Holy crap, you all thought it was Larry… but you all agree that Nicholas Dreinim's identity was a shock, yet easily hinted at before… THAT MEANS I SUCCEEDED! YAY! Anyway, enjoy this chapter!
XX
November 20, 4:03 PM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 1
Pearl paced back and forth nervously. "What do we do, what do we do…" she mumbled. She halted in front of Apollo. "You know what? Talk to Mystic Mia."
"No!" Apollo hissed. "That's not necessary." These dead people are starting to freak me out.
"But what do we do?" she asked desperately. "I didn't know that Mr. Nick was… did you—"
"I had absolutely no clue," Apollo said flatly.
"Pearls?" Phoenix stood before them with his eyebrows raised. "Is everything ok?" Apollo glared at him.
"When exactly were you planning on telling us that little detail?" he demanded hoarsely.
"What detail?" Phoenix replied innocently.
"That you're Nicholas Dreinim, Mr. Nick!" Pearl said. "Wait a minute… Nicholas… Mr. Nick…" She hung her head. "I get it now…" Phoenix smiled gently.
"I can assure you, I never meant for it to go this far," he said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Apollo asked, before shaking his head. "Never mind. Just answer this question. Did you kill Thomas Franklin?"
"Everything I said in my testimony was the complete and total truth, Apollo," Phoenix said. "I had no idea about the forgeries, and I had no idea that Thomas Franklin was an accomplice. In other words, I have no motive. So no, I didn't kill Thomas Franklin."
"But if you didn't do it, and Miss Faraday didn't do it…" Pearl began uncertainly, "then who did?" Phoenix wore a goofy grin.
"I think I have a pretty good idea," he said. "It sucks for Klarissa that perhaps the most important witness in this case is on the defense's side." Apollo rolled his eyes.
"Don't flatter yourself," he said dryly.
"He does have a point, though," Pearl conceded.
"You're doing really well, Pearls, for someone who's not even out of high school yet," Phoenix complimented, "so don't worry about channeling Mia. I think you'll be fine on your own." Pearl smiled.
"Thank you, Mr. Nick…"
November 20, 4:05 PM
District Court
Courtroom No. 3
The courtroom was unnaturally silent as Apollo and Pearl waited at the defense's bench. Phoenix stood at the witness stand, though he left out his black cloak. Klarissa stood at the prosecutor's side with a cold, calculating gaze. The judge banged down his gavel. "Court will now reconvene for the trial of Miss Kay Faraday," he said sharply. "Ms. von Karma, was that enough time for you to interrogate the witness?
"It was more than enough time," Phoenix answered for her. "As for my testimony… Pearls, do you want it from Phoenix Wright or Nicholas Dreinim?" Pearl frowned slightly.
"Both, please," she said. Phoenix hung his head and smiled.
"Good answer," he said.
Yes, I'm Nicholas Dreinim, but I can assure you, I never meant for it to go this far.
It all started a couple of months after I adopted Trucy.
This court doesn't need to hear again how I lost my job.
Bottom line: piano playing didn't provide enough income to raise a little girl.
Until then, I always thought my Bachelors in painting and drawing from Ivy U was useless.
I decided to finally put that degree to good use, and I became Nicholas Dreinim.
"But why didn't you come to us?" Pearl demanded, slamming her hands down on the table for emphasis. "We could have helped you!"
"I didn't want to borrow money from anyone, Pearls," Phoenix answered.
"But…" she protested feebly.
"We can talk about that later," he said hurriedly. "It's time for the cross-examination."
Cross-Examination
Yes, I'm Nicholas Dreinim, but I can assure you, I never meant for it to go this far.
HOLD IT!
"What do you mean by that?" Pearl asked.
"I sold paintings to make enough money to provide a comfortable lifestyle for Trucy, Pearls," Phoenix explained. "I had no intention of making it into the big leagues." He wore a goofy grin. "I never thought I was that good to begin with. Anyway…"
It all started a couple of months after I adopted Trucy.
HOLD IT!
