Brief introduction:

Hello everyone, and welcome to my third story! This time, I decided to try writing an enjoyable story in the Phoenix Wright universe, occuring just after Nick's disbarring. I've always kind of wondered how Maya and Pearl would have reacted, and what they would have done when they learned of it. Next to this, I've also wanted to try writing a Nick/Maya story, and those two things combined wonderfully well into what I think can be a pretty good storyline.

I'll try to include as many other relevant familiar faces in the story as well, and I hope the readers will find it enjoyable. Not much else to say, I guess :)

Well, without further ado...

Disclaimer: I do not own the Phoenix Wright franchise.

Endurance, Chapter one: departures

It was cold. It was really, REALLY cold.

Sure, if anyone asked, she would say that she was fine; that all her training made her impervious to little things such as sub-zero temperatures, just as would be expected of the current 'master' of the Kurain channelling technique. She might even be able to do it with a convincing smile.

But no one was asking, and she truthfully felt like a human popsickle. A drenched human popsickle.

Part of her felt like giving up, using her own health as a good excuse to sweeten the deal. Another, stronger part of her stubbornly refused to give in. Even if no one required her to do this extra training, she uncharacteriscally wanted to push herself to her limits. She would make sure that she would become just as capable and skilled, as her recently deceased mother, who sacrificed herself to protect her. And just as importantly, she had also promised to-

A strong gust of wind flew upon her, and the freezing chill involuntarily broke her concentration. The quiet chanting that she had been reciting over and over ceased, and all was silent. She was alone, sitting underneath a small waterfall. It was one of numerous such places in the vicinity of Kurain. She could have picked one closer to the village, but this was her favorite one, being the first place she had ever really felt in touch with the spirit world, all those years ago. That was when she started grasping just how important the channelling technique that all the elders talked about was.

*Hachoo!*

'Did I just sneeze? Maybe I really should… No! I need to focus more! I can't give up; Nick wouldn't do that either! If I can just do a little better and distance myself from my body…'

Ever so slowly, she started chanting again, trying hard not to think of anything other than the recited words and their meaning. Quite abruptly, she became aware of the presence of spirits, waiting to be called forward. She could feel them, the ones near her unmoving. Were they curious to see who had tried to make contact with them? No one really knew for sure why the spirits immediately surrounding a medium preparing to channel kept silent.

Sometimes, she wondered why it was easier to do this when you sat beneath a waterfall. The teachers said it was the symbolism of water flowing endlessly onward, as a passage of time and life; her own explanation was that the cold brought you in a weakened state, which somehow made it easier to channel the dead. Since it was easier when it was colder, the only real evidence supported her own theory.

She smiled inwardly at the thought; spending this much time with Nick had made her think in court terms. Trying not to let it distract her, she turned her attention back to the spirits.

Long ago, she had developed a sense of the kind of spirits that were around her. Most were good-natured and content, likely having lived a long and fulfilling life. She liked to think that one day, she would be one of them, making other acolytes wonder what kind of good life she had had. Not that she thought about that often; it was just hard never to think about stuff like that when your job was basically being in contact with the dead and calling specific ones back for brief periods of time.

On the other hand, there were some who didn't give up a particular impression, and a few who were very bitter and most likely violent, like…

Dahlia Hawthorne.

The name made her shudder. She immediately pushed it away and continued her chant. There was one spirit she would try to channel, whom she knew she could trust and who would be willing to help her train. Right now, she needed more experience to channel quicker and with less effort.

"-tic Maya."

She focussed her will further to call her sister, Mia. She could feel her spirit nearing.

"Mystic Maya!"

Almost done… she could feel her spirit being suppressed and her body beginning to transform…

"…Burgers!"

Her concentration was violently shattered.

'What? Where! But… that can't…Wait! There's someone else here!'

She stood up with a start, momentarily forgetting that she was sitting underneath a small waterfall, and choked on a mouthful of water. Coughing violently, she stumbled forward to address whoever had just spoken to her.

'I'm sure making a good impression for myself, being the master and all…'

As it turned out, she didn't really need to worry. Standing beside her was her far younger cousin, wearing the same acolyte attire that she always wore; the same clothes Maya used to wear before she had become the master. However, there was something off about her. If Maya didn't know any better, she could say that her cousin was… angry?

