prosecutors, but I suppose that only makes sense. Are there more defense attorneys like me?” Kabbu asks, causing Daxy to go tense. The bug lets out a primal growl before throwing his glass helmet across the room. It shatters loudly.

“I despise defense attorneys, but I despise that bug most of all.” He hisses, baring his fangs at Kabbu.

“E-excuse me? I’m sorry, I’m incredibly confused now. Who’re you talking about?” Kabbu asks, getting in a defensive position in case this dragonfly tries to throw anything at him.

“That bug… the greatest defense attorney in Bugarian history… the selfish lies brought about by a mind who cares only about releasing criminals, whether they be innocent or guilty. He made the law into a competition, and he never lost a case. If I could ever get my hands on him…” Daxy rambles angrily, but doesn’t finish his thought. “Do not mention defense attorneys to me ever again, or I will show you the power invested in me by the gods.” He hisses, drawing the device at his hip and pointing it at Kabbu. He has no clue what that is, but something tells him that he doesn’t want to find out.

~The Witnesses~

“Could I see the witnesses for the trial of Astotheles? I have the representation papers here if you need to see them. I think talking to the witnesses would help a lot with the trial.” Kabbu asks.

The dragonfly shakes his head. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. It's a procedure to keep defense attorneys from twisting testimonies, so you aren’t allowed to see them until the day of the trial. However, you are permitted to speak to the surviving victim, as they have no recollection of the event.” Daxy explains. “They are in the first interrogation room. Knock and Doctor Sain should let you in, unless he’s in the middle of something, in which case he’ll wave you off.” He explains, pointing down a hallway toward several doors. Kabbu nods, and then begins walking down that path toward the interrogation room.

He knocks on the door, and a moment later it is opened, and he is greeted by a stickbug (like the GS Technician) in a white jacket and round glasses. The tall bug leans forward quite a bit so that their faces are almost on the same level. “Hello there, small beetle. I haven’t seen you before, are you a new prosecutor here?” He asks. He is undoubtedly the Doctor Sain that Prosecutor Daxy was talking about. Kabbu feels heavily intimidated even though this bug is clearly not at all a threat.

“A-ah, hello, I’m Kabbu, and I’m not actually a prosecutor, I’m a defense attorney.” Kabbu explains, extending his hand for a handshake. The doctor takes his hand and shakes it.

“Oh, you’re Kabbu. I’ve heard a lot about you, you’re a member of Team Snakemouth, yes? A famous explorer.” Doctor Sain says, before pulling a business card out of the breast pocket of his coat, handing it to Kabbu. “My name is Doctor Esprit Sain, I’m a criminal psychologist. I would like to interview you at some point in the future, if that is possible. I’m quite curious about the effects of adventuring on the bug psyche.” He says. “Unfortunately, I must request that you do not contaminate my work. I must determine the psychological stability of the victim, and I cannot do that with another bug in the room.” He adds, before waving Kabbu off.

"But... the other prosecutor just told me I was allowed to speak with her?" Kabbu says.

"The other prosecutor has no power over me or my work. You are not permitted to speak to the witness." Doctor Sain says again. The beetle nods. Perhaps he can get that nap after all…

The door is closed in his facem leaving him standing awkwardly in the hallway. Kabbu lets out a sigh before turning to leave, but he halts as he hears the victim start speaking, moving closer to the door to listen. “My brother… Where is he? Is he okay?” She asks. Kabbu can feel his heart shatter at that, and he doesn’t wait to hear the doctor’s answer. This poor bug… He must hurry to bring the true perpetrator of this crime into the spotlight!

Notes:

I hope that the new characters and other additions to the Bugarian law system don't make everything too confusing, and I promise that all of this information will be important in the future.

Chapter 6: Crime Scene Overseer K

Summary:

The Crime Scene Overseer gives a brief overview of the case.

Kabbu barely got any sleep last night. Despite having gone to bed early, and despite wearing his comfiest pajamas and horn scabbard, he just couldn’t get comfortable. Tossing and turning throughout the night, worrying about today's trial. It never got easier, never less nerve wracking, but at least he got more confident. He had two trials under his belt so far, and he had a fifty fifty chance of winning this trial! To be honest, he had only lost his first trial because the defendant in that case was actually guilty. He… Well, he couldn’t say that Astotheles was innocent yet, he wasn’t confident, and he hadn’t exactly chosen to accept this case, it was a favor… but… no. No buts. He needs to trust his clients, he needs to trust Astotheles, because there's no one else in all of Bugaria who will.

Kabbu enters the courthouse in his suit, helmet left at home, but mask hidden in the breast pocket of his suit, in case he unnerves people again. The peoples’ response to him last time hadn’t been the best. Though they loved the conclusion of the trial, he had heard quite a few people discussing his looks, which… well, it made him uncomfortable to say the least. Apparently his teeth were weird, and his fur uncanny. He had underestimated how strange people found fur, as it is extremely common among Northerners.

He enters the waiting room, and to his surprise he finds only Maki there, standing alone in the center of the room, sword drawn, head lowered as if deep in thought. The mantis’s eyes shoot open as the door clicks shut. “Kabbu. I suspected that you were also involving yourself in this trial.” He says with a grim frown on his face.

“I am, sir. Thanks to Vi’s investigation, I think we have a pretty good case here.” Kabbu explains. Maki says nothing for a long moment, eyes closed in thought, before he extends his open palm. Kabbu isn’t sure how to respond to that, and when Maki makes a motion with his opened hand like he’s expecting to receive something, Kabbu only gets more confused. “I’m a bit confused.” Kabbu confesses with a nervous laugh. Maki does not laugh.

“Your badge.” Maki orders. Kabbu is confused at first, and then taken aback when he realizes what Maki is talking about.

“Y-you want me to hand over my explorer's badge?! But sir–!” Kabbu starts, but Maki silences him with a simple shake of the head.

“You are defending a murderer and a thief. Not only is this bug a horrendous criminal, but they have taken dozens of explorers from us. Bugs only slightly older than Vi, cut down by that monster… you have lost my respect, and I will not allow you to sully the good name of the Explorers Association.” Maki says. “Badge. Now.”

Kabbu can feel tears forming in his eyes. He feels… betrayed. Maki, who had saved them numerous times and who they had saved in return, is now taking away their friendship because Kabbu is defending someone who he doesn’t think deserves to be defended? He places the badge in Maki’s hand, and watches as the mantis pulls a metal tin out of the pocket of his uniform, adding the confiscated badge to two others. “I had a lot of respect for you, Kabbu, and for the entirety of Team Snakemouth. You performed feats believed to be impossible, but you’ve turned your back on your morals.” He says, before closing the tin and returning it to his pocket.

“Wait! Those two other badges, they aren’t Vi’s and Leif’s, are they?! You– you can’t take their badges as well! All of this is me! Just me! Please!” Kabbu begs, but Maki ignores him. “Vi is barely even an adult! And Leif isn’t even involved with this case! How could you do this to them?!” Maki ignores him and exits the courthouse without another word.

Kabbu doesn’t even know what to feel. Sad? Angry? Scared? He’s going into this courtroom without Maki by his side. He’ll only have Vi there to encourage him… and he doesn’t know if that’ll be enough.

But it doesn’t matter. He needs to gather himself, wipe the tears out of his fluff, and get in that courtroom, to prove Astotheles innocent!

—

With a deep breath, Kabbu enters the courtroom. It was packed, as always. This time likely because of Astotheles's infamy. Everyone in Bugaria had at least heard of him, and now the famous Kabbu of Team Snakemouth was defending him. The room was already full of loud chatter, but when Kabbu entered it got even louder, some cheering for him, others booing at Astotheles. Kabbu did his best to ignore all of them. He looked to the judges stand, seeing Queen Layra sitting in the right center chair on the judges stand, and the chair to her left was empty. So it’s true… Astotheles really doesn’t have anyone. He looks to the Prosecution’s bench, only to find it empty. Scarlet must not have arrived yet. He looks to the Defendant’s booth, seeing Astotheles arm chained to the chair beneath him. He looked to the Defense’s bench, seeing Vi standing on her stool, and next to her was…

Leif?!?!

Both of his hands were on the table, holding a strange puzzle cube of some sort, the machine on his ankle still attached, and with a guard positioned at either side of the bench. But… What was he doing here? This directly violated his sentence! He was going to get in even more trouble now! Kabbu quickly rushed to the stand, taking his place between Leif and Vi. “Leif! What are you doing here?” He hissed, eyes scanning the room for Elizant, who was currently sitting on her foldable chair in the judges’ stand, as they still hadn’t added another chair to the set. Her eyes are focused on the three of them. Is… is this her doing? Does she not know how dangerous this is for Leif?!

“Ah, hello Kabbu. Sorry to drop in unannounced, I forgot to tell you yesterday, Liz worked out an agreement with Queen Vanessa to allow me to attend court trials, as long as I’m being supervised by a trusted authority at all times.” Leif explains.

“W-what? That… that’s great but…” Kabbu can’t really think of any reason to go against this, though something deep within him disagrees with Leif’s presence here. His trust in the moth is still broken. “I’m glad you’re here.” He managed to say with a fake smile, which instantly caused Leif’s gentle smile to fade. “Please don’t call Elizant ‘Liz’. She is a queen, it’s only appropriate to call her by her actual name and not by a nickname.” He adds. Leif solemnly nods.

“Hey! Kabbu!” Vi says, tapping on Kabbu’s shoulder. He turns to look at her. “What’s up with Maki? He took me and Leif’s badges and wouldn’t say why, and when I asked he got all mad and stormed off.” She explained.

“He… he took my badge as well. I’m sorry, to both of you. It’s my fault that this happened… it’s because I took this case.” Kabbu explains.

“It’s not your fault, Kabbu. We both were given the choice of coming here. Whatever consequences we face, we’re here to face them alongside you.” Leif comforts, patting Kabbu on the shoulder.

“Yeah! If the choice is between you and the Explorer’s Association, the answer is obvious! Team Snakemouth isn’t Team Snakemouth with everyone’s favorite beetle!” Vi adds with a smile.

Oh no, Kabbu can feel the tears coming to his eyes again. “Thank you… both of you… you have no clue how much that means to me.” Kabbu says, pulling both of them into a hug and nearly pulling Vi off of her stool. She lets out a yelp of disapproval.

Their moment ends when the doors to the courtroom open again and the audience goes silent. Scarlet hobbles in, covered in minor injuries, wearing a different suit from what he was wearing yesterday. Under one of his arms is a crutch that he is attempting to use to walk, and under the other is his folder. “I apologize for my tardiness. I had to go to the doctor for some injuries of mine, and I was told I only needed one crutch to deal with my cracked leg. That was a lie, apparently I need both crutches to actually walk with them.” The pink ant explains as he gets to his stand and leans his singular crutch against it, putting the folder down in front of him.

“Have no worry, prosecutor, you’re right on time.” Queen Layra says. “I myself must apologize, as my dear King will be absent for the entirety of this trial, but it should have no effect on the proceedings.” She adds.

“Are you okay? You… I can’t lie, you barely look fit to stand.” Kabbu admits. What happened yesterday that beat him up so badly? He looked perfectly fine yesterday morning.

Scarlet scoffed. “I am perfectly fine, and I am having no trouble standing.” The ant said, pain and strain evident in his voice. “I… took a tumble down a flight of stairs in my home. Nothing more. I’ll be fine.”

“Unless he took a tumble down his stairs into a box of knives, I don’t think that’s true.” Vi whispers. “And he had blood on his shirt yesterday, he’s definitely lying.” She adds. If that’s true… What did this to him? Did… did Arioch do this to him?

“We may begin with the trial, whenever you are ready to begin, your majesty.” Scarlet said. Ok… this queen likes to be called her majesty and not her honor. That’s good to keep in mind.

Queen Layra nods, before picking up her gavel and slamming it down. “This court is now in session for the murder of Term Ite. Prosecutor, if you could, please give your opening statements to the court.”

“Of course, your majesty. Yesterday morning, the three victims of this heinous crime were found in Defiant Root’s plaza. Two of them, Term Ite, son of Paras Ite, and Butomu, a local blacksmith who resides in Defiant Root, were found dead. This knife, which I shall now submit to the court as evidence, was found lodged in the chest of Butomu. Also discovered at the scene, though in a thankfully better state than her brother, was Dolo Ite. She is currently safe and her wounds are being tended to, though she will not be appearing during this trial.” Scarlet explained.

“And what of the bug in shackles who sits in the defendant’s booth? I assume that this is the bug responsible for those horrendous murders?” Queen Layra asks, already picking up her gavel. He knows what that means, Queen Elizant warned him of it. She wants this trial over as soon as possible, so if she is to try and slam her gavel again, he must object.

“That,” Scarlet says, eyes connecting with Kabbu’s, before flicking over to the bugs at his sides. Surely he knows what will happen if Queen Layra is told that Astotheles is guilty. “Is not yet certain, at least from the prosecution's stance. Though I hope to prove his guilt with help of our Crime Scene Overseer and multiple eyewitness testimonies.” He concludes.

Queen Layra thinks for a moment, before putting her gavel down. She looks… disappointed. Frustrated, even bored. Not emotions he would expect to see in a Queen residing over a murder investigation. “Prosecution, you may call in your first witness. I trust that they will provide us with more insight into the guilt of the accused.”

“Of course, your majesty. Before I bring in the witnesses, I would like to bring in the Crime Scene Overseer K Star to the stand, to tell the court about the state of the crime scene.” Scarlet says. “And Defense Attorney Kabbu, do not forget, while you may have shown me kindness outside of the court, I will show you none here.” Kabbu nodded in understanding. He wasn’t going to go easy on Scarlet either.

…

K slowly but surely made his way up to the stand with little to no urgency, before turning to face the court, coffee in hand and a candy cane hanging out of his mouth. “Let’s get this over with.” He mutters to himself, taking a sip of his steaming coffee.

—The Crime Scene Overseer’s Professional Opinion—

“We were alerted about the crime scene almost immediately after it happened, and I made sure to secure the scene as soon as I could get all of the bugs setting up shop to go somewhere else for the day,” K explains. “The blacksmith, Butomu, was still alive when we got to the scene, had only recently been stabbed, but she passed before she could tell us what happened.” He explains. “Since yesterday, we’ve run through some ideas and come to a secondary conclusion based on the evidence present: that the murder of Term Ite and the assault of Dolo Ite was an attempt to steal money to pay for an expensive prosthetic,” He continues. “Dolo Ite was carrying about twelve thousand berries worth of medicine, yeah? And they unfortunately just so happened to pass by a cricket in need of three thousand berries,” He continued. “The accused knocked Dolo out, tried to take the bag, but then Term tried to fight back, and for that bit of resistance he died,” He explained, taking a sip of his coffee. “That bandit over there tried to trade the medicine for his arm, but the blacksmith refused. And for that he joined the other victims. Simple and shut case, if I do say.” He concluded.

“Hey! That’s not what you said yesterday!” Vi hissed.

“Yeah, you pointed out a flaw in my theory, so we fixed it, yeah? Wouldn’t be right to come to court with an outdated theory.” K says with a smirk.

“Of course. No point in wasting time discussing something already disproven.” Queen Layra says. “Kabbu, you may now cross examine the witness's testimony.” Kabbu nods.

–Rebuttal–

(We were alerted about the crime scene almost immediately after it happened, and I made sure to secure the scene as soon as I could get all of the bugs setting up shop to go somewhere else for the day,)

“The… bugs were setting up shop? Even with the bodies and blood everywhere?” Kabbu asked. That was hard to believe, if he saw a body or even someone mildly injured, he would immediately rush to help them!

“Yup. Even while I and the guards were standing around there, they were still trying to come in and set up shop. From what I’ve heard, they thought the victims were acting. Apparently it’s not rare for bugs from out of town to pretend to be murdered to ‘draw attention to the increasing bandit attacks’.” K explains.

“Even though bandit attacks have been on the decline for years?” Kabbu asks, getting a nod in return. That… that just seems stupid? Though he doesn’t really know other Kingdom’s view or even knowledge of the bandit attacks. Maybe they still think they’re happening?

“I found a newspaper in Termite Kingdom while looking for expensive things dropped in the gutters, and the headline was on a bandit attack that happened like two years ago.” Vi added.

Interesting… wait. “Vi? Why were you digging through gutters in the Termite Kingdom?!” Kabbu asks.

Vi shrugs. “I found twenty berries down there once. What if I find thirty berries next time?” She explains. Kabbu puts his head in his hands and sighs. Well, everyone in Bugaria knows that Vi is a dumpster diver now. Or would it be a gutter gatherer? Maybe he should talk to her about that later, and explain to her that digging through dirty gutters isn’t sanitary.

(The blacksmith, Butomu, was still alive when we got to the scene, had only recently been stabbed, but she passed before she could tell us what happened)

"Did she say anything to the guards that arrived?" Kabbu asks.

K shakes his head. "She was asked who did this to her multiple times but she refused to say a thing, just kept trying to get back into the blacksmithing building." He explains.

Kabbu scratches his head in thought. "Do you know what she was trying to get to?" Kabbu continues.

"Not a clue. She was in the process of dying, though, so I'm sure she wasn't thinking straight." K says.

"Maybe she was trying to cover up that she had worked with Astotheles?" Kabbu proposes. "She could have been trying to destroy the evidence of their transaction!" He yells, slamming his fists down.

Scarlet looks at him with a confused glare. "So? What does that mean?" The ant asks.

"Well.... if she was still trying to defend him in her last moments, then clearly, he hadn't betrayed her! He clearly didn't murder her!" Kabbu explains.

"Do remember that she was bleeding out and wasn't thinking clearly. And there's the whole merchant-consumer confidentiality thing. She wouldn't have exposed her client." K reminds.

"I... I feel like she would still have said something." Kabbu wilts. That idea probably wasn't going anywhere, and neither of them were giving him any leeway with it regardless. He'd come back to it if he truly had to... but maybe it's best to move on for now.

(Since yesterday, we’ve run through some ideas and come to a secondary conclusion based on the evidence present: that the murder of Term Ite and the assault of Dolo Ite was an attempt to steal money to pay for an expensive prosthetic,)

“So, you’re suggesting that Astotheles didn’t know the price of the prosthetic he was risking his shell to get?” Kabbu asks.

“I’m not quite sure what you’re asking. Do I think that bandit is stupid enough to think he’d get the arm for free? Yes, yes I do.” K says with a snarky smirk.

“The bandits have tons of berries though! An entire room full of them! Why wouldn’t he be carrying berries on him?” Vi interjects.

K simply shrugs. “Smells like a discrepancy to me.” Leif mutters as he continues to try and solve the puzzle cube.

“Whether his actions make sense or not isn’t for me to decide. What’s clear here is that there were no berries found at the scene of the crime, and unless they magically show up, or someone comes forward saying that they stole the berries, the prosecution’s point stands.” K corrects. He does have a point… but that was an interesting thing to add on at the end. If he can get someone to come forward and say they stole the berries… he’ll have to keep that possibility in mind.

(Dolo Ite was carrying about twelve thousand berries worth of medicine, yeah? And they unfortunately just so happened to pass by a cricket in need of three thousand berries,)

“Why were these bugs here in the first place? I was told by the defendant that the surviving victim, Dolo Ite, makes frequent trips to Defiant Root to buy medicine from Isau, but why was her brother there? And why at night?” Kabbu asks.

K gives him an odd look. “Defense, I believe your sources are incorrect. I have documents here stating that the victims have never, on any occasion, left the walls of the Termite Kingdom.” Scarlet explains. “Their absence tonight was also not recorded, though, but that seems to be because the both of them slipped past the guards when they were investigating a report of screams behind the nearby T-Mart. How either of them knew that this once in a millenia distraction would occur just at the time they were trying to escape is beyond me.” He continues.

“That is definitely important.” Kabbu says, making a note of it on a blank piece of paper. But this just creates more questions. “Wait… how did Astotheles even know that Dolo was carrying medicine in her bag? And… if Dolo Ite wasn’t buying medicine from Isau, how did she have Isau’s medicine in her bag?” He asks.

“As for the first question, we have no clue at the moment.” K admits, taking another sip of his coffee. “But as for the second question, ‘Isau’s Miracle Cure’, or at least the patent for it, was sold to the Ite family, and they mass produce it, and sell it at exorbitant prices and only within the walls of the Termite Kingdom, as you can see. Isau apparently thought that giving the patent to a company would allow it to be given to more people. She thought wrong.” K explains. Interesting… he would ask how Astotheles even knew about the medicine if it was only sold in the Termite Kingdom, but he has a feeling that no one knows.

(The accused knocked Dolo out, tried to take the bag, but then Term tried to fight back, and for that bit of resistance he died,)

“I see… and it says here that the official cause of death for Term Ite is blunt force trauma to the back of the head, yes? Is there any clue of what the murder weapon is at the moment?” Kabbu asked.

“Nope. I’ve had people looking over that bug's body for hours now, and they still haven’t been able to figure out what caused it. All they know is that, whatever it was, it had a sharp point, kind of like a box.” K explains. Scarlet says nothing in response to that, eyes closed as if in thought, tapping his fingers on the bench in front of him. Even now… there's so little they know, it’s hard to even ask questions. There’s evidence that would suggest that Astotheles went to the scene of the crime, but there's barely even that! Astotheles is only being accused because there's no one else out there who could have done it.

So… all Kabbu needs to do is show that someone else could have done it, right? It sounds too easy, but that’s what he did in his previous case. “Crime Scene Overseer K, could you add that statement about it being ‘kind of like a box’ to your testimony?” Kabbu requests.

“I don’t see how that would be helpful to the case, at the moment. Kabbu, please keep requests to things we have not heard about yet, unless you have a object ‘like a box’ that could have been used as a murder weapon.” Queen Layra said. Still no response from Scarlet. What is he thinking? And why does Kabbu have such an uneasy feeling about all of this?

“I… I believe I do have something like that.” Kabbu said.

“Bubu, you need to be more forceful. If you think you have something, don’t creep into it, throw it at them.” Leif says.

“Did you just call him Bubu?” Vi asks. He’s right… he needs to be louder! More confident!

“I do!” He says, slamming his hands on the desk in front of him. “I have… this!” Kabbu says, presenting the box that the prosthetic is in.

“That… that’s the prosthetic box?” K asks.

“Yes. Crime Scene Overseer, could you give this box a swing for me, to demonstrate if it has any capability of being a weapon?” Kabbu requests. Queen Layra leans forward in her seat, her attention finally caught by this turn of events. K cautiously takes the box, before giving it a swing, and nearly letting it fly out of his hands.

“Holy crap! That box has some heft to it when it's in motion!” K yelps.

“Just as I thought, and with the arm inside, and the pointy corners of the box, it’s completely possible that this box is our murder weapon.” Kabbu says with a smile. “And there’s only one bug who would have had access to the box!” He continues. K, realizing what Kabbu is getting at, bites down hard on his candy cane, causing it to shatter.

“You… you don’t mean..?” He mutters, before being interrupted by a loud slam.

“Objection!” Scarlet yells. “I’m glad you two have finally reached a proper hypothesis, but I’m afraid you’ve just wasted her majesty's time.” The pink ant says.

“What do you mean? This box’s corner is exactly what we’re looking for! This could be the murder weapon!” Kabbu yells.

“I’m afraid this theory of yours has already been disproven. This box was found in the victim’s work building, nowhere near their bodies, and there is no trace of blood on it. I must apologize for allowing this foolish charade to continue longer than it needed to. I thought I would repay the kind Crime Scene Overseer’s actions from the previous case, and allow him to run circles and embarrass himself before giving him all the information.” Scarlet explains.

“W-what? What kinda game are you playing, Scar?” K hisses, gripping his coffee mug a bit too tightly.

“A petty one, but that matters not. Bailiff, bring in the witnesses, and allow me to prove to the court exactly how the murder of Term Ite occured!” He says. There's a fire in his bruised eyes that Kabbu hasn’t seen before, not even when he fought him in the Golden Path tunnel… Perhaps the last case was only a test of Kabbu’s abilities.

But is this really just petty? A petty revenge at K? If so, why was he led on as well? He can’t understand why at the moment. Was it just to waste his time? Or was there another reason? Was it to fire the Queen out and make her end the trial early? If so, why was he playing it so safe with his accusation?

Only time can tell, he supposes.

Chapter 7: Multi-Witness Cross-Examination

Summary:

Kabbu experiences his first multi-witness cross examination, and Leif makes wild accusation.

Notes:

I have now gone through the entire fic and fixed every mention of Butomu's pronouns... I didn't know until a few minutes ago that he is actually a she.

Kabbu stood in impatient silence as the pale termite hurried out of the room. Again, he was struck with an odd sense of familiarity, but he couldn’t think about that right now, he needed to focus on this trial, and he needs to figure out what Scarlet is up to. Shortly after leaving, the termite returned with Engira, Kali, and a third strange bug he hasn’t seen before, wearing an odd and very long scarf around his neck, a bandana covering his mandibles, and a heavy-looking overcoat. He’s holding a platter in his right hand, on top of which are several glasses of water. All three of them took their place at the witness stand.

“Wait… why’re they all standing up there?” Kabbu mutters.

“Did you not know? This is how they perform testimonies if there are multiple witnesses to one event. For example, I distinctly remember watching a trial once with Muse. There was a ladybug in a hat and a librarian at the stand, and they both testified at the same time, and ended up arguing over what had actually occurred.” Leif explains.

“So… the witnesses decide what they actually saw, by arguing with each other?” Vi asks.

“Interesting. I read that witness testimony can be unreliable sometimes, is this what they do to counteract that?” He thinks aloud.

“What did you think they’d do? Go up one at a time and say the same thing over and over again?” Vi asks.

“I don’t know… I suppose I did.” Kabbu sighs.

“Witnesses.” Scarlet snaps, snapping Kabbu out of his thoughts and bringing him back to the trial. “One at a time, state your name and profession for the court record.” He orders.

Kali nods. “My name is Kali Biyaya, I am a seller of expensive and foreign clothes.” She says with a curtsy. She hasn’t changed at all, save for an interesting band of cloth tied around her lower left arm. Many symbols are transcribed upon it, but it’s hard to read from here.

“I’m Engira Enigma! I… I was tied to be the best blacksmith in all of Bugaria… until…” He wipes tears from his eyes with his metal claw hand, and continues to sob to himself. “I’ve decided to stop blacksmithing! To honor our rivalry, until another bug comes and takes the mantle of best blacksmith in all of Bugaria.” He continues.

The final bug hesitates for a moment, as if thinking. “My name… is Sir Naragam. I am a butler at the nearby bar.” He explains, taking a slight bow while making sure to keep the platter in his hands steady and flat.

Scarlet nodded. “Witnesses, I would like to testify about what you heard and saw on the night of the incident. Leave no detail unspoken, please.” He orders. He momentarily makes eye contact with Kabbu. That fire was still in his eyes, glowing bright enough to burn the whole courtroom down. He had been so kind before entering the courtroom… What caused him to flip like this?

–Witnesses to the Murder–

“It was quite dark out on that night, only a sliver of a moon in the sky. I was working the night shift at the bar.” Naragam explained.

“I was having a nice bowl of berry juice! This guy served it to me, and this lady here was there as well!” Engira exclaims.

Kali nods slowly. “I was nearby, relaxing after a long day of sales, and speaking with investigators. I was absolutely exhausted.” She explains.

“Yeah! And while I was sipping on the berry juice, I saw a bug in a pink scarf walk by. She seemed real nice! Waved to us and everything!” Engira explains.

