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the-bar-sinister · 9 days

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Chains of the Dragon (36235 words) by thesavagesabretooth

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October 3, 2028– 7:15 pm

There was little that Klavier could do besides get in the way while Ema and her khura'inese assistants went over the crime scene with a forensic fine toothed comb, so he stayed out of the way during the initial investigation. He wasn't entirely unhappy about this, since it gave him a chance to chat up the prosecutor prince.

"She's very fascinating to watch at work, isn't she– ah– forgive me, mein prinz– if there's a proper title I should address you by, I don't know it."

Nahyuta was watching Ema and the Khura’inese team work with his fingers upon his chin and a pensive stare, but his attention on it was broken when Klavier spoke.

He turned, the full weight of his emerald stare falling on Klavier as he gave the most subtle of smiles with his fingers still lingering against his chin.

“She certainly is. In my years prosecuting, I’ve never met a finer forensic investigator. Her attention to detail is, for lack of a better word, remarkable.”

He paused a moment, perhaps in thought as he raised his hand for a butterfly to land upon it, the creature trailing a filmy hoop around its wings that looked rather like the gauzy ribbon and scarf both he and Rayfa wore.

The butterfly’s wings fluttered to a slow stop as he regarded Klavier.

“I’m technically regent, absolutely a prosecutor…but a friend of Apollo and Ema’s can just call me Nahyuta.” He huffed a soft sigh of amusement “unless you are the type who enjoys heaping titles upon others. Holy Mother forbid I take away your sense of fun.”

"I'm the type who prefers nicknames to titles, quite frankly mein prinz," he purred. He couldn't help watching the absolutely unfairly graceful man. Like a fairytale. Like something out of a story, he was. "So I'll be happy to be among those who can address you more casually, Nahyuta. I'd be happy if you called me Klavier."

Nahyuta smiled just a little wider, almost like a gift before he held his hand up and allowed the butterfly to flutter away. For some reason, his fingers returned to that pose of prayer as he watched it rise into the sky.

And then his eyes were back on Klavier.

“Klavier Gavin.” he nodded “I admit…Of all the surprise connections Apollo has brought home with him, this was one I did not expect."

"Oh no?" Klavier cocked his head. "Because of my altogether too famous reputation? Or did Apollo just fail to mention me, ja?"

Klavier could imagine either. It was so funny, really. One of the reasons Klavier liked Apollo so much. Apollo didn't act like a hanger on or mention his fame, or even seem to enjoy it. Apollo always treated Klavier as just some guy he knew, and it was so funny to run into people that way.

“I’m afraid I know little of your reputation beyond the music I studied to get a sense of the local culture before the California Vs. Trucy Wright case. Beyond of course, that your music was quite interesting in how it differs from my own experience…and the rave reviews on some of the forums I visited.”

He tilted his head , and his pale hair fell across his cheek “...highly popular with the female 14-20 demographic.“ his lips turned slightly into a subtle frown “Apollo hadn’t mentioned you…though I expect you’re the ‘glimmerous fop’ Ema always talks about. I should have known, perhaps.”

Klavier told himself he wasn't hurt. He had expected he hadn't been talked about. That was fine. They were… busy. It wasn't something to worry about.

He smiled widely instead and tossed his hair. "Well, I prefer to be known for myself than for my reputation in any case, ja? So this is a fine start from my perspective. Did you hear of me as a prosecutor at all? Or probably not. I am still building my reputation."

Nahyuta closed his eyes for a moment, the sunlight catching his pale hair as his expression remained like a placid lake.

Finally he nodded once.

“I have. The prosecutor in the first of America’s ‘Jurist’ cases. Involved in the disbarment of Phoenix Wright…far before he arrived to cause chaos in my country…’the rock star prosecutor’ of Los Angeles.” He opened his eyes enough to peer at Klavier “though I’d certainly like to get to know the real man, rather than the lines of my Investigator’s report and in the papers.”

"Well you're in luck, mein engel," he purred, leaning a little bit closer to him. "Because it sounds like I might be around for a little while. Plenty of time to get to know the man behind the reports."

Klavier almost wished Nahyuta hadn't heard anything. Ah well.

Nahyuta’s eyes lingered on Klavier, and he shifted his position a little as Klavier got closer. One arm folded under the other as he hummed with reserved amusement. His fingers flexed, tapping gently in rhythm against his own palm and the tattoo of the dragon.

