Klavier Gavin
Prosecutor Klavier Gavin’s Office
July 10, 2026, 8:30 PM
Heilig jumping weasel critters on a hot cross bun! I still can’t wrap my head around any of this! I loved that man. Treated him like Mein Bruder! How could this have happened?
The despondent and more than a little Besoffen Gavinners’ frontman lolled listlessly on the window-side leather lounger in his spacious office. He flopped his throbbing skull back against the headrest, arms flung carelessly on each side of the chaise, a bottle of amber spirit gripped loosely in each hand.
Dummkopf! How could you have done such a thing? Why didn’t you just come to me if you were so in need of money?!
A bottle of halfway finished Jägermeister dangled from the fingertips of his right hand. Lifting his head, he brought the German alcohol to his lips and took a hefty swig.
As I said to my guitarist today in court: “I consider that my last session with you. We rocked.” It’s all over now – somebody should grab a helmet with the horns and turn this tragedy into an opera, for the preverbal fat lady hath sung!
Normally the spicy liquor was the prosecutor’s premier libation of choice, but he’d needed something stronger. Hence, he’d decided to drown his sorrows with copious amounts of an aptly sinful concoction called Blood of Satan. It normally consisted of Goldschläger and whiskey to go with the Jägermeister. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the required Swiss, cinnamon-flavored schnapps, or even shooter glasses.
Also, he didn’t give a Scheiße about doing anything properly at the moment!
Therefore, he’d forgone following the recipe to the hilt and had instead poured a mouthful of whiskey, and then of Jägermeister, straight from each bottle, and right into his mouth, swishing it around like mouthwash before guzzling down the burning mixture.
Daryan used to make fun of me for my accismus; for purposely denying myself the pleasure of this decadence and for continually keeping this limited-edition, Johnnie Walker, Diamond Jubilee bottle in my office all these years. He never could fathom the concept of delaying hedonism, despite continuously explaining that I was saving it for a special occasion.
He didn’t even flinch as the burning blend seared a trail down his throat.
Since there were only 60 of these Baccarat crystals, Britannia silver and half-carat diamond-studded bottles made in the entire world, in celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s 60th anniversary of inheriting her throne in 1952, I wasn’t going to drink this $165,000 special on just any old day! I was going to wait until The Gavinners won their first Grammy!
Obviously, that pipedream was never going to happen, as The Gavinners were officially deader than the Macarena.
They said trouble came in threes, and Gott saves the Queen, he was feeling every single poleaxing strike.
Within three months, he’d gone from being on top of the world – a universally renowned rock god and prosecutor at the height of his career with a gorgeous, wanton femme to warm his bed every night if he’d so chosen – to a man who’d now lose both his brother and his best friend to the gallows, while his beloved band since high school had also bit the dust.
Then, to top it all off, thanks to the events of that accursed State vs. Tobaye trial where she’d felt her superior had intentionally made a fool out of her on the witness stand by purposely withholding crucial information, Ema thoroughly loathed him now, more than ever!
And all within the span of a quarter year.
Naturally, Adele chose that exact moment to come blaring on his office stereo speakers, and Klavier was simply too languid and broken to even have the energy to turn off the haunting, tormenting melody of “Crazy For You.”
Found myself today
Singing out loud your name,
You said I’m crazy,
If I am I’m crazy for you
Sometimes sitting in the dark
Wishing you were here
Turns me crazy,
But it’s you who makes me lose my head
The lyrics painfully reminded him of his incensed Fräulein Detective, who’d single-handedly tried to ensure he could never reproduce when she’d found out about his part in Phoenix Wright’s disbarring.
And every time I’m meant to be acting sensible
You drift into my head
And turn me into a crumbling fool
Tell me to run and I’ll race,
If you want me to stop I’ll freeze,
And if you want me gone, I’ll leave,
Just hold me closer, baby,
And make me crazy for you
Crazy for you
Lord help him if he could stop himself from having her on his mind every waking moment nevertheless.
Lately with this state I’m in
I can’t help myself but spin.
I wish you’d come over,
Send me spinning closer to you
Ema Skye, who’d given him not only a shot to the crotch but his actual heart.
While storming off the witness stand after her testimony for the Tobaye trial, she’d stopped at the prosecution bench and subjected him to a scathing glare. Then, uncaring who else around overheard, she’d furiously hissed that Klavier, despite his “disgusting, egotistic, showboating tendencies”, was still nothing compared to the likes of debonair, indelible High Prosecutor, Miles Edgeworth! Her teen idol, Ema had spat loftily, was a true gentleman and “simmerous” in every way, whereas the rocker would never achieve anything beyond being “glimmerous!”
My oh my, how my blood boils,
It’s sweet taste for you,
Strips me down bare
And gets me into my favorite mood
I keep on trying, fighting these feelings away,
But the more I do,
The crazier I turn into…
Ema. The woman was a firecracker and a half! Nonetheless, she fanned his inner flame, unlike any other female he’d ever known. It was truly pathetic. The more she hated him, the more he couldn’t seem to shake her from his senses.
What have I ever done to deserve such a woeful fate? He wondered dismally. Loving someone who doesn’t love you is hell on earth! It’s a one-way ticket to self-driven purgatory by thinking you can find happiness with someone who doesn’t love you in return!
Klavier shook his head with a jolt, wondering how he’d even allowed himself to jump to such an unimaginable, not to mention insane, conclusion! He couldn’t possibly be in love with a woman with whom he’d only enjoyed a few whirlwind months of a friendly flirtationship, right before his past had reared its ugly head, cruelly snatching the tempestuous now-turned contemptuous beauty away from him.
Love Ema Skye? Nein! Impossible! Such a notion belied all reason!
Certainly, his hot-headed subordinate, whose eyes resembled a stormy ocean whenever they glared in his direction, compelled him and challenged him like no other ever had before. And yes, she pertinaciously lingered in his innermost thoughts, day and night. Yet that didn’t necessarily mean what he felt for her was love!
Achtung, baby! I must be more furschnickered than I thought!
No, his feelings were naught more than heady concupiscence, he assured himself. A crazed, all-consuming lust, undoubtedly fueled by his mislaid desperation to feel something real in this cold, dark abyss that’d become his existence. Ema merely represented an igniter who sparked a light within him, to remind him that he was still alive at a time he felt dead inside.
I don’t love her – I refuse to believe that! I’ve never been in love before, with any of these countless women who throw themselves at my feet, so how could I possibly be masochistic enough to fall for a woman who hates me? Nevertheless, I will admit that I yearn for her more than for anything; I crave her more than I’ve ever craved anything in my entire life. I yearn for her like a traveling wanderer does shelter to rest his weary head. I crave her like the desert flower craves the rain. But no amount of rain can douse the fire I have burning within me for her.
On top of his hapless infatuation from which he couldn’t seem to escape – he’d gotten under many an eager groupie in vain efforts to get over his obsession with Ema! – the German man had no idea what karmic retribution had warranted such smite from every other aspect of his life: family, friends, and career.
The prosecutor had always prided himself on being a decent person for the most part and did his best to be a good guy in every way imaginable.
He’d never led on the fangirls with whom he enjoyed casual carnal relations – they never believed they were getting anything more than one night of unbridled passion with him. Moreover, being mindful of his reputation, he was ever solicitous with his lovers. None of his aficionadas could claim he did anything but his best in ensuring Geschlechtsverkehr was always mutually pleasurable for both of them.
He’d never broken any laws. Even though he was a lead-foot driver, he’d never gotten so much as a speeding ticket in his life – possibly because of his knack for flirting his way out of it whenever he’d been pulled over – irrespective of the officer being a man or woman!
He donated copious amounts of dollars to charities, as he had more money than he’d ever be able to spend. Hell, even the limited edition whiskey sales had gone to a noble cause: The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust Fund for the education of talented craftspeople to sustain traditional British craftsmanship!
Holy cat-humpin mountain goat! Not only did I give Herr Forehead and Trucy 20% off those front-row tickets to The Gavinners sold-out concert, but my generosity also didn’t stop there! I also helped coax along that greenhorn on no less than two occasions in court, even though the result each time was my humbling loss to such a legal neophyte!
If that last act of altruism towards his courtroom rival wasn’t the epitome of magnanimousness, Klavier didn’t know what was!
