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There were too many factors that Maya couldn't control, too many details she couldn't iron out. But she did know one very, crucially important thing. She absolutely hated Phoenix Wright.He's snarky, which usually she'd be fine with cause she's snarky sometimes too, but he's mean about it. Every chance he got, he was poking holes in their objections and berating them for believing in criminals. Yes, them. Because even though Maya took the lead, the one technically representing her in court was her brother, Miles Edgeworth.Apparently, he and Phoenix - Feenie, as Mia had sometimes jokingly called him, since she defended the guy once - knew each other. Apparently, everyone knew Phoenix except Maya. And apparently, he was also a massive prick.Maya didn't know the details, but his bad attitude was because of two different things evidently. The first was when a classmate of his framed him for stealing lunch money all the way back in elementary school, when they were nine years old. The second was the one in which his college girlfriend killed a man, framed him for it and ultimately attempted to murder him as well. So, it wasn't like the guy didn't have a reason to crack down on criminals.But Maya knew this case was different. There was no way Phoenix didn't know it too, what with how he kept glancing to Redd White at the witness stand as if no one else could see him do something so blatantly obvious. This case wasn't just an open-close textbook homicide by any stretch of the imagination.The... businessman, to put it nicely, had framed Miles for murder. Murdering who? Well, lawyer legend Mia Fey, that's who. As in, the woman he and Maya both worked for. As in their sister. As in - someone they would never, either of them, willingly harm in a million years.Yet Phoenix kept insisting that the defendant was guilty. The first two days in court, that had been Miles. Now, it was Maya. The self-righteous prick didn't even bother looking the least bit apologetic now that Miles was off the table as the murder suspect. That's what was bothering Maya the most, out of everything.At the very least, she was thinking about it the most, since she couldn't really do anything about the other elephant in the room at the moment.Miles was raising an objection, but Maya couldn't even understand what he'd said, she was so lost in thought. Because, angry as she was - and believe her, she was pissed, furious at the world for this bullshit trial and Miles being the defendant and then her being the defendant and Mia being dead at all in the first place, let alone the fact that the real murderer was going to get away with it - Maya was also scared.They had absolutely nothing. White's statements weren't contradictory in the slightest, even if Maya knew they couldn't possibly be true, and the evidence, however flimsy, pointed to her or Miles. The two of them knew neither would ever have done something like that, but the Judge didn't have the same convictions. And they both knew Phoenix wouldn't think twice before throwing either of them in jail on false charges.Really, if he'd kept his mouth shut once or twice throughout the proceedings, they might've been able to point the finger in the right direction. If Pheonix Wright really believed either Maya or Miles to be guilty, he would've just brought forged evidence and been done with it already. But he didn't. He just stood back on the sidelines and let them be led into a trap."... Maya. We don't..." Miles trailed off. Maya knew. There was only so much stalling they could do. The Judge and Redd White both were getting short-tempered, and Phoenix just stared at them impassively as everything went to hell behind the defense’s bench.It was… over. They couldn’t bring Mia’s killer to justice. They lost.And somewhere deep within Maya's mind, a voice was screaming no.- - -Miles did his best, he really did. He pressed each and every statement, not caring how mad it made White. He raised objections to everything under the sun. Nothing worked.Panic was already beating in his chest, frantically fluttering like a hyperactive hummingbird. Dread had long-since settled, deep and low in his stomach. Somehow, it still hit him like a ton of bricks. They were going to lose.Next to him, he could see the barely-restrained hyperventilating of Maya, hands clenched white against the edge of the table. Her eyes were unfocused, not looking at anything in particular. They were done, and she knew it....It was a good run. Not as far as Miles wanted to go, no, but better than nothing.He shuddered to think what might have become of him had he taken Manfred von Karma up on his proposal instead of waiting a day to think. He never would’ve found his half-sisters if he had. There was a good chance he never would’ve even become a defense attorney.“I’ve heard all I need to hear. I am now ready to hand down my verdict,” the Judge announced, startling Miles out of his thoughts. This was it. He swallowed thickly. The verdict.“Objection!” The word sliced through the silence, fierce and determined. Miles found himself looking around the gallery for the source of the outcry. Because that voice…“There is one more thing this court needs to hear, Your Honor,” a cool voice spoke from next to Miles. He whipped around, finding… Maya? But no, it wasn’t quite her at all.She was taller, that was the first incongruity he noticed. Her face was harder, steely, in an entirely different fashion than Maya ever held it. Third, of course, was the more obvious, sudden ill-fitting nature of her tailored outfit that Miles immediately averted his gaze from.There was no mistaking that face, that visage or that voice. It was Mia. Mia Fey, in the flesh. Or, in Maya’s flesh, as it were. He... really didn't want to unpack that right now.