//Ever notice how at the end of these a new character is usually introduced?
//Weird. ANYWAYS-
Dayton’s eyes flit back and forth between her companions and this woman, suddenly feeling out of the loop on this frequency of familiarity between them all.
‘I shouldn’t be surprised, I know at least Apollo’s been here before. She’s clearly a scientist type, judging by the outfit… Hehh, those always put me in a tizzy.’
When Trucy hears Apollo’s comment shunting the blame onto the both of them she crosses her arms, turning to him with an exaggerated look on her face.
“Geez, Polly. Way to throw us under the bus.”
At the robot’s mention of a tour, Dayton nearly answers, expression immediately softening at the friendly face. But she’s interrupted by the harsh whack across the robot’s head.
Dayton flinched, the sound of skin slapping metal bringing back unfortunate memories. Shaking herself out of it, she continues.
“No need for a tour.” Dayton clears her throat, her voice having come out more guttural than she intended.
“We’re just taking a look around the place. We might have a new lead on the case for Solomon Starbuck…”
Dayton blanches for a second, forgetting that Apollo and Trucy aren’t aware that she’s found any such lead.
‘Hopefully they’ll just think I’m bluffing…though if we get access to the cameras, I guess they’ll know soon enough…’
“We’d like to speak to the director, but if you’re able to access the security footage from around the time of the murder for review, we may be able to handle this investigation a bit faster.”
At the mention of a lead, Apollo glanced over to Dayton, narrowing his eyes for a moment. The expression relaxed before long, though- She could easily be bluffing. And he didn't blame her, if she was.
But, there was always the possibility that she wasn't. And if she wasn't... what did she find? He certainly hadn't found anything, but his search had also been... less than professional.
Aura gave a sharp, pained sigh at the mention of Starbuck's case, a flat frown on her face. She couldn't say she was happy about the situation, not at all, but she was also a little hopeless.
"Do you really think they're gonna care enough to overturn things, even with that? No one in that courthouse listens to anyone. The verdict is it, there's no way to fight it."
It certainly sounded the same as Apollo- at least, a less aggressive version of him. Their beliefs had developed separately, seven years apart, but for just about the same exact reason. The courts convicted whatever poor idiot was convenient, with no care at all, no intention of a retrial ever even considered.
Surprisingly, though, Apollo muttered a retort.
"...Well, we're here. We might as well check. It's either that, or... walk right out into the storm."
"That is true.", she returned, a lack of enthusiasm still filling her voice. After a moment, her eyes went back to Dayton, considering her words for a moment.
"Security footage, huh? I might be able to pull that up on my computer. Otherwise, Yuri's your best bet... though good luck talking to him, right now. The guy's beside himself with the mess the space center's found itself in."
She could understand it. But, it certainly hadn't been making her life any easier. The man was in charge of everything from her schedule to her pay, both things being rather important... so when he didn't tell her anything, it didn't leave Aura feeling particularly happy.
Dayton sighed in relief, not ready to face the alternative of trekking through the rain again.
Honestly, she was hoping it would let up a bit by the time they had to leave but the distant boom of thunder in her ears didn’t let her get her hopes up.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Ms…”
Dayton realizes she didn’t catch the woman’s name, physically blanking. Trucy places her finger on her chin, eyes lifting to stare into space. Looks like she was having trouble remembering too.
“I believe it was Blackquill…?” Trucy voices out loud, not even in a sure way.
“Ah! Ms. Blackquill, then. Apologies. If you could, um…lead the way?”
‘Ugh… After this I’m smoking a pack…’ she thought, almost jokingly.
It was easier to stomach, right now. At least it didn't remind her of her brother.
As she muttered to the robot, kicking it to get it to turn more quickly, Apollo had pulled himself to his feet. The more he dealt with, the sooner he would be home. It was what he kept telling himself, at this point. The only thing that pushed him onwards. It wasn't happy motivation, but at least he was still cooperating with everything.
Without waiting for the rest of them, he had started to wander towards the elevator, Aura shortly thereafter taking the same path. The robot followed as well, starting to speak as it scooted along.
"Mr. Justice! Why are you wearing Mr. Terran's uniform?"
As mad as one could assume the comment would make Apollo, his reaction was... surprisingly mild.
"...Not important, Clonco. Don't ask about it."
"Alright! I will not!"
At least it didn't mis-identify him as his friend, this time. The lack of bandages on his face probably helped.
Once one of the two reached the elevator, the up switch was hit, doors chiming as they opened once more.
She just wasn’t comfortable with calling people by their first name right off the bat. It’s very rare that she does, either due to lack of respect for the person in question or when she feels more comfortable with them.
But her compulsive politeness needed to be overridden in this sense. She didn’t want this woman to be upset with her, seeing as she was trying to help. Still, of all the people she’s met today somehow Aura was the one making her feel the most…off.
Dayton was doing little mess ups in her delivery and misremembering more things than usual. Her eyes kept drifting to Clonco when she thought too hard about it, but her eyes would snap back to attention when she noticed herself doing it.
Trucy seemed fine with the both of them, though. She even made a comment on the walk down the hall about a robot she met with earlier that looks really similar to Clonco. Different color, however.
The ride in the elevator made it even more obvious she was having a weird time. Her hands were clenching and unclenching at her sides. Her normal lip biting was returning in full force, her whole bottom lip in her mouth as she watched the elevator count to their destination.
She finally let it go when the doors opened.
When they reached what looked like an office of some sort, as soon as the doors opened both Trucy and Dayton’s eyes widened with it.
‘This place is a mess!’
There were loose robot parts all over the place, papers strewn about. Half of it looked to be out in the hall. A half built contraption with a ton of metal arms sat above a pink lounge chair. It looked like it was in the middle of being taken apart.
Dayton’s never been in a lab like this, that’s for sure.
‘Well, I guess I can’t be too surprised. I would certainly have a hard time relocating all this stuff. Especially the giant drill…’
‘At least the computers still look to be running.’
“Oof!”
Trucy trips over a box on her way in. In her stumble, she manages to grab onto Apollo’s arm, almost taking him down with her. Luckily, she makes a quick recovery, although it’s a little less than elegant.
“Heh, thanks for the save, Polly!” Trucy voices, trying to hide her embarrassment. A look of concern still flashes over her face as she’s not sure how durable Apollo is at the moment.
//Ever notice how at the end of these a new character is usually introduced?
//Weird. ANYWAYS-
Dayton’s eyes flit back and forth between her companions and this woman, suddenly feeling out of the loop on this frequency of familiarity between them all.
‘I shouldn’t be surprised, I know at least Apollo’s been here before. She’s clearly a scientist type, judging by the outfit… Hehh, those always put me in a tizzy.’
When Trucy hears Apollo’s comment shunting the blame onto the both of them she crosses her arms, turning to him with an exaggerated look on her face.
“Geez, Polly. Way to throw us under the bus.”
At the robot’s mention of a tour, Dayton nearly answers, expression immediately softening at the friendly face. But she’s interrupted by the harsh whack across the robot’s head.
Dayton flinched, the sound of skin slapping metal bringing back unfortunate memories. Shaking herself out of it, she continues.
“No need for a tour.” Dayton clears her throat, her voice having come out more guttural than she intended.
“We’re just taking a look around the place. We might have a new lead on the case for Solomon Starbuck…”
Dayton blanches for a second, forgetting that Apollo and Trucy aren’t aware that she’s found any such lead.
‘Hopefully they’ll just think I’m bluffing…though if we get access to the cameras, I guess they’ll know soon enough…’
“We’d like to speak to the director, but if you’re able to access the security footage from around the time of the murder for review, we may be able to handle this investigation a bit faster.”
At the mention of a lead, Apollo glanced over to Dayton, narrowing his eyes for a moment. The expression relaxed before long, though- She could easily be bluffing. And he didn't blame her, if she was.
But, there was always the possibility that she wasn't. And if she wasn't... what did she find? He certainly hadn't found anything, but his search had also been... less than professional.
Aura gave a sharp, pained sigh at the mention of Starbuck's case, a flat frown on her face. She couldn't say she was happy about the situation, not at all, but she was also a little hopeless.
"Do you really think they're gonna care enough to overturn things, even with that? No one in that courthouse listens to anyone. The verdict is it, there's no way to fight it."
It certainly sounded the same as Apollo- at least, a less aggressive version of him. Their beliefs had developed separately, seven years apart, but for just about the same exact reason. The courts convicted whatever poor idiot was convenient, with no care at all, no intention of a retrial ever even considered.
Surprisingly, though, Apollo muttered a retort.
"...Well, we're here. We might as well check. It's either that, or... walk right out into the storm."
"That is true.", she returned, a lack of enthusiasm still filling her voice. After a moment, her eyes went back to Dayton, considering her words for a moment.
"Security footage, huh? I might be able to pull that up on my computer. Otherwise, Yuri's your best bet... though good luck talking to him, right now. The guy's beside himself with the mess the space center's found itself in."
She could understand it. But, it certainly hadn't been making her life any easier. The man was in charge of everything from her schedule to her pay, both things being rather important... so when he didn't tell her anything, it didn't leave Aura feeling particularly happy.
Dayton sighed in relief, not ready to face the alternative of trekking through the rain again.
Honestly, she was hoping it would let up a bit by the time they had to leave but the distant boom of thunder in her ears didn’t let her get her hopes up.
“Thank you for your cooperation, Ms…”
Dayton realizes she didn’t catch the woman’s name, physically blanking. Trucy places her finger on her chin, eyes lifting to stare into space. Looks like she was having trouble remembering too.
“I believe it was Blackquill…?” Trucy voices out loud, not even in a sure way.
“Ah! Ms. Blackquill, then. Apologies. If you could, um…lead the way?”
‘Ugh… After this I’m smoking a pack…’ she thought, almost jokingly.
//Ever notice how at the end of these a new character is usually introduced?
//Weird. ANYWAYS-
Dayton’s eyes flit back and forth between her companions and this woman, suddenly feeling out of the loop on this frequency of familiarity between them all.
‘I shouldn’t be surprised, I know at least Apollo’s been here before. She’s clearly a scientist type, judging by the outfit… Hehh, those always put me in a tizzy.’
When Trucy hears Apollo’s comment shunting the blame onto the both of them she crosses her arms, turning to him with an exaggerated look on her face.
“Geez, Polly. Way to throw us under the bus.”
At the robot’s mention of a tour, Dayton nearly answers, expression immediately softening at the friendly face. But she’s interrupted by the harsh whack across the robot’s head.
Dayton flinched, the sound of skin slapping metal bringing back unfortunate memories. Shaking herself out of it, she continues.
“No need for a tour.” Dayton clears her throat, her voice having come out more guttural than she intended.
“We’re just taking a look around the place. We might have a new lead on the case for Solomon Starbuck…”
Dayton blanches for a second, forgetting that Apollo and Trucy aren’t aware that she’s found any such lead.
‘Hopefully they’ll just think I’m bluffing…though if we get access to the cameras, I guess they’ll know soon enough…’
“We’d like to speak to the director, but if you’re able to access the security footage from around the time of the murder for review, we may be able to handle this investigation a bit faster.”
Day feels her soul abruptly re-entering her body. It was Detective Fullbright, just a colleague…well…former colleague of hers. He was… a lot, in general. But from what she remembered about him, he was well meaning.
They never worked collaboratively, but sometimes they’d share… very loud and sometimes one sided chats in the break room. You’d think it’d annoy someone relatively low energy like Dayton but, honestly she always had a soft spot for him. It was hard to find someone who was so dedicated to doing the right thing like he was, even though his standards were pretty rigid.
A weakness, a strength? She didn’t know. She was currently testing out that theory herself.
“You too, Detective. It’s nice to see you. And yes, I’ve been meaning to visit this place…”
Not technically a lie. She wanted to come before she even met up with Apollo, just to be a bit more prepared. But things didn’t quite work out that way.
When Fullbright’s expressions take a turn for the dramatic, she playfully rolls her eyes. His emotions were always so over the top. It was hard to believe they were real sometimes.
“Yes, it is a shame…”
Her eyes turn away from him, toward the jackets and astronaut suits up on display. Both of their reflections were present in the glass. Fullbright’s large presence behind her felt more dense than ever.
“Wouldn’t have expected to see you here, Detective. Didn’t you have your fill of the space center during the investigation?”
"Well, the higher-ups at the station want everything to be checked twice! Gone over with a fine-toothed comb, as you might say." As he straightened up, he adjusted his sunglasses, even putting them on for a moment... in the incredibly dark room.
He never did change, did he?
"I guess they want everything they can get out of it, before the shutters go down! Though- and don't tell anyone this- I have a feeling they're trying to look into that other murder!" Another grin was given, the volume of his voice lowering. "They're really grasping at straws with that one! First time I've seen no culprit arrested for a crime in a long while!"
In reality, he himself was interested. The man knew quite a lot about Athena Cykes, and had been ready to frame her at a moment's notice... so who else beat him to the revenge? He had a few ideas, but solid evidence for none.
The dark thoughts were completely masked by his expression, which remained as one of rather dramatic secretiveness. Nothing seemed amiss, really.
"But aside from that!", voice returning to its usual volume, "How've you been? Missing me and the guys back at the precinct yet?"
That made Dayton’s ear quirk up. In this day and age especially, it was a little odd for police resources to be used on a closed case. But whenever Fullbright leaned in to tell her the news, it all made sense.
‘Right… Of course they’d send someone to look here. This is where you’re going to find the motive so they’re on the right track…Still, if the goal is to find the culprit, visiting the space center isn’t entirely necessary for that. ’
Her eyes widen for a second as she considers this.
‘Or at least it wouldn’t be, if I hadn’t brought him here myself. *sigh* Walking backwards into trouble like always, right Day?’
Schooling her expression into a more casual one, she tilts her head in faux interest.
“You don’t say? Well, I wish the boys luck. Maybe this’ll be the right straw.”
Dayton puts her hand in her pocket, fingers softly messing with the leaf she put in there. When she’s asked about her wellbeing and what she feels, she nearly tears it.
A sad smile strikes across her face, but she’s able to pivot.
“It sounds like you guys are missing me more. You know… I’d normally be all over a case like this one….”
Dayton steps aside and walks a bit past Detective Fullbright, her voice taking on a more wistful tone.
“But you know me. Once I’ve got a bug in my ear about something, like the Solomon Starbuck case for instance, I can’t really get it out until I’ve done something about it…”
She slowly turns to him, the leaf displayed in her hands next to her face with its stem placed in between her fingers.
"I sure do hope so! The Chief Prosecutor's just about breathing down our necks on this one... and he's much scarier than Prosecutor Blackquill ever was, trust me!"
It did make sense. Miles Edgeworth, being Phoenix's best friend, would certainly be anxious to wrap this case up. It wasn't right to be funneling so many resources into a single case, but for once, the rather inflexible prosecutor felt just about obliged to.
At this point, their best assumption was the Phantom himself, still knowing little of the man.
It was a rather ironic assumption, considering who was actually responsible.
"Well, you did find yourself here! Are you sure you're just here to visit? Or are you doing some investigating of your own?" A big grin appeared on his face. "Not like I'd stop you! Any pursuit of justice is just in my book!"
Fulbright shifted his sunglasses over his eyes once the leaf was shown, a quizzical expression covering the parts of his expression that she could see.
"Well, I certainly know what you mean, Miss Columbia! I do recall your work ethic!" He paused, for a brief moment. "Though I have to admit, I'm a little lost! Is that leaf supposed to be important?"
Dayton smiles sheepishly, twirling the stem between her fingers.
“Ah, looks like you’ve got me, Detective. I might just be taking a look around just in case. Not that I plan to find anything too substantial. If there was anything to find, I’m sure you would’ve caught it already….”
The twirling stops once the leaf itself is questioned.
“Oh, this? Important? Well…if you don’t think it’s important I don’t see how it could be…”
Her brows furrow, a more serious look overtaking her face as she stares into the middle distance. She taps the little leaf up against her forehead.
“What could be important about this leaf…? I mean, if I had to guess it could be the same thing that was important about the bombs, both here and in the courtroom. A question lingers for both of them…”
Dayton pauses, teeth catching hold of her lip.
“How did they end up there?”
Her eyes suddenly sharpen, pinpointing onto Fullbright as she remembers something.
“I’m sure you remember how the trial ended… Sure, Mr. Wright had proposed the idea that the launch pads could’ve been switched. Mr. Starbuck seemed to almost be off the hook but…. Lack of evidence that the possible escape route was used kept the idea from going all the way…”
‘On the other hand, I probably shouldn’t present this as if he already knows. After all… Bobby arrived a bit late, after the verdict had already been handed down. At least, that’s what I heard.’
The little leaf’s position moves from her forehead to in front of her as she turns her head again to stare at it.
“Still, a possibility is a possibility…”
….
“Hey, Detective Fullbright. I know you were on the scene in response to the bomb threat. You would’ve had the lay of the place… You would’ve seen anything strange or out of place during that time, right?”
"Oho, who knows? Though I'd be surprised if any evidence could've escaped the gaze of justice!"
When attention was called back to the leaf, Fulbright paused, eyeing the object again. He did seem genuinely perturbed... and who wouldn't? It was just a leaf, after all.
After a moment, he adjusted his sunglasses again, clearly taking a moment to think. "I suppose we never did find out about those bombs, did we? Lotta mysteries hanging around this space center- all just begging to be solved!" Another grin was given. Not entirely appropriate, but on-brand for him.
"And I saw nothing out of the ordinary!" He said with a grin, putting his hands on his hips. "Whole lotta people who looked like they belonged! Maybe a few tourists, too, but that was it!". He wasn't exactly lying... for a few different reasons.
"Oh, are you confident that the astronaut didn't do it?" He said, before hesitating slightly, his voice lowering once more. "If you are... I have an idea of who did. But the evidence was never released, so don't go telling anyone I told you!"
She’s slightly taken aback at his cheerfulness, but she decides to remember who she was talking to.
‘He saw nothing… Of course. Well…that doesn’t entirely narrow it down, but I shouldn’t have expected anything different.’
Dayton is so lost in her own thoughts that she almost misheard him. When her thoughts catch up with her ears, her eyes become wide as saucers.
“An idea…” she whispers.
It takes a moment for her to face him again, her demeanor is oddly slow as her lips quirk up in an awkward manner. It’s difficult for her to hide it, but she feels a sense of dread crawling up her spine. She walks closer to him, getting a bit inside his personal bubble.
‘Don’t get too excited. This is Fullbright, remember? Sometimes he jumps the gun, so this could be nothing…. But if it is something, then…’
“An idea of who did it? I wouldn’t mind hearing about it, if there really is proof.”
"Well, there were a few things they ended up dusting for prints, while the trial was still running. They would've gotten submitted, but... the trial ended before that could happen! Oh well!"
His cheery expression turned into a pout, after a moment.
"I really couldn't believe it when I read it. Why would that Cykes girl's prints be on that lighter? You know, the one that was being held by the killer..? That, and I guess they caught her on the security footage in here, too... and it even fits the time frame..."
The pout continued for a few more seconds before he brightened up, once more.
"Well, that's something for the lawyers to find out!- if the case gets revived, anyways!"
Back to the pout his expression flipped. If the topic wasn't so dire, it would really be comedic.
"But with her dead, I'm not sure what all would happen... Maybe all her lawyer friends could get some closure, at least."
Athena’s fingerprints found on the lighter… a recording of her in the area during the timeframe of the murder.
“That’s… not good.”
‘What could she possibly have been doing here at that time?’
She could almost hear that voice, his voice, retort back at her in that biting tone she’s used to. She shakes her head, pushing the voice it came with farther away too.
‘I haven’t seen this evidence for myself. I have to keep that in mind. There must be something I’m missing… something…’
She steps back, her mind a swirl as she considers everything she knows.
‘I know that Athena was here on the day the bombs went off. Her fingerprints are on the lighter that the killer used. I know that the primary suspect in the case was the entity known as the Phantom. And while we never confirmed outright that Mr. Starbuck is connected to the Phantom, it is generally assumed that they had something to do with the bombings… But could the killer and the Phantom really be different people?’
Her brows furrow as she considers this.
‘No no wait, that doesn’t make sense. Whoever the murderer was must’ve been aware of the launch, the bombs, and the switching of the launch pads. If the Phantom and the killer were working together, this might work with Solomon, as he works here and would’ve had a much better opportunity to collaborate. Not to mention a motive for sabotaging the launch. But Athena? … Unless the Phantom decided to work with an 18 year old girl with no clear connection to the victim or the launch, it just doesn’t fit…’
‘Then again,’ she thinks, ‘I don’t really have much of a profile on the Phantom. How should I know what they would or wouldn’t do? And it doesn’t change the evidence…This would be so much easier if I could just… talk to her.’
But unfortunately, a certain someone has made that impossible. She feels her back teeth grind against each other as she tries to get a hold of herself.
If Dayton could be clear about one thing at the moment, it’s that this case wasn’t clear at all. It would make more sense to assume that the Phantom and the killer are the same person, but without clear evidence she can’t be sure.
It would’ve been enough to just have this puzzle nagging at her, but when she goes through it all again something else appears. Something she doesn’t want to think about.
Her eyebrows furrow even more, trying to stop the thought from completing. But it’s too late.
‘If the police already have this info, why hasn’t the case been relitigated yet on its own? If Detective Fullbright knew this… then why was he here? What more is there to find?’
“Well, that's something for the lawyers to find out!- if the case gets revived, anyways!"
‘That… doesn’t sound like Fullbright. Would his obsession with justice really allow him to sit on information like this without a ruckus? And if so… why would he tell me about it now?’
She sighs and turns to Fullbright with a half hearted smile on her face as she considers, once again, what she knows.
‘I know… I know that Fullbright is aware of evidence that would’ve probably exonerated Mr. Starbuck, and nothing has been done with it.’
Her face shifts a bit at this thought, the look she gives Fullbright becoming a bit despondent.
The reasons why nothing has been done, she hopes, were benevolent. But she couldn’t make herself believe it. The leaf she had been messing with earlier floats back into her pocket.
After a long pause, she speaks again.
“But if there’s evidence, then I guess I can’t argue against it. Thanks Detective, that really helped scratch my itch. I think I’m just gonna do a quick walk around the place and head home.”
She only had a couple of things she could think to do at this point. She needed more information about the Phantom, and she needed to at least see the camera footage for herself. There was only one person here she could think to go to for that.
Fulbright gave a perturbed expression to Dayton as she stood in silent contemplation, fiddling with his sunglasses a little more. Such a drawn-out reaction admittedly left him a little curious, as did the leaf. There were things he should ask about, but... subtly doing so was its own challenge.
In response to the smile, he flashed his own, still clearly watching. The shift in her expression was seen, and noted, before he focused back on her words.
"It's no problem at all! I'm glad I could help!" He said, cheerfully, words interrupted by the boom of thunder, its associated lightning illuminating the room in a brief, white light. After leaping in a rather animated reaction of fright, the detective laughed it off, sharply raising his hand in a sort of wave.
"Enjoy the rest of your day! And remember, in justice we trust!"
A rather relevant statement, even if he himself didn't know it.
Apollo was still there, thankfully. He could've run off, hidden in some staff-only room, or even gained the strength to run out into the rain, vanishing into the dimming afternoon light.
But, there had been two issues. First was Trucy. Not only was upsetting her something he preferred not to do, but Apollo also figured she'd easily be able to outrun him in his current state.
Additionally, was the affect of the overwhelming stress he felt at the moment.
Focusing on it would've brought nothing but instability, and he was much too tired to deal with thoughts of the past, not anymore. So, the moment they had stepped foot within the astronaut lounge, he started searching. Searching for what? He didn't know. But he was just about ripping the room apart in his pursuit, focusing intently on his make-believe goal.
It was just his way of coping. And thankfully for the others tagging along, it forced him to stay put.
That last word lingered in her mind as she exited the Space Museum. Trust in justice? Trust in Fullbright?
It hurts to admit, but she might’ve put Detective Fullbright on a bit of a pedestal. Not because he was particularly good at his job, but because he was what he said. Just.
Now?
She sighs.
The walk back to the elevator was shorter than the walk away from it. Mostly because she wasn’t as scared of her own shadow and pausing to look at the first interesting thing she sees.
She’s about to enter when the doors open, but a sudden clanging resounds into her ears. It’s faint, but it sounds like it’s coming from the other end of the corridor on the opposite side.
She pauses for a second, letting the silence fall over again to see if she can catch anything else….
“……A…...pollo!”
Daytons heavy footfalls find rhythm with the rain, her haste getting her to the other end in no time.
When she arrives, she sees Trucy standing near the entrance, a look of anxiety on her face. Further into the room is Apollo, moving from place to place in a manic state, eyes scanning the room for… something. It looks like he’s becoming more distressed by the second he doesn’t find whatever he’s looking for. Because of this, every so often an mini outburst occurs, and something is knocked to the floor.
Dayton silently curses herself for taking so long. Leaving him and Trucy alone together for an extended period of time was not part of her plan. Knowing what Apollo was capable of, she couldn’t bear the thought of something happening on her watch.
She immediately turns to Trucy.
“What’s going on? Is everything alright, are you hurt?”
The look of slight panic on Day’s face wasn’t something Trucy was expecting, but nevertheless she answered.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Apollo and I came in here to look for you. We took a wrong turn and now he’s….”
Trucy looks on, not sure how to explain more than just vaguely gesturing at the scene. She wasn’t even sure if Apollo could hear the both of them.
Dayton relaxes a bit when she hears that Trucy’s okay, but soon her eyes turn to face Apollo.
She couldn’t hide that she was still a bit bitter towards him, for multiple reasons other than his general rude disposition. She just got a glimpse at how difficult this task was going to be, and most of that difficulty was due to his actions.
It was hard not to look at the man before her and not see a wild animal, tearing at her through her clothes and skin, dealing as much damage as it possibly could. Just hoping beyond hope that one of the blows will be fatal enough to make her give up and let go.
She knows she’s bleeding, but even still-
She turns to Trucy.
“Stay here, okay?” Dayton warns.
Trucy nods. Steps softly hit the floor as Dayton makes her way closer to Apollo. She’s only a couple feet away when she speaks up, her voice no longer holding that softness that it once did before. But there’s no malice to it either.
There had to be something. Something, somewhere, that he hadn't known about, that no one had known about.
There had to be something. This was the crime scene. This was where he was- the knife. The knife covered with his friend's blood, the knife that she had looked at and reacted to and known about and seen before and his bracelet-
He couldn't control himself.
His body was moving without his input.
He was but a spectator, watching his hands, nearly vibrating with nervous energy, searching for something. Anything. What did he think he'd find? Had he known? Had he forgotten? The frustration was almost enough to make him writhe, make him tear off his bandages in shear agitation. But thankfully, his muscles didn't obey, staying numb and distant.
His thoughts lagged as his body continued on, dragging itself to its feet. Eyes briefly passed over the outline on the floor. The sight didn't help, his stomach rolling in response.
It was the last place he had been alive. The last place he would ever be alive. And now he was dead and gone and they would never meet again and was this even worth it it wasn't like investigating would being him back anyways-
His focus was broken. A look of furious agitation flickered across his face before the expression returned to a blank one, a wild, upset look lingering in his shaky gaze.
To what extent, it wasn't clear. But he was definitely focusing on Dayton, at least for the current moment.
Dayton tries to relax, but his gaze is stinging and intense. Navigating the pathways on how to get through to him was even more so that type of feeling.
But he had done what she asked, so she must be doing something right.
Dayton hadn’t been able to get a good look at the room earlier, but the huge screen display of the seahorse next to them was enough to tip her off. She saw this room within the court record.
Boarding Lounge 1, the crime scene.
Dayton takes a couple more steps toward him to lower his field of vision, hopefully to make it less likely for him to get distracted by something else.
‘Or I could just scare him off…or worse’ she thought, bitterly.
If he ran off, she’s fairly confident she’d be able to catch up. But if he attacked her… well, nothing’s a forgone conclusion…
‘Anything’s possible with the way he’s acting. But…’
Her gaze shifts from Apollo, to the jacket he’s wearing.
Could she really blame him?
…
‘Yes.’
She comes even closer, to the point where she’s right in front of him. From here she can clearly see the darkness under his eyes. His hair is a mess, the two strands that normally stick straight up drooping onto his face and partially obscuring his stare.
Her voice steadies as she continues.
“Tell me what you need, Apollo. Do you need to leave this room?”
Apollo's body tensed as Dayton started to draw near, his feet slightly pivoting to make the rest of him face her.
He really did give off the same vibes as that of a cornered animal, seconds away from lashing out. It didn't help that he raised his hands, up to his mid-torso, in anticipation, almost as if he were getting ready to grab, or punch, or shove.
Maybe he was. He just didn't know it, yet.
For now, though, Apollo simply stood there, staring at her. His eyes were dim, a maelstrom of emotions swirling behind them. It even, just a little, felt like he was staring straight through her.
When she talked again, his eyes focused a little. At least it seemed that he was paying attention, even just slightly, even if it took him a long few seconds to even comprehend what Dayton had said.
"...I need...", he muttered to himself, almost as more of a mimicry of the question rather than an actual attempt to answer it. For a moment, his mouth lingered open as his eyes drifted to the side, lost in brief thought. What was he looking for, again? What was he even doing?
Leaving this room. Leaving this room?
It hadn't even crossed his mind. He had tunnel visioned himself so hard that such an option had vanished. And that option, the moment it was thought of, his decision was solidified.
A glint immediately appeared in Apollo's eyes, his feet starting to move towards the doorway seemingly of their own volition, movements slow and fatigued. As Dayton was in his immediate path, he reached out to push her aside, being surprisingly gentle about the action.
Even still, he gave the sense that one wrong move would make him snap, all over again.
Briefly, his eyes had caught on Trucy, given how close she was to the doorway. The look he gave for that small moment was an apologetic one, the cacophony of emotions within him smothering it out after only a second or so.
Dayton feels the tension slowly bleed out of her as she sees him consider her words. That tension nearly returns tenfold as he steps towards her. She feels a pressure at her side as he pushes her away.
This is the first time he’s initiated contact with her.
She didn’t expect it to be so…soft.
Dayton turns to watch him exit. Part of her wants to stop him. After all, she had some questions she wanted to ask. But, looking at him, she couldn’t tell whether or not her hands would phase right through if she tried to touch him.
She decides that he needs a moment… to resolidify.
Trucy, meanwhile, watches the whole exchange with bated breath. Trucy had tried to call out to Apollo multiple times before this but it seems she still can’t find the right things to say. When Apollo turns to look at her, her eyes can’t meet his for long. All she could see was how much she was failing him.
Trucy wants to follow him. And she will… but it’s clear to her that she needs help. Her eyes turn to Dayton, the soft glint of sadness reflecting in them.
Dayton, noticing her distress, comes over to her. The closer she gets to her, the more regret she begins to feel.
“Ms. Wright…”
She wants to express her doubts, her apologies for getting her into this mess. But, part of her doesn’t want to admit she made the wrong decision. Plus, she doesn’t want to discourage Trucy. Dayton still needs her here.
“…Thank you for being so strong. It must’ve been difficult to see this…”
It was wrong to keep Trucy here at this point. Dayton should really send her home but, unfortunately, she was too selfish to do that.
The reasons she wanted Trucy here were threefold.
First, she needed someone with a strong enough connection to Apollo. Someone who he wouldn’t want knowing about his secret. This would encourage more cooperation throughout the investigation as Dayton would have immediate leverage at arms length.
Second, she needed safety. Coming here by herself with Apollo leaves too many windows for him to do something drastic. Enough murders have happened at this Space Center, what was one more? Now, if something happened to Dayton or Trucy, Apollo would be the immediate suspect. After all, Mr. Wright knows where they are and who they’re with. Mr. Wright was an attorney known for doing whatever he could to find the truth. It wouldn’t be that hard to find it in this case.
Third… she needed…no…wanted Apollo to spend some time with people he cares about. Depending on how this goes, she didn’t think he had much of that time left. If Trucy or Mr. Wright could appeal to his better nature then maybe…
So far, however, this appears to have had a very negative effect on Trucy. She’s a positive girl, but Dayton underestimated how much of that positivity was a survival skill. One that could crack under pressure.
“Yeah…” Trucy voices, halfheartedly. “I know Apollo can be single minded at times but… this was something else.”
Trucy laughs, releasing some of that anxiety she’d been bottling up.
“I just can’t figure out why he’s doing this now. Apollo investigated here before, I know that. Back with Athena was…”
She trails off.
