#dhurke

With much of the Dark Age of the Law expelled, Gant passes the torch of Chief of Police to Gumshoe after Tyrell dismissed the offer. Gumshoe is still a jovial guy, but he's a better detective and officer because of Tyrell watching over him all this time… Not to mention being partnered with Franziska reining in his goofy slipups.

Similarly, Byrne passes on the title of Chief Prosecutor to Lana Skye; though he doesn't intend to resign as a prosecutor yet, he does like the idea of a fresh slate for prosecutors if the police are getting an overhaul. Phoenix, Neil, Franziska, and Simon are all capable in their own right, it's just Lana seemed to have the best temperament for the role of Chief. Plus, Phoenix and Franziska often got called on for cases from interpol, they weren't always around anymore. They have a fresh recruit in Robin Newman, but she's a rookie at 19.

Hugh O'Connor went on to join Edgeworth Law Offices, and Junie is learning the ropes as a new judge (Judge Courtney is her mentor). As the youngest member of Troupe Gramarye, Trucy is gaining enough popularity that she's getting her own stage assistants to help her with grander tricks and shows; the ones that work directly with her are Bonny and Betty de Famme. Furthermore, though it's a tentative thing, Zak has agreed to reopen talks with Mister Reus to do shows with him; Zak, Valant, and Thalassa know better than to outright trust him after Magnifi ousted him from the group years ago, but they do want to mend burned bridges if they can. They're not the same as they were under Magnifi, they're more on the up and up. Treat their friends and coworkers with dignity and respect, no blackmail or coercing one another, no sabotage. Obviously Mister Reus still holds a grudge against the Gramarye's, but he's not going to be obvious about it - he bides his time to take his revenge.

Bearing all of this in mind, it seems like everyone is doing rather well. (人◕ω◕) Athena's entering her second year as a lawyer, and she's getting along better with her mom and Aura Blackquill now that she can handle being around others with her sensitive ears. Apollo's entering his third year as a lawyer, and considering all that he's gained with his Gramarye family and all his new friends, he talks with Mia at last about where he grew up. Because he's tired of being doomer about his foster dad never returning for him, and wants to finally do something about Khura'in's situation. He knows that nation is governed by spirit channeling, and while Mia isn't a medium herself she still hails from a village of them. Mia vaguely knows about that history, how her village's founder hails from that nation, but it's never been significant enough for her until now. She agrees to go scope it out with Diego, let Apollo and Athena watch over the office for a few weeks.

Yet upon arriving in Khura'in, Mia winds up taking the case of Ahlbi Ur'gaid, who lacks an attorney because of the state of the country. She manages to defend him against Gaspen Payne, and encounters Rayfa, who's so reminiscent of Maya… Rayfa isn't sure why, but she can't seem to stay mad at Mia, even when the older woman makes a "mockery" of her insights. Mia isn't in her face, and it vexes her to meet an outsider who's so respectful yet believes in a defendant's innocence… Even when Mia's life was on the line. The judge is similarly at a loss because of how composed Mia is and how she reminds him of court procedures outside of the insights. But everyone figures this will be a one-time miracle because Ahlbi really was innocent. Diego wasn't too thrilled with the stakes of the Defense Culpability Act, but he did trust Mia, and he believes in Ahlbi's innocence too. They get the warning from Inga to keep a low profile or else, but Mia doesn't intend to bend over when the country's such a mess judicially.

Apollo's amazed Mia won a trial in Khura'in, but he knows this will only be the beginning. It's gonna be tough to overcome the Ga'ran regime. Nevertheless, Apollo focuses on the present - Trucy's getting ready for her first "major" solo performance (without the other Troupe members), it'll be televized and everything. He wants to support and cheer his sister on… But he winds up defending her in court when she's framed for murder during her show. It's a similar to what happens in canon, but the agency isn't at stake, nor is Troupe Gramarye as Zak dismissed Trucy having to sign anything herself; they were wise to Mister Reus trying to pull anything underhanded… But they never expected Trucy's trick to be sabotaged after so many precautions were taken… It really feels like Trucy accidentally killed a member of the audience, even after reviewing the filmed event…

