Edgeworth looked over the top of his glasses. 'Are you certain you wish to take this case? As you well know, it's pertinent to be fully prepared before entering a courtroom.'

Kay grinned widely. 'Yup, I know. It may be my day off, but this is the perfect opportunity to test out my...' She twirled a little gadget in her hand. '..."Away-From-the-Crime-Scene-Analysation-Technique!"' She was met with silence and a deadpan expression.

'I have a reputation to uphold, Kay.'

'So do I,' came the indigent response.

Edgeworth's reply, though flat, was laced with a light smile. 'Need I remind you that you have handled but one case?'

Kay folded her arms, pouting.

'And that your court record consists of nothing but losses. In fact, I'm unaware of what reputation you seem to think you...'

The thief slapped her hands down on the mahogany desk. 'Come on, Mr Edgeworth - give me a chance. A Great Thief always experiments with new ways to find the truth.'

'Normally, I'd endorse such an idea. However, you are a prosecutor, not a thief.' He stood up and removed his glasses. 'I won't allow the truth to slip away simply because you don't wish to follow prosecutorial procedure.'

Kay swallowed - the silence in the room was deafening. 'W-well, I'll have Apollo in court...and Mr Wright...'

Edgeworth folded his arms.

'...it'd be pretty hard to lose the truth when they're there.' Her cheeky grin soon returned. 'Whaddya say, Mr Edgeworth? Just this once?'

The Chief Prosecutor, after some seconds of mulling to himself and wishing that he'd brewed an extra pot of tea, looked Kay dead in the eye, mentor to student. 'Do you guarantee your role as prosecutor will not be undermined?'

Kay returned the stare. 'You have my word.'

'The truth will not be lost.' It was an order.

'You can count on me, Mr Edgeworth.' Kay giggled, toothy smile abound. 'So, is that a yes?'

He slowly returned to his seat. 'Against my better judgement. Although, it may give Wright a taste of that stint he pulled in the previous trial.' He replaced the glasses on his nose. 'Now leave, I have some forms to fill out.'

'Aww, really?' pouted Kay. 'You don't want to talk for a bit? Didn't you watch the Jammin' Ninja vs. Steel Samurai Movie last night? I mean, who do you think won in the end?'

Edgeworth didn't look up from his writing. 'Miss Faraday. Do you not have a crime scene to quasi-investigate, utilising a method I don't yet approve of with any measure of confidence?'

Kay deadpanned. 'Right, gotcha. See you after the trial, Mr Edgeworth.' She stabbed a number into her phone, which was picked up almost instantly. 'Hey, Ema. I got permission - give us the details.' She made her way towards the exit, laughing. 'I told you, I have a way with Chief Prosecutors.'

Just as she shut the door to his office, Edgeworth allowed a small grimace to adorn his features. 'What a childish question for her to ask...' He flipped over some papers and stapled them together. '...the Steel Samurai always wins.'

Phoenix and Apollo looked at each other nervously.

'So,' said the older man, 'you're okay with your assistant hearing about...the crime scene? Isn't he a bit young?'

Tina frowned. 'He's more manly than you think. And I know men...' She swept a bang of hair behind her ear, eyes half-lidded. '...inside and out.'

Apollo choked.

Phoenix elbowed him. 'Right. Is he of any relation to you, Ms Evita?'

The gardener laughed, inadvertently letting one of her overalls straps drift down her shoulder. 'Of course not. But he is my assistant - he might as well be family.' To prove her point, she proceeded to give the mushroom-like boy a giant squeeze, squashing his face into the softer parts of her chest. 'In fact, anything we do, we do together. Us gardeners gotta stick, y'know?'

Phoenix offered a smile. 'I see. So, you're saying that you two haven't left each other's side since the incident?'

'That's right.' She gave Thistle a slight noogie before releasing him. 'I would never leave his side, even if it meant my life.'

Apollo frowned. 'Wait a second, Ms Evita. Didn't you confirm earlier that you would be appearing in court as a witness?'

'You know it,' came the reply, followed by a wink.

'Then...' He looked to Thistle, whom was busy fixing his hat to his head. '...you're saying that...?'

'...yes. Neddy saw it too...what I saw.'

Apollo stared down at the boy, noting that he didn't bother to correct Tina about his name as he'd done so earlier. 'That's unfortunate. Is he going to be okay?'

Tina leaned on Thistle's cap. 'He's a tough nut. A little blood never hurt anyone.'

A little...? Apollo's stomach tightened. Was there anything in that crime scene that constituted as "little"...?

Phoenix coughed, impatient. 'Could you please tell us your side of the story, Ms Evita?'

