It had been almost three months since the Wright v. State trial in which Mia Fey had begun to forge her legacy as a defence attorney. She was well aware that she still had a lot to prove, but the courtroom looked a little less intimidating with each case she took on. She hadn't thought much about her second court case with all of the cases she had been accepting; she had all but forgotten Phoenix Wright, her impossible crybaby of a client.
Late summer was in full swing when a young man came to see Mia especially. She had been working on her latest case when she could hear Mr. Grossberg arguing with an unknown someone from her office.
"M'boy, I'm telling you, Miss Fey has an important trial tomorrow and has no time for social visits," boomed the rather impressively loud voice of Marvin Grossberg.
"Mr. Grossberg, sir, this isn't some social visit! I need to see Miss Fey! It's important!" This voice was also male, but higher-pitched, almost whining as he insisted. Mia's brow furrowed as she tried to remember where she had heard that voice before. She had definitely heard that same pitiful tone before, but couldn't place where exactly.
"Mr. Wright, I don't think Miss Fey would be especially pleased to see you, considering how you acted during your trial—" Mia stopped listening as the memories hit her at the mention of the stranger's name. Wright. That pathetic art student who damn near helped Dahlia Hawthorne escape justice. Her grip on her pen tightened once those bittersweet memories washed over her like a flood. Mia had managed to bring Hawthorne to justice, but at what cost? More importantly, what could Wright possibly want from her, the woman who had his precious little Dollie convicted of multiple counts of murder?
Before she could worry too much about his motivations in coming to see her, Mr. Grossberg poked his head into her office. "M'dear, Mr. Phoenix Wright is here to see you. Says it's very important and will not accept anyone else."
"Do you know what he wants?" Mia feared she would have to defend him again. Once was more than enough for one lifetime. That case had given her a serious migraine, courtesy of her foolhardy client. Preemptively, her fingertips sought her temples and began to rub at the skin in gentle circles.
To her dismay, her boss shrugged and shook his head. She couldn't be mad at him, not after just listening to him try to fend Wright away from her. "He won't tell me. Should I tell him you're away at a pre-trial meeting?"
The younger attorney considered this offer as she chewed on her thumbnail. It sounded almost too easy. Would Phoenix even buy the story? She doubted it, knowing he wouldn't rest until he had managed to see her. Mia had already seen what Phoenix was capable of when he was determined to do something. With a sigh, she shook her head, surprising Marvin Grossberg. "No, I might as well see him now and get it over with."
He nodded at her decision; he could recognise her furrowed brow and pursed lips as signs of her determination. "Very well, m'dear. I'll send him in, then. Do let me know if you need me." He left the room, leaving Mia with her thoughts again. She bent over her case documents in an attempt to seem productive, purely for Phoenix's benefit.
While she was staring unseeingly at an autopsy report, a series of light knocks sounded at her door. "Miss Fey?" called out an unsure, weak voice.
Now that he was closer, Mia recognised his voice for sure. She could just feel the migraine setting in already. "Come in, please" was her professional reply, though she felt anything but. She weakly pushed her folder aside and folded her hands atop her desk in an attempt to seem imposing.
Her door opened slowly to reveal Phoenix Wright, but he was much more different than the last time she had seen him some months ago. Gone was the overbearingly pink sweater and surgical mask, replaced by a navy blue V-neck shirt and a grim expression that seemed out of place among his boyish features. The student crossed over to her with brisk strides that she wouldn't have thought him capable of and took the seat across from her. He opened his mouth to say something, appeared to think better of it, and closed it.
"I hope you're not in legal trouble again, Mr. Wry." She was half-serious with this accusation, but he seemed panicked that she suggested it. His eyes had widened in surprise; her lips turned up into a lopsided smirk to show she was kidding. For the most part.
"Wright, but I'm not—" The kid looked seriously worried she thought he might be on the wrong side of the law again. His eyebrows had knitted together and Mia feared he would burst into waterworks at any moment, something she would prefer to go without.
She held up a hand to stop him. "Calm down, Wright. It was a joke. I'm sure you've been keeping yourself out of trouble." Brushing her bangs from her eyes in one fluid wrist flick, she fixed her gaze on him. He seemed so different from the snivelling boy she had left at the courthouse. He must have noticed her staring at him, for he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. "Why are you here, Phoenix?"
He stared down at his lap for a moment before talking. "School's starting soon, and I'm taking all law classes to graduate with a law degree on time." Mia shot him a quizzical expression, one eyebrow raised at his explanation. He paused, and when she didn't say anything, he continued. "My grades aren't exactly the best...I was dating Doll—Dahlia all last year." He swallowed hard at the mention of his ex-girlfriend, but pressed on. "I was wondering if you could please—please, Miss Fey—tutor me in law."
Mia's lips pressed together as she considered his request, which warranted a few questions from her. "Why me, Mr. Wright? Why not ask a more experienced attorney?"
To her surprise, the boy's cheeks turned a light red. "Because...I remembered my trial." His voice was quiet, verging on solemn, as he spoke. "How you defended me, even when I hindered your case. You believed in me when everyone else was ready to send me to prison, and…" He hesitated, his brows drawing together as he thought. "And I want to be like that. Like you. I want to be able to stand by my client to the end. Please, Miss Fey."
This reason was enough to silence Mia for several moments. She stared at Phoenix, deep in thought. She had been just like that when she was in school. She had wanted to be able to believe in her clients, to fight for people who couldn't fight for themselves. Mia was beginning to see more of herself in Phoenix than she would like to admit.
"I'll tutor you. But you have to be completely dedicated to becoming a lawyer, do you understand? I'm not going to teach someone who's not serious about becoming a defence attorney." In spite of herself, Mia smiled. A small surge of pride struck her; it seemed Phoenix was recovering from his break up and was going in the right direction. "I'm available Saturdays at one, if that works for you."
He almost groaned at the thought of studying on a Saturday, but stopped himself at once. He had to prove he was wholly serious in his endeavour to defend. He had to prove himself, he had to save his childhood friend. He nodded slowly, matching her smile with a shy grin of his own. "Saturdays at one sound good. Thank you so much, Miss Fey. You won't regret this, I promise!"
He held out his hand to shake on it and she accepted. This proved to be a mistake, as Phoenix nearly ripped her arm off in his energetic shaking. Extricating her hand with a wince, she said, "I'll see you here Saturday at one, Mr. Wright. Please don't be late."
"Yup!" With a cheery grin and a wave, he was bounding out of the small office with a new spring in his step. Wondering if she was doing the right thing, she watched him leave. Yes, she decided, this was definitely what he needed to rebound from Dahlia Hawthorne. In her experience, nothing solved heartbreak better than putting one's nose to the grindstone.