“Yes, the first bug… I do believe it was a termite. A termite with an exquisite fashion sense, I must say. She wore quite the eye-catching scarf around her head, I could see it even in the dark.” Kali thought aloud. “And while Engira had his face buried in a bowl, another bug walked by. They looked very nervous.” She continued.

“There was a yell, someone screaming ‘get a doctor’ or something like that. I rushed to go get Doctor Isau, as I knew her office was quite close.” Naragam added.

“I remained seated for a moment. In truth I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I had witnessed bandit attacks in the past, but those screams… they froze me in place. I couldn’t move.” Kali explained.

“But then me and Kali heard a second yell, so we ran over to check it out, and that's when we saw it! Boom! Pow! This tall, skinny bug had their fists in the air, and then woosh! They hit that termite in the head, and the bug dropped like a rock onto their back, dead the next second!” Engira continues.

“I grabbed this fool by the metal claw and pulled him to the nearest guard, and when we returned, that bug, the cricket over there, was still standing there, a look of guilt on his face. He’s the one, no doubt.” Kali concludes.

“That is quite the conclusive testimony.” Queen Layra mused.

“Would you consider it enough to declare a verdict right this instant?” Scarlet asked.

“Nearly.” She said with a nod.

“But the defense has a right to a cross examination.” Kabbu reminded.

She nodded “Indeed you do. Do get to it though, there is no time for dally.” Layra said, lifting her gavel and rotating it in her hands as if looking for scratches on it.

“My only problem here is that this testimony doesn’t explain how Term Ite actually died. The witnesses are claiming that he was hit on the head, but the autopsy report clearly shows that he suffered from a large blow to the back of his head.” Kabbu says.

“Well, who's to say that the injury to the back of his head actually killed him? Maybe the knock on his head was the blow that ended him. Maybe that bandit went back with a rock to finish him off.” Queen Layra proposed.

“Exactly my thoughts. Thank you, your majesty. Your genius truly knows no bounds.” Scarlet says.

“What a suck up!” Vi hisses.

This wouldn’t be easy… these witnesses were very solid in their agreement to what had been seen, not to mention that Queen Layra is in complete agreement with the prosecution's argument. The only reason this trial hasn’t ended yet is because she must have some doubts. She has the power to end this trial the moment it stops amusing her, and she looks a moment away from calling the trial off. But with his friends at his side, he knew he could do it.

–Rebuttal–

(It was quite dark out on that night, only a sliver of a moon in the sky. I was working the night shift at the bar)

“I do recall the moon that night, but it was incredibly dark out! I couldn’t even see the statue outside my home! What were you two doing out so late, and in such dark weather?” Kabbu questioned.

“Drinking.” Engira says with a smile.

“It is as the blacksmith says. Long days of constant sales work, dealing with ungrateful customers, and the scorching heat of the Lost Sands… after an arduous week, I thought it would be a good idea to relax and drink some berry juice.” Kali adds with a nod.

“I see… is there truly no other time to do such relaxation than at the dead of night?” Kabbu asked, both of them shaking their heads. “That sounds stressful, I’m sorry that your relaxation was ruined by such a horrible event.”

Kali shrugs. “This horrid event isn’t about me, though. It is about these poor bugs and the kind blacksmith next door.” She corrects.

“And Sir Naragam, you spoke of working the night shift at Nish’s bar, yes? I’m unfortunately having a hard time imagining why Nish would have you working at such a late hour.” Kabbu asked.

“I work the night shift to increase productivity. There are many bugs who want to drink late at night. As for why he would have me work that late… it is because I requested to do so. I have obtained his trust, so he allows me to work at whatever time I please.”

“That’s stupid. Why would you want to work at night?” Vi asks.

“Vi, please be respectful.” Kabbu begs, before clearing his throat. “If you were working, surely he was there as well? And were there any other customers that night?” He asks. Naragam shakes his head.

“At this time, Nish was fast asleep behind the counter of the bar. As for other customers, none exist. It was a slow night, and I still have both of their receipts in my pocket.” He explains, presenting a pair of receipts to Kabbu. Nothing about them seemed suspicious… or had any contents that could point to an alternate series of events.

“I see…” Kabbu mutters. So it really was just these three who witnessed the scene… but now that he thinks of it…if two of them ran to get the guards, and the other ran to get the doctor… then who did these two pairs of footprints belong to?

“I still think its dumb.” Vi huffs.

(I was having a nice bowl of berry juice! This guy served it to me, and this lady here was there as well)

“Engira… I must ask, if you were at the bar ‘having a nice bowl of berry juice’, why didn’t Butomu join you?” Kabbu asks.

“Duh! We’re ultimate, blacksmithing rivals! Rivals don’t drink berry juice together! They engage in wars of sparks and steels! To prove which of them is truly the ultimate blacksmith!” Engira explains.

“Do you have any idea what Butomu was doing that night? Was she expecting a customer or anything like that?” Kabbu asked.

Engira shrugs. “She wasn’t working, I know that much. If I so much as heard a single slam of her hammer, or a single spark of the furnace, I would have run back! If she’s working, I must also be working! That’s the only way that I can become the greatest blacksmith!”

Kabbu thinks for a moment “Was there anyone out there who has some bad opinion of Butomu? Maybe an unsatisfied customer? Or a rival? Or maybe someone who she out-smithed?” Kabbu asked.

“Are you accusing Engi of murder?” Kali asked, completely jumping into the conversation..

“What?!? No! No no no, I would never accuse him!“ Kabbu yelps.

“Engira is the only bug who could even be considered a rival of Butomu, and he’s as defenseless as a bed bug! He couldn’t hurt a single bug ever!” Kali asked, taken aback.

“I could never hurt a bug! It’s just as she says! I’m just a bed bug!” Engira cries.

”Engira! I’m not accusing you of anything! I promise! I know you have an alibi, I was just wondering if there was anyone else who could possibly have done it!” Kabbu stammers.

“I would never hurt Butomu! We grew up together! We have always been rivals but we’re friendly! I would never hurt her!” Engira continues, tears beginning to run down his face. Dang it… there's no way he’ll be able to get any information out of Engira if this keeps up. He needs to be careful with his words.

(I was nearby, relaxing after a long day of sales, and speaking with investigators. I was absolutely exhausted)

“You say you were speaking with investigators all day… may I ask why that was?” Kabbu asked.

“Of course. I’ve had a troublesome series of robberies recently. You see, my clothes are extremely expensive. Every bandit in the Lost Sands is desperate to get their hands on them. I believe you and your friends helped retrieve one of them from those bandits once, yes?” Kali explains.

“Yes… I do remember that…” Kabbu groans. He would rather not remember that to be honest. The only good thing to come of that mess was that they learned that Vi was allergic to moth dust, and that Leif apparently didn't have dust. “Were they successful in finding these stolen clothes? Or at least helpful in stopping the thievery from occurring?” He asked.

“No! They weren’t even remotely helpful!” Kali hissed. “I swear, these investigators always brag about how good they are and how amazing the BDL is, but my shop was once again robbed during the short time that I was at Nish’s bar! One of my most expensive clothes! The beautiful pink dye I used to color every individual strand of cloth costs a fortune! Thousands of berries of profit!” She continues. Oh dear… it looks like he really struck a chord there. “I’ve been so stressed all day, I swear I’ve left dust on everything I touch as well. I had to sweep and dust my shop at least four times just to get it to be presentable. That poor waiter probably got some on him when he took my silverware.” She muses. Interesting… sometimes he almost forgets that most moths have dust, since Leif doesn’t on account of him being technically dead.

“Hey! Lady! Is this that expensive cloth you were talking about?” Vi asks, waving the pink cloth in the air. “It’s pink!” She adds.

Kali takes a minute to observe the cloth, before shaking her head. “That cloth is very cheaply made. In the cloth trading business, we call that an ‘imitation’. It is made to look expensive but a simple glance is enough to reveal its falsehoods.” Interesting…

(Yeah! And while I was sipping on the berry juice, I saw a bug in a pink scarf walk by. She seemed real nice! Waved to us and everything!)

“This bug, did you happen to get a look at their face?” Kabbu asked.

“Of course!” Engira says with a large smile. “I don’t remember what they looked like though. Y’know, I’ve gotten so used to everyone wearing face coverings and masks that I don’t even think about faces when I look at someone anymore!”

“What do you mean by that?” He asks.

“Do you not know? It is one of the many traditions of the Sands Beyond. I was taught young that I must always wear a mask to cover my mouthparts. They are most sacred, and none but our future spouse are permitted to see them, lest any future relationship we pursue end in violence.” Kali explains.

“Oh? I didn’t know that. Is that true for you as well, Nagaram?” Kabbu asks.

“Indeed it is. My family journeyed for quite some time in the Sands Beyond, in pursuit of a land called Hallownest, but they never reached their destination.” Nagaram says with a lowered head. “The beasts of the Sands Beyond are merciless.”

“I’m… sorry to hear that. I know how it feels to lose those you care about through the beasts of the land.” Kabbu says.

“Kabbu, I recognize that look in your eyes.” Leif says. “You can ask them those questions after the trial.”

“W-what? B-but…”

“No, Kabbu. After the trial.” Leif continues. Darn it! He desperately wants to ask more, what this ‘Sands Beyond’ place is. He wants to learn more about their culture! He wants to learn more about Hallownest! That strange place that H.B. had told him about… but… Leif was right. Now was not the time. Maybe later!

(Yes, the first bug… I do believe it was a termite. A termite with an exquisite fashion sense, I must say. The scarf she wore was quite eye-catching, I could see it even in the dark.)

“This pink scarf, does this happen to be the scarf you’re referring to?” Kabbu asks, presenting the cheap, imitation cloth.

“Ah! I can’t say for certain but it certainly looks like that termite’s scarf.” Kali answers.

“Unfortunately, that assumption is false. The victim in question, Dolo Ite, is still wearing the scarf she was wearing on the night of the incident. This cloth was likely dropped during the busy market days. There is currently no way of knowing if it belongs to the victim or not.” Scarlet interjects.

“But there's blood on it! And Kali’s even saying the victim was wearing it!” Vi argues, earning another shake of the head from Scarlet.

“Again, you seem to be ignoring the critical details, bee. The location where this cheap cloth was found was where Term Ite was found deceased.” Scarlet explains, presenting the photograph of the crime scene, each sandy imprint marked with a name. “Were this to be Dolo Ite’s scarf, it should have been discovered along with her unconscious body. And, as I mentioned only a few moments ago, she is still wearing it.”

“Dang… I really thought I was on to something.” Vi mutters.

(And while Engira had his face buried in a bowl, another bug walked by. They looked very nervous)

“Interesting. Did you happen to see what kind of bug they were?” Kabbu asked.

“I unfortunately didn’t. They were very insistent on hiding their face, but seeing as there were only four bugs who went back there that night, I think it’s probably safe to assume that this bug was that ‘Term Ite’ fellow, yes?” Kali explained. Kabbu thinks on this detail. It’s odd… but he couldn’t put his finger on why it irked him so much.

“That doesn’t make too much sense, considering what the Crime Scene Overseer said not too long ago.” Leif muses while he continues to play with his puzzle cube.

“What was that, Leif?” Kabbu asks.

“Didn’t K say earlier that Term Ite died trying to protect his sister? How would that have happened if they arrived separately? Wouldn’t he have just come up on his sister's unconscious body?” Leif thinks out loud. Kabbu can almost see the gears churning in his head. “And then he called for a doctor, right? But would the transaction have already gone down with Astotheles and Butomu? Hey, Kali, how far apart were these two bugs, would you say?” He asked.

“Not long, I would say. Only a few minutes. I wasn’t keeping track of time so I would have to estimate maybe… two minutes behind? And then I didn’t hear anything for what must have been… four minutes or so after that second bug went back there?” Kali explains.

“Interesting. Welp, that disproves what I was thinking. Back to you, Kabbu.” Leif mutters.

Kabbu nods. “And you two are certain that you didn’t see another bug go back there? Is there any other way to get into the marketplace?” He asked.

“I am rather sure. I always keep my eyes open at night, even with bandit attacks on the low, they’re still possible. I can never let my guard down.” Kali explains.

“I’m as certain as a Cactling!“ Engira says with a smile. “As for another way back there… I don’t think so? It’s pretty closed off.” He says while tapping his chin with his metal claw.

“I see…” Kabbu mutters. Leif may have been on to something there for a moment… if only there was a way to prove anything that happened back there that night…

(There was a yell, someone screaming ‘get a doctor’ or something like that. I rushed to go get Doctor Isau, as I knew her office was quite close)

“I didn’t hear anything about Isau being involved in this case. I know she lives close by, and that the medicine she invented was at the scene, but did you actually go get her?” Kabbu asks.

“Oh, he couldn’t have. My dear friend Doctor Isau was out at the time. She told me in the morning before busy hours that she was going out to hunt for mushrooms. She didn’t return until the next day.” Kali explains.

“Indeed. I went off in search of her but her abode was locked, so I thought to try and get the mayor’s attention, as he lives just above the bar, but to my dismay he was fast asleep, so I hastily returned to the others.” Nagaram explains.

Engira seemed surprised for a moment, scratching his chin in thought.

“Engira, you seem deep in thought, have you come to a realization?” Kabbu asks.

“Well… I’m wracking my head tryna think of the next time I saw the butler over there… but I can’t remember seeing him after he ran off.” Engira admits, causing Nagaram to recoil.

“Nagaram? Do you have anything to say about that?” Kabbu asks, and Nagaram only shakes his head in response.

“I was there, you have my word on it. Where would I be if not among them, waiting for the guards to arrive?” He answers. That is true… unless he just turned tail and ran away from Defiant Root, there really isn’t anywhere else he could have gone. Queen Layra yawned loudly, reminding him of her presence over the trial. If he can’t get her interested soon… he’s terrified to imagine what would happen to the case if she became completely uninterested.

(I remained seated for a moment. In truth I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I had witnessed bandit attacks in the past, but those screams… they froze me in place. I couldn’t move)

“Those screams? Are you referring to the yells for help that sent Nagaram running for a doctor?” Kabbu asks.

Kali nods. “They were heart-breaking, and the poor bug who let them out was undoubtedly terrified.”

“Could you tell whose voice it was?” Vi added.

“It wasn’t Butomu’s, and it certainly wasn’t that bandits. Added that I’ve heard the surviving victim and it certainly wasn’t her voice, I can only assume it was the other victim, Term Ite? Perhaps he stumbled upon Butomu’s body and yelled for help before his untimely end.” Kali continued.

“I give you my condolences. As someone who has spent a number of nights in the Rubber Prison, I know those screams all too well. Though I can say that, in time, the sound of them will be blocked from your memory, so it will get easier.” Scarlet comforts. Though… that really isn’t too comforting.

“Who else could it have been? And would that even have an effect on the case?” Kabbu thinks aloud. No… it had to have been Term Ite. If it was anyone else… that just wouldn’t make sense. Kali already said that it wasn’t any of the people actually AT the crime scene, and the other two were at the bar, so it couldn’t have been them. Whoever would scream out for help would have to be empathetic to some degree… but for them to not have come forward just doesn’t make sense.

Another dead end. Dammit. He looks up at the Queens. Even Queen Vanessa and Queen Bianca are starting to look bored, not to mention Queen Layra, who is doodling on a slate. Queen Elizant looks on with hope and determination, though. He can’t fail her, not after everything she’s done for him.

(But then me and Kali heard a second yell, so we ran over to check it out, and that's when we saw it! Boom! Pow! This tall, skinny bug had their fists in the air, and then woosh! They hit that termite in the head, and the bug dropped like a rock onto their back, dead the next second)

“A tall, skinny bug? Can you describe them in greater detail?” Kabbu requested.

“Nope! I remember them being tall, skinny, and having their fists in the air, and I remember them clocking that termite upside the head, but it was too dark to see anything else.” Engira explains.

“Unfortunately, I, too, couldn’t see any details, but I could hear the crack of the poor bug's head being hit. Poor thing… I hope they didn’t suffer.” Kali adds.

“Is there a possibility, then.” Kabbu asks. “That this bug shrouded, dark, skinny bug was someone other than Astotheles?”

“Defense, unless you actually have someone in mind to accuse, I suggest you stop that train of thought immediately. I will not allow you to drag the court on a wild ‘who done it’ seedling chase.” Scarlet hisses, slamming his hands down on the table before him.

Does he have anyone he could point to? Anyone at all? There are so many bugs that fit the description of ‘tall and skinny’. Heck, Leif, Maki, Zasp, and even Nagaram would fit that description! Kabbu shakes his head. “None at the moment, but–”

“I do not want to hear a but. Please, do not drag this trial on any longer than it has to be.” Queen Layra demands with a yawn. Dammit… he is really at the end of the line now, isn’t he? He’s been given a chance to call someone, anyone to the stand but he can’t. What can he do?

“We would like to ask a question.” Leif interjects. “Did you see Butomu’s body when you went by?” He asks.

Kali thinks for a moment and then shakes her head. “No, I could only see that bandit and that poor victim. Not another bug in sight.” She explains. That sounds important, he should keep that in mind.

(I grabbed this fool by the metal claw and pulled him to the nearest guard, and when we returned, that bug, the cricket over there, was still standing there, a look of guilt on his face. He’s the one, no doubt)

“How long did it take for you to get the guards?” Kabbu asks.

“Well, it took a small while, the guards that are usually positioned at the elevator was nowhere to be found, so we had to take it up and get one of them, but it only took about ten minutes! We got back as soon as we could.” Kali explains.

“Is… is there any chance you were mistaken about the identity of the bug?” Kabbu asked.

Both Kali and Engira shook their heads. “Not a doubt! I didn’t take my eyes off of him for even a second after we got the guards! I’ve still got my eyes on him right now!” Engira says.

“But there's a chance that the true culprit could have left while you were gone, right? And Astotheles could have walked in on the scene?” Kabbu asks.

“Not possible. We have a photo here of the crime scene, and as you can see, there is no set of footsteps that comes onto the scene and then leaves. I could see an argument made for this set of footsteps, that comes from the so-called ‘discrete market’, but alas, those footprints belong to none other than the bandit that sits at the defendants booth. One pair belongs to each victim, one to the guard who undoubtedly arrived at the scene and approached the bodies, and one coming from the market. Without a doubt, those particular tracks belong to the bandit king, who attempted to return to this ‘discrete market’ to hide until the guards left.” Scarlet explains.

That… he thinks that makes sense, but… maybe he should take a look at the photo himself? He pulls his own copy out of his folder and traces the footsteps with a graphite stick for a few moments before giving up. He can’t tell whose prints are whose, the sand is too loose! What can he even say? What can he follow? He feels so lost and confused. Is this really going to be the first case he loses? Failing to uphold a promise he made to a friend? Failing to protect someone who put their trust in him?

“That’s the end of the testimony. You got anything, Kabbu?” Vi asks.

“No… there are a few leads I can think of but… I’m not sure how to approach this, especially when there isn’t proof or even enough time for another bug to be on the scene.” Kabbu explains in frustration.

“Could you ask them to go back to that one statement about the ‘skinny bug’ with their fists in the air?” Leif asked, eyes focused on the butler. Kabbu hopes he’s on to something here, because he doesn’t know where to take this case.

(But then me and Kali heard a second yell, so we ran over to check it out, and that's when we saw it! Boom! Pow! This tall, skinny bug had their fists in the air, and then woosh! They hit that termite in the head, and the bug dropped dead the next second)

“This again? Defense. Unless you actually have someone that you could point the finger at, give up. You’ve dragged this trial on for long enough.” Scarlet hisses.

“Well, the only description for the murderer is that they’re tall and skinny. The butler fits that description I think.” Leif whispers. He does have a point… but Kabbu can’t really think of a reason for Nagaram to do it.

“Defense. Give us another suspect or give up.” Scarlet growls. Dammit… he doesn’t really have any other choices, he needs to take this chance.

“The only descriptors for the bug are tall and skinny.” He says, before pointing at Nagaram. “You are the only other bug at the scene that fits this description, and you conveniently disappeared shortly before the murder! Sir Nagaram!”

Chapter 8: The Undercover Detective

Summary:

Sir Nagaram reveals his true identity when confronted.

“What?! You… do you even know what you’re saying?!” Nagaram hisses, recoiling in shock.

“This is absolute nonsense! Your majesty, I object to this claim, it's purely baseless!” Scarlet yells, slamming his fists down.

Queen Layra thought for a moment. “Objection overruled. I’m quite interested in where this is going, please continue, defense.” She said with a smile. Yes! They’ve got her attention! This is what they’ve been needing this entire time!

Scarlet slammed his hands on the table, eyes focused on Kabbu. “If you allow this to continue, this trial will quickly derail into a mess of assumptions and falsehoods.” The pink ant growled. “This cannot be allowed! I will not let this trial continue while the defense is making false accusations! I demand Arioch be called for immediately if this trial is to continue!” Scarlet hissed.

Elizant practically jumped in her seat, quickly leaning over to whisper to Queen Bianca, who nodded. “Unfortunately, I must agree with the ex-con here. This court is built on truths and trust, but so far there is no sign that Sir Nagaram has been untruthful about anything. I am going to have to request that the overrule be repealed.” She says with a soft smile.

“I have to disagree. The people are allowed to live their lives and lies but they must prove themselves to be trustworthy. This bug seems trustworthy but how could I know? I have never seen the people of the Sands Beyond, or even Defiant Root.” Vanessa argues. “If this bug had actually been seen by the other witnesses, perhaps I would give more trust.”

“What’re they doing? The Queens, I mean” Kabbu whispers to his two friends.

“I’m not surprised you know so little about our justice system, seeing as you’re trying to turn it into a Krawler court. When an objection is overruled, the other Queens can request that the overrule be repealed, and if two of them agree that it should be repealed, the lawyer's objection will stand. It’s rare that the court goes into such an uproar. You and your pests really love to come and ruin everything, don’t you?” Scarlet hisses.

“I… I have not heard of this practice before.” Elizant admits. Then what had she whispered to Bianca? What was she hoping to have achieved? “I am leaning toward repeal… but if there is any evidence supporting your claim I would be happy to hear it.” She says. Scarlet lets out a loud sigh.

“Evidence? Leif, can you think of any evidence to support your claim?” Kabbu asks.

“We need evidence? We didn’t know that that was how this works.” Leif says without an ounce of sarcasm. “Maybe we can start with how Nagaram got there?” He offers

“How he got there…” Kabbu thinks out loud.

“Oh! I’ve got it! And I have some evidence to prove it!” Vi interjects. “I think the butler went over to the mayor's house and used his stairs to get onto the roofs!” She explains.

“A preposterous claim, I expected nothing more. Present this evidence that you claim you have.” He says with a frown.

“I got this, guys. This photograph I took totally proves it!” She says with a smile, before showing the photo of the gem on the roof to Scarlet.

“What in the heavens is that?” Scarlet asks. “I didn’t see any such evidence at the crime scene.” He says, shooting a glance at Crime Scene Overseer K, who simply gives him a shrug.

“Well, I wouldn’t have expected you to see it, ‘cause it was up high, on top of the roof of the blacksmith building.” Vi explains. “If it was there the day before the murder, someone would have surely taken it! So someone had to have been up there on the roofs that night!” She adds.

“Yes! That’s an amazing point, Vi!” Kabbu says. “I can’t say for sure if Nagaram was on the roof that night, but I am sure that someone was.” He continues. “And if someone was on the roof, then we have another witness, and maybe even a possible culprit!” He needs to play it safe, even if this idea is outlandish. Any lead is a good one, and this one actually seems plausible!

“I suppose… that does make sense. I’m not sure if I can contribute toward repealing this overrule, then. My greatest apologies for causing a disturbance in the court proceedings.” Elizant says, receiving a gentle pat on the back from Queen Bianca.

Scarlet sighed. “If their majesties are so hellbent on supporting this beetle’s delusional fantasies, then I suppose I have no choice but to follow and crush them to dust at every opportunity. This accusation is nothing but a falsehood, Kabbu, and the moment you run out of evidence to support it, this trial will end!”

“Of course. Engira and Kali, you are both excused from the stand. Sir Nagaram, could you please testify again regarding this–”

“Hold it!” Naragam yells, interrupting Queen Layra. “I am sorry to interrupt you, your majesty, but I believe it is time for me to reveal my true identity!” He says, before quickly tearing off his mask and apron, revealing another, checkered mask underneath, and a dark purple suit with a white undershirt. He throws his platter aside, which clambers to the ground loudly, and all three glasses on top shatter. “I’m afraid I have lied about who I really am, for I am actually THE Detective Anagram!” He announces with a dramatic pose.

…

“W-who? I’m sorry, I’ve never heard of you before.” Kabbu admits.

“Never heard of me?!?! I am THE world-famous detective! The one who has been chasing the greatest thief in all of Bugaria! I’ve been on the infamous Rivour Eugor’s trail for the past twenty years!” Anagram whines. “And surely you are impressed by my disguise? And my pseudonym? I doubt any of you noticed that ‘Nagaram’ is actually an anagram of my name, Anagram!” He continues.

…

More silence. Detective Anagram groans.

“Well, Detective Anagram, if you aren’t Sir Nagaram the waiter, who are you?” Queen Layra asks. “Please testify to us, again. My curiosity has peaked.”

“Of course, your majesty. Anything to clear my good name of these rancid accusations.” Detective Anagram says with a nod.

“Oh, and bailiff, please clean up the glass and water.” Queen Layra adds. Poor bailiff…

–Detective Anagram–

“As I said, I am the world-famous detective, Detective Anagram!” He starts. “I am completely and unimaginably dedicated to the law! To even suggest that I would commit a crime as evil as murder… you’ve insulted my very core!” Anagram says. “Three months before I began working at Nish’s bar, I discovered a sinister plot to steal several artifacts from the nearby museum. I stationed myself as close to the Defiant Root museum as possible, to keep an eye on it. I could not let them get away with it this time.” He continued. “I heard not a scream at first, but arguing, and when it began I made my way to the museum. I left not when the others heard the ruckus, but before it.” He says. “When I heard the screaming in the marketplace, I was not convinced that it was truly a scream for help. Rivour Eugor has fooled me before, I will not be fooled again.” He explains. “I followed the thief’s path, onto the roof, and that's when I witnessed the horrible crime unfolding below! Two lying in the sand stained red, and a poor bug putting up a fight, before that bandit finished him off.” Anagram concludes.

“I see.” Kabbu says with a nod, before hearing a gasp of pain and looking to his left. Leif was clutching at his chest, face strained. “Leif, are you okay?” He asked.

“We… yes… I’m… the cordycep within my chest is writhing uncontrollably. I… I think it's responding to the testimony.” Leif whimpers.

“What?! Do we need to get a doctor? Do you need to sit down?” Kabbu asks.

Leif shakes his head. “We’ll be fine. If it happens again, we’ll tell you.” Leif says, forcing a smile. Kabbu nods.

“Defense? Are you ready to cross-examine Detective Anagram?”

– Rebuttal–

(As I said, I am the world-famous detective, Detective Anagram!)

“For a world-famous detective, I haven’t heard of you before.” Leif muses. “Got any feats to brag about?”

“Of course! I am the only detective to ever even see the great Rivour Eugor! And I am so close to finally catching him and putting him behind bars! As for feats outside of the great thief… I am the only student of the greatest detective that Bugaria has ever seen. Have you heard of Rae Kalita?” Detective Anagram asks.

“I can’t say I have. To be honest, I wasn’t even aware that the BDL existed until a few days ago.” Kabbu admits.

Anagram looked struck, confused, bewildered even. “What?! What the f–”

“Language, please.” Kabbu reprimanded.

