Phoenix Wright / Kristoph Gavin "What the fuck are we even doing together?"
The disbarment hits the papers, and suddenly every Tom, Dick and Harry that Phoenix has ever met is blowing up his phone.
Amazing how many of them there are. There's his aunt Jessie, whose sole previous communication with him these past ten years has been a dutifully-sent annual birthday card. There's Gary from that internship Phoenix did his last summer in law school, calling from five states over. His barber, for some reason. And a bunch of guys that he hasn’t talked to since 1L. Like a freaking class reunion in his phone, except through one-way glass, so he can't get a look at them. It'd only be fair, after all, if he could judge them right back—judge them for whatever biglaw job they burned out of, or how much weight they've put on, or how divorced they are, or whatever it is people henpeck at those sorts of things—
And it's amazing how many of them won’t even admit why they’re calling. Hey Phoenix, it’s been a while huh, just wondered how you’re doing these days, well if you get this call me back—
Right. As if.
He plays the voicemails back every night, after Trucy’s asleep, sitting alone with a bottle of cheap swill, and he lets the voices wash over him until he’s comfortably numb.
When Maya calls, two weeks later, he recognizes it right off because he’s got the Kurain area code memorized. And he stares at those digits a long while, deciding—because, hell, he owes Maya an explanation, doesn't he? Edgeworth, Larry, it's whatever, but Maya didn't ask to get mixed up in any of this—
Then he swipes the call straight to voicemail, and stops listening to the voicemails altogether.
Which he should’ve known wouldn’t be enough to put her off. So he shouldn't be surprised when Maya shows up at his apartment a week later, banging on the door and hollering for him to come out, Nick, it's me—
His apartment looks like shit. He knows that already, from the look the pizza guy's been giving him this past week, every time he opens the door. He doesn't need to see that look on Maya's face, too.
“Do you mind,” he says, blocking the entryway with his shoulders. He says some other things, probably. He already had a good buzz going before she got here.
She squares her shoulders and shoves past him. Then she barges into the nearest closet, roots around until she finds the swiffer and some wet wipes, and starts going at his place with the same vigor he used to have when he was cleaning up the office.
So it takes some doing, getting her to leave. He stands in a corner and says nothing while she's sweeping and scouring and chattering. I had to find out in the paper. The paper! You KNOW how slow news is to get to Kurain, Nick, you could've called—
You weren't here, he snaps. He says it like an accusation, as flinty and sharp-edged as any he's ever flung in a courtroom, stares her down—and she's not a hardened criminal, she's barely an adult, she isn't steeled against this sort of thing. She just blinks and stares back at him like a kicked dog.
It's a low blow and he knows it. She's got a life in Kurain, she's got Pearl to take care of, and everything that went down with Godot was just two months ago, and he kept saying he'd go visit her in Kurain but he hadn't done that so who wasn't there for who, really—
But it does get her to leave. Which is what he wanted, after all.
The next morning, he pulls up the call history on his phone, for the first time in days. It’s a wall of missed calls from the very same number, that familiar area code. He flips over to the voicemails, and ventures a click on one of them at random—Nick, I’m on the train down, I don’t know why you’re not answering your phone or why you didn’t just tell me what happened but I'll be there soon—
And he almost takes it back. Almost calls her back, I messed up, Maya, I'm sorry, I'm messed up—
Except then, that night he’s at the Borscht, he's sitting across from Kristoph, right. Kristoph, the only guy who's seemed normal about all this, whose sympathies are tinged with the comfortable chilliness of professional courtesy, who's been kind-but-not-too-kind. Halfway through the first course, Kristoph mentions seeing a young lady at the train station this afternoon, he just happened to be passing by—and she looked just like that assistant of yours, Phoenix, wearing that most unusual garb—is it a spirit-channeler custom, or just a current fashion, do you know—?
All the hairs prickle on the back of Phoenix's neck. Kristoph smiles like he’s describing nothing more consequential than a strange, alluring bird at his backyard feeder.
And that's when it clicks, when Phoenix realizes the thing he can't prove yet, the thing that'd make him sound crazy if he tried—that he's being watched, that he's been set up, that this Kristoph is a wolf waiting by his door.
Phoenix forces his best shit-eating grin. How about another glass of that wine, Kristoph. How about this dessert menu, Kristoph. Like those birds that draw other, bigger birds away from their nest by flashing their wings just so. Better that Kristoph have Phoenix in his sights than anyone else. Better that he does this alone.
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Wonderland: On My My Way
To put it simply, pick an Ateez logo and let's see which phase of life you're in right now, are you on your way to where you wanna be. The entire motif behind is me wanting to use Ateez’s song titles as inspiration for my readings, as how they’ve inspired me to be better. So yeah, here’s something (again).
Close your eyes, meditate on this topic and ask yourself the question: “Where am I? Am I on my way to where I wanna be?” Breathe in and out, make sure your mind and heart is calm. Then, open your eyes to see which pile talks to you the most/draws you in the most. Once you’ve found your pile, scroll down to the respective parts to see what are the messages for you.
