October 17th, 12:02pm
Alleyway
You'd think that running five blocks in five minutes wouldn't have been too tall an order, even for a pair of white-collar folks like Apollo and Athena. Sadly, they wasted several of those minutes trying and failing repeatedly to determine exactly which direction 'west' was. That was why they were just a few minutes late when they entered the alleyway mentioned in the note, which was right in-between an abandoned building and a small jewelry store.
Looking around, they just saw a bare alley, connecting two disparate streets, with a light amount of refuse strewn about, no sign of anyone waiting on them. Apollo almost voiced his concerns that the Yatagarasu had never meant to arrive, or that they'd left when it seemed the lawyers wouldn't show, but before he could something happened.
As if someone was shifting a color gradient in a computer program, the world around him and Athena went dark. The ends of the alley both went completely black, and the interior of the alley was now so dimly lit, it almost felt like night had suddenly fallen. He saw from the corner of his eye as Athena gathered herself up in a combat stance, just in case she had to throw down. "Ahahahahaha!" came a rolling laugh from above them, and they could barely make out a dark shape descending from above to land a few feet away, crouched to absorb the shock of the landing. "So, you did get my letter after all!"
They stood to their full height, and Apollo knew the newcomer was the Yatagarasu. Like Mask DeMasque, the thief was wearing a costume. This one didn't include an ornate mask under a wide-brimmed hat, instead simply looking like a dark silhouette with clothes on. Said clothes were rather plain, all in dark blues and blacks, but there were a lot of them. Scarves and belts and pouches and such, all of it still far more practical than the austentatious garb of the more famous phantom thief. The only recognizable symbols that Apollo could see were the one that had been on the envelope he'd found, which was barely visible on the face, and what looked like some sort of key symbol on the left arm. In terms of build, they appeared to be of the same height as him, with an athletic and slightly feminine figure.
Crossing his arms, Apollo told the Yatagarasu, "I did. Also, I'll need to double check what you left me later on, but I don't think it covered what you took." That got a snort of laughter from Athena, though she still looked tense.
The thief sounded like they were close to laughing themselves, though like everything they said, the sound was muffled by what they wore around their face. "You can give me an invoice for it later, Justice." With the figure's words full of good humor, and barely restrained giggling, Apollo felt sure he'd heard the voice before, sometime recently as well. But then they turned serious as they continued to speak. "Until then, we have business. I've had my eyes on that case of yours, and since it's all about my archnemesis, I feel like I have to do what I can to assist you." Then, the thief extended a hand covered in a long black glove. "That said, I want your word you and your assistant won't do anything to try and get me arrested based on what I tell you."
Athena took a step forward to do just that, but Apollo held up an arm to bar her path. He took a moment to consider his response, before telling the Yatagarasu, "I'm not a prosecutor, but I'm still a servant of the law. You're asking a lot of me. In return, I want your word that you'll deal with us fairly. You're not using us. We're equal partners." Asking for the word of a thief still rubbed Apollo the wrong way, but what he'd read of this particular criminal online did make him think that, just maybe, they'd actually mean what they agreed to.
"Who would have guessed he'd remind me of Miles..." The Yatagarasu had said it quietly, enough that Apollo barely made out the words, and he didn't think he'd been meant to hear it at all. But then the figure nodded their head and told him, "That works well for me." They shook hands, and then the thief asked, "Any burning questions you wanted addressed first?"
Apollo was tempted to start off with 'What's your name?', but knew that would be pretty rude of him, especially after they'd just agreed to work together. So instead, he threw out, "Can you tell me more about yourself, and what you've been doing?" After all, this entire case everyone had been talking about Mask DeMasque, but no one seemed as interested in this bird-themed criminal.
Doing a bit of posing, the Yatagarasu replied, "You know how the current Mask DeMasque is the fifth one? I'm a bit of a legacy thief myself, the second Yatagarasu. I'm proud to carry on my family's legacy!" They certainly did sound proud, Apollo thought, but he'd already known this person was at least the second thief to use that name. All he could remember about the original was that they'd been active before Mr. Wright had begun his legal career, though just before he'd lost his badge they'd made a resurgence of sorts. "As for what I've been doing, that's simple: what all true Yatagarasu do! I steal the most valuable thing in the world, the truth."
