Chapter Text
The problem with his best friend's murder turning into a long, convoluted trial that accidentally unearthed a dear friend's ghosts of years past and wound up saving his rival prosecutor from the death penalty was that, since the body was "evidence" for so long, the family had to wait for far too long to have a wake and funeral.
Clay Terran's father had asked Apollo Justice to be one of the pallbearers and to deliver a eulogy, once the arrangements were finally made. Apollo was the only member of the Wright Anything Agency who had been invited to the funeral, but the idea of being alone there did not appeal to the young defense attorney. So here he was, the evening before the wake, stammering to fellow attorney Athena Cykes just before her departure.
"Athena!" Apollo called out entirely too loudly. Now wasn't the time for Chords of Steel, but it would hardly be Apollo if an indoor voice had been used. His coworkers doubted he HAD an "indoor voice."
"Yeah?" the Agency's youngest attorney asked, head tilted. What in the world did he want? Had she forgotten to pass some evidence or other paperwork his way?
Scratching the back of his neck, Apollo felt his throat go dry. Lovely. "Um, tomorrow's the wake for Clay, and they're having the funeral the next morning. I was wondering if...uh...it's..." This was so morbid! There wasn't any softening it, was there? It didn't help that he didn't really understand WHY she was the one he wanted by his side for this. He'd been objectively horrible to her just within the past month, after all.
As Apollo opened his mouth again to finish his question, Athena cut him off. "I can hear the discord in your voice, y'know. You know it's not going to be a happy occasion, but you want me there, right? Because we're friends!" She hadn't even needed to fire up Widget; after working for the WAA for this long, she just knew how to read Apollo like a book, and a danged good book, too. Athena thought Clay was a very lucky guy to have Apollo as his best friend! He'd had a truer friend, Athena believed, than many people find in a lifetime that lasted decades longer.
How DID she do that? Intellectually, Apollo knew the answer, but in reality, it still floored him every time. His first impression of Athena had honestly been that she was a bit of a ditz, but she'd quickly proven him wrong in trial after trial over the past six months or so. He understood now why Phoenix Wright had hired her; she was sharp! Not to mention Athena didn't have a single malicious bone in her body. "Y-yeah... You don't have to, especially when it's such short notice. Hearing the emotions will probably be hard for you..." His voice trailed off, expecting her to say no for that VERY legitimate reason. [Justice, you're putting her in an awkward position where she has to say No.] Apollo's internal critic didn't shut down just because he wasn't working at this precise moment.
"And sensing all that tension will be hard for you," Athena retorted bluntly. Maybe it was the psychology background, or maybe Athena had always been like this, but she often seemed to know when the "tough love" sort of bluntness was required. Letting her blunt facial expression soften into something warmer, Athena nodded and replied, "I'll go. We'll be fine! Isn't that what you're always telling us in court?" Athena's hand got just a bit too close to Apollo's face in her usual "victory" position.
Laughter nervous and strained, Apollo smiled as best as he could. "Th-thanks, Athena, it...means a lot to me...more than I can find the words for."
"I can hear what you mean anyway, AJ," Athena joked, trying a nickname. Ehhh...it didn't fit, and "Polly" was taken by Trucy. Oh well. "And I promise never to call you AJ again. Probably."
"Don't worry about it," Apollo replied, a bit more relaxed. "Oh...um, I'll talk with Mr. Wright about both of us being out on the same morning. He can manage a morning in court without us...I think..." Phoenix...could...right? "Or maybe Trucy can back him up behind the defense bench..." he muttered, shoulders slinking a bit.
Athena chuckled like she usually did when he made that face. "And he'll know someone's still having a worse day than him. Anyway..." Athena looked Apollo over to see if immediate emotional support was required, "I should head out. I want to find something appropriate to wear before the stores close. I'll see you tomorrow, Apollo." The pony-tailed attorney may not always have had a history of picking up on social graces, but even she knew that her usual "bright" yellow, white, and blue attire would be inappropriate.
"Yeah...tomorrow..." As Athena left the office, Apollo dropped back into his chair, leaning back but rolling his eyes down to look at his desk all the same. So much work...but it would have to wait. On top of the pile was the rough draft of the eulogy Apollo was to give. It wasn't odd for Apollo to stay late, when things were QUIET, but his mind was stretched and torn into pieces, so any work he would get done tonight would be of too poor quality to meet his or his boss' standards. Phoenix hated the "salary-man" stereotype anyway and was always telling Apollo to go home at a "sane" hour. "Sane enough..." Apollo muttered to himself as he grabbed his coat and headed home.