The exotic-looking woman pursed her lips and placed her cheek in a dirty glove. 'Me and Thistle had just come back from lunch. And, I guess that was near two-thirtyish?'

Much to Apollo's surprise, he noticed the older lawyer actually bring out a pen and paper.

Tina continued. 'We were doing our usual sweep of this part of the park.'

'"Sweep"...?' asked Phoenix, tapping the pen with a finger.

The woman turned and cast an arm out around her. 'A one hundred foot radius around Poseidon Fountain. Anything in there that is out of place, or needs,' she snipped her fingers, 'cutting down to size, we fix. We always do it around two thirty, everyday.'

Apollo looked incredulously at the pair of gardeners. 'That's some impressive commitment.'

'We love our jobs.' Tina suddenly leaned forwards, nose inches away from Apollo's. 'But we love company even more.'

Stop.

'Anyway,' muttered Phoenix, hiding his amusement. 'What happened when you two arrived at the scene?'

The woman grew quiet. 'Me and Thistle were working on the hedges and bushes that circle Poseidon Fountain. Then, there was a scream. We both ran as fast as we could to the entrance of the fountain...'

Apollo felt his stomach grumble again.

'...there was blood. It was in the water, it was on the ground - it seemed like it was everywhere. That's when I told Neddy to call the police.'

Phoenix nodded and scribbled down a few words. 'How long did it take for the police to arrive?'

Tina smiled. 'Actually, about a minute and a half.'

'What?' exclaimed Apollo. 'Seriously?' Then, turning to Phoenix: 'Ema really got unlucky, didn't she?'

'You should have heard the phone call.'

Apollo grimaced and turned back to the gardeners. 'So, uh, what happened then?'

Tina answered. 'We were told by a detective in a lab coat to wait outside the hedges until backup arrived. And, that's about it.'

Is it really? The attorney in red narrowed his gaze onto Tina's. That seemed too simple. She barely put any detail into anything she said just now. I wonder what Mr Wright is going to say...? Apollo tightened his fists. Alright, concentrate, Justice. You're learning from the best. Make sure you watch exactly what he does to get information out of them.

Phoenix snapped his notebook shut. 'Thank you for your time, Ms Evita.'

'It was our pleasure.'

W-What?

'We will see the both of you in court, tomorrow.'

What...?

Tina ruffled Thistle's cap with a smile. 'We'll do our best. Until then, Mr Wright...' She shot a saucy look towards the other, bamboozled attorney. '...Apollo.' The woman sauntered off with the little boy in tow.

Apollo watched in utter bewilderment as the gardeners strolled down the hill and towards the shed that he and Phoenix were standing behind earlier. It was only until the two completely disappeared into the supply shed did Apollo find his voice.

Or at least, his Chords of Steel.

'What?!'

Phoenix turned to him. 'What?'

Apollo thrust a finger towards the supply shed. 'What?'

'What?'

'What?'

Phoenix laughed, his eyes knowingly staring down Apollo's. '...what?'

'What was that?' Apollo finally managed, exasperated, wide-eyed. 'Didn't you say you were questioning them?'

'Didn't I just do that...?'

'No! No you didn't!' Suddenly, the protege remembered who writes out his paychecks. '...w-well, I mean. Not really. We didn't learn many details from Tina Evita, and we didn't even hear what Thistle had to say...'

'Exactly.'

It took a few seconds for Apollo to understand what he had just heard.

Phoenix continued, slipping the notebook and pen into his jacket pocket. 'Don't you think it was odd how much Thistle said in that conversation?'

The younger attorney frowned. '"Much"...? He didn't say anything...' He blinked. '...at all.'

'Weird, isn't it?' affirmed Phoenix, nodding. 'Since they both saw the same thing. You'd think that, from what I could hear of him through the hedges, a pushy kid like that would have something to say.'

Apollo found himself frowning. 'But Mr Wright, he's just a kid. Maybe he didn't want to talk about the crime scene?'

'True. But, wouldn't that mean Ms Evita lied in her testimony? She did say that Thistle could handle it.'

The attorney in red felt a slight twitch in his wrist. He looked down at it, curious. "Lied" huh? Must be a placebo.

'Regardless,' continued Phoenix, adopting his trademark smirk, 'we now know there is something fishy about their story.'

Apollo glanced back up at him. '...what are you trying to say, Mr Wright?'

'What I'm saying, Apollo, is lesson Number One: what your witness does not tell you is very important.' He smiled, placing his hands in his pockets. 'From what we didn't hear from Thistle, and Ms Evita, we now know that there is a lie somewhere in their story of events.' He chuckled. 'Or at least, that they're very forgetful.'

