October 16th, 12:06 PM
Global Studios
Main Lot
"Y'know, Matty," Phoenix remarked as her assistant tore around the studio lot, "if I didn't know any better, I'd think that you weren't actually interested in investigating the case. Matty stopped.
"Well, Phoenix," he said with a masterfully sarcastic flair, "I would've thought that a brilliant lawyer like you would've known to always investigate as thoroughly as possible."
Phoenix rolled her eyes as Matty resumed his exploration. Aside from her, very little was stopping Matty from exploring the studio to his heart's content; there were very few police officers around, as the investigation was nearing its end. The few that had approached them had been satisfied by Phoenix presenting them with her badge and security pass.
She approached a nearby information booth and was unfolding a studio map when Matty joined her at the booth.
"They got anything cool in there?" he asked, standing on his toes to inspect the booth's interior.
"I'm not letting you steal anything just because there aren't any employees around." Phoenix chided, opening the map. Just as Matty began to examine it, a voice sounded from behind them.
"Aww, man, you two again?" Phoenix and Matty turned to face the speaker. Detective Gumshoe was trudging toward them, police records book still in hand.
"Hey, Detective!" Matty called out. Both Phoenix and Gumshoe looked at him in surprise.
(I would've expected Matty to be a bit more reserved, seeing as Gumshoe tried to have him convicted of a murder just a month ago...)
"Uh... Hey, kid." Gumshoe said uncertainly, stopping in front of him. Matty offered a hand, which she hesitantly shook.
Phoenix was just unpinning her badge from her chest when Gumshoe barked, "Yeah, don't tell me. You're Powers' attorney, right?"
"You really get a kick outta showing that thing off, don'tcha?" Matty quipped as Phoenix reattached her badge.
"Ya oughta get yourself somethin' like my badge." Gumshoe added, "Or even like Ms. Edgeworth's. Much nicer lookin'."
"Speaking of," Phoenix said loudly, eager to change the subject, "is Edgeworth going to be prosecuting over the trial tomorrow?"
"Yep. She was real determined to do it." Gumshoe replied. "She's been pretty put off ever since she lost to you last month. Still winnin' her trials, mind, but she's been pretty irritable since then. Just be glad you didn't see her right after your trial; I've never seen her so angry. Stormed right up to her office and locked the door for hours."
(Yikes... She must've taken losing her record pretty badly...)
"Anyway, I'll be pokin' around this area mostly, so you two can go and check out whatever ya need to. Gimme a shout if anythin' happens." Gumshoe finished, walking past them and toward the main gate. Phoenix and Matty returned their attention to the map.
"OK, looks like the trailer where Ms. Hammer was killed is over there..." Phoenix mumbled.
"Found, you mean." Matty interjected.
"What?"
"Mic told me once that in a lot of his cases, somebody moved the body after killing the guy. Makes it easier to frame someone else sometimes." Matty explained.
"... That's a good point, actually. Nice one, Matty." Phoenix said, ruffling her assistant's hair. He smiled.
"I try, Boss."
"... Still, you really think anyone would move the body when it was in that big, awkward costume?" Phoenix asked. Matty shrugged.
"I dunno. If it made it easier to frame the Samurai, then maybe. I guess we oughta check the Magistrate's trailer first, anyway." he said.
"Good plan."
After a pause, Matty added, "Jeez, that sounds weird. The villainous Evil Magistrate, livin' in a camper van."
October 16th, 12:25 PM
Global Studios
Hammer's Personal Trailer
"Maaaan..." Matty exclaimed as he pushed open the trailer door. "This trailer sucks."
Stepping inside after him, Phoenix found it hard to disagree. Looking beyond the police tape, the trailer was an unbelievable mess. Hammer's various possessions and articles of clothing were scattered at random across the floor and furniture. On a countertop, there were several unfinished meals, which were steadily attracting flies. Overall, it wasn't making Phoenix very eager to investigate.
"Doesn't seem like Ms. Hammer cared all that much about quality living conditions..." she jibed, carefully stepping over and around the many items strewn across the floor.
"This is kinda killing my respect for the Magistrate as a villain, honestly..." Matty responded.
