#wonder what happened to lana actually. she should be out by the time ema comes back

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

sometimes I think I don't have many thoughts or feelings about Ema, but then I think about her returning from Europe after her studies, failing to get the job she's dedicated her life to since she was a teenager, finding out that the man who saved both her and her sister got disbarred for submitting false evidence, being assigned to the prosecutor who got him disbarred, and running to find him only to be greeted by this slippery, silent stranger who won't talk about what he did or what really happened, and who's behaving just like her sister did for years, and I think about how powerless she is to help him because he won't let her, because he won't trust her, just as Lana hadn't for so much of her life, and how he should know better than to do that to her, but he doesn't or maybe he just doesn't care, and I think about Ema who came back full of hope and conviction only for that all to turn to dust in her hands in a matter of days, and I realise I do think about her a lot actually.

[rivalsforlife]

i'm holding myself back from asking commentary on almost every scene from the catch up game bc i love so much how you wrote phoenix in that fic!! that said, could u do commentary on the last 2 scenes from the first chapter (party + gumshoe), if that's not too long or on parts of it if it's too much?

Sure thing!! The scenes on their own are already over 2000 words so I’ll put them under a keep reading for everyone’s peace of mind.

Alright let’s start then...

The bachelor party was beyond Phoenix’s expectations. He’d been expecting Edgeworth to be much stingier with the spending, considering his general attitude towards Gumshoe’s salary. But he’d agreed to rent the bar out and pay for one drink for everyone, plus transportation home for those who couldn’t do it themselves. Phoenix… was surprised, actually. He’d known for a long time now that Edgeworth appreciated Gumshoe much more than he let anyone know about, but it was still surprising to see in action.

this paragraph brought to you by My AAI2 Feelings, particularly the parts where Gumshoe really does come through in the investigations, so much that Miles actually gives him a salary raise at the end... it did a great job developing their friendship, I loved it a lot.

(Also I headcanon that after aai2 but possibly before that... every “I’m going to cut your salary!!” that Miles says does not actually result in a salary cut. poor gumshoe can barely feed himself as it is. but Miles can’t be, like... Nice about it so he’s just going to pretend. Gumshoe understands. it’s like an inside joke now.)

And honestly figuring out this whole party scene was such a pain. I still feel like it could be better but I’m not sure how? I just had the goal of “get someone to let it slip that Miles is in love with Phoenix” but then there was the issue of a) who knew Miles well enough to know this, and b) who knew Phoenix well enough to talk about it, and c) what circumstances would let them slip up and say it. The answer was Gumshoe because he can’t resist leaking information to the defense... even when it’s information about his boss’s personal life. oops.

Athena dropped by for a movie night, since Pearls was too young to attend. Phoenix wasn’t worried about them; he was sure they wouldn’t get into any more trouble than he and Maya could at the party.

OOF AWKWARD PARAGRAPH this is a remnant from when I shifted a lot of scenes around in this chapter. I thought it would be cute if Athena and Pearl were friends. And I think there was more to this but then it was distracting from the overall topic so I cut it out... resulting in this.

“Pals!” a familiar voice boomed at the entrance to the bar, and Phoenix soon found himself and Maya swept up in a bone-crushing hug. “I’m so glad you both could make it!”

“Gumshoe!” Maya returned the hug enthusiastically. “It’s been forever, man!”

“Sure has!” Gumshoe released them, allowing Phoenix the opportunity to wheeze and clutch at his ribs, while Gumshoe ruffled Maya’s hair. “Been keeping yourself out of trouble?”

“You know it!”

“Uh, I had several sleepless nights last year suggesting otherwise,” said Phoenix.

“Shut it, Nick.” Maya elbowed him, not helping with the situation with his ribs, and beamed.

a little bit of banter that really just serves as a transition thing. most of the party is actually both “transition scene to indicate that the party did, in fact, happen before I get to the important stuff” and “introduce some important character stuff while I have time to fill”. 

and of course these sleepless nights are in reference to pretty much the whole plot of SOJ... 

One last note that I think Gumshoe probably gives great hugs, if you can survive your ribs potentially being crushed in the process. he doesn’t mean anything by it. he’s big and strong and likes hugs so much he forgets how big and strong he is.

... ps I love Gumshoe

“But congrats, Gumshoe! Seems like just last decade Nick and I were wandering around trying to pass your lunches over to Maggey.”

“God, it’s been that long, hasn’t it?” Phoenix reminisced. It was odd, thinking back on cases he took before he was disbarred, before he became a father to a daughter who wasn’t even with him today.

Gumshoe chuckled. “Guess so, pals. You two’ve really been there since the beginning, huh? Maggey and I wouldn’t be here today without you.”

Phoenix smiled. “Aww, Gumshoe…”

“And that’s why I get to be maid of honor, huh?” asked Maya with a sly grin.

“Maid of honor?!” Phoenix looked to Gumshoe, who didn’t object, before rounding back on his best friend. “You didn’t tell me that!”

“You didn’t ask!” Maya sighed. “If it weren’t for me eating Gumshoe’s beloved bento box in front of Maggey, who knows if we’d be here today?”

“I don’t think that was a deciding factor at any point…”

Gumshoe clapped Phoenix on the shoulder. “Sorry, pal. Would’ve made you the best man, but, y’know… Mr. Edgeworth.”

“Yeah, of course, no hard feelings, pal.”

“What’d I tell you about stealing my trademark, huh, pal?” Gumshoe laughed before stepping back into the bar. “C’mon in, you two.”

REALLY just more awkward transition scenes haha. Maya is the maid of honor in this fic mostly because I went to Maggey’s profile page and she was the only woman listed under the “friends” list... and we don’t know much about Maggey’s personal life. plus more “Miles and Gumshoe friendship” agenda pushing in here!

There were more people there than Phoenix was expecting, and many of them he hadn’t met. Edgeworth had mentioned that he would let Gumshoe select the guest list, but he’d kind of expected this to be people the two of them knew. Or, at least, that Phoenix knew — Edgeworth seemed to recognize more, which was rare, and was currently speaking with someone Phoenix vaguely recognized as an Interpol agent he’d worked with on a few cases back when Phoenix would help him out in Europe.

Ema ran up to them and made small talk before she and Maya got caught up in discussion about some show Phoenix had never heard of, so he wandered off to find someone else to talk with.

And there was… no one, really. Gumshoe and Edgeworth were talking with strangers, and Phoenix didn’t want to butt in on that conversation — he thought he saw Larry lurking about but couldn’t find him right now — and anyone else Phoenix recognized he either hadn’t talked to in years or was sure didn’t recognize him.

Phoenix hadn’t realized just how much his disbarment affected him, in these little ways. He looked out over the crowd of people Gumshoe or Edgeworth spoke to and had no idea who they were. It had been eight years out of touch with the rest of the legal world — eight years to fall behind.

It was… oddly lonely. Eventually it was just Phoenix standing there at the bar with a glass of grape juice in his hand. He was beginning to wish he’d ordered some more euphemistic “grape juice” instead.

You know that feeling when you go to a party and your one (1) friend leaves you and then you have no one to talk to and don’t know what to do -- maybe? That’s kind of the thing. slight Lang cameo in there.

ORIGINALLY Ema and Maya were going to talk about Lana and Mia and kind of hint at some Lanamia stuff in there, but then I thought about it and really why would Phoenix pass up an opportunity to gossip about his boss’s past relationships. 

And this also tries to kind of go for one of the general... “themes” of the fic? More of an exploration into Phoenix’s loneliness/how he copes with not having people around him. RFTA and JFA in particular kind of really entrenched that he Does Not Do Well without people to take care of -- which comes up a lot during this fic. And part of getting to explore those issues is essentially me trying to make Phoenix as alone as possible. ... sorry Phoenix! 