“When they came back, I don’t remember them saying anything like this happened. I thought that maybe getting a re-do of the trial would be good news but… he just seems more… off?”
Trucy turns to Apollo, a questioning look on her face.
“When I try to talk to him, it feels like he’s not really listening. But with you… it’s different. Do you know why? Are you guys…friends or something?”
Dayton’s first thought was to lie and say that they knew each other, just to give some kind of explanation that made sense. But under Trucy’s watchful gaze she had a feeling any lie she told would be caught.
Plus, in her line of work lies tended to make things worse.
“No, we don’t really know each other. I wish I could tell you differently… Still, that might not be a bad thing right now. I can’t say this for sure… but I think it’s because I’m not his friend that he listens…”
Trucy didn’t know what to make of that, and honestly neither did Dayton until she said it out loud.
‘Apollo isn’t perfect. He knows that I know that. But since we don’t know each other that well, my judgement of him doesn’t really matter as much. Listening to me is about as emotionally investing a decision as flipping a coin. If someone asks you to flip a coin, you might as well, right? What’s the worst that could happen?’
Trucy doesn’t seem to realize this however, her head hanging low as she ponders if she should still even be here. Dayton can’t bear the look in her eyes, so she attempts to comfort her.
“But still, I don’t think you should give up. I might be able to help the odd outburst, but I’m not the reason he keeps going. You are. I’m sure you’ll get through to him.”
That was a half truth. Technically, Dayton is the one that keeps him going, that makes him stay here instead of huddled in a dark corner. But Dayton doesn’t quite see the irony until after she’s said it. She still means what she says to Trucy, and Trucy can see it in her face.
Trucy gives a small smile and nods. She’s unable to voice it, but her spirits have been lifted just a bit.
Dayton takes a look around the room. She’s aware that it’s the crime scene, but she can’t really see a reason to stick around. She looks out the window to see the storm still hasn’t let up.
“C’mon, let’s go make sure he’s doing alright. Then we can keep going.”
Thoughtlessly, he had wandered back the way he came, towards the elevators. Thankfully, they were not taken, with the man's steps taking a slight diversion, towards a little lounge area off to the side. There might've been visitors or staff around, that's what he had been used to, but it was empty.
Apollo sat down in an isolated corner, his body hunching forwards as his head hung limp. Only now did he notice how rapidly his heart was beating, threatening to just about jump out of his chest while his lungs struggled to keep up. The rap of the rain on nearby windows helped him try to focus, as long as the thunder didn't return.
There was a part of him that remained frustrated, that he reacted like so. He shouldn't become upset so easily, he should be powering through the situation. But, growing ever stronger, was the desire to rest.
Of course, he still didn't want to admit to anything. But, Apollo wanted to stop fighting, both himself and the world around him. He just wanted to go home, just wanted to relax. Just wanted to curl up in the blankets on his bed and sleep for days.
Just a moment alone. Away from everything, from everyone. That's all he wanted in the world, right now.
-
The first time he had visited, only a week or so ago, it had been difficult. To be truthful, his reaction was actually fairly similar, the man having searched the entire crime scene top to bottom as a way to cope with the fact that his best friend's corpse had been sitting only a handful of meters away a few hours ago. But, he was more stable, back then. He simply used that sadness to drive him forwards.
Athena could tell, of course. But she understood. Unable to think of a better alternative she had simply given advice from a distance, as well as voicing her opinions on any pieces of evidence she found notable.
It had been her downfall, even if she didn't know it.
On the two's return, Apollo's emptions were muted, as had been the case. But, barely perceptible, was a deep, dead look in his eyes. The thought had taken root, by then, and soon, it would be the thing driving him to murder.
The thought was still there, crippling his reasoning on the situation, grasping his mental state in a chokehold. Removing it would be a feat in of itself, and would likely be required if the man ever expected to live a normal life again... if that was even possible in the first place.
-
When he eventually started to hear footsteps, Apollo remained slouched over, arms crossed for a moment, his eyes closed as his breathing was held at a steady rate. But, after a few seconds, his head raised slowly, a tired stare given to those that approached him.
He would avoid Trucy if he could. He was nothing but a danger to those around him, that's what it felt like. And if physical danger wasn't applicable, how devastated would everyone be when it was discovered what he had done? The idea of her knowing frightened him, as did the idea of his boss finding out. But his will to avoid was slowly wearing away, as the rest of his energy was gradually sapped.
Maybe a few hours ago, he would have tried to run out of the building at the possibility of her interacting, more. But now, all he could bring himself to do now, was sit there and watch.
Little time had passed, at all. But, Apollo seemed to be more cognizant than he had been, the moment of respite having done him well. Of course, he still appeared bedraggled to all hell, but... small steps were the only way to go, really.
After a bit of exploring and dead ends, Day and Trucy finally catch up to Apollo.
Better? Worse? Dayton has almost given up on being able to tell with him. All she knows is that his eyes look a bit sharper, so he’ll probably be paying attention when she’s talking.
Even still, she can tell the entire thing is beating him down, as well as Trucy. She knows that she’s pushing it. That she really needs to get the both of them home now.
But she needs to check one more thing.
“Apollo, there you are!” Trucy calls out. She seems to be back to a chippier version of herself, though it’s clearly not for her own sake. She’s about to ask if he’s doing okay, but she suddenly remembers the repercussions of that question and chooses to abstain.
“We were just thinking about heading home soon. Day says there’s one more thing we need to check, but neither of us really know the layout of this place hehe.”
Dayton nods, her eyes narrowing as she asks this question.
“I’m trying to find the director of this place to get a hold of the security footage. Do you know where he might be? Or… at least someone who might know where he is?”
Honestly she’s surprised they haven’t run into him yet. According to the police detail there at the time, he was a rather excitable and loud man. Though, after the trial she could see why he would make himself scarce.
Despite everything, when Trucy gives him her energetic reaction, Apollo... actually smiles, in response. It's a weak smile, and doesn't exactly reach his eyes, entirely, but... it at least shows some effort. That, and the little half-hearted wave he added afterwards.
As bad as his state was, it oddly made him... less ornery, made him more mild. A little more agreeable, at least compared to when Dayton found him on the street. His stability... that was entirely different, and its own massive problem. But, as with everything... one victory at a time.
While he doesn't say anything, Apollo straightens himself up, taking a deep breath to steady himself before listening to Trucy's other words. In silence he remained, though he was clearly thinking on it. Before he could respond, however, Dayton started to talk, drawing his attention back over.
"...Cosmos, right?" He asked, after a slight nod. His voice was thin and strained, but... it was workable enough. "I... know where his office is. No... promises he'd be in there, but... you know."
For once, his past experience here wasn't coming back to haunt him. As long as he could focus on being helpful, maybe lingering around wouldn't be so bad..?
But that wasn't considering the other people here. Not at all.
As if on cue, the nearby elevator doors could be heard opening. Out stepped a rather irate-looking woman, trailed by a contrastingly chipper-looking robot. To say the least, she didn't look happy to be here... and certainly didn't look happy to see the small group lingering nearby.
Dayton didn’t know what it was, but seeing both Trucy and Apollo interact so positively, for once, warmed her heart. Even if it only lasted a second.
And Apollo being helpful with a smile that didn’t skew into the lane of sardonic?
She knew the exhaustion probably had something to do with it and he clearly should get a drink of water at the very least but…she really needed this. She was a little tired of her own furrowed brow. Not that that could be helped all the time.
Still, it looked like they were about to make some progress. She was just going to ask Apollo to lead them in the direction of the office when the sound of the elevator made her ears perk up.
Trucy and Dayton turn in the direction of the sound.
“Oh! Um…hello!” Trucy pipes up.
It was clearly a staff member that seemed rather annoyed by their existence. Maybe being polite would prevent her from kicking us out? Or maybe Trucy would need to put her skills to the test and do a disappearing act… Dayton was honestly prepared to ask if the time came.
“Good afternoon, ma’am. My name is Dayton Columbia, these are my colleagues Trucy and Apollo. Sorry if we’re intruding. I’m afraid we might be a little lost, heh.”
Day feels her soul abruptly re-entering her body. It was Detective Fullbright, just a colleague…well…former colleague of hers. He was… a lot, in general. But from what she remembered about him, he was well meaning.
They never worked collaboratively, but sometimes they’d share… very loud and sometimes one sided chats in the break room. You’d think it’d annoy someone relatively low energy like Dayton but, honestly she always had a soft spot for him. It was hard to find someone who was so dedicated to doing the right thing like he was, even though his standards were pretty rigid.
A weakness, a strength? She didn’t know. She was currently testing out that theory herself.
“You too, Detective. It’s nice to see you. And yes, I’ve been meaning to visit this place…”
Not technically a lie. She wanted to come before she even met up with Apollo, just to be a bit more prepared. But things didn’t quite work out that way.
When Fullbright’s expressions take a turn for the dramatic, she playfully rolls her eyes. His emotions were always so over the top. It was hard to believe they were real sometimes.
“Yes, it is a shame…”
Her eyes turn away from him, toward the jackets and astronaut suits up on display. Both of their reflections were present in the glass. Fullbright’s large presence behind her felt more dense than ever.
“Wouldn’t have expected to see you here, Detective. Didn’t you have your fill of the space center during the investigation?”
"Well, the higher-ups at the station want everything to be checked twice! Gone over with a fine-toothed comb, as you might say." As he straightened up, he adjusted his sunglasses, even putting them on for a moment... in the incredibly dark room.
He never did change, did he?
"I guess they want everything they can get out of it, before the shutters go down! Though- and don't tell anyone this- I have a feeling they're trying to look into that other murder!" Another grin was given, the volume of his voice lowering. "They're really grasping at straws with that one! First time I've seen no culprit arrested for a crime in a long while!"
In reality, he himself was interested. The man knew quite a lot about Athena Cykes, and had been ready to frame her at a moment's notice... so who else beat him to the revenge? He had a few ideas, but solid evidence for none.
The dark thoughts were completely masked by his expression, which remained as one of rather dramatic secretiveness. Nothing seemed amiss, really.
"But aside from that!", voice returning to its usual volume, "How've you been? Missing me and the guys back at the precinct yet?"
That made Dayton’s ear quirk up. In this day and age especially, it was a little odd for police resources to be used on a closed case. But whenever Fullbright leaned in to tell her the news, it all made sense.
‘Right… Of course they’d send someone to look here. This is where you’re going to find the motive so they’re on the right track…Still, if the goal is to find the culprit, visiting the space center isn’t entirely necessary for that. ’
Her eyes widen for a second as she considers this.
‘Or at least it wouldn’t be, if I hadn’t brought him here myself. *sigh* Walking backwards into trouble like always, right Day?’
Schooling her expression into a more casual one, she tilts her head in faux interest.
“You don’t say? Well, I wish the boys luck. Maybe this’ll be the right straw.”
Dayton puts her hand in her pocket, fingers softly messing with the leaf she put in there. When she’s asked about her wellbeing and what she feels, she nearly tears it.
A sad smile strikes across her face, but she’s able to pivot.
“It sounds like you guys are missing me more. You know… I’d normally be all over a case like this one….”
Dayton steps aside and walks a bit past Detective Fullbright, her voice taking on a more wistful tone.
“But you know me. Once I’ve got a bug in my ear about something, like the Solomon Starbuck case for instance, I can’t really get it out until I’ve done something about it…”
She slowly turns to him, the leaf displayed in her hands next to her face with its stem placed in between her fingers.
"I sure do hope so! The Chief Prosecutor's just about breathing down our necks on this one... and he's much scarier than Prosecutor Blackquill ever was, trust me!"
It did make sense. Miles Edgeworth, being Phoenix's best friend, would certainly be anxious to wrap this case up. It wasn't right to be funneling so many resources into a single case, but for once, the rather inflexible prosecutor felt just about obliged to.
At this point, their best assumption was the Phantom himself, still knowing little of the man.
It was a rather ironic assumption, considering who was actually responsible.
"Well, you did find yourself here! Are you sure you're just here to visit? Or are you doing some investigating of your own?" A big grin appeared on his face. "Not like I'd stop you! Any pursuit of justice is just in my book!"
Fulbright shifted his sunglasses over his eyes once the leaf was shown, a quizzical expression covering the parts of his expression that she could see.
"Well, I certainly know what you mean, Miss Columbia! I do recall your work ethic!" He paused, for a brief moment. "Though I have to admit, I'm a little lost! Is that leaf supposed to be important?"
Dayton smiles sheepishly, twirling the stem between her fingers.
“Ah, looks like you’ve got me, Detective. I might just be taking a look around just in case. Not that I plan to find anything too substantial. If there was anything to find, I’m sure you would’ve caught it already….”
The twirling stops once the leaf itself is questioned.
“Oh, this? Important? Well…if you don’t think it’s important I don’t see how it could be…”
Her brows furrow, a more serious look overtaking her face as she stares into the middle distance. She taps the little leaf up against her forehead.
“What could be important about this leaf…? I mean, if I had to guess it could be the same thing that was important about the bombs, both here and in the courtroom. A question lingers for both of them…”
Dayton pauses, teeth catching hold of her lip.
“How did they end up there?”
Her eyes suddenly sharpen, pinpointing onto Fullbright as she remembers something.
“I’m sure you remember how the trial ended… Sure, Mr. Wright had proposed the idea that the launch pads could’ve been switched. Mr. Starbuck seemed to almost be off the hook but…. Lack of evidence that the possible escape route was used kept the idea from going all the way…”
‘On the other hand, I probably shouldn’t present this as if he already knows. After all… Bobby arrived a bit late, after the verdict had already been handed down. At least, that’s what I heard.’
The little leaf’s position moves from her forehead to in front of her as she turns her head again to stare at it.
“Still, a possibility is a possibility…”
….
“Hey, Detective Fullbright. I know you were on the scene in response to the bomb threat. You would’ve had the lay of the place… You would’ve seen anything strange or out of place during that time, right?”
"Oho, who knows? Though I'd be surprised if any evidence could've escaped the gaze of justice!"
When attention was called back to the leaf, Fulbright paused, eyeing the object again. He did seem genuinely perturbed... and who wouldn't? It was just a leaf, after all.
After a moment, he adjusted his sunglasses again, clearly taking a moment to think. "I suppose we never did find out about those bombs, did we? Lotta mysteries hanging around this space center- all just begging to be solved!" Another grin was given. Not entirely appropriate, but on-brand for him.
"And I saw nothing out of the ordinary!" He said with a grin, putting his hands on his hips. "Whole lotta people who looked like they belonged! Maybe a few tourists, too, but that was it!". He wasn't exactly lying... for a few different reasons.
"Oh, are you confident that the astronaut didn't do it?" He said, before hesitating slightly, his voice lowering once more. "If you are... I have an idea of who did. But the evidence was never released, so don't go telling anyone I told you!"
She’s slightly taken aback at his cheerfulness, but she decides to remember who she was talking to.
‘He saw nothing… Of course. Well…that doesn’t entirely narrow it down, but I shouldn’t have expected anything different.’
Dayton is so lost in her own thoughts that she almost misheard him. When her thoughts catch up with her ears, her eyes become wide as saucers.
“An idea…” she whispers.
It takes a moment for her to face him again, her demeanor is oddly slow as her lips quirk up in an awkward manner. It’s difficult for her to hide it, but she feels a sense of dread crawling up her spine. She walks closer to him, getting a bit inside his personal bubble.
‘Don’t get too excited. This is Fullbright, remember? Sometimes he jumps the gun, so this could be nothing…. But if it is something, then…’
“An idea of who did it? I wouldn’t mind hearing about it, if there really is proof.”
"Well, there were a few things they ended up dusting for prints, while the trial was still running. They would've gotten submitted, but... the trial ended before that could happen! Oh well!"
His cheery expression turned into a pout, after a moment.
"I really couldn't believe it when I read it. Why would that Cykes girl's prints be on that lighter? You know, the one that was being held by the killer..? That, and I guess they caught her on the security footage in here, too... and it even fits the time frame..."
The pout continued for a few more seconds before he brightened up, once more.
"Well, that's something for the lawyers to find out!- if the case gets revived, anyways!"
Back to the pout his expression flipped. If the topic wasn't so dire, it would really be comedic.
"But with her dead, I'm not sure what all would happen... Maybe all her lawyer friends could get some closure, at least."
Athena’s fingerprints found on the lighter… a recording of her in the area during the timeframe of the murder.
“That’s… not good.”
‘What could she possibly have been doing here at that time?’
She could almost hear that voice, his voice, retort back at her in that biting tone she’s used to. She shakes her head, pushing the voice it came with farther away too.
‘I haven’t seen this evidence for myself. I have to keep that in mind. There must be something I’m missing… something…’
She steps back, her mind a swirl as she considers everything she knows.
‘I know that Athena was here on the day the bombs went off. Her fingerprints are on the lighter that the killer used. I know that the primary suspect in the case was the entity known as the Phantom. And while we never confirmed outright that Mr. Starbuck is connected to the Phantom, it is generally assumed that they had something to do with the bombings… But could the killer and the Phantom really be different people?’
Her brows furrow as she considers this.
‘No no wait, that doesn’t make sense. Whoever the murderer was must’ve been aware of the launch, the bombs, and the switching of the launch pads. If the Phantom and the killer were working together, this might work with Solomon, as he works here and would’ve had a much better opportunity to collaborate. Not to mention a motive for sabotaging the launch. But Athena? … Unless the Phantom decided to work with an 18 year old girl with no clear connection to the victim or the launch, it just doesn’t fit…’
‘Then again,’ she thinks, ‘I don’t really have much of a profile on the Phantom. How should I know what they would or wouldn’t do? And it doesn’t change the evidence…This would be so much easier if I could just… talk to her.’
But unfortunately, a certain someone has made that impossible. She feels her back teeth grind against each other as she tries to get a hold of herself.
If Dayton could be clear about one thing at the moment, it’s that this case wasn’t clear at all. It would make more sense to assume that the Phantom and the killer are the same person, but without clear evidence she can’t be sure.
It would’ve been enough to just have this puzzle nagging at her, but when she goes through it all again something else appears. Something she doesn’t want to think about.
Her eyebrows furrow even more, trying to stop the thought from completing. But it’s too late.
‘If the police already have this info, why hasn’t the case been relitigated yet on its own? If Detective Fullbright knew this… then why was he here? What more is there to find?’
“Well, that's something for the lawyers to find out!- if the case gets revived, anyways!"
‘That… doesn’t sound like Fullbright. Would his obsession with justice really allow him to sit on information like this without a ruckus? And if so… why would he tell me about it now?’
She sighs and turns to Fullbright with a half hearted smile on her face as she considers, once again, what she knows.
‘I know… I know that Fullbright is aware of evidence that would’ve probably exonerated Mr. Starbuck, and nothing has been done with it.’
Her face shifts a bit at this thought, the look she gives Fullbright becoming a bit despondent.
The reasons why nothing has been done, she hopes, were benevolent. But she couldn’t make herself believe it. The leaf she had been messing with earlier floats back into her pocket.
After a long pause, she speaks again.
“But if there’s evidence, then I guess I can’t argue against it. Thanks Detective, that really helped scratch my itch. I think I’m just gonna do a quick walk around the place and head home.”
She only had a couple of things she could think to do at this point. She needed more information about the Phantom, and she needed to at least see the camera footage for herself. There was only one person here she could think to go to for that.
Fulbright gave a perturbed expression to Dayton as she stood in silent contemplation, fiddling with his sunglasses a little more. Such a drawn-out reaction admittedly left him a little curious, as did the leaf. There were things he should ask about, but... subtly doing so was its own challenge.
In response to the smile, he flashed his own, still clearly watching. The shift in her expression was seen, and noted, before he focused back on her words.
"It's no problem at all! I'm glad I could help!" He said, cheerfully, words interrupted by the boom of thunder, its associated lightning illuminating the room in a brief, white light. After leaping in a rather animated reaction of fright, the detective laughed it off, sharply raising his hand in a sort of wave.
"Enjoy the rest of your day! And remember, in justice we trust!"
A rather relevant statement, even if he himself didn't know it.
Apollo was still there, thankfully. He could've run off, hidden in some staff-only room, or even gained the strength to run out into the rain, vanishing into the dimming afternoon light.
But, there had been two issues. First was Trucy. Not only was upsetting her something he preferred not to do, but Apollo also figured she'd easily be able to outrun him in his current state.
Additionally, was the affect of the overwhelming stress he felt at the moment.
Focusing on it would've brought nothing but instability, and he was much too tired to deal with thoughts of the past, not anymore. So, the moment they had stepped foot within the astronaut lounge, he started searching. Searching for what? He didn't know. But he was just about ripping the room apart in his pursuit, focusing intently on his make-believe goal.
It was just his way of coping. And thankfully for the others tagging along, it forced him to stay put.
That last word lingered in her mind as she exited the Space Museum. Trust in justice? Trust in Fullbright?
It hurts to admit, but she might’ve put Detective Fullbright on a bit of a pedestal. Not because he was particularly good at his job, but because he was what he said. Just.
Now?
She sighs.
The walk back to the elevator was shorter than the walk away from it. Mostly because she wasn’t as scared of her own shadow and pausing to look at the first interesting thing she sees.
She’s about to enter when the doors open, but a sudden clanging resounds into her ears. It’s faint, but it sounds like it’s coming from the other end of the corridor on the opposite side.
She pauses for a second, letting the silence fall over again to see if she can catch anything else….
“……A…...pollo!”
Daytons heavy footfalls find rhythm with the rain, her haste getting her to the other end in no time.
When she arrives, she sees Trucy standing near the entrance, a look of anxiety on her face. Further into the room is Apollo, moving from place to place in a manic state, eyes scanning the room for… something. It looks like he’s becoming more distressed by the second he doesn’t find whatever he’s looking for. Because of this, every so often an mini outburst occurs, and something is knocked to the floor.
Dayton silently curses herself for taking so long. Leaving him and Trucy alone together for an extended period of time was not part of her plan. Knowing what Apollo was capable of, she couldn’t bear the thought of something happening on her watch.
She immediately turns to Trucy.
“What’s going on? Is everything alright, are you hurt?”
The look of slight panic on Day’s face wasn’t something Trucy was expecting, but nevertheless she answered.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Apollo and I came in here to look for you. We took a wrong turn and now he’s….”
Trucy looks on, not sure how to explain more than just vaguely gesturing at the scene. She wasn’t even sure if Apollo could hear the both of them.
Dayton relaxes a bit when she hears that Trucy’s okay, but soon her eyes turn to face Apollo.
She couldn’t hide that she was still a bit bitter towards him, for multiple reasons other than his general rude disposition. She just got a glimpse at how difficult this task was going to be, and most of that difficulty was due to his actions.
It was hard not to look at the man before her and not see a wild animal, tearing at her through her clothes and skin, dealing as much damage as it possibly could. Just hoping beyond hope that one of the blows will be fatal enough to make her give up and let go.
She knows she’s bleeding, but even still-
She turns to Trucy.
“Stay here, okay?” Dayton warns.
Trucy nods. Steps softly hit the floor as Dayton makes her way closer to Apollo. She’s only a couple feet away when she speaks up, her voice no longer holding that softness that it once did before. But there’s no malice to it either.
There had to be something. Something, somewhere, that he hadn't known about, that no one had known about.
There had to be something. This was the crime scene. This was where he was- the knife. The knife covered with his friend's blood, the knife that she had looked at and reacted to and known about and seen before and his bracelet-
He couldn't control himself.
His body was moving without his input.
He was but a spectator, watching his hands, nearly vibrating with nervous energy, searching for something. Anything. What did he think he'd find? Had he known? Had he forgotten? The frustration was almost enough to make him writhe, make him tear off his bandages in shear agitation. But thankfully, his muscles didn't obey, staying numb and distant.
His thoughts lagged as his body continued on, dragging itself to its feet. Eyes briefly passed over the outline on the floor. The sight didn't help, his stomach rolling in response.
It was the last place he had been alive. The last place he would ever be alive. And now he was dead and gone and they would never meet again and was this even worth it it wasn't like investigating would being him back anyways-
His focus was broken. A look of furious agitation flickered across his face before the expression returned to a blank one, a wild, upset look lingering in his shaky gaze.
To what extent, it wasn't clear. But he was definitely focusing on Dayton, at least for the current moment.
Dayton tries to relax, but his gaze is stinging and intense. Navigating the pathways on how to get through to him was even more so that type of feeling.
But he had done what she asked, so she must be doing something right.
Dayton hadn’t been able to get a good look at the room earlier, but the huge screen display of the seahorse next to them was enough to tip her off. She saw this room within the court record.
Boarding Lounge 1, the crime scene.
Dayton takes a couple more steps toward him to lower his field of vision, hopefully to make it less likely for him to get distracted by something else.
‘Or I could just scare him off…or worse’ she thought, bitterly.
If he ran off, she’s fairly confident she’d be able to catch up. But if he attacked her… well, nothing’s a forgone conclusion…
‘Anything’s possible with the way he’s acting. But…’
Her gaze shifts from Apollo, to the jacket he’s wearing.
Could she really blame him?
…
‘Yes.’
She comes even closer, to the point where she’s right in front of him. From here she can clearly see the darkness under his eyes. His hair is a mess, the two strands that normally stick straight up drooping onto his face and partially obscuring his stare.
Her voice steadies as she continues.
“Tell me what you need, Apollo. Do you need to leave this room?”
Apollo's body tensed as Dayton started to draw near, his feet slightly pivoting to make the rest of him face her.
He really did give off the same vibes as that of a cornered animal, seconds away from lashing out. It didn't help that he raised his hands, up to his mid-torso, in anticipation, almost as if he were getting ready to grab, or punch, or shove.
Maybe he was. He just didn't know it, yet.
For now, though, Apollo simply stood there, staring at her. His eyes were dim, a maelstrom of emotions swirling behind them. It even, just a little, felt like he was staring straight through her.
When she talked again, his eyes focused a little. At least it seemed that he was paying attention, even just slightly, even if it took him a long few seconds to even comprehend what Dayton had said.
"...I need...", he muttered to himself, almost as more of a mimicry of the question rather than an actual attempt to answer it. For a moment, his mouth lingered open as his eyes drifted to the side, lost in brief thought. What was he looking for, again? What was he even doing?
Leaving this room. Leaving this room?
It hadn't even crossed his mind. He had tunnel visioned himself so hard that such an option had vanished. And that option, the moment it was thought of, his decision was solidified.
A glint immediately appeared in Apollo's eyes, his feet starting to move towards the doorway seemingly of their own volition, movements slow and fatigued. As Dayton was in his immediate path, he reached out to push her aside, being surprisingly gentle about the action.
Even still, he gave the sense that one wrong move would make him snap, all over again.
Briefly, his eyes had caught on Trucy, given how close she was to the doorway. The look he gave for that small moment was an apologetic one, the cacophony of emotions within him smothering it out after only a second or so.
Dayton feels the tension slowly bleed out of her as she sees him consider her words. That tension nearly returns tenfold as he steps towards her. She feels a pressure at her side as he pushes her away.
This is the first time he’s initiated contact with her.
She didn’t expect it to be so…soft.
Dayton turns to watch him exit. Part of her wants to stop him. After all, she had some questions she wanted to ask. But, looking at him, she couldn’t tell whether or not her hands would phase right through if she tried to touch him.
She decides that he needs a moment… to resolidify.
Trucy, meanwhile, watches the whole exchange with bated breath. Trucy had tried to call out to Apollo multiple times before this but it seems she still can’t find the right things to say. When Apollo turns to look at her, her eyes can’t meet his for long. All she could see was how much she was failing him.
Trucy wants to follow him. And she will… but it’s clear to her that she needs help. Her eyes turn to Dayton, the soft glint of sadness reflecting in them.
Dayton, noticing her distress, comes over to her. The closer she gets to her, the more regret she begins to feel.
“Ms. Wright…”
She wants to express her doubts, her apologies for getting her into this mess. But, part of her doesn’t want to admit she made the wrong decision. Plus, she doesn’t want to discourage Trucy. Dayton still needs her here.
“…Thank you for being so strong. It must’ve been difficult to see this…”
It was wrong to keep Trucy here at this point. Dayton should really send her home but, unfortunately, she was too selfish to do that.
The reasons she wanted Trucy here were threefold.
First, she needed someone with a strong enough connection to Apollo. Someone who he wouldn’t want knowing about his secret. This would encourage more cooperation throughout the investigation as Dayton would have immediate leverage at arms length.
Second, she needed safety. Coming here by herself with Apollo leaves too many windows for him to do something drastic. Enough murders have happened at this Space Center, what was one more? Now, if something happened to Dayton or Trucy, Apollo would be the immediate suspect. After all, Mr. Wright knows where they are and who they’re with. Mr. Wright was an attorney known for doing whatever he could to find the truth. It wouldn’t be that hard to find it in this case.
Third… she needed…no…wanted Apollo to spend some time with people he cares about. Depending on how this goes, she didn’t think he had much of that time left. If Trucy or Mr. Wright could appeal to his better nature then maybe…
So far, however, this appears to have had a very negative effect on Trucy. She’s a positive girl, but Dayton underestimated how much of that positivity was a survival skill. One that could crack under pressure.
“Yeah…” Trucy voices, halfheartedly. “I know Apollo can be single minded at times but… this was something else.”
Trucy laughs, releasing some of that anxiety she’d been bottling up.
“I just can’t figure out why he’s doing this now. Apollo investigated here before, I know that. Back with Athena was…”
She trails off.
“When they came back, I don’t remember them saying anything like this happened. I thought that maybe getting a re-do of the trial would be good news but… he just seems more… off?”
Trucy turns to Apollo, a questioning look on her face.
“When I try to talk to him, it feels like he’s not really listening. But with you… it’s different. Do you know why? Are you guys…friends or something?”
Dayton’s first thought was to lie and say that they knew each other, just to give some kind of explanation that made sense. But under Trucy’s watchful gaze she had a feeling any lie she told would be caught.
Plus, in her line of work lies tended to make things worse.
“No, we don’t really know each other. I wish I could tell you differently… Still, that might not be a bad thing right now. I can’t say this for sure… but I think it’s because I’m not his friend that he listens…”
Trucy didn’t know what to make of that, and honestly neither did Dayton until she said it out loud.
‘Apollo isn’t perfect. He knows that I know that. But since we don’t know each other that well, my judgement of him doesn’t really matter as much. Listening to me is about as emotionally investing a decision as flipping a coin. If someone asks you to flip a coin, you might as well, right? What’s the worst that could happen?’
Trucy doesn’t seem to realize this however, her head hanging low as she ponders if she should still even be here. Dayton can’t bear the look in her eyes, so she attempts to comfort her.
“But still, I don’t think you should give up. I might be able to help the odd outburst, but I’m not the reason he keeps going. You are. I’m sure you’ll get through to him.”
That was a half truth. Technically, Dayton is the one that keeps him going, that makes him stay here instead of huddled in a dark corner. But Dayton doesn’t quite see the irony until after she’s said it. She still means what she says to Trucy, and Trucy can see it in her face.
Trucy gives a small smile and nods. She’s unable to voice it, but her spirits have been lifted just a bit.
Dayton takes a look around the room. She’s aware that it’s the crime scene, but she can’t really see a reason to stick around. She looks out the window to see the storm still hasn’t let up.
“C’mon, let’s go make sure he’s doing alright. Then we can keep going.”
Thoughtlessly, he had wandered back the way he came, towards the elevators. Thankfully, they were not taken, with the man's steps taking a slight diversion, towards a little lounge area off to the side. There might've been visitors or staff around, that's what he had been used to, but it was empty.
Apollo sat down in an isolated corner, his body hunching forwards as his head hung limp. Only now did he notice how rapidly his heart was beating, threatening to just about jump out of his chest while his lungs struggled to keep up. The rap of the rain on nearby windows helped him try to focus, as long as the thunder didn't return.
There was a part of him that remained frustrated, that he reacted like so. He shouldn't become upset so easily, he should be powering through the situation. But, growing ever stronger, was the desire to rest.
Of course, he still didn't want to admit to anything. But, Apollo wanted to stop fighting, both himself and the world around him. He just wanted to go home, just wanted to relax. Just wanted to curl up in the blankets on his bed and sleep for days.
Just a moment alone. Away from everything, from everyone. That's all he wanted in the world, right now.