“Mein engel,” he mused with a downward tilt of his head “you flatter this monk of the Holy Mother..in any case…you say plenty of time? Does that mean you’ve decided to stay in Khura’in for a while?”

He seemed…well. He was hard to read. Very hard. Was he flustered? Interested? Cold? But Klavier could tell at the very least that his statement had gotten the prince prosecutor’s attention. That coolness– that difficulty to read– reminded Klavier in a strange way of his older brother… but different.

"Ah well, nothing is decided I'm afraid," he explained. "But we came to see Apollo, and it strikes me that things may not be entirely simple with regard to him."

Nahyuta’s eyes half closed again, and his fingers tightened on the tattoo of the dragon “they’re not simple for anyone in Khura’in at the moment. The retrials to save the souls damned by my aunt’s sins are neverending…and now there’s a splinter of the defiant dragons who seem intent on deposition through violence.”

He tilted his head towards Klavier, looking at him through pale lashes “It’s a good time to have another prosecutor about, admittedly.”

"I wish I could offer another defense attorney as well, but I never learned the art," Klavier admitted. His brother had always said he would have made a poor one. "I got the sense that you're all drowning here. I won't offer my services until I talk to Apollo, but well, it's not out of the question, ja?"

“Certainly not.” Nahyuta chuckled quietly “let me extend my hopes, then. May the Holy Mother bless me with the time to get to know Apollo’s dear, mysterious visitor…and perhaps the help to put this trouble to rest.”

He looked up at Ema toiling away, with Rayfa dogging her heels and asking questions in a loud and excited voice.

“Our father left us with a shattered legacy it seems, and I’m afraid I haven’t been the miraculous bind he’d hoped for…and Apollo’s dreadfully overworked as it is.”

"A shattered legacy, ja," Klavier nodded. "I hate to say I've already got that sense– and I can sympathize. But that's not the kind of thing that mends easily, even if you try really hard."

“It certainly is not. Nor is it something all the prayer in the world can heal.” He turned to Klavier once more “but that’s neither here nor there. We do what we must for the ones we love. No? No harm or dishonor will come to my sister as long as I stand. Be it from the troubles of Khura’in, or these…wayward souls filled with wrath.”

He closed his eyes. “A dragon never yields.”

It was like a mantra.

"Never, ja?" Klavier rubbed his chin. "I'll keep that in mind."

October 3, 2028– 7:40 pm

As the last light of the evening waned, Ema and her assistants had finished all the investigation that they could do for now, and Ema would be counting on them to compile results to look over in the morning. With that concluded, Nahyuta showed them to a suite of rooms in the palace for them to use.

And after Klavier had gotten over cooing and ahhhing over the palace rooms, it was time to talk about why they'd come in the first place.

Honestly, she wasn’t sure why Klavier had waited so long, after basically flopping all over her on the plane ride over with his doomsday scenarios and almost-charming melodrama. She thought he’d have run up to Nahyuta basically right away and dropped the whole sob story on his lap.

Sob story, as if she wasn’t increasingly worried about Nahyuta and Apollo too.

She sighed. “So…yeah.” she stared “I’m really glad to see you again, Yuta…but we did come back here for a reason.”

When Klavier's smile widened and froze at the mention of it, Ema suddenly understood the reason. He was nervous. Justitia only knew why he was nervous, or what about, but he was.

"Ja, not just for a vacation, admittedly," Klavier said, playing with his sunglasses.

Ema sighed. Klavier…she loved him. Genuinely loved him. A mystery even forensic science couldn’t solve, she’d once grumbled while drunk off her ass– but really, the truth was a little…warmer…than that.

But she’d known him since they were teens in Germany, and she knew how he could be. He was nervous…about Apollo, about Nahyuta, about the situation…who knew.

She put her hand on his back to comfort him with a quiet grumble, “or for a case.”

Nahyuta, beautiful, protective Nahyuta…looked up from a paper he’d been signing to finalize their rooms for the length of their stay and tilted his head.

“I see. Pressing business then?”

"Ah, it depends on your perspective, meine prinz," Klavier said, leaning into Ema's hand. "How much weight do you put on matters of the heart?"

“Careful,” Ema grumbled “you might get him going on another fucking sermon. Then we’ll be here all year.”

“Now, now, Ema.” Nahyuta smiled beatifically at her, and she grumbled as her heart skipped a beat. “I seem to recall you quite liked my sermons.”

He put his hand on his chin. “As for matters of the heart…they hold weight, for certain. Weight that must be accounted for with all the sensations and feelings a Mitama holds. For it’s these attachments in life– matters of the heart or of the spirit…that shape it on its passage to the Twilight Realm.”

