fic: Certainly Fond Of You (6)
Mar. 4th, 2023 01:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonnefoisTitle: Certainly Fond Of You (6)
Series: Ace Attorney
Character/pairing: Lana, Ema (Nahyuta/Ema)
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 2227
Summary: Nahyuta and Ema's relationship as seen from the outside.
Author's note: oh, I should note that this piece comes earlier in the story. I was just about to wrap up when I went DANG, I FORGOT LANA!
Aa6 spoilers abound.
Lana tried to push down her growing fear as she glanced down at her phone again. No missed calls, no new messages. She'd even brought her phone in after her shift to ensure that it was still working.
It wasn't like Ema to not call. Hell, Ema usually sent her dozens of texts about how much certain prosecutors annoyed her. Lana could scarcely keep up with them. But the last thing she'd heard was three days ago she mentioned getting a new prosecutor, then a rapid-fire barrage of how much Ema liked this one. He was so smart, so gentle, so kind. Then, a ugh, I was mistaken. So much for that. Why can't I just get assigned to Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth?
Then, never mind.
Lana had tried to respond, but it had gone unread for days. And that just wasn't like Ema. Ema might as well have been permanently attached to her devices. She livetweeted her favorite shows, except it being Ema, she was perhaps one of the few who livetweeted 48 Hours.
(In fact, it was Ema's fault at all that Lana knew terms like 'Livetweet')
Lana tried to calm herself down. Ema could be flaky. She could get too into projects and forget everything else.
Of course, even then she'd always given a text back. Even if just to say I'm busy now, but I'll get back to you later, sis.
She tried to push down the panic that she'd tried to comfort herself once, too. To tell herself that the roads were icy and that meant of course mom and dad would come home late.
Until a policeman came to the door with a grim expression, and the worst news of her young life.
She left another message. Maybe Ema dropped her phone in the water again. Maybe she was feuding with her prosecutor. Maybe she'd forgotten her charger.
Or, maybe she was complete alone and failed her sister for the last time.
*
Lana surfed each news channel and started to call the hospitals. It'd been days with no word from her sister. Even Ema's social media profiles hadn't been updated in days. A very bad sign, for Ema spent much of her time on this 'twitter' and occasionally fighting people on something called 'reddit.' Lana didn't see the point of such things, but Ema certainly spent much of her time on them.
She'd tried to get into the precinct Ema was in at first, but the receptionist she'd finally gotten a hold of seemed none to fond of Lana's sister, and curtly cut the call short.
She tried again, and got the very same receptionist. If this continued, she'd have to pull rank to get what she wanted. No, needed.
"Have you seen my sister, Ema Skye? She's a detective there--now a forensic scientist."
"Detective Skye? She's gone overseas. Hopefully for good," said the receptionist.
"Overseas? No, that can't be right. She would've told me. She tells me every major thing that happens. She wouldn't just move without telling her sister."
"Maybe she forgot. She left with Prosecutor Sahdmadhi."
Prosecutor Sahdmadhi? The very same one she'd sent so many texts about. First glowing, then inevitably, irritated, then some kind of reconciliation had happened between them. Lana had almost thought she sensed something of a crush in Ema's texts. Leave it to Ema to have a complicated relationship with her prosecutors.
"Why would she be overseas? She didn't say anything," Lana said.
"Eloping, probably. How should I know? I'm not her keeper. You have her phone, go call her. She certainly didn't leave it behind. She's always on that thing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."
The phone cut off abruptly. Lana stared down at the phone for a long while. Ema sure had made some enemies in her precinct. Maybe a change of scenery would be best if people were treating her like that. Should she make that call, straight to Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth, or wait it out?
Knowing Ema she would fight with this prosecutor. Then she would be overseas. Would she even be able to return?
She's an adult. You can't rush in and save her anymore. Sometimes you have to let her make her own mistakes, Lana thought.
But Ema wasn't whimsical. She'd gone on a straight path for what she wanted, no matter how many setbacks she'd received along the way. And she'd finally started to be happy, after years of taking out her anger on anyone near. She'd graduated, and it seemed like she might even be able to work under the man who'd once been her crush, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth.
Lana let out a sigh. At least she knew Ema was alive. She just hoped her sister didn't manage to get into trouble by then.
