Chapter Text
Prologue
Dahlia Hawthorne has to make every second count. She had just made sure that that obsessed lawyer Mr. Armando keeled over at the taste of his poisoned coffee. Security, however, was not going to need long to react. They patrolled every room and were on the scene in moments. She knew she only had until the police arrived to unload the poison bottle.
Sirens.
Damn it! They decide today’s the day they’ll be competent?!
They’re already on the street. She has to buy more time. There has to be a room that’s a little more out of the way…
There! The sign says there’s a downstairs basement that doubles as a library. Trying not to draw attention, she quick-walks her way to the stairwell and moves down.
Someone has to be down here…
It’s her only hope. This was the part of the plan she knew was reliant on luck. She needed someone to be separate and willing to take her poison bottle. Luckily she’d thought to disguise it as a necklace. She figured if she flirted well enough, it’d be no issue.
Of course, today would be the day that the trials were going nonstop with no recesses. And the actual population of onlookers was low! What kind of unlucky day was th--
“Oh! Pardon me Miss… Miss…?”
In her mindless state, Dahlia failed to notice she’d bumped into a boy near the entrance. Jackpot, she thought.
“Oh, no! The fault was all mine. I was so turned-around and confused walking around this building… and then I thought I saw an incredibly cute boy and my mind went blank!”
The young man straightened up. “Oh, did you want to find him? I’m sure I could be of service!”
Dahlia almost pinched her nose in frustration to this doofus not picking up her signal, but she quickly saved it by covering her whole face with her hands and giggling.
“You’re so funny! I meant you, silly !”
“M-m-m- ME?! Oh, wow! Thank you, but I don’t think I’m anything to look at!” the boy was now flustered. Got him.
“I disagree. You have a very kind face. My name is Dahlia. I’m a college student. What’s your name?”
“Oh I’m… uh… I’m uh…. Phoenix! That’s right… Wright! Yes! Phoenix Wright! Nice to meet you Dahlia!”
His awkward stumbling is taking too long. Gotta move this along. Cops are probably already walking in.
“So I go to Ivy University. Do you happen to go there too?” Phoenix asked.
“As it so happens, I do. I’m in the literature department. You?”
“I’m in the art department! Well, I’m also starting to research law as well, but…”
“Oh, so you’d be a lawyer?” Good luck with that, dork. “ That’s amazing! I knew there was something special about you!”
“You think I’m special? I don’t want to oversell myself.”
“I don’t think you are. I’ll be honest, when I saw you, my little heart skipped a beat! It was pitter-pattering trying to catch up. I think… I think we were meant to meet each other today.”
Phoenix blushed and put his left arm behind his head to brace it. “R-really? I mean, I was just here for research. It’s a lucky coincidence I’m here at all!”
“Coincidence? I don’t believe that, though I agree on the lucky part. In fact...” Dahlia pulled out the necklace with the poison bottle. “I’d like you to keep this as a lucky charm of sorts.”
Phoenix’s jaw hung open as she put it around his neck. “You really mean this? Wow gifts right off the first meeting. This really was meant to be. So does this mean we’re, like, a couple now?”
Dahlia’s smile froze up. Crap. She had to make sure she kept this charade up a little longer, at least until the initial search and everything had been completed. “Of course, Phoenix! Or should I say, Feenie! I have some business to attend to upstairs, but let’s meet outside the student union in, say about three days? We can have lunch!”
“T-that sounds great! I look forward to it! I’ll wear this necklace too! You have my word I will wear this everywhere. It will be a symbol of our feelings for each other!”
A chill ran up her spine as she heard him say that. “Wonderful. I’ll see you then, Feenie.”
As she moved back up the stairs, she couldn’t hear his goodbyes. All she could hear was her own thoughts. This fool is going to be a problem.
__________________________________________________________________________
“I hope you know this is still all your fault.” Dahlia said to her sister, Iris. “If you had just helped out on the bridge this whole issue would have resolved itself.”
Dahlia retreated to the temple where her twin sister lived. They had agreed to meet in the woods near the bridge to discuss if any steps would need to be taken to protect the red-headed twin from avoiding jail.
“I’m very sorry, Dahlia. I’ve never had the courage you do,” Iris said.
“Sorry doesn’t exactly help me right now. At this point having a second person who looks like me is your only use in this world.”
Iris hung her head. She knew her sister was lashing out, but it still hurt that the only blood family she knew would call her next-to-useless. “So what are you going to do now?”
Dahlia looked upward. “This Phoenix Wright is too much of a complete dolt. He’ll brag to everyone about me and raise my visibility way past what I can afford. I’ll have to find a way to get him aside so I can kill him.”
“What?! No! You already have so much on your conscience, Dahlia!”
“And you’re the only one that really cares about such things, Iris. Not all of us live a sheltered life in the mountains to avoid everything.”
“How about this? I can go into town and ask him for the necklace back.”
“And how exactly do you expect to do better at this than me?”
“I know your movement is compromised, but mine isn’t. If anyone tries to ask questions, I can simply show my ID and they’ll leave me alone. I’m sure if given time I can convince him to take off the necklace and give it back. And then you won’t have to have another death on your conscience!”
Dahlia thought for a moment. “You know what, if it means that much to you, fine. It gives me a chance to relax and live my life without obligations. But you had better be able to deliver for me!”
Iris nodded. “I guess I should ask for a bottle of your hair dye…”