-
The first time he had visited, only a week or so ago, it had been difficult. To be truthful, his reaction was actually fairly similar, the man having searched the entire crime scene top to bottom as a way to cope with the fact that his best friend's corpse had been sitting only a handful of meters away a few hours ago. But, he was more stable, back then. He simply used that sadness to drive him forwards.
Athena could tell, of course. But she understood. Unable to think of a better alternative she had simply given advice from a distance, as well as voicing her opinions on any pieces of evidence she found notable.
It had been her downfall, even if she didn't know it.
On the two's return, Apollo's emptions were muted, as had been the case. But, barely perceptible, was a deep, dead look in his eyes. The thought had taken root, by then, and soon, it would be the thing driving him to murder.
The thought was still there, crippling his reasoning on the situation, grasping his mental state in a chokehold. Removing it would be a feat in of itself, and would likely be required if the man ever expected to live a normal life again... if that was even possible in the first place.
-
When he eventually started to hear footsteps, Apollo remained slouched over, arms crossed for a moment, his eyes closed as his breathing was held at a steady rate. But, after a few seconds, his head raised slowly, a tired stare given to those that approached him.
He would avoid Trucy if he could. He was nothing but a danger to those around him, that's what it felt like. And if physical danger wasn't applicable, how devastated would everyone be when it was discovered what he had done? The idea of her knowing frightened him, as did the idea of his boss finding out. But his will to avoid was slowly wearing away, as the rest of his energy was gradually sapped.
Maybe a few hours ago, he would have tried to run out of the building at the possibility of her interacting, more. But now, all he could bring himself to do now, was sit there and watch.
Little time had passed, at all. But, Apollo seemed to be more cognizant than he had been, the moment of respite having done him well. Of course, he still appeared bedraggled to all hell, but... small steps were the only way to go, really.
After a bit of exploring and dead ends, Day and Trucy finally catch up to Apollo.
Better? Worse? Dayton has almost given up on being able to tell with him. All she knows is that his eyes look a bit sharper, so he’ll probably be paying attention when she’s talking.
Even still, she can tell the entire thing is beating him down, as well as Trucy. She knows that she’s pushing it. That she really needs to get the both of them home now.
But she needs to check one more thing.
“Apollo, there you are!” Trucy calls out. She seems to be back to a chippier version of herself, though it’s clearly not for her own sake. She’s about to ask if he’s doing okay, but she suddenly remembers the repercussions of that question and chooses to abstain.
“We were just thinking about heading home soon. Day says there’s one more thing we need to check, but neither of us really know the layout of this place hehe.”
Dayton nods, her eyes narrowing as she asks this question.
“I’m trying to find the director of this place to get a hold of the security footage. Do you know where he might be? Or… at least someone who might know where he is?”
Honestly she’s surprised they haven’t run into him yet. According to the police detail there at the time, he was a rather excitable and loud man. Though, after the trial she could see why he would make himself scarce.
Day feels her soul abruptly re-entering her body. It was Detective Fullbright, just a colleague…well…former colleague of hers. He was… a lot, in general. But from what she remembered about him, he was well meaning.
They never worked collaboratively, but sometimes they’d share… very loud and sometimes one sided chats in the break room. You’d think it’d annoy someone relatively low energy like Dayton but, honestly she always had a soft spot for him. It was hard to find someone who was so dedicated to doing the right thing like he was, even though his standards were pretty rigid.
A weakness, a strength? She didn’t know. She was currently testing out that theory herself.
“You too, Detective. It’s nice to see you. And yes, I’ve been meaning to visit this place…”
Not technically a lie. She wanted to come before she even met up with Apollo, just to be a bit more prepared. But things didn’t quite work out that way.
When Fullbright’s expressions take a turn for the dramatic, she playfully rolls her eyes. His emotions were always so over the top. It was hard to believe they were real sometimes.
“Yes, it is a shame…”
Her eyes turn away from him, toward the jackets and astronaut suits up on display. Both of their reflections were present in the glass. Fullbright’s large presence behind her felt more dense than ever.
“Wouldn’t have expected to see you here, Detective. Didn’t you have your fill of the space center during the investigation?”
"Well, the higher-ups at the station want everything to be checked twice! Gone over with a fine-toothed comb, as you might say." As he straightened up, he adjusted his sunglasses, even putting them on for a moment... in the incredibly dark room.
He never did change, did he?
"I guess they want everything they can get out of it, before the shutters go down! Though- and don't tell anyone this- I have a feeling they're trying to look into that other murder!" Another grin was given, the volume of his voice lowering. "They're really grasping at straws with that one! First time I've seen no culprit arrested for a crime in a long while!"
In reality, he himself was interested. The man knew quite a lot about Athena Cykes, and had been ready to frame her at a moment's notice... so who else beat him to the revenge? He had a few ideas, but solid evidence for none.
The dark thoughts were completely masked by his expression, which remained as one of rather dramatic secretiveness. Nothing seemed amiss, really.
"But aside from that!", voice returning to its usual volume, "How've you been? Missing me and the guys back at the precinct yet?"
That made Dayton’s ear quirk up. In this day and age especially, it was a little odd for police resources to be used on a closed case. But whenever Fullbright leaned in to tell her the news, it all made sense.
‘Right… Of course they’d send someone to look here. This is where you’re going to find the motive so they’re on the right track…Still, if the goal is to find the culprit, visiting the space center isn’t entirely necessary for that. ’
Her eyes widen for a second as she considers this.
‘Or at least it wouldn’t be, if I hadn’t brought him here myself. *sigh* Walking backwards into trouble like always, right Day?’
Schooling her expression into a more casual one, she tilts her head in faux interest.
“You don’t say? Well, I wish the boys luck. Maybe this’ll be the right straw.”
Dayton puts her hand in her pocket, fingers softly messing with the leaf she put in there. When she’s asked about her wellbeing and what she feels, she nearly tears it.
A sad smile strikes across her face, but she’s able to pivot.
“It sounds like you guys are missing me more. You know… I’d normally be all over a case like this one….”
Dayton steps aside and walks a bit past Detective Fullbright, her voice taking on a more wistful tone.
“But you know me. Once I’ve got a bug in my ear about something, like the Solomon Starbuck case for instance, I can’t really get it out until I’ve done something about it…”
She slowly turns to him, the leaf displayed in her hands next to her face with its stem placed in between her fingers.
"I sure do hope so! The Chief Prosecutor's just about breathing down our necks on this one... and he's much scarier than Prosecutor Blackquill ever was, trust me!"
It did make sense. Miles Edgeworth, being Phoenix's best friend, would certainly be anxious to wrap this case up. It wasn't right to be funneling so many resources into a single case, but for once, the rather inflexible prosecutor felt just about obliged to.
At this point, their best assumption was the Phantom himself, still knowing little of the man.
It was a rather ironic assumption, considering who was actually responsible.
"Well, you did find yourself here! Are you sure you're just here to visit? Or are you doing some investigating of your own?" A big grin appeared on his face. "Not like I'd stop you! Any pursuit of justice is just in my book!"
Fulbright shifted his sunglasses over his eyes once the leaf was shown, a quizzical expression covering the parts of his expression that she could see.
"Well, I certainly know what you mean, Miss Columbia! I do recall your work ethic!" He paused, for a brief moment. "Though I have to admit, I'm a little lost! Is that leaf supposed to be important?"
Dayton smiles sheepishly, twirling the stem between her fingers.
“Ah, looks like you’ve got me, Detective. I might just be taking a look around just in case. Not that I plan to find anything too substantial. If there was anything to find, I’m sure you would’ve caught it already….”
The twirling stops once the leaf itself is questioned.
“Oh, this? Important? Well…if you don’t think it’s important I don’t see how it could be…”
Her brows furrow, a more serious look overtaking her face as she stares into the middle distance. She taps the little leaf up against her forehead.
“What could be important about this leaf…? I mean, if I had to guess it could be the same thing that was important about the bombs, both here and in the courtroom. A question lingers for both of them…”
Dayton pauses, teeth catching hold of her lip.
“How did they end up there?”
Her eyes suddenly sharpen, pinpointing onto Fullbright as she remembers something.
“I’m sure you remember how the trial ended… Sure, Mr. Wright had proposed the idea that the launch pads could’ve been switched. Mr. Starbuck seemed to almost be off the hook but…. Lack of evidence that the possible escape route was used kept the idea from going all the way…”
‘On the other hand, I probably shouldn’t present this as if he already knows. After all… Bobby arrived a bit late, after the verdict had already been handed down. At least, that’s what I heard.’
The little leaf’s position moves from her forehead to in front of her as she turns her head again to stare at it.
“Still, a possibility is a possibility…”
….
“Hey, Detective Fullbright. I know you were on the scene in response to the bomb threat. You would’ve had the lay of the place… You would’ve seen anything strange or out of place during that time, right?”
"Oho, who knows? Though I'd be surprised if any evidence could've escaped the gaze of justice!"
When attention was called back to the leaf, Fulbright paused, eyeing the object again. He did seem genuinely perturbed... and who wouldn't? It was just a leaf, after all.
After a moment, he adjusted his sunglasses again, clearly taking a moment to think. "I suppose we never did find out about those bombs, did we? Lotta mysteries hanging around this space center- all just begging to be solved!" Another grin was given. Not entirely appropriate, but on-brand for him.
"And I saw nothing out of the ordinary!" He said with a grin, putting his hands on his hips. "Whole lotta people who looked like they belonged! Maybe a few tourists, too, but that was it!". He wasn't exactly lying... for a few different reasons.
"Oh, are you confident that the astronaut didn't do it?" He said, before hesitating slightly, his voice lowering once more. "If you are... I have an idea of who did. But the evidence was never released, so don't go telling anyone I told you!"
She’s slightly taken aback at his cheerfulness, but she decides to remember who she was talking to.
‘He saw nothing… Of course. Well…that doesn’t entirely narrow it down, but I shouldn’t have expected anything different.’
Dayton is so lost in her own thoughts that she almost misheard him. When her thoughts catch up with her ears, her eyes become wide as saucers.
“An idea…” she whispers.
It takes a moment for her to face him again, her demeanor is oddly slow as her lips quirk up in an awkward manner. It’s difficult for her to hide it, but she feels a sense of dread crawling up her spine. She walks closer to him, getting a bit inside his personal bubble.
‘Don’t get too excited. This is Fullbright, remember? Sometimes he jumps the gun, so this could be nothing…. But if it is something, then…’
“An idea of who did it? I wouldn’t mind hearing about it, if there really is proof.”
"Well, there were a few things they ended up dusting for prints, while the trial was still running. They would've gotten submitted, but... the trial ended before that could happen! Oh well!"
His cheery expression turned into a pout, after a moment.
"I really couldn't believe it when I read it. Why would that Cykes girl's prints be on that lighter? You know, the one that was being held by the killer..? That, and I guess they caught her on the security footage in here, too... and it even fits the time frame..."
The pout continued for a few more seconds before he brightened up, once more.
"Well, that's something for the lawyers to find out!- if the case gets revived, anyways!"
Back to the pout his expression flipped. If the topic wasn't so dire, it would really be comedic.
"But with her dead, I'm not sure what all would happen... Maybe all her lawyer friends could get some closure, at least."
Athena’s fingerprints found on the lighter… a recording of her in the area during the timeframe of the murder.
“That’s… not good.”
‘What could she possibly have been doing here at that time?’
She could almost hear that voice, his voice, retort back at her in that biting tone she’s used to. She shakes her head, pushing the voice it came with farther away too.
‘I haven’t seen this evidence for myself. I have to keep that in mind. There must be something I’m missing… something…’
She steps back, her mind a swirl as she considers everything she knows.
‘I know that Athena was here on the day the bombs went off. Her fingerprints are on the lighter that the killer used. I know that the primary suspect in the case was the entity known as the Phantom. And while we never confirmed outright that Mr. Starbuck is connected to the Phantom, it is generally assumed that they had something to do with the bombings… But could the killer and the Phantom really be different people?’
Her brows furrow as she considers this.
‘No no wait, that doesn’t make sense. Whoever the murderer was must’ve been aware of the launch, the bombs, and the switching of the launch pads. If the Phantom and the killer were working together, this might work with Solomon, as he works here and would’ve had a much better opportunity to collaborate. Not to mention a motive for sabotaging the launch. But Athena? … Unless the Phantom decided to work with an 18 year old girl with no clear connection to the victim or the launch, it just doesn’t fit…’
‘Then again,’ she thinks, ‘I don’t really have much of a profile on the Phantom. How should I know what they would or wouldn’t do? And it doesn’t change the evidence…This would be so much easier if I could just… talk to her.’
But unfortunately, a certain someone has made that impossible. She feels her back teeth grind against each other as she tries to get a hold of herself.
If Dayton could be clear about one thing at the moment, it’s that this case wasn’t clear at all. It would make more sense to assume that the Phantom and the killer are the same person, but without clear evidence she can’t be sure.
It would’ve been enough to just have this puzzle nagging at her, but when she goes through it all again something else appears. Something she doesn’t want to think about.
Her eyebrows furrow even more, trying to stop the thought from completing. But it’s too late.
‘If the police already have this info, why hasn’t the case been relitigated yet on its own? If Detective Fullbright knew this… then why was he here? What more is there to find?’
“Well, that's something for the lawyers to find out!- if the case gets revived, anyways!"
‘That… doesn’t sound like Fullbright. Would his obsession with justice really allow him to sit on information like this without a ruckus? And if so… why would he tell me about it now?’
She sighs and turns to Fullbright with a half hearted smile on her face as she considers, once again, what she knows.
‘I know… I know that Fullbright is aware of evidence that would’ve probably exonerated Mr. Starbuck, and nothing has been done with it.’
Her face shifts a bit at this thought, the look she gives Fullbright becoming a bit despondent.
The reasons why nothing has been done, she hopes, were benevolent. But she couldn’t make herself believe it. The leaf she had been messing with earlier floats back into her pocket.
After a long pause, she speaks again.
“But if there’s evidence, then I guess I can’t argue against it. Thanks Detective, that really helped scratch my itch. I think I’m just gonna do a quick walk around the place and head home.”
She only had a couple of things she could think to do at this point. She needed more information about the Phantom, and she needed to at least see the camera footage for herself. There was only one person here she could think to go to for that.
Fulbright gave a perturbed expression to Dayton as she stood in silent contemplation, fiddling with his sunglasses a little more. Such a drawn-out reaction admittedly left him a little curious, as did the leaf. There were things he should ask about, but... subtly doing so was its own challenge.
In response to the smile, he flashed his own, still clearly watching. The shift in her expression was seen, and noted, before he focused back on her words.
"It's no problem at all! I'm glad I could help!" He said, cheerfully, words interrupted by the boom of thunder, its associated lightning illuminating the room in a brief, white light. After leaping in a rather animated reaction of fright, the detective laughed it off, sharply raising his hand in a sort of wave.
"Enjoy the rest of your day! And remember, in justice we trust!"
A rather relevant statement, even if he himself didn't know it.
Apollo was still there, thankfully. He could've run off, hidden in some staff-only room, or even gained the strength to run out into the rain, vanishing into the dimming afternoon light.
But, there had been two issues. First was Trucy. Not only was upsetting her something he preferred not to do, but Apollo also figured she'd easily be able to outrun him in his current state.
Additionally, was the affect of the overwhelming stress he felt at the moment.
Focusing on it would've brought nothing but instability, and he was much too tired to deal with thoughts of the past, not anymore. So, the moment they had stepped foot within the astronaut lounge, he started searching. Searching for what? He didn't know. But he was just about ripping the room apart in his pursuit, focusing intently on his make-believe goal.
It was just his way of coping. And thankfully for the others tagging along, it forced him to stay put.
That last word lingered in her mind as she exited the Space Museum. Trust in justice? Trust in Fullbright?
It hurts to admit, but she might’ve put Detective Fullbright on a bit of a pedestal. Not because he was particularly good at his job, but because he was what he said. Just.
Now?
She sighs.
The walk back to the elevator was shorter than the walk away from it. Mostly because she wasn’t as scared of her own shadow and pausing to look at the first interesting thing she sees.
She’s about to enter when the doors open, but a sudden clanging resounds into her ears. It’s faint, but it sounds like it’s coming from the other end of the corridor on the opposite side.
She pauses for a second, letting the silence fall over again to see if she can catch anything else….
“……A…...pollo!”
Daytons heavy footfalls find rhythm with the rain, her haste getting her to the other end in no time.
When she arrives, she sees Trucy standing near the entrance, a look of anxiety on her face. Further into the room is Apollo, moving from place to place in a manic state, eyes scanning the room for… something. It looks like he’s becoming more distressed by the second he doesn’t find whatever he’s looking for. Because of this, every so often an mini outburst occurs, and something is knocked to the floor.
Dayton silently curses herself for taking so long. Leaving him and Trucy alone together for an extended period of time was not part of her plan. Knowing what Apollo was capable of, she couldn’t bear the thought of something happening on her watch.
She immediately turns to Trucy.
“What’s going on? Is everything alright, are you hurt?”
The look of slight panic on Day’s face wasn’t something Trucy was expecting, but nevertheless she answered.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Apollo and I came in here to look for you. We took a wrong turn and now he’s….”
Trucy looks on, not sure how to explain more than just vaguely gesturing at the scene. She wasn’t even sure if Apollo could hear the both of them.
Dayton relaxes a bit when she hears that Trucy’s okay, but soon her eyes turn to face Apollo.
She couldn’t hide that she was still a bit bitter towards him, for multiple reasons other than his general rude disposition. She just got a glimpse at how difficult this task was going to be, and most of that difficulty was due to his actions.
It was hard not to look at the man before her and not see a wild animal, tearing at her through her clothes and skin, dealing as much damage as it possibly could. Just hoping beyond hope that one of the blows will be fatal enough to make her give up and let go.
She knows she’s bleeding, but even still-
She turns to Trucy.
“Stay here, okay?” Dayton warns.
Trucy nods. Steps softly hit the floor as Dayton makes her way closer to Apollo. She’s only a couple feet away when she speaks up, her voice no longer holding that softness that it once did before. But there’s no malice to it either.
There had to be something. Something, somewhere, that he hadn't known about, that no one had known about.
There had to be something. This was the crime scene. This was where he was- the knife. The knife covered with his friend's blood, the knife that she had looked at and reacted to and known about and seen before and his bracelet-
He couldn't control himself.
His body was moving without his input.
He was but a spectator, watching his hands, nearly vibrating with nervous energy, searching for something. Anything. What did he think he'd find? Had he known? Had he forgotten? The frustration was almost enough to make him writhe, make him tear off his bandages in shear agitation. But thankfully, his muscles didn't obey, staying numb and distant.
His thoughts lagged as his body continued on, dragging itself to its feet. Eyes briefly passed over the outline on the floor. The sight didn't help, his stomach rolling in response.
It was the last place he had been alive. The last place he would ever be alive. And now he was dead and gone and they would never meet again and was this even worth it it wasn't like investigating would being him back anyways-
His focus was broken. A look of furious agitation flickered across his face before the expression returned to a blank one, a wild, upset look lingering in his shaky gaze.
To what extent, it wasn't clear. But he was definitely focusing on Dayton, at least for the current moment.
Dayton tries to relax, but his gaze is stinging and intense. Navigating the pathways on how to get through to him was even more so that type of feeling.
But he had done what she asked, so she must be doing something right.
Dayton hadn’t been able to get a good look at the room earlier, but the huge screen display of the seahorse next to them was enough to tip her off. She saw this room within the court record.
Boarding Lounge 1, the crime scene.
Dayton takes a couple more steps toward him to lower his field of vision, hopefully to make it less likely for him to get distracted by something else.
‘Or I could just scare him off…or worse’ she thought, bitterly.
If he ran off, she’s fairly confident she’d be able to catch up. But if he attacked her… well, nothing’s a forgone conclusion…
‘Anything’s possible with the way he’s acting. But…’
Her gaze shifts from Apollo, to the jacket he’s wearing.
Could she really blame him?
…
‘Yes.’
She comes even closer, to the point where she’s right in front of him. From here she can clearly see the darkness under his eyes. His hair is a mess, the two strands that normally stick straight up drooping onto his face and partially obscuring his stare.
Her voice steadies as she continues.
“Tell me what you need, Apollo. Do you need to leave this room?”
Apollo's body tensed as Dayton started to draw near, his feet slightly pivoting to make the rest of him face her.
He really did give off the same vibes as that of a cornered animal, seconds away from lashing out. It didn't help that he raised his hands, up to his mid-torso, in anticipation, almost as if he were getting ready to grab, or punch, or shove.
Maybe he was. He just didn't know it, yet.
For now, though, Apollo simply stood there, staring at her. His eyes were dim, a maelstrom of emotions swirling behind them. It even, just a little, felt like he was staring straight through her.
When she talked again, his eyes focused a little. At least it seemed that he was paying attention, even just slightly, even if it took him a long few seconds to even comprehend what Dayton had said.
"...I need...", he muttered to himself, almost as more of a mimicry of the question rather than an actual attempt to answer it. For a moment, his mouth lingered open as his eyes drifted to the side, lost in brief thought. What was he looking for, again? What was he even doing?
Leaving this room. Leaving this room?
It hadn't even crossed his mind. He had tunnel visioned himself so hard that such an option had vanished. And that option, the moment it was thought of, his decision was solidified.
A glint immediately appeared in Apollo's eyes, his feet starting to move towards the doorway seemingly of their own volition, movements slow and fatigued. As Dayton was in his immediate path, he reached out to push her aside, being surprisingly gentle about the action.
Even still, he gave the sense that one wrong move would make him snap, all over again.
Briefly, his eyes had caught on Trucy, given how close she was to the doorway. The look he gave for that small moment was an apologetic one, the cacophony of emotions within him smothering it out after only a second or so.
Dayton feels the tension slowly bleed out of her as she sees him consider her words. That tension nearly returns tenfold as he steps towards her. She feels a pressure at her side as he pushes her away.
This is the first time he’s initiated contact with her.
She didn’t expect it to be so…soft.
Dayton turns to watch him exit. Part of her wants to stop him. After all, she had some questions she wanted to ask. But, looking at him, she couldn’t tell whether or not her hands would phase right through if she tried to touch him.
She decides that he needs a moment… to resolidify.
Trucy, meanwhile, watches the whole exchange with bated breath. Trucy had tried to call out to Apollo multiple times before this but it seems she still can’t find the right things to say. When Apollo turns to look at her, her eyes can’t meet his for long. All she could see was how much she was failing him.
Trucy wants to follow him. And she will… but it’s clear to her that she needs help. Her eyes turn to Dayton, the soft glint of sadness reflecting in them.
Dayton, noticing her distress, comes over to her. The closer she gets to her, the more regret she begins to feel.
“Ms. Wright…”
She wants to express her doubts, her apologies for getting her into this mess. But, part of her doesn’t want to admit she made the wrong decision. Plus, she doesn’t want to discourage Trucy. Dayton still needs her here.
“…Thank you for being so strong. It must’ve been difficult to see this…”
It was wrong to keep Trucy here at this point. Dayton should really send her home but, unfortunately, she was too selfish to do that.
The reasons she wanted Trucy here were threefold.
First, she needed someone with a strong enough connection to Apollo. Someone who he wouldn’t want knowing about his secret. This would encourage more cooperation throughout the investigation as Dayton would have immediate leverage at arms length.
Second, she needed safety. Coming here by herself with Apollo leaves too many windows for him to do something drastic. Enough murders have happened at this Space Center, what was one more? Now, if something happened to Dayton or Trucy, Apollo would be the immediate suspect. After all, Mr. Wright knows where they are and who they’re with. Mr. Wright was an attorney known for doing whatever he could to find the truth. It wouldn’t be that hard to find it in this case.
Third… she needed…no…wanted Apollo to spend some time with people he cares about. Depending on how this goes, she didn’t think he had much of that time left. If Trucy or Mr. Wright could appeal to his better nature then maybe…
So far, however, this appears to have had a very negative effect on Trucy. She’s a positive girl, but Dayton underestimated how much of that positivity was a survival skill. One that could crack under pressure.
“Yeah…” Trucy voices, halfheartedly. “I know Apollo can be single minded at times but… this was something else.”
Trucy laughs, releasing some of that anxiety she’d been bottling up.
“I just can’t figure out why he’s doing this now. Apollo investigated here before, I know that. Back with Athena was…”
She trails off.
“When they came back, I don’t remember them saying anything like this happened. I thought that maybe getting a re-do of the trial would be good news but… he just seems more… off?”
Trucy turns to Apollo, a questioning look on her face.
“When I try to talk to him, it feels like he’s not really listening. But with you… it’s different. Do you know why? Are you guys…friends or something?”
Dayton’s first thought was to lie and say that they knew each other, just to give some kind of explanation that made sense. But under Trucy’s watchful gaze she had a feeling any lie she told would be caught.
Plus, in her line of work lies tended to make things worse.
“No, we don’t really know each other. I wish I could tell you differently… Still, that might not be a bad thing right now. I can’t say this for sure… but I think it’s because I’m not his friend that he listens…”
Trucy didn’t know what to make of that, and honestly neither did Dayton until she said it out loud.
‘Apollo isn’t perfect. He knows that I know that. But since we don’t know each other that well, my judgement of him doesn’t really matter as much. Listening to me is about as emotionally investing a decision as flipping a coin. If someone asks you to flip a coin, you might as well, right? What’s the worst that could happen?’
Trucy doesn’t seem to realize this however, her head hanging low as she ponders if she should still even be here. Dayton can’t bear the look in her eyes, so she attempts to comfort her.
“But still, I don’t think you should give up. I might be able to help the odd outburst, but I’m not the reason he keeps going. You are. I’m sure you’ll get through to him.”
That was a half truth. Technically, Dayton is the one that keeps him going, that makes him stay here instead of huddled in a dark corner. But Dayton doesn’t quite see the irony until after she’s said it. She still means what she says to Trucy, and Trucy can see it in her face.
Trucy gives a small smile and nods. She’s unable to voice it, but her spirits have been lifted just a bit.
Dayton takes a look around the room. She’s aware that it’s the crime scene, but she can’t really see a reason to stick around. She looks out the window to see the storm still hasn’t let up.
“C’mon, let’s go make sure he’s doing alright. Then we can keep going.”
Day feels her soul abruptly re-entering her body. It was Detective Fullbright, just a colleague…well…former colleague of hers. He was… a lot, in general. But from what she remembered about him, he was well meaning.
They never worked collaboratively, but sometimes they’d share… very loud and sometimes one sided chats in the break room. You’d think it’d annoy someone relatively low energy like Dayton but, honestly she always had a soft spot for him. It was hard to find someone who was so dedicated to doing the right thing like he was, even though his standards were pretty rigid.
A weakness, a strength? She didn’t know. She was currently testing out that theory herself.
“You too, Detective. It’s nice to see you. And yes, I’ve been meaning to visit this place…”
Not technically a lie. She wanted to come before she even met up with Apollo, just to be a bit more prepared. But things didn’t quite work out that way.
When Fullbright’s expressions take a turn for the dramatic, she playfully rolls her eyes. His emotions were always so over the top. It was hard to believe they were real sometimes.
“Yes, it is a shame…”
Her eyes turn away from him, toward the jackets and astronaut suits up on display. Both of their reflections were present in the glass. Fullbright’s large presence behind her felt more dense than ever.
“Wouldn’t have expected to see you here, Detective. Didn’t you have your fill of the space center during the investigation?”
"Well, the higher-ups at the station want everything to be checked twice! Gone over with a fine-toothed comb, as you might say." As he straightened up, he adjusted his sunglasses, even putting them on for a moment... in the incredibly dark room.
He never did change, did he?
"I guess they want everything they can get out of it, before the shutters go down! Though- and don't tell anyone this- I have a feeling they're trying to look into that other murder!" Another grin was given, the volume of his voice lowering. "They're really grasping at straws with that one! First time I've seen no culprit arrested for a crime in a long while!"
In reality, he himself was interested. The man knew quite a lot about Athena Cykes, and had been ready to frame her at a moment's notice... so who else beat him to the revenge? He had a few ideas, but solid evidence for none.
The dark thoughts were completely masked by his expression, which remained as one of rather dramatic secretiveness. Nothing seemed amiss, really.
"But aside from that!", voice returning to its usual volume, "How've you been? Missing me and the guys back at the precinct yet?"
That made Dayton’s ear quirk up. In this day and age especially, it was a little odd for police resources to be used on a closed case. But whenever Fullbright leaned in to tell her the news, it all made sense.
‘Right… Of course they’d send someone to look here. This is where you’re going to find the motive so they’re on the right track…Still, if the goal is to find the culprit, visiting the space center isn’t entirely necessary for that. ’
Her eyes widen for a second as she considers this.
‘Or at least it wouldn’t be, if I hadn’t brought him here myself. *sigh* Walking backwards into trouble like always, right Day?’
Schooling her expression into a more casual one, she tilts her head in faux interest.
“You don’t say? Well, I wish the boys luck. Maybe this’ll be the right straw.”
Dayton puts her hand in her pocket, fingers softly messing with the leaf she put in there. When she’s asked about her wellbeing and what she feels, she nearly tears it.
A sad smile strikes across her face, but she’s able to pivot.
“It sounds like you guys are missing me more. You know… I’d normally be all over a case like this one….”
Dayton steps aside and walks a bit past Detective Fullbright, her voice taking on a more wistful tone.
“But you know me. Once I’ve got a bug in my ear about something, like the Solomon Starbuck case for instance, I can’t really get it out until I’ve done something about it…”
She slowly turns to him, the leaf displayed in her hands next to her face with its stem placed in between her fingers.
"I sure do hope so! The Chief Prosecutor's just about breathing down our necks on this one... and he's much scarier than Prosecutor Blackquill ever was, trust me!"
It did make sense. Miles Edgeworth, being Phoenix's best friend, would certainly be anxious to wrap this case up. It wasn't right to be funneling so many resources into a single case, but for once, the rather inflexible prosecutor felt just about obliged to.
At this point, their best assumption was the Phantom himself, still knowing little of the man.
It was a rather ironic assumption, considering who was actually responsible.
"Well, you did find yourself here! Are you sure you're just here to visit? Or are you doing some investigating of your own?" A big grin appeared on his face. "Not like I'd stop you! Any pursuit of justice is just in my book!"
Fulbright shifted his sunglasses over his eyes once the leaf was shown, a quizzical expression covering the parts of his expression that she could see.
"Well, I certainly know what you mean, Miss Columbia! I do recall your work ethic!" He paused, for a brief moment. "Though I have to admit, I'm a little lost! Is that leaf supposed to be important?"
Dayton smiles sheepishly, twirling the stem between her fingers.
“Ah, looks like you’ve got me, Detective. I might just be taking a look around just in case. Not that I plan to find anything too substantial. If there was anything to find, I’m sure you would’ve caught it already….”
The twirling stops once the leaf itself is questioned.
“Oh, this? Important? Well…if you don’t think it’s important I don’t see how it could be…”
Her brows furrow, a more serious look overtaking her face as she stares into the middle distance. She taps the little leaf up against her forehead.
“What could be important about this leaf…? I mean, if I had to guess it could be the same thing that was important about the bombs, both here and in the courtroom. A question lingers for both of them…”
Dayton pauses, teeth catching hold of her lip.
“How did they end up there?”
Her eyes suddenly sharpen, pinpointing onto Fullbright as she remembers something.
“I’m sure you remember how the trial ended… Sure, Mr. Wright had proposed the idea that the launch pads could’ve been switched. Mr. Starbuck seemed to almost be off the hook but…. Lack of evidence that the possible escape route was used kept the idea from going all the way…”
‘On the other hand, I probably shouldn’t present this as if he already knows. After all… Bobby arrived a bit late, after the verdict had already been handed down. At least, that’s what I heard.’
The little leaf’s position moves from her forehead to in front of her as she turns her head again to stare at it.
“Still, a possibility is a possibility…”
….
“Hey, Detective Fullbright. I know you were on the scene in response to the bomb threat. You would’ve had the lay of the place… You would’ve seen anything strange or out of place during that time, right?”
"Oho, who knows? Though I'd be surprised if any evidence could've escaped the gaze of justice!"
When attention was called back to the leaf, Fulbright paused, eyeing the object again. He did seem genuinely perturbed... and who wouldn't? It was just a leaf, after all.
After a moment, he adjusted his sunglasses again, clearly taking a moment to think. "I suppose we never did find out about those bombs, did we? Lotta mysteries hanging around this space center- all just begging to be solved!" Another grin was given. Not entirely appropriate, but on-brand for him.
