#anyway yoshimi's a beaded vulture and his birth name is Ichiro

[summerlimeismethebrony]

Another of my AA HDM AU snippets, although this one isn't an adaptation of a scene we see in canon and instead the POV of an antagonist Settling

Spoilers for the third Ace Attorney game, particularly case 3-4

"Urg…" Yoshimi groaned. "Could you hurry it up, Melissa? This form is so uncomfortable." 

Melissa huffed in mock annoyance, but she couldn't really blame her daemon for his discomfort. She couldn't remember the last time he'd been anything other than a bird. And, much as she'd like to forget it, she was technically a witch. Such an earth-bound form as this went against his nature. 

"Alright, I'm ready," she told him, "Let's get this over with." 

...

She played the part of Valerie perfectly, she thought — and Yoshimi hadn't needed to worry about anything but being in the right shape and position when the camera went off. 

…

As Melissa packed away her camera, Yoshimi sighed with relief as he finally shifted and could stretch his wings. 

He was a big, beautiful bird, with striking face markings and an almost fur-like look to his feathers. 

"Hm, never seen that one before," she said. 

"You like it?" he asked, turning to her and flapping wings that were wider than she was tall. 

"It's lovely," she told him, "Maybe you should be something smaller for the trip down, though."

Yoshimi stilled for a beat. Then, he tucked his wings in tight and looked at her with dark, red eyes. 

"Melissa… I can't. This is it." 

"This?" Melissa asked numbly, "Now? After I—" She cut herself off, dread creeping up her arms in hot prickles. 

"I think…" Yoshimi hesitated, like he wanted to lie — but he was her soul, and lying to yourself is foolish. "I think it was… you know …that did it. If I hadn't already taken his form when you… I don't think the plan would've worked." He looked at her pleadingly. "Are you mad?"

"No, I'm not mad." Melissa's voice sounded hollow. "I just— wie settled from murdering someone… What does that mean?" 

"That wie're dedicated to self-preserviation?" Yoshimi guessed. "Wie won't know for sure until wie find out what I am." 

Melissa nodded, glad to have a plan (other than the plan to develop the photos and present them to the authorities, but that was… too much to think about at the moment). 

On their way down the mountain, Yoshimi seemed to have an idea. 

"Y'know… this might actually work out in our favor." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, I'm settled, right? So no one will suspect that wie did what wie did — it'd be easy to see I'm not him, even from far away. I'm huge now." By the end of his explanation, he sounded actually excited. 

Melissa felt herself start to smile. He was right; maybe this would work out in their favor.