Regardless, it seemed Ema wasn’t the only person who didn’t hold him in high esteem. Although the benign Trucy (despite being Phoenix Wright’s daughter) seemed to like him, Apollo, on the other hand, got quite prickly whenever the prosecutor came across him. Although, to be fair, it was uncertain if the uptight young man’s lackluster reaction was simply balking at the blond’s innate tendency, (as it was with everyone he encountered), to playfully flirt with him. Klavier just couldn’t help himself! Watching the horned attorney get so red-faced and flustered was positively priceless!
Of course, the waves of resentment wafting from the defense bench could also be because Mr. No Volume Control had objections to being addressed as Herr Forehead!
Alas, it wasn’t only Ema and Apollo who disliked him. The most painful realization of all had come to light earlier that evening.
Klavier Gavin and Daryan Crescend
Detention Center
July 10, 2026, 6:00 PM
The Gavinners’ lead vocalist beseechingly eyed his former best friend through the Plexiglas, who simply stared back at him stonily.
“Save me the hissy fit or sanctimonious speech,” Daryan finally snarled, without preamble. “You said all you needed to say in court when you coldly turned your nose up in front of the gallery and washed your hands off me!”
Klavier desperately wished he had a wall to punch right about now. As a performer, he’d managed to easily come across as composed and unaffected when the detective’s guilty verdict had been announced, but only as a public façade. Surely his friend had to know how genuinely broken up he’d actually been on the inside?
“Dammit, Daryan! Tell me why you’d throw it all away?” He’d pleaded to the stoic, shark-haired man on the other side. “You were a detective and a rock star! Respect, authority, fame…you had it all. We had it all!”
“No, Klavier, you had it all.” Dispassionate eyes stared coldly back at the distraught flaxen-braided man, unmoved by his anguish. “I was simply your often overlooked, less memorable sidekick who it seemed couldn’t hold a match to your musical genius standards near the end! Everything always had to be about you. Holy shit on a shingle, the fucking band was even named after you, you vainglorious bastard! Seriously, the Gavinners? Was the Me-Me-Me’s taken?!”
“Achtung baby!” Klavier gaped at the harsh unfairness of the words. “Daryan, The Gavinners have been successful musicians for quite some time now, all of us multimillionaires many times over! I never had any reason to believe you needed money at any point, but surely you should have known that all you’d have to do was ask me, ja?”
“You’d have loved that wouldn’t you?” The inmate sneered. “Nothing would have made you as happy as a pig in shit than if I’d continued to rely on you for everything – including the prestige and recognition I was supposed to get from the Minister of Justice for coming through in his darkest hour! Why can’t you get it through that thick, shining skull of yours? I didn’t want your help, Klavier! For once, I wanted to be the hero in a time of strife! The knight in shining armor who rescued Howie Cheatum’s dying son and was thusly rewarded most richly for it!”
“How could you have been so hungry for money and glory that you’d be willing to get blood on your hands for it?” The singer struggled to comprehend such a twisted rationale. “How can you put a price tag on aiding and abetting a minor with smuggling illicit contraband?”
“Far be it for me to be allowed to make a few bucks of my own! What a surprise – the golden boy would have had objections to Robin trying to save the day without the meddling of Batman! For Barney Rubble to have his day, and not include Fred Flintstone! Perish the thought of The Sundance Kid daring to shine minus Butch Cassidy!”
The prosecutor flinched at the unmasked animosity and jealousy on the guitarist’s phizog. He’d never known his best friend had been harboring such ill will and resentment towards him. How long had the other man been feeling this way? And how could Klavier have been so blissfully unaware of it all this time?
“You’ve always driven me crazy with your perfectionist nit-picking of the band when we didn’t meet up to your great expectations! And it drove me up the wall every time you’d just suddenly change lyrics on a whim, as you saw fit, never caring what we thought,” Daryan continued harshly.
His tone was rife with repugnance as he noted the blond’s stricken expression.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t all I was cracked up to be, golden boy! First your brother, and then I ended up being a disappointment to you. Too bad, so sad. Then again, I’m sure you can find some Gavinner-loving bimbo to dry your tears with her lace teddy. Alternately, you can go and weep into your millions…ja?”
The biting mockery of the prosecutor’s idioms was the final nail in their friendship coffin. No amount of acting lessons could have prepared him for this onslaught, or able to mask the pain of this particular low blow.
Klavier had been a natural performer since childhood, with early stumbling blocks like most others. When he was 8, he’d tried to demonstrate to the cute girl next door how good he’d gotten at doing frontal flips in his basement. The first time, he’d been so nervous, he’d landed smack on his face. Hearing his crush’s horrified cry, accompanied by the subsequent thump, his folks had come running. They’d found their youngest son, unscathed, standing up and smiling, and asked him what happened.
While proudly describing what’d transpired, Klavier had reenacted the event, only this time crashing into the unnoticed skateboard carelessly left out on the floor. It was the same one his parents were always nagging Kristoph, (who’d used it all of one time in his unsuccessful efforts to impress some skater-girl who’d later snubbed him) to put away, in case someone stepped on it and got hurt.
The impact of the collision with the wheeled item had resulted in the boy breaking his nose and suffering a cheek laceration, requiring seven singeing stitches. At the time, the future rock god had been positive this ordeal would be the most unsurpassable excruciating, not to mention humiliating, moment of his whole life.
He’d been wrong.
This was a thousand times worse.
How could he have possibly cared so much for someone who’d detested him so much?
Staring at his provoker with tormented eyes, the attorney felt Daryan’s pointed barbs, mercilessly aimed at his chest, as sharply as if they were actual daggers. He would have gladly broken another limb or braved any other sort of bodily affliction rather than endure this level of gut-wrenching suffering.
Physical pain was a cakewalk compared to emotional pain.
Almost more torturous was immediately discerning that he was wholly alone in his pain, as he observed zero penitence or expression on that granite face of the ex-detective, who was impassively staring back at the German with cold, remorseless eyes.
Shark eyes.
Ultimately, the bullet-haired guitarist’s bad-boy gimmick hadn’t been merely a Gavinners publicity image. Because in the end, Daryan Crescend had shown irrefutable evidence that his Jaws persona was truly who he’d been all along.
Flashback…
Ema Skye
District Court
Courtroom No. 3
July 9, 2026
Bad enough I was unable to achieve my desired forensics goal and got stuck in a job I despise, working under a pompous prig. But, to add further insult to injury, I got degraded to doing security for my patronizing boss’s fopping band?!
Incontestably, Ema was a far better cop than that bumble butt, Mike Meekins! So why hadn’t he been degraded to playing rent a cop at that noise pollution of a concert, and then have a murder happen right under his nose?!
The whole incident was as mortifying as it was horrifying, and the anxious detective couldn’t seem to stop fretfully munching her Snackoos in rapid-fire succession as she stood at the witness stand, waiting to give her testimony.
“The killing happened in the middle of my concert. Someone had already stolen my keys,” Klavier was telling the judge. “I didn’t want anything else stolen.”
The prosecutor then paused meaningfully as he flashed a goading grin in Ema’s direction.
“So I put the detective with the most time on their hands on the task.”
“I see,” Chambers nodded. “I can accept that.”
Ema was beyond embarrassed and angry by this entire exchange. Yes, she may have shown her disdain for her boss in the past, but at least she had mostly left it on a one-on-one basis! Unlike him, who’d just publicly announced how little he thought of her work competence!
“Well, I can’t accept that!” The brunette stamped her foot indignantly and glowered at the fop. “What do you mean “time on their hands”!? Did you honestly think I, as a detective, honestly had nothing better to do than stand watch while listening to that noise pollution which you refer to as music, and fend off your overzealous fan girls?!”
Klavier simply smirked in response, making her palm itch to smack it right off his overly tanned, yam-colored face!
Despite this, that hadn’t even been the worst of the assaults on her dignity. Not by a long shot.
Feigning like the worst was over, the unctuous prosecutor had then made Ema waste her time and energy discussing how the bullet holes in the dressing room wall were an indication that the gunman either had bad aim or hadn’t been able to see the target he was shooting at.
Ergo, it was conclusive proof, as far as she was concerned (despite secretly being skeptical that a rail-thin young boy could’ve possibly fired such a huge gun without dislocating his shoulder!) that the crime had occurred because the shooter, Machi Tobaye, must’ve been blind.
