Time for the more 'interesting' pairing to play its part. Please note, neither my friend nor myself particularly support this one…at all. This is all in the aid of torturing the hell out of poor Polly. On that note, enjoy!
In Which Apollo is Terrified
Only two days ago, Trucy had given one of her most successful shows yet. Apollo was a real crowd pleaser, despite how little he could take compliments. All those people, asking him to call them and wolf-whistling! Sadly, however, all those poor men had been ignored.
Now Trucy was outside, headed to a friend's house, in a brave attempt to catch up with some of the school work she'd been missing recently. This plan was completely forgotten, however, when she saw a familiar face dragging a red motorbike into the mechanic's garage, cursing loudly in German.
"Getting your bike fixed?" Trucy asked, approaching. "What does 'scheisse' mean?"
Klavier looked around. "Ah. Hello, fraulein. Ja, I'm getting it fixed. As for that word…please, don't repeat it. Especially in front of Herr Forehead"
"Why not?"
"I'll get into trouble."
"Why?" Trucy insisted.
"I'll tell you later, ja?"
"Okay!" Apparently content, Trucy moved on to another subject. "So, Klavier, did you enjoy my show?"
"Ja, it was great." Klavier replied.
Trucy grinned. "Thanks! What was your favourite part?"
"I'd have to say…Herr Hat, actually." Klavier told her. "His impressions were amazing."
Not Apollo in a dress then? Oh well. "Polly doesn't like him." Trucy sighed.
"Really? Ah well. To each his own, fraulein."
"Hey, that's what Daddy said! When we were talking, after the show, about Apollo's part, he said 'to each his own'. Then he laughed."
"Perhaps he thought Herr Forehead wore the dress of his own free will?" Klavier suggested.
"He did though." Trucy pointed out. "After you asked him. How come he never listens to me like that?"
"Maybe it's because I'm bigger than him, and I intimidate him more." Klavier guessed, turning to where the mechanic was looking at the bike and warning the poor man to be extremely careful, proving his point in the process.
"Doesn't his hair even out the balance, though?" Trucy asked.
"No, fraulein, I'm still taller." Klavier corrected.
"Really?" Trucy asked dubiously.
"Ja."
"Oh, so I was wrong…"Trucy replied sadly.
"Ja, but it happens to everyone sometimes, fraulein. Don't worry." Klavier said, smiling.
"I suppose it does. So, Daddy was pleased to meet you again, Klavier." Trucy told him, skilfully changing the subject.
"It was interesting to meet him again too."
"He's taking piano lessons recently, but the teacher doesn't seem to like him."
"Piano lessons?" Klavier asked. "Oh. What do you mean, the teacher doesn't like him?"
"Well, apparently he plays 'like a drowning horse with no legs'." Trucy said, frowning. "How rude!"
Klavier laughed, but hastily cut it short. Apparently he'd seen the expression on Trucy's face. "Well, Herr Wright just needs some practise, that's all."
Trucy sighed. "I suppose…" she agreed. Absentmindedly, she sat down on the small wall which surrounded the outside of the garage. "Well, it's not like Daddy ever liked the piano anyway, really. He's going to take the bar exam again, you know."
"That sounds good. I look forward to seeing him in court again. He told me about this on Saturday, during your show. "
Trucy nodded. "Yeah, you and Daddy seemed to be getting along really well."
Klavier nodded. "Ja, we were."
"That's good." Trucy said absently. Her mind was elsewhere. "If Daddy and Apollo were together on a defence team, they'd be unbeatable!"
"Ja, maybe. So long as the defendant was really innocent."
"Yeah, I guess so. But, if Daddy and Apollo were the defence team…that means I'd be left out…"
"Is that what's worrying you, fraulein?" Klavier asked in a voice much gentler than his usual (slightly arrogant) tone, sitting beside her after shooting another half-worried glance in the direction of his bike. He could tell that Trucy was seriously letting herself get upset about this. "But you have school, and magic shows to prepare for as well, ja, fraulein?"