*
Research didn't help. Prosecutor Sahdmadhi came from a remote mountainous country called Khura'in. What she could find out at all, wasn't good. The country was ruled by a Queen, had believed in heavily in a religion that came from a founder, and spirit channeling. As a once chief prosecutor herself, she saw troubling things.
From what little she read, it had a distinct air of authortarianism. The country dealt with many diplomatic affairs, but was very closed off. And not exactly a technological megacity.
Was this really where Ema wanted to be? An extremely religious country across the seas?
If she could, Ema would've tweeted the whole thing. Right down to the food she ate. And there would be a barrage of text, most complaining about the prosecutor she worked with. But, Ema remained completely silent.
Lana sent a text.
Ema, please call.
Her last one was still unread.
Perhaps it was as the younger generation said, rude to 'double text' but Ema could deal with a little rudeness.
All Lana could think was Ema, what have you gotten yourself into?
*
Lana one day woke up to a text. She'd scarcely ever felt such relief in her life, except when she got that not guilty verdict years ago, when Ema was just a child.
What's up? Is something wrong, you sound worried.
Lana quickly texted back. Where have you been? Talk to me on the phone. It's urgent.
It's Urgent? Is everything okay with you?
You haven't gotten back with me.
Oh crap. I'm on a case, will come visit as soon as I'm done. Prosecutor Sahdmadhi is so demanding!!
The honeymoon was over, she supposed.
Lana was distracted all day until night game. Thankfully, her job wasn't too busy this day. Otherwise she might be in for a world of demerits at the precinct. She wasn't a chief prosecutor any longer, but she still worked with the law.
And then, Ema came in like nothing was wrong. Smelling strongly of soba flour, too. Her brown hair was even caked with the stuff, and she kept brushing off her clothes.
Lana couldn't even be angry that Ema was leaving flour all over. Not when her sister was alive and fine. If not slightly sneezing from soba flour.
"Ugh, I bet it's in my hair. The last case I did was wild. It had clowns, and soba noodles. It's never a dull day with Prosecutor Sahdmadhi."
"Where have you been? I was calling hospitals. I was trying to deal with the fact that you could be dead." Lana tried to keep the desperation and sharpness from her voice, but so many sleepless nights couldn't quite be hidden so easily.
Ema clutched her cheek in shock.
"Dang, I had a feeling I forgot something. So that was what it was. In the whirlwind of packing, I didn't remember to call you. Sorry, Lana."
She continued on.
"I was in Khura'in! And not up north, where Mia Fey came from, either. The flight there was 18 hours long with layovers, but at least I had good company." Ema beamed at his. "It was really a surprise. He asked me to go and I just packed my things. I was so busy. They do things waaaay differently there."
Lana let out a long breath. She didn't even know where to start on this. Running off with someone she had just met like she was eloping. And to some foreign country, too. Did Ema even speak the language? And what was her endgame in all of this?
"Look, if you're going to elope with someone you just met, at least let me know so I can come and get you when things fall apart."
Ema blushed. "I-It wasn't like that. W-we were just solving cases."
"I spoke to a receptionist at your job. That was how I had to find out what happened," Lana said.
Ema waved it off.
"Oh, ignore her. She's awful. We get in fights at work all the time. She probably told you horrible things about me."
"So the only reason you went off with him is work?" Lana said. Lana studied her sister. Ema never was good at hiding her feelings. Especially when she was angry.
Ema smiled. "You thought we were a thing?"
"So does everyone else, apparently," Ema said.
In the end, Lana couldn't stay angry too long. Not to her dear sister.
"Just be safe."
"C'mon, sis. He's a Prosecutor, not some hitchhiker I picked up. Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth even vetted him for working on a temporary basis in the precinct. Of course I'd trust Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth's judgement!"
"Hmmph," Lana said.
"I get it, you're still angry," Ema said.
"You disappeared for days, Ema. Your social media accounts were blank. You didn't answer your texts. I thought...I thought you died," Lana said. Her voice broke at that word.
Ema came closer, arms out. Lana brushed her away.
"I'm fine. I'm fine," Lana said.
"You're not. Just like back then. You're just holding back again. So take the hug already," Ema said.
And she wrapped her arms about Lana, whether Lana wanted it or not. Lana let out a long breath, and slowly began to release the tension. Once, her sister hadn't even come up to her chin. She'd protected her, hugged her, given her head pats and raised her when their parents died.
