#oh yeah i brought feenie with me throughout my journey

[grangermonarque]

Have some pictures when I was at the con!!! HUGE THANK YOU TO @fug0th for making and prepping the cosplay!!! Their costume commissions are open so please forfeit all personal belongings to them :]

And more cool people I met along the con!

Anyone here wanna meet me at dublin comic con today? :]

I'll be cosplaying my Epithet Erased OC Vincenzo!! Be there or be square🟨

[whodunnitaceattorney]

Finale Part Three

The Sacred Cavern was open.

And it was empty. There were no persons or objects to be found.

It took several moments for reality to set in.

“This… This is wrong…” Phoenix mumbled to himself. “She… She was here… She had to be here…” His eyes were wide open as they desperately scanned the open space in front of him. His hands were repeatedly clenching and un-clenching.

The sinister sounds from behind him hadn’t ceased. Slowly, he turned his head to see what - or who - it was.

Ema Skye was watching in confusion and dismay as tears streamed Viola’s face. She was doubled over in an uncontrollable fit of laughter. For Ema, the last piece had fallen into place.

“You… You’re the killer. It’s been you this whole time!”

VIOLA CADAVERINI composed herself and got up to face the other woman, wiping one last joyful tear out of the corner of her eye. Her unbroken grin was severely unsettling.

“It looks like I’ve been found out,” she observed. “But are you really that surprised?”

“Why did you do it?” Ema asked, her eyes landing on Phoenix, who was still too shocked and disturbed to speak. How did he fit in to this nightmare? It still wasn’t clear.

“Maybe this will help.”

In a sudden burst of activity, the woman before them turned around and brought her fingers up to the back of her head. For the first and only time she removed her bandage and began fiddling with strands of her hair. Several seconds of braiding later, she turned again to reveal herself.

Ema was confused, but Phoenix wasn’t, despite being presented with what should have been an unbelievable sight. 

DAHLIA HAWTHORNE, he thought, the despair pushing him even closer to the ground. I should’ve known.

Dahlia laughed once more, savoring every ounce of the bravado. She was almost unrecognizable as “Viola,” but once she returned her hair to its typical style and allowed herself to show real emotion, she had given herself away.

“It’s been quite some time, Feenie. And I was quite ready to see you again - especially like this!”

Ema couldn’t stand by without trying to get a grasp on the scene before her.

“Who are you?” She demanded. “And how do you know Mr. Wright?”

“You could call me an old friend,” Dahlia jeered. “Although I’m no longer part of his life. Or anyone’s, for that matter.” She snickered at her reference.

“Who the hell is channeling you?” Phoenix asked. “And what did you do to Iris?”

“Well, in case you didn’t know,” Dahlia explained pompously, “there’s a whole country of people who can do this. The dark-haired beauty whose body I’m borrowing just happened to be acquainted with a friend of mine… And as far as my sister goes, she was never here, obviously! I just talked like her for that recording you heard on the phone. Jesus, didn’t she impersonate me for like, months? We sound exactly alike!”

Phoenix was starting to be sick. He had one reason to keep pushing forward all this time, and it turns out he had been played.

“At least tell me that she’s alive,” Phoenix begged, all the weight of these realizations showing on his ragged face.

Dahlia giggled, allowing a rosy pair of dimples to appear on her face. “Tee-hee! I wouldn’t make any promises I can’t keep to you, Feenie!”

Then, as suddenly as it had manifested, the cutesy facade disappeared. “But seriously, Phoenix. How can a woman count on you for anything? Nine people I killed, and you hardly lifted a finger. And for nothing in return, it turns out.”

That was the last blow to Phoenix’s psyche that he could take. His sobs were heaving and ugly. Every cry he emanated came from regret for every friend he had lost to Dahlia’s killing game. It was the most broken Ema had ever seen him, despite all the hardships she knew he had endured.

Dahlia seemed to get the reaction she was looking for - the one she had been aiming to receive from the start. Flashing another toothy grin, she turned her attention to Ema.

“God, he really is a mess, isn’t he! Anyways, I know you’re running out of time, so I’ll let you go. I’ve done everything I need to do. You’re the winner of our game, after all! We can’t have you dying in an avalanche!”

“Wait!” Ema exclaimed as Dahlia turned to leave. “You keep making references to someone else. You weren’t the one who masterminded all this, were you? You were just someone’s tool.”