Piles go from left to right
Disclaimer: This is solely for my entertainment purposes. Take only whatever that you feel like it. If it doesn’t resonate, it’s okay to just drop it. That aside, I do not consent to my work or here to be used by third parties on this platform or other websites.
Decks used: Luna Cat Tarot Deck (Major Arcana), Linestrider Tarot Deck, Sweet Dreams Oracle Deck, Starcodes Astro Oracle Deck, self made lyrics deck.
Pile 1
Overall theme of querent: The Sun
First thing I’m picking up on is that you like bright things? Things that shine, glimmer, bright colours? Maybe not so bright colours but something that’s pretty striking? It’s like you like to stand out? Weirdly I’m picking up on fire (Leo) energy as well. Like, you’re known to be the light of the party, someone who’s always making the office lively, making other people laugh (not in the class clown way). If you aren’t, then it is someone that you’ve wanted to be. It’s just an adorably optimistic energy I’m picking up and making me smile here.
1. Where am I now? Queen of Cups
You're getting more and more in tune with yourself, allowing yourself to take time to meditate and heal yourself from your past traumas. Some of you may be on different stages, but you all know about the importance of healing and have taken action towards it. You’re slowly nurturing yourself. I’m also seeing some that may be healing through artistic means? Drawing? Colouring? You open yourself to inspiration and watch creativity flow through you. It’s a very warm, welcoming and flowy energy here, allowing yourself to adapt to whatever situations life throws at you.
2. Where do I wanna go? Queen of Pentacles
You want to be someone practical yet has a nurturing energy. Not so much of a femme fatale kinda energy, more like a teacher? Or a career counsellor kinda vibe? Where you use whatever you’ve learnt to help the future generation or anyone under you who wants to learn. You also want to achieve financial independence, so that you can help others the way others have helped you. I’m seeing you’ve received help before and hence, there’s this nurturing energy that’s heavy where you return the favour.
3. What should I prepare for this journey? Temperance
You need to learn the importance of balance. To achieve where you want to go, you need to balance your efforts and energy. Rest when you need to rest, move when you need to move. A journey is long, and you need time to let your car and yourself rest, add gas to your car before you embark on a long journey. Gain back the balance that you’ve once lost, or you’ve thought you’ve never needed. Cuz you’ll be needing that balance back.
I’m mainly seeing the balance of what you want and what you can. For example, you want to achieve level 5, but your current best is level 3. You can’t just burn yourself out to achieve level 5 with what you have. You can only accept whatever that’s happening, take your time to build yourself up to level 5 and get that. The balance between your physical wants and your mental wants, the balance between rest and work. You need some form of work-life balance back into your life. Clarify whatever you need to, make a list, see which aspect of life you’re lacking on and work on that.
4. How should I go on my way? Page of Cups
There will be creative opportunities coming your way. Let your curiosity lead you around and about. The Universe is dropping messages, opportunities, and help along your way. It’s up to you to catch them and to work towards it. Your curiosity will become your greatest asset. Use it wisely, make sure to let them guide you. If you have no dreams right now, time to write them down and work towards them. Once you’ve set your mind to do something, the Universe will help you out on your way. Think of yourself as the Universe’s beloved, let things fall in place for you. Things may be difficult right now, but there’s always a tomorrow that brings hope for you. You will not feel you’re alone, and you’ll not let anyone feel like they’re alone.
Overall energy: The Moon, The Fool rx
There’s The Sun earlier, and we have The Moon here. There’s a lot of unknown and uncertainty here. You’ve been charging ahead without thinking much earlier. You’ve realised what you’ve been doing was reckless, and now you gotta realign yourself. Know that you’ll need a lot of structure back in your life, and let your dreams give you inspiration and guidance. This pile may have prominent Saturn or is Saturn dominant (the nurturing yet practical energy).
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Pile 2
Overall theme of querent: Chariot rx
I have a feeling that life is speeding way too fast for you that you’re now having a hard time to juggle and to gain back the control. And what happens when you lose control? You crash, you get lost. So this is your current state, where you’re trying to pick yourself up and trying to find your way back on your track of life.
1. Where am I now? Knight of Wands
You're somewhere, and you’re on the way. “Where’re we going, no one knows it, we're just going, right? For glory, for victory, we can fight all night.” speaks about you right now. Yes I quoted Ateez again but it makes sense okay, since Knight of Wands talks about action, and you’re in the middle of a journey. I feel that you’re in the middle of a search, and once you’ve found your direction, you’ll charge towards it with strength and faith. You’re working with your dreams and spirit’s energy to reach your highest good, and the journey of searching for it seems fun.
2. Where do I wanna go? Page of Swords rx
You probably have some stubborn personalities in you, where you wanna walk on the road of self expression. I don’t think you have a fixed path, but you do have short goals in life. It’s like… You don’t set a goal like “I wanna be a CEO” kinda goal, but something more like “In five years I wanna reach managerial position, and then in ten years I wanna have my own house.” kinda thing. It’s more visualised, something that can be seen and measurable. You’re also someone who’s driven by your visions. So to have something like a short term goal would be helpful for you to reach where you wanted to go.