"P-Pearly? Why are you here? Is something-"

"Mystic Maya! Where were you! I was so worried! I thought you had been kidnapped again!"

"Huh? Wait, I don't *cough* get kidnapped that often!" The elder medium responded, feeling slightly put out.

"You do too! Two years ago, you were kidnapped by blue men, then taken to that building Mister Nick visits often, then on the year after that, when that doctor… um… well, and then after that, by that scary-"

"Oh, um, Pearly, that's called 'being arrested'. Only the last one is really-"

"You just can't go around alone!" Pearl interjected, jumping to her point. "If something happened to you, who would take me to the city? Besides, your 'special someone' would be very sad," she added slightly less harshly.

'She still believes in her fantasy about Nick and I being hopelessly in love, but I… We… It's not like-'

"Pearly, I-I think you *cough* still-"

"You promised we could go to the city tomorrow! I went to look for you to remind you after dinner, but you weren't there! I searched all your favourite spots around the village but I couldn't find you! No one had seen you, either!" She sounded close to tears.

Feelings of guilt rose up in Maya upon hearing the words, for multiple reasons. It was true that she hadn't told anyone that she would be taking extra training, and it was also true that after someone had tried to kill her twice over her position as master, it would be prudent to take someone with her. But the main thing was that she had completely forgotten about her promise to Pearls; it had just slipped her mind among the rigorous training process.

"We… we're still going, right?" her little cousin asked timidly, seeing her hesitate.

'Tomorrow there are a number of sessions I have to attend along with the other acolytes, a meeting with the elders, a reporter coming to do an article regarding the channelling technique and Kurain village…I can't possibly skip out without being punished really badly.'

But those eyes, Pearl almost personifying youthful innocence, and she did promise.

"Of course we're still going!" she said, smiling her brightest smile. "I can't wait to eat something decent again, and-"

"To visit Mister Nick, right!" Pearls cried out in joy. "It's been more than three months since we last saw him. That's far too long for you to be separated! He has to be very lonely without you, or us, and what if he needs our help? He could lose another case!"

Maya chuckled. "I think he's doing just fine. Remember: He exposed Mister Armando all by himself. I don't think he needs Mia or us to help him anymore."

She turned her head thoughtfully. "Although, it's a bit strange that I haven't heard anything from him this last month… we used to stay in touch pretty well."

"You-you did! I knew it!" Pearl exclaimed, looking positively delighted. "I haven't heard from him at all, apart from a few cards and a bar of chocowat," she continued, her face falling rapidly.

'Huh? Does she feel left out?'

"That's not bad for those two months that he did keep contact, Pearly! And right now, he's obviously got an important case that he's working on. Yeah, that has to be it!" Maya pointed out in an attempt to cheer her up.

Of course, her little cousin didn't quite buy it. "But nothing can be more important to him than you! We'll need to ask him what he's been doing tomorrow, after we… um…"

Maya frowned; her cousin was obviously uncomfortable about something. "After we what, Pearly?"

"I... I want to visit mommy, Mystic Maya. I… haven't seen her in a while," the younger medium responded in sadness. "I really need to talk to her!" she finished with an attempt to look determined.

Maya paled. She had been afraid that this would happen ever since Nick and she had found a thoroughly depressed Pearl at the Hazaruka temple, at the end of the last trial the three of them had been in together. She had felt extremely guilty for trying to carry out her mother's plan to kill Maya, though she hadn't fully understood the plan or the goal. Not that anyone blamed her for it; who could blame an innocent ten year old girl for blindly following her mother's orders?

That aside, Maya's concerns were with what Morgan would say to Pearl. Would she take frustration of the plan's failure out on her? By now, there was no way she wouldn't know that Maya was still alive, if only for the charges of an additional attempted murder that would have gone her way. If so, it would be extremely devastating to her cousin… and if she could help it, she never wanted to Pearl that way again. Pearly was supposed to be happy and cheerful; anything else went against the established order in the universe. It would be like being forced to eat an endless string of burgers that all somehow tasted very bad.

Reagrdless, there was no way she could just ignore Pearls' request. They would have to meet eventually.

"Er, yeah, sure! We can go there first!" she said. "There's this great shop that sells ice cream near there, too. I'll get us one when we leave."