It had only been a day since Apollo had used his work laptop to find out what he could about the Yatagarasu, but it had been a hell of a day at that. He tried to recall as much of it as he could, pushing his index finger into his temple as he thought. "Let's see...from what I could find, you've been striking the same places as Mask DeMasque, taking important confidential information and leaking it to the public." It was obviously still illegal, but Apollo could see how the thief saw it as stealing 'the truth', and how they could look at their crime in a moral light.
"That's right. It's been hard, but I've managed to keep on the trail of my nemesis, and use their escapades as cover for my own adventures. It's taken a lot of time, effort, and more than a little bit of magic to keep it all going, but I thought I might be able to find out their identity this time..." Their last words carried a sorrowful tone. Clearly, whoever this was hadn't wanted a murder case to crop up in their wake.
That made Apollo wonder something, though. "Hold on, did you...did you already successfully steal something? If so, what kind of 'truth' was it?" There was urgency in his voice. Depending on who they stole from, and what was stolen, the fragile peace Rayfa, Nahyuta, Amara, and Apollo had worked to build could be shattered in an instant.
Judging by the chuckle Apollo got in response, the thief thought his concern was funny. "Don't worry your pretty head. I didn't target your family, but instead took some things from a few snakes hiding in your grass. When I'm done deciphering it all, I'll deliver it to your brother. I'm sure he'll love to see who in the palace shouldn't have the job they do now." That didn't completely soothe Apollo's fears, but he had to grudgingly admit it would be nice to see how well the capital had been infiltrated by their enemies.
It was time to ask the more relevant question, though. Before Apollo could, however, Athena jumped in to ask it for him. "So what do you know about the case we're investigating?" Out of the corner of his sharp eyes, Apollo saw Athena was playing with an earring idly, almost looking lost in thought.
The thief made an annoyed, grumbling sound. "Not as much as I'd like to. A little after 9 o'clock that night, I was on my way to the palace for my grand heist when I passed the traveling exhibit." Apollo's body tensed. Some actual testimony about that theft? "It's the weirdest thing, but I saw the painting everyone's all upset over melt into goo. At least, I think I did, I was pretty far away." That...was confusing to hear. Especially since, based on what Apollo knew of the crime, the painting had already been stolen by that point. "Then, when I was in the palace, I can confirm seeing a few people there, though none of them saw me. There was that White Council guy, the fawning courtier, and the lady running the exhibition, in that order."
There was certainly some new information. What was Anna Fanna doing in the palace, in the middle of the night? "Would you be willing to sign an affidavit to these facts?" The Yatagarasu recoiled at that, and Apollo quickly added, "Don't worry, I wouldn't make you sign your real name, your title would be fine. I just need something I might be able to use in court."
They seemed to consider that for a second, then acquiesced. "Okay, lawyer boy, you convinced me. Got some paper and a pen?" Apollo did, because of course he did, and as the Yatagarasu filled out what they'd told him on the notebook paper he'd lent, he had something else to tell them.
"You can sign it while pretending to just be one person, if you want. I could understand not wanting everyone to know your secret." Apollo couldn't help but deliver the line with his arms crossed, a cocky smile on his face. The Yatagarasu froze, and Athena gasped.
"Mein gott!" Athena whispered. "The Yatagarasu is a creature from Japanese mythology, a crow with three legs. So that means there are..."
"...three of them, that's right," Apollo said, finishing her sentence. "The symbol is what first got me thinking. Then, they claimed to use magic, but when we shook hands I didn't feel anything like the zaps I've been getting when I touch a practitioner."
There was a moment of silence at that, before the Yatagarasu gave their reply. "That's pretty circumstantial, don't you think? Plus, what if I'm not a mortal being, they don't give away their presence with a little jolt of electricity, you know."
Apollo actually hadn't known that, but the rejoinder didn't dissuade him from his conclusion. "True, but you've got a pretty distinctive voice, even to my untrained ear. I ran into you yesterday, when you were in need of directions. And, as I recall, you weren't alone at the time, but traveling with two friends. I think the three of you together are the Yatagarasu." That was where his train of thought had led him.
