Turnabout Histories: Turnabout Lawyer
Mar. 2nd, 2014 10:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamerEverything will be named "Turnabout Something" if I have my way. It's cheesy, I know. Were you somehow under the impression that Phoenix Wright was not gloriously cheesy?
Could someone explain ratings to me in a way that does not make them sound really, really subjective? (Not that there's anything with this chapter, but the first case is shaping up to be horror, and given that it's Ace Attorney...well, there's some serious Nightmare Fuel lurking around. I don't think that ups ratings, but I don't know for sure. I haven't gotten a decent answer explaining ratings.
It might seem like it doesn't connect. Just keep reading. (Staring at blinking summary cursor though...what do I say that describes it but is yet non-spoilery? ngggh!)
Main Points:
Ace Attorney AU (Here comes the massive divergence from canon with accompanying epic music)
Chapter II
Summary: The courthouse doesn't seem to be working the way Phoenix expects it to.
Word Count: 2,418
Rating: K+
Neither Phoenix nor Pearls could sleep very well. At far too early in the morning, Phoenix had given up and gone to see whether Pearls was ready to go to the courtroom. Though she was yawning, tired, and could probably also use a few more hours of sleep, she agreed. They waited at the bus stop for a good hour, but the bus never arrived. So they ended up walking to the courthouse, Phoenix half-carrying Pearls who kept almost falling asleep and stumbling, and clutching desperately onto the transceiver he'd been given in the other hand. He wanted to be able to answer at any moment, should Maya's kidnapper call. By then, they were late for the trial, and Wright didn't really think about how that would affect their chances. (One day for an acquittal...I don't know if I can even do this...but now is no time to be doubting myself. I can't even think about the possibility of failing. I have to succeed...for Maya's sake!)
He didn't expect the stares and gasps as he went up the steps to the building. (What's going on? I mean, sure, I'm getting...sort of famous, I guess. But I'm still no celebrity!)
He tried to go into the waiting room, where he was supposed to meet Engarde, but was stopped by a bailiff. "I'm sorry, sir, but you can't go in there."
"Why not?" he asked desperately. (You can't put off the trial. Maya...)
"Due to recent events, all trials are being rescheduled." The man looked nervous, like he didn't actually know everything that was going on either, but he was going to do his job. (I sympathize, but when Maya's life is at stake...)
He tried to push past. "You don't underst-"
The man started to sweat bullets. "Sir! You need to watch the news! Though I'm sure there's going to be an official announcement at the Prosecutor's Office..."
(Prosecutor's Office? What is this guy talking about? I'm no prosecutor...)
Phoenix didn't actually notice that someone had come up behind until the bailiff addressed someone other than him. "I believe the judge was wanting to see you, sir. Though I doubt your case will happen today. As I was just telling Prosecutor Wright, almost all of the cases are being rescheduled."
"As expected," a familiar voice responded, though...was the British-accented voice shaking a little? What was he even doing here anyway? Wasn’t Franziska supposed to be…? And...Prosecutor? (What's going on?) "I assume it's through here, then?"
"Yes, sir." The owner of the voice barely glanced at Wright before hurrying through. The person behind him stopped for longer. Phoenix Wright hadn't recovered from the shock when he realized that the person following Edgeworth was none other than Maya. How had she escaped? But...she was alive! And un-kidnapped! He attempted to hug her, but was met with a harsh slap to the face.
"Just because Edgey might forgive you doesn't mean I do. You can't just come back and expect everyone to have forgotten what you've done."
And then she was gone too.
(What the h...What's up with everyone? Where's Engarde?)
He looked up at the bailiff again, feeling very, very confused. The bailiff literally shrunk back. "O-on the other hand, you'll probably want it straight from the judge, whatever's decided to do about the courts and court systems at this point. It'll save time and aggravation and really, really be better for everyone..."
Together with a now-awake and surprisingly dry-eyed Pearls (that hadn't happened in a while), Phoenix smiled in thanks and entered the courtroom. He didn't miss that the bailiff practically fled down the corridor. (I'm not Von Karma, you know...nor am I the boogeyman. Or whatever the thing is in that game that Maya keeps trying to get me to play, despite knowing I'm terrible with computers.)
To his surprise, the gallery wasn't completely empty. A few other faces that were vaguely familiar were all waiting. He hurried himself and Pearly into a seat, watching Edgeworth.
Even Edgeworth was different. For one thing, Maya was standing at his side-yeah, she was still there, and not some hallucination or something.
