Simon wasn't sure what to make of the girl in the pink shirt at all. She didn't seem lost, but all the same, she wandered over to him specifically, when there were plenty of other children out on the playground. Even if she was new, surely she would've picked up by now that the general consensus was to steer clear of him… Nobody bothered to approach him as bubbly as this little girl. Nobody.
"Hi!" The raven-haired girl greeted as she came to a stop a couple feet away from Simon. "I'm Kay! What's your name?"
Simon continued staring at Kay as if she sprouted a second head. The girl couldn't have been older than seven. Maybe she was just one of those blissful, ignorant types? Well, even if that were the case, maybe… maybe they could… No, it was best not to get his hopes up. He'd long since learned that painful life lesson.
"… Simon." The raven-haired boy answered neutrally. He'd wait a little and see how this conversation panned out before shooing her away.
"That's cool!" Kay grinned widely, lifting a hand to her mouth to smother a giggle. "You must rock at Simon Says, huh?"
"Um… Not really." Simon shook his head slowly. He really hoped she wouldn't pry anymore; opening up old wounds was just as bad as opening up new ones.
"No?" Kay cutely pouted as she crossed her arms in contemplation. "How 'bout tag? Hide 'n Seek? Kickball? Baseball?"
Simon nervously stopped her there.
"N-No to all of those…" All of those games had to have two people to play at least.
"Do ya like to draw? Make snow-stuff? What do ya do, Simon?"
… This girl was definitely blissfully ignorant if she couldn't see the snowman behind him. Or maybe she had too much candy or soda and she wasn't thinking clearly. Simon sighed ruefully before turning back to what he was doing.
"Just… Just go play with some of the other kids, Kay. I don't want you to get in trouble for being seen with me…"
"Want a Swiss Roll? Daddy gave me two, but he says it's good to share!"
Simon tensed at this new information being brought up.
"D… Daddy?"
Kay only nodded vigorously in response.
"Daddy's got the best job in the world! He catches the bad guys and puts 'em in jail! But even better, he buys me Swiss Rolls every day! So ya want one?!"
For a long time, Simon stared at Kay. Simply stared. A million thoughts were flying through his head at once… What was this girl doing at the orphanage if she had parents – or at least a parent? Why did her father allow her to run free in this crummy part of town? Who was her father? A law enforcement officer, obviously, but that only narrowed the field so much. Besides, Simon wasn't very knowledgeable about grown-up occupations anyway; Kay's 'father could be anything from a cop to a detective to some fancy-shmancy lawyer.
Regardless of all these questions overwhelming Simon, one thought prevailed over all the others. This girl did not belong here. She had a loving father and likely a very cozy home. Kay didn't deserve to be here. Even if she didn't mean it, the sole fact that Kay had a father that took care of her… it could hurt the feelings of the orphan kids here. It would hurt their feelings. No matter how amicable she was, Kay didn't deserve to be here.
So why didn't he feel bitter about this revelation? He should feel bitter about this, right? After all, here Kay was flaunting the fact that she had a doting father while he was forced to live in an orphanage. An orphanage that did the bare minimum of taking care of its children. An orphanage that made him feel isolated, unwanted.
The orphanage changes people – and really not for the better. He had every right to feel angry at Kay… but he wasn't. He didn't even feel that resigned tiredness he felt when he couldn't muster up his anger properly. In fact, he felt, dare he say it, the tiniest vestiges of happiness welling up inside of him. Another human being was interacting with him, and not just because they felt compelled to or because they thought nothing had changed in the relationship.
Knightley had evidently forgotten about what had happened back then. Understandable, but that didn't make him forgiven. Simon remembered, and that was all that mattered.
Simon's tummy chose that moment to rumble. Simon's cheeks colored rosily. Kay giggled and pressed the package containing the single Swiss Roll into Simon's chest.
"Take it! You obviously need it more than I do, dummy. C'mon!"