If she’d been yearning to slap the smirk off Klavier’s face earlier, her hands were positively curling into fists of fury as he silkily asked her exactly why she surmised the teenage musician couldn’t see.
Completely flustered by the question, Ema had lamely responded, (based solely on the information she’d been given up until that point!) about how the boy was always seen being led around the siren. She knew the uneasy expression on her face mirrored both Apollo and Trucy’s as Klavier treated them all to a relaxed, lazy smile as he elaborated that the Borginian teenager could, in all actuality, see quite well.
“Fräulein Detective, please accept my apologies,” Klavier said indulgently. “I received word that the defendant could actually see mere moments before the trial began. It seemed too much of a bother to tell you.”
Holy Batshit, Robin! Are you freaking kidding me?!
Ema was left fuming at the half-assed apology which sounded about as genuine as a three-dollar bill but refused to lose her cool again so soon and jutted her chin.
“You had me until that last bit,” she replied in a voice that was pure ice.
Klavier went on to expand on how the boy feigning blindness was a clever Borginian publicity stunt, and that it was Lamiroir who actually couldn’t say see.
“So you see,” the prosecutor drawled. “Machi didn’t miss because he couldn’t see. It was the kickback from the 45-caliber revolver. A simple accident, in other words.”
“Ack…!” The red attorney recoiled upon hearing this, his shock at the news evident.
“How’s that?” The blond mocked. “I’m afraid your objection has just flown off for brighter skies…”
“Urk…” Apollo gulped, too flustered to even be comprehensible.
“This is where the real fun begins, Herr Forehead!” Klavier taunted, the gleam in his eye showing just how much he was enjoying having the upper hand. “I knew you didn’t have what it took!”
Ema clenched her jaw so hard, it ached. She’d had enough of this demeaning game. It was one thing for the arrogant bastard to make her look like a fool, but now the Arschloch was going to resort to belittling and being condescending to a rookie kid lawyer who was simply trying to do his job?! As far as she was concerned, this was the last straw!
“You… You jerk!” The detective fumed, shooting daggers at the smug German. “Just what was I in here for? Comic relief!?”
“Yeah!” The normally sunny Trucy huffed, scowling at the rockstar. “Apologize!”
Faced with no longer one, but two irate females, Klavier wisely backed off.
“Ah haha. Oh, sorry!”
“That’s no way to apologize!” The magician was not placated any more than Ema was.
“Ahem,” inserted Chambers. “If we can please end the bickering. Now.”
“Whatever!” Ema snapped peevishly. “I’m not leaving! I can’t leave like this! I’ll come up with some clue to solving this case if it kills me!”
She cast of withering glare in the smug Klavier’s direction.
Or I might just snap and just kill you first, you smarmy, condescending, nerve-grating fop! I would get Apollo to defend me, and I’m pretty sure there is not a jury in the world that’d convict me – not after seeing what I have to regularly put up with!
Ema’s foul mood officially graduated to black by the time she met up with the kids later that day in Lamiroir’s Dressing Room. Trucy and Apollo caught up with her just as she was furiously shoveling a mouthful of Snackoos into her mouth.
MUNCH. MUNCH. MUNCH.
“Uh oh…” Apollo gulped nervously. “There’s only one person I know who can munch with such… venom.”
The policewoman paused in her mindless crunching and regarded him sulkily. “What are you doing here in Lamiroir’s dressing room?”
“Hello, Ema,” the red attorney smiled weakly at the grouchy policewoman. “You’re looking as … grumpy as ever.”
“Oh, am I supposed to be happy?” She subjected him to a baleful glare. “First, you give me the second degree in court, and then the fo – Prosecutor Gavin – makes me look like a fool!”
Apollo flushed guiltily. “You’re talking about the bloodstain Mr. LeTouse left?”
“My department chief had a field day with that one!” She bristled while recalling how irritated Gumshoe had been. “I’m surprised I have any ass left after the Chief was done chewing it!”
“Sorry to hear that,” the horned attorney mumbled, at a loss for words, while Trucy’s lips twitched to fight back a giggle at the mental imagery of Ema literally having her bum chewed off!
“Even a blind person could see the shooter wasn’t blind!” Ema mimicked the Chief’s thundering baritone, then puffed out her cheeks in agitation. “Funny guy, huh?”
“Come on, don’t feel too bad,” Trucy soothed. “That bloodstain helped uncover the biggest mystery of all!”
“She’s right,” Apollo nodded. “Now we know that Mr. LeTouse was really with Interpol.”
“Yeah!” The teen added cajolingly. “We wouldn’t have found that out without you!”
I’m a grown woman who’s feeling lower than a dog’s balls in the summertime, and needs a pep talk from a greenhorn lawyer and a 15-year-old! Ema reflected disgustedly. What’s even more pathetic is that it’s working!
“I suppose,” she conceded sullenly. “Maybe that’s why the Chief gave me these after he was finished chewing me out.”
She waved a large bag of Snackoos at the investigative partners, who she suddenly noticed looked very similar, both in facial features and spiky cowlicks.
They could almost pass for siblings or cousins or something. But that’s impossible! Wouldn’t Mr. Wright have mentioned if his daughter had any other family?
“Anyway…” the brunette shoved a crunchy sweet into her mouth. “I guess Gumshoe felt bad about reprimanding me, the big softy that he is. Said it was my reward.”
“Uncle Gumshoe’s just a big old teddy bear,” Trucy agreed, sneaking her hand into the Snackoo bag and popping a treat into her mouth before Ema noticed, and then glowered at her forebodingly.
“I guess that was pretty nice of him,” Apollo acknowledged. “Are chocolate Snackoos popular down at the precinct or something?”
“Only with me.” Ema popped another goody into her mouth. “All the other boys in blue love their donuts. But nothing beats Snackoos in my opinion! They’re the tasty, handy snack on the go, and are even handier as pseudo-weapons of choice, all rolled into one, for any occasion!”
“I guess. I’ll take your word for it. I’ve never had them before.”
Apollo watched enviously as Trucy, heedless to the detective’s warning look, somehow managed to sneak another chocolate out of the bag while Ema had been talking to him and was now merrily munching.
“Er, could I try one?” He mumbled sheepishly. “Please?”
*ka-tonk*
“Sorry, I don’t speak Snackoo!”
*ka-tonk*
“Hey! At least I asked first instead of just pilfering them as Trucy did!”
*ka-tonk*
“I’ll take that as no!”
*ka-tonk*
“Ow! You know, it’s pretty mean that you’d rather waste those things as bouncing ricochets off my forehead rather than share them!”
*ka-tonk*
End Flashback
Ema Skye
Criminal Affairs Department
July 10, 2026, 8:53 PM
“That Klavier Gavin sure is one vengeful Hurensohn!” Ema grumbled herself.
She rapidly shuffled through the copious amounts of paperwork from the State vs. Tobaye trial and grunted.
“Sure, in a moment of unthinking, unmitigated rage, I may have accidentally on purpose given him a Fuß auf die Hoden, but that was a one-time low blow! He has more than gotten his retribution by repeatedly attacking my professional competence by making me look like a bumbling, unprofessional nincompoop! Isn’t attacking one’s dignity 10 times worse than assaulting someone’s … Glied area?!”
Recollecting all the cringe-worthy moments she’d had to suffer at that blasted man’s hands the last few days still made her cringe. Even the comical memory of using Apollo’s ginormous forehead as target practice with her Snackoos couldn’t even make her feel better.
What she needed, Ema decided to herself as she shoved the case files into a manila folder, was to obliterate this entire horrible trial from her memory.
For that, she would need booze. Lots of it! But somehow, the idea of sitting like a lonely barfly at a pub seemed too pitiful for words.
Instead, she figured she’d grab a couple of bottles of wine and some pizza on her way home and put herself into a merrily oblivious carb-laden, alcohol-soaked state, while passing out on her sofa, watching reruns of Bill Nye the Science Guy on Netflix.
The policewoman was almost out the door when she peeked out the window at the prosecutor’s building, which she had a clear view of from her office, and saw that the light was on in Klavier’s office.
She clenched her jaw and tucked the folder under her arm as she grabbed her purse.
Well, the fop wanted me to give him this entire file as soon as possible, so they could close it off. After all he’s put me through, seeing his annoying mien is the last thing I want to do! Nevertheless, if I just go over there now, I’ll get that task out of the way. Afterward, I might be able to dodge him for another few days, until the urge to pummel him into a pulp subsides somewhat…eventually!
