Well, I originally wrote this for the Phoenix Wright Kink Meme. It's the second and longest fic of my Justice High mini-series. I decided to move it over here, after cleaning it up and deleting some awkwardly flowing scenes and stuff (and removing references to my other Kink Meme fic that I don't want to post here because they're too crackish).
Disclaimer: I do not own Ace Attorney. I wish I did, though. I'd make another Apollo Justice game (still totally looking forward to AAI2 though).
If there was one thing Ema Skye knew about the law enforcement in her city, it was that they were horrible with paperwork. It was always late, names were mixed up, and unpleasant things tended to happen because of this. Things such as, for example, certain Snackoo-munching detectives accidentally getting laid off from their jobs (when in fact it should have been a similarly named patrolwoman getting the ax). Whoever Emma Sky was, her days were numbered. Highly numbered, considering the incompetence of the department, but still numbered.
But this story isn't about similarly-named patrolwomen soon to be fired. It's about the detective who was fired, and ended up teaching Chemistry at a local high school while waiting to be reinstated.
This is Ema Skye's story.
000
Even after she received a phone call from the department telling her that yes, it was a mistake, and yes, she could have her old job back once paperwork was sorted out, Ema Skye still found herself looking for another job. The cost of Snackoos added up, after all.
And it's not as if Ema really missed her old job. No detective work meant no Klavier to deal with, after all (even if some part of her actually did miss the rock star/prosecutor, not that she'd ever admit it. No, not even to herself). But it paid the bills (not well, though. The fop never paid her enough), and she could see Phoenix Wright every now and then. Two positives in her book.
However, even though she was reassured that she still had her old job, she knew it would take forever because her department was filled with idiots. So, to bide her time and pay the bills, she started looking for a temporary job.
Ema really didn't know what possessed her to visit the Wright Anything Agency, but she was out job searching and it was in the area, so why the hell not, she thought.
Phoenix smiled at her as he answered the door. "Ema! Come in!" he said warmly.
"Thank you, Mr. Wright," she said, entering and placing her lab coat on the rack behind the door. Phoenix chuckled.
"It's just 'Phoenix' now, Ema," he said.
Ema smirked. "Old habits die hard, I guess," she replied, walking into the living room. Apollo was seated in a comfortable looking easy chair, busily scribbling away at paperwork. People like this, Ema thought, were what were needed at the department. Trucy was sprawled out on the sofa, watching some cartoon or anime or whatever that involved Samurais and fighting. Upon seeing Ema, she sprang up and ran over to her.
"Ema!" she exclaimed.
Ema smiled. She had a soft spot for the young magician, as she did for anyone close to Phoenix Wright. She sat down on the sofa as Trucy got up, moved over to her backpack on the floor, and started looking through it. "Hi, Trucy," she said, looking behind her to the TV. "What are you watching?"
Trucy grinned and looked up at Ema. "The Aluminum Samurai: Warrior of Neo Neo Olde Tokyo!" Hmm, sounded… interesting. All that Ema knew about the numerous Samurai series is that they seemed to generate a lot of murder behind the scenes (and all she knew about that was from following Phoenix's old cases).
"Huh. Interesting," Ema stated, clearly not interested. She really wished she had her Snackoos right now. But alas, she needed to cut down until she got a new job. The hold-over pay the department provided was just not enough.
Apollo looked up from his paperwork. "What brings you here, Ema?" he asked, genuinely curious. It wasn't often that Ema visited on a non-work related reason.
"Eh, just in the area," she answered nonchalantly.
"How goes the job-hunting?" Phoenix asked.
Ema sighed in annoyance. "Not so well, actually. There's not much open that will take someone with just a Master's in Forensic Science and a Bachelor's in Chemistry. I just wish the department would stop being stupid and iron out the paperwork already so I can have my job back…"
At this, Phoenix chuckled. "Why so eager, Ema? Miss Klavier that much?" he teased. Oh yes, Ema really wanted her Snackoos right now.
"Very funny. Like I'd miss that fop. He's probably already got a new detective to annoy. Maybe I'll get lucky and get assigned to someone new when I get back," she asserted. A very small part of Ema didn't want that last bit to be true (a very small part). She hated when Phoenix was right about these things.
"Whatever you say, Ema," Phoenix relented. Trucy came over to the two, holding a small packet of paper in her hands.
"Hey, Ema?... I was wondering if you could help me with my Chemistry homework…" she asked.
Ahh, science. Ema's eyes lit up at the thought of being able to indulge herself in something science-related. It had really been too long.
Ema smiled and took the packet. "Of course. I'd love to." She looked over the packet. It looked to be basic element stuff; measuring the density of gold plating and such. She started looking over Trucy's calculations. They were mostly right, and any errors were ones that could be easily fixed.
"Most of this is good, Trucy. How do you like your Chemistry class?" she asked, handing the packet back to Trucy.
"Oh, it's fun. Not right now though. All we have right now are subs because our usual teacher's out for the rest of the year because she had a baby," Trucy said, sighing in annoyance.
This piqued Ema's curiosity. Was there an opening for a sub? She'd totally do that.
"So, there's an opening for a sub?" she asked. Trucy nodded.
