This isn't what I expected when I set out to become a lawyer, but really, it's not so bad, Apollo thought to himself, looking around the main room of the Wright Anything Agency. He'd grown used to spending his evenings there, going over case records while Trucy did her homework. Sometimes Mr. Wright joined them, reading from thick legal books as he studied for the bar exam – that was rather more like what he'd imagined, although he hadn't expected to be called upon to quiz his mentor on property law. And he certainly hadn't expected to become used to the regular stream of casual evening visitors. Sometimes Vera Misham came over and drew quietly in the corner, or played board games with them. Prosecutor Gavin had graced them with his presence once or twice, and Ema Skye had invited herself over to dinner a few times, too.

This particular December evening it was quiet, just Apollo and Trucy working at the coffee table. Trucy had bullied Apollo into temporarily parting with his bracelet so she could sketch it for art class. Although it wouldn't help him spot any flaws in the records he read, the attorney still felt slightly uncomfortable without its familiar weight on his wrist.

"Hey, Apollo, do you have any plans for the holidays?" Trucy asked suddenly, looking up from her drawing. "Are you going to go visit family or anything?"

"Hmm? Holidays? Oh, right," Apollo said, jumping guiltily. He'd just been checking a reference to the SL-9 case, and then gotten completely engrossed reading about Phoenix Wright and a younger, pre-detective Ema Skye going head-to-head with the famous prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. "Right! Holidays! Um, well, I didn't really have any plans or anything..."

Trucy tilted her head curiously. "So you're not going to go visit your family?"

Apollo chewed on a pencil. "There's usually a get-together for Christmas, but this year my foster parents are going on a cruise for their anniversary. It's one of the big ones, so all of us kids chipped in."

"Their wedding anniversary is near Christmas? That's interesting."

"It's the 24th, actually."

"Oh!" Trucy clapped her hands together. "Christmas Eve! That's really romantic."

Apollo was used to people remarking on the interesting timing of his foster-parents' anniversary, but this was the first time anyone had insisted it was romantic. "Romantic? Why is that?"

"Um, you know..." Trucy nibbled her pencil. "I'm not sure. My sort-of cousin just always says it is. I've never asked her why. Huh. Does that mean you're accepting Lamiroir's invitation to go to New York?"

Apollo rubbed the back of his neck. "I haven't given her an answer yet. I know she says she wants to thank us for helping out Machi, but... joining her on tour seems a bit much, you know?" He fidgeted with his pencil. The singer had been so nervous over the phone – she clearly very much wanted them both there. Was it just about what they'd done for Machi, or was there something else on her mind? "Are you planning to go?"

Trucy shook her head. "No. I told her I was going up to Kurain with Daddy to visit Aunt M and the rest for New Years, like usual. It's a family tradition, see."

Well, that decided that. Apollo was not going to be the only outsider along for a famous singer's tour, even if she had personally invited him. He felt a little bad about it, but. "I probably won't be going either, then. Prosecutor Gavin's going to be there, too, he'll probably find a way to bill me for the experience..."

"So you'll be all alone? That's no way to spend the holidays," Trucy chided. Apollo winced as she turned her head and raised her voice, "Hey, Daddy, can Polly spend the holidays with us?"

"No stage voices inside, Trucy," Mr. Wright said, appearing in the doorway. "The neighbors will complain."

"Sorry, Daddy," Trucy apologized hastily, returning to her initial matter in the same breath. "So, can he?"

"It's fine with me. The question is, does he want to?"

Apollo saw his mentor's bright blue eyes settle on him, and reddened. He wasn't really sure what holidays with the Wrights would entail, although knowing Trucy it probably involved an inordinate amount of holiday cheer and unusual traditions. "I, um, don't want to be a bother..."

Mr. Wright smiled. "Don't worry, you won't be. But take your time to decide – I won't blame you if you don't want to join us for the madhouse that is New Year's Eve at Kurain." He winked.

"Kurain is the village up in the mountains famous for its Spirit Mediums, correct?" Apollo asked, hoping he didn't sound too incredulous. No matter how many times he heard about it, or read about it in old case records, it was just hard to swallow. His bracelet, that was something real and tangible, and Ema had even come up with a Scientific explanation for how it worked.

Trucy didn't seem to notice any doubt in his voice. "That's right! Aunt M is the master of the whole Kurain order!"

"The master of the order?" Apollo swallowed. Fraudulent or not, the Master of Kurain held a lot of influence. "You know someone that famous, Mr. Wright?"

Mr. Wright laughed. "Is that so strange? Klavier Gavin is pretty famous, too, and you seem to be fairly good friends with him."

"Um, that's different." Apollo fiddled with his papers. "He's a prosecutor, so I see him in court sometimes. But the Master of Kurain hardly ever leaves the mountain, and when she does, it's to consult with important government leaders."

Mr. Wright chuckled. "I guess that's officially true. Unofficially, she comes down at least once a month to catch a movie or a Steel Samurai stage show. Her name's Maya Fey. She was my assistant, back when I was an attorney."