"What do you mean by 'it all started'?" Pearl asked, frowning confusedly.
"Exactly that," Phoenix said flatly. "I sold my first painting. 'Distant Traces of Beauty,' if I'm not mistaken."
"Did anyone know about this?" she continued.
"OBJECTION!" Klarissa yelled, snapping her fingers. "That question has no bearing on the issue at hand. The judge nodded.
"Objection sustained," he said. "Mr. Dreinim… err… I mean… Mister… um…"
"Mr. Wright is fine, Your Honor," Phoenix said helpfully.
"Mr. Wright, please continue your testimony," the judge concluded.
This court doesn't need to hear again how I lost my job.
HOLD IT!
"I'm not… familiar with that," Pearl said uncertainly. "Mystic Maya never told me."
"Neither am I, for that matter," Klarissa added.
"Long story short, I inadvertently pissed off a fellow defense attorney because his client switched attorneys to me at the last minute, so said defense attorney saw fit to completely ruin my career," Phoenix explained. "Granted, it took me seven years to get back on my feet, but what do you expect when someone accuses you of forgeries? In law, that is, not painting."
"OBJECTION!" Klarissa yelled. "That last statement was unnecessary." Phoenix grimaced.
"Ok, I'll admit that you're the easiest von Karma to deal with, considering that you haven't outright ignored me or threatened me with bodily harm yet, but you're really pushy," Phoenix complained. "You do realize that, don't you?" Klarissa wagged her pointer finger and smirked.
"That particular trait is hereditary," she said as if it explained everything.
"Clearly," Phoenix retorted dryly.
Bottom line: piano playing didn't provide enough income to raise a little girl.
Until then, I always thought my Bachelors in painting and drawing from Ivy U was useless.
I decided to finally put that degree to good use, and I became Nicholas Dreinim.
HOLD IT!
"Meaning you created and sold your first painting?" Pearl asked.
"Yes," Phoenix answered.
"Who bought it?" Apollo croaked suddenly.
"Arthur Barrymore, of course," Phoenix replied, smirking. He broke his gaze away from Pearl and began to stare off absentmindedly. "Of course, he wasn't very well known at the time. I just sold the painting to him because he was willing to pay a lot of money for it."
"And what happened after that?" Pearl asked.
"Do you honestly expect something mind-breaking or ground-shattering to happen after selling one painting?" Apollo asked rhetorically.
"Actually, Arthur Barrymore publicized it," Phoenix interjected. "He told a friend about me, who told another friend, who told another friend. Before I knew it, I was getting commissions left, right and center."
"So that's how you…" Pearl began hesitantly. "I mean… Nicholas Dreinim… became famous?" Phoenix nodded and smiled.
"Yes," he said. "Arthur Barrymore is a businessman, and a very good one at that. If it weren't for him and his connections, I wouldn't be where I am today."
"He's…" Apollo croaked, "a businessman? Does he paint?"
"Not that I know of," Phoenix replied nonchalantly. That would mean… Apollo slammed his fists down on the table.
"Your Honor, the defense would like to cross examine Arthur Barrymore once more," he said hoarsely.
"OBJECTION!" Klarissa yelled. "He has already fulfilled his role."
"OBJECTION!" Apollo held up the sketchbook, unable to yell back. "Not yet, he hasn't." He coughed and cleared his throat loudly.
"I'll do all the talking from now on," Pearl whispered to him. "Just write down everything you want me to say." That's worked out great so far… Apollo thought bitterly. Nonetheless, he quickly scribbled down something on the sketchpad. Pearl scanned it quickly. "Your Honor, the defense would like to make a different request. The defense would like to cross examine Miss Vera Misham."
"Who?" the judge asked.
"Surely you remember her, Your Honor," Phoenix said. "Blue hair, really shy, forged paintings for her father without realizing that what she was doing was wrong, almost killed by Kristoph Gavin…"
"Oh!" the judge gasped. "I remember her! Ms. von Karma, if you would, please summon Miss Vera Misham to the witness stand." Klarissa wagged her finger and smirked.
