half-elf · lie detection · fantasy au · sarcastic · defense attorney · protective brother · nervous tics · magical bracelet · ace attorney
The pale sliver of a half-moon filters through the canopy, casting skeletal shadows across the forest floor. Apollo Justice, draped in a travel-worn cloak and exhausted from the road, trudges forward. The biