Rain pattered lightly on the windows of the Wright Anything Agency, giving a weightless soundtrack for Athena as she shifted through photos, testimonies, evidence that she had looked at what felt like thousands of times. She looked up for a minute to swallow and look up, and she shoved the hare-in-the-hat that Trucy left on her desk (for some reason) onto the floor. The ribbon that was tied around the base drooped, as if disapproving, and Athena sighed and put it in the mess of the living room. Only Trucy, maybe Pearly, would find it again.
"This isn't working," she muttered to herself, standing up and pinching the bridge of her nose. Widget glowed blue and then red, like it couldn't make up its mind. It made sense. Athena wasn't quite sure what to feel.
This was a cut and dry case, certainly no turnabout. A rarity in the law field these days, especially in the Wright Anything Agency. Phoenix and Apollo practically threw the case at her when it came up, and she had gone into a slight rage.
"So I can't do any difficult cases, is that it?!"
"No, nothing like that." Phoenix gave her a small smile. "Don't you want to see if you could stand in court on your own now?"
It was a valid point. A year had passed since that trial that had cleared Simon Blackquill and her names, and the courtroom became a constant in her life. She couldn't see herself doing anything else, but still...
But still. There was no use reviewing everything over and over. She knew them backwards, knew them like a lawyer should. That wasn't the problem.
She turned and climbed over a mess of colorful sheets and still packed boxes to put her fingertips on the window. The rain came down so carefully and slowly that Athena could still see outside without much effort. People weren't using umbrellas. She saw a couple laughing, a little girl walking her dog, vibrant green grass. If she didn't know any better, Athena would have said that it was actually raining indoors today. She stepped back and nearly tripped over the mess.
Athena took a sticky note and a pen from a drawer in her desk, and after writing Please invite Pearly over this weekend she stuck it on what she thought was Phoenix's desk, although she couldn't be sure with how buried it was in papers and Trucy's stuff. Only cases were neatly organized in the bookshelf in the back, and Athena let herself smile when she remembered Phoenix telling her that his mentor had started it when she owned the office, and he just continued it.
She rested her temples in her hands. How was she going to tell them? That somehow she mucked this one up? Athena only took a moment before looking back at the case as represented on her desk. Her skin flushed and Widget turned red.
In a rush, she shoved everything back in the manila folder and slammed it in a drawer. Apollo and Phoenix were due to show up any minute now, back from their respective cases, and she didn't want to be here when they arrived. She packed up her purse and left, cellphone to her ear as she walked the opposite direction of the courthouse.
"Junie, are you out of class?"
Fifteen minutes later, she found herself sitting at their favorite cafe, stirring a hot chocolate and blowing on it. She watched with a childlike fascination as tunnels formed in the liquid and disappeared. She never had time to frequent cafes when she studied in Europe. It was study, exercise, eat, sleep, shower, rinse, repeat, and fun was never a priority. Juniper introduced them to her a few months ago, and she was hooked right away. She never got coffee or tea, always hot chocolate, and Juniper always teased her in her usual gentle way about it.
"Thena?"
"Junie!" Athena stood up and gave her friend a hug, and Junie gave her a small one back. "How is school?"
"Almost done." They separated and sat down. Athena had picked a spot next to the window, and the small table ensured some level of privacy. Not that it mattered. Athena barely knew anyone in town. The cafe was well lit, but small, and it was always only half full.
"Are you okay, Thena?"
Juniper always did have a way of finding the point right away.
Athena let out a loud huff. "No," she admitted. "It was my first trial by myself today. Well," she winced and gave her friend an apologetic look. Juniper's pale pastel dress hung nearly to the floor around her chair, and she was already fiddling with one of her twin braids. "The first one by myself where I didn't have to be rescued. Sorry."
"I know what you mean." Juniper sat a little straighter and let out one small cough. She shook her head and took a sip of tea, which she must have ordered before finding Athena. "Go on."
