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It was storming that particular morning. The perfect combination with Orion's mood when she woke up. She dragged herself around her bedroom as she put on formal clothing and pinned her hair back, a deep frown resting on her lips as she did so. Her eyes were blank as she stared back at them in the mirror, despite feeling an overwhelming amount of dread in her.
That dread only intensified when she arrived at the court, the fast-paced atmosphere making her sick to her stomach. Nobody there cared about the people they were doing this to. That much could be told by the smiles on judges faces just minutes before a trial began and they banished a person from their home. A part of her understood because she didn't feel remorse for what she was about to do to Clover, but for people like the begging mother she saw weeks prior, those were the people she pitied. Yet nobody else did. Because the people brought to this court were presumed to be bad, to be unfitting, to be deserving of hell, and that would never change.
Orion slowly stepped further into the busy building, her brows pinched together as she walked in long strides to the desk situated in the corner, watching people in business-attire swerve around her with briefcases in hand. "Orion Lopez." She was a few feet away from the desk when the man situated behind it stood up, the bright smile on his face only further proving Orion's thoughts on the people working in the court. Taking a step back, she watched as the man rounded the desk, before sticking his hand out to her. "I'm Roger Winters, we're very familiar with your work here."
She blinked. "My work?"
"Highest rank in your sector's history, and the youngest ever, it's impressive." His smile faltered as he leaned forward to pluck a folder from his desk, Clover's picture stapled to the front. "It's a true shame you've been stuck with this trouble with Miss Campbell."
Orion pursed her lips, the familiar dread filling her once more at the mention of Clover's name. "Yeah, it is," she mumbled, her words laced with a tinge of bitterness. Looking away from Roger, her eyes swept the room in search of Mr.Baxter, but instead, they found another person. Or a few persons. Quickly, she looked back to Roger, prepared to dismiss herself from him, only to see him already occupied with another person. Taking this as her chance, she sidestepped away from him, making a beeline for the group of people across the room.
When she was a few steps away, the group noticed her, all of their eyes widening at the sight of her. Mateo was the first to break the silence, a bashful smile spreading across his lips as he waved to Orion. "Howdy."
Orion narrowed her eyes at him, making him shrink back into Kelsey's side. "What are you guys doing here?" She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked over the three, her eyes lingering on Kelsey for a moment longer, before ultimately settling on Tom.
"We figured you wanted moral support," Tom said softly, his eyes trailing over her obviously very stressed expression. Orion visibly relaxed with each passing second, and when her bottom lip began to tremble, Tom was quick to rush forward and wrap his arms around the girl. The twins watched with a frown as Orion's hands gripped onto Tom's shirt, her eyes squeezing shut as she kept her head pressed to his chest.
It's been a while since she had an attack, and she knew one was brewing up, just waiting for the right moment to crack down on her. It just so happened to be now. She understood why it was happening. During her childhood filled with studying, she spent a little while longer on the books about cases like Clover's. She knew the ins and outs of how the case would be operated, but she never imagined herself being the one stood before a judge, having to banish someone she'd been put in charge of. It wasn't fair. Out of the millions and millions of angels, why did she have to get Clover? Why did she have to be the one to save her friend from their messed up relationship? Why did she have to be the one to send an eighteen-year-old girl to her doom? It could have been anyone, and yet it was happening to her.
"I hate this," Orion mumbled, too distraught to put a stop to Tom's fingers combing through her hair. "I don't want to be the one to blame, I don't want to feel so much guilt for the inevitable."
"You don't have to be guilty," Tom whispered to her, his brows pinched together as he gazed at the girl. "As you said, this was inevitable, you're just doing your job. You should never feel guilty about doing the right thing." Orion lifted her head at this, worry-filled eyes gazing into Tom's as he cupped her cheeks. "After this, we'll wind down, okay? Just the two of us."
Orion hummed in agreement, her eyes darting between Tom's as she felt herself gradually relaxing. Something flashed in his eyes as they remained locked with hers, but as quickly as it appeared, it vanished as the boy broke their eye contact. Clearing his throat, he took a step away from the girl, making her knit her brows together in confusion. With a subtle nod, her eyes widened slightly, and she quickly whirled around to face whoever was stood behind her.
Mr.Baxter looked unbothered by what he just witnessed, the same folder from before in his hands. "Good morning, Orion, Orion's friends. I imagine you're all here to support Orion?" The trio nodded. "Fantastic. Shall we head in now?" Without waiting for a response, Baxter walked ahead, not looking back to make sure the group was following him. Orion shot her friends a look that screamed 'here we go' before trailing after Baxter, the rest following behind.
The courtroom was exactly what Orion expected. Everybody seemed happy, chatter filling the room until she and Baxter stepped in. All eyes turned to them as they stride into the room, her friends sliding into a pew further back. Still, nobody looked nearly as glum as Orion felt at that moment, despite the displeasing circumstances bringing them all to that one room.