"And I saw nothing out of the ordinary!" He said with a grin, putting his hands on his hips. "Whole lotta people who looked like they belonged! Maybe a few tourists, too, but that was it!". He wasn't exactly lying... for a few different reasons.
"Oh, are you confident that the astronaut didn't do it?" He said, before hesitating slightly, his voice lowering once more. "If you are... I have an idea of who did. But the evidence was never released, so don't go telling anyone I told you!"
She’s slightly taken aback at his cheerfulness, but she decides to remember who she was talking to.
‘He saw nothing… Of course. Well…that doesn’t entirely narrow it down, but I shouldn’t have expected anything different.’
Dayton is so lost in her own thoughts that she almost misheard him. When her thoughts catch up with her ears, her eyes become wide as saucers.
“An idea…” she whispers.
It takes a moment for her to face him again, her demeanor is oddly slow as her lips quirk up in an awkward manner. It’s difficult for her to hide it, but she feels a sense of dread crawling up her spine. She walks closer to him, getting a bit inside his personal bubble.
‘Don’t get too excited. This is Fullbright, remember? Sometimes he jumps the gun, so this could be nothing…. But if it is something, then…’
“An idea of who did it? I wouldn’t mind hearing about it, if there really is proof.”
"Well, there were a few things they ended up dusting for prints, while the trial was still running. They would've gotten submitted, but... the trial ended before that could happen! Oh well!"
His cheery expression turned into a pout, after a moment.
"I really couldn't believe it when I read it. Why would that Cykes girl's prints be on that lighter? You know, the one that was being held by the killer..? That, and I guess they caught her on the security footage in here, too... and it even fits the time frame..."
The pout continued for a few more seconds before he brightened up, once more.
"Well, that's something for the lawyers to find out!- if the case gets revived, anyways!"
Back to the pout his expression flipped. If the topic wasn't so dire, it would really be comedic.
"But with her dead, I'm not sure what all would happen... Maybe all her lawyer friends could get some closure, at least."
Athena’s fingerprints found on the lighter… a recording of her in the area during the timeframe of the murder.
“That’s… not good.”
‘What could she possibly have been doing here at that time?’
She could almost hear that voice, his voice, retort back at her in that biting tone she’s used to. She shakes her head, pushing the voice it came with farther away too.
‘I haven’t seen this evidence for myself. I have to keep that in mind. There must be something I’m missing… something…’
She steps back, her mind a swirl as she considers everything she knows.
‘I know that Athena was here on the day the bombs went off. Her fingerprints are on the lighter that the killer used. I know that the primary suspect in the case was the entity known as the Phantom. And while we never confirmed outright that Mr. Starbuck is connected to the Phantom, it is generally assumed that they had something to do with the bombings… But could the killer and the Phantom really be different people?’
Her brows furrow as she considers this.
‘No no wait, that doesn’t make sense. Whoever the murderer was must’ve been aware of the launch, the bombs, and the switching of the launch pads. If the Phantom and the killer were working together, this might work with Solomon, as he works here and would’ve had a much better opportunity to collaborate. Not to mention a motive for sabotaging the launch. But Athena? … Unless the Phantom decided to work with an 18 year old girl with no clear connection to the victim or the launch, it just doesn’t fit…’
‘Then again,’ she thinks, ‘I don’t really have much of a profile on the Phantom. How should I know what they would or wouldn’t do? And it doesn’t change the evidence…This would be so much easier if I could just… talk to her.’
But unfortunately, a certain someone has made that impossible. She feels her back teeth grind against each other as she tries to get a hold of herself.
If Dayton could be clear about one thing at the moment, it’s that this case wasn’t clear at all. It would make more sense to assume that the Phantom and the killer are the same person, but without clear evidence she can’t be sure.
It would’ve been enough to just have this puzzle nagging at her, but when she goes through it all again something else appears. Something she doesn’t want to think about.
Her eyebrows furrow even more, trying to stop the thought from completing. But it’s too late.
‘If the police already have this info, why hasn’t the case been relitigated yet on its own? If Detective Fullbright knew this… then why was he here? What more is there to find?’
“Well, that's something for the lawyers to find out!- if the case gets revived, anyways!"
‘That… doesn’t sound like Fullbright. Would his obsession with justice really allow him to sit on information like this without a ruckus? And if so… why would he tell me about it now?’
She sighs and turns to Fullbright with a half hearted smile on her face as she considers, once again, what she knows.
‘I know… I know that Fullbright is aware of evidence that would’ve probably exonerated Mr. Starbuck, and nothing has been done with it.’
Her face shifts a bit at this thought, the look she gives Fullbright becoming a bit despondent.
The reasons why nothing has been done, she hopes, were benevolent. But she couldn’t make herself believe it. The leaf she had been messing with earlier floats back into her pocket.
After a long pause, she speaks again.
“But if there’s evidence, then I guess I can’t argue against it. Thanks Detective, that really helped scratch my itch. I think I’m just gonna do a quick walk around the place and head home.”
She only had a couple of things she could think to do at this point. She needed more information about the Phantom, and she needed to at least see the camera footage for herself. There was only one person here she could think to go to for that.
Fulbright gave a perturbed expression to Dayton as she stood in silent contemplation, fiddling with his sunglasses a little more. Such a drawn-out reaction admittedly left him a little curious, as did the leaf. There were things he should ask about, but... subtly doing so was its own challenge.
In response to the smile, he flashed his own, still clearly watching. The shift in her expression was seen, and noted, before he focused back on her words.
"It's no problem at all! I'm glad I could help!" He said, cheerfully, words interrupted by the boom of thunder, its associated lightning illuminating the room in a brief, white light. After leaping in a rather animated reaction of fright, the detective laughed it off, sharply raising his hand in a sort of wave.
"Enjoy the rest of your day! And remember, in justice we trust!"
A rather relevant statement, even if he himself didn't know it.
Apollo was still there, thankfully. He could've run off, hidden in some staff-only room, or even gained the strength to run out into the rain, vanishing into the dimming afternoon light.
But, there had been two issues. First was Trucy. Not only was upsetting her something he preferred not to do, but Apollo also figured she'd easily be able to outrun him in his current state.
Additionally, was the affect of the overwhelming stress he felt at the moment.
Focusing on it would've brought nothing but instability, and he was much too tired to deal with thoughts of the past, not anymore. So, the moment they had stepped foot within the astronaut lounge, he started searching. Searching for what? He didn't know. But he was just about ripping the room apart in his pursuit, focusing intently on his make-believe goal.
It was just his way of coping. And thankfully for the others tagging along, it forced him to stay put.
That last word lingered in her mind as she exited the Space Museum. Trust in justice? Trust in Fullbright?
It hurts to admit, but she might’ve put Detective Fullbright on a bit of a pedestal. Not because he was particularly good at his job, but because he was what he said. Just.
Now?
She sighs.
The walk back to the elevator was shorter than the walk away from it. Mostly because she wasn’t as scared of her own shadow and pausing to look at the first interesting thing she sees.
She’s about to enter when the doors open, but a sudden clanging resounds into her ears. It’s faint, but it sounds like it’s coming from the other end of the corridor on the opposite side.
She pauses for a second, letting the silence fall over again to see if she can catch anything else….
“……A…...pollo!”
Daytons heavy footfalls find rhythm with the rain, her haste getting her to the other end in no time.
When she arrives, she sees Trucy standing near the entrance, a look of anxiety on her face. Further into the room is Apollo, moving from place to place in a manic state, eyes scanning the room for… something. It looks like he’s becoming more distressed by the second he doesn’t find whatever he’s looking for. Because of this, every so often an mini outburst occurs, and something is knocked to the floor.
Dayton silently curses herself for taking so long. Leaving him and Trucy alone together for an extended period of time was not part of her plan. Knowing what Apollo was capable of, she couldn’t bear the thought of something happening on her watch.
She immediately turns to Trucy.
“What’s going on? Is everything alright, are you hurt?”
The look of slight panic on Day’s face wasn’t something Trucy was expecting, but nevertheless she answered.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Apollo and I came in here to look for you. We took a wrong turn and now he’s….”
Trucy looks on, not sure how to explain more than just vaguely gesturing at the scene. She wasn’t even sure if Apollo could hear the both of them.
Dayton relaxes a bit when she hears that Trucy’s okay, but soon her eyes turn to face Apollo.
She couldn’t hide that she was still a bit bitter towards him, for multiple reasons other than his general rude disposition. She just got a glimpse at how difficult this task was going to be, and most of that difficulty was due to his actions.
It was hard not to look at the man before her and not see a wild animal, tearing at her through her clothes and skin, dealing as much damage as it possibly could. Just hoping beyond hope that one of the blows will be fatal enough to make her give up and let go.
She knows she’s bleeding, but even still-
She turns to Trucy.
“Stay here, okay?” Dayton warns.
Trucy nods. Steps softly hit the floor as Dayton makes her way closer to Apollo. She’s only a couple feet away when she speaks up, her voice no longer holding that softness that it once did before. But there’s no malice to it either.
There had to be something. Something, somewhere, that he hadn't known about, that no one had known about.
There had to be something. This was the crime scene. This was where he was- the knife. The knife covered with his friend's blood, the knife that she had looked at and reacted to and known about and seen before and his bracelet-
He couldn't control himself.
His body was moving without his input.
He was but a spectator, watching his hands, nearly vibrating with nervous energy, searching for something. Anything. What did he think he'd find? Had he known? Had he forgotten? The frustration was almost enough to make him writhe, make him tear off his bandages in shear agitation. But thankfully, his muscles didn't obey, staying numb and distant.
His thoughts lagged as his body continued on, dragging itself to its feet. Eyes briefly passed over the outline on the floor. The sight didn't help, his stomach rolling in response.
It was the last place he had been alive. The last place he would ever be alive. And now he was dead and gone and they would never meet again and was this even worth it it wasn't like investigating would being him back anyways-
His focus was broken. A look of furious agitation flickered across his face before the expression returned to a blank one, a wild, upset look lingering in his shaky gaze.
To what extent, it wasn't clear. But he was definitely focusing on Dayton, at least for the current moment.
Dayton tries to relax, but his gaze is stinging and intense. Navigating the pathways on how to get through to him was even more so that type of feeling.
But he had done what she asked, so she must be doing something right.
Dayton hadn’t been able to get a good look at the room earlier, but the huge screen display of the seahorse next to them was enough to tip her off. She saw this room within the court record.
Boarding Lounge 1, the crime scene.
Dayton takes a couple more steps toward him to lower his field of vision, hopefully to make it less likely for him to get distracted by something else.
‘Or I could just scare him off…or worse’ she thought, bitterly.
If he ran off, she’s fairly confident she’d be able to catch up. But if he attacked her… well, nothing’s a forgone conclusion…
‘Anything’s possible with the way he’s acting. But…’
Her gaze shifts from Apollo, to the jacket he’s wearing.
Could she really blame him?
…
‘Yes.’
She comes even closer, to the point where she’s right in front of him. From here she can clearly see the darkness under his eyes. His hair is a mess, the two strands that normally stick straight up drooping onto his face and partially obscuring his stare.
Her voice steadies as she continues.
“Tell me what you need, Apollo. Do you need to leave this room?”
Day feels her soul abruptly re-entering her body. It was Detective Fullbright, just a colleague…well…former colleague of hers. He was… a lot, in general. But from what she remembered about him, he was well meaning.
They never worked collaboratively, but sometimes they’d share… very loud and sometimes one sided chats in the break room. You’d think it’d annoy someone relatively low energy like Dayton but, honestly she always had a soft spot for him. It was hard to find someone who was so dedicated to doing the right thing like he was, even though his standards were pretty rigid.
A weakness, a strength? She didn’t know. She was currently testing out that theory herself.
“You too, Detective. It’s nice to see you. And yes, I’ve been meaning to visit this place…”
Not technically a lie. She wanted to come before she even met up with Apollo, just to be a bit more prepared. But things didn’t quite work out that way.
When Fullbright’s expressions take a turn for the dramatic, she playfully rolls her eyes. His emotions were always so over the top. It was hard to believe they were real sometimes.
“Yes, it is a shame…”
Her eyes turn away from him, toward the jackets and astronaut suits up on display. Both of their reflections were present in the glass. Fullbright’s large presence behind her felt more dense than ever.
“Wouldn’t have expected to see you here, Detective. Didn’t you have your fill of the space center during the investigation?”
"Well, the higher-ups at the station want everything to be checked twice! Gone over with a fine-toothed comb, as you might say." As he straightened up, he adjusted his sunglasses, even putting them on for a moment... in the incredibly dark room.
He never did change, did he?
"I guess they want everything they can get out of it, before the shutters go down! Though- and don't tell anyone this- I have a feeling they're trying to look into that other murder!" Another grin was given, the volume of his voice lowering. "They're really grasping at straws with that one! First time I've seen no culprit arrested for a crime in a long while!"
In reality, he himself was interested. The man knew quite a lot about Athena Cykes, and had been ready to frame her at a moment's notice... so who else beat him to the revenge? He had a few ideas, but solid evidence for none.
The dark thoughts were completely masked by his expression, which remained as one of rather dramatic secretiveness. Nothing seemed amiss, really.
"But aside from that!", voice returning to its usual volume, "How've you been? Missing me and the guys back at the precinct yet?"
That made Dayton’s ear quirk up. In this day and age especially, it was a little odd for police resources to be used on a closed case. But whenever Fullbright leaned in to tell her the news, it all made sense.
‘Right… Of course they’d send someone to look here. This is where you’re going to find the motive so they’re on the right track…Still, if the goal is to find the culprit, visiting the space center isn’t entirely necessary for that. ’
Her eyes widen for a second as she considers this.
‘Or at least it wouldn’t be, if I hadn’t brought him here myself. *sigh* Walking backwards into trouble like always, right Day?’
Schooling her expression into a more casual one, she tilts her head in faux interest.
“You don’t say? Well, I wish the boys luck. Maybe this’ll be the right straw.”
Dayton puts her hand in her pocket, fingers softly messing with the leaf she put in there. When she’s asked about her wellbeing and what she feels, she nearly tears it.
A sad smile strikes across her face, but she’s able to pivot.
“It sounds like you guys are missing me more. You know… I’d normally be all over a case like this one….”
Dayton steps aside and walks a bit past Detective Fullbright, her voice taking on a more wistful tone.
“But you know me. Once I’ve got a bug in my ear about something, like the Solomon Starbuck case for instance, I can’t really get it out until I’ve done something about it…”
She slowly turns to him, the leaf displayed in her hands next to her face with its stem placed in between her fingers.
"I sure do hope so! The Chief Prosecutor's just about breathing down our necks on this one... and he's much scarier than Prosecutor Blackquill ever was, trust me!"
It did make sense. Miles Edgeworth, being Phoenix's best friend, would certainly be anxious to wrap this case up. It wasn't right to be funneling so many resources into a single case, but for once, the rather inflexible prosecutor felt just about obliged to.
At this point, their best assumption was the Phantom himself, still knowing little of the man.
It was a rather ironic assumption, considering who was actually responsible.
"Well, you did find yourself here! Are you sure you're just here to visit? Or are you doing some investigating of your own?" A big grin appeared on his face. "Not like I'd stop you! Any pursuit of justice is just in my book!"
Fulbright shifted his sunglasses over his eyes once the leaf was shown, a quizzical expression covering the parts of his expression that she could see.
"Well, I certainly know what you mean, Miss Columbia! I do recall your work ethic!" He paused, for a brief moment. "Though I have to admit, I'm a little lost! Is that leaf supposed to be important?"
Dayton smiles sheepishly, twirling the stem between her fingers.
“Ah, looks like you’ve got me, Detective. I might just be taking a look around just in case. Not that I plan to find anything too substantial. If there was anything to find, I’m sure you would’ve caught it already….”
The twirling stops once the leaf itself is questioned.
“Oh, this? Important? Well…if you don’t think it’s important I don’t see how it could be…”
Her brows furrow, a more serious look overtaking her face as she stares into the middle distance. She taps the little leaf up against her forehead.
“What could be important about this leaf…? I mean, if I had to guess it could be the same thing that was important about the bombs, both here and in the courtroom. A question lingers for both of them…”
Dayton pauses, teeth catching hold of her lip.
“How did they end up there?”
Her eyes suddenly sharpen, pinpointing onto Fullbright as she remembers something.
“I’m sure you remember how the trial ended… Sure, Mr. Wright had proposed the idea that the launch pads could’ve been switched. Mr. Starbuck seemed to almost be off the hook but…. Lack of evidence that the possible escape route was used kept the idea from going all the way…”
‘On the other hand, I probably shouldn’t present this as if he already knows. After all… Bobby arrived a bit late, after the verdict had already been handed down. At least, that’s what I heard.’
The little leaf’s position moves from her forehead to in front of her as she turns her head again to stare at it.
“Still, a possibility is a possibility…”
….
“Hey, Detective Fullbright. I know you were on the scene in response to the bomb threat. You would’ve had the lay of the place… You would’ve seen anything strange or out of place during that time, right?”
"Oho, who knows? Though I'd be surprised if any evidence could've escaped the gaze of justice!"
When attention was called back to the leaf, Fulbright paused, eyeing the object again. He did seem genuinely perturbed... and who wouldn't? It was just a leaf, after all.
After a moment, he adjusted his sunglasses again, clearly taking a moment to think. "I suppose we never did find out about those bombs, did we? Lotta mysteries hanging around this space center- all just begging to be solved!" Another grin was given. Not entirely appropriate, but on-brand for him.
"And I saw nothing out of the ordinary!" He said with a grin, putting his hands on his hips. "Whole lotta people who looked like they belonged! Maybe a few tourists, too, but that was it!". He wasn't exactly lying... for a few different reasons.
"Oh, are you confident that the astronaut didn't do it?" He said, before hesitating slightly, his voice lowering once more. "If you are... I have an idea of who did. But the evidence was never released, so don't go telling anyone I told you!"
She’s slightly taken aback at his cheerfulness, but she decides to remember who she was talking to.
‘He saw nothing… Of course. Well…that doesn’t entirely narrow it down, but I shouldn’t have expected anything different.’
Dayton is so lost in her own thoughts that she almost misheard him. When her thoughts catch up with her ears, her eyes become wide as saucers.
“An idea…” she whispers.
It takes a moment for her to face him again, her demeanor is oddly slow as her lips quirk up in an awkward manner. It’s difficult for her to hide it, but she feels a sense of dread crawling up her spine. She walks closer to him, getting a bit inside his personal bubble.
‘Don’t get too excited. This is Fullbright, remember? Sometimes he jumps the gun, so this could be nothing…. But if it is something, then…’
“An idea of who did it? I wouldn’t mind hearing about it, if there really is proof.”
"Well, there were a few things they ended up dusting for prints, while the trial was still running. They would've gotten submitted, but... the trial ended before that could happen! Oh well!"
His cheery expression turned into a pout, after a moment.
"I really couldn't believe it when I read it. Why would that Cykes girl's prints be on that lighter? You know, the one that was being held by the killer..? That, and I guess they caught her on the security footage in here, too... and it even fits the time frame..."
The pout continued for a few more seconds before he brightened up, once more.
"Well, that's something for the lawyers to find out!- if the case gets revived, anyways!"
Back to the pout his expression flipped. If the topic wasn't so dire, it would really be comedic.
"But with her dead, I'm not sure what all would happen... Maybe all her lawyer friends could get some closure, at least."
Athena’s fingerprints found on the lighter… a recording of her in the area during the timeframe of the murder.
“That’s… not good.”
‘What could she possibly have been doing here at that time?’
She could almost hear that voice, his voice, retort back at her in that biting tone she’s used to. She shakes her head, pushing the voice it came with farther away too.
‘I haven’t seen this evidence for myself. I have to keep that in mind. There must be something I’m missing… something…’
She steps back, her mind a swirl as she considers everything she knows.
‘I know that Athena was here on the day the bombs went off. Her fingerprints are on the lighter that the killer used. I know that the primary suspect in the case was the entity known as the Phantom. And while we never confirmed outright that Mr. Starbuck is connected to the Phantom, it is generally assumed that they had something to do with the bombings… But could the killer and the Phantom really be different people?’
Her brows furrow as she considers this.
‘No no wait, that doesn’t make sense. Whoever the murderer was must’ve been aware of the launch, the bombs, and the switching of the launch pads. If the Phantom and the killer were working together, this might work with Solomon, as he works here and would’ve had a much better opportunity to collaborate. Not to mention a motive for sabotaging the launch. But Athena? … Unless the Phantom decided to work with an 18 year old girl with no clear connection to the victim or the launch, it just doesn’t fit…’
‘Then again,’ she thinks, ‘I don’t really have much of a profile on the Phantom. How should I know what they would or wouldn’t do? And it doesn’t change the evidence…This would be so much easier if I could just… talk to her.’
But unfortunately, a certain someone has made that impossible. She feels her back teeth grind against each other as she tries to get a hold of herself.
If Dayton could be clear about one thing at the moment, it’s that this case wasn’t clear at all. It would make more sense to assume that the Phantom and the killer are the same person, but without clear evidence she can’t be sure.
It would’ve been enough to just have this puzzle nagging at her, but when she goes through it all again something else appears. Something she doesn’t want to think about.
Her eyebrows furrow even more, trying to stop the thought from completing. But it’s too late.
‘If the police already have this info, why hasn’t the case been relitigated yet on its own? If Detective Fullbright knew this… then why was he here? What more is there to find?’
“Well, that's something for the lawyers to find out!- if the case gets revived, anyways!"
‘That… doesn’t sound like Fullbright. Would his obsession with justice really allow him to sit on information like this without a ruckus? And if so… why would he tell me about it now?’
She sighs and turns to Fullbright with a half hearted smile on her face as she considers, once again, what she knows.
‘I know… I know that Fullbright is aware of evidence that would’ve probably exonerated Mr. Starbuck, and nothing has been done with it.’
Her face shifts a bit at this thought, the look she gives Fullbright becoming a bit despondent.
The reasons why nothing has been done, she hopes, were benevolent. But she couldn’t make herself believe it. The leaf she had been messing with earlier floats back into her pocket.
After a long pause, she speaks again.
“But if there’s evidence, then I guess I can’t argue against it. Thanks Detective, that really helped scratch my itch. I think I’m just gonna do a quick walk around the place and head home.”
She only had a couple of things she could think to do at this point. She needed more information about the Phantom, and she needed to at least see the camera footage for herself. There was only one person here she could think to go to for that.
Fulbright gave a perturbed expression to Dayton as she stood in silent contemplation, fiddling with his sunglasses a little more. Such a drawn-out reaction admittedly left him a little curious, as did the leaf. There were things he should ask about, but... subtly doing so was its own challenge.
In response to the smile, he flashed his own, still clearly watching. The shift in her expression was seen, and noted, before he focused back on her words.
"It's no problem at all! I'm glad I could help!" He said, cheerfully, words interrupted by the boom of thunder, its associated lightning illuminating the room in a brief, white light. After leaping in a rather animated reaction of fright, the detective laughed it off, sharply raising his hand in a sort of wave.
"Enjoy the rest of your day! And remember, in justice we trust!"
A rather relevant statement, even if he himself didn't know it.
Apollo was still there, thankfully. He could've run off, hidden in some staff-only room, or even gained the strength to run out into the rain, vanishing into the dimming afternoon light.
But, there had been two issues. First was Trucy. Not only was upsetting her something he preferred not to do, but Apollo also figured she'd easily be able to outrun him in his current state.
Additionally, was the affect of the overwhelming stress he felt at the moment.
Focusing on it would've brought nothing but instability, and he was much too tired to deal with thoughts of the past, not anymore. So, the moment they had stepped foot within the astronaut lounge, he started searching. Searching for what? He didn't know. But he was just about ripping the room apart in his pursuit, focusing intently on his make-believe goal.
It was just his way of coping. And thankfully for the others tagging along, it forced him to stay put.
That last word lingered in her mind as she exited the Space Museum. Trust in justice? Trust in Fullbright?
It hurts to admit, but she might’ve put Detective Fullbright on a bit of a pedestal. Not because he was particularly good at his job, but because he was what he said. Just.
Now?
She sighs.
The walk back to the elevator was shorter than the walk away from it. Mostly because she wasn’t as scared of her own shadow and pausing to look at the first interesting thing she sees.
She’s about to enter when the doors open, but a sudden clanging resounds into her ears. It’s faint, but it sounds like it’s coming from the other end of the corridor on the opposite side.
She pauses for a second, letting the silence fall over again to see if she can catch anything else….
“……A…...pollo!”
Daytons heavy footfalls find rhythm with the rain, her haste getting her to the other end in no time.
When she arrives, she sees Trucy standing near the entrance, a look of anxiety on her face. Further into the room is Apollo, moving from place to place in a manic state, eyes scanning the room for… something. It looks like he’s becoming more distressed by the second he doesn’t find whatever he’s looking for. Because of this, every so often an mini outburst occurs, and something is knocked to the floor.
Dayton silently curses herself for taking so long. Leaving him and Trucy alone together for an extended period of time was not part of her plan. Knowing what Apollo was capable of, she couldn’t bear the thought of something happening on her watch.
She immediately turns to Trucy.
“What’s going on? Is everything alright, are you hurt?”
The look of slight panic on Day’s face wasn’t something Trucy was expecting, but nevertheless she answered.
“Yeah, I’m fine… Apollo and I came in here to look for you. We took a wrong turn and now he’s….”
Trucy looks on, not sure how to explain more than just vaguely gesturing at the scene. She wasn’t even sure if Apollo could hear the both of them.
Dayton relaxes a bit when she hears that Trucy’s okay, but soon her eyes turn to face Apollo.
She couldn’t hide that she was still a bit bitter towards him, for multiple reasons other than his general rude disposition. She just got a glimpse at how difficult this task was going to be, and most of that difficulty was due to his actions.
It was hard not to look at the man before her and not see a wild animal, tearing at her through her clothes and skin, dealing as much damage as it possibly could. Just hoping beyond hope that one of the blows will be fatal enough to make her give up and let go.
She knows she’s bleeding, but even still-
She turns to Trucy.
“Stay here, okay?” Dayton warns.
Trucy nods. Steps softly hit the floor as Dayton makes her way closer to Apollo. She’s only a couple feet away when she speaks up, her voice no longer holding that softness that it once did before. But there’s no malice to it either.
Day feels her soul abruptly re-entering her body. It was Detective Fullbright, just a colleague…well…former colleague of hers. He was… a lot, in general. But from what she remembered about him, he was well meaning.
They never worked collaboratively, but sometimes they’d share… very loud and sometimes one sided chats in the break room. You’d think it’d annoy someone relatively low energy like Dayton but, honestly she always had a soft spot for him. It was hard to find someone who was so dedicated to doing the right thing like he was, even though his standards were pretty rigid.
A weakness, a strength? She didn’t know. She was currently testing out that theory herself.
“You too, Detective. It’s nice to see you. And yes, I’ve been meaning to visit this place…”
Not technically a lie. She wanted to come before she even met up with Apollo, just to be a bit more prepared. But things didn’t quite work out that way.
When Fullbright’s expressions take a turn for the dramatic, she playfully rolls her eyes. His emotions were always so over the top. It was hard to believe they were real sometimes.
“Yes, it is a shame…”
Her eyes turn away from him, toward the jackets and astronaut suits up on display. Both of their reflections were present in the glass. Fullbright’s large presence behind her felt more dense than ever.
“Wouldn’t have expected to see you here, Detective. Didn’t you have your fill of the space center during the investigation?”
"Well, the higher-ups at the station want everything to be checked twice! Gone over with a fine-toothed comb, as you might say." As he straightened up, he adjusted his sunglasses, even putting them on for a moment... in the incredibly dark room.
He never did change, did he?
"I guess they want everything they can get out of it, before the shutters go down! Though- and don't tell anyone this- I have a feeling they're trying to look into that other murder!" Another grin was given, the volume of his voice lowering. "They're really grasping at straws with that one! First time I've seen no culprit arrested for a crime in a long while!"
In reality, he himself was interested. The man knew quite a lot about Athena Cykes, and had been ready to frame her at a moment's notice... so who else beat him to the revenge? He had a few ideas, but solid evidence for none.
The dark thoughts were completely masked by his expression, which remained as one of rather dramatic secretiveness. Nothing seemed amiss, really.
"But aside from that!", voice returning to its usual volume, "How've you been? Missing me and the guys back at the precinct yet?"
That made Dayton’s ear quirk up. In this day and age especially, it was a little odd for police resources to be used on a closed case. But whenever Fullbright leaned in to tell her the news, it all made sense.
‘Right… Of course they’d send someone to look here. This is where you’re going to find the motive so they’re on the right track…Still, if the goal is to find the culprit, visiting the space center isn’t entirely necessary for that. ’
Her eyes widen for a second as she considers this.
‘Or at least it wouldn’t be, if I hadn’t brought him here myself. *sigh* Walking backwards into trouble like always, right Day?’
Schooling her expression into a more casual one, she tilts her head in faux interest.
“You don’t say? Well, I wish the boys luck. Maybe this’ll be the right straw.”
Dayton puts her hand in her pocket, fingers softly messing with the leaf she put in there. When she’s asked about her wellbeing and what she feels, she nearly tears it.
A sad smile strikes across her face, but she’s able to pivot.
“It sounds like you guys are missing me more. You know… I’d normally be all over a case like this one….”
Dayton steps aside and walks a bit past Detective Fullbright, her voice taking on a more wistful tone.
“But you know me. Once I’ve got a bug in my ear about something, like the Solomon Starbuck case for instance, I can’t really get it out until I’ve done something about it…”
She slowly turns to him, the leaf displayed in her hands next to her face with its stem placed in between her fingers.
"I sure do hope so! The Chief Prosecutor's just about breathing down our necks on this one... and he's much scarier than Prosecutor Blackquill ever was, trust me!"
It did make sense. Miles Edgeworth, being Phoenix's best friend, would certainly be anxious to wrap this case up. It wasn't right to be funneling so many resources into a single case, but for once, the rather inflexible prosecutor felt just about obliged to.
At this point, their best assumption was the Phantom himself, still knowing little of the man.
It was a rather ironic assumption, considering who was actually responsible.
"Well, you did find yourself here! Are you sure you're just here to visit? Or are you doing some investigating of your own?" A big grin appeared on his face. "Not like I'd stop you! Any pursuit of justice is just in my book!"
Fulbright shifted his sunglasses over his eyes once the leaf was shown, a quizzical expression covering the parts of his expression that she could see.
"Well, I certainly know what you mean, Miss Columbia! I do recall your work ethic!" He paused, for a brief moment. "Though I have to admit, I'm a little lost! Is that leaf supposed to be important?"
Dayton smiles sheepishly, twirling the stem between her fingers.
“Ah, looks like you’ve got me, Detective. I might just be taking a look around just in case. Not that I plan to find anything too substantial. If there was anything to find, I’m sure you would’ve caught it already….”
The twirling stops once the leaf itself is questioned.
“Oh, this? Important? Well…if you don’t think it’s important I don’t see how it could be…”
Her brows furrow, a more serious look overtaking her face as she stares into the middle distance. She taps the little leaf up against her forehead.
“What could be important about this leaf…? I mean, if I had to guess it could be the same thing that was important about the bombs, both here and in the courtroom. A question lingers for both of them…”
Dayton pauses, teeth catching hold of her lip.
“How did they end up there?”
Her eyes suddenly sharpen, pinpointing onto Fullbright as she remembers something.
“I’m sure you remember how the trial ended… Sure, Mr. Wright had proposed the idea that the launch pads could’ve been switched. Mr. Starbuck seemed to almost be off the hook but…. Lack of evidence that the possible escape route was used kept the idea from going all the way…”
‘On the other hand, I probably shouldn’t present this as if he already knows. After all… Bobby arrived a bit late, after the verdict had already been handed down. At least, that’s what I heard.’
The little leaf’s position moves from her forehead to in front of her as she turns her head again to stare at it.
“Still, a possibility is a possibility…”
….
“Hey, Detective Fullbright. I know you were on the scene in response to the bomb threat. You would’ve had the lay of the place… You would’ve seen anything strange or out of place during that time, right?”
"Oho, who knows? Though I'd be surprised if any evidence could've escaped the gaze of justice!"
When attention was called back to the leaf, Fulbright paused, eyeing the object again. He did seem genuinely perturbed... and who wouldn't? It was just a leaf, after all.
