He had been given a scratchy blanket and a cup of hot tea before the police personnel quite literally, though very politely, locked him into the prosecutor's lobby. When he asked to know what was going on, the officer simply assured him that they were taking care of everything and for him to relax. He was given that same answer regardless of the question he asked.
It wasn't until almost an hour later that a familiar voice floated into the room.
"How is he? … Are there any injuries? … Yes, I'm well aware of his demanding attitude…"
With his patience all worn out, Prosecutor Klavier Gavin started to bash at the door with his fists. "Fraulein, is that you? Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?!"
The door was immediately thrown open revealing a furious Detective Ema Skye, "Can't you just shut up and take orders like any other civilian?"
Ignoring her question, he promptly asked his own, "What on earth is going on, Fraulein Detective? Why am I locked in this room surrounded by the police? And the trial started–"
Ema curtly cut him off, "The trial's been postponed already – the date will be decided after this chaos dies down."
"What? I don't understand. Why is the trial postponed? What's happening right now?"
"Calm down, Klavier." She gently led him back to the couch he had been sitting on earlier and calmly took a seat next to him, explaining the situation, "I've just been told by Gumshoe that the Chief is apparently having a mild anxiety attack back at the precinct, so if I don't report back in the next ten minutes, they're going to press charges against me for attempted murder. Unfortunately, that leaves me no time to tell you the full story, but I'll try my best to answer all your questions.
"About two weeks ago, we received some intelligence reports that you were being targeted. The exact details were kind of vague, and I didn't really read the entire thing, but the gist of it was that the Cadaverinis aren't pleased that we've got the big boss's nephew on trial today.
"Three days ago, we got word that one of the Cadaverinis we caught a few years back escaped from his half-way house; turns out the escapee is the older brother of today's defendant. Then yesterday, we got a tip off that the big bro was spotted around the court house area, so we put two and two together and figured that he'd probably come after you sometime before the trial – you know, to save his baby brother and all.
"This now leads us to our problem: we wanted to catch the escapee, but if Cadaverinis caught wind of the fact that we'd already anticipated their plans, then the big bro would probably go back into hiding. So, we needed to find a way to protect you without it appearing obvious. Naturally, I was the one chosen to guard you.
"I tried to do everything I could today in order to minimize opportunities for you to get attacked: waiting for your arrival, bringing you breakfast, accompanying you to the courthouse –"
"Following me to the washroom?" Klavier added helpfully.
Ema frowned at his interruption, "Yes, and you should be glad I did. Do you realize how close you were to being shot?!"
He took a deep breath in an attempt to help digest all the information. "To be quite honest, I am still finding this all a bit much to swallow."
"You need to have more awareness of yourself as a high profile prosecutor," Ema scolded him harshly, "I warned you before, didn't I? After we put one of them away, did you think they were just going to step aside and let you get a second? The Cadaverinis are a dangerous bunch and as you saw today, they'll use any means possible to stop a trial – including killing off the prosecutor."
Klavier waved off her lecture, "Nein, nein. I am well aware of the dangers that come with my job; Herr Chief informed me about the Cadaverinis' vengeance prior to when I accepted this case. However, what I am more surprised about is your involvement in all of this."
"Excuse me?"
He continued coolly, "Fraulein Detective, last week alone, you tripped over our homicide victim, accidently sprayed Luminol into a witness's face and sent an entire investigative team to Poison Control after they mistook your spilt fingerprinting powder for icing sugar on the Chief's birthday cake. Forgive my frankness, but I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you are capable of wielding a real weapon, let alone using one to immobilize an assassin."
"H-hey!" Ema cried out indignantly, "I admit that I can be a bit of a klutz sometimes, but I'll have you know I have the best hit ratio in my entire department!"
Somehow, Klavier didn't find himself doubting her claim; after experiencing first hand her deadly accurate aim with those snack foods of hers, imagining the detective nailing bull's-eyes with a gun didn't seem that implausible.
