Chapter 4: Loyalties

May 2nd, 2019

The view of the mountains grew rapidly smaller in the dawn, blades of grass turning into a blur as the train departed toward LA, carrying along the blue-suited, spiky-haired Phoenix, attorney badge glinting against his lapel. It's just another case, you've been accused of murder twice, this is small stuff compared to that… his stomach lurched in objection. His eyelids fluttered closed in vain to rest for a few minutes.

Memories of the past week played vividly in his mind…Maya failed to channel the surely deceased Magnifi Gramarye, despite Gumshoe's confirmation that they could locate no evidence of a different birth name, but suggested he had arrived as an immigrant with his family during his childhood. Names easily changed during such a transition. By now, the lawyer could recognize a lead that could not be pursued in time. In addition, Phoenix felt unsure of how healthy it would be for Trucy to meet her grandfather figure when channeled by Maya and was secretly relieved to be robbed of that moral predicament. He played sour grapes: it amused him to watch Maya walk around in robes three times too large to accommodate Magnifi Gramarye, he was quite certain the diary page existed, and still fairly certain that Valant, the younger protégé, committed the murder. What answers did I need really? Child rearing advice for a young magician? Well…that would have been kind of helpful.

Despite Trucy's protests, Phoenix left her in Maya's care, unsure of how he would react to the likely outcome and unwilling to expose the all-too-patient, spirited girl to such frightening unknowns. Maya insisted he do anything and everything he needed following the hearing, whether it meant processing with Edgeworth, who likely did not have the time nor resources, or returning to Kurain Village that night to a warm meal and a sympathetic ear. Given his vivid dreams and hazy thoughts about the enigmatic prosecutor in combination with his impending doom, Phoenix felt certain that Edgeworth's slights and rebuffs would not be tolerated today and he was ready to run in the opposite direction. Sure, Edgeworth sounded concerned on the phone when they discussed ghosts and mirages of possible crucial evidence that were simply out of reach. However, the lawyer, nerves shot, heavily questioned whether his rival felt more concern for him as a friend or as a faceless victim and casualty of injustice.

Phoenix's eyes opened and squinted at the early morning sunlight streaming through the window as the train slowed to a halt. As he exited the train car, he felt the uncomfortable weight of his briefcase, despite its relative emptiness. No evidence, remember? He abandoned the thought as he noticed a dark unmarked sedan, familiar for some…

"Hey!"

Phoenix's eyes widened at the sturdy figure clad in his signature worn trench coat and cheap suit, stubble and tired eyes suggesting the man completed a stakeout in the early hours.

"Gumshoe?! What are you—"

"Get in the car, pal, I've got some crime scenes to get to."

Phoenix complied, sliding into the passenger's seat as the ignition started, unable to look at his unlikely investigation partner of many cases, and even more surprising friend. "How did you even know where I was?"

"Mr. Edgeworth thought you could use a familiar face before your hearing and he's been stuck at the office overnight in paperwork."

"Gumshoe…"

"Hey, you've helped me and Mr. Edgeworth out more times than I can count, and now's not the time to lose it, pal!"

Phoenix shook his head. There's no evidence…or no evidence I could use right now.

Gripping the steering wheel tightly as he turned, the detective's eyes burned in a side glance, "Promise, at least for Mr. Edgeworth's sake, that you're going to fight with all you've got today. You don't know how many times I've made mistakes in my investigations or on the stand, but I never stopped getting out there every day…mostly because I'm not sure of what other job I could do…" Gumshoe's eyes looked away as he scratched his head, perhaps actually making a list of alternate careers. "Anyway, this time you know for sure the defendant is innocent!"

Phoenix felt a gentle warmth spread in the pit of his stomach, smiling weakly at Gumshoe, "Thanks…pal. You know, for…"

"C'mon, you know I believe you, after all you did for Mr. Edgeworth… let's stop somewhere before I drop you off."

Phoenix winced a little at the mention of his rival-friend before relaxing as Gumshoe's voice washed over him, prattling on about dating Maggey Byrde and how her luck had seemed to settle into low-stakes bad luck, by-and-large. They stopped at a hole-in-the-wall, yet decent coffee shop and Gumshoe proudly insisted on paying for a small coffee and pastry, which satisfied but did little in the way of easing that knot in the attorney's stomach. Nevertheless, Gumshoe played powerhouse of encouragement to Phoenix as they drove to the State Bar Office downtown, familiar in that it was only four or five blocks from the Prosecutor's Office. Phoenix was an hour early for the hearing and waited outside a nondescript pair of oak double doors, definitely concealing something smaller scale than the courtroom, a boardroom perhaps. He opened the briefcase in curiosity, wide-eyed surprise giving into a sigh, a smile, and that stinging warning of tears.

