Disclaimer: Phoenix Wright, Apollo Justice, and any other lawyer games do not belong to me. All rightfully belong to CAPCOM, and this person is simply using their characters for entertainment. Really.
Current songs of the moment:
Javier - Crazy
Craig David - Fill Me In
End random thing.
Thanks again to Tadako Kazahaya for beta-ing! :D
Also edited a small mistake in the last chapter, thanks to EvilMarshmallo13. Thanks a lot, really! Those kind of mistakes are the death of me, so I'm glad if someone points them out.
February 2
Taxi Cab
"So, let's go over what we have so far," Trucy suggested, and she started counting off with her pinky. "We have Daddy's invitation, the katana, Maya's engagement ring, her fingerprints on a wine bottle, a case for the katana, and a letter addressed to Maya in the court record, so far."
Apollo nodded, his arms crossed like a professional. "We should ask Maya about all these items and see how much information she can tell us." His hand was always hovered over the note in his pocket. The contents were very vague, thus the two didn't know how to interpret it. "The more information we can get, then the more we can prove her case."
"Because Maya is innocent, right?" she clarified.
"I can't help but think she is," he sighed.
The spacey property that the Baron Mansion was in was fading away in the window behind them, and the tall city buildings were starting to interrupt the horizon at the front. The sky was as blue as the magician's silk hat, and there were no clouds to interrupt the perfectly clear day.
"You think we'll see Daddy at the detention center?" Trucy asked.
"…You know, I didn't even think of that," Apollo answered, blinking at the sudden revelation.
"I expected you to say that," she said happily, and the lawyer looked at her exasperatedly.
"Have you ever met her before today?" he asked, leaning back on the cushioned seat.
"Her? You mean Maya?" Apollo nodded in response to her question, and Trucy's face turned blank. She shifted her head to face the window, staring out at the line of trees that lined the edge of the long road. The glass reflected her round face as the scenery passed by. "Not really."
He looked surprised. "Really? Why not? Wasn't she your dad's assistant?"
She shrugged. "By the time I started to live with Daddy, she was gone. I don't really know who she is, other than the occasional phone call that would reach the house." He felt the air turn thick with uneasiness. "Then, after a while, there'd be no more calls."
There was a resounding silence in the taxi cab. The driver continued to look forward, not bothering to take part in whatever conversation they were having.
"…Do you like her?"
She turned her head to face Apollo and found his own face holding curiosity and worry. She gave him a small smile. "I know Daddy must like her a lot, so I don't have a reason not to!"
His bracelet pounded. "…But…"
"…I…" Trucy turned to look outside the window again. "I could make Daddy feel better about anything: his badge, his financial status, his cooking…" She trailed off, and her shoulders drooped. "Anything except her."
February 2
Detention Center
They were, once again, in the familiar place so lovingly called the detention center.
If it weren't for the secrets hidden in between these dull walls, Apollo was certain he'd get sick of this place.
He looked around. "Guess your dad's not here," he noted.
"Maybe we just missed him!" Trucy said optimistically.
"…Should you be happy about that?" Her quiet mood seemed to have disappeared as soon as they stepped out of the taxi cab, and she acted as if she never said anything. Apollo knew it was one of her defense mechanisms—he just wished he could do something better to comfort her rather than just going along with her act.
A chair on the other side of the glass scraped the floor, and both their heads turned to the source. They found what they expected: Maya coming out of questioning, her serene smile still there.
"Hello Apollo, hello Trucy," she greeted. "You've investigated a bit, I presume?"
Trucy bounced. "Yep! We have some questions to ask, too!"
Maya nodded in understanding. "I'll tell you as much as I can."
Apollo placed his chin softly between the U of his index finger and thumb. "Your trial is in two days, so we have no time to waste."
"We looked through your room like you allowed," Trucy piped in. "Your pictures were pretty!"
Maya chuckled. "Thank you—they are my prized possessions."
"How long have you known Elliot? You seemed really friendly with him."
The woman turned slightly pink, realizing that they must have seen the 'other' picture on the bedside table. "We met two years ago. Honestly, I humored him for the sake of the elders' decision at first. He reminded me a lot of Ni—I mean, Phoenix's—friend, and I couldn't help but keep laughing every time I saw him."
Trucy stared at her. "Did you love him?"
Maya stayed silent for some time. "He loved me," she started, "and I loved him." The magician looked shocked and, to Apollo's curiosity, hurt.