After a moment, he adjusted his sunglasses again, clearly taking a moment to think. "I suppose we never did find out about those bombs, did we? Lotta mysteries hanging around this space center- all just begging to be solved!" Another grin was given. Not entirely appropriate, but on-brand for him.
"And I saw nothing out of the ordinary!" He said with a grin, putting his hands on his hips. "Whole lotta people who looked like they belonged! Maybe a few tourists, too, but that was it!". He wasn't exactly lying... for a few different reasons.
"Oh, are you confident that the astronaut didn't do it?" He said, before hesitating slightly, his voice lowering once more. "If you are... I have an idea of who did. But the evidence was never released, so don't go telling anyone I told you!"
She’s slightly taken aback at his cheerfulness, but she decides to remember who she was talking to.
‘He saw nothing… Of course. Well…that doesn’t entirely narrow it down, but I shouldn’t have expected anything different.’
Dayton is so lost in her own thoughts that she almost misheard him. When her thoughts catch up with her ears, her eyes become wide as saucers.
“An idea…” she whispers.
It takes a moment for her to face him again, her demeanor is oddly slow as her lips quirk up in an awkward manner. It’s difficult for her to hide it, but she feels a sense of dread crawling up her spine. She walks closer to him, getting a bit inside his personal bubble.
‘Don’t get too excited. This is Fullbright, remember? Sometimes he jumps the gun, so this could be nothing…. But if it is something, then…’
“An idea of who did it? I wouldn’t mind hearing about it, if there really is proof.”
"Well, there were a few things they ended up dusting for prints, while the trial was still running. They would've gotten submitted, but... the trial ended before that could happen! Oh well!"
His cheery expression turned into a pout, after a moment.
"I really couldn't believe it when I read it. Why would that Cykes girl's prints be on that lighter? You know, the one that was being held by the killer..? That, and I guess they caught her on the security footage in here, too... and it even fits the time frame..."
The pout continued for a few more seconds before he brightened up, once more.
"Well, that's something for the lawyers to find out!- if the case gets revived, anyways!"
Back to the pout his expression flipped. If the topic wasn't so dire, it would really be comedic.
"But with her dead, I'm not sure what all would happen... Maybe all her lawyer friends could get some closure, at least."
Athena’s fingerprints found on the lighter… a recording of her in the area during the timeframe of the murder.
“That’s… not good.”
‘What could she possibly have been doing here at that time?’
She could almost hear that voice, his voice, retort back at her in that biting tone she’s used to. She shakes her head, pushing the voice it came with farther away too.
‘I haven’t seen this evidence for myself. I have to keep that in mind. There must be something I’m missing… something…’
She steps back, her mind a swirl as she considers everything she knows.
‘I know that Athena was here on the day the bombs went off. Her fingerprints are on the lighter that the killer used. I know that the primary suspect in the case was the entity known as the Phantom. And while we never confirmed outright that Mr. Starbuck is connected to the Phantom, it is generally assumed that they had something to do with the bombings… But could the killer and the Phantom really be different people?’
Her brows furrow as she considers this.
‘No no wait, that doesn’t make sense. Whoever the murderer was must’ve been aware of the launch, the bombs, and the switching of the launch pads. If the Phantom and the killer were working together, this might work with Solomon, as he works here and would’ve had a much better opportunity to collaborate. Not to mention a motive for sabotaging the launch. But Athena? … Unless the Phantom decided to work with an 18 year old girl with no clear connection to the victim or the launch, it just doesn’t fit…’
‘Then again,’ she thinks, ‘I don’t really have much of a profile on the Phantom. How should I know what they would or wouldn’t do? And it doesn’t change the evidence…This would be so much easier if I could just… talk to her.’
But unfortunately, a certain someone has made that impossible. She feels her back teeth grind against each other as she tries to get a hold of herself.
If Dayton could be clear about one thing at the moment, it’s that this case wasn’t clear at all. It would make more sense to assume that the Phantom and the killer are the same person, but without clear evidence she can’t be sure.
It would’ve been enough to just have this puzzle nagging at her, but when she goes through it all again something else appears. Something she doesn’t want to think about.
Her eyebrows furrow even more, trying to stop the thought from completing. But it’s too late.
‘If the police already have this info, why hasn’t the case been relitigated yet on its own? If Detective Fullbright knew this… then why was he here? What more is there to find?’
“Well, that's something for the lawyers to find out!- if the case gets revived, anyways!"
‘That… doesn’t sound like Fullbright. Would his obsession with justice really allow him to sit on information like this without a ruckus? And if so… why would he tell me about it now?’
She sighs and turns to Fullbright with a half hearted smile on her face as she considers, once again, what she knows.
‘I know… I know that Fullbright is aware of evidence that would’ve probably exonerated Mr. Starbuck, and nothing has been done with it.’
Her face shifts a bit at this thought, the look she gives Fullbright becoming a bit despondent.
The reasons why nothing has been done, she hopes, were benevolent. But she couldn’t make herself believe it. The leaf she had been messing with earlier floats back into her pocket.
After a long pause, she speaks again.
“But if there’s evidence, then I guess I can’t argue against it. Thanks Detective, that really helped scratch my itch. I think I’m just gonna do a quick walk around the place and head home.”
She only had a couple of things she could think to do at this point. She needed more information about the Phantom, and she needed to at least see the camera footage for herself. There was only one person here she could think to go to for that.
Day feels her soul abruptly re-entering her body. It was Detective Fullbright, just a colleague…well…former colleague of hers. He was… a lot, in general. But from what she remembered about him, he was well meaning.
They never worked collaboratively, but sometimes they’d share… very loud and sometimes one sided chats in the break room. You’d think it’d annoy someone relatively low energy like Dayton but, honestly she always had a soft spot for him. It was hard to find someone who was so dedicated to doing the right thing like he was, even though his standards were pretty rigid.
A weakness, a strength? She didn’t know. She was currently testing out that theory herself.
“You too, Detective. It’s nice to see you. And yes, I’ve been meaning to visit this place…”
Not technically a lie. She wanted to come before she even met up with Apollo, just to be a bit more prepared. But things didn’t quite work out that way.
When Fullbright’s expressions take a turn for the dramatic, she playfully rolls her eyes. His emotions were always so over the top. It was hard to believe they were real sometimes.
“Yes, it is a shame…”
Her eyes turn away from him, toward the jackets and astronaut suits up on display. Both of their reflections were present in the glass. Fullbright’s large presence behind her felt more dense than ever.
“Wouldn’t have expected to see you here, Detective. Didn’t you have your fill of the space center during the investigation?”
"Well, the higher-ups at the station want everything to be checked twice! Gone over with a fine-toothed comb, as you might say." As he straightened up, he adjusted his sunglasses, even putting them on for a moment... in the incredibly dark room.
He never did change, did he?
"I guess they want everything they can get out of it, before the shutters go down! Though- and don't tell anyone this- I have a feeling they're trying to look into that other murder!" Another grin was given, the volume of his voice lowering. "They're really grasping at straws with that one! First time I've seen no culprit arrested for a crime in a long while!"
In reality, he himself was interested. The man knew quite a lot about Athena Cykes, and had been ready to frame her at a moment's notice... so who else beat him to the revenge? He had a few ideas, but solid evidence for none.
The dark thoughts were completely masked by his expression, which remained as one of rather dramatic secretiveness. Nothing seemed amiss, really.
"But aside from that!", voice returning to its usual volume, "How've you been? Missing me and the guys back at the precinct yet?"
That made Dayton’s ear quirk up. In this day and age especially, it was a little odd for police resources to be used on a closed case. But whenever Fullbright leaned in to tell her the news, it all made sense.
‘Right… Of course they’d send someone to look here. This is where you’re going to find the motive so they’re on the right track…Still, if the goal is to find the culprit, visiting the space center isn’t entirely necessary for that. ’
Her eyes widen for a second as she considers this.
‘Or at least it wouldn’t be, if I hadn’t brought him here myself. *sigh* Walking backwards into trouble like always, right Day?’
Schooling her expression into a more casual one, she tilts her head in faux interest.
“You don’t say? Well, I wish the boys luck. Maybe this’ll be the right straw.”
Dayton puts her hand in her pocket, fingers softly messing with the leaf she put in there. When she’s asked about her wellbeing and what she feels, she nearly tears it.
A sad smile strikes across her face, but she’s able to pivot.
“It sounds like you guys are missing me more. You know… I’d normally be all over a case like this one….”
Dayton steps aside and walks a bit past Detective Fullbright, her voice taking on a more wistful tone.
“But you know me. Once I’ve got a bug in my ear about something, like the Solomon Starbuck case for instance, I can’t really get it out until I’ve done something about it…”
She slowly turns to him, the leaf displayed in her hands next to her face with its stem placed in between her fingers.
"I sure do hope so! The Chief Prosecutor's just about breathing down our necks on this one... and he's much scarier than Prosecutor Blackquill ever was, trust me!"
It did make sense. Miles Edgeworth, being Phoenix's best friend, would certainly be anxious to wrap this case up. It wasn't right to be funneling so many resources into a single case, but for once, the rather inflexible prosecutor felt just about obliged to.
At this point, their best assumption was the Phantom himself, still knowing little of the man.
It was a rather ironic assumption, considering who was actually responsible.
"Well, you did find yourself here! Are you sure you're just here to visit? Or are you doing some investigating of your own?" A big grin appeared on his face. "Not like I'd stop you! Any pursuit of justice is just in my book!"
Fulbright shifted his sunglasses over his eyes once the leaf was shown, a quizzical expression covering the parts of his expression that she could see.
"Well, I certainly know what you mean, Miss Columbia! I do recall your work ethic!" He paused, for a brief moment. "Though I have to admit, I'm a little lost! Is that leaf supposed to be important?"
Dayton smiles sheepishly, twirling the stem between her fingers.
“Ah, looks like you’ve got me, Detective. I might just be taking a look around just in case. Not that I plan to find anything too substantial. If there was anything to find, I’m sure you would’ve caught it already….”
The twirling stops once the leaf itself is questioned.
“Oh, this? Important? Well…if you don’t think it’s important I don’t see how it could be…”
Her brows furrow, a more serious look overtaking her face as she stares into the middle distance. She taps the little leaf up against her forehead.
“What could be important about this leaf…? I mean, if I had to guess it could be the same thing that was important about the bombs, both here and in the courtroom. A question lingers for both of them…”
Dayton pauses, teeth catching hold of her lip.
“How did they end up there?”
Her eyes suddenly sharpen, pinpointing onto Fullbright as she remembers something.
“I’m sure you remember how the trial ended… Sure, Mr. Wright had proposed the idea that the launch pads could’ve been switched. Mr. Starbuck seemed to almost be off the hook but…. Lack of evidence that the possible escape route was used kept the idea from going all the way…”
‘On the other hand, I probably shouldn’t present this as if he already knows. After all… Bobby arrived a bit late, after the verdict had already been handed down. At least, that’s what I heard.’
The little leaf’s position moves from her forehead to in front of her as she turns her head again to stare at it.
“Still, a possibility is a possibility…”
….
“Hey, Detective Fullbright. I know you were on the scene in response to the bomb threat. You would’ve had the lay of the place… You would’ve seen anything strange or out of place during that time, right?”
"Oho, who knows? Though I'd be surprised if any evidence could've escaped the gaze of justice!"
When attention was called back to the leaf, Fulbright paused, eyeing the object again. He did seem genuinely perturbed... and who wouldn't? It was just a leaf, after all.
After a moment, he adjusted his sunglasses again, clearly taking a moment to think. "I suppose we never did find out about those bombs, did we? Lotta mysteries hanging around this space center- all just begging to be solved!" Another grin was given. Not entirely appropriate, but on-brand for him.
"And I saw nothing out of the ordinary!" He said with a grin, putting his hands on his hips. "Whole lotta people who looked like they belonged! Maybe a few tourists, too, but that was it!". He wasn't exactly lying... for a few different reasons.
"Oh, are you confident that the astronaut didn't do it?" He said, before hesitating slightly, his voice lowering once more. "If you are... I have an idea of who did. But the evidence was never released, so don't go telling anyone I told you!"
She’s slightly taken aback at his cheerfulness, but she decides to remember who she was talking to.
‘He saw nothing… Of course. Well…that doesn’t entirely narrow it down, but I shouldn’t have expected anything different.’
Dayton is so lost in her own thoughts that she almost misheard him. When her thoughts catch up with her ears, her eyes become wide as saucers.
“An idea…” she whispers.
It takes a moment for her to face him again, her demeanor is oddly slow as her lips quirk up in an awkward manner. It’s difficult for her to hide it, but she feels a sense of dread crawling up her spine. She walks closer to him, getting a bit inside his personal bubble.
‘Don’t get too excited. This is Fullbright, remember? Sometimes he jumps the gun, so this could be nothing…. But if it is something, then…’
“An idea of who did it? I wouldn’t mind hearing about it, if there really is proof.”
Day feels her soul abruptly re-entering her body. It was Detective Fullbright, just a colleague…well…former colleague of hers. He was… a lot, in general. But from what she remembered about him, he was well meaning.
They never worked collaboratively, but sometimes they’d share… very loud and sometimes one sided chats in the break room. You’d think it’d annoy someone relatively low energy like Dayton but, honestly she always had a soft spot for him. It was hard to find someone who was so dedicated to doing the right thing like he was, even though his standards were pretty rigid.
A weakness, a strength? She didn’t know. She was currently testing out that theory herself.
“You too, Detective. It’s nice to see you. And yes, I’ve been meaning to visit this place…”
Not technically a lie. She wanted to come before she even met up with Apollo, just to be a bit more prepared. But things didn’t quite work out that way.
When Fullbright’s expressions take a turn for the dramatic, she playfully rolls her eyes. His emotions were always so over the top. It was hard to believe they were real sometimes.
“Yes, it is a shame…”
Her eyes turn away from him, toward the jackets and astronaut suits up on display. Both of their reflections were present in the glass. Fullbright’s large presence behind her felt more dense than ever.
“Wouldn’t have expected to see you here, Detective. Didn’t you have your fill of the space center during the investigation?”
"Well, the higher-ups at the station want everything to be checked twice! Gone over with a fine-toothed comb, as you might say." As he straightened up, he adjusted his sunglasses, even putting them on for a moment... in the incredibly dark room.
He never did change, did he?
"I guess they want everything they can get out of it, before the shutters go down! Though- and don't tell anyone this- I have a feeling they're trying to look into that other murder!" Another grin was given, the volume of his voice lowering. "They're really grasping at straws with that one! First time I've seen no culprit arrested for a crime in a long while!"
In reality, he himself was interested. The man knew quite a lot about Athena Cykes, and had been ready to frame her at a moment's notice... so who else beat him to the revenge? He had a few ideas, but solid evidence for none.
The dark thoughts were completely masked by his expression, which remained as one of rather dramatic secretiveness. Nothing seemed amiss, really.
"But aside from that!", voice returning to its usual volume, "How've you been? Missing me and the guys back at the precinct yet?"
That made Dayton’s ear quirk up. In this day and age especially, it was a little odd for police resources to be used on a closed case. But whenever Fullbright leaned in to tell her the news, it all made sense.
‘Right… Of course they’d send someone to look here. This is where you’re going to find the motive so they’re on the right track…Still, if the goal is to find the culprit, visiting the space center isn’t entirely necessary for that. ’
Her eyes widen for a second as she considers this.
‘Or at least it wouldn’t be, if I hadn’t brought him here myself. *sigh* Walking backwards into trouble like always, right Day?’
Schooling her expression into a more casual one, she tilts her head in faux interest.
“You don’t say? Well, I wish the boys luck. Maybe this’ll be the right straw.”
Dayton puts her hand in her pocket, fingers softly messing with the leaf she put in there. When she’s asked about her wellbeing and what she feels, she nearly tears it.
A sad smile strikes across her face, but she’s able to pivot.
“It sounds like you guys are missing me more. You know… I’d normally be all over a case like this one….”
Dayton steps aside and walks a bit past Detective Fullbright, her voice taking on a more wistful tone.
“But you know me. Once I’ve got a bug in my ear about something, like the Solomon Starbuck case for instance, I can’t really get it out until I’ve done something about it…”
She slowly turns to him, the leaf displayed in her hands next to her face with its stem placed in between her fingers.
"I sure do hope so! The Chief Prosecutor's just about breathing down our necks on this one... and he's much scarier than Prosecutor Blackquill ever was, trust me!"
It did make sense. Miles Edgeworth, being Phoenix's best friend, would certainly be anxious to wrap this case up. It wasn't right to be funneling so many resources into a single case, but for once, the rather inflexible prosecutor felt just about obliged to.
At this point, their best assumption was the Phantom himself, still knowing little of the man.
It was a rather ironic assumption, considering who was actually responsible.
"Well, you did find yourself here! Are you sure you're just here to visit? Or are you doing some investigating of your own?" A big grin appeared on his face. "Not like I'd stop you! Any pursuit of justice is just in my book!"
Fulbright shifted his sunglasses over his eyes once the leaf was shown, a quizzical expression covering the parts of his expression that she could see.
"Well, I certainly know what you mean, Miss Columbia! I do recall your work ethic!" He paused, for a brief moment. "Though I have to admit, I'm a little lost! Is that leaf supposed to be important?"
Dayton smiles sheepishly, twirling the stem between her fingers.
“Ah, looks like you’ve got me, Detective. I might just be taking a look around just in case. Not that I plan to find anything too substantial. If there was anything to find, I’m sure you would’ve caught it already….”
The twirling stops once the leaf itself is questioned.
“Oh, this? Important? Well…if you don’t think it’s important I don’t see how it could be…”
Her brows furrow, a more serious look overtaking her face as she stares into the middle distance. She taps the little leaf up against her forehead.
“What could be important about this leaf…? I mean, if I had to guess it could be the same thing that was important about the bombs, both here and in the courtroom. A question lingers for both of them…”
Dayton pauses, teeth catching hold of her lip.
“How did they end up there?”
Her eyes suddenly sharpen, pinpointing onto Fullbright as she remembers something.
“I’m sure you remember how the trial ended… Sure, Mr. Wright had proposed the idea that the launch pads could’ve been switched. Mr. Starbuck seemed to almost be off the hook but…. Lack of evidence that the possible escape route was used kept the idea from going all the way…”
‘On the other hand, I probably shouldn’t present this as if he already knows. After all… Bobby arrived a bit late, after the verdict had already been handed down. At least, that’s what I heard.’
The little leaf’s position moves from her forehead to in front of her as she turns her head again to stare at it.
“Still, a possibility is a possibility…”
….
“Hey, Detective Fullbright. I know you were on the scene in response to the bomb threat. You would’ve had the lay of the place… You would’ve seen anything strange or out of place during that time, right?”
Day feels her soul abruptly re-entering her body. It was Detective Fullbright, just a colleague…well…former colleague of hers. He was… a lot, in general. But from what she remembered about him, he was well meaning.
They never worked collaboratively, but sometimes they’d share… very loud and sometimes one sided chats in the break room. You’d think it’d annoy someone relatively low energy like Dayton but, honestly she always had a soft spot for him. It was hard to find someone who was so dedicated to doing the right thing like he was, even though his standards were pretty rigid.
A weakness, a strength? She didn’t know. She was currently testing out that theory herself.
“You too, Detective. It’s nice to see you. And yes, I’ve been meaning to visit this place…”
Not technically a lie. She wanted to come before she even met up with Apollo, just to be a bit more prepared. But things didn’t quite work out that way.
When Fullbright’s expressions take a turn for the dramatic, she playfully rolls her eyes. His emotions were always so over the top. It was hard to believe they were real sometimes.
“Yes, it is a shame…”
Her eyes turn away from him, toward the jackets and astronaut suits up on display. Both of their reflections were present in the glass. Fullbright’s large presence behind her felt more dense than ever.
“Wouldn’t have expected to see you here, Detective. Didn’t you have your fill of the space center during the investigation?”
"Well, the higher-ups at the station want everything to be checked twice! Gone over with a fine-toothed comb, as you might say." As he straightened up, he adjusted his sunglasses, even putting them on for a moment... in the incredibly dark room.
He never did change, did he?
"I guess they want everything they can get out of it, before the shutters go down! Though- and don't tell anyone this- I have a feeling they're trying to look into that other murder!" Another grin was given, the volume of his voice lowering. "They're really grasping at straws with that one! First time I've seen no culprit arrested for a crime in a long while!"
In reality, he himself was interested. The man knew quite a lot about Athena Cykes, and had been ready to frame her at a moment's notice... so who else beat him to the revenge? He had a few ideas, but solid evidence for none.
The dark thoughts were completely masked by his expression, which remained as one of rather dramatic secretiveness. Nothing seemed amiss, really.
"But aside from that!", voice returning to its usual volume, "How've you been? Missing me and the guys back at the precinct yet?"
That made Dayton’s ear quirk up. In this day and age especially, it was a little odd for police resources to be used on a closed case. But whenever Fullbright leaned in to tell her the news, it all made sense.
‘Right… Of course they’d send someone to look here. This is where you’re going to find the motive so they’re on the right track…Still, if the goal is to find the culprit, visiting the space center isn’t entirely necessary for that. ’
Her eyes widen for a second as she considers this.
‘Or at least it wouldn’t be, if I hadn’t brought him here myself. *sigh* Walking backwards into trouble like always, right Day?’
Schooling her expression into a more casual one, she tilts her head in faux interest.
“You don’t say? Well, I wish the boys luck. Maybe this’ll be the right straw.”
Dayton puts her hand in her pocket, fingers softly messing with the leaf she put in there. When she’s asked about her wellbeing and what she feels, she nearly tears it.
A sad smile strikes across her face, but she’s able to pivot.
“It sounds like you guys are missing me more. You know… I’d normally be all over a case like this one….”
Dayton steps aside and walks a bit past Detective Fullbright, her voice taking on a more wistful tone.
“But you know me. Once I’ve got a bug in my ear about something, like the Solomon Starbuck case for instance, I can’t really get it out until I’ve done something about it…”
She slowly turns to him, the leaf displayed in her hands next to her face with its stem placed in between her fingers.
Day feels her soul abruptly re-entering her body. It was Detective Fullbright, just a colleague…well…former colleague of hers. He was… a lot, in general. But from what she remembered about him, he was well meaning.
They never worked collaboratively, but sometimes they’d share… very loud and sometimes one sided chats in the break room. You’d think it’d annoy someone relatively low energy like Dayton but, honestly she always had a soft spot for him. It was hard to find someone who was so dedicated to doing the right thing like he was, even though his standards were pretty rigid.
A weakness, a strength? She didn’t know. She was currently testing out that theory herself.
“You too, Detective. It’s nice to see you. And yes, I’ve been meaning to visit this place…”
Not technically a lie. She wanted to come before she even met up with Apollo, just to be a bit more prepared. But things didn’t quite work out that way.
When Fullbright’s expressions take a turn for the dramatic, she playfully rolls her eyes. His emotions were always so over the top. It was hard to believe they were real sometimes.
“Yes, it is a shame…”
Her eyes turn away from him, toward the jackets and astronaut suits up on display. Both of their reflections were present in the glass. Fullbright’s large presence behind her felt more dense than ever.
“Wouldn’t have expected to see you here, Detective. Didn’t you have your fill of the space center during the investigation?”
‘Ah, there’s that pulse. Knew it was in there somewhere.’
Dayton’s hand quickly moves to cover the lower half of her face, trying to hide the amusement she was clearly getting from this.
How can such a brooding man be turned into a nervous wreck so quickly?
When the excuses start sputtering out of his lips, that face hold nearly turns into a facepalm. He couldn’t lie his way out of a paper bag, it’s a wonder he’s still walking free.
During this consideration, a drop of silence spills over the parking lot, with Trucy facing Apollo and Apollo facing anywhere else. Dayton senses the awkwardness about to turn tense, and she’s about to jump in when-
“Well get it fixed, silly!” Trucy humphs.
Dayton lets out a breath, feeling safe in the fairly normal response. Of course, she wasn’t facing Trucy, so she didn’t catch the look she gave him just before. A piercing gaze and wry smile was held during that time, her bright eyes dulling.
But it only took a second for her face to return to normal.
“I swear Apollo, even you should know that blowing up doesn’t mean you should forget about your friends…” Trucy crosses her arms, shaking her head exasperatedly.
Her tone is more fitting of her telling a famous person to remember their roots and not… somebody actually exploding.
To be perfectly fair, this was just about the worst situation he could possibly find himself in. At the site of the inciting incident behind all his current troubles, the site so dear to him, the site that was doomed to be flattened and forgotten.
It all drove him to incredible mental duress, enough to cripple his stony facade. In such a moment of weakness, trying to handle a conversation with Trucy of all people left him scrambling to, very poorly, make himself look normal again.
As panicked as he was, the situation threatened to become rather unpredictable. Thankfully, it seemed like Apollo was trying to hold himself together, and prevent any... incidents from happening. But who knew how long he could continue such a thing?
His own dull eyes locked with hers, a chill running up his spine. Did she know? No, no, she couldn't know. Panic flashed in his eyes, anyways, sweat beading on his face despite the chill in the air.
Thankfully, her next comment, even if a little... insensitive, perhaps, seemed to ground him in reality a little. The panicked expression gradually switched to confusion, then a dull, awkward look.
"I'm... recuperating from stuff other than that. The bombing, that's... the least of my worries, right now.", he muttered, tacking on a quiet "Sorry." a few seconds after ending the sentence.
Clearly, this was true. He certainly wasn't giving his injuries much care, with how he was running around.
Just watching the exchange, Dayton could tell that Trucy didn’t mean to be insensitive with her comment. In fact, whether she knew it or not, Trucy was doing exactly as Dayton planned.
Dayton has dealt with a lot of people in a worse way, and reactions to their situation can often lean into panic territory. Why, she remembers when her wife used to….
Anyway, one thing that she observed sometimes worked in scenarios like these is shock. If someone is deep in the thick of it, saying something off kilter or doing something spontaneous can break them out of their mindset, if only for a few precious moments.
The weakness of this is that sometimes the strategy can backfire. Sometimes it can draw someone deeper into delusion and panic, causing them to shut down completely. And Apollo well…
‘Right now it looks like he’s seesawing between the two reactions. Still, at least there’s some life to him. Better than a few minutes ago.’
It was quite a sight, though. Dayton could barely hear the words coming out of his mouth at this point, but Trucy was able to make it relatively clear.
Trucy’s expression softens as she replies to Apollo.
“….I can’t stay mad at you, Polly. I know you’re upset about what happened but… we can at least do something about it! Right, Miss Columbia?”
Dayton, leaning forward and walking up to join the two, nods her head.
“Yeah, I think we can. Glad you’re around, we could use the extra hands.”
Trucy turns to Apollo, eyes full of hope.
“Miss Colombia contacted the Wright Anything Agency the other day. She said that if we can find some new evidence to present to court, she might be able to pull a few strings to relitigate the case!”
Trucy crosses her arms, staring off into space as if she was remembering something.
“Daddy was supposed to show up today too, but he got attacked by a falcon. Or wait… was it a hawk? Anyway, he couldn’t make it, so I’m here instead!”
Thankfully, Apollo couldn't catch the possibly-intentional nature of the statement. Of course, there had been a brief look of annoyance, but if anything, that was more genuine of an emotion than most other things he had recently shown.
After his eyes lingered elsewhere for a moment, Apollo looked back to Trucy when she started to speak again. He didn't look her in the eyes, though, focusing on the diamond-shaped earring she wore. It was simply less stressful for the man... though made him look as avoidant as all hell.
"...Relitigate the case?" Apollo scoffed, almost hesitantly. "That rarely works. Do you... really think that you can find something definitive enough to get the courts to do that?"
The word "courts" was laced with a deeply bitter tone, Apollo's newfound distrust of the system still rather evident. But, he had to admit, there was a little part of him that was curious. Would it be possible? Would there still be some hidden piece of evidence somewhere, strong enough to carry an argument?
Cutting-edge cases always did seem to haunt him, after all. Dealing with something like this shouldn't surprise him.
Trucy's final comment pulled him out of his brooding thoughts once again, his brows furrowing before one quirked upwards in confusion. "He's... being attacked by a bird." A long sigh was given, his arms loosely crossing. "It's... It was probably that prosecutor's... though I wouldn't be surprised if it was completely unrelated, really."
Mr. Wright was like, that, after all, Apollo thought. Always finding himself in some obscure situation. All of them were like that, really.
Once again, it seemed as if he had been distracted away from the current stressors, the stony, usual expression relaxing a little. Of course, he still looked as haunted as always, but... closer to what he had normally looked like, before... all this.
Concern flashes across Trucy’s face at Apollo’s words.
“…It’s…” Trucy starts weakly but finishes strong. “It’s our only chance!”
“Unless, you plan on breaking Mr. Starbuck out of prison yourself?” Dayton butts in nonchalantly, her tone relaxed but with an underlying nature of doubt that mirrored Apollos when he expressed his distrust in the courts.
At this point, there weren’t many options to accomplish this particular goal, and defeatism wasn’t going to get them anywhere. Might as well start with what they know can work.
Or at least, what they hope can work.
And hey, if Apollo manages to succeed at proving Athena guilty, then it’s one less innocent stuck where they didn’t belong.
As for the bird attack, yeah Dayton wasn’t exactly aware of all the details. She mostly witnessed the aftermath. Phoenix Wright, with a bird sitting on his head and scratches across his face, insisted on staying behind.
She didn’t know if the hawk was owned by someone, but if the bandanna around its neck was any indication then it showed it was at least domesticated.
Sort of.
She did enjoy seeing Apollo work out the dots himself, though. Even though his deductive skill appears to be suffering as of late, she knows that he’s capable of pulling connections together, even with minimal info.
What he could do with that skill was amazing…
It could also be terrifying.
Just as her mind drifted over to those thoughts, she felt something strange hit her nose. The humidity in the air, she noticed, had changed. Almost imperceptible droplets of water were starting to slowly hit her skin.
“How’s about we get this parade moving, eh? We don’t want them to clean up all the evidence before we get inside, right?” Dayton tries gently.
Trucy nods, eyes turning towards the sky signaling she can also feel the impending storm. Her gaze then moves to Apollo.
He cared, he really did. But Apollo couldn't help but sound like he was doing this against his will. At least he was here, that alone at least meant something.
Dayton's comment made him smile slightly in amusement, just for a brief moment.
"Break him out of prison? Of course not. And even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to pull that off." At least he was still reasonable enough to understand that. Trying to do a prison break in his state would only be cause for disaster.
With painfully few options available, his will to work on this had indeed been worn away, even with how much it had all meant. All he wanted to do, especially at the current moment, was stuff himself into a dark corner of his apartment, and stay there as long as he could.
It was depressing. Apollo was well aware of that. But he couldn't think of anything to uplift his mood. This was who he was, now, and he'd resigned himself to such a fate with no hesitation at all. What even was there to fight for, anyways?
...
Well, his friends. Mr. Starbuck. The fading hope he could talk to his family again. But even then, the threat of them all finding out about his murder kept him afraid to interact, and unwilling to grow close.
He was stuck. Stuck in a trap of his own creation.
The wind buffeted him once more, skewing his hair to the side as he swayed on his feet. Clay's jacket, still gripped tightly, snapped and rippled behind him. The cold did feel nice on his covered wounds, but aside from that, it certainly didn't look like he was enjoying it.
"...I'm as ready as I'll ever be.", he muttered, turning to face the space center's main entrance. His eyes stayed on the ground before it, however, the man still unwilling to face his memories here.
‘Ready as he’ll ever be, hm? That must’ve meant “not at all”’
Both Trucy and Dayton linger by Apollo, his face down and posture indicating a heavy hesitation. The heft of the tension was felt across all of them standing there.
“Trucy?” Dayton, voices aloud, directing Trucy’s attention to her. “How about you go ahead and head inside? We’ll catch up with you.”
Trucy stops, her eyes flitting back and forth between Dayton and Apollo. She was clearly worried, but at the time she didn’t know what to say or do. Reluctantly, she nods and heads towards the entrance, leaving Dayton and Apollo be.
Dayton waits until Trucy is out of earshot before she walks slowly up to Apollo. When she stops just in front of him, her posture lowers as she tries to interrupt his gaze with her own.
“Hey…” her voice is soft, the roughness that usually accompanies it evening out.
“I’m going to take a breath. If you want, you can do it with me.”