For his part, Klavier listened quite respectfully– Ema was both surprised and not the way Nahyuta commanded his attention.

"Ja, attachments… that is a good way to put it," he nodded, though Ema was sure he was not getting all the context of what Nahyuta was saying. "Then you will understand that I have a certain attachment here in Khura'in that I am pursuing."

Nahyuta’s fingers formed the pose of prayer that Ema had become so familiar with, and she found herself shifting to put her hand on her chin in a subconscious ‘almost mirror’.

“It’s…”

Nahyuta held his hand up , and looked towards Klavier. “...It’s Apollo, isn’t it?” he finished her thought with a huff of breath.

Klavier nodded sharply and Ema was perhaps the only one who could see the tension in his jaw. "Ja, that's correct."

“I see..” Nahyuta nodded “...and I take it that this isn’t just a visit to say hello?”

Ema shook her head.

“No, Nahyuta. Klavier found out about the state of things here and started to worry about him…”

She decided to leave out the shit about ‘storming the temple gates’ and ‘dragging him back’. It’d only upset Nahyuta…who she could already tell was a little tense over the whole affair.

Maybe.

He was a bitch to read.

"Ja," Klavier nodded again. "I will not lie to you, Nahyuta, I came here to find out if he wanted to come back to LA– and if he did, what was stopping him."

“Ah…” Nahyuta closed his eyes. “So you came to ask him to return to Los Angeles…”

Ema held her hands up. “or at least see why he wasn’t going back…I mean, I kinda know one of the reasons why he doesn’t wanna…but…“

"I can't make him do anything he doesn't want to do," Klavier said with a shrug. Finally, he spoke plainly. "He and I were lovers, herr prinz, but he hasn't said a word to me since he left LA. I came to find out why."

Nahyuta was quiet a moment, that serenity that Ema was certain was part of his ever present mask that even liberation from Ga’ran hadn’t completely broken…he stood with his eyes closed and the paper folded in his hand against his elbow.

“Lovers…and he hasn’t said a word to you…” he sighed, and Ema saw emotion break through. A crease of sadness, or…maybe sympathy. “Say no more. I’ll do what I must to make sure you get the answers you’re looking for. It’s a simple enough matter, after all…we just need to speak with him.”

"Ja… easy peasy, right?" Klavier laughed– but it was hollow.

Easy Peasy. As if getting Apollo to open up was ever easy. The man was like a clam, shut tight under a hard shell to keep everyone out…even the people he loved.

She wished she could be the voice of optimism in this prosecutor pity party…but optimism was never her strong suit.

She’d just have to settle for dragging them along. “Yeah, So let’s get a fucking move on already.”

October 3, 2028– 8:00 pm

Apollo and Trucy had hugged it out for a while until Datz and the De Fammes returned. At that point Apollo had insisted that there was work that he absolutely had to get done before morning, and set about at his desk with a stack of paperwork while Datz caught the girls up with what had been happening in Khura'in a bit, and they teased and entertained him with magic tricks.

Apollo tried hard to concentrate on his work, but he had to admit it was difficult with the chatter and laughter going on in the background. But he wasn't going to complain. He wasn't.

He didn't.

But he also wasn't nearly done with what he needed to get through by the time that there was a knock on the law office door.

Trucy looked up with a smile from where she was shuffling a pack of cards and called out to him. “Should I get that for you, big brother?”

"Could you, uh? If Datz is busy?" Apollo asked with a frown. He didn't turn to look but he suspected the former rebel was probably busy being harassed by magicians assistants.

He heard Trucy laugh.

“Yeah he’s gonna be busy for a while. Bonny and Betty are having fun with the poor guy.”

He heard her footsteps trot towards the door, and her cheerful exclamation of hello as it opened…followed by a sharp gasp.

That's when Apollo turned and saw who was standing in the door. Ema, Nahyuta… and Klavier. His heart started to thump in his chest.

Relax, Apollo. Take a deep breath.

"Trucy, fraulein! Did you get the party started without us?" Klavier grinned.

“Mr. Klavier!” “I had to talk to my big brother alone for a little bit. You know how it is! I…” Trucy cooed with her chirping voice. She seemed to stare at Nahyuta with a huff for a moment. “Anyway, geeze. You sure brought the whole gang, didn’t you?”

“Nice to see you too, Wright” Ema drawled “...hey ‘Pollo. Sorry for dropping in like this.”

