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#i shall put you in my will as the heirs to my meagre estate
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Be honest with me here, folks
How readable is the machine translation of the second half of 2HA? On a scale from "put on my big boy pants and I'll be fine" to "hauling my ADHD brain through this will be so intolerable that I should just wait quietly for human translation updates"
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olaluwe · 7 years
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Hi everyone,
I'm deji, and in this fourth leg of the running tutorial, I'll be exploring as the sub-heading indicated 'knowing when the climax comes' especially in relation to 'Understanding the Unseen' among others.
So, come along with me.
In grasping the meaning of a printed page, there's yet another thing which contribute more to the reader's understanding and pleasure.
And that's the climax or simply climaxing.
What then is climax?
In imaginative writing or speech delivery, climax is the point when the writer's or the speaker's emotional and dramatic intensity peaked.
Rarely a one off thing but transitional
It could happen many times over in a printed page just like when driver of mass transit bus stopped over at designated terminal for commuters to disembark.
It the point when the hearer or the reader is called not just to action but in highlighting what matter most to the writer and to which every other details in the narrative are subordinated.
Something akin to orgasmic experienced by lovers, if you get the drift.
And it doesn't just happen.
It is the by-product of a deliberate process initiated and slowly followed through by the author aimed at arresting quickly the reader's or interpreter's attention.
It objectives are lofty and worth every reader's attention.
It is the surging, forceful, and rhythmic summit of all interesting activities the writer slowly builds up through the series of words, phrases and adjectives.
A classic example is from the Roman orator, Cicero:
"To put a Roman citizen in chain is a misdeed; to scourge him is a crime; to kill him is almost a parricide; to crucify him- what shall I say? For so nefarious an act there is no word"
Equally worth a mention is this illustration of mine:
"As a people our patience, understanding and perseverance by now are never in doubt; but those who resolve behind the scene to prolong our misery and suffering by denying what truly belong to us through the use of force or other ungodly tactics shall pretty soon be met strength for strength; power for power and might for might."
Whether the selection you're reading is a novel, drama or poem, be sure to expect it.
It is an important thread that runs through the fabric of every worthwhile imaginative literature.
But when there's a sudden drop from the important to the less important in imaginative writing anticlimax is what you get.
It could either be intentional or unintentional.
And it's not without its effects too.
In any case, it is for the sake of humour or simply being funny as in this example of mine:
"The everyday Nigerians understood perfectly what hardship is all about; this they daily express with their deluge of angst and complains and award winning happiness"
In many a novel, drama, short story or poem you might have read the author holds it jealously in focus and don not for anything let the cat out of the bag; he subordinated his narrative to it and patiently wait for the right moment to swing it with power.
Going through scripted pieces, the interpreter is therefore encouraged to pay close attention to how the writer achieve the climax as may occur in his literary creatures.
Otherwise the reader’s understanding of a printed page hovers only around the half way mark until this aspect is taken care of.
Finally, as an exercise in knowing when the climax comes, we turn once more to the reading of my own poem titled: The 
Business Register.
In the selection, the reader can see how I slowly build up the climax which comes especially at the end of the poem...
The Business Register
I
They were your ideas of a dignified old couple,
Perfect perceptible to eyes,
Index by conservative piety;
There’s a matrimony in heaven consummated you say.
Needles the overstated narratives the sail was long
And arduous and many a storm swift
Arose to wreck their marital ship; Survived,
Now they proudly berthed at life nocturnal shores.
And subsequent a household name the community wide.
They were your standard reflections of the cross;
Mouthpieces of the good news;
They worshiped faithfully as the clock:
Many at the marble-porch parishes;
Many at their humble home;
And not a little nags or fight or bedlam was heard from their floor.
Except perhaps omniscient nature do record some
Behind closed door, of hearts bruising unseen, untold.
The proud parents of lovely sons and daughters;
Perfumed emissaries to our stuffy-aired world;
And how as morning stars they brightly shone through
Firmaments of social and religious engagements;
Like they use to say, to know a great family,
Into the children all must look. The husband
A perfect gentleman widely likable,
Who kept an open door to children not even his from far and near;
Even wayward nondescript were welcome;
And at his table he feeds them equal all;
Quick with rod at his right hand
To prove justice is love to their aberrations;
And with the left draws them close for soothing sermons;
A good man known also gospel by inheritance: His dwelling,
Though a small home with walls unbuilt;
And bath and kitchen
And detached crude convenience unroofed;
And ventured borehole and chairs and canopies now on threshold disrepair;
Like they use to say,
A man who raised himself a room apartment,
Has proved an achievers’ grade,
Ceases to be a member of the renters' club.
But sudden died, first, Lord of the house as is often the case;
When from vigil an ailment struck to cast in haste;
And tributary wailing and mourning rend the chamber's air;
II
Next entered widow Shoboe as heir apparent to estates bequeathed;
A dame hearty lightly built to sail with all winds;
For whatever they were worth, she has her honors too:
As sings the Sunday's choir a dancing Ikoto;
A leading light among the class of good women;
An ever charming sight for her years advanced;
Her gifts munificent she bestows more on the haves
Than the haves not; while a typical widow would her failings blame
On a dear deceased, wax lyrical his multitude of virtues,
Lineage; such alive rarely acknowledge; shrewdly appreciate.