"I see no need to," she said simply.
"Wh-What?" Pearl stammered.
"Unless you can prove that she has some connection to this case, I will not summon her," Klarissa continued.
"I…" Pearl mumbled. "I…"
"I can do that," Apollo said hoarsely, "and I have the evidence to back it up."
"Very well, Mr. Justice," the judge said. "Show us why we should summon Miss Misham as a special witness."
"TAKE THAT!" Apollo held up the fake 'Warehouse Tiger' painting that Vera had given him before. "Your Honor, Miss Misham created a fake version of Nicholas Dreinim's 'Warehouse Tiger' specifically for this case to show us how to differentiate between real paintings and forgeries. Considering that she herself was unknowingly in the business before, I don't believe it would be too much of a stretch to say that her testimony would be valuable." The judge nodded.
"Very well," he said. "Ms. von Karma, please summon Miss Vera Misham to the witness stand." After a few minutes, Vera stood at the witness stand.
"Vera Misham, please testify to the court about the forgeries," Klarissa ordered.
"Um…" Vera mumbled, chewing on her nails.
"Vera, you have got to stop doing that," Apollo said. "You almost got yourself killed because you wouldn't stop biting your nails!"
"S-Sorry…" she stuttered. "Anyway, my father bought the painting 'Warehouse Tiger' by Nicholas Dreinim a few years ago. To show how you can differentiate between real paintings and forgeries, I have painted a copy of the original painting. Um… Apollo, would you…?"
"Of course," Apollo answered, nodding. He stood next to Vera and held up the original 'Warehouse Tiger'.
"The painting Mr. Justice is holding is the original 'Warehouse Tiger,'" Vera explained. "Note Nicholas Dreinim's signature on the frame, something exclusive to his paintings. If you see the frame of the copy, there is no signature. Furthermore, the colors don't exactly match either."
"And your point is?" Klarissa asked impatiently.
"The most important part about forging artworks is that you can't do it alone," Vera concluded. "One person has to paint, and the other has to sell. It's virtually impossible for one person to do everything."
"This court has already proven that Thomas Franklin was Arthur Barrymore's accomplice," Klarissa snapped.
"Please, Your Honor," Vera begged. "I have a point."
"Then please make it quickly," the judge ordered.
"Mr. Barrymore bought some of my father's paintings…" Vera mumbled. "His originals, that is. My father even attended one of his dinner parties and learned that Mr. Barrymore can't paint at all."
"OBJECTION!" Klarissa protested. "That is irrelevant to this case."
"OBJECTION!" Pearl shot back. "No it's not! Mr. Franklin wrote a note to Mr. Barrymore resigning from his service, so—"
"OBJECTION!" Klarissa interrupted. "That note no longer holds any bearing on this case, as it only served to incriminate Nicholas Dreinim, who has just been proven innocent."
"OBJECTION!" Pearl yelled, slamming her hands down on the table and leaning forward. "We haven't proven anything yet because you won't give us a chance! Mr. Nick is just as suspicious as Mr. Barrymore!" The courtroom went silent. "Wh-What?" Pearl stammered. "W-Was it something I said?"
"And there you have it, Your Honor," Phoenix said. "We've forgotten all about Mr. Barrymore, who is still a potential suspect in this case. For now, the defense would like to cross-examine Mr. Barrymore."
"But Mr. Nick…" Pearl protested feebly. "I just accused you."
"Not formally, you didn't," Phoenix refuted. "Besides, the only way I can prove myself, or Kay for that matter, innocent is by finding the real culprit behind this murder." Pearl nodded.
"Ok…" she mumbled. And so Arthur Barrymore was called once more up to the witness stand. Phoenix and Apollo joined Pearl at the defense's bench, and Vera left the witness stand.
"Witness, please state your name and occupation," Phoenix said.
"Arthur Barrymore," the man said flatly. "Art patron. Businessman." He glowered at Phoenix. "I can't believe that all this time… you were Nicholas Dreinim." Phoenix smirked.
