Turnabout Endings
Chapter 12: A Simple Reunion
DISCLAIMER: I…still don't own Ace Attorney. Pity.
A/N: I didn't know what to name this chapter, since it's following a bunch of different people now, and isn't just about Iris now, so…yeah. There ya go.
A/N2: I really fucking slacked off here. I just seriously forced myself to write this chapter for the sake of getting it published and moving on in the story. Sorry if it's not as good as the other chapters. o_o
April 14th, 2030. 2:10 PM
Wright Anything Agency
Ding dong.
Iris rang the doorbell and waited patiently. The three women had practiced on what to say to Phoenix during the trip there. There would be the obvious "Hello," "I've missed you so much," and so forth, but then after that, they thought about what they should say. Iris had to be very careful with what she had to say. Maybe it was best not to try to reopen old wounds, assuming that he didn't feel like remembering that old incident. She wondered what her old Feenie was like now. Was he a grumpy man bitter about losing his badge? Or was he trying to make the best of things? Maya had told Iris that Phoenix was raising a girl. She had forgotten the girl's name. It might have been something like Tracy, or Tamara…or something.
The one who opened the door was not Phoenix, but another man. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and sported a red vest over a white shirt and a light blue tie, as well as red pants. "May I help you?" He said politely.
Maya and Pearl blinked awkwardly. The former of the two peeked on the inside and saw that this place didn't look anything like the old Wright and Co. Law Offices. Maya remembered reading in one of Phoenix's old letters that the place looked "a little bit different," but…this couldn't be the same place, could it? Maybe she got the wrong address?
Awkwardly, Iris cleared her throat and asked the million dollar question; "Is…a Phoenix Wright here by any chance?"
The young man nodded. "Yes, ma'am. If you're looking for a defense attorney, he was disbarred roughly seven years ago. I'll be your attorney. My name is Apollo Justice—"
"No, no. We don't need a lawyer right now. We're very old friends," Iris interrupted, putting her arms behind her back.
The man named Apollo raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then in that case, come in. Mr. Wright has made many friends over the many years, but he never manages to forget a face," he said, stepping back for the women to enter.
There were two red couches, as well as a piano, and a portrait of a man with a top hat who resembled a magician, as well as some actual magic equipment and a blue top hat. "Please, have a seat," he offered the three women, "I'll get Mr. Wright in just a second.
Iris nodded, and the three of them sat down on the couch on the left side of the room, waiting for Phoenix to appear. Words couldn't describe how excited they were…or maybe the author of this story was too lazy to describe it right now…
The door opened, and out came not only Apollo Justice, but also a young girl, most likely about Pearl's age, with brown hair and some other magician getup. She looked unfamiliar to the three women, but Maya suspected this was the girl Phoenix was raising.
And then appeared the man himself. Phoenix Wright had never looked so…confident, Iris noted. So laid back. She expected a completely different man, since such a devastating tragedy happened to him all those years ago, but now, it's as if it actually improved his life.
But as soon as he laid eyes on the three women before him, his eyes widened in great surprise. "Y-You…" he said to really all three of them. More so to Maya and Iris, since he didn't really recognize Pearl at the moment.
Maya managed a small smile. A smile that Phoenix had missed for years. That familiar curl of the lips…it lightened his heart so. "…H-Hey, Nick."
That voice.
He had longed to hear that voice again for a long time, but he moved on, and eventually concluded that he would never, ever hear the voice again after Maya would move on too. But now…
He wasn't expecting this. He was caught totally off-guard. Phoenix didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to react. Two of his ex-girlfriends, plus an eerily familiar face. The hair looked familiar, but anyone could have them. Still, the lavender clothing put an idea in the back of Nick's mind. It must be Pearl, huh? Funny what 10 years could do so much to a child, and so little to an adult.
"…Hi, Maya," he said, before nodding at the other two women, "Iris. Pearl. It's…so good to see you all…" He said, still trying to get over the shock as he walked over to the couch across from them. The man named Apollo sat down with him, as did the girl with the blue hat. "Err, I'm sure you've already met Apollo, ladies," gingerly tilting his head towards Apollo, "and this is my…daughter, Trucy. Say hello, Trucy."
With a smile, the girl named Trucy nodded and waved a little bit. "Hello!"
The two older women simply nodded at her, while Pearl responded with her own "Hi."
Scratching the back of his head, Phoenix attempted to start up the conversation. He really wanted to reconnect with the women who had left his life, if it were possible. "So…err, what brings you here?" He said with an uncharacteristic sweat. Apollo noticed this, raising an eyebrow as he turned to Phoenix's direction.
"Oh, long story. Long story, Nick!" Maya said with a short laugh as Iris nodded in agreement.
Phoenix cleared his throat. "Yes, well, I have all the time in the world now…as you've probably heard," he said, muttering the last phrase a bit quietly.
"Well, I won't really go into details, but it happened today! Just today!" Maya said excitedly. It really was good to see her again, with her bubbly attitude. It was almost as if she repressed her excitable side for when she'd reunite with Nick. "Iris came here, and wanted to live in the Kurain Village, basically, so she just so happened to stumble upon Pearl here, and she led her to me."
