DONA DIPRIMA: ACE APPRENTICE ATTORNEY

Case 2 – Turnabout Wing

Conclusion

Dona stared in disbelief at the wounded Brunhilde, dumbfounded by what she had done to protect her. The gangster girl hobbled a bit from sudden dizziness, and Sigmund helped her stay on her feet.

"Are you all right!?" he exclaimed.

"Ugh… That really smart… But I'll be fine… Mr. Nibelung…"

"Come on. Let's get you treated."

Sigmund and another bailiff helped Brunhilde walk to the courthouse's infirmary where a nurse could treat her head injury. Before leaving, she faced Dona and Kriemhilde and gave them a thumbs up, indicating that she would be okay.

After all was said and done, Justine shook her head in disappointment and said, "In all my years presiding over cases, never have I seen such a tragic outcome. This case is testament to how evil can manifest in any form, and how we must see through that visage in order to deliver justice."

"Your Honor?" Dona asked. "Will Brune be charged with assault?"

"No, Ms. DiPrima. As we all witnessed, she did it in self-defense, and to keep you safe from Sigurd's rampage."

"That's a relief…"

"Everything's going to be fine, Dona," Phoenix assured her. "The culprit has been arrested, and the Fafnirs will fall apart before you know it. You don't have to worry about your would-be killer remaining at large anymore."

"Yeah…"

"Well then," Justine said, "would the defendant please take the stand?"

Kriemhilde did so, anticipating that she would get the proper verdict.

"It has been a long and arduous trial for everyone, but most especially for you, Ms. Volsung. On behalf of the Goddess of Law, I extend my heartfelt apologies for involving you in this case when you never should have been."

"It's okay, Your Honor. You were all doing your jobs."

"But I'm happy to say that in conclusion of this tumultuous trial, the court finds the defendant, Kriemhilde Volsung… NOT GUILTY."

Everyone in the gallery cheered for Kriemhilde's official acquittal. She gave a bright smile of relief to everyone, and they too were happy for her. Even Sebastian was satisfied with the outcome, despite being the one who indicted in the first place.

To finish it all off, Justine announced, "Court is adjourned!"

The slamming gavel indicated the end of the trial.

November 5, 2027

2:30 PM

District Courthouse – Defendant Lobby No. 3

"Thank you very much, Mr. Wright and Ms. Cykes," Kriemhilde extended her heartfelt gratitude. "Brune definitely made the right choice in asking your office to help with this case."

"I didn't think it would get so complicated though," Athena frowned. "And to think this was all the brainchild of a 13-year old kid only seems to add insult to injury."

"Yes. I never would have imagined that Mr. Nibelung's son would have done so much harm to others for his own desires. I know none of this will bring Mom back, but I can return to my work as a clothing designer and hopefully return Volsung Apparel from the brink of bankruptcy."

"I bet you'll make it even better than before, Kree!" Brunhilde remarked. She didn't need to spend much time in the infirmary, having to go home with only some bandages on her forehead.

"I think it's because Mom was too afraid to trust anyone. But I'm different. Under my tutelage, Volsung Apparel will be a more open-minded company. I just sometimes worry about falling prey to someone who could take advantage of me to further their own ambitions though."

"Don't worry. After I'm done high school, I'm gonna take fashion design courses and help you out. If anyone tries to pull any funny business, they'll have to answer to me!"

"I-I don't think you need to take it that far…"

"Then we should head back to the office and have a bite to eat. I'm starving!" Athena declared.

"Yeah," Phoenix nodded. "You two take care of yourselves now. Let us know how things turn out with your company, Kree."

"I will, Mr. Wright!"

Phoenix and Athena left the happy sisters to rejoice in their well-earned victory and planning for the future. Near the courthouse entrance, they met up with a man in his mid-20s who had short, slicked brown hair save for two blaringly obvious cow licks standing tall over his wide forehead. He wore a red vest over a white shirt, a blue necktie, and red dress pants. While his attire was simple yet loud, he bore one piece of jewelry; a golden bracelet around his left wrist. His name was Apollo Justice, Phoenix's other junior attorney besides Athena.

"Hey, Apollo! Ready to head back?" Athena called out to him.

"Yeah. That was one heck of a crazy trial though," the young man said, his cow licks drooping as if responding to his dumbstruck mood. "I don't envy you guys at all."

"Hah hah," Phoenix laughed. "Well, it wasn't too bad considering that the prosecution had such a weak case from the beginning. I just didn't think it'd take so much work to get to the truth. I don't even know if it could've been possible without Dona's help."