“Well, for once I wouldn’t blame you for not knowing either of those things. The BDL has been gone since Elizant the First’s passing, and it was reinstated shortly after the Explorer’s Association reunited the four kingdoms. As for Rae Kalita, he is currently in jail for burning down a government building in, quote, ‘pursuit of a fiendish fiend that goes by the name of Von Karma’. From what I’ve heard he was quite the detective, but his mental health spiraled following a case many years ago. If I remember correctly, his arrest was one of the last things that Queen Elizant the First approved while in power.” Scarlet explains.

“Indeed, a tragic end to a most genius mind.” Anagram says with a frown. “But I learned all of my incredible, detective tactics from him! And they have never once failed me in my pursuit of Rivour Eugor!” He continues, clenching his fist and shaking it in Kabbu’s general direction.

“If this guy taught you everything you know, then did he teach you the murder-arson part?! Are you saying you’d kill people in the pursuit of justice?!” Vi yells, slamming her hands on the desk.

“Never! How dare you accuse me of something like that, small bee! He was a genius! Even if his methods were extreme he was the best detective Bugaria had ever seen!” Detective Anagram exclaims.

“Interesting. I need to research Bugaria’s history some more, there's so much I don’t know!” Kabbu says.

“The last thing we need is you reading more.” Vi grumbles.

(I am completely and unimaginably dedicated to the law! To even suggest that I would commit a crime as evil as murder… you’ve insulted my very core!)

“Detective, please understand that this accusation isn’t an attack on your character. We’re simply trying to find the truth here.” Kabbu says.

“The truth?! I’ve given you the truth, and it should be simple enough for you bugs to understand! That bandit murdered them! He did it!” Detective Anagram hisses, slamming his fist on the table.

“Yeah, but you also lied about your identity, so we can’t trust you at all!” Vi adds.

“You foolish bee! I am a man of law! I have put twenty years into nabbing this criminal! I couldn’t tell you the truth, I couldn’t reveal my true identity, because Rivour Eugor would know that I was on to him!” Anagram growls, slamming his fist again.

Leif clutches at his chest again. “Leif, are you okay?” Kabbu asks.

“Yes… the witness is very angry at Vi’s accusation, we can feel it.” Leif explains.

“You can feel it? How?” Kabbu questions.

“We don’t know, but… the cordycep is… copying this bug's inner emotions?” Leif tries to explain. How interesting… maybe they could use Leif’s newfound ability to their advantage? Maybe there are some emotions that just don’t make sense?

(Three months before I began working at Nish’s bar, I discovered a sinister plot to steal several artifacts from the nearby museum. I stationed myself as close to the Defiant Root museum as possible, to keep an eye on it. I could not let them get away with it this time)

“You’ve dedicated three months into stopping this robbery? And did Nish know?” Kabbu asks.

“To stop the robbery? No. There is no way to stop the robbery once it has been announced. But, I did dedicate three months to try and capture him. I received a letter five months ago, and immediately scoped out the scene, and decided that the only way to keep my presence hidden was to begin working close by, and to disguise my appearance. If I hadn’t made my presence regular, then I could have risked being exposed and avoided, and then I would never be able to catch the thief. I chose to work at Nish’s bar specifically as he has a ‘no questions asked’ policy for workers. As long as I didn’t cause any trouble, I’d be allowed to continue working there whenever I wanted, and no one would have known who I was.” Detective Anagram explains.

“I see… and what about Nish? Did he know your identity?”

“Nish did not know, I did not know if I could entirely trust him, so to him I was only a bug wanting a job, and he was happy to provide me a place to stay and an occupancy for those three months. The only bug who had any clue of my true identity was Tory, as he needed to know where to find me in case something happened.” Anagram continues.

“Seems like a waste of three months, the thief still avoided you! You didn’t even catch him!” Vi yells.

“I was close, though! I saw him! Saw him escaping! And if Tory hadn’t panicked and forgotten where I was, I might have caught him! I was so close to getting my hands on him!” Anagram yells back. “I have dedicated years! Years of tracking down this thief, and I have never been closer to finding the truth! If you were the detective on this case, then Rivour Eugor would be running rampant, robbing every museum in all of Bugaria!”

“Geez… you didn’t have to be so rude about it…” Vi mutters, picking at the junior detective badge attached to her fluff.

“It’s okay, Vi. Some bugs just aren’t built to spend three months to see a criminal for four seconds.” Leif says, patting Vi on the back.

“It was more than four seconds! Four minutes at least! I nearly caught him!” Anagram whines.

Leif cleared his throat. “You’re very grateful for Nish, yeah?” Leif asks, strain in his voice. This cordyceps stuff really is doing a number on him.

“I am. It is thanks to him that I managed to get so close to catching Rivour Eugor.” Anagram says with a nod. “But in the end, he escaped, all thanks to that useless museum owner!” He hisses.

“Say, defense, is your moth friend okay over there? He doesn’t look too well.” Scarlet asks.

“We’re fine, don’t worry about us.” Leif grumbles.

“I can excuse you from the courtroom if you need to lay down or anything. Just say the word and I’ll make sure you’re tended to!” Queen Elizant exclaims.

“Thanks, but we’re good. We’ll be fine.” Leif says. Kabbu hopes he’s right… poor Leif. Who knew he’d react so violently to the courtroom!

(I heard not a scream at first, but arguing, and when it began I made my way to the museum. I left not when the others heard the ruckus, but before it)

“So, you’re saying you left far before the others heard the pleading for a doctor?” Kabbu questioned.

Anagram nodded. “I went not to the doctor but directly to the museum’s owner, Tory. At the time, there was no reason to suspect that a doctor would be needed.” He explains.

“But what about after the bodies were discovered? You didn’t even try to get help!” Vi buzzes.

Detective Anagram shakes his head. “My number one goal is and always will be to catch that accursed thief. The life of bystanders is, unfortunately, a second.” He explains. “I would have loved to help them, but they decided to get hurt at the wrong time.”

“That’s… that’s cold blooded! That’s so cruel!” Vi hisses.

“Defense, please keep that small bee under control. We don’t need any more outbursts.” Scarlet requests, wincing slightly from the yelling.

“Who are you calling small? I could beat you up! Again!” Vi yells.

“Vi, please calm down!” Kabbu begs, grabbing Vi as she attempts to launch herself at the witness stand.

(When I heard the screaming in the marketplace, I was not convinced that it was truly a scream for help. Rivour Eugor has fooled me before, I will not be fooled again)

“Who hears a scream for help and rushes to a museum? Someone was injured! You could have saved them!” Vi hisses.

Detective Anagram softly shakes his head. “You don’t understand the mind games that Rivour Eugor plays. He has faked his own, gruesome demise three times, and even staged a funeral for my mother to distract me from another robbery. This bugs trickery knows no bounds, it would not be out of the realm of possibilities for him to fake an assault or even murder to distract from his getaway.” He explains.

“Your mom’s funeral? How did he convince you your mom had died?!?” Vi asked, absolutely baffled.

“He paid the funeral home to stage a burial with an empty casket and paid my mother to go on a two-week vacation. I learned from my mother's staged funeral that I must see the body for myself to even consider a death to be true, something I have not yet been allowed to do with this case. In truth, I am still not convinced that a murder actually took place here.” Anagram continues.

“That sounds like you’re just really paranoid.” Vi comments, wilting slightly.

“Yeah, this seems severely unhealthy. You should probably go see a therapist.” Leif adds.

“Moving on from the psychological manipulation, when you passed the opening to the marketplace to get to the museum, did you see anything happening?” Kabbu asked.

Detective Anagram shook his head. “The events unfolding was occurring just beyond my line of sight, though at that point, I do believe the blacksmith was still alive, as I saw nobody nor a body when peering down the alleyway, into his shop.” He explains.

“I see. What did Tory say? Had the robbery already occurred? Did he tell you where the thief went?” Kabbu asks.

“It had, right before his eyes. Like a phantom, Rivour Eugor appeared from behind the painting of Elizant, grabbing several artifacts before fleeing back through the painting, back where he emerged from!” Detective Anagram explains.

“Through the painting?! Where did he go after that? Did Tory see? What relics were stolen?!?” Kabbu questioned.

“Oh Venus, you’ve got him excited. He’s never going to shut up, now.” Vi groans. Kabbu ignores her.

“I quickly pursued them through the painting, climbing up onto the roofs of Defiant Root and chasing after him!” The detective explains, making a dramatic pose. “As for the artifacts stolen, they were: a precious gemstone imbued with magic! A small, four by four crate containing a historic vase! And a tapestry depicting a prophecy of the lineage of the Queens of the Bee Kingdom!” He continues.

“Wow! Those do sound highly valuable!” Kabbu comments. “Have any of them been retrieved?”

“None save for that gemstone you recovered… I fear that the rest have already joined Rivour Eugor’s hidden hideaway, wherever that may be. All of the stolen relics of the past have joined that place… I can only hope that one day, I can retrieve them.” Anagram concludes.

(I followed the thief’s path, onto the roof, and that's when I witnessed the horrible crime unfolding below! Two lying in the sand stained red, and a poor bug putting up a fight, before that bandit finished him off)

“Wait… you’re claiming that Butomu died BEFORE the two victims?” Kabbu asked.

Detective Anagram almost seems to hesitate for a moment when Butomu’s name is mentioned. “Yes. I saw that blacksmith lying dead as a doorknob, and that girl lying unconscious close by. That’s the truth.” He says, refusing to say anything more on the matter.

“That just isn’t possible!” Kabbu yells, slamming his fists down. “What you’ve said is false.”

“It is simply the truth. As it currently stands, I am the only bug to have actually witnessed the crime, so unless you have any proof that any other bugs witnessed the crime, you cannot refuse my testimony!” Detective Anagram argues.

“Well, the others may not have witnessed the crime, but according to the detective, Butomu was still alive when the guards got to the scene.” Kabbu says.

Whaaa…?! How?! She was stabbed right through the chest!” Anagram gasps. “There was no way she could have survived that!”

“Detective, tell us the truth! What else have you lied to us about?!” Kabbu asks, slamming his fists down again.

“I haven’t done anything! Everything I’ve told is completely the truth! Stop accusing poor, innocent bugs, and use the evidence in front of you to convict that murderer!” He yells, pointing at Astotheles.

“Prosecution, please calm your witness.” Queen Layra demands.

“I will not calm down! There isn’t even any evidence that another bug was on the scene! I’m being accused, my name smeared, all off of a baseless assumption!” Anagram whines. Proof another bug was at the scene? Other than the three victims and the accused… was there anything? Anything at all to even hint toward another bug? Kabbu flips open his folder and begins digging through it, looking for anything that might give him even a semblance of guidance. Dammit… What was the point of this whole testimony if he didn’t have anything to prove the detective wrong?

“He is correct, there is no proof that another bug was at the scene, even if this witness is telling some falsehoods.” Scarlet sighed.

“Opposing testimonies or evidence… wait, but isn’t there someone else who must have witnessed the crime if the Detective’s story is to be believed?” Kabbu asked.

“Like who? The detective didn’t mention any other bugs.” Scarlet scoffed.

“He sure did, actually.” Kabbu corrects with a smirk. “The other witness to the crime, the witness that’ll help us fix this inconsistency is the thief, River Eugor!” He says.

“Have you gone mad? There isn’t a chance in hell that a thief that’s stolen millions of berries worth of relics will come before the court!” Scarlet hisses, slamming his fists down.

“You won’t even be able to find them! They’re elusive! Practically invisible! I’ve been tracking them for two decades and I’ve only come face to face with them once!” Detective Anagram adds.

“And there isn’t even proof that the thief entered the crime scene. Please, defense, try and use some actual evidence next time you blurt out absurdities.” Scarlet scoffs.

“You want evidence? How about this!” Kabbu says, presenting the photo of the strange imprint in the sand. “Detective Anagram, can you describe that box containing the vase again? What did you say the dimensions were?” He asks.

“Roughly four by four… why do you… oh heavens!” He exclaims, practically jumping after seeing the photo. Scarlet too recoils upon seeing it.

“I can’t say the exact measurements, but this imprint suggests that one of the stolen artifacts made their way onto the crime scene, and if they got onto the crime scene, then the thief must have followed!” Kabbu declares.

“I-impossible! There’s no way!” Scarlet gasps.

“What a fascinating hypothesis! Prosecution, I demand you bring this thief to the stand as soon as possible!” Queen Layra says, picking up the head of her broken gavel and knocking it against the table.

“W-what!?! Your majesty, you must be joking! How could I possibly get them to testify, much less find them! What you’re asking for is impossible!” The pink ant whimpers. K laughs, before leaving the courtroom. “I… I require a recess, a very long one, if you expect me to even find a shred of evidence on this bug.”

“Recess granted. The court will reconvene as soon as this thief is found.” Queen Layra says with a smile. Scarlet whimpers, holding his head in his hands.

Kabbu sighed. He wasn’t sure that would work. Those textbooks were right when they talked about a lawyer’s “smoke and mirrors”, you really do have to make it up as you go. But… this barely makes sense. What is Detective Anagram hoping to achieve by backing himself into a corner like this? If there's any way to disprove his testimony, he’ll be in a hell of a lot of trouble.

“We’re sorry we couldn’t use this… strange thing happening with the cordycep to our advantage.” Leif apologizes, hand still pressing against his chest.

“It’s okay Leif. Are you okay? If it gets bad, you should go lay down for a bit.” Kabbu asks.

“We’re fine. we’ll make sure to use it in the next testimony.” Leif assures, patting Kabbu on the back.

Kabbu hopes he can make a breakthrough in this next testimony… if Scarlet can even find this thief.

Notes:

To the commenter that pointed out that Nagaram was an anagram of Anagram, congratulations, you discovered the secret.

Chapter 9: Objection!

Summary:

The mysterious stranger in white makes an appearance, and two new witnesses are brought to the stand

Kabbu paced back and forth in the defendant’s antechamber, helmet under his arm. Outside this door were three guards, and on the ground below their window was another three guards, just in case either of the “criminals” in the room attempted to escape. Vi was leaning back in a chair, while Leif laid across the room's sofa, one hand on his chest and the other holding onto his puzzle cube. Astotheles stood in the far corner of the room, leaning against the wall, arm still shackled.

How long would it take for Scarlet and Crime Scene Overseer K be able to get ANY lead on this Rivour Eugor? And where was Detective Anagram during all of this? Was he sitting in the next room over? Was he talking with Queen Layra? Was he helping the investigators find leads? Was he just free to walk away? If he is guilty… or if it was a joint plan pulled off by him and the thief… What if he just ran for it? Why would he have done it in the first place? What were Term and Dolo Ite’s role in all of this? Why did any of this happen to begin with?

Though there was something that Kabbu needed to ask Astotheles before this trial continued.

~The Victims~

“Astotheles. I need to talk to you about the victims. You told me that Dolo Ite made frequent trips to Defiant Root, but Crime Scene Overseer K said that she’s never left the Termite Kingdom before. If you’re lying to me, I need to know. If you’re guilty, or if you have a more involved role in this crime, I need to know, so that I can adjust my approach to defending you.” Kabbu explains.

Astotheles frowns, looking away for a moment. “I may have lied at one point, but only once.” He admits. “The surviving victim, Dolo Ite… she wanted to donate a lot of medicine to Defiant Root, I only know her because me and my men were hoping to get some of the medicine.” He explains.

“I see… Thank you for telling me the truth. I know it may not seem entirely important to you, but for me to do my job as a lawyer I must know all the information I can.” Kabbu adds. Astotheles nods in understanding.

…

What else was there to talk about? To do? Kabbu stepped away from Astotheles, pacing back and forth for a moment. Maybe a breath of fresh air would help him? He turns to walk toward the window at the far end of the room only to see it wide open, and that familiar, white cloaked figure standing inside the room. “Sweet Venus! How did you get in here?!” Kabbu yells, drawing the other’s attention to the intruder. Vi raises her boomerang, Leif preparing his ice magic, and Astotheles getting in an offensive position despite his hand being bound.

“Calm yourselves and lower your weapons. I come to inform you that, on the path you have been forced to walk, you will not find the truth. It has been shrouded beneath lies, falsehoods, and disguises.” The bug explains. They pause to stare at Leif for a long moment, before retrieving a large stack of documents from their cloak. They’re bound together with a metal ring that goes through holes put in the top, bottom, and center of the papers. They flip through the pages, eventually stopping on a single page with a red circle on it. They hesitate for a moment, before handing the entire pile to Kabbu. Geez! These are heavy! He nearly drops them from the surprising weight of it all. “This document will help you remove a layer of lies from this trial. Pay attention to the tax columns, especially for the twins.”

“Wait a minute, who are you?” Vi asks. Oh! He had nearly forgotten that this was the first time that anyone but him was seeing this mysterious figure.

“I am merely a vessel for the truth. I died many years ago, thanks to an injustice. An injustice that still lies dormant, locked away with thousands of lies. These wrongs will never be righted, but in my second chance at life, I can provide a chance for others to be saved.” They explain.

“Do we know you? Do– do you know us? Did you know Leif?” Leif interjects. His usually cool and collected demeanor slipping for a moment. “We know your voice, we’ve met you before!” He exclaims.

The mysterious bug shakes their head. “My identity cannot be revealed, not yet.” They say, before leaping out the window and disappearing. Kabbu ignores the yelling of the other two in favor of looking at the document he’s been given. It seems to be some kind of tax record? He’s heard a lot about this taxing system in the Termite Kingdom… a lot of people don’t like it. They seem to be from about a year ago. Circled in red is the Ite family. There are two columns highlighted, one labeled “Paid by Individual'', and the other “Paid by Other”. When comparing these two columns for the twins… Term Ite has a lot more in “Paid by Individual'', and Dolo Ite doesn’t have a single berry! Does that mean that Term Ite paid all of his taxes himself while their parents paid for Dolo’s? That poor termite… but what does any of that have to do with the trial? Term Ite is dead, his takes don’t matter anymore, right?

Suddenly, the doors to the antechamber open. “The trial will be resuming shortly. The defendant must return to the courtroom.” The bailiff explains. Astotheles nods and follows them out of the room. Darn it… he’ll have to look further into this another time…

—

As Kabbu and his friends reentered the courtroom, the audience’s chatter got louder and more chaotic. Some bugs were chanting “Team Snakemouth”, a few loudly whispering rumors about them, that they themselves were bandits. They didn’t really think of them like that, did they? They knew they weren’t bandits, right?

Leif patted Kabbu’s shoulder. “Don’t worry.” Was all he said. Kabbu nodded, taking in a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment to focus on the courtroom and the case, and not on the hundreds of people behind and around him, staring at him with an uncomfortable intensity.

Two slams of a gavel, and the room went silent. “This court is back in session for the trial of Astotheles, the leader of the bandits. Mr. Monsieur Scarlet, did you manage to locate the thief I instructed you to find? This Rivour Eugor’?” Queen Layra asks.

Scarlet shakes his head. “I am unfortunately no closer to locating this thief than we were when the detective was on the stand, but I did get the chance to interview two witnesses, one of which claims they overheard the entire incident. At this time, I cannot explain the detective’s claim that he witnessed Butomu dead, and he says he won’t be returning to the stand to explain himself.” He explains.

“I see. And may I ask why they weren’t interviewed before the trial began? You could have saved us all a lot of time.” Queen Layra asks, completely ignoring the part about Detective Anagram.

“I would have loved to, but I was assigned this case yesterday, I didn’t have enough time to fully prepare.” Scarlet explains. That is true… the crime only occurred yesterday. Honestly, it's a wonder these trials function with how little time both sides have and how little communication goes on between the prosecution and the detective.

“More witnesses?!” Vi yelps, recoiling in shock. “Kabbu, what’re we going to do? Who else could be guilty if that detective guy has a better alibi?” She asks.

Kabbu doesn’t respond, eyes still closed, focusing, sorting his thoughts. If Astotheles is telling him the truth then there is a simple explanation for the presence of more testimony: more lies. He just needs to disprove the lies again, bring the truth back into the spotlight. It won’t be easy but he can do it.

“Prosecution, are you ready to continue this trial?” Queen Layra asks. Scarlet nods. “Defense, are you ready?”

Kabbu opens his eyes, looking across the room at Scarlet. He is Astotheles’s only hope, only chance to be proved innocent, to ever see the outside world again. He cannot fail him. “I’m ready, your majesty.” He says with confidence.

Queen Layra nods, a smile on her face. He won’t have to worry about her getting bored and ending the trial anytime soon, but that’s still something he needs to keep an eye on. “Wonderful. Prosecution, please bring the witnesses to the stand.” She says.

It only takes a few minutes for that bailiff to bring out the two witnesses, one of which he recognizes. Anna, the ant with the bright red prosthetic leg, smiling sweetly as she always does. To her left is another bug, a short, light brown, almost cricket-looking bug with short antennas, though it's very hard to tell what kind of bug they are, they don’t really look like any bug in particular. They wore a rather long cloak with long sleeves, eyes covered by dirty bandages, and they carried a tall stick with several bells attached to strings on the end of it. One string hangs limply without a bell attached.

“Witnesses, please state your name and occupation.” Scarlet says. “And please keep it short and precise, we have already wasted enough time on false narratives and elongated introductions.” He adds.

“Hi, I’m Anna.” Anna says with a smile and a wave. She fidgets slightly as she looks between the two lawyers on either side of her. “I was a chef not too long ago, but not too many places want mediocre chefs anymore.” She explains. Wow… he never knew that about her! It's truly incredible how you can know someone for years and never learn about their past. “My fiance is in the gallery today, to make sure I’m okay. Oh! And this is my friend, Marble.”

“Anna, could you please let ‘Marble’ introduce themselves?” Scarlet requests, causing Anna to shrink back a bit.

“O-of course. Sorry.” She says.

“I am, as my friend says, Marble Stat Yew, though most people just call me Marble. I haven’t held a job since I lost my eyes in a bandit attack.” They explain. “Though, when I was younger, I sold beans in the marketplace.”

“Wh-what?! What do you mean you lost your eyes?” Vi gasps. “Can I see?”

“Vi! You can’t go asking to see other people’s scars!” Kabbu reprimands. “I’m so sorry, Marble. Sometimes my assistant says inappropriate things.”

Marble lets out a chuckle. “It’s alright, sport. Everyone asks to see it. Just a bugs’ natural curiosity is all.” They say.

“Witnesses, could you please tell the court what you witnessed the night before last. Every minute detail no matter how insignificant or unimportant it may seem.” Scarlet requests. This might be Kabbu’s last chance, but he has hope. No matter what these bugs say, he knows that he must prove Astotheles innocent.

–What She Saw (What They Heard)–

“I live not too far from where Anna spends most of her time. A small home close to the elevator, but you’ve probably never seen it before, it’s quite hard to get to.” Marble says.

“But they come over whenever they can, to my home. They bring tea and I’ll buy some stale pastries from Crisbee. It’s nice to sit in the shade and relax.” Anna adds.

“Two nights ago was no different. I came over for some tea and pastries, expecting a calm evening, but unfortunately… well, you know what happened.” Marble continues.

“I did see who all went back there. The girl, and then the boy, then that bandit, and then that detective walked by, and then those two bugs from the bar walked past, before running off to get the guards." Anna says.

“A short time after the bandit went by, there was quite a bit of fuss from the marketplace. Anna wanted to go check it out, but I told her it was a bad idea.” Marble says, rubbing the side of their head.

“I didn’t hear as much of the ‘fuss’. I was sitting next to the kettle, and it was very loud.” Anna explains.

“But what I heard was quite awful. I heard that bandit yelling at those poor kids. Threatening them, demanding their belongings.” Marble continues. “I heard that girl scream, and then the boy yelled ‘get away from my sister’. And then I heard a crack, another scream, a scream for a doctor.” They concluded.

“As you have heard, your majesty, these bugs clearly were ear and eyewitness to the awful incidents, and they both confirmed that the defendant was one of the only bugs to walk back there, save the victims. Not only that, but they heard the defendant threatening both of the victims.” Scarlet says. “These two bugs have no reason to lie. I can guarantee that this is one of the most truthful testimonies you will ever hear.” Scarlet says.

“Well, the defense will have to figure out if that's true or not.” Queen Layra says. “Defense, please cross-examine these witness testimonies. I’m excited to hear about this.”

Leif gasps and holds his chest again. “A lot of emotion. We… we will help this time.” He says, looking at Kabbu. Kabbu nods back. That wasn’t a very long testimony… but it had a lot of information in it! This could be it; this might be able to get them a break-through in this case!

–Rebuttal–

(I live not too far from where Anna spends most of her time. A small home close to the elevator, but you’ve probably never seen it before, it’s quite hard to get to)

“This may be a stupid question, but if this home is hard to get to, how do you get to it?” Kabbu asks.

“With help from my staff, of course. I take it everywhere with me, and the bells only ring when I hit the end against something. I know the route to get home, and my staff warns me when I get a bit off track. Besides that, it’s pretty simple. Walk behind some boxes, up some stairs, and then down a small ramp and I’m there. Most people don’t know that it exists.” Marble explains.

“And you traverse this exact route every time you go out?” He continues.

“I only go out every few days, but when I do, I take this route. It’s exclusively a residential district, so I don’t have to worry too much about people moving things into the pathway, and I always leave at noon and at midnight, as no one is walking through the area at that time. I would hate to accidentally wack someone with my staff!” Marble continues.

“I see. Thank you for the explanation.” Kabbu said with a nod. “Do you ever feel unsafe while going home late at night?”

Marble shakes her head. “Why would I ever? The people of Defiant Root are kind and would never hurt a poor old bug like me. This incident… it was pulled off by an awful monster! That bandit…he’s pure evil!” They say, shaking their staff at Kabbu.

“Uh… this may be a stupid question, but how do you know when its midnight? And when it's noon?” Vi asks.

“I’ve lived most of my life blind, but I know what the sun feels like when it's noon, and when the night reaches its coldest, I know it's midnight. It’s fairly simple if you’ve lived in Defiant Root for more than a few years.” Marble explains.

(But they come over whenever they can, to my home. They bring tea and I’ll buy some stale pastries from Crisbee. It’s nice to sit in the shade and relax)

“You mentioned your fiance earlier. Your fiance is Ven, right? Does he have a house?” Kabbu asks.

“No, but he’s been trying really hard to get us a house in the Ant Kingdom. They’re really expensive though, but we’ve been saving up and we’re really close to having enough to buy a little house.” She explains. That’s rather sad to hear… maybe he could send them some berries to help them get a house sooner? Anna has already been through enough traumatic experiences in one lifetime, she deserves to be able to settle down somewhere safe. Maybe he should ask another question to get his mind off of it.

“Stale pastries don’t sound very healthy to eat. Wouldn’t it be better to buy fresher pastries?” Kabbu asks.

“Fresh pastries are very expensive, unfortunately. I don’t have the money to afford them. Crisbee is very kind, though. He gives away what he doesn’t sell, and even if they’re a bit harder, I can still tell they’re baked with lots of love.” Anna explains. The cupcakes and donuts at Crisbee’s are only a few berries… Kabbu can’t help but feel even more awful when thinking of how little berries spare they must have. Maybe he should talk to Elizant about starting some kind of fund or program for the less fortunate?

“Doesn’t honey from the hive go toxic when it spoils?” Vi asks, scratching her chin.

“Ah! Does it? I’ve never heard of honey spoiling before. How toxic is it? Will I get sick?” Anna asks, a slight edge of concern on her voice.

“No, honey is not toxic when it spoils. In fact, it’s one of the only foods that doesn’t spoil.” Scarlet corrects. Anna lets out a sigh of relief.

