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Once again, Lana Skye was spending a night in the detention centre rather than the prison. It was nicer than her cell in practical terms. Better bedding. Softer mattress. Books, a private shower, and other amenities Lana refused to engage with. That was a petty impulse, but pettiness was one of the few things Central Prison couldn’t deny her.
What it could deny her was peace and quiet.
Late into the night, Lana’s peace was broken by the heavy lock on the ward's door coming undone. The door opened, and two distinct pairs of footsteps entered. The first was steady and heavy. A guard, no doubt. The second was more fluid—a mixture of dragged feet, squeaky shoes, and moments of pause where feet left the floor.
Those sounds almost assuredly belonged to a drunk, which was good. The only drunks Central Prison got were young people the LAPD wanted to scare straight. Lana would have to endure them for ten or fifteen minutes, but then she could go back to lingering in the quiet.
When the two people passed Lana’s cell, she was proven right. Mostly.
The first was a prison guard, as generic as all the others. The second was a woman reeking of alcohol, though that didn’t communicate her complexity. Hidden between her mess of black hair and oversized pink sweater was the face of a woman in her late twenties, and upon that face was a striking pair of green eyes.
Eyes that sparked to life as she looked into Lana’s cell and made eye contact.
What came next was shockingly quick in execution and results. The woman lurched forward, letting out a deep groan as she slipped one foot beneath the guards. Bodily flinging herself toward the cell opposite Lana, she freed her foot to unbalance him, and the weight of her leg against his ankle to turn that into a trip.
They both hit the ground, but their preparedness made all the difference. The guard hit the ground face-first, breath escaping him in a sharp gasp of pain. Meanwhile, the girl slammed into the cell bars with her back and slid down to a sitting pose. She case this prideful smile towards Lana, before burying it under a dope and empty look.
The guard held his nose as he stood up, and even only seeing his back, Lana could tell he was angry. Seeing him step forward with his other hand moving toward his nightstick, Lana cleared her throat. He jerked at the reminder they weren’t alone, and grumbling something under his breath, moved his hands towards his keys.
The woman was tossed into the cell behind her, and for a moment, everything was silent. Lana didn’t move from her bed. The woman pretended to be wasted on the floor. The guard just stared at her, and finally, walked out of the detention centre.
The moment the lock clicked back into place, the woman sat up and moved to the front of her cell. She tossed her alcohol-soaked sweater into a corner, giving way to an athletic olive frame and a black tank top with a ninja from a children's show Lana vaguely recognized on it.
“Thanks for saving my butt back there.” The woman pressed herself against her bars, arms sliding through to send Lana a heart as she smiled at her. “Thought the cameras would keep me safe, but I low-key forgot prison guards all suck.”
Lana closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Amidst the enjoyment she got from watching a guard have to put up with this woman’s behaviour, she’d forgotten her presence was what started it all. “If you want to thank me, just go to bed.”
“Oh, no need. On a bit of a timer, actually. My boss is going to speed over to get me out as soon as they file my arrest report.” The woman chuckled, hands flying for no clear reason to accent her speech. If Lana had a guess, it was nerves more than intention. “So, should I introduce myself? Or, I guess Ema already has? Right…?”
“How do you know my sister?” That got Lana to sit up and glare at the woman.
“I’m Kay Faraday! And, let me say, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you!” The woman’s eyes closed as a smile filled out her face. When they opened again, she found Lana’s opinion of her had not changed. “I-. I’m Ema’s girlfriend…? Please tell me you at least know she has a girlfriend. ‘Cause if not, I don’t know about the rest of this…”
That was an interesting concept to deconstruct.
It sounded like a stupid lie on a base level. ‘Kay Faraday’ almost sounded familiar, but Ema had never said that name to her. Nor had Ema told her about any specific girlfriends—though, that might have been Lana’s fault. She didn’t like hearing details from her little sister’s love life. It made her feel gross, to simplify.
On the other hand, Kay was here. She’d found out Lana would be in the detention centre for one night before her parole hearing, and she’d gotten herself arrested to talk to her that night. She’d risked a beating to get put in a cell where she could talk to Lana face to face. To do all that just to lie to her was moronic.
“I am… aware of my sister’s love life, but not your name, Ms. Faraday.” Lana put her hands behind her, keeping her back straight and her face neutral.
