I should probably reiterate that this fic is set in "August 2027", specifically between Turnabout Reclaimed (July 2027) and Turnabout Academy (October 2027). So Phoenix has already gotten his badge back and has successfully defended an orca, but Blackquill is still on death row.

Also , this is the "slightly Cykesquill bit" alluded to in the warnings/tags. It's fairly minor and could be interpreted platonically-even if concerned boss Phoenix is choosing to read it otherwise. If it really isn't your thing, feel free to skip this chapter. The only really essential thing that this chapter establishes is that Phoenix has brought the magatama with him and that when Phoenix sees Athena again, she will have talked to Blackquill.

As always seemed to be the case in situations like these, the time it took for Phoenix and Athena to reach the prison simultaneously dragged and raced. When they finally arrived, Phoenix double-checked his lapel and breast pocket for attorney's badge and magatama respectively and dug around in his case to ensure he had the necessary papers he would need.

When he was satisfied that he had everything he might need, he turned to Athena. " Thanks for driving me. As your boss, I'm gonna go ahead and give you the rest of the day off. Go home, Athena. You deserve it. "

"But I can't do that!" Athena clenched her fists together in her expression of determination and frustration that reminded Phoenix of Maya. " How will you get back?"

"I can take a cab."

Athena made a face, probably thinking that considering how poorly business had been lately, the agency couldn't really afford to splurge on long taxi rides. She was probably right.

And he could not ask Apollo to pick him up either-or at least, not without being forced to explain why he was here in the first place.

For a moment, Phoenix wished he'd remembered to bring his bicycle along. But then, he immediately regretted it.

Although he was trying to remain optimistic about the challenge ahead of him, he had no way of knowing what would transpire. Even if everything went as smoothly as possible, he couldn't run the risks of biking-while-distracted.

For he would be distracted. Whether he came out of this feeling angry or sad or worried or relieved, he would be most definitely distracted. His hands gripping the handles of his bike so tightly that his palms would be red and raw by the time he reached home. Or else, his hands pressed so lightly on the handles that he'd let himself be swayed this way and that, like a dried leaf dancing in an autumn breeze.

Athena's small gloved hand on his shoulder brought Phoenix back to himself. "If you don't mind...I'm gonna stick around until you're ready to go back."

"I expect I'll be here awhile."

"That's fine. Take as long as you need. The longer the better, actually." Athena removed her hand from Phoenix's shoulder. A gleam of melancholy determination lighting in her eyes, she continued. " There's something that I need to do...something that I've been putting off for far too long. And I can only do it here."

Here ? At the highest security-prison in the entire region? What business could Athena possibly have that would take her here?

"For work?"

"Not exactly. For myself. " As Athena glanced off into the distance, she reached across her body to grab her upper arm. The digital face around Athena's neck turned a somber deep blue, as she exhaled deeply.

Phoenix gently squeezed Athena's shoulder in awkward but genuine attempt at reassurance, "Would you like to talk about...whatever it is?"

She shook her head. "Maybe someday. But not...not today."

Athena straightened her posture, and Widget slowly began to resume his "neutral" color and expression. "Mr. Wright…for what it's worth, I think what you're doing is so brave ."

Brave? What a ridiculous thing to say. Desperate, probably. Foolish, certainly. Mad, without a doubt. But brave?

How could it be "brave" when he still wasn't entirely sure what might happen once he was in the building? How could it be "brave" if all of his tentative plans instantly fell apart the instant he saw Kristoph Gavin's handsome, arrogant face again?

How could it be "brave" if Wright found himself lunging instinctively for Gavin's throat-or worse for his lips ? How could it be "brave" if he ended up swearing and shouting and ranting that Kristoph dared to think he could do this? That he could do this to him ? To them ?

How could it be "brave" if he ended up swearing and crying and begging Kristoph to live? For Kristoph to live, if not for himself, then at least to live for those who-in spite of everything-still loved him.

"I'm not brave. If you only knew…"

Athena gave a sad little smirk at that. "I think I know better than you, Mr. Wright. I'm a psychologist remember? And I know that doing something that scares you-especially when it's the right thing. And especially especially when you don't know what will happen when you do it.. That's what courage is."

Phoenix shook his head. "I'm not sure I believe you."

" I'm not asking you to. I only wanted you to know that I'm proud of you. And that you've inspired me to be brave too. So thank you."

Phoenix wondered why his young colleague needed courage and of who exactly she needed to see at the prison. And then, a possible answer came to him in a flash:

That prosecutor-the gloomy dark one-with a hawk on his shoulder and the shadow of the hangman on his face . Simon Blackquill. Now that Phoenix thought back to the Sasha Buckler trial, he did recall sensing a curious spark between Blackquill and Athena.

It hadn't worried him at the time. Tensions of all kinds always ran high during an intense trial. He'd felt that same rush-that curious blend of cerebral and carnal stimulation- himself on more than one occasion, most often with Miles , occasionally with Franziska, even once-bizarrely enough-with Godot.

It was unsurprising that Cykes and Blackquill might experience that same frisson. Assuming that Athena and the doomed prosecutor left that sort of tension in the courtroom, there was really nothing to be concerned about.

But if Athena and Blackquill had started fraternizing in a decidedly non-professional setting… Well that was something different entirely.

Phoenix couldn't help but feel anxiety and an almost-paternal protectiveness toward his young colleague. Athena was so young and vibrant and kind. Trusting a death row inmate-and one that was a cold, calculating lawyer to boot-with something so precious as her heart was the worst kind of blunder she could make.

' My, my, Phoenix Wright. Judging another for loving a doomed, broken thing? How depressingly self-righteous of you.' As always, the cruelest, most rational part of his brain spoke with Kristoph Gavin's voice. ' Not to mention ironic, given your own predilection for tragic dalliances with the beautiful and the damned. You d o know hypocrisy has never looked good on you- don't you, mein lieber kleiner Feuervogel?'

'That may be so, but it has always looked far worse on you, Gavin. ' Phoenix countered silently. 'And in spite of all we were to each other, I was never 'your dear little Firebird.'''

'No,' Kristoph's voice in his mind conceded. ' You never truly were-were you? More's the pity. Though I suspect I wouldn't have liked you nearly so much as I did if you had been.'

'Nor I you, Kris. Nor I, you.'

Out loud, Phoenix said to young woman beside him. "Athena? Just promise me that you'll be careful, okay?"

"You too, Mr. Wright. You too."