Doesn't that undermine your entire point? Apollo placed a finger to his forehead, a headache beginning to sprout from within. 'Hold on a second, you mean you knew that Ms Evita had lied in her testimony just then? Why didn't you say anything to her?'

The attorney in blue shrugged. 'Lesson Number Two: know where and when to correct testimony. If we told Ms Evita that she had lied, with the little evidence we have, she could have just walked away from us. Not to mention...'

Apollo was starting to catch on. '...she could fix her story up before she appeared in court.'

Phoenix nodded. 'Exactly. Why not let her carry the contradiction, whatever it is, into her testimony tomorrow when we understand the case more?' Then, he added with a coy smile: 'and in front of a judge.'

'That seems...underhanded.'

'Blame it on Edgeworth - he's rubbed off on me over the years. Anyway, one last question.'

The young attorney swallowed. 'Yes...?'

'Before I told you any of this, did you believe Ms Evita's testimony?'

Apollo shot Phoenix a determined look. 'No way, it was too simple...but...' His face fell slightly. '...I'd be lying if I knew what to even make of it.'

Phoenix motioned over his shoulder with his head. 'Come on. Let's go see what we can squeeze out of the crime scene. It's starting to get dark.'

As the two attorneys began to clamber up the hill, towards the wall of hedges and the entrance that peeked out of them, there was not a sound in the orangey hue of the sunset that glazed the park in its glow. And for the next minute, it remained that silent, until the two arrived inside Poseidon Fountain.

'But, that's what I was trying to say, Apollo,' said Phoenix, suddenly.

'Hmm...?'

'You're logic is sound - great, actually. All we need to do is improve your people skills, and your understanding of how and why people talk. You'll find that you'll rely less on your ability as time goes on.'

'Yeah,' muttered Apollo, eyes on his shoes. 'I think I'm really starting to get that.'

'Which brings me to lesson Number Three.'

The attorney in red stopped walking. 'And that is...?'

'Talking to women.' Phoenix waited a few moments before laughing. 'Oh, come on, Ms Evita played you like a fiddle back there.' Then, purposely ignorant of his student's gaping mouth Phoenix proceeded to duck underneath the police tape and began examining a fallen branch.

Apollo's brain had nearly fried itself, embarrassed, confused, trying to come up with a response. Eventually, it came up with the only reply it could.

'What?!'

Some hours later, when the city's lights had clicked on, and the elegant and the rich strode about in their fur coats and jewellery, in the upper part of town near the courthouse, there were certain standards to be followed. Standards of societal norm, that is.

Most of the rules were common sense, really: don't start fights, don't shout, be respectful and courteous. Other rules were slightly old-fashioned, though, such as ladies should always remain quiet and refined. So, it wasn't any wonder that the rich and elegant enjoyed relative peace on their nights on the town.

However, this particular night would prove to be a gross exception.

At exactly six fifteen a young, raucous, fiery red-head exploded from the courthouse doors, belted out a celebration, and proceeded to leap the entire staircase to the sidewalk and take off down the concrete path with her bag slapping against her legs. A woman in a fur coat yelped and tripped over heels as the blur bashed past her. And she was quickly joined on the ground by several other people in suits and dresses.

The red-head could only shout an ecstatic, unapologetic: 'sorry!' as she tore down the sidewalk, random hoots and shouts abound.

Onlookers watched in disbelief, asking each other: 'does she not know what part of town she's in?'

It would appear that Athena Cykes did not know what that part of town she was in, if the above events were any indication.

Although, the fact that she'd begun to spin joyously around a street pole suggested she was probably too happy to care.

At exactly six thirty-four Athena kicked open the door to the Wright Anything Agency. 'Guess who just won her first, solo case?'

Trucy, who was currently sawing herself in half, cheered in delight. 'Congrats, Athena!'

'Thanks.' The red head flopped onto the couch and threw her head back. 'Simon was relentless.'

'Isn't Mr Blackquill usually like that?'

'He was worse today.'

'How so?'

Athena gave Trucy a despairing look. 'Taka's at the vet.'

'Ouch,' said the magician with a giggle.

Athena nodded glumly, then proceeded to completely immerse herself in the couch's pillows, slapping a thick one over her face. 'Is the Boss here?'

With a snap, Trucy put herself and the box together again. 'Hmm, Daddy...? He and Polly are still out shopping.'

'For what?'

'Dinner.'

Athena removed the pillow and glanced up at the clock. 'When was that?'

'Around three, I think.' Trucy sat up out of the box.

The red-head frowned. 'Um, Trucy, I don't think they're shopping for food. It's been about three and a half hours.'