"I didn't earn my badge by sitting in a lab and eating Snackoos all day, you know!" She grumbled, obviously insulted by his disbelief.
"My apologies, Fraulein. It's just that with all your complaints about your endless investigations, I wasn't aware you did anything else but."
"Of course." Suddenly her voice became hoarse and devoid of its prior zeal, "Of course I wouldn't expect you to know anything about what the police do. You stroll through crime scenes at your leisure; you spend more time with your guitar than your witnesses; then you have the nerve to strut into the court room as if you're some one-man show. Do you have any idea how much work we put into every one of your cases?" There was now another emotion mixed in with the anger on her face, one that Klavier had never seen her express before.
"I did not mean to offend–"
"Of course, you offended!" He noticed the moisture in her eyes as her voice steadily gained volume, "When a glimmerous fop who moonlights as a prosecutor starts doubting my commitment to my job, of course I'd be offended. I take my all duties as a detective very seriously, including my duty to protect you!"
The truth of her words floored him. In all his years as a prosecutor, he had never once given the job of the police a second thought. It just became accepted that the police dealt with all the messy business and when the time came, he'd do all the talking. In hindsight, he was completely taking their aid for granted. All the times Ema complained about her never ending workload, he had assumed she was simply wasting all her time on less important matters, never considering that the detective had other law enforcement duties to attend to. It was a horrible oversight, really. Klavier was so disappointed by his own ignorance that he could only mutter a meek apology when Ema turned away from him and took a few deep, ragged breaths.
When her breathing slowed to normal, she stiffly stood up without looking at him. "If you'll excuse me, Prosecutor Gavin, I have other duties that require my immediate attention. Someone will be along shortly to escort you to the precinct for your witness's statement." Klavier noticed the cold contempt in the way she spoke his name. Without giving him a second glance, Ema made her way to the exit, each step lacking the confidence she had earlier carried so naturally. She had already opened the door before Klavier finally found his voice again.
"For what its worth, Ema, I think you're a very dedicated detective. None of my court victories would have been possible if it weren't for all your efforts. And I surely would not be sitting here alive right now. I…" He paused trying to find the right words without sounding like a bad love confession, "… I trust you. As a colleague and as a friend, I trust you."
For Klavier, that was the highest form of compliment he could give and he must have somehow adequately conveyed that because Ema had froze mid-step at the doorway. After a silent pause, she turned back to him with a guilt-ridden look as she forced her eyes to meet his.
"Klavier, I know I lied to you today. I lied to you multiple times in order to carry out the plan. And I know there's no excuse for betraying your trust, but I really am sorry."
Klavier couldn't help but smile at her earnest apology.
"There's nothing to apologize for. You saved my life today – I've been betrayed for less." There was a painful stab in his chest as he remembered his most trusted companions, each being police escorted out of the court room in hand cuffs.
Then with a sheepish look at the swelling on his forehead, Ema quickly added, "I'm also sorry for handling you so roughly earlier. I'll get you some ice for that." She immediately called out to the officer at the door, who gave a curt nod and disappeared from sight.
In response, Klavier's usual charming smile returned, "Ahhh~! No need to fret, Fraulein. I actually like it when you're rough."
An ice-pack was promptly hurled at his face at an alarming speed.
Author's Notes
[2009.08.01] And that is the end of this odd little two-shot. Hahaha~ this half isn't funny or exciting - what a change! I planned on making it a light-hearted explanation, but then I remembered the real reason why I wrote this ficlet. Though this is purely my own speculation/imagination, I wanted to show how Ema not only leads investigations, but she can also hold her own in dangerous action-sequences. I feel like this would be a side of Ema that Klavier never gets to see... and so I wanted to try to show how he'd react to it... and VOILA! You get a not so humorous/adventurous story! Anyhow, please let me know how you enjoyed the progression and dialogue of Part II. Have a great weekend!