"This is uh, quite a crowd," Apollo said, his face draining of color as he put on a big smile. "I'm not sure we exactly have room here. Nice uh, nice to see everybody though."

He tried to catch Nahyuta's eye with a desperate help me look.

Nahyuta caught his eye, and he gave him that smile he remembered so well from their distant past. “Why don’t we get something to eat, no? Or we can show Mr. Gavin the Plaza of Devotion?”

"Oh, ja! But Trucy should see the palace and our beautiful rooms before it gets too late, nein?" Klavier suggested.

"Oh, are you guys staying at the palace?" Datz asked– much to Betty and Bonny's obvious delight.

A short conversation seemed to happen and Apollo just fazed out almost completely as everyone talked around him in a crowd.

Are you going to be alright, buddy?

No, I'm not! Maybe? I don't know. There's too much happening at once!

I'll handle it for now, alright?

Thanks, Clay… I knew Klavier was here thanks to Trucy but why is everyone else—

Don't worry about it, I'll handle it.

Clay smiled and tried to catch up with the conversation they had missed.

"So I'll take you ladies to see the palace and get comfy while this bunch does their thing, sound good?" Datz was grinning at Trucy and the De Fammes.

“Woah!” Trucy chirped. “I’ve always wanted to stay in a palace, you know! That sounds fantastic~”

Bonny spun her umbrella, nodding with a lazy smile “thank you, Mr. A Rebel.”

“Fantastic.” Ema pushed her hand through her hair “...enjoy, girls” …she looked exhausted.

Clay shot her a sympathetic look. He was guessing she was feeling at least halfway as overwhelmed as he was. From what Trucy had been saying, she and Klavier had bullied her into bringing them here.

He hopped up from where they were sitting and put on their robe as everyone split up for the evening. As they headed out into the dim evening street and split up with the girls and Datz as they headed to the palace, Clay walked over toward Ema's side, between her and Nahyuta, and putting her between himself and Klavier.

"Long flight, I'm guessing?"

“Felt like forever.” Ema grumbled as she sulked along beside him, bumping her shoulder against his. “That flight’s a nightmare. 20 hours on a plane without a wink of sleep…I feel like someone beat me over the goddamn head. “

Nahyuta was quiet as he walked along. It wasn’t clear to most, but they could see that he was deep in thought. The barest trace of a furrowed brow as he walked beside the two of them with his arms folded behind his back.

"Yeah… I feel you, Ema. Haha.. even without the flight," Clay murmured. "Trucy gave me the good news. You heard, right?"

He glanced between the pensive Nahyuta, and Klavier, who seemed to be smiling without a care in the world. However the way he walked with his arms back and hands clasped behind him told a different story.

"I think we all heard, ja, herr forehead," Klavier chuckled. "Congratulations on having a sister."

Ema smiled, tapping her nose with a lopsided grin “yeah, congrats. A little sibling’s precious to have, look out for her alright? Even if she’s a pain in the ass.”

A pain in the ass. Ema was never too kind about her relationship with her own sister– when she was sober anyway.

“...” Nahyuta closed his eyes. “...your sister, I see…”

The group of them passed the stalls towards the stairs towards the Plaza of Devotion, and he looked at Apollo “I can see the resemblance, red pepper.”

Clay laughed and rubbed the back of his neck like Apollo. "You can, huh? I guess it's pretty striking. She pointed out we kinda have the same hair."

"You have a sister too, ja, Nahyuta?" Klavier smiled. "That means all four of us here have siblings. Welcome to the club, herr forehead."

Wow, I'm surprised to hear him mention…

Me too. But I mean siblings are the topic of the moment.

Nahyuta nodded, brushing his hair from his face.

“That is right, it seems we’re all blessed with a sibling, aren’t we?” He smiled subtly, “she seems like a delightful girl. I’m sorry I attempted to convict her for murder.”

“In our line of work who hasn’t been accused of murder by someone close or relative to ‘em?” Ema grumbled.

"Ja, it's practically mandatory," Klavier nodded. "But thankfully Trucy is here with us today."

Unlike someone else.

"Yeah. Thankfully," Clay nodded. "I admit, I'm uh, a little surprised to see you guys."

Ema started up the stairs with a little grimace.

“Well. You know how it is. Klavier wanted to see the sights.”

Nahyuta tilted his head towards her. “Ema, there’s no sense in being vague. Not right now.”

