Elias sat in his room, the only light source being his laptop, so bright it would blind anyone other than someone as reclusive as him. He brought up and searched what new works the writers he followed came up with. Instead of finding any new stories or chapters, though, he instead found what someone labeled the "most overblown shipfic ever, and I love it for how steamy it is." He clicked the link to the fic, and found that it was called "Turnabout Forever."
"Flat on your face outta the starting gate, eh?" He snarked to absolutely no one. Deciding to see what sort of madness this fic would bring to the table, he opened it. We can't say he was graced, because that's being incredibly generous. We also can't say he was metaphorically blinded, because that's still being generous. So instead, let's just leave it at "he only needed to read the first sentence to know what kind of hurricane he was in for."
"... OW." He moaned, the amateur steaminess giving him a headache. There was no rhyme or reason. The prosecutor was 14, but still fucking her brother. Phoenix had sex with Regina Berry, which greatly overshadowed the spelling error. There was only one way to get this mess out of his head. He pulled out a gun, and did the unthinkable.
John Phoenix hadn't received any emails messaging him for a case. He also didn't have any paperwork to file or anything of the sort. To pass the time while he was waiting to take a case, he had a flash game playing. After he beat a level, he noticed that some unknown tab played a familiar chime. He opened up his email tab to find that he had a message from someone named "Valencia, Julia."
Mr. John Phoenix,
I'm so glad to have contacted you. My son Elias was found murdered in his room, and my neighbor, Justin Searon, has been pinned as the murderer. Can you please defend him?
Thanks,
Julia Valencia
Welp, I guess I'll check this out. Beats shooting alien ships. He thought to himself. "Storm?" He asked, looking up from his desk. "We've got a client."
"About time!" Storm groaned. "You can only watch the same Hexepta: TV Break reruns before it starts to get a tad bit repetitive."
John Phoenix and Storm Sente walked into the visitor's room, having told the guards that a "Mr. Valencia" was their potential client, and they wished to speak with him. After he was let in, he sat in the centermost chair, like he typically did.
After about five minutes, a guard escorted someone into the room. Nothing was particularly standout about him, he had black, unkempt hair, glasses with red rims, and for whatever reason, he had on a Hexepta: TV Break shirt. John Phoenix swore he could almost hear Storm squealing, ready to burst into a discussion about the latest episode.
"So, you must be my client, Mr. Searon?"
"No, no, Shea-ron. I'm part french."
"Of course. Well, I'm John Phoenix. Your neighbor Julia asked me to be your attorney." John Phoenix elaborated, readjusting his attorney badge to prove it to him. Justin seemed to flinch a little at the mention of Julia's name. "Is something wrong? You two have some history, don't you?"
"No, I just feel uncomfortable having things done for me by my neighbors."
John Phoenix's brain flashed. His psychic powers were telling him Searon was lying. Not too big a deal. John Phoenix thought to himself. It may have been a secret kept from him, but he would probably figure it all out later. Besides, he knew full well that there was a bigger elephant to address, but he would get to it in due time.
"So, can you tell me about what happened last night, around the time you were apprehended?"
Justin readjusted his balance, refusing to make eye contact until he was comfortable. "Well, last night I went to bed at 9:00 sharp, falling asleep around 9:30 after watching an episode of my favorite show." I can take a guess as to what that show is. Never thought it would go further, John Phoenix mused to himself.
"Around 12:30, I think it was, a loud *bang!* was heard from the other side of the street. I clambered over there to see what had happened, and when I got there, I saw that her son's laptop was sparking, and there was a splotch of blood on the floor!
"Naturally, the cops were called in, and I was the first suspect. So, naturally, they arrested me on the spot."
"By the way, before I go, there's just one thing I want to ask you."
"Shoot." He said, waving his hand at the attorney in blue.
"Did you have absolutely anything to do with Elias' death?"
"I think I've already told you, I didn't kill him." Checks out. John Phoenix thought.
"If you want to check out the scene of the crime, I can give you the address right now."
"Can I also get a letter stating that I'm going to be your attorney?"
"Yeah, sure, hang on." He pulled a flipbook out of his pocket, and quickly jotted down the address on one slip, and a short note stating that John Phoenix was his attorney.
"Thanks." John Phoenix said, ready to leave, but Storm had other plans.
"Why do you have that notebook with you?" Storm asked.
"Oh, I write fanfictions as a hobby." Justin stated casually. "I always keep it with me in case I get a new idea I want to draft. I've already gotten three just by being in here! The great Argus Hakan serving trumped up charges, the great Conrad Cross serving trumped up charges, and the evil Regeria Hope escaping not-trumped up charges!"
Storm's expression quickly turned sour. Justin knew what had happened, and he looked down at the floor and breathed, "Yeah, I'm not the most original person out there. At least I can say I have multiple drafts to see who works best?" He offered.
"I suppose," Storm agreed, scratching his chin. "Alright John Phoenix. Let's get going!"