"Yep!" she exclaimed. Then it clicked in her mind. "Wait… are you thinking of teaching at my school?"
Ema thought for a second. … was she? "I guess I am," she said, "It would give me something to do while I wait to be re-instated."
The idea of having Ema as a teacher seemed to make Trucy ecstatic. "That'd be really awesome!"
"I'll see what I can do."
000
And with this information, Ema ended up at the doors of Justice High School (she laughed at the name. Apollo would love that) the very next afternoon, resume in hand. It was true, she had no teaching experience, but she sure knew as hell of a lot about science. They'd be crazy not to hire her.
She entered the foyer, ignoring the strange glances she got from students. So what if she was wearing a lab coat? It looked better than the stuff they were wearing, Ema thought. She turned left and entered the office. A woman at the receptionist's desk who looked to be in her early thirties looked up. The name-plate on her desk said "Ms. Fright".
"Hello," she said warmly, "welcome to Justice High. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Ema nodded. "Yeah, I was wondering if I could talk to someone about taking over as a Chemistry sub for a few weeks," she answered.
Ms. Fright smiled. "Well, we have been looking for a replacement. How long do you think you can do it?"
"A few weeks," Ema stated. Ms. Fright picked up a phone on her desk and punched in a few numbers. "Mr. Miller? Yeah, there's someone here to see you about the Chemistry teacher job. Uh-huh. I'll send her in." Ms. Fright put the phone down and looked at Ema. "Mr. Miller is in the back, second office on the left. You can speak to him about applying."
"Thank you," Ema said quickly.
000
Principal Joe Miller was usually a patient man. However, he had waited through the flurry of ineffectual Chemistry subs for much too long. And now someone wanted to be a semi-long-term replacement. At this point, he didn't care if they didn't have any teaching experience. If they looked competent, he'd hire them.
A knock sounded at the door, and Ema entered. Mr. Miller scrutinized her. A lab coat? Damn, she was serious. Ema handed him her resume and sat down. He looked over it.
"Hmm," he began, "Let's see… A Master's in Forensic Science, A Bachelor's in Chemistry, and previous experience as a homicide detective…"
"I know I don't have any teaching experience, but I know what I'm talking about when it comes to science," Ema argued in her defense.
To her surprise, Mr. Miller smiled. "To be honest, Ms. Skye, you're the most competent person I've seen applying for this job. You look like you can handle a bunch of teenagers. I think we can just about say you're hired."
Ema smiled. "Thank you, sir. When do I start?"
"How does tomorrow sound?" he asked.
"Tomorrow sounds great, thank you."
000
After being hired, Ema decided to drop by the Wright Anything Agency to let Trucy know about the change in Chemistry teachers. But first, she dropped by the grocery store and bought herself a celebratory bag of Snackoos, which she munched as she waited for Phoenix to answer the door.
"Hey, Ema? Back so soon?" he asked, and let her in.
Ema rolled her eyes. "I'm just here to let Trucy know that I'm going to be her new Chemistry teacher."
"WHAT?" Trucy's voice exclaimed form another room. There was a muffled sound of someone jumping over objects and running across the floor before Trucy came into the front room. "Seriously? That's awesome!"
Phoenix chuckled. "Trucy, were you eavesdropping again?" he asked with mock seriousness.
Trucy crossed her arms in mock anger. "So what if I was?" she retaliated. "But seriously? Yay!"
Suddenly, Ema was serious. "Don't think I'm about to give you any special treatment just because I know you and you're Phoenix's daughter. I'm going to treat you the same as I do every student, and that means you had better study for all of your tests."
Trucy was a little startled at Ema's sudden seriousness. "O-of course," she answered.
"Would you like to stay for dinner, Ema?" Phoenix asked. At this, her stomach growled. With her current pay situation, she'd be crazy to pass up a free dinner.
"I'd love to, thanks."
000
The blaring of Ema's alarm clock was an unpleasant one. The packet of information Ema had received from the school told her that a day for teachers started at 6:45. So, Ema had to get up at 5:30 to get ready and make it there by bus. Compared to her old job, where her hours were more sporadic and only really spiked when someone was murdered, this was torture.
She showered, got dressed, and set off for Justice High. It was 6:30 when she arrived. Only a few students were there. Their day didn't start until seven, and most of them tried to squeeze every possible second of sleep out of their day as possible. If only she was so lucky, Ema thought. She glanced at the map she was given with the information packet. Her room was room C-328. It should be easy enough to find, or so Ema thought. Justice High was just three circles stacked on top of each other with hallways jutting out at awkward angles, right? It should be easy, right?
Wrong. Sure, it was a straightforward layout, but the rooms were strangely numbered, and it was hard to tell which way led to A-wing, which to B-wing, and so on. Eventually, she found her class.
She entered, and looked over the lesson plans the last sub hastily scrawled on a piece of paper and left for her. Today, it looked like they were going to do a lab on measurements. Even though they were a little more than halfway through the year, it seemed the school system still insisted on reinforcing the basics.
At seven, the bell shrilly cut into her concentration. She jumped up and ran to the smart board at the front of the room. Using the special pen, she wrote her name in large letters for the entire class to see.