What followed was a thoroughly detestable half-hour of digging through and examining the trailer's entire contents. Once they agreed to give up, both Phoenix and Matty left the trailer feeling rather badly in need of a shower.
"Well, on the positive side," Matty said dully, "we never have to go back in there."
"... Don't pretend there's a positive side to this..." Phoenix groaned. Once they reached the main pathway, she unfolded the map again.
"What's the closest place to here?" Matty asked.
Scanning over the map, Phoenix replied, "Studio Two, it looks like. We'll pass by the path to Studio One on the way over, but Two is a shorter walk."
"Cool. Studio Two it is, then."
On the trip to their destination, Matty was unusually quiet.
"Something wrong, Matty?" Phoenix asked after a particularly long period of silence.
"Hm-? O-oh, it's nothing," Matty said distractedly, "I've just been thinking."
Phoenix was tempted to jokingly respond with "That's a first" or something to that effect, but in light of her remaining caution about Matty's emotional stability, she thought it might come off a bit harsh. Instead, she merely asked, "About what?"
"Nothin' about the case. I'm just kinda worried that they're gonna cancel The Steel Samurai because of what happened."
(Oh. Should've figured.)
"They can always just recast the character." Phoenix said.
"I guess." Matty said. He suddenly caught sight of something down the pathway. "What's that-?"
Phoenix looked ahead. Where the map indicated the entrance to the Studio One pathway, there seemed to be a fallen tree and a broken mess of wooden boards. Someone was pacing to and fro in front of the mess.
"Hey! What's up with the path?" Matty called out, speeding up his pace. The person turned as they approached.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was allowed in today." he said. He was a freckled and brown-haired boy in glasses, looking to be about Matty's age and height. He gestured to the wreckage behind him. "A tree went down last night. It took down the Studio One sign and completely blocked off the pathway."
"Looks like it made one hell of a mess." Matty commented.
"Yep. I've just been inspecting it before we do anything."
"You work here, then?" Phoenix inquired.
"Yep. I'm Pryce Nichols. I'm a studio assistant." the boy answered. He took another look at the collapsed sign. "Looks like I'm gonna have to call it in and get the maintenance guys on it ASAP. Studio One's where we keep all the vehicles." he detached a radio from his belt and was about to switch it on when he looked back up at Phoenix. "I forgot to ask. What're you guys doing here?"
"My name's Phoenix Wright. He's Matty Fey. We're Wanda Powers' legal team." Phoenix said, ignoring Matty's muttered comment as she flashed her badge.
"WP has a lawyer?" Pryce asked in surprise. "When did that happen?"
At the exact same moment, Matty repeated, "WP?" and Phoenix asked, "Is that unusual?" All three briefly exchanged a confused glance before Pryce answered.
"Yeah. The producer doesn't normally let actors hire lawyers for work-related business." he said. "Mind you, he's got one, but usually, when an actor or assistant gets in legal trouble, he just fires them and lets them solve it themselves. It's a stipulation in the contract."
Phoenix was surprised. "Is he really that bad about it? I mean, that's sounds like it's practically breaking the law."
Pryce was about to answer when Matty exclaimed, "Ohhhhh!" Both looked at him in confusion. There was a decidedly awkward pause. "Oh, sorry. I just got the 'WP' thing. Wanda Powers, right?"
Pryce nodded. "Anyway, don't let him know I said this, but the producer is a pretty nasty piece of work. He's basically in control of the entire operation here. Even stuff he shouldn't be involved in."
"How does he get away with that? There must be legal problems somewhere." Phoenix said.
Pryce hesitated. He took a quick glance up and down the pathway, Satisfied with its vacancy, he leaned closer to Phoenix. "You didn't hear this from me," he whispered, "but I've heard that he's got some, uh... 'connections', we'll call them. Dangerous ones. Helps him stay out of trouble with the law."
Phoenix blanched. "I... I don't suppose you'd want to go into detail about those connections, would you?"
Pryce considered it. "I shouldn't. This job's not worth that much risk."
"Alright. Thanks for the info, anyway."
