Turnabout Rivals

Break Time 2

 It's taking a while, because I was on vacation visiting my aunt and the holidays are coming. I will try to get the next chapter posted as soon as I can, but I do have things on my plate. For now, I will go more into relationships of the characters. Unlike the previous story, where you had the most focused trial with the other two at the end to follow, this one has one trial leading to another. There's also more gray areas compared to the last story. I intend on writing another fic that I've had on my mind for half a year, so there is that. My upcoming fic will take place after the Ace Attorney games. So, be ready for that one.

I will start with Nick's relationship with Dahlia. From the beginning, I intended on Dahlia to be no different from the one in canon, with one difference being that she didn't run off and disappeared. Instead, Iris had hired Nicolas De Killer to take out Terry Fawles. Unlike canon, Nick never fell in love with or dated Dahlia and Iris during college. He knew about the twins from the start. His goal is the same as Iris', that being to unite with her family. Just as Shelly's history as an assassin doesn't matter to Nick, Dahlia's actions also do not matter to Iris. What matters is that both Nick and Iris love their respected families and wish to be united with them as one. 

Nick agreeing to marry Iris elevates that. He wants his family to reunite with the Fey's to unite the Fey and Doe siblings. Just as Iris loves Dahlia, Nick also loves Dahlia as his future sister-in-law. Dahlia feels obligated to protect her family, because they have proven to love her unconditionally. In canon, Dahlia felt no one in her family ever loved her, so she felt no obligation to protect them. This is why she felt no remorse  murdering her step sister, trying to murder Maya or abandoning her twin sister.

Dahlia's willingness to turn herself in for Nick's sake shows her devotion, especially when you consider the fact she feels responsible for allowing Maya to die so tragically. Much like how Manfred Von Karma's soft spot for children is something easily overlooked, so is Dahlia's devotion to her family. It isn't to say she considers blood thicker than water, but if she feels someone in her family hates her, she feels no need to show that devotion or love. She does for Nick, because he shows that he loves and cares about her. Same with Iris, Maya, Morgan and Misty. This especially goes with Miles Edgeworth. 

Dahlia feels this way, because of the abuse she experienced with her biological father in being forced into a grooming marriage with Terry Fawles. Once you consider that this may've happened in canon, everything starts making sense why Dahlia did what she did. It doesn't justify her actions, but it makes her more human than a demon lord. Terry Fawles committing suicide in canon might've not been, because of his love to Dahlia, but perhaps to protect her in his own way. Knowing that Dahlia is alive and had framed him for murder in order to run away from her father was a clear sign of what she wanted: to run away and never come back. So yes, the suicide was to assure that, but I doubt anyone, not even Mia, would've known.

Nicolas De Killer in this story becomes the shield that Dahlia needed in canon. There is a lot of duty involved with Nick in this story as the male head of the De Killer's wishing to reunite with the sister family. It is his duty to protect the Kurain village and the Fey's. With his help, Dahlia no longer needs to rely on herself to be protected. She has Nick. The traditional male protector is very important in this family, especially for someone like Dahlia. Of course, not every person shares this ideal, but it is one that exists in many cultures. 

One of the genders that's often underrated in Ace Attorney is the duty of the males in the Kurain Village. This story gives an idea of why this could be. The males have a duty different from the females in Kurain. While the females preserve history and culture, the males shield and guard the village. This gives a different perspective from the typical male breadwinner role, being that the women in this village fill in the breadwinner role in the Kurain Village. The males still have a duty that is equally important as the women of the village. It is both fitting and feels like this has always been a party of the Kurain Village's culture.

Dahlia's relationship with Miles Edgeworth is also equally important. As you know, in this story, they had known each other for three years. Dahlia has grown up with the ideal man, Nicolas De Killer, protecting her family and village. Miles Edgeworth fulfills that duty for Dahlia. It is once we begin understanding this that it becomes clear why he'd cut the cables and purposely try to break the bridge. He was trying to give him and Dahlia and opportunity to run away and set up a life for Dahlia to be able to live on her own, protected. 

As mentioned before, Dahlia only protects those that she knows loves her. Even in this story, there are those in her family she feels she brings trouble to. Mia is one such example and Diego confirms this. Miles Edgeworth gives Dahlia an alternative path for her to take where she no longer has to reach to any extremes as she has done in canon. The fact there was still a bottle of poison around Terry Fawles' neck already suggests that Dahlia could still take those extreme measures, if she felt desperate enough. By stepping in as Dahlia's protector and boyfriend, Dahlia feels protected. It especially helps when she is defended by Miles' father, when she is arrested for murder. Her faith in Miles Edgeworth never left, even when he developed amnesia.

Iris' relationship with Nick is definitely much different from canon. She's no longer a college sweetheart. She is Phoenix's beloved. It's very clear, by the way Iris and Nick interact with each other, that there is a much stronger commitment. Nick feels it is his duty to protect his fiancée and her family. It's also clear that his duty with Iris is much stronger than Miles' duty with Dahlia. There is a sense of duty to protect the Fey family with Nick and this is certainly because of the fact he is betrothed to Iris. There is a strong amount of responsibility Nick carries on his shoulders when compared to Miles, who is expected to protect only Dahlia. 

In any romance, I like to focus on the other things that come with the relationship beyond just love. Anyone, who plans to marry, knows that there will always be a sense of responsibility that comes with it. You're expected to care for your spouse and family you both create. In the case of Nick, his responsibility is to the entire Fey family, whereas Miles' responsibility seems to only apply to Dahlia only. This could be the reason why in canon, when Pearl had believed Phoenix to being Maya's special someone, that she had expected him to protect her and have a sense of duty beyond what he could perform. This same responsibility is applied to Nick with Iris, only it is extended and enforced by Morgan Fey instead of Pearl.

This sense of responsibility is something that Manfred Von Karma can relate to. For this story, I consider Nicolas De Killer the perfect Kay Faraday for Manfred Von Karma. Nick is a bit chaotic, but is someone that shares a deep connection with Manfred. Nick is a young man that is given great responsibility and duty to his new family. Manfred is able to relate to that easily as a family man himself. The irony of this does feel strange, but it fits perfectly like a puzzle. 

Nick is the kind of person that is ridiculous and off-the-wall, but will always willingly help out Manfred and connect with him easily. There is a strong trust and bond both Manfred and Nick share. I also like the idea that not every assistant has to have some super-powered device or abilities. It's why Trucy will always be best girl in my books. Like Trucy, Phoenix doesn't have any super abilities or devices. His ability is what he knows and that would be climbing steep ledges/rock/ice, archery, gliding, etc. This makes Nicolas perfect as Manfred's assistant as someone that values hard work and family above all else.

This is all I have for right now. I may go into Nicolas' relationship with his father Shelly De Killer or his step father Pat Roland. I will continue this story very soon, but it is taking a while. For now, I hope you like this little bit of info.