A/N Klavier uses some logic in this chapter. I made up all the stuff about paperwork and evidence retrieval.
Chapter Seven: The Beginning of the End
"These…" he said empathically, "…are horrible."
"They are not."
"Yes, they are."
"Then stop eating them!"
Klavier tossed a Snackoo over his shoulder. KA-TONK!
"Mystic Maya! Are you alright?"
"Yeah, Pearly. But be quiet!" the Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique asserted sternly, and, above all, loudly.
Ema rolled her eyes. "Can we just confront them?"
"Nein. This is too much fun."
That was pure Klavier, through and through.
"Well, I guess it's not as if they'll be allowed into the crime scene," Ema acknowledged.
Thankfully, investigating the crime scene held little interference from the rest, perhaps because Klavier left soon after, since he rarely hung around anyway. So Ema was left in peace, to play with her forensic equipment, and order the other officers around. A brief visit by one Ace Lerano, who was the defense attorney on the case, but other than that, zero Gavinner—and therefore fop—interference. Unfortunately, a terrible surprise awaited her in her office.
Three stacks of paperwork, and two fat manila folders piled upon her desk.
"What?" she hissed. "Klavier Gavin! I am going to kill that man!"
But he wasn't in his office when she dropped by, and she was forced to settle for the paperwork after all.
But it wasn't as though Ema were working on any other cases—how could a simple, open-and-shut murder spawn so much tedious work? Sure, Gavin had two other cases on his plate, but—and thank god—she wasn't assigned to them. She sifted through the files, scanning each of the briefly. One for failed evidence retrieval, another for mucking up the crime scene (she would strangle Meekins later), more autopsy reports (so the previous one was wrong?), another of Meekins' mess-ups, unauthorized use of forensics equipment (damn)… the list went on.
Clearly, this was staged.
But Ema couldn't think of anyone who had the authority—Trucy certainly didn't. The only people she could think of were the High Prosecutors, most of them being on a business trip, except Miles Edgeworth, Franziska von Karma, and Klavier Gavin. The last name seemed the most probable, because Edgeworth would never do something like that, Ms von Karma had no motive… and this was annoying enough to merit an 'I'm gonna get that idiot fop' status. It was the sort of thing Ema would assume, a conclusion and assumption, she thought, Klavier Gavin had earned because of his inherent idiocy. But he was her superior, she reminded herself reluctantly, and this was work. So the afternoon was dedicated to tedium.
By the time the end of the workday rolled round, she had managed to finish a little more than half, an amount she was proud of, considering how much she had had to do.
"I hate that fop."
She got up and stretched, ready to call it a day, before remembering she had to file and submit it to her superior. And the Chief was long gone.
Ema managed it, somehow, lugging the piles of completed paperwork with her, and opened the door with her chin, too annoyed to even knock. Not that she usually did. Then she tumbled to the floor, papers splaying everywhere, and made up her mind to make him pick it all up. Before realizing he wasn't there.
The detective let out a moan at the sorry state of the world, collapsing into what Klavier called his 'work chair'.
She was well into sleep when the prosecutor returned, raising his eyebrows at the scene. "Fräulein detective?"
"Aaaaaaaah!" She woke with a start, eyes jolted open. "…Oh, it's you. Whatever, here's all the paperwork you wanted, and goodbye."
"Wait just a moment," he said as Ema made to get up from the ridiculously comfortable chair. "I did not ask for all this."
"What?" she asked in disbelief. "You're telling me, the person who worked on this the entire damn afternoon, that you didn't asked for this! Don't even try pull one of your tricks."
Klavier looked thoughtful under Ema's glare. "It seems there are more people involved in this than we expected."
"Shut up. I'm leaving now—"
Ema only saw the door swinging shut, the only route away from the fop and from work sealed. Klavier spied a flash of white—a smirk… or two…? Possibilities…
The woman immediately seized the door handle, and pulled hard. "You can lock this door from the outside?"