For another, the usual glare was softer. In fact, the prosecutor...seemed softer in general. His stance wasn't as aggressive, and something about his suit...still pressed and professional, but not perfect. In fact, the suit had seen better days. Never mind the fact that he was standing on the wrong side of the courtroom. "I have to apologize for my lateness, your Honor. I would have been more prompt, if there hadn't been some concerns about my safety."
The Judge, on the other hand, it seemed hadn't changed at all. "You mean, the true guilty party attempted to kill you? I will not stand for such villainy!" He sounded ready to shout "GUILTY!"
A slight twitch at the edge of his mouth; the slightest change in his eyes...Edgeworth was amused. "No, your Honor. I'm uncertain of how much you're aware of the situation of the world at this moment."
"I'm insulted you need to ask!" the Judge roared. "The current President is..." He trailed off and began thinking. (Do you seriously not know that...?) "Well, we're currently holding court in the United States of America!" (And he sounds all proud that he actually knows that. ...I...don't know what to even think of that.)
The magenta-clad prosecutor sighed, shaking his head. "That is not of importance at the moment. I am referring to the superhero sightings."
"O-oh, that!" (He has absolutely no idea what Edgeworth's talking about. But then again, neither do I, at the moment. Though I usually don't have a clue until he springs his trap anyway.) "Well, that's just rumors and sightings of drunken people. Nothing for serious environments like the court to consider."
(And now he's seriously glaring. That's the Edgeworth I know.) "Are you implying that I was imbibing alcohol this morning?"
The Judge gave his customary blank-face-blinking routine. "Y-you mean you witnessed...?"
Edgeworth nodded, lips drawing into a thin line. "More than witnessed, your Honor. If not for Maya's fast reflexes, I doubt either of us would be standing here at this moment." (Maya's staring at him, surprised. Maybe he's being...humble? Though that seems really odd for Edgeworth...) "A battle between the protagonist and villain of the comic Chronon Rain battled each other as we were on our way to the courthouse this morning. It took a while for the medics to decide I was not in serious danger." (He...he knows comic books? ...Practically everyone looks as surprised as I do...)
"Well, with such a decisive witness, I'm sure I can believe this evidence!" the Judge boomed. (I'm not sure he actually knows how loud he is...all of the time...)
A slight flush spread across the prosecutor's face, and he quickly became flustered. "Y-yes, well." He quickly stroked his right arm once before placing a paper on his desk.
To Phoenix's surprise, the paper appeared, floating above each section of the courtroom, only highly enlarged. It seemed like a city report on several unusual sightings within the past day and a half. He quickly glanced around surreptitiously, but no one else seemed surprised by the fact that Edgeworth could seemingly project the document into midair like that.
"During the battle, my head was injured. Hence the gauze." Now that he mentioned it, Nick could just make out a little of it, held on with tape and peeking out under grey-tinged hair. Of course he hadn't wanted a full head wrapping. People making a fuss probably drove him to distraction. "It isn't serious, although I will probably be unable to appear in court for a few days."
(Isn't serious, Edgeworth? You've got a mild concussion and you're standing there like nothing happened. You're a stubborn idiot, you know that?) He flushed slightly as Edgeworth glanced at him, emotional hurt visible for a few brief moments before he tore his gaze away. (He...he cares? And here I was just thinking he was a selfish jerk...also how did he read my face without having even looked at it first?)
"However, these are not the only sightings, though they are the most prominently reported." He set down a phone on the desk, and a few pages from the internet popped up too. (That is really cool. And would have been really useful. Why does Edgeworth get all the cool toys?) The edge of Edgeworth's mouth twitched again, but he didn't glance back again. "Loved ones coming back from the dead. Very contradictory memories of not only events but entire lifetimes. In this case, contradictions do not appear to be the result of lies."
"What would be capable of brainwashing so many people at one time? Some kind of extremely powerful ray?" the Judge mused. (I really have no idea how his brain works...)
"I don't believe it's a case of brainwashing either, your Honor." Edgeworth took a deep breath. Most wouldn't notice, but...(hey, he's not sure about what he's going to say, but he's about to say it anyway. And he's not putting on a perfect confident act.) "The existence of superheroes in our world is...well, to say the least, a ludicrous one. Three days prior, they were not a part of our world. Even more strongly, there is a man sitting in this courtroom at this very moment who is, without a doubt, dead. Or should I say, was." He nervously grabbed at his right elbow again. "Yet here he is. Your Honor, I believe that, as impossible as it seems..." (He's having difficulty saying it. What in the world is he thinking?) Edgeworth bit back his pride and spat out the last words like some sort of declaration of war. "...worlds are colliding."