There was a short pause, one that almost left Apollo doubting if he'd been completely wrong. Then, something changed in the Yatagarasu's posture, and he could feel them beaming at him through the black face covering. "Nice one! It took Mr. Edgeworth a lot longer to figure that out with the first Yatagarasu." The familiar name being dropped so casually took Apollo by surprise, and seconds later, from the darkness, two other figures wearing what looked like identical costumes appeared at the sides of the person he'd been speaking too. They reached up to pull off whatever hid their face from him, revealing herself to be the woman he'd seen the day before, with a cheerful disposition and wide grin. "The name's Kay! I supply the master thief skills to the Yatagarasu."
The others were taking off their masks too. The woman to Kay's left was the tallest, though they must have done something with the shoes of the others to equalize them out, to make them look indistinguishable at a glance. Her hair was still bright pink, but the lip piercing she'd worn the day before was absent. "I'm Molly, and I'm the team's wizard. I'm great at making things disappear." While not as energetic as Kay, Molly seemed to be warm in her own way.
"..." The third member of the Yatagarasu, now to the right of Kay, looked just as stoic as she had when Apollo had first met them. "Cass. I fight, when I have to." At first blush, the idea she was the team's muscle was surprising to Apollo. She'd seemed rather small, but that showed him for basing things on appearances. He was also starting to realize there was nothing necessarily abrasive about her stoicness, she just seemed to like keeping to herself.
There was something else to Cass as well, something about how Athena reacted to seeing her and hearing her name. But whatever it was, it didn't look like she was going to share it with Apollo, at least not then and there. But he had something else he wanted to ask. Facing Molly, he brought up, "We were talking with Harry Dresden just a few hours ago, and he was telling us about an apprentice he'd once had, someone who was great with illusions and hiding." For a second, the girl looked like she'd try to deny it, so Apollo added, "He also said her name was Molly."
It almost seemed as though Molly might still try to avoid being named as Harry's apprentice, but just as she was opening her mouth to speak, Kay gave her a look and thumped her on the shoulder with one fist. Rolling her eyes as she rubbed the spot where she'd been hit, Molly admitted, "Yeah, okay, the big goof was my teacher." She sucked in a breath, and it sounded like this was a topic she didn't really enjoy discussing. "I haven't seen him in years though...does he seem like he's doing okay? He's not getting himself nearly killed every other day, is he?"
Apollo was going to tell her that yes, he absolutely was barely surviving from what he'd seen, but Athena covered his mouth with her hand and answered for him. "Oh, he seemed like he's doing really well! He's pretty fit for someone his age." She withdrew her hand, but Apollo didn't contradict her. Athena had better social skills than he did, so he'd take her lead if she thought that was the better course of action.
Molly looked like she wanted to believe it, letting out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear, honestly."
Getting back on topic, Apollo told her, "Our client, Queen Rayfa, has no memory of what happened to her on the night of the crime, and Harry could tell there was some kind of magic done to her mind. But he can't tell what, though he thought someone with your skills could." He could have left it there, the implication was clear, but Apollo decided to just come out and ask it. "Do you think you could get into Arctis Tor to see her, give us a second opinion?"
"Ugh," Molly replied, flinching at the idea of what he was asking of her. "I'd love to help, but Winter and me...have a lot of history. Bad history. There's no way I'd be let in without some kind of steep payment...I'd have to sneak in undetected." Apollo sagged a little. He'd hoped someone might be able to help figure out that crucial piece of the puzzle, and Molly seemed like the perfect person for it. He was about to tell her it was okay, they'd figure it out, when Molly spoke up. "I'll do it. Just let me know what cell she's in, and I'll find a way." Apollo hadn't expected that, and both he and Athena expressed their gratitude. "Thanks, but you're still asking a lot of me. A favor from each of you sound like a fair trade?" They nodded, seeing no harm in that, and suddenly something felt like it clicked into place, something intangible that Apollo could nonetheless know with certainty had changed for him. He shivered. Freaking magic. "Cool. We've got work to do still, but I can meet you there in a few hours."
