October 20th, 2019

Metro Accounting Inc, Rooftop,

"Man, I gotta admit, this view is great. But, what did you want to talk about and why are we doing it here of all places?

"Heh heh, I have my reasons. Can you come over here? There's something I wanted to ask."

"Uh, sure, I guess."

He then walked over to the edge of the rooftop where the mysterious figure was standing.

"The hell you wearing a mask for?"

"..." was the masked figure had to all to say. But, as they say, actions speak louder than words.

"Is something wrong, man? Hey, WAIT, what are you doing? You're gonna make me fall!"

"Heh, that's the idea."

Their struggle didn't last very long, as the masked person had the advantage of surprise on it's side.

"Wait, PLEASE, DON'T... NOOOOOOOOoooooooo" were the last words the unfortunate victim ever uttered.

"Sorry it had to be this way."

October 21, 2019,

11:30 AM,

Wright & Co. Law Offices,

"Nick, that was a really great show, wasn't it?" Maya asked while showing a small smile.

I didn't have the heart to tell her I fell asleep halfway through, I was surprised she didn't catch me 'sawing logs'...but now I think about it she was probably too focused on the show to pay attention to me.

"It was alright..." I replied, slyly rolling the eyes. (But did they really need to make a Steel Samurai Opera? And have it show at 9:00 AM!)

"Come on, Nick, it was more than all right. It was Legen- wait for it- dary!" she exclaimed with gusto.

(She really needs to stop watching so much TV.) I sigh to myself, placing my chin in the palm of my hand as it rested on the couch arm. "I suppose. Though, to be honest, I'm surprised Global Studios is STILL continuing with Steel Samurai stuff especially after that case a few years back."

"Well, time marches on." She then turned to look directly at me. "And speaking of past cases, when are we going to start working on a new case? It's been a long time since 'that case', you know. I've had to start working at Tres Bien again just to make us some extra money. I don't mind, but still.

"That is true," I said, reminding myself to drop a 'thank you' to Mr. Armstrong for rehiring Maya. I could feel Maya's eyes bear into me, it probably would burn a hole in my head if she didn't get an answer soon. "I'm sorry, Maya, but I just haven't really been in the mood to be taking cases as of late."

"Yeah, I understand. That last case was hard for all of us." she said with a tinge of disappointment in her usually chipper voice.

(I can tell just remembering that case is still painful for her. Poor thing.) I thought, watching Maya cross her arms, a rare moment of deep thought for the usually energetic medium.

"But, you know, sometimes it's best to try and move on. Perhaps taking a case will help get our minds off things, you know?" she continued.

I contemplated what she said and soon I found myself agreeing, another case would take our minds off of our last -and most intense- case yet. However there was one issue with that idea, which I made sure to tell her about.

"Well, you know, Maya, we haven't had anyone come in looking for us to defend them in a while."

Maya raised an eyebrow at me, "So?"

"Well, we can't take a case without a client." I pointed out, "And to be honest, I doubt someone's going to just burst in here yelling, 'please god help me! Someone's been arrested for murder!'"

Then, again, knowing my luck, I shouldn't have been surprised by what happened next. I first heard my newest client before I saw him.

"PLEASE GOD, HELP ME! SOMEONE'S BEEN ARRESTED FOR MURDER!"

Before Maya and I could even breathe the doors to the offices burst open, someone ran in the room with such force and motion that it startled myself and my assistant off the couch and stumbling back. I took a look and reassured myself the man was NOT an axe murderer coming here to cut our heads off and sell them on Ebay -or something equally gruesome-, but an ordinary person with a very loud set of pipes. The shock for Maya must have worn off fast because her voice was the next I heard.

"Heh, guess you were wrong, Nick." Maya said, not trying to disguise the triumph in her voice.

(Curse you, Irony!) I thought to myself, slowly taking a step to the man who burst in. "Uh, sir, if you could calm down and tell us what happened calmly?"

The mysterious yeller took a few moments, and his sweet time, to catch his breath before began to talk.

"Ahem! Sorry about my outburst, but I am in dire need of your services."

It was then when I got my first good look at our client. He was short and rather scrawny, though, I have to admit, he was well-dressed. In some ways, he reminded of a previous person I met, a man by the name of Turner Grey. Except he was a bit younger looking, and had full dark brown hair instead of that skunk stripe Mr. Grey had. He even had a lot of the same mannerisms, though it would turn out, he was a lot more pleasant then the good doctor ever was.

"Well, what's the problem? And I don't believe I caught your name, sir?" I couldn't help but reply.

"Oh, that! My most sincere apologies, the name is Christopher Diener. It's wonderful to finally get the privilege to meet you, Mr. Wright." he said enthusiastically, before steeping in a low regal bow.

I expect a lot of things from my client, weird hair, professions, habits, but bowing before me? That was a first, it even surprised Maya, which is not an easy task.

"Did he just bow before you, Nick?" Maya said with a surprised look on her face.

It was then I realized another trait about Mr. Diener; he was exceedingly formal. He almost gave Edgeworth a run for his money in that regard.

(You know, I think he just did. I'm not sure how to respond to that.) I frowned, knowing that if Edgeworth was here he'd probably scold me for not making a 'proper response'. But I settled for a more casual one. "Erm, do I know you?"

"Doubtful." he curtly replied.

I blinked, quickly regaining my composure. "Then, how do you know my name?"

"My my, I didn't think you were so modest. I mean, you're THE Phoenix Wright. I doubt there's a person in this city who doesn't know who are you. After all, this is why I came to you in the first place." he explained in an even voice, which was a step up from the person who ran in screaming their head off.

