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“Hey, Science Geek,” Kay asks, perching herself on the edge of Ema’s desk. “You ever think about what stuff’s gonna be like a hundred years from now?”
Ema doesn’t look up from the paperwork she’s been scowling at for the past twenty minutes, instead grabbing a Snackoo from the open bag beside her and flicking it at Kay. The self-proclaimed Great Thief snatches it out of the air and pops it into her mouth, continuing her line of inquiry around her loud crunching:
“I mean it! Tell me: are we all going to be driving flying cars?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ema responds, breaking her silence in the face of insurmountably incorrect hypotheses. “Flying cars are impractical and energy-inefficient. They’ll never catch on. Scientifically speaking, it’s more likely that we’ll either progress to using more efficient public transport, or individual vehicles will adjust to using more sustainable fuel sources than they currently do.”
“And she lives!” Kay proclaims, grin stretching across her face. “C’mon, I was beginning to think I’d have to do something drastic to break you out of your paperwork-induced trance. Good to know you’re still with us!”
Ema rolls her eyes. “Don’t you have work to be doing? Surely you’ve got something to do that’s better than bothering me.”
“Nope! Sebby’s out of the office for a week, so I am officially free of responsibility!” She throws her arms up in the air in celebration. “Unless some sort of major murder case comes up, in which case I guess I’m supposed to help out or something.”
“Lucky you,” Ema grumbles, narrowing her eyes and underlining something on the top sheet of paper. “Must be nice, working with a prosecutor who’s actually someone you can stand.”
Kay swings her legs out, pointing her toes and deliberately avoiding kicking Ema’s desk when she brings them back underneath her. “I still don’t think your fop’s all that bad, y’know.”
“Ugh! Please. I will do anything. Do not call him my fop ever again. I refuse ownership of him. I’d like to return him to the store.”
“I think you’re exaggerating.”
“I’m not! Okay, maybe he’s got a lot going on in his life, and maybe I feel a little bad for him sometimes, but—ew, gross, I do not take responsibility for his actions. Especially when he’s being...you know, all glimmerous and that.”
“I’d definitely like to meet him someday. Oh, and that shouty lawyer! The one you also complain about.” Kay pulls at the end of her scarf. “What was his name again? Icarus?”
Ema finally gives up on her paperwork, dropping the pen down on her desk and swiveling her chair so she can look Kay in the eyes. “Apollo, you mean? He’s not so bad. Definitely more bearable than Gavin, that’s for sure. But I’d rather associate with neither of them if they keep conspiring to make my job that much more difficult.”
Kay tries to peer at the scattered case files, but Ema gathers them all up, sliding them into a single file before Kay can even read any of them.
“You wanted to know what I think the future’s going to be like? Maybe in the future they’ll have invented a computer program to deal with all this bullshit,” she says, tapping the papers on the desk to straighten them. “I swear, if I have to deal with one more surprise murder accusation…”
“C’mon, at least they make life interesting! Where’s your sense of adventure gone, Em? We used to have so much fun, back in the day.”
“Back in the day, I didn’t have to deal with the bureaucratic nonsense surrounding all of this. My sense of adventure is gone! Dead! All I know is paperwork, ridiculous trials, and infuriating prosecutors.” Ema sighs. “I can’t say I don’t miss it, though. All the crazy adventures we used to have with Mr Edgeworth and Gumshoe.”
“Do ya think that they felt the same way as we do now about them, though? That it wasn’t as fun for them as it was for us?” Kay’s picked up one of Ema’s pens, and bites the end of it as she talks. “Because I’ve gotta say, as fun as watching Mr Edgeworth turn the same shade of red as his suit was, I think I’m starting to empathize with him.”
“I guess this just means we’re getting old.” Ema reaches into her bag and crunches down on another Snackoo.
“Old and grumpy, clearly. Lighten up!” Kay tries to take her chances and sneak a hand towards the Snackoo bag, only for Ema to swat it away and give her her best murder-glare. “Just because we’ve got, like, responsibilities now doesn’t mean we can’t still have fun. Hey, you’re nearly done with that paperwork, right?”
“Not even close.”
“Great! Let’s go out, get coffee, maybe take down a smuggling ring? It’ll be just like when we were teens!”
Ema frowns. “You’re impossible. How did you get this job again? Why did you take this job?”
Kay sticks out her tongue. “Gummy put in a good word for me. And like you said—we’re adults! I’ve gotta pay rent somehow.”
“The Great Thief pays rent?”
“You know that I only steal the truth—and sometimes a couple chocolate bars. And that’s not a well-paying job!”
Kay hops off of the desk, grabbing at Ema’s shoulder and shaking it. “Come ooooon, your boring paperwork will still be there when we get back. Unless they do invent that cool paperwork-filling machine while we’re out.”
Defeated, Ema stands up and grabs her bag from under the desk, impulsively sticking up her middle finger in the direction of the stack of file folders as she does so. Kay laughs, a bright, cheerful sound—one that stands out from the standard ambiance of the Criminal Affairs Department.
“I hope the Great Thief knows that she’s going to be the one who’s paying for coffee. It’s only fair, considering the valuable working time I’m missing out on.”
“That’s fair, I guess. Unless we do take down a smuggling ring! Then you’ve gotta pick up the tab.”
“Kay—if we take down a smuggling ring over coffee, I promise you I will pay for both of us. There’s no way that’s going to happen, though.”
“Never say never! After all—you admitted yourself! You don’t know what’s going to happen in the future!”