Klavier Gavin and Ema Skye
Prosecutor Klavier Gavin’s Office
July 10, 2026, 9:03 PM
Emotional pain is not something that can be seen or touched like a physical injury, like a cut or bruise, but it can be just as severe, and possibly worse. It is a very different experience, and only I can tell that it is there. Sometimes, the pain is a constant presence in the back of my mind, like a fresh gaping wound. Other times, it pushes itself to the forefront, demanding my attention and causing feelings of heartache and mental anguish. It feels like it is cleaving my heart and mind in half and there’s a stinging sensation with every breath I take…
Klavier listlessly raised the whiskey bottle to his lips and swore under his breath as he realized it was practically empty. He hadn’t even realized he’d nearly demolished both liquors, but obviously, he hadn’t guzzled enough, because he wasn’t anywhere near comfortably numb.
He could still feel the piercing stab of Daryan’s betrayal as though it were a fresh, gaping wound.
Perhaps I’ve built up too much of a high tolerance for alcohol, he speculated humorlessly. It must be all those beers I sneak in at lunchtime. Or mayhap it’s the wine I have with dinner? If only the public knew every lawyer’s dirty little secret… On any given day, we’re usually half in the bag! All except for me, though. I’ve built up such an elevated threshold, booze merely takes the edge off, ever so slightly, so that I can deal with my ever-barbed-tongue Fräulein, along with all other unpleasantries of my job!
He dropped back against the headrest and shut his eyes, finally feeling the initial blissful sensations of his mind beginning to spin.
Ah, that’s good. Perhaps if I’m lucky I can blackout, and when I wake up again, the nightmare of today will just be a horrible memory…
“What the hell?! Why does it smell like a… brewery in here?!”
Klavier slowly rolled his head to the side so he was facing the door, and caught sight of Ema Skye staring questioningly at him from the doorway, an aghast hand clapping against her cheek.
Maybe I’m already dreaming? He wondered hazily. How else do you explain the fact that I was just thinking about a wingless seraph … only to have her materialize right before my eyes?
She cautiously strode into the office and wrinkled her pert nose as the stench of strong liquor battered her nostrils. A few amber drops had spilled onto the shag carpeting when the empty bottles had carelessly fallen from his fingers, but fortuitously, not broken.
“Prosecutor Gavin?” She was standing over him now, gaping down at the nearly supine blonde man, who’d remained sprawled on his chaise lounge in a nearly horizontal position. “What the – are you inebriated?!”
“Guten Abend, Fräulein Detective,” Klavier smiled dopily at the vision in white. “Have I ever told you that lab coat of yours makes you look like an angel?”
Ema furrowed her brow, caught between annoyance and incredulity at the sight of her normally too-cool-for-school employer in such a state.
“I’m hoping you’re not an angel!” He emitted a groggy laugh. “As that would mean I’m dead! That would make all my many fangirls so sad, ja?”
She grimaced that he could still be so narcissistic even when out of his tree.
“Indeed! The dearly departed “Candle in the Wind” would result in the sound of immeasurable mourning, undoubtedly heard worldwide,” she replied dryly. “Sir Elton John would give a tribute performance trumping even his homage to the late Princess Diana, no doubt! I imagine the international candlelight vigil would be large enough to be seen from outer space!”
“Do not mock a pain that you haven’t endured, Miss Skye.” While Klavier didn’t raise his voice, his somber tone sounded more like a plea, than an actual reprimand. “As much as my adoring fans annoyed you when crowding our crime scenes…”
Great Caesar’s ghost! He just loves unashamedly bringing that up to me, doesn’t he? This is not a human being. This is an ego with feet!
She rolled her eyes at his puckerfist antics, even when palpably, incoherently inebriated! She was ready to cut him down a peg for his overinflated sense of self-importance, but held her tongue, as she realized he wasn’t wearing his normally cocky expression at all, but rather, one of heart-breaking, almost child-like, vulnerability.
“Those adoring fans…they may be all I have left. And I don’t even know if I even have them anymore.”
Ema was startled by this unforeseen speculation and simply gawped at him.
“I don’t think I’m going to have any more fangirls, to be honest. Because effective today, The Gavinners are as extinct as the dinosaurs,” he intoned hollowly. “Which means I now truly have nothing. I’ve already lost my brother, and today, as the icing on the cake, I also lost my best friend … who may have never even cared about me at all. So now, there is nobody left who really, truly cares if I live or die.”
She drew in a sharp breath at the forlorn words, uncertain of what to say.
The rocker turned his head towards the window. The spectacular nighttime view of LA lay sprawled out below him but he was mindless to it. While she struggled to come up with an answer, he spoke again. His voice was so quiet, she had to crouch down beside him on the chaise to hear him.
“Can I ask you something, Fräulein Detective?” Klavier asked, in a lonely, little boy voice Ema had never imagined she’d hear from him in a million years. “Bitte?”
“Sure.” She nodded slowly, unsure of what to expect now. “Go ahead.”
“How many people can you claim truly care about you? I mean, not just the people in your life who are fun to hang out with, not just the people who you love and trust. But people who feel good when you are happy and successful, who feel bad when you are hurt or going through a hard time, people who would walk away from their lives for a little while to help you with yours?”
He turned haunted azure orbs towards her, and Ema saw so much anguish in them that her chest instinctively ached with sympathy, even without knowing the cause. She was completely taken aback by the query, and her voice quivered with hesitation as she tried to come up with an appropriate response.
“I have my sister, Lana, who I’ve not seen in years, yet I know loves me unconditionally,” she said at last. “She nearly gave up her very life for me.”
“It must be so nice,” he whispered lugubriously. “To have a family who loves you so much. Kristoph … well you know what happened there. As for my parents, they lived in Germany, so I never saw them much once I began touring, and they’ve since … passed. But before that, we were still never too close, as they had little regard for a son who they deemed just some over-hyped, frivolous rock star.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. But you still have your friends,” she reminded him gently. “Other friends, besides Daryan. Don’t you?”
“I don’t know who I can call a friend anymore.” He turned away. “I just know that I seem to be losing people I care about at an alarmingly rapid rate. Kristoph. Daryan. The rest of the Gavinners….”
“I know what it’s like to lose people you care for,” she commiserated. “I lost my parents when I was just a young girl, and Lana raised me as a daughter, more than a sister. And I don’t have a long list of friends anymore, not since I studied forensics in Europe. There are friends I had to stop talking to and I miss them dearly. In the span of my short adulthood life, I have had to hold back many times due to my dysfunctional concept of handling relationships. I just want to love but loving with a balance is always the hardest thing to do…”
She closed her mouth immediately, astounded at how much personal information she’d just revealed, and cursed herself inwardly.
Fortunately, Klavier was too wrapped up in his mourning to even make a wisecrack about her uncharacteristic sentiment, which he undoubtedly normally would have.
“Perhaps it would be best if I step back from the public eye and the constant attention that comes with it,” he said tiredly. “As an artist, I am constantly exposing my own wounds to the world, while also trying to heal them. Being around people is exhausting because I am constantly worried about hurting them. The pressure of being constantly watched and having to be careful in the spotlight is draining.”
“Holding people away from you and denying yourself love … that doesn’t make you strong!” The forensic lover exclaimed before she could stop and remind herself that she was trying to bestow wisdom to somebody who probably wouldn’t even remember anything she said after his head hit the pillow that night. “If anything, it makes you weaker because you’re doing it out of fear.”
He laughed bitterly and he shook his head.
“Isn’t that funny? I’ve spent my entire life trying to ensure I don’t hurt anybody I care for. Yet here I sit, all heartbroken, like a shattered hero in some kind of tragic love story, when it wasn’t even a Frau who broke my heart this time. As much as I’d like nothing more than to say that I have no regrets in life, I would be lying if I did so.”
Lachrymose pavonine orbs stared into sympathetic teal ones.
“One of my main regrets in life is giving considerable thought to inconsiderate people. I know we’re past mid-year now, and I’ve never been one to believe in making New Year’s resolutions, but this year, I only want to be around the people that honestly love me, not the people that pretend they do.”
As a nerdy scientific introvert, Ema never could have fathomed the day would come when she of all people, could sincerely commiserate with a flamboyant, cocksure, universally-renowned rock star. She knew no matter how much vitriol she’d felt towards him, due to his obnoxious behavior during the trial, and how resentful she’d been for what he’d done to Phoenix, he had still suffered a lot recently.