3. What should I prepare for this journey? Two of Swords
I’m getting the feeling that knowledge is needed. Not the book kinda knowledge, but knowledge you learn from being an adult, something that will not be taught in schools. It’s like… Learning how to recognise the needs of other people and answering to them, learning how to catch up on other people’s boundaries, learning how to read facial expressions. These will be the one of the two swords you’ll be wielding.
The other sword you’ll be wielding is the interpersonal relationships you’ve built on the way. The people you can trust, the people you can rely on, the people you can confide in. The reason is cuz there will be times that your eyes will be covered by the various promises life can give, but it all may be an illusion, and you’ll be needing these two swords to cut through the mist and to proceed in life. These are the abundance you’ll be bringing with you for this journey.
4. How should I go on my way? Three of Wands rx
First and foremost, you must remember you’re not alone on your journey. You need to stop playing small, start planning out your journey, plan for unexpected delays and what else can you do along the way. There may be side quests around you for you to complete, so do them. You might find some unexpected items that can help you level up or to help you out in your journey. Be aware of whatever that’s happening around you. Do remember to move forward, but don’t forget to enjoy the companionship and sceneries of the journey. Be at peace with yourself, create the peace you’ve wanted. You want something, then reach out to it and get them with your hands. Make your journey a pleasant one, follow your bliss and accept limitless joy.
Overall energy: Judgement, Queen of Swords rx
Overall speaking, I feel that you’ve been pretty harsh with yourself and have been judging yourself from your lack of success. See, you have not failed, you have not fallen. But you see lack of success as failure, which will mess your head up a bit cuz you’ll feel like you’re a disappointment when you’re not. You’re called to nurture yourself first, only then focus on the authoritative side of you and of your career. I’m seeing some of you may have 10H stellium as well, or heavy earth energy. This ended up very career-ish so Cap energy as well.
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Pile 3
Overall theme of querent: The Hierophant
First thing I’m seeing here is that you’re someone who fights for tradition. Not just uphold, but fight. You have a hard time accepting new things and rather do things in an old fashioned way, in the safest way possible. You rarely take risks unless the success rate is over 95%. Don’t ask me how I came up with that number.
1. Where am I now? Ten of Wands rx
You’re in a stage where you’ve been holding a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders. I’m seeing that you’ve gotten them on you because of a lack of trust? Like you have a problem trusting people to do things your required way, so you took everything up on you and take that extra burden on you. Know that you are capable, but you’re also capable of trusting others, to release and let you team members do the other work. Create your own peace by letting go of what needs to let go.
2. Where do I wanna go? Page of Pentacles
I’m seeing that you want to get better and better with whatever you’re doing, to attain skill development. This may be because you wanna catch whatever financial opportunities that come your way. There’s some sort of ambitious energy I’m also feeling here, where you may have focused too much of your energy in taking up tasks to make yourself better. You’ll want to work with your dreams and your spirit’s energy to reach your highest good, and you want to enjoy your journey in attaining financial independence as well as its opportunities.
3. What should I prepare for this journey? Knight of Pentacles
Hard work and practicality came to me first. You’ll need to put in the effort to improve in the various skills you’ve wanted to develop. But you’ll need to remain practical as well. You can develop the skills you want, but you also need to develop the skills you need. Be practical and balanced. Put yourself through the routine of learning, of practising. Get to know people, talk to them, learn about them. This may sound difficult for some of you as you may not be used to talking to people, listening to them even. But you’re called to do so as you need to learn how to create strong emotional connections with the people in your life, especially the important people.
I’m also seeing that you’ll need to prepare for a loooong journey. It’s gonna be a battle of stamina. You’ll be needing to build yourself up before you can head out, be prepared with your wisdom, with your faith, with whatever connections that you’ve made. Weirdly, the words “to gain something, you’ll need to lose something first” came into my mind. You need to lose the feeling of shame when you change from what you’ve done to something else. Sometimes, you know that being stubborn doesn’t help. But you fear the looks of other people, fear how they’ll sneer at you. Thing is, you won’t get things done if you fear that much. So yeah, lose that sense of shame and gain the success of the things you’re doing. I hope I’m making sense here.
4. How should I go on my way? Eight of Swords
Stop playing the victim, let go of those negative thoughts, let go of those self-imposed restrictions. There’s this ego that you’re holding and you need to open up your eyes to see them before everybody leaves you. You’re called to do some critical thinking and to do some introspection and act on them accordingly.
The energy here is very sharp. Usually people around will help to lead the blind, but people won’t want to help people who are trapping themselves, who don’t wanna leave the prison of swords they’ve built. There’s only so much others can help. It may seem like a painful journey but one day, when you look back, you’ll see how far you’ve journeyed.
Overall energy: Judgement, Ten of Swords
You’re going through some sort of judgement? I’m seeing this comes from outside and there’s some fear in you. As much as you wanna emphasise on loving yourself, that you’re on the right path, you still feel the stabbing pain from the swords that are on you. There’s this painful journey that you’re going through right now, but know that it’s to tell you that the end is here and there will be a new cycle where you can start things anew. Something may be amiss this time, and you can learn about it and to not repeat the same mistakes in the new cycle.
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