“Hmm? Ms. Fey? Have you not finished cross-examining the witness?” the Judge asked, incredulous. Mia nodded.“We have. However, before the verdict, I would like to read something to the court.”“Does it pertain to this case?” Phoenix questioned. Mia nodded again.“Allow me to read it, and I believe you’ll find it’s quite important to this case,” she explained. Miles looked at her, utterly confused. What was Mia doing? Did she have a plan?“Very well,” the Judge nodded. “You may read… whatever it is you intend to read.”Mia’s gaze moved over to pin White at the witness stand, who was looking paler than usual. He must’ve noticed the change as well. It was probably hard to forget the face of someone you killed.Silence filled the courtroom, and into it, Mia began reciting names. Miles recognized a not insignificant number of them - celebrities, people in finance, politicians. Even a few prosecutors. White truly looked his namesake as the weight of those names settled on him.“Stop! Desist! Halt!” he cried in anguish. “Stop! Make her stop!”“Mr. White?” the Judge asked. White thrashed at the stand, jaw practically on the floor. It hit Miles, as he continued desperately pressing for Mia to stop, who those names belonged to. They were White’s blackmail victims.“Fine! I… I admit it. I… hit Ms. Mia… with The Thinker…!” he finally spat out. Miles’ jaw almost joined his on the floor. He confessed... He confessed!“Bailiff, please escort Mr. White to the detention center,” the Judge ordered, face severe. A bailiff jumped to do just that, dragging away a still distraught White out of the room and into police custody.After the room settled down, the Judge remarked, “Well, it seems you’ve done it again Ms. Fey, Mr. Edgeworth. That was certainly a spirited defense.”Oh, if only the Judge knew just how spirited it was. Mia was surely thinking the same, because Miles could just see the corner of her mouth rise in the way it did when she was politely concealing a smile. Across from them, Phoenix looked like a rabid dog, barely restraining himself from barking like a madman.“Thank you, Your Honor,” Miles dutifully accepted what was intended as a compliment.“I believe it’s time to hand down my verdict. This court finds the defendant, Maya Fey… not guilty.” The gavel was banged a few times to accentuate this ruling. “Court is now adjourned!”While everyone else gradually filtered out of the room, Miles found himself rooted to the spot. Phoenix glared holes into his desk, head down in shame. Miles almost went to comfort him, but he had to remind himself that Phoenix was very different from back when they were both nine years old. Even he, too, ended up huffing and leaving the room.“Umm… Miles?” Maya’s voice called Miles from his observations, and he turned to find her - actually Maya this time - looking at him with a confused expression. What an interesting explanation this was going to be…- - -Maya wasn’t really sure what’d happened. Apparently a verdict was handed down, because the courtroom had gotten a shower of confetti and almost everyone had left. And clearly something weird had happened, because her clothes were sitting on her body wrong, almost like she’d slept in them.“Umm…” Maya spoke, noticing her brother staring off into space. “Miles?” He turned to look at her, expression hard to read. But then he sighed, and Maya recognized that as his ‘I don’t have time for this bullshit’ sigh.“We should leave the courtroom,” his tone offered no room for disagreement. “I can explain everything outside.” Maya nodded.They didn't say anything as they left the room. Maya caught a brief glimpse of White, muttering about how 'impossachievable' his situation was. She didn't think Miles even spared him a passing glance, broody as he was. Even as they reached the courthouse doors, Maya stayed herself from speaking. It felt... wrong, somehow.Outside, it was sunny despite it bordering on the evening hours. Daylight had been getting shorter again as summer crept into autumn. Still, it was certainly warm enough to make taking off her jacket something to daydream about in passing.They were a few blocks away - they were walking home, as Miles evidently hadn't had the chance or wherewithal to drive his car over and Maya didn't have a license - when her brother finally uttered, "... Channeled.""What?" Maya asked. What was he mumbling for? Miles never mumbled, except for back in the early, early days when he was still recovering from... well, his dad and all that."In court," he clarified, voice louder but not by much, "you channeled Mia."Maya froze. Was... that what happened? Sure, she pitched her weekends towards doing some basic training, keeping her spiritual powers from atrophying. But she hadn't actively honed her skills since... She didn't even remember when. Maybe when she was a tween?Maya had never been blessed with immense spiritual prowess like Mia or their mom. And when Miles helped the both of them realize their dreams lied in the path of a defense attorney, Maya immediately relinquished all rights she once had to the title of Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique to Pearly, to Aunt Morgan's clear delight."I... channeled Mia?" she repeated, not believing her own ears. "Are you sure?""Quite sure," Miles answered, deadly serious. They had stopped walking, standing still right in the middle of the sidewalk. A disgruntled woman glared at the two as she pointedly stepped around them."But... I've never been able to channel spirits before. Why now...?" Maya wondered aloud. Miles brought his