Students were filing in slowly, grumbling all the way. Some took a second to stare at her and her lab coat. Some of the bolder male students winked at her. Ema rolled her eyes and resumed writing the lesson on the smart board. The late bell rung and Ema turned around to find a class of twenty-eight students, all staring at her.
"Yes, I'm wearing a lab coat. I dare you to make fun of it," she said with an intimidating tone. No one said anything, and Ema took this as a cue to go on. "My name is Ms. Skye; I am going to be your substitute for the next few weeks. I don't know how your other teachers ran the class, and I don't care. There will be no nonsense or misbehavior in my classroom. Any misbehavior will be reported to the principal's office. I expect all assignments to be completed on time unless you are sick or dead. No exceptions. Is that clear?"
The class nodded, too afraid to say anything.
"Good. Now, if my lesson plans are right, we're supposed to do a lab on measurements today?" she asked. The class nodded again. "Good. Get into your lab groups. No messing around with the equipment."
The class did as they were told without another word. Ema sat back down at her desk and smiled. Who knew they'd actually listen to her? She guessed that being harsh from the get-go was the key to making a class listen. She could totally do this teacher thing.
000
When the bell for the lunch period rang, Ema was visibly relieved. Sure, her classes were easy enough to handle in the beginning, but the later in the day it got, the more rebellious they became. She had had three classes already and two more were set to bother her after lunch. Lunch actually sounded really appealing to Ema right now. She couldn't have her Snackoos in the Chemistry lab; food wasn't allowed in there.
She decided to make her way down to the school cafeteria. When she got there, her choices for food were not promising. There were some pre-wrapped sandwiches, some soggy fries, some greasy pizza, and something that looked like it used to be chicken. Ema decided to go with the smallest of four evils and take the sandwich. When she got to the checkout, she was happy to see that they offered mini bags of Snackoos. She bought four. At least they were doing something right, she thought.
After buying her food, she decided to explore the school a little. Despite having the average amount of students, Justice High was a little smaller than most high schools. There wasn't much to look at, and eventually Ema found herself at the main office (sans her Snackoos. She had devoured those quickly). The secretary, Ms. Fright, smiled as Ema entered.
"Hello Ema. How do you like the school?" she asked warmly, gesturing for her to pull up a chair.
Ema did so and sat down. "Oh it's fine, I guess. The students are monsters though," she said nonchalantly.
Ms. Fright smiled. "So I've heard," she replied. She looked at the sandwich in Ema's hand. "I see you found the cafeteria."
"Yeah. The food sucks," Ema said bluntly. Ms. Fright laughed.
"I agree. I bring my own lunch now," she said, showing Ema her neatly packed lunch. There was a thermos of soup, some carrots, and a bottle of water.
Ema stretched a little. It was surprising how tense she was already, after only half a day. "How long have you worked here, Ms. Fright?"
"Please, call me Hannah," she said, "and I've been here… five or six years? I know I've been here since my last boss went abroad. What did you do before coming here?" she asked in return.
"I was a homicide detective. I guess I still am. They laid me off by mistake and I'm here until the paperwork for my re-instatement clears," Ema said, finishing her sandwich and throwing the wrapper away. "What about you?"
Hannah seemed to smile at a distant memory. "I worked at the local Prosecutor's Office as the secretary for the High Prosecutor at the time."
Something about this rang in Ema's mind. She thought for a second, did the math in her head, and-
"Mr. Edgeworth!" she exclaimed, "You were his secretary!"
Hannah raised an eyebrow and nodded, in the middle of drinking her water. She swallowed. "You know him?" she asked.
"We've met. He was so cool! The image of how a prosecutor should be…" she said, sighing. She twisted her face in thought. "What happened to him, anyway?"
"He moved to Europe about six years ago. Last I heard, he still keeps in touch with the Prosecutor's Office and Mr. Wright, though," Hannah said, stirring her soup.
Ema was the one to raise an eyebrow this time. "Mr. Wright? As in Phoenix Wright?" she asked. Hannah nodded. "How do you know him?"
Hannah shrugged. "I don't know him very well. He used to visit Mr. Edgeworth's office a lot. Rumor had it the two had something going on," she said, smiling distantly, as if remembering something pleasant.
This was news to Ema. "Did they?" she asked, wanting to know. Hannah uncharacteristically smirked.
"I'm not at liberty to discuss that," she said with an air of mock seriousness. They stayed that way for a beat before they both burst out laughing. The bell ran, announcing the end of lunch.
"Oh, I have to go. I have two more classes today. It was nice talking to you, Hannah," Ema said, picking up her bag and starting for the door.
Hannah smiled. "Have a nice day, Ema. Feel free to stop by again. I like having someone to talk to. It makes work less boring."
"I will, thanks," Ema replied, walking out the door.
000
Ema entered her classroom and set her bag down on her desk. Her sixth period class had mostly filed in. To Ema's surprise, Trucy sat in the front row, grinning.
"Ema!" she exclaimed, getting up and walking over to the teacher's desk.
Ema smiled, glad to see a familiar face at the school. "Hi, Trucy. And we're in class right now, so it's Ms. Skye."
Trucy nodded. "Okay, Ms. Skye. Do you like it here?" she asked. Ema nodded.
