Visit II: The Deal

If the walls could talk, they'd be talking about this duo of Apollo Justice and Aura Blackquill. A strange pair, to say the least. If the ceiling had eyes, it'd be eying this duo very closely on how they interact. It wasn't even a week, five days to be exact, that Apollo Justice returned to the Detention Center to visit Aura Blackquill.

Aura gave a sigh to Apollo, semi-unhappy to see him back so soon. "I told you to not come back here so soon. What would the tabloids think if you were frequently visiting a jailed woman who's got a big age gap on you?"

Ignoring her prattling, he replied, "It's not like you to care what other people think, from the other times I talked with you."

"You know that I don't. I just like to mix things up." Apollo took that as a weak excuse but kept that to himself. "Used to do that all the time with Simon. It's how I always have an edge up on him. You wanna know part of the reason why he wanted Metis to teach him things like manipulation and power of suggestion? It's because I always outwit him as a kid."

"That...must have been fun." Apollo knows Trucy to be like a younger sister in a way. He's the older one but somehow, Trucy always has the upper-hand on him. Is it because they're both women that they have this advantage over him and Simon, he asked himself. Furthermore, it bothered him slightly that he was, for a moment, sympathizing with Simon Blackquill.

"Yeah, but I still beat him. I was Metis's co-worker, for crying out loud! You think I didn't know what she knows to a degree as well? Oh, poor Simon. He'll always be Aura's baby little brother. No matter how old he gets!" She gave out a rather mischievous and insidious laughter.

Apollo slowly nodded his head at her, to be on the cautious side. "Uh-huh. Right. Well, I'm sure you want to know the reason I came here to the cell, so I'll tell you."

Finally, Aura thought.

"Your lawyer is here."

Aura raised an eyebrow at Apollo. "Oh, really? You escorted them here?"

Apollo nodded. "Yup. And you're looking at him."

She rolled her eyes, feeling disappointed. "You're kidding, right?"

Apollo knew what she was thinking and agreed with her to an extent. "Wish I was. But it's true. Athena still feels a bit too awkward to be defending you, considering your...checked past with each other."

"Delightful,' she said monotone.

Apollo continued. "As for Mr. Wright, he doesn't exactly want to defend the very woman who held his daughter hostage.

"Can't say I blame him. But the truth behind that is something that we will be taking to our graves, sadly." Aura pretended to check her nails as she said that.

"That leaves only me, Ms. Blackquill."

"Geez."

"You don't look so happy."

Aura scoffed at him. "Of course I wouldn't be happy! Look who I'm stuck with! A guy with a pair of horns that look like a guy just got-"

"I get the point." He was getting tired of having to listen to how high and mighty she sounded, even though she was technically at the mercy of the prison cell that threatened to drain the life out of her. "So, you'd rather settle for a state-appointed attorney?"

"Not a chance," she answered back right away.

"Well it's either me, or nothing."

Aura averted her gaze toward the ceiling. "I'd rather not."

Apollo was surprised at her. "Why!?"

She continued to look at the ceiling as she replied, "Why? Because I'm sick of law, that's why! And besides, what do I have left to offer society? I don't even have a chance to get my job back at the Space Center anymore! But whatever. I'm sick of serving a society that ruined my life and forced me to do what I did. If they just listened to me, just once, this could all have been avoided." Aura felt as though she was almost out of breath venting all that out at once.

Something clicked in Apollo's head. Like his whimsical lawyer adventures, he had no idea where it would lead this conversation towards, but he might be able to get to Aura with this. "...And that's exactly why you should let me defend you in court."

"What? Don't tell me this is one of those tricks that Wright guy does."

She's good, Apollo, thought. Though, he did admit that it's pretty predictable of how Mr. Wright tends to be when he's in a sticky situation. "It's not a trick, honest. If you can just let me finish the proposition, then I'll let you decide."

"Fine."

Apollo crossed his arms as he began to explain. "The chief prosecutor says, if you agree to appear in court, he'll make sure to put only the best possible people to manage the trial. The defense attorney, prosecutor, and judge. He says it's his form of atonement for how the system treated you back then."

She started to look at Apollo directly in the eye again. "Really? He said that?

Apollo nodded. "He did."

"But you just said you'll be my attorney."

"Yeah, because Mr. Edgeworth chose me to. He tried to negotiate with both Athena and Mr. Wright, but they both refused him. So that leaves only me."