Also in here is a lot of “disbarment should have messed up Phoenix more than DD and SOJ would lead you to believe” -- he essentially spent seven years completely disgraced, it’s unlikely he made a lot of notable legal connections, aside from maybe Miles and Miles’ social circle. He probably missed out on a lot.

The last paragraph there is just referencing the “grape juice” thing - I do believe it is literal grape juice and not an alcohol euphemism, and I believe it was also literal grape juice in the original, so that’s what it ends up being.

“Hey, Niiiick…”

… But Phoenix supposed that just when you’re feeling down, the Butz arrives to drag you down further. “Hey there, Larry.”

Larry slumped against the bar beside him with a sigh, a glass of what definitely wasn’t grape juice in his hand. “Y’know Franzy didn’t even show up to this?”

“I’m not surprised. Being whipped half to death during your own bachelor party isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time, y’know?” In truth, he knew Franziska couldn’t make it down until just a few days before the wedding because of work — or so Edgeworth had told him — though he couldn’t help but wonder if Gumshoe was grateful for it.

Larry muttered something under his breath that sounded like it might’ve been contradicting Phoenix’s last statement, which Phoenix decided he was certainly not going to press further on, before Larry cleared his throat and continued. “But why’re you out here by yourself, Nick? Maya ditched you?”

“No, not at all,” Phoenix lied. “Just… taking in the scenery.”

“... Huh. Never took you for the wallflower type.” Larry frowned. “I mean, we did use to spend school dances in the corner by ourselves… guess some things never change.”

“Please don’t remind me of middle school ever again.”

“I’ll drink to that,” said Larry, who then did. “But I get it, dude. I was kinda hoping for some more excitement here… more ladies…”

“Don’t worry Larry, I’m sure you’ll find someone else to pester tonight,” Phoenix commented dryly.

... enter Larry Butz.

I really did try to explore the relationships of all the important people in Phoenix’s life... Larry though is so insufferable in canon I didn’t really have the heart to fit him in, so he falls out. (Apollo also doesn’t show up much, aside from the bit in chapter 5, that’s because he’s in a different country and I couldn’t come up with much of a role for him.)

And I also do believe that Larry and Phoenix were super unpopular in school. Larry was... Larry, and Phoenix was probably very sensitive up until the Dahlia Incident, and together they had enough unlikable traits that anyone who could spend time with one wouldn’t want to hang out with the other, but the two of them were loyal to each other. It’s my headcanon that Phoenix’s only real close friends throughout his childhood were Larry and Miles, which is part of why he got so attached to Miles to change his career for him.

“Yeah.” Larry’s eyes scanned the crowd before landing on a woman with dark hair in a high ponytail, and his face brightened. Phoenix cringed preemptively.

“Little miss Kay!” Larry called out, as the woman looked their way. “Looking as cute as ever! And more grown up, too…”

Phoenix tensed, suddenly feeling the wrath of hell creeping up behind them.

“Larry Butz,” a deadly voice boomed, “if you go anywhere near her, I will sue you for everything you are worth, little though it may be.”

Larry jumped and spilled half his drink over his jacket. “Geez, Edgey,” he grumbled, scuttling off to find a napkin. Phoenix, hoping it was safe now with the target gone, turned back around to meet the glare of his other childhood friend. “Hey, Edgeworth.”

Larry being gross but more importantly: me pushing the Dadworth agenda! 

“You didn’t have to do that, Mr. Edgeworth,” said the woman with a laugh. “I’m an adult. I know how to effectively break someone’s kneecaps if they bug me.”

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. “Though I don’t necessarily disapprove, do we need to talk about avoiding criminal records again, young lady?”

“Sheesh, you’re still treating me like a kid,” she huffed, before noticing Phoenix and extending a hand. “Sorry about that! Kay Faraday. I’m Mr. Edgeworth’s assistant.”

Edgeworth gave an exasperated sigh, though Phoenix could detect a note of fondness to it. “You haven’t been my assistant for over ten years, Kay.”

“So you finally admit I was your assistant at some point!”

“Ngrk…”

Phoenix laughed and took her hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Phoenix Wright, attorney at law.”

Kay grinned. “Oh, I know! Gummy debriefed me on you, Mr. That Man.”

“Kay,” Edgeworth warned.

“Plus I kept up with the news,” Kay continued, before Phoenix could say anything. “I’m a big fan of your work! Anyone who can take Mr. High-and-Mighty over there down a notch or two is a hero in my book.”

“Ha, I appreciate that.” Usually the first thing people said to Phoenix after saying they saw him on the news was much more negative.

I really still can’t believe Kay would be 27 here. that’s just so weird. she’s permanently seventeen in my mind. --- said by miles, probably

Even though this was supposed to be a fic about Phoenix’s important canon relationships Kay just wormed her way in here. I love her so I didn’t make any particular effort to take her out of this. Plus it gives me the opportunity to write my favourite things: Dadworth, and also Kay bullying Miles.

And yeah the part about people seeing Phoenix on the news is a reference to disbarment... can’t imagine anyone would have had anything particularly nice to say to him, especially those first few years.

“Kay has been assisting some of the prosecutors and myself through some tricky crime scenes lately,” Edgeworth informed him.

“Technically I’m a P.I., but Mr. Edgeworth said they’re really short-staffed these days, so I thought I’d lend him a hand,” Kay elaborated.

“Oh, so I might be running into you at the crime scene someday.”

“Probably!” She grinned. “Though I’m not gonna go easy on you just ‘cause Mr. Edgeworth likes you.”

“Kay.”

“Oh is that Ema over there?” Kay said loudly. “I’ve gotta run, see you around!”

She dashed off. Edgeworth sighed.

At first I made Kay just a straightforward detective, but I changed it pretty last minute. I feel like she’d want to do her own thing, plus this way she can assist from the outside when dealing with Dark Age of the Law Corruption-type stuff. Miles hires her because canon says he was left pretty short-staffed in SOJ. I’m not... totally sure what the laws are regarding private investigators working with police, but this is a fictional universe with fictional laws so I will do what I want.

Aside from that... more Kay making fun of Miles.

“She seems energetic,” Phoenix commented.

“Indeed she is.”

“... Why did she call me ‘Mr. That Man’?”

Edgeworth coughed. “I’ve not the slightest idea,” he said, turning his head to the side. “That aside, this whole affair is going much smoother than I expected, aside from that slight mishap.”

“Yeah, murder’s not really the best way to kick off a bachelor party, huh? Even if it is Larry. But I think we did alright.”

“Indeed.”

As if on cue, a loud cheer rose up from the crowd at the far corner of the bar.

“... Do you smell something?” Phoenix asked, and true to form, the swaying form of Larry crawled on top of a table.

People making fun of That Man is one of my favourite tropes regarding the AAI characters.

I don’t actually know how bachelor parties work, but if anyone can make them into an overly dramatized super wild party... it’s Larry.

Edgeworth groaned and began to storm off, but Phoenix grabbed him by the hand to hold him back. “Edgeworth, it’s a party, let them have their fun.”

“I… suppose so,” Edgeworth relented, but his hand was still tense in Phoenix’s.

Phoenix released him. “C’mon, we can chaperone from a safe distance.”

Edgeworth nodded wordlessly, but Phoenix could sense that same feeling of unease from him again. He opened his mouth to ask about it but a loud shout took up his attention — this was something that could be dealt with later, he thought, as he and Edgeworth rushed over to the scene.

Miles internal monologue: Wright is holding my hand. Wright is holding my hand. Wright is holding my hand writgh is holding my hand wright is holdin g my ha--

Phoenix: uh. edgeworth?