Accentuating the truism: "till gone don’t know what you have got".
But Shoboe is an atypical widow who by the day more disgruntled became.
Piping to ears unsolicited her vexed notes of ascending murmurs:
Of how meagre the patrimonies, empty the vault;
Of how little accomplished her suggestions profound never took;
Of how once he brought a strange woman, their matrimonial bed defiled;
Of how she could have been history, save God and man;
Of how the union really was a patchwork through the years;
And of how-this how-that poorly fixed never fixed;
Often all these she spit fired faced down the narrow balcony
Where beloved Kith and Kin hollowed the dead a marbled rest home;
Not even once did his paean sublime from her mouth freely flowed;
His fate sealed a worst mortal of all, unworthy a husband;
Now five years the thriftless dowager reigned;
Her stewardship to none but self alone rendered;
As ever a working bee save the hive's empty;
Pouched the year's round rents and rates collected;
And in defaulters ears the reminder she crooned
On the go dusk or dawn; in trade all rivalling,
Even tenants struggling starters;
Every known article, she vowed to trade
In not too distant future; Inquire one not on her wooden-stall
And with lightning speed ordered, bungling yet the arithmetic
Of the gains; at threescore and more life seemed just began
And in it simply revels; a party freak her ears everywhere
Went for the breaking news; denied invitation the concerned
Mantle sooner arrived with her grievances. Their plea accepted;
Her avail next time she vouched. So consumed to splurge on
Things mundane that not a line or circle or square drawn.
Nor a shade of color splashed;
Nor a brick added as improved re-inventions to the wheel-heirloom
She's been so critical, mauled denigrate all these years. 
NOTE: Ikoto is a shell of some mollusc.
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boo2020 · 7 years
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One Thing at a Time Ch. 4
Summary: Now that Maya is back from the Kingdom of Khura'in for good, she and Phoenix can finally start thinking about their future together. A collection of one shots, while still one narrative, focused on Phoenix, Maya, and the rest of the cast post-SOJ. Established Phoenix/Maya.
Rating: T
Chapter Word Count: 7,686
AO3 / FFN
November 6th, 2028, 6:00 PM Wright Anything Agency
"Daddy! Look at this! I think I've found the perfect house for us!" Trucy's eyes were practically sparkling as she scrolled through the real estate website she found on Phoenix's computer.
Phoenix looked over at his daughter, knowing full well that Trucy didn't exactly have a good grasp of what they could afford or needed, so most of her 'perfect houses' were no more than fantasies that Phoenix could never hope to fulfill on his and Maya's budget. Still, it didn't hurt to take a look seeing as most of the places they had looked at so far were either way out of their price range or just didn't seem right, and it had been over a month since Maya originally put forth the idea that they should finally live together. As of now, she was still travelling back and forth between Kurain Village and L.A., and she and Phoenix were still spending weeks at a time apart from each other.
He got up from the couch where he was watching the evening news and moved behind the desk to peer at the computer screen over Trucy's shoulder. "Seriously, Daddy, this one might be it," she said, scrolling down the page a bit to the description.
Phoenix furrowed his eyebrows. "Five bedrooms? What do we need five bedrooms for? We need three, tops. One for you, one for Pearls, and one for Maya and I. And Pearls won't even be staying with us all the time." Pearl had decided that with Maya planning on moving out of Fey Manor and using it purely for channeling and tourism, she would make it her responsibility as the heir to take care of the manor in Maya's absence.
Trucy turned to him with big eyes. "But… what if you want to give me three or four little brothers or sisters someday? They'll need their own rooms too." Phoenix rolled his eyes, but she continued on. "Until then, we can use the extra rooms for my extra magic props and you could have your own office or Maya could have her own retreat for her spiritual stuff!" She tapped her finger on the computer screen. "Plus, look. It's located almost exactly between the office and Kurain Village, so you and Maya can both get to work within an hour. It's such a nice spot! Not too far away but not right in the city either."
He glanced at the pictures. It did look nice from the outside. It was a large two story farmhouse, painted a faded blue colour, with a porch surrounding it. As far as he could tell from the pictures, there weren't many neighbours and it was located in a lush green area close enough to Kurain that you could even see the mountains faintly in the distance.
"Hm. But how much is it?"
"It doesn't say. You have to contact the real estate agent."
"I'll talk to Maya about it, but don't get too excited, Truce. It's so big, and five bedrooms? We probably can't afford it." It wasn't as if they had a super meagre budget, Maya was the Master in Kurain Village now and had quite a sum of money saved up, and the agency was doing well enough that for once they weren't wanting for money, but they weren't exactly filthy rich either, and a house that large would surely cost a fortune.
"Aw, alright. Wouldn't it be nice though?" she said, gazing back at the computer screen longingly.
He ruffled her hair. "Yeah. At this point I just want anything that'll let us live together and be an actual family."
"Me too," she sighed. "I can't wait to live with Maya. She makes you so happy! I can tell that you're sad when she has to go back to Kurain. And she's so cool! It'll be nice to have her around all the time."
He gave her a quick hug. "I could never be unhappy as long as you're around, Truce, but yeah, I miss Maya a lot when she's not here. We'll find somewhere though, don't worry."