Absolute silence reigned for a brief span of time, silence so loud it was oppressive. Then the sparse crowd in the courtroom rose with a roar, louder than Phoenix had ever heard in his trials. He didn't stand, too busy sitting in silence, shocked. (And I thought the world was going insane when Maya...) He didn't think he could move.
It took quite a bit of gavel-banging and roaring from the judge to quiet the courtroom. By the end, he was roaring about having Gumshoe arrest anyone else that threatened the peace, and at last an incredulous silence fell. "Mr. Edgeworth, you will explain." (Because the Judge always needs everything explained to him. Though in this instance, I kind of agree with him. I can't...what's...)
"I believe what I said, while shocking, was fairly self-evident. However," he bowed, a smile on his face, "...I will do my best to elucidate."
Pearls tugged on Phoenix's sleeve. "Luc-luci-Mr. Nick, what's Mr. Edgeworth saying?"
"I think he means he's going to explain, like the Judge told him to," Phoenix whispered back.
With the bow, it appeared, Edgeworth's flair had, once again, reappeared. "Alternate versions of reality. Fictional characters, deciding that our streets appear to be the best place to fight one another. If it were the mere case of a few memories, then yes, I would agree some sort of memory-altering effect appears to be in play. However, this is not the case. I mentioned a dead man, who will serve as a perfect example of what I am talking about. Phoenix Wright!"
Wright flinched a little as his name was called, then hesitantly stood. "Y-yes?"
The Judge and pretty much everyone else was gaping at him, which didn't help his nervousness. "So, the rumors were true. Your death was faked." (Excuse me? Well, yeah, rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated, obviously, but who started those rumors anyway?! And when? And why?)
"Wright, you are a defense attorney, are you not?" Now the looks of 'are you completely insane' were directed at Edgeworth, but he didn't appear to notice, staring seriously at Phoenix, not flinching or shying away as before. For some reason, this was even more uncomfortable than the prosecutor's usual glares.
"Y-you know the answer already, why ask?" He shrugged, but still felt uncomfortable. He couldn't read this expression, and that fact alone was a bit disconcerting.
The smile in response was Edgeworth's usual 'I know something about this case that you don't, Wright' smile. "Please, humor me."
"Of course I'm a defense attorney." While this appeared to be the answer Edgeworth was expecting, he still appeared a bit surprised. A murmur rose up, and the gavel pounded heavily in response once more.
Edgeworth turned back to the judge, waving in Phoenix's direction. Another picture joined the others, this one of an uncomfortable Wright. It zoomed in several times to show his badge. "It might be difficult to see at this distance, but Wright is not wearing the prosecutor's badge. He is wearing the attorney's badge." The courtroom erupted again. (What? Of course I...)
Edgeworth turned back to look at him, and even though they still couldn't hear anything, he pulled out something from his suit pocket. It was hard to see at this distance, but...
(Th-that's...the same as mine...Edgeworth's a...defense attorney??)
The Judge appeared as if he was tempted to just throw his gavel at the next person that opened their mouth without permission, and eventually the viewers noticed. "C-continue, Mr. Edgeworth."
"I would wager that Mr. Wright has led a very different life than Prosecutor Wright. This is no mere gamble, however. It was never reported to the public, but I...witnessed Prosecutor Wright's suicide." (S-s-suicide?? Wh-wha...) The increase in noise was only slight this time. So perhaps the 'peanut gallery' had been intimidated into silence after all. "I would stake my badge on it. Prosecutor Wright is, in fact, dead. In which case, where does Defense Attorney Phoenix Wright come from? Naturally, he must have come from another world, like our own, but with several very crucial differences. I do not claim to be an expert on these things. I do not propose a cause for any of this, but I believe the effects are or should be obvious to all."
Nope, the courtroom had not, in fact, been actually listening to the Judge. Just feigning it. They had just been waiting for the correct moment to burst into a roar of confusion louder than anything Phoenix had heard before. Very impressive, as the area was less than half as full as the normal attendance for any case. In the meantime, Phoenix remained sitting, head half bowed, trying to wrap his head around everything. (Maya's okay...and Pearl's here, and superheroes and Edgeworth and...and the world...and I'm dead...) The world was moving, and he was sitting still.
