Gender: Female
Rank: Decisive Witness
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 3:28 pm
Posts: 150
Thankyou all for your reviews ^^ Love you all!
Amy: Yay, thanks for reviewing first! As for the murder victim... well, this is pretty bad, since I'm the author, but... I... um...
haven't exactly decided who's gonna die yet.... *cough cough*
Shiki Tohno: Don't worry, I would never hurt Maya! She's WAY too awesome for that!
Justis76: Glad you liked it ^^
BBdoubleB: Vera will be fine, I swear I won't hurt her!
Mystic Mia: Well, there are a lot of Phoenix/Maya shippers around, so people obviously agree with the pairing... and I don't think the age gap really matters. Thanks for reading though!
IlovephoenixwrightXD: Thanks! I hope you enjoy chapter 2 as well!
edgeygavin: Yay, glad you like my pairing choices! I'm basically just sticking all the pairings I like in here!
Missile.x: Don't worry, there's always room for some Maggey/Gumshoe as far as I'm concerned! Thankyou very much, I'm, glad you like my stories - yours are brilliant too!
Andrew1989: Aww thanks, of course I've got more up my sleeve!
Windrain: Thankyou, there is more right here!
Now... here comes chapter TWOOOOOOOO yay! And more reviews would be loved!
CHAPTER TWO“Pearly, are you ABSOLUTELY SURE that I look okay?”
“Yes, Mystic Maya, you look lovely!” said Pearl, for about the billionth time, “Besides, Mr Nick is your special someone! He won’t care how you look, because you two are in love!”
“Yeah, I know…” said Maya, “I just… want to look okay for him and his friends. After all, the first of the guests will be arriving today!”
Pearl was about to say something else – probably about her fantasies of Mr Nick and Mystic Maya – when there was a knock on the door.
“Oh, I think they’re here!” Maya gasped, “I can’t wait to see Nick again – it’s been, like, a week since I last saw him!”
“Don’t worry, Mystic Maya, I’ll go and let them in – you sit there and look pretty!”
“I thought you said I didn’t need to look pretty, Pearly!”
Pearl rushed off into the hallway, while Maya sat back on the sofa and fiddled with her hair. It was silly, but she really did want to make a good impression on all the wedding guests – she hadn’t seen most of them for years and it would be strange to see how much they’d changed.
She heard several voices in the hallway, and the sliding door to the living room opened; Pearl was chatting to the five guests while leading them into the room.
“Maya!” Phoenix rushed towards her, wearing his old tracksuit bottoms, hoodie, and kitted hat as usual. He always looked like a bit of a mess nowadays, but Maya really didn’t care; she was just happy that he wanted to marry her.
“Nick! It’s great to see you!” She got up and kissed him.
“Ahh! It’s so great that you two are going to be a married couple at last!” Pearl gasped.
“What do you mean, ‘at last’?” Phoenix asked.
“Well, I told you two ages ago that you were destined for each other… but it took you years to actually propose!”
“Hmm… I guess it just took a while for us to realise that you were actually right about us! Right Maya?” said Phoenix, his arm around Maya’s waist.
“Yep. Who have thought that Pearly had got it right all along?” she laughed, “Anyway, everyone please make yourselves at home! Pearly will show you your rooms in a minute, once we’ve all had something to drink!”
“Now, everybody, what drinks would you like?” Pearl asked politely, smiling at her five guests.
“I’ll be OK thanks Pearls, I brought my own supply of grape juice!” Phoenix said with a grin.
“Yeah, and it took up most of the space in the car! I wasn’t allowed to bring my cutting-people-up trick because Daddy’s grape juice crates were in the way!” said Trucy, “Anyway, could I have some wine, please?”
“Aren’t you a little young for wine, pal?” said Gumshoe, stepping out from behind Apollo and Vera.
“Oh, Detective Gumshoe! I haven’t seen you in ages!” Maya gasped, only just noticing that he was there.
“It’s good to see you too, pal!”
“Dick drove us here,” Phoenix explained, “You know, since I still don’t have a licence, and there was nobody else to take us! But Apollo here is going to take driving lessons, so we’ll be all sorted soon!”
“Hey, I only said I was thinking about it!” Apollo said, “Oh, and Pearl, could I have a glass of water please? I’ve kind of got a sore throat from yelling at Trucy with my chords of steel – she kept messing up my hair!”
Everyone laughed, while Apollo looked annoyed.
“Right,” said Pearl, “So… wine for Trucy, water for Apollo… what would you like, Vera and Mr Scruffy Detective?”
“You’re seriously gonna give Trucy some wine?” said Maya, “Nick, has she ever even had wine before?”
“Of course I have! Daddy lets me have it on special occasions, like when he wins a game of poker!”
“But… don’t you always win games of poker?” said Apollo, “Surely that means that Trucy has wine practically every night!”
“Well… I only give it to her some nights…” said Phoenix, “Hey, stop looking at me like that! I’m not an irresponsible parent, okay?”
Maya sighed, smiling at him fondly.
“Could I… um… have some water too, please?” Vera said quietly. She still didn’t feel comfortable around Maya and Pearl, even though they had already met.
“And I’ll have a beer, pal - if you’ve got any!” said Gumshoe.
“Yes, we’ve got lots of beer for the wedding reception,” said Pearl, “I really don’t know why… it just looks disgusting to me! Anyway, I’ll go and fetch the drinks!”
“Ooh, can I help?” said Trucy, “I want to see your kitchen! In fact, I want to see the whole house!”