“Sharp as always!” Dahlia replied. “Yes, another person did come up with the idea for this. I guess you could say he was my boss. And who could be better to hire other than me? I’m dead. The only thing left for Dahlia Hawthorne was to get my revenge on Phoenix Wright and that disgusting witch who made him, and it’s probably the last thing Dahlia Hawthorne will do. Oh, I can’t wait for the news of my crimes to hit the papers!” She clapped with ominous glee.

“Who says it will?” Ema shot back angrily. “Maybe we won’t let them give you the credit you want.”

“Oh, I’m not worried about that,” Dahlia said, starting towards the door. “They’re gonna find this woman’s body buried under the rubble from the avalanche, dead like all the others. If you don’t want you and Feenie to get accused of murder nine times over, you’re gonna have to tell the truth about me being channeled. Don’t worry, they’ve seen it before.” Dahlia had one last laugh as she crossed the threshold outside. “Oh, and by the way. The mastermind - he’s waiting to see you. You should probably pay him a visit when you get back. It was nice to get to know you, Ema Skye! Take care! Your ride home is right behind this building.”

Ema watch DAHLIA HAWTHORNE disappear from her sight. She didn’t bother chasing after her - she wasn’t concerned about her making a run for it. She was already dead, after all. What did it matter now?

She turned her attention to the blubbering heap of a man next to her. She needed to get him out, and fast. She tugged on his arm.

“C’mon, Mr. Wright. We need to go, now.”

“Leave me here, Ema,” he said hopelessly. “She won. I need to die here. I’ll never get past this…”

Ema wasn’t having it. She didn’t have time to convince him not to give up, so instead, she took him by force.

Grabbing hold of his ankle, she dragged him out of the Inner Temple and out into the snow. He didn’t have either the energy or the desire to fight back.

Moving as quickly as she physically could, she proceeded to the other side of the Temple. As promised, there was something waiting for her.

At first glance, it was just a sturdy dinghy. But the hooks on the front and back of its walls indicated exactly what she needed to do.

Piling Phoenix into the boat among the paddles, thick winter coats, and survival rations that Dahlia had provided, Ema got to work. After retrieving the purple and green hang gliders that had been discarded in the snow, she hooked them onto the dinghy. She then pushed it towards the cliff overhanging Eagle River and took one last deep breath.

This was it. She’d won. And although she hadn’t really beaten the killer, they weren’t about to be set free to the world. And best of all, she had saved one person - the person closest to her of all.

Only now she had to navigate a tiny raft through miles of strong current after jumping off a giant cliff. Great.

But to be fair, it seemed about on par with everything she had experienced throughout her time in the mountains.

Ema hit the water with a giant splash. She worried the dinghy was going to flip, but thankfully she was able to steady it. Phoenix, although he remained dead silent, was now helping her keep control. She didn’t know if he would ever recover from what Dahlia had done to him, but she still couldn’t mistake the gratitude in his eyes.

They were only about a minute out when they heard a deafening roar behind them.

“That’s the bomb. Oh, God, I hope we’re far enough away!” Ema yelled.

The avalanche was huge - much larger than the one they had experienced on the first day. Giant boulders and sheets of snow and ice were pouring into the river behind them, creating wave after stomach-turning wave.

Ema thought of Will and the spirit medium as she desperately paddled and shifted her weight. Would they ever be found? Would any trace of what had happened be left behind?

No. It would take some time. But Ema would make sure everyone was found, including the bodies stuck in Hazakura Temple - even if it meant quitting her job.

The ripples of the avalanche soon subsided, never having totally caught up to them. Unfortunately, there was still a long journey ahead of them. It would be several hours - maybe even half a day - before they reached the nearest city.

Despite the exhaustion and the open emotional wounds, Ema’s mind was filled with questions. She tried to contain them, but the pressure inside her only mounted.

“Okay, I have to ask,” she prefaced. “What is your history with that woman? Why did she want revenge so bad?”

Phoenix shook his head slightly. He supposed there was little point to burying what happened.

“It’s not just me. It’s also my mentor. The last time Dahlia left this planet, she and her sister were all there to see it. It was humiliating for her. She probably jumped at the first chance she got to get back at me.” He paused, furrowing his brow. “My question is, who gave her the opportunity? Who hired that woman to channel her so she could carry it all out?”

Ema knew the answer to that. She thought back to the Riddle she had won. The answer was right there in that article.

“So… It’s Dahlia’s sister. That’s who you thought had been kidnapped,” she stated, changing the subject.

