Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!
Chapter 10 – Turnabout Plans
Apollo decided to leave the office so as to prevent himself from yelling at Athena.
She just had to go and make me look like the bad guy in front of Mr. Edgeworth. What if he goes and tells Mr. Wright? I'll be in trouble for sure.
He rode his bike with no destination in mind, until he stopped at a certain location.
Why did I come here? She's probably still at the lecture anyway.
Apollo looked up to see Themis Legal Academy. Juniper was taking the judge's course there.
"Juniper…I wish I could see you right now." Apollo sighed.
"Apollo!"
He looked up. "Juniper?!" His face fell a little when he saw a young, brown-haired girl dressed in a red jumpsuit run towards him. "Oh. Hi Robin. How are you?"
"I'm super! What are you doing here at the academy? Looking for Juniper?" She teased.
She and Athena would be great friends.
"Well, not particularly, but speaking of Juniper, where is she?"
"You just missed her Apollo! She said she was going to go to the agency to visit you."
"What? Are you kidding me?! I should've just stayed there then!" Apollo looked to Robin. "Has it been long since she left?"
"Well, it's been less than an hour, but she's probably already at the office."
"Okay. I guess I'll go back there. Thanks Robin, and say hi to Hugh and Myriam for me."
"Sure!"
"Thena!"
"Junie! What a surprise!" Athena went to hug Juniper. "What are you doing here at our lovely office?"
"Oh, I just wanted to visit. I'm coming back from a lecture at the academy."
"Sit down and tell me all about it!"
Juniper relayed the lecture to Athena.
"Wow! Sounds interesting!"
"It really was!" Juniper looked around. "Where's Apollo?"
"Him? He went outside a little while ago. Why do you ask?"
"Oh…no reason…"
As if the color of your cheeks weren't a dead giveaway! "Junie. I can hear your emotions! You should just tell Apollo how you feel! Don't keep denying your feelings!"
"But…what if he doesn't feel the same?"
"Trust me. I'm sure he does feel the same way about you!"
"You think so?"
"I know so. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he went to the academy just so he could see you!"
"Really?! Oh, but I'm here. Maybe I should go back."
"No, no. Once he finds out, Apollo is going to come back here."
"Good. I…I actually have something I wanted to give him when we got together."
"Oh? What might that be?"
Juniper opened her backpack and pulled out a knit scarf that was red with pink hearts on it.
"Oh! The scarf you've been working on for so long! It's finally finished! This is so nice, Junie!"
"Really? Do you think he'll like it?"
"Apollo? I'm sure he will!" Although…I'm not sure how fond Apollo is of the color pink, but I probably shouldn't say that. She did make it with love, didn't she? Athena sighed. "It's so nice how the two of you have such a nice and easy relationship."
"What do you mean, Thena?"
"You guys can just admit your feelings to one another and not have to worry about what the other person will think of you or say." Unlike some people…
"You aren't…jealous, are you Thena?"
"Jealous of the two of you?! No, no! I'm happy for you guys! Really, I am! I just…"
I wish I was in the same situation…
"Oh…I know what this is all about."
Athena narrowed her eyes a little. Uh oh. Did Widget just say something? No, she didn't. But then what is Junie saying? "What do you mean?"
"This is about Mr. Blackquill, isn't it?"
"What about him?" Athena asked quickly. Oh no! Is she onto me?!
"Come on Thena! I'm your best friend! You can tell me how you feel!"
"How I feel? About him? You've got it all wrong, Junie!" Athena looked away. "Me? Like the Twisted Samurai? Ha!"
"Well, I guess you don't, huh?" Junie smiled. "But…if I do recall correctly, when we were younger, I once came to the space center, and you showed me a picture you drew."
"What picture?" What is she talking about? I usually drew pictures of my Mom and the robots. Unless she means the picture I drew of…
"Don't you remember? It was of Mr. Blackquill. And do you remember what you told me?" Athena shook her head, while she tried to remember what it was she had said to her childhood friend. "You promised me not to tell anyone else…about how you wanted to 'marry Simon.'"
Shoot! She is onto me! Athena's eyes widened, but Widget's pink display confirmed to Juniper that she was right. "I…I never said that!"
"Widget is blushing, Thena, and you know you did!"
"Hm…well, just because I said it then doesn't mean I feel the same way now!" She crossed her arms defiantly.
"Okay, I guess you may not want to marry him, but you can't deny that you feel something towards him."
Athena hesitated. "Even if I had said feelings for him, which I don't." I so do. "He's too busy with his work and improving his samurai skills to spend much time with me. Plus, he sees me as an annoying brat." And to top it all off, he doesn't like me in that way…
"Thena! I'm sure he doesn't see you as an annoying brat!"
"But Junie. Every time I got to his office, he's always talking about how I've come to relieve myself of my boredom. Like I have nothing else to do but bother him!"
