Chapter Text
Apollo Justice was not a diplomatic man.
Some might have mistakenly thought that he would be one due to his profession, but this could not have been farther from the truth. Apollo was not a man of compromises or negotiations, had never wanted to be. He was a defense attorney, his faith in his client was unshakable, and he was not going to back down an inch no matter what the courts threw his way. His loud voice made his less diplomatic tendencies even more obvious, as did the inevitable comparisons with those around him.
Really, out of the three children of Dhurke, the loud and fierce Apollo should have clearly been the least likely diplomat of all. Rayfa, while demanding and brusque in her own right, had been raised from childhood to navigate the intricate web of interactions that made up the royal court, while Nahyuta had built his life on appearing soft and serene no matter what his actual opinion of the people surrounding him. Really, next to the Royal Priestess in waiting for the throne and the respected monk claiming the title of Prince Regent, there was seemingly no room for Apollo in any sort of official matters. And, frankly, he was only glad for it.
Why, then, was he currently trying to smooth over ruffled feathers after a blatantly childish incident?
"Nahyuta." Apollo actually refrained from raising his voice, hoping to keep away the headache that was threatening to ruin the rest of his day. He probably couldn't keep it at bay forever, not when he had to deal with overly sensitive court types, but he could at least try his damnedest. One of the downsides of his sharp eyes was that if he had a headache, any amount of light was bound to make it even worse, and he did not much fancy spending the rest of the day in total darkness. "You wouldn't happen to have any idea why exactly the ambassador from Zheng Fa came to me screaming about a horrible beast in his rooms?"
"Oh, that?" Nahyuta didn't even bother to look up from the papers he was perusing. "I do believe he was referring to Shah-Do, nothing more serious than that. The rascal pup made his way to the palace grounds again, and apparently he then managed to sneak into the ambassador's quarters."
"Really, now." It might have almost sounded plausible, if Apollo hadn't known the quarters appointed to the ambassador for his visit to the royal court were on the second floor of the residential building, and for all his spirit Shah-Do had yet to master the art of ascending the steep staircase. "And how exactly did he get all the way there undetected?"
"I really couldn't say." Nahyuta appeared as calm as ever, reaching to take a sip of the half-full cup of tea he had sitting on his desk. "I only carried him around in my arms for a little while, in case he decided to steal any more hats, you realize. He must have slipped off without my notice somewhere near the ambassador's quarters. There's a window to a veranda in the quarters; if it were open, it would be quite simple for a lively puppy to slip inside."
"In other words, you let him in." Yep. Definitely a headache in the making.
"Oh, my dear Apollo. How could you ever accuse me of such a thing?" At last, Nahyuta actually looked at him, a small smile playing at his lips.
"I don't know, but all the evidence points to it." Apollo crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at his brother in accusation. "The ambassador was practically in tears when he came to me of all people, complaining about this horrifying attack! The man is clearly terrified of dogs."
"Well, of course he is." Nahyuta gave a dignified little snort. "Why exactly do you think I let Shah-Do into his rooms in the first place?"
Apollo gave a deep sigh, sinking into a chair across from Nahyuta's desk. "This isn't what I'm supposed to be doing, you know," he complained. "I'm not even royal! I should not have to worry about whether you're trying to terrorize official guests and how the hell we're going to appease them!"
"I wouldn't say that anywhere near Rayfa if I were you, given how eager she is to make sure everything and everyone associated with Dhurke are brought to respectable status. I'm rather convinced the only reason she hasn't actually saddled you with an official title yet is that it simply hasn't occurred to her you wouldn't have one already."
"She wouldn't do that." Except he knew better than to actually doubt the bounds of Rayfa's enthusiasm when she had her mind set on something, and she was very enthusiastic indeed to validate her newfound identity as a daughter of Dhurke.
"And why not? Clearly you are already well suited for it, if the ambassador came to you with his woes."
"I'm pretty sure I was just the first one he ran into while escaping from the beast who didn't look like a servant." Apollo ran a hand over his hair. "It's not like I'm someone people would pay attention to unless they're dealing with me directly."
"I beg to differ, brother dearest." Nahyuta gave him a surprisingly serious gaze. "You are very distinctive, in manner and dress alike, and I assure you that anyone hoping to be involved in the diplomatic affairs of Khura'in has made a point to recognize you. You are, after all, my brother, and as such you hold a certain degree of influence over the royal affairs even without any title or position of your own."
"Except you wouldn't actually let me sway your decisions."
"I do give quite a lot of consideration to your opinions, believe it or not. Even that aside, you are in a leading role in the legal reform, and the Defiant Dragons look to you as the heir of Dhurke's will. Whether you like it or not, you are a man of quite some importance in Khura'in, and you cannot escape that."
"I highly doubt assuring a terrified ambassador that I'll send people to make sure his rooms are free of any furry beasts is actually that important a task in the grand scheme of things."
"You would be surprised." Nahyuta's lips twitched. "Sometimes even a small thing can affect a person's opinion greatly."
"Which is why you should probably refrain from trying to traumatize them so."
"If people don't want me to exploit their weaknesses, perhaps they should try not revealing them, particularly in such an uncouth way as cursing about a dog passing by." Nahyuta took another sip of his tea, pausing before he added, "Furthermore, it would be in their best interests not to imply that I should simply keep the throne permanently. I have made my opinion on Rayfa's right to the throne quite clear, and someone hoping to represent their country in my eyes should be aware of the future of our country in turn."
Apollo sighed. That was… not that surprising, really. Implying any sort of threat, even imaginary, to Rayfa's future ascension was an easy way to make an enemy of Nahyuta. He had been quite prepared to die for her reputation, he would not stand for any such comments. But even so… "And how is this supposed to teach him any better?"
"Oh, it likely won't. But it did give me a degree of personal satisfaction, which will help me retain my composure when dealing with him in the future." Nahyuta smiled beatifically, his eyes practically sparkling with innocence, and if Apollo hadn't known him far too well he might have actually been fooled.
"Maybe try and pick less destructive ways to cheer yourself up in the future? Like, I don't know, just imagine the annoying people in their underwear or something." Not that he wanted to consider the elderly ambassador in his underwear even for a moment.
"Easy for you to say. You are allowed to yell at people you disagree with." As Apollo was about to protest, Nahyuta lifted a hand to silence him. "Yes, yes, I know you make an effort not to yell outside courtroom. Even so, I have a certain image to uphold, one that does not allow me even that small relief."
"Never seemed to stop you from actually attacking people." And what was it with prosecutors and attacking people, anyway? At least Gavin contented himself with just being annoying, rather than drawing weapons or making threats like most of the prosecutors Apollo had either personally faced or heard about from Phoenix.
"I am but a humble shepherd, leading the misguided toward the light of the Holy Mother." And that smile was definitely designed to get on his nerves, which meant Apollo was better off just ignoring it. No need to give Nahyuta the no doubt immense satisfaction of calling him out on his bullshit.
"Well, try to refrain from using dogs to help you in your shepherd duties? This could have ended badly for Shah-Do, you know. It's not fair of you to endanger an innocent animal for your own amusement, I wouldn't think the Holy Mother approves of such things."
"Oh, I had full faith in the little rascal's ability to flee unharmed. But I certainly understand your concern." Nahyuta gave him a solemn nod. "You have my word that I will no longer involve Shah-Do in my schemes."
It was not, Apollo noted, a promise not to come up with any other sort of schemes.
This? This was precisely why Nahyuta was supposed to be the diplomat of the family.