"Perhaps they used the old 'chair against the door' trick."
"…'They'?"
"Very sharp of you, fräulein detective. I have my suspicions," he said airily. "Now, to get out…"
"Your phone?"
"Gone, of course. As is yours, I suspect. Tell me… did you meet Trucy today? Or… my dear friend, Ace?"
She gave him a sharp look. "Not Trucy. Lerano dropped by the crime scene. He is the defense attorney, after all."
"He has an unfortunate… habit. Of borrowing things. Very sneakily."
"Um. He is a defense attorney, right?"
"Your hand phone. My hand phone. Not, I think, a coincidence."
Both pairs of eyes were drawn to the phone on his desk. "It will not work," Klavier sighed.
Ema fingered the broken cord. "This is a criminal offense."
"I always keep an extra cell phone on me, just in case… Ah."
"What?"
"Missing, as I half-expected. I suspect that he is planning the same thing as Trucy, with some help. And I believe there are others at work here."
"You do?"
Klavier had the 'prosecutor look' about him, a face Ema had seen all too much. The expression he wore when all the pieces had come together, giving way to a smirk, whether it was to the prosecution's advantage or not, simply because the hapless defense attorney hadn't figured it out yet. And at that moment, she was that defense attorney.
"Ja, I do. Paperwork. The only people who could have would be Franziska von Karma, Herr Edgeworth, and I, and it wasn't me. I, however, cannot think of a reason why they would do such a thing. Another thing that seems interesting to note is the sheer amount of paperwork. Half of that would perhaps be a little more than a regular load, so why go through all that trouble of generating a ridiculous amount? I believe it is because two people did it, and the only two who could have done it were Franziska and Edgeworth. I do not think they would work together, however, so it must be… something of a coincidence? Unlikely, but if their motives were the same, they went about the same method to achieving whatever they wished.
"Ace stole our phones. He was planning something too. But the question is, was he collaborating with one of them? He barely knows them, so that hardly seems likely. So he must have gone to your office before meeting you at the crime scene, and saw the paperwork. He assumed I had given it to you to file, probably, and decided it would be a good opportunity. So he steals your phone, and mine, and cuts the cable. I was out for the better part of the day. When we are both here, he shuts us in. The same thing Trucy had done. And when he did… I spied someone else with him, but it was only for an instant—I could not see his face, nor his features, only that the other person was a man."
"Right. But that won't help us get out. People are bound to come by, right? And they'd see that chair."
Klavier shook his head. "Ace is one for playing tricks. All the prosecutors know it, and he is possibly outside the door right this instant, playing it up as a practical joke. No one would mind him. Well, it is a practical joke of sorts, I suppose," he added as an afterthought.
"Then it's back to Plan A," Ema said firmly.
She went to the door and called for help.
"Fräulein detective… the room is soundproof."
"Well, I'm not about to stay here!"
"Relax. It seems he is out of originality, so we will be safe from the antics of the others, ja?"
"You know, Gavin, I'm not so sure about that. From what you've told me about Lerano, nothing is ever that simple." She paused for a moment. "And I don't have my Snackoos with me!"
The prosecutor smiled. "Here," he said, tossing her a packet.
Her eyes widened.
Klavier shrugged. "I did, er, steal a few from you."
"It seems not only defense attorneys are thieves." Throwing him a dirty look, she tore open the packet, and seized a handful, solely for the purpose of Snackoo-ing him. He dodged easily.
"Refrain from dirtying my carpet, if you would, fräulein detective."
"Now, how should we get out…" Ema murmured, glancing around the room. "Well, there is the fire alarm, I suppose."
"Now, that would constitute as 'dirtying my carpet'," Klavier said firmly. "The sprinklers, ja?"
Ema furrowed her brow. "Gavin," she whispered in low tones. "D'you think… someone else is here?"
"No point in whispering, fräulein detective. The sound carries round," Klavier said cheerily. "And there is no point in hiding, either."