"That was a bit of a shock for almost everyone in this courtroom, actually," he said wryly. "Witness, please testify about your relationship with the victim, Mr. Thomas Franklin."
"I see no point in this," Arthur Barrymore said flatly. "Since when am I a suspect in this case?"
"Pearls, would you like to explain?" Phoenix asked. Pearl nodded.
"Mr. Barrymore, you and Mr. Nick are the only suspects left," Pearl explained. "Neither of you have an alibi—"
"Neither does the defendant," Barrymore said flatly.
"But she made it clear that she didn't come anywhere near your mansion on the night of the murder," Pearl continued. "You and Mr. Nick were both there at the scene of the crime when the murder occurred, so you both are—"
"I have no motive," Barrymore interjected.
"Neither does Mr. Nick," Pearl refuted. "So you both are…" She trailed off and stared at the floor.
"Equally suspicious," Phoenix finished with a smirk. "Well I certainly didn't kill Thomas Franklin. If you cooperate with us, Mr. Barrymore, we may be able to prove your innocence."
"Fine," Barrymore spat.
Witness Testimony: How I knew Franklin
Thomas Franklin was a budding artist back when I first met him.
He was widowed, and he had a two-year-old shackle weighing him down.
He struggled until he met me. He was so desperate, he considered giving up that shackle for adoption.
That all changed when he began working for me.
He would paint, and I would sell his paintings… for a price, of course.
You see, I had… certain commissions of my own.
He soon began to become… obsolete, so I took another form of payment instead.
"What a horrible person…" Pearl mumbled.
"Pearls, I want you to cross-examine him," Phoenix said.
"But there isn't anything wrong with his testimony."
"Then just keep pressing him," Phoenix advised. "When in doubt, just press."
Cross-Examination
Thomas Franklin was a budding artist back when I first met him.
He was widowed, and he had a two-year-old shackle weighing him down.
HOLD IT!
"You mean his daughter Ellis?" Pearl asked.
"Yes," Barrymore said. "The most nauseating part of it was that he loved that shackle more than anything. As I was saying…"
He struggled until he met me. He was so desperate, he considered giving up that shackle for adoption.
HOLD IT!
"You mean he couldn't support poor Ellis?" Pearl asked.
"No, he barely had enough money to support himself," Barrymore said with disdain. "Until…"
That all changed when he began working for me.
He would paint, and I would sell his paintings… for a price, of course.
You see, I had… certain commissions of my own.
HOLD IT!
"And these commissions were the forgeries?" Pearl asked.
"Some of them were," Barrymore answered, "but most of them were things I wanted to see done. Anyway…"
He soon began to become… obsolete, so I took another form of payment instead.
HOLD IT!
"What do you mean by 'obsolete'?" Pearl asked.
"He was a careless driver, and he permanently injured his hand in an accident," Barrymore explained.
"And was the hand that was injured his dominant hand?" Apollo croaked.
"Yes," Barrymore explained.
"But what was the payment that he gave you?" Pearl asked.
"His daughter," Barrymore said simply. "Because Thomas could no longer paint for me, I requested that his daughter work for me instead."
"As a maid?" Pearl whispered.
"A maid, a housekeeper, a servant…" Barrymore clarified. "Whatever you wish to call it." Pearl stared at the floor.
"So she was a slave…" she mumbled. "But… why? Why couldn't you just let them go?"
"The Franklins would not last a week without me," Barrymore said spitefully. "If I cut Thomas off, where would that leave his daughter? Remember, he cared for her more than anyone else."
"HOLD IT!" Apollo yelled as loudly as he could. "You said Thomas Franklin no longer worked for you?"
"That is correct," Barrymore replied.
"Then append this to your testimony," Apollo demanded.
Because Thomas no longer worked for me, I had his daughter Ellis work instead.
OBJECTION!
Apollo crossed his arms and smirked triumphantly. Pearl simply stared confusedly at him. "Gotcha," he said hoarsely.