'We might need one if things go bad…'

"Yay! You're so kind, mystic Maya!" Pearl cried out. "And after that, we can go-"

Maya smiled as Pearl went on and on about which fun things they could do in the city – Nick included, of course. However, whenever he came up, she started to feel uneasy. It was perfectly normal for a by now famous attorney to be extremely busy, but still…

No, there were more important things to worry about, such as how she was going to get out of the village with permission on such short notice. It was a lot easier to just sneak out, but she somehow had to inform at least one of the elders; she wanted to make sure she had a chance to survive the punishment that was sure to come.

Oh, and making sure she got a bit of sleep before tomorrow would be nice, too. She sighed inwardly; it would be a long and cold walk back to the village.

The train platform was surprisingly empty.

Well, to be more precise, there were others, but they were only silhouettes and vague outlines. She wanted to take a closer look, but somehow she couldn't turn her head. The only ones really visible were herself, Pearls, and Nick. Was this a dream? But it was all so very familiar…

"You'll send us cards, won't you, Mister Nick? You won't forget about us, will you?" Pearl demanded.

The man next Maya, dressed in his usual attire and wearing his trademark impossibly spiky haircut, laughed. "Forget about my two favourite spirit mediums in the world? Not a chance!"

"Oh? So how many spirit mediums do you currently really know, Nick?" she heard herself tease. It was an unfair question, as she knew he wouldn't bring up any of the deceased or imprisoned ones he had known. That was just how he was, but it was fair, considering all the times he had picked on her for unhealthy food habits, or her steel samurai fervour.

"Hmmm… let me think. Well, since… er… ok, ok, you got me. Two," he admitted with a smirk. "It's not my fault, though: I've been to Kurain a number of times and most mediums there aren't very interested in talking to strangers, or each-other, now that I think about it. They always seem to be really focussed on their own training."

"Don't remind me…" she pouted. "It's so much livelier here in the city."

"Cheer up, Mystic Maya! You still have me! We'll make the village a brighter place!" Pearls cried happily before turning to Nick.

*Smack*

"Ouch! Wh-What was that for!" Nick cried in protest.

"How could you be so insensitive to your 'special someone', Mister Nick?"

"Er, what? I was just-"

"And what about when we visited sister Iris at the detention center? You're not supposed to give anyone but Mystic Maya such looks!"

"Pearls, we're not-"

"Mystic Maya! You noticed too, didn't you?"

She glanced at Nick. His facial expression practically screamed 'Help me!'. She opened her mouth to support him, but then hesitated. She really liked Iris' personality and it was a pleasant surprise to suddenly have a niece to extend her now far diminished family; it made her feel less alone. But when they were all together, like they were back then… she felt threatened by her in some way. Was it related to the way Nick and her had acted?

"I, um, well-"

"The train departing from platform 9B, destinations, Kurain, …"

"Oh, that's a message for us, mystic Maya!" Pearl pointed out enthusiastically. The older medium sighed in relief; it was a good thing that, at times, Pearly had such a short attention span. It saved her from having to form a jumbled response.

"I wonder what the lady in the ceiling wants to tell us," her cousin continued. She had been starting to pick up certain normal city skills and was eager to prove that she could now pick up things like relevant travelling information. It was just a bit of a shame that having her talk throughout the message made it kind of hard to hear.

"…has a 30 minute delayed departure time due to technical difficulties. We apologize…"

"Huh? Why is she apologizing when the train is still going?" Pearls asked in confusion.

"Grown-ups generally need to be in places at exactly the right time, Pearls," Nick explained quickly, probably glad to be no longer part of Pearls' badgering. "It's just like when your teachers will be angry if you're late for practise."

"Really? I've never seen you or Maya being very strict with time, not even when you're on a case, Mister Nick."

"Th-that's because I kind of stumble into to most of my cases, and when I'm hired, I usually only have a day to do all the investigating, meaning I have to do everything as quick as possible. NORMALLY, grown-ups call each other to arrange for a time on which they meet. If only I had the luxury of time once…" Nick moaned.

"Aw, it wouldn't be as fun if you did, Nick. Besides, you always win anyway," Maya pointed out.

"Yeah… somehow," he said. "But I can't say being under such extreme time pressure all the time is good for my health, just like my job in general," He shook his head. "Well, speaking of time, that delay gives us time for a final lunch together. There's a Burger Queen downstairs in the station, and…"

"Oh, that's so sweet, Mister Nick! I'll go downstairs and get in line for us!" Pearl cried enthousiastically, after which she ran off. Looking back, Maya supposed some of her burger frenzy habits had rubbed off on her cousin.