"Yeah, c'mon! I know you're there, Maya Fey!"
There was no answer.
"And you too, Pearl!"
No response.
"Huh. I could've sworn…"
"Tch, we sure got them fooled!" Maya's blithe tones broke the hush.
There was an air of definite hesitation, and then she seemed to concede. The Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique scrambled from her hiding place, pulling her companion teenager behind her.
"Um… Hi?"
Franziska was walking round with a leer on her face, and when she bumped into Edgeworth in the corridor, she cracked her whip on the floor. Miles, too, wore a smug smirk, greeting her with a satisfied tone. It really was, he thought, quite a clever plan to both qualify Franziska's wants for him to participate in this childish competition as well as his own desire to simply let things be. "So, how are your plans?" he questioned politely.
She smirked. "All very well, Miles Edgeworth! All very well indeed… and yours?" There was something in his eyes that suggested that he had already put his plan into place, and Franziska wanted to show him that he was nothing compared to her. Which was why her rather ingenious first move was to thwart whatever Miles was planning.
"Hm, not bad, not bad. Quite good, in fact," he replied, as he thought about the piles of paperwork. He knew for a fact that Ema Skye detested paperwork, and what better way to annoy her than to give her a whole lot of redundancy in one day? She wouldn't suspect a thing—well, she wouldn't suspect Miles Edgeworth, anyway. He felt a little guilty for taking advantage of her… 'fangirlism', but it was a very good way to ensure that she stay angry towards Klavier. Franziska, he knew, was one to act quickly. Whatever audacious plans she had of them would only further Edgeworth's own.
"I see," Franziska said, watching him carefully. It seemed, she thought, he was not yet aware of the little gift she had bestowed upon Ema, the very thing that would halt his plans in whatever devious track he had devised. A little something that Franziska hated because of its inherently tedious nature, and something she was sure Ema Skye shared with her. Paperwork. The word itself almost caused her whip to flick dangerously at the coffee machine. If Ema Skye was irritated, whatever brew Miles had cooked up would be poisoned with the malice Franziska felt sure Skye was feeling toward Klavier Gavin, being, to Ema's mind at least, the most probable suspect in that heinous crime to bring down her morale. Miles Edgeworth was a tricky one, for fools were hard to fathom; he would execute his plans (and Franziska was sure he had many) efficiently and swiftly—only to be brought down by Franziska's own genius. True, this plan to cultivate hate would be troublesome later, but so long as Miles didn't get the prize before her, Franziska would be satisfied.
The two stood there in the corridor, smiling and staring suspiciously at each other, when Franziska spied something odd behind her little brother. "Miles Edgeworth… Is that Klavier Gavin's office?"
Edgeworth turned. "Why, yes it is. But what is that man doing?"
"Archer Lerano!"
The redhead faced her and smiled. "Hello, Miss von Karma, Mr Edgeworth."
"I say, what are you doing?" Edgeworth inquired.
"Just a little joke, no need to worry about it."
"That is Klavier Gavin's office, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is."
That made sense. Lerano was, after all, a member of Gavin's little band. "And why are you propping a chair against the door?"
"It's to lock it. From the outside," he explained, giving an isn't-it-obvious-Mr-and-Miss-so-called-genius-prosecutors.
That was attitude. And Franziska von Karma would not take it from anyone. She lashed out with her whip, so quickly that it seemed a red mark suddenly emerged from his arm with no apparent cause. "Ouch! That stings…" Lerano rubbed his arm vigorously.
"Hmph. Cease your tomfoolery at once, and head back to whatever office you came from, defense attorney."
But Ace knew he couldn't leave this place, because then Franziska would most definitely peek her head inside to find Klavier and Ema, and she would demand all sorts of inconvenient answers from Ace. He had to stay, at least until Mark came. "Well, there's a good explanation for this…" he improvised.
She kept up a duchess stare—cool and demanding.