He suspected his aide wouldn't be popping up with any more questions, so he continued the inquiry. "Are you familiar with the murder weapon, the katana?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered right away. "It was my engagement present to him."
Both Apollo and Trucy twitched—the evidence was against her. "How were you able to get it?'
"As the master of the Kurain Channeling Technique, I have connections," she said a bit guiltily. "I know of many antique owners who'd like a good transaction."
"Is there a certain reason why you got a katana for him?"
Maya paused again, recalling a memory fondly. "Elliot…is as much of a kid as he is a genius at business," she worded carefully. "We had a conversation about Steel Samurai, and he mentioned how much he always wanted a sword, ever since he was a boy. I figured it would be a good engagement present to him."
And it was given to him…more like through him. "We found your ring, by the way," he brought up. "It was right next to his body."
She sighed, irritation seeping out of her breath. "I knew it," she muttered. "That ring always falls off every chance it gets."
"It seems it doesn't like you very much," the small magician said quietly, finally joining in the conversation.
"Do you think you know when it fell off?" Apollo asked.
"Perhaps when I was helping prepare for the party," Maya suggested. "I was about to get a wine bottle when Elliot suddenly told me that they had enough."
"Your ring must have fallen off then," he observed.
"And that would explain her fingerprints on the bottle," Trucy added. "Last item on the list, Polly!"
He took out the folded piece of crinkled paper from his pocket, a tentative look on his face. He unfolded it, handing it over to Maya through the space underneath the glass.
"We found this in your room," he said simply. Maya's eyes scanned over the letter, and they could see her eyebrows contract together after every word, as if she was confused.
Maya—
Come to the cellar at 8.
You'll find a surprise there.
Remember to keep a close eye out.
You'll never know who is out to get you.
Maya put the letter down on the desk quietly, her puzzled eyes blinking like she was still trying to register the words that she just read. She finally looked up at the waiting defense team. "I…I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I've never seen this letter before."
Apollo's bracelet didn't pulsate. Her eyes never left his.
He sighed with defeat. "That's it, huh?"
Trucy relaxed against the back of the chair. "How anticlimactic," she commented.
"I'm sorry," Maya apologized again.
"Do you at least recognize the handwriting?" Apollo asked.
She shook her head No, and he sighed again. "Well, we don't even know who sent this to you and why. What a great start."
"It said to 'come to the cellar at 8.' Elliot ended up dying in that exact place at that time," Trucy stated softly. "What does this mean…?"
February 2
Wright Everything Agency
The two opened the door to find Phoenix Wright, a photo album in his hands. He turned around his hat-clad head, and Apollo saw a glimpse of surprise glinted in his brown eyes. It quickly disappeared as soon as he noticed it, and a smile accompanied with a chuckle erupted from his face as Trucy skipped over to hug him.
"Hi, Daddy!" she greeted. "What are you doing?"
"Hey there, kid," he said fondly, pinching her cheek loosely. "I'm just doing a little bit of spring cleaning."
Apollo's bracelet tightened a bit, but he didn't do anything about it. He just stared at his mentor blankly. "It's the beginning of February, though."
Phoenix shrugged, like it was nothing new to him. "Early bird gets the worm."
I didn't even know he cleaned. …Liar. He's getting my hopes up.
"So how's your investigation going?" he asked casually, the three of them sitting down simultaneously on the couch and seats provided.
"No leads," Apollo replied deadpan, plopping the side of his cheek on the fleshy part of his palm so that his cheek was pushed up cutely. "All we have is just evidence that…somewhat…proves Maya was in the crime scene."
"In the crime scene…when?" Phoenix asked, raising a brow.
"She was definitely there before the party," Trucy responded, "but she says she wasn't there at the time of the murder."
"And then she was found by a witness after the murder," Apollo pitched in. "This case isn't making any more sense." The one time I get a nice, cooperative, sane defendant is the time when the case makes the least sense. Justice, your luck is amazing.
Phoenix seemed to have stared off in the distance with one half-lidded eye, the same expression he had whenever he ignored the things Apollo presented him with. So, it was a surprise to said lawyer when he snapped out of his thought process to talk to him. "Did you find anything else?" he asked curiously.
"We found a letter," Trucy said. "It was addressed to Maya. It sounds dangerous, but none of us know the exact meaning of it."
