At Your Service
Written December 15th, 2011 - Revised September 3rd, 2014
Be careful when you walk the streets of Tokyo. It is a monster of a town, and it never rests – especially when your own mind is lost in its problems, when the solution flees your grasp, farther in the crowded streets. That is when you, caught in the flow of your worries, may walk by the place you most need to find.
The Wright & Co. Law Offices pass unnoticed easily. They are perched on a block of flats which looks the same as thousands of others, lost in the concrete guts of this enormous town. The flat you might want to look for is on the highest floor; there you will find it, bare and simple, in a maze of greyish corridors.
You expect nothing special as you ring the doorbell. You would never guess how wrong you are.
Just wait – the people in there will capture your attention immediately, with that peculiar charm they are not aware of themselves, and their sight will by far compensate the humble looks of the office. You cannot imagine why; but be sure that, once you get in, you will know you have gone through the right door.
The defense attorney welcomes his clients with a smile, no matter what they come for. Whenever your problems seem to be unsolvable, go to him; he will be standing right there, with shining eyes and open ears. He is a quiet man, naïve and intelligent-looking in his dark blue suit. From the very first moment, you will notice how his simple manners inspire the subtle elegance of his gestures.
Insistently, when his attentive glance turns to you, his hand will rest open on his chest. It is a helping hand, offering its grasp to anyone who may need it.
Of course, his face often suffers from discomfort and worries; so is his job, and he, as a man, can fail. When that smile is cancelled by hardships, however, you can see it lies beneath somewhere, and it never changes. Its splendour comes back eventually, when it is all over, leaving behind the hard times that are gone.
When he bids you goodbye, whatever his mood is, he will be ready to act, and his fingers will once again rest on his heart. It is the sign of the confidence he never loses, not even in the worst of situations.
Most importantly, he has the deepest confidence in you. When you are in danger, there is nothing like placing yourself in trusting hands.
The prosecutor, as you will soon get used to expect, must be standing somewhere nearby. His arms are folded, the wine red jacket draws the border of his slender figure; his grey eyes, nervous and agile, are looking for doubts and questions on your face.
Something is not right with his presence in here – he is different, quieter and more serious than the other man. Yet, unfailingly, he will guess what your troubles are at first sight. His glance will brighten in a content light of triumph, and he, with a hidden trace of his natural pride, will kindly come up with the best solution in every case.
In spite of the natural attitude he has while handling the attorney's documents, he gives you the strong impression that he shouldn't be here. A prosecutor so famed and successful, working in a dusty office with a lawyer who, after years of activity, is just as famous and far from being that rich. Once again, the facts will say otherwise; it won't take you long to realise this is the one place he really fits in.
When he greets you, a shade of uneasiness shows through his features; but it is just a moment, and he is already talking with exquisite courtesy. You are almost dazed – you listen, wondering where his appearance of perfection comes from.
It is way simpler than you think. His grace is the living proof that nothing, in this confusing world, can be made right without the existence of wrong. For years, after learning victory, he has studied his failures with the utmost care. And that is why this man, finally enriched by the glory of his humiliations, can now stand firmly by his colleague's side, always professional, always brilliant. The words they will share are to tell you, without hesitation. He cannot fail – not like that, not anymore.
As you walk home – and it sure feels different, now that the burden on your heart has lost half of its weight – you recall those words and those sights, slowly rebuilding the situation in your mind. And when you think of them, standing together in the doorway as you took your leave, you may come to think that their teamwork is one of the strangest cases of justice.
Yet, shortly after, you will see for yourself that life is much more complex than it seems. They are just a normal pair of coincidences – one of those contradictions which, by themselves, make the world perfectly complete.
No matter who they are, or what their story is. This is what was meant to be. They always get to reach their goal, and that, even against every logical boundary, is what must count for you.
Things couldn't be better than this. They are there for you – and their strength, in every possible way, is at your service.
Here I am, in the Ace Attorney fandom again, writing about my favourite lawyers. Oh yes, the story is so vast, I should focus on the other characters as well. I will, someday.
This piece was inspired by At Your Service, by crush-zombie on deviantART. Their expressions just charmed me, and begged for introspection. So I exploited this wonderful chance to have a take on their characters, as I see them and would like them to evolve in my headcanon.
Thanks for reading!