"Wh-What's going on?" Pearl stammered. "What do you mean?"
"You say that Mr. Franklin stopped working for you," Apollo said, "but here in this letter that he gave to his daughter to give to you, he was resigning." He slammed his fists down on the table and leaned forward. "That means he was still working for you before he died!" Barrymore flinched, and the court broke into chatter. The judge banged his gavel.
"Order!" he shouted futilely. "Order! Order in the court! Mr. Justice! Explain yourself!"
"Thomas Franklin was still working for you before he died," Apollo stated again. "You lied in your testimony!"
"The defense demands that you testify again about what you did that night," Phoenix said suddenly.
"What?" Apollo gasped. "Mr. Wright, what are you—"
"Just trust me on this one, Apollo," Phoenix said, his expression unreadable.
Witness Testimony: What Happened the Night of the Murder
Do I really need to go through this again?
I invited some guests home, and we made our way to the art gallery to peruse the paintings there.
I called the police because my painting was missing.
But I already confessed to having burned it, correct?
Either way, I did not leave my home that evening.
"He's lying," Apollo said almost immediately.
"I know," Phoenix replied.
"I think we have evidence to back it up too," Pearl added.
"This case is finally coming together," Phoenix said. "Go at him with everything you have, both of you."
Witness Testimony: What Happened the Night of the Murder
Do I really need to go through this again?
I invited some guests home, and we made our way to the art gallery to peruse the paintings there.
I called the police because my painting was missing.
But I already confessed to having burned it, correct?
Either way, I did not leave my home that evening.
OBJECTION!
Pearl slammed her hands down on the table. "Mr. Barrymore!" she yelled. "Take a look at this picture. What do you see?"
"Thomas," Barrymore said as he glanced at the photograph of the dead body. "So what?"
"Do you see something else in this photograph?" Pearl asked. "Something else of value?" Barrymore frowned at the photograph.
"Some sort of painting," he said nonchalantly. "Who cares?"
"There is someone who's rather curious about this painting's whereabouts," Pearl said, smirking.
"Who?" the judge asked. Pearl paused dramatically.
"Professor Roland," Phoenix answered finally.
"Who?" the judge asked again.
"The head of the Fine Arts department of Ivy U," Phoenix explained. "Your Honor, if you recall, at the same time a painting was reported stolen from Arthur Barrymore, another painting was reported stolen from Ivy University."
"And that painting reported stolen was 'The Fragrance of Dark Coffee,'" Pearl continued, slamming her hands on the table and leaning forward. "The very same painting in this photograph!"
"OBJECTION!" Klarissa interrupted. "Arthur Barrymore is a forger. There is no guarantee that the painting depicted in the photograph is the original."
"OBJECTION!" Pearl shot back. "How could he forge something that wasn't even his to begin with?"
"Furthermore, no photography is allowed in the art galleries at Ivy U," Phoenix explained, "so he couldn't have taken a picture of the original and then copied it."
"Thomas could have gone and fetched it," Barrymore refuted.
"But you just said he permanently injured is hand and couldn't paint for you anymore," Pearl shot back. "If he couldn't paint, how do you expect him to drive all the way to Ivy University?" The courtroom broke into chatter once more, and the judge banged his gavel.
"Order!" he yelled. "Order in the court."
"Are you saying that I went to steal the painting?" Barrymore asked.
"Yes we are," Apollo said hoarsely. "And you used this to draw suspicion away from yourself…" He pulled out the Masque*deMasque calling card. "TAKE THAT!"
"You tried to frame someone else for the theft," Phoenix clarified.
"And then you burned your own painting and framed Miss Faraday for stealing it," Pearl said, "and you timed it so that the two paintings would be reported missing close to the same time, so that you would appear innocent in all of this." To their surprise, Barrymore smirked.
"You have no proof," he said simply. "And what does your bit of analysis achieve anyway? It still does not answer the main question in this trial: who killed Thomas Franklin?" Phoenix swore under his breath.