"I'm glad she's finally completely over what happened at the temple," she remarked. "She's in a very good mood today."

"Well, that's easy for you to say. You weren't the one she was ready to beat into the ground a minute ago, and she can hit REALLY hard. There are times I'd prefer Franziska's whipping over her punches," Nick said jokingly, all the while picking up their luggage.

"Haha, come on Nick, she's a ten year old girl! Are you a man or what?"

"Hey, you've never been on the receiving end of her jabs! I think she could make a decent career as a boxer if the spirit medium thing doesn't work out for her," Nick mused. Maya couldn't really help laughing at the mental image.

"By the way, Maya, now that we're alone, there's something I've wanted to ask you these last few weeks…" Nick asked after a moment. The tone of his voice was suddenly serious.

"Really? Like what?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Well…" Nick seemed unusually hesitant.

'Wait, I know what this means! It's just like in the steel samurai, when someone is about to make a really dramatic announcement! Just like when the pink princess told her would-be lover that… or when the steel samurai's brother told him that their strongest ally had just been killed! But I don't think anyone's died, and I don't think he-'

"Are you all right?" he finally asked.

Maya blinked. That wasn't… well, maybe she did get a little carried away. "Um, of course I am! Why'd you ask?"

"You don't have to pretend," he said, shaking his head. "I know you're trying to be strong for Pearl, but I think you're overdoing it. Your mother died a couple of weeks ago, next to you almost being killed yourself, and I haven't seen you react naturally to that at all. Most of the time, you act as if nothing's happened at all, but there are plenty of times when you're just unnaturally quiet or subdued. Keeping all of… whatever it is you're feeling to yourself can't be healthy."

"Huh? What do you mean? Are you saying I'm not acting like myself? I'm just like myself, thank you very much!" She rebuked.

"Right, so tell me why you didn't storm off with Pearl when I suggested eating at a burger restaurant?"

"Oh… Um… Maybe I'm just not hungry today?"

"Yeah, and my name is Manfred von Karma," said Nick, sarcasm dripping off. He sighed. "Look, you don't have to tell me, but I can't really help but feel worried. You're the new master of Kurain, and that means you'll probably be kept very busy with tons of responsibilities and extra training when you go back. Are you sure you're ready for that? I realize that I'm bringing this up a bit late, but I was hoping you'd talk to me spontaneously."

Images of people, silhouettes of people she couldn't remember, kept moving about them, and she realized they had stopped outside of the restaurant they had been going for. Pearls was visible through the glass windows, standing in line and while being absorbed in studying the list of foods.

"What do you want me to say, Nick…?" she asked after a moment, averting her eyes from the scene. Recollections of the events of Hazaruka temple, and by association feeling of intense fear and loneliness stirred just beneath the surface. Why was he asking this? He had to know it would hurt to remember. "I'm the new master, and I need to go; I promised I would be back tomorrow way back since before the cases with Mister Armando started. I know things will be harder when I get back, but I don't really have a choice but to try handling it, don't I?"

"Really? I disagree. You could stay a little longer until you're feeling a bit better. I'm sure the elders would understand if we brought this the right way. I'm pretty sure I could also think up a last-moment case that I couldn't possibly handle without the help of my assistant."

Despite the situation, Maya felt the urge to smile at the notion of Phoenix Wright, famous defense attorney, breaker of many equally famous Prosecutors' perfect win streak records, really needing her help. The cases he had solved virtually on his own were usually so complex and filled with turnabouts that right now, she wouldn't put any conceivable case beyond his ability to solve.

'Wait… wasn't there something else strange about what he just said?'

"If 'we' brought 'this' 'the right way'? Do you mean you were planning something like that? Why? Do you just want us to stay longer? If that's what you're after, you could have asked without bringing up painful topics, Nick!" she said accusingly.

"Hmmm… well, to be honest, it isn't nearly as lively here without you or Pearls around, even if I get abused a lot by the both of you and have to watch my wallet a LOT more carefully," he replied, smiling for a short moment, then instantly falling back into seriousness. "But my main concern is if you'll be all right. Do you want to go back now? Do you feel up to it?"

