Love is Like Atroquinine: Slow Acting, But Powerful
Chapter 1
"Turnabout Discussion"
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters and cases/storylines from Ace Attorney. All credit goes to Capcom, they own the rights to everything. The storyline here, however, is completely original and was created by me.
Ema glanced at her watch as she walked from the elevator to her electric scooter. As she took the final steps to her ride, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a familiar number. Three rings. "Hey Ema what's up? Everything alright?" Trucy Wright had that lovable pep that was never missing from her voice, and it made Ema smile despite her somewhat gloomy mood. "Hey Trucy, I was hoping to stop by and talk to you and Nick about something." "Ooh do we have a new case to investigate? Do I need to call Polly up?" Trucy's eagerness made Ema wish she could just confide her dilemma right there, but she wanted to talk about this in person. "No, no I just had a couple questions I wanted to ask both of you" Ema replied. She clasped her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she pulled on her pink helmet and pushed her favorite pink sunglasses up her nose. "So will you be at the agency for awhile? I'll be there in 15 minutes if that's okay." Trucy replied almost immediately. "Sure, Daddy will be back from getting dinner by then. He's getting us dinner from Mr. Eldoon, so bring your appetite!" Trucy hung up and Ema slid her cell into her messenger bag. Wish I had an appetite to bring. Been so busy with work and driven crazy by all these thoughts that it makes me not want to eat. She started up her scooter and was prepared to leave. She thought she heard a familiar and unwanted voice calling her name from the direction of the elevator, but if it was who she thought it was, then she had no intention of sticking around. She revved the scooter engine and rushed out of the precinct's parking lot.
Ema made it to the Wright Anything Agency a few minutes earlier than she originally told Trucy. She bailed from the office a little early since her workload was unusually light this week, and she didn't want to stick around for her boss to find something else for her to do. Ema parked beside the agency and walked up the short flight of stairs. She raised her hand to knock on the door, but in mid rap the door burst open to an eager looking Trucy, with a big smile on her face and a big bowl of noodles in her hand. "Hi Ema, good to see you!" Trucy ran back to the couch and went back to scarfing down her salty noodles. Ema walked in and shut the door. Phoenix entered from the office and gave Ema a hug in greeting. "Hey Ema what brings you down here today? New case we need to inform Apollo about?" Phoenix had a humorous grin on his face, since it was unusual for Ema to come down to the agency in person, unless it was pertaining to a case Apollo was defending and Ema was investigating. Ema was normally so busy with work at the police station that she seldom got to do anything outside of the office. "No new case as of now, I'm actually rather free for the first time in awhile. I managed to get out without having to deal with glimmer boy." Ema huffed and grabbed a small bowl of noodles and sat down next to Trucy on the couch. Phoenix rolled his eyes knowingly. He was well aware of the disdain Ema has for her prosecutor boss, Klavier Gavin. After hearing from Apollo and Trucy about the murder case following a Gavinner's concert, Phoenix knew all too well how Ema dislikes dealing firsthand with the ex-rock star/prosector.
Phoenix grabbed his own bowl of noodles and sat on a stool on the opposite side of the room. Unfortunately, the reception area was so cluttered with Phoenix's old case files from his lawyer days and Trucy's magic show props that there was no where closer for him to sit. Looking around at the disorganized area, it saddened Ema to see the way that Phoenix's life had changed since the day he was stripped of his attorney's badge. Phoenix Wright was one of the most well-known and respected defense attorneys in the city, aside from Kristoph Gavin. He was sought out from people in the greater Los Angeles area in hopes that he could work his legal magic and get a 'Not Guilty' verdict. But seeing how nowadays all Phoenix did to occupy his time was play the piano (badly) at the Borscht Bowl Club downtown and moonlight as a poker player (although even that had slowed down after Phoenix was involved in a murder at the Club, playing a client/now victim in a game of poker), it really put Phoenix in the position of 'a shadow of his former self.'