Apollo handed the letter to Phoenix, who looked a little bit more intrigued than usual. "None of you? Not even Maya?"
The passionate lawyer shook his head. "Not even Maya."
Phoenix grunted in response, his eyes roaming over the letter. He looked like he was analyzing every letter and every word like his life depended heavily on interpreting it. "Have you gotten a handwriting analysis for this?" he inquired, looking up from the letter, a little bit more serious when he first took it out of Apollo's hands.
"We haven't thought of that," Trucy admitted. "We were just thinking about whether Maya knew about it and that the prosecution didn't find it…"
"Maybe you can ask Ema," he recommended, "she might have a blast with this. The prosecution will eventually find this out anyway." Trucy and Apollo looked at each other, knowing to heed his advice.
After a few minutes of discussing what to do and maybe what to look for with Phoenix, Apollo remembered something. He wanted to find something outby himself, and he looked towards the would-be third wheel in this conversation. "Trucy, can you call a cab for us, please?" he asked politely, handing her his azure cellphone.
She pouted cutely and stalked out the room, his cellphone clutched in her hands. "What are with older people and kicking me out of places…" she murmured under her breath and went outside the door for better reception.
Now, it was just mentor and student. Phoenix smirked, getting an inkling on what Apollo was going to interrogate him about. After all, the atmosphere always got a bit darker every time Trucy left the room.
"Have you visited Maya?" Apollo asked, turning his head to the hoodie-wearing man. Said man chuckled, only because he knew what this passionate lawyer wanted to talk about.
"Yes, I have," he answered. "Why? Is this relevant to the case, Polly?"
"It probably isn't," he acknowledged, "but I want to get a clearer background on my client before I make an incorrect assumption about her."
Phoenix saw Apollo's determination shining in his eyes, his hands balled into fists. His mouth was straightened into a single line, and he sat there, not shaking. A professional in the making—he had a perfect poker face.
He let out a breath. "What do you want to know then, Justice?"
"I heard from Trucy that the connection between you and Maya dwindled a bit," Apollo started.
Phoenix shrugged, like he had nothing to do with it. "It's true. I depended on her to call, to be frank, because whenever I called, the elders would just hang up on me whenever I did." Apparently, his reputation as an ex-lawyer back then reached their ears, and they hastily decided to just ignore him all together. He always knew that they looked at him with disapproving eyes, even in his days as a defense attorney.
"So…she hasn't called until recently?"
"Last month, just to be precise," he corrected.
"What did she tell you?"
Phoenix smirked a little, raising a brow yet again. "Now, now, my little protégé, that is for me to know and for you to never find out."
"Then...who sent you those DVDs?"
"It was that girl who escorted you to Maya, Pearl Fey. She was allowed to roam around much more freely than Maya was, so when she heard of my accident, she took the burden to do what Maya would have probably done." Phoenix smirked a little. "Which was...to send me the DVDs and write reports about every episode."
The corner of Apollo's mouth curved downward into an unsatisfied frown. "Then, let me get straight to the point." His gaze became pointed and reached Phoenix's. "Do you love Maya Fey?"
Trucy opened the door at that exact moment, her smile absorbing all the tense energy gathered in the room. "Polly! The cab's here!"
--
"I'm sorry, Trucy, do you mind if I talk to Apollo alone, please?"
"!! …Okay, fine then."
"Just wait for me near the entrance, okay?
"So…uh, what did you want me to talk about, Maya?"
"I just wanted to tell you about this. I'm…not exactly sure why I don't want to tell Trucy."
"Is it because it has something to do with her father?"
"…Maybe."
"You can tell me anything, Maya."
"I'm forever in your debt, Apollo."
"What did you want to tell me?"
"Just a small confirmation…I said that I loved Elliot, correct?"
"Was that a lie?"
"Not exactly. I thought I loved Elliot…until I realized, after all this time, I've been lying to myself."
"…You love someone else?"
"Painfully so."
"When did you realize this?"
"Today."
"Today?"
"When I saw him stand up to leave...
it took up all my energy just to not cry."
Hope it wasn't...horribly confusing. I have the biggest habit of being vague and trailing off at the worst moments.
SO THAT'S THE NOTE GUYS. And I quote Trucy:
"How anticlimactic."
Oh, the sad truth.
But! The next mystery: who wrote the note and why was it written that way? Uh-ohs.
I was hoping to throw you guys off, by the way. Did it work? LOL.
Review please!