She nodded, getting up out of the computer chair. "I'm gonna go practice some of my magic now. I'll be sure not to set the fire alarm off again."
"Please don't play with fire at all, Truce!" he called as she left the room. She wouldn't listen, but he had to warn her anyway. Sighing, he sat down in her vacated seat and took another look at the website, getting a notepad from the desk drawer and jotting down the real estate agent's number, as well as the address to the house. It was worth a shot. It probably would be too expensive, but he wouldn't know unless he called.
...
November 6th, 2028, 10:00 PM Wright Anything Agency
"Five bedrooms?!" Maya said incredulously. "Nick, no offense, you know I love her, but Trucy's picks for houses are just not realistic, you know that. There's no way we can afford that."
He let out a breath that could've been a sigh or a laugh as he sat down on the edge of his bed. "I know, she's just excited. But I did already call the real estate agent and she assured me it's within our price range."
"Then there must be something wrong with it!"
He moved the phone to his other ear. "But it wouldn't hurt to check it out, Maya. It's in a perfect spot. You never know."
"Hmm, I guess you're right. I won't get my hopes up though! Everything we've looked at so far has been terrible."
"The real estate agent already said she could show us tomorrow if we're available. My next trial isn't until the day after, but I've done all the preparing I can do, so I'm available."
"Me too. I don't have any channelings for a few days either. Seems nobody has died recently."
"Don't jinx it. She's going to drive us, so can you come to the office? Sorry for making you do all the travelling, but she's in the city."
"It's alright, Nick. At least I'll get to see you, even if this doesn't pan out!"
"You said you don't have channelings for a few days, sooo does that mean you'll be staying the night?"
"Is that all you think about?" She paused. "…But yes."
He laughed. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Mhmm. Bye for now!"
...
November 7th, 2028, 4:00 PM Somewhere Between Kurain Village and L.A.
"Wow," Maya breathed as she stood beside Phoenix in the front yard of the home Trucy had found the day before. "Do you think this is it, Nick?"
Maya was used to living in her large home back in Kurain Village, aptly named Fey Manor, but this old farmhouse seemingly in the middle of nowhere was making her feel something akin to awe. It wasn't the size or the location, simply the fact that unlike all of the other homes and apartments they had looked at, she seemed to be able to envision herself here. More importantly, she could envision herself here with Phoenix and Trucy and Pearl, and possibly even future children, if they did decide to expand the Fey-Wright family someday. She would have to apologize to Trucy for thinking her choices were all bad.
She stepped closer to him, allowing him to wrap an arm around her waist, which he used to pull her against his side. "I don't know," he replied. He sounded just as enraptured as she did. "It could be."
The young real estate agent they had hired, Mindy Holmes, approached with a smile, her high heels clicking on the pavement of the driveway. "One of my favourite things about this job is selling a first home to couples like yourself," she said, noting the expressions on her clients' faces. "A lot of couples just seem to know when they've found the right place."
"We haven't even seen the inside yet," Phoenix said, finally tearing his eyes away from it, realizing that as much as they liked the outside, the inside could be another story.
"I think you'll like it," Mindy stated. "It's already been inspected and everything is safe and up to date. Any work that needs to be done is purely cosmetic, like paint or new flooring if you're so inclined. And we can work all of those into the price if you do decide to make an offer. It's also been on the market for quite a while, which means the owners are willing to sell quickly. Most people I've shown it to didn't want it just because of the location."
"In our case, the location is perfect," Phoenix explained. "We both work pretty far apart, so we have to compromise and live somewhere in between."
"Well then shall we?" Mindy said. "You should probably see the inside before making any decisions."
Maya nodded furiously, taking a step away from Phoenix and following Mindy up the steps to the front door.
"Here we are. Feel free to take a look around without me," Mindy said, holding the door open and allowing her clients to enter. "If you have any questions about anything, I'll be in the living room."
They stepped into a foyer together, and Maya's smile widened. Mindy headed down the hall and to the right, where the living room was located. A kitchen was through a wide archway to their left.
They walked through the kitchen first, which boasted an island in the middle and stainless steel appliances, surprisingly modern for such an old house. Through the room and out the other side was a hallway with a staircase, which Maya dragged Phoenix up by the wrist.
The first bedroom they entered was quite large, with worn wood floors and a large window, with an ensuite bathroom. "Nick… this is our room," Maya said, never letting go of his hand.
He mostly kept quiet, letting Maya drag him around and gush about where certain things would go or who would get what room, and what the extras would be used for. By the time they were finished, he was sure she already had her heart set on it.
They entered the living room last, where Mindy was standing tapping away at her smartphone. She looked up as they entered. "Have you two finished?"
"It's all so lovely," Maya said, glancing around the living room as well. "I can't believe it's within our budget. The kitchen looked so new."
"Oh, yes. It was recently redone, but as you could see, the rest of the house is original. Some touch ups may be needed."
"I loved it," Maya said. "Some extra work is fine, we can make it more our own that way."
The young agent smiled at her. "Like I said, it's the location most people dislike, and the home owners have already lowered the price significantly since it's been on the market so long. Did you have any questions?"
Maya looked at Phoenix, as if prompting him to ask any questions. He shrugged at her. "I don't really. Did you have anything to ask, Maya?"
"No. I think we just need to go home and talk it over."