That taken care of, Apollo got the affidavits he needed, feeling a little more secure now. This case was starting to look solvable, now. Once they'd given him what he needed, the three Yatagarasu said their goodbyes, and disappeared into the darkness once more, seconds before it faded away, leaving Apollo and Athena standing in a normal alleyway once more. Checking their phones, that little encounter had eaten up more than half an hour of their time. And they had no clue where to go next while they waited for Molly. With no other ideas between them, they headed back to Apollo's office.
October 17th, 12:46pm
Justice Law Offices
There was someone waiting for them when they got there. "...and then, Mr. Wright shouted 'Objection!' and pointed his finger," Ahlbi was explaining to the guest, gesturing dramatically as he spoke. Harry Dresden was sitting in one of Apollo's office chairs, and it was just a bit funny to see someone as tall and lanky as him bent into something like normal posture. Ahlbi turned to look at Apollo and Athena as they entered, stopped what he was doing before, and nervously explained, "Oh, Mr. Justice! I was just telling this visitor about how I met Mr. Wright."
Harry, looking just above Apollo's eyeline, raised an eyebrow. "Sounds to me like you're a bit of a copycat, Perry Mason." This wasn't the first time Apollo had heard something like that, and he couldn't stop himself from grinding his teeth behind closed lips, aggravated just a bit to be denigrated like that once more. "Don't lose your cool man, I'm just messing with you," Harry said, raising his hands palms up, in a show of surrender. "Trust me, if you ever met my mentor, you'd be saying the same things about me. How's investigating been?" While he waited for Apollo to answer, he took a sip from a bottle of Kooba Cola, which Apollo guessed Ahlbi had given him before he'd entered. The kid did enjoy being polite to visitors.
Deciding not to share everything he'd learned just yet, partially out of wanting to keep Molly's secret, Apollo just told him, "Not bad, but it could be better. We're trying to piece together everything we can about the night of the crimes, so we can solve all of them before court tomorrow." Then, he smiled. It was good fortune to run into Harry, since he was the last person Apollo had yet to hear from. "Can you tell us what you were doing that night?"
Something in Harry's face hardened a little at that. "What, you guys think I did it?" Rolling his eyes, Apollo shook his head. Of all the people in this case, Harry was probably the one he least suspected of being a thief. Whatever stormcloud had rolled over Harry's face moved on, and he instead looked pensive. "Let's see...I spent most of the day at the exhibit with Anna. She'd called me in after getting the calling card, and I'd been taking turns playing guard dog or detective, depending on what felt right. Then, around 8 or so, she and I went out on a dinner date, at her invitation." A lot of people Apollo knew would have been blushing at talking about something like that, but Harry spoke of the event casually. It reminded him of Mr. Wright, when he was at his most mature.
Clasping her hands together, Athena was grinning at the guest. "Oh really? Why didn't you say so sooner! How was it?" Apollo didn't feel like that was necessarily relevant, but he wasn't going to stop her from asking it either.
That question did make Harry wince a little. "It was...okay? But as you get older, you get a good sense of who you've got something with, and who you don't. We enjoy each other's company, but it's not going to go any further. I told her that after the dinner, and she seemed to take it pretty well." Apollo wasn't sure what 'pretty well' was on Harry's barometer. Light sadness? Complete acceptance? Throwing a drink in his face? "Anyway, I checked on the painting around 9pm, got changed back into my wizard duds at my hotel room, dealt with an annoying traveling salesman, then went back to continue guard duty. But when I got there, the painting was gone. That was at something like 9:30." That was how he'd been able to nail down Rayfa's alibi in court on the first day, Apollo thought.
Athena looked like she was about to say something more revealing than Apollo would have wanted, but at a look from him she amended her reply to, "Oh, that's really useful, Harry!" They were both thinking the same thing. The Yatagarasu, or as he later learned while getting the affidavits, Cass saw the painting in the exhibit melt into goo sometime a little after 9pm. They didn't know what that meant, necessarily, but it did place the painting disappearing from the scene between Harry checking on it, and him leaving.