"Yeah. Your cafeteria could use an upgrade, though," Ema said. Trucy giggled.
"I know…" Trucy said, frowning. "I bring my lunch."
Maybe people had the right idea in bringing their lunch, Ema thought. "Maybe I should do that…" she said, trailing off as the late bell rung and everyone took their seats.
"Hello class. I don't know what your friends may have told you about me over lunch, but I'm not going to tolerate any misbehavior from anyone in this class. And I do mean anyone," she paused to glance at Trucy. "Any questions?" Trucy raised her hand. "Yes, Trucy?"
"Daddy wanted to know if you'd like to go out to dinner tonight at the Borscht Bowl Club with us and Polly."
Ema glared at Trucy. "Trucy, this isn't the time for this," she paused, "and yeah, I'd like to," she finished quickly. Ema noticed the entire class was staring at her. Great. How would she explain this? They all started whispering to each other conspiratorially. Remembering how teachers were in the movies she's seen, Ema picked up a meter stick and slammed it on the nearest student's desk.
"Enough! I expect all of you to get in your lab groups. Now!" she ordered. No one said another word as they all complied with her.
000
Ema sighed in relief as her last class left for the day. She didn't know teaching could be this… stressful. She sat at her desk as she graded her labs. Most of them were good. There were a few stupid mistakes, but most were good.
Even though class got out for students at 2:10, teachers could be there until 3:30, depending on grading and workload. Ema's eyes slipped closed as she graded yet another lab. 19/20.
Her head shot up. This was no time to be falling asleep. Her pen flew across another lab, grading it. 20/20.
After what seemed like an eternity, she was finished. She looked at the clock on the wall. 3:15. Heh, only about an hour. She set out her lesson plans for the next day and left her classroom. After stopping by the office to say goodbye to Hannah (the poor woman was stuck there until 4:00), she set out for the bus stop.
The bus was surprisingly on time today. Ema actually didn't mind taking the bus. It was clean, and the ride was peaceful. Well, most of the time. Ema had had the unfortunate experience of watching a fight last week. She couldn't see what had gone on very well because she was at the back, but apparently some kid accused another guy of "gettin' all up in his G" and the two got into a fight. The bus had been delayed fifteen minutes while the fight was sorted out. Not a good day for Ema.
However, today's bus ride went without incident, and Ema soon found herself at her small apartment. She entered and set her bag on the table. She looked at the phone on her kitchen counter. Two new messages. She pressed the button to listen to them. The first was from Lana, asking if dinner next week sounded good. Ema made a mental note to call her later. The second was from Klavier, wondering how his dear "Fräulein Detective" was faring at her new job. Erased… after a faint smile and a moment of deliberation.
No sooner than when she got into her bedroom did sleep call for her. She could take a little nap before going out to the Borscht Bowl Club to meet Phoenix and Trucy. She set her phone for six PM and promptly fell asleep.
Six PM came too quickly for poor Ema, who dragged herself out of her comfortable bed, got ready and set out for the Borscht Bowl Club. She felt a blast of cold air hit her as she entered. She wrapped her lab coat around her and cursed Phoenix for not warning her that the restaurant was cold. She would have worn her winter lab coat if she knew. Phoenix, Apollo, and Trucy were already there when she arrived. They waved her over.
"Hey Ema," Phoenix greeted as she sat down across from him and next to Trucy.
"Hey everyone," she greeted in return. "Hmm, I've never been here before…"
Trucy grinned. "Daddy works here!" she exclaimed, "So we eat here all the time. We get a special employee discount!"
"Oh yeah, you do work here, don't you, Phoenix?" she asked, still getting used to the sound of saying his first name. It felt weird after calling him "Mr. Wright" in her head for so many years.
"Uh huh. Although I'm off tonight," he said, smiling.
"Of course you are, Daddy! The piano music is so much better tonight!" Trucy said, giggling. Phoenix laughed.
Ema looked at her menu. It was mostly in Russian. "Uh… what do you recommend?" she asked.
Phoenix smiled. "Oh, I always just get the borscht. It's kinda what this restaurant specializes in," he answered.
Their waitress came over to the table. She was a small blonde woman dressed in a large blue overcoat paired with a white apron. She was bent over slightly (probably from the weight of the dishes she carried), and when she spoke, her voice had a heavy Russian accent.
"Hello, my name is Olga. Welcome to Borscht Bowl Club. I am waitress for tonight and – YOU!" she yelled. Ema jumped at the loud outburst and noticed that Olga was pointing angrily at Apollo. Her voice had no longer had any trace of an accent and she was standing up straight (her dishes had somehow found their way to the table, completely intact).
Apollo was the first to speak. "A-ah, hi, Ms. Orly. L-long time, no see?" he offered weakly. Olga just glared at him.
"Not long enough," she countered, "I still haven't forgotten that you accused me of murder!"
Ema looked at Phoenix, wide-eyed. Phoenix mouthed 'I'll tell you later' at her.
Apollo cleared his throat. "Uh, right. Sorry about that. I… I was just trying to figure out what happened and you were the most likely suspect at the time?" he squeaked. It sounded more like a question than a statement. Olga's glare softened somewhat.