Turning her head to the left, Orion was met with the chilled glare of Clover. She still wore the same outfit from the previous night, her hands cuffed in front of her with a guard situated beside her, ready to stop her dare she make a move for her. She wanted so desperately to look away from Clover at that moment, but she found herself unable to, the dread in her stomach returning as she realized this was most likely the last time she was going to be seeing the girl. Eventually, she was able to tear her eyes away, immediately looking behind her to lock eyes with someone else. Tom met her eyes in an instant, mouthing the words 'its okay' repeatedly until the stress on Orion's face was levitated.
Just in time, as well, for as soon as Orion turned back around, the judge was settling in their seat, looking uninterested in what was going on. Though, when her eyes settled on Orion, a smile tugged at her lips. "Orion Lopez," she spoke loudly, the chatter in the room instantly settling into silence, "I've heard a lot about you. What brings you here?"
And that was the beginning of court.
Unlike Earth court, things went much faster in this world. Judges weren't nearly as formal, and the accused didn't get a lawyer either. The decision was made by a council based off of what was presented, without giving the accused a chance at defending themselves. Which is exactly why things moved faster.
Orion cleared her throat, taking the folder from Baxter and passing it to the judge. The woman only opened to the first page, before a laugh slipped past her lips. Leaning back in her chair, she gestured for Orion to step forward with a look of amusement. "This should be a quick one," the judge teased, indicating it was fairly obvious that Clover had no chance, not at all helping with Orion's nerves.
She stepped away from the podium and back to stand beside Mr.Baxter while Clover's case was formally presented to the council. The entire time, Clover glared holes into Orion's head, her hands clenched into fists at her side.
"Council, make your decision." Orion inhaled sharply, her hand shooting out to hold onto Baxter's as she waited nervously. Baxter squeezed her hand gently, still keeping his head high and shoulders leveled as the council conversed with one another. What felt like hours was just minutes in reality, the council handing their decision to the judge. She straightened up as she read the decision, her eyes locking with Clover. "Clover Campbell, after a month of residency, you are being dismissed from this life." Orion tensed up when Clover sat up straighter, a fire in her eyes. "When I snap my fingers, you will make your departure and spend the rest of what is presumed to be an eternity in the land below. Any final words?"
Clover turned to stare Orion directly in the eyes as she spoke her next words. "Karma is gonna come and bite you in the ass."
"How dramatic," the judge snorted, before snapping her fingers, making Clover vanish, just her handcuffs left in her place. "Alright, people, we're free for the day. Council..."
Orion tuned out the rest of the judge's announcements as she turned to Baxter with wide eyes. Baxter frowned at the sight of her, dropping her hand that he held and placing them on her shoulders instead. "You're taking a well-deserved break after this," he reassured her, gently squeezing her. "Don't worry about taking any new clients, angels need a break too." His eyes flitted to the side, and a smirk tugged at his lips. "Perhaps spend some time with that boyfriend of yours?"
Orion, whose thoughts were still in a jumble, nodded. "We already agreed to-" She stopped herself, shocked at what she just accidentally admitted to. "I didn't-"
"It's alright," Baxter chuckled softly. "I suspected as much, and he's no longer your client so it's perfectly legal." His features suddenly turned serious. "Just make sure he doesn't try any funny stuff, okay?"
Orion nodded, quickly hugging the older man before bidding him farewell. She joined her friends eagerly, one less worry in her life now that the trial was over. Mateo had his arm wrapped around Kelsey, who wore a deep frown as Orion approached.
"What happened?" Orion asked quietly, her eyes focused on Kelsey, who refused to meet her eyes.
"She's feeling guilty." The four turned at the sound of another voice, Talia's eyes narrowed at them. "I mean, it's meant to be her up there, right, Kelsey?"
Before she could take another step forward, Orion was in front of her, blocking her path to Kelsey. "Take another step towards her and I'll give these people a person to put me on trial," she hissed, an unfamiliar fire in her eyes as she glared at the girl. Talia pursed her lips, taking one last look at Kelsey before turning on her heel and leaving the room. Orion let out a huff as she turned back to her friends. "Ignore her, she's just mad she didn't get to prove herself with an investigation."
Mateo sighed, his arm tightening around Kelsey. "I think we're just gonna head home now, give Kels some time to process all of this. Hopefully, we never have to deal with this sorta thing again." Orion nodded in understanding, watching as Mateo and Kelsey walked away, before eventually stopping. "Orion?" She hummed. "Thank you."
Orion offered a small smile in response, nodding to the boy before he continued to lead his sister out of the building. Heaving out a sigh, Orion turned to her boyfriend, wasting no time throwing her arms around him. His eyebrows raised in surprise as he glanced around the room, taking notice of all of the watchful eyes in the room.
"Orion, we're still-"
He was cut off by Orion pressing her lips to his briefly, before pulling back with a ghost of a smile. "I have no worries anymore," she whispered to her shocked boyfriend. "No Clover, so hiding our relationship, no worrying about Kels. I am stress free."
Tom's lips tilted up. "Well, if that's the case..." Wasting no time, he brought the girl in for another kiss, a proper one this time, Orion smiling against his lips as she felt a wave of relief fall over her.