Athena shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. That was insensitive-"
"That trial was a while ago," Juniper pointed out. "I'm okay now."
Athena could still see that destroyed courtroom that held a lot of meaning for all of them in her mind. But Juniper didn't breathe into a flower the way she usually did when she was under distress, so Athena had to take her word for it.
"Apollo and Phoenix were both working today. It was just me out there."
"Did you lose the whole case?"
Athena sighed. "No, but the trial is going to tomorrow."
Juniper was silent for a little bit, and Athena decided to take a swig of hot chocolate. It was still a little too hot.
"That's not a big deal, is it?"
"Not normally, but it's an easy case." Athena leaned back in her chair and blew at her bangs. "Really easy. Like, the defendant has a rock solid alibi easy. Among other things." She didn't want to recite the whole case.
Juniper winced a little. "Like you're not going to even bother to investigate it easy?"
"Well, I've already done that."
"Oh. Well then."
They sat in silence for a little bit, as Juniper drank her tea. Athena fidgeted a little, taking turns sipping her drink and looking at the window.
"Is it because of... well, you know...?"
"Me freezing up?" Athena let out a loud exhale. "Yes."
"I'm sorry."
Athena shook her head. "One year after... this shouldn't be happening."
Juniper looked at her with wide eyes. "I don't think you can give healing a time line."
"Apollo and Simon seem to be doing fine."
A slight flush appeared on Juniper's cheeks at the mention of Apollo's name, and Athena let herself feel a little smug before she fixed her eyes on the polished table.
"Men," Juniper said simply. "They don't count."
Athena started laughing, although she couldn't ignore the sinking feeling inside. "I'm pretty sure that's not how it is," she said, shaking her head, "but thanks, Junie."
Juniper smiled big, as if she was proud of her joking, but then her expression turned serious. "But seriously, Athena. They both have more experience than you do. And as for Si- I mean, Prosecutor Blackquill... well, have you seen him recently?"
Athena frowned. "No, not too recently." she admitted. He had been impossible to track down lately, and Athena had been busying herself with her own cases. She should have tried harder... guilt began to surface. "Not for a couple of months."
Juniper stood up. Athena was surprised for only an instant, but then remembered that Juniper still had one more class to attend. "I saw him in one of Apollo's trials."
Athena raised her eyebrows and gave her best friend a huge grin, and Juniper seemed to blush all the way down to her dress. She gulped down the rest of her hot chocolate and stood up as well. "Junie-"
"It's not what you think."
"Uh-huh."
Juniper shook her head and looked away from Athena. "This isn't my point! Prosecutor Blackquill... he still has that darkness under his eyes."
Athena stopped and looked down at the ground. She didn't know if that could go away, not for him. But did it mean...
Juniper didn't have a bag with her or anything like that, so she began to move outside. "Walk with me to school?" she offered. "Unless you want to go back to the office."
"I'll walk you to the main road, but then I'll probably have to go back." Athena said reluctantly. She followed her friend out the door and they began to walk towards the busy road a few blocks away. They walked mostly in silence. Juniper worried her lip between her top and bottom teeth, seemingly deep in thought. Athena left her to it. She had a lot to think about herself.
Once they reached the road, Juniper looked at her and gave a shy smile. "Tell you what," she said kindly. "How about I come to the trial tomorrow?"
Athena didn't even think about it. She immediately grabbed her friend in a hug. "You're the best, Junie," she said. "Thank you."
"Eight A.M., I imagine?" she replied, but she hugged Athena back and sounded pleased with herself. "Okay, I'll be there."
They let go of each other, and Athena pressed the walk button for her. She started walking back. "Bye!" she called over her shoulder.
"See you tomorrow!"
Athena's smile stuck around until she reached the office, and her step was a little lighter. She had almost forgotten her failure until she faced the office door. Phoenix, Apollo, and even Trucy were all gathered in there now.