Part of her knows she’s put Apollo through a lot of turmoil just now. That’s mostly attributed to the lack of choice she normally gives him. It can be frustrating, she understands, to feel like he can’t choose to be where he wants to be. To be thrust into uncomfortable situations over and over.
Even though he may deserve it, his feelings are normal. They are human.
So, what she tries to do now is give him a choice. A small one. He can take a breath with her, or ignore her and walk past. It’s not a command, after all. Just an offer.
Just as she says, she takes a long, slow breath in. Her eyes close as she does this, her mouth slightly parted.
She feels the humidity on her fingers, the wind touching her cheek, her clothes billowing.
As soon as she tried to look him in the eyes, Apollo glanced to the side, unwilling to make extended eye contact. He huffed, readjusting his posture and slightly opening his mouth to speak. Whatever it was, likely a complaint of some sort, was interrupted by Dayton's own words, with the only thing coming out being an eventual, quiet sigh.
Just briefly, his eyes returned to her face, a firm but quizzical look glinting within them. Taking a breath? He was already doing that, he thought bitterly, despite the fact he knew what she meant. He simply didn't understand why, why she'd care to do such a silly exercise with him, after everything.
While it wasn't entirely clear if he was breathing with her, Apollo didn't walk away at all, nor move from his spot, aside from the slight adjustments he had to do thanks to the wind.
Even if he hadn't wanted to, he did spend those few moments focused on his own breathing. The rise and fall of his chest, the aching of his still-sore lungs.
It reminded him that he was still alive. Still alive, despite everything.
By the time Dayton opened her eyes again, Apollo's had returned to the ground, a pensive look on his face. A long moment passed, nothing but the sound of the wind to fill it, before he reluctantly spoke again.
"…I'm still confused as to why you're doing this. All of this." Another beat of hesitation, followed by a quick sigh, his eyes moving upwards. "Most people, I can read fairly well, but…"
While he trailed off without clarification, the following words were clear enough. He couldn't read her intentions at all.
She had to admit, she wasn’t sure what she was going to see. She told herself she would be alright with either outcome, to not take it personally when he decided to leave.
But when she opened her eyes again with Apollo still standing before her, suddenly the biting chill of the wind felt little more than a whisper. The warmth that spread instead was raw and painful, sending pinpricks from her chest, down to her fingertips, and finally up to her face.
Apollo could hardly look at her, but Dayton was unable to return that courtesy. Her gaze was continuous, unwavering, aching…gentle.
She lets the moment sit as the feeling only just begins to dissolve. Still, it takes Apollo speaking again for her to return to her senses.
As she listens to his words, she inwardly chuckles.
‘Feels like this is the… maybe third time he’s asked about me.’
To her, it felt the same as when he asked why she was paying for his food. And so, with that in mind she gives much of the same response.
A small smile crossed her lips, the corners of her eyes crinkling in a way that showed bits of age, or rather, experience rarely seen before.
“I thought I already told you, Apollo. I want the truth.”
It was more than that.
Of course it was more than that, her actions thus far have more than demonstrated it. But unfortunately, the answer he was looking for she was just unable to give.
Not because she was deliberately hiding it from him, but because it was simply impossible. Extracting those pieces of herself for him would be hard enough, but putting them into words he can understand?
She just wasn’t there yet…
…And she wouldn’t be given the opportunity to be either. After she spoke, those droplets of water began to become more frequent. It was starting to drizzle. It looks like it’ll start pouring any second now.
“Hm… we should head inside. Wouldn’t want to mess up your bandages.”
Then, she does something strange. She takes off her overcoat, moves closer to Apollo and throws it over top of his head, around the jacket he’s already wearing. Barely sparing him a passing glance once she’s done so, she immediately begins her stride towards the long sidewalk before the entrance.
Day isn’t completely unaware of the effect that jacket has on Apollo. With the way he grabs onto it, almost hides himself in it, it’s clear to her that it’s like a security blanket for him. And well…
Even if he wasn't looking directly at her, Apollo was still keeping track of her expression to some degree. It gave him little more info on her motives, but... he could at least tell that Dayton didn't hate him.
Somehow.
it was annoying, really. Apollo was so used to everyone around him lying obviously, while remaining generally truthful himself. But now, everything was flipped. His bracelet told him nothing, nor did his intuition. Though, after the situation with Athena, maybe it was for the best that his ability-of-sorts wasn't activating.
It wasn't hard to assume what would come out of his mouth, in response to Dayton's answer. Some snide remark, or a stony reply regarding how he already knew the truth. But, all he seemed to do was stare, the glancing of his eyes stilling for a brief moment.
He did speak eventually, yes. But what came out of his mouth was an unusually neutral, straight-to-the-point, single word.
"Alright."
Maybe he was too tired to continue arguing his thoughts. Maybe the mental duress he had been dealing with had sapped all of his available efforts. Or maybe, just maybe, he was starting to soften up.
Just a little.
The rain beginning to fall didn't garner too much of a reaction from the man, with his eyes simply turning towards the clouds. Dark and uncertain, obscuring the light of the sun nigh completely. It reminded him of himself, in an odd sort of way.
So focused was he on his idle contemplation, that Dayton's movement was initially ignored. As soon as he did notice, the overcoat was being tossed at him, too quickly for him to attempt to dodge.
"Wh- Hey!", He snapped, a flash of anger in his voice. It faded quickly, however, replaced by what could be best considered mildly-irritated confusion. It hadn't harmed him, after all... but he definitely didn't understand the action.
Since Dayton had simply started to walk away, he had nothing better to do than to briskly walk after her... After adjusting the extra jacket to let him see, anyways.
The walk to the front door of this place was long and stupid. At least, that’s how Day felt. She wasn’t that old or unfit, but she could imagine someone less spry would need some kind of motorized transportation to make it too far without needing a break.
Not to mention the difficulty on days like these, where the rain emphasized the need for haste. The droplets plopped a wet splotch on the sidewalk each time they hit, giving Dayton a hundred little worries to pay attention to with each passing second.
Day didn’t like the rain. She would’ve brought her umbrella from out of the car, but it’s long since broken and likely would’ve closed up on her, causing more problems than it would solve.
So for now, she just had to settle with the feeling of wetness accumulating on her shoulders and back, causing the white cloth of her dress shirt to start to become see-through.
You would think it would be nice to have a coat in this scenario. But if you’d asked her if she would rather have hers on right now, she would’ve told you that if she did she would’ve felt worse.
Luckily, not too much damage could be done before she reached the front entrance. A few sprays of water across her clothing that could be dried in minutes. It just so happened that the real storm didn’t start until after she had walked inside.
As she holds the door open for Apollo to come in, a clap of thunder goes off, rumbling the entire building. Then the rain starts pouring down hard. So hard that she can no longer see her car through it. She grimaces, hoping it’ll end before they need to leave.
‘At least now we have a good excuse to stay in case someone tries to kick us out…’
“There you guys are!” Trucy calls out, further into the room. She seems to have been taking a look around before they arrived. She makes her way over so the sound of the pounding rain wouldn’t drown her out as much.
“Good timing! You two could’ve gotten soaked….” Trucy trails off, noticing something different.
Dayton can tell she’s probably looking for her overcoat, mainly because when Trucy’s eyes drift to Apollo, her mouth makes an “O” shape without the sound.
“Yeah, lucky, heh.” Dayton speaks up, drawing the attention back to her. “You didn’t run into any trouble while we were gone, did you?”
“Oh! Well…” Trucy looks down sheepishly, her hand scratching the back of her neck. “I did run into a robot while I was waiting for you. But I was able to handle it, just fine!”
Thankfully, Apollo's legs weren't injured, at least not to any extent approaching his arms and torso. So, the extended walk was of no issue to him.
The rain, however... that made things a little difficult.
Indeed, most of the GYAXA uniform draped over his shoulders was covered, only a bit of the hem and sleeves catching any droplets. However, thanks to his need to see, his face and front was getting the full brunt of whatever rain was getting blown into him.
As he quickly stepped along, Apollo briefly contemplated running off. Facing his past, along with the two murders, with Trucy tagging along to boot... it was rough, that was already clear. So what was stopping him?
At this point, it really was only the rain, with the space center regrettably being his closest refuge. That, and he didn't want to run off with this woman's jacket in tow. Even now, he'd feel rather impolite doing as much.
As such thoughts flashed through his mind, Apollo's expression remained the same. While his nerves were occupied, it seemed he could manage to conceal his intentions... but that seemed to be happening less and less as the days went on.
Soon enough, they were there. Caring more about getting indoors than giving the jacket back at this point, Apollo moved to dart past Dayton, not a word uttered in thanks or acknowledgment. It may have not been on purpose, however, as something seemed to rip his attention away.
Deep, rumbling thunder.
What did that sound like, one could wonder? Many things, really. But to Apollo, it brought one thing to mind.
It wasn't an exact match, of course. But the unexpectedness of it, the sound and the feeling of it reverberating within his chest, it all made him go shock-white as he stumbled into the building. After finding his footing, a rather genuine look of terror was shot over his shoulder, past Dayton, and out the glass doors.
Nothing but rain, and the distant flash of lightning.
Was it really that easy to throw him off? Apollo scowled, trying to swallow his fear before turning to look at the others, face still rather pale.
He wanted to sit down, to try and dispel the faint feeling in his head, and the nervous shaking of his body. But that would show weakness. And he couldn't afford to do that right now... on purpose, anyways.
A simple, muttered "Yeah" was replied to Trucy, his hands pulling the jacket off of his shoulders at the same time. He was so distracted, that the GYAXA jacket was nearly taken along with it, it being left only hanging onto one side. Without checking if Dayton was paying attention or not, her jacket was tossed back with a rather flimsy throw.
If he didn't look awful before, he certainly did now. A bit damp, shaky, and pale. On top of that, getting a whole coat tossed at his face, as well as getting rained on, had completely ruined his hair, bangs now damply clinging to the front of his face as they hung down. At least an effort was given to straighten his GYAXA jacket after a moment, the item held tightly despite the lack of wind.
"...A robot?", he responded, delayed. "Y...eah, there are some around, was it... talking to you? ...Or was it just cleaning?"
Through the unsteady quiver of his voice, a more normal tone had returned. As it had been, being thrown off in any sort of way seemed to rip away the dark haze that had been haunting him...
Dayton was in fact, not paying attention. Not that paying attention would’ve done her much good. The throw was so weak that her overcoat fell to the floor before she could take her first step towards it.
Her eyes widen in disbelief, lips tightening as she sees it lying there. When she finally has the wherewithal to move, she walks over and tenderly picks it up in her arms. A layer of dust was spread across the parts that touched the tile, unable to be wiped away due to the moisture that had seeped into it from the rain.
The air around her increases in temperature by a few degrees. Her eyes squeeze shut as she pulls the coat around her body, pushing her arms through the sleeves. When she finishes, her eyes reopen and she begins to take a walk around the room, completely tuning out any further dialogue.
Trucy meanwhile, is acutely aware of both of their current reactions. Her brows furrow, Apollo’s behavior setting off several alarm bells and her expression very clearly expresses that thought. Still, she takes the time to answer, a bit slower than she normally would have.
“…It…It was talking. It asked me for an ID. When I told it I didn’t have one it tried to escort me out…I didn’t know if Miss Columbia had called ahead, so I said I was with the detective.”
Dayton takes a look at a sign, pointing out the layout of the space center. Checking through all the different areas, it looked like the closest next room to them was the Space Museum. Out of the corner of her eye, Trucy sees her head in that direction almost immediately.
“When I told it that, it just stopped. Said I was welcome to stay.”
Interesting story. Would’ve been all well and good except for one thing. Dayton never called ahead. Dayton has left the area by this point so she isn’t there to point out the contradiction…
But that isn’t what Trucy is concerned about anymore. As soon as Dayton leaves, Trucy marches up to Apollo, confusion written all over her face. She speaks in a low tone that’s almost like a whisper. Like she’s talking to a scared animal.
“Apollo…are you okay? You look worse than when I left you. And the way you’re acting…”
Trucy frowns, her intuition and her guilt for not believing in him clashing. Part of her doesn’t even want to know the answers to her questions. But she knows what she saw. The lie about his phone, his skittish demeanor, the weird aura between him and Dayton. It was too much.
of course he fumbled the jacket, of course he had to drop it on the ground. Of course it had to be storming and of course he had to have been thrown off by the thunder because of course the bombing happened and of course he was also stressed because of course his best friend had to die and of course his coworker had to do it and of course the courts couldn't do anything and of course arrested Starbuck instead and of course he had to take it into his own hands and of course that meant hiding the fact that he killed someone and of course someone had to find out somehow so of course he was avoiding everyone but of course she had to bring Trucy here and of course everything else was happening so of course he couldn't hold himself together and of course it was all at the space center too which of course was closing and of course it was one of the only good childhood memories he had and everything was going wrong and nothing could ever go right and his chest felt tighter and tighter and his heart pounded faster and faster and faster and
His facade didn't change. It was all blank, eyes staring into nothing. However, the quickening of his breath was very real, and hard to hide in the silent room, not even the rush of the rain outdoors being enough to fully hide it.
But Trucy... as she moved into his view, his attention immediately snapped to her. Was it out of nervousness? Worry for himself? Worry for her? Even he didn't know.
Was he okay?
Was he okay?
"Do you.... think I've been okay!? At all!?"
While one could get the sense he meant to yell, his voice was weak and limited by his other distress, giving it a rather pitiful, thin sound. It was clear he was on the brink, in every sense of the word.
In... in front of a kid.
He had to pull himself together.
While he couldn't whisk all the emotions away at the drop of a hat, Apollo could at least try to stifle them. His eyes went elsewhere as his arms crossed, as tightly as his wounds would allow. A hard swallow was given, followed by another, before he spoke in a slightly-calmer voice.
"...Look, I'm just... I'm dealing with a lot, a-alright? I... I don't want to bother you with it. I'm sorry."
It sounded genuine, at least.
Admittedly, it had been hard for him to keep his attention on her earlier, while the robot were mentioned. But he did at least pick up the fact that they were directly interacting- and, while many of the space center's robots were capable of such a thing, there were two that were much more prone to it.
Two that he really, really did not care to interact with right now.
Which made him all the more unhappy, with the sound of fine-tuned wheels scooting about nearby.
Maybe if he just stood still. No, that wouldn't do anything. His heart was racing. He was wearing Clay's jacket. He might as well start screaming, though even that wouldn't be as obvious.
Just dealing with things as he went. That's how it always was. That's how it always would be. He couldn't escape this hell of a life, could he?
Trucy sees the outburst in his eyes before it happens. But it doesn’t change the shock and hurt that her heartbroken expression conveys when it’s over. She flinches, not able to stop herself from taking a step back, her hand resting on her chest as she tries to still her own heartbeat.
Even with Trucy’s doubts, she would’ve accepted practically any explanation. She’s not picky, nor confrontational. It took a lot for her to even ask. But to be met with this instead…?
Trucy’s head hangs low. She’s so young. What is she supposed to say?
“This… all of this, it’s already bothering me. Whatever’s going on, it can’t be worse than this. Worse than you not talking to me.”
All her life she’s dealt with secrets, lies, being underestimated, passed around, and overlooked. Through all of that, she was able to smile.
Even now, she feels her lips compulsively moving upward. Soon, however, that compulsion subverts itself, turning into defiance. Her eyes lift to face Apollo’s form, a new wave of determination passing through her as her gaze hardens the best it can.
“But it’s okay! Because I’m going to help anyway, whether you want me to or not. I’ll prove it to you. We all will! Me, Daddy, Miss Columbia-”
She takes a couple steps forward, just so Apollo will be able to see her face clearly.
Apollo wished that were true. He wished that this situation could be better than ignoring... what was essentially a little sister at this point.
Essentially... no, more than that. But it wasn't like Apollo was aware. It was better if he wasn't.
Part of him, in that moment, considered the idea of telling her. The idea of getting the situation off of his chest was enjoyed, admittedly. Hiding it all was so exhausting.
But the idea of her reacting in utter horror, the idea of her hatred, Apollo couldn't stand it. And anyways, again, she was just a kid. If he was going to tell anyone, he would tell Phoenix.
But even then, he didn't want to. Not yet.
A brief look of intense sadness was given to her, an apologetic frown preceding a muttered, continuingly shaky response.
"Trucy. I... I wouldn't even tell Mr. Wright about this. Or... Or Clay. If, he was still around."
Talking to his spirit felt different. Probably because it was his subconscious, making it all up.
"It's, I'm... I'm not talking to anyone about this. Don't worry about it."
If anything, that was more worrying. But alas.
Outside, the storm raged on, another deep boom of thunder reverberating through the space center. After shifting on his feet anxiously and glancing around to make sure he was safe, Apollo crossed his tremoring arms once more, sucking in a few shaky breaths as his eyes returned forwards... only to find Trucy inching closer to him.
He wasn't alone, his frazzled mind echoed back. What a false statement that was.
Sure, everyone was around him. But he certainly didn't feel like growing close. It was risky and stressful, and much easier to simply close himself off.
Considering that, though, he had to acknowledge the fact that Dayton knew his secret. So, he could lean on her, but... he still didn't know her deal. That enough was a good enough reason to not let his guard down.
Then again, he felt bad. Apollo didn't want to disappoint Trucy with a non-answer, or a denial of her thoughts.
"...Thanks, I guess."
It wasn't a great response, by any means, his weak and trembling voice not helping. But, his voice showed no irritation, only an unsure tone, the man clearly more conflicted than mad.
Although what he said was disheartening, it wasn’t enough to make Trucy deflate. She’d accepted that he wasn’t going to talk about what was bothering him, and that was alright for now. Still, what he said made her consider something.
If he wouldn’t even tell his closest friend what was bothering him, then it stands to reason that Dayton wouldn’t know what’s going on either... But somehow, that didn’t sound right to her.
While she was happy to see Apollo, it confused her a bit as to why Dayton would decide to bring him along for the investigation instead of just Pheonix. Not to mention whatever conversation she missed out on after she left them alone.
‘Maybe…’ she begins to ponder. ‘I should flip my thinking around… Maybe it’s not that she wanted to bring Apollo, but that she had to?’
Either way, if she was going to get any closer to the truth, Apollo wasn’t going to be the way to find it.
She had to go to Dayton.
Trucy crosses her arms, turning and looking in the direction Dayton left through.
“She seemed upset…” Trucy speaks up, recalling Dayton’s behavior. “Like, about to bite someone’s head off upset. Do you think we should go find her?”
Apollo's eyes lingered elsewhere as Trucy thought, one of his hands returning to his jacket. The hem, tattered with wear, was played with, a few threads and loose scraps tugged at. It certainly didn't help the coat's longevity, but that was a small price to pay to keep him grounded.
Once Trucy spoke up, however, his focus returned... though his hand remained in place. A cringe was given, recalling Dayton's reaction, but he didn't let himself focus on it too much. He didn't want to spiral again... but just sitting here and avoiding it wouldn't help anyone. What else could he do, anyways. Go outside?
Absolutely not.
"...Well, I'd rather focus on something right now."
Trucy likely knew it by now, with all the time the two had worked together. The moment Apollo got even slightly upset about something, he would lazer-focus on, well, anything. Unprompted cleaning of the agency? His cat was ill. Unusually proactive with paperwork? Keys went missing. Helping with her magic shows without being asked, despite the danger? Stressful case coming up.
It, of course, pushed the stress off till later. But for now, it should at least force him to calm down.
Probably.
After drawing his bandaged, still-shaking hands over his face, brushing his ruined bangs out of the way and wiping sweat off, he turned to face Trucy's direction of interest.
"...Did you see where she went? I... my focus is, not great right now." Trying to think back on it just brought up misplaced memories from the bombing, so even just attempting to remember wasn't something he cared to attempt.
While waiting on an answer, Apollo took a moment to glance around, trying to quell his nerves. There was a man at a sort of info desk who had been, embarrassingly, watching the three, then two of them interact. At the least, now, he seemed to be preoccupied with a very cheerful sounding robot.
At least they were distracting one another. Another sigh was given, before his focus returned to his... investigative partner, of sorts.
//Okay don’t ask why but I made a lil sketch of the crew here heh. This is my first time drawing everybody so sorry if it’s kinda janky
//Anyway, on to the update!
“Mhm!”
Trucy nods and points in the direction of the elevator.
“It looked like she was heading upstairs. If I had to guess, probably either to the crime scene or the Space Museum…” Trucy gives a small sigh as she begins her trek. “I hope she hasn’t started investigating without us.”
……
Her coat was cold. This made sense, it was still wet after all, but this was a different type of cold. It was a stinging feeling that extended across the whole cloth, inside and out, dry or not.
Dayton had to walk away. She hadn’t meant to be gone for long, maybe a minute or two. But the further she went the harder it was to return. She just needed some air. Some more air, by herself without anyone watching.
She hated how frequently she was taking these types of breaks. She hated that she was feeling like she needed it at all. So, the rude asshole she’s been working with has once again demonstrated he’s a rude asshole. Big whoop, someone alert the sheriff.
Ironically she really should be doing that, but obvious observations aside….this time was different.
She draws the overcoat closer around her body, letting it sap the warmth from her as she reaches the third floor. The stairs, unfortunately, seemed to be a little blown up so of course the elevator was the only alternative.
However, when the doors opened and she stepped out, she immediately felt that something was off. Looking down into the Space Museum corridor was a bit difficult as it was barely lit, with the lights dimmed down. And the windows were not reflecting any light either due to the storm battering down on them.
In short, it was spooky.
As she stepped out into the corridor she was getting the impression that she wasn’t supposed to be there. A quick look at the floor suggested it hadn’t been cleaned in a while. The corners of the hall were filled with dust bunnies. And was that…leaves strewn across the floor? She walked over to them, bending down to take a closer look.
‘Well, the tourist areas don’t really have much use now since the place is shutting down. Gotta save on the electric and cleaning bill somehow.’
Though that made sense, there was something about these leaves that was bothering her. She thought they were strewn about before, but honestly it just looks like there’s a couple of them piled in one area.
‘Not to mention where they came from. There aren’t many trees that are close to the Space Center. Unless you count the forest behind it. Plus, with all the hassle it took to get up here, what are the odds that a pair of leaves would get stuck to someone’s shoe and stay there until they reach the third floor?’
Absent-mindedly, she picks one of them up and stares at it. As soon as she does, she feels goosebumps fly up her neck. She swirls around to look behind her, the hand she was using to hold the leaf jumping into her pocket. This dim corridor was already difficult to look through, but she could at least confirm nothing was there. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling. The feeling that she was being watched…
She can’t ignore it, but without anything to back up this feeling she can only press on. At least there seemed to be more light at the end of the corridor.
When she reached the area on the other side, she was able to identify it pretty clearly as the Space Museum. An exhibit of the Hat-1 Miracle, the rocket standing tall while a series of glass display cases sat nearby.
Dayton has already done a bit of research, so she’s pretty clear about the significance of this place. But still, seeing it in person…
Her eyes drift to the newspaper article about the launch in one of the display cases. The story of the Hope Capsule being sent into outer space was brought back into memory.
‘The same capsule that was blown up not too long ago…’
She shuts down her thoughts before they could drift to a certain bandaged someone.
‘The probe was supposed to pick up asteroids, right? Too bad whatever was in there was blown to bits… Still, maybe those bits have traces of something interesting in there? Sure would be good to know the whole effort wasn’t for nothing.’
She takes a shaky breath in the silence…
‘It’s no use. The feeling… it hasn’t gone away.’
Though her gaze remained forward, she could feel something burning holes into the back of her head.
Suddenly, her ears quirk up. She picks up a noise, a shuffle directly behind her. She wanted to believe she wasn’t losing it, but if she turned around and saw nothing again she didn’t know what she’d do.
So she waited….
A sudden pressure clamps down on her shoulder, and she reacts in an instant. She elbows whatever’s behind her, grabs the hand and twists around to find…
‘Ah, there’s that pulse. Knew it was in there somewhere.’
Dayton’s hand quickly moves to cover the lower half of her face, trying to hide the amusement she was clearly getting from this.
How can such a brooding man be turned into a nervous wreck so quickly?
When the excuses start sputtering out of his lips, that face hold nearly turns into a facepalm. He couldn’t lie his way out of a paper bag, it’s a wonder he’s still walking free.
During this consideration, a drop of silence spills over the parking lot, with Trucy facing Apollo and Apollo facing anywhere else. Dayton senses the awkwardness about to turn tense, and she’s about to jump in when-
“Well get it fixed, silly!” Trucy humphs.
Dayton lets out a breath, feeling safe in the fairly normal response. Of course, she wasn’t facing Trucy, so she didn’t catch the look she gave him just before. A piercing gaze and wry smile was held during that time, her bright eyes dulling.
But it only took a second for her face to return to normal.
“I swear Apollo, even you should know that blowing up doesn’t mean you should forget about your friends…” Trucy crosses her arms, shaking her head exasperatedly.
Her tone is more fitting of her telling a famous person to remember their roots and not… somebody actually exploding.
To be perfectly fair, this was just about the worst situation he could possibly find himself in. At the site of the inciting incident behind all his current troubles, the site so dear to him, the site that was doomed to be flattened and forgotten.
It all drove him to incredible mental duress, enough to cripple his stony facade. In such a moment of weakness, trying to handle a conversation with Trucy of all people left him scrambling to, very poorly, make himself look normal again.
As panicked as he was, the situation threatened to become rather unpredictable. Thankfully, it seemed like Apollo was trying to hold himself together, and prevent any... incidents from happening. But who knew how long he could continue such a thing?
His own dull eyes locked with hers, a chill running up his spine. Did she know? No, no, she couldn't know. Panic flashed in his eyes, anyways, sweat beading on his face despite the chill in the air.
Thankfully, her next comment, even if a little... insensitive, perhaps, seemed to ground him in reality a little. The panicked expression gradually switched to confusion, then a dull, awkward look.
"I'm... recuperating from stuff other than that. The bombing, that's... the least of my worries, right now.", he muttered, tacking on a quiet "Sorry." a few seconds after ending the sentence.
Clearly, this was true. He certainly wasn't giving his injuries much care, with how he was running around.
Just watching the exchange, Dayton could tell that Trucy didn’t mean to be insensitive with her comment. In fact, whether she knew it or not, Trucy was doing exactly as Dayton planned.
Dayton has dealt with a lot of people in a worse way, and reactions to their situation can often lean into panic territory. Why, she remembers when her wife used to….
Anyway, one thing that she observed sometimes worked in scenarios like these is shock. If someone is deep in the thick of it, saying something off kilter or doing something spontaneous can break them out of their mindset, if only for a few precious moments.
The weakness of this is that sometimes the strategy can backfire. Sometimes it can draw someone deeper into delusion and panic, causing them to shut down completely. And Apollo well…
‘Right now it looks like he’s seesawing between the two reactions. Still, at least there’s some life to him. Better than a few minutes ago.’
It was quite a sight, though. Dayton could barely hear the words coming out of his mouth at this point, but Trucy was able to make it relatively clear.
Trucy’s expression softens as she replies to Apollo.
“….I can’t stay mad at you, Polly. I know you’re upset about what happened but… we can at least do something about it! Right, Miss Columbia?”
Dayton, leaning forward and walking up to join the two, nods her head.
“Yeah, I think we can. Glad you’re around, we could use the extra hands.”
Trucy turns to Apollo, eyes full of hope.
“Miss Colombia contacted the Wright Anything Agency the other day. She said that if we can find some new evidence to present to court, she might be able to pull a few strings to relitigate the case!”
Trucy crosses her arms, staring off into space as if she was remembering something.
“Daddy was supposed to show up today too, but he got attacked by a falcon. Or wait… was it a hawk? Anyway, he couldn’t make it, so I’m here instead!”
Thankfully, Apollo couldn't catch the possibly-intentional nature of the statement. Of course, there had been a brief look of annoyance, but if anything, that was more genuine of an emotion than most other things he had recently shown.
After his eyes lingered elsewhere for a moment, Apollo looked back to Trucy when she started to speak again. He didn't look her in the eyes, though, focusing on the diamond-shaped earring she wore. It was simply less stressful for the man... though made him look as avoidant as all hell.
"...Relitigate the case?" Apollo scoffed, almost hesitantly. "That rarely works. Do you... really think that you can find something definitive enough to get the courts to do that?"
The word "courts" was laced with a deeply bitter tone, Apollo's newfound distrust of the system still rather evident. But, he had to admit, there was a little part of him that was curious. Would it be possible? Would there still be some hidden piece of evidence somewhere, strong enough to carry an argument?
Cutting-edge cases always did seem to haunt him, after all. Dealing with something like this shouldn't surprise him.
Trucy's final comment pulled him out of his brooding thoughts once again, his brows furrowing before one quirked upwards in confusion. "He's... being attacked by a bird." A long sigh was given, his arms loosely crossing. "It's... It was probably that prosecutor's... though I wouldn't be surprised if it was completely unrelated, really."
Mr. Wright was like, that, after all, Apollo thought. Always finding himself in some obscure situation. All of them were like that, really.
Once again, it seemed as if he had been distracted away from the current stressors, the stony, usual expression relaxing a little. Of course, he still looked as haunted as always, but... closer to what he had normally looked like, before... all this.
Concern flashes across Trucy’s face at Apollo’s words.
“…It’s…” Trucy starts weakly but finishes strong. “It’s our only chance!”
“Unless, you plan on breaking Mr. Starbuck out of prison yourself?” Dayton butts in nonchalantly, her tone relaxed but with an underlying nature of doubt that mirrored Apollos when he expressed his distrust in the courts.
At this point, there weren’t many options to accomplish this particular goal, and defeatism wasn’t going to get them anywhere. Might as well start with what they know can work.
Or at least, what they hope can work.
And hey, if Apollo manages to succeed at proving Athena guilty, then it’s one less innocent stuck where they didn’t belong.
As for the bird attack, yeah Dayton wasn’t exactly aware of all the details. She mostly witnessed the aftermath. Phoenix Wright, with a bird sitting on his head and scratches across his face, insisted on staying behind.
She didn’t know if the hawk was owned by someone, but if the bandanna around its neck was any indication then it showed it was at least domesticated.
Sort of.
She did enjoy seeing Apollo work out the dots himself, though. Even though his deductive skill appears to be suffering as of late, she knows that he’s capable of pulling connections together, even with minimal info.
What he could do with that skill was amazing…
It could also be terrifying.
Just as her mind drifted over to those thoughts, she felt something strange hit her nose. The humidity in the air, she noticed, had changed. Almost imperceptible droplets of water were starting to slowly hit her skin.
“How’s about we get this parade moving, eh? We don’t want them to clean up all the evidence before we get inside, right?” Dayton tries gently.
Trucy nods, eyes turning towards the sky signaling she can also feel the impending storm. Her gaze then moves to Apollo.
He cared, he really did. But Apollo couldn't help but sound like he was doing this against his will. At least he was here, that alone at least meant something.
Dayton's comment made him smile slightly in amusement, just for a brief moment.
"Break him out of prison? Of course not. And even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to pull that off." At least he was still reasonable enough to understand that. Trying to do a prison break in his state would only be cause for disaster.
With painfully few options available, his will to work on this had indeed been worn away, even with how much it had all meant. All he wanted to do, especially at the current moment, was stuff himself into a dark corner of his apartment, and stay there as long as he could.
It was depressing. Apollo was well aware of that. But he couldn't think of anything to uplift his mood. This was who he was, now, and he'd resigned himself to such a fate with no hesitation at all. What even was there to fight for, anyways?
...
Well, his friends. Mr. Starbuck. The fading hope he could talk to his family again. But even then, the threat of them all finding out about his murder kept him afraid to interact, and unwilling to grow close.
He was stuck. Stuck in a trap of his own creation.
The wind buffeted him once more, skewing his hair to the side as he swayed on his feet. Clay's jacket, still gripped tightly, snapped and rippled behind him. The cold did feel nice on his covered wounds, but aside from that, it certainly didn't look like he was enjoying it.
"...I'm as ready as I'll ever be.", he muttered, turning to face the space center's main entrance. His eyes stayed on the ground before it, however, the man still unwilling to face his memories here.
‘Ready as he’ll ever be, hm? That must’ve meant “not at all”’
Both Trucy and Dayton linger by Apollo, his face down and posture indicating a heavy hesitation. The heft of the tension was felt across all of them standing there.
“Trucy?” Dayton, voices aloud, directing Trucy’s attention to her. “How about you go ahead and head inside? We’ll catch up with you.”