He was pretty sure he already knew what Maya wanted, but they could discuss it at home in private before making any big decisions. They left the house to head back to Mindy's car. She told them a bit more about the home as well as the location on the drive back, and by the time they were back to Mindy's office, Maya was even more excited than she had been before.
"Thank you so much, Mindy," Maya said, shaking her hand. "We'll talk to you soon!" She waved as she headed out the doors to wait for Phoenix on the sidewalk since they were only walking distance from Phoenix's own office.
He offered a hand as well, which Mindy shook politely. "I think you'll be hearing from us a lot sooner than you think," he said, glancing through the window at Maya.
Mindy smiled. "Just let me know whenever you make a decision. It's not going anywhere."
Once outside, Maya grabbed his hand in hers, swinging it between them as they walked. Maya seemed to be deliberately slowing down whenever they passed any sort of restaurant. "Maya?"
"Yeees?"
"Do you want to get food before we go home?"
She grinned at him. "You read my mind, Nick!"
...
November 8th, 2028, 8:20 PM Wright Anything Agency
"Welcome home, guys!" Athena exclaimed as Phoenix held the door to the office open for Maya to enter. They both looked up in surprise, not expecting her to be there. She was sitting on the couch beside Trucy, who was stuffing her mouth full of pizza and could only smile through her mouthful.
"What are you doing here, Athena?" Phoenix asked absently, taking his jacket off and throwing it over the back of his office chair. Even if Athena was technically his employee, she was also one of Trucy's best friends, and at this point he was used to his office being used as a hangout spot, but he was curious nonetheless.
"Well, I finished work, so Trucy begged me to help her practice some magic tricks," she said, shooting a glare at Trucy and holding up the end of her ponytail, which had a visible black singe.
Maya giggled, but Phoenix gave Trucy a look of his own, making her shrink back into the couch. How many times had he told her no fire?!
Athena, noting the look on Phoenix's face and wanting to save Trucy from a talking to, plowed ahead. "I'm fine! I agreed to do it. Anyway, by the time we were finished we were starving so we decided to get a pizza. So I guess I'm just hanging out now. Do you want some? We have quite a bit of extra."
Phoenix glanced down at the pizza, which was covered in possibly every topping available, including anchovies and olives. "No thanks," he said. "We ate while we were out."
"Speak for yourself, Nick," Maya said, pushing past and grabbing a slice.
"How was house hunting?" Trucy said, finally swallowing her mouthful. "Was the house I found worth heading out there for?"
Maya tried to clap her hands together in her excitement, but almost squished her pizza. She settled for holding it properly and nodding. "Oh, Trucy! Thank you for finding it!"
"That good?!"
"Yeah, it was really great, right Nick?"
He sat down beside her, lifting an arm to allow her to snuggle into his side. "Yeah, I think we're going to make an offer."
"Really, Daddy?! That's so great!"
"Hey, Boss, what's going to happen with the upstairs apartment here once you're moved out? Isn't it part of the office?" Athena asked, grabbing another slice of pizza for herself.
"Maya and I talked about that. The landlord said that as long as we're going to continue paying for the office space, the apartment upstairs is ours to keep. He can't really rent it out separately, and I'm not sure I'm that comfortable with a stranger living so closely to all of the confidential information we have in here anyway, even if we can lock the door between here and the stairs to the apartment."
"So it'll be empty?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, for now. As much as I hate to admit my little girl is growing up, Trucy will be going to college soon, so I figured she could live here when she does, so she doesn't have to live on campus." He looked over at Trucy. "You could also stay here on the nights you have magic shows, if you want. That way you don't have to take the bus home late."
"That's a great idea, Daddy! The house is almost an hour away from here, right? So if you get it, we'll have to be travelling back and forth a lot. This could really help save on bus fare, and gas when I finally get my licence!"
"Umm, I have a question," Athena said, raising her hand slightly.
Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"There are two bedrooms here, right?" He nodded, not sure where Athena was going with this. She continued. "Could I… possibly stay here too? I can pay half of the rent, for the upstairs portion and utilities and all that. You wouldn't mind having me as a roommate would you, Trucy?" she said, turning to the girl beside her.
Trucy grinned. "Of course not! We'd have girl's night every night!"
Athena looked back at Phoenix. "I'll happily pay whatever you need to help cover the rent, especially if Trucy isn't a full time occupant."
Maya looked up at him. "What do you say, Nick? You won't have to worry about anyone getting into the office that we don't completely trust."
"I don't see why not," he said, looking over at Athena. "Can I ask why, though? Don't you have an apartment now?"
She wrung her hands together in her lap, and Widget turned red around her neck. "My current roommate is ditching me to go live with her boyfriend, and I can't afford the rent on my own anymore. It was pretty hard to cover even with a roommate."
"I'm sorry to hear that. As long as we do get the house, you're welcome to stay here, Athena."
She grinned. "Thanks, Boss. I hope you guys do get it, but not for my sake. You've been looking for a while now, haven't you?"
Maya heaved a sigh and sat up, pulling out from under Phoenix's arm and reaching for the pizza again. "It's been almost two months we've been looking, and all of them except for this one have been just awful!" she explained. "If we don't get this place I'm just going to force Nick to move into Fey Manor with me." She looked at him. "You'll just have to get your licence so you can drive here every day."
