Ace Attorney: Secrets beneath Secrets

Turnabout Below, Part 19

May 31

Morix Law Offices

3:30 PM

Chrysalis Starr

When we arrived at the agency, I looked up at the building from outside with a heavy sigh. There were many ways that this could go, and I wasn't sure how I felt about any of them. I looked over to Cotoli, my hands clenched tightly into fists. "So, are we sure that this is a good idea?" I asked nervously. 

"You know Victoria. You trust her. You were the one who came up with the idea to tell her about all of this in the first place," Cotoli reminded me gently. "It's okay to be nervous. I'm sure it's just your anxiety coming out of nowhere to pester you as it usually does."

"You know my anxiety way too well," I said with a laugh tinged in bitterness. "I don't know how I should feel about that, but I'm not exactly surprised. We're both anxious messes, but at least we can be anxious messes together. That's what family is all about, right?"

Cotoli let out a chuckle at that comment before leading me over towards the door to the agency. He took hold of the handle and opened it for me. I murmured thanks to him before walking inside and approaching the elevator. I pressed the button for it and waited. A few seconds later, the silvery doors slid open, and we both stepped inside. I poked the appropriate button once again, and the doors gently shut with a light whirring sound. With that, the elevator began to ascend. 

"You know, it's been so long since I actually told somebody of my own accord," I muttered. "I mean, Neptune kind of dragged it out of me because that's just how she is. Mr. Blocker figured it out and forced me to tell him. The rest of the people I told were involved from the very start. This is truly uncharted territory for me, huh?"

"Yeah. It is," Cotoli said simply. "But that doesn't mean that you should be scared of it. After all, we're telling her about this because we trust her and want to understand why she's part of our team in the first place. This is a sign of good faith. Victoria isn't going to betray us like Cormous did."

"I know deep down that you're right, but you know how intrusive thoughts work. 'Everything is going to go wrong, and then the world will end in a plume of fire that says you should have made better life choices!' You know, the whole shebang," I told him, unable to tell myself if I was kidding or not. It really could have gone either way, and I wasn't sure what to think of it. 

"That's not going to happen. Deep breaths," Cotoli said, taking my hand and squeezing it gently. "We trust each other here. We're here to support one another. Support means not stabbing people in the back. Nothing bad is going to happen. Victoria is going to understand, and everything will be okay. I promise."

I did my best to internalize his words as I walked into the room and out of the elevator. My hands were still clenched tightly into fists, and if not for my gloves, my nails probably would have made indents in my skin. I had to practically force myself to pry my hands out of their tightened state, putting on an expression of neutrality when I saw my coworkers standing in the room. 

Lily, Deirdre, Yuri, and Victoria all got to their feet after hearing us enter, and they smiled brightly in our direction. "I'm glad to see that you got here okay," Lily commented, gesturing for us to come closer. "How did your meeting with Prosecutor Burke go?"

Cotoli answered this question for me. "I'd say that it went rather well. She took the information well, and nothing went horribly wrong, so I'm going to call that a victory. Perhaps that's a bold thing to say, but I believe that it fits in this situation," he explained.