“What? But… but Malbee told me that it goes bad after a week…” Vi mutters.

“I think Malbee lied to you to make you stop stealing from honey deposits.” Leif says while continuing to fidget with his cube.

“She did?! That… how could she?! I’ve thrown out so much honey because I thought it was spoiled! I paid so many berries for that honey!” Vi yells furiously. Kabbu sighs. They’re getting off topic, he needs to stay focused.

(Two nights ago was no different. I came over for some tea and pastries, expecting a calm evening, but unfortunately… well, you know what happened)

There wasn’t really much to ask or even think about in this portion of the testimony… but he could still ask some questions. “How much do you know about the incident?” Kabbu asks.

“Well, I know that two young termites were attacked, one was killed, and poor Butomu was also killed. I also know that that evil bandit king is to blame for all of this.” Marble says, shaking their staff angrily toward Kabbu. “Our poor community… invaded and attacked by those awful bandits… I thought it was finally over.” They whimpered.

Well… their opinions certainly aren’t going to help their case. “Do you know about the robbery that occurred?” Kabbu asks.

“A robbery? Did those evil bandits steal from us as well?” They ask.

“Not exactly. There was a heist pulled off by a thief named Rivour Eugor. I was wondering if you had heard anything about this, or maybe heard anything relating to it that night.” Kabbu continues.

Marble thinks for a moment, rocking back and forth on the heels of their feet, humming slightly with a smile on their face. “I can’t say I have heard anything about that.” They say.

Leif groans. “They’re… very happy about that last part.” He mutters. Strange. What did that mean, though? Why would someone be happy to hear that a museum was looted?

“Are you sure you haven’t heard anything about it, Marble? You seem awfully pleased to hear about it.” Kabbu asks.

“Well, I did hear something about a cloth being stolen, one of poor Kali’s. For a moment I thought some serious investigation was being done, that law enforcement was actually going to help us for once.” Marble explains with a smile on their face.

“Ack… we tried our best…” Crime Scene Overseer K groans. “Hard to investigate so many crimes at once when I’m the only guy they’ve got at the station.” Poor K… Kabbu hopes he gets his ‘boys’ back soon.

(I did see who all went back there. The girl, and then the boy, then that bandit, and then that detective walked by, and then those two bugs from the bar walked past, before running off to get the guards)

“Did the detective go anywhere? Did he go into the marketplace?” Kabbu asks.

Anna hesitates for a moment, looking off into the gallery, completely avoiding eye contact with him. “I… don’t recall him going into the marketplace. Just into the museum, and then I couldn't see him anymore.”

“Did you see him go up onto the roof?” He asked.

“No… I couldn’t really see what was going on over there. My little home has a building between it and the marketplace.” Anna explains.

“I see… Did anyone else pass by? Any suspicious figures?” Kabbu asked, causing Anna to freeze for a moment.

“I… um…” She starts, but stops to look at the people around her for a moment. Is she… paranoid? Scared? What's going on with her? “I don’t think I saw anyone else. Just those four.” She explains. There! An inconsistency!

“Anna, could you add that statement to your testimony please?” He asks. Anna smiles and nods.

[I don’t think I saw anyone else. Just those four]

“Objection!” Kabbu yells, slamming his fist down. “This statement is contradictory to everything Detective Anagram said in his testimony!” He exclaims.

“What in the name of Venus are you talking about? Please, defense, try to not make any more baseless claims. You’re wasting our time.” Scarlet hissed.

“I’m not making a baseless claim! What Anna is saying is completely wrong! She had to see more than four people!” Kabbu corrects.

“Who else are you claiming passed the scene?” Scarlet asked. “If you can’t bring up a name then you can’t continue this line of thought.”

This could be it! A hole in the testimony, a piece of the lie that could expose the truth! “It’s simple. That night, the museum was robbed, but that couldn’t have occurred if the thief, Rivour Eugor, hadn’t passed by.” Kabbu explains.

Scarlet shakes his head silently. “Witnesses, can you explain why you didn’t witness the thief passing?”

“I… I don’t think I can. I must have been distracted when they passed by.” Anna says. “I’m sorry, I was focused on making tea.” Darn it… that’s such an easy excuse!

(A short time after the bandit went by, there was quite a bit of fuss from the marketplace. Anna wanted to go check it out, but I told her it was a bad idea)

“Anna wanted to go to the scene of the crime? Even knowing that there was a bandit in the marketplace?” Kabbu asked.

“Yes, she’s surprisingly brave, considering all that's happened to her.” Marble says with a nod.

“I never want what happened to me to ever happen to anyone else. I knew that bandit would cause trouble, I knew he would hurt them, so I tried to go after him to keep an eye, or to warn someone, but Marble told me to stay put, told me I’d… I feel like i could have stopped the murders.” Anna whimpers.

“I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m glad you didn’t get hurt.” Kabbu says. Poor Anna. He can’t imagine how guilty she must feel about all of this.

(I didn’t hear as much of the ‘fuss’. I was sitting next to the kettle and it was very loud)

“You didn’t hear the fuss? How? Everyone else said it was, like, a blood curdling scream!” Vi says, slamming her hands on the table.

“I… um… I didn’t hear anything like that. The kettle was very loud.” Anna repeats. Kabbu looks at her very closely. She almost seems to be nervous. Why would she be nervous? Is she… is she lying?

“Kabbu, are you getting what I’m getting?” Leif asks.

“A feeling that Anna is nervous? I picked up on that, but I wasn’t sure if it was important or not.” Kabbu says with a nod.

“Yeah, she almost seems scared. Completely off from how she was acting just a bit earlier. We couldn’t even hear her emotions when she started her testimony, but we can see a lot of fear in her now.” Leif confirms. “Anna, are you okay? You seem really scared.” Leif asks.

“Ah! I’m fine, I promise.” Anna says, forcing a smile.

“Ugh… we’re suffering for no reason, we can’t think of a single way that this cordycep nonsense could help you.” Leif groans.

“You can still go take that break, Leif. You need to take care of yourself.” Kabbu says, but Leif simply shakes his head.

(But what I heard was quite awful. I heard that bandit yelling at those poor kids. Threatening them, demanding their belongings)

Geez… that piece of testimony isn’t going to be good for Astotheles’s image. “Do you remember anything that was said? And are you sure that it was Astotheles who was the one saying all of it?” Kabbu asks.

“I am completely sure, I’ve heard that bandit’s voice before. That bandit… he yelled ‘give me the medicine’, and ‘step away from the girl’, and ‘I’ll kill both of you’. Absolutely horrible things.” Marble explains.

“Indeed, and can you confirm that the bug who uttered these words was none other than the cruel bandit?” Scarlet asked.

Marble nodded. “Without a single doubt. My ears are perfect, I could hear every word spoken in the marketplace, I heard both of the murders occur.” They confirm. That was also not helpful for their case… but he might be able to get some answers.

“Did you hear anything after the incident? Like what events led to Butomu’s death?” Kabbu asked.

Marble thought for a moment, before shaking their head. “Whatever conflict occurred between them was silent. I’m sorry to say but I cannot provide anything on that.” Darn… he really isn’t getting any leads on them, or on anything.

(I heard that girl scream, and then the boy yelled ‘get away from my sister’. And then I heard a crack, another scream, a scream for a doctor)

“You heard the scream for the doctor? Do you know who yelled?

“It was most certainly masculine, though I don’t know that Term Ite kid’s voice, I must say it probably belonged to him. I imagine he was trying to help his sister after she received that nasty head injury.” Marble explains.

Huh? “Prosecutor Scarlet.” Kabbu says, grabbing the ant’s attention. “Did you mention the surviving victim’s injuries to them while interrogating the witnesses? Have we mentioned them today?” Kabbu asks.

“Well, we mentioned them earlier, but the witnesses weren’t here. It is also requested, from the good Doctor Sain, that I keep the mental and physical state of victims a secret from other witnesses. So no, these two haven’t heard a thing.” Scarlet says with a nod.

“That's strange, seeing as Marble just described an injury that they had no way of knowing occurred.” Kabbu said.

“W-what?!” Marble gasps. “I… I heard it when the guards were carrying them away. Anna here said ‘wow, that’s a nasty bruise’.” They explain

Kabbu takes only a moment to look at Anna’s anxious face before shaking his head. “I don’t believe that’s true, seeing as the surviving victim has a very concealing article of clothing on, one that doesn’t even have a drop of blood on it.” He says, before showing the imitation scarf.

“Oh! She was wearing that!” Anna says with a gasp.

“Well, not this one exactly, but they’re roughly the same size, and she was wearing it wrapped around her head. If she had an injury, you wouldn’t have been able to see it, right Anna?” Kabbu asks.

“Objection! What are you getting at, defense? Are you suggesting that the blind witness somehow saw the victim’s wound?” Scarlet asks.

Leif gasps. “That’s… another spike of intense happiness from Marble.” He manages to groan. Intense… happiness? What in the world would cause that? Unless…

“Marble Stat Yew, earlier you seemed rather pleased when hearing about the robbery earlier. I assume you’re a fan of Rivour Eugor’s?” Kabbu asked.

“The witness already said they have no clue who Rivour Eugor was.” Scarlet hissed.

“Trust me. I believe I’m on to something.” Kabbu said. “Answer the question, Marble.”

“I must admit, I’ve only recently heard of him, but I believe myself to be a fan. There's something quite fairy tale-like in a master thief that steals from the rich and makes all of that money disappear.” Marble explains.

“So I take it that these spikes of happiness suggest that whatever is being said is true? In that case, could you explain the extreme happiness you felt when the defense suggested that you saw the victim’s wound?” Kabbu asks.

Marble seems surprised for a moment, before beginning to silently laugh to themselves. “Witness?” Queen Layra says, but Marble simply continues to laugh.

“My apologies.” They say in between laughs. “I… I just thought, how funny it is that the defense tries to pull their pseudoscience over the court’s eyes. What are you suggesting? That I have eyes?” Marble asks.

“And what are you suggesting is the alternative? There’s simply no way that you could have known about the victim’s head injury!” Kabbu yells.

“I was told that the victim that died suffered from a blow to the back of the head, I simply assumed the girl had suffered from that demise. It was a fifty-fifty guess and I got it wrong. Simple as that. What are you trying to push, anyways? That I was at the crime scene?” Marble asks, shaking their staff at Kabbu.

What was he getting at? Was it possible that Marble had entered the crime scene? Wait! That piece of evidence! That’s exactly what he’s looking for!

“Now, if we could get on with this trial–” Scarlet started, before being cut off by Kabbu slamming his fists down on the table.

“Objection!” He yelled. “Scarlet, I would like to ask if you know what this is.” Kabbu asks, holding up the bell found at the scene and giving it a shake.

“What? That’s just an old, broken bell. It doesn’t even ring.” Scarlet sasses, but Marble looks much more serious.

“It isn’t just any old bell, is it, Marble Stat Yew?” He asks with a smirk. “I would like to draw attention to the staff the witness is carrying. Attached to the top are several bells attached to strings, but if you pay close attention, you’ll notice that one of those strings is simply hanging limply with no bell attached.” He explains.

“Defense, what are you...?” Scarlet hisses.

“I’m suggesting that the witness, Marble, not only visited the crime scene, but that she isn’t as blind as she’s leading us to believe!” Kabbu exclaims. The people burst into chatter, and are soon silenced by Queen Layra slamming down her gavel.

“Witness, what do you have to say about these accusations?” Queen Layra asks, leaning forward in her seat. Marble doesn’t answer, though. They simply start laughing maniacally, giggling with glee, before grabbing the end of the bandage wrapped around their face and, with a quick tug, unraveling them completely. They tug on their antennas, causing them to extend, revealing themselves to be much longer, and with a tear of an outfit, the bug reveals a short, kimono-like outfit. During their changing of forms, they put on a masquerade mask that covered their upper facial features and concealed their eyes behind two thin slits, decorated with stripes of every shade of gray, and a crescent moon upon the forehead of the mask. Their unnaturally large smile shone through.

“I must say, I'm rather impressed. The only bug to get even close to discovering one of my many disguises is that foolish detective. Well, it’s been quite fun hiding under everyone's noses, but I think it’s time I give a true testimony. Queen Layra, be prepared to be the first court in history to receive an official testimony from the one and only Rivour Eugor!”

Notes:

I've been a bit eh about this reveal since I wrote this chapter, but I am still rather happy with it.

Chapter 10: Pursuit: Bugaria's Latest Sensation

Summary:

Team Snakemouth finally gets to the bottom of several of that night's many mysteries.

“Whaaaaaaaaaat?!” Vi gasped.

“I also have a secret.” Anna said with a smile.

“Anna… not you too…” Kabbu whimpered. How many people are going to reveal their secret identities during this trial? Next case he has, he’s going to make sure to get a background check on every witness. This is awful.

Anna reached down beneath the stand before raising her prosthetic leg up above the witness stand. “Surprise! I have a prosthetic leg.” She says, before putting her prosthetic back on.

“I... I think we all knew that.” Vi muttered.

“Wait… so, Marble, you’re THE Rivour Eugor? The thief that robbed the Defiant Root Museum?” Kabbu exclaimed. “Why’re you revealing this to us? Do you realize how easily you could get arrested by coming into a court before every Queen in Bugaria?”

Rivour laughed to themself. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve pulled off more heists than anyone could count. Hundreds of them are robberies that others have been arrested for. I could show my truest face to the entire court, right now, and I would never be arrested.” They said with a smile.

“A-and Anna, did you know that your friend was a thief?” Kabbu asked.

“Well, I hadn’t known until the incident. They told me who they were, and that I shouldn’t tell anyone.” Anna revealed. “But they said I could if I wanted, just that I probably shouldn’t until they’re out of town.” She continues.

“Did this thief threaten you? Is that why you lied to the court?” Scarlet asked.

Anna frowned and looked away, before shaking her head. “Marble is very kind. They would never hurt me… but… um…” She muttered.

Leif’s hand pressed against his chest. “Someone else told you not to talk?” He guessed. “You’re very scared, we can tell.”

“It’s true… Marble came back a few hours later and we finished eating biscuits and drinking tea, but when they left, a group of bandits came and threatened me.” She said.

“A group of bandits? As in the defendant's gang of bandits?” Scarlet questions.

Anna shakes her head. “No… they didn’t look like any of the bandits from the Lost Sands. One of them had a very expensive looking pocket watch. They didn’t touch the crime scene I think, but they told me that if I touched it, they’d kill me.” She explains.

“That is quite worrying.” Queen Layra says. “Thank you for telling us the truth. I’ll make sure you’re safe and protected following this trial. Until then, you can return to the prosecution's antechamber.” She continues. Anna gives the court one last smile before leaving the courtroom. “Now, Rivour Eugor, or Marble, whichever you prefer, could you please give us a detailed account of what occurred that night?”

The thief nods. “Marble is fine. I’ve lived with that name for five years now, pretending to be blind, wearing those run-down garbs, eating stale pastries and tea, I believe it suits me so I may stick with it in the future.” They say. “As for that night, I would be glad to give my testimony.”

“Hold it!” Detective Anagram yells, running onto the stand. “This cannot be allowed to happen! This bug is a criminal! A liar! A monster!” He hisses, slamming his fists down.

“Then why don’t you give testimony as well? There were a few problems with his testimony, right Defense? This is the perfect time for him to fix them.” Queen Layra suggests.

Detective Anagram shakes his head. “Now isn’t the time! This criminal needs to be arrested, stat! He can testify from jail, after he’s been given the death penalty for his crimes!”

“Detective, I must suggest that you take a step away from the witness and hold off on interrupting proceedings. If you lay a finger on them, you will be held in contempt of court, and if suspicion lands on you, you will be unable to defend your name, and I doubt you want that.” Scarlet hisses.

“Gah! You bastard convict!” Anagram growls. Kabbu gasps and quickly covers Vi’s ears, to protect her from hearing the inappropriate words that she’s already said a thousand times. Detective Anagram places both of his hands on the witness stand and lowers his head as if thinking for a moment. “I will testify alongside this monster. If Rivour Eugor makes a break for it, though…" He continues, before his head snaps up, a look of hate and fury in his eyes. "I won’t hesitate to kill him on the spot!”

–Defiant Root Heist–

“That night, I pulled off another incredible heist. Only a single witness to the crime and they were too stunned to remember what I looked like.” Marble explains.

“But they weren’t stealthy enough! I chased after them upon the roof, and I would have caught them had that museum owner not failed at his one job!” Anagram hisses.

“When I passed by the scene, I accidentally dropped some of my goods. At this point, no one was dead. Those two termites were yelling, but I couldn’t quite hear it, and I certainly couldn’t see it.” Marble continues. “Next time I peeked over, one of them was dead and the other was lying unconscious. Thankfully I was able to retrieve my loot without disturbing the crime scene.” They add.

“By the time I hurried past the scene, the deed had been done, and that bandit's hands were covered in blood. The blacksmith came out to confront him, and the two started fighting! The blacksmith tried to defend himself with a knife but the bandit grabbed it and turned it on the poor bug” He concludes.

“And you swear that all of this is the truth?” Scarlet asks.

“Without a doubt! I wouldn’t lie about this kind of thing, not when my hide is on the line!” Detective Anagram hisses.

“Just wanted to make sure. If you lie again, I will see to it that you are charged with perjury.” Scarlet says with a slight frown.

“We have certainly already seen enough lies today.” Queen Bianca agrees.

“Well, regardless of whether the witnesses are lying or not, the defense has a right to cross-examine.” Queen Layra says with a smile, twisting the top of her gavel again.

Leif clutched at his chest again. “Some part of that testimony… had a lot of anger behind it. I’m not sure what part it was though.” He whispers.

“Thanks for the heads up, I’ll keep an eye out for it.” Kabbu said with a nod. He needed all the help he could get for this one. This could be their last chance to find the truth, to figure out what really happened that night, he can’t let either of these bugs get off of the stand, or Astotheles will be found guilty.

–Rebuttal–

(That night, I pulled off another incredible heist. Only a single witness to the crime and they were too stunned to remember what I looked like)

“Could you tell us more about your plan?” Kabbu asks.

“Of course I can. No point in keeping it a secret anymore, I’ve already won this time.” Marble says with a smirk. “The plan was simple. All I had to do was remove a portion of the wall behind the painting of our dear, dead Queen, Elizant the First, and then when the time came, I went behind the museum, pushed the painting off of the wall, and while Tony was frozen in shock, I grabbed the three items I was after, and went back the way I came from.” They explain.

“I see. When you were making your getaway, did you at any point see Detective Anagram?” Kabbu asks. Marble shakes their head, their mandibles twisting into a smirk.

“They’re lying! We came face to face when I chased them up onto the roof!” Detective Anagram hisses, lunging at Marble, only for the thief to disappear and reappear on the other side of the stand. Anagram sputters in disbelief, looking at his hands as if expecting to see the thief, before looking over his shoulder and letting out a hiss of frustration. "I swear it! I saw him AND his true face!" The detective yells. Marble begins chuckling to themself, leaning against the witness stand.

“Forgive me for my laughing, Queens. I just can't help it when I think about how stupid this silly detective is. I most certainly didn’t see you.” Marble says with a sly smirk, pointing at the detective tauntingly. “And you most definitely didn’t see me either, or you would have followed me back to my hideout.”

Detective Anagram lets out a growl. “Fine! I admit I didn’t see them escaping, that useless museum owner didn’t call for me, and by the time I learned that the heist had occurred, it was far too late for me to catch up.” He explains. Interesting. Why didn’t he tell them that from the beginning?

“So what were you doing after you got up on the roof? If you weren’t chasing after Rivour Eugor, what were you doing?” Vi interjects.

“I was…” Detective Anagram starts, wiping his forehead. “I was investigating at the museum, to try and find any clues… I didn’t manage to uncover any.” He groans. Ah, so that’s why he didn’t tell them that. He must really be prideful about his work on the Rivour Eugor case if he’s willing to lie on the stand about what progress he’s made… or maybe he’s just trying to watch his tail. Kabbu can’t imagine anyone would be very happy knowing that the detective on Rivour Eugor’s case was struggling to find leads.

“A little bit of anger from Detective Anagram… happiness from Marble. Those emotions make sense.” Leif whispers. Okay… no strange emotions here. That’s good.

(But they weren’t stealthy enough! I chased after them upon the roof, and I would have caught them had that museum owner not failed at his one job)

“Could you elaborate when you say ‘not stealthy enough’? Kabbu requests.

“Tony, the museum owner, witnessed it all! He saw this thief enter and escape through the painting, so it wasn’t difficult to go after them!” He explains. “And they would certainly be in handcuffs right now if that foolish museum owner had come to tell me about the robbery!” He continues.

“What if the museum owner didn’t tell you because he’s in on it?” Vi suggests. “Like the thief gives him a cut of the money?”

Anagram is silent for a few moments. “If… if I find out that that’s the case, then I’ll strangle that fool! He’ll be in handcuffs and he’ll get the death penalty for helping this dangerous, evil criminal!” He hisses. Goodness! Anagram sure is violent when it comes to Rivour Eugor… if Kabbu were them, he would not be standing next to the detective that is practically foaming at the mouth right now.

“The same as last time, little anger, a lot of happiness. We’re sorry, Kabbu. We really aren’t being of much help here.” Leif whimpers.

“It’s okay, you’re doing your best.” Kabbu says, patting Leif on the back.

(When I passed by the scene, I accidentally dropped some of my goods. At this point, no one was dead. Those two termites were yelling, but I couldn’t quite hear it, and I certainly couldn’t see it)

“You say you couldn’t see the scene… were you still wearing your blindfold then?” Kabbu asked.

Marble burst into laughter. “Absolutely not. My senses are everything, and I’ll admit I’ve been rather useless wearing that blindfold for the past few years. I couldn’t see the scene because I was laying flat on top of a building’s roof. With the termites’ perspectives, they wouldn’t have been able to see me.” They explain.

“Ah… that makes more sense.” Kabbu groaned, wilting slightly. Well… does this part of the testimony even have more important information? Everything here kind of makes sense… maybe he’ll come back to it later, if he can’t find another contradiction.

“I felt some surprise in their testimony.” Leif whispered. Kabbu nodded.

“Marble, did you feel a bit surprised when you dropped those goods?” Kabbu asked.

“Ah… why would I be surprised? I have nothing to hide." Marble says, tilting their head and smiling widely.

Kabbu slams his hands down. "Don't be difficult, Marble. You already know that we can read your emotions with ease. Tell us the truth!" He yells.

They think for a moment before sighing. "I'll admit it, I was very surprised. I tripped while making my getaway! I’ve never tripped on a heist before! And I dropped my goods, what if one of them broke? Those amazing artifacts, worth so many berries! I’m going to have to dedicate many berries to no-slip shoes!” Marble whines. “I’m sure I could have retrieved the goods before the deaths occurred, but I was so disappointed with my failure that I just laid face down for several minutes.”

“Ah… well, that isn’t exactly a lead.” Kabbu mutters. Leif wilts, letting out a groan of dissapointment. "Don't worry, Leif. It's helping, I promise." He whispers.

(Next time I peaked over, one of them was dead and the other was lying unconscious. Thankfully I was able to retrieve my loot without disturbing the crime scene)

“So you did enter the crime scene?” Kabbu asks, getting a nod from the thief in return.

“I couldn’t just leave thousands of berries laying down there in the sand, could I? A single grain of sand could ruin the paint on that vase, I had to be quick. I slinked down from my hiding spot and grabbed the box, before leaving. Simple and easy.” They explain.

“Hold it!” Vi shouts. “That doesn’t fit at all with the crime scene!” She says.

“Defense, please keep your small bee under control.” Scarlet hisses.

“Oh, I’ll show you who's small! Take a look at this!” Vi exclaims, showing the picture she took of the imprint of the fallen crate. “The victim was on top of the box! You had to have moved them to get your box back, they must have bled all over the box!” She yelled, slamming her hands on the table.

“Oh goodness!” Marble yelps, recoiling in shock, several berries flying out of their pockets.

“Spill the truth! Lying ain’t gonna get you nowhere!” Vi yells.

“Ugh! Fine! When I went down to the crime scene, the victim was lying dead, face down on top of the crate. I only moved them for a moment to get it back, and then I returned them, but they didn’t bleed a drop on my catch.” Marble explains. Hmm… that made things a bit clearer… but that still didn’t completely make sense.

“Objection!” Kabbu yells. “Rivour Eugor, you know you could evade every guard here with ease, so why do you keep lying? Tell us the truth!”

“Do you really think they could do that?” Vi asks.

“No, but I need to stroke their ego a bit.” Kabbu answers.

Marble shakes their head. “Whatever do you mean? Do you not understand my testimony?” They ask, rocking forward on their feet.

“Yes, I was enjoying their testimony. If you’re raising an objection and insulting the guards, then surely you found something wrong, yes?” Queen Layra asks. What was wrong? Ah… he hadn’t even really thought of that. What was wrong with Marble’s testimony? It wasn’t the position of the victim or the box… oh! He’s got it!

“I do! A very important fact that completely disproves the witness’s claim that the victim landed face down!” He says. “Take a look at this! This is a photo of the imprint that the crate made when it was dropped, but it’s also where the victim, Term Ite, fell after being struck in the back of the head.” He explains.

“I don’t see anything wrong with this image. Could you please be a bit more specific?” Queen Layra requests.

“Of course. The problem here is the lack of blood! The victim received a fatal blow but almost none of the blood is here!” He says. “And that's because the victim didn’t land face first, they landed on the back of their head, and their blood soaked into the wood of the crate!”

“Oh my!” Queen Layra yelps.

“Gah!” Marble yelps, recoiling again. “Darn it… I was hoping I wouldn’t have to hand this over… but there's no way to hide the truth any longer.” They say, before tossing something at Kabbu, which he barely manages to catch. “Keep it, as a little souvenir. That's the crate containing the priceless vase. Of course, I took the vase out before bringing the crate here.”

Kabbu turns it over in his hands, placing it down on the table. “Oh snap! Look at that blood stain!” Vi yells, pointing at the large red stain on the crate.

“What does this mean, defense?” Queen Layra asks.

What does this mean? This has the possibility to change everything, if only he could figure it out. “This means… that…” He starts. Smoke and mirrors, that’s a part of being a lawyer, right? He needs to throw something out there, even if it's crazy, if it could bring forward the truth, he has to do it! “This means that the victim didn’t die from being struck in the back of the head! The victim instead landed on the box, and the sharp corner ended their life!”

“What? That hardly even makes any sense!” Scarlet sputters. “What would that even change? You’re just bringing up more and more useless leads!”

Kabbu shakes his head. “Quite the opposite, actually. If the victim were to have landed on the box, then they wouldn’t have even needed someone to attack them. Just as Marble said earlier, a slip can happen anywhere. All it would have taken was a single slip, and Term Ite could have fallen backward and his life would have ended!”

Scarlet recoils, the umbrella at his hip popping open and causing him to dive for cover, before returning to the top side of his bench a moment later. “What are you getting at? Are you saying that Astotheles is innocent of murder because the victim slipping and landing on a box?” He asks.

“That’s about what I was trying to say. The victim saw Astotheles and tried to run at him, only to slip backward and land fatally.” Kabbu explains. He had it! He was on the right trail! Now all he needed to do was find the culprit for the other murder and Astotheles was home free!

“Objection. The defense seems to forget that, even if somehow you prove that Astotheles didn’t murder the victim, we still have multiple witnesses stating that they saw him slam Term Ite on the head. Thanks to this new information we know that the victim, after being hit on the head, fell backward and landed on the crate. What do you say to that, explorer? Do you say that the truth is lying?” Scarlet explains.