"Great," she muttered to herself, and she opened the door a crack.
"You should have seen the look on that witness's face!" Apollo said, drumming his fingers on Athena's desk.
"What did Prosecutor Blackquill do?" Phoenix asked.
"He didn't look surprised."
"Sounds about right."
Athena closed her eyes. Apollo had seen Simon more recently than her. She was a horrible friend. This thought made her open the door all the way without much thinking about it.
"The last of the trio returns!" Trucy threw her arms in the air. Her cape swung with her, and not for the first time, she reminded Athena of some kind of superhero. "How did your first trial solo go?"
Athena didn't want to answer this question so soon. She edged around Apollo and sat down at her desk, taking out the manila folder.
"It's going into tomorrow," she replied shortly, and she dropped the folder on the desk harder than she meant.
A silence greeted her words. She didn't want to look up at them, see any form of pity or shame in their eyes, so she opened up her folder and pretended to review it again. Even though she was pretty sure that if she looked at this stuff again she was going to scream.
"Did Gaspen give you a hard time?" Phoenix said at last, and he sounded like...well, Phoenix. It's okay, everything's okay Phoenix. But the three of them never could remember Athena's hearing, even though that was pretty much why Phoenix hired her in the first place. She could hear the underlying emotion. She found surprise... and disappointment. Her lip curled.
"Well, it's the Royal Payne," she said, trying to make her voice light. It didn't work. "No more than usual. Especially with a salary cut."
"Athena."
She looked up at Apollo's voice, and really wished she hadn't. Their faces... they were exactly how she feared. Even Trucy looked a little somber, even though she probably didn't know the finer details of the case.
"Do you need me to go in there with you tomorrow?" Apollo scratched the back of his neck, and Phoenix seemed to be combing her for whatever possibly could be wrong. "I have the day off."
"No." Athena didn't even have to think about it. "I have it."
"But-"
"I said..." Her eyes narrowed as she pressed Widget and opened its screen. She started putting the evidence in the data, "I have it."
"Don't you usually have that stuff in Widget though?" Apollo pushed. He never really knew when to stop. Athena had to bite her tongue to stop from snapping at him.
"A lot of this is new."
Everyone in the room knew that was a lie. She usually filed her evidence in Widget right away, no matter how new it was. She had forgotten to do it. She forgot because first she was nervous, and then Gaspen Payne started talking over her again, and then she started shutting down. It was a miracle the defendant let her stay on the case.
Athena sighed. She wasn't being fair, she knew. They were just concerned. Even if their concern weighed a little too loudly in their voices...
"I'm sorry." She closed down Widget and looked at them. "I just choked, that's all. I know what I did wrong and everything. I appreciate your concern, but it's fine. I'm fine."
"Careful. You sound like me," Apollo said wryly, but his shoulders relaxed.
"Probably because I'm around you all the time," she quipped, standing up and nudging him in the ribs with her elbow. "It's a wonder I haven't gone deaf yet."
Phoenix still looked hesitant. He stood in probably the only clean area of the entire place. His typical blue suit looked cleaner than usual too, like he had something other than a trial happening today. Nah. Athena was probably imagining things. "Well, you still sound like yourself," he said slowly, like he wasn't quite convinced.
"Come on, Boss!" she did her best to beam at him, and she thought she did a good job this time around. "Your skin is going to sag if you keep frowning like that."
"...I'm pretty sure that's not how that works."
"Whatever." The subject of cleanliness reminded her of something. She pointed to the note she left on his desk, on top of the papers. "Oh, before I forget, look at that sticky. I don't know if you'll ever see it again."
He reached over and picked it up with two fingers. "Ah, right you are." He looked at the mess of mostly Trucy's things, but the paperwork and fresh cases were getting rather scary too. "I'll do that this weekend."
"And I think your plant died again," Athena said, and she grinned. Diversion accomplished. They completely forgotten about the case.