hand up to his chin in thought."Well, it's entirely possible that you just needed a shock to the system to reach your latent potential. I remember you and Mia mentioning that some spirit mediums hit a wall and need to go through... strenuous circumstances to break through it," he hesitantly theorized. It made sense.Maya did remember being taught that - it was something learned in their family through trial and error, and what ultimately delayed their mom's rise to the position of Master. The elders had been hopeful that Aunt Morgan had merely hit a wall and needed time to push through. It was only into adulthood that they eventually concluded she was powerless.But Maya had never considered herself one of those mediums. She had some amount of spiritual power from a young age, but only as much as the average acolyte, and her child self's mind had always written it up to her not yet growing into the greater power she was sure to have. As the years passed and her powers stagnated, Maya just figured it wasn't in the cards for her. Pearly was only a toddler and could do more than she could.Why break through now of all times? Why not in those listless years before she began to pursue law, haunted by the disappointed looks of the elders and Aunt Morgan for not being spiritually gifted enough? Why did it have to be... after Mia was already gone?No - Maya wasn't thinking it through right. The question wasn't why it hadn't come before. It was why it had to come now. There was only one thing that came to mind, one event that meant she had no choice but to break through.Her family was in danger.Mia was... killed. Miles was accused of the crime. And Maya... Maya was utterly helpless, forced to stand back and watch. That was why she broke through now, after years of hoping and trying and painfully failing so many times before. Her family needed her to bring about justice, and she needed to help keep them safe. To find the true culprit and get him behind bars so he could never harm anyone else again.The realization left a bitter taste in Maya's mouth. So she was only good when they were half in the grave? Practically no good at all, then. She couldn't even properly defend Miles; Mia had to swoop in and save them like always."Maya," Miles spoke softly, laying a hand on her shoulder. Maya hadn't realized it, but she was shaking - from frustration if she had to guess, though she couldn't tell - and her hands were clenched tightly into fists. "I know this is hard. It was a shock to me, too. That's why I wanted us both out of the courthouse before discussing this."Miles was smart. He always thought of things like that. Whenever something bad happened, even if it didn't make sense in the heat of the moment, he would jump to do damage control, to try and soften the blow as much as he could."But Miles..." Maya was surprised by her own sob. "I couldn't defend you! I couldn't even defend me! Mia had to come in and save us, like always." The tears wouldn't stop flowing now, hot and sticky, and definitely messing up the nice outfit she'd only gotten a few months ago for her courtroom debut.Her brother's hand shifted until his arm was wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her against him with a persistent weight. In no position to fight back, Maya wrapped her arms around him and cried into his chest, taking heaving breaths as all the pent-up emotions of the last few days were at last released.A part of Maya knew that they were still in public, and that Miles didn't do PDA. But his hold didn't waver. He never told her to let go. He just held her and let her cry all over his nice suit."Maya, I want you to know... You were as good as you could ever have hoped to be these last three days. White was never going to play fair, winning was practically nil. Yet, you still kept going." He rubbed her back, soothing broad circles against her spine."You got him on the ropes. The entire time, I was impressed by your performance. You're still green, but you managed to almost nail down White of all people. I think Mia would agree with me when I say that we never would've gotten out of that trial in one piece if it wasn't for you."The mention of Mia only made Maya cry even harder, holding onto her brother for dear life. If she had any doubts about it before, there was no chance she wasn't getting snot all over him now. Yet those words, those simple words that Maya instinctually wanted to downplay or deny, warmed her chest like nothing else. She beat White fair and square. It was only when he cheated that Mia leveled the playing field.With great effort, she gradually regained her breath and felt the tears slow, finally letting go of Miles to look him in the eye."You really think so?" she quietly asked. Miles met her gaze and leveled his 'benevolent older brother' smile at her. It would usually annoy her, since it was so often used sarcastically. This time, though, it was genuine."I don't think," Miles corrected, "I know." Maya grinned at the praise, wiping away the last of her tears from her irritated eyes."Thanks, that means a lot," she said, to which Miles merely nodded. She held a hand up to her chest, trying to memorize the warm feeling inside it. Like the sun's rays, it banished the shadows of her own thoughts and grounded her firmly in the here and now. The nice moment was ruined by, what else, the loud grumble of her stomach."It seems we know where we're going to be making a stop, then," Miles remarked dryly. Maya immediately put on her best cutesy face, batting her eyelashes extra for good measure."Burgers?" she prompted. Her brother smirked and lightly shook his head, like he couldn't even believe she'd ask."Burgers."