So in this fic... Miles is gradually working up the courage to confess to Phoenix. He finally worked out his own feelings at some point prior to this fic starting but can’t quite admit them yet, so every time Phoenix does anything that can be remotely construed as romantic he just goes “!!!” and it’s probably all he can think about for a week. Poor guy! I’m sure that when he finally confesses all will be well.

Hours later, as the party wound down and various taxis came to take people home, Phoenix found himself crowded in a booth with a tipsy Maya and a drunk, gushing Gumshoe.

“... and I know she’s gonna just be so beautiful, pals, and what if it’s too much?” Gumshoe asked, lying sideways against the table. “What if they don’t let me see her and then the day of the wedding I look’t her and… I die?”

“People have gotten married without dying, Gumshoe,” Phoenix consoled him.

“But they don’t marry Maggey, pal…”

Maya snorted. “With her luck, I wouldn’t be surprised if something like that happened.”

“Hey, don’t tell him that!” Phoenix hissed.

really this wedding should have had way more disaster than I wrote about... probably at least one murder.

“No, no, don’t mention her luck, she’s already so worried,” said Gumshoe. “We’ve checked off every good-luck wedding charm in th’ book… but she still thinks somethin’s gonna go wrong. I love her, I really, really love her, pals…” A far off look crossed his face, and Phoenix wondered if anyone would ever speak of him like that, “... but she worries so much…”

“What’s she worried about?” Maya asked, slumping over against Phoenix’s shoulder.

“Ceremony, reception, if people’re gonna show up, if we’re gonna lose somethin’ important… even ‘s far as the bouquet toss. I told her, if you’re not sure, just toss it in th’ direction of you,” he pointed at Phoenix, “or at Mr. Edgeworth, and maybe it’ll work.”

Phoenix frowned. “Why me?”

Gumshoe let out a burst of hearty laughter. “I’m thinkin’ if you or Mr. Edgeworth catches it, it’ll give ‘im the courage to finally ask you out, pal.”

Maya shot straight up. Phoenix froze. “... What?”

probably not the smoothest way to get to the entire reason why this bachelor party exists, BUT. 

Also it’s implied that Miles DID actually talk to Gumshoe about this at some point. probably Gumshoe caught him pining at a bad time haha.

“Y’know the old tradition, whoever catches it is the next to get married and all…” Gumshoe stared at them for a moment, before his eyes widened and a look of absolute horror crossed his face. “O-Oh! Crap! Pal!”

“Edgeworth wants to ask Nick out?!” Maya shrieked.

“FINALLY! IT’S ABOUT FREAKING TIME!”

originally Gumshoe used a much stronger word than “crap” but idk Gummy doesn’t seem like the type to curse much...? Maybe it’s a stretch haha. also “pal” as an exclamation is my favourite little Gumshoe speech tic

“Shh, shh!” Gumshoe reached over to clamp a hand over her mouth but fell, collapsing on the table. “You heard nothin’ from me, pals, got it? Mr. Edgeworth’s gonna kill me if he finds out… worse, stop funding the wedding…”

Death is one thing but the WEDDING...

And I can’t remember if I mentioned at any point that Miles was also funding the wedding haha but it’s probably also something he wouldn’t want to tell anyone. Gumshoe with his perpetually terrible salary (which is also Miles’ fault) plus Maggey with her inability to hold down a job before being fired in a murder-related incident probably means they don’t have a lot for a nice wedding so Miles offered. secretly and evasively. because he’s a nice person but also doesn’t want anyone to know that.

Maya stared at Phoenix, her mouth agape, as Gumshoe continued mumbling to himself under his breath about the various consequences of Edgeworth’s hypothetical wrath. Phoenix, meanwhile, felt like his brain had short-circuited.

That wasn’t possible. He must have heard Gumshoe wrong. Edgeworth didn’t think of him that way. Edgeworth didn’t think about anyone that way, Phoenix had thought, for the longest time.

Little do you know, Phoenix! 

Touching on the aroace Miles headcanon here because it’s a very valid interpretation of his actions even if it’s not my own...

… Even if Edgeworth had been acting strange lately, even if something in his expression softened when he looked at Phoenix, even if…

No. Phoenix quickly shoved that thought to the back of his mind. There were many things he knew about Edgeworth, and one of those was that Edgeworth saw him as a part-time friend and part-time annoyance, but never a romantic interest of any kind. The thought of it was just… just unbelievable.

Phoenix craned his head around, catching sight of a familiar pink jacket across the room and watched Edgeworth in the middle of some phone call. He would know if Edgeworth was interested in him that way… wouldn’t he?

At first “the back of his mind” was “the overflowing mental trunk of repression” but that seemed a little too on the nose. Just know that’s essentially what he’s doing.

Another thing I wanted to establish throughout the fic was how close Phoenix and Miles are now -- they essentially know each other really well. And thinking about that part in Turnabout Goodbyes where Phoenix declares that “I’m the only one who knows the real Edgeworth”, I kind of interpreted that Phoenix Knowing Things About Edgeworth is an important part of their relationship to him. And the occasions where Miles did surprise him (with some aspect of his personality) weren’t always very good things... realizing he’d turned into a “demon prosecutor”, then the “choosing death” part... it’s a lot of my headcanons running away from me haha. Basically in this fic, Phoenix thinks he knows Edgeworth so well because he’s so close with him so an indication that there’s something about Edgeworth he doesn’t know or has completely wrong kind of... connects to him /not/ being as close to Edgeworth as he thinks he is? Maybe? And being close to him is something very important to Phoenix.

(This is not my personal opinion though haha, people can and will surprise you no matter how well you know them... but this fic is Phoenix’s Relationship Issues: The Fic, so.)

And no one else has mentioned the scenes where it comes up yet so I’ll talk about it here -- a lot of my editing process involved going through the fic and cutting out every instance of Phoenix either talking about him hypothetically being in love with Miles, or of Miles being in love with him. I just ctrl+f “love” and cut out whatever fit the criteria. Phoenix’s interpretation of Miles’ actions up until the end of chapter 5 isn’t exactly that Miles is Capital-L In Love with him, more that it’s like... a little crush? Mayyybe some physical attraction. Misconstrued admiration. Not anything so severe that Miles would willingly initiate a conversation about Feelings. so “He would know if Edgeworth was in love with him” changed to “He would know if Edgeworth was interested in him that way” because part of Phoenix’s issue here is that he can’t actually directly acknowledge the possibility that he’s in love with Miles or that Miles is in love with him. It’s a whole complicated thing I’ll probably talk about in the next commentary I do?

This got long but there’s the end of the chapter! I’ll answer more later...? These take up a lot of time haha.

[marithlizard]

Ace Attorney: Rise From the Ashes (part 1)

A couple of people expressed interest in a writeup as I play through the game, so I thought I’d give quasi-liveblogging a try.   It might have come out to be too detailed - let me know if the result is amusing enough to go through the next part.  

(I knew this already, but wow liveblogging is a lot of work.   And it must take twice as much effort to do this for a show and to include screencaps.)

(I’ve tried three times now to put proper line breaks/spacing in, and they’re just not displaying, at least on desktop. I’m sorry.)

A brief,  stylized opening designed not to give away much, except that a creepy-looking doll is involved.

 Two months?  Phoenix, you haven't taken a single client since Maya left?    a) are you depressed, and b) how are you paying rent on the office?

Ookay, you're not going to tell us why you've been moping around. I don't think it's that you have a crush on Maya.  Are you just not able to function without a partner?   That's not great for your ability to survive, but I can sympathize.  

 New perky assistant, right on cue.  (A partner who isn't a young girl would be a nice change now and then. (But not Larry.  Anyone but Larry. In fact, I take it back, this girl with the pink sunglasses will do just fine.))

