So. Trucy wants to wear eyeliner. This is a momumental moment in her life, in any teenaged girl's life. The way it goes is like this; girl's friends start to wear make-up. It's an undeniable fact that if her friends can wear make-up, then why shouldn't she? Anyway, girl borrows an eyeliner from a friend and works out how to apply it, much giggling here for when she slips and ends up with a black line down her cheek. Girl comes home, gives her parents the usual moppy teenage 'hello'. Now, this is when daddy flips out.
"You're only fifteen! You can't wear make-up!" Blah, blah, blah. Big argument ensues, ends badly with girl stomping up to her room, maybe even crying and ruining her crudely applied eyeliner. That's how it goes, right? At least, that's how I see it. Now, Mr. Wright and his daughter... they're not exactly like a 'traditional family'. To be honest, I'm not even sure how their relationship functions. But they seem to get along just fine. And that's why, when Trucy bounces into the room with half-descently applied eyeliner on, Mr. Phoenix Wright barely notices.
"Morning Trucy." His lopsided grin sort of creeps me out and I bury myself in amongst the massive stacks of paperwork crowding my desk.

"Good morning, Daddy!" The teenaged magician beams at her adopted father before glancing over at me, "And good morning to you Apollo." I feel her knuckles rapping on my antennae as she reaches over the paper towers.
"Stop that!" I cry, straightening up and almost tipping back in my chair. Trucy just giggles.
"Polly, you're so grumpy."
"I'm not grumpy, I'm just..." I begin to mumble, reorganising the two spikes I so meticulously gelled into place this morning. And then I notice, "Hey, wait a second. You're... You're wearing eyeliner."
Trucy's grin only makes the knot of disbelief in my stomach tighten, "So you noticed, huh?"
"It's... kind of hard not to." My brown eyes take in the massive difference from the way she looks now to the way she did before. All with one tiny application of make-up. Finally, Mr. Wright decides to look up from his newspaper comics and actually take an interest in his daughter's life.

"What are we talking about?" He wasn't even listening!? Spinning to face the beanie'd man, Trucy's light blue cape flares out. Almost hitting me in the face.
"It's okay, Daddy. I didn't expect you to notice." WHAT!? She knew he wouldn't notice!? Mr. Wright's expression is thoughtful.
Eventually, he finally manages to come up with, "Of course I noticed."
"You did?" The look of pure joy on Trucy's face shocks me even further than I already am. I can literally feel the dumbfounded look on my face growing with each response in the conversation, "Oh, Daddy!" She swoops round and hugs her father, laughing happily.
"But... You... She..." I can't even form a proper sentence I'm so shocked.
"What is it Apollo?" Mr. Wright asks. Both his and Trucy's eyes are on me now. Somehow, I've managed to stand and raise my hand, pointing a shaky finger at them both without even realising I had.

Then I snap.
"Trucy, get in the bathroom and wipe that make-up off NOW!" I know I have no authority in her life, that, really, it should be Mr. Wright who is shouting. Too late I realise this. And now tears are filling Trucy's eyes and I feel like a complete and utter idiot.
"W...Why do you have to be so mean about it, Polly? What are you saying?" The top-hatted magic girl manages to say without letting any tears fall. I fall victim to Mr. Wright's glare and I wince in almost physical pain. Scratching my antennae, I blush deeply and let out a high-pitched, nervous laugh.
"I didn't mean to... That came out all wrong..."
"You're right," Mr. Wright cuts in, still glaring at me, "That was wrong." It's almost as if... he cares. Okay, so he may be a slightly more unorthodox father. Yet he cares for Trucy and if she's upset... He's angry.

And without another word, Mr. Wright snaps back to the carefree boss I've come to know. He laughs and stands before patting Trucy's head. She looks up at him through a screen of tears and, with one happy smile from her father, she's back to her usual hyperactive self.
"Polly, I think you should make it up to me." Her hands have slammed down on my desk. Knocking over the stacks of work I've been pouring over all night and getting into perfect order. Paper flutters to the ground around my feet.
How ironic. It's just like my sense of logic, crashing down around my ears...
"Come on Polly, take me somewhere."
"W-What?" I stutter. Trucy gives me that cute grin of hers and tips her hat to me, not even acknowledging the papers now strewn across the ground.
"Take me out to lunch. To make up for yelling at me." She pouts, fiddling with the edge of her cape and giving me the most killer puppy-dog eyes I've ever seen.

So. Now I've had my first taste of what it's like to be a dad. I'm definitely not ready.
"Take your sister out Apollo." Mr. Wright is glaring at me from behind his desk again. It makes me want to jump behind my own desk and hide. But, somehow, I manage to hold my ground.
"Sister?" I ask, confused at his choice of word. There's a pause where his eyes are still boring into me. Into my very soul. Overdramatic, maybe, but it still feels like that.
And then he's back to being his usual chipper self, "Just a figure of speech for our little family. Now, go on. Take her to the Kitaki shop for an O.G. Cracker. Or muffin." His eyes wander off somewhere as he tries to figure out whether an O.G. Cracker is actually a muffin or a cracker. Darting round my desk, Trucy pulls me along, forcing me to trample on all my paperwork. What a family I have...