"Yeah, um…"
It looked as though he had some fast-talking to do.
"Why were you following us?"
"We weren't!" Pearl said loyally. "Well, I guess we were… sort of."
Klavier measured them up. Pearl and Maya Fey, spirit mediums, and cheerful cousins who didn't act their age. And stalkers. "And why…?" he inquired, though he had his suspicions. Perhaps Trucy had got them to, as part of some kind of convoluted plan…
"Well…" Pearl started, chewing on her finger, a habit she never shed from her younger years. She looked to the side for a moment, before continuing. "Well… She's your special someone, right?" The way she said it was that of a child, another thing, perhaps, that she had never really lost to her teenage years.
Ema's eyes widened at the statement so blatantly put, blushing madly and stuttering uncontrollably. An uncomfortable feeling squirmed round in her stomach as she took a shocked step back and away from Klavier. Unwillingly, her gaze snapped to him for a split second and she noticed, oddly enough, that even he seemed a little startled at the transparent innocence—and in that moment, she could just make out a little red easing itself into his tan. Their eyes met, both widening, till Klavier broke away from her gaze and let a smile spread across his face.
"Ha ha… For a teenager, you seem remarkably childlike," he remarked. "So… how did you come to this… startling conclusion?"
"And false, if I might add!" Ema interjected, still flushing uncontrollably.
Maya said, "You are the perfect pair, aren't you? The flirty one, the annoyed one, you know, those—"
"Er, let us change the subject, ja?" Klavier hurriedly said, taking in Ema's murderous expression. "Have you been in contact with fräulein Trucy?"
"Not at all. So she's been trying to set you up? Well, it's only to be expected. Oh ho ho ho ho ho… You can't resist fate!"
Perhaps he ought to try a different tack. "Bitte, try not to interfere," Klavier said, winking with a charming smile. "We need our privacy, ja?" He pulled Ema close, feeling her stiffen.
"Klavier Gavin…" He heard her whisper in strained tones, as though anger had clutched her throat in indignation. "I will get you for this, I swear!" she hissed.
"Well," Pearl said doubtfully. "It's not like we can get out, right?"
All of them turned to look at the door—everyone save Ema, who had taken the opportunity to wrestle herself out of Klavier's grip, but he was too strong. "You glimmerous fop!" she managed, regaining her voice. "You know what you're doing? Sexual harassment at the workplace! Let… go… of… me…"
And he did. It was so sudden that Ema stumbled, almost falling to the floor, regaining her balance just as Klavier started towards her. She threw him a warning look. "Ah, my apologies, fräulein detective. But I believe there is a way out."
It seemed as though his ears were now attuned to that familiar whipping sound.
Trucy leaned back. "Pollllyyyyyyy… You really don't have any cases?"
"For the last time, no," Apollo replied crossly, trying to concentrate on Foxtrot.
"Then can I go out?"
"Ask your father."
"He's out!"
"Then no."
"But I can go if you'll go with me, I'm sure. So come!"
Apollo finally looked up. "Where to?" he asked wearily.
"Mm… Just to the Wonder Bar. I have a show there," she lied unconvincingly.
Nonetheless, Apollo didn't want her sneaking out to do whatever she was planning—it was better for him to at least keep track of her. So he nodded, and they both exited the Wright Anything Agency.
He kept a close eye on her in the cheery Wonder Bar as she paced up and down patiently. What could she be up to? Then, she snapped her fingers and ran down a corridor.
"Trucy!"
She didn't hear him, or didn't heed him, and started waving at someone in front of her. Apollo swerved to get a better look, and saw a very tall man with dark, tousled hair, sporting a dramatic black cape with silver clasps. The stranger looked up slowly, and what Apollo could only describe as a dangerous smile spread over his face. "Salutations to you too, Trucy!"
