7086/City Fall: Fiat justitia, Ruit Caelum

City Fall: Fiat justitia, Ruit Caelum
Date of Scene:	29 March 2019
Location:	Veers residence, NYC
Synopsis:	Judge Veers is informed of the nature of the coin, and has a few warning words for the Shadow in return.
Cast of Characters:	Shredder, Shadow
Tinyplot:	City Fall

---

Shredder has posed:
    It's been a few weeks since the Shadow took the coin. Veers' has continued to serve as judge. The pattern on his rulings has changed back to that which is his norm. Not always a ruling that heroes would like to see, but they are solid, and he's publishing findings with the rulings as well, something that was lacking previously.

    No one has murdered him, and he doesn't have any threats on his life that have been made public. It seems remarkably...normal, as if it never happened. At least for his cases.

Shadow has posed:
    Still, better safe than sorry. And at seventh and last, as the injured party he deserves to Know. Which is why, one evening while he's working on a dissent draft at home, a flicker of the light is his first clue that he is not alone in the room...

    "Good evening, Your Honor. How have you been feeling?"

    No illusions or hiding, this time - the Shadow stands in front of his desk, arms behind their back and blue eyes looking at him with something a great deal closer to polite respect than the contempt from the last time...

Shredder has posed:
    The judge's eyes flit up, and there is a bit of a start, as the older man clearly wasn't planning to see the Shadow appear before him. "Do you ever knock?" he asks. "You know that it is very rude to just appear in my study." He sighs, and pulls his glasses from his face, putting them down. "Not well, if you must know," he states. "Politics though, there's always someone trying to make your life hard when you're a judge. Someone who wants to run against you, or get you removed on some decision." He leans back in his chair.

    "To be honest, if I saw someone I believed would be competent run against me, I'd probably step aside. I'm getting too old for this. But these days, salary isn't very competitive. Most lawyers can make better money as lawyers than judges, so the people who run...well, you can imagine what quality they are."

Shadow has posed:
    "Would that I had to," the Shadow replies wrily. "I had someone reliable in mystic matters examine the coin. It was apparently functioning as a conduit for telepathic influence - presumably, in the presence of a defendant who held a similar 'coin' it would enable someone to affect your judgement in their favor. A fairly effective scheme..."

Shredder has posed:
    Franklin frowns. "You'll pardon me," he says, "But that seems like an awful lot of trouble to get some street thugs off on their misdemeanors, or even their felonies for that matter." He looks skeptically at her. "When you've been doing this long enough, you realize that any time there is a 'conspiracy'," he makes air quotes. "If it is real, there has to be a tangible advancement that is gained by whoever is fronting the cost. Now, I'm not jeweler, but that coin is heavy enough to be real gold. Good gold, bad, I don't know. But you are talking about a significant amount of money being sunk into these." He shakes his head. "Doesn't make much sense from where I'm sitting. It's far more expensive in the long run than it would be worth."

Shadow has posed:
    Judging by the weight, it would be almost solid 24 carat gold," the Shadow replies. "And I concur -- it /is/ a massive investment; even most organized crime groups would be more likely to bribe a few corrupt cops to make crucial bits of evidence disappear, employ one or two expert lawyers with no morals and write off the ones that still go to jail as the price of doing business..."

    The Shadow begins to pace. "But those are things we /know/. Part of how the system works, even if we wish it otherwise. These... Someone is attempting to play by a different set of rules. And I suspect this is their opening move."

    Blue eyes narrow as the brow above them creases in a frown, then the figure shrugs its shoulders with an audible sigh. "But finding out who, how and why is my concern to worry about, not yours. I came merely to let you know what happened, and to offer an apology - I misjudged you on our first meeting, and your answers gave me a lead I would not otherwise have had."

Shredder has posed:
    A hand motions to the Shadow, as if offering a forgiving blessing. "I accept," he says. "But, and I realize that I'm getting into business that is none of mine." He gives a critical appraisal, and reseats his glasses to examine the shadow, as if noticing something. "Young...lady, is it?" he says, seeming to only have clued into the fact that moment. Perhaps by the way she said something, or a movement, but he's clearly an attentive man.

    He shakes his head. "You are talking about trying to wage a one person war against a rather well-endowed enemy. One that may have connections far beyond this city alone." He puts his hands on his desk and stands to his feet. "You would do best if you were to turn your findings over to a more sanctioned group. Perhaps SHIELD," he arches his brow, "Or Interpol maybe. But if these discoveries are as grave as you believe, I would not dig too deeply on your own efforts."

Shadow has posed:
    That elicits a chuckle. "I am... Not without allies, or resources," the Shadow replies. "But your advice is well taken."

    A nod of the head, a touch of gloved fingers to the hat suggesting a tip -- and between one eyeblink and the next, all that's visible is a shadow on the wall... And then not even that as it moves into an already shadowed area and disappears.

    Outside the Judge's home, the quiet noises of the street go on as if nothing has happened, and no one at all pays any attention to one more cab pulling away from the curb as if picking up a passenger.

    Inside the cab, Benny glances at the Shadow's eyes in his rear mirror for a moment. "Where to, Boss?"

    ""Home for now, Benny," the Shadow replies, reaching for their hat and scarf. "I have some calls to make, and a meeting to arrange..." Natasha finishes as the scar comes away from her face and she leans back in the passenger seat.

    Dark forces are at work, poisoning the city's justice system from the ground up. But now, at least... The Shadow Knows.