"It just needs water," Phoenix said rather defensively, and Trucy started laughing.
"You forgot to say 'Objection,' Daddy."
"It wasn't worth one."
"Boss, I'll lock up when I'm done," Athena told him over their bickering. "I'm sure you three want to get dinner."
All of them frowned again, and Athena sighed to herself. And she had worked so hard to get them not like that...
"We were going to pick you up and go to Eldoon's, though," Apollo said. "It's your favorite. We thought after your first case..."
He trailed off, and Athena felt her bad mood start to return.
"I'm not very hungry. I had a bite with Juniper." Athena started to rummage through her desk, looking for other folders that still needed to be transferred into Widget. "I have some stuff to do anyway. I'll be fine. Maybe we can get another client while you two are gone."
"But-"
Trucy grabbed Apollo and Phoenix by their suits at their necks. "You heard her, guys. I'm starving. Let's go."
They complained all the way as Trucy pushed them out the door. Athena could have sworn she heard Trucy hiss "Do you two still don't know when a girl needs her space?" before the door shut. She had the best people on her side.
Her stomach sank a little regardless. She had to nail the trial the next day now, especially since she told Phoenix and Apollo she could do it, and now, she had no idea if she even could pull it off.
So Athena did what she always did when she started to get scared: she got to work.
She had talked to the defendant that morning. Luckily, he seemed a little too dimwitted to realize what she had done wrong during the trial, and she gave him assurances she would do her best. (And hopefully her best wasn't as pathetic as it was today.) All she could really do was move evidence from closed cases into Widget until it was time to close the office, and go home.
Athena really didn't want to go home. Especially when so much felt unfinished.
She got her new apartment about a month after the case that cleared her name. It was small, but she rather liked it that way. She didn't have a roommate, and she could put her things anywhere she wanted. But having something to call her own was like an extra friend, one who couldn't tell her things were okay. Coming home when she mucked things up so badly felt like being judged, like she didn't deserve this little thing to call her own when she had been on the move for so long. Studying abroad in Europe gave her weird attachments to things.
"Das ist albern," she muttered. It wasn't worth thinking about at the moment. She would have to close the office soon. It didn't look like anyone would be asking for their services today.
She got up to get a drink of water from the sink in the bathroom, and started to clean up her desk. She turned off Widget and started turning off the lights, making sure to start from the back and work her way to the front. There were far many things to trip over if she attempted any other method. She flipped the sign towards the dark sky, and saw that it was still raining. The weather channel this morning said it was supposed to stop for tomorrow. Her heart lifted a little. Maybe that would help. Some sunny weather.
She was taking another sip of water when she saw something glinting on the ground. Athena's eyes narrowed. It was near the corner of her desk, like it had fallen off. She bent down to take a look at it. She knew she hadn't put anything shiny on the edge like that... did Apollo mix up his desk with hers again?
She heard the door open, and since she was distracted, she stayed near the ground while looking over her shoulder. "We're-"
The first thing she noticed were those gray piercing eyes she would never forget, still saw in her dreams now and then. Then the black and white hair, still long, the dark clothes. The taut mouth. The darkness. Several things happened in quick succession.
Her head jerked up and hit her desk, and she let out an "Ow!" when the cup trembled above her, and then fell off. It landed on her leg and spilled, soaking her leggings and the carpet below. At least it was close to empty...
Simon Blackquill just looked at her, and as much as it made Athena squirm, she couldn't look away. She never could read him; he had to speak for her to gain any sort of ground on his emotions, but his frown furrowed deeper than usual. She rubbed her head, checking for any sort of bump. She couldn't find one, but her skin felt hot.
"I didn't mean to scare you."
His rough voice shot through Athena like a lightning bolt and it took away any immediate response. The skin around her eyes felt stretched from being so wide.
"Well, you know me." Athena's voice shook, and she could have smacked herself for it. Just because she hadn't seen him for a few months... and felt guilty earlier for it... she hung her head. She was such a moron. "I jump at everything."