Oof,  Phoenix still not being able to say out loud that Mia's dead.

In the first two minutes pink-glasses girl has asserted that he's his female boss, the coffee boy, and 'better than nothing'.   Aha!  The problem with all the clients he turned down was that they didn't insult him enough.

Kid, you can't be more than sixteen, and you have silly face buttons  on your lab coat.  You are about as much a scientific investigator as Photography Girl last episode was a journalist.   ...But apparently you have a future job lined up in forensics, so you're more organized than she was.  And this world certainly could use more competent crime scene analysis.  

"I promised her I'd bring Mia Fey".  Huh.  Is Mia's murder not well-known to the public,  then, even though the Edgeworth case apparently got famous enough to earn Phoenix a bit of a reputation?

A murder charge with an eyewitness, and an assistant who "kind of hates" her sister the defendant.  Sounds hopeless, let's do it! Off to the Detention Center. 

...Did we just overhear the defendant threatening their terrified guard with a pay freeze?  Is she their boss? And if she's someone that high up, why doesn't she already have a better defense attorney?

I like Lana Skye's character design. She looks as though she should be starring in a Takurazuka revue show, swearing eternal star-crossed love to a princess.  

She insists she did it.  By genre convention we know that can't be the case; my first assumption is that she's being forced to cover for someone, blackmailed  or coerced  by someone higher up in the system.   But it would certainly be interesting if it  turned out she was covering for Ema.  

Must....resist...plotbunnies...

Oookay.  A prosecutor should certainly know ways to commit murder without getting caught, and this sounds like the opposite of those ways.    WHY does she claim she did this?  You're not even going to ask her, are you?  *headdesk*

Ema:  "Please ignore that totally gay statement by my sister,  because I certainly plan to!"

Lana: "No don't help me, go away go away go away go away go awa-oh fine."

Hmmm.  From Ema's description of the behavior change,  Lana has been being blackmailed or coerced for a long time now.

Time to go investigate the underground parking garage.

Attorneys aren't supposed to examine crime scenes, and defense attorneys aren't entitled to a copy of the police investigation reports.  What does a "normal" defense attorney in this world do for their clients then?  Always assume a loss and try to negotiate a plea bargain?  I wonder if we'll ever get to see one in action.

It's...a cop with a cowboy fetish?  Do police not have dress codes here?  Maybe they're waived above a certain level,  and some people take pride in cultivating a unique style to show off that they can.  It would explain Edgeworth.  

You are dramatically pretending to shave in front of us.  Also you just called Ema a baby cow.  Although you know her and seem sympathetic - I guess Lana brought her little sister to the office sometimes?  Not sure what I think of you, Jake Marshall.

I am revising my stance. Being Phoenix's partner on a case requires precise and narrow qualifications.  Specifically, just enough sense to stop him from doing something breathtakingly stupid, but not enough sense to take the badge firmly away from him and do the job themselves.   Ema fits the bill perfectly.

Ooh, new mechanic!  And an ID card number for a Bruce Goodman who dresses like a white-hat agent in Spy vs Spy. (I was trained on games that would require you to write that number down and remember it later, but AA will certainly be more forgiving.)  

Using the new mechanic on Phoenix's attorney badge,  I deduce that at some point this game it will be stolen.  

It doesn't explain Lana's supposed actions, but that red sports car does kind of scream "My owner is a jerk, stuff a body in my trunk."   Instead of a chalk outline, they seem to have outlined the hanging body with string?  Is that actually a technique, and how do they get the rope to stay put in precise outline?

And the cowboy gives them a hint.  So he's  on their side but constrained by rules?

Lady put the boobs away.  Why are you selling sushi in a negligee under a fur coat, at a crime scene?  And why would anyone trust food from someone whose nickname is "the Cough-Up Queen"?

Angel Starr, dominatrix lunch lady.   It says something that this is not the weirdest witness in an AA game so far.

She hates prosecutors, and therefore especially Lana. Not a trustworthy witness. But it's probably no fun to cater for a group of (relatively) wealthy and powerful people you despise.   Especially if they're smugly giving awards to each other as they eat lunches.  (Eeeevil lunches.  She probably coughs on them.)

"The rhythmic beat of Lana Skye's knife"...  very poetic, but didn't Lana say the victim was stabbed only once?

We can't get back to the car, phooey, so up to the prosecutor's office we go.

Pink...everywhere...no question whose office this is, even if one of his outfits wasn't framed on the wall.  (why do you frame an outfit?)     I see a very ugly trophy on the sofa, so he's the one who won the award.

Ema:  "this is the kind of room that just screams 'I can do the job'. Actually it screams 'I don't need to pretend to be heterosexual', but the two aren't unconnected.    

Is it just me or is that trophy broken off at the top?

Edgeworth did you just roll with being insulted and make a joke about it?   I'm so proud of you, you've clearly relaxed since your murder trial!

BWAHAHA of course it was Edgeworth's car.

Wendy the security guard from the Steel Samurai case is sending Edgeworth expensive presents??   a) that's both funny and a little sad,  b) how can she afford it,  and c)  he keeps and displays them which is very courteous.

WAIT did you - did this game just heavily suggest Gumshoe hangs out in the office a lot?  Twice, once when you look at the shelves and again when you look at the desk?  I don't ship it, but this is the point where I start to see why people do.

Awwww he's embarrassed about the trophy, that's cute.    So he's the one who "devours the evillest lunches of all",  hmm?   I wouldn't have thought the Cough-Up Queen's weird not-even-fresh lunches would appeal to Edgeworth's refined tastes.

Ema actually has a bit of a crush, from the way she's rhapsodizing about Edgeworth sleeping on the sofa.  d'awww.   And I definitely want to know the story behind the outfit.  Made by his mom and too precious to wear?

Edgeworth, no one thinks you did it.   Sheesh.  He certainly doesn't sound happy about having to prosecute Lana,  even though he believes she's guilty.  His car, his knife... it almost seems like this is a plot aimed at him, or perhaps a plot against Lana with a healthy dose of fuck-you-too-Edgeworth to it.

Huh.  Maybe it *is* aimed at him. I've been assuming all this time from his behavior on the stand that Edgeworth has indeed been messing with evidence to convict obviously innocent people, and also assuming that it's common practice in this corrupt justice system. (Much as it is in Japan and in the US).  But the way he's talking about rumors right now, it sounds more like he's being slandered.  And he thinks the award he was given was out of mockery.  Ouch.

So yes, the trophy is broken.   (In RWBY, you assume everything is a gun;  in AA, you assume everything is a murder weapon.  It probably broke when it was used to hit someone over the head.)

Evidence transferal day, huh?  Was the murder timed to draw attention away from a case being closed?    And Edgeworth parked his car only three minutes before Goodman was stabbed  and thrown into its trunk?    No way.  He was there for the murder, or more likely that's not when the murder happened.   (Is he being coerced like Lana?  I don't think so, but it's possible.)

Enter an idiot mailman with a bandaged hand.  And exit, with sniveling. What was that about?

And a hint to go investigate at the police station.  Is Edgeworth being friendly, attempting to signal something, or merely aware that the most efficient way to get rid of Phoenix is to give him a clue to chase?

The police department entrance, with some sort of plywood jester figure in front of it.  We're offhandedly informed that it took 30 minutes to get there from Edgeworth's office, which means that will be important later.

This is the creepy doll from the intro! It's clearly meant to be a mascot. Was it made by the sniveling mailman?  There's  a certain resemblance...

No, I should've guessed that Gumshoe made it.   I mean ... mechanically it's pretty clever for someone who's not a craftsman or engineer?  Moving articulated limbs and all.  It's just the aesthetics and design he shouldn't have been allowed anywhere  near.