"Sure thing. Now," Pryce switched his radio on, "I should get to calling this in. Nice talking to you, Ms. Wright, Mr. Fey." he gave them a quick wave as they turned down the pathway to Studio Two. As they walked away, they heard him say, "Hey, it's Pryce. I'm over at the intersection for Studios One and Two. Looks like a tree went down last night. Smashed the Studio One sign, and took down the power line... Yeah, killed all the power to Studio One."
Shortly before they reached the gate for Studio Two, Matty spoke up.
"I like that 'WP' thing. Y'know what, Boss? I need a nickname for you. Something understated, though, Don't want you to sound stuck-up or anything." he said, never seeming to stop for breath. Phoenix chuckled.
"You got any ideas, then?" she asked.
"... Nix." Matty said after a lengthy pause. "Y'know, like, 'nix that'? How's that sound?"
Laughing, Phoenix answered, "Lex used to call me that in high school. Always bugged the hell outta me."
"Really? Why didn't you like it?"
"Ehh, I dunno. She liked it 'cuz it was so close to 'Lex'. I just thought it sounded kinda weird, I guess." Phoenix answered. Without thinking, she added, "Sounds alright when you say it, though."
Matty stopped. He smirked as Phoenix turned to check on him. "You sure we aren't dating?" he asked, forcing himself not to laugh. Phoenix's face turned slightly red, but she grinned.
"You remember what happened last time..." she teasingly warned, turning back toward the gate.
October 16th, 1:09 PM
Global Studios
Studio Two
Much like their previous location, there was little of any importance to see in Studio Two. The lot was large, but empty for the most part, offering only a bit of insight into the studio's prop design philosophy. There was an abrupt argument about the fine distinctions between stepladders and ordinary ladders at one point in their nearly hour-long search of the lot, but nothing else reaching the rank of "interesting" came up.
"I don't wanna sound negative, Matty, but..."
"No, no, by all means, speak your mind." Matty interrupted tonelessly. It was apparent that the lack of results was wearing on his patience just as much as it was Phoenix's.
"Alright, then. This is starting to feel like a waste of time." Phoenix said.
"Only starting?"
"... OK, maybe it started a while back." Phoenix admitted.
"Well, we should be alright, anyway. You can just do your usual lawyer thing tomorrow."
"My... lawyer thing?" Phoenix repeated. "Mind telling me what that is?"
"Y'know, the thing where you just make stuff up and stall 'til the witness screws up." Matty said.
(...)
"Thanks for the generous appraisal." Phoenix said, cuffing him over the back of the head.
-click-
"... What was that?" Matty asked, turning around to find the source of the noise as he rubbed the spot Phoenix had struck. Phoenix looked as well. A row of poorly trimmed shrubs lined a garden box along the studio wall, marking the area that the sound seemed to have originated from.
"... Somebody there?" she called out. After a moment, two of the shrubs rustled, and someone emerged from between them. It was a girl that Phoenix guessed to be about nine or ten. She wore a Steel Samurai shirt, and held a digital camera.
"What were you doing back there?" Phoenix asked.
Rather than answering, the girl started giggling and held out her camera, screen-first. Phoenix and Matty moved closer to examine it. On the screen was a photo taken just a few seconds earlier. It showed Phoenix midway through the act of striking the back of Matty's head. Matty's face was scrunched up in a wince.
"Heh... your face looks funny when your girlfriend hits you." the girl managed to say before dissolving back into her giggling fit. Phoenix gave her best effort not to laugh as Matty's face reddened. Suddenly, the girl pulled back her camera and ran back into the bushes.
"Hey-!" Matty chased the girl into the row of shrubs and vanished. A few seconds later, his head emerged above them. "She's gone!" he said in disbelief.
"What? She was only gone for two seconds!" Phoenix said. She followed him into the shrub.
"Y'see? Nothing!" Matty said. He wasn't wrong. The entire small area behind the shrubs was empty. His gaze stopped on something behind Phoenix. She turned. An open drain was set into the wall at ground level.
"You don't think she-?"
Matty stooped down by the drain. "Yep. I nearly fit into it. She wouldn't have any problem. Looks like this drain is a clear path all the way across the studio."
"You're kidding..."
As Matty stood back up, a loose branch snagged onto his sleeve. "Whoa-!" he yelped, falling backwards.