Now that he wasn’t in performer mode, she could see how much he was hurting. It made him seem legitimately human when he was normally a larger-than-life star, and it slowly began chiseling away at the protective shield she’d built around her heart. In the end, under all the glimmer and bling, Klavier Gavin was just a scared, sad little boy who wanted somebody to love him but kept being let down by people he’d trusted.
As hardhearted as she’d tried to be towards him, she knew she was going to burst into tears if she let him keep talking like this.
“Buck up, Gavin!” She advised, speaking in a slightly louder voice to keep it from trembling. “Live and learn, right? Yeah, they should’ve treated you better. They should’ve cared more. But they didn’t and they don’t, and your life keeps moving forward.”
“You make it sound so easy.” Klavier was sitting up now, his head buried in his hands as he spoke. “But whether you believe it or not, I’m a romantic. Therefore, things are harder for me.”
“Of course, I believe you,” she lied to her pissed as a fart man-whore boss, whose idea of a wooing seven-course meal for his scads of floozy fangirls was likely nothing more than a hot dog and a six-pack of beer! “It’s just that I’m a woman of science, so I tend to lead my life with my head, as opposed to my heart.”
Rising from her crouching position, she reached down and gently tugged at his arm.
“Speaking of leading, allow me to lead your dipsomaniac behind out the door now! It’s after 9:00 already!”
“You’re right.” He rose unsteadily to his feet and patted down the front of his trouser pockets, a perplexed expression on his face. “Now, where did I put my car keys?”
“You’re shitting me, right?” Ema goggled at him in disbelief. “With all due respect, Prosecutor Gavin, if I were to hold a lighter up and have you breathe into the flame right now, I’m pretty sure you’d be able to start a forest fire! There is no way in hell you are driving anywhere!”
“But –”
“Are you seriously trying to argue your case to drive home while under the influence of an actual police officer?!”
Ema drew herself up to her full 5’1″ and poked him right in the chest.
“As much as you made a mockery of me, my work, and my credentials these last few days, you seem to be forgetting that I do possess the authority to throw the book at you if you get behind the wheel tonight! It’s not very often I get to pull rank with my supervisor, but I’m doing it right now! Boss or no boss, I have zero qualms about busting your butt for drinking and driving!”
She let out a disgusted sigh as he emitted a drunken chuckle at her outburst.
“You’re adorable when you’re trying to be all authoritative, you know that?” He swayed slightly to the left, and she quickly moved over to catch him before he toppled over.
“Ugh! You are beyond hammered, Gavin! If you weren’t three sheets to the wind already, I’d toss your fluttered rear end into a taxi! But, the nice gal that I am, to ensure you get home in one piece, I will personally make sure that’s exactly what happens!”
“Somehow I never thought you coming home with me would be under these circumstances,” he leered, all previous traces of moroseness vanquished as he swiftly shifted into lecherous flirt overdrive. “Luckily, I happen to like bossy, take-charge women!”
“Just shut up and tell me where you live!”
Ema found some of her previous anger resurfacing. This was the Klavier she could handle, no problem! The arrogant, conceited, womanizing prosecutor she knew, who thought he was the best thing to happen to women since pantyhose – that was a man she had no issues with keeping at arm’s length.
Conversely, it was the saddened, brokenhearted little boy she’d gotten a rare glimpse of…that was who’d nearly wrung out her heart just moments ago, and she wouldn’t have refused him anything! This was alarming to grasp, and she wasn’t sure she could ever deal with seeing that side of him again.
“I think I live on Calico Drive, above Sunset Boulevard,” he mumbled, trying to recollect the address of his residence as he searched through the fuzzy confines of his brain. “Or is that my brother’s home? My place I think, it’s just before Beverly Hills. Or is it in Beverly Hills?”
Ema eyed him warily.
“Well, tie me down and spank my bottom with a wet fish!” Klavier burst out a rambunctious guffaw. “I can’t seem to remember where I live, Fräulein Detective!”
“Great Odin’s Raven!” She let out an angry mutter as she kept one secure arm around his waist and impatiently groped first in his jacket, and then trouser pockets in pursuit of his wallet until her fingers finally slid to the seat of his pants.
“Achtung Baby!” He quirked a brow as she unwittingly fondled his rear end. “I’m not quite sure if you’re seriously trying to take me up on my offer to spank me on the bottom, minus said fish…”
“Get over yourself, fop!”
Her cheeks warmed slightly as she felt the firmness of his butt cheek against her open palm while she slid her fingers into the back opening.
“And before you say something equally stupid, I’m neither trying to pickpocket you nor enjoying this hunt, even marginally!”
“I would never think that a classy Fräulein like yourself would try to take advantage of a man who is not fully in possession of his senses.”
There was a knowing grin in his voice.
“And while I have no objections to being this up close and personal to a frisky female, I can’t help but wonder if she’s trying to get just a little bit fresh since she continues to linger and hold a handful of my Hintern…”
“Grk!” Blushing furiously, she quickly removed her unknowingly intrusive hand as though it’d been scorched. “Stop being such a pervert, fop! I was trying to find your wallet!”
“You’d think you’d realize after the first 10 seconds, judging by my very vacant left back pocket, that you were coming up emptyhanded, minus eine Handvoll meiner Arschbacken!” He teased mercilessly, cerulean eyes twinkling with mirth. “If you’d halted in trying to get a nice wholesome squeeze of my posterior, you surely would’ve already shifted to my other back pocket. AKA, the one presently holding my sought-for billfold!”
“Argh!” The agitated woman puffed out her burning cheeks. “I hate you so much right now, fop!”
“No, you don’t!” Klavier was enjoying himself way too much. “You just think you do!”
Ema glared at him so hard that her eyes were burning in her skull.
“You’re so cute when you’re mad!” He ribbed, bopping her on the nose. “Boop!”
She gritted her molars and barely resisted the urge to bite his finger.
“This is so adorable! You’re legitimately baring your teeth!” Klavier sounded more endeared than endangered. “I swear, Fräulein if you were a fruit, you’d be a fine apple!”
“No, I’d be a dragon fruit!” She growled. “Because I slay men when they try to enter my castle!”
“After my last flaming guitar performance, I’ve since decided to invest in fireproof clothing.” He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively like Groucho Marx. “So it wouldn’t be a real stretch to go all Saint George and snag a sword and shield as well, my little fire-breather…”
“Oh for crying in the night! Look, I located your stupid wallet and need to find your address, so can you quit flapping your gums already?!”
Ema dropped her flaming face downward as she focused on fumbling through the wallet slots, trying to ignore the impressive string of prestigious credit cards, including a Black American Express, while she hunted for his driver’s license.
Holding it up and observing the residential location (the drucking funk dolt lived in a penthouse condominium on Olympic Avenue), she also noted, with a slight grimace, that the man, in some way, had managed to look as attractive in the photo as he did in person!
Jesus Roller Blading Christ! Who actually looks good on their government-issued ID?! Personally, in all my identification photos, I, along with most of the mere mortals of the world, resemble someone whose mug belongs with the pictures of most wanted criminals at the post office!
“OK, I know where you live now.” She slapped the calfskin wallet back into his hand, ignoring his mischievous suggestion that she would get a free pass to squeeze his other butt cheek if she wished to put it back in its pocket! “Let’s go, Gavin.”
Klavier took a tentative step unassisted but began to waver immediately. Ema quickly stepped beside him and allowed his right arm to fall over her shoulders, nearly sending her to her knees beneath his weight.
“Ugh, did you eat bricks for dinner?” The tiny policewoman complained as they started awkwardly out the door and down the hall towards the elevators. “You weigh a ton!”
“Sorry, Fräulein,” he slurred slightly, offering no resistance as she propped him up against the wall once they got inside the lift. “For what it’s worth, I’m close to losing the contents of my evening meal if we stay in this grotty-smelling elevator much longer, which should lighten me up considerably…”
“Gross! Don’t puke! Try to hold it in! We’re almost at the parking lot level…” Ema cast an anxious gander at him, then breathed a sigh of relief as the doors opened and no upchucking event transpired.