Yes, yes it is odd that only the top-ranked people are being allowed to work on the case. Are they all in on it?    A patrolman in charge of the crime scene instead of a detective - that suggests Marshall is part of the conspiracy.  I'm thinking the dominatrix lunch lady is too.

Gumshoe is so happy about the prosecutor's award - Edgeworth probably didn't have the heart to say that for him it's a mockery.  Daww.  (Also there's something endearingly cheerful about  his hopping-caterpillar eyebrows.)   He's also being much more helpful than his superiors would want, probably just because he thinks of Phoenix as an ally in general now.  

Back to the parking lot, with a letter of introduction in hand this time.

I genuinely can't tell if the lunch lady is a sex worker, if she actually has multiple boyfriends, or if that's code for her professional contacts in whatever she's really doing here.   (And that's an interesting cultural bit, isn't it - any of those options seem possible, and I'm not expecting any of the characters to question her competence or morality because of it, not even in court.   If this was a US-made game my expectations would be...different.)

"Good men always die young"...I see what you did there, Marshall.    

Autopsy report confirms one stab wound.  Lana and the victim worked together on "a case a few years back", ding ding ding.   Someone didn't want the evidence for that case transferred. Or looked at. 

 Marshall used to be a detective but got demoted?  And he's lying about why he was assigned to the crime scene, and telling us Gumshoe is off the case because he's friends with Edgeworth.  The police chief, whoever he is, is now at the top of my suspect list.

 Happily, the game will let me do dumbass things like show off Goodman's ID card without consequences.  Marshall seems very uninterested in it and why it was found so far from the spot of the murder, which I take to mean "we have our official narrative, don't go messing it up with facts or evidence." 

Finally we can examine the car!  First up, Lana's cellphone.  The whole business about hitting redial and somehow not knowing that Ema's phone rang was weird.  Phoenix’s lie couldn't possibly have fooled Marshall, who is bizarrely claiming there's no way to know who the last call was made to.  It's an odd thing to conceal, even given the “no facts please we have our narrative” stance.  Maybe he's trying to protect Ema somehow?) 

 Marshall said the rumors about Edgeworth came from Lana.  And we have a note found  in the trunk:  6-7S 12/2, on a piece of Goodman's stationery.  

 Er, yeah, Ema, why didn't you mention your sister called you 3 minutes after the claimed murder time?  If Lana hung up right away that's hardly incriminating for either of you.

 End of Day One!  We are, as usual, completely unprepared for tomorrow morning's trial.

[velasnyx]

Emaziska Naruto AU Chapter 6

After training, I decided to visit Franziska. Maybe they found out a way to help her. When I walked into the room, I noticed she was awake. “Hey, you woke up,” I said. She nodded. She had that same stern look on her face. I walked over. “So they found a way to wake you up?” I asked. “I woke up by myself. I didn't need any help”. Okay, how bout less attitude? “Oh, okay,” I said. An awkward silence filled the room. “Why protect me?” she asked. I looked at her puzzled. “What?”. She slammed her hand on the bed. “Why the hell did you protect me?! You don't even know me,” she hissed. “I don't need to know you. We're both ninja of the Hidden Leaf. That's reason enough to protect you”. She glared at me. “I didn't need you to protect me. I didn't need your help. Look where it got you. Now, you're stuck with a curse that was supposed to be my burden. Thanks for putting that on my conscience,” Franziska said. I scoffed at her. “Whatever. I'm satisfied with what I did. If you got a problem with it, that's on you,” I said, calmly. I stuffed my hands into my pockets and walked out.

When I exited the hospital a familiar voice called out to me. My sensei from my Team 4 days was walking over to me with his dog, Missile. “Gumshoe sensei, you're back from your mission,” I said. “Yup. Got back this morning. Hope my team didn't give Maggey too much trouble”. That reminds me of our team. We were quite the handful. “I would've stepped in for you but I had a mission myself,” I said. I always wondered what it would be like to be a teacher. Figured one day I'd get my own team of genin. “Oh, yeah. You went on that mission with Karuma, right?” he asked. I nodded. He shuddered. “I went on a mission with her once. She's scary”. I chuckled. “Well, she isn't the most pleasant to be around. I just visited her,” I said, pointing my thumb back at the hospital. He looked at me shocked. “She's in the hospital? Did something happen on the mission?” he asked. “Well… we ran into Manfred Karuma,” I answered. His face became serious. “What?! Was there another man with him?” he asked. I nodded. “Did he have dark grey hair?”. “I think so,” I replied. He seemed bothered by this. “Who is he?”. “Miles Mitsurugi. He went rogue about thirteen years ago,” Gumshoe answered. I think I remember that. Details are hazy though but it was around the time my clan was killed. Gumshoe was silent. “You okay?” I asked. He snapped out of it and returned to his usual demeanor. “Yeah, pal! I'm okay,” he said with a big smile. “Hey, how 'bout we get Eldoon's. On me,” I offered. “What? No, I couldn't”. This guy. The man lives off of cup noodles but he won't even take a decent meal. That is if you don't make the offer more than once. “It's no biggie. C'mon, I'll buy something for Missile too,” I said. He thought about it for a second. He'll say yes, I know it. ���Okay, pal,” he said in an upbeat tone.

I walked into my apartment. My cat jogged over and immediately began rubbing itself against my legs. I bent over and pet his head. “Hey, missed me?”. He meowed. I was glad to finally be home. I couldn't stand being cooped up in the hospital. They tried to sign me up for therapy. I don't need it. It'll just get in the way of my job. I need to always be ready if they come back. Next time, I will kill them. As long as they're alive, the village will be in danger. I don't want to think about that right now. I want to take this time to rest so I can be ready to get back out there.

When I got out of the shower there was a knock at my door. “Be right there!”. I quickly dried myself off and put on some clothes. When I opened the door, that scruffy mutt stood before me. He looked serious which was highly unusual for him. “What do you want, Scruffy?” I asked. “So, you saw him? He was with Manfred?”. I wasn't in the mood for this. “Yes. Is that all you wanted to ask me?”. “Is there any chance we could get him back?” he asked. It's been thirteen years. He should know better. There was no coming back for Miles the minute he left the village and did the things he did. “You should know the answer to that,” I said. He glared at me for a second. Then, his face fell to a frown. It was silent. I didn't have much to say to him. He looked at me with a serious expression. “You're going to kill him, aren't you?”. “Yes”. He nodded in understanding. “Will you stop me?” I asked him. He sighed. I knew he was pretty loyal to Miles. They got along well, especially on missions. I wouldn't be surprised if he would try to stop me. “The Miles I knew is long gone. All I can do is wait for my friend to come back,” Gumshoe said. He's still holding on to false hope. “He's not coming back, Scruffy”. He chuckled. “Then you really don't know him”. I think you're the one who doesn't know him. “You done?”. “Yes, sir. I'll leave you alone,” he said. I started to close my door. “Oh, wait!” he said. I rolled my eyes. “Lana wants to talk to you”. “About?” I asked. I hope she's not going to lecture me because of what happened. She's not my mother. Scruffy shrugged. “Beats me, pal. All she said was that it's important,” he answered. I let out a sigh. “I'll see you around”. I closed the door. It's definitely about her sister. Dammit! I knew putting her on that mission was a mistake. That old man should've listened to me.