"You've met her before, Polly," Trucy broke in. "She was at the party we had after Daddy's name was cleared. She was the taller one in purple robes. Pearly was the shorter one, my age."

Apollo winced inwardly. His memory of the party was little more than a hazy blur, a result of drinking too many cups of punch before finding out that it had been variously spiked by Klavier Gavin, Mr. Wright, and an unfamiliar women who had arrived on a red motorcycle. He did have a vague recollection of a young woman in purple robes – she'd eaten entirely too many hamburgers.. "I suppose I did. So you go up to Kurain Village for New Years?"

"Yes, and it's tons of fun! New Years is one of the most important holidays in the Kurain tradition, so there's a big party. We get to eat lots of good food and get our fortunes told. Just silly things," she added hastily, and Apollo realized his face had given away his skepticism. "Things like good luck for the new year, and so forth."

That didn't sound too strange or threatening. And it was certainly better than spending the night alone, for Klavier to tease him about over the next case of the new year. "All right."

"Great! Then you might as well join us for Christmas, too! Er," she glanced at her father for permission.

Mr. Wright laughed again and shrugged. "It's up to Apollo."

I hope I know what I'm getting into... "Sure, I'll come. Do you go up to Kurain for Christmas as well?"

Trucy shook her head. "Nah, Christmas isn't really important in Kurain, so we just stay here for that." She turned yet again to her father. "Hey, Daddy, is Santa coming this year?"

Phoenix scratched his chin. "Hmm, I'm not sure. Do you want him to?"

Trucy bounced in her seat. "Of course! Christmas Eve is always more fun with Santa."

Surely Trucy was too old to still believe in Santa Claus? Apollo looked from Trucy to her father and back again, trying to decide if they were serious, or if this was just another example of Wright father-daughter humor.

"All right. I'll have to call him and see if he's busy." Mr. Wright pulled out his cell phone. "Any messages for him?"

"Tell him to bring presents this year, too!"

Mr. Wright chuckled. "We'll see. He might not be able to bring any this year." He pushed some buttons on his phone, listened for a moment, and then made a face. "It's just his voicemail. I'll have to call him later. Now finish your homework, Trucy."

Apollo watched Mr. Wright head out the door with a sinking feeling. Santa's voicemail? This smelled too much of keeping up an act, and he could definitely see a cheapskate like Mr. Wright claiming "Santa can't come this year" as a reason for not providing Christmas presents.

"Um, Trucy..." He began, searching for words.

"Hmm?"

"...you know he's made up, right?" Please? You're fifteen, you have to know...

Trucy's forehead wrinkled. "What are you talking about?"

"Santa. He's really your dad. You know that, right?"

"Why would you say that?" Trucy asked, clear confusion in her voice. "He's nothing like Daddy. They don't even look the same. Santa's got a beard, Daddy just has stubble." She chewed her pencil thoughtfully. "Well, sometimes. He's been shaving more regularly now, have you noticed?"

Apollo had noticed that Mr. Wright's personal grooming had improved lately, but he was not going to let himself be distracted so easily. "Trucy, does Santa really come visit you on Christmas Eve?" he pressed.

She nodded emphatically. "Yes! Daddy always goes out- to see an old friend on Christmas Eve, if he can." She played with an earring, turning the small stud between forefinger and thumb. "So Santa comes to visit, usually, although he doesn't always make it."

"Your dad leaves for the evening, and then Santa shows up? In his red suit and beard and everything?" Apollo searched Trucy's face for any sign that she was joking.

"Yes, of course! It's how you know he's Santa." Trucy frowned. "You're being awfully dense, Apollo."

Trucy's animated face had betrayed no joking smirk, and he hadn't noticed any of her usual "tells" throughout the entire exchange – he didn't need his bracelet on to be sure that Trucy really believed what she was saying. Apollo sighed. "Sorry. Who does your father go to visit?" That detail was clearly just Mr. Wright's cover for the Santa thing, but if he pushed, maybe Trucy would be able to find a contradiction herself. "Most people prefer to spend Christmas with family, if they can."

Trucy waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, Daddy and I always spend all day on Christmas together. We hang out, play board games and go out for Chinese food. And last year..." She fiddled with her earring again. "Last year we went to a new restaurant. It was really good!"

Apollo was starting to wonder if the Wrights were a foreign country all to themselves. He'd read a bit about culture shock, and this was definitely starting to feel like that. "Chinese food? On Christmas?"

"Is that a little unusual?" Trucy tilted her head at him. "Hmm. Some of my friends at school think so, but it's not like many other restaurants are open. Even the Wonder Bar and Eldoon's are closed."

"Well... it's kind of a lot unusual. Most people go to church or something, and eat dinner at home." Apollo ran his hand through his hair. "Er, right? That's what my family always did, when I was growing up."

Trucy laughed. "Oh, I see why you're confused. You have to get rid of your narrow-minded cultural assumptions, Apollo! We don't go to church on Christmas. Troupe Gramayre always worked on Christmas for the special holiday show, and Daddy's Jewish."