This time, when Klavier used her as a human crutch, she’d mentally braced herself for his weight, and with more slightly considerable grace than before, they made it out of the parking lot. Once there, the detective glanced back and forth between the prosecutor’s purple Mercedes convertible and then at her car, parked close to the precinct, and made an executive decision.
“If you’re going to toss your cookies, you’re doing it in your own car,” she announced firmly, deftly reaching into his jacket pocket for his car keys, which she’d discovered during her quest for his billfold.
She then walked around to the passenger side door and ensured the prosecutor was seated and buckled in before coming to the driver’s side.
“I see this is a five-speed model, but since I spent my formative years in Europe, I know how to drive a stick shift.”
Klavier didn’t reply. His head was tipped back against the headrest, and his eyes were closed.
“Gavin, did you pass out?” She asked sharply as she put the car into drive. “There is no way I can carry your deadweight if you fall asleep – I need you to stay awake until I get you home!”
“I feel less nauseous when my eyes are closed Fräulein.” He made no move to open his lids. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay awake – you have my word.”
“I’ll put the car’s top-down. The extra fresh air may help you feel better.”
It was a very warm summer night, so Ema took off her lab coat while she was at it. She’d undoubtedly have to escort the prosecutor into his residence once they got there, and the last thing she needed to risk was him drunkenly drooling or slobbering on it! She’d have no choice but to kill him if he inadvertently caused harm to her precious jacket – yet again!
Ema blared the car stereo loudly to ensure he stayed true to his word and remained alert. She picked random radio channels that had the loudest music, but aside from complaining “rap music should be spelled with a big fat ‘C’ in front of it,” the two drove along in relative silence.
At this time of night, there wasn’t much L.A. traffic, and only about 20 minutes had passed by the time she pulled into the tenant’s parking lot for his penthouse.
“We have an underground too,” Klavier mumbled. “But that’s where my motorcycle is.”
“Good to know,” she said wryly, assisting him out of the vehicle and tottering with him towards the lobby entrance of the posh building. The entire time, she was trying desperately to keep her mind off the bizarre, not wholly disagreeable combination of his sandalwood cologne, mixed with the fumes of alcohol, as they headed for the elevators.
Once they reached the 40th floor of the penthouse, Ema opened the door, using the same key ring which had his car keys attached. Stepping inside the dim suite her boss called home, she closed the door behind them, then turned to Klavier, who mercifully, hadn’t heaved at all thus far.
“Can you assist me to the sofa, Fräulein Detective?”
Surprised and pleasantly pleased he hadn’t made things even more uncomfortable by requesting she help him to his bedroom, Ema willingly obliged, pausing to flick on a tableside lamp once she’d deposited him onto the luxurious white leather couch. The Tiffany lamp revealed an enormous living room that would have fit her entire flat within it. An entire whole wall had floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a stunning panoramic view of the LA skyline. The white and purple décor was done in sophisticated Art Deco style, giving an overall, very chic, modern minimalist look, but this was hardly the time for her to ogle the splendor of the place.
“Would it be too troubling to help me take off my boots?” He was already lying back against the plush sofa cushions, black leather-clad feet propped up on the large matching ottoman before him, which Ema was now tentatively perched upon.
“It figures you couldn’t just wear normal, slip-off shoes like a regular person!” She faltered for a moment and bit her lip. “Um, are you OK with me rolling up your pant legs a bit to unlace them?”
Even in his altered mindset, he could hear the discomfort in her voice at the requirement of being so up close and personal with him, and Klavier let out a rueful chortle.
“Never mind about the boots then,” he said magnanimously, and with that, he lay down and carelessly swung his booted feet up onto the couch itself. “Thanks for getting me here safely, Fräulein Detective.”
His tone was warm and appreciative. Somehow, he’d morphed back into sweet and sincere mode ever since leaving the office, and it threw her for a loop.
“You’re welcome,” she replied quietly. “It was the least I could do. You had a rough day. We both did.”
Shifting over on the sofa, but remaining in a reclined position, he reached out and captured her hand. Immediately, she stiffened at the unexpected touch of his warm skin against hers, but he didn’t loosen his grip. Instead, his words, although still slightly slurred, were downright pleading.
“Can you come and sit beside me? Just for a moment.” He gazed imploringly at her. “Please?”
As she hesitantly sat down beside his prone body, she noticed the slightly increasing pressure of his hand, but couldn’t pay much mind to it, as she was startled by the unmasked expression in his eyes, one she couldn’t quite describe.
But it was in a manner which she’d never seen another man view her before.
She sought his face for answers and spotted a humble, lopsided smile creeping across his visage.
“There’s no need to look so nervous, Miss Skye.” His voice was gentle. “I promise I’m not going to try to take advantage of your kindness, or of this situation.”
Ema let out an unsteady laugh, self-conscious that her reactions were so easy to read, even in his altered state.
“You’re the plastered one here, fop, not me,” she reminded him. “Shouldn’t I be the one making such avowals to you?”
“I know you’re too much of a lady to ever do any such thing.” He eyed her levelly. “Although, it’s taking all my weakened willpower to remain the gentleman you’ve repeatedly accused me of never being. At least, not compared to Herr Edgeworth.”
Her heart constricted with contrition and guilt. For some reason, even while tanked up, he still remembered every unfair thing she’d ever said to him.
“I was angry with you for embarrassing me at the trial at the time,” she confessed, dropping her eyes down to her hand, which seemed so tiny when engulfed by his large, clasping one. “But I know I’ve said some very unkind things to you in the past, and I’m sorry.”
“This is why I wanted you to stay with me for a bit,” he grinned impishly. “So that I could try to vainly prolong this peace between us, which will only last until we clash again somehow at the office, because I know I continuously, yet unwillingly keep annoying you somehow.”
“Then you should enjoy this cease-fire while it lasts!” She smiled in spite of herself because for some reason, that gamin grin of his seemed particularly irresistible right then. “Tomorrow morning, you’re going to wake up with a splitting headache, while you wonder where your car is or how you even got home, and wonder if this was all a dream!”
“Please consider me a dream.”
The intensity of his gaze was having the effect of making her knees shake, and she clamped them together tightly to keep from them knocking.
“That’s all this will be for you in the morning.” Her voice trembled slightly, and she didn’t understand why. “None of this will seem real, as of tomorrow. Believe me.”
“If this is a dream, Miss Skye, I never wish to awaken again.” His voice turned husky. “And while a part of me hates when you get angry with me, the other part of me can’t help but get you riled up intentionally at times. Do you want to know why?”
Ema’s mouth felt dry. He’d never used this tone with her before, and she was powerless to do anything to break the inexplicable spell his hypnotic eyes were having on her as they held hers.
“Why?” She could barely find her voice.
“Because.” Reaching up, he cradled her shocked face between his two hands, drawing her closer to him, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “When you get mad, really, really mad … you look even more beautiful.”
The sacchariferous words hit her at the same time the piquant billow of Jägermeister blasted her in the face.
“Klavier, stop talking like this! This isn’t you saying these things!” She protested, drawing back sharply. “This is strictly the booze and your beer goggles talking! You’re even more of a transparent Libertine when you’re drunk, you wannabe Romeo!”
“I am drunk,” he agreed genially. “But I mean every word I said. Have you never heard the Latin phrase: In vino veritas?”
“In wine, truth?” She eyed him skeptically, hating that when she’d finally been called beautiful for the first time in her life, it’d been by the fop, of all people! Moreover, it’d been while he was three sheets to the wind, so he wouldn’t even remember saying it, or any of this, after tonight! “Are you sure it wouldn’t be more accurate, in this instance, to state that beauty is in the eyes of … the beer-holder?”
Klavier shook his head to refute her words but said nothing as his transfixed gaze roved over her intently as if just seeing her for the first time. Glossy, shoulder-length chestnut waves framed a smooth, porcelain face of almost criminally understated pulchritude. Hers was a heart-shaped visage that was almost too baby-faced to be considered traditionally beautiful, although she was still most pleasing to the eye; high cheekbones, a determined nose, and a small chin, which was usually raised at an obstinate angle. It was the perfect counterpart to those luscious, dewy lips. They were a pale, dusky rose color, enticing, yet so-touch-me-not, since they were usually formed in a petulant moue in his presence!
Nonetheless, her lips looked so soft. As soft as that full bosom, which was visible at his eye level in her fitted sleeveless blouse. For once, she was not wearing the shapeless lab coat. He’d grown to loathe the trademarked white garment that she always wore, as it hid her curvy figure from his admiring eyes.
