How long had he spent in the Court now? Island picked up a pebble and tossed it into the river, sighing as he watched the murky water ripple. Not too long ago, that had been him: a steady rock in a body of water, doing its utmost to remain buoyant in the tides of the times despite the physical futility of the task. Some tides, unfortunately, were impossible to resist. Trying to argue with Jeff was like screaming into crust of the Earth and hoping it’d form fresh land without the need for violent collisions between tectonic plates. He supposed there was no helping it now. For most people, the Court served as a temporary unit of containment – an offender need only serve out a short sentence and would then be released back into the world. The duration of this sentence would, of course, vary depending on the severity of the crime committed as well as whether or not they were a repeat offender. In his case, however, Island suspected his punishment might be of the more permanent...