"Yeah, I guess…"
"Plus, Herr Forehead needs you for now. Imagine him trying to do it all by himself!"
"Yeah." Trucy laughed. "Everyone would be found guilty."
"Ever get the feeling you're being talked about?" asked a voice from behind them, sounding slightly exasperated.
Apollo decided that 'absolutely terrifying' was an almost accurate description of what had just happened to him. Of course it didn't really cover it, not at all. Nothing could really express the complete and utter dread that was filling his body at as he barely escaped the building known as the Wright Anything Agency with his life.
Go and find Trucy. That had been Mr Wright's last request to him before it had all began. Go and find Trucy, and bring her back.
Well, of course, now Apollo wasn't sure what to do. Finding Trucy seemed to be the only option really. It wasn't fair that she didn't know. But did he really want to take her back to that?
Of course, he had to. It wasn't like there were many other choices.
She'd gone to visit a friend, hadn't she? Something about schoolwork. Apollo knew vaguely the direction in which she had headed, but that was all.
It was pure luck that he saw them sitting on the wall outside the mechanic's garage. Not that there were many blond 'glimmerous' Germans to be found sitting next to young female magicians in blue silk around, but still.
They were talking. About him. "Ever get the feeling you're being talked about?" he asked drily, approaching behind them.
They turned simultaneously.
"Hiya Polly!" Trucy greeted him.
"Herr Forehead!" Klavier sounded shocked.
"Prosecutor Gavin. Is it such a surprise?"
"Nein, I guess not." Klavier replied, shrugging. "Were you looking for the fraulein?"
"Yes, I…"
"Weren't you with Daddy, Apollo?" Trucy interrupted.
"Yes, but Thalassa came to visit again and…"
"Mommy was visiting? Again? Is she still there?"
"Yes, she was. I don't know if she's still there. I left. Mr Wright was scaring me."
"Scaring you how?" Klavier asked him, but Apollo didn't reply. Instead he continued talking to Trucy.
"Mr Wright asked me to come and find you. He wants to talk to you about something…" here Apollo trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. A slight shudder ran through him at the thought.
"Ah, I understand now. Really, Herr Forehead, if this is about what I think it is then you're completely overreacting." Klavier told him, rolling his eyes.
"Completely overreacting? I don't think I am, actually!" Apollo replied, his voice rising in pitch. He paused. How did Klavier know…? "What do you mean, about what you think it is?"
"As observed by the fraulein, Herr Wright and I talked a lot while you were on stage in a dress." Klavier replied, shrugging his shoulders again.
"You mean you KNEW?"
"My my, Herr Forehead, no need to shout. You'll scare poor Herr Mechanikir over there."
"I dunno, Klavier." Trucy put in. "I think you've done that enough already…anyway, what are you two talking about?"
"I can't believe you knew and didn't tell me." Apollo muttered darkly.
"Herr Wright wanted to tell you himself."
"I wish he hadn't. Do you want to know what he said?"
"Maybe later. After all, the fraulein doesn't know yet."
"What don't I know?" Trucy demanded.
"I'll tell you, Trucy. Mr Wright will probably scare and completely disturb you if he tries."
It was a mark of Trucy's personality and home life that she just accepted this as a fact, Apollo reflected. "Okay!" Trucy replied. Her face was suddenly worried. "What is it? Has something bad happened to Daddy? Or Mommy?"
"Nein, fraulein. Herr Forehead is overreacting, like I said." Klavier interrupted the young magician's worried questions.
Apollo sighed. How to begin? "Well, you know how you were always on at Mr Wright to find you a new mommy?"
"Yeah. Well not so much now, because obviously we've got our…wait. You don't mean…?"
"Yes, I do." Apollo replied dismally.
"Oh my!" Trucy exclaimed. Her face lit up. At least she seemed happy about all of this. "But that's great! Why are you being so negative, Polly?"