"Matty..." Phoenix groaned, shuffling past the bushes toward him.
"Ow... Gonna need some help here..." he said. His channeling robes were now thoroughly tangled amongst the many small twigs and branches of the shrub. Phoenix took hold of several to pull one of Matty's arms free. "Thanks..." he said, tugging at his other sleeve. A particularly stubborn branch held his shoulders in place. Phoenix gave an aggressive pull at it, and while Matty managed to pull himself free, the upper half of his robes slipped off of him and remained stuck.
"Dammit..." Phoenix whispered. Matty carefully turned around to assist her in detaching the garment from the shrub. After several careful seconds spent trying not to tear the fabric, it came free. Phoenix and Matty stumbled out of the row of bushes.
"Thanks, Nix..." Matty mumbled, tossing the robes back onto his shoulders. He suddenly froze as he looked up.
"What-" Phoenix began, freezing as well as she turned around. Detective Gumshoe was standing by the studio gate, her mouth slightly agape. Phoenix took a moment to imagine the scene from Gumshoe's perspective. She and Matty had just emerged from behind a row of bushes, both covered in twigs and leaves, with Matty shirtless...
(Oh, God...)
"Is, uh... this a bad time, you two?" Gumshoe asked blankly, her book hanging loosely from her hands. Both Phoenix and Matty blushed madly and jumped about a foot away from each other as if the other was on fire.
"N-no, it's j-just a-" Matty sputtered.
"T-there was a-" Phoenix choked; words didn't seem interested in forming properly for her. Fortunately, they were saved as she spotted the camera girl pushing out from behind another bush on the side of the pathway behind Gumshoe. "Over there-!" she managed, pointing a finger. Gumshoe turned just in time to see the girl just before she vanished around the corner.
"H-hey! Hold up a sec, kid!" she shouted, taking off after the girl. Matty pulled his robes on properly, and he and Phoenix followed the detective.
They found Gumshoe a short distance away from the wreckage of the Studio One sign.
(Looks like she caught up with that kid...)
Gumshoe was stooping down in front of the girl, who stood with her camera behind her back, smiling cheekily.
"There y'are, Ms. Wright," she said as Phoenix approached. "You know this kid?"
"Only since five minutes ago." Phoenix answered. "We found her hiding in the bushes over by the studio gate."
"She was taking pictures of us." Matty added with mild disdain.
"Only one." the girl chirped. Gumshoe gave Phoenix a slightly suspicious look.
"Uh... Just outta curiosity, Ms. Wright... what exactly were you two, uh... doing in that picture?" she asked quietly, likely hoping that the girl wouldn't hear. A moment passed before Matty burst out laughing and Phoenix blushed again.
"J-just... uh..."
(Shit, this looks just plain wrong...)
"The lady was hitting her boyfriend on the head!" the girl piped up, holding up her camera, which still displayed the photo. Gumshoe jerked back in surprise when she spoke. 'Then they both chased me into the bushes."
"O-oh... right. That's, uh... That's fine. Thanks, sweetie."
Giving a huge sigh of relief, Phoenix mouthed, "Thank you" to the girl.
"Now, uh..." Gumshoe seemed quite distracted by the direction the conversation had gone in, "What was your name, hun?" she asked the girl.
"Clee-o." the girl answered in an almost painfully cute singsong tone, drawing out the "e" for at least a full second.
"Cleo, huh? Ya got a last name?"
"It's Hackins." Cleo answered sweetly.
"OK, Cleo. Can you tell me what you're here in the studio for?" Gumshoe continued with a warm smile.
"I like to take pictures of The Steel Samurai and everybody." Cleo answered, presenting her camera.
"OK. Just a few more questions. How'd you get in here?"
Cleo giggled. "That's easy. The drains are all really big, so I can get in through them."
"Huh. Alright. One more. Do your parents know you're here? 'Cuz I'll have to take you back home either way, but we might need to call them first."
"Oh, that's OK. I just live across the street, so they let me come here all the time."
Gumshoe looked off to the side for a moment, frowning, but when she turned back to Cleo, she was smiling again. "OK, hun. I'll just walk you back, then." she said. She stood up and offered Cleo a hand. Cleo took it after tucking her camera into her pocket. "Follow us, would ya, Ms. Wright? I needed to talk to ya about somethin'." the detective murmured to Phoenix.