Managing a smile, Phoenix nodded, leaning back against the couch. "Wow, what are the chances?" He said with a chuckle. "My, my, Pearly. You've grown a lot in these ten years!"
"Come on, Mr. Nick! Don't treat me like a child! You know I'm older than that now!" She said, gigging a little bit.
The man named Apollo cleared his throat. "Since it'd be impossible not to infer you four know each other, care to enlighten me and Trucy?"
"Ah, yes. This is Maya Fey, Apollo. She's the one I mentioned that one time that was my assistant during my days as a defense attorney, though I had to save her butt more than a few times..." Phoenix said, causing Maya to do that adorable pout, "…and could have almost been Trucy's mommy…" He then proceeded to mumble silently through his teeth.
"Hey! Don't blame me for things that weren't my fault! Even if it caused you so much stress! C'mon, Nick! 10 years and you're still mean!" Maya said, still pouting. That "adorable pout" was like Maya's trademark, like when Pearl would talk about (younger) Phoenix and Maya as a couple, and then accuse them of blushing, regardless of whether they actually were blushing or not. It didn't really matter to Pearls at the time.
"Ha, ha, ha," Phoenix said, laughing. Pearls couldn't help but manage a small giggle herself, while Apollo humorlessly raised an eyebrow. "You had me worried sick. Especially during the JA-4 Incident with that Mark Engarde fellow."
"Matt Engarde, Nicky." Maya corrected him. Phoenix raised an eyebrow. Huh, that was a new one. Nicky.
"You know who I meant."
"Right. Anyway, yeah. She was my assistant when back in my so-called glory days." Phoenix said, now leaning forward.
"Ah, that would explain her…but that doesn't explain the other two, Mr. Wright," Apollo said. Four years and Apollo still has decided to be formal to Phoenix and call him Mr. Wright. He could occasionally call him Phoenix, but other than that, nope.
"Ah, yes. The lovely lady next to her is Iris, my…" Phoenix cleared his throat, bracing himself for a potentially awkward moment, "…ex-girlfriend in college. It was a complicated thing, but it was a real thing."
"It really is good to see you again, Phoenix," Iris said with that sweet smile of hers.
"And then I remember that one time Pearl got jealous and slapped me in the face until I got a nosebleed…" Phoenix said, smirking at Pearl, who crossed her arms and pouted just like Maya. Huh, Pearl seemed to take from Maya a lot, Phoenix noted.
"Oh come on, Mr. Nick! I was only 9 years old at the time!"
With a chuckle, Phoenix continued to talk. "And lastly, this is Pearl Fey, the cousin of Maya Fey, who often tagged along with me and Maya as of about my second year as a defense attorney. Needless to say, things were pretty crazy, hanging out with those two."
"I'm not sure if that's supposed to be a compliment or an insult, but okay," Maya said with a giggle. 29 years old, and still the same. With minor differences, of course.
"You can never tell with him these days," Apollo said, nodding towards Phoenix, "Anyway, it's nice to meet you three," Apollo said formally.
Iris nodded. "Likewise, Mr. Justice."
"Well, now that we're all properly acquainted, would you three like something to drink?" Phoenix offered the women.
"No thank you. We had tea earlier."
"Okay, then. Anyway, what have you ladies been up to in these ten years?"
"Oh, not much, just…" Maya began.
"…Yeah, she lied when she said 'not much.'" Phoenix said, pursing his lips. "We ended up staying there for 4 hours straight!"
"Hmm, fascinating." Franziska said, starting to lose interest, even though she was one of the few senior citizens she knew that didn't have a short attention span. Or a short memory. Or Alzheimer's Disease. No, Franziska was at her mental peak, and she always had been ever since she was 19.
"Anyway, that day was more important to us than we'd ever expected. Because of Iris, our friendships were rekindled, and Trucy found a mommy in Maya, though she was too old for mothers, being 19 years old at the time. Good grief, she was in college by then, and let me tell you, I should've sent her to a different college because they have their Spring Breaks so late—"
"Wright. Stay on track."
"Ah, y-yes, yes. Sorry, my mistake. Anyway, yes, like I said, that day was very important to us. Even though our friendship was rekindled, we had to take in mind why the friendship stopped in the first place; we had moved on. She was busy with her duties as the Master of the Kurain Technique, but now, we had the motivation to make do. We visited each other twice a year, and continued to send letters."
"Good to hear…" Franziska said, "And that explains how you four came back into contact when you reintroduced them to us. Funny how in just 2 years, you met your old…friends…for a lack of a better word, of course."
"Franziska…why are you so opposed to calling us friends? We've known each other nearly our whole lives…"
Franziska didn't give an answer, prompting Phoenix to continue.
"Right, anyway…yes, I'm surprised you remember the exact year we met up again. 2029…"
"Yes. Miles Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma had finally found the great Phoenix Wright, who was no longer in his prime…"
"Heh. Franziska von Karma. I always wondered why you were also so opposed to being called Franziska Edgeworth…"
"Because that would imply I belong to my husband…"
"Not really, but okay."
Uhh…yeah. This chapter ends the Iris arc, but we'll be seeing a little more of Maya soon…whenever I'll get the guts to write another chapter. Reviews, please! They help motivate me to write…
