Chapter Ten: Searing Rebirth (Part 2)
April 24 07:23 PM
Wright Anything Agency
"YOU STOLE APOLLO'S BADGE??!!" Ema screamed. "YOU KNOW THAT'S ILLEGAL, RIGHT??!!"
Phoenix stopped being so proud of his actions and started to look at Ema with a grave look on his face. "You have a point." he muttered.
"You could have at least taken the bar exam first!" Ema screamed as she jumped up and down in a surprising fury. Phoenix just looked down to the floor.
Ema then stopped jumping when she saw Phoenix's sad face.
"I had no choice, Ema."
"I know, Mr. Wright." Ema sighed. "This is why I came here in the first place." She slapped herself in the head. "Of course you of all people would dare to do something as stupid as this."
Phoenix actually looked up, chuckling.
"Well, I just remembered Furio and how he managed to fool the court with a paper badge."
Ema looked up, thoughts swarming her head. "Good point!" she thought.
She then looked around, then back at Phoenix. "You know what, though I know this is illegal, I owe you." Ema threw her hands up in sarcastic defeat. "I'll help, because I believe in you, Mr. Wright."
Phoenix looked to Ema with a hopeful look in his eyes. "Thank you, Ema." he said solemnly. He then looked up to the ceiling. "You remind me so much of Maya, you know. You stick by me even when I do the craziest things." He chuckled. "Those were the days. I guess they haven't died just yet, right?"
Ema just looked at him confusedly. "Okay then." She then thought for a second. "Well, we have a lot to do before we can go to court tomorrow."
Ema then pulled on Phoenix's arm. "Don't worry! Your client will pay you tons after you defend her!" Ema began to drag him out of the door like how Maya used to when she begged Phoenix for burgers. Phoenix was concerned, relaxed a bit when Ema made her comment, but then realized something important as he was pulled out the door.
"HEY! THE CLIENT'S MY DAUGHTER!!!"
Phoenix woke up the next morning from the couch with a really big headache. Fortunately, he avoided his savings account from being butchered by persuading Ema to use items he already had in his home.
"Wow..." he thought. "My head STILL feels SO WEIRD." He stepped into the bathroom and almost screamed at his hair. He was just thinking about his head, yet he was still frightened by his looks. He remembered the events that took last night...
"Okay, first we need to give you a name!" Ema declared. "We don't want anyone recognising you when you step one step into that courtroom."
"What about Xin Eohp?"
"What?"
"Xin Eohp!" Phoenix insisted. "You know... my name backwards..."
Ema realized the connection ten seconds later. "Oh! Sure! That would make a GREAT cover name!" Ema then ran over to her bag and pulled out a blank ID card and a leather ID case. She filled in the ID card with Phoenix's new name and put it into ID case. "There! Now you have "proof" that you're Xin Eohp!"
"More forged evidence, I see."
"Well, deal with it."
She then ran into the bathroom and grabbed some of Apollo's hair gel. "Time to change your looks!" She then dragged Phoenix into the bathroom and positioned him in front of the bathroom mirror. Phoenix started to sweat like he does when he finds himself in a tough situation in court as Ema put a giant glop of hair gel onto her hand.
"Time to get cracking!"
Ema blindfolded Phoenix. She then attempted to smear the hair gel onto Phoenix's trademark spiky hair, but his hair refused to stay down. She applied more, but it still didn't work. Phoenix sighed.
"Mr. Wright, your hair is poking my hands!"
"Well, be careful!"
By the time it was nine, Ema finally managed to waste three bottles of Apollo's hair gel, but Phoenix's hair was finally done.
"Mr. Wright, I'm done!"
Phoenix took off his blindfold, then screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
A car crashed into a fire hydrant thirty kilometres from Phoenix's office.
"Ema! What did you do to my hair!"
His hair was completely flat. All Ema technically did was push his spikes down to his neck so they weren't standing up like they usually were, though when Phoenix screamed, the spikes rose up, then went down once more.
Phoenix bent his head back to look at Ema, but had to reluctantly turn around instead because his hair poked into his neck.
"Well, at least I didn't go and grab the scissors, though from the looks for things, a chainsaw would have been more helpful."
Phoenix gave himself a facepalm.
"Should've had a V8!" Ema chimed in.
Phoenix walked out into his living room with Ema cheerfully by his side, oddly enough.
"Next up is a new outfit!" she exclaimed.
"Isn't my old blue suit good enough?" Phoenix complained.