Apollo thought, Um, I think it's bad if a little girl walks up to a stalker-looking stranger and starts chatting with him cheerily. And then: She always makes friends with the characters, doesn't she? The man reminded him, curiously enough, of Valant Gramarye. Apollo had seen him around the same time as the Gramarye too… so perhaps not so much of a stranger.
"Going to meet Mr Lerano?"
"Why of course! I am sure my dear friend is positively mad without me!"
"Er, sorry, but who are you?" Apollo asked.
The man gave him a once-over, and, with a languid smile, offered a hand for him to shake. "Mark Ato," he said. "I have chanced upon you, Mr Justice, once upon a dream. Or as dreamy as the backstage of Sunshine Coliseum can ever aspire to be." He searched Apollo's eyes for any signs of recognition, and when none came, he said, "Drummer of the Gavinners."
"Ah… Right." Trucy must have spoken (or squealed) to that Mark Ato during the concert intermission.
"And so here I am," Ato said, turning back to Trucy. "Journeying along this meandering path to my comrade's aid. Would you like to join me?"
Trucy nodded jubilantly, and looked at Apollo, her eyes seeming to say he's even more of an adult than you; surely I can go?
The defense attorney was sure that Mr Wright wouldn't mind—he didn't seem to care much about anything, honestly—but… Well, he couldn't allow it for the obvious reasons. Anyway, it wasn't like Mark Ato wanted a girl as chatty as her tagging along; Apollo had had enough experience with it to know that. Especially the scene with that ladder. It was a ladder. And she'd scolded him for stepladder discrimination, whatever that was, and that argument had gone on for the longest time.
Apollo had a habit of delving into his thoughts in a way that made him forget about the rest of the world. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he had never really known many companions, for he had been raised in an orphanage for much of his younger years, so he'd settled for the company of his own thoughts. In any case, any questions he'd hear would be addressed with an 'Mm-hm', 'Right', or a simple case of ellipses.
By the time he'd looked up from recalling his hassling experiences with Trucy's unique view of the world in general, the girl herself had disappeared with Mark Ato.
"Oh… darn."
"Klavier… Gavin… and Ema… Skye," Trucy panted between breaths as she ran alongside the long-legged man. "You guys… have… plans for them…?"
"Naturally," Mark said easily. "And you need not feign any absence of deviousness on your part."
"…Yes… why don't… we team up?" Trucy grinned even as an uncomfortable stitch formed in her stomach. "That would… be fun!"
"Anything, my lady. But first, I am honor bound to consult my partner, and to respond to the plea of help he issued to me not long ago."
They took the lift to the twelfth floor, with Trucy clutching her stomach and breathing heavily. Mr Ato sure ran quickly! In any case, it was good that she had gotten his cooperation. That would make everything much easier. The lift ping'ed! as its doors slid open smoothly, and Mark ran out.
There was a harried voice coming from the end of the corridor. "And Klavier, being the doof he is, locked himself in his office because he said that, well, I was disturbing him too much, you know? He does that sometimes, when he goes on a kind of writing song spree for the band. So anyway, I wanted to get in and knocked and everything, but he wouldn't unlock the door. And I'm practically family! Childhood friends and everything. I decided enough was enough, and wanted to try for some revenge. So when he's ready to come out, he won't be able to!" Ace explained lamely. Damn. I'm really bad at this improvising, huh.
"Let's just go, Franziska. This is of no concern to us," Edgeworth said.
"Quiet, Miles Edgeworth. There will be no infractions of protocol on my watch! Let the prosecutor out of his office immediately!"
"Ah—well—you see," Ace fumbled. "There he is! Mark Ato! Just the man I wanted to see."
"It appears you have gotten your sad self into some trouble, does it not? And you require my divine help? Most amusing, indeed!" Mark remarked. "Well then, I shan't deny the favor." He gave a little bow.
"…Mark Ato."
"Would you please excuse my friend, Prosecutor von Karma? He is a little dim, but I assure you he means well," Ato said, smiling.