“Tch, I don’t need a lecture on subtlety,” she pouted before she turned to Clay with a grimace. “Klavier asked me to take him and Trucy to Khura’in to see things for themselves, so they could see you, Apollo. Okay?”

"Yeah," Clay sighed. "Trucy told me. She told me you guys want me to come back to LA."

"There are people who miss you in LA, herr forehead," Klavier said. There was that deliberately casual tone in his voice that Apollo picked up on.

Damn it, he's trying to play it cool.

I think he's hurt, Apollo. We really should have said something to him.

It's not like he reached out to us before now either!

"Y-yeah," Clay said finally, trying not to faze out. "Well, I mean I miss people in LA too, but if I left, they'd miss me here. And we're really busy. Has anybody told you about the state of the legal system here?"

"Ja. I have been told. It seems you have been very busy."

Nahyuta’s hands finally unclasped from behind his back as he walked forward without a word to open the gate and gesture Apollo and the rest into the Plaza of devotion.

It was empty, its high gate leading to the sacred site above closed, and the prayer flags waving in the chill wind amidst the beautiful, clear view of the temples rising from the mountain mist around them.

“We certainly have been.” he intoned as he looked out at the temples. “We've hardly had a second to do more than speak on occasion.”

"No time to call, or to write, ja?" Klavier leaned on the wall, looking out over the temples as well, his back to them.

Clay grimaced. "Klavier, I'm sorry, I–"

"No. Don't bother," Klavier said. "Don't worry about it, what's done is done, ja? But you've left me in limbo for months. Are we finished, herr Justice? Should I not expect another call?"

Clay winced and he looked at Ema and Nahyuta. "Klavier, we should be having this discussion in private, I think."

"No, herr Justice, I don't think we should. They are your lovers, ja?"

Clay's face burned. "We… haven't exactly gotten that far. There really hasn't been time."

Apollo I think this is maybe the second most awkward conversation you've made me a part of.

I can take over….

"Sounds like you're working yourself to death, herr Justice."

A silence descended on the plaza for a moment.

It was broken by Ema’s irate groan as she threw her hands up and stomped into the center of the plaza. “JUSTITIA damn. Is this really how we’re going to be doing this?”

She pressed her hand to her face “should I not expect another call…Klavier, he’s not wrong at all. We haven’t had time for shit, much less with one another aside from just…just acknowledging the elephant in the room. It’s a miracle, a miracle, that I was even able to come home for that stupid wedding.”

Nahyuta’s discomfort grew, barely visible to most. This was, after all, a holy site…and the conversation wasn’t exactly in his usual confident wheelhouse. His arms crossed , and he took a soft breath.

“We all have been, Klavier. Not ‘to death’, per say…but there’s a struggle to face here in Khura’in, and it’s a struggle Apollo and I have vowed to face together.”

"I understand," Klavier said, still gazing out in the distance. "I shouldn't have been so impatient. I'd still be in LA waiting for you, if Trucy hadn't come and cried in my lap about it, herr forehead. I probably would have just waited forever, but she was very upset."

Apollo's nails dug into their palms as he took a deep breath, asserting himself again. "I didn't– I'm not– Klavier, it's nice to see you. I didn't want to make you wait forever, and I'm sorry Trucy was so upset. I'm sorry you're upset."

"I'm not upset, herr forehead."

Apollo's bracelet pinched him– as if he even needed the cue that Klavier was lying about that.

Before he could respond, Ema reeled on Klavier.

“Bullshit. ...Klavier, the entire time..t-this whole fucking trip, you haven’t once been ‘fine’ or ‘not upset’. You barely…I…URGH!” She hissed and flexed her fingers. “You’ve been smiling that big , ridiculous smile but anyone with eyes can see you’re upset. I know you, Gavin. Don’t think I hadn’t noticed! You’ve basically done nothing but worry about this whole situation with Apollo since you pushed him into this.”

Nahyuta curled his fingers under his chin, stock still as he listened to the fight. “Holy Mother,” he murmured under his breath in a quiet prayer. The prayer was nearly silent, but he picked up the word ‘tranquility’ within.

"Ema, I–" Klavier started to speak, and Apollo watched him glance At Nahyuta and look embarrassed and ashamed. He threw up his hands. "Fine, I am upset! But what good does being upset do? It does none of us any good. I should be upset in private. I should not have come here. But now that I am here I offer you my services as a prosecutor if they will somehow help you. And I don't ask you to consider anything else. I am sorry to have intruded."

Apollo finally broke. Sorry to have intruded.