Still, he had to ask about that whole melting business, since it definitely seemed magical. But he had to do it without arousing Harry's suspicions. Doing his best (and more than a little awkward) attempt at subterfuge, Apollo asked, "So, hypothetically, if we heard from a witness that they saw something melt into a puddle of goo, what would that mean, magically speaking?"
The question definitely was making Harry think, "Uh, melting into goo? Like, what kind of goo are we talking about here? Slimer green, Ghostbusters 2 pink, what am I dealing with?"
Apollo realized that was probably a good question, but his witness hadn't given him much in the way of details, only that it was, well, goo. But then Apollo remembered: Harry had been looking that crime scene over on the day they first met, and he never mentioned anything about finding something strange where the painting had been. Hoping he was on the right track, Apollo hedged, "Something that doesn't leave any traces behind?" He felt kind of silly even talking about the subject.
Still, it looked like that had been the right question. Harry's eyes lit up with recognition. "Yeah, that sounds like ectoplasm." Neither Apollo nor Athena knew what to make of that information, so Harry explained. "Except in really rare circumstances, beings and objects from the Nevernever don't actually show up in the real world. Instead, they build replicas of themselves with ectoplasm. When the energy keeping the stuff in that shape goes away, it dissolves back into slime, but it's hard as hell to find traces of it even seconds later. It just evaporates into nothing." Apollo and Athena shared a look. Magical objects, replacing an original? Harry didn't miss what their eyes were doing. "You two want to share with the class?"
Athena fielded that one. "We'd love to, but uh..." Apollo guessed she was looking for a good enough excuse beyond, 'We don't know if we should tell you', before she settled on, "You never know who could be listening, right?" He seemed to accept that, though it did make Apollo feel just a little bad.
"Alright, keep your secrets. Maybe when you two explain it to me later, you can also tell me what 'poggers' is supposed to mean. Heard some teen say it at a Big Belly Burger last week, and now I can't get it out of my head." Then, Harry stood up and stretched. "Anyway, we should probably head back to Arctis Tor."
That was odd. "So early?" Apollo asked. "It's not even close to evening yet."
That got a shrug from Harry. "It's an order from the boss bitch herself. Apparently she's doing something with folding the Nevernever for another scheme or...you know what, I barely understand it, I won't try to explain it. To put it simply, even if we leave now, we'll get to Arctis Tor with enough time to get a substandard amount of sleep pre-trial." That was unexpected, but Apollo realized it did work in their favor. Hopefully, they'd get there around the same time as Molly. After Athena took a few seconds to load up her pockets with the snacks that hadn't been pilfered by thieves, they headed out once more for the land of the Fae.
?
Arctis Tor - Detention Room No. 32
It hadn't been hard to shake Harry off once they'd gotten to the icy castle. Apparently, once someone gets up to his age, sleep becomes even more important. Or so he told them. As they entered Rayfa's room, Apollo made sure to hold the door open for a few seconds longer than was strictly necessary, in the hopes it would help Molly enter.
As it turned out, that hadn't been needed. Rayfa was sitting on the bed, and after the door closed Molly appeared from nowhere a few feet away from Rayfa. She was wearing the normal clothes Apollo had seen her in before rather than her thieving costume. It looked as though they'd been talking about something, but stopped when the door opened.
"How'd you beat us here?" Apollo asked, confused. "You said you wouldn't be here for a few hours, and we left less than an hour after running into you." By all accounts, it didn't make sense.
Molly smiled at that, and there was something predatory in it that reminded Apollo starkly of her mentor. "Oh, that? I used a different Way here than him, avoided all that messy stuff the queen was doing." It felt like she was pointedly avoiding Mab's name.
"That is all well and good," Rayfa said, sitting up a little straighter on the bed and projecting her voice more, trying to sound more royal. "But shouldn't you do what you came here to do, Molly?" Ah, Apollo thought, she'd already been filled in. That made things a lot easier.
From an outside perspective, Molly's mental check-up looked a lot like Harry's. Yet, even to an amateur's eye, there was something more sure to her movements as she did it, mixed with just a hint of reluctance. Did she not like looking into people's heads for some reason?