Kabbu recoils. Dang it… he took his revelation and completely flipped it on its head! “I… I don’t think I can say anything more on that line of thinking.” He mutters.

(By the time I hurried past the scene, the deed had been done, and that bandit's hands were covered in blood. The blacksmith came out to confront him, and the two started fighting! The blacksmith tried to defend himself with a knife but the bandit grabbed it and turned it on the poor bug)

“So you’re claiming that Butomu came outside to help after Term Ite had died?” Kabbu asked. “And that she came out armed with the murder weapon, the ‘Dr. Blade’s Blades’ blade, right?”

“I couldn’t exactly see the branding on the knife from the distance I witnessed it from, but yes, that sounds about right. I watched the horrible display of strength before my eyes! The blade was torn from the blacksmith’s hands, before being thrusted into the poor bug's chest.” Detective Anagram explained.

“I still don’t get why Astotheles would have attacked the termites. Like, surely he knew how much he needed to buy the prosthetic arm, right? And they have a ton of money in their hideout, couldn’t he have just paid for it instead of murdering someone?” Vi questioned.

“You are right on one front. They did have a lot of money, but during the recess I requested and received copies of multiple shops in the area, as well as all reports of stolen berries in the Defiant Root. I found that the businesses in town occasionally received packages containing hundreds of berries. The bandit king couldn’t have paid for the prosthetic, he had already given all of his money away.” Scarlet explains.

Vi wilts slightly. “Darn it… I thought I was on to something.” She mutters.

“Hey, can we ask the witness something?” Leif requests, raising his hand like they’re in a classroom.

“Of course. You’ve been quite polite today, after all.” Queen Layra says with a smile.

“Sweet, thanks. Hey detective, can you say the victim’s names for us real quick?” Leif asks. Where is he going with this?

“Of course! The two twin termites, Dolo Ite and Term Ite, and the blacksmith.” Detective Anagram says.

“Who's the blacksmith? You mean like Engira? We don’t remember hearing about Engira dying.” Leif continues.

“No! The other blacksmith you annoying moth! The big beetle!” Detective Anagram hisses.

“There are plenty of blacksmith beetles that we know. Could you be a bit more specific? Maybe a name or something like that?” Leif continues. Wait… maybe Leif is on to something here. He’s only now realizing that Anagram hasn’t said Butomu’s name even once.

“B… Butomu. That’s the third victim.” Anagram mutters. It almost sounds like it's causing him physical pain just to say it.

“Yup, just as we expected. The detective is avoiding saying Butomu’s name, and everytime he says it, or even mentions blacksmiths, he gets really angry.” Leif explains, hand lightly clutching at his chest. Anger? Focused at Butomu? He would expect some anger focused toward him, or at the thief standing next to him, but at Butomu? That doesn’t make much sense, but that definitely sounds like something he needs to make a note of.

Kabbu thinks through all of the evidence again, flipping through his folder. Leif might be onto something here, and he needs to find something that could prove Anagram wrong and cast suspicion onto him. Something in that testimony didn’t quite sound right… oh! He’s got it! “Detective Anagram, I would like to ask you something. You said that the defendant, Astotheles, got blood on his hands after attacking the victims, yes?” He asks.

“Yes. I know what I saw! Clear as day, his hands were drenched in the poor bugs’ blood!” Anagram hisses. Kabbu shakes his head.

“I’m sorry, but it must have not been ‘clear as day’, because there's a glaring contradiction in your testimony.” Kabbu says with a smirk. “You said that Astotheles had blood on his hands, but that he also took the blade out of Butomu’s grasp.” He explains.

“What’re you trying to say, lawyer?” Anagram growls, slamming his hands down on the witness booth.

“Well, I would like to show you an interesting footnote in the autopsy report. Right here it says that the knife, found in the victim’s chest, had no blood on the handle! If the defendant’s hands were covered in blood, he couldn’t have even touched the blade without leaving a huge mark on it!” Kabbu exclaimed.

“Ack!” Anagram yelled. “I… I must’ve just seen wrong, then! The blacksmith… that bandit twisted the blacksmith’s hands around so that the knife was facing him! And then he pushed that bug into the wall, and the knife ran straight into his chest!” The detective explained.

“I’m sorry, but that still contradicts the facts. Butomu didn’t have blood on her hands either! Your story just isn’t possible!” Kabbu interjected.

“Ah… then… the bandit merely… wiped his hands down after killing the termites. Ah! That’s it, the bloody scarf you showed off earlier! I had forgotten this from the awful trauma of witnessing such events! He used the victim's scarf to clean up the blood on his hands.” Detective Anagram explained.

“Are you really trying to suggest that there was a large enough time between the termite twins killing and Butomu coming out for my client to be able to clean his hands? Stop making up lies and tell us the truth!” Kabbu yelled, slamming his fists down.

"Hold it!" Scarlet yells, slamming a fist down. “Okay Kabbu, playing along for a moment that the bandit king didn’t clean his hands, are you still acknowledging that whoever attacked the termite twins got blood on their hands? Or do I need to show you the autopsy report that you flaunted about only a few minutes ago?” He asks.

“Of course I am. Why would I… ah…” Kabbu answered, before promptly wilting. “Oh… I see it now.” He mutters. “Well, there's always a chance he saw someone other than the defendant?”

Scarlet slams down a fist. “Let me explain the defense’s idea to everyone in the court, since he’s making nothing but a fool of himself. The defendant bludgeoned the poor termites with his hands, but he couldn’t have murdered Butomu as his hands were bloody and he didn’t have time to clean them off. Alternatively, some specter appeared and bludgeoned the poor termites, but since there was no time for this spectre to clean their hands, the defendant was the only one who could have murdered him.” Scarlet concluded.

“Ack! No!” Kabbu yelped. Damn it… How is Scarlet always one step ahead of him on his ideas? Either way he argues, Astotheles is still guilty of a crime, and there's still only one suspect. How is he supposed to turn this around? How is he supposed to fix this?

“No matter which way you argue it, your client is guilty. Are you ready to abandon the idea that your client is innocent? At least own up to one of the crimes, you can’t get him off of both.” Scarlet hissed. What path can he even take? He’s in a worse place than he was before, all because Detective Anagram keeps lying. What can he do? Is he supposed to trust the witnesses or his client?

No. He needs to trust his client no matter what. There's still a possibility, a single explanation that could save Astotheles. “The knife has no blood on it because… because…” He starts. What is he supposed to say? Scarlet’s words echo in his head ‘at least own up to one of the crimes, you can’t get him off of both’. What does that mean? Is Scarlet entertaining the idea of a third party? Wait… maybe he’s been looking about this all wrong from the beginning! He’s been looking for a murderer who could have killed both of the victims when he should have been looking for two! “Because there wasn’t just a single murderer that night.” Kabbu says with a smile. “There were, in fact, two separate murderers, who's crimes just so happened to overlap!”

“Excuse me?” Scarlet hisses. “That… that doesn’t even make sense! You can’t disprove a credible idea with a complete shot in the dark!”

“It does make sense when you start to think about it. You even said it yourself, Scarlet. If you want me to own up to one of the crimes then you have to accept the fact that another bug was at the scene of the crime!” Kabbu exclaims. “Furthermore, don’t you think it's a bit odd that a thief that was closer to the exit of the marketplace chose to fight instead of run? Why rush the blacksmith when he could have just rushed back to his hideout? And why use the blacksmith’s own knife to kill him when he would have already demonstrated his complete and utter ability to knock someone out with a single punch?” He continues.

“I must admit I’m a bit lost, and your reasoning isn’t too sound, but if you could give an identity of this other attacker, I would be happy to hear you out.” Queen Layra says.

“Wha– your majesty! You can’t be serious!” Scarlet whines.

The identity of the other attacker… he had to be careful with this, but at the same time he needed to think fast. The more confident he seems the more likely it was that his suspect would slip up. “The bug who murdered Butomu is none other than… you! Detective Anagram!” Kabbu exclaimed.

“WHAT?!” Anagram recoiled. “Do you have any clue what you’re claiming? That I, an upstanding bug of the law, would commit murder?!”

“I completely understand what I’m claiming, and I plan to back it up with evidence.” Kabbu continues. “But I need to prove something first. Marble. Tell me a bit more about the goods you dropped. Tell me exactly what items you dropped and where they landed.” He demands. He was hoping for a single fact, something that could seal the deal and give Detective Anagram a motive.

“Oh, I would love to. When I was jumping from rooftop to rooftop, I slipped, the first time I have ever done something like that. The crate and diamond fell out of my hands, but I managed to hold on to the tapestry. They both landed on the sand beneath me, so thankfully neither of them were damaged.” Marble explains.

“And when you went down to retrieve the things you dropped, did you pick the gemstone back up?” Kabbu continues.

Marble seems to think for a few moments before gasping. “Oh my goodness! I completely forgot to grab it! How could I have made such a large mistake!” They cry.

“Don’t worry about it, Rivour Eugor, we managed to find it for you." Kabbu says with a smile. "Only problem is that it wasn't where you left it.”

“Defense, what are you on about?” Scarlet hisses.

“Oh, just pointing out that the goods were dropped onto the sand.” He explains.

“On… the… OH!” Scarlet yelps, recoiling in shock.

“That’s right. The gemstone should have been laying in the sand when we found it. Despite this fact, we found it on top of the roof. Now, I would like to ask Detective Anagram, did you really manage to miss this gemstone, or did you put it up there yourself?!” Kabbu accuses.

“What in the world are you trying to get at? Why would I move the gemstone? Stop making accusations and say something that actually makes sense!” Detective Anagram growls. “And you! Stupid thief! Stop trying to interrupt the law with your lies!”

Kabbu shakes his head. “I would like to propose a new series of events to the court. Following the discovery of the body outside in the marketplace, Butomu called out for a doctor, before approaching the two unconscious bugs to try and help. Next, she noticed a gemstone laying in the sand. Surely she would have picked it up, probably thinking something along the lines of ‘how did this get here?’. Now imagine, if you were a detective trying to find a disguised thief that had just made off with that exact gemstone, what would you think if you saw this scene?” He explains.

“Well, I would probably think that that was the thief!” Queen Layra exclaims.

“Exactly. Detective Anagram, seeing two presumably dead bugs and a third holding the gemstone he was supposed to be protecting, jumped down from the roof and attacked Butomu, and the fight between them ended with Butomu dying at the detective’s hands!” Kabbu continued, slamming his fists down.

Detective Anagram recoiled. “No! Everything you just said… it's all wrong! Why would I attack a thief? Do you think I’m some kind of lunatic? I’m here to protect justice, not obstruct it!” He yelled.

“Not to mention that you’re claiming that Detective Anagram managed to overpower Butomu. I mean no offense, but look at him! The desert winds could blow him away!” Scarlet exclaimed through gritted fangs.

“Hey!” Detective Anagram hissed, pride once again wounded.

“Bold of you to assume that the detective even needed to overpower Butomu. Detective Anagram never had the intention of capturing Rivour Eugor, as evident by this!” Kabbu exclaims, presenting the murder weapon. “I remember hearing earlier today that these knives were bought from the Termite Kingdom, but that Butomu gave them out to different businesses around Defiant Root. Specifically, she said that some of the knives were given to Nish’s bar.” He explains. “The knife found in the victim's chest wasn't from Butomu's box of knives, it was from Nish's bar's cutlery! When he left to go to the museum, he grabbed one of the knives, just in case he had a run in with Rivour Eugor, and after he witnessed Butomu holding the gemstone, he rushed the beetle and stabbed her in the gut before she could even react!”

“And that's why we sensed so much hate when he said Butomu’s name. If he hadn't gone after her, he might have been able to catch up with the thief.” Leif adds.

“And that means that, after committing the murder, Detective Anagram put the gemstone on the roof to make it look like Marble had gotten away!” Vi chimed in. Yes! It’s all coming together!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Detective Anagram screams, nearly falling backwards in shock.

The courtroom exploded into chaos. People were cheering, others booing. Several objects were thrown down at the witness stand.

“Objection!" A voice yelled, silencing the chaos in an instant. "Defense, you clearly didn’t think this all the way through, because there's a laughably large wound in your logic.” Scarlet says with a scoff. “There's simply no way to prove that one of the knives that were given to Nish’s bar was used. Butomu didn’t keep a record of who she gave what to. If you’re going to go out of your way to accuse anyone that had access to one of these knives, then you would have a whole lot of suspects.”

"Yes! Exactly! I'm not guilty! I swear it!" Detective Anagram says.

“Darn it… that was like super cool what we were doing just then! He completely ruined it!” Vi whines.

“I suppose he’s right.” Kabbu wilted. Dammit… he was so close… but there wasn’t really anything that could prove that the knife had been from Nish’s bar, was there?

“What a shame. I really thought you were onto something there.” Queen Layra sighs.

“Come on, Kabbu! Don’t give up now, you’re so close!” Vi exclaims.

“Yeah. Woo. You got this Kabbu.” Leif cheered in a completely monotone voice.

Kabbu nodded to his friends before flipping open his folder. Think Kabbu, think! Think back to everything that’s been said so far in this trial! There has to be some clue, some lead, anything that could help him prove that the knife came from Nish’s bar!

‘I’ve been so stressed all day, I swear I’ve left dust on everything I touch as well. I had to sweep and dust my shop at least four times just to get it to be presentable. That poor waiter probably got some on him when he took my silverware’.

He audibly gasped when he realized the implications of Kali’s statement. “Hold it! There's an incredibly simple way to figure out where the knife came from!” Kabbu exclaimed. “And we can thank the previous witnesses for unknowingly sealing this murderer’s fate.” He adds.

"No!" Detective Anagram yells, slamming his fists down. "Don't listen to him! He's lying! He's trying to deceive all of you!"

“What are you talking about now?” Scarlet scoffs, ignoring the detective's outburst.

“I would like to remind the court of a very important statement that Kali Biyaya said earlier. She says that the stress from being interrogated by investigators all day was causing her to leave dust everywhere and on everything. She even made a comment about the silverware she had used at Nish’s bar.” Kabbu explains.

Scarlet recoils as he finally catches on to what Kabbu is thinking. “You aren’t saying… that the knife would still have dust on it?” He croaks.

“I am. Even if Kali hadn’t used that specific knife, Detective Anagram would still have gotten the dust on his hands, and then it would have gotten on everything else! On the knife, on the diamond! Even on Butomu! All we have to do is run some tests on the knife to see if there's any moth dust left on it!” Kabbu explains.

Detective Anagram recoils in shock. “I… I didn’t! I’ve been framed!” He yells, lunging at Marble again, only for the thief to disappear and reappear once again.

“Face the facts, detective! When the results get back, they’ll tell us exactly what happened that night!” Kabbu yelled.

“No… NO! It… I didn’t kill Butomu… It’s… it’s all this bastard thief’s fault!” Detective Anagram screams, lunging at Eugor again, only for the thief to once again disappear in a cloud of smoke, reappearing at the other side of the witness booth. “I know it! This is all just another fabrication! Another lie!” He yells, pulling on his antenna as if he's trying to tear them off of his head. “It’s all a lie! All a farce! There’s... I can't be guilty! I would never hurt someone, I'm trying to save all of you from this monster!” He screams, lunging at Eugor once again, but the thief doesn’t reappear this time. “I’ve been framed! I’m telling the truth! That thief… they ruined my life! They staged the murder! That has to be it! Butomu isn’t dead! She's probably trapped in his vault! No... no, no! Butomu was never even real! She can't have been real! I wouldn't hurt a real person!” He screams, grabbing onto the witness stand with a white–knuckle grip, eyes frantically dashing around at all of the people staring at him. “Th-the courtroom! The defense! The prosecutor! All of these witnesses! Even the Queens and the audience! It’s all fake! You’ve all fallen right into the thief’s pocket!” He declares, right as Eugor appears behind him, holding his staff above his head, only to bring it down, knocking the detective unconscious.

–--

“Prosecutor Scarlet, what is the current state of Detective Anagram?” Queen Layra asked once everything had calmed down.

“He is still unconscious, but he has been detained. While all of that was happening, Crime Scene Overseer K got back to me with the results of the test. Both the knife and diamond had small particles of moth dust on them. When the detective wakes up, he’ll have a lot of explaining to do, and he won’t be spending another day hunting Rivour Eugor.” Scarlet explains.

“I see. And what about Rivour Eugor? Have they been detained as well?” Queen Layra questions.

Scarlet shakes his head. “They disappeared immediately after the detective was brought into the Prosecution’s Antechamber, and it looks like they took the gemstone with them.” The ant sighs.

“Well, that is a shame, but at least the true culprit has been found, and this case can finally be brought to a close.” Queen Layra says with a smile. “If there are any other statements, please say them now. If now, I find the defendant, Astotheles the Bandit King–”

“Objection.” Scarlet interrupts. “Your majesty, please don’t tell me that you’ve completely forgotten about the two other crimes the bandit king is accused of committing? Now that we have someone to blame for the murder of Butomu, only Astotheles is left to be guilty of the murder of Term Ite and the assault of Dolo Ite.” He continues. No! Kabbu had almost forgotten about that part of the night! He hasn’t put any thought into other guilty parties, he had been so focused on Butomu!

“Wait! Your majesty, please! We need another day!” Kabbu pleaded.

She sighs. “I’m sorry, Kabbu, but this trial has gone on for almost a whole day now. Surely your client will be okay with being convicted of one murder? It’s better than two.” Queen Layra says with a smile. No! This can’t be happening! After all he's done to prove Astotheles innocent! After how hard he’s tried! It can’t end like this.

“Hold it!” A voice yelled out. “Queen Layra, I demand the defense be given another recess. You’ve seen what they’re capable of. If there is another culprit, they will surely find them.” Queen Elizant pleads, before leaning down to whisper something else in the presiding queen’s antenna.

Queen Layra thinks for a moment before shrugging. “Fine. I’ll extend the trial for one more day. Tomorrow evening, the final day of court for this trial will begin, and if no new developments have been made, I will be ready to hand down my verdict. Defense, please thank Queen Elizant on your way out. Court is dismissed.” The Queen says. Kabbu lets out a sigh of relief, but when he looks across the courtroom his eyes connect with Scarlet’s. The ant is pissed, he can tell just from looking at him.

It doesn’t matter if he makes people angry. He must find the truth at all costs.

Notes:

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I am personally very happy with it. I hope you all enjoyed it.

We aren't done yet though. Even though one murderer has been exposed, there is still another at large.

Chapter 11: Finding More Facts

Tomorrow was the last day of Astotheles’s trial and Kabbu still had no idea who the other culprit could possibly be. He didn’t even have any evidence at the moment that could suggest that anyone other than the victims, Detective Anagram, Rivour Eugor, and Astotheles had entered the scene of the crime. Detective Anagram couldn’t have murdered Term Ite because he was already dead before the detective entered the scene. Rivour Eugor possibly could have, but with the thief now long gone, it would be impossible to know. Did that really only leave two of the victims and Astotheles? But Astotheles had told him that he was innocent, that he hadn’t committed the murder, but it couldn't be the victims either.

He can't point any fingers just yet. He needed to return to the scene of the crime and search for any more evidence that could possibly exist. He needed every single piece of evidence there was, and the only place to get it was at the crime scene! Leaving Leif and Vi at home, Kabbu made his way toward Defiant Root with the confidence needed to solve this crime scene, but when he arrived at the Defiant Root marketplace, he was met with a very perplexing scene. Where there once was a crime scene, evidence, and blood, there were now shops and blankets laid out. Whatever remained of the scene was gone, destroyed by the hundreds of bugs that walked about. Kabbu couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

He peeked into the blacksmithing building, finding only Ven standing alone, staring at the wall of bandit wanted posters. “Um… hello?” Kabbu called out. Ven turned his head to look at Kabbu but said nothing. Maybe this was a good time to ask about Anna? To make sure she's okay? “You’re Anna’s fiancé, right? Is she doing okay? I know testifying can be quite stressful.” He says, walking a bit closer to Ven.

The butterfly looks at him with an upset look. “She's okay, but she's been escorted to the Ant Kingdom. She’ll be staying there until I have enough funds to get us a house.” Ven says, looking down at the ground. “I won’t be able to see her for a month or two. It just isn’t safe.” Oh. He had almost forgotten what Anna had said yesterday.

“Those bandits that threatened her yesterday. Are they the reason she can’t stay here anymore?” Kabbu asked.

Ven nodded. “It’s all my fault, too. If I had been there, I could have protected her… but instead, I was all the way in the Golden Settlement, getting her some aphid dew as an anniversary gift…” He sighed. “And even in court I couldn’t protect her. Those bugs wouldn’t let me stand beside her, even though she was on the verge of tears!”

“I’m… sorry to hear that. I’m sure she enjoyed the anniversary gift, though.” Kabbu said.

“She did, she did, but it didn’t cheer her up.” Ven says with a frown. “I just wish I knew where to look for these new bandits. I can’t let something like this happen again, what if they figure out where she’s hiding and go after her? What if she isn’t safe?” He whimpers.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she’s safe.” Kabbu says. “I may not have my explorer’s association badge at the moment, but the bugs of the explorer’s association are still my friends. I’ll ask them to keep a close eye on her until you can get that house.”

“You… you will? You really mean it?” Ven says, excitement filling his eyes. Kabbu nods. “Oh, thank you so much! First you beat up those bandits, and now you're keeping her safe even while working! You explorers are truly incredible!” Ven cries.

“I’m always willing to help no matter what.” Kabbu says with a smile. “Also, I would like to ask, do you know what happened to the crime scene out in the marketplace? I was hoping to come back to look for more evidence, but… well, it's all gone.” He asks.

Ven frowns and shakes his head. “I don’t recall. I wasn’t in Defiant Root until just a few hours ago. Maybe ask Kali? I know that Engira is out of town right now, and Crisbee closed his shop for the day out of respect for Butomu, and I think Nish did the same. The marketplace was already packed when I got back.” He explains.

“I see. I’ll go talk to her.” Kabbu says with a nod.

“You have a good day, Mr. Team Snakemouth! And prove that bandit guilty!” Ven called out after Kabbu as he exited the building. Is… is Ven not aware that he’s a defense attorney and not a prosecutor? With how much the bug hates bandits… it might be better to not let him know the truth.

Just a bit down the street, he enters Kali’s store. The moth is sitting behind a desk, an exhausted look in her eyes. As soon as Kabbu enters, her eyes light up, but when she realizes who he is, she slumps down again. “Hello, Kali. I wanted to ask you a few questions, if possible.” He says.

She sighs. “I’m not getting any customers right now, so go ahead, but if someone comes in, I need you to leave.” She says.

“Oh, I won’t take up too much of your time, don’t worry!” Kabbu says. “I just wanted to know if you knew what happened to the crime scene.”

“Ah… I did see what happened. That detective and the pink prosecutor came through, took everything up, including the bloody sand, and then left. They were arguing with the mayor earlier, I guess he wanted the marketplace cleared as soon as possible so the accident wouldn’t hinder the economy too much.” Kali explains.

Kabbu nods. “That's very helpful information, thank you.” He said with a smile. To be honest, it wasn’t that helpful. By detective… he assumes she means Crime Scene Overseer K? So the ‘pink prosecutor’ must be Scarlet… maybe he should go by the BDL and ask about it over there?

He can already feel his legs starting to ache…

—

The Bugaria Department of Law… hopefully the end of his search for the crime scene! He approaches the doors to the building and pulls on the door handles… only to find that the building is locked again. Welp… the only thing he can really do is knock and wait for someone to come and open the door.

…

This was slightly humorous the first time, but it is quickly becoming not funny. Why are the doors here always locked? What if someone needs a prosecutor? Kabbu hits his head lightly against the door and sighs, only to snap up when he hears the clicking of the door unlocking.

The door is opened by a rather smug looking firefly wearing a deep blue coat with a metal zipper, zipped all the way up. “You’re that defense attorney, yeah?” The firefly asked. “Yeah, you definitely are. I suggest you start buzzing off, no one around here likes defense attorneys.” The firefly continues before getting an answer. This must be that other prosecutor that Captain Daxy told him about the other day.

“You’re Loki Tanoo, right?” Kabbu asked, earning a nod.

“The one and only, best prosecutor in all of Bugaria.” He says with a smile, pulling a small dagger out of his pocket and gently tossing it into the air, catching the dull end of the blade every time. Kabbu forces himself to look away. Eventually the kid is going to mess up and cut up his hand! “Anyways, buzz off. You don’t belong around here.”

“Now, now, Mr. Tanoo, there's no reason to be so rude to a guest.” A calm voice says. Kabbu turns to see Doctor Sain once again leaning so far forward that his face is level with theirs. “I suspect you’ve come to speak to the survivor, yes? She is now stable enough for a proper questioning.” He says.

Well… he does need to find the crime scene, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask some questions, and get to talk to the victim.

~The Victim~

“Dolo Ite… is she doing okay? I haven’t gotten a chance to officially speak to her, but I’ve heard that she suffered from a pretty bad head injury.” Kabbu asks.

“She’s doing much better now. The wound on her head is mostly healed, and she’s mostly accepted her brother's passing, but she says she doesn’t remember anything about the incident. I’ve tried stirring her memory with some of the evidence you and Mr. Scarlet showed in yesterday’s trial, but she still can’t remember anything.” Dr. Sain explains.

“When the fiend that hurt that poor girl gets to the secondary court, I’m going to make sure he gets the worst possible sentence. What kind of cruel person would hurt such an innocent young lady? It almost makes me wish the bandit had killed both of the victims.” Loki butts in. What… does that even mean?

~~Killing Both Victims~~

“Mr. Loki, can I ask why it makes you wish he had killed both Term Ite and Butomu? I won’t lie, that is a very odd comment to make.” Kabbu asks.

“Ugh… you lawyers know nothing about secondary courts, do you? The death penalty is the worst sentencing a bug can face, but the jury never gives a murderer the death penalty unless they’ve killed multiple people. When that bandit gets found guilty, I probably won’t be able to convince the jury to put him down.” Loki explains, tossing his knife again. “Honestly though, if that bandit comes into my territory, I’ll make sure he comes out dead. I always manage to get the death penalty on double murderers, it’s almost laughably easy.”

Kabbu needs to walk away from this conversation… he’s starting to feel sick. What kind of monster would get enjoyment out of sending bugs to their deaths? Even if they’ve done something horrible, it doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a chance to fix themselves! That’s what prison is supposed to be about!

~Prosecutor Scarlet~

“I’ve been trying to find the crime scene from yesterday’s trial, but when I went to Defiant Root, I was told that Prosecutor Scarlet and Crime Scene Overseer K had taken it with them. Do you know where they might have gone?” Kabbu asks.

“Ah, I see. Well, they both went off to Mr. Scarlet’s abode. They were rather stressed, talking about a ‘crime scene reconstruction’. You could probably find them off near the edge of the Forsaken Lands.” The Doctor explains.

“Thank you so much, I’ll be headed that way once I talk to Dolo Ite!” Kabbu says with a smile.

“Of course, and if you have any more questions for me or my less cooperative friend here, we will be here. Safe travels, small beetle.” He says. Kabbu nods, before walking back down the hallway toward the room he saw the victim enter when he was last here. He takes a quick look through the tiny window at the top of the door. Dolo Ite sits alone in the room, fidgeting nervously. There is a layer of bandages wrapped around the top of her head, and her pink scarf is wrapped over it, tied in a messy bow below her chin. She has a confused look on her face and she looks like she’s been crying. He knocks on the door, causing her to jump, and a moment later he enters.