He snorted. "Why don't you move here and you get your licence?"
"Because Fey Manor is huge, Nick. Do you know how big my bedroom is alone? Wait, what am I saying, of course you do." Athena and Trucy both groaned at the implication. Maya stifled a laugh. "Well, it's bigger than this whole office, and there are so many guest rooms not being used for anything except storage or as makeshift channeling chambers."
"I think it'd be nice to live in Kurain," Trucy put in. "Sort of like a vacation every day, but I don't think a two hour train ride to work every day is practical."
"Right you are, Trucy," Phoenix agreed. "But neither is a two hour train ride into Kurain for channeling, especially with some of the more important people Maya has as clients. She needs to make sure she can get there easily."
"So we all agree we need to get this place," Maya said. "We should go call Mindy right now, Nick."
He stretched, getting up and helping Maya up as well. "Alright. We're going to head upstairs. I'll see you tomorrow for our trial, Athena." With Apollo gone, Athena had been forced into assisting Trucy with her magic shows more often than doing her job as a lawyer, which made Phoenix feel guilty. Since Maya was often busy with her Master's duties and didn't have the chance to assist him as often as she used to, he made a point of bringing Athena along as his co-counsel during his own trials. Her Mood Matrix was always a big help, but even after all these years, it still felt better just to have someone stand with him at the defense's bench than to be alone.
She gave him a mock salute. "Yep! I'll be there with Widget to help you out!"
Maya waved as she followed Phoenix to the rarely used upstairs living area. Everyone usually spent their time in the office, so all the room had in it was a light, a few chairs and a coffee table, and a bookshelf with various fictional books that Mia had left behind, instead of law books. Maya pulled her cell phone out and shoved it into Phoenix's hands, jumping into one of the chairs and folding her legs under her. "Call her Nick, call her, call her, call her!"
"Why do I have to do it?" he said, taking the phone from her regardless.
"Because you're a lawyer and good with words."
"Don't you have really important, high profile clients that you can't even tell me about? How do you talk to them?"
She smiled sweetly. "I don't. Since I'm the Master, I'm kind of mysterious," she said, wiggling her fingers at him. "Usually one of the Village Elders will speak with the client and then lead them into the channeling chamber where I am. I pretty much only ask them the name of the deceased, ask for a picture so I can visualize them, and then channel. The spirit and client do the rest, and the Elder will ring a little bell from outside to let them know when their time is almost up."
"Huh. I'm so used to seeing casual channeling that I never really thought about how you keep up your whole mysterious spirit medium gig with the general public."
She shrugged. "Yeah, it's all for show. If people knew I could channel anyone anywhere, we'd be even more swamped with people wanting to speak to their departed loved ones. Don't get me wrong, I love being able to give people that last talk they didn't get to have when they were alive, but I don't think I could handle being anymore busy than I already am."
"Well, hopefully we get this place," he said, dialling Mindy's number and leaning on the arm of the chair Maya was sitting in. "Then we can finally relax."
"We'll have a home," Maya sighed. "Both of us. Together."
Phoenix smiled and reached out to stroke her hair as he listened to the ringing of the phone on the other end. He stopped abruptly when the line was answered. Maya could only hear his half of the conversation.
"Hey, Mindy. Yeah, it's Phoenix Wright." He glanced at Maya as he listened to what Mindy was saying. "Yeah, well you were right when you said some people just seem to know when they've found the right place, because we want to make an offer on that house."
...
November 8th, 2028, 8:07 AM Wright Anything Agency
Phoenix pulled his suit jacket on and checked his watch, desperately wishing he could stay home with Maya for the day, but Athena would be waiting at the courthouse and he was already late. His client was a young college student who cried at the drop of a hat and was not very forthcoming with information (reminding Phoenix of himself in his college days), but he was sure the kid didn't do it. Not because of his magatama or the young man's statement, but because he was so much of a crybaby that Phoenix couldn't fathom him actually being able to strangle someone with his bare hands, as the autopsy report stated was the cause of death. He couldn't very well hang the kid out to dry, even if Maya was sleeping in his bed wearing nothing but a very thin and short chemise.
He leaned over Maya on her side of the bed, brushing her hair away from her face to kiss her on the cheek. He didn't mean to wake her, but she groaned and reached up to wrap her arm around his neck. He put a hand down on the bed to stop himself from toppling on top of her as she yanked on his neck, surprisingly strong for just being woken up.
"Maya… I have to go to work."
She reached her other arm up too, using them both to pull his head down to her, her eyes fluttering open. "No, stay with me."
His face was only inches away from hers, and she held him there. "Believe me, I want to, but I can't. Athena is waiting for me, and so is my client."
"That crybaby you told me about? I guess he needs you more than I do right now…"
He closed the last few inches to peck her on the lips. "Yeah, he's innocent. I really have to go. Make sure you answer the phone today in case Mindy calls, okay?"
She dropped her arms from his neck. "Yeah, I know," she mumbled, eyes closing again.
"I love you," he said, prompting her with a light poke in her side.
She squirmed away, swatting at him. "Love you too. Now let me go back to sleep."
He stood up, smiling as she pulled the blankets back up to her chin and moved into the middle of the bed where she spread out to enjoy the room his absence gave her.