Three magatamas, pictures he had taken with friends (and Charley) over the past 3 years, a deck of cards, small Steel Samurai action figures…and a note: "For good luck…no matter what happens, we're always with you! Love, Maya, Pearl, and Trucy". He fought the urge to call Maya immediately, given her rigorous training and the high probability that, at this moment, Phoenix would cry in public. Perusing the photos, he stopped at one that was taken after the DL-6 trial, the attorney grinning, flush-faced (and mildly inebriated) with his arm draped around a clearly perturbed Edgeworth who, if he remembered correctly, may have been stiff but made little effort to escape. Phoenix's fingers traced over his rival-friend's face in the photograph. You know, Miles, I became a lawyer primarily to meet you and find out what happened, to protect the defenseless second. And you gave me the chance to do both. I'm not going to beg for my badge, I'm not going to hang my head in shame, I'm not going to wait for that last minute "Objection!" to save me.

I'll give them my biggest smile in my darkest hour, like Mia said.

I'm going to be a guardian, a father, Trucy can be proud of.

No bluffing, no stalling, no guesswork.

Miles, I'm going to be a man that you can respect.

The knot in Phoenix's stomach, although still very much present, greatly decreased as he had made his decision.

Edgeworth sat at his desk, the late afternoon sun illuminating paperwork from multiple cases that had been tried and won over the past few days to be signed off and sealed away. The prosecutor would blame these cases for his restless nights and long days at the office of late, but this was part and parcel of his work. He pinched the bridge of his nose, acutely aware he was unable to obtain that perfect evidence he needed to save Wright. He compromised his ethics by prying into case information he was not privy to via Gumshoe, attempting to track down the suspicious Drew Misham, who had momentarily left the country with his daughter, and to question the suspected Valant Gramarye, who initially reported feeling ill and then refused to talk despite Edgeworth's use of many interrogation methods…this culprit was either very lucky or knew exactly what he was doing. He could not afford the risk of those at the Prosecutor's office catching wind of his controversial investigation, especially as most saw Wright's impending disbarment as cause for celebration. The sight of their twisted merriment made him feel physically ill, compounded with the immense guilt Edgeworth carried for not pressing further. But you need to be in a position where you could help Wright, when your influence and position can finally be of use. The hearing would have long been adjourned by now, but after all of this fretting, the solemn prosecutor couldn't bear to hear the news. He kept his office doors closed to secretly mourn and shut out what he estimated to be "lesser colleagues", such as Payne, who left early to drink and sardonically toast to the memory of Phoenix Wright's career. Whether his badge was taken or not.

His thoughts were cut abruptly by a knock at the door.

"Come in." Edgeworth responded, aloof.

"Herr Edgeworth?"

Klavier Gavin gently opened the door, his striking figure crossing over the threshold, "May I…" He gestured to a chair near Edgeworth's chess set and smiled.

The elder prosecutor sighed, "Gavin, yes…have a seat."

The blond neophyte smiled, but his brow was unusually tense, insisting "Klavier, please!" as he took a seat in the plush, dark red leather chairs.

Edgeworth gently lay a piece of evidence on his desk before gliding over to an identical chair opposite his guest, meeting his gaze for several beats, before inquiring cynically, "You weren't invited to any celebrations? You delivered the final blow, after all."

The young prosecutor looked away as his face fell, "Ja, well about that…I'm not certain it is cause for celebration."

Edgeworth's jaw relaxed moderately as he looked over Klavier's uncharacteristic solemnness.

Klavier looked up, half-smiling, and added, "Also…I am considered underage in this country."

Edgeworth's eyes narrowed, clenching his armrest to manage his astonishment, "How did you get into that lounge?"