“I prefer Miss.” Kay pivoted her head like a dog. “Well, I guess I prefer Prosecutor Faraday since it makes me sound cooler, but Miss if you're being formal.”
That’s where Lana recognized that name from. She was sure of it. “You are Byrne Faraday’s daughter, I take it?”
“You know me through my dad before Ema? You’re messing with me, right? This is a prank you two are pulling on me?” It seemed Kay was legitimately exasperated by that.
“I remember him discussing a daughter long ago. So far, I only know you through your actions.” That came out of Lana’s mouth far more negatively than she wanted it to. Then again, if this woman was dating her sister, perhaps she deserved a more intimidating interrogation.
“You and Dad talk about raising kids, ‘cause of you and Ema’s par-?” Kay went from trying to assert herself to regretting what she’d decided to dredge up. “Uh. Sorry if that’s crossing a line. I’m just used to using Ema’s boundaries when talking about her life, but it’s your life too, isn’t it?”
“It’s fine, Prosecutor Faraday.” Lana loosened her body. It was getting much harder to believe Kay wasn’t dating her sister, and far more confusing why she’d decided to get arrested to talk to her. “And your instinct was correct.”
Kay perked up. “Thank you! So, as a reward, can I ask what Ema has said to you about her love life? I have a few more questions for you than I thought I did.”
“Hmm.” Lana stared into Kay’s eyes for a moment. They were full of conflicting emotions, though a loving intrigue was overpowering the more negative curiosity Lana expected. “Generalities, mostly about feelings. Some of her more stand-out dates and vacations over the years. We’ve never talked about individual people.”
“Individual person.”
Lana tilted her head, the action just slightly out of her control. “Hm?”
“You haven’t talked about an individual person.” Kay dropped her voice to emphasize that. “I first asked Ema out when we were nineteen, and we’ve been together ever since. Those feelings and dates are about me. I mean, they should be. Not that I think Emmy would cheat on me. You raised a good woman.”
“I… Hm.” Lana bit her lip.
That was not incompatible with what she knew.
Ema had never given her a name. She never told her about a relationship beginning. She did tell Lana all about the dates she was enjoying, but never any breakups. In Lana’s mind, that meant Ema’s relationships were starting passionately and then burning out without much worth being said about them, but Kay’s assertion was a valid one.
It was just one that left the uncomfortable question about why Ema had never gone into detail with her sister about the woman she’d been dating for a decade.
“I don’t mean to fearmonger, Prosecutor Faraday, but is there any reason my sister would not want me to know about you? I could understand why she would generalize casual relationships, but if what you say is true, yours is far beyond that.”
Kay opened her mouth with purpose, but before she could get out a sound, that changed. It flew through a dozen variations of uncertainty before Kay spoke with a tight voice and pursed lips. “Y- uh. Um. Yes, but that sounds worse than it is.”
“I suppose I have nothing to lose from a clarification.”
“Yeah, well, um. I have this second job—well, I consider it as a first job, but it doesn’t make money, so maybe it’s a hobby—but, anyway, I have this moral code that doesn’t always align with the text of the law.” Kay’s words slowed to a crawl as she brushed up against confessing to some unknowable crimes.
“My sister is supposedly dating a-.” Lana considered it laughable, but before she could dismiss the woman, the seriousness in Kay’s eyes struck something inside of her. “You’re the Second Great Thief Yatagarasu, aren’t you?”
Kay immediately flinched back. “How-.”
“I had suspected your father after his death. Everyone seemed to dismiss the accusation against him, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.” Lana let out a chuckle. “Well, never imagined I would confirm that theory. Nor did I think Ema would be so non-direct because she doesn’t think I’ll like her criminal girlfriend.”
“And what…” Kay let out a series of nervous laughs. “What do you think about her criminal girlfriend?”
Lana let that linger for a moment. She was sure it was torturing Kay, but that wasn’t her intention. To be quite honest, she hadn’t settled on an opinion of Kay.
On the one hand, Lana had listened to her little sister gush about this woman and all the things they did together for years. On the other hand, she was an impulsive criminal who had risked getting herself arrested just to talk to one woman.
The more Ema loved Kay, the more Lana worried about how hurt Ema could be by her behaviour. But then, maybe, Lana was burdened by the weight of being a big sister.
“If Ema’s chosen to be with you for so long, then you must be good for her. My opinions have no point of entry in that equation, whatever they may be.”