“Okay!” Pearl said, “I’ll show you round later! And we’ve got a new fountain in the garden, you will love it!”
The two girls skipped off together, and Phoenix smiled, happy that the two of them were making friends.
“So, Maya, do you mind if we go over the guest list? I just want to make sure that everything is all sorted out…”
“Sure, I’ve got it right here!” Maya picked up a long sheet of paper from the coffee table, “By the way, you guys don’t have to stand around! You’re welcome to go and explore the manor, if you want to!” She said to Apollo, Vera and Gumshoe, who were stood by the door looking slightly awkward.
“Vera, do you want to go out to the garden?” Apollo suggested, thinking he should give Maya and Phoenix some privacy to discuss their wedding plans, “I’m sure there’s some nice scenery to sketch or something!”
Vera nodded, and they headed out the back door.
“Well, I guess I’ll start bringing in the luggage! And…” Gumshoe said, turning to Phoenix, “You can carry in your own grape juice – those crates look heavy, pal!”
* * *
The garden at Fey Manor was incredibly peaceful. There was a small burbling fountain in the centre, with oriental-looking plants growing all around and a small tree of some kind, its branches heavy with pink blossom. An ornate stone lantern in the corner completed the Japanese feel to the garden.
“Wow,” breathed Apollo, “This is a nice garden!”
Vera sat down on the edge of the path and pulled out her sketchbook. Within seconds she was already sketching the outline of the fountain.
Apollo sat down next to her. “So… are you looking forward to the wedding?”
Vera nodded, not looking up from her sketchbook as she began filling in the bushes around the edge.
“It’ll be weird meeting all of Mr Wright’s old friends, won’t it? Like… people he’s defended, and stuff.”
“Mmm,” said Vera.
“And apparently there are a few prosecutors coming too!”
Vera nodded.
There was an awkward silence.
“Uh… sorry if I’m distracting your drawing or anything,” said Apollo.
“No, it’s fine,” said Vera quietly, “Please, keep talking – I like to listen to you…” She looked up and met his eyes for a second, then ducked her head back down, blushing.
“Oh, ok…” said Apollo, “Well… I’m a bit worried about the party afterwards, to be honest. I mean… I won’t know anybody! But I bet Trucy will get on with all of them really well – I’m just not so naturally talented at making friends. People just… don’t like me as much.”
“I like you,” said Vera, still sketching away.
“Um… uh… thanks! I like you too, of course!” Apollo was perfectly aware of the red flush creeping across his face. It was lucky that Vera blushed so much too – that way, he didn’t feel like such an idiot for being embarrassed.
“I bet the drive back to Wright & Co will be awful,” he continued, “At least there’ll be more room in the car, since Mr Wright will be on his honeymoon with Maya. But I bet Trucy will persuade that Detective guy to let her have the front seat!”
“Probably…” said Vera.
“You know what? Maybe I will learn to drive. That way I can drive myself around, and I can choose who comes on car journeys with me! I’d let you sit in the front, of course… if you wanted to, that is!”
“I’d like that…” Vera said softly. Apollo watched as her hand gracefully moved across the picture, shading in the water of the fountain with smooth, perfect pencil strokes. Even though Vera didn’t talk much, Apollo found her presence incredibly soothing; it was great to have someone who actually listened to what he was saying, without butting in or making stupid comments like Trucy always did.
Sure, he loved Trucy – but that was more like a friend or a sister. There was just something about Vera that made her completely different from all the other girls he knew.
Vera put down her pencil and lifted up her sketch to look over it and decide whether it was complete.
“Wow,” Apollo said, amazed at how she’d managed to make a simple piece of paper into an incredible drawing, “It’s… amazing! You’re so talented, Vera…”
“Thankyou…” Her cheeks were pink again, “I… um… made a picture for you…” She flipped back a few pages in her sketchbook and carefully tore out a page. “Here you go… I hope you like it.”
It was a drawing of Apollo, Phoenix and Trucy, stood in front of the familiar backdrop of Wright & Co Law Offices, carefully coloured in with colouring pencils. Vera had captured everything, from the shine in Trucy’s bright blue eyes, to Phoenix’s smile, to Apollo’s spiky hair.
“It’s… brilliant!” Apollo said, “Thankyou so much… but where are you?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“You didn’t draw yourself in here, Vera! How come you’re not stood with us?”
“Well… I’m not a part of it, am I?” she said.
“A part of… what?” asked Apollo, wondering why Vera didn’t feel that she was included with the three of them.
“Well… you are like a family. And I’m not in it.” She looked sad as she said this, unable to look Apollo in the eye.
“Hey, of course you are! I mean… you live with us now! And just because we haven’t known you as long, doesn’t mean you’re not included in our little family!” Apollo hesitated for a moment, and then boldly put a hand on Vera’s shoulder. She flinched a little at his touch, but didn’t pull away.
“You’re really special to us, Vera. All of us. And I think Phoenix and Trucy would both agree that you are a part of our family now!”
Vera smiled a little. “Thankyou, Apollo. But… I’m not the same as you three. Since my father is gone… I just belong on my own. I just don’t think I will ever fit in.” She picked up her sketchbook and held it to her chest as she stood up. “I think we should go back inside.”
“Yeah… Pearl will have made the drinks now,” said Apollo, also standing up. He really didn’t know what else to say to Vera – how could he make her see that she was just as important to him as Trucy or Phoenix?
HOPE YOU LIIIIIKE!