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Therapy Sessions, #9: Gardening for Dummies (Ace Attorney)
Title: Gardening for Dummies
Fandom: Ace Attorney
Prompt: Does she have a green thumb?
Characters: Athena Cykes, Apollo Justice (Simon Blackquill, Klavier Gavin)
Word Count: 1,083
Summary: Athena was getting her hands dirty. Literally.
Notes: Spirit of Justice spoilers/mentions: takes place after The Magical Turnabout (case 2).
Athena was getting her hands dirty. Literally.
Very few things surprised Apollo anymore about this eccentric coworker of his, but he still hadn't expected to see her working on a literal garden that morning when he walked in. Soil freckled her face and clung to her hands, and in front of her, flowers bloomed in vibrant color.
Granted, it was a small garden, consisting of just a few flowers. The agency didn't have room for one that you could actually walk through, but judging by her expression, you would have thought she was planning for one that size.
"What are you doing?" Apollo asked. It was entirely too early for him to sound that tired. "We just finally managed to get all the yellow tape off everything."
"Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine this morning," Athena huffed.
"I'm a ray of sunshine everyday," he replied flatly. He bit back the comment on the tip of his tongue about how he was named after the sun god.
"Oh, relax. I'll clean it up." Athena waved a hand. "I'm almost done. See?"
He looked suspicious. She made a face as he noted: "I see dirt. And flowers that we don't actually have room for."
"Come on, don't be like that," she said, groaning. (She had been trying to show them off!) "I'll make room. We nearly lost this place thanks to that Mr. Reus and I just wanted to do something nice for it."
Thanks for the reminder, Apollo thought bitterly, though the case was still fresh on his mind anyway. That entire trial had been an ordeal, and there was still paperwork to be finished and filed—but at least Trucy was smiling again. Her values as a magician were strengthened, and he supposed that made it all worth it.
She would probably like the flowers, too, he guessed. It was one of those girl things.
"Okay," Apollo conceded, sighing. "But why gardening? We already have Charley."
"Not just gardening," Athena insisted with excitement. "Floral therapy. Charley is great, but he could use some friends, don't you think?"
"Uh-huh." There was no hiding the sarcasm in his voice. Athena didn't seem bothered, though there was some warning in hers when she continued.
"Anyway . . ." she said testily. "It's for our clients, too. I want to work on creating a more welcoming atmosphere here, so they feel comfortable and happier. Then, who knows? Maybe they'll make our job a bit easier."
Sometimes I forget she's a psychologist.
They both laughed, but Apollo laughed harder. "Dreaming big there, Athena," he said. "But hey, I can get behind it. As long as it doesn't fall on ME in the end."
"No way," Athena protested. "Therapy is my thing. You just stick to your Chords of Steel!"
He was skeptical. After all, he'd never seen Athena so much as water Charley, but he knew better than to say it aloud. He simply folded his arms, content to stare at her expectantly.
There was a first time for everything. Besides, he'd lost his faith in her once before, and he didn't want to make that mistake again.
He answered: "I think I will."
Athena had already done one thing right, he realized. Beneath the pots, he could see newspapers laid on top of her desk, which would make things a breeze to clean once she was all done. It didn't take her much longer, so he watched as she walked one of the potted plants, adorned with yellow and pink flowers, to the main table they used to greet their guests.
She kept one pot for herself as a permanent fixture on her desk, and the other one remaining?
Well, she held it tightly in her hands after she made sure not a speck of dirt was left on her desk or the surrounding area. Before Apollo noticed, she was meandering towards the door with the pot. Tucked beneath her other arm were books, presumably about flowers, and he could have sworn one of them said Gardening for Dummies.
It surprised Apollo to know that she had actually been doing research. Catching onto the fact that she didn't have a free hand to open the door with, he quickly jumped in to help, shaking himself out of his trance. He opened the door for her.
"Leaving?" he asked, somewhat bewildered.
"Library," she said. She walked through, forgetting to thank him. "It won't take long, but the girl at the front gives me dirty looks when I bring stuff back late."
"And you're taking the flowers along. What, to woo her?"
Athena stuck her tongue out. "I'm making some stops first! Smart mouth."
". . . Okay." He stopped asking.
The door shut behind her, and with Mr. Wright still in Khura'in and Trucy at school, he had the office to himself.
He didn't know whether to hope a new client walked in or not.
* * *
The pot of flowers looked out of place on the desk of Simon Blackquill. He could already hear the quiet snickering coming from some of his colleagues when he returned, and he quietly wondered if they had a death wish. His tone was low and quite dangerous:
"Is this a joke?"
Klavier was the brave one who answered him, instead of treating it as the rhetorical question everyone hoped it was.
"Not at all," he said. "Fraulein Cykes left it for you a while ago, along with your lunch." It was then that Simon noticed the small bag next to the pot, just barely retaining its warmth. He eyed it curiously, and Klavier finished: "It is nothing to be ashamed of."
"I am not," Simon growled, ever defensive.
Klavier threw up his hands in surrender, wisely turning away from him at that point. Suddenly the paperwork on his desk was very interesting.
In peace, Simon was able to unwrap the bag with his lunch and admire the soothing greens and blues of the flowers protruding from the pot. Only one was a vibrant pink and yellow hue, and there was a small note sticking out of it that he hadn't seen before. It was tucked on backwards, so he grabbed it and turned it around so he could read it.
There was a green Widget-like smiley on the other side (as if he needed more proof of the sender). Beneath it was a short message of only four words, and he smirked, knowing that there were days when he really needed to hear it.