Simon tilted his head, in a way his hair shifted to the side and she could see his eyes better. They were paralyzing, as always. Athena let out a deep breath. It wasn't fair. He was just as intense outside the courtroom as in it. "Is that so," he murmured. "Can't say I've noticed."
That would make you the only one...
She looked down, scratching her neck in embarrassment, and remembered the object she wanted to investigate initially. She picked it up and set it on her desk, and started to stand up.
Simon extended an arm. Athena stared at it for a moment before taking his hand, getting to her feet. His skin was just as rough as she expected, but she found herself wanting to hold on just a second longer before letting go. Maybe because it had been a while. Maybe because she still couldn't believe they were both okay after so long. Maybe for old times' sake.
"Thank you," she said, and she made a show of dusting herself off. "What are you doing here? It's late."
"I could ask the same of you," he pointed out. "You're the only one here."
Athena shrugged. "I was just about to close the office. Just working on something for a trial tomorrow, that's all."
"The vehicular manslaughter case, right?"
She froze for a second, and looked at her boots. Her palms clenched into fists. "How did you know?"
Simon turned his head. "Gaspen has a hard time being quiet around the offices."
"Oh. Great."
They stood there in awkward silence. Athena definitely wasn't going to talk about her case, not with him. Simon looked comfortable enough, looking around the office and looking at her occasionally. Athena wasn't sure what he was looking for. She rocked back on her heels.
"Simon, you usually aren't one for spontaneous visits."
He let out a dry laugh, not something Athena was used to. She knew his dark, mischievous laughter in the courtroom. She knew his mocking one, often pointed at the judge or even at her, when he was on death row. But not this small one, small and dry but genuine. Athena found herself warmed by it, even though she wasn't sure why.
"You don't know that," he told her with a slight smile. "I've only been out of prison for a year."
Athena felt like she was behind the defense bench, and she didn't understand why. "Sure," she said quietly, crossing her arms, "but I like to think I know you at least a little."
The air seemed charged. She looked away from him, at her desk, what she found. It looked crumpled, a piece of metal. The hair on the back of her neck raised. There were very few things this object could possibly be...
"I need to close," Athena found herself saying. "Where do you live now? I can drive you home, if you need..." she trailed off.
"My car is parked at the offices, but thank you."
He had his own car. Athena let her arms fall to her sides, and she shoved the trial and the strange object on her desk out of her mind. "Really? That's great!" Her face broke out into a huge grin, and for the first time that day, she felt a bubble of happiness burst in her stomach. "You're adjusting, then."
He shrugged, and it was the first time Athena saw something flash through his eyes. It was too quick to tell for sure. He looked at her for a while, as if gauging a reaction, and Athena thought he was going to not say anything. The smile dropped from her face.
Simon sighed, and it was an odd sound for him. Like he was being forced to, rather than something involuntary. "Something like that."
Discord.
Athena opened her mouth to say something, but she thought better of it and closed it. He clearly didn't want to talk about it, and she had plenty she didn't want to say herself. "I'm glad to hear it," she said, but she sounded too formal. She made her way to the door, having to brush past him to do so, and her stomach fluttered. "I have to go home. Well, not home, I guess. It's this silly little apartment that I've leased. It looks ridiculous, and..."
You're rambling.
Athena wished she wore her hair down. Her neck had to have a huge flush on it by now. "Sorry. I still can't shut up."
"It's okay," he said lightly from behind her, and he started to walk down towards the office. "Farewell, Athena."
She stared after him as he made his way into the darkness. Her ears still cringed from the noise level in his voice, and for the first time today, her biggest concern wasn't the upcoming trial. A random smile pulled her lips. Even though something was bothering Simon, she was glad for even a short visit from him.
"Yeah," she said at last, but quietly and he was too far to hear her anyway. "See you."
Das ist albern - This is silly in German
TBC