But Ema is the detective in charge, and Franziska insists on handling the case - see how Mia Fey's proteges hold up under pressure. Cases involving magicians are a headache… But Franziska has some experience navigating them. To her, as annoying as Bonny and Betty's "teleportation" trick was to unravel, they weren't nearly as obnoxious as Lotta Hart. The tougher witness to squeeze the truth out of was Mister Reus, who did wind up being the culprit… But overall, Apollo and Athena were coming along nicely as lawyers. Even with Reus threatening to sue Mia and Co. Law Offices, do everything to deter them from the truth, they held steadfast despite a couple small bumps in their logic along the way. Bonny and Betty stay on as Trucy's assistants, though they'll have to come up with some new tricks… Mister Reus's hatred of the Gramarye's stings, but they know it's not completely unreasonable. They just have to keep striving to be better…

A couple of weeks after that trial, Mia and Diego have won several cases in Khura'in, both together and separately. It's a risk each time, but they've demonstrated not all defendants are guilty. This not only attracts the attention of the Ga'ran regime, but the Defiant Dragons as well. Fed up with the "mockery" of the courts, Nahyuta decides he'll face Mia Fey and be the one to crush Apollo's mentor… But he winds up prosecuting Abbot Inmee's wife when she's framed for murder, and he fails to secure his victory. This earns him a punishment from the Queen, and he's left with an even more burning grudge against Mia… Though he can't deny Abbot Inmee and his wife exposed as members of the revolution shakes up society quite a bit - the disdain towards the Defiant Dragons takes a nosedive.

Through that case, Mia meets Datz and Dhurke, the leaders of the resistance. Since she knows this was the man who raised Apollo, she's not as intimidated by him as society is. Rather, she's disappointed in him for shooing Apollo away and not staying with him when the boy needed a family. Granted, she knows it's important to give the people here in Khura'in some hope, but this seems like a battle to tactically retreat from with the royal family so oppressive. Not much progress has been made in over a decade, and only lately has she and Diego been tearing up the courtroom. It's not too late to make amends; Dhurke needs to set his priorities straight while he still can. Though Mia's shameless confrontation does rankle a bit, he can't deny the weight her words carry - she lost her sister, and his ambitions could easily lead to an early grave and put Apollo and Nahyuta through the same heartache. It's difficult to step away when the Defiant Dragons are doing better than ever, but it's easier to sneak out of the country and check on Apollo than it is to approach Nahyuta at this time.

I'll skim past the final case details because honestly? Canon did well enough establishing the approximate "how" this is all pulled off. However, I will dive into the resolution and all the epilogue bits. (人◕ω◕)

To put simply, Mia bringing Dhurke back to him is way more than Apollo could have hoped for. Yes, the reunion wasn't so warm and fuzzy. Not only did Apollo snub him when talking about retrieving the Founder's Orb from Kurain Village, but Thalassa's reunion with him was bittersweet… And meeting Zak was…well… (人◕ω◕) Zak is hard-nosed about the whole affair because Apollo is Thalassa's child, and Dhurke just… abandoned him. Dhurke knows he screwed up, but he's torn because everything was for the sake of saving Khura'in. Even now he can't give up the good fight…

Ultimately, though, Apollo and everyone helps Daddy Dhurke recover the Founder's Orb, and Apollo agrees to go back to Khura'in to save Nahyuta. It's not easy overcoming Inga and Ga'ran, but they reunite Dhurke with his wife, Nahyuta, and Rayfa. It's quite an awkward family reunion, especially since the Gramarye's tagged along with the lawyers, Ema, and Chief Prosecutor Lana. They wanted closure for Jove, Apollos father. (人◕ω◕) But Amara is reinstated as Queen, and Dhurke reopens his law firm and begs Apollo to stay and help him. The country's in a delicate state of flux with Ga'ran deposed and Inga imprisoned… And Dhurke really needs the help of lawyers. He can't ask Mia and Diego to stay, they've done more than enough. But Apollo? Dhurke wants to completely make amends, even if his birth family is also there for him. Apollo still has a soft spot for Dhurke and Nahyuta, and agrees to stay for a few years. He won't abandon either of his families if he can help it, and he doesn't want to quit on Mia either. … He also might have some sweethearts to return to, but more on that later. (人◕ω◕)

Even with Apollo remaining in Khura'in for a bit, they've still got lawyers back home to fill the void. And Athena doesn't plan to stop growing either~