Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright: The Frigid Melody

The Fall of the House of Skellig pt. 4

"Now then, witness," Edgeworth began once he was comfortably in position. "Could you please state your name and profession for the court?"

Michaela hugged her arms and deliberately avoided looking in his direction.

"I hope you understand how ridiculous this is," she said. "Even with your reasoning, you still want to prosecute your own trial?"

Edgeworth frowned.

"I said can you please state your name for the court?" he reiterated. "Profession as well, if you would be so kind."

Still Michaela refused to look anywhere near him.

"I wanted to like you when you first arrived," she said. "I thought you were handsome and kind. Maybe I was right about the former, but I was entirely wrong about the latter."

Edgeworth slammed one hand on his bench and shouted a single word.

"NAME."

Phoenix slapped a hand over his mouth and snorted into his fingers.

"Mr Wright?" Luke asked in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"This always happens!" Phoenix hissed, struggling to keep his voice down so that Edgeworth couldn't hear him. "Edgeworth can never just get the witness to do what he wants!"

"Daddy, I think it makes sense here," Trucy pointed out.

"I know, but still!" Phoenix responded.

He dragged his composure back into place and watched Michaela finally give up her internal debate over whether to co-operate or not. She hugged her arms and frowned at the floor in front of the witness stand.

"My name is Michaela Skellig," she stated, "and my profession is..."

Her eyes fluttered sideways.

"...it's..." she said nervously. "...I suppose I... if I had to choose, I would call myself a freelance artist."

"Holy crap, Edgeworth was right!" Phoenix whispered to his co-counsels. "She really isn't a prosecutor!"

"Do you think she might've just taken up that position because she was the mayor's daughter?" asked Luke.

"And they didn't want Uncle Miles to do anything except the Minstrel thing, did they?" Trucy pointed out.

"A freelance artist, you say?" Edgeworth asked, somehow managing the gall to sound amused. "And yet you stood in court as a prosecutor. On more than one occasion, if what I've heard from Mr Wright and the police officers is any indication."

He crossed his arms and glared down his nose at Michaela.

"You'd better hope I feel courteous enough to avoid reporting you to my superiors once I return to the rest of society," he warned.

"Ouch..." hissed Luke.

"Leave it, Luke," Phoenix responded. "If there's anyone who's earned the right to be petty, it's Edgeworth."

"If the prosecution would allow me to speak?"

Attention returned to the witness stand, where Layton was looking hopefully around the courtroom.

"Go ahead, Professor," said Edgeworth.

Layton glanced sideways at Michaela, who was still frowning at the floor, very obviously going out of her way to avoid looking at him.

"I believe," he said, "that Ms Skellig may have been nominated for the role of prosecutor because of all the citizens in this village, she is the most qualified for the role. Not only that, but her mother – the victim in this case, I know – is the person who had arranged these trials to begin with."