The session lasted nearly half an hour, leaving Apollo and Athena to go over their notes together. Apollo was pretty sure he knew was getting to the heart of this mystery, and only needed a few more pieces to finish it all.
When Molly opened her eyes, she looked very worried. "Stars and stones," she muttered, shivering as she did so. Rayfa's eyes stayed closed, still laying back on the bed, unconscious until Molly woke her up from the enchanted sleep. "Sorry, but it's all bad news. First and foremost: I can't recover the lost memories. They're not blocked or hidden, they're just plain gone." The bottom fell out of Apollo's stomach at that. He'd been really hoping they could get something back.
One of Athena's hands had gone to her mouth, which was agape. "They're just gone? She's never going to know what happened to her?" For a second, Apollo wondered why she was so horrified by that idea. Then, he remembered her own history with distorted memories, and understood why something like this might hit her a little harder.
It was clearly affecting Molly quite a bit as well. "Unless who or whatever stole them chooses to give the memories back, no. But there's more." Apollo braced himself for what was to come. "Before they wiped her memory, the culprit immobilized her and put her into a trance. From there, she was controlled like a puppet, losing memories of what she'd been through when the strings were cut." That tracked with what Da'ra had said, Apollo thought. He'd witnessed Rayfa walking through the palace that night, carrying the stolen painting. "It was artfully done, too perfect to be a warlock. The creature that invaded her mind was some kind of Fae, though I can't tell if it was Seelie, Unseelie, or Wyld. Regardless, it's someone who can't abide the touch of cold iron."
At those words, the final dots connected in Apollo's mind. He wasn't happy with the conclusion he'd reached, but at the very least, he could walk into the courtroom the next morning knowing who his real enemy was.
COURT RECORD
Evidence
Attorney's Badge (Other): The proof of my profession. Now that I have my own office, it feels more real, y'know?
Mask DeMasque's Thefts (Document): A list of the thefts' locations, their dates, and what was stolen. Updated with victims.
June 6th, Borginia, Chandelier (Containing stolen pixies), the White Council of Wizards.
June 24th, Bialya, Enchanted Sculpture, The Jade Court of Vampires
July 15th, Cohdopia, Ruby, the Dragon Pyrovax
September 2nd, London, Manuscript, the Fomor
October 14th, Khura'in, Painting (Of Mab), the Unseelie Traveling Exhibit
Magic and You: Are You a Wizard? (Document): A pamphlet made by Harry Dresden explaining how magic works.
Mortal practitioners interfere with technology nearby them.
The Sight lets a mortal wizard see the true nature of things. It also allows Soulgazes.
Soulgazes happen when a person with the Sight looks any mortal directly in the eyes. The wizard can see their soul, but the mortal sees their soul in return.
Wizards can open Ways into the Nevernever.
People are born with a certain amount of magical potential, those with a lot can be trained into being wizards.
Magic Circles can be used by mortal practitioners for a variety of uses.
Magic can be used by Vampires and the Fae as well as wizards. Fae are gravely hurt by touching cold iron.
Magic can be divided into Evocations, immediate spells, and Thaumaturgy, ritual spells.
The Frozen Queen (Other): The painting stolen from the Unseelie Traveling Exhibit. Found under Queen Rayfa's bed, and has her fingerprints on it. Is clearly of Queen Mab.
Mask DeMasque's Costume (Other): The signature costume of the famous thief, sighted during several of the crimes. Not found in the Khura'in Mansion. Recently found on the body of Sah'kred Pahrohtektor.
The Laws of Magic (Document): A pamphlet made by Harry Dresden explaining the Laws of Magic as determined by the White Council of Wizards.
1st Law-Thou Shalt Not Kill. (Only applies to killing with magic.)
2nd Law-Thou Shalt Not Transform Others.
3rd Law-Thou Shalt Not Invade the Mind of Another.
4th Law-Thou Shalt Not Enthrall Another.
5th Law-Thou Shalt Not Reach Beyond the Borders of Life.
6th Law-Thou Shalt Not Swim Against the Currents of Time.
7th Law-Thou Shalt Not Open the Outer Gates.
The first five Laws only apply towards mortal humans, not supernatural beings.