Phoenix’s face flushed in anguish. “Yeah. We knew each other before. We lost contact a while back. but…”

Ema felt sad for him. He had seen a lot of bad things and dealt with a lot of bad people. But he still wanted to do everything for the people close to him.

“Alright. I won’t keep grilling you. You should rest.”

He nodded, but continued helping her paddle. Eventually they did reach shore, but not after hours of freezing winds and icy waves. The furry coats were a very necessary protection from hypothermia.

The city lights sparkled in the early morning. It was the most comforting sight Ema had experienced for a long while.

The young detective grasped the hand of PHOENIX WRIGHT and helped him out of the dinghy.

“Let’s go,” she urged. “You may have forgotten, but you have people worried sick about you.

It was an entire day later that Ema was finally released from questioning. She wasn’t completely off the hook yet, but at least she was allowed to go home and get some actual rest.

The police barely believed her story of their escape, but the evidence of their river travel seemed to back her up. They were even more shocked to hear of the nine murders, especially that they were at the hands of a sadistic dead woman. Still, having not yet uncovered any of the bodies, there was nothing to charge her with.

Hopefully for Ema, if anything survived, it’d be that damn cell phone. Dahlia had surely left a gold mine of photographic evidence on that thing. It wasn’t likely that the e-mails would be enough to completely clear her.

First thing next morning, Ema left to see the mastermind. She knew exactly where she was headed - the only worry she had was finding a place to start.

She entered the Detention Center as soon as visiting hours opened and approached the clerk with one demand.

“Take me to Kristoph Gavin, please.” 

Her wish was granted, and within three minutes she was led to a carefully decorated prison cell. This, too was a place she recognized from a Riddle’s photo.

“Welcome, Ms. Skye.”

Ema sat across from Gavin, unable to pinpoint how she felt.

How was she supposed to talk to this man?

She hardly knew him.. She had testified in front of him once or twice, and she had even been there for his final breakdown, but at this moment in time, his facade of collectedness and sophistication was truly convincing.

“You appear very happy right now,” Ema observed.

“And you don’t,” Gavin replied. “You should feel proud of yourself. You came out on top in a grueling test of many aspects of human performance.”

“I’m not going to be satisfied until I know everything,” Ema replied. “If I can’t see you and Hawthorne punished more than you’ve already been, then this is the most I can hope for.”

“I see,” Gavin said, nodding in understanding. “You have won my full compliance. Please, ask whatever you like.”

Ema thought for some time before speaking again. In the end, only one word sufficed.

“Why?”

Gavin nodded once more. “It’s a complex question. Obviously, Dahlia Hawthorne is a criminal of the most frightening capacity. Still, we do share one aspect of our story in common. Neither of us have a life. And that is why we did what we did.”

“You’re talking about your life sentence,” Ema remarked.

“That’s right,” Gavin affirmed. “I have nothing to lose, and I have very little to gain from doing anything anymore. I have been imprisoned for some time now, and I can attest to the only tangible thing I experience being desiring the worst for Phoenix Wright. Therefore, it was really only a natural progression for me to seek revenge. It was only once I read a little into his past cases that I hatched the idea to have enlist Hawthorne’s help.”

“How did you do that? And why did she disguise herself as Viola Cadaverini?” Ema asked.

“Well, I knew Wright and Cadaverini were acquainted. Her appearance wasn’t too far off from Hawthorne’s, if she covered as much of her face as she could. I doubted he would recognize either of them with a lot of precision, but I suppose it was still a risk. Even so, her affect made for the perfect cover. One fearsome woman disguising herself as another fearsome woman - it was the easiest role to play, and I assume Hawthorne must have played it well. As for channeling her in the first place, that was deceptively simple. Many fledgling spirit mediums are looking for experience. I sought one out from the Kingdom of Khura’in, where Hawthorne’s face would be unknown. Then, once she arrived to see me in person, I simply showed her a photo, claimed I was a widower who sought forgiveness from my deceased spouse, and that was that. Of course, it was quite a task for Hawthorne to remain in this realm for such a length of time, but she was up to the task. It wasn’t her first time being channeled. Besides, I knew progressing the game as quickly as possible would bode well for her chances in the end.”

“Speaking of which, there’s something that’s bothering me,” Ema responded, her frustration growing. “Why couldn’t you have had Dahlia just murder Phoenix himself, or someone close to him? Why the elaborate game, and with so many people he only somewhat knew?”