Trucy stops, her eyes flitting back and forth between Dayton and Apollo. She was clearly worried, but at the time she didn’t know what to say or do. Reluctantly, she nods and heads towards the entrance, leaving Dayton and Apollo be.
Dayton waits until Trucy is out of earshot before she walks slowly up to Apollo. When she stops just in front of him, her posture lowers as she tries to interrupt his gaze with her own.
“Hey…” her voice is soft, the roughness that usually accompanies it evening out.
“I’m going to take a breath. If you want, you can do it with me.”
Part of her knows she’s put Apollo through a lot of turmoil just now. That’s mostly attributed to the lack of choice she normally gives him. It can be frustrating, she understands, to feel like he can’t choose to be where he wants to be. To be thrust into uncomfortable situations over and over.
Even though he may deserve it, his feelings are normal. They are human.
So, what she tries to do now is give him a choice. A small one. He can take a breath with her, or ignore her and walk past. It’s not a command, after all. Just an offer.
Just as she says, she takes a long, slow breath in. Her eyes close as she does this, her mouth slightly parted.
She feels the humidity on her fingers, the wind touching her cheek, her clothes billowing.
As soon as she tried to look him in the eyes, Apollo glanced to the side, unwilling to make extended eye contact. He huffed, readjusting his posture and slightly opening his mouth to speak. Whatever it was, likely a complaint of some sort, was interrupted by Dayton's own words, with the only thing coming out being an eventual, quiet sigh.
Just briefly, his eyes returned to her face, a firm but quizzical look glinting within them. Taking a breath? He was already doing that, he thought bitterly, despite the fact he knew what she meant. He simply didn't understand why, why she'd care to do such a silly exercise with him, after everything.
While it wasn't entirely clear if he was breathing with her, Apollo didn't walk away at all, nor move from his spot, aside from the slight adjustments he had to do thanks to the wind.
Even if he hadn't wanted to, he did spend those few moments focused on his own breathing. The rise and fall of his chest, the aching of his still-sore lungs.
It reminded him that he was still alive. Still alive, despite everything.
By the time Dayton opened her eyes again, Apollo's had returned to the ground, a pensive look on his face. A long moment passed, nothing but the sound of the wind to fill it, before he reluctantly spoke again.
"…I'm still confused as to why you're doing this. All of this." Another beat of hesitation, followed by a quick sigh, his eyes moving upwards. "Most people, I can read fairly well, but…"
While he trailed off without clarification, the following words were clear enough. He couldn't read her intentions at all.
She had to admit, she wasn’t sure what she was going to see. She told herself she would be alright with either outcome, to not take it personally when he decided to leave.
But when she opened her eyes again with Apollo still standing before her, suddenly the biting chill of the wind felt little more than a whisper. The warmth that spread instead was raw and painful, sending pinpricks from her chest, down to her fingertips, and finally up to her face.
Apollo could hardly look at her, but Dayton was unable to return that courtesy. Her gaze was continuous, unwavering, aching…gentle.
She lets the moment sit as the feeling only just begins to dissolve. Still, it takes Apollo speaking again for her to return to her senses.
As she listens to his words, she inwardly chuckles.
‘Feels like this is the… maybe third time he’s asked about me.’
To her, it felt the same as when he asked why she was paying for his food. And so, with that in mind she gives much of the same response.
A small smile crossed her lips, the corners of her eyes crinkling in a way that showed bits of age, or rather, experience rarely seen before.
“I thought I already told you, Apollo. I want the truth.”
It was more than that.
Of course it was more than that, her actions thus far have more than demonstrated it. But unfortunately, the answer he was looking for she was just unable to give.
Not because she was deliberately hiding it from him, but because it was simply impossible. Extracting those pieces of herself for him would be hard enough, but putting them into words he can understand?
She just wasn’t there yet…
…And she wouldn’t be given the opportunity to be either. After she spoke, those droplets of water began to become more frequent. It was starting to drizzle. It looks like it’ll start pouring any second now.
“Hm… we should head inside. Wouldn’t want to mess up your bandages.”
Then, she does something strange. She takes off her overcoat, moves closer to Apollo and throws it over top of his head, around the jacket he’s already wearing. Barely sparing him a passing glance once she’s done so, she immediately begins her stride towards the long sidewalk before the entrance.
Day isn’t completely unaware of the effect that jacket has on Apollo. With the way he grabs onto it, almost hides himself in it, it’s clear to her that it’s like a security blanket for him. And well…
Even if he wasn't looking directly at her, Apollo was still keeping track of her expression to some degree. It gave him little more info on her motives, but... he could at least tell that Dayton didn't hate him.
Somehow.
it was annoying, really. Apollo was so used to everyone around him lying obviously, while remaining generally truthful himself. But now, everything was flipped. His bracelet told him nothing, nor did his intuition. Though, after the situation with Athena, maybe it was for the best that his ability-of-sorts wasn't activating.
It wasn't hard to assume what would come out of his mouth, in response to Dayton's answer. Some snide remark, or a stony reply regarding how he already knew the truth. But, all he seemed to do was stare, the glancing of his eyes stilling for a brief moment.
He did speak eventually, yes. But what came out of his mouth was an unusually neutral, straight-to-the-point, single word.
"Alright."
Maybe he was too tired to continue arguing his thoughts. Maybe the mental duress he had been dealing with had sapped all of his available efforts. Or maybe, just maybe, he was starting to soften up.
Just a little.
The rain beginning to fall didn't garner too much of a reaction from the man, with his eyes simply turning towards the clouds. Dark and uncertain, obscuring the light of the sun nigh completely. It reminded him of himself, in an odd sort of way.
So focused was he on his idle contemplation, that Dayton's movement was initially ignored. As soon as he did notice, the overcoat was being tossed at him, too quickly for him to attempt to dodge.
"Wh- Hey!", He snapped, a flash of anger in his voice. It faded quickly, however, replaced by what could be best considered mildly-irritated confusion. It hadn't harmed him, after all... but he definitely didn't understand the action.
Since Dayton had simply started to walk away, he had nothing better to do than to briskly walk after her... After adjusting the extra jacket to let him see, anyways.
The walk to the front door of this place was long and stupid. At least, that’s how Day felt. She wasn’t that old or unfit, but she could imagine someone less spry would need some kind of motorized transportation to make it too far without needing a break.
Not to mention the difficulty on days like these, where the rain emphasized the need for haste. The droplets plopped a wet splotch on the sidewalk each time they hit, giving Dayton a hundred little worries to pay attention to with each passing second.
Day didn’t like the rain. She would’ve brought her umbrella from out of the car, but it’s long since broken and likely would’ve closed up on her, causing more problems than it would solve.
So for now, she just had to settle with the feeling of wetness accumulating on her shoulders and back, causing the white cloth of her dress shirt to start to become see-through.
You would think it would be nice to have a coat in this scenario. But if you’d asked her if she would rather have hers on right now, she would’ve told you that if she did she would’ve felt worse.
Luckily, not too much damage could be done before she reached the front entrance. A few sprays of water across her clothing that could be dried in minutes. It just so happened that the real storm didn’t start until after she had walked inside.
As she holds the door open for Apollo to come in, a clap of thunder goes off, rumbling the entire building. Then the rain starts pouring down hard. So hard that she can no longer see her car through it. She grimaces, hoping it’ll end before they need to leave.
‘At least now we have a good excuse to stay in case someone tries to kick us out…’
“There you guys are!” Trucy calls out, further into the room. She seems to have been taking a look around before they arrived. She makes her way over so the sound of the pounding rain wouldn’t drown her out as much.
“Good timing! You two could’ve gotten soaked….” Trucy trails off, noticing something different.
Dayton can tell she’s probably looking for her overcoat, mainly because when Trucy’s eyes drift to Apollo, her mouth makes an “O” shape without the sound.
“Yeah, lucky, heh.” Dayton speaks up, drawing the attention back to her. “You didn’t run into any trouble while we were gone, did you?”
“Oh! Well…” Trucy looks down sheepishly, her hand scratching the back of her neck. “I did run into a robot while I was waiting for you. But I was able to handle it, just fine!”
Thankfully, Apollo's legs weren't injured, at least not to any extent approaching his arms and torso. So, the extended walk was of no issue to him.
The rain, however... that made things a little difficult.
Indeed, most of the GYAXA uniform draped over his shoulders was covered, only a bit of the hem and sleeves catching any droplets. However, thanks to his need to see, his face and front was getting the full brunt of whatever rain was getting blown into him.
As he quickly stepped along, Apollo briefly contemplated running off. Facing his past, along with the two murders, with Trucy tagging along to boot... it was rough, that was already clear. So what was stopping him?
At this point, it really was only the rain, with the space center regrettably being his closest refuge. That, and he didn't want to run off with this woman's jacket in tow. Even now, he'd feel rather impolite doing as much.
As such thoughts flashed through his mind, Apollo's expression remained the same. While his nerves were occupied, it seemed he could manage to conceal his intentions... but that seemed to be happening less and less as the days went on.
Soon enough, they were there. Caring more about getting indoors than giving the jacket back at this point, Apollo moved to dart past Dayton, not a word uttered in thanks or acknowledgment. It may have not been on purpose, however, as something seemed to rip his attention away.
Deep, rumbling thunder.
What did that sound like, one could wonder? Many things, really. But to Apollo, it brought one thing to mind.
It wasn't an exact match, of course. But the unexpectedness of it, the sound and the feeling of it reverberating within his chest, it all made him go shock-white as he stumbled into the building. After finding his footing, a rather genuine look of terror was shot over his shoulder, past Dayton, and out the glass doors.
Nothing but rain, and the distant flash of lightning.
Was it really that easy to throw him off? Apollo scowled, trying to swallow his fear before turning to look at the others, face still rather pale.
He wanted to sit down, to try and dispel the faint feeling in his head, and the nervous shaking of his body. But that would show weakness. And he couldn't afford to do that right now... on purpose, anyways.
A simple, muttered "Yeah" was replied to Trucy, his hands pulling the jacket off of his shoulders at the same time. He was so distracted, that the GYAXA jacket was nearly taken along with it, it being left only hanging onto one side. Without checking if Dayton was paying attention or not, her jacket was tossed back with a rather flimsy throw.
If he didn't look awful before, he certainly did now. A bit damp, shaky, and pale. On top of that, getting a whole coat tossed at his face, as well as getting rained on, had completely ruined his hair, bangs now damply clinging to the front of his face as they hung down. At least an effort was given to straighten his GYAXA jacket after a moment, the item held tightly despite the lack of wind.
"...A robot?", he responded, delayed. "Y...eah, there are some around, was it... talking to you? ...Or was it just cleaning?"
Through the unsteady quiver of his voice, a more normal tone had returned. As it had been, being thrown off in any sort of way seemed to rip away the dark haze that had been haunting him...
Dayton was in fact, not paying attention. Not that paying attention would’ve done her much good. The throw was so weak that her overcoat fell to the floor before she could take her first step towards it.
Her eyes widen in disbelief, lips tightening as she sees it lying there. When she finally has the wherewithal to move, she walks over and tenderly picks it up in her arms. A layer of dust was spread across the parts that touched the tile, unable to be wiped away due to the moisture that had seeped into it from the rain.
The air around her increases in temperature by a few degrees. Her eyes squeeze shut as she pulls the coat around her body, pushing her arms through the sleeves. When she finishes, her eyes reopen and she begins to take a walk around the room, completely tuning out any further dialogue.
Trucy meanwhile, is acutely aware of both of their current reactions. Her brows furrow, Apollo’s behavior setting off several alarm bells and her expression very clearly expresses that thought. Still, she takes the time to answer, a bit slower than she normally would have.
“…It…It was talking. It asked me for an ID. When I told it I didn’t have one it tried to escort me out…I didn’t know if Miss Columbia had called ahead, so I said I was with the detective.”
Dayton takes a look at a sign, pointing out the layout of the space center. Checking through all the different areas, it looked like the closest next room to them was the Space Museum. Out of the corner of her eye, Trucy sees her head in that direction almost immediately.
“When I told it that, it just stopped. Said I was welcome to stay.”
Interesting story. Would’ve been all well and good except for one thing. Dayton never called ahead. Dayton has left the area by this point so she isn’t there to point out the contradiction…
But that isn’t what Trucy is concerned about anymore. As soon as Dayton leaves, Trucy marches up to Apollo, confusion written all over her face. She speaks in a low tone that’s almost like a whisper. Like she’s talking to a scared animal.
“Apollo…are you okay? You look worse than when I left you. And the way you’re acting…”
Trucy frowns, her intuition and her guilt for not believing in him clashing. Part of her doesn’t even want to know the answers to her questions. But she knows what she saw. The lie about his phone, his skittish demeanor, the weird aura between him and Dayton. It was too much.
of course he fumbled the jacket, of course he had to drop it on the ground. Of course it had to be storming and of course he had to have been thrown off by the thunder because of course the bombing happened and of course he was also stressed because of course his best friend had to die and of course his coworker had to do it and of course the courts couldn't do anything and of course arrested Starbuck instead and of course he had to take it into his own hands and of course that meant hiding the fact that he killed someone and of course someone had to find out somehow so of course he was avoiding everyone but of course she had to bring Trucy here and of course everything else was happening so of course he couldn't hold himself together and of course it was all at the space center too which of course was closing and of course it was one of the only good childhood memories he had and everything was going wrong and nothing could ever go right and his chest felt tighter and tighter and his heart pounded faster and faster and faster and
His facade didn't change. It was all blank, eyes staring into nothing. However, the quickening of his breath was very real, and hard to hide in the silent room, not even the rush of the rain outdoors being enough to fully hide it.
But Trucy... as she moved into his view, his attention immediately snapped to her. Was it out of nervousness? Worry for himself? Worry for her? Even he didn't know.
Was he okay?
Was he okay?
"Do you.... think I've been okay!? At all!?"
While one could get the sense he meant to yell, his voice was weak and limited by his other distress, giving it a rather pitiful, thin sound. It was clear he was on the brink, in every sense of the word.
In... in front of a kid.
He had to pull himself together.
While he couldn't whisk all the emotions away at the drop of a hat, Apollo could at least try to stifle them. His eyes went elsewhere as his arms crossed, as tightly as his wounds would allow. A hard swallow was given, followed by another, before he spoke in a slightly-calmer voice.
"...Look, I'm just... I'm dealing with a lot, a-alright? I... I don't want to bother you with it. I'm sorry."
It sounded genuine, at least.
Admittedly, it had been hard for him to keep his attention on her earlier, while the robot were mentioned. But he did at least pick up the fact that they were directly interacting- and, while many of the space center's robots were capable of such a thing, there were two that were much more prone to it.
Two that he really, really did not care to interact with right now.
Which made him all the more unhappy, with the sound of fine-tuned wheels scooting about nearby.
Maybe if he just stood still. No, that wouldn't do anything. His heart was racing. He was wearing Clay's jacket. He might as well start screaming, though even that wouldn't be as obvious.
Just dealing with things as he went. That's how it always was. That's how it always would be. He couldn't escape this hell of a life, could he?
Trucy sees the outburst in his eyes before it happens. But it doesn’t change the shock and hurt that her heartbroken expression conveys when it’s over. She flinches, not able to stop herself from taking a step back, her hand resting on her chest as she tries to still her own heartbeat.
Even with Trucy’s doubts, she would’ve accepted practically any explanation. She’s not picky, nor confrontational. It took a lot for her to even ask. But to be met with this instead…?
Trucy’s head hangs low. She’s so young. What is she supposed to say?
“This… all of this, it’s already bothering me. Whatever’s going on, it can’t be worse than this. Worse than you not talking to me.”
All her life she’s dealt with secrets, lies, being underestimated, passed around, and overlooked. Through all of that, she was able to smile.
Even now, she feels her lips compulsively moving upward. Soon, however, that compulsion subverts itself, turning into defiance. Her eyes lift to face Apollo’s form, a new wave of determination passing through her as her gaze hardens the best it can.
“But it’s okay! Because I’m going to help anyway, whether you want me to or not. I’ll prove it to you. We all will! Me, Daddy, Miss Columbia-”
She takes a couple steps forward, just so Apollo will be able to see her face clearly.
Apollo wished that were true. He wished that this situation could be better than ignoring... what was essentially a little sister at this point.
Essentially... no, more than that. But it wasn't like Apollo was aware. It was better if he wasn't.
Part of him, in that moment, considered the idea of telling her. The idea of getting the situation off of his chest was enjoyed, admittedly. Hiding it all was so exhausting.
But the idea of her reacting in utter horror, the idea of her hatred, Apollo couldn't stand it. And anyways, again, she was just a kid. If he was going to tell anyone, he would tell Phoenix.
But even then, he didn't want to. Not yet.
A brief look of intense sadness was given to her, an apologetic frown preceding a muttered, continuingly shaky response.
"Trucy. I... I wouldn't even tell Mr. Wright about this. Or... Or Clay. If, he was still around."
Talking to his spirit felt different. Probably because it was his subconscious, making it all up.
"It's, I'm... I'm not talking to anyone about this. Don't worry about it."
If anything, that was more worrying. But alas.
Outside, the storm raged on, another deep boom of thunder reverberating through the space center. After shifting on his feet anxiously and glancing around to make sure he was safe, Apollo crossed his tremoring arms once more, sucking in a few shaky breaths as his eyes returned forwards... only to find Trucy inching closer to him.
He wasn't alone, his frazzled mind echoed back. What a false statement that was.
Sure, everyone was around him. But he certainly didn't feel like growing close. It was risky and stressful, and much easier to simply close himself off.
Considering that, though, he had to acknowledge the fact that Dayton knew his secret. So, he could lean on her, but... he still didn't know her deal. That enough was a good enough reason to not let his guard down.
Then again, he felt bad. Apollo didn't want to disappoint Trucy with a non-answer, or a denial of her thoughts.
"...Thanks, I guess."
It wasn't a great response, by any means, his weak and trembling voice not helping. But, his voice showed no irritation, only an unsure tone, the man clearly more conflicted than mad.
Although what he said was disheartening, it wasn’t enough to make Trucy deflate. She’d accepted that he wasn’t going to talk about what was bothering him, and that was alright for now. Still, what he said made her consider something.
If he wouldn’t even tell his closest friend what was bothering him, then it stands to reason that Dayton wouldn’t know what’s going on either... But somehow, that didn’t sound right to her.
While she was happy to see Apollo, it confused her a bit as to why Dayton would decide to bring him along for the investigation instead of just Pheonix. Not to mention whatever conversation she missed out on after she left them alone.
‘Maybe…’ she begins to ponder. ‘I should flip my thinking around… Maybe it’s not that she wanted to bring Apollo, but that she had to?’
Either way, if she was going to get any closer to the truth, Apollo wasn’t going to be the way to find it.
She had to go to Dayton.
Trucy crosses her arms, turning and looking in the direction Dayton left through.
“She seemed upset…” Trucy speaks up, recalling Dayton’s behavior. “Like, about to bite someone’s head off upset. Do you think we should go find her?”
‘Ah, there’s that pulse. Knew it was in there somewhere.’
Dayton’s hand quickly moves to cover the lower half of her face, trying to hide the amusement she was clearly getting from this.
How can such a brooding man be turned into a nervous wreck so quickly?
When the excuses start sputtering out of his lips, that face hold nearly turns into a facepalm. He couldn’t lie his way out of a paper bag, it’s a wonder he’s still walking free.
During this consideration, a drop of silence spills over the parking lot, with Trucy facing Apollo and Apollo facing anywhere else. Dayton senses the awkwardness about to turn tense, and she’s about to jump in when-
“Well get it fixed, silly!” Trucy humphs.
Dayton lets out a breath, feeling safe in the fairly normal response. Of course, she wasn’t facing Trucy, so she didn’t catch the look she gave him just before. A piercing gaze and wry smile was held during that time, her bright eyes dulling.
But it only took a second for her face to return to normal.
“I swear Apollo, even you should know that blowing up doesn’t mean you should forget about your friends…” Trucy crosses her arms, shaking her head exasperatedly.
Her tone is more fitting of her telling a famous person to remember their roots and not… somebody actually exploding.
To be perfectly fair, this was just about the worst situation he could possibly find himself in. At the site of the inciting incident behind all his current troubles, the site so dear to him, the site that was doomed to be flattened and forgotten.
It all drove him to incredible mental duress, enough to cripple his stony facade. In such a moment of weakness, trying to handle a conversation with Trucy of all people left him scrambling to, very poorly, make himself look normal again.
As panicked as he was, the situation threatened to become rather unpredictable. Thankfully, it seemed like Apollo was trying to hold himself together, and prevent any... incidents from happening. But who knew how long he could continue such a thing?
His own dull eyes locked with hers, a chill running up his spine. Did she know? No, no, she couldn't know. Panic flashed in his eyes, anyways, sweat beading on his face despite the chill in the air.
Thankfully, her next comment, even if a little... insensitive, perhaps, seemed to ground him in reality a little. The panicked expression gradually switched to confusion, then a dull, awkward look.
"I'm... recuperating from stuff other than that. The bombing, that's... the least of my worries, right now.", he muttered, tacking on a quiet "Sorry." a few seconds after ending the sentence.
Clearly, this was true. He certainly wasn't giving his injuries much care, with how he was running around.
Just watching the exchange, Dayton could tell that Trucy didn’t mean to be insensitive with her comment. In fact, whether she knew it or not, Trucy was doing exactly as Dayton planned.
Dayton has dealt with a lot of people in a worse way, and reactions to their situation can often lean into panic territory. Why, she remembers when her wife used to….
Anyway, one thing that she observed sometimes worked in scenarios like these is shock. If someone is deep in the thick of it, saying something off kilter or doing something spontaneous can break them out of their mindset, if only for a few precious moments.
The weakness of this is that sometimes the strategy can backfire. Sometimes it can draw someone deeper into delusion and panic, causing them to shut down completely. And Apollo well…
‘Right now it looks like he’s seesawing between the two reactions. Still, at least there’s some life to him. Better than a few minutes ago.’
It was quite a sight, though. Dayton could barely hear the words coming out of his mouth at this point, but Trucy was able to make it relatively clear.
Trucy’s expression softens as she replies to Apollo.
“….I can’t stay mad at you, Polly. I know you’re upset about what happened but… we can at least do something about it! Right, Miss Columbia?”
Dayton, leaning forward and walking up to join the two, nods her head.
“Yeah, I think we can. Glad you’re around, we could use the extra hands.”
Trucy turns to Apollo, eyes full of hope.
“Miss Colombia contacted the Wright Anything Agency the other day. She said that if we can find some new evidence to present to court, she might be able to pull a few strings to relitigate the case!”
Trucy crosses her arms, staring off into space as if she was remembering something.
“Daddy was supposed to show up today too, but he got attacked by a falcon. Or wait… was it a hawk? Anyway, he couldn’t make it, so I’m here instead!”
Thankfully, Apollo couldn't catch the possibly-intentional nature of the statement. Of course, there had been a brief look of annoyance, but if anything, that was more genuine of an emotion than most other things he had recently shown.
After his eyes lingered elsewhere for a moment, Apollo looked back to Trucy when she started to speak again. He didn't look her in the eyes, though, focusing on the diamond-shaped earring she wore. It was simply less stressful for the man... though made him look as avoidant as all hell.
"...Relitigate the case?" Apollo scoffed, almost hesitantly. "That rarely works. Do you... really think that you can find something definitive enough to get the courts to do that?"
The word "courts" was laced with a deeply bitter tone, Apollo's newfound distrust of the system still rather evident. But, he had to admit, there was a little part of him that was curious. Would it be possible? Would there still be some hidden piece of evidence somewhere, strong enough to carry an argument?
Cutting-edge cases always did seem to haunt him, after all. Dealing with something like this shouldn't surprise him.
Trucy's final comment pulled him out of his brooding thoughts once again, his brows furrowing before one quirked upwards in confusion. "He's... being attacked by a bird." A long sigh was given, his arms loosely crossing. "It's... It was probably that prosecutor's... though I wouldn't be surprised if it was completely unrelated, really."
Mr. Wright was like, that, after all, Apollo thought. Always finding himself in some obscure situation. All of them were like that, really.
Once again, it seemed as if he had been distracted away from the current stressors, the stony, usual expression relaxing a little. Of course, he still looked as haunted as always, but... closer to what he had normally looked like, before... all this.
Concern flashes across Trucy’s face at Apollo’s words.
“…It’s…” Trucy starts weakly but finishes strong. “It’s our only chance!”
“Unless, you plan on breaking Mr. Starbuck out of prison yourself?” Dayton butts in nonchalantly, her tone relaxed but with an underlying nature of doubt that mirrored Apollos when he expressed his distrust in the courts.
At this point, there weren’t many options to accomplish this particular goal, and defeatism wasn’t going to get them anywhere. Might as well start with what they know can work.
Or at least, what they hope can work.
And hey, if Apollo manages to succeed at proving Athena guilty, then it’s one less innocent stuck where they didn’t belong.
As for the bird attack, yeah Dayton wasn’t exactly aware of all the details. She mostly witnessed the aftermath. Phoenix Wright, with a bird sitting on his head and scratches across his face, insisted on staying behind.
She didn’t know if the hawk was owned by someone, but if the bandanna around its neck was any indication then it showed it was at least domesticated.
Sort of.
She did enjoy seeing Apollo work out the dots himself, though. Even though his deductive skill appears to be suffering as of late, she knows that he’s capable of pulling connections together, even with minimal info.
What he could do with that skill was amazing…
It could also be terrifying.
Just as her mind drifted over to those thoughts, she felt something strange hit her nose. The humidity in the air, she noticed, had changed. Almost imperceptible droplets of water were starting to slowly hit her skin.
“How’s about we get this parade moving, eh? We don’t want them to clean up all the evidence before we get inside, right?” Dayton tries gently.
Trucy nods, eyes turning towards the sky signaling she can also feel the impending storm. Her gaze then moves to Apollo.
He cared, he really did. But Apollo couldn't help but sound like he was doing this against his will. At least he was here, that alone at least meant something.
Dayton's comment made him smile slightly in amusement, just for a brief moment.
"Break him out of prison? Of course not. And even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to pull that off." At least he was still reasonable enough to understand that. Trying to do a prison break in his state would only be cause for disaster.
With painfully few options available, his will to work on this had indeed been worn away, even with how much it had all meant. All he wanted to do, especially at the current moment, was stuff himself into a dark corner of his apartment, and stay there as long as he could.
It was depressing. Apollo was well aware of that. But he couldn't think of anything to uplift his mood. This was who he was, now, and he'd resigned himself to such a fate with no hesitation at all. What even was there to fight for, anyways?
...
Well, his friends. Mr. Starbuck. The fading hope he could talk to his family again. But even then, the threat of them all finding out about his murder kept him afraid to interact, and unwilling to grow close.
He was stuck. Stuck in a trap of his own creation.
The wind buffeted him once more, skewing his hair to the side as he swayed on his feet. Clay's jacket, still gripped tightly, snapped and rippled behind him. The cold did feel nice on his covered wounds, but aside from that, it certainly didn't look like he was enjoying it.
"...I'm as ready as I'll ever be.", he muttered, turning to face the space center's main entrance. His eyes stayed on the ground before it, however, the man still unwilling to face his memories here.
‘Ready as he’ll ever be, hm? That must’ve meant “not at all”’
Both Trucy and Dayton linger by Apollo, his face down and posture indicating a heavy hesitation. The heft of the tension was felt across all of them standing there.
“Trucy?” Dayton, voices aloud, directing Trucy’s attention to her. “How about you go ahead and head inside? We’ll catch up with you.”
Trucy stops, her eyes flitting back and forth between Dayton and Apollo. She was clearly worried, but at the time she didn’t know what to say or do. Reluctantly, she nods and heads towards the entrance, leaving Dayton and Apollo be.
Dayton waits until Trucy is out of earshot before she walks slowly up to Apollo. When she stops just in front of him, her posture lowers as she tries to interrupt his gaze with her own.
“Hey…” her voice is soft, the roughness that usually accompanies it evening out.
“I’m going to take a breath. If you want, you can do it with me.”
Part of her knows she’s put Apollo through a lot of turmoil just now. That’s mostly attributed to the lack of choice she normally gives him. It can be frustrating, she understands, to feel like he can’t choose to be where he wants to be. To be thrust into uncomfortable situations over and over.
Even though he may deserve it, his feelings are normal. They are human.
So, what she tries to do now is give him a choice. A small one. He can take a breath with her, or ignore her and walk past. It’s not a command, after all. Just an offer.
Just as she says, she takes a long, slow breath in. Her eyes close as she does this, her mouth slightly parted.
She feels the humidity on her fingers, the wind touching her cheek, her clothes billowing.
As soon as she tried to look him in the eyes, Apollo glanced to the side, unwilling to make extended eye contact. He huffed, readjusting his posture and slightly opening his mouth to speak. Whatever it was, likely a complaint of some sort, was interrupted by Dayton's own words, with the only thing coming out being an eventual, quiet sigh.
Just briefly, his eyes returned to her face, a firm but quizzical look glinting within them. Taking a breath? He was already doing that, he thought bitterly, despite the fact he knew what she meant. He simply didn't understand why, why she'd care to do such a silly exercise with him, after everything.
While it wasn't entirely clear if he was breathing with her, Apollo didn't walk away at all, nor move from his spot, aside from the slight adjustments he had to do thanks to the wind.
Even if he hadn't wanted to, he did spend those few moments focused on his own breathing. The rise and fall of his chest, the aching of his still-sore lungs.
It reminded him that he was still alive. Still alive, despite everything.
By the time Dayton opened her eyes again, Apollo's had returned to the ground, a pensive look on his face. A long moment passed, nothing but the sound of the wind to fill it, before he reluctantly spoke again.
"…I'm still confused as to why you're doing this. All of this." Another beat of hesitation, followed by a quick sigh, his eyes moving upwards. "Most people, I can read fairly well, but…"
While he trailed off without clarification, the following words were clear enough. He couldn't read her intentions at all.
She had to admit, she wasn’t sure what she was going to see. She told herself she would be alright with either outcome, to not take it personally when he decided to leave.
But when she opened her eyes again with Apollo still standing before her, suddenly the biting chill of the wind felt little more than a whisper. The warmth that spread instead was raw and painful, sending pinpricks from her chest, down to her fingertips, and finally up to her face.
Apollo could hardly look at her, but Dayton was unable to return that courtesy. Her gaze was continuous, unwavering, aching…gentle.
She lets the moment sit as the feeling only just begins to dissolve. Still, it takes Apollo speaking again for her to return to her senses.
As she listens to his words, she inwardly chuckles.
‘Feels like this is the… maybe third time he’s asked about me.’
To her, it felt the same as when he asked why she was paying for his food. And so, with that in mind she gives much of the same response.
A small smile crossed her lips, the corners of her eyes crinkling in a way that showed bits of age, or rather, experience rarely seen before.
“I thought I already told you, Apollo. I want the truth.”
It was more than that.
Of course it was more than that, her actions thus far have more than demonstrated it. But unfortunately, the answer he was looking for she was just unable to give.
Not because she was deliberately hiding it from him, but because it was simply impossible. Extracting those pieces of herself for him would be hard enough, but putting them into words he can understand?
She just wasn’t there yet…
…And she wouldn’t be given the opportunity to be either. After she spoke, those droplets of water began to become more frequent. It was starting to drizzle. It looks like it’ll start pouring any second now.
“Hm… we should head inside. Wouldn’t want to mess up your bandages.”
Then, she does something strange. She takes off her overcoat, moves closer to Apollo and throws it over top of his head, around the jacket he’s already wearing. Barely sparing him a passing glance once she’s done so, she immediately begins her stride towards the long sidewalk before the entrance.
Day isn’t completely unaware of the effect that jacket has on Apollo. With the way he grabs onto it, almost hides himself in it, it’s clear to her that it’s like a security blanket for him. And well…
Even if he wasn't looking directly at her, Apollo was still keeping track of her expression to some degree. It gave him little more info on her motives, but... he could at least tell that Dayton didn't hate him.
Somehow.
it was annoying, really. Apollo was so used to everyone around him lying obviously, while remaining generally truthful himself. But now, everything was flipped. His bracelet told him nothing, nor did his intuition. Though, after the situation with Athena, maybe it was for the best that his ability-of-sorts wasn't activating.
It wasn't hard to assume what would come out of his mouth, in response to Dayton's answer. Some snide remark, or a stony reply regarding how he already knew the truth. But, all he seemed to do was stare, the glancing of his eyes stilling for a brief moment.
