With the Themis Academy school festival winding down to a close, most of the students and faculty were already heading home. Despite their insistence that they were perfectly capable of helping clean up despite just having had the biggest, most angst ridden day of their young lives, Juniper, Hugh and Robin were sent home as soon as the closing speech had finished.
"Are you going to walk home?" Myriam had asked the trio, following slightly behind her new…Friends?..as the group exited the building. Athena, who was leading the group of seven towards the parking lot turned around and answered for Juniper, who was caught in the middle of a rather large yawn.
"Are you kidding?! Junie lives up in the forest. Do you have any idea how long of a commute that is?" She suddenly and dramatically pointed a finger at Hugh before Myriam could answer. "You aren't going to let the girls walk home alone are you, Mr. O' Conner?!" Hugh looked insulted.
"Hardly. I do have a car you know. Rarely is there a day that they are not driven home." Robin flashed Athena a smile.
"No worries, even with one less big, strong man, we'll make it home all right." Juniper nodded tiredly, mumbling some reassurances. "What about you, Myriam? You gunna walk?"
"Yes. My dad is coming to walk with me." Apollo turned to look at her.
"Is he a judge?" Myriam felt a swell of pride in her chest, and was suddenly grateful that her box could hide the dorky expression of adoration she was wearing.
"Sss sss sss! My dad is a man of many talents~" Clarification was asked for. "Oh~ He's been a painter and a salesman, a cheese gourmet, an officer of the law, even the steel samurai!" Phoenix, who had been content to let the kids chat among themselves as they neared the parking lot, paused in his tracks.
"Wh…What is your father's name?" Before the girl could answer, a phone went off somewhere inside the box. She answered it and began to talk with the caller. Besides him, the voices of Juniper, Hugh and Robin wishing he, Athena and Apollo a good night could be heard, though they went unnoticed by Mr. Wright. Phoenix couldn't help the sinking feeling in his stomach as he thought about Myriam's bizarre style of testimony..Her mannerisms…Her general disregard for those affected by her actions. Before he could stop himself, Phoenix grabbed the bottom of Myriam's box and lifted it over her head to get a good look at her face. She shrieked and nearly dropped her phone, covering her face as quickly as possible but it was too late. Phoenix had gotten a good look at her eyes…Larry's eyes.
The Butz strikes again.
Despite the questions being thrown at him from Athena and Apollo, Phoenix couldn't help but reach for Myriam's phone and press it against his ear.
"Larry? Is that you, Larry?" There was a long pause, and for a second Phoenix thought he was horribly mistaken, but then,
"…Nick?"
"…Larry." Phoenix pinched the bridge of his nose. "You have a daughter?"
"Yeah, Dude! With Delaney back in high school! I never told ya?"
"No Larry. You have a seventeen year old daughter and this is the first I've ever heard of this." The two men began what was sure to turn into an argument. Myriam looked up at the Ace Attorney curiously.
"Kahk-Kahk! W-Wait a minute…You're 'Nick'? You don't look anything like how Dad described you!" She pulled her camera out of her box and snapped a photo of him. "You look really good for a down and out bum who can't keep a job!"
Phoenix paused mid sentence. His left eye twitched. Apollo and Athena sent each other nervous glances.
"Myriam…Why don't you tell me what your dad as said about me." Myriam was more than happy to repeat the story given to her in great detail.
Nick unable to keep a job.
Unable to keep a girlfriend.
When something smells, it's usually Phoenix!
When she was finished, Phoenix had hung up the phone and handed it back to her. Then, with a disturbingly calm expression on his face, he turned to Apollo and Athena.
"You two go on ahead to the office. I'm going to stay with Myriam until her…Father shows up. We need to have a little chat."
There were no arguments.