"I guess your reputation precedes you, Nick." Maya noted.

(Wow, I never thought I was all that famous. Then again, I've been in my fair share of high-profile cases throughout my couple of years as a lawyer. I suppose it isn't off to think someone would know of me.) I thought, basking a bit in my -apparent- fame before realizing I have a potential client on my hands. "Anyway, what's your problem, Mr. Diener?"

"Well, a great injustice has taken place, Mr. Wright!" he said, adjusting the lapel of his suit.

I could begin to feel the sweat gather on my forehead, (Christ, this guy is over the top. Was the balled fist and shout really necessary? Then again, it's not like I haven't had my share of "odd" clients over the years.)

"A colleague of mine has recently been arrested for a murder that she simply couldn't have committed." he continued, "I implore you to defend her. I'll pay whatever sum is required."

"Well, how do you know she couldn't have done it?" Maya asked earnestly.

It was with that comment Maya and I learned that our soon-to-be client was someone whose feathers were easily ruffled.

"AUGH! Now you're accusing her too! HOW DARE YOU!" he shouted with unnecessary enthusiasm.

"Calm down, sir. We just want to know why you think she's innocent." I said trying to calm him down as best as I could.

"Hmm. Well, simply put, I've worked with Donna for a long time now and I can't imagine that she would commit a murder in cold blood." he said, clearly regretting exploding at them.

(I can understand that. However, that alone isn't going to hold up in court. I'm going to need more details on this incident.) I thought, already taking mental notes of our client to use for court time, "Mr. Diener, do you have any information as to what actually happened?"

"To be frank, Mr. Wright, I don't know much about the case itself." Mr. Diener frowned, "All I know is Donna has been arrested and is the prime suspect for the murder, and THAT simply isn't correct. You can talk to Donna yourself and get a bit more useful intelligence from her. She's down at the Detention Center right now. Hopefully, those mean, mean detectives will have finished their interrogation by now."

(So much for having information we needed right off the bat, I'm used to this but still you can't help but wish your job was made a little easier.) "Well, thank you anyway, Mr. Diener."

Afterward, there was an awkward pause, but Mr. Diener broke it quickly enough.

"Um, are you going to defend her, Mr. Wright?" he asked with an surprising amount of weakness in his typically strong voice.

He seemed to care about a lot about this Donna, and either way, it would have been hard to say no, even if I wanted to. Besides, this could be the case Maya and I need to get back in the game. With this seemingly perfect opportunity standing right in front of us I nodded.

"Well, Mr. Diener, if she really didn't do it and she actually wants my help, then sure, I'll defend her."

"SPLENDID! Absolutely splendid! Oh, thank you very much, Mr. Wright. Would you like me to pay you in advance or shall we wait on that?" he asked as if he had money to spare.

This came as a surprise to me, as most of my clients weren't exactly in the spot where they could spare a dime due to being arrested for murder and all. Or in some cases absolutely reluctant to share money at all.

"Oh,well, I work pro-bono for most of my cases. Payment isn't necessary." I said, generosity and modesty were virtues I exercise daily, if sometimes too much...after all generosity and modesty didn't pay bills.

"Niiccckkk! We need money, you know? Those burgers don't pay for themselves." Maya said, voicing my inner thoughts.

I sighed, turning to our client. "Ignore her, Mr. Diener, it's really no issue."

"No, no, I insist. A man should be payed for the job he does." he said with a tone that settled the matter.

(Well, can't say no to that.) I shrugged, "Well, okay. Perhaps, you should wait until we win the case for her, first."

"Yes, you're probably right. But knowing you, I'm sure you'll be winning, so I'll prepare payment ASAP." he said confidentially, "Would 10,000 dollars suffice for the whole case?"

"10,000 DOLLARS?" I spluttered.

Mr. Diener seemed surprised, "Oh, would 20,000 be better?"

"20,000 DOLLARS?" It was Maya's turn to shriek. Looking at her, I could have sworn her eyes would have turned into dollar bills if they could have.

"Erm, we can work on that later." I said, afraid that if he went higher so would my blood pressure. "But thank you. I'll accept any payment that you feel is best."

"Hmm, well, it's no problem. Anyways, I best be going. I've got things of my own to do. I suggest you go visit Donna, and from there, it might be good to check the crime scene for any useful evidence. Goodbye for now, and good luck." After that, he left rather quickly.

(Wow, he's more helpful than most people I interact with.) I thought, and that was saying something too.

"You know, maybe it's just me, but there's just something off about that guy. He's nice and all, but he just seems odd, doesn't he?" Maya noted, staring at the door Mr. Diener walked out of.

(He's the odd client?) I thought, thinking of all our past weirdo clients and she picks NOW to say a client was weird? Still, Mr. Diener was quite...forceful in his belief of this client's innocence. "Well, maybe, but he's paying for our service, and he's nice enough to actually pay for someone else's defense. You should learn to be more trustful of people, Maya."

Maya shot a quick glare at me before sighing in resignation,"Oh well, it's just a feeling, I guess."

"I guess we better get going." I said, grabbing a notepad and pencil. "Our defendant isn't going to be helped much by us just standing around, now is he?" I said trying to be somewhat cheerful.

"I guess so. Man, it's great to finally be back on a case after all this time." Maya replied with her eyes sparkling with newfound determination.

"Maya, someone was murdered. It isn't something to be enthused about." I reminded sternly. (Though, I must admit, it does feel nice to get back in the routine of things. I've felt like such a lump just sitting around the office for these past 8 months. Now, it's time to find the truth in this new case.)