"The owner's a dedicated fan of the band, so he encouraged me to stop by, keeps business thriving, you might say?" Klavier smiled broadly again, and Edgeworth recognized that child-like quality that was not so apparent during their last meeting. "I am legal to drink wine and beer in Germany, and have had a glass at the dining table with Mama and Papa growing up since I can remem—"

An exasperated Edgeworth interjected, "Yes, yes I've lived there, too. What is your business with me, Klavier?" The first name left a bittersweet taste in Edgeworth's mouth, who, while wont to being a gentleman and finally aware that Klavier was only a boy of 17, did not wish to encourage a casual friendship or fraternal bond.

The young prosecutor's eyes warmed in response. "I have been digesting our conversation, Herr Edgeworth, and… I feel unsettled. It was far too easy. A consummate prosecutor like yourself or Franziska Von Karma would have caught Wright forging evidence a long time ago…I started thinking, if the fabled Demon Prosecutor could provide a spirited and sound defense for his rival, perhaps I was overconfident during my trial with Herr Wright…it was my first real trial in the states—"

"But you clearly stated you had defeated your brother in court twice," Edgeworth interjected, ignoring the use of his old moniker.

"Of course! Ja, in Germany, when I was still working with my mentor. Speaking of elder brother, I heard Kristoph would be part of the defense attorney board ruling on Herr Wright's hearing today and last night I made sure to share my thoughts…well, truly your thoughts regarding the evidence and the timeline—"

Edgeworth glowered, "Don't tell me you cited me as your source."

Klavier's expression appeared pained, "Mein gott, of course not! I presented it as my opinion, Kristoph doesn't listen to many but he trusts me. After all, he called me to say he voted against Herr Wright's disbarment."

Edgeworth face shifted into neutral, but his heart raced just the same, "Did he now…"

Klavier's expression became solemn, "Ja, but he was the only one."

Edgeworth's jaw clenched, teeth almost grinding into sawdust, as he dug his fingernails into his left bicep. Wright, I… "I think I need some time alone, Klav—"

"I'm so sorry! Es tut mir Leid, Herr Edgeworth." Klavier sighed, his eyes pained, "You believe he is innocent, even as a ruthless prosecutor, and if there's truth to what you're saying…"

The air, thick with silence, remained unbroken for what may have been seconds or eternity. Edgeworth could not estimate time with this bleak reality hanging over them. Phoenix Wright has been disbarred.

Edgeworth quietly responded, "Was. Was a ruthless prosecutor. Now I am simply a relentless pursuer of truth, badge or no." Edgeworth's glare searched Klavier's face, softening when he found little to nothing to hang his cynicism on. A bright, promising young prosecutor? But in this hellish place, they will praise his results without a thought to the methods, as they did with me…perhaps he is becoming wise to it…perhaps he came here for a reason.

Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, the elder prosecutor declared, "Forget a formal German apology, Klavier. If you are to continue as a serious prosecutor instead of a dilettante who gallivants around the world playing in a band, you must be willing to lose for the pursuit of truth. I did not become a prosecutor of merit until I could live with losing my perfect record, until I bypassed my ego. People you dearly trust and aspire to be may put all of their energy into wins and glory, but that will only distance you from the facts, the evidence, the motive, the interpretation…the very core of investigation. If you sincerely align yourself with pursuit of truth, enough to lose, enough to serve justice to a dear friend or mentor if need be…then I will keep an open door."

The young prosecutor's light blue eyes widened and he sat silent for several beats, maintaining Edgeworth's determined gaze, before responding, "Natürlich— of course, Herr Edgeworth. I would be honored if—"

Edgeworth extended his hand, which Klavier eagerly took, and with a single shake, Edgeworth pulled away and stated, steely-eyed, "It's settled. But that agreement goes for all cases, including Wright's, with the hope that you and I will live to see the truth of the matter come to light." Edgeworth walked to his desk, pausing, "Also, most importantly, you are not to share this nor any other conversation we may have under any circumstances. Am I clear?"

Klavier nodded sincerely, "Ja, alles klar, Herr Prosecutor, you have my word."

Edgeworth nodded curtly, "Fine. Take your leave, I have several cases on the desk that need to be processed. I'll be in contact when time permits."

"Danke sehr, Herr Edgeworth." And Klavier left swiftly and silently, with Edgeworth hoping he had read Klavier's expression correctly and put a morsel of trust in a rare, worthy colleague for once. It's a risk Wright would have taken… you should be careful, he's rubbing off on you…

Edgeworth violently batted the thought away as he signed the remaining documents, rushing to leave the office earlier this time.