"Well… you got the right guy in the end, so I guess I can't hold it against you," she said. Apollo looked visibly relieved. "So, what do you guys want to eat tonight?" she asked, whipping an order pad out of nowhere.
"Four bowls of borscht, please," Phoenix said. Olga scribbled down the order on a pad and looked up at Phoenix.
"You're off tonight, huh?" she asked. Phoenix nodded. "Shame. Business has been slow lately. We could have used a few challengers tonight."
Phoenix looked contemplative. "Well, I'll work a double shift next week to make up," he said.
Olga nodded. "Okay. I'll let the boss know," she replied, walking off to give the kitchen their orders. Ema looked confused.
"Uh… who was she?" she asked.
"Oh, her? That's Olga Orly, one of my co-workers," Phoenix answered.
That didn't even answer Ema's questions. "But what was she saying about being 'accused of murder'?"
Phoenix chuckled. "Oh, that? She was the witness for the Smith case. Polly here accused her," he said, jabbing a thumb in Apollo's direction. Apollo only scowled in response.
Ema realized what he meant. "Oh, you mean the case where-"
"Yeah," Apollo interrupted, and then thought for a moment. "Wait, Mr. Wright. Didn't she try to ruin your reputation and then accuse you in court? How are you two even on speaking terms?"
Phoenix smiled. "Oh, she was just doing her job. She apologized my first day back after the trial and I never held it against her," he said simply. Apollo seemed to accept this answer.
"So, Ema…" Phoenix began, "How do you like being a substitute teacher?"
To be honest, Ema really didn't know what to think of her job. She guessed she liked it. "Oh, it's okay, I guess. Not great, but not horrible either," she said. Then a thought came to her. "You know who works there?"
"Who?" Phoenix asked.
"Hannah Fright, Mr. Edgeworth's old secretary," she answered. Phoenix chuckled.
"Heh heh, I remember Hannah. I wonder if she still has to go to therapy…" he said, trailing off. "Anyway, I'll tell Miles about this when he calls tomorrow. What a coincidence…" He shook his head and chuckled again.
"You mean Ms. Fright used to work for Mr. Edgeworth?" Trucy asked. Phoenix nodded. "Cool!"
Olga came back with their borscht. Ema noticed that she was carrying five bowls instead of four. "Here you guys are," she said, setting four of the bowls on the table. "Also, do you guys mind if I sit with you? You're my last table for the night and I haven't had dinner yet."
Phoenix smiled. "Go ahead. We have room for one more."
Olga sat down at the end of the table. "Great, thanks," she said, sipping her borscht.
She noticed Ema. "Hey, I don't think I've met you before. You Spike's girlfriend or something?" she asked, gesturing to Apollo.
"Spike...?" Apollo asked, but was ignored.
Ema glared at Olga. "Whoa whoa whoa!" Olga exclaimed, "You don't need to shoot me a death glare there! It was just a question." Ema's glare softened a little.
"Sorry. My day was kinda crappy," Ema offered, too tired to even be snarky about it.
Olga grinned. "It's alright. Everyone has days like that. Anyway, I'm Olga 'Quick Fingers' Orly, pro dealer and waitress," she said confidently. She held out a hand, which Ema took and shook.
"Ema Skye," she responded, "Homicide detective… and high school teacher." Olga raised an eyebrow.
"Detective and teacher? At the same time?" she asked. Ema shook her head.
"No. I'm currently on accidental suspension from my detective job because of a paperwork screw-up. I'm working as a teacher so I don't starve," Ema replied, annoyed at her own circumstances. "Today was my first day, actually."
Olga laughed. "Hah, I'm sorry. That sucks. Having to deal with a bunch of teenagers all day…" Ema nodded, and took a bite of her borscht. It was delicious.
"This is great!" she said.
"Isn't it?" Olga asked. "That's what the Borscht Bowl Club is famous for, after all. The cold atmosphere is a nice contrast to the hot borscht, huh?" Ema nodded again.
She took another bite of borscht and looked at Apollo. "So how goes work, Apollo? Do you know how things are over at the precinct?"
"Everything's fine, I guess. I just had a trial last week against Prosecutor Gavin," Apollo said. Ema frowned at the mention of Klavier, but no one noticed. "From what I know, everything's fine over there."
"That's good," Ema answered.
"Any word on your situation yet, Ema?" Phoenix asked.
Ema shook her head. "No. The police department is full of idiots," she said, sighing. "I expect it to take two more weeks, at least."
They spent the rest of their meal speaking about random meaningless things. Eventually, both the borscht and the conversation had run out and everyone was tired.
Ema was the first to stand up. "Well, good night everyone. I have lesson plans to do…" she grumbled. Phoenix, Trucy, and Apollo stood up next.
"'Night, Ema," Phoenix said. Olga remained in her seat.
"Come back again soon! We need the business…" she said, waving at Ema as she left.
000
The bell sounded once again for lunch. It was Monday. After enjoying a few blissful days of sleep, Ema was once again thrust into the world of Justice High for her fourth day of teaching. She had actually earned a reputation around the school as 'the incredibly hot, but really mean' teacher. Just last Friday, she had caught some boys joking about how they wouldn't exactly mind a 'detention' with her.