Aura paused for a moment. "...And how did they react?"

Apollo tried to put it in the best way he thought possible. "Mr. Wright was just...eh. He didn't say much about it. He said as long as the pay's good. Athena, well... She said she'll try to make up with you after your trial is over, no matter what happens. She didn't sound sure, though. ...If you really want me to be honest, it's almost as if they chose me because they didn't want to deal with it. Like, they just dump their problems on me and I gotta suck it up, somehow."

"Well, chief's orders. Gotta do what you gotta do or you're fired." Though, she silently sympathized with him because hearing that made her remember of the times when Yuri Cosmos ran her rampant.

Apollo sighed then shrugged. "It's not the first time this has happened, though. But at least it's law-related."

"Oh?"

"Want me to tell you about it?"

"Just don't make me sleepy," she quipped.

Apollo had a feeling he wouldn't because of what he was about to tell. "Well, it was Mr. Wright's first trial back after being disbarred."

Aura had a pretty good idea of what was next since a certain someone told her. "Oh wait. Is it that case where Simon told me about how he cross-examined a killer whale? A.K.A, an Orca?"

Apollo blinked twice before answering. "He told you, already? Yup. That's the one. I was feeling so ready to help out with the case. But no, I have to stay here and take care of the office while Mr. Wright, Athena, and Sasha all go and have their fun."

It was Aura's turn to blink twice, now. She had a sneaking suspicion come over her as he was explaining. "Hey, I'm actually being serious when I ask this. Is this Wright guy some kind of player?"

Apollo backed a bit in shock. "Wh-What gave you that idea?!"

"It sounds like he got rid of you just so he could score a date with two different women. Wait, just how old is Wright?"

Apollo was going to regret answering. "...Thirty-five."

Aura pretended to gag. "UGH! And the princess is eighteen! Wow! He must be getting desperate!"

"Ms. Blackquill! I highly doubt he would be the type of person who'd-" But then certain words echoed in his mind.

Okay, ladies. Shall we be off?

He picked himself up from where he left off on speaking. "Never mind, I think you could be right to some extent."

Aura tilted her head slightly to one side. "What made you change your mind mid-sentence?"

"I remember how strangely enthusiastic he was to be investigating the case with both Athena and Sasha. Being around women must make a guy feel pretty powerful." Apollo wondered if that applied to Aura since she's the one who's usually in control whenever she spoke or talked to anybody.

"Ugh. You make that Wright guy sound like such a creep. Now that you mention it, I'm glad he's not defending me in my trial. I think he might stare at my tatter-tots."

Apollo consciously tried to keep his gaze on her face and not her chest after she said that. "...Right… Well, we got sidetracked a bit. So, let's get back down to business. The prosecutor is obviously going to be your brother, Simon Blackquill."

Aura laughed hollowly. "Ha! Looks like he doesn't have my best interests in mind, after all! He's gonna have me hanged! Or worse, he might bring in the electric chair!"

"Are you okay, Aura?" He felt concerned.

"Relax," she said in a calm tone. "This is how Simon and I talk all the time. You know all his dark humor and death threats? It's usually how we talk, and it's going to be what you're hearing whenever you hang around a Blackquill most of the time."

"Guess I'm going to have to get used to that. Still, I don't like it."

"You don't have to, but I won't change."

"I wasn't asking you to." Apollo tried to steer the conversation back toward the more important order business. He was surprised with how casual the conversation tended to get between them often when he came around for some serious business. "Anyway, he's the prosecutor. But the judge, he's the most important component of the trial, should it happen."

"Yeah? What?"

Apollo scratched the back of his head while feeling a bit guilty for having about to say what he was going to. "Well, the judge that would preside over your trial can be scary at times, but he's surprisingly easy to sway."

"Oh, is that right?" Aura asked while still maintaining a serious look on her face.

Apollo was surprised she didn't at least smirk at that. "Yes. He's actually presided in all of my trials, and I tend to think he's a lot softer than he looks but according to public opinion, he usually makes the correct verdict."

"How miraculous," she was sarcastic.

Apollo understood her. "Yeah, you're telling me. But somehow, he makes us defense attorneys work for every inch."

Aura laughed at him. "Ha ha! So for Simon to be beaten by you, it's gotta really sting!"