I figured I should get some training in. Especially after being bedridden for a few days. Maya came along with me but only because I was buying burgers after training. I didn't say I was though. She basically decided that the burgers were on me. Bold of her to assume I'd actually go through with that. “Okay, you ready?” she asked. “Yeah”. She summoned multiple shadow clones and they surrounded me. “That it?” I asked. She raised a brow at me. “You want more?” Maya asked. I flashed a sly smile. “I'm feeling a little ambitious today,” I said. She chuckled and summoned more. Perfect. A big crowd is good to test myself. I gotta push myself to the limit and see what I can do. “Shadow Possession Jutsu!”. My shadow branched out, connecting to the shadows of the clones. Let's see how this goes. “You've gotten pretty good at widening your range. Not good enough though. You couldn't reach all my clones and now they're hiding,” Maya said. I didn't expect to reach them all. I knew they'd split up and hide either in the woods or up in the trees. I've been keeping an eye out. I heard a rustling in the direction in front of me. A kunai flew out of the leaves directly at me. I bended backwards and my hands planted flat on the ground. The kunai plunged into the dirt a few inches from my face. I jumped back, landing back on my feet. Three minutes is coming up. Better get rid of these clones before I have to release. I reached for some kunais which caused the shadow clones to do the same. I grabbed six in total, holding them between my fingers. I flung them into the trees. A flurry of kunais flew into the trees above us. One by one, I heard the poof of a shadow clone. Time to get if the others “Ninja Art: Shadow Strangle Jutsu”. In the blink of an eye, the shadow clones poofed out of existence and my shadow retracted. “Very impressive but not impressive enough!” I heard from above. Maya was coming down on me. I stood there and at the last second, I moved to the side. She crashed into the ground. My shadow extended toward her. “Well, you're paralyzed now. Guess that determines the winner here,” I said. She groaned in annoyance. I helped her up. “It was good though. Thanks, Maya”. She smiled sweetly at me. “No problemo, Ema. So, how ‘bout those burgers?”. I rolled my eyes and chuckled. “Alright. Burgers are on me,” I said, giving in. “Yay!” she cheered. She started walking excitedly and I soon followed. Something felt off. I felt completely drained. It was unusual. I hadn't used all my chakra. I had to lean against the tree so I wouldn't collapse. “Ema?”. Maya looked back and hurried over to me. “What happened?” she asked with worry in her voice. I don't even know what happened. All that couldn't have used up my entire chakra. Could it be that mark? My hand went to my neck. Maya looked more worried than before, prompting me to shake off whatever was going on with my body. “I guess I used more chakra than I thought. Don't worry about it,” I said. She looked unsure. “Really, Maya. I'll be fine”.

“Scruffy told me you wanted to talk to me,” I said. Lana turned to me. She must have a mission since she's in her Anbu uniform. “Lord Hokage is sending us on a big mission”. Okay and you're telling me this why? “That's what you wanted to tell me?” I asked. “I want you to keep an eye on my sister”. I raised a brow in confusion. What is she having me watch her for? “Why not ask one of her friends? You know, someone who cares?” I said. She grabbed me by the collar of my shirt. “You're the reason why she has that mark therefore I'm ordering you to keep an eye on her while I'm gone,” she said. I slapped her arm away. “You're not my captain anymore, Lana. I don't have to follow your orders,” I sneered. “That's fine. But just remember, if something happens to Ema, it's on you. Don't think I forgot how you feel about burdens like that”. I glared at her. To think she'd throw that in my face. “Tch. Fine”. She nodded. “I don't know how long I'll be… or if I'll even come back. I just want you to make sure she doesn't end up like him,” Lana said. “Yeah, I get it. I'll watch your sister,” I said. We fell silent. “Thanks,” she said. Lana put her mask on and left.

[velasnyx]

Emaziska Naruto AU Chapter 7

I was searching for Lana's sister. It was difficult considering I know nothing about her, let alone where she would be on her days off. She seriously asked the wrong person to do this. I came across Scruffy again. Maybe he'll know where she is. “Hey Scruffy”. He jumped. “Yes sir, what can I do for you?!”. I rolled my eyes. “Have you seen Lana's sister?” I asked. “Oh, Ema?” he answered. “Uh, yeah, whatever”. “I think she went to train with Maya at the training grounds by the memorial,” Scruffy said. “You think or you know?”. He became uneasy. “Uh… Well, I'm not sure if they're still there. But they were there,” he said. I groaned in annoyance. “Nevermind then. I'll just keep a lookout for them on my way to the training grounds,” I said. “Okay,” he said with a nervous chuckle. I leaped onto the rooftops and headed for the training grounds.

As I leaped from rooftop to rooftop, I kept my eyes open for her. Lana shouldn't act like this is all my fault. Her sister was the one who jumped in front of me. I didn't ask her to protect me; she did it on her own accord. I noticed her sister and another girl walking below me. I jumped down. “Hey, Skye,” I called out. They stopped and turned to me. “Hey, you're that Karuma girl that kicked Ema's ass,” the blacked haired girl said. “Oi! Don't say that so loud,” Ema said. The black haired girl scratched the back of her head nervously and chuckled. “So, what do you want?” Ema asked me. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't appreciate Lana sending me to babysit her; I should come up with something else. “I uh… I want to… apologize for my behavior at the hospital”. I was only partially sorry for that so it wasn't a complete lie. “Uh huh”. She didn't sound convinced. “So, it's that all you came to me for?” she asked. “Well, I also wanted to make sure you were doing okay”. She nodded. “Well, I'm doing alright so thank you,” Ema said. “Okay,” I said. “Okay”. This is awkward. “So, you went on the mission with Ema,” the other girl asked. I nodded. “I bet you were saving her ass the entire mission,” she joked. “Uh, actually she was the one who saved me”. She looked surprised. “She was? It's unlike her to act recklessly like that. Usually, she's able to figure out a way to keep her comrades and herself safe”. “Yes. The Skye clan was strategically gifted,” I said. We fell silent again. “You should join us. We were just about to get burgers down the block”. Ema shot her a look. “No, I don't want to interrupt your day together. Besides, I already ate,” I said. “Well, I guess some other time,” Ema said. She started walking away. The other girl pulled her back. “Don't be rude, Ema! You can still come with us. You can just hang out,” she said. Ema groaned.

We sat at the table. The black haired girl, who's named I learned was Maya, was eating a burger. Ema didn't order anything. I just had a cup of water. Ema was staring out the window, resting her chin on her palm. “So, you're from the Karuma clan. I heard you guys are really skilled,” Maya said. I nodded. “It's cuz of that Sharingan, right?”. I nodded again. “I heard it has to be unlocked or something. Aren't you born with it though?” Maya asked. “We are but it's true that we have to unlock it,” I replied. Ema glanced over at me then back out the window. I could tell she didn't want me here. I didn't want to be here either but I don't want what happened to bite me in the ass down the road. “How?”. “Usually when we become overwhelmed by a strong emotion, our brains release a special chakra. Then the Sharingan would be unlocked,” I said. “I heard the Karuma's have powerful emotions. More powerful than the average person,” Ema said, looking over with only her eyes. “Yes. We are subjected to more powerful emotions. That is what helps awaken our Sharingan,” I replied. “Wow. So, I guess when you love someone, you really REALLY love them,” Maya said. She gets it. “Or when you hate someone, you really hate them. Like that old geezer,” Ema said. “Yeah,” I said, shooting a glare at her.

Maya had finished her burger. “Oh man, I forgot I have to meet Mia at village gate! Hey Ema, do me a solid and cover this for me. I owe you,” she said. She got up and ran out. “Hey, wait a second!” Ema exclaimed. Maya was already out the door. Ema groaned and placed the money on the table. She walked out and I followed her. “So, tell me the real reason you came looking for me,” Ema said. “What do you mean?”. I played dumb. I can't let her know Lana sent me. She kept her eyes on me. “I'm not stupid, Franziska. You said you wanted to see how I was doing. I know that's bullshit. Now tell me the truth”. Ah shit. I guess there's no fooling this one. “Alright. Lana sent me to keep an eye on you. She was worried about you,” I said. Ema groaned. “Geez, out of all the people she asked you? Go home. I don't need someone to look after me. I'm capable of taking care of myself,” she said. I would but I know that if something were to happen, it would be my fault. I can't have that on my conscious. She started walking away. I left some distance and began to follow her.