She picked up her bag (at Trucy's advice, she had started bringing her own lunch. Not only did it save her money, it tasted better too), and set out for the main office to have lunch with Hannah. She was fond of the secretary; ever since she found out Hannah had once been Edgeworth's secretary, the two became fast friends.
They had spent every lunch Ema had had at the school together, just talking about their former jobs. Ema learned about all the things between Phoenix and Edgeworth (and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't intrigued… it was kinda hot), and Hannah had heard all of Ema's complaints about one Klavier Gavin (and was now thoroughly convinced that they will be together someday. It may have been unlikely, but Hannah had learned over the years to see the romantic undertones in everything).
As Ema entered the office, Hannah looked up and smiled. "Hey, Ema," she greeted. Ema took her usual seat across from Hannah.
"Hey, Hannah."
"How are things?" Hannah asked, taking a sip of her usual soup.
Ema opened a bag of Snackoos and started munching. "Things are *MUNCH* fine, I guess. Did you *MUNCH* know I have a *MUNCH* reputation now?"
"I heard about that. The 'hot, mean teacher', huh?" Hannah commented. It was true, Hannah knew just about everything that went on in the school.
"Uh *MUNCH* huh. Ugh, teenagers are *MUNCH* monsters," Ema grumbled. "They *MUNCH* have absolutely no *MUNCH* respect for their *MUNCH* elders!" Ema went on, ignoring the fact that she was twenty-six and had been a teenager just seven short years before.
Hannah nodded in sympathy. She then looked at Ema's Snackoos. "May I try one?" she asked.
Ema's face was expressionless. "Over my dead body," she deadpanned. Not two seconds later, she burst out laughing. "I'm just kidding. Here, try one." She handed one to Hannah, who popped it in her mouth. She chewed for a little and then swallowed, contemplating the taste.
"It's… it's actually pretty good," she said. Ema grinned.
"Well of course it is. It's a Snackoo!" she exclaimed. Hannah laughed. "But they're gone now. I really need to bring more bags." At this, Hannah nodded in agreement.
The door opened behind them and in stepped… Phoenix Wright? He was holding a book. Upon noticing Ema, he smiled.
"Hey Ema," he greeted. His eyes then moved to Hannah. "… Hannah Fright?"
Hannah's eyes widened as she recognized the man before her. "Phoenix Wright?" she asked, clearly unable to believe it. Phoenix nodded.
"Yep, it's me. Good to see you again," he said warmly. Hannah nodded.
"Yeah, same," she said, "You look… different…"
Phoenix laughed. "Yeah… I get that a lot. Some people have compared me to a 'hobo'," he remarked.
Hannah giggled. "So, what brings you here, Mr. Wright?" she asked. Phoenix set the book he was holding down on Hannah's desk. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be the school version of Macbeth.
"Trucy left this at home again and I thought I'd run it by her before seventh period. I was going to have Apollo do it, but he was late coming into the office today," Phoenix explained, setting the book down on Hannah's desk. "Well, I have a double shift down at the Borscht Bowl Club, so I have to go. Nice seeing you again, Hannah. I'll tell Miles you said hello." Hannah nodded, and with that, Phoenix walked out the door again.
Hannah blinked, as if trying to discern reality from a dream. "What happened to him? I have heard about the whole disbarment thing. But the 'hobo' thing?" she asked.
Ema frowned. "I was surprised too. But he's studying for the Bar again, so soon enough, he'll be the lawyer we all know and love once again," she said.
"Well, I'm glad to see he's going back to law. He was good at it," Hannah said.
Ema nodded. "Agreed. He actually defended my sister in a trial about ten years ago…" she trailed off.
The two continued their lunch, making meaningless small talk. The bell announcing the end of lunch rang. Ema got up, said goodbye to Hannah, and set back out for her class.
000
"Here, Trucy. Your dad brought this for you because you left it at home," Ema said, handing Trucy her book.
"Thanks, Ema!" she exclaimed. Ema had long since given up on trying to make Trucy call her "Ms. Skye" in class. It really didn't matter, though.
The late bell rang, and everyone settled in their seats, looking at Ema expectantly.
"Now," Ema began, "Today, we're doing a lab on distillation. As you can see, the equipment is already set up at your lab stations. You will turn the Bunsen Burners on and slowly boil the soda to collect the distillate that forms in a separate beaker. If you play around with the equipment, you will be sent to the principal's office. No exceptions. Am I clear?" The class nodded. "Good. The goggles are in the cabinet by the safety shower and the aprons are in the back. You must wear both," she instructed, putting her pink glasses on.
The class broke up in their lab groups and started measuring the pH of orange soda. Suddenly, out in the hallway, a girl screamed. Not a scream of pain or of terror, but of glee. Ema ran to the door and looked outside. She suddenly wished she hadn't.
Strutting down the hallway with a confident expression on his face was none other than the one and only Klavier Gavin. Crap. Upon seeing her, he gave her a look that was halfway between a smirk and a grin. Crapcrapcrap.