Maya chuckled, yet without mirth. He was genuinely concerned, and she could feel her resistance starting to break under Nick's stare. More than anything, he was right, he was asking, and she couldn't really deny that she wanted to tell at least one person.

"Am I up to it? Not really, Nick. It's not only that I'm not ready to go, I also don't think I'm cut out to be the master at all. I'm not a prodigee like Pearly, or really smart like sis, and I'm not regal and wise either, the way my mother was. Can you see me as the head of a village? Would anyone want me as the person representing Kurain if there was a different choice? And to make things worse, I'm the reason I have to go, that they're stuck with me, as my mother had to sacrifice herself for my sake."

By now, she was trying very hard not to cry. She felt thoroughly distressed, though at the same time there was a certain measure of calm, maybe even a slight sense of relief that she had confessed. What was he going to say? Had she said too much, embarrassing herself in some way? Would he think less of her? But he was the one-

She felt an arm around her shoulder, gently pulling her away from the restaurant, away from the crowd. Part of her felt like resisting and going back, since Pearl was in the restaurant; she had to be waiting for them now. Yet, she allowed herself to be led away. The contact was comforting, even if all the bags Nick was carrying made it a less than physically pleasant. "Maya… I'm sorry; I guess I shouldn't have pressed you so hard," she heard him say. "But I don't think you need to worry so much about that."

"Why…?" she turned around towards him, but asked it without looking at his face. 'I'm not going to cry,' she thought. 'I'll show that I'm stronger than I used to be!'

"Do you remember that time, two years ago? Right after the trial against von Karma, we were here as well, in this station."

"What does that-?"

"Back then, you couldn't really channel all that well, only if it was an emergency. But after you left to train for just a few months, you were the one chosen to channel that spirit for Doctor Gray. He was a pretty important client for Kurain, wasn't he? He had been in the news, had a certain degree of fame, and a lot of honor to regain. If his name was cleared, it would have meant a lot of good publicity for Kurain."

"I... think so…" she admitted.

"Well, I'm not an expert, but to me, that sounds like a very impressive improvement over just a few months of training. I'm sure the elders wouldn't have agreed to let you do it if they hadn't been convinced in your ability, regardless off if Morgan edged them on. That's also why I think you can get or have their support, and that you can be a great channeler and master if you try."

Despite everything going through her mind, Maya had to smile. Nick was really good at this kind of stuff.

'Is he really right? Is that how they see me? Can I really do it? Was I worrying for nothing?'

"And your mother… well, we went over this already, didn't we? That charm you're wearing, the one that used to belong to her, the picture of Mia and you that was inside it..."

He let the end linger in the air. He didn't need to say it; she knew what he would say, and he knew that she knew. Images of her mother filled her head, and what restraint was left broke down with them. Yet before she cried, she grabbed Nick and pulled him closer, burying her face in his suit. If she was going to cry, she wouldn't let him see it. It might have been a childish thought, but she still wanted to retain a bit of her composure. Nick, in turn, hesitated at first, but then dropped a few of the bags to be able to hold her better.

She wasn't sure of how long they stood here, or what exactly she said to him. She just knew that she had to let it out, and that it was overdue. Apart from herself, Pearl, and Iris, her entire family was now dead, or in one case, imprisoned. And when her mother finally came out of hiding to protect her, she hadn't even recognised her, while she had always carried the memory of her with her. It made her feel even worse about the way things had turned out.

"We- we need to go. Pearly is waiting on us," she eventually managed to say, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

However, Nick didn't let her go yet. "Maya, I'll ask again; are you really sure you want to go back now?"

"I'm the new master, Nick. I can't go breaking my word before I even get back to the village, can I?" she answered.

"No, I guess not," he agreed, then pulled away. "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded, looking him in the eyes for the first time in what seemed like hours. "Yeah, much better. I guess I kind of needed that."

"Heh, Phoenix Wright, ace psychiatrist, at your service!" he joked. "So, I guess that all the people back in Kurain aren't going to know what hit them, right?"

"I… You bet!" she said enthusiastically, pulling herself back to her usual self. "I'm going to show everyone what a good master I can be! And I'm going to get past everything anyone throws at me, because I have people like you and Pearl believing in me!"