Tentatively, Simon raised his hands and grasped the golden package, never once taking his eyes off of Kay. Kay's eyes formed an upside down 'U', and her grin became wider if that were possible. No matter how much Simon scrutinized Kay, she didn't show signs of deceit or ill will. Either Kay was a very good actress – unlikely, given how young she appeared to be – or she genuinely wanted to share a treat with him.
This was a very novel experience for Simon, and he was still processing how he felt about it. Nevertheless, Simon gratefully accepted Kay's gift and hungrily tore back the wrapper to get at the Swiss Roll. Simon couldn't really say he'd ever seen one before, much less one that was purportedly from a Courthouse. It looked… beautiful. It certainly looked tastier than the food the orphanage tended to serve to the children. And the smell… Even the smell was scrumptious. Wow!
Simon never knew people could manufacture such a delicacy. This had to have cost a fortune or something… Well, a fortune for people living in the slums of Los Angeles. Simon stole one last wary look at Kay before taking an experimental nibble.
Ohohoho. The taste outdid the look and smell by a landslide. Once Simon got a small taste, he tore into it with gusto and unashamedly licked his fingers when the Roll was all gone. After inhaling the treat like that, Simon felt sheepish; for all he knew, this was a onetime thing and he'd never see Kay again. He really should have savored it more…
All the same, Simon gave Kay an appreciative glance and nervously poked his pointer fingers together.
"Um… Thanks, Kay. That really meant a lot to me." Simon shuffled his right foot awkwardly. Suddenly the ground looked a lot more interesting.
"So ya liked it?! I wanna hear you really, really liked it!" Kay gushed. Simon's cheeks flushed again.
"Yes… I really, really liked it." Simon freely admitted. Was this girl ever not bubbly?
"Swiss Rolls are the best! You can never have too many." Kay chirped. Her lips quirked into a sly grin as she bounced on her heels a little. "Hey, do ya mind if I hang out with ya more this week? Daddy's gonna be here for a job all week, and I kinda don't wanna stay home alone all day…"
Simon shuffled his feet again and pondered her request. So, their friendship wouldn't be permanent after all. Still… He could see her more. This wouldn't be a onetime thing. Simon had long since learned the old adage of 'you never know what you have until the well runs dry.' Or something along those lines. The point was, Simon would never take opportunities for granted. Especially considering how rare they were for him.
"Sure, Kay…" Simon attempted to give Kay a disarming smile, though it came across as more tired and weary. He'd definitely experienced more bad things in life than most kids when they reached his age; well, he assumed so, anyway. Not very many could claim to have been in a life-or-death situation like he had.
Still, Kay stuck out a hand, which Simon looked at for a few tense moments. Kay was grinning playfully again, and she was eye-smiling again. Simon reluctantly clasped his hand in hers and she shook it a few times.
And something new began for Simon Keyes.
Author's Note:
Thought I'd never update this again, much less update again this year, did ya? I'd had part of this written in late April, but I could never figure out how I wanted this interaction to go. Half a year later, I had it sitting in front of me again and I just… wrote. It came out alright, I think. You guys are the judges and all that, so I can't say much in terms of its quality.
In accordance with readers who've spoken up, I've changed Souta's name to Simon. Had some fun with it, too - if Kay's light joke about it is any indication. :D
Lemme know how Kay's character came out! Sweet girl. Not too sneaky or sly yet, but she'll develop into the teenager we all know and love. Kinda. I can't stress enough that this fic will explore potential alternate routes in the Ace Attorney series; I won't spoil anything concretely, but Kay's backstory might change greatly with the eventual addition of Simon to the Faraday Clan.
You'll see what I mean, though. We've still got some buildup to do, but not a whole lot. Simon will likely get adopted in the next chapter or two; as always, I don't have a concrete plot for this story. I like the liberating feeling that comes with such a loose plot. If I change my mind about a certain plot point, I don't have to worry about alternating the continuity of the story too much. I just have to be mindful of what's already been published. ^^
Thanks for all the reviews, favs, and alerts!
Review Reply:
MadFox32: Thanks! Hope to keep you entertained with this story. :)