I knew she was following me. This is such a pain. I don't need someone to look after me. Especially her. Whatever. I just need to get home and rest. I still felt fatigued from the training. I placed my hand over the mark. It's is affecting me in more ways than one and I have no idea what it's doing to me. Honestly, I'm scared to find out. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered taking the hit for her. She didn't even appreciate me putting my life on the line for her. Not that I need her to but she acted as if I did something bad. I did what any honorable ninja would. I can't help but wonder if she would do the same for her comrades.

I got home and made my way to my bed. I plopped down and got into a comfortable position to sleep. Hopefully, when I wake up I would have regained some energy.

I stood there frozen. Those red glowing eyes stared me down from the shadows behind my parents bodies. I clenched my teeth and fist. I felt scared but at the same time a burning rage. I felt the want of revenge, the thirst for blood. The stinging pain in my neck flared up. I could barely stand the pain. They took the chance when my guard was down and charged at me. The attack never came though. They stood paralyzed. My shadow had connected to their. I didn't weaved the sign. It was as if my shadow acted on its own. I looked down at my hands. A black, flame like pattern had spread across them and the rest of my body. I felt an overwhelming power surge through me. I walked over to the man who killed my ckan. I couldn't see his face as it still hidden by the shadows. I never knew who it was. Even though I couldn't see his face, I knew he was scared. I stared into his eyes. I could see the fear in his eyes. My shadow formed multiple needles around him. He begged for his life. The needles pierced into him. Blood covered the floor. I felt nothing. No remorse. A hand placed itself on my shoulder. “Very good. You're better at using your hate than my dear daughter,” a voice said. I looked back. No one was there. I looked back at the body. This time I could see the face. I was horrified to see Lana. She was dead. I killed her. I killed my sister.

I jolted awake, in a cold sweat. I felt the pain from the mark flare up. I winced and placed my hand over it. I tried to catch my breath. Another nightmare. Ever since I got this, they've become more frequent. But they're different. Usually they're about that night. These days, they would be about me killing the people I'm supposed to be protecting. What is this doing to me?

I walked onto my doorstep and looked around. “I know you followed me. Come out,” I said. Franziska jumped down from the rooftop. She just stared at me. “What do you know about this mark?” I asked her. She grimaced. “Not a lot. I've been reading whatever notes they had at the library and what Lord Third have me,” Franziska replied. “Come in. I want you to tell me what you know,” I said.

We sat at my table in the kitchen. “I want to know everything. I want to know what it's doing to me,” I told her. She nodded. “I can bring you the notes another time. For now, I'll tell you what I remember. My father is the only one who can give someone that mark. You're one of the lucky ones. Only ten percent survive after they've received the curse mark. I could tell early that you were fatigued and you were probably wondering why. It feeds off your chakra,” Franziska explained. No wonder I was so drained after training. If only ten percent survive and this mark was really meant for her, then I had a huge chance on dying. I really am one of the lucky ones. “But it can also replace your depleted chakra. The problem is that the chakra that replaces yours is my father's senjutsu chakra. It increases your chakra levels ten times. This is why a lot of the people who receive his curse marks use it. It's an effective power up. But it has a major drawback. The more it's used the more it corrodes the user's mind, this making them more susceptible to my father's influence. That's why you have to make sure you don't depend on it,” she explained further. I nodded. “Is that why he wanted to give it to you? He wants you on his side?” I asked. She shrugged. “I doubt it. I think he only wanted to use me. Just like he did with Miles”. So, she knew him too. Maybe I could ask her about him. “What happened with Miles? All I know is that he went rogue thirteen years ago,” I said. Franziska grimaced. “I told you I'd tell you about the mark. I didn't say anything about Miles,” she said. Ugh, c'mon. Don't be difficult. “I just want to know what we're dealing with here”. She got up and headed toward the door. “And I don't want to talk about it. You want answers? Go ask someone who cares,” she said before exiting. I sighed in annoyance. What a pain in the ass. I'll have to ask Gumshoe. He seemed to know him.

[velasnyx]

Emaziska 007 AU Sequel: Vindicta Chapter 7

We watched Fran get to the car. She was absolutely stunned. “Did she find it?” Zak asked. “Yeah… she did,” I said, holding back a laugh. “Give me the binoculars. I gotta see this,” he said. “Just a second”. She walked over to the drivers side and just stared at it in utter disbelief. Oh man, I feel bad but it’s so fucking funny. I gave Zak the binoculars. He laughed. “Oh man, she is so disappointed. I feel bad cuz I just met her but I can’t help it,”he said. I watched as she got out of the car and realized we had actually given her the Aston Martin. Her look of disbelief had a positive meaning rather than a negative one. I smiled. There was a knock at the door. I walked over, gun in hand. “Who is it?” I asked. “It’s me”. It was Gavin. I opened the door. “Did 007 arrive?” he asked. “Didn’t you see her downstairs? She went looking for you,” I asked. He raised a brow in confusion. “No, I didn’t see her. Why was she looking for me?”. 

Fran has a pretty good eye. I’m sure she would have found him. Where could he have been really? “Q called for you”. He nodded. “I’ll go call him back then”. “Might as well call L while you're at it too,” Zak said. I looked at him confused. Gavin went to his room. “L wants 007 watched,” Zak said. Now I'm completely lost. “Like you did on that mission from several months ago. That's why Kristoph is on this mission,” he added. “But I thought he's been here. He was our intelligence officer that we stationed here,” I said. “No. I was. I was stationed here to gather the intel we have now. L just told you that so neither one of you would suspect something. It's no secret that he's a perfectionist. He's the perfect person to keep her in line and according to L, you failed to do that”. “We completed that mission the best way we could. I didn't hear L complain,” I shot back. He raised his hands in defense. “Listen, I'm not saying that. I'm just telling you what she said. I don't think 007 needs to be watched. She more than capable of completing this mission. However, you don't think she's ready. Do you?” Zak said. I didn't know what to say. To be honest, I’m nervous if something happens. What if she can't properly defend herself? She's not in shape like she was. I don't care if she passed those test, she's not ready. She shouldn't be here. I can't risk losing her again. I can't go through that all over again. “I think there's too much risk in losing our best agent,” I said. He sighed. “What's life without a little risk? It makes us appreciate what we have, knowing we can lose it at any second. Especially when the stakes are high,” Zak said as he walked to the door. I nodded. “You have her now, Ema. Make every second count”. He left. I stood in the room alone, thinking about what he said.