She ducked back inside her classroom, but it was too late. There was no way he hadn't seen her. Suddenly, her blood boiled with rage. What the hell was he doing here? Stalking her or something? Although, a part of her didn't mind that he was visiting and was maybe even a little glad to see him… and that part of her mind had the crap promptly kicked out of it by the more rational part of her mind.
Of course, the door opened and he walked inside. Everyone dropped what they were doing and stared at him. One girl in the back screamed in glee and fainted.
Ema glared at him. "What are you doing here, fop?"
Klavier gave Ema a look of mock hurt. "Why, can't I visit my dear Fräulein Detective? Or rather, Fräulein Schoolteacher now," he asked, flashing her a charming grin. Ema's glare intensified.
"No."
"Oh, you wound me so," he said, faking a frown.
Trucy ran up to them. "Prosecutor Gavin!~" she exclaimed, grinning. Klavier smiled at her.
"Ah, Fräulein Trucy. How are you today?" he asked.
"Oh, I'm doing great, especially since Ema here is my Chemistry teacher now!" she said happily.
Ema looked at Klavier and raised an eyebrow. "How did you even find out I was working here anyway?"
Klavier grinned. "Oh, I found that out from young Herr Forehead," he informed her matter-of-factly. Ema made a mental note to Snackoo Apollo later.
"And do you have any reason to visit me? Or are you just stalking me?" she demanded angrily. Klavier flipped his hair and smirked at her.
"Ach, the Fräulein speaks so harshly," she began, "but I do have a reason to be here, ja?"
Ema desperately wished for a bag of Snackoos right now, both to munch on and to use to take her rage out on the foppish prosecutor standing before her. "Well, what is it? Spit it out already!"
"The department told me to inform you that they are almost finished with your paperwork. You should be able to come back to your old job in about a week," he informed her.
Trucy frowned. "Really?" she asked sadly.
Klavier nodded. "Ja."
In all honesty, Ema didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "And why didn't you just call me to tell me this?"
"To be honest, I just wanted to see your pretty face again," he said with a wink. A few people in the class 'ooohed' at this. Ema picked up her meter stick and slammed it against a desk.
"Shut up! Or I'll give all of you detention!" she ordered. No one said anything.
Klavier looked away, contemplating something. "Hmm…"
"What is it, fop?"
"You're so… forceful. I like it. And, I was just wondering. How does lunch with me on Saturday sound?"
Ema glared at him. "In your dreams."
"What a shame. Maybe I'll just have to stay for the rest of the day, ja?…" he said, trailing off.
At this, Ema growled. "Is that a threat, fop?" she challenged.
"Hmm, maybe…"
Either way, Ema would lose. If she said no, he'd stay all day and bug her. Not that she actually minded… If she said yes, she had to go to lunch with him. Not that she actually minded. But wait, did that make it a win-win situation? Wait! Since when did she not mind being around him? Did she actually become fond of this fop somewhere down the road? A part of her told her that yes, she did.
"Okay, fine. If I go to lunch with you, will you go away?" she asked, rubbing her temples. She could feel a headache coming on.
"Ja."
Ema frowned. "Fine, it's a date then."
Klavier flashed her his most charming grin. Ema quickly quelled any feelings it arose in her. "Ah, thank you, Fräulein. Until then, my dear," he said, walking out the door. Ema noticed that everyone around her was still staring. She picked up her meter stick again and slapped it threateningly across her hand.
"Everyone go back to working. My working relationship with that fop has nothing to do with any of you!" she yelled. Everyone quickly got back to work. Everyone, that is, except for Trucy.
"Ahh," she exclaimed, "you and Prosecutor Gavin would be so cute together!"
"Trucy…" Ema began dangerously. She was probably blushing too. Damn.
Trucy giggled. "Don't to deny it, Ema. Remember, I can tell when people are lying!" she said. And she was right. Ema had seen it with her own eyes. She didn't know how it was scientifically possible, but Trucy could tell when people were lying.
"I do not have feelings for that fop!" she exclaimed, putting a hand on her face for emphasis. Yup, definitely blushing.
Suddenly, Trucy hyper-focused on Ema's face. To be honest, Ema found it to be a little creepy. After a second of staring, Trucy exclaimed, "Gotcha!"
"W-what!"
"Got you, Ema. Every time you're nervous or flustered, you put your right hand on your face, like you're doing now," Trucy informed, grinning. Ema immediately took her hand off of her face. "And… I notice you do that a lot when talking about Prosecutor Gavin. Well, at least when you're not complaining about him, that is."
"I do not!" Ema tried to retaliate.
Trucy only gave an uncharacteristic smirk in reply. "Denial is the first stage of acceptance, Ema!"
"S-shut up. Or I'll give you a detention!"
"And anger is the second!"
"Trucy!"
000
It was finally the end of the day. Instead of staying to do lesson plans, Ema decided to go talk to Hannah for a little bit. Hopefully, it would take her mind off of Klavier. Not that she was thinking about him. No, not at all.
"Grr, stupid annoying gorgeous womanizing stupid glimmerous FOP!" she exclaimed the second she got to the office. So much for not thinking about him.
Hannah laughed. "I take it Mr. Gavin found you?" she asked, gesturing for Ema to pull out a chair.
"Unfortunately."
"Personally, I thought he was really charming," Hannah said, smiling faintly.