"That girl… DiPrima, was it?" Apollo asked. "She was something else, wasn't she?"

"She was an odd one, that's for sure. But I can't stop worrying about her. Even though Sigurd's been caught, he was still only someone else's client. She's been locked in someone's sights for almost 10 years. It's a miracle that she's still alive."

"Yeah…" Athena murmured sadly. "I wish I could have found out why she has that disorder. It could have been a clue to figuring out the whole story."

Apollo became surprisingly serious as he said, "You got that right. I was watching her carefully during her entire testimony."

He wrapped his hand around his bracelet. "… And my bracelet reacted."

"You mean she had a nervous habit that you perceived!?" Phoenix wondered.

"Yeah, no mistaking it. But I was too far away to get a good look at what it was. If I was able to point it out, then maybe we could have drawn out more information from her."

"So there really is something else that she didn't tell us," Athena sounded sullen as she said this. "Mmmgh, my head's spinning with all of the possibilities! I'm tempted to just pull her aside and interrogate her!"

"I understand your enthusiasm, Athena," Phoenix muttered. "But if she doesn't want it to be our business, then we should respect that. Besides, maybe she doesn't want to get us involved lest we become targets ourselves. Perhaps that's why she was determined to dodge the issue during the cross-examination."

"You could be right… I still can't help but worry about her though!"

"Say, Mr. Wright," Apollo grinned. "Dona's in the defense attorney class at Themis, right? Maybe you should hire her after she passes her bar exam in the future."

"Hire her?" the senior attorney pondered.

"Then we'd be able to keep a close eye on her and gradually poke her for the details under the guise of being friendly co-workers."

"Well… That doesn't sound like a bad idea. But who knows how long that'll be. It'll be four years until she graduates from Themis, and then she has to go to university and pass the bar. No one knows what'll happen to her – or even us – down the line."

"Then maybe there's another way for her to work with us. Don't they have apprenticeships for the senior students at Themis?" Apollo asked.

"They do, but I haven't been accepting apprentices due to our busy schedule…" Phoenix grumbled. "Look, we should let Dona finish her studies first. We can worry about that when the time comes."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm getting carried away because my bracelet reacted…"

"C'est la vie, huh?" Athena pouted. "All right then. Let's go home and celebrate with a big bowl of Eldoon's Noodles!"

The trio of attorneys left the courtroom for the day, satisfied with their victory. The dark age of the law felt like a passing flicker of a thought to them, yet it would come to haunt them in an incredibly cruel fashion a month and a half later. As Phoenix surmised, it threatened to tear the Wright Anything Agency apart by putting their bonds of trust to the ultimate test. But that, as they say, was an entirely different story.

At the same time, Dona had split from everyone else to get a soda from the vending machine before going home. The trial had worked up quite a thirst in her, and she needed to quench it. While guzzling down her beverage, Sebastian found her and asked, "Heading home already, I see?"

"Why, is there anything else for me to do here?"

"Not really. By the way, the court proceedings have been recorded and will be analyzed by your professors at Themis."

"What for?"

"Due to the school's struggling reputation, the head honchos are grasping at straws looking for any way to rebuild it's good standing."

"I see. In other words, this case has become a golden goose for them. But they better be careful. First it was one professor killing another. Now it's one student trying to kill another as a hit job. At this rate, Themis Academy might become known as the 'Academy of Death' instead."

"I-I don't think it'd go that far…" the prosecutor scratched his head nervously.

"Well, it's not my problem," Dona muttered. "It'll be business as usual for me."

"What, they aren't giving you some time off? That's rather cold of them."

"On the contrary. I'd actually feel restless if I just sat around at home."

"If that's how you feel, then I won't stop you. Just tell me one thing before you go."

"What is it?"

"Why do you seek the path of the defense attorney?"

Dona remained expressionless as she closed her eyes. The prosecutor had no idea if she was thinking of something or trying to hold her words back. Then she quietly turned away from him and murmured a strange phrase:

"OD-10."

She didn't look back to see what Sebastian's reaction was while walking out of the district courthouse.

November 6, 2027

1:15 PM

Volsung Residence

Dona went over to Brunhilde's house to spend the afternoon with her. She was especially worried about the injury she sustained from her skirmish with Sigurd and wanted to see if she was okay. Brunhilde had a thick bandage over the wound, but she assured that everything would be fine. They went upstairs to the third-floor atelier where Kriemhilde was working on a dress.