"He's right," he conceded. "We've been going around in circles." Apollo glared at Barrymore. My bracelet's reacting… he thought. He's hiding something, and something tells me that it will solve this case once and for all! Apollo slammed his fists down on the table.
"Mr. Barrymore, answer this question," Apollo ordered. "Did you meet Thomas Franklin the night he was murdered?"
"No I did not," Barrymore answered automatically. Apollo crossed his arms and smirked.
"You're lying." The courtroom broke into chatter.
"Order!" the judge shouted, banging his gavel. "Order! Order! Order in the court! Mr. Justice, explain yourself!"
"That will be difficult if the witness refuses to testify," Apollo said. "So Mr. Barrymore, please testify about what exactly Thomas Franklin did for you after the accident that injured his hand."
"I refuse to testify," Barrymore said flatly.
"So you admit to the murder of Thomas Franklin then?" Pearl piped up.
"N-No!" Barrymore refuted.
"Well if you refuse to testify, then you're essentially doing just that," Phoenix said. Barrymore glared at the three of them.
"Fine," he spat.
Witness Testimony: What Thomas Did After the Accident
Thomas used his left hand to paint.
Granted, it took a lot longer for him to complete his works, and his copies were not as stellar as they were before.
So I took Ellis under my wing.
Thomas never ceased to bug me about it. He would constantly ask that I let her go.
"Leave this cross-examination to me," Apollo whispered. "Arthur Barrymore is going down."
Cross-Examination
Thomas used his left hand to paint.
Granted, it took a lot longer for him to complete his works, and his copies were not as stellar as they were before.
So I took Ellis under my wing.
Thomas never ceased to bug me about it. He would constantly ask that I let her go.
Apollo gazed intently at Barrymore, who was rubbing his right hand with his left. He had broken his gaze away from Apollo and was fidgeting nervously with his hands. "He would constantly ask that I let her go…" Just as he said this, he clasped his hands together. Apollo smirked triumphantly.
GOTCHA!
"Mr. Barrymore, do you realize that you fidget with your hands whenever you mention Mr. Franklin and his desire to free his daughter from your clutches?" Apollo asked.
"I do not see how that has any relevance to this case," Barrymore retorted flatly. "Are you insinuating that I murdered Thomas Franklin? Well in that case, you are sorely mistaken. He was strangled to death. There were no fingerprints around his neck, least of all mine."
"I'm so very sorry, Mr. Barrymore, but you're wrong," Apollo said tauntingly, "and I can prove it." He pulled out Thomas Franklin's autopsy report. "TAKE THAT! Thomas Franklin died from a blow to the xiphoid process. He was hit, not strangled… And you had every reason to murder him."
"How?" Barrymore shot back. "Show me your proof." Apollo pulled out the Yatagarasu's calling card.
"TAKE THAT!" He smirked triumphantly. "You said that Thomas Franklin cared more for his daughter than for anything else. He was going to make his knowledge of you public if you didn't let his daughter go. He was going to come clean about his involvement in the forgeries," he slammed his fists down on the table and leaned forward, "which would, in turn, incriminate you!"
"GNNOOOOOOOOOO!" Barrymore bellowed with his hands on his head.
"With Mr. Franklin threatening to reveal everything, you had two people on your case," Apollo asserted. "Kay Faraday, also known as the Yatagarasu, and your own partner in crime, Thomas Franklin."
"You murdered Thomas Franklin, didn't you?" Pearl asked gently. "Because it would get at least one person off your back." Barrymore had turned his head away, and it was starting to unnerve Apollo.
"Proof," he said in a deadly low whisper. "Where's your proof that I did all this?" He snapped his head back to face the courtroom, a deranged smile on his face. "Show me! Where's your proof that I stole the painting from Ivy University and framed it on Masque*deMasque, that I burned my own painting and framed it on the Yatagarasu, that I killed Thomas Franklin to keep him from talking about our little business? Huh? Show me!" This is bad, Apollo thought miserably. I know I'm right, but… I just can't prove it!