Now, Ema was a grown woman. And Lana couldn't tuck her in or protect her from everything anymore.
So, she hugged her sister back, and patted her head like they had when Ema was young, and it was just them.
"What happened?" Lana said.
"I'm really sorry. First we were on a plane and I couldn't exactly call without crashing the entire plane, and then my phone ran out of battery and there were no outlets, then Khura'in didn't have the kind of outlets I needed. I didn't realize they used a completely different outlet type and couldn't buy a proper charger. And it's not like I could borrow anyone else's phone either. Phoenix had some ancient Nokia which can't even access the net, and nobody else had any decent phones. Let alone a good data signal. Then I was so busy with the case I barely had time to think about anything but work."
The words all burst out, energetic and apologetic all at once.
"I see," Lana said. "Did you enjoy your time in Khura'in, at least?"
"Oh, it was like nothing I've ever seen before. The mountains are so beautiful. I've never seen a place like this before, and Prosecutor Sahdmadhi talked about working together more. Oh, I'm jetlagged and my skin looks awful, but it was amazing. Even though it was rough and challenging, I'd do it all again, definitely!"
It all came out quickly, eagerly, excitedly. She'd never seen Ema like this before. When she spoke Prosecutor Sahdmadhi's name, her demeanor changed. There was a glimmer of passion in her eyes that she hadn't seen before. Not even for Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth.
"Is it a one-time thing, working with Prosecutor Sahdmadhi?"
"Well, this is the third case we've worked together. If he asked for me, I'd go for another, surely," Ema said.
Sometimes Ema seemed to hate him, other times she seemed to obviously be crushing on him. Either way, things would remain complex for a long time. And no wonder. Ema couldn't simply go to work and have a professional, yet cool relationship. Lana constantly heard about this and that prosecutor Ema utterly despised. In fact, until Prosecutor Sahdmadhi, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth was the only one who hadn't earned Ema's ire.
"Let me meet him sometime," Lana said.
"Uh, sure. Are you going to give him the third degree as a former chief Prosecutor?" Ema said.
"No, as a sister," Lana said.
"All I ask when this inevitably happens again is that you text me next time before you go off and elope in Vegas with some prosecutor you just met," Lana said.
"Sis! I told you, it's not like that!"
Ema's blush said otherwise.
Series: Ace Attorney
Character/pairing: Lana, Ema (Nahyuta/Ema)
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 2227
Summary: Nahyuta and Ema's relationship as seen from the outside.
Author's note: oh, I should note that this piece comes earlier in the story. I was just about to wrap up when I went DANG, I FORGOT LANA!
Aa6 spoilers abound.
Lana tried to push down her growing fear as she glanced down at her phone again. No missed calls, no new messages. She'd even brought her phone in after her shift to ensure that it was still working.
It wasn't like Ema to not call. Hell, Ema usually sent her dozens of texts about how much certain prosecutors annoyed her. Lana could scarcely keep up with them. But the last thing she'd heard was three days ago she mentioned getting a new prosecutor, then a rapid-fire barrage of how much Ema liked this one. He was so smart, so gentle, so kind. Then, a ugh, I was mistaken. So much for that. Why can't I just get assigned to Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth?
Then, never mind.
Lana had tried to respond, but it had gone unread for days. And that just wasn't like Ema. Ema might as well have been permanently attached to her devices. She livetweeted her favorite shows, except it being Ema, she was perhaps one of the few who livetweeted 48 Hours.
(In fact, it was Ema's fault at all that Lana knew terms like 'Livetweet')
Lana tried to calm herself down. Ema could be flaky. She could get too into projects and forget everything else.
Of course, even then she'd always given a text back. Even if just to say I'm busy now, but I'll get back to you later, sis.
She tried to push down the panic that she'd tried to comfort herself once, too. To tell herself that the roads were icy and that meant of course mom and dad would come home late.
Until a policeman came to the door with a grim expression, and the worst news of her young life.
She left another message. Maybe Ema dropped her phone in the water again. Maybe she was feuding with her prosecutor. Maybe she'd forgotten her charger.
Or, maybe she was complete alone and failed her sister for the last time.
*
Lana surfed each news channel and started to call the hospitals. It'd been days with no word from her sister. Even Ema's social media profiles hadn't been updated in days. A very bad sign, for Ema spent much of her time on this 'twitter' and occasionally fighting people on something called 'reddit.' Lana didn't see the point of such things, but Ema certainly spent much of her time on them.