'Maybe they're getting dinner for the next couple of days?' she thought aloud, pulling her hat onto her head.

'Not with our budget they're not.'

Athena glared at the orb around her neck. 'Anyway, I'm sure they'll be back at some point.'

At that moment, an incoming pair of voices filtered into room, along with the taps of feet against linoleum.

'Ooh, that's probably them.' said the magician, prancing over to the door. She turned the handle and pulled it open just in time to hear Apollo's voice.

'And for the last time, I was not looking at them!'

Trucy cocked her head. 'Looking at what, Polly?'

'Ack!'

Phoenix sniggered and looked down. 'Oh, just some oranges, Trucy. Some nice, plump oranges Apollo was looking at buying.'

Apollo glared at his boss so hard his eyes bulged.

The magician smiled. 'Oh, okay. Welcome back!'

'Thanks.' Phoenix gave a Trucy a light squeeze on the shoulder as he walked past. 'Is Athena here?'

'Right here, Boss!' piped up said attorney.

Phoenix put his hands in his pockets. 'So, I gather it all went well, then?'

'You bet!' Athena had to jump to her feet she was so energised. 'I won!' She flashed a peace sign. 'My first solo case!'

'Excellent work.' The attorney in blue opened the door to his office. 'Come and give me the details.'

'N-now?' muttered Athena, her shoulders drooping. 'Don't we get to celebrate?'

Phoenix was unperturbed. 'Of course. But, remember, until I receive the court documents and your report on the case, I can't pay you.'

'Oh, yeah.' She smiled wide. 'Lead the way.'

The two attorneys entered the office, leaving one other attorney and a magician to their own devices.

Apollo broke the silence by wandering into the kitchen and opening the fridge. 'Is there anything to drink?'

'I don't think so,' replied Trucy, wheeling her box into the corner. 'Didn't Daddy and you go shopping?'

'...we did. ...we, um, just forgot to get anything...'

The magician puffed out a cheek. 'Polly...'

He closed the fridge. 'Er, um...how did you and Jinxie go today? I wasn't expecting you to be here when I got back from me and Kay's-'

'-date?'

'-perfectly normal trip to the cinema between two consenting parties.'

Trucy giggled and tipped her hat. 'Well, Jinxie and I got to the fair and bought some show bags.' She drummed her gloved fingers on the box next to her. 'That's where I got this "DIY: Saw Yourself in Half", trick.'

How...how did that fit into a show bag?

'Then we got tickets for the roller coaster. And, that's where things may have gone...bad.'

Apollo could feel the dread rising inside of him. 'What did you two do?'

Trucy placed her hands on her hips. 'We didn't do anything, Polly. Jinxie just got a little spooked.'

'...'

'...'

'How many tags did she use?'

'One.' Trucy folded her arms and looked up to the ceiling. '...hundred and thirteen.'

'That's what you call a little spooked?'

'Polly. The carnie was covered in demon tattoos.'

'So?'

'So,' said Trucy, slyly, 'Jinxie thought he might get possessed - she was helping him.' A wide grin appeared on her features. 'Besides, you don't know which demon tattoo might end up being a real one.'

I'm starting to think you believe in all of this Yokai stuff.

Trucy suddenly turned her head. 'Oh, that's right.' She walked over to a box near the door and reached into it, withdrawing an envelope. 'A letter came for you today.'

Apollo cocked an eyebrow. 'Really?' He walked over to the magician and took it from her. 'Did the post man deliver it?'

'Nope. I kinda found on the carpet.' She held a finger to her chin. 'Maybe somebody pushed it under the door?'

Suddenly, the attorney was hit by a wave of nervousness. I hope it isn't a threat or something. He took a moment to examine the envelope - the only thing on it was "Apollo" written in neat, cursive pen. Huh, maybe not. I mean, nobody would write a threatening letter this neatly, right? Then, after a few seconds: ...I couldn't even convince myself.

Eventually, he peeled open the envelope and began to read the contents of the letter. He smiled immediately, just as Phoenix and Athena exited the attorney's office. 'It's from Vee.'

'"Vee?"' wondered Trucy aloud. 'Who's that...?' Suddenly, she gasped then glared at the attorney in red. 'Polly, are you cheating on Miss Faraday? Who is this Vee?'

Athena appeared over his shoulder. 'Yeah, I wanna know too, Apollo. You dirty dog.'

'Heart breaker!' chirped Widget.

Apollo slumped, defeated. I literally cannot win today. He looked up and met Trucy's glare. 'Truce, Vee is someone special to someone close to me. In fact,' he smiled warmly, 'she's one of the last people I'd want to hurt.'

'Oh,' muttered the magician.