“Oh.” Kay shrunk, a pout on her lips. She took a moment before looking back at Lana with a half smile. “Sorry, I just… like, you’re right that it’s Ema’s choice, but I did this whole thing to come and talk to you without her knowing so that I could ask you for her hand in marriage. It’s-.”
Before either could follow that up, the heavy chunk of the lock filled the air. The door to the block swung open, and a pair of heels clicked across the ground at speed. By the smile on her face and the bounce to her feet, Kay saw her long before Lana.
And by the tone of her voice, Ema was really, really mad at her girlfriend. “What the fuck is wrong with you?! Public intoxication?! Are you serious?! Do you know how fucking scared I was when Mr. Edgeworth called to tell me you were arrested!? Huh!? You don’t even like drinking! Why the hell are you-!”
Standing in front of her girlfriend, Ema paused her finger wagging for a moment. “Why… why don’t you look drunk?”
“I’m not.” Kay squeaked out. Lana stood up to peek over her little sister’s shoulder and watch embarrassment flood Kay’s face. “I just doused my sweater in medical alcohol and stumbled around in front of a cop whose partner I prosecuted until she booked me.”
Ema’s whole body shuttered as she breathed in. “That’s worse. You know that’s worse, right?”
“I know, but…” Kay’s eyes went over Ema’s head to look at Lana. “I had my reasons.”
“There is no good reason for you to scare me like this.” Ema’s voice broke in her throat. “You-. You promised you-. Fuck. Please do something to make me mad again. I can’t just be fucking scared to lose you…”
“Oh god, Em’. I’m so sorry.” Kay’s eyes swelled with tears. Crying seemed to come even easier to her than it did to Ema. “I was so caught up in my plans that I never thought about how you'd feel when you found out. I’m awful.”
“No, you’re not. That’s the problem, Kay.” Ema was holding the keys to this cell block, and with her hands shaking, she unlocked Kay’s. As the bars slid away, Ema fell into her girlfriend's arms. “Never again, okay? I… I can’t see you like this. I don’t care what reason you could possibly have. Can’t look at you behind bars.”
Kay nodded into the top of Ema’s head as she held her. “Mm-hmm. I promise.”
With each passing second, Ema and Kay’s voices grew quieter and more intimate, which Lana was okay with. Their sadness and love were a lot for Lana to absorb, and that was before she thought about how one of them was her sister.
It was better for all of them to let the lovers have their time together.
A few minutes and a lot of stifled tears later, Kay and Ema pulled as far apart as they seemed to be able to. Ema was the first to speak at a regular volume, her voice horse but steady. “Can we go home and sleep now? I need it to not be this day anymore.”
“Sure. I just…”
Kay’s confirmation was enough for Ema to turn around, and that was enough for Ema and Lana to lock eyes. Ema didn’t seem to understand at first, but nothing was stopping her face from falling. “Sis! What are you-? Um, hi. I didn’t. Did… did you see all of…?”
“Y-yes,” Lana spoke through the most awkward smile to ever grace her lips.
“Oh. Okay.” Ema looked between Kay and Lana, neither of which could hide that they’d already exchanged pleasantries. “Um. Kay, this is Lana, my sister I’ve told you all about. Lana, this is Kay Faraday. She’s my girlfriend that I’ve told you… of.”
The two women nodded, and Ema continued to look between them. “Kay, did you… did you get arrested just to meet my sister? Was that your reason?”
“Uh. Um. Eh. Broadly, yeah.” A broad smile filled Kay’s face that Ema seemed to love and hate in equal measure.
“Ah. I see.” Ema bent over as she let out a deep breath and flung herself back up while breathing in. “Okay. I am simply accepting that as something you’d do. Not something anyone else would, but something you would, babe.”
“Thank you-. That was not a compliment.” Kay only smiled more as she shook her head. “Your sister is cool, by the way. You should let me hang out with her more.”
“I…” Ema paused, seeming at an awkward crossroads. “It is up to Lana to approve people to be on her visitation record, not me.”
Lana cleared her throat. “Then allow me to say. Prosecutor Faraday, you have my approval.”
Kay and Lana locked eyes as the true meaning of that statement went over Ema’s head. With a smile and their hands locked together, Ema and Kay stepped out of her cell. “Thank you, Lana.”