"Right." Apollo wondered if she was giving him a compliment or a cheeky insult. He didn't want to know, though. "Anyway, my suggestion is that you can tell the judge, when the time is right, exactly what you told me. Remember, he's also part of the law; the same law that you felt betrayed by and felt like you couldn't trust. So, I'd imagine that if you speak the honest truth, he would feel as if he's got some responsibility to share in all this."

Aura turned her gaze away from Apollo again by looking toward the right. "Sorry. I'm still not going to buy into it."

Apollo felt frustrated with her. She felt like a rock that refused to be moved, no matter how much you pushed it. "Really!? Even after what Mr. Edgeworth offered to do for your benefit?!"

Aura sighed, still not looking towards him. "Look, I'm not exactly in the mood to coax anybody into taking my side after listening to some sob story of mine."

Apollo clenched both his hands into fists. "It's not coaxing! It's you giving your testimony to the court!"

Aura sighed again and slowly turned to look at him with coldness. "…Okay, let's say I told the bald geezer my story. Let's say he did give me a lighter sentence. Let's say I did get out of jail. What exactly would be next for me? I have a home that Simon is taking care of. But even then, I have no job to support myself there. Like I said before, it's unlikely I'd get my job at the Space Center back after the stunt I pulled."

"You mean we pulled," he corrected. "It was our idea together."

"True. But remember, I had to take the rap for all of us, and that is what the public currently believes. And besides, what evidence would there be to prove to them that it was us three who conspired to stage this whole hostage act to make the retrial for my brother possible?"

"I have this," he pulled out a photo. It showed the three of them smiling in front of the camera that Trucy had tucked away in her…paraphernalia for an occasion of making memories.

Aura felt genuinely surprised, and it showed on her face. "Hey! That's the photo Trucy took of us three!"

Apollo looked at it as he replied. "Yup. It was an unlikely and brief friendship but one she cherished so much. Once you warmed up to her and me, she made sure to cherish the memory forever."

Aura had to admit that he had a point with that evidence there. Still, she had to wonder why he was going so far for her sake, why he would just continue to not give up on her, when she gave up on him. She even made sure to be blunt about it, which would set many people off.

"Alright. So you got evidence. But, Apollo, there's still the uncertainty about my future. Who would want to hire a woman who took over the Space Center with robots and held the daughter of the infamous Phoenix Wright hostage? Right now, Simon is the one taking care of my place…which may as well be his place, now. He's the one paying the bills for it."

Apollo knew what she was thinking. His bracelet was sending him a subtle signal about it. "Ms. Blackquill… You really undervalue yourself."

"What?"

"Nobody would want you? Really? What does that say about what Mr. Edgeworth is trying to do for you? What does it say about your brother finding an attorney to defend you? There may not be a plan for you, now. But, I think an opportunity could arise for you in the future to get back on your feet. Your brother is still willing to support you. He loves you, don't you know?" He couldn't believe that he was trying to speak for Simon Blackquill's after all the death threats he gave him in court, but he knew how much Aura loved her brother.

She stayed silent, slowly turning her head downward.

Apollo didn't wait for a reply once she saw how she looked. "My mentor Mr. Wright isn't perfect. But I think he gave me the greatest weapon that a lawyer can have."

Aura glanced up at him with her eyes "And what is that?"

Apollo pressed his hands against the glass separating the two of them. It was like the passion just overtook him. He didn't care how he looked. Apollo just wanted to show just how much he cared. "The belief in one's client. As in, I believe in you, Aura. I believe in you, and that you still have a lot to offer. I believe you can still have a chance to have a better life. And sure, that maybe impossible for you alone, but isn't that what siblings and friends are for? What you did for your brother's sake is truly amazing and not to be underestimated. And after knowing how he really is, I have no doubt he still wants to give back to you in a way."

Aura felt tears rising. As much as she tried to keep those emotions of hers tucked away, she could never get rid of the fact that she is still an emotional woman. Though, it didn't seem to her that Apollo was judging her on that.

Apollo pressed slightly harder on the glass. "You may not have a lot to offer society once you get out of jail…but you still have a lot to offer with us, Ms. Blackquill. If nothing else, trust your brother. Trust Trucy. Trust me. Remember when we talked a while ago about how you cherished your emotional bonds with Dr. Cykes and your brother? It's okay. Just because you're in here and he's out there, and Dr. Cykes is gone, it doesn't mean you should have to let them go."