“Sorry to barge in without much warning. My name is Kabbu, I’m a defense attorney, I was hoping to ask you a few questions.” Kabbu says, taking a seat across from Dolo Ite.

“You’re… a defense attorney? Am I in trouble?” Dolo Ite squeaks.

“Oh, no no! Not at all! I’m… the defense attorney for the bug that’s currently being accused of hurting your brother. If I could take up a small bit of your time to ask you some questions, I might be able to unravel this mystery.” He explains.

“What? But… I thought they already caught the bug who killed my brother? It’s that evil bandit, he murdered him.” Dolo says, managing to stop crying for a moment.

“Well, that’s what the prosecution believes, but there's evidence that stands contrary to that belief.” He says. He’s starting to feel like a broken record. “Please, I just need you to answer one or two questions.”

Dolo Ite shakes her head almost violently, before wincing and putting a hand on the wound on her head. “No… I won’t… that bandit… they murdered my brother… I know it, I won’t speak to you.”

Welp, now she’s definitely not going to answer any of his questions. Maybe he should have lied and said he was a prosecutor?

Either way, he isn’t going to get any leads by wasting time, begging for her to answer his questions. Time to go to Scarlet’s house! All the way to the Forsaken Lands, and then all the way back home to get some much needed rest.

Chapter 12: One Final Investigation

Summary:

Kabbu is finally allowed to go onto a crime scene... or at least the recreation of one.

Meanwhile, Vi visits the original crime scene in search of clues.

He hasn’t been down this path in ages… probably since he and his fellow explorers defeated the Everlasting King. Gosh… it had been so long, but the trail is almost identical to how it was when he was last here. The only difference is that the small hut that Patton had lived in is gone and constructed in its place was a rather large building. It put their little home to shame! Though… he supposes Scarlet doesn’t have much else to spend his money on, seeing as every shop owner in Bugaria flees at the sight of him.

Kabbu approaches the building and knocks on the door, and thankfully this time it's swiftly answered by Crime Scene Overseer K. “Oh. Scar, the beetle is here!” He yells out.

“Kabbu? Let him in.” A voice yells back from deeper in the house. K sighs, stepping aside and allowing Kabbu entry. The outside of the house looked luxurious, but the inside is incredibly barebones. There's an icebox and a dining room table in one corner of the room, a rug placed roughly in the center, and off to the side of the entrance is a large wall of umbrella racks. Well… it's quite the collection of umbrellas. There are a couple other rooms that branch off from this one large living room, but they’re probably private, Kabbu shouldn’t snoop without permission.

Besides the uncomfortably low amount of furniture, the house looks well lived in. There are paintings on the walls, the largest of which sits above the rather messy looking fireplace. The painting is of Scarlet, K, and three young ants. Probably their kids. He should ask one of them about that later, after the trial is over.

At the other end of the building is a door composed of lines of leaves on strings, leading to a concrete backyard. A wooden chair and table combo has been pushed haphazardly into the house, just out of the way of the door, and outside is a very crude reconstruction of the Defiant Root marketplace, made out of wood. All of the important parts of the crime scene are here, the wooden box, the blood-stained sand, the box with the prosthetic arm in it, chalk drawn onto the concrete in the shapes of the three victims, the bag laid across where Term Ite was found. Kabbu also notices that a small rock has been carefully balanced on top of the wooden cutout.

Scarlet is hard at work cutting out triangles in a large piece of dry grass. He’s wearing a plain gray shirt and khaki dress pants. "Wow..." Kabbu gasps.

"Before you say anything about this, I would like to remind you that, while we may be acquaintances outside of the courtroom, this 'friendship' does not reach within those walls." Scarlet hissed while continuing to work on the triangles, not even taking the time to look up at him. Well... that was a bit rude, and out of the blue, but understandable he supposes.

~The Recreated Crime Scene~

“This… this looks incredible! Did you two put it together all by yourselves?” Kabbu asks in amazement, taking it all in a second time. “It looks just like the real Defiant Root! And the crime scene looks just like it did in the photos!”

“That’s ‘cause the photos are the only thing we have left at the moment. We put everything back together exactly as it was photographed. Your kid is talented as fuck, yeah? You should get her a camera when these things start getting sold to the public.” K explains.

“Language, please.” Kabbu says.

“Oh, come on! Look around you! It’s just us two men and that monster, sitting out at the edge of society! No kids out here! Why can’t I curse?” K whines.

“Some of us have a reputation to uphold.” Scarlet hisses.

“Oh, that is rich coming from the serial killer.” K barks back. “But uh, yeah, good photography skills. We’ve got pretty much everything exactly where it was.” He says, scratching the back of his head.

“And could I ask why? It seems like it would help me more than it would help you two.” Kabbu asks.

K shakes his head. “No point in going into the courtroom with an outdated theory. We’d just make a fool of ourselves, and then we’d be grasping at straws for the rest of the trial. Don’t want this case to end up like the last one, where Scar had no clue what to say after his theory got disproven.” He explains.

~The Gemstone~

“This crime scene reconstruction is very impressive! It really looks like Defiant Root’s marketplace!” Kabbu exclaims.

“Yup. As I said, recreating the crime scene exactly as it was is incredibly important.” K says with a smile.

“But what about the gemstone? I see it’s been replaced with a rock.” Kabbu says, pointing up at the rock.

“Ah… well… you see, there was the whole thief thing, and they ran off and…yeah.” K mumbles.

“I told you this yesterday, Kabbu. When the thief disappeared, so did the gemstone. I believe the only reason they testified was to get the chance to get it back.” Scarlet says. “K is a bit too embarrassed to admit that someone stole evidence out of his bag.”

“Well, I… yeah.” K says, hanging his head in shame. “I kept my eyes on the bug the whole time! I looked away for two seconds to give the dust report to Scar, and in that time, that thief snatched the gemstone AND disappeared! It’s ridiculous!” He whines.

“Do you all have any leads on where Marble escaped to?” Kabbu asked.

“Well… we’ve both got our hands full at the moment, so we’re looking for another detective to take the case… but all of the detectives-for-hire saw what happened to Detective Anagram and don’t want a thing to do with it… so it’ll probably be a bit until we get any leads but mark my words! That thief will be caught! And he’ll pay for embarrassing me!” K explains.

“Now you’re starting to sound like Detective Anagram.” Scarlet mutters. Kabbu certainly hopes nothing like Detective Anagram happens again… especially not with K.

~The Triangles?~

“What’s with these triangles that you’re cutting out?” Kabbu asks, kneeling beside Scarlet and picking one up. There’s a dot of red ink placed at one of the points in each of the triangles.

“We’re trying to figure out who went where. These triangles are going to represent footsteps in the sand. Once Scar here finishes up the last of them, we’re going to get started on laying them out.” K explains.

“Finished.” Scarlet says, dropping the last triangle into the pile and dusting his knees off. “Let’s get this over with. Stand aside, Kabbu.” He sighs, before he and K get to work setting up the last details of the crime scene.

…

It takes quite a bit of time, but with the help of Vi’s photos, they’re able to mark every visible footstep. The crime scene seems a lot more crowded now. Well, there's nothing left to do but make heads or tails of all of these triangles.

~Butomu~

“I assume these footsteps are Butomu’s?” Kabbu asks, walking over to the set that exits from the blacksmithing building.

“It couldn’t be anyone else's. They don’t get far.” K mutters.

“I would also like to point out that right where the footsteps end is where the struggle occurred, as there is quite a mess of sand. Detective Anagram probably lifted the blacksmith and carried them to their resting spot, before putting the gemstone on the roof and fleeing.” Scarlet adds.

Kabbu scratches his chin. “I still can’t quite understand why Butomu didn’t go to help Dolo and Term after they were attacked. If she had, she may have saved her own life as well as Term Ite’s.” Kabbu thinks aloud.

K simply shrugs. “Not everyone wants to be a hero. You see a scary bandit standing over a dead kid and you turn the other way.” K explains.

~Detective Anagram~

“And these footsteps are Detective Anagrams, right?” Kabbu asks. This line of footsteps appears a few paces from the roof, before walking over another trial of footsteps, and leading straight to Butomu, and then to where Butomu’s body was found. Lastly, they retreated back to the roof.

“Looks like it.” K muses. “He went through the painting, got up on the roof, saw Butomu holding the gemstone, hopped down, stabbed the bug to death, realized she wasn’t Rivour Eugor, moved her body and put the gemstone somewhere inconspicuous, and then got out of there before the guards came.” He summarizes.

“That’s a lot to happen in such a short amount of time.” Kabbu says.

~Rivour Eugor~

“Well, this trail is pretty simple, yeah?” K says with a smile. “This is my favorite kind of evidence. The kind that actually makes sense. Bug jumped down from the roof, picked up a box, and left. And they didn’t care about the dead bodies, so nothing to think about.” He explains.

“It is certainly better, though I would have preferred it if the thief hadn’t taken the murder weapon. Would have saved us a lot of confusion.” Scarlet sighs.

Well, thankfully there wasn’t much to think about in this trail, he can quickly get on to the other, more confusing trails of footsteps.

~Astotheles~

“So this one has to be Astotheles’s, right?” Kabbu asked.

“I think so… the bandit came back here, and was seen hitting a bug over the head, and then he walked over to the other victim and killed them… but… I dunno, I would guess that someone who had just committed murder would want to get away from the body as fast as possible, but it doesn’t look like he went anywhere after this but straight out of the marketplace. I’ll have to ask the guards that caught him if he was just standing here when they arrived.” K rambles.

Kabbu looks over the scene, attempting to imagine how this could have played out. All of the evidence isn’t fitting together, something here is very much wrong, but he’s not confident enough yet to say for certain what it is.

“Oh, and before you say anything stupid, Kabbu, this trail still leaves a perfectly plausible way for the bandit to have attacked both victims.” Scarlet butts in. Darn it… he was just about to say something like that…

~Term Ite and Dolo Ite~

“Well. This makes no sense.” K said, looking over the next set of footprints. The two trails walked in and met above where Term Ite’s body was found, but then Dolo Ite’s prints moved to the bandit’s trail, and then… she went over to her brother’s body, and…” He continues, walking along the trail.

“Shouldn’t she have already been knocked unconscious by Astotheles? And… Why did she run at him? Wouldn’t that mean that the bug everyone saw Astotheles attack wasn’t actually Term Ite?” Kabbu thinks out loud.

“That… doesn’t make a lick of sense.” Scarlet mutters, following the trail to the discrete market. “The bee didn’t take any photos of the discrete market so I can’t be sure what all occurred back here, but Dolo Ite certainly came back here, before coming back to the spot that she was found.”

“So that path that led to the discrete market was actually made by one of the victims?!” Kabbu exclaims.

“Perhaps, but according to the guards, both of the bodies were here when they got here." K says. Interesting... this is very odd.

~Extra Footprints?~

“And all of these extra footprints?” Kabbu asks.

“From the guards that first arrived on the scene, and all of those merchants that tried to ignore me yelling at them.” K explains. “I’m still upset about that. These bugs are so stupid.” He adds. Kabbu nods in understanding.

“I think that’s about all I need for right now. Will the crime scene be staying up?” Kabbu asks.

“Of course it will! We didn’t spend all this time setting it up just to take it all down after twenty minutes of investigating! Me and Scar are gonna look over this thing for every ounce of evidence a Crime Scene Investigator could ever dream of!” K exclaims.

“If you need to look at it again, we’ll still be here.” Scar says.

Kabbu nods. “Thank you.” He says, before leaving. He’s not ready for court just yet though, he needs to go speak to the victim, Dolo Ite, he needs to know more, he needs to find the truth.

“Ugh… dammit, I think I left my camera at the station. Hey! Beetle! If you see my camera when you’re down at the BDL, bring it back, okay? I need to photograph the crime scene!” K yells. Kabbu gives him a thumbs up.

—

When he got back to the BDL, the prosecutor and doctor were still standing roughly where he left them. “Ugh… you again.” Loki sighs.

“Welcome back, defense attorney. I assume you have another question for us?” Doctor Sain says with a calm grin.

“No, I’ve actually come to speak to the victim, I think I may have discovered something that could break this whole case wide open!” Kabbu explains.

“She’s still where she was when you came by earlier. If you need anything, call for me and I’ll be there in less than a minute.” Doctor Sain says.

Kabbu quickly makes his way to the room, this time opening the door without even knocking. Dolo Ite yelps at the sudden intrusion, before clutching at her head in pain. “I’m sorry to barge in, but I need to speak with you, Dolo. This is urgent, and if you don’t tell me the truth you might get in big trouble.” Kabbu says.

She looks at Kabbu with fear in her eyes. “W-w…what do you want?” She whimpers.

“I need to know something. Did you or did you not tamper with the crime scene. I have evidence that you got up and walked around, I need to know if you changed anything.” Kabbu says, staring directly into Dolo’s eyes.

“I… I…” She starts, rubbing the tears out of her eyes. “DOCTOR SAIN!” She screams, and the doctor runs into the room a moment later.

“Is everything okay?” He asks, the eyes behind his spectacles full of suspicion.

“I… I think I’ve remembered what happened that night. I think I need to testify.” She says, and for a moment her eyes land on Kabbu, and he feels the glare of something much more than just an innocent young adult.

—

While Kabbu is busy with his investigation, it’s time for Vi to do a little bit of her own! She waited until Leif fell asleep and snuck out of the house, heading for Defiant Root. She had grabbed K’s camera while he was busy dealing with Detective Anagram, and he hadn’t even noticed! She’d give it back tomorrow, of course.

By the time she emerged from the tunnel at Defiant Root, the sky had gone dark, illuminated only by the small sliver of silver moon. It’s almost too dark for her to see, which is why she brought a small lantern. With this, she can actually see what’s going on around her. First place to check is Marble’s house!

The directions are a bit vague, but she manages to find the alley way the thief was talking about. It’s incredibly narrow, with a bunch of closed doors on both sides of the wall. All the way at the end is an open door, leading to a small, empty room. Darn… part of her was really hoping Marble came back here, it would be cool to learn how to steal as well as a ‘great thief’ does.

Well, she should head to the crime scene next. The marketplace, which is currently completely empty, and not a single trace of the crime scene left. Maybe she shouldn’t have come back to investigate… she’s probably not going to find anything new. What a waste of time.

Unless… maybe she should check out the discrete market? Xic is usually hanging around there, maybe he witnessed the crime? She sneaks around the large wooden crate that Shay usually leans against, peeking back into the discrete market, only to find no one. She walks deeper in to see if Charmy is here, but still no one. In fact, it looks like no one has been here since the murder. She lets out a sigh. Did she really just waste all of her time coming here and stealing this camera?

As she turns to leave, her lantern illuminates the back of the crate, and the sand beneath it, where a trail of blood runs down. At the base of the blood trail is a small square of blue cloth with the initials ‘TI’ sewn into them. Oh! This is it! This… she has no clue what this means but this could be super good evidence for Kabbu! She pockets the piece of cloth before pulling out the camera and taking a picture of the blood stain.

“Did you hear that? I think I just heard something. Someone is on the crime scene.” A voice from outside the marketplace said. Vi’s eyes went wide, and she quickly hid the camera and turned off her lantern, pressing her back against the large crate that separated the discrete market from the main market. The sound of bugs walking across the sand fills her ears, before both of them stop walking.

“You’re just hearing things. We need to go back to our stations; we’re risking our carapace by just standing over here.” Another voice hisses.

“Oh, shut up, I know that I heard something. I didn’t see them go anywhere, so they must still be around here somewhere. Come on, help me find them.” The first growls.

“No, I’m not going to do anything more than we were told. We’ve already gotten in enough trouble thanks to that ant telling the court about us, we can’t make any more mistakes.” The second says. What were they talking about? Are these bugs those bandits Anna was talking about in court? The ones that threatened her to stay silent?

She carefully sneaks closer to the edge of the crate, peeking around the corner. It’s completely dark… she can’t see the bugs, and hopefully they can’t see her. Thankfully, she has the camera, and if she remembers correctly, H.B. told her that cameras can take photos in the dark just as they can in the light! She’ll be able to get a photo of these bandits and bring it right to K and get them in trouble! She silently pulls open the film tray, grabbing a piece of film and carefully feeding it through, before pointing the camera in the direction of the voices. Just as she presses the button, she remembers what K told her when she first used the camera.

‘And watch out for that flash, it’s hella bright.’

As soon as the camera clicks, the entire crime scene is lit up, revealing the silhouettes of two bugs. Vi barely has any time to react before one of them is charging at her.

Chapter 13: Reminiscence: Termite Twins

Summary:

Dolo Ite finally takes the stand to testify about what happened that night.

Kabbu paced back and forth in the Defendant’s Antechamber. He can’t remember the last time he’s been so anxious and so worried. He can tell that Leif is just as worried, as he plucks at his fluff with one hand, and keeps his other hand pressed against his chest. The cordycep is probably picking up Kabbu’s anxiety, and the pain is having an obviously intense effect on Leif.

Where is Vi? Where did she go last night and why hasn’t she come back? Did something happen to her? Is she hurt? What if she’s been kidnapped? With how angry everyone is that Kabbu is defending Astotheles, it’s entirely possible that someone has taken Vi hostage, but then why haven’t they received a ransom letter or anything like that? Could the bandits have taken her? He can barely think through all of the anxiety.

No. He can’t let this take control of him. Surely Vi is okay, and surely she just went to Jaune’s house in the Hive. She probably just slept in. And… if something bad did happen to Vi, she wouldn’t want him to give up on defending Astotheles. So… he can’t give up! He needs to stay strong! He needs to focus.

He takes a deep breath and takes a seat next to Leif, putting a hand on the moth’s shoulder. Leif looks at him before letting out a sigh. “We’re worried.” He says with a frown.

“I know.” Kabbu replies, taking off his helmet. “But we need to stay strong.”

Suddenly, the door to the antechamber opens, and K steps in, pulling the brim of his hat down over his eyes. “Hey. I wanted to talk for a moment before the trial starts.” He says.

“Is it about Vi? Have you found her? Is she okay?” Kabbu asks.

K hesitates for a moment. “No. They haven’t found her yet, but they did find some blood in the discrete marketplace in Defiant Root. I’ve got some bugs looking into it. I promise you, we’ll find that bee.” He says, with a completely serious face. It’s the first time Kabbu has ever really seen him completely serious like this, and it makes him feel comfortable.

“Thank you. It means a lot to us.” Kabbu says, giving K a big smile.

“Eh… don’t do that again without your mask on.” K says with a frown. “Anyways, that wasn’t what I wanted to talk to you about. Yesterday, when you went by Scar’s house and saw me being all buddy buddy with the bastard. Don’t tell that to anyone, okay? I don’t know what was wrong with me, that prick shouldn’t ever be treated with even an ounce of kindness.” He explains.

“Oh… okay?” Kabbu says with a frown. That… doesn’t seem nearly as important as Vi being missing. Is that really his biggest worry? Someone thinking he doesn’t hate Scarlet?

“We don’t mean to be rude, but we have more important things to worry about besides your current relationship with your ex.” Leif says with a frown.

“How’d you know about that? I told that bee not to tell anyone!” K hisses.

“Vi didn’t have to tell us, it’s just obvious.” Leif says.

K growled. “You… you two– three! The bandit, too! Y’all better not tell anyone or I’ll frame your asses, you hear me?” He hisses, before storming out of the courtroom.

“We don’t like that guy, something tells us that he majorly sucks.” Leif says. "Was it... really obvious that Scarlet is his ex husband? I had no clue." Kabbu asks, watching the door swing closed as he leaves. Leif shakes his head. "No, Vi did tell us. But that was far funnier than telling him the truth." Kabbu wilts slightly. Well, something tells *him* that its probably not a good idea to antagonize the detective, especially when that detective is threatening to frame them off of an insult. Well, if K is here, that means that court is about to begin. He needs to get ready, look over the case files one last time, and then get in there and prove the Bandit King innocent once and for all!

—

The courtroom was heavily packed, and the bugs that had managed to squeeze in were talking loudly amongst themselves. He could barely make out what they were saying, all of their words melding into one loudness. It makes his head ache.

“I heard he quit the explorer’s association to join the bandits!”

“Don’t they have to kill someone to get into the bandit gang? Who did he kill?”

“Isn’t that moth a traitor? Why wasn’t he executed?”

“What if they killed Mothiva to join the bandits?”

It never ended, an endless stream of awful, evil comments.

“I swear… every time I come into this courtroom it gets louder.” Kabbu whimpers as he and Leif take their place at the defendant’s table. He put his hands over his ears in hopes of blocking out the talking, but to no avail. Leif gave Kabbu a pat on the back.

“This is the last day of court, you just need to push through and stay strong until the end. We’ll be here by your side the entire time.” Leif says with a smile. Kabbu smiles back and nods, removing his mask and helmet and placing them on the table in front of him.

Across the courtroom, Scarlet is going through his evidence thoroughly. Arioch stands behind him with his claws behind his back. K stands off to the side, eyes focused on Astotheles and occasionally drifting to Scarlet. It’s two against three but the odds are still in their favor, they can pull through, they can prove Astotheles innocent!

The courtroom is once again silenced by the slam of a gavel. “Court is back in session for the murder of Term Ite. Defense, have you gathered the evidence you said you would find?” Queen Layra says, skipping most of the formalities and getting straight to the point.

Kabbu nods. “I believe I do, your majesty. Yesterday, the crime scene was reconstructed, and it was discovered that several details about the case so far didn't add up.” He explains. “I believe that Dolo Ite may have came to and tampered with the crime scene, whether purposely or accidentally.” He continues.

Astotheles jumped to his feet, looking like he was about to charge at Kabbu, but the guards quickly forced him back into his seat, handcuffing his arm to the chair. Did he say something wrong?

“Not quite, defense. After a thorough review of the evidence, the prosecution is sure that the crime scene was not tampered with. We have also learned that Dolo Ite went into the discrete marketplace, and that she left the crime scene to avoid being finished off by the defendant.” Scarlet interjects, completely ignoring the outburst from Astotheles.

“What?! But... the crime scene has to have been tampered with! It only makes sense if its been tampered with!” Kabbu exclaims.

"The simple answer is usually the correct one. The crime scene was not tampered with, except for the flipping of the body." Scarlet says with a shake of his head.

“In order to completely smash the defense’s theory, and any other foolish theory they may attempt to make in the future, I would like to call Dolo Ite to the stand to prove once and for all what really occurred that night.” Dammit… this is the only thing he has left to go on. If Dolo Ite isn’t guilty, then Astotheles has to be.

…

The bailiff, noticeably sporting a bloody bandage around his left arm, slowly walks Dolo Ite to the stand. She’s wearing a pink cloth tied around her wrist, and that pink cloth tied around her head. Her eyes are red and she already looks on the verge of crying. Kabbu needs to be very careful about this, if he isn’t careful she might start crying again, and if she does, then there isn’t a chance in hell that he’ll get the truth out of her.

“Witness, please state your name and profession for the court.” Scarlet said, an intensity in his voice that he hasn’t sported before. Is it because Arioch is here? Is he trying to seem more extreme in front of his boss?

“My… My name is D-Dolo Ite. I was a medical student at Layton University until last year when I graduated.” She whimpers, rubbing at her eyes.

“Yesterday you told Doctor Sain that you were sure now that the defendant was guilty. I would like to confirm with you that the bug sitting in the defendant’s booth is indeed the one who murdered your brother.” Scarlet said, pointing at Astotheles.

Dolo Ite looks at him for a moment before nodding. “That’s him. That’s the monster who murdered my brother.” She manages to say. The entire courtroom bursts into chatter, before being silenced by Queen Layra’s gavel.

“Ms. Ite, please tell us absolutely everything you remember about that night.” The Queen says, earning a meek nod from the termite.

–What She Remembers–

“My memory is still foggy, I don’t remember how we ended up in Defiant Root.” She began. “My twin was there with me, he came with me to keep me safe.” She continued. “We were walking in the plaza when that bandit appeared out of nowhere… he told us to give him everything we had.” Dolo sobbed. “My brother… rushed in front of me to protect me, but that bandit murdered him, and then he came to kill me.” She explained. “He only knocked me unconscious. Next thing I knew I was being carried to safety.” She concludes.

“For a foggy memory, you sure do remember a lot.” Queen Layra remarked. “You are very brave for standing up there in front of your attacker. I’ll be sure to tell your parents that after this trial is over.”

“Th-thank you.” Dolo Ite mutters, seeming almost surprised for a moment.

Leif groaned. “K-Kabbu… there’s a lot of emotion in that testimony… but… Some of them seemed very out of place. Can we take the reins for a moment? We think there's something she isn’t telling us.” He explains. “If I don’t feel anything out of the ordinary, you can take over… I just… something is off, I can tell.”

“Oh! Of course!” Kabbu exclaims. “I would greatly appreciate any help you can give, just don’t overexert yourself, okay?”

“We won’t… okay Dolo Ite, if that is your real name, it’s time for you to unveil the truth, no matter how buried in your emotions it is!” Leif yells.

–Rebuttal–

(My memory is still foggy, I don’t remember how we ended up in Defiant Root)

Leif stares for a moment before shaking his head. “No obvious emotions. She must really just not remember why they went.” He says. “You can ask some questions if anything sticks out to you.” Kabbu nods.

“Ms. Dolo, I recall being told that you have never left the Termite Kingdom before, and that you weren’t on record leaving the night of the incident. Have you managed to leave the Termite Kingdom without being spotted in the past? Or is this a first time thing?” Kabbu asks.

She shakes her head. “I’ve never left the Termite Kingdom, there’s no reason for me to. I’m safe there, my family is there.” She explains. That sounds… almost artificial, the way she said it. He can’t put his finger on why, though. He needs to keep his ears and eyes open for anything more as the testimony continues.

“And on the night of the incident, do you know how you managed to leave without your exit being recorded?” He asked.

Dolo thinks about it for a moment before shaking her head. “I’m afraid I don’t… I remember there being some yelling… and then… the guard left his station I think.” She says, rubbing the top of her head.

“And this ‘once in a million event’, as Crime Scene Overseer K called it, just so happened to occur when you were trying to leave the Termite Kingdom? It seemed more like you were expecting some sort of distraction.” Kabbu questioned.

“I said once in a milenia, actually. Not in a million.” K interjects.

“No… it just happened when we were standing near the gate I think, and then the guard ran off and we ran past him… I think that’s how it happened.” Dolo explained.

“So was this fleeing planned? Why were you planning to go to a town that you thought was bandit infested?” Kabbu asked.

“Yes… ah! I remember now, I bought all that medicine to take down to Defiant Root to help that poor bug that got attacked by bandits! I know they don’t have any good medicines down there, I was worried the bug would die.” She exclaims. Right… Vi said something about the newspapers in the Termite Kingdom being several years out of date. But… still, something about that statement seems incorrect.

“You went to Defiant Root to deliver Isau’s Miracle Cure, yes? The medicine that can cure any illness?” Kabbu asked.

“Yes. I bought as much of it as I could.” Dolo explains.

“To give to Defiant Root? As they didn’t have any medicine, yes?” Kabbu continues with a smile.

“Defense… what are you getting at?” Scarlet hisses.

“Well, I assumed a medical student would know that Isau, the doctor who’s name is on those bottles of medicine, lives in Defiant Root. Why would you, a medical school graduate, think that a medicine that was made in Defiant Root wouldn’t be in Defiant Root?” Kabbu asks.

“Ah!” Dolo yelps.

“What you just told the court was a bottle full of lies!” Kabbu exclaims, slamming his fists down.

“Objection!” Scarlet yells back. “There is a simple explanation for this inconsistency. Defense, do you know who owns the patent for Isau’s Miracle Cure?” He asked.

