Ace Attorney 2
Apollo looked down at his dæmon, sighing as she stared sadly at him. Normally, he would pick up the ermine, drape her over his shoulders but, with the bandages, she could barely touch him without setting off some small injury.
‘Is this really what you want to do?’
Naona looked around the office, considering her decision. Apollo had been thinking about it but Naona was the one who made the final decision.
‘I can’t stay here.’ She frowned, pushing her nose out towards him. He slowly stroked the top of her head, ignoring the pain from the scratches he had there. ‘You can cover up your eye, I can’t. It hurts to look at Athena.’
Apollo nodded and impulsively scooped her up into his arms. He hissed but didn’t drop her, instead letting her bury her face in his arms.
‘I know, I really do. I just wish we knew what was going on.’
Naona nodded slightly and Apollo started walking around the room, trying to keep Naona, and himself, calm.
‘Mr Wright isn’t going to be happy.’
‘I don’t think Mr Wright is ever happy with us.’
Apollo laughed sadly. He just wanted things to go back to normal.
Binti pressed his body against Trucy’s as she looked down at Apollo and her Daddy. The two of them were both slumped in the sofa, having collapsed in the Defendant’s Lobby as soon as Vera’s trial had finished. Trucy held Binti close with both arms, letting the rabbit’s soft breathing steady her own.
Apollo looked up at her slowly, smiling softly. Naona was curled up in his lap but raised her head to smile at Binti. The rabbit squirmed out of her arms and bounced across to sit at Apollo’s feet. Naona jumped down from the chair, pressing herself against Binti. As the two hugged, Trucy moved over, plonking herself next to her Daddy. Phoenix wrapped an arm around her and, after a second, grabbed Apollo and pulled him sideways. Apollo let himself be brought into the hug, curling against Trucy’s side. Sheria padded over to Binti and Naona, curling around them.
Trucy looked down at her dæmon, smiling as he looked back up at her. Brushing his nose against the other dæmons’, Binti jumped up into her lap. Trucy smiled, resting one hand on Binti’s back and grabbing Apollo’s hand with the other.
Everything would turn out just fine.
‘Why is this happening Klav?’
Klavier glanced at his dæmon, letting out a deep sigh. She was looking out the window, her tail drooping. Klavier shook his head, turning back to the paper work. With Lamirior naming Daryan as the murder, his workload had suddenly doubled and the trial had become a lot harder to deal with.
‘Klavier? Please don’t just ignore me.’
Klavier looked at Sagita, properly this time. The snow leopard padded over to him, resting her head on his knee.
‘I’m sorry Gita.’ He muttered, scratching her forehead. She slowly closed her eyes and he turned his back to work.
‘Can’t you stop for five minutes?’ Sagita said. She didn’t sound angry, merely sad. He didn’t need to look to know that her eyes were still closed.
‘No. Not until the trial is over.’ Klavier said, trying not to let his own sadness show. It didn’t matter what was happening with Daryan or Kristoff or Herr Forehead, Klavier just needed to do his job and find the truth behind the trial. Whatever that truth was.
Sagita sighed but moved away from him. ‘I’m going to try and write some songs.’
Klavier’s dæmon walked away from him again.
Saense and Ema looked over the crime scene, making sure there wasn’t a single inch they’d missed. Trucy was going to trial the next day and they’d done nothing to help their friend. Prosecutor Sahdmadhi had said their work had been good but he was also convinced Trucy was guilty and going to hell.
‘There’s got to be something.’
Ema raised a snackoo up to the owl on her shoulder. He snatched it up and scoffed it down as Ema stared at the coffin. ‘We’ve checked everything. Apollo and Athena checked everything as well, there’s nothing to prove Trucy’s innocence.’
Saense finally swallowed and shook his head, looking behind them. ‘How many times has Apollo had absolutely no evidence and still managed to get a Not Guilty?’
‘I know but that was against the fop not Prosecutor Sahdmadhi. You know there’d a difference.’
‘Yes, you respect Prosecutor Sahdmadhi and not Prosecutor Gavin.’
Ema threw a snackoo at Saense’s chest and his feathers ruffled in protest. ‘That isn’t the point. Come on, we’re smart enough to solve this.’
She pulled out the fingerprinting powder and he took the brush in his beak. It was time for them to get to work.
‘Athena? Athena!’
Kelello ran through the courthouse, feeling the bond to Athena softening as he got closer. Their bond was more Stretched than most people’s but he still needed to get back to her. The courtroom had exploded. Exploded.
‘Athena!’
‘I’m here, I’m here.’ Athena’s hand appeared in the ostrich’s view and he weaved through people to get to her. Juniper was leant against Athena, her mouse dæmon half passed out in her lap. And next to them, barely moving…
‘Oh, god, Apollo.’
Athena leapt up, causing Juniper to start. Athena reassured her briefly and then flung herself at her dæmon. Her arms squeezed his neck as tight as she could but he was just looking at Apollo, Naona thrown away from him. At least she was still there.
‘The paramedics are on their way.’ Athena said, pulling away so Kelello could see her face. ‘He was protecting Junie.’
Kelello nodded, his wings fluttering out as if to tell her he would hug her if he could. She held him even tighter, even as Mr Wright arrived with the paramedics, Sheria rushing straight to Naona. Phoenix looked between Athena and Apollo and Kelello waved him away. Athena needed him now.
