"Y'know what, Athena?"

The redhead's pen halted in its place.

"Yeah?" she inquired, looking over at her co-worker. Apollo's tone caught her interest more than the simple words of his sudden remark.

"I think I've finally got the two of them figured out - Mr. Wright and Maya, I mean."

Athena smirked. "Yeah?" She loved the way the mood of their office had changed since the arrival of their employer's former assistant. She doubted that anyone needed a sense of hearing as finely tuned as hers to recognize just how close the pair of them were to one another. The way Mr. Wright's commonplace patient smile was quickly displaced by a bright expression most frequently accompanied by a wide grin was one easy tell, but there were others.

"OK, so…" Apollo began, gesturing idly with his left hand. "This is kinda hard to put into words. Like, anyone could tell from looking at them for five minutes that they love each other. That's kinda hard to miss."

"No kidding." Athena agreed. "You should try hearing it with my ears. They could be talking about dirt and it'd still make me want to cry half the time. I've never heard any two people sound so connected when they talk."

Apollo jabbed a finger in her direction. "That's what I mean. I think I've finally figured them out. If you look really closely, you can tell that they're actually just one person, basically."

Athena laughed. "So, you're saying they take 'you're my other half' about as far as it can go?"

"Pretty much." Apollo answered, nodding. "… Actually, tell me something: have you ever heard Mr. Wright sound genuinely unhappy whenever Maya was around?"

"Nope. He's over the moon whenever she's here. Trucy, too."

"Yeah…"

Maya was definitely not the sort of person Apollo had initially expected her to be based on her title and reputation, but when he considered it, he wondered whether he should have imagined a young woman closer to the way Maya actually was, considering what he knew of her closest friends.

He felt happy to see his boss in spirits as high as those Maya inspired. The earliest days he'd spent working for Mr. Wright had done a lot to damage the mental image of the man that he'd built up in his years growing up. Seeing him now, back in the job he loved and accompanied by people he loved just as much, helped to restore some of that lost faith in Phoenix Wright.

Maybe he'd thank Maya for it some time.

As far as orphaned girls went, Trucy considered herself pretty lucky.

Her foster father didn't stop at just ensuring that she had a stable home life after her childhood was thrown into disarray so suddenly. One way or another, he'd pulled together a whole family for her. Apollo, Pearl, and Athena were about the best siblings she could ask for, even if that title was unofficial. And when it came to finding someone to fill in the combined role of mother to her and partner to her father, Trucy wouldn't have accepted any candidate other than Maya Fey. The beautiful young woman was the one to truly bring her father's smile back, even in the worst of times.

Trucy could never thank her enough for that.

Considering the circumstances of their first meeting, many would call it nothing short of a miracle that the respective lives of Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey could since have turned out as well as they had. Neither would claim that they could have achieved half the things they had with their lives without the other's help.

Their lives took them from two disconnected people sharing a great tragedy, on through to the closest of friends and so much more.

"Thanks, Nick."

Those they counted among their friends and family wouldn't debate the strength and far-reaching effects of the bond the two shared.

"And Maya...? Thanks."

Hey, what d'you know, I've got a 'thank-you' to give out as well.

Thanks for reading, everyone. Care to leave a review?