She'd tried to get into the precinct Ema was in at first, but the receptionist she'd finally gotten a hold of seemed none to fond of Lana's sister, and curtly cut the call short.
She tried again, and got the very same receptionist. If this continued, she'd have to pull rank to get what she wanted. No, needed.
"Have you seen my sister, Ema Skye? She's a detective there--now a forensic scientist."
"Detective Skye? She's gone overseas. Hopefully for good," said the receptionist.
"Overseas? No, that can't be right. She would've told me. She tells me every major thing that happens. She wouldn't just move without telling her sister."
"Maybe she forgot. She left with Prosecutor Sahdmadhi."
Prosecutor Sahdmadhi? The very same one she'd sent so many texts about. First glowing, then inevitably, irritated, then some kind of reconciliation had happened between them. Lana had almost thought she sensed something of a crush in Ema's texts. Leave it to Ema to have a complicated relationship with her prosecutors.
"Why would she be overseas? She didn't say anything," Lana said.
"Eloping, probably. How should I know? I'm not her keeper. You have her phone, go call her. She certainly didn't leave it behind. She's always on that thing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."
The phone cut off abruptly. Lana stared down at the phone for a long while. Ema sure had made some enemies in her precinct. Maybe a change of scenery would be best if people were treating her like that. Should she make that call, straight to Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth, or wait it out?
Knowing Ema she would fight with this prosecutor. Then she would be overseas. Would she even be able to return?
She's an adult. You can't rush in and save her anymore. Sometimes you have to let her make her own mistakes, Lana thought.
But Ema wasn't whimsical. She'd gone on a straight path for what she wanted, no matter how many setbacks she'd received along the way. And she'd finally started to be happy, after years of taking out her anger on anyone near. She'd graduated, and it seemed like she might even be able to work under the man who'd once been her crush, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth.
Lana let out a sigh. At least she knew Ema was alive. She just hoped her sister didn't manage to get into trouble by then.
*
Research didn't help. Prosecutor Sahdmadhi came from a remote mountainous country called Khura'in. What she could find out at all, wasn't good. The country was ruled by a Queen, had believed in heavily in a religion that came from a founder, and spirit channeling. As a once chief prosecutor herself, she saw troubling things.
From what little she read, it had a distinct air of authortarianism. The country dealt with many diplomatic affairs, but was very closed off. And not exactly a technological megacity.
Was this really where Ema wanted to be? An extremely religious country across the seas?
If she could, Ema would've tweeted the whole thing. Right down to the food she ate. And there would be a barrage of text, most complaining about the prosecutor she worked with. But, Ema remained completely silent.
Lana sent a text.
Ema, please call.
Her last one was still unread.
Perhaps it was as the younger generation said, rude to 'double text' but Ema could deal with a little rudeness.
All Lana could think was Ema, what have you gotten yourself into?
*
Lana one day woke up to a text. She'd scarcely ever felt such relief in her life, except when she got that not guilty verdict years ago, when Ema was just a child.
What's up? Is something wrong, you sound worried.
Lana quickly texted back. Where have you been? Talk to me on the phone. It's urgent.
It's Urgent? Is everything okay with you?
You haven't gotten back with me.
Oh crap. I'm on a case, will come visit as soon as I'm done. Prosecutor Sahdmadhi is so demanding!!
The honeymoon was over, she supposed.
Lana was distracted all day until night game. Thankfully, her job wasn't too busy this day. Otherwise she might be in for a world of demerits at the precinct. She wasn't a chief prosecutor any longer, but she still worked with the law.
And then, Ema came in like nothing was wrong. Smelling strongly of soba flour, too. Her brown hair was even caked with the stuff, and she kept brushing off her clothes.
Lana couldn't even be angry that Ema was leaving flour all over. Not when her sister was alive and fine. If not slightly sneezing from soba flour.
"Ugh, I bet it's in my hair. The last case I did was wild. It had clowns, and soba noodles. It's never a dull day with Prosecutor Sahdmadhi."
"Where have you been? I was calling hospitals. I was trying to deal with the fact that you could be dead." Lana tried to keep the desperation and sharpness from her voice, but so many sleepless nights couldn't quite be hidden so easily.
Ema clutched her cheek in shock.