"Well…then maybe you should show him how you don't always need to be with him."
"Hm…" Athena thought for a moment. "That's…a great idea! I've got it!" Athena stood up and started pacing back and forth. "If I hang out with another guy and not him, then he'll realize I don't need to be with him all the time and I can make him jealous!"
"Thena…that wasn't what I meant!" Unfortunately, Athena already had a plan brewing in her head.
This should be perfect! I can't wait to see how the magpie will react! (AN: Athena got the nickname "Miss Baby Chick" I think it was in the DLC case, although Simon wasn't the one who came up with it, if I remember correctly, so I wanted her to have an animal nickname for Blackquill!)
"The question is who am I supposed to be with? Who would Simon hate to see me with? I can't be with Apollo for obvious reasons." She winked at Juniper, who blushed a little.
"Thena. Haven't you learned anything from the romance stories? The heroine decides to make the guy she likes jealous, and what happens? Someone usually ends up getting hurt!"
"What other guys could I 'go out' with? Most of the guys I know are prosecutors and defense attorneys, and Simon tends to get along with most everyone."
"You aren't listening to me, are you Thena?" Juniper sighed. Raising her voice a little, she interrupted Athena's mumblings. "How about you think about that later and tell me about the case you're working on?"
"Hm? The case I'm… oh! Sure Junie!"
Athena filled Juniper in on the case.
"Who's prosecuting the case? Mr. Blackquill?"
"Nope. It's Prosecutor Gavin…AHA!"
Juniper jumped. "Wh…what is it, Thena?"
"I've got it! I know who Simon would absolutely despise to see me with!" Athena snapped her fingers in a familiar rhythm, eyes closed and head tilted.
"Oh no…Thena…" Juniper warned.
"It'll be great! I know for a fact that Simon is not fond of Prosecutor Gavin at all! This is perfect!"
"Not that I condone this one bit, I have to ask, Thena. Don't you need to ask Prosecutor Gavin to be a part of your plan?"
Athena frowned. "Oh…I kind of forgot about that."
"What if he doesn't want to go along with it?"
"I…didn't consider that either…I guess I'll have to go and ask him." Athena headed to the door.
"You're going to ask him…right now?!"
"Um, yeah! I can't procrastinate on this! You wanna come with me, Junie?"
"Er…No. I think I'll wait here for Apollo!"
"Alright then! But make sure you don't tell Apollo where I'm going. Unlike you, he'll tease me relentlessly if he was to find out what was going on."
"Um…okay Thena. Good luck!"
"Thanks! I'm going to need it! Now let's do this!"
The door shut to the agency, and Juniper sighed. "Thena," she said to the empty room, shaking her head, a smile on her face.
Finally! I made it!
Apollo opened the door.
"Juniper! I had just gone to the academy to visit you! How are you?"
"Apollo! I'm well, thank you! I was hoping you would be here!"
Apollo noticed the office was empty. "You haven't been sitting in here all by yourself, waiting for me, have you?"
"No, no. Thena was here, and we talked for a while. She left not too long ago."
"I see. I wonder what she's up to. Anyway. How did the lecture go?"
Again, Junie spoke about the lecture she attended at the school. "Wow Juniper! Sooner or later, you're going to be a judge! It's going to be great to be in court when you're at the judge's stand."
This earned Apollo a deep blush from Juniper. "Oh Apollo! Stop."
"It's true though! I know you're going to be a great judge!"
"I just want to be able to prevent another dark age of the law from coming up."
"Right. That's what I want too, and for the truth to always be revealed!"
They quieted down. "Um, Apollo? There's…something I wanted to…give you."
"Really? What is it? Another delicious fruit from your garden?"
"No…not a fruit. It isn't edible." Apollo watched as she pulled out a familiar red and pink object from her backpack.
"Hey! That's the scarf you've always been working on! You finally finished it! It looks amazing! I can imagine that it'll keep you nice and warm!"
Hm. Why is she blushing?
"That's why…I want you to have it." She held it out to him shyly.
"M…m…me? You want me to have it?"
She nodded. "Yes, I do."
"Th…thank you, Juniper." Apollo accepted the gift. Wow. It's softer than it looks! But why is she giving it to me? "But…why?"
Juniper frowned a little. "What do you mean, why?"
"Why are you giving this to me? Surely there's someone else who deserves it more than me."
Juniper's frown turned upside down (AN: Do people write even write like that?!). "I can't think of anyone else besides you Apollo. You…you mean a lot to me."
Apollo could feel his face turn red. "You…you mean a lot to me too, Juniper." He set the scarf aside. "I…I wish I had something I could give you in return, Juniper, but sadly, I don't. Not right now anyways. That being said…there is something…I want to ask you." Apollo cleared his throat. "Juniper Woods. Will you be my girlfriend?!" Apollo yelled. Darn it! I need to be careful with my Chords of Steel!