Ema scoffed. "Yeah, you and every other female on this stupid planet. Except for me, it seems," she huffed.
"Then why are you blushing? And did I hear a 'gorgeous' in there?" Hannah asked.
"No!" she yelled in her defense, "And I'm not blushing!"
Hannah giggled. "Oh, Ema. Don't think I can't see it. Years of being Mr. Edgeworth's secretary taught me how to pick up on subtext," she said, patting the other woman on the shoulder.
Subtext? There was no subtext! "What subtext?" Ema demanded, crossing her arms.
Hannah leaned back in her chair. "Well," she began, "you always smile faintly when you talk about him. Well, when you're not complaining about him. Your eyes light up every time he's mentioned. And think about it, Ema. If you hated him so much, why did you never request a change in prosecutor? And why are you so eager to go back to your old job if it means seeing him every day?"
Ema thought about for a second and answered Hannah with a scowl. "So what if I don't hate the fop? So what?"
"Did anything happen when he visited you in class?"
"We're going out to lunch on Saturday."
Hannah shot Ema a 'see what I mean, Ema?' look. "See what I mean, Ema? If you hate him so much, why are you going out on a date with him?"
"It's not a date! It's just lunch between co-workers," she said in her defense.
"Ema, he's not even your co-worker right now," Hannah pointed out, "Face it: You like him."
It was sad, Ema thought, that she couldn't even come up with a reply to this. "… What makes you think that? Even if I did, and I don't, it doesn't make me any different than every other female on this planet," she said, looking away.
Hannah shook her head. "Ah, but it does. Most every other female on the planet loves him for his looks alone. You, Ema, on the other hand, have gotten the chance to really get to know him. You've seen his flaws, and you see him as a person rather than as just Klavier Gavin: rock star. You like him for what he actually is, not just the face he puts on while on stage," Hannah said, smiling at Ema. Ema only frowned in return.
"Grr… I hate it when you're right," she replied, "So I may just be somewhat attracted to him. So what? I really don't know how it happened, but it happened. I know that it's scientifically impossible to control who you become attracted to. And if I could control it, it certainly wouldn't happen like this! Don't blame me, blame science."
Hannah laughed. "I should let you go now. You look tired. Go get some sleep; you need it!"
"… Thanks, I guess."
000
She couldn't believe it was Friday. Her last day. She had gotten a phone call from the department this morning telling her that her paperwork was all sorted out and that she could return to her job starting the next day. She had expected it to take longer. She already sorted everything out with the main office. They were a little upset over losing what Mr. Miller had described as "the best damn Chemistry teacher he had seen in years", but they understood.
It was lunch. She sat in the main office with Hannah once again.
"So, today is my last day…" she began. Hannah sipped her soup.
"I know. It's gonna be lonely without you," Hannah said, frowning.
Ema smiled. "I'll come back to visit, and if you guys need a one day sub or whatever, I can call in sick to work and come down here," she offered, "To be honest, this job has grown on me."
"Yeah, you learn to like it here. Actually…" Hannah began, but trailed off.
"Hm?"
"I was thinking of going back to work for the Prosecutor's Office again. I've missed it there. The pay was better anyway," Hannah said.
Ema smiled. "That'd be cool. I could come and visit you when I have to drop paperwork off with the fop."
Hannah leaned back in her chair. "Speaking of Klavier Gavin…"
At this, Ema frowned. "What about him?" she asked.
"Isn't your date with him tomorrow?"
"It's not a date! And yes…" she answered.
Hannah grinned. "Have fun!" she exclaimed.
"Shut up."
Lunch was over too soon. She said goodbye to Hannah, promised to keep in touch, and set off to teach her last two classes. Ever. Kind of surreal, she thought.
000
"I'm gonna miss you, Ema," Trucy said sadly.
Ema smiled a little. "C'mon Trucy, it's not like I'm dying here. And you'll still see me when you're investigating with Apollo, right?"
Trucy perked up a little. "Yeah, you're right."
The late bell rung and all of the students quickly took their seats. Ema turned and addressed the class.
"I know a lot of you have probably heard rumors," she began. Murmuring from the students. Ema didn't bother to shush them, "and here's your answer. Today is in fact my last day." A visible sigh of relief from the students. "While I've enjoyed teaching all of you, I need to return to my real job: as a homicide detective. And while I'd much rather be a forensic scientist, being a detective has its ups as well. Now, everyone: here's your unit test. I hope you do well." She passed out a test to every student. She wouldn't be around to see this, but this test would be the high scoring one for a lot of students that year. While Ema may have been a harsh teacher, she had been a good one.
It was with a little sadness that Ema left the building after the day had ended. Although being a Chemistry teacher hadn't been her first choice in a new career direction, it certainly didn't turn out to be as horrible as she thought it would be.
She didn't think she'd do it again, though. Not long-term, at least.
A bit of information: Hannah is not my OC. She's a communal Kink Meme OC that we all use when we need a secretary. She debuted as Edgeworth's secretary, but has been written as Klavier's secretary, and the secretary at Justice High in my own Justice High mini-series. Joe Miller, however, is mine. And his name has a meaning. He's a run-of-the-mill average Joe.