He did speak eventually, yes. But what came out of his mouth was an unusually neutral, straight-to-the-point, single word.
"Alright."
Maybe he was too tired to continue arguing his thoughts. Maybe the mental duress he had been dealing with had sapped all of his available efforts. Or maybe, just maybe, he was starting to soften up.
Just a little.
The rain beginning to fall didn't garner too much of a reaction from the man, with his eyes simply turning towards the clouds. Dark and uncertain, obscuring the light of the sun nigh completely. It reminded him of himself, in an odd sort of way.
So focused was he on his idle contemplation, that Dayton's movement was initially ignored. As soon as he did notice, the overcoat was being tossed at him, too quickly for him to attempt to dodge.
"Wh- Hey!", He snapped, a flash of anger in his voice. It faded quickly, however, replaced by what could be best considered mildly-irritated confusion. It hadn't harmed him, after all... but he definitely didn't understand the action.
Since Dayton had simply started to walk away, he had nothing better to do than to briskly walk after her... After adjusting the extra jacket to let him see, anyways.
The walk to the front door of this place was long and stupid. At least, that’s how Day felt. She wasn’t that old or unfit, but she could imagine someone less spry would need some kind of motorized transportation to make it too far without needing a break.
Not to mention the difficulty on days like these, where the rain emphasized the need for haste. The droplets plopped a wet splotch on the sidewalk each time they hit, giving Dayton a hundred little worries to pay attention to with each passing second.
Day didn’t like the rain. She would’ve brought her umbrella from out of the car, but it’s long since broken and likely would’ve closed up on her, causing more problems than it would solve.
So for now, she just had to settle with the feeling of wetness accumulating on her shoulders and back, causing the white cloth of her dress shirt to start to become see-through.
You would think it would be nice to have a coat in this scenario. But if you’d asked her if she would rather have hers on right now, she would’ve told you that if she did she would’ve felt worse.
Luckily, not too much damage could be done before she reached the front entrance. A few sprays of water across her clothing that could be dried in minutes. It just so happened that the real storm didn’t start until after she had walked inside.
As she holds the door open for Apollo to come in, a clap of thunder goes off, rumbling the entire building. Then the rain starts pouring down hard. So hard that she can no longer see her car through it. She grimaces, hoping it’ll end before they need to leave.
‘At least now we have a good excuse to stay in case someone tries to kick us out…’
“There you guys are!” Trucy calls out, further into the room. She seems to have been taking a look around before they arrived. She makes her way over so the sound of the pounding rain wouldn’t drown her out as much.
“Good timing! You two could’ve gotten soaked….” Trucy trails off, noticing something different.
Dayton can tell she’s probably looking for her overcoat, mainly because when Trucy’s eyes drift to Apollo, her mouth makes an “O” shape without the sound.
“Yeah, lucky, heh.” Dayton speaks up, drawing the attention back to her. “You didn’t run into any trouble while we were gone, did you?”
“Oh! Well…” Trucy looks down sheepishly, her hand scratching the back of her neck. “I did run into a robot while I was waiting for you. But I was able to handle it, just fine!”
Thankfully, Apollo's legs weren't injured, at least not to any extent approaching his arms and torso. So, the extended walk was of no issue to him.
The rain, however... that made things a little difficult.
Indeed, most of the GYAXA uniform draped over his shoulders was covered, only a bit of the hem and sleeves catching any droplets. However, thanks to his need to see, his face and front was getting the full brunt of whatever rain was getting blown into him.
As he quickly stepped along, Apollo briefly contemplated running off. Facing his past, along with the two murders, with Trucy tagging along to boot... it was rough, that was already clear. So what was stopping him?
At this point, it really was only the rain, with the space center regrettably being his closest refuge. That, and he didn't want to run off with this woman's jacket in tow. Even now, he'd feel rather impolite doing as much.
As such thoughts flashed through his mind, Apollo's expression remained the same. While his nerves were occupied, it seemed he could manage to conceal his intentions... but that seemed to be happening less and less as the days went on.
Soon enough, they were there. Caring more about getting indoors than giving the jacket back at this point, Apollo moved to dart past Dayton, not a word uttered in thanks or acknowledgment. It may have not been on purpose, however, as something seemed to rip his attention away.
Deep, rumbling thunder.
What did that sound like, one could wonder? Many things, really. But to Apollo, it brought one thing to mind.
It wasn't an exact match, of course. But the unexpectedness of it, the sound and the feeling of it reverberating within his chest, it all made him go shock-white as he stumbled into the building. After finding his footing, a rather genuine look of terror was shot over his shoulder, past Dayton, and out the glass doors.
Nothing but rain, and the distant flash of lightning.
Was it really that easy to throw him off? Apollo scowled, trying to swallow his fear before turning to look at the others, face still rather pale.
He wanted to sit down, to try and dispel the faint feeling in his head, and the nervous shaking of his body. But that would show weakness. And he couldn't afford to do that right now... on purpose, anyways.
A simple, muttered "Yeah" was replied to Trucy, his hands pulling the jacket off of his shoulders at the same time. He was so distracted, that the GYAXA jacket was nearly taken along with it, it being left only hanging onto one side. Without checking if Dayton was paying attention or not, her jacket was tossed back with a rather flimsy throw.
If he didn't look awful before, he certainly did now. A bit damp, shaky, and pale. On top of that, getting a whole coat tossed at his face, as well as getting rained on, had completely ruined his hair, bangs now damply clinging to the front of his face as they hung down. At least an effort was given to straighten his GYAXA jacket after a moment, the item held tightly despite the lack of wind.
"...A robot?", he responded, delayed. "Y...eah, there are some around, was it... talking to you? ...Or was it just cleaning?"
Through the unsteady quiver of his voice, a more normal tone had returned. As it had been, being thrown off in any sort of way seemed to rip away the dark haze that had been haunting him...
Dayton was in fact, not paying attention. Not that paying attention would’ve done her much good. The throw was so weak that her overcoat fell to the floor before she could take her first step towards it.
Her eyes widen in disbelief, lips tightening as she sees it lying there. When she finally has the wherewithal to move, she walks over and tenderly picks it up in her arms. A layer of dust was spread across the parts that touched the tile, unable to be wiped away due to the moisture that had seeped into it from the rain.
The air around her increases in temperature by a few degrees. Her eyes squeeze shut as she pulls the coat around her body, pushing her arms through the sleeves. When she finishes, her eyes reopen and she begins to take a walk around the room, completely tuning out any further dialogue.
Trucy meanwhile, is acutely aware of both of their current reactions. Her brows furrow, Apollo’s behavior setting off several alarm bells and her expression very clearly expresses that thought. Still, she takes the time to answer, a bit slower than she normally would have.
“…It…It was talking. It asked me for an ID. When I told it I didn’t have one it tried to escort me out…I didn’t know if Miss Columbia had called ahead, so I said I was with the detective.”
Dayton takes a look at a sign, pointing out the layout of the space center. Checking through all the different areas, it looked like the closest next room to them was the Space Museum. Out of the corner of her eye, Trucy sees her head in that direction almost immediately.
“When I told it that, it just stopped. Said I was welcome to stay.”
Interesting story. Would’ve been all well and good except for one thing. Dayton never called ahead. Dayton has left the area by this point so she isn’t there to point out the contradiction…
But that isn’t what Trucy is concerned about anymore. As soon as Dayton leaves, Trucy marches up to Apollo, confusion written all over her face. She speaks in a low tone that’s almost like a whisper. Like she’s talking to a scared animal.
“Apollo…are you okay? You look worse than when I left you. And the way you’re acting…”
Trucy frowns, her intuition and her guilt for not believing in him clashing. Part of her doesn’t even want to know the answers to her questions. But she knows what she saw. The lie about his phone, his skittish demeanor, the weird aura between him and Dayton. It was too much.
of course he fumbled the jacket, of course he had to drop it on the ground. Of course it had to be storming and of course he had to have been thrown off by the thunder because of course the bombing happened and of course he was also stressed because of course his best friend had to die and of course his coworker had to do it and of course the courts couldn't do anything and of course arrested Starbuck instead and of course he had to take it into his own hands and of course that meant hiding the fact that he killed someone and of course someone had to find out somehow so of course he was avoiding everyone but of course she had to bring Trucy here and of course everything else was happening so of course he couldn't hold himself together and of course it was all at the space center too which of course was closing and of course it was one of the only good childhood memories he had and everything was going wrong and nothing could ever go right and his chest felt tighter and tighter and his heart pounded faster and faster and faster and
His facade didn't change. It was all blank, eyes staring into nothing. However, the quickening of his breath was very real, and hard to hide in the silent room, not even the rush of the rain outdoors being enough to fully hide it.
But Trucy... as she moved into his view, his attention immediately snapped to her. Was it out of nervousness? Worry for himself? Worry for her? Even he didn't know.
Was he okay?
Was he okay?
"Do you.... think I've been okay!? At all!?"
While one could get the sense he meant to yell, his voice was weak and limited by his other distress, giving it a rather pitiful, thin sound. It was clear he was on the brink, in every sense of the word.
In... in front of a kid.
He had to pull himself together.
While he couldn't whisk all the emotions away at the drop of a hat, Apollo could at least try to stifle them. His eyes went elsewhere as his arms crossed, as tightly as his wounds would allow. A hard swallow was given, followed by another, before he spoke in a slightly-calmer voice.
"...Look, I'm just... I'm dealing with a lot, a-alright? I... I don't want to bother you with it. I'm sorry."
It sounded genuine, at least.
Admittedly, it had been hard for him to keep his attention on her earlier, while the robot were mentioned. But he did at least pick up the fact that they were directly interacting- and, while many of the space center's robots were capable of such a thing, there were two that were much more prone to it.
Two that he really, really did not care to interact with right now.
Which made him all the more unhappy, with the sound of fine-tuned wheels scooting about nearby.
Maybe if he just stood still. No, that wouldn't do anything. His heart was racing. He was wearing Clay's jacket. He might as well start screaming, though even that wouldn't be as obvious.
Just dealing with things as he went. That's how it always was. That's how it always would be. He couldn't escape this hell of a life, could he?
Trucy sees the outburst in his eyes before it happens. But it doesn’t change the shock and hurt that her heartbroken expression conveys when it’s over. She flinches, not able to stop herself from taking a step back, her hand resting on her chest as she tries to still her own heartbeat.
Even with Trucy’s doubts, she would’ve accepted practically any explanation. She’s not picky, nor confrontational. It took a lot for her to even ask. But to be met with this instead…?
Trucy’s head hangs low. She’s so young. What is she supposed to say?
“This… all of this, it’s already bothering me. Whatever’s going on, it can’t be worse than this. Worse than you not talking to me.”
All her life she’s dealt with secrets, lies, being underestimated, passed around, and overlooked. Through all of that, she was able to smile.
Even now, she feels her lips compulsively moving upward. Soon, however, that compulsion subverts itself, turning into defiance. Her eyes lift to face Apollo’s form, a new wave of determination passing through her as her gaze hardens the best it can.
“But it’s okay! Because I’m going to help anyway, whether you want me to or not. I’ll prove it to you. We all will! Me, Daddy, Miss Columbia-”
She takes a couple steps forward, just so Apollo will be able to see her face clearly.
‘Ah, there’s that pulse. Knew it was in there somewhere.’
Dayton’s hand quickly moves to cover the lower half of her face, trying to hide the amusement she was clearly getting from this.
How can such a brooding man be turned into a nervous wreck so quickly?
When the excuses start sputtering out of his lips, that face hold nearly turns into a facepalm. He couldn’t lie his way out of a paper bag, it’s a wonder he’s still walking free.
During this consideration, a drop of silence spills over the parking lot, with Trucy facing Apollo and Apollo facing anywhere else. Dayton senses the awkwardness about to turn tense, and she’s about to jump in when-
“Well get it fixed, silly!” Trucy humphs.
Dayton lets out a breath, feeling safe in the fairly normal response. Of course, she wasn’t facing Trucy, so she didn’t catch the look she gave him just before. A piercing gaze and wry smile was held during that time, her bright eyes dulling.
But it only took a second for her face to return to normal.
“I swear Apollo, even you should know that blowing up doesn’t mean you should forget about your friends…” Trucy crosses her arms, shaking her head exasperatedly.
Her tone is more fitting of her telling a famous person to remember their roots and not… somebody actually exploding.
To be perfectly fair, this was just about the worst situation he could possibly find himself in. At the site of the inciting incident behind all his current troubles, the site so dear to him, the site that was doomed to be flattened and forgotten.
It all drove him to incredible mental duress, enough to cripple his stony facade. In such a moment of weakness, trying to handle a conversation with Trucy of all people left him scrambling to, very poorly, make himself look normal again.
As panicked as he was, the situation threatened to become rather unpredictable. Thankfully, it seemed like Apollo was trying to hold himself together, and prevent any... incidents from happening. But who knew how long he could continue such a thing?
His own dull eyes locked with hers, a chill running up his spine. Did she know? No, no, she couldn't know. Panic flashed in his eyes, anyways, sweat beading on his face despite the chill in the air.
Thankfully, her next comment, even if a little... insensitive, perhaps, seemed to ground him in reality a little. The panicked expression gradually switched to confusion, then a dull, awkward look.
"I'm... recuperating from stuff other than that. The bombing, that's... the least of my worries, right now.", he muttered, tacking on a quiet "Sorry." a few seconds after ending the sentence.
Clearly, this was true. He certainly wasn't giving his injuries much care, with how he was running around.
Just watching the exchange, Dayton could tell that Trucy didn’t mean to be insensitive with her comment. In fact, whether she knew it or not, Trucy was doing exactly as Dayton planned.
Dayton has dealt with a lot of people in a worse way, and reactions to their situation can often lean into panic territory. Why, she remembers when her wife used to….
Anyway, one thing that she observed sometimes worked in scenarios like these is shock. If someone is deep in the thick of it, saying something off kilter or doing something spontaneous can break them out of their mindset, if only for a few precious moments.
The weakness of this is that sometimes the strategy can backfire. Sometimes it can draw someone deeper into delusion and panic, causing them to shut down completely. And Apollo well…
‘Right now it looks like he’s seesawing between the two reactions. Still, at least there’s some life to him. Better than a few minutes ago.’
It was quite a sight, though. Dayton could barely hear the words coming out of his mouth at this point, but Trucy was able to make it relatively clear.
Trucy’s expression softens as she replies to Apollo.
“….I can’t stay mad at you, Polly. I know you’re upset about what happened but… we can at least do something about it! Right, Miss Columbia?”
Dayton, leaning forward and walking up to join the two, nods her head.
“Yeah, I think we can. Glad you’re around, we could use the extra hands.”
Trucy turns to Apollo, eyes full of hope.
“Miss Colombia contacted the Wright Anything Agency the other day. She said that if we can find some new evidence to present to court, she might be able to pull a few strings to relitigate the case!”
Trucy crosses her arms, staring off into space as if she was remembering something.
“Daddy was supposed to show up today too, but he got attacked by a falcon. Or wait… was it a hawk? Anyway, he couldn’t make it, so I’m here instead!”
Thankfully, Apollo couldn't catch the possibly-intentional nature of the statement. Of course, there had been a brief look of annoyance, but if anything, that was more genuine of an emotion than most other things he had recently shown.
After his eyes lingered elsewhere for a moment, Apollo looked back to Trucy when she started to speak again. He didn't look her in the eyes, though, focusing on the diamond-shaped earring she wore. It was simply less stressful for the man... though made him look as avoidant as all hell.
"...Relitigate the case?" Apollo scoffed, almost hesitantly. "That rarely works. Do you... really think that you can find something definitive enough to get the courts to do that?"
The word "courts" was laced with a deeply bitter tone, Apollo's newfound distrust of the system still rather evident. But, he had to admit, there was a little part of him that was curious. Would it be possible? Would there still be some hidden piece of evidence somewhere, strong enough to carry an argument?
Cutting-edge cases always did seem to haunt him, after all. Dealing with something like this shouldn't surprise him.
Trucy's final comment pulled him out of his brooding thoughts once again, his brows furrowing before one quirked upwards in confusion. "He's... being attacked by a bird." A long sigh was given, his arms loosely crossing. "It's... It was probably that prosecutor's... though I wouldn't be surprised if it was completely unrelated, really."
Mr. Wright was like, that, after all, Apollo thought. Always finding himself in some obscure situation. All of them were like that, really.
Once again, it seemed as if he had been distracted away from the current stressors, the stony, usual expression relaxing a little. Of course, he still looked as haunted as always, but... closer to what he had normally looked like, before... all this.
Concern flashes across Trucy’s face at Apollo’s words.
“…It’s…” Trucy starts weakly but finishes strong. “It’s our only chance!”
“Unless, you plan on breaking Mr. Starbuck out of prison yourself?” Dayton butts in nonchalantly, her tone relaxed but with an underlying nature of doubt that mirrored Apollos when he expressed his distrust in the courts.
At this point, there weren’t many options to accomplish this particular goal, and defeatism wasn’t going to get them anywhere. Might as well start with what they know can work.
Or at least, what they hope can work.
And hey, if Apollo manages to succeed at proving Athena guilty, then it’s one less innocent stuck where they didn’t belong.
As for the bird attack, yeah Dayton wasn’t exactly aware of all the details. She mostly witnessed the aftermath. Phoenix Wright, with a bird sitting on his head and scratches across his face, insisted on staying behind.
She didn’t know if the hawk was owned by someone, but if the bandanna around its neck was any indication then it showed it was at least domesticated.
Sort of.
She did enjoy seeing Apollo work out the dots himself, though. Even though his deductive skill appears to be suffering as of late, she knows that he’s capable of pulling connections together, even with minimal info.
What he could do with that skill was amazing…
It could also be terrifying.
Just as her mind drifted over to those thoughts, she felt something strange hit her nose. The humidity in the air, she noticed, had changed. Almost imperceptible droplets of water were starting to slowly hit her skin.
“How’s about we get this parade moving, eh? We don’t want them to clean up all the evidence before we get inside, right?” Dayton tries gently.
Trucy nods, eyes turning towards the sky signaling she can also feel the impending storm. Her gaze then moves to Apollo.
He cared, he really did. But Apollo couldn't help but sound like he was doing this against his will. At least he was here, that alone at least meant something.
Dayton's comment made him smile slightly in amusement, just for a brief moment.
"Break him out of prison? Of course not. And even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to pull that off." At least he was still reasonable enough to understand that. Trying to do a prison break in his state would only be cause for disaster.
With painfully few options available, his will to work on this had indeed been worn away, even with how much it had all meant. All he wanted to do, especially at the current moment, was stuff himself into a dark corner of his apartment, and stay there as long as he could.
It was depressing. Apollo was well aware of that. But he couldn't think of anything to uplift his mood. This was who he was, now, and he'd resigned himself to such a fate with no hesitation at all. What even was there to fight for, anyways?
...
Well, his friends. Mr. Starbuck. The fading hope he could talk to his family again. But even then, the threat of them all finding out about his murder kept him afraid to interact, and unwilling to grow close.
He was stuck. Stuck in a trap of his own creation.
The wind buffeted him once more, skewing his hair to the side as he swayed on his feet. Clay's jacket, still gripped tightly, snapped and rippled behind him. The cold did feel nice on his covered wounds, but aside from that, it certainly didn't look like he was enjoying it.
"...I'm as ready as I'll ever be.", he muttered, turning to face the space center's main entrance. His eyes stayed on the ground before it, however, the man still unwilling to face his memories here.
‘Ready as he’ll ever be, hm? That must’ve meant “not at all”’
Both Trucy and Dayton linger by Apollo, his face down and posture indicating a heavy hesitation. The heft of the tension was felt across all of them standing there.
“Trucy?” Dayton, voices aloud, directing Trucy’s attention to her. “How about you go ahead and head inside? We’ll catch up with you.”
Trucy stops, her eyes flitting back and forth between Dayton and Apollo. She was clearly worried, but at the time she didn’t know what to say or do. Reluctantly, she nods and heads towards the entrance, leaving Dayton and Apollo be.
Dayton waits until Trucy is out of earshot before she walks slowly up to Apollo. When she stops just in front of him, her posture lowers as she tries to interrupt his gaze with her own.
“Hey…” her voice is soft, the roughness that usually accompanies it evening out.
“I’m going to take a breath. If you want, you can do it with me.”
Part of her knows she’s put Apollo through a lot of turmoil just now. That’s mostly attributed to the lack of choice she normally gives him. It can be frustrating, she understands, to feel like he can’t choose to be where he wants to be. To be thrust into uncomfortable situations over and over.
Even though he may deserve it, his feelings are normal. They are human.
So, what she tries to do now is give him a choice. A small one. He can take a breath with her, or ignore her and walk past. It’s not a command, after all. Just an offer.
Just as she says, she takes a long, slow breath in. Her eyes close as she does this, her mouth slightly parted.
She feels the humidity on her fingers, the wind touching her cheek, her clothes billowing.
As soon as she tried to look him in the eyes, Apollo glanced to the side, unwilling to make extended eye contact. He huffed, readjusting his posture and slightly opening his mouth to speak. Whatever it was, likely a complaint of some sort, was interrupted by Dayton's own words, with the only thing coming out being an eventual, quiet sigh.
Just briefly, his eyes returned to her face, a firm but quizzical look glinting within them. Taking a breath? He was already doing that, he thought bitterly, despite the fact he knew what she meant. He simply didn't understand why, why she'd care to do such a silly exercise with him, after everything.
While it wasn't entirely clear if he was breathing with her, Apollo didn't walk away at all, nor move from his spot, aside from the slight adjustments he had to do thanks to the wind.
Even if he hadn't wanted to, he did spend those few moments focused on his own breathing. The rise and fall of his chest, the aching of his still-sore lungs.
It reminded him that he was still alive. Still alive, despite everything.
By the time Dayton opened her eyes again, Apollo's had returned to the ground, a pensive look on his face. A long moment passed, nothing but the sound of the wind to fill it, before he reluctantly spoke again.
"…I'm still confused as to why you're doing this. All of this." Another beat of hesitation, followed by a quick sigh, his eyes moving upwards. "Most people, I can read fairly well, but…"
While he trailed off without clarification, the following words were clear enough. He couldn't read her intentions at all.
She had to admit, she wasn’t sure what she was going to see. She told herself she would be alright with either outcome, to not take it personally when he decided to leave.
But when she opened her eyes again with Apollo still standing before her, suddenly the biting chill of the wind felt little more than a whisper. The warmth that spread instead was raw and painful, sending pinpricks from her chest, down to her fingertips, and finally up to her face.
Apollo could hardly look at her, but Dayton was unable to return that courtesy. Her gaze was continuous, unwavering, aching…gentle.
She lets the moment sit as the feeling only just begins to dissolve. Still, it takes Apollo speaking again for her to return to her senses.
As she listens to his words, she inwardly chuckles.
‘Feels like this is the… maybe third time he’s asked about me.’
To her, it felt the same as when he asked why she was paying for his food. And so, with that in mind she gives much of the same response.
A small smile crossed her lips, the corners of her eyes crinkling in a way that showed bits of age, or rather, experience rarely seen before.
“I thought I already told you, Apollo. I want the truth.”
It was more than that.
Of course it was more than that, her actions thus far have more than demonstrated it. But unfortunately, the answer he was looking for she was just unable to give.
Not because she was deliberately hiding it from him, but because it was simply impossible. Extracting those pieces of herself for him would be hard enough, but putting them into words he can understand?
She just wasn’t there yet…
…And she wouldn’t be given the opportunity to be either. After she spoke, those droplets of water began to become more frequent. It was starting to drizzle. It looks like it’ll start pouring any second now.
“Hm… we should head inside. Wouldn’t want to mess up your bandages.”
Then, she does something strange. She takes off her overcoat, moves closer to Apollo and throws it over top of his head, around the jacket he’s already wearing. Barely sparing him a passing glance once she’s done so, she immediately begins her stride towards the long sidewalk before the entrance.
Day isn’t completely unaware of the effect that jacket has on Apollo. With the way he grabs onto it, almost hides himself in it, it’s clear to her that it’s like a security blanket for him. And well…
Even if he wasn't looking directly at her, Apollo was still keeping track of her expression to some degree. It gave him little more info on her motives, but... he could at least tell that Dayton didn't hate him.
Somehow.
it was annoying, really. Apollo was so used to everyone around him lying obviously, while remaining generally truthful himself. But now, everything was flipped. His bracelet told him nothing, nor did his intuition. Though, after the situation with Athena, maybe it was for the best that his ability-of-sorts wasn't activating.
It wasn't hard to assume what would come out of his mouth, in response to Dayton's answer. Some snide remark, or a stony reply regarding how he already knew the truth. But, all he seemed to do was stare, the glancing of his eyes stilling for a brief moment.
He did speak eventually, yes. But what came out of his mouth was an unusually neutral, straight-to-the-point, single word.
"Alright."
Maybe he was too tired to continue arguing his thoughts. Maybe the mental duress he had been dealing with had sapped all of his available efforts. Or maybe, just maybe, he was starting to soften up.
Just a little.
The rain beginning to fall didn't garner too much of a reaction from the man, with his eyes simply turning towards the clouds. Dark and uncertain, obscuring the light of the sun nigh completely. It reminded him of himself, in an odd sort of way.
So focused was he on his idle contemplation, that Dayton's movement was initially ignored. As soon as he did notice, the overcoat was being tossed at him, too quickly for him to attempt to dodge.
"Wh- Hey!", He snapped, a flash of anger in his voice. It faded quickly, however, replaced by what could be best considered mildly-irritated confusion. It hadn't harmed him, after all... but he definitely didn't understand the action.
Since Dayton had simply started to walk away, he had nothing better to do than to briskly walk after her... After adjusting the extra jacket to let him see, anyways.
The walk to the front door of this place was long and stupid. At least, that’s how Day felt. She wasn’t that old or unfit, but she could imagine someone less spry would need some kind of motorized transportation to make it too far without needing a break.
Not to mention the difficulty on days like these, where the rain emphasized the need for haste. The droplets plopped a wet splotch on the sidewalk each time they hit, giving Dayton a hundred little worries to pay attention to with each passing second.
Day didn’t like the rain. She would’ve brought her umbrella from out of the car, but it’s long since broken and likely would’ve closed up on her, causing more problems than it would solve.
So for now, she just had to settle with the feeling of wetness accumulating on her shoulders and back, causing the white cloth of her dress shirt to start to become see-through.
You would think it would be nice to have a coat in this scenario. But if you’d asked her if she would rather have hers on right now, she would’ve told you that if she did she would’ve felt worse.
Luckily, not too much damage could be done before she reached the front entrance. A few sprays of water across her clothing that could be dried in minutes. It just so happened that the real storm didn’t start until after she had walked inside.
As she holds the door open for Apollo to come in, a clap of thunder goes off, rumbling the entire building. Then the rain starts pouring down hard. So hard that she can no longer see her car through it. She grimaces, hoping it’ll end before they need to leave.
‘At least now we have a good excuse to stay in case someone tries to kick us out…’
“There you guys are!” Trucy calls out, further into the room. She seems to have been taking a look around before they arrived. She makes her way over so the sound of the pounding rain wouldn’t drown her out as much.
“Good timing! You two could’ve gotten soaked….” Trucy trails off, noticing something different.
Dayton can tell she’s probably looking for her overcoat, mainly because when Trucy’s eyes drift to Apollo, her mouth makes an “O” shape without the sound.
“Yeah, lucky, heh.” Dayton speaks up, drawing the attention back to her. “You didn’t run into any trouble while we were gone, did you?”
“Oh! Well…” Trucy looks down sheepishly, her hand scratching the back of her neck. “I did run into a robot while I was waiting for you. But I was able to handle it, just fine!”
Thankfully, Apollo's legs weren't injured, at least not to any extent approaching his arms and torso. So, the extended walk was of no issue to him.
The rain, however... that made things a little difficult.
Indeed, most of the GYAXA uniform draped over his shoulders was covered, only a bit of the hem and sleeves catching any droplets. However, thanks to his need to see, his face and front was getting the full brunt of whatever rain was getting blown into him.
As he quickly stepped along, Apollo briefly contemplated running off. Facing his past, along with the two murders, with Trucy tagging along to boot... it was rough, that was already clear. So what was stopping him?
At this point, it really was only the rain, with the space center regrettably being his closest refuge. That, and he didn't want to run off with this woman's jacket in tow. Even now, he'd feel rather impolite doing as much.
As such thoughts flashed through his mind, Apollo's expression remained the same. While his nerves were occupied, it seemed he could manage to conceal his intentions... but that seemed to be happening less and less as the days went on.
Soon enough, they were there. Caring more about getting indoors than giving the jacket back at this point, Apollo moved to dart past Dayton, not a word uttered in thanks or acknowledgment. It may have not been on purpose, however, as something seemed to rip his attention away.
Deep, rumbling thunder.
What did that sound like, one could wonder? Many things, really. But to Apollo, it brought one thing to mind.
It wasn't an exact match, of course. But the unexpectedness of it, the sound and the feeling of it reverberating within his chest, it all made him go shock-white as he stumbled into the building. After finding his footing, a rather genuine look of terror was shot over his shoulder, past Dayton, and out the glass doors.
Nothing but rain, and the distant flash of lightning.
Was it really that easy to throw him off? Apollo scowled, trying to swallow his fear before turning to look at the others, face still rather pale.
He wanted to sit down, to try and dispel the faint feeling in his head, and the nervous shaking of his body. But that would show weakness. And he couldn't afford to do that right now... on purpose, anyways.
A simple, muttered "Yeah" was replied to Trucy, his hands pulling the jacket off of his shoulders at the same time. He was so distracted, that the GYAXA jacket was nearly taken along with it, it being left only hanging onto one side. Without checking if Dayton was paying attention or not, her jacket was tossed back with a rather flimsy throw.
If he didn't look awful before, he certainly did now. A bit damp, shaky, and pale. On top of that, getting a whole coat tossed at his face, as well as getting rained on, had completely ruined his hair, bangs now damply clinging to the front of his face as they hung down. At least an effort was given to straighten his GYAXA jacket after a moment, the item held tightly despite the lack of wind.
"...A robot?", he responded, delayed. "Y...eah, there are some around, was it... talking to you? ...Or was it just cleaning?"
Through the unsteady quiver of his voice, a more normal tone had returned. As it had been, being thrown off in any sort of way seemed to rip away the dark haze that had been haunting him...
Dayton was in fact, not paying attention. Not that paying attention would’ve done her much good. The throw was so weak that her overcoat fell to the floor before she could take her first step towards it.
Her eyes widen in disbelief, lips tightening as she sees it lying there. When she finally has the wherewithal to move, she walks over and tenderly picks it up in her arms. A layer of dust was spread across the parts that touched the tile, unable to be wiped away due to the moisture that had seeped into it from the rain.
The air around her increases in temperature by a few degrees. Her eyes squeeze shut as she pulls the coat around her body, pushing her arms through the sleeves. When she finishes, her eyes reopen and she begins to take a walk around the room, completely tuning out any further dialogue.
Trucy meanwhile, is acutely aware of both of their current reactions. Her brows furrow, Apollo’s behavior setting off several alarm bells and her expression very clearly expresses that thought. Still, she takes the time to answer, a bit slower than she normally would have.
“…It…It was talking. It asked me for an ID. When I told it I didn’t have one it tried to escort me out…I didn’t know if Miss Columbia had called ahead, so I said I was with the detective.”
Dayton takes a look at a sign, pointing out the layout of the space center. Checking through all the different areas, it looked like the closest next room to them was the Space Museum. Out of the corner of her eye, Trucy sees her head in that direction almost immediately.
“When I told it that, it just stopped. Said I was welcome to stay.”
Interesting story. Would’ve been all well and good except for one thing. Dayton never called ahead. Dayton has left the area by this point so she isn’t there to point out the contradiction…
But that isn’t what Trucy is concerned about anymore. As soon as Dayton leaves, Trucy marches up to Apollo, confusion written all over her face. She speaks in a low tone that’s almost like a whisper. Like she’s talking to a scared animal.
“Apollo…are you okay? You look worse than when I left you. And the way you’re acting…”
Trucy frowns, her intuition and her guilt for not believing in him clashing. Part of her doesn’t even want to know the answers to her questions. But she knows what she saw. The lie about his phone, his skittish demeanor, the weird aura between him and Dayton. It was too much.