"Apollo! I would love to be your girlfriend!" Juniper hugged him tightly, and he returned the hug.
He then pulled away. "You know? Maybe there is something I can give you right now."
"What's that?"
"If you don't mind, could I not call you Juniper? Instead, could I maybe…call you…sunflower?"
"Sunflower?"
"Yes, because I think sunflowers are so bright, cheerful, and beautiful. Just like you. And…" He tapped the sunflower that was in her hair. "You look so pretty with that sunflower in your hair."
"I'll accept that…if I can call you something in return."
"You can call me Polly. Trucy calls me that sometimes, but that's just because we're close. And now, you can call me that."
"I like it. Polly and Sunflower."
The new couple stared at each other and smiled.
"Fraulein Cykes. Such a flattering offer you make; however, I must reject, for I merely see you as just a good friend, and my rival, of course."
"Come on, Prosecutor Gavin! I really need you to do this for me!"
"I'm sorry to disappoint, Fraulein, but I can't. That is a request that I am unable and unwilling to fulfill."
"And why can't you do this one little thing for me? Is it because you're scared of Prosecutor Blackquill?"
Klavier frowned at the defense attorney. "I am not scared of Herr Blackquill. The only person I could really be scared of is Herr Ruffles."
Herr Ruffles? Who is Herr Ruffles?! No! Focus Athena. Focus!
"But with that fact aside, I could not possibly pursue a relationship with you. I mean, I don't even know you well enough to determine whether or not I would like to date you. No offense to you, Fraulein."
"I'm not offended…wait. Hold the phone. Let me make this very clear, in case it wasn't before. I'm not asking you to actually date me. I just want you to pretend to be dating me."
"Ah…now see that makes more sense, Fraulein. Why did you not just say so in the beginning?"
Athena waved her hands in the air. "But I did tell you that!"
Klavier leaned forward, hands on his hips. "Fraulein. You burst into my office yelling, 'Prosecutor Gavin! I need you to date me!'"
Well. It isn't my fault that you automatically assumed from that statement that I wanted to date you…er…well, okay. So it is my fault, but as if I'm going to admit defeat to this guy!
Klavier chortled. "Nonetheless, I am tempted by your offer. I assume that your main goal is to gain the affections of one of my fellow coworkers. Herr Blackquill, am I correct?"
Oh. This guy's sharp, like one of Simon's katanas. Athena's eyes widened as she looked to her side. Did I just use Simon's swords in a metaphor? Shaking her head, she looked back at Prosecutor Gavin. "Maybe…that could be the case."
He smirked a little. "So I gathered. But…my only question is…what's in it for me?"
For you? What about you? "Um…you'll have the gratitude of a wonderful young defense attorney, that is, me?" Please work, please work!
"Somehow, as nice as that is, I'm not that satisfied."
I should've known this wouldn't be easy. "What is that you want? Do you…want something valuable? Like…say Widget?"
"Hey!" The electronic device called out, but Athena shushed her.
"No thank you, Fraulein."
"Or maybe you'd like a cool guitar?"
"My guitars are all the coolest compared to all of the other guitars that are in existence."
My, my. Aren't we arrogant? I can sort of see how it's possible for Simon to not get along with this guy.
"You…don't want me to lose my case intentionally, do you?" Athena asked uneasily. "Because if you think I'm that desperate, I'm not!"
Klavier let out a hearty laugh. "Oh Fraulein! I cannot believe you would think I would sink to such a low level." He leaned against his desk. "I've made my choice. I'll help you."
Widget turned red and Athena growled. "How could you not help m…Wait." Athena stared at him, her fists still clenched. "Did…you just say you'll help me?"
"Yes…I did."
"With no strings attached?"
"No strings attached."
"Hm…okay then." She clasped her hands in front of her and smiled. "Thank you so much!" She hugged him briefly and released. She slammed her fist into her palm. "This is gonna be great!" She looked to Klavier, who was smiling. I wonder why he actually decided to help me. Oh well…That's not important, now is it?
"Okay then. I'll call you later so that we can plan out this whole thing." Athena walked to the door.
Before she walked out of the room, she stopped when Klavier spoke up. "I'll see you later, my dear little Fraulein."
"Excuse me?" She turned around, hands on her hips. "You can't call me…oh." She smiled sheepishly. "Right. We're…a couple now, aren't we?" She winked as she replied, "Auf Wiedersehen mein Freund!"
I feel like the whole Juniper Apollo scene was fluffy, but hey! I personally think that they'd be very fluffy with each other! And Athena…*shakes head*. What to do with her? For the last line that Athena says, I used Google Translate for this, so if it's wrong, I'm sorry! Just a warning, the next chapter is going to be mostly about Edgeworth. I don't have any other parts planned for the moment, although that could change. Thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave a review and/or private message me! Sorry if I haven't responded to your review/PMs. I sometimes forget or get a little busy!