He flung himself across the plaza and grabbed Klavier by the shirt. "Why are you always like this?"

"Like what, herr Justice?"

"Pretending you don't have any needs!" Apollo shook him.

Klavier grabbed his shoulders in return. "I don't know herr Justice, why don't you tell me why you do it!"

“Because you’re a couple of emotionally constipated idiots” Ema hissed out of his sight.

Nahyuta took a step forward , and suddenly swept his hand out with his beads clasped in his fist. “Sathora!!”

His voice came clear and loud over the chaos. “...the spirits in this plaza are ablaze with strife. Your mitamah are clouded with it.” his fingers clasped together in prayer “...Apollo. Klavier. It is clear the two of you have…a difficulty shared.”

Apollo and Klavier were still holding onto one another's shoulders when both their gaze snapped over to Nahyuta.

Apollo felt sick in his stomach for upsetting him. For letting him down, probably. For bringing more chaos into the world already filled with it.

As he opened his mouth to murmur an apology, to his surprise, Klavier was already speaking.

"I have been terribly rude, mein prinz," he murmured.

Nahyuta held his hand up, the beads dangling from his fingers in a low hoop.

“You’re forgiven, Klavier.” A subtle smile glowed on his face for a moment despite the tension in his jaw, before he shook his head. “Matters of the heart. You asked me how I felt of them in the garden.” He strode forward, in a slow circle around the two men.

“They are complicated. They are fraught, carrying misunderstanding…difficulty…distraction. The heart leads the spirit down a winding path just as likely to wound as it is to warm. The Holy Mother speaks warmly of matters of the heart. Her family line continued somehow, after all…but she also warns of their ability to lead one astray.”

He pointed two fingers at Klavier with a rattle of his beads. “but I believe matters of the heart are worth pursuit. For every distraction, every wound, and every complication…comes an equal chance of understanding, light, and growth. The heart can lead to the Twilight Realm or Hell…but…”

His hand rested over his heart. “the difference in the two paths comes down to how you follow them. If you are to follow the path of the heart, follow it with understanding. Commune with the self and the other, lest the heart lead you in its desperate, lashing folly straight to hell.”

Ema had gone quiet , standing off to his side with a quiet frown “...the heart is worth following, as long as you..you do it with understanding?” she summarized to herself.

Klavier lowered his gaze to the ground with a sigh. "I don't know how we even started arguing. I only wanted to talk. No– that's not true. Herr forehead– Apollo– as soon as I heard you were here, I wanted to come and pick you up and take you back home with me. That was my fantasy. But I see that I cannot do that."

Apollo felt like he'd been stabbed in the heart, between Nahyuta's sermon, and Klavier's– apology? plea? whatever it was. He felt like a heel for yelling. He squeezed Klavier's shoulder and hung his head too, shaking it.

"I can't go back to LA right now, Klavier, it's true. But– look, that doesn't mean I want to break up, okay? We'll figure it out. I care about you, you know?"

"I hoped so," he murmured. Apollo let Klaver pull him into a hug, and then the taller man sighed. "I– care about you, herr forehead. I am sorry to have come and put my foot in and made a mess of things."

"It's fine. You're fine. I'm sorry I snapped." He rested his head on Klavier's shoulder. "Ema, Nahyuta…. sorry about this."

"Ja, sorry…"

For a second I thought you two were going to try to strangle each other.

I thought about it.

October 3, 2028– 8:35 pm

In the plaza of devotion, Ema stood watching Klavier and Apollo hug it out in aftermath of Nahyuta's words.

Thank fuck they actually talked about it she thought as she pressed her hands to her eyes.

She loved them. She loved them both. Genuinely so– Klavier, since he started annoying her in Europe, and Apollo– she’d been close to Apollo since he’d first shown interest in her forensics back during the Eldoon case, and only gotten closer from there in recent months.

But sometimes she wondered if she had a fetish for emotionally constipated, tragically stubborn men. She glanced sidelong at Nahyuta– far from the exception to that rule outside the different projection. Serenity, rather than a big fake smile. Calm , rather than the obvious hemming in of himself with emotional walls.

She felt stupid, frustrated for letting herself get in the middle of this, but of course she was. Even if she was dragged here only for her ability to get to Apollo, she was a part of this, right?

Obviously. It just sucked that this was how it had to go down. She was still buzzing with the anxiety and frustration of the active fight when she realized they’d spoken.

“It’s…fine.” she muttered with the approximation of a smile “...don’t worry about it. Feeling better now or do I gotta get ready for round 2?”

