September 2016
The bitch was dead. Unbelievable.
Dahlia paced around the room, a mix of emotions swelling within her. The room she currently occupied was the prison's art gallery, which contained quite an impressive collection of paintings and sculptures. The chief warden apparently believed it was important for the inmates to maintain a sense of the culture of the outside world. Dahlia had no interest whatsoever in art, but she had a feeling the latest prisoner would make this his first stop.
Frank Sahwit sat nearby, clearly nervous because of Dahlia's current mood. By this point, he was already her willing servant.
'Excuse me, Madame, I-'
'Do NOT call me Madame!'
'Y-yes, Ms. Hawthorne! Might I ask what has made you so anxious today?'
'I already told you, pay attention! A new guest will be joining us in the prison today, and I would like a word with him. He committed a grave error.'
'And that would be?'
'He killed Mia Fey.'
'I see. So she was a close friend of yours?'
'No, she was my greatest enemy.'
'... You've lost me.'
Of course this buffoon wouldn't understand, Dahlia thought to herself. At first, she herself was overjoyed at the news of Mia Fey's brutal murder. Then it slowly dawned on her that her long-desired revenge had been stolen! Who did this Redd White think he was, killing Mia before Dahlia had the chance? It was inexcusable! Not to mention he killed her far too quickly. If it was Dahlia, she would've slipped a slow-acting drug into Mia's drink, paralysing her but keeping her conscious at the same time. Then Dahlia would wrap at her hands around Mia's pretty neck and slowly-
'Ms. Hawthorne, I believe that's him.'
Dahlia, annoyed at being snapped out of her fantasy, turned to where Frank had indicated. Sure enough, a ridiculous-looking man had entered the gallery. The idiot took in his surroundings, grinning to himself as if he owned the place. His glittering pink suit made Frank's look ordinary in comparison. Dahlia approached him, not even bothering to adopt her angelic persona, ready to give him a piece of her mind, when suddenly he raised his hands, nearly blinding her with the absurd gold rings on his fingers.
'Ohohoho! Who is this little lady that thinks she can approach my magnificent personage?'
'... What?'
'I asked for your name. Apologies, did my large vocabulary intimidate you into silence?' White asked, not even looking at Dahlia, but instead a nearby sculpture.
It took all of Dahlia's willpower not to claw his eyes out then and there. But she composed herself. She had watched the trial live, had listened to this buffoon's strange speech patterns first-hand. She was ready.
'My name is Dahlia Hawthorne. This prison belongs to me, and I have a question for you, Mr. White.'
'It belongs to you? Fascinating!' Redd declared, still admiring the nearby artwork, 'I had mistaken you for a fellow inmate!'
'You are correct, but the guards and even the chief warden listen to everything I say, so in effect I am in control of the prison. Now, will you listen to me aswell?'
White caught on to the veiled threat, and had now turned to face Dahlia for the first time.
'You may be in control now, Ms. Hawthorne, but I have ways of wrenching control from others. My informants are still loyal to me, and I'm sure they could dig up some dirt on you, if I give the order.'
Dahlia smiled at the weak retort, 'I have no secrets, Mr. White.'
'Is that right? Because the truth is I've done some research on you already. I believe it was Ms. Mia Fey that sent you to jail, correct? Well, as you may already know, I was the one that killed Fey! Therefore, by transitive property, I am superior to you!'
Dahlia eyes went dead.
'Now, you're certainly no April May, but if you're a good girl, I'll consider making you my newest assis-'
'Frank, hold him down.'
The entire time, Frank had been circling the gallery, getting into position behind White, waiting for the order. Now that it was given, he grabbed White's arm, sweeped his leg, and pinned him down to the ground, face first.
'W-what is this tomfoolery! Guard, get him off me!' White cried out.
Seconds later, one of the guards came running into the gallery. He took note of the scene before him, then turned to Dahlia, who gave her sweetest smile.
'Nothing to see her, sir. Just some boys playfighting. Run along now.'
'Yes, Dahlia.' The guard responded automatically, and walked away.
'Now' Dahlia continued, turning her attention to White, 'You're going to listen to me quietly, or I'll have Frank break your arm. Understand?'
Redd White could only nod.
'Great.' she said, 'Now let's get one thing straight. You are not better than me. You're not even better than Mia Fey. I watched the trial, and apparently you couldn't even kill her right, because she appeared at the very end to make a fool out of you. And therein lies my question for you. How did she come back?'
It was the one thing Dahlia could not understand. Mia Fey was certainly dead, the news confirmed it, so how could she have made an appearance at the trial?
'I too was surprised at Mia Fey's grand revival! Perhaps she was reborn to save the world from its sins?'
Dahlia was amazed that the man could joke in this situation. He was even smiling up at her from where Sahwit held him down. It was almost impressive. But she had no time for jokes.
'Frank.'
At this command, Frank applied more pressure to White's arm, making him cry out again.
'Alright, I'll tell you! Apparently the sister, Maya Fey, is a spirit channeler of some kind, and is able to channel the dead.'
Dahlia looked closely into Redd's eyes, but he didn't appear to be lying. Dahlia was born a Fey herself, and was aware of the special bloodline the Fey women possessed, but she had never seen any proof of these channelings, as her father had taken her away from the village at a young age. But it was the only logical explanation.
'Very well, Redd White. As a reward for your co-operation, I'll forgive you for killing my target. But know this.' and Dahlia lowered herself to White's position, and placed her sharp fingernails mere inches from White's eyes.
'Your eyes belong to me now. As do the eyes of your informants. You will have them monitor Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey, all day, every day. I expect weekly reports on their activities. Do this for me, and I'll allow you to keep your eyes. Fail, and these nails will be the last thing you see. Are we clear?'
'Crystal.' Redd replied immediately, unable to keep from staring at the nails.
'Wonderful.' Dahlia said happily. 'This has been a productive day. Let's go, Frank. I grow tired of these dull pictures. I'll see you soon, Mr. White.'
And with that, Dahlia left the gallery with an evil smirk on her face, as Frank followed close behind. Redd White laid on the ground for a few minutes more, shaking with fear.