Speaking of eyes, the brunette’s orbs were her most striking feature. Huge, long-lashed, expressive turquoise jewels that tended to change colors depending on her mood. Presently, those luminescent emeralds were scrutinizing his face, trying to evaluate his condition – and his sincerity.
Overall, while Ema was a completely pleasing package, it was that luscious mouth of hers that was captivating his senses then, almost beckoning for a taste.
He tightened his grip on her upper arm and drew her closer.
“Watch yourself, Prosecutor Gavin!” She uttered warningly, attempting to pull away from his grip.
“Back to formality, are we? I think I liked it more when you called Klavier a moment ago.”
“It slipped out!” Ema’s cheeks were flaming. “You are my boss, and formal should be the only route to take with you.”
He flashed a disarming grin.
“But we’re not at the precinct anymore. And it’s after hours. I promise I won’t tell if you don’t …”
She’d been so distracted by his words she hadn’t even realized his palm had crept around to the back of her neck until she felt it curved around her nape and determinedly drew her face down to his.
“Please, stop this madness!” Her alarmed visage was mere inches from his. “Don’t make me fight you off in your sorry, impaired state! It’d be no contest at all for me to overpower you and to emerge easily victorious. This would be most tragic, for you hold your own against me, via verbal sparring, with such ease!”
The hand cupped around her nape relaxed its hold ever so slightly, not enough to let her up, but no longer imposing on her to come any closer either.
As he regarded her in contemplative silence, the policewoman patiently awaited him to release her, fully cognizant that his senses were a jumbled mess of sadness, emotional pain, and an ungodly quantity of liquor. She honestly didn’t believe a world-class lady killer like him would legitimately find her covetous, and she was unable to hide an amused smirk as she gazed down at him.
“Have you ever been kissed, really kissed, properly in your life, Ema?” He inquired indolently.
“Yes, I have if you must know! And it’s Detective Skye, please, and thank you,” she corrected, barely stifling a snort of derision. “I can’t have you getting too used to informality between us, Prosecutor Gavin! Just like Cinderella’s ball, this will be over by or before midnight – assuming you won’t pass out before then! – and your beer goggles by then shall be broken!”
He chose to ignore that.
“Not all men kiss alike, did you know that?”
A titter escaped before she could stop it.
“Really? And many men have you made out with, Herr Rock Star?”
A lopsided smile played on his lips.
“Such fire. Such rapier wit!” He murmured huskily, subtly increasing the pressure of his hand on her nape again. “It’s positively tantalizing! It’s impossible to lay here and be close to you and not kiss you.”
Ema’s deference faded and she felt her pulse begin to race – although she wasn’t sure if it was with excitement or panic.
“Prosecutor Gavin, stop this right now!” She ordered. “You are my superior and I’m your subordinate! Don’t do something you’ll regret in the morning!”
“It’s been a hellish past few days, Ema.” His burning gaze never left hers. “Come and küss mich and let’s forget…”
“Nein, I will not kiss you!” She negated wildly, her heart thudding like a jungle drum. “You see… it would probably end up being good, since you’re clearly such an expert in the fine art of lip service, possibly for both sexes since I heard no denial using those smooch skills on the fellas! Ergo, locking lips with you might get to be a habit, and I can’t get out of habits. I’m a creature of habits and you know it! You’ve seen me devour a bag of Snackoos before you even finish your opening statement to the court!”
“I didn’t think you could get any more alluring than when you’re angry.” His eyes were like twin flames now. “But when you’re all flustered like this, you’re even more intoxicating than anything I’ve consumed tonight – or in my entire lifetime.”
Her breath caught in her throat as she felt herself falling under this unspoken spell that was encircling them both.
Your voice makes me tremble inside. And your smile is an invitation for my imagination to go wild.
A shiver went down her spine, but she refused to give in to it. What was wrong with her?! This was all nothing but sheer madness and she never should have let down her guard and allowed things to even get this far! Curse the man for still managing to be so seductive, even when shit-faced!
“Listen to me, fop, I can’t let this happen,” she stated resolutely. “You’re so bombed right now that you couldn’t find a Dixie coonskin with an Ohio hooker holding your Glied and showing you the way!”
Ignoring his shout of incredulous laughter, she hastily rushed on.
“Trust me – you don’t want to kiss me! You don’t even like me more than a little when you aren’t drunk!”
Klavier let out a humorless laugh.
“Ich mag dich zu verdammt viel!” He whispered fervently, then pulled her head down.
With the remaining shreds of her willpower, Ema braced her hands against his granite pecs and managed to create a slight gap of distance between them, feeling her heart pounding so loudly at that moment, she was positive he could hear it.
“You’ve been drinking! This isn’t right!” Her lips were less than an inch from his as he stroked the back of her nape in a sensuous, determined caress. “Let me go.”
“I can’t,” he whispered helplessly, sliding his hand from her nape and threading it into the silky hair at the back of her head while his spellbinding eyes stared deeply into hers.
Confused teal orbs probed fervor-filled blues ones as she tried to comprehend what he’d just said.
His voice was resigned as if the admission was arduously being coerced from his lips.
“Gott only knows how many countless times I’ve tried to let you go, and get you out of my mind, Ema Skye, but I can’t. Believe me, I want to more than anything in the world, but I just can’t.”
He drew in an unsteady breath and with the pad of his thumb, lightly traced the satiny flesh of her fully parted lips, which had opened into a wide O of astonishment from that incredible, unexpected statement.
“You’re right though, Fräulein. Now isn’t meant to be our time. Not until I know it isn’t only mein desire to feel those lush lips on mine, but yours as well.” He trailed his fingers down her chin and over her jawline, cradling her cheek in his palm. “I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.”
As Ema was still reeling from the exquisite sensation of his gentle fingertips on her skin and his ardent claims, she was powerless to resist as Klavier pulled her against him, pressing her body against his muscular form. She lay on top of him, feeling his hard chest against her breasts while his lips glided along her face, kissing first her forehead, nose, then her calescent cheek as she remained pliant in his embrace, feeling the steady thud of his heartbeat against her own hammering one.
Then, without warning, he loosened his arms, breaking the trance and making her slowly rise ever so slightly. She stared down at him, jade orbs the size of dinner plates as she tried to register what had just happened.
As she slowly regained her senses, the science lover was mortified as she realized the compromising position that she’d allowed herself to wind up in! Her face was still pressed against his chest and she plastered on top of him like one of his hussy groupies! Trembling with self-disgust and shame, she peeked up at him through her lashes, anticipating his expression to be one of cocksure smugness or worse, contempt. The latter would have been worse than any silent gloating for his victory in knocking down all her defenses at last, and surely deserved. After all, Ema was supposed to be the sober one – yet somehow, she’d allowed him to drug her senses so she felt as though she were the one who’d been drinking!
Hesitantly, she raised her wide eyes to meet those intense pavonine eyes.
“Mein Gott, you are sweet,” he whispered huskily. Ema was stunned as he raised his hand, not to shove her away, as she’d expected, but to lay it against her rosy cheek, cupping her chin in his palm.
Intrigued by his mystifying behavior, she stared searchingly into that heated gaze.
“Your name doesn’t suit you,” he susurrated contemplatively. “Ema is too short a name for such a feisty firecracker who provokes such spirited sparring and engaging battles of wit.”
Helplessly lost in his hypnotic gaze and the tenderness in his voice, she wet her lips nervously and confided, “my full name is Ema Sharona.”
“Ah yes, I recall you telling me that before. Ema Sharona.” A drowsy smile. “It does sound like My Sharona. A timeless classic, much like yourself. I like it.”
His captivating gaze held hers as his hand continued its tantalizing stroking up and down her bare arm.
“I also like the way your eyes sparkle like jewels whenever you get excited and talk about science,” he continued. “And I like the sound of your laughter. I like the way your cheeks flush and turn pink when you’re angry. …
Drawing her head down, he lightly brushed his lips over hers, just the briefest of featherlike touches, before drawing back and smiling tenderly.
“Do you know what else I like, My Sharona?” He asked as his eyelids drifted closed and he leaned back against the cushions.
Ema shook her head, entranced by his voice and the mellifluousness of his words.
“Since you’re not wearing that overly obscuring lab coat of yours, I have a free pass to let you know…”
His eyes were now closed and a naughty smile played on his lips.