When they reached the gate, Oldbag the guard was relaxing in his chair. He gave a start as they passed.
"Hmm-...? Feh. So, this one's yers, is she?" he barked, staring at Cleo and Gumshoe.
"Actually, Mr. Old-"
"I SHOULDA GUESSED, YOU INVESTIGATIVE TYPES, ALWAYS DRAGGING SOME KID ALONG TO-" Oldbag's rant was again cut off as he began to cough violently, his moustache blowing around wildly.
"We oughta get going..." Matty said. Phoenix and Gumshoe both gave muttered agreements and the group departed.
They returned to the main lot after dropping Cleo off at her house.
"I'm gonna have to tell the studio staff about how she's been getting in..." Gumshoe said. "Later, mind." she added; Oldbag had still been in a huff when they passed back through the entrance.
"Right. Now, you said you wanted to talk about something?" Matty asked.
"Two things now, actually. Firstly, I wanted to check up on how your search was goin'."
"Poorly." Phoenix said bluntly. After a moment, she asked, "Why are you concerned about how we're doing, though? You're technically against us in the trial, aren't you?"
Gumshoe hesitated. "Well, a while back, I wouldn't've been, but a few things changed after the trial last month." she said, sounding more serious than before.
"How so?"
"Well... to tell ya the truth, it's not just Ms. Edgeworth that was pretty rattled by how the trial turned out." Gumshoe answered. "Because we tried somebody who turned out to be definitively innocent, there was an inquiry in the Prosecutor's Office. See, it hurts the integrity of the force when somethin' like that happens, not to mention the morale."
Phoenix leaned aside in thought. "That makes sense. Especially since Edgeworth's never lost a trial before, right?"
"Exactly. It definitely didn't help with all the rumours goin' around about her, either. People who think-... well, less than highly of Ms. Edgeworth's methods used it as an excuse to attack her rep a bit more, y'see. That, and... honestly..." she trailed off, suddenly looking downcast. She sighed before continuing, "Honestly, I've been findin' it a lot harder to trust her ever since."
"I'm... sorry, Detective." Phoenix offered.
"Don't be." Gumshoe said, looking directly at her. "It's just... I've been assigned to nearly every case Ms. Edgeworth has ever worked on. We've always been really confident in her cases, but... after you both got off the hook last month, she didn't react like I expected. Sure, she was angry, and I definitely saw that coming, but... well, when I finally asked her about it, she talked about it like it was some kind of scam. Like you'd set the whole thing up just to damage her reputation."
Hearing this, Phoenix was shocked. "Really? She was that distraught?"
"You bet. We got into a pretty huge argument about it, and she kicked me outta her office. I didn't hear from her for a week or two afterward. She didn't contact me again until this case came up. Apparently, she'd taken a case during the time since our argument, and it helped her get over it."
Phoenix frowned. "I guess another guilty verdict would do that..." she said sourly.
"That's what I'm concerned about, Ms. Wright." Gumshoe said earnestly.
The trio was silent for a short while, all of them reflecting on the conversation.
"... Anyway, on an unrelated note," Gumshoe finally said, breaking the silence, "as for the other thing I wanted to discuss," she turned to Matty, "How old are you again, kid?"
Matty looked confused, but answered, "Seventeen.".
Gumshoe laughed. "In that case, it's a good thing Cleo vouched for ya earlier, then, Ms. Wright. I would've hated to have to arrest ya for sexual assault against a minor."
Once again, Matty broke down laughing as Phoenix blushed deeply red, holding her head in her hands.
October 16th, 5:26 PM
Phoenix Wright's Apartment
Morale was low as Phoenix and Matty arrived home. The investigations that followed their chat with Gumshoe had failed to turn out any more eventful than the first two. Overall, their plans and strategy for the trial had not yet materialized, and neither of them felt much inclination to carry on with their search.
"Still feeling good about that 'lawyer thing', Matty?" Phoenix asked lethargically, dragging her feet as they approached the apartment door. Matty gave a noncommittal grunt. He shuffled ahead to unlock the door.