...
November 10th, 2028, 3:15 PM District Courthouse, Defendant Lobby No. 2
"Oh, thank you Mr. Wright! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the young man sobbed. Phoenix reached out to pat him on the shoulder, but instead the college student flung himself at Phoenix, hugging him and continuing to sob into his shoulder.
He looked helplessly at Athena over the client's shoulder and she snorted laughter. She was just happy that it was Phoenix getting the hug and not her. He proceeded to pat the student on the back instead, giving him an awkward squeeze and then firmly but politely pushing him away. He smoothed his jacket out. "You're very welcome."
Athena stepped forward and handed the client a tissue, which he noisily blew his nose into. He turned to her, enveloping her in a hug too. Phoenix smirked at her, not bothering to rescue her, and took out his phone to check for missed calls or texts from Maya. It had been a long trial, with only one short recess in which he had no time to check his phone, even though it had been vibrating in his pocket all day. He hurriedly went to the first message when he saw that he had nine missed calls and almost twice as many text messages. All it said was "pick up", with an angry emoticon, and another that looked like a party popper.
"Mr. Taylor, I need to go take a call." He turned to the client, who Athena was currently unwrapping herself from. "Can you stay here with Ms. Cykes until the bailiff comes to bring you back to the Detention Centre? They'll need to have you sign some papers and things before you'll be let out."
He nodded, still wiping his nose with the tissue. Phoenix left the defendant's lobby, not making it more than two steps before he heard Maya's voice cut through the noise as she spotted him.
"NIIIIIIICK!"
He didn't even see her coming through the throngs of people milling around the courthouse hallway, and was knocked off balance when she quite literally pounced on him, toppling them both onto the floor. The file folder full of information from the court record he was holding slid across the floor, the papers leaving it and scattering, and people turned to stare at the commotion.
"Oooow," he groaned, sitting up. Maya was sprawled in his lap and he grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her up into a kneeling position. "Are you okay? What are you doing, Maya?" He looked around self consciously at the people raising their eyebrows at them, some snickering behind their hands. "It's no wonder people still don't take me seriously around here."
She got back to her feet and gave him a hand up, her smile never leaving her face. "Oh, Nick. What's that word Mr. Edgeworth always uses? … Shenanigans! Everyone is used to your shenanigans!" She looked around and anyone that was still watching them started to disperse. "See? Once they realized it was just you, they went back to minding their own business."
He brushed himself off. "What are you doing here, anyway? And what was with all the missed calls and texts? You knew I was in a trial." He bent down to swipe the folder off the floor and began picking up the scattered papers.
"Nick, we're moving!"
"Huh?" he said, flipping through the folder once he'd collected the information. He was glad the trial was over, because the papers inside were all out of order. He frowned. Now he would have to go back through the case file at the office before being able to stuff it into a filing cabinet to forget about. Maya punched him lightly on the shoulder, making him look up. "Ouch. What was that for?"
"Are you paying attention? Mindy called, and the home owners accepted our offer!"
"Oh," he said simply, then his eyes widened almost comically, as if her words hadn't made sense to him right away. "Wait, really?!"
She clapped her hands together. "Yes! We're home owners! We can move in whenever we want!"
"That's great! Maya… I really can't wait."
She flung herself into his arms and he hugged her back as best as he could with his hands full. "Me neither. So what are we going to do to celebrate, Nick?"
"The same thing you always want to do, go out to dinner?"
"You got it." She stood on tip toes to kiss him lightly, but he surprised her by pulling her tightly against him, his lips crushing hers. He didn't care who, if anyone, was still watching them. She made a surprised noise, but eventually melted into him, arms wrapping around his neck.
Athena exited the defendant's lobby with the client being led by a bailiff to head back to the Detention Centre. She spied her boss and Maya only a few steps from the door, locked in a passionate kiss. She didn't want to interrupt, but it would only get weirder and more awkward the longer she waited, so she cleared her throat as she approached. "Get a room, you two."
They pulled apart breathlessly, and Phoenix rubbed the back of his neck. "Oops, I got a bit carried away."
Maya wiped the corner of her lips with a finger, then laughed awkwardly. "Yeah, you're not usually one for PDA."
"Sorry, I'm just excited."
"What's going on?" Athena inquired. "What's got you so happy, aside from not having to ever see our client again?"
"We got the house!" Maya blurted out.
Athena grinned, Widget lighting up green to reflect her mood. "That's great, Maya! I'm really happy for both of you."
"And because you'll get to live in the apartment above the office now?" Maya smirked.
It was Athena's turn to look embarrassed. "Well, that's definitely a plus for me. But really, I'm just glad for you two."
"Thanks, Athena. Do you want to join us for dinner? We have to pick up Trucy, and I called Pearly too, so she'll be joining us," Maya said, glancing up at Phoenix.
He nodded. "You're welcome to come, if you want to."
"Oh, I don't know. Isn't it sort of a family thing?" she said.
Maya moved forward and wrapped an arm around Athena's waist since she was too short to throw it around her shoulders. Athena was a bit surprised at the contact. She hadn't spoken to Maya all that often since she came back from Khura'in, only enough for Maya to tell her not to keep calling her Ms. Fey like she was some old lady, but Maya was not a shy person at all. Athena glanced at her boss, who was only smiling at the two of them.