Espada waited up in the rafters, watching down on the trial. Simon had tried so, so hard to take the blame away from Athena and then the blame had been taken away from both of them. Espada could barely believe it but the trial was finally coming to a close. Someone had be guilty.
Taka flew to land next to her, hawk and falcon looking down at Simon together. Taka had given him the psych profile and now everything would come to a close.
Or it would if it wasn’t for Justice.
Espada flew down when he arrived, swooping at Justice’s head but the bandaged lawyer barely flinched, staring down his coworkers. Espada arched around the courtroom, landing on Simon’s shoulder and getting ready for a fight.
Simon’s fingers fiddled with her chest feathers as Wright and his assistants broke down the case. They knew the phantom was there but Wright actually proving it meant so much. Calling Fulbright to the stand could end everything.
Taka flew down and landed on Simon’s over shoulder. They watched the evidence being revealed, saw Fulbright’s reaction, heard the gunshot. But none of that really mattered in the end.
They were free, at last.
‘No one will believe it.’
‘Of course they will, because it will be the exact opposite of what they’re expecting.’
‘No one is that excitable or that foolish.’
‘And you would know, would you?’
If Kosong didn’t know her man better, she would say he was teasing. But he never did such a thing, so she simply ignored his words and continued to
‘Was he really like that?’
‘It doesn’t matter. It’s not like there’s anyone left who knew him.’
Of course not. Their agency had seen to that well in advance. The chameleon looked over the papers on the desk, reviewing the assignment and the target. They should have dealt with Blackquill years ago but now they were having to cover up their mistakes.
‘Nothing can go wrong this time.’ Her man muttered, his hand resting on the back of her neck, the threat obvious. Kosong glanced at the scar on her tail, forever a reminder of her foolish wish to protect her man from a child. Her emotions, her mistake, had risked the entire mission.
‘Nothing will.’
Her man nodded, picking up his mask and pulling it on. With a wide grin, Bobby Fulbright left with his dæmon.
Rayfa glared at Saishi as they left the courtroom. Her dæmon was about to change shape in front of the bailiffs but Rayfa’s look made him remember himself. He wasn’t Settled but the rest of Khura’in thought otherwise. Ga’ran had predicted what shape Saishi would take so, from the age of ten, he had stayed as a warbaa’d, unless they were in their own room.
‘I can’t believe I failed.’
Saishi landed on her shoulder, brushing his beak against her cheek. She sighed, leaning her head against his.
‘You didn’t fail, Rayfa. Barbed Head was right, Mother should never have asked-’
Rayfa hissed at him, shutting him up before he could talk badly about the Queen. The bailiffs would be listening in. She waited a few seconds before speaking.
‘Mother was correct, we should have succeed.’
‘Mother never expected us to succeed.’ Saishi said, mournfully.
The Bailiff walked towards them. ‘Your Benevolence, the defence lawyers request you attempt the Divination Seance again.’
Rayfa squared her shoulders and nodded, walking into the courtroom.
‘You can do this.’ Her dæmon muttered, flying off her shoulder. He landed in a cloud of Dust, a large dog glaring at Ga’ran. They could do this.
Maya Fey had promised he would see his son again. Her tiny dragon dæmon had promised his tiger that she would be there as well, to see what shape Naona half Settled as. They would get to see Apollo one last time.
After they died.
Aydahar limped towards her man, falling down across his legs. Fey was looking away, giving them their last moments together. Dhurke’s hand slowly moved to her head, scratching it softly. She smiled, ignoring the feeling of Dust swirling around her back as her legs faded away.
‘Make sure you give Apollo the biggest hug for me, won’t you?’
‘Why can’t you hug Naona?’ Dhurke said, with a smirk.
‘I don’t have arms.’ She said, getting a bark of a laugh from Dhurke. Even while dying, she wanted to make her man happy. ‘Besides, she might be tiny, like a mouse or a beetle.’
‘Ha, Apollo would never be so small. He’s a Dragon and a Dragon never yields.’
Aydahar chuckled, not quite having the energy Dhurke had. ‘Dhurke. If you see Nahyuta…’
‘I know, Ayda, I know.’ He leant back against the tomb, looking forward so he didn’t see her fading away. ‘So does he.’
‘You’ve seen who’s defending, I presume?’
Nahyuta didn’t look up as his Heiwa, instead continuing with his meditation. It seemed his dæmon made a habit of making more noise whenever he wanted to concentrate. Normally, she just stood beside him, her mane and tail flowing around her as if she was submerged in water. Nahyuta may not remember his mother’s dæmon but he knew Khura’inese Royalty often had mythical dæmons, like his own Kelpie.
‘Yuta, did you hear me?’
He sighed, looking up at her. The horse like creature tilted her head, water dripping onto his knee. ‘Yes, Heiwa, I heard you and, yes, I saw who is defending.’
‘And you’re completely okay with that? Not going to freak out when you see him.’
Nahyuta stood up, raising an eyebrow at his dæmon and moving to sit at his desk. He need to look at his notes one more time.
‘Of course not. Those who choose to defend the guilty will be judged by the Holy Mother, our job is only to facilitate.’
Heiwa shook her head. ‘That’s not what the revolutionaries say.’
Nahyuta smirked softly. ‘Apollo Justice isn’t going to win the Revolution by himself. I think we’re fine.’