“It’s… oh.” Kabbu wilts.

“It’s the Ite family. While the medicine may have been invented in Defiant Root, it is only legally made in the Termite Kingdom, and Ms. Ite here would have undoubtedly known that. The people of Defiant Root couldn’t legally make the medicine. Her story still stands, but your accusations don’t.” Scarlet hisses. Dammit… he really thought he was onto something for a moment there.

(My twin was there with me, he came with me to keep me safe)

Leif squinted, a look of confusion on his face. “Dolo, you were very happy your brother tagged along, right?” He asks.

“I was. He’s always looking out for me. I don’t know if I would have survived if it wasn’t for him.” She explains.

“Okay, but if he’s always looking out for you, why were you so surprised that he came with you?” Leif continues.

“I–” She starts, speechless for a moment. “I… I… I had expected to go alone, I didn’t want him coming with me, but I must have woken him up when I was leaving the house, and he met up with me before I left. I was very surprised when he tapped on my shoulder to get my attention.” She explains.

“Darn. That makes sense.” Leif mutters. “You got any questions to ask?”

“No… everything she just said makes sense.” Kabbu says.

(We were walking in the plaza when that bandit appeared out of nowhere… he told us to give him everything we had)

“Scared and Surprised, nothing out of the ordinary.” Leif sighs. “And we didn’t really see anything contradictory there either.”

“Well, there was one thing I think could be important.” Kabbu says. “Dolo, you said that the defendant appeared out of nowhere, but he would have had to walk out of the blacksmithing building. I feel like that would have been pretty notable.” He continues.

“I… I wasn’t looking in that direction when he appeared, I just heard him start speaking.” Dolo explained. “I was focused on finding the doctor's office where the victim of the awful bandit attack was. But… I got a bit lost and ended up in the marketplace.”

Damn it… another good explanation paired with a super easy excuse. How is he supposed to get the truth out of her when everything she says is… so basic?

(My brother… rushed in front of me to protect me, but that bandit murdered him, and then he came to kill me)

“We can sense that you’re extremely sad about your brothers dead, surprised at what happened, and angry at Astotheles. Those are very understandable emotions.” Leif says, hand on his chest.

“Yes… I… I don’t know how I’ll go on without him… I don’t know what to do, I’m never going to see him again, he’ll never go to a university, never graduate. I’ll keep getting older but he’ll never be older than twenty.” Dolo cries.

“We are very sorry for your loss, but we also feel like you aren’t feeling something that anyone in that situation would feel. Your words are devoid of fear. You just watched a bandit kill your brother in a single strike and you aren’t the least bit scared?” Leif asks.

“Ah! I– I don’t know… I don’t know why I wasn’t scared…” Dolo whimpered. “I… oh! I think I remember!” She exclaims. “The bandit approached me… and he said he wouldn’t kill me because I was so weak.”

“That… that addition makes a bit more sense. Still all of the same emotions.” Leif sighs.

“Stay confident, Leif! We’re getting closer to finding the truth! We’re so close.” Kabbu encourages. Leif smiles. All of this has to be lies, he knows it, and she’s just wrapping herself further and further in lies. Eventually it all has to unravel.

(He only knocked me unconscious. Next thing I knew I was being carried to safety)

“So you came to and you were being rescued, right?” Leif asked.

“Yes.” She answers with a nod.

“And you were safe then, right? We imagine you would have been pretty happy to be safe.” Leif continues.

“Yes…” She repeats, a bit more hesitant this time.

“So why were you scared, then?” He asked, causing her to freeze in surprise. “Was it because you were afraid they’d find out that you murdered your brother in cold blood?” Goodness! That elevated quickly.

“N–NO!” She cries. “I would never do anything like that! I… I think… I think I’m remembering more now.” She whimpers, rubbing her head again. “I remember… waking up alone in the sand… and when I woke, there was blood running down my head, so I got up and moved to a safer area to bandage my wound… the discrete market I think was where I went.” She explains. “And when I heard more people coming, I thought they were more bandits, so I quickly moved back to where I was and pretended to be dead.” She concludes again, tears rolling down her face.

“That’s all of those confusing emotions gone. We think her testimony is as complete as it’ll get.” Leif says. Kabbu nods.

“Are you happy, defense? You’ve dragged up this poor girl's painful memories, and for what? You’re making no progress.” Scarlet hisses.

“Quite the opposite, actually.” Kabbu says with a smile. He’s lying his ass off, he has no clue where this is going, but he needs something to point the finger at or his entire argument will sink.

“Oh? Perhaps you could clue me in on this ‘progress’ you’ve made in your case?” Scarlet asked. Yeah, he’s definitely trying to show off in front of his boss.

He needs to think about this, as hard as he can. The truth behind this testimony has to lie behind those last few statements, but which part? He looks at Dolo as she rubs at the bandages on her head, and that's when it hits him.

“The progress… is right there!” Kabbu exclaims, pointing at Dolo Ite.

“The witness?” Scarlet asks, confusion heavy in his voice.

Kabbu shakes his head. “Not the witness herself, but those bandages on her head, and the pink cloth she’s wearing around her head. The witness stated that when she woke up, she was bleeding from a wound on her forehead, but if you take a look at the cloth on her head, there isn’t a drop of blood on it!” He explains.

Scarlet recoils in shock. “W-what? What are you suggesting?” He hisses.

"Well... I haven't figured that part out just yet, I just know that something here is wrong!" Kabbu says.

The prosecutor shakes his head. "What's wrong her is clearly your head. You can't just make something up, jump to it, and expect the whole court to follow. You don't even have a theory yet." He says.

"I just need a moment and I'm sure I'll be able to figure everything out!" Kabbu argues.

"No more waiting for moments to go by. Your majesty, please penalize him for wasting the courts time." Scarlet hissed, pointing at him.

Queen Layra thinks for a moment as she twists the hammer off of its handle again. "I will penalize him... if he cannot give a proper explanation of what they're trying to say, I will give them a pass on this penalization." She says. "Defense, please explain what you're claiming, and if possible, give more evidence to prove it."

"What I'm saying is..." Kabbu starts. What is he suggesting? Wait… maybe... just maybe... “I’m suggesting that its possible that the scarf around Dolo’s head ISN’T the scarf she was wearing on the night of the murders! The scarf she was wearing is this one, right here!” Kabbu explains, presenting the bloodied imitation cloth. "Oh my!" Queen Layra yelps. Scarlet recoiled in shock, and the courtroom exploded into chatter as the prosecutor struggled to come up with a comeback to Kabbu’s claim. He wasn’t even sure what this meant yet, but the obvious fear in Dolo’s eyes meant he had to be on to something!

"Objection! This... this is nonsense! There's no proof of this! Why would she have even done something like this? You're making no sense!" Scarlet stutters.

"The findings don't make sense either way. We know that she was hit on the head, and she has testified that she was bleeding, but there is no trace of blood anywhere on her clothing. We also know that someone stole Kali's cloth while the murder was taking place, a cloth that looks just like the one the witness is wearing now, and we have two cloths on this crime scene. One of them is Kali's and the other must belong to the witness! She must testify about this!" Kabbu exclaims.

Scarlet seems to be about to say something when the courtroom is silenced by the shattering of chains. The guards try to restrain Astotheles, but he simply tosses them off before making his way to the witness stand. “This cross examination is over.” He growls, eyes boring into Kabbu with a look of anger.

Chapter 14: Destroying the Confession

Summary:

Astotheles confesses to killing Term Ite

“W-what? Astotheles, why?” Kabbu yelps. “We were on the right trail to proving you innocent!”

Astotheles shakes his head. “I have done many bad things in my lifetime. I have killed bugs to get by, to survive, to help my people survive, but years ago I was shown mercy by someone, mercy that I did not deserve. I’ve realized once again… I am being offered mercy I don’t deserve, and at the cost of this poor girl's life! I have spent years trying to fix myself, I cannot allow you to continue interrogating her!” He explains, slamming his remaining fist down so hard that the stand creaks in pain.

“But–! She isn’t a ‘poor girl’ if she tampered with the crimem scene! There’s a difference between mercy and justice, Astotheles! Please!” Kabbu pleads. This is heading down the same trail as his last two trials. Why does this keep happening? Why does no one want to be found innocent?

“She is! She’s an innocent bug! She’s done nothing wrong! I’ve done it all, I did it!” Astotheles explains.

“Can we take this to be a confession, then?” Scarlet asks.

“Yes! Declare me guilty NOW!” The bandit king cries.

“Hmm… while I would like to get this over with…” Queen Layra hums to herself. “I am very interested in hearing more about this. It all doesn’t make sense to me just yet, so if you could, please give the court the rest of the details on the incident.” She requests. Elizant hangs her head and looks away, shame practically radiating off of her.

“If it lets this termite go free, then I’ll tell the whole truth to the court! I cannot go another minute lying to the only bugs who have ever sought to spare me!” Astotheles yells. Kabbu can hear the pain in his voice… Maybe he really is guilty… but Kabbu can’t stop now, not when he can see the light at the end of the tunnel! If there is even a chance that Astotheles is innocent, then he must pursue it!

==Astotheles’s Confession==

“That night, I went to Defiant Root to pick up my prosthetic. The contract between me and Butomu stated that as there wasn’t a single bandit attack from the time that I ordered the arm to the date that it was finished, she would sell it to me.” Astotheles explained. “I paid over the course of five months, sending berries to all of the businesses around the blacksmithing building as well to hide that she was receiving payments for the arm.” He continued. “That night, I went to his shop to pick up the finished product. I was quick and stealthy, and I made sure no one saw me… but before I entered the building, I looked to me right just in time to see a bug running at me.” He says. “It was Term Ite, this poor bug’s twin. I reacted before I could stop myself, I slammed my fists down on the poor bug's head, and he crumpled into a pile. I killed him.” He continues. “I called for Butomu, explained what had happened, and waited for the authorities to arrive to arrest me. I did it, I killed Term Ite.” He concluded.

Leif gasps, hand clutching at his chest so hard that some of his fluff begins to fall out. “L-Leif? Are you okay?” Kabbu asks.

“His testimony… has been completely drowned out by a single emotion. Sorrow. He’s so incredibly sad. We can’t sense anything else but sadness.” Leif explains, a shiver going up his back.

“My! So those bugs were telling the truth when they said that they witnessed you slamming your fists down upon that poor bug's head!” Queen Layra gasps, not even aware of the pain that Leif is experiencing.

Astotheles nods. “I’ve tried so hard to keep my hands clean… I can only wish that my reaction time was weaker, and maybe the poor termite would still be alive.” He says.

“And as the court and the Queens can see, the defendant has admitted his guilt and put every last piece of the puzzle in place. There is barely even a reason to continue this trial.” Scarlet says.

“True. The truth has been laid before me.” Queen Layra says, twirling her gavel in her hands.

“But it hasn’t been! There’s still so much that doesn’t make sense! Like the footprints! And the locations of the bodies! And one of the victims leaving the crime scene! You can’t declare a verdict when the series of events is barely holding together!” Kabbu exclaims.

Queen Layra thinks for a moment before shrugging and laying her gavel back down. “I suppose. While this is an exciting twist, it can’t be the end of this trial. I want to hear more. Defense, if you could, please cross examine the defendant.” The Queen requests. Okay! This is it, if he can’t prove something incredible right here and right now, then his entire case is done for!

==Disproving the Confession==

(That night, I went to Defiant Root to pick up my prosthetic. The contract between me and Butomu stated that as there wasn’t a single bandit attack from the time that I ordered the arm to the date that it was finished, she would sell it to me)

“And you did what he asked, there hasn’t been a single bandit attack in years.” Kabbu said.

“I did. You showed me mercy when you came through our hideout, and that changed something in me. I hadn’t hurt a bug until the night of the incident. I was doing so well.” He says pitifully.

“But it was in self defense! You said as much, Term Ite was running at you!” Kabbu yells.

“I saw him coming at me, but I chose to react. There’s nothing more to it.” Astotheles explains.

“But there is something more to it, isn’t there? Asotheles, you need to tell us the truth if you want us to prove you innocent! If they find you guilty you’ll never get out of the Rubber Prison!” Kabbu says, slamming his fists down.

“Then that’s what I deserve. I don’t want you to find me innocent anymore, I want to pay for my actions!” Astotheles hisses, slamming his fist down, the stand once again squeaking. If the bandit king doesn’t watch his strength… that poor stand is going to join the list of victims!

“There was something that made you react though, wasn’t there?” Leif asked. Astotheles lowers his head and makes no comment.

“Defense, what is this “something” that you speak of?” Queen Layra asks.

“We haven’t figured that out yet, but we’re on the way there.” Leif says. “Keep going, Kabbu. We’ll speak up if anything important comes up.” The moth says. Kabbu nods. Together, they’re unstoppable! They can do this!

(I paid over the course of five months, sending berries to all of the businesses around the blacksmithing building as well to hide that she was receiving payments for the arm)

“Objection! This completely disproves what the prosecution was saying! According to his own testimony, he didn’t have a reason to rob Dolo Ite, he had already paid for the prosthetic!” Kabbu yells.

Scarlet tsks and shakes his head. “Defense, what you have just proposed is so laughably simple to answer that it would be demeaning for me to explain it to you.” The ant says.

“The only answer I see here is that you’re dead wrong!” Kabbu exclaims.

“Fine then, let me pry your foolish eyes open to the truth. Let's say you’ve just spent your last berry and you need to eat next week, what are you going to do? How do you obtain food in this day and age?” Scarlet asks.

“Well, you would buy it.” Kabbu says confidently.

“I’m glad to see you at least know how economics works. Now, returning to what I told you earlier, the bandits have no more money, they’ve given it all back just to get this prosthetic arm.” He continues. Oh. Kabbu sees what he’s getting at now. “Now they’re out of money and need more, and a small bug carrying thousands of berries just walked in. Simple, really.” The ant concludes, but Kabbu’s frustrated silence is interrupted by the slam of a fist on the witness booth.

“Astotheles, do you have something to add?” Kabbu asked.

“Yes, I do. I would never hurt that termite! Never!” He growls. “And we don’t need money for food, we’re growing our own food in our hideout! Berries are worthless to us!”

Scarlet recoils, before fixing his tie and straightening his back. “Thankfully, there’s another simple answer to this conundrum. The medicine itself. Berries aren’t worthless to you yet, because the medicine she was carrying could say your bandits' lives. Why wouldn’t you take it?” He continues. Wow! He just fixed his argument before Astotheles could even finish foaming at the mouth with rage! Maybe Scarlet is a better prosecutor than he gave him credit for.

“I… I wouldn’t have… I wouldn’t have hurt her.” The bandit king whimpers.

“And yet you did. No point in hiding it.” Scarlet says with a shake of his head.

(That night, I went to his shop to pick up the finished product. I was quick and stealthy, and I made sure no one saw me… but before I entered the building, I looked to me right just in time to see a bug running at me)

“Can you explain to me how you managed to get past Engira, Kali, and Detective Anagram without a single one seeing you?” Kabbu asks.

“Of course. I am an incredibly stealthy bug, and I am even quicker than I am stealthy. I only had to wait till their backs were all turned and Engira’s head was buried in a bowl. Once no one was looking, I dashed into the marketplace, and I planned to do the same on the way out.” Astotheles explains.

“But it was pitch black that night! You could barely have seen a few feet in front of you, let alone what everyone at Nish’s bar was doing!” Kabbu argues.

Astotheles simply shakes his head. “I am no ordinary cricket. My family has lived beneath the earth for generations, and during those generations they developed something called Darkvision. I can see in the dark as if it were light. While they could only see the museum thanks to the lights inside, I could see the entire town.” He explains.

“Wow, that’s impressive!” Kabbu explains. “Can you–”

“No, Bubu, he can’t tell you more about it, not right now. We need to focus.” Leif corrects. Darn it! Now he double needs to get Astotheles declared innocent! So he can learn about these cave dwelling crickets!

(It was Term Ite, this poor bug’s twin. I reacted before I could stop myself, I slammed my fists down on the poor bug's head, and he crumpled into a pile. I killed him)

“But you’re saying that Term Ite ran at you, right? He attacked you, so it was just self defense!” Kabbu yells.

“No, he was weak, he couldn’t have hurt me if he tried. I should have held back. If I had simply controlled myself, that poor termite would still be alive.” Astotheles whimpers.

“It doesn’t matter, the law isn’t based around how guilty the defendant thinks they are! If Term Ite was trying to hurt you, then it was completely self defense!” He repeats.

Scarlet shakes his head. “There is no proof that the defendant acted in self defense. He is simply lying as all guilty bugs do, to attempt to save his own hide and get a reduced sentence. It will not work.” He says.

No! He’s innocent! Kabbu knows it, he isn’t sure why Astotheles is begging to be found guilty, but no matter what the reason, he is going to get to the bottom of this and destroy this confession!

“Yo, can we ask something?” Leif asked.

“I would prefer not but go ahead.” Scarlet sighed.

“Thanks. Where was Dolo during all of this? You keep saying poor Dolo poor Dolo but you haven’t yet mentioned her in your testimony.” Leif asks.

“Ah… that…” Astotheles stutters. “I can’t say. I don’t remember.” He says while looking away.

“Are you sure? If you could remember what she was doing at the time you might be able to clear her name.” Kabbu says. “Please, if you remember anything, you need to tell us. This is the only way for us to save you.”

“I don’t want to be saved.” Astotheles hisses, slamming his fist down again. “And I refuse to talk more about that poor girl.”

Scarlet shakes his head. “Another telltale sign of guilt. The defendant feels too ashamed by his own actions to even acknowledge what he has done. You should give up, Kabbu. You’re wasting time.” He hisses.

“I’m not giving up. An innocent bug’s life is at stake, and I won’t stop arguing until I prove his innocence!” Kabbu exclaims.

“What innocence is there to prove? The bug is a bandit, he’s killed people, stolen thousands of berries. In the end it truly won’t matter if he’s innocent of this crime or not, he will still be given the harshest sentence imaginable.” Scarlet says. Dammit… he’s right, but if he can prove Astotheles innocent here, and get a chance to pull him aside, he could do the same thing he did with Lief and let him escape!

(I called for Butomu, explained what had happened, and waited for the authorities to arrive to arrest me. I did it, I killed Term Ite)

“So Butomu was still alive at this point?” Kabbu asks.

“Yes. She promised to watch over those two poor bugs until the medics arrived, but I asked her to go into her shop until I had been detained, so she wouldn’t be associated with me.” Astotheles explained.

“So the bug who yelled for a medic… that was you?” He asks.

Astotheles shakes his head. “No. That was the sound that originally turned my attention toward the marketplace. And as soon as I looked to the source of the sound, the termite ran at me.” He explains.

“I see… so it had to be Term Ite that screamed for help? In that case, why was he screaming for help? Was Dolo hurt?” Kabbu questioned.

“I… I don’t remember, I can’t say.” Asotheles mutters. Dammit! Why won’t he just tell them about what happened to Dolo Ite? Why is he being so defensive of her if he doesn’t even know her? Maybe it’s his guilty conscience… but even then, Dolo has been repeatedly lying to the court, why defend her?

“Kabbu.” Leif whispers. “We think we know why Astotheles is so sad now. It has something to do with Dolo Ite, something he won’t mention to us.” He explains. Oh! That… that makes sense, but… what could it be? Maybe he should look over Dolo Ite’s belongings, maybe the medicine has something to do with his sadness?

Kabbu carefully opens the bag and begins looking through it, pulling out the bottles of medicine, bandages, and other medical supplies, but the main chamber of the bag is empty without them. He quickly looks through the other pockets of the bag. Nothing.

“Defense, may I ask why you’re digging through the victim’s belongings? Have you found something?” Queen Layra asks, leaning forward in her seat.

“I… haven’t found anything yet but I’m sure there’s something.” He mutters. Where is it? The final piece of evidence he needs, the final clue that will bust this whole case wide open, where is it? He pulls open pocket after pocket, and eventually… he pulls too hard. The sound of tearing fabric breaks the silence and Kabbu stares wide eyed at what he’s just done.

“D-defense! What did you just do?” Scarlet hisses. “Did you just… damage the evidence?” He asks.

“It was an accident! I didn’t mean to! He yelps.

“Bailiff, please confiscate that evidence from the defense. He obviously cannot be trusted with such fragile objects.” Arioch demands, and the bailiff quickly comes over to take if, only for a piece of paper to fall out of the newly torn hole as it is taken from Kabbu’s claws. Kabbu reaches down to pick it up. It’s a letter of some sort.

‘Bring the medical supplies. A bandit located within the termite kingdom will create a distraction and allow you to get past the guards unnoticed. Take the tunnels, they’re just to the right of the gate. Head directly to Defiant Root, enter the marketplace. Make sure to wear the cheap cloth on your head. When the coast is clear, remove the cloth, wave your hands, and I will escort you to the hideout.’

What… What is this? It’s clearly instructions of some sort, but what does it mean? Was this meant for Dolo Ite? But… does that mean that the medicine was meant for the bandits? She needs to ask Astotheles about this! This is the major clue that will help him unravel this entire case!

“Astotheles!” Kabbu yelled, slamming his fists down, causing the bailiff to jump in surprise. “Sorry about that, but Astotheles, you have a lot of explaining to do!”

“What are you talking about?” Astotheles asks, suddenly seeming extremely nervous.

“I want to hear your explanation as to why there's a letter from the bandits to Dolo Ite hidden in her bag. I’ve been hearing that the medicine was going to be delivered to Defiant Root as a whole, but this letter says it was going directly to the bandits!” Kabbu explains. Astotheles recoils, wiping sweat off of his forehead.

“What in Venus’s name are you talking about? Show me that paper! Right now!” Scarlet demands, and Kabbu hands the paper to the bailiff who quickly delivers it to Scarlet. The ant quickly reads through the document before slamming it down on the table. “Let me see the bag! Right this instant!” He yells, snatching the bag out of the bailiffs hands and looking into the tear.

“Well? Is there anything else in the pocket?” Kabbu asks.

“Yes… there's a book about the history of the bandits of Defiant Root… and it seems that there is a button in the inside of this little pocket. This must be some sort of hidden compartment.” Scarlet explains. “Why must it always be a hidden compartment? Why can’t we just get all the evidence at face value?” He whimpers.

“Well, Dolo Ite? What do you have to say for yourself? You’ve been telling the court that the big bad bandits came to hurt you, but now we’re learning that you were going to help the bandits from the start! You’ve lied to the entire court!”

“Wait! She doesn’t have to say a thing! I… I lied, it was all me.” Astotheles explains. “This was part of the plan, if we got caught she was to deny any involvement, to save her reputation. Please don’t punish her, she just wanted to help.”

“Defendant, witness, I demand that both of you fully explain what in the world is going on here!” Queen Layra yelled.

“Okay… Dolo Ite reached out to the bandits. She wanted to join the bandits, because she had read all about us, and all of the bugs that had died in battles between the kingdoms’ militia and my bandits, and believed that we could be a better group of people. She wanted to be a medic, to stop more bugs from dying… so we set up a plan for her to sneak out. We created the distraction, and I was supposed to retrieve her, but… everything went wrong when her brother came along.” He explains.

“That… that’s exactly what this letter says.” Scarlet says with a frown.

“Yes… we even had a secret code, to tell when the coast was clear, but the code was never used that night.” Astotheles says, hanging his head.

“Defendant, I demand you tell me about this plan. I want to hear all about it.” Queen Layra requests, but Kabbu is too busy thinking to even pay attention to the testimony. This new evidence, it completely flips the entire case on its head. That means the bloody, cheap cloth was Dolo’s, and that she must have stolen the expensive cloth, but why? Wouldn’t the bloody cloth have been more believable for her story?

Kabbu wracks his brain for anything, any idea of what all of this could mean. If she was planning on joining the bandits, then why did she allow her brother to come along? And why would she be so dead set on pushing Astotheles under the stag when she wanted to help him? Why is she acting so strange, why is she so scared of the bandits if she wanted to help them?

Unless… Kabbu suddenly remembers a very specific statement that Vi says Crime Scene Overseer K said on the first day of the investigation.

‘Not just a sibling, a twin. They’re exactly alike.’

No… it can’t be! That’s insane! That… that is absolutely insane, near impossible, but with the puzzle laid before him it might just make sense. The strange emotions, the stolen cloth, the injury. It can all only mean one thing.

“Hold it!” Kabbu yelled. “Asotheles, don’t say another word about that! I want to hear this ‘secret code’ from the bug standing beside you! From Dolo Ite herself!” He demands.

“Wh-what?!” Astotheles yelps. “Why? Haven’t you already hurt her enough? Just let her go already!” He pleads.

Kabbu shakes his head. “I think I’m on to something Astotheles, something that will flip this entire case on its head, and if you don’t let me chase the truth then you’ll let a murderer walk free!” He yells. “Now, Dolo Ite, tell me what the secret code was!”

“I… um… I don’t remember… I’m sorry.” She whimpers, wiping the flowing tears out of her eyes.

“Is that so? That doesn’t seem right, seeing as you’re wearing it on your head right now!” Kabbu yells, causing the young termite to recoil.

“What are you talking about, defense?” Scarlet hisses.

“Nothing much, just referring back to the letter we just discovered. One of the important things it requests is that Dolo Ite wear a cheap, pink cloth on her head, and when the cost was clear, she would pull it down and wave her arm in the air, and then she would be escorted away.” Kabbu explains.

“Grk!” Scarlet recoils. “Maybe she just forgot, she has suffered from a rather intense head injury.” He argues.

Kabbu shakes his head. “I’m afraid that still just doesn’t add up. The defendant, who has given us information now proved to be accurate, still holds that he didn’t lay a finger on her. The only bug he hit over the head was Term Ite!” He exclaims.

“What are you getting at? Your argument… makes no sense!” Scarlet hisses.

“Then why don’t I just get to the point. Dolo Ite! You aren’t who you’re claiming to be!” He yells, causing the termite to start bawling her eyes out. “Quit the crying and reveal your true identity! Term Ite, reveal to the court that it was not you who died on that night!”

Chapter 15: Pursuit: Bugaria's Latest Sensation

Summary:

Kabbu and friends finally bring an end to the case!

The court explodes into chatter, even the Queens are talking amongst themselves. Asotheles seems at a complete loss for words, and Dolo– no, Term Ite, has dried up his tears and seems in shock.

“Is it true? Is that really Term Ite?”

“I heard that Dolo’s brother had behavioral issues, I bet he did murder his sister!”

“I don’t understand what’s going on here at all.”

“What just happened? I’m so confused.”

“D-defense… you… you can’t just claim such abhorrent nonsense… evidence, if you’re going to make a claim this wild, you need to show evidence!” Scarlet hisses.

Queen Layra slams down her gavel, silencing the courtroom. “Yes, defense, please show evidence to prove this hypothesis, this is absolutely insane!” She exclaims.

“The evidence… ha, I hadn’t gotten to that yet, give me a moment.” Kabbu laughs, scratching the back of his head. “Okay, sorry about that, I’ve got it. The evidence is that!” He yells, pointing at the termite on the stand.

“What?” Scarlet asks.

“The cloth on their head, you told us earlier that it was expensive, extremely so, but here in this letter, it says that the cloth she was told to wear should be cheap and inexpensive. This cloth, the torn up one, is the cloth that Dolo Ite was actually wearing on the night of the crime!” Kabbu explains. “When Term Ite murdered the victim, he stole the cloth to disguise as her, not knowing that there was an incredible difference between the two pieces of fabric!” He continues.

“Well, maybe she just bought a more expensive piece of fabric, it’s impossible to tell!” Scarlet argued.

