Assassin of Smiles: Chapter 1
"Get up and dance, get up and smile, get up and drink to the days that are gone in the shortest while." - Simon Fowler
Disclaimer: I do not own the Ace Attorney characters appearing in this story. The story itself is completely mine, though. Any connections to real life are purely accidently.
Laughter filled the house, the pure and innocent sounds of a child mixed the more mature notes of the father. Ilse Gavin looked up from her book with a small smile, she couldn't help but smile when she heard those two running through the house like that. Not to mentioned that soon there would be another life joining their peaceful family.
"Ray, Kristoph, could you come here for a minute of two?" she called. The echoes of her voice reaching throughout the whole house.
It was a beautiful house in the center of Berlin, though it wasn't as big as the houses around it. The houses counted a total of 3 floors, while most of the houses in the neighborhood was filed with houses with 4 floors. It didn't matter, though, since the house said nothing about the state of the people living in it. Most families living close to them were either already ripped apart when they came to live here, or were now.
The Gavin family was still happily together, though. Bound by an immense love for one another.
"Yes, mother?" the little Kristoph Gavin said, his blue eyes and platinum blonde hair resembled that of the man standing next to him. Apart from the age difference and length of their hair, they could have been brothers. Kristoph had short hair, reaching no further than his ears, and had just reached the age of 8 two months ago. Her husband, Ray Gavin, had hair reaching over his shoulder, though. It was kept together in an elegant but evil looking horn of some kind that rested on the left side of his chest. He would soon turn 40.
"Take a seat, sweetheart." Ilse said, looking at her son. After that she send her husband a look he surely would understand. And he did, based on the understanding nod he send back before taking his place next to her. It was time to tell him.
"Kristoph.." Ray started. "Do you remember that we talked about where babies come from?" Kristoph nodded, his parents had never believed that it was good that things like that should be kept from a child. He had the right to know where things came from.
Along with that knowledge, his father had told him that real love only came ones. Though he wouldn't understand love for a long time from now, it was important for him that when he found the One he wouldn't forsake that person, wouldn't break her heart and would protect her from all dangers. It was his duty as a male.
"There is going to be another baby here, Kristoph." Ilse told him with a little smile. She put her hand on her stomach, though nothing could be seen yet. "You'll get a baby brother."
Both Ray and Ilse knew that all children react different on the news of a brother or sister. They had discussed the matter for over a months now, but only after they were sure that Kristoph was sound asleep.
In the end they had just decided to tell him and see how he would react, it couldn't be that bad could it?
In the end.. They shouldn't have worried. All Kristoph did after he heard the news was stay quiet, consumed in his thoughts.
It wasn't until his father interrupted his thought with the questioning sound of his name that he let them know he in fact had heard them.
He smiled.
It was the most adorable smile his parents had ever seen of him and it melted their hearts, just like the moment he had melted their hearts when he first smiled.
Kristoph his smile, his true smile, wasn't something they saw very often. It wasn't that he wasn't happy with the way he lived his life, it was more that he wouldn't just smile without a reason.
Yes, some people would call Kristoph a complicated child. He was incredibly clever for his age, something that was supported by him wearing glasses, and seemed to have a talent for anything involving logic. That, together with his rare smile, led people to often think that he was 12 rather than 8. Or maybe older.
His body was that of an 8-year old, though. He still looked at the world with eyes filled with innocence, as if he was not capable of lying.
To his parents.. He was the best thing that ever happened to them. They couldn't even start imagining how his brother would look.
They knew that it would be a boy by now, the echo had provided them with that knowledge, but his appearance was a mystery. Would he look like his father, blonde with blue eyes, like Kristoph did? Or would he look more like his mother with her green eyes and eternal beauty.
His hair was easy to guess. It would probably be the same platinum blonde color that all of those in the Gavin family had.
"Well, if that was all than I can get back to giving Kristoph his music lessons. Or is there more, darling?" Ray said, looking at his wife. She chuckled, he knew perfectly well that there was nothing more. "No, go ahead and give him the same music-fetish that you have." Ilse smiled at him.
"With pleasure, ma'am." Ray saluted for her, a big grin on his face. "Come Kristoph."
Kristoph just nodded, looking up at his father. Together, they disappeared onto the stairs.
"I must be lucky.." Ilse said to herself in a soft tone, picking up her book again. "A loving husband, an incredible son."
She touched her stomach again.
"And soon yet another man to join our family.."
"Father..?" Kristoph said, while he waited for his father to close the door of the music room.
"Yes, Kristoph?" Ray said, doing just that.
"How will my brother be called?"
Ray blinked, taken aback by the question. Though Kristoph had always been closer to his father than to his mother, he had never showed such a curiosity to any of them.
Well, he had a few times.. But that was years ago.
Kristoph was waiting patiently for his father to recover and answer his question.
"We don't know yet, son." He said after a minute of two. "Did you discuss it with mother already?" Kristoph asked.
"No, not yet."
"Do you have any wishes at what it will be?"
"Yes.. In fact I do. I would like my youngest son to be called Klavier. Your mother always complains about my fetish for music.. But I just know that she will secretly like the idea."
Kristoph nodded slowly, after which he pushed his glasses a bit higher onto his nose. "I see. I actually prefer the violin above the piano."
Ray chuckled. "But don't you agree that Klavier sounds like a better name than Geige?"
"Who ever said that I was still talking about that topic, father?" Kristoph asked, his head tilted to the left just a bit. "I was simply telling you my taste of instruments."
The little Gavin had a small grin on his face.
This time it was only the laughter of her husband that Ilse Gavin could hear from upstairs. She couldn't even begin to guess what had just occurred, though.