“I’d appreciate it if there wasn’t one.” Nahyuta chuckled softly, before he held his hand up again with his distressingly pretty smile “Again…you both are forgiven. But now you’ve said it out loud— that’s the hard part, isn’t it? Now,, we…can figure our way through the rest. Calmly. This is a sacred site, after all. The last time there were raised tempers here a man was murdered.”

"No argument from me, mein prinz," Klavier promised. He gingerly squeezed Apollo's shoulders and then let go of him, stepping back a little. "No round 2, fraulein, I promise."

"Yeah," Apollo nodded, rubbing his neck, "Round 1 was tough enough."

“Great.” Ema rubbed her temples. 20 hours…more than 20 hours without sleep…jet lag…and emotional turmoil.

Someone should give her a gold medal in being a good lover for resisting the urge to take a flying leap.

She smiled at them, letting some of the tension inside her dissipate as she came back to herself

“...so we all missed one another.” she pointed to Nahyuta “I know you missed Apollo when he was gone too, Yuta.”

“I suppose I have been witnessed.” Nahyuta held up his hands.

"Apollo is easy to miss, he is very loud," Klavier chuckled. "I was missing him very much. Ah, before we go any further, Nahyuta, not to be weird about this…"

Nahyuta turned his careful gaze towards him…Justitia, he’s doing that smile again. The one where he looked like a goddess damned angel.

“Hm? Yes, Klavier?”

The force of the smile definitely seemed to be getting to Klavier as he rubbed his jaw. "Ah, well, as I said not so nicely earlier, I know there is something between you and herr Justice– so before we go any further I wanted to make certain that it is alright with you that I'm here."

Apollo didn't say anything, just leaning against the wall, looking up at the slowly blooming stars in the sky.

“Apollo is…” he trailed off for a moment and rubbed his fingertips against the beads around his neck as he spoke thoughtfully and carefully, “precious to me, Klavier. We grew up together, nearly brothers in the mountains…but now that I’ve found him again the feeling is something…more. I’m afraid I can’t deny that.”

He looked at Klavier for a long moment , Ema wasn’t sure if he was sizing him up. “...but there’s room, as they say, in my life…for more than just one person. Ema and I are entangled as well. It does not bother me in the least if you’re here.”

Klavier nodded. "I got the sense that you might be… close, ja? I did not know that when I came here. I might not have come. I don't want to be some kind of homewrecker, ja?"

Apollo finally rolled his eyes looking at Klavier again. "You're not a homewrecker, geez. You're such a drama queen, Klavier."

"I can't help it, herr horn head, my life is full of drama."

Ema watched Apollo go scarlet and make a choked noise, looking away. "I see you met Rayfa."

She snickered into her hand.

“Yeah, Rayfa already seems enamored with him. She got excited about asking about ‘rock music and prosecution’. Heh.” She shook her head. “Anyway, drama or no…you ain’t a homewrecker. Nahyuta’s already comfortable with me and Apollo…and…you know…”

She shrugged her shoulders “..if you’re a homewrecker I’m a homewrecker.”

“....” Nahyuta’s brow furrowed “..I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with that particular piece of slang.”

Klavier laughed, going a little red too, as he explained. "Ah, a woman of loose morals who tempts a husband away from his good wife, mein prinz."

"See why I was rolling my eyes?" Apollo snorted.

“Are you a woman of loose morals who tempts a husband away from his good wife, Klavier?” Nahyuta asked with the trace of amusement on his smile, his fingers going under his chin. “Some sort of demon of temptation, perhaps? Tsk, tsk. How dangerous.”

Klavier batted his eyelashes at Nahyuta. "I have been called a sexual menace before– mostly by the mothers of young women and boys– does that count?"

The tension, thankfully, had mostly resolved.

Ema couldn't help but sigh as she finally found herself able to really smile, her arms crossed and her head shaking “you’re ridiculous, fop.”

Nahyuta chuckled “It very well may. I may have a sermon in store for you, my friend. Do be on your guard, if you’re as much a menace as they believe.”

"Maybe you're the one who should be on your guard, mein engel," he teased. "Perhaps it's not only Apollo I'll be menacing."

"Oh for fucks sake," Apollo laughed. "Alright, alright. Klavier– I'm glad you're here, you ridiculous weirdo."

Klavier blew him a little kiss. "I'm glad. Maybe I will stick around and help you with this legal problem instead of just standing around and looking pretty."

Nahyuta smiled beatifically.