"The real reason I made the trip down here today was I wanted to ask you guys a serious question that I want both of you to answer." Ema hesitated, unsure of how to properly word what has been plaguing her thoughts for weeks now. Trucy was practically bouncing in her seat waiting for Ema to speak her mind. Ema pushed aside a stack of papers to put down her hardly touched bowl of noodles, and looked down at her hands in her lap. "The truth is, I've been thinking a lot recently about Apollo. I'm not sure why exactly these thoughts have been coming to me so frequently and strongly, but I'm beginning to think that I may have feelings of more than friends for him..." Ema was struggling to keep her composure because she has been so anxious to ask someone close to both of them their opinion about her problem. Trucy squeals in delight and has a big grin on her face. Ever the romantic daydreamer, Trucy started going off about how adorable Ema and Apollo would be as a couple, how they're so perfect for each other, and on and on. Ema fiddled with her sunglasses that she pulled off her head out of a nervous habit. Phoenix silenced Trucy with a look and gave Ema his input.
"I have had the pleasure of working alongside Apollo for several months now on a couple different cases, and the pleasure of rejoining you on your scientific endeavors. Apollo is a great kid who I think would be a good match for you. But did you ever plan on talking to Apollo himself about any of your hidden feelings?" "N-no I haven't. I've only been recently having these thoughts, like within the past month, but they just keep coming back so strongly to the point where he is all I can concentrate on. I know this sounds wimpy, but I am afraid of what he'll say, if I tell him that I might like him as more than a friend. Our working relationship didn't start off so well, and even though it's gotten much better and we're very close now, I'm still self-conscious about what could happen." Ema was seriously nervous at this point, almost as if Apollo was there at that very moment listening to Ema's heartfelt got up from his stool and walked over to Ema. He tilted her quivering chin up so she could meet his eyes.
"Ema, I believe you may be overthinking this a bit. Apollo would never do anything that would hurt you, with or without you telling him how you may feel. But I think that in order for you to ease your mind and get this tension off your chest, you need to go talk to him right now. I know for a fact he's at his office and will be there for awhile. He's in the process of getting his firm together and I'm sure he'd appreciate the company." Ema looked at Trucy, who nodded vigorously in agreement with her adoptive father and gave a wave of her hands toward the door in an attempt to hurry Ema along. Ema stood up slowly and made her way to the door. She got halfway out and turned around. "Thanks you guys. I feel a little better just from confiding in you, and I think you're right about me needing to confront Apollo about it."
Ema started to turn around again, but Phoenix stopped her one more time. "Ema, before you go, one more thing to think about and take into account. If you start a relationship with Apollo, be mindful of how that will affect your relationship with Klavier." Phoenix has that familiar knowing look in his eye, almost like he knew something she doesn't, or knows what is going to happen. Ema's grumpy mood immediately returned at the mention of Klavier. Her smile disappeared, the frown was back and she felt the worry lines crease on her forehead. "What relationship are you talking about? This is my egotistical, nuisance of a boss who lives to annoy the living daylights out of me. He can't stand me, and I can't stand him. Case closed." Phoenix nodded his head in a 'sure, sure whatever you say' manner.
Ema put her sunglasses back on her face and dialed Apollo's cell number. "Hey Apollo, it's Ema. I'm on my way over right now..."
Author's Notes: I loved writing this chapter because it was a good way to express how torn Ema was feeling between telling Apollo what she wanted to say and what she didn't want to say. (Hope she didn't seem OOC but this is a different side of normally grumpy Ema so I hope the character development in this chapter was alright). I also realize everyone is probably thinking "Why in the world is Ema thinking about Apollo like this, I thought this was a Klema story?" I didn't want to jump right in to the relationship with Klavier, and what happens next chapter will be a part of the story later on, so it's not just a completely random plotpoint I threw in. I know that Ema is still in serious denial that she is attracted to Klavier and will say anything to hold on to that denial. The next chapter will give Ema answers and make her relationship with Apollo even stronger.