"Ah, perfect! Dona, can you do me a favor?" Kriemhilde asked. "You look to be about the right size. Can you wear this outfit while I make a few adjustments? I need to get the dimensions just perfect for my client."

"I don't mind."

Dona changed into the strip of cloth and allowed Kriemhilde to do her work. Brunhilde watched her sister and took some notes for future study, but that was when her cell phone rang. She answered with, "Hello, Brune speaking… Hm?"

Her expression became peculiar, and she asked, "Who is this? … Wha-!? Gunther!?"

Dona and Kriemhilde watched her as she rushed over to the window to have her surprise conversation in private. Brunhilde exclaimed in as quiet a voice as possible, "Why are you calling me!?"

"H-Hey there… The detention center isn't giving me a lot of time, so I'll make this quick. I wanted to apologize for tricking you on the double date. I wanted to earlier, but I couldn't get the chance to because of all the ruckus surrounding this case. I know you're mad at me, and I know I totally deserve it."

"Well… Of course I'm mad! But…"

"But what?"

"I'm just not used to hearing you like this. I never thought you'd actually go out of your way to apologize to anyone."

"Yeah, I know. I'm an insensitive dumbass, and I badly need to change that. Anyway, I just want to be sure, but do you have the ornament that you asked me to hold on to that day?"

"No. The police have it as evidence."

"That sucks," Gunther sounded disappointed. "I wanted to give it back to you so that you could move on from this and find some other guy to go out with."

"Another guy?" Brunhilde wondered.

"Yeah. I'm sure there are plenty of guys out there who'll make you happy. I just wanted to say sorry and let you move on from this. I've gotta get my act together and figure out what to do from here after I finish serving my time."

"Oh, what did they give you?"

"Well because I turned myself in and am cooperating with the police on taking down the other Fafnirs, my sentence has been commuted to one year in prison, another year of house arrest, and police monitoring for at least two years after I'm released."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"Yeah. Well, I better get back to my cell-"

"Wait, Gunther!"

"Yeah?"

"T-There's something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Well… After you get out of prison… Do you think… you could… maybe go… with me again…?"

"What are you talking about?"

Dona and Kriemhilde watched Brunhilde's cheeks flush red as she explained, "You know what I mean! I-I thought… I could give you another chance…"

"Why? You always called me a violent brute."

"But that's obviously not what you are! That was a rumor spread by Sigurd, wasn't it!?"

"Yeah, but that was to hide the identity of the real boss."

"Then there's nothing for me to worry about! But if I find out that you've been causing trouble for others while in prison, I'm gonna retract that offer and really have nothing further to do with you, understand!?"

"Hold on a minute! You make it sound like I said yes!"

"Well I didn't hear a no!"

"Okay, uh… This is getting kind of weird… Tell you what, I'll give it lots of thought while here, okay?"

"Of course! I'll stop by once in a while to see how you're doing. If you still feel hesitant about it, then I'll respect that."

"Sure. Then I should go. My time's up."

"Right. See you later, Gunther."

Brunhilde hung up and told the others what happened during the conversation.

"You asked Gunther out!?" Kriemhilde exclaimed. "Are you serious, Brune!?"

"I knew you would object, but I think he's serious about changing himself. If he isn't, then I'm going to make sure he's not being half-assed about it while in prison. As long as I'm around, he won't be causing trouble for either of us."

"Well… Okay. It's what you want to do, but you need to take responsibility for it, you hear?"

"Of course I will!"

Dona listened intently to the sisters, unable to offer anything to their conversation. Listening to Gunther's name made her mind wander over to Sigurd. Even though the case was closed and everyone responsible would be serving time, she still felt like there were some unresolved questions that she needed answered.

November 8, 2027

3:30 PM

Juvenile Detention Center

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Dona?"

"I think it is, Bertie."

"In my opinion, you don't need to have any further contact with that… creature."

"Don't worry. It'll just be this one time. After I ask him what I want, I plan on never seeing him again."

"It had better be this once only. The powers that be know how I cannot tolerate your shenanigans for long."

Dona had asked Adelbert to drive her to the city's juvenile detention center where Sigurd would serve his sentence until he turned 18. Dona sat in front of the interrogation window while Adelbert stood several feet behind her. A few minutes later, an officer brought Sigurd, now wearing prison-issued clothing, and he sat down on the opposite side of the window. He had some bandages on his face thanks to the beating that Brunhilde gave him a few days ago, and one of his eyes was almost swollen shut.