“…Most of all, I really like the way you fill out that blouse you’re wearing.”
Ema let out a gasp of affronted modesty at this pernicious observation as his hand fell away then, landing limply beside his head on the couch.
Klavier was officially down for the count.
She stared at him with wide, incredulous eyes, unsure of what to think or how to feel as she watched his sleeping form.
Judas Tap Dancing Priest! Klavier Gavin is truly a piece of work! He is honestly the most brazenly libidinous, exasperating …audacious…
The umbrage she was trying to muster refused to materialize and a wry smile appeared on her lips as she studied him. In sleep, the sharp angles of his face seemed softer and without the provocative yet grating smirk that usually graced his mouth, he looked vulnerable, innocent, and very young.
Her smile deepened as she noticed how outrageously thick his eyelashes were; long, spiky lashes that any girl would yearn to have. Watching him, she began to wonder what he had been like as a little boy. Surely, he had been making female hearts flutter even as a gamin, and must have had some moments of happiness being the natural charmer he was, despite having uninvolved, unappreciative parents and a vicious monster for an older brother.
“Even though I was orphaned at a young age, and didn’t grow up in a life of luxury, I nevertheless had a loving sister to fill the void my parents left behind. And now, with Mr. Wright, the Chief, and probably Maya as close, lifelong friends, I see how I’ve still been blessed to know a life of love, even if it wasn’t one of opulence. Perhaps that makes me the more fortunate in the end, for tonight, you showed me that the wealthy and the beautiful have heartaches too, just like everybody else.”
She placed a finger to her lips as she continued to think out loud.
“Also, in between being totally rat-arsed, and even more of an outlandish, incorrigible flirt than usual, you managed to nevertheless show me a glimpse into who you genuinely are underneath all the glimmerousness. You made me realize that you don’t deserve any of the horrible things that have happened to you, despite everything. You deserve to be happy and loved as much as anybody else. I hope things get simpler for you, peaceful. That you spend your days with easy breaths and soft words. You deserve light through your window sill, fop. I hope it comes your way soon.”
He turned his head on the pillow and a stray lock of silky, platinum hair fell across his forehead. Feeling strangely maternal and slightly wicked, Ema reached out and smoothed it away with her fingertips.
“I’ll tell you a secret that I learned watching V For Vendetta,” she professed, knowing he wouldn’t hear her. “Everybody is special. Everybody. Everybody is a hero, a lover, a fool, or a villain. Everybody. Everybody has their story to tell. But despite you claiming to be the fallen hero of this tale, ours is neither tragic nor a romantic love story. Therefore, I’m not going to play the part of the pining heroine, confessing her secret feelings to the lead protagonist, by taking this chance to secretly tell you I’m in love with you now. Heck, you’re so over the top glimmerous and flashy, and a complete show-off, that most of the time, I’m not even sure that I like you.”
She expelled a slow, resigned breath as she headed to the door to see herself out.
“However, I can say this much after spending this wild, unpredictable evening with you, which will undoubtedly have me in a tailspin hereafter: you do make it quite hard to hate you sometimes, Klavier Gavin.”
Magnifi Gramarye and Helios (Jove) Justice
Heaven
July 10, 2026
“By the beard of Zeus!” Helios exclaimed. “While it’s obvious, despite her best efforts, that the young lady – who insists on using my son’s forehead as Snackoo target practice – wasn’t entirely immune to the masculine wiles of her would-be suitor, she’s definitely going to be a tough nut to crack for that Don Juan DeMarco prosecutor!”
“Yes, I suppose that was … something else, wasn’t it?” Magnifi stared down at the pretty, conflicted-looking brunette – whom he’d observed to be a close friend of Phoenix Wright’s and an associate of both his grandchildren – as she exited the penthouse. “She wasn’t kidding about being more head than heart-driven! She’s truly not the romantic type whatsoever! This was hardly the swoon-worthy romantic moment it should’ve been! What a wasted opportunity!”
“I agree.” Helios lamented, shaking his head. “Lord, what fools these mortals be!”
“Pfft! Are you trying to speak more lyrically for any particular reason, Mr. Jangly Jove, née Helios, Justice?” The old man’s mustache twitched as he fought back a cackle. “Perhaps it’s your attempted compensation for that downright absurd moniker you gave yourself and shall forever be immortalized as?”
“Don’t mock the stage name I opted for when I proved to be a better musician than a magician, father-in-law dearest!” Apollo’s father scowled. “I thought the triple J alliteration would stick to the minds of my fans better than my given name! Plus, I reckoned it sounded less pretentious than my Christened name of a Greek Sun God! How was I to know I’d marry a woman named after the Grecian primeval spirit of the sea shortly after I legally changed from Helios to Jove?”
“Fair enough!” Magnifi snickered. “Regardless, I think the former Gavinners singer was waxing poetic enough for us all this evening, without you adding unnecessary Shakespeare quotes into the mix!”
“Hey! It seemed fitting!” His son-in-law asserted defensively. “Although for the record, it’s almost admirable how charming the German, who unknowingly assisted in turning the wheel of fortune on the blue Phoenix’s fate, could still be coherent enough to woo, despite drinking like a fish! Either that makes Klavier Gavin some sort of enigma… or an insatiable alcoholic who the lovely science enthusiast should be quite leery of!”
“If Ema’s leery, it won’t be because of his drinking! That woman couldn’t hide from that man any more than she can hide from her newfound feelings – not after tonight! Believe me, you can’t fight fate, dear boy. Whether they know it yet or not, from the moment they collided at that bar seven years ago, Ema Skye and Klavier Gavin were meant to be – just as Phoenix and Maya were! Mark my words!”
Helios cast a sulky sideways glance at the amused legendary illusionist.
“I suppose I have no choice but to get my entertainment via inserting romantic prose commentary since you got to have the fun of manipulating the meeting between my darling wife and Phoenix! You already got to plunder his dreams and turn him in the right direction to get assistance from the top-hatted English gentleman! It’s not fair you got to pull the puppet strings for Thalassa too!”
“If you’re referring to my spectral powers of suggestion yesterday when Lamiroir had the sudden need to return to her room and take some pain medication before she went to the detention center with my grandchildren…” Magnifi smiled innocently. “That very well could have been a coincidence!”
“You honestly expect me to believe it was happenstance Thalassa was well enough to go traipsing off with Apollo and Trucy to go see Machi right afterward, despite having just been attacked by that shark-haired bastard… At the same time, Phoenix Wright would happen to be outside her hospital room and would peer into the window?” Helios narrowed his eyes. “That’s a load of malarkey and you know it, Magnifi!”
“Fine! I admit it! I did help manipulate things so that Phoenix would discover my daughter’s true identity at the right moment since he already knew what she looked like from photos!” Magnifi shrugged apologetically. “However my granddaughter’s guardian opted to go visit Lamiroir earlier this afternoon during Machi’s trial, under the guise of merely being a fan like his daughter, that was his own choice!”
“At first, I wondered why her bracelet didn’t react to the fact that he knows her real identity – then I remembered the rare Gramarye ancestral trait is actually in the eyes and not in the accessory! Phoenix is most fortunate Thalassa’s blindness detained her from perceiving that hidden truth!”
“That was most advantageous for him. May I also point out that his so-called innocuous suggestion she undergoes the new eye operation exclusively being offered in America, as a means to potentially restore her vision, was entirely his own doing?”
“It seems like all the wheels are in motion for there to be a Gramarye family reunion in the future, just like you always wanted,” the musician remarked. “I don’t think our loved ones below will be needing any more of our otherworldly intervention. While I’m slightly disappointed I probably won’t get a chance to make an earthly visit of my own, I suppose it’s equally nice to just sit back and watch all their somewhat assisted destinies take place.”
“Helios, I foresee you and I being spectators to a dramatic production more spectacular than anything we ever performed while on earth!” Magnifi predicted, beaming broadly. “I can already tell it’ll have a blend of intriguing suspense and a bit of comedy all rolled in one! What a joy it will be to observe the dramas ahead for this unsuspecting group of kind people, whose fates were all predestined to be entwined.”
“Don’t forget the romance element in store for these characters! I’m personally rooting for Miles and Klavier to win over their women in the end!” Helios flashed a conspiratorial grin. “And I, for one, shall remain on edge of my seat awaiting the next act!”
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