"Haha, well, if that's the case, I guess we should be going; I wouldn't want to keep you away from a burger for too long," he said playfully.

However, before he could move even one step, she pulled him back, this time giving him an embrace of her own. "Wait! Uh, Nick…? Thanks, for everything." She could probably have said a lot of things that would have been more impressive, but it was the first thing that came into her mind, and she thought she made it feel heartfelt enough.

"What? Oh, um, no problem," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

'Wait, I've seen him do that plenty of times in court… It means he's embarassed?'

"Um, Maya? It's not like this is goodbye, right?" he asked awkwardly, misinterpreting her. "You two will come back to visit, won't you?"

"Don't be silly, Nick. Of course we will! After all, you just admitted that you wouldn't be anywhere without us."

"Phew, you had me worried there for a second," he said, slowly returning the hug. "I wonder if Pearls-"

"Ah HA!" A childish voice cried out, causing them to scramble apart instantly. Sure enough, Pearl looked as if Christmas had come early. "I got to the front of the line, but I didn't see you, so I ordered and came back to look. You made me worry, but I'll forgive you for finally openly showing your real feelings for each other!" she cried happily.

'Oh no, that wasn't something I wanted Pearls to see! That will probably set us back years on trying to convince her we're not- Quick, think of something to distract her, Maya!'

But her mind drew a blank.

Nick, fortunately, was a bit quicker to recover.

"Wait, what was that, Pearls? Did you order food for us? " Nick asked swiftly, making it sound like it was the most serious and important matter in the world. Maya suppressed an inward laugh; Nick might be a famous lawyer, but his divisionary tactics could probably use a bit of toning.

"Yes! I knew we didn't have a lot of time to eat, and I didn't know what you wanted, so I just ordered one meal of every kind! That way, what you want is sure to be in there, somewhere!" Pearl cried out happily. "So how long have you been-"

"One meal of EACH kind! But how did you pay for that? I didn't give you any money!" Nick pressed on, though Maya was pretty sure he was genuinely worried this time.

"Right! I explained to the mister at the counter that we didn't have a lot of time, so he was willing to let us pay upon leaving! Well, Mister Nick, are you ready to go? You couldn't deny your special someone one last good meal before she leaves, right?"

"Well, this will be the last time I'll get to eat decently before being forced to live on mostly rice for months…" Maya mused, mainly helping to steer the conversation away from earlier, but at the same time kind of pleased at the prospect of a VERY good lunch.

Nick sweatdropped. "I guess I could object to this, but there isn't any point, is there?"

Pearls eagerly shook her head.

When Maya's alarm went off, it was still mostly dark outside. There were a lot of things she'd have to do in order to prepare for their trip to the city, but she took a moment to look back on when she had last seen Nick. For some reason, she was stuck on his worry on whether or not she was all right.

"I'm all right, Nick…" she said softly, "But what about you? Are you really just busy, or did you break contact with us? And if so, why?"

'And why do I feel so worried?'

Author's notes:

I'm aware that Maya isn't completely her spunky and cheerful self in this chapter, especially in the flashback, but in my mind, I couldn't really imagine her being completely unchanged by the events at the end of the third game. Since we don't ever see her again in Apollo justice, there's a bit of a gray area I need to work with. However, I do admit that there were times that I had trouble getting into her mindset, probably because I'm a rather serious and reserved person IRL (which also makes emulating the humurous/wacky aspect of the game harder to emulate, but I do my best). I do hope everyone likes her portrayal, though.

I think I did reasonably well with Pearls and Phoenix, though the latter seemed surprisingly difficult, for some reason. Do you think I succeeded here?

I think Maya's conflict with the Elders of Kurain (with almost all of them being absolute... um... not very likeable people) is a bit overused, so i'm going to try a slightly different approach with them here, even though it's not apparent yet. On underused things, I don't think I've seen a post third game meeting between Pearls and her mother very often. Unfortunately, I was unable to really develop either in this chapter, mainly because the flashback turned out A LOT longer than I originally planned. Then again, I suppose things always go that way whenever I try to write something.

I'de like to ask you if you would please review the chapter, if you feel I deserved it, to let me know what you liked or disliked about it. Hearing that is the only way to really improve my writing, and to consequently to write better chapters in the future. Since I'm new to this fandom and to the genre, I'm especially interested this time around!

-kind regards,

Dieuwtjin