Kabbu shook his head. “Unfortunately for you, there’s one more piece of evidence that proves my theory. And I only have it thanks to you.” He says with a smirk.

“What?” Scarlet wheezes.

“The crime scene diagram, which you managed to decipher, shows the victim’s footprints, and you were able to differentiate the two paths. One path ends at the murder weapon, and the other runs at Astotheles! If that was really Dolo Ite on the stand, then it would have had to have been her that ran at Astotheles, but we now know that she would have had no motive to do so!” Kabbu exclaims. Scarlet seems completely taken aback.

“Cease!” A voice yells, nearly causing Kabbu to fall backward. “My Queens, I apologize for taking the role of prosecutor for a mere moment, but the defense's claim has completely stunned our poor prosecutor.” Arioch says with a slight smile. “The prosecution would like to remind the court that a formal autopsy was performed on the victim, and no comment was made about the victim being female. The defense is grasping at straws.” He booms.

Dammit… he had forgotten about that.

“Hey… um… Arioch…” K says, nervously tapping fidgeting with his mug. “I got some bad news about that.”

“What.” Arioch hisses.

“So, I… Well, I sent the body to be autopsied in the Termite Kingdom… but the doctor that was supposed to perform the autopsy gave the body to the Ite family. The dad said his children shouldn’t be ‘defiled’ like that, so I… I kinda just had to estimate based on what I saw.” He explained through clenched fangs. “So we didn’t know for sure who the body belonged to, I just thought that since she survived, then the brother must have died.”

Arioch takes a deep breath. “I hope you can take care of your children on ten berries an hour, detective.” He growls, causing K to yelp.

“K, do you have any information on where the body is? There’s still time for an autopsy to be performed to confirm my theory!” Kabbu asks, slamming his hands down.

“Yes! I’ll get on it right away!” He says.

“I will send some guards to the Ite residency to make sure that he cooperates. This should only take a few minutes, a short recess at best.” Queen Layra says.

“Don’t you dare touch my sister!” The termite at the stand hisses, causing the courtroom to burst into chatter again.

“Sister? So you admit that you aren’t actually Dolo Ite?” Kabbu asks with a smug look on his face. Term Ite gives Kabbu a disgusted frown, pulling the cloth around his head down around his neck, like a bandana.

“Yeah, sure, but that doesn’t prove a thing! I didn’t kill my sister! It was that bandit!” He growls. The courtroom’s chatter only gets louder, excited talking, all too quick to make out even a single word.

“Then why would you impersonate her? There is no innocent reason for you to do something like that!” Kabbu argues.

“Of course there is! I watched my sister die, you jerk! I watched my sister get murdered!” Term Ite hisses.

“Clearly what the victim is stating is that she or he has been extremely traumatized. They are attempting to cope in a rather strange way, but that is not an indication of guilt.” Scarlet argues.

The courtroom is silenced again by Queen Layra’s gavel. “Term Ite, please give us testimony again, the truth this time, from your point of view, and not from your sisters.” She demands.

Dammit, he was really hoping that the reveal of Term Ite’s identity would bring this trial to a close… Either way, this is it. This is the final testimony, no matter what happens, he will make sure that the truth comes out!

–What He Really Remembers–

“My sister woke me up while she was leaving, so I followed her out of the house, and kept following her till she got to Defiant Root.” Term explains. “When she got to the marketplace, I confronted her and she told me about how she was gonna join the bandits, but I managed to convince her out of it.” He continues. “And then that bandit walked out, and demanded that she go with him, but she refused.” He says, looking up at Astotheles with hatred in his eyes. “That bandit started coming at her, so I ran at him, to stop him, and he slammed me on the head, before going after her. He pushed her down and she didn’t get back up. He killed her.” Term explains. “When I came to, she was still alive, so I took her somewhere safe to try and bandage her up, but it was no use.” He continues, tears starting to swell in his eyes. “Then I heard those bandits coming back, so I put everything back where I found it and pretended to be dead. That bandit killed her, he murdered my sister in cold blood.” He concludes, wiping the tears out of his eyes.

Scarlet says nothing, head lowered, tapping the table before him impatiently. “Defense. What are you waiting for? Get to the cross examination.” He hisses. Okay? He… he expected some kind of rebuttal to what he’s been saying, but with how wild everything has become he wouldn’t be surprised if Scarlet was still processing all of this.

“Let’s do this, Kabbu. We’ll be ready to interpret any new emotions we sense.” Leif says. Kabbu nods. That testimony seemed pretty solid, but Kabbu can already see some places that he might be able to dig into to prove Term Ite’s guilt. This is it, this is his last chance. He can’t fail.

–Rebuttal–

(My sister woke me up while she was leaving, so I followed her out of the house, and kept following her till she got to Defiant Root)

“The emotions here have slightly changed. Still surprised, that makes sense, but a lot more anger now, probably because of you.” Leif whispers. Kabbu nods.

“Did she know you were following her?” Kabbu asks.

“Of course not! She was getting up to something dangerous, I needed to make sure she was going to be okay! She’s been all interested in that bandit stuff recently, she was going to hurt someone, or worse, get hurt!” Term says. “If she knew I was following me I wouldn’t be able to catch her in the act, and she’d just say she wasn’t up to anything!”

Kabbu shakes his head. “She wouldn’t have hurt anyone, and the bandits wouldn’t have let her get hurt. There hasn’t been a single bandit attack in over a year.” He reminds.

“Stag shit! There was one last night, and they killed my sister!” Term hisses. Ack… Kabbu knows he's wrong, but he can’t really disprove how dangerous the bandits are until he can disprove everything else Term Ite has said.

“Need I remind the defense that, even if the bandits haven’t attacked any bugs in years, the Termite Kingdom’s newspapers are still showing articles about bandit attacks.” Scarlet adds.

“Then that’s something that Queen Layra desperately needs to fix! Newspapers should show current events or past events that are important to the events of today! Not out of date reports!” Kabbu argues.

“Perhaps I’ll look into making sure the papers are more truthful in the future.” Queen Layra says with a smile. Perhaps? PERHAPS??? One of her people died because of this! And she just perhaps might look into preventing it????

“You need to take a breather, Bu bu. Unbridled rage makes you look scary.” Leif says, patting him on the back. Kabbu nods and takes a deep breath. No point in sticking on this portion of the testimony, he needs to look for facts and fictions. He can work on destroying misinformation later.

(When she got to the marketplace, I confronted her and she told me about how she was gonna join the bandits, but I managed to convince her out of it)

“You’re saying that a couple of minutes of arguing was enough to make her rethink this life changing decision?” Kabbu asks.

“Of course! She’s not an idiot, all I had to do was remind her that bandits were bloodthirsty murderers and she promised she’d come back home.” Term answers.

“I think that all of the medicine she brought begs to differ! This medicine is extremely expensive, there’s just no way she would have bought it without being completely sure that this was her destiny!” He argues.

“Defense, we simply can’t say. Rich people are an odd breed, they spend hundreds of thousands of berries on stupid things all the time. Hardly surprising that a young, naive bug would spend their life’s savings on something that they weren’t sure about.” Scarlet interjects. Dammit… that’s a really good point, he can’t really argue with that.

“Uhh, Leif, you wouldn’t have had to pick up any groundbreaking emotions, have you?” Kabbu asks, wilting slightly.

“Nah, not really. It’s hard to tell if there are even any emotions other than anger here right now, he is extremely pissed.” Leif whispers.

“Yeah.” Kabbu sighs. “That much is obvious.”

(And then that bandit walked out, and demanded that she go with him, but she refused)

“So the arguing between you and her, and then the arguing between her and the bandit was presumably the arguing that Detective Anagram heard?” Kabbu asks.

“It would appear that way, though with how insane that detective was, it’s hard to say if what he heard was actually real, or if he had simply made it all up.” Scarlet interjects.

“That is true… though I feel like, with the fact that Astotheles still hadn’t completed his deal with Butomu, he wouldn’t have gone around committing crimes. And plus, Dolo hadn’t done the sign, so there would be no reason for him to step out. The coast wasn’t clear.” Kabbu says.

“He heard me convincing her and didn’t want to lose his asset! He was probably going to hold her hostage to get more berries!” Term yells.

“And, on top of that, Astotheles thought he could get away with it all. Get the medicine, tie up loose ends, take the arm and run. Perhaps he had already picked up the arm, and when he was arrested, Butomu took it back.” Scarlet adds. Dammit… everything is just too easy for Scarlet, and they just keep getting pushed further and further into the corner. He’s so close to the truth but at the same time he doesn’t think he’s ever been further away. There has to be something that will cause this entire case to unravel, but he just can’t find it.

“Before you ask, same emotions as in his last testimony. Scared and surprised.” Lefi whispers.

(That bandit started coming at her, so I ran at him, to stop him, and he slammed me on the head, before going after her. He pushed her down and she didn’t get back up. He killed her)

“And this is the event that every witness claims to have seen?” Kabbu asks.

“Yeah! He hit me on the head, nearly split my head in two, he almost killed me!” Term yells.

Kabbu thought for a moment. “So you were hit that hard but didn’t get knocked unconscious? Or are you saying that you conveniently stayed conscious for just long enough to watch your sister get pushed?” He asks.

“I… I stayed awake a little longer than that. I’m telling you the truth you asshole! That bug murdered my sister! He pushed her and she hit her head on that box and died!” Term hisses.

“And I also find it strange that she didn’t try to run from him. It would make sense if she ran to the other end of the marketplace, or maybe if she tried to make a run for it and escape, but I can’t see a reason for her to stay standing still.” Kabbu continues.

“I… she… she was frozen in shock. That’s why she didn’t move. She had just watched her brother’s head break open!” Term growls.

“Or, alternatively, she was talking with her brother when he decided to kill her!” Kabbu accused.

“NO! That is not what happened! That bandit did it! I didn’t lay a finger on her, I wouldn’t!” Term yelled.

“To add on to what he’s yelling about, there simply just isn’t any proof that the defendant didn’t kill her. It’s a criminal's word versus the word of a trustworthy, law-abiding kid.” Scarlet adds. “In fact, I would like to hear something. Why would this kid here want his sister dead? Even if she wanted to become a bandit, he would have had no reason to murder her like you’re claiming.”

Dammit… he was hoping he wouldn’t have to think up a motive, and that he would just confess the motive when Kabbu proved him guilty. “Well… um…” Kabbu stutters. What does he have that could show anything even close to a motive?

Come on, Kabbu, think! You have all this evidence but you can’t think of anything!

Wait… what about that document that that white cloaked bug had given him?

“As your majesty can see, the defense didn’t think this through at all.” Scarlet says, turning to face Queen Layra.

“Hold it! I’ve got just the thing!” He announces, before presenting the tax documents. “These here are tax documents showing the Ite family’s tax records! If you read the ‘Paid by Individual’ column, you’ll find that Dolo Ite barely had to pay a berry of her taxes, while Term Ite had to pay almost all of it! This grudge and blatant favoritism could have made him hate his sister! It could have pushed him over the edge and made him kill her!” He explains.

A loud slam rings out through the courtroom, causing Kabbu to nearly jump. “Cease your speech.” Arioch hisses. “Where did you obtain that.”

“Oh… I… um… a friend of mine retrieved it for me.” Kabbu says, faking a smile. He absolutely CANNOT tell them about the bug cloaked in white.

Arioch shakes his head. “This evidence cannot be used in this trial. It was improperly obtained.” He booms.

“Oh, but it provides such a nice motive! Taxes! I know plenty of people who would kill over taxes.” Queen Layra says with a smile.

He shakes his head again. “I said, this evidence cannot be used in this trial. I demand it be disposed of immediately.” He says.

“Y-yes, the evidence can’t be used. I refuse to acknowledge it.” Scarlet stutters. Queen Elizant leans over to whisper into Queen Layra’s ear, causing the termite queen to sigh in disappointment.

“Fine. As long as you don’t forget to tell me after this trial has ended. Defense, I request you not use that evidence again.” She says. What?!? But… It works so well! And they’re official documents!

He doesn’t have the time to question why Queen Elizant and Scarlet are so scared of Arioch, he needs to keep digging. If that won’t work as a motive, then he needs to find another.

(When I came to, she was still alive, so I took her somewhere safe to try and bandage her up, but it was no use)

“So you’re admitting that you moved your sister's body and tampered with the crime scene?” Kabbu asks.

“Of course I did! I was trying to save her life! What, you think I would just run off and leave my sister to die?” Term hisses.

“That’s… a good point…” Kabbu sighs. “But, surely you noticed that she was facing down in the sand when you went to carry her away, right?”

“What?” Term muttered, a look of confusion on his angry face.

“Well, we know that Dolo died from being pushed, and then falling backwards onto the stolen crate, but the thief that stole it testified that, in order to retrieve the crate, he flipped Dolo over, before putting her back where he found her, facing down.” Kabbu explains.

“Well, I… I guess I found it odd, but I didn’t have time to think! My sister was bleeding out, you jerk! I don’t give a shit about who did what and why anything was happening, I needed to hurry and help her!” He yelled.

“Defense, please stop wasting time by repeatedly asking the same questions. You did this in the last trial, as well. Demanding that a witness repeat their testimony a thousand times isn’t going to magically create a new point for you to chase. He moved his sister's body, and that’s all there is to it.” Scarlet hisses.

“I’m just trying to find out the truth and learn all I can. If that requires asking the witness the same questions over and over, then that's what it requires. This testimony won’t end until I’ve heard the truth, and every line of questioning has reached a dead end.” Kabbu says.

“How foolish, and an incredible waste of time. Unless you have something more to say, then move on with the cross examination.” Scarlet scoffs. Well, he doesn’t really have anything more to say on this topic… might as well move on.

(Then I heard those bandits coming back, so I put everything back where I found it and pretended to be dead. That bandit killed her, he murdered my sister in cold blood)

“When you ‘heard those bandits coming back’? I’m sorry, I don’t recall hearing about any other bandits at the scene. Are you talking about the guards and the investigators?” Kabbu asked.

“Is that who they were? Well, it didn’t matter, people were coming, my sister was dead, and I already knew that someone like you would blame me for this if I didn’t put everything back where it was.” Term hisses.

“Then why did you disguise yourself as your sister? It seems a bit strange for an innocent person to immediately run off and steal a cloth to make themself look like someone else.” Kabbu asks.

“I… um… I was scared, you ass! I had just watched my sister die, and I heard them coming back! They were coming back to kill me! They knew I was still alive, so I took the cloth to look like the person who was already dead.” He explains.

“Because they wouldn’t kill you twice. But why not just take her cloth and be done with it? It would have been far less conspicuous if you had just taken her scarf and put it around your head.” Kabbu asks.

Term gets nervous for a moment. “I… um… when I put her body back, I couldn’t find her cloth, but I knew I needed one, or they’d know I wasn’t her.” He explains as he taps his thumbs together nervously.

“I see…” Kabbu hums, thinking to himself. “Did you take anything else off of her? And why not take the bag?” He asks.

“I didn’t take the bag cause that’s what they were after! If they came back for it, and I had it, they’d realize I wasn’t dead!” Term hisses.

“Okay, and what about the other question? Did you take anything else?” Kabbu repeats.

“I… um… I took this cloth, the pink one around my wrist.” He explains nervously.

“Could you add that to your testimony? I’d like to hear more about it.” Kabbu requests, and for a moment Term looks like he’s about to throw up. This could be it, this could be what he’s been looking for! Something about this cloth is getting Term nervous but he isn’t sure what it is

(I… um… I took this cloth, the pink one around my wrist)

“Could you tell me a bit more about this cloth? I can tell from your nervousness that it’s something important but I don’t quite get it.” Kabbu asks.

“Well, it’s… it’s something our parents made us wear so they could differentiate us. It’s got our initials on them as well. We’d play tricks on them where we’d switch places, so they made us start wearing a handkerchief around our left arm. She had a pink one, and I have a blue one.” He explains.

“But you aren’t wearing the blue one right now, and we couldn’t find it at the scene of the crime, so where is it?” Kabbu questions.

“It’s back at home, I didn’t put it on that morning.” Term mutters, looking away from Kabbu.

“We’re struggling to see the point of the cloth if you can just take it off whenever you want. What if you two just switched cloths?” Lief asks. Term Ite ignores his question.

Ugh… he’s gone through the entire testimony and he hasn’t found a thing… What is he going to do? What if there’s nothing in Term’s testimony that could prove his guilt? What if Astotheles really is guilty?

“Defense, I can see the flame in your eyes dying out. Are you ready to put an end to this pitiful cross examination? All you’ve done so far is pry into the victim’s personal life and squeeze redundant information out of the witness, information mind you that we’ve already learned.” Scarlet asks.

He’s tried so hard… but there really is just nothing he can chase after, no leeds. He knows that the big detail that Term is lying about is who pushed her, but there are no holes in what he’s saying! What can he even do!?

“I…” Kabbu starts, ready to give up.

“Wait a minute!” Someone yells, as the courtroom doors burst open. “Wait just one minute!” Zasp repeats, an injured Vi in his arms.

“Vi! Is she alright?!” Kabbu yelps, taking Vi out of his arms.

“Yeah, she’s alright, just a bit cut up in some places, and a bit shook. I found her outside my door this morning and hurried over here as soon as I could.” Zasp explains.

“Wait, you can’t be here! Like on our side, Maki will get mad at you for helping us now that we’ve been kicked out of the Explorer’s Association!” Kabbu says.

“Don’t worry about me, just get this case over with and make sure the pipsqueak is okay.” Zasp reassures. “Oh, and take this. I found it in her hands. Took a hell of a fight to get them open, she was holding onto it as tight as she could.” The wasp said, handing Kabbu a blood stained blue cloth. Kabbu immediately shoots a look at Term, who looks more nervous than ever. This is it, this is the piece of evidence that’ll destroy this murderer’s testimony!

“What were you saying again, Defense? Were you ready to move on?” Queen Layra asks.

Kabbu shakes his head. “No, ma’am. Quite the opposite, really, I think I’m ready to bring this case to a close.” He says with a smirk.

“Wait… that’s… no, it can’t be!” Scarlet yelps. Kabbu spreads it out to show the initials ‘TI’ sewn into it.

“It sure is. This piece of cloth is none other than the cloth that Term claims he left at home!” Kabbu exclaims. “And as you can see, it's thoroughly drenched in Dolo Ite’s blood!”

Scarlet recoils in shock. “NO! That’s… that’s not true!” Term hisses. “That’s just my blood, I used it to wipe the blood off of my head!”

Kabbu shakes his head. “Sorry, Term, but if that were the case, then the blood would be smeared, but it just isn’t. The blood stain would only look like this if it had been sitting in a pool of blood!” He argues. The courtroom exploded into chatter again.

Queen Layra slammed down her gavel, demanding silence from everyone. “Defense, what does this mean? I honestly can’t see why this is important to the trial.” She admits.

“It’s simply, your honor. Term and Dolo got into an argument about her joining the bandits, and when she was shoved backwards, she would have desperately tried to reach out and grab something, anything. In her fall, she grabbed onto Term’s cloth and pulled it off! Just like Zasp has told us with Vi, she would have kept it hidden in her hand, and her grip would have only loosened when she died!” Kabbu explained. “But this would have only happened if Term Ite had pushed her! If he hadn’t pushed her, then he would still be wearing that blue cloth around his wrist!”

Term recoiled. “No! That’s… that’s not true! I would never have pushed her!”

“Come on, Term Ite! Admit the truth! You did it! You pushed your sister and ended her life!” Kabbu yells.

“Hold it!” Scarlet yells. “Defense, there is still a glaring contradiction in your testimony. If she let go of it when she died, then the cloth would simply be laying in the sand where her body was found. If that’s so, then wouldn’t Term Ite here have seen it?” He asked. “If your theory was correct, then this evidence would be long gone, and we would never learn about it.”

Kabbu shakes his head. “And if it had been there, then we would have already found it.” He says.

“What?” Scarlet wheezes, wilting.

“Term said that Dolo was still alive when he carried her to the discrete marketplace to tend to her wounds! She kept a tight grip on the cloth up until she died, and when he hurried to put everything back where he found it, the cloth slipped out of her hands! All we have to do is wait for Vi to wake up so that she can tell us where she’s found this cloth, and we all know where she’ll say she found it!” Kabbu explains.

“W-well, her testimony might be flawed, she is just a kid after all!” Scarlet argues.

Kabbu shakes his head. “She’s more than just a kid. She’s the junior investigator approved by the Crime Scene Overseer to investigate this all by herself. If you call her ‘just a kid’, then you’ll have to accept that the BDL put a case in the hands of someone that you don’t think is qualified! He argues.

Scarlet recoils. “D-dammit… damn you Kabbu!” The ant curses, nervously glancing up at Arioch.

“NO! No no no! It’s not true! I… I didn’t kill her!” Term yells, tears starting to form in his eyes.

“Just confess already, Term! You killed your sister and framed Astotheles!” Kabbu exclaimed.

…

There was a long moment of silence as everyone watched, waiting for Term’s response.

“I… I… No… They… they were going to hurt her… they were going to turn her into a monster, make her hurt people…” Term whimpered. “I… I didn’t mean to push her that hard… I… She fell and– and hit her head on that crate, and she started bleeding everywhere, and I screamed for help, but… but she… and then that bandit walked out, and if it hadn’t been for him, she would still be alive.” Term whimpers, falling onto his hands and knees.

“So you wanted to avenge her by attacking the person you thought was responsible for her coming out here.” Kabbu said.

“And then I… I woke back up, after he had hit me, and she was still breathing, so I tried to drag her away, but when I… she… she was already dead.” He cries. “And I thought… how sad it would make my parents… if they knew she died, a–and they wouldn’t c-care if– I died, so I– I– I’m so sorry…”

“Your majesty, now you see that this wasn’t a case of malice from the bandits but was instead an argument between siblings gone sour.” Kabbu says. “I would like it to be said, as well, that I don’t believe Term Ite meant to hurt his sibling. I truly believe him, but his actions cannot be pushed onto Astotheles.”

“Indeed. If the prosecution has no other comments, I would like to declare the verdict and end this trial.” Queen Layra says.

Scarlet takes his worried eyes off of Arioch for a moment to look at the Queen. “I wish I had more to say but I don’t believe I can disprove this confession.” He says.

Queen Layra smiled. “In that case, it is time to hand down my verdict. In the murders of Butomu and Term– no, Dolo Ite, the defendant, Astotheles is–”

“WAIT!” Term Ite yelled, getting back to his feet. “Bandit… you… would you have hurt my sister? If she had joined the bandits?” He asks, tears flowing down his face.

Astotheles shakes his head. “I would not have let her get hurt in a million years. I care about every single one of the bugs in my settlement. I would have protected her with my life.” He says.

“You… you promise you would have?” The termite manages to say through his sobbing.

“I promise.” Term Ite buries his face in his hands and begins to bawl, and the bandit king pulls him into a hug.

“Ahem.” Queen Layra says, looking down at Term. “I will now hand down my verdict. Not Guilty.”

—

Vi woke shortly after the court had dismissed, surrounded by worried bugs. She was somewhere in the main courtroom lobby, laid down on some cushions and folded blankets. “W…what happened?” She muttered, rubbing her eyes.

“Oh, thanks goodness! Vi, are you okay?” Kabbu asks frantically.

“Yeah yeah, I’m okay.” She says, turning to look at Astotheles, who is no longer in chains. “Is… did we win?” Vi asks.

“Yup, all thanks to that cloth you brought us.” Leif says with a smile.

“Oh! Yes! I… I think I got attacked by someone, but I kept the cloth in my hand, and they didn’t get it.” She says with a smile. “But… uh… they took K’s camera… I hope he doesn’t get mad about that.” Vi says, looking away. That… seems like a lie, but Kabbu is too relieved to argue right now.

“It’s okay, I can pay him back for it. I’m just so glad you’re okay!” Kabbu says, pulling Vi into a hug.

“Ack! No! Let me go! Leif! Help me!” Vi screamed, squirming to get out of Kabbu’s hug. Leif smiled before joining in on the hug. “NOOOOOOOOOO!” She yelled.

“I have to thank you three. I… I do not believe I would have survived another sentencing in the secondary court.” Astotheles admits.

“We’re happy to have helped.” Kabbu says with a smile, finally releasing Vi from the hug.

Asotheles smiles for a moment before frowning. “I… I regret ever coming out of hiding. If it wasn’t for me… I’m sure Dolo Ite would have survived. She was such a kind young bug, all she wanted to do was help people…” The cricket sighs. “She shouldn’t have gotten involved with us. Everyone in that courtroom… they’re right, we’re just dangerous bandits. Everyone who crosses paths with us is doomed…”

“That’s not true! We’ve crossed paths with you and we aren’t doomed!” Vi says. Astotheles looks away and continues to hang his head in sorrow.

And then Kabbu got an idea. “Hey, Astotheles. I think I have something that’ll remind you of the fact that you bandits aren’t as dangerous as everyone believes you are.” He says with a smile.

“What is it?” Astotheles asks, before being handed the prosthetic arm.

“This wouldn’t exist if the bandits were still violent criminals. You proved to Butomu that you weren’t a murderous monster, you earned his trust, and you paid for this arm, returning all of the stolen berries in the process. This is proof that you’re a good person.” Kabbu explains.

Astotheles stares at it for a moment, before carefully attaching the prosthetic to his shoulder, and then using it to wipe the tears out of his eyes. “Thank you… you have no clue how much that means to me.” He says with a smile. “I must go now… back to the bandit hideout, but I will never forget the kindness you have shown us. Hopefully, one day, we will be able to form a settlement, but until then, we will stay in the shadows. Goodbye, Team Snakemouth.” The cricket says, before disappearing into the night.

“Welp, all's well that ends well.” Kabbu says with a smile.

“Woo! Let's go celebrate the victory with some delicious Tangy Carpaccio at Kut’s!” Vi cheers.

“We forgot how exciting it is to go outside.” Leif says with a calm smile, pulling his puzzle cube out of Vi’s bag to fidget with. Suddenly, a cloaked bug approaches the three of them from outside the courthouse. “Uh… can we help you?” Leif asks, looking at the bug.

They pull something out of their cloak and throw it at Leif, the glass container shattering and a liquid splashing across Leif’s face. He lets out a scream of pain, hands coming up to hold his face.

“LEIF!? Are you okay?!?” Kabbu asks, rushing to Leif’s side and prying his hands away from his face. Leif’s fur looks singed and his eyes are held shut, but tears are forming and running down his face. “What have you done?! Who are you?” He yells to the cloaked bug.

“I am simply the harbinger of justice. No crime goes unpunished, this is simply your comeuppance.” The bug says, before fleeing. For a moment Vi prepares to go after them, but Leif grabs her arm.

“Don’t… they might have more.” Leif wheezes. The bug pulls out another vial of the liquid.

“The moth is smart. Stay where you are, and if you try to follow, you will meet the same fate as it.” The bug says, before fleeing into the night.

K walks out of the courtroom and into the central lobby, hand holding the brim of his hat down. He sighs. “Good job, y’all. Can’t say I’m happy we lost again, but it was impressive nonetheless.” He says, before looking up at the scene. His eyes go wide with shock.

“Go get a doctor! Hurry!” Kabbu yells. K runs off without another word, and Team Snakemouth stays put, comforting their friend.

It was on that day, thanks to the assault on his teammates, that Kabbu realized that they’ve all walked directly into the crosshairs of something much larger than all of them.

Notes:

Another case has been brought to a close. I am currently on part 5 of the next case, so hopefully it will come out soon! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter of the story!

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of Ace Attorney: Bug Edition