"I didn't think you'd come to see me," Sigurd flatly said to Dona.

"Don't get your hopes up. I don't plan on making a habit of it."

"Heh. So you know what my sentence is, don't you?"

"The original sentence was 20 years for the murder, another 10 for attempted murder, plus 4 for perjury, and 2 more years for trying to assault me. Not to mention that the police are investigating your activities as Balmung, so there could be more charges. But since you're turning on your subordinates and telling the police everything, you're cutting off at least the years for perjury and assault."

"Yeah. I'm pretty much spending the rest of my life behind bars."

"As you should."

"Cold as ever, I see. So why are you paying a visit to see a madman like myself?"

"I just have a few questions for you," Dona said.

"What are they?"

"Are you the leader of the Fafnir Crusaders, Balmung?"

Sigurd covered his eyes with his bangs for a moment. Then he grinned with a wicked smile and remarked, "Yes, I am."

"So you accepted a hit job from someone and tried to take my life at least twice?"

"Yes, I did."

"Was the construction site 'accident' all planned by you? Did you actually bait me out to that place so the girder would fall on me?"

"It would have worked wonders had that brute of a woman not come and rescued you."

"Did you have Gunther disguise himself as you for the double date in order to establish your alibi?"

"That loser would do anything I said for money. I would sooner die than be seen in public with that burly harpy, so I had him go in my place."

"Did you kill Grimhilde Volsung with the sentry gun on November 3?"

"I'd do it again if I had the chance. That textbook 'wicked stepmother' thought she could get into Father's pockets by marrying one of her idiot daughters to me. The worst part of it is that Father agreed to it like the lonely fool that he is. Dealing with a forced marriage fueled by obvious financial desires would have compromised my ability to expand my influence across this city."

"Did you try to kill me with the same weapon on November 4?"

This time, Sigurd sighed with resignation. "You're one lucky girl, Dona. That singed hair is proof of how close I was to finishing what I started. I was starting to think that I should be marrying you instead so I could get a bit of that good fortune."

"One last thing." Dona stared hard at him, ignoring his attempt at flattery. It would be the last time she would ever get to see Sigurd, and she needed to ask this last question while burning the memory of her classmate gone twisted in her eyes.

"What is it?" he asked with an empty grin.

"… Who is this client that's ordering my death?"

The gangster boy brushed his hair aside. "I actually don't know."

"Then how did you interact with him or her?"

"Through email. Of course I've thoroughly destroyed any and all messages I received from them, so the cops won't be finding anything. I tried tracking them myself, but it just led to a dummy corporation."

"I see," Dona whispered, then thought, So my hunch was right.

"I shouldn't be the one saying this, but you better be careful. From those messages, I understood that this person hated you with every fiber of their being."

"I honestly don't remember having done anything to upset anyone."

"You don't have to. Just like me, there are some scary people in this world. Sometimes, humans don't need a reason to kill each other."

"You're right."

She stood up and turned away from the interrogation window. Sigurd suddenly said, "You're not going to ask why I became a gangster, or why I want to control this city from the shadows?"

"No. That's for you and Sigmund to deal with. I've already asked what I wanted of you. From this point onward, we are nothing but complete strangers."

"How cruel. But that cool attitude of yours won't last long when you have someone seeking your life like they're playing the Grim Reaper. Are you not going to flee this city in fear of your safety?"

Dona stopped in mid-step and murmured darkly, "Mr. Wright and Ms. Cykes witnessed it for themselves. I don't know what 'real fear' is."

Sigurd wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Come on, Bertie. We're leaving," Dona told the butler.

"About time. This tense atmosphere is not good for my blood circulation," Adelbert muttered.

And with that, the two students parted ways forever. One would suffer the consequences of his villainous actions, while the other would continue to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer. Even if there was some kind of assassin lying in wait for her, she would not falter. In fact, her mind literally couldn't process the very anxiety that was required for one's conviction to waver in the first place. She would just look ahead towards the ideal adult that she wanted to become:

A guardian of the courtroom like Phoenix, Athena, Sebastian, and Justine.

The present day…

October 23, 2031

5:30 PM

Wright Anything Agency

"And that's about it," Dona finished explaining her to story to Trucy. "Hard to believe it's been four years since that trial."