“I thought it would be difficult to convince Wright to bring along his daughter or his understudy if Iris Hawthorne was the intended bait,” Gavin explained. “Wright would prefer to keep that history from his most innermost circle, I am sure. I only had Hawthorne contact people who would not be able to confirm the truthfulness of Wright’s invitation in person, essentially. And I think you’ve seen firsthand why the Killing Game was such an effective outlet. Forcing him to watch as so many innocent people were slaughtered was the ultimate revenge. Even allowing him to live, which I assume you made sure of, played into the plan. He will have to live with his inability to save them for the rest of his natural life.”

Ema leaned back in her chair. She was starting to understand the motivations behind what had happened to her and the others. She knew it would’ve killed her not to know, but at the same time, hearing it said out loud was difficult to handle.

“Now, I have a question for you, Ms. Skye,” Gavin declared. “Was defeating all of your competitors and seeing them die - was it worth it? Was it worth it to survive?”

The question was troubling. Of course, Ema would have rather escaped with everyone, but… It just wouldn’t have worked. And using force to try and stop the killer only would’ve been too risky. She likely would’ve killed an innocent person out of misplaced suspicion and paranoia.

Gavin wasn’t going to get the pitiful answer he was looking for.

“Yes, it was worth it,” Ema affirmed. “It was worth it because I know I was the strongest person of all the guests. And I’m going to use my strength to make sure they are never forgotten, and that they aren’t reduced to the way they died. They don’t deserve for that to happen. They were too good for that. I just don’t know if any of them would be able to face what we went through like I plan to if they had lived instead.”

Gavin was silent for a moment before replying. “I see. Very well, then.”

Ema felt the gravity of her words. Once she said them out loud, she knew for a fact they were true.

“I believe this interview has run its course,” Gavin stated. 

Though her mind wasn’t totally free of questions, Ema agreed. It was time to go - time to return to normal life.

“I would like to congratulate you once again on your accomplishment,” Gavin said. “To tell the truth, I had a feeling I would be seeing you of all people when it was all over.”

Ema didn’t smile at the compliment. Triumph wasn’t what she was feeling. It was something different - something Gavin would never understand.

“I am not sure our paths will ever cross again, so for now, I will say goodbye,” he said as she stood up to go. “I will be submitting a deposition detailing the crimes committed by Ms. Hawthorne and myself, so you and Mr. Wright should be cleared of suspicion. Oh, and I have one more thing to tell you. I’ve made sure something was left for you. Think of it as your final prize.”

Ema skeptically raised her eyebrow. “What is it?”

“You’ll see once you’ve arrived. It’s been hidden it in a very important location. Here is how to find it.” He handed Ema a slip of paper with an address neatly written on it. “Farewell, Ms. Skye.”

Ema indicated her comprehension, turned away from Gavin, and left without a word.

She soon found herself walking in one direction, not thinking about where she was going.

Her subconscious, however, was taking her exactly where Gavin had directed.

She arrived fifteen minutes later, holding up the paper with the address and comparing it to the building that stood before her.

     District Court of Los Kyotos, Japanifornia

     Courthouse Reading Room

Ema calmly entered and made her way to the shelf indicated by the note. On that shelf was a book. She reached out to pull it off the shelf.

Apparently, this book was the prize. As soon as she opened it and realized what was inside, her confusion subsided, and she understood what the enigmatic man had meant.

She closed the book and held it tightly in her hands, stunned into silence.

Somewhere far away, she could hear the sound of another book closing. It was a story over a decade old of greed, malice, and tragedy, and it was finally closing for good.

Congratulations to the winner of Whodunnit Ace Attorney, Ema Skye @luminol-lenses! You were one of the most quick-witted and determined contestants in any competition like this that I’ve ever witnessed, and you set the bar very high for anyone who wishes to play this game in the future. You are the most deserving winner I could have hoped for! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your commitment (and also for forcing me to make the riddles harder 😂).

Also, please offer your congratulations to your Killer, “Viola Cadaverini” @violacadavirini! You not only accepted your challenging role on day one, you thrived with it, receiving only six accusations throughout the entire competition. Despite having immunity from elimination, you presented quality cases every investigation and never shied away from a challenging riddle - this includes the Final RIddle, in which you were both the fastest and the most correct of all three players! I couldn’t have asked for any better. 

And for everyone else who played in this game or just watched it unfold, thank you so much! I have had a wonderful time with Whodunnit and I’ll really miss my job as moderator. Please keep in touch with me, whether on this blog or one of my others! And if anyone’s planning a sequel to this game, well, you can count me in 😉

Until then, this is your mod, signing off for now!