“My, what interesting lovers you have brought my my doorstep, Apollo Justice.”

He put his hand on Ema’s head, and she found herself flushing…even more when she tried to imagine the two prosecutors interacting…a little more closely.

“geh…I mean uh, y-you will, Klavier? Good! Shit, maybe that’ll help this wrap up faster, even if it’s a shame we’re down a second defense attorney.”

"Yeah," Apollo nodded. "Too bad you didn't bring, I don't know, Athena, or somebody."

"I was just thinking so myself," Klavier sighed. "But perhaps Trucy can help in some way? Or we could send a message to Athena and ask her to come along with her own coterie."

“Last I heard Athena was busy being tormented by Simon and getting dragged into rehabilitation projects.” Ema mused with a shake of her head. “..I mean we can try to message her, but who knows if she’s busy.”

She looked up “....what, are you thinking we can get Trucy a fake badge and shove her in front of a foreign court or something?”

She was aware of Nahyuta staring a hole in the back of her head at the suggestion.

"I wasn't thinking a fake badge but she does assist herr horn head in court, doesn't she?" he cocked his head at Apollo.

"Sure, but that doesn't make her a lawyer," Apollo grumbled.

Ema smirked with amusement. “Geeze Apollo, don’t be so critical of the poor girl. Maybe she wants to be a lawyer, you ever think of that?”

"I'm pretty sure she wants to be a magician, Ema," Apollo shrugged. "But I'm not above putting her to work if she can work.Ugh, speaking of which– 'Yuta, I didn't get the work done on the last of the cases for tomorrow."

“...neither did I, admittedly.” He frowned as he glanced off into the mist “...there was an incident that distracted me from my legal duties.”

"Not this?" Apollo asked with a frown.

"Nein," Klavier shook his head. "It's why we took so long to get back to you and Trucy."

Nahyuta shook his head too. “Not this. There was another incident involving our…recent issue.”

At that, Ema stepped in with a flick of her sunglasses over her eyes.

“...someone broke into the palace, ruined part of Rayfa’s garden, and spray painted some graffiti on the wall implying a threat to the royal family and the princess.”

"What?" Apollo yelped, his eyes wide. After a moment his expression rearranged itself and he held up his hand. "Alright– that's it. Nahyuta— I think maybe uh, given the extenuating circumstance– we should postpone court tomorrow and try to…. regroup and figure out what we're doing. Datz and I can talk to the dragons. You can figure out the graffiti. We can talk about how best to use Klavier in court– and Trucy maybe…"

Ema nodded. “that actually might be the best idea, thinking about it.”

It was a step forward, beyond treading water if nothing else. Which was something she knew neither she, nor Apollo and Nahyuta had been doing for months. It was a cruel sort of stagnation with work that never ended.

Nahyuta took his hand off her head and nodded as he paced towards Apollo.

“With the circumstances, I’m afraid we’ll have to. Maybe, with the help of your sister and your American lover…we can make up for lost time once we address this little issue with the schism.”

Apollo looked a little surprised that Nahyuta had agreed, but he smiled, widely. "Great. That's what I'm hoping anyway. We can sort things out and make up for lost time and then some."

"Wunderbar," Klavier purred. "Then, much as I am a man of action– maybe the right thing now is to retire, and begin again in the morning? Neither Ema nor I have slept, and the two of you…."

He trailed off, but Ema knew what he meant– Nahyuta and Apollo looked like they hadn't slept much in a while either. She spoke up.

“He’s right. The two of you get some fucking sleep too, okay?” She pointed at them “and then when we wake up bright and early, we’ll actually have our heads on our shoulders enough to think instead of just react.”

Apollo rubbed his shoulder. "And um, because of all that, and so we can get a jump on things tomorrow, I'll just come back to the palace for tonight, alright?" He gave Nahyuta a rather pleading look.

Nahyuta extended a hand towards him with a nod.

“But of course. You know there’s always a space for you there, Apollo.” He closed his eyes “it’s not a night to be alone.”

Klavier looked over at Ema and smiled a little smile. "Ja, agreed."

Ema met his eyes with a flush and brushed her hair over her ear with a little huff of breath.

She couldn’t say no to that smile.

“Yeah. Just so you know Klavier, the nights here can get kinda cold…”

"Ah, ja, fraulein, then I hope you won't mind if I need you to keep me warm?"

Ema snorted, offering her hand with a vivid flush of her face that she hated the fact he could probably see.

“You’d better, Glimmerous Fop.”