"Dang, I had a feeling I forgot something. So that was what it was. In the whirlwind of packing, I didn't remember to call you. Sorry, Lana."
She continued on.
"I was in Khura'in! And not up north, where Mia Fey came from, either. The flight there was 18 hours long with layovers, but at least I had good company." Ema beamed at his. "It was really a surprise. He asked me to go and I just packed my things. I was so busy. They do things waaaay differently there."
Lana let out a long breath. She didn't even know where to start on this. Running off with someone she had just met like she was eloping. And to some foreign country, too. Did Ema even speak the language? And what was her endgame in all of this?
"Look, if you're going to elope with someone you just met, at least let me know so I can come and get you when things fall apart."
Ema blushed. "I-It wasn't like that. W-we were just solving cases."
"I spoke to a receptionist at your job. That was how I had to find out what happened," Lana said.
Ema waved it off.
"Oh, ignore her. She's awful. We get in fights at work all the time. She probably told you horrible things about me."
"So the only reason you went off with him is work?" Lana said. Lana studied her sister. Ema never was good at hiding her feelings. Especially when she was angry.
Ema smiled. "You thought we were a thing?"
"So does everyone else, apparently," Ema said.
In the end, Lana couldn't stay angry too long. Not to her dear sister.
"Just be safe."
"C'mon, sis. He's a Prosecutor, not some hitchhiker I picked up. Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth even vetted him for working on a temporary basis in the precinct. Of course I'd trust Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth's judgement!"
"Hmmph," Lana said.
"I get it, you're still angry," Ema said.
"You disappeared for days, Ema. Your social media accounts were blank. You didn't answer your texts. I thought...I thought you died," Lana said. Her voice broke at that word.
Ema came closer, arms out. Lana brushed her away.
"I'm fine. I'm fine," Lana said.
"You're not. Just like back then. You're just holding back again. So take the hug already," Ema said.
And she wrapped her arms about Lana, whether Lana wanted it or not. Lana let out a long breath, and slowly began to release the tension. Once, her sister hadn't even come up to her chin. She'd protected her, hugged her, given her head pats and raised her when their parents died.
Now, Ema was a grown woman. And Lana couldn't tuck her in or protect her from everything anymore.
So, she hugged her sister back, and patted her head like they had when Ema was young, and it was just them.
"What happened?" Lana said.
"I'm really sorry. First we were on a plane and I couldn't exactly call without crashing the entire plane, and then my phone ran out of battery and there were no outlets, then Khura'in didn't have the kind of outlets I needed. I didn't realize they used a completely different outlet type and couldn't buy a proper charger. And it's not like I could borrow anyone else's phone either. Phoenix had some ancient Nokia which can't even access the net, and nobody else had any decent phones. Let alone a good data signal. Then I was so busy with the case I barely had time to think about anything but work."
The words all burst out, energetic and apologetic all at once.
"I see," Lana said. "Did you enjoy your time in Khura'in, at least?"
"Oh, it was like nothing I've ever seen before. The mountains are so beautiful. I've never seen a place like this before, and Prosecutor Sahdmadhi talked about working together more. Oh, I'm jetlagged and my skin looks awful, but it was amazing. Even though it was rough and challenging, I'd do it all again, definitely!"
It all came out quickly, eagerly, excitedly. She'd never seen Ema like this before. When she spoke Prosecutor Sahdmadhi's name, her demeanor changed. There was a glimmer of passion in her eyes that she hadn't seen before. Not even for Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth.
"Is it a one-time thing, working with Prosecutor Sahdmadhi?"
"Well, this is the third case we've worked together. If he asked for me, I'd go for another, surely," Ema said.
Sometimes Ema seemed to hate him, other times she seemed to obviously be crushing on him. Either way, things would remain complex for a long time. And no wonder. Ema couldn't simply go to work and have a professional, yet cool relationship. Lana constantly heard about this and that prosecutor Ema utterly despised. In fact, until Prosecutor Sahdmadhi, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth was the only one who hadn't earned Ema's ire.
"Let me meet him sometime," Lana said.
"Uh, sure. Are you going to give him the third degree as a former chief Prosecutor?" Ema said.
"No, as a sister," Lana said.
"All I ask when this inevitably happens again is that you text me next time before you go off and elope in Vegas with some prosecutor you just met," Lana said.
"Sis! I told you, it's not like that!"
Ema's blush said otherwise.