"Yes, and you're family!" Maya said. "Anyone who works for the Wright Anything Agency is family, right Nick?"
He nodded. "I thought you would've realized that by now, Athena."
Athena blushed as Maya started pulling her down the hallway. When she accepted Phoenix's offer to work for him before she had even passed the Bar exam, she never would have thought she would come to love everyone in the office in so short a time, yet here she was.
"Come on," Maya was saying. "Nick's buying."
"Well, if you insist," she said, falling into step beside Maya.
Phoenix rolled his eyes. Dinner with four girls who could absolutely pack it away despite their small statures? At times like this he really wished Apollo was still around.
...
November 15th, 2028, 5:15 PM Fey-Wright Residence
Maya looked up as Phoenix entered the bedroom, face hidden behind the large box he was carrying. He set it down on the floor in front of her and moved to sit on the bed where he leaned back on his hands to take a breather. The room was filled with cardboard boxes, some half empty, some not even opened yet, and Maya was sitting in the middle of them haphazardly taking items out and studying them, then setting them down somewhere else.
"I think that's it for our stuff in here," Phoenix said. All the furniture in the room had been set where they wanted it by movers, but Maya wasn't really putting things away as she took them out of the boxes, instead she was just placing them around her so she was surrounded by a circle of stuff. Most of it was from Fey Manor, since Phoenix's bedroom in the apartment above the office had been pretty sparse decoration wise. Maya seemed determined to make this master bedroom into an actual retreat and not just somewhere for them to retire to at the end of the day, so she brought everything from her bedroom in Fey Manor, which she said was set up to give the Master the positive energy she needed to keep up with her duties.
He was fine with letting Maya do her thing in the bedroom, not really caring what it looked like. At this point he wouldn't even have cared if she had decided to hang Steel Samurai posters on the walls, he was just happy they finally had somewhere to call their own. Trucy and Pearl had also chosen their bedrooms and were both in the process of helping each other get settled in.
Maya shoved one box aside and reached forward to drag the box he'd just brought in towards her. She used a tiny utility knife to slice through the tape keeping it closed and pulled out some packing paper, then reached inside to yank out more glass figures and tiny statues and other random things from her bedroom in Fey Manor.
"Maya, why don't you take a break?" Phoenix said, watching her pull items out one by one.
"No way, there's still so much to unpack!"
"Are you going to put any of that stuff away though, or just keep setting it on the floor? You told me not to touch anything, so I'm not, but if you want help you can just tell me where to put it-"
She gasped suddenly, interrupting him, and pulled an old book out of the bottom of the box. "Look what I found, Nick!"
"Hm? What is it?"
She got up from the floor and sat down on the edge of the bed beside him. "It's my old scrapbook, remember?"
He smiled. "Oh yeah. Wow, I haven't seen this in a while. Isn't that the scrapbook you used to collect all of those newspaper articles and things about me back when I was still a rookie attorney? You didn't tell me about it for years."
"Not until after we got together. I was too embarrassed. Gosh, I had such a crush on you back then, no way was I going to tell you I was keeping all of these newspaper clippings as mementos of our cases together. That would've made it obvious I liked you."
"And that would've been terrible," he teased.
She raised an eyebrow. "Need I remind you I was only seventeen when we met? You were just some teenaged fantasy back then. The forbidden older man that I would never actually be with! Who would've thought."
She made him sound like he'd been some sort of sexy, out-of-her-league, beating-off-women-with-a-stick man when he was younger, which he certainly was not. Still, knowing that Maya had always thought highly of him did boost his confidence, even now. "I had no idea you felt like that back then, so I really never would've guessed." He paused and thought for a moment. "Actually, I did have some suspicions when I showed up in Kurain Village and Pearls knew all about me and somehow had this idea that I was your special someone. I mean, wherever did she get that idea from?"
Maya actually blushed. "Well… I had to gush to someone. I guess my eight-year-old cousin wasn't the best option, since kids can't keep their mouths shut."
He chuckled and put an arm around her to lean closer as she opened the book up. The first page was an old newspaper article from back in 2016. It described Phoenix's first win against Edgeworth, and the first time he had saved her. She smiled fondly at it. It brought back a mixture of good and bad memories. Of course it was a reminder of her sister's death and murder trial in which Maya herself was the defendant, but it was also a reminder of her first few days with Phoenix, and how he saved her without even knowing her. When she felt completely alone and abandoned, he had been there for her and had taken on her case without even knowing her.
She flipped through a few more pages, passing by the articles describing his defense of the Steel Samurai, Will Powers, which had garnered quite a lot of media attention due to the popularity of the show at the time. The DL-6 case when he had helped Edgeworth and taken down the 40 years undefeated Manfred von Karma was next, with the picture that Lotta Hart had taken of everyone in the courthouse hallway after their win pasted underneath.
The further she got the more often she would pass photos that had nothing at all to do with their cases. Instead they were pictures she took herself, or other people had taken for them on their outings. They showed just how much their relationship had progressed over the years, even when they were still only friends.