"Exactly, Herr Forehead." Klavier said. Apollo didn't miss the smugness in his voice. "There really isn't a problem with that, especially if it makes your little sister so happy, ja?"
"I suppose. But there are ways to tell someone something." Apollo replied. "'Come give your new Daddy a hug', he says."
"That's right! My Daddy'll be your Daddy too now!" Trucy looked, if possible, even more animated due to this fact.
"…Herr Wright needs to learn of a little something called tact." Klavier sighed.
"Mr Wright needs to learn something called personal space. He just about tackled me to the ground back there."
"Daddy never could restrain himself at hugs." Trucy said thoughtfully.
"There's nothing wrong with hugs, is there, Herr Forehead?" Klavier asked.
"No, But there's a limit."
"Oh?"
"For example, using the phrase 'come give your new Daddy a hug' is not allowed." Apollo grumbled.
"Herr Wright is enthusiastic, is all." Klavier replied, shrugging. "And why shouldn't he be? Isn't this a good thing for him? And his daughter, for that matter."
Klavier bringing Trucy into this was clever, Apollo had to admit. But still, he stood by his first reaction. "He's my boss, though."
"So? Bosses aren't allowed to hug their employees?"
"I've only worked for two people. The first wasn't exactly someone huggable." As soon as he said this, Apollo regretted it. He hadn't been thinking.
But Klavier just laughed. "Nein, I suppose not. So Herr Wright is what you would call 'huggable' then?"
"Not really. But that's not the point. The point is that he's my boss…and she's my mother."
"You're being silly, Herr Forehead." Klavier insisted.
It was at that moment Trucy's phone rang. She answered it, listened for a minute, then spoke. "Yeah, he's right here." She handed the phone to her brother. He didn't miss her grin.
"Hello, Mr Wright." Apollo sighed. He listened, and then shook his head. "No, I won't call you Daddy. Or Dad. Or anything of the sort."
Not far away, Phoenix Wright was laughing silently while asking why not.
"I'm twenty two years old, and you're my boss, that's why!" Apollo answered in exasperation. Beside him, Klavier was quite obviously trying his best not to laugh as well. Apollo shot a glare at him, which was completely ignored.
"Fine." Apollo half snapped into the phone in response to Phoenix's next question. "Prosecutor Gavin?"
"Ja?"
"Mr Wright wants to know if you'd like to come to our 'family dinner party' tomorrow night."
"Dinner party? Ja, that sounds like fun." Klavier said, grinning.
"He says yes. Yeah. Okay. Bye." Apollo snapped the phone closed and handed it back to Trucy, who stowed it away before he could cause any further damage.
"Er…Mr Prosecutor Gavin sir?" Klavier turned to see a boy of about sixteen staring at him. "My father says your bike's all fixed up and ready to go..."
"Danke." Klavier said. He disappeared into the garage, emerging a few minutes later with his – apparently repaired – motorcycle.
"Well, I'll be going now!" he said. His enthusiasm over the fact the thing was working again was overwhelming. "Auf Wiedersehen, fraulein, Herr Forehead…"
"'bye, Prosecutor Gavin."
"See you tomorrow, Klavier!"
Klavier paused while putting on his helmet. He approached Apollo. "You know, Herr Forehead, I've been thinking. If you're bringing me home to meet the family, it's about time you dropped the formalities, ja?" he asked, laughing and lightly poking Apollo's forehead. "Call me Klavier in the future. Except in court. Surely that big head of yours can manage that much?"
With that, he jumped on his bike and was gone.
"Home to meet the family? What the heck was that?" Apollo demanded.
"I thought you were supposed to be the perceptive one?" Trucy asked accusingly.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Never mind, Polly, never mind. Come on, let's go home."
"Fine." Apollo sighed. There was no use pressing her. Save that for the courtroom.
"Polly?"
"What?"
"Let's stop for noodles first, okay?"
Apollo groaned.
Comments? Suggestions? Reviews are appreciated :)