"Woo~ow…!" the magician was at a loss for words. "Daddy never told me anything about this! Boy, I'm so glad I got to hear it from you instead! Now I see why Daddy was so insistent on transferring your apprenticeship to our agency!"

Suddenly, a young man's voice chirped, "You bet!"

"Wah!" Trucy and Dona were startled and they turned their heads around to find Athena and Apollo standing near the door.

"Polly! Don't scare me like that!" Trucy yelled angrily. "When did you two get in anyway!? I didn't hear the door at all!"

"Probably because you were so engrossed in Dona's story," the man raised an eyebrow, then said to Dona, "This is our first time meeting, right? Name's Apollo Justice. Mr. Wright told me about you."

They shook hands, then she said, "I remember seeing you from the Constance Courte trial a while back. My sister and I were in the gallery watching it all unfold."

"That's good. So we're not starting off as total strangers. Did Trucy give you any trouble while greeting you to our office?"

"Other than stealing my student card and taping it to the back of a playing card, she was very accommodating."

"Figures as much…"

Athena smiled and asked Trucy, "Hey, did you show her your Magic Panties trick yet!?"

"No, I wanted to save it for later, but I suppose one quick preview wouldn't hurt," the magician said, then fetched a pair of garish blue and pink bloomers from somewhere in her mantle. "One, two, three, boom!"

She made a Blue Badger doll appear from seemingly out of nowhere. Then with a deft flick of her wrists, the bizarre underwear vanished.

"Interesting," Dona said flatly.

"If you ever have any excess evidence that you need to lighten your hands from, my Magic Panties will make them disappear!" Trucy said.

"Ooh, show her Mr. Hat next!" Athena urged.

"Okay! Ann~nnd-!"

"HOLD IT!"

The group were alarmed by this bellowing call, and they looked at the door to find Phoenix staring at them with a displeased expression.

"Whoa, Daddy!"

"When are you guys going to stop goofing off and do some real work?" the senior lawyer demanded. "Besides, aren't you going to be late for your show, Trucy?"

"Don't worry about that! Dona was just telling me all about when the two of you first met! I couldn't resist listening to her story!"

"Well I think you better get going. Our clientele may be growing steadily, but your shows are our biggest source of a steady income."

"I know that. Then I'll see you later, Dona! Have fun with everyone!"

Trucy left the office to go perform at her show. Phoenix let out an exasperated sigh and said to the student, "Sorry about that. She's a bright and energetic girl, but sometimes that causes some trouble for us."

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Wright," Dona replied. "In any case, I should start familiarizing myself with this office's surroundings."

"Speaking of which…" Phoenix gave Apollo and Athena a dissatisfied expression. "Once again, this place is a total mess. Since there's plenty of downtime, it's time we got on our hands and knees and made this place sparkle."

"Aw man! Cleaning duty sucks!" Athena groaned.

Apollo added, "We haven't been able to do any cleaning because we've been so busy investigating cases for our clients!"

"Well we're not busy now," Phoenix objected. "One of us especially needs to tackle the toilet."

"Allow me, Mr. Wright," Dona offered.

"N-No, I couldn't have you on toilet duty during your first day here," he grinned sheepishly.

"No, I insist. If it will help me get to know this place a little better, then I'll gladly assist in any janitorial duties. Besides, I don't think I would be able to concentrate on my homework when thrust into the middle of such a… um, disaster zone. I am quite the neat freak, after all."

"Hah hah, you don't need to mince words. If you wanna call it a pig sty, go ahead."

"Hmm… I'm not quite fond of such bold vernacular… In any case, just show me where the cleaning products are."

"Alright then. They're over here."

"And thus, this was how I began my apprenticeship at the Wright Anything Agency. Maybe it wasn't off to the greatest of starts, but Mr. Justice would eventually tell me about his own harrowing beginnings with the office as well. In fact, everyone would regale me with stories about their previous trials and experiences. I didn't understand why they were so eager to talk with me about them when I could just as easily pulled up their files and read them myself.

"But over time, I soon began to realize why they were so quick to open up with me. It wasn't about bragging or teaching me anything useful. All they wanted to do was to make me feel welcome. Like I said to Trucy when I first entered that office, I felt like I was intruding in such a lively atmosphere. Sometimes I still feel like I do. After all, I'm just a complete amateur compared to them. But you know what they said after hearing about this tale and the trial I had to defend in recently? They said that I was already like a member of the agency.

"… Were they implying that I attract trouble like they do?"

Turnabout Wing - END