"If the defense has no more objections, Your Honor, you may—" Klarissa began.
"OBJECTION!" a new voice yelled. Ema burst through the doors of the courtroom and sprinted to the witness stand.
"Ema Skye!" Klarissa gasped. "Just where have you been?"
"Doing a full body analysis on Thomas Franklin," Ema replied breathlessly.
"And there was no possible way you could do this before?" Klarissa asked, her eyebrows furrowing.
"No, there wasn't," Ema replied irritably, "because I was trying to put your case together and get all the evidence approved."
"Did you find anything?" Phoenix asked.
"Like I said, I did a full body analysis on Thomas Franklin," Ema repeated. "I even looked through his medical records. Turns out he just barely survived a near fatal accident."
"Was the accident really that bad?" Pearl whispered.
"Well he injured his hand permanently, which pretty much ruined his career," Ema said, "but that also… how do I say this… made his body more fragile. There was a handprint at his xiphoid process, and the fingerprints belonged to Arthur Barrymore." The courtroom broke into chatter, and the judge banged his gavel.
"Order!" he shouted. "Order! Order in the court!" Ema glared at Barrymore.
"Shoving people isn't nice, Mr. Barrymore," she said, "unless the person you're pushing is trying to kill someone else. Believe me, I'm an expert." She pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "The jig is up. You're coming with me." She proceeded to lead him out of the courtroom. Kay made her way back to the witness stand.
"Miss Faraday," the judge said, "you have endured so much during this trial."
"We're sorry it dragged out so long," Phoenix apologized, "but we couldn't really prove you innocent unless we found the real killer."
"It's all good!" Kay said cheerfully. "At least that phony was caught in the end."
"Well, now it's time to finally hand down my verdict," the judge said. "I pronounce the defendant, Kay Faraday, NOT GUILTY. Court is adjourned." He banged down his gavel one last time.
November 20, 5:15 PM
District Court
Defendant Lobby No. 1
"Thanks a lot, you guys!" Kay said cheerfully.
"It was no problem at all, Kay," Phoenix replied, chuckling. Pearl exhaled sharply.
"That was exhausting…" she mumbled.
"I know it can be pretty stressful at times," Phoenix told her, "but you just have to do it." Pearl gave him a weak smile in return.
"I know," she replied.
"NIIIIIIICK!" Maya hollered as she, Iris, Edgeworth and Trucy burst into the defendant lobby.
"Well, Kay, looks like you survived another murder accusation," Edgeworth said, smirking. Maya scoffed.
"She has nothing on me," she said. "I was accused of murder three times."
"That's not exactly something you should be proud of, Maya," Phoenix said uncertainly.
"Whatever," she replied nonchalantly. She quickly trapped her cousin in a bear hug. Pearl gave a small "eep!" as she glomped her. "Pearly, that was amazing!"
"I-I really didn't do anything…" Pearl mumbled, her face red.
"The way you stood up to Klarissa was rather impressive," Edgeworth acknowledged.
"Apollo?" Trucy called uncertainly. "Are you ok?" Apollo nodded. "Your voice is gone, isn't it?" Apollo nodded again, and Trucy draped her arm around him. "Don't worry! Once we get home, I'll make you some nice hot tea. You'll feel better in no time!"
"Feenie…" Iris mumbled quietly.
"Hey Iris," Phoenix greeted casually, pecking her on the cheek. She giggled in response.
"Ugh," Maya groaned. "Get a room, you two. Seriously."
"So how does it feel now that everyone knows?" Iris asked.
"Knows what?" Trucy asked.
"That Nick's Nicholas Dreinim," Maya replied as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.
"Wait a minute," Pearl whispered. "You knew?"
"We were the first people Wright came to when this little fiasco happened," Edgeworth explained.
"You knew and you didn't tell us?" Pearl asked. Apollo flipped open Vera's sketchbook.
"OBJECTION!" Seriously, why am I always the one out of the loop?