I heard a knock at my door. “Not now, Zak”. “It's me,” Fran said. I got up and opened the door. “Enjoy the gift?” I asked. “So you were in on that little stunt?”. I flashed a devious smile. She chuckled. “How cruel. Anyway, I've got an interesting story to tell you,” Fran said, walking in. “Hm, knowing you, I'm not surprised”. I'm sure she's got quite a few interesting stories. She just got here, what could have possibly happened? She turned the chair at the table and sat down, crossing her leg over the other. She looked up at me. “Well, I have other ways of surprising but that's not important right now. I saw Swallow leaving. Something seemed off so I followed him. Turns out he was meeting with someone. I couldn't see who; they were hidden,” Fran said. “A partner maybe?”. Franziska shook her head. “No. He definitely has Swallow playing for him but it's by force. Apparently, if he doesn't cooperate they'll kill him and someone close to him”. So Swallow is being used. I'll have to talk to Lana. “Also, I met a woman in the lobby. Dahlia Hawthorne. We know anything about her?”. Dahlia Hawthorne. Nothing sticks out to me. Might just be a nobody. “I don't believe so”. She nodded. “You didn't find out anything else?” I asked. “Unfortunately not. To think I almost got myself killed”. She's only been here four hours and she has already managed to put herself in danger. Well, it's not like people like us can avoid it. She got up and walked to the door connecting our rooms. I rushed over and grabbed her hand. She stopped in the doorway and looked at me confused. “Yes?”. I didn't really know what I wanted to say. I don't think i wanted to say anything. “Is something wrong, dear?” she asked, looking a little worried. I looked down. “I…”. Say something, Ema. Tell her something. I looked back up at her. “I care about you. Y'know?” I said. She smiled. “Yes. I care about you too”. “Please, be more careful”. She was hesitant to oblige. I know our work is dangerous but even if it was an empty promise, hearing her say she will would put me at ease. “Alright, Ema,” she finally said. I flashed a faint smile.

She walked in. “You almost ready?” Ema asked. “Yes, just need to put on a tie,” I replied. I was having trouble with the bowtie. I had another fucking hallucination and it's making the simplest task difficult. Ema walked over to me. “Let me”. She started tying the bowtie. “If you know how to tie a tie then how come you don't wear them?” I asked. She chuckled. “I prefer a tits out sort of look”. I smiled. She finished and smiled at me. She cupped my cheek. “Very handsome”. “Thank you. You look rather dashing yourself,” I replied. She kissed my cheek. Someone knocked on the door. “You two ready?” Zak asked from the other side. “We better get going,” Ema said. I nodded in agreement and we executed the room. Zak stood in the hallway with another man. He was average height and had blonde hair. He wore a dark blue tux. “Finally! C'mon, let's get the show on the road,” Zak said. The other man turned to us. “007. What a pleasure to finally meet you. Kristoph Gavin,” he said, extending his hand. I shook it. “The feeling’s mutual. You've been very busy these past couple feeling. He chuckled. “You have no idea”. “Alright. Now that everyone's introduced let's get going. The game will start any minute now,” Zak said. We headed toward the elevator.

“Good luck, von Karma,” Zak said. “We'll be rooting for you, 007” Ema said. “Thanks”.

We all sat down at the table, ready to play. Swallow sat across from me. He stared at me. Does he know? “Are we ready?” the dealer asked. We nodded. “High card for dealer position”. We were each given a card. I got a six of clubs. We laid the cards face up on the table. “Mr. Galactica get's dealer position. Small blind is $5,000, Mr. Wellington. Big blind is $10,000, Ms. Miwa,” the dealer said. I saw Ms. Hawthorne coming to the table. She gave me a lingering look at she walked over to Swallow. “Good luck, darling,” she said. She kissed him and walked away. He shot me a cold stare. She's with Swallow. She must be the leverage they have over him. If he screws this up she's dead.

We watched from the bar. “I don't think we could have picked a better agent for this. She's got the best poker face I've ever seen. So hard to get a read on her,” Zak said. “what makes you so sure?” Gavin asked. Kristoph has never met Fran so I'm not surprised he isn't aware just how good of a agent she is. Though, not to brag or anything,  having 00 status should be proof enough. “I played her when she got here. I've never been beaten before. Not even by you, Kristoph. She beat me easily. It was child's play. It's impossible to get a read on her. So much so that you wouldn't dare call her bluff,” Zak replied. “I think agent Skye would've been just as good. Probably even better. Let's remember that 008 is more physically and mentally adept right now,” Gavin said. “What exactly are you trying to say?” I asked. “She could barely shoot a still target. Her mind is broken. On top of that, she's an alcoholic. It's a wonder how she was cleared for field duty”. He has some guts saying that. He doesn't even know her. How could he judge whether or not she's capable? “I suggest you think before you speak, Kristoph,” I said. “Or what, Ms. Skye?”. “I've already thought of a hundred different ways I could kill you without getting a single person's attention. I have 00 status as well. Don't forget how I obtained that status,” I said. I took a sip of my martini. He scoffed and walked away. “Damn, Skye. You are Lana's sister,” Zak said.

“Ms. von Karma wins this round. Time for a break. Game continues in twenty minutes,” the dealer said. I got up and headed toward the other. Swallow stopped me. “I know,” he said. He knows I'm the MI6 agent. So much for keeping him in the dark. Time  to act dumb. “You know…?”. “Don’t play stupid. My eyes and ears here told me about your confrontation with my wife. If stay away from my wife or I’ll kill you,” he said. I looked at him stunned. I truly was taken aback by his words. Would a man like him really kill me for simply talking to his wife. Seems if I so much as breathed the same air as her, he’d put a bullet in me. Swallow walked away. When he passed Ms. Hawthorne, they exchanged lingering cold stares.

“So, Dahlia is Swallow's wife. Turns out she could be important,” Ema said. I hummed in agreement. “Maybe we could get some information out of her,” Zak said. “How on earth would we do that? The minute we mention anything, it'll scare her off,” Kristoph said. He's right. Her life is at risk. If one of us interferes, she could be killed. That wouldn't do us any good. “007, she taken quite a like to you. Work your magic on her,” Ema said. I looked at her, stunned. “You want me to flirt with another man's woman. He just threatened me. He could have me killed for that,” I responded. “Oh, please. When has that ever stopped you before?” Ema shot back. I didn't have a comeback. Honestly, I would feel bad. Ema's right here. “007, if we could get important intel from her then you need to do this. Don't sweat it. You're smooth and women love you. I know it, you know, most of the women at HQ know it. You got this,” Zak said. I was still unsure. “Come with me for a second,” Ema said, pulling me to the side. “Listen, I know why you're holding back on this. Don't worry about me...about us. There's no us to worry about,” Ema said. There's no us? What do you mean there's no us? She must be bloody joking. “What do you mean?” I asked. “C'mon, Fran. Don't pretend. We… we can act like a couple all we want but it won't happen,” she said. What the fuck is she talking about? Is she serious. She couldn't even look me in the fucking eye when she said that. I can't believe this. “Alright, fine,” I said. “Seriously? I was expecting you to fight me on this,” she joked. I glared at her. “I don't participate in fights that aren't worth it,” I said coldly. I walked away before she could say anything else.

“I think you should go with 008's plan. And don't feel guilty,” Gavin said. “What do mean?”. “You two are not very inconspicuous. If you want my opinion on it, don't make it anything more than sex. It won't work well in the workplace,” he answered. I grabbed him by his jacket. “I don't think this is the right place to act like a animal, 007”. I pushed him away and went over to Ms. Hawthorne. “Ms. von Karma. I must say, I'm impressed,” she said. “You were watching?”. She nodded. “I didn't expect you to play as good as you look”. She's quite a flirt herself. “It's one of many skills I possess,” I responded. She flashed a sly grin. “Hm. I look forward to seeing your other skills”. Her fingers traced over my chest. “I look forward to showing you,” I responded. “You're not worried about my husband? I could tell he gave you trouble,” Ms. Hawthorne said. “Well, he did say something about killing me if I didn't stay away from you”. She laughed. “He won't do anything. Doug's too much of coward,” Ms. Hawthorne replied. He doesn't seem like the violent type. Ms. Hawthorne herself could kick his ass. “I can't stand cowardly men”. I raised a brow. “Then why be with him?” I asked. She smiled sweetly. “Well, he cares for me,” she said. “And you'd still cheat on him, knowing he cares for you?”. Ms. Hawthorne chuckled. “You ask a lot of questions”. I shrugged. She took a sip of her champagne. “He takes care of me but my particular needs are left unsatisfied”. “Well, we'll have to fix that won't we?”.