Blue Dawn is a podcast

An excerpt from Under Blood Oath by Metropolis Funk (Lillian Banks)

The court date had been set and the following day, Uta Refson made her way up to the Card & Sing Law Offices. Uta knew she would see her old classmates eventually, especially ones who meant so much to her. Her maroon dress was long sleeved but no way conservative as the intricate lacing along the arms and sides indicated. Her parasol twirled in her hand against the afternoon rays. The small building could be mistaken for a cozy house if not for the fact that zoning in the area was strictly businesses, a fact she found quite useful in these times. In the front office the receptionist met Uta’s gaze with a warm greeting.

“Hi there and welcome to Card & Sing, I’m Mina. How can I help you today?” Her smile beamed something that stood out for this line of work.

Uta faltered for a moment before answering. “I’m Ms. Refson and I needed drop off an exhibit copy for Ms. Card before tomorrow.” She held a small envelope that held the photos of the Johnson estate. “I normally wouldn’t do this outside of the court, but she’s an old friend and I owe her that much.”

“Just a moment,” Mina said as she depressed a red button and spoke the guest’s name. A faint buzz was heard in the back and then hers made a small, trumpet-like sound. “If you’ll head down to the left her office is at the end.”

Uta took a breath as she strode towards the door, almost gliding from the intensity of what she expected. A wooden door with a top half of frosted glass and a large, golden C on it received her knock.

“You didn’t need to ask to come in. you know that.”

“Politeness can still be nice, Aluisha. I see your office hasn’t suffered the fate your dorms did.” She closed the door behind her.

Aluisha Card sat in her White button up blouse in a large chair that managed to come up to top of her head without engulfing her in the size. She loved to feel powerful and presented herself as a wall in her office: immovable but important. Her spotless skin matched the ivory of the nameplate on her desk. Her office was adorned with full shelves of novels, reference books, and in the center in each a large portrait of various figures who had meant the world to her at some point in her life. Some hadn’t yet, but she knew they would. The curtains let in a small trickle of light and a lamp burned at the corner of her desk.

“Couldn’t you wait to see me tomorrow? I mean, you are opposing me in court so surely we would see each other again.”

“Aluisha, I had something come up today and wanted to share it with you tomorrow so you’d at least be prepared.” Uta set the envelope on the desk and took a seat.

Aluisha slid the envelope to her side and closed her journal. “Uta, please. You didn’t come here just to hand me a photo, did you?” She let out a hint of a smirk that Uta wouldn’t have caught had they been strangers.

“Luca, please-”

Aluisha interjected, “Oh. I see we’re back to nicknames, Riri.” The smirk was no longer hidden.

“Luca. I can’t believe this is how we meet again after graduation,” Uta sighed. “What rotten luck. I thought after I survived Smithson that it would get easier.”

“Uta, I think we both know that law school sucks the life out of you. I’m more curious as to why I didn’t hear from you until, well, now. A situation where you have to be. It makes me wonder what I meant to you.”

“I didn’t- I didn’t mean to vanish like that,” Uta’s face reddened a little more. “I just didn’t think you wanted to know me anymore. I thought I owed you enough already and couldn’t afford to take up more of your time.”

Aluisha waited for Uta to say more, and then took the silence to rise up and make her way around the desk. She put a hand on Uta’s shoulder and looked her in the eyes, tears welling just a little on both of the women, and softly responded with a faint smile.

“Riri. You don’t owe me anything.” Aluisha lowered her stance to be eye to eye with Uta. “We were close before and what were and are, it’s not quid pro quo. It’s pro bono.”