"... Damn... Nix, I think I left my key inside this morning. Toss me yours, would'ya?"
"'Nix'? I didn't just hear that, did I?" a familiar voice barked from the stairwell. Phoenix stopped.
"... Lex? What're you doing here?" she asked.
"I thought you two weren't working today, so I decided I'd swing by once I was off work. You didn't answer, though, and I was about to leave when I saw you pull in." Lexine answered, pushing off of the wall she had been leaning on. "Now, when did you start liking people calling you 'Nix'? Last I checked, you hated it."
"... You wanna have this conversation, you wait 'til we're inside." Phoenix said, handing Matty her key.
"Let's get on that, then..." Matty mumbled, opening the door.
"Why, thank ya, Matty." Lexine drawled, following them inside.
Matty was moving toward the fridge when Lexine darted in front of him.
"Hold on there. I'm not just gonna drop in on ya without doin' somethin' nice." she said, flipping open her cell phone. "I'll get us a pizza." Matty muttered a thank-you and left for the living room. He dropped onto the couch, next to Phoenix. They didn't speak, leaving the room quiet until Lexine finished her phone call.
"Aaahh..." she loudly sighed, flopping down on the other end of the couch. "Nice night, innit? You two can come home from work and cozy up on the couch for-" she stopped as Matty limply punched her shoulder. "What was that? C'mon, Matty, if you're gonna punch me, don't half-ass it. Really just let me hav-"
-WHAM-
"Ow... nice one." she said; Phoenix had leaned over Matty's head and given her jaw a proper punch.
"... Thanks, Boss." Matty said.
"So, it's 'Boss' again? What happened to 'Nix'?" Lexine asked immediately.
Phoenix groaned. "I was hoping Matty wouldn't say it around you, but I don't have the heart to hit him when he's this tired."
"Aww, why would ya wanna hit him?" Lexine went on in her best teasing tone. "It's so cute when couples give each other little pet names and-" she stopped, seeing the exhaustion in Phoenix's glare. "Alright, I'll give ya a break. What were you guys up to all day, anyway? Haven't seen you this tired in ages."
"We were at Global Studios." Phoenix answered with a thankful smile. "Wanda Powers, the actress who plays the Steel Samurai, was arrested for killing another actress, and Matty insisted that we defend her."
"Wanda Powers? No way! She'd never-"
"I've heard." Phoenix cut in, gesturing toward Matty, who was beginning to droop.
"Right. So, you were there all day? Tell me you found something, at least."
"'fraid not. We checked damn near every part of that studio, and we couldn't find anything. We'll have to wing it in the trial tomorrow."
"Shit..." Lexine mumbled. "Well, things looked pretty bad in the trial last month, right? You still pulled through that." she said hopefully. Phoenix shrugged.
"Whatever happens happens."
Their conversation stayed focused on the impending trial until the doorbell sounded. Matty jerked awake; sometime during the conversation, he had fallen asleep, his head drooping onto Lexine's shoulder.
"Nice to see you're still alive." she quipped. "That'll be the pizza."
She got up from the couch and left the room. Matty turned to Phoenix.
"... Hey, Boss?" he said.
"Yeah?"
"I'm... sorry for getting us stuck like this." his voice was flat and devoid of energy.
Phoenix gave a sympathetic smile. "It's fine. We're not completely screwed yet. Just because we didn't find anything ourselves, doesn't mean we can't get some use out of what the police gathered."
"... Sure, Nix." Matty said with a tired smile.
Lexine returned a moment later, carrying a pizza box. "Sustenance arrives!" she proclaimed, dropping it onto the centre table.
"I wouldn't leave that so close to Matty, if I were you." Phoenix said, as her assistant seemed to perk up instantly.
"Not my fault she only ordered one." he said, throwing the lid off the box.
Gaaahhhhh
I had like, 80% of this chapter written up on my tablet and it was cool
and then the file corrupted and raaaarrgghh
I was upset
so upset, in fact, that I wrote the whole damn thing again
On a positive note, I'm back from vacation, so I have my computer back, meaning much faster writing speeds and no corruption
also I have undergone a name change and I am now the great MATT SUNSTON