Don't worry, be happy.
Fandom: Ace Attorney
Prompt: Does she have a green thumb?
Characters: Athena Cykes, Apollo Justice (Simon Blackquill, Klavier Gavin)
Word Count: 1,083
Summary: Athena was getting her hands dirty. Literally.
Notes: Spirit of Justice spoilers/mentions: takes place after The Magical Turnabout (case 2).
Athena was getting her hands dirty. Literally.
Very few things surprised Apollo anymore about this eccentric coworker of his, but he still hadn't expected to see her working on a literal garden that morning when he walked in. Soil freckled her face and clung to her hands, and in front of her, flowers bloomed in vibrant color.
Granted, it was a small garden, consisting of just a few flowers. The agency didn't have room for one that you could actually walk through, but judging by her expression, you would have thought she was planning for one that size.
"What are you doing?" Apollo asked. It was entirely too early for him to sound that tired. "We just finally managed to get all the yellow tape off everything."
"Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine this morning," Athena huffed.
"I'm a ray of sunshine everyday," he replied flatly. He bit back the comment on the tip of his tongue about how he was named after the sun god.
"Oh, relax. I'll clean it up." Athena waved a hand. "I'm almost done. See?"
He looked suspicious. She made a face as he noted: "I see dirt. And flowers that we don't actually have room for."
"Come on, don't be like that," she said, groaning. (She had been trying to show them off!) "I'll make room. We nearly lost this place thanks to that Mr. Reus and I just wanted to do something nice for it."
Thanks for the reminder, Apollo thought bitterly, though the case was still fresh on his mind anyway. That entire trial had been an ordeal, and there was still paperwork to be finished and filed—but at least Trucy was smiling again. Her values as a magician were strengthened, and he supposed that made it all worth it.
She would probably like the flowers, too, he guessed. It was one of those girl things.
"Okay," Apollo conceded, sighing. "But why gardening? We already have Charley."
"Not just gardening," Athena insisted with excitement. "Floral therapy. Charley is great, but he could use some friends, don't you think?"
"Uh-huh." There was no hiding the sarcasm in his voice. Athena didn't seem bothered, though there was some warning in hers when she continued.
"Anyway . . ." she said testily. "It's for our clients, too. I want to work on creating a more welcoming atmosphere here, so they feel comfortable and happier. Then, who knows? Maybe they'll make our job a bit easier."
Sometimes I forget she's a psychologist.
They both laughed, but Apollo laughed harder. "Dreaming big there, Athena," he said. "But hey, I can get behind it. As long as it doesn't fall on ME in the end."
"No way," Athena protested. "Therapy is my thing. You just stick to your Chords of Steel!"
He was skeptical. After all, he'd never seen Athena so much as water Charley, but he knew better than to say it aloud. He simply folded his arms, content to stare at her expectantly.
There was a first time for everything. Besides, he'd lost his faith in her once before, and he didn't want to make that mistake again.
He answered: "I think I will."
Athena had already done one thing right, he realized. Beneath the pots, he could see newspapers laid on top of her desk, which would make things a breeze to clean once she was all done. It didn't take her much longer, so he watched as she walked one of the potted plants, adorned with yellow and pink flowers, to the main table they used to greet their guests.
She kept one pot for herself as a permanent fixture on her desk, and the other one remaining?
Well, she held it tightly in her hands after she made sure not a speck of dirt was left on her desk or the surrounding area. Before Apollo noticed, she was meandering towards the door with the pot. Tucked beneath her other arm were books, presumably about flowers, and he could have sworn one of them said Gardening for Dummies.
It surprised Apollo to know that she had actually been doing research. Catching onto the fact that she didn't have a free hand to open the door with, he quickly jumped in to help, shaking himself out of his trance. He opened the door for her.
"Leaving?" he asked, somewhat bewildered.
"Library," she said. She walked through, forgetting to thank him. "It won't take long, but the girl at the front gives me dirty looks when I bring stuff back late."
"And you're taking the flowers along. What, to woo her?"
Athena stuck her tongue out. "I'm making some stops first! Smart mouth."
". . . Okay." He stopped asking.
The door shut behind her, and with Mr. Wright still in Khura'in and Trucy at school, he had the office to himself.
He didn't know whether to hope a new client walked in or not.
The pot of flowers looked out of place on the desk of Simon Blackquill. He could already hear the quiet snickering coming from some of his colleagues when he returned, and he quietly wondered if they had a death wish. His tone was low and quite dangerous:
"Is this a joke?"
Klavier was the brave one who answered him, instead of treating it as the rhetorical question everyone hoped it was.
"Not at all," he said. "Fraulein Cykes left it for you a while ago, along with your lunch." It was then that Simon noticed the small bag next to the pot, just barely retaining its warmth. He eyed it curiously, and Klavier finished: "It is nothing to be ashamed of."
"I am not," Simon growled, ever defensive.
Klavier threw up his hands in surrender, wisely turning away from him at that point. Suddenly the paperwork on his desk was very interesting.
In peace, Simon was able to unwrap the bag with his lunch and admire the soothing greens and blues of the flowers protruding from the pot. Only one was a vibrant pink and yellow hue, and there was a small note sticking out of it that he hadn't seen before. It was tucked on backwards, so he grabbed it and turned it around so he could read it.
There was a green Widget-like smiley on the other side (as if he needed more proof of the sender). Beneath it was a short message of only four words, and he smirked, knowing that there were days when he really needed to hear it.
Don't worry, be happy.