There was a picture from the Berry Big Circus of Pearl on Phoenix's shoulders a few days before taking on the defense of Max Galactica, both of them grinning. Some photo booth strips from Gatewater Land, which Maya remembered insisting on having taken. Phoenix looked serious or annoyed in the first few, with Maya and Pearl on either side of him making silly faces into the camera, but by the end he hadn't been able to hold back his own smile. A copy of the group picture Larry had drawn after the incident at Hazakura Temple was pasted in as well, and it was surprisingly well done. Even though all of their friends were in the picture too, Maya, Phoenix, and Pearl were at the forefront, making it look like a tiny family photo.
Maya rested her head against his shoulder. "Don't we look cute?"
"Mhm. What's next?" She flipped the page once more, but this one was blank. "What's supposed to be here? Did something fall out?"
She shook her head and flipped to the very end of the book, where a loose newspaper clipping was stuck between the last two pages. "No. I never pasted this one in, but I left the page blank anyway... where it would've been. Whenever I showed the scrapbook to you, I would just leave this article in the box under my bed."
He slipped the article from between the pages to read the heading. "Oh," he said flatly. The heading was large, a front page article that read:
RENOWNED DEFENSE ATTORNEY PHOENIX WRIGHT ACCUSED OF FORGING EVIDENCE IN STATE V. ENIGMAR CASE
"This was how I found out," Maya explained. "Remember? I came to see you that day, right after Pearly brought the paper inside. I don't really know why I kept it. I didn't put it in because I wanted this book to be good memories, but it was still a part of your life, and part of the beginning of our relationship, and I just couldn't bring myself to throw it away. Sorry, Nick."
"It's okay," he said. "You should add it to the blank page. It's something that happened and we got through it together. Besides, I'm back now, right?"
She smiled at his optimism. "Right, after seven long years."
He shrugged. "Add it in later. I want to see the next page."
She flipped, and they both stared at the picture.
"When was this?" Phoenix asked. The picture looked like a selfie Maya had taken from her phone while laying in bed. Phoenix was beside her, an arm thrown across her and his face nuzzled into the space between her neck and shoulder, completely hiding it from view. She was smiling sweetly, her head tilted towards him slightly.
Maya giggled. "I remember taking this! You told me to delete it after you woke up, but I never did. How could I? It was almost a year after your disbarment, I think. Not long after we finally figured things out between us."
"Don't you look smug in this picture," he said. Her smile was sweet but there was a hint of pride there too.
"Nah. I was mostly just really happy." She sighed dreamily, leaning against him on the bed. He placed a soft kiss on top of her hair and reached out to flip the page to another picture of the two of them standing together in front of a waterfall in Kurain Village, one of Maya's many training spots. The setting was beautiful, with the sunlight flickering off the water behind them and the lush greens of the trees around them, but all he could focus on was Maya. She was beautiful, with her eyes closed in the midst of laughter, her hands on his arms as he wrapped them around her shoulders from behind, his chin resting on her head.
"Pearly took this," Maya said. "This was before she knew about us, and she was so excited you were holding me like that. I was just pretending I was cold."
"I remember. I wanted to tell her more than anything…"
"Me too. I think she may have known, or had her suspicions though. I mean… Look at us."
"She's always been a smart girl. She may have bugged us about being special someones for years, but I think she knew there was a reason we kept denying it over and over by this point." Pearl had even stopped bothering them about it altogether for a long while, almost as if she knew they didn't actually need anymore prompting.
"We should copy some of these pictures," he said suddenly. "Put them in frames around the house. There are so many." He took the book out of her hands to flip through it faster. After the blank pages that indicated the beginning of his disbarment, there were no more newspaper articles. There were only photos filling the pages. The pictures made his heart swell with love for all three of his girls, and also proved that even though those seven years had been hard, they still had their good moments, and they had all been worth it for what he had now.
"That's a good idea," Maya replied, watching the photos she had painstakingly glued to the pages for years flip by in front of her as Phoenix turned the pages. The last page that had anything on it was another newspaper article. It was the last thing Maya had pasted into the book before leaving to go to Khura'in Kingdom. The article was another front pager, with a heading just as large as the last one. She couldn't help laughing at the ridiculousness of it, though. It read:
ORCA WHALE AT SHIPSHAPE AQUARIUM ACCUSED OF MURDERING OWNER
Underneath the heading, the article explained simply:
Phoenix Wright, a famous defense attorney who had been accused of fraud and disbarred seven years ago will take Orla Shipley's case in his first trial since regaining his attorney's badge after accusations were overturned.
"I can't believe you defended a whale for your first case after seven years, Nick…" Maya said, shaking her head slightly.
"What? She was innocent."
"I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, after all you are the guy who cross-examined a parrot all those years before."
"People are never going to let me live that down. But admit it, it was a stroke of genius."
"It was a bluff to buy time and you know it," she said, reaching forward to trace her finger along one of the pictures, a very rare one of her and Phoenix with Trucy and Pearl, all together at once. "But it did work. We were always so lucky."
He closed the book and set it on the bed beside him, then looked at the floor. Maya followed his line of sight to the mess she'd made. It would take forever to go through everything and find places to put it all now that it was all over the floor.
She jumped off the bed, turning around to face him. "Let's go see how Trucy and Pearly are doing with their rooms!"
"Good idea! We can deal with this later," he said, waving a hand at the boxes on the floor.
"Mhm!" She took his hand to help pull him up, and they headed down the hall together to see the two teenagers.
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