They all pondered on his last statement, and then glanced at the chair propped haphazardly against the door.
"And of course, I shall see you in court tomorrow," he added pleasantly.
"Hm. Well, I suppose we can leave now, seeing as this situation seems to be under control. I'm sure you'll do something about this, won't you, Mark Ato?" Franziska said with a dangerous look in her eyes as she brandished her whip.
"Gladly, my lady." He bowed again, eyeing the dreaded leather cord.
Ace, Mark and Trucy watched them go. "Huh. How is it that you can drive them off?" Ace asked drily.
"They have recognized my clear superiority to you, my superb station that surpasses even the heavens."
Trucy was slightly lost in his words, but it was a good thing she knew just about everything about the Gavinners, and could guess what he was talking about. "Does what Miss von Karma said mean that you'll be the judge residing over her court case tomorrow?"
"…I think you mean 'presiding'," Ace muttered.
"There is nothing else so true as that. I shall meet her fiery whip in a battlefield of wits."
"Anyway," Lerano said loudly. "Can we get on with this? I assume you want to team up?"
Trucy's eyes sparkled as she assented. "And I have an excellent plan!"
"Nothing too clichéd, I hope…"
She shook her head.
"No locking up people in rooms?"
"Nope!"
"Or a 'jealousy ploy'?"
"Never!"
"Or an 'accidental' fall?"
"No!"
Ace thought about this. "Well then, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
Trucy… Trucy had to be at the Prosecutors block. And if she wasn't there, she was at the precinct. Apollo ran through all the possibilities in his head as he jogged through the winding alleyways behind the Wonder Bar. He was sure the place wouldn't be far from here.
"Ah!"
He spotted Franziska von Karma and her adopted brother striding out of a familiar building, and hurried to them. "U-um, excuse me, b-but…" he stammered as he found himself caught between the stares of the two intimidating prosecutors, which wasn't helped by the menacing whip that Franziska held all too readily in her hand. I have got to get over this prosecutor phobia. I mean, Prosecutor Gavin isn't that bad. Right? Right? "H-have you seen Trucy?"
"Hmph!"
"Yes, we have. She was with that judge, Mark Ato," Edgeworth said helpfully, glancing at the annoyed Franziska. "The twelfth floor, I believe."
"Thanks!" Apollo hurried off. Then something clicked in his mind.
Wait, there's more than one judge?
…Mark Ato is a judge?
He quickly got out of the lift, and found the object of his search, along with Mark Ato and Ace Lerano. The next thing he saw was a chair propped conveniently against a tall mahogany door—a door that, he knew, led to Klavier Gavin's office. What's she pulling now? he thought, groaning.
"Trucy!" he called.
The three people were huddled together, seeming to be in deep conversation, a notion that Apollo immediately discarded after the ridiculous thought of Trucy being in deep conversation. They looked up at his shout, identical smirks spreading over their faces quite eerily.
"How very convenient," one of the men remarked.
Apollo advanced upon them, debating between taking the chair off and chasing them. I should probably let Prosecutor Gavin out first…
Trucy gave him a final smile as she ran off with the other two.
"…This ends today."
A/N And Trucy has a Plan. Edgey says something British! "I say, what are you doing?" or something along those lines. Apollo's favorite comic strip is Foxtrot. Was this chapter a bit slow? I need it to establish the next, and probably last, chapter. That's why it's titled The Beginning of the End. It's sort of an introduction, and sort of not... Explanation fail. The next chapter will probably be called something like The End or The End of the End or something. I have Mark Ato's characterization down pat, but Ace's… Well, if I have him in another story, his character may be different, because I thought of a better personality, but I'll stick to this one for this story anyway. Oh, and Mark Ato is a name with significance. Try guessing it. It's a musical term. Ace Lerano as well. His full name, Archer Lerano, is closer to the pronunciation, while his short form of Ace Lerano is closer to the spelling. Another musical term. A prize for those who guess right!
Review!