"Daddy, why didn't you tell me you were having money trouble?" Trucy asked her father, wide-eyed. "I could have helped! I could have done more shows, I could have…" She trailed off and Phoenix gave her a one-armed hug.
"Trucy, you were eight years old, your grandfather had just died, your father had just disappeared, and your only other family member was in jail," Phoenix said matter-of-factly. "The last thing I wanted was to burden you with more troubles."
"But…" Trucy protested weakly. "You didn't have to…"
"Become Nicholas Dreinim?" Phoenix finished. "Hey, I rather like painting. Becoming Nicholas Dreinim reminded me of why I became an art major in the first place."
"And why's that?" Kay asked.
"It's calming," Phoenix answered. "It's relaxing, and I'm good at it. Most of all, I feel that whenever I paint, all my troubles evaporate. It really is a nice feeling." He gave them a sort of half smile. "I guess becoming Nicholas Dreinim is one of the best things that's happened to me over the years." He exhaled sharply. "But it's time to end it."
"You're not going to paint anymore?" Iris asked.
"No, I'll still paint," Phoenix said. "I just won't sell my paintings anymore. It's not like I need the money anymore anyway."
"Well that's good to hear," Maya said.
"You really should have told us, though, Mr. Nick," Pearl said disapprovingly. Phoenix laughed.
"I know, I'm sorry," he replied.
And so that trial came to a close. It sucked that I couldn't do much because I lost my voice, but I'm glad we still won the trial in the end. I always thought that all these random friends of Mr. Wright appearing all over the place would be annoying, but, surprisingly, I like it. Mr. Wright, Trucy, Maya, Pearl, Iris, Mr. Edgeworth and I have formed a sort of family. A loud, obnoxious, dysfunctional family, but I wouldn't give it up for anything.
Now as for my friends…
November 21, 11:32 AM
Wright Anything Agency
"Come on, Apollo!" Trucy yelled. "Drink your soup, or you'll never get better!"
"I'm not hungry," Apollo croaked.
"But what about your Chords of Steel?" Trucy protested.
"They need a break," Apollo muttered bitterly. Trucy pouted.
"They're going to crash and burn and die if you don't drink your soup!" she insisted, picking up a spoonful of soup and shoving it into Apollo's mouth. He grunted in disapproval, but swallowed the soup nonetheless.
"So when are you coming back?" Ema asked. She sat on the couch with her laptop on her lap, her chin resting on her hands.
"Miss me already, Fräulein Detective?" Ema rolled her eyes.
"You wish," she retorted.
"Hi Klavier!" Trucy greeted cheerfully as she plopped down next to Ema.
"Good morning, Fräulein," the blonde prosecutor greeted pleasantly. His face was on the screen of Ema's laptop, and, in a tiny box at the bottom of the screen, Trucy could see Ema's and her face.
"To answer your question, Ema…" Klavier began, "I am about to board a plane back to Los Angeles."
"Yay!" Trucy cheered loudly. "You're coming back!"
"Finally," Apollo said in a hoarse whisper. "I don't want to deal with that von Karma lady ever again."
"Oh come on, Apollo," Ema reprimanded. "She isn't that bad."
"Says the person who keeps complaining to me about how she chops your salary like it is…" Klavier began. "What did you say it was?"
"Sushi," Ema finished. "She chops up my salary like it's sushi because it's 'uncustomary for detectives to make more than prosecutors'." Trucy giggled.
"So why don't you just quit?" Apollo asked.
"Maybe you're right," Ema grumbled. "I'll become a prosecutor like my sister, even… So when did you say you were coming back?"
"Right now," Klavier answered flatly. "Prosecutor Klavier Gavin is back. Achtung, baby!"
THE END
XX
Whew! Glad that case is done. I hope you all enjoyed it!
NEXT TIME ON APOLLO JUSTICE: NEW BEGINNINGS… Prosecutor Klavier Gavin is back in town with his new hit single, "Dusting for Fingerprints". Three friends attend his concert, but one of them ends up dead, and the prime suspect is… Ema Skye?
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