His words resonated in her brain. It triggered a few more things that she wanted to keep tucked away to rise up. Her mouth started to speak without her permission. She didn't try to stop herself, however. "I tried. I honestly tried. I thought that discarding my feelings for Metis and my brother and replacing it with hate for the princess would make me stronger. But looking back, it may have just made me weaker… I can't tell you how many times I cried myself to sleep these past seven years. I just couldn't let her go. I couldn't. "

Once again, Apollo could feel himself connecting with her. It's this connection of how much pain they felt due to the loss of a loved one that made them close. However, the lawyer wished it didn't take just painful memories for them to click. "I feel the same way about Clay. He was…so important to me. We had high hopes and dreams together and I thought that I lost them all because of Athena. I never felt that split over someone, ever. And for a while, I…a part of me also hated her, too. And you know what? It also gave me some strength. Strength I needed to investigate and not drop into despair. Strength to find the truth. I never once thought about letting Clay go, either. He gave me strength from up above, also. So trust me, Ms. Blackquill… I understand how you feel."

Aura wasn't in the mood for sappy conversations, anymore. She quickly wiped her tears and made sure that everything was out of her ducts. "Okay… That's enough of that. It's time to stop crying over Metis."

Apollo nodded in agreement. "Right, and it's time to let go of whatever hate we have. We don't need that hate to be strong anymore. And besides, both Clay and Dr. Cykes wouldn't have wanted us this way. They would have wanted us to live our lives to the fullest, Ms. Blackquill. So please…accept me as your lawyer, and together we'll tell the court everything."

She gasped, and wasn't sure if he was being crazy or insane. Either way, he was crazy-insane. "Everything? Including…?"

"Yup. Including our plan at the time."

Aura could see that he was serious. Although, she wanted to see how serious he was about the consequences that may follow. "…Apollo, do you understand what you're about to do? You risk your job for this. Not just your job, your livelihood. If word about our secret gets out and that Mr. Wright guy hears about it, he will have a lot of questions for you."

"…You're right. However, I got two things going for me: Trucy and the truth. If there's one thing I learned about being a lawyer, it's that the truth will set you free. We can't keep this a secret, Ms. Blackquill. We need to tell the public everything. I also think it could be the key to clearing everything up. As for Trucy, she's his daughter and if he hears that it was her idea, he'd have to reconsider a few things and not jump to any conclusions. That photo, remember? It could be an important piece to turn things around."

A smile slowly curved itself on Aura's lips. "…Seems like you really did some growing up from when I knew you as a brat who scurried around the center all the time and eluded me."

Apollo sighed at her. "I can also see that it seems like you haven't mellowed out one bit, Ms. Blackquill. I never thought that scary lady that was chasing Clay and I away from the center was really you. Took me by surprise when we formally got acquainted."

Aura shrugged her shoulders. "It's whatever at this point. I was told by Metis to keep him away from her."

"Away from her?"

"The princess, of course."

"Wait a minute, Clay told me that he wanted to visit the center to meet up with a pretty girl. He can't mean… Oh man, oh man…" Apollo felt his stomach churn.

Aura blinked a few times at him. "What's up with you? Your face is turning purple like you're about to vomit. …Don't do it here, though, if you're going to."

He became flustered as the revelation became clearer to him. "I'm not! It's just… Clay never knew what that girl's name was! And if he were still alive, no doubt he'd be jealous that I was working with the very same girl he had a crush on!"

"Oh… Ohhh… Now this is precious…" Then, the most insidious grin came over her face.

Apollo immediately noticed and pointed at her. "I see that grin of yours, Ms. Blackquill, and I do not like it!"

Aura slammed the ledge a few times as she laughed. "Come on! It's been a while since I had something so amusing to talk about. You have got to tell me more about what he thought of the princess. You defend me, and you tell me about him. Do we have a deal here?"

Apollo shook his head as he leered at her. "…I really don't know why you're the one who's making deals here since you're the one who's in prison being offered a fair trial by Mr. Edgeworth."

Aura wasn't in the mood for being technical. "It's a yes-or-no question, Apollo! Now which is it?!"

"Ugh. Fine. I'm not sure if that's a fair exchange, though…"

"I'll tell you about the time when Simon tried on my underwear after it got misplaced in his drawers," she offered as she shot him a very enticing and insidious grin.

"…Tempting," he said as if he was unable to deny her offer.

Apollo knew it was going to regret giving into temptation, one way or another after being coaxed by Aura's offer. Plus, it would make Simon seem more human than he usually lets on.