Self-defence can work as a defence, but accidents can't.
Penalty is death or probation on pain of death if broken.
Autopsy Report (Report): The victim, Sah'kred Pahrohtektor, died sometime between 9pm and 10:30pm on October 14th from immolation. Details on bones show victim may actually be in his early 20's, while the number of injuries (nearly 100 broken bones across the entire body) imply a more advanced age. The victim was covered in traces of a napalm-like compound. This is explained by him being a White Court Vampire.
Crime Scene Notes (Other): The scene was built with magic circles installed in the floor. They appear to have kept the fire contained. Harry found traces of magic at the scene, but can't be sure what kind of spell was involved, or what kind of being cast them. He is sure it was an evocation.
Broken Glass (Other): A piece of broken glass found under the desk at the crime scene. Covered in a strange liquid, revealed by Ema Skye's investigation to be a napalm-like liquid chemical.
Crime Scene Photo (Photographs): A picture of the crime scene as it was first found.
Mental Magic (Other): Rayfa was magically attacked on the night of the crime. The memories from that time are completely gone, and she was immobilized and operated like a puppet. Whoever did it was a Fae of some kind.
Yatagarasu Affidavits (Document): Sworn statements from all three members of the Yatagarasu, though to anyone else it would read as one account. Shortly after 9pm, Cass saw the Frozen Queen painting melt into ectoplasm. While they were all in the palace stealing the 'truth', they saw Grim Moir, Da'ra T'ee Ka'ash, and Anna Fanna.
Profiles
Ahlbi Ur'gaid (Age: 9)-Monk-in-training, tour guide, and sometimes my assistant as well.
Rayfa Padma Khura'in (Age: 14)-Queen of Khura'in, spirit channeler-in-training, and bratty sister to my adopted brother. She's training under a wizard, and has been arrested for killing a man with her magic.
Nahyuta Sahdmadhi (Age: 25)-High Prosecutor of Khura'in and my brother. Well, adopted brother.
Harry Dresden (Age: 48)-Wizard and Private Investigator. Seems to be the investigator for this case. Thinks he's very funny.
"The Gatekeeper" (Age: Unknown)-A Wizard who just showed up in my office, with a friend in tow.
Athena Cykes (Age: 19)-My former junior associate at the Wright Anything Agency and a licensed psychologist. Appeared out of nowhere with a wizard.
Da'ra T'ee Ka'ash (Age: 34)-Courtier for the Khura'in Royal Palace. A Ga'ran loyalist who bribed Grim Moir into hiding Rayfa's alibi.
Grim Moir (Age: 172)-Rayfa's private tutor and a wizard of the White Council. Has been secretly teaching Rayfa magic since late May. The first victim of the newest Mask DeMasque. Kidnapper of pixies.
Queen Mab (Age: ?)-The Judge of the this trial. She radiates power and beauty but scares the daylights out of me. She's the Queen of the Winter Court of the Fairies, as well as the Queen of Air and Darkness. Subject of the stolen portrait.
Godot (Age: Deceased)-Famous opponent of Phoenix Wright, died years ago, but brought back by Queen Mother Amara to be the prosecutor for this trial. He's started calling me Injustice.
Ema Skye (Age: 27)-Former detective, current scientific investigator, and my friend. Serving as coroner on this case.
Sah'kred Pahrohtektor (Age: ?)-Queen Rayfa's personal bodyguard, found dead in her secret study room dressed up as Mask DeMasque. Real name Ringo Raith, he was actually a vampire of the White Court.
Anna Fanna (Age: 31)-The curator of the Unseelie Traveling Exhibition and one of the victims of this case. Went on a date with Harry Dresden, but it didn't work out.
Kay (Age: 26)-Seeming leader of the second Yatagarasu, and claims to be the direct descendent of the first. Claims to be an expert in thievery.
Molly (Age: 30)-Member of the second Yatagarasu, and Harry Dresden's ex-apprentice. A wizard with incredible abilities with veils and mental magic.
Cass (Age: 22)-Member of the second Yatagarasu, and the team's muscle. Athena seems to know a lot more about who she is?