"NO! Your suit is too famous to be used again. People would recognised you like that." Ema replied, snapping her fingers. She then brought Phoenix into Apollo's room.
"How did you know where Apollo's room was?" Phoenix asked. " I don't remember telling you..."
Ema stayed silent.
She then went over to Apollo's closet, revealing his many outfits, including his white dress shirts with the rolled up sleeves. Ema took one out.
"Is this you size?" she asked.
Phoenix put it on, and oddly enough, it fit just fine.
"Strange. This is just my..." Phoenix looked at the tag. "HEY! THIS IS MINE!"
"Wow, Apollo must really be a big fan of your work!" Ema replied.
"The kid has taken a step too far...." Phoenix muttered. "I can't believe he would step into my room, roll up my dress shirt sleeves..."
Ema then dragged Phoenix into his room. She stepped into his closet, revealing many other outfits Phoenix owned. "Wow, Mr. Wright. Look at all the clothes you own, yet you still choose to stay in that hobo outfit of yours."
Phoenix chuckled sheepishly.
Ema then pulled out one of Phoenix's red ties. She then took out some open-finger leather gloves (wow, ghetto much), some nice dress shoes, and casual blue jeans. She told Phoenix to put it on.
"Step outside, Ema." Phoenix said.
"Huh?"
"I need to change."
"Oh." Ema sighed as she stepped out.
Soon, Phoenix came out in his new attire. It was really semi-casual and actually made him live up to his semi-Japanese gangster name.
"What do you think?" Phoenix asked.
"You look like a totally different person." Ema replied.
"Just what we were going for."
There was just one last step in Ema's operation. It was Phoenix's voice. It was just TOO recognisable. She went into Apollo's room again and grabbed one of his Chords of Steel voice training workouts.
"Here. Give this a shot." Ema declared.
Phoenix took a look at the tape. He wondered what his voice would sound like after this.
"Will this be permanent?" Phoenix asked solemnly.
"Well, since it's only one workout, then no, probably not."
"Okay, I'll give it a shot."
One Hour Later...
Ema stepped back into the room after laughing at something in Apollo's room.
"What do you think?" a steely voice asked.
Ema stopped. There was a wall blocking her view from the stranger in the living room and herself stepping out of Apollo's room.
"Who's there?" she called out.
"What do you mean?" the steely voice asked.
"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MR. WRIGHT?" Ema shouted.
The steely voice chuckled. "Ema, come out."
Ema crept into the living room, then screamed. There really was another man in the room. He had spiky hair drooping down. His sleeves were rolled up and he had leather gloves, a trademark of an assassin.
"Keep it down!" the man replied. "The neighbours will sue us!"
Ema then finally snapped back into reality. That hour in Apollo's room caused her to forget pretty much everything that had happened in the past three hours. She was face-to-face with none other than Xin Eohp.
"So... Xin, I guess we're finally done for the day."
Xin chuckled. "Of course we are."
Ema looked at the clock. It read 10:15. "Aw, it's so late and I don't have a ride home."
"You could sleep in my room, or Apollo's."
"Sure!" Ema replied. " Thanks Mr. Wri- I mean Mr. Eohp!" She ran into Apollo's room.
Xin sighed to himself and slept on the couch.
Ema came running into the bathroom.
"Mr. Wright! What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing, just surprised that I could look so different." he replied. "My voice sounds so itchy too."
Ema chuckled. "Well, I have to go now, Mr. Wright! Though I would love to help you in court today, I'm a detective now, so it would look a bit unorthodox."
"Sure whatever. Just come and watch as rookie attorney Xin Eohp takes the bench!"
"Okay! Good luck, Mr. Wright, or should I say, Mr. Eohp."
Ema ran out of the door gleefully.
Phoenix stepped back into his messy living room and sighed. He put Apollo's badge onto his shirt collar, then went into the bathroom to have a look at himself. He smiled confidently, then pulled a finger of death pose. Much better.
Phoenix then turned the TV on again. He figured that he should have breakfast, then have one more Chords of Steel workout, and he should be fine for the day.
And he did just that.
A/N: Okay, this has got to be the funniest chapter in 'Turnabout Flames' so far! *chuckles*
Anyway, I hope you enjoy corny jokes and dry humour because that's all I have right now.
Oh yeah, you'll soon see the true meaning of the chapter name in the next two chapters or so.
The climax hasn't come just yet, so just wait and see! Wish me luck, I guess! XD