Athena played with her earring. 'So, come on, spill it. Who is she?'

Apollo looked to his colleague. '"Vee" is just a nickname. Her name is Veronica. Veronica Terran.'

The red-head widened her eyes. 'You mean...'

'Yup. Terran, as in, Clay Terran. Veronica was his fiancé.'

Athena held a hand to her mouth, as did Trucy. '...oh, I'm sorry, Apollo. Um, I didn't know she was...'

Apollo chuckled. 'It's fine. Really. Vee's lovely. She wanted to meet up with me tomorrow, but...' He re-examined the letter. '...apparently she got caught up in something and won't be able to meet me for a few days.'

There was silence.

'What?'

'N-nothing,' stammered Athena. 'I just wasn't expecting...that...'

Apollo grimaced. 'Clay... That case, huh?'

'Oh, um, yeah...b-but!' The red-head tightened her fists. 'I also can't imagine how awful Vee must feel.' Her face and Widget went blue. 'How sad...'

'You can come with me and meet her, if you want.' Apollo smiled. 'She'd like to meet new people, I'm sure.'

There was another silence.

'H-hey,' said Apollo, noting the glum looks on Trucy and Athena's faces. 'She's okay, really.'

Suddenly, Phoenix stepped into the conversation. 'Weren't we going to celebrate Athena's victory?'

'Oh, yeah!' exclaimed the attorney in question. 'I did win, didn't I?'

He opened the main door to the office. 'Let's try not to think about anything sad for the moment. Tonight is for Athena, alright?'

Trucy and Apollo grinned.

Athena started to stroke her hair - she was almost purring. 'You guys...' Then, she shot a competitive look towards Apollo. 'Race you to the usual joint?'

Phoenix answered for him. 'Sorry, I have to talk to Apollo for a sec. We'll meet you there.'

'I'll race you, Athena,' chimed in Trucy, determined.

The red-head snorted, putting on an awful impression of a school yard bully. 'You? Please. There's no way a scrawny, little girl like you could-' She was interrupted by a dove smacking her in the nose.

'Threetwoonego!' Trucy sped down the hallway.

Athena laughed and regained her balance. 'You cheeky little...' She bounded after the magician in hot pursuit.

Satisfied that they were alone, Phoenix turned to his protege. 'How do you feel about the case tomorrow?'

'Fine.' Apollo folded his arms. 'I think the evidence we have is strong. Though...' His horns drooped a little. '...since when has a case ever gone right?'

The attorney in blue laughed. 'That's the spirit. Although, there's one thing concerning me.'

'And that is...?'

Phoenix's face grew stern. 'We haven't spoken to our client since we last left him.'

Apollo shrugged. 'We tried, remember? The police were still interviewing Mr Acre.'

'And that's what concerns me. In all of the cases I've worked, it usually doesn't take this long.' He looked off to the side in thought. 'I hope there isn't a problem.'

I hope so too, Mr Wright. The last thing we need is the prosecution having an advantage... That's when it him. 'Hey,' said Apollo, quiet.

'What is it?'

'Where was the prosecutor today? Do you remember seeing them?'

Phoenix smirked. 'Oh come on, Apollo. Really, they were...' His face fell. 'Hey, you're right.'

'Yeah.'

There was silence, then two shrugs.

'Ah well,' said Apollo. 'It's Mr Edgeworth's Prosecution Office, I'm sure he's put someone on.'

'I know he has.' Phoenix began to make his way down the hallway. 'We should probably catch up to Trucy and Athena before they rack up too much of a bill.'

Apollo could only nod in agreement as he followed, any thoughts regarding the case the next day put aside for the thought of salty, salty noodles.

So, I was at Uni for a bit, and the work piled on, and I had to put my writing on hold.

Then, I'll be honest, for almost a year I forgot about this story. I remembered it one day, and thought: 'oh no, I forgot about that. I had the story planned out everything.' Then I thought, 'well, people probably forgot about it, too.'

Colour me surprised when I found my old inbox filled with lovely personal messages asking me to please continue the story, not to mention all the touching reviews - I was touched by all of them!

What does this mean? Well, I certainly have a better work ethic now, and if there is demand for this story (from all of 2015 into 2016, no less) I guess I have to write it now, huh?

I won't guarantee an update every week, but rest assured I will keep this story updated from now on, on a semi regular basis.

Deepest apologies to my old readers (some of which have no doubt moved on) for the hiatus. Just consider this a revival...of...sorts...maybe...

For those who are new, welcome again!

Please R&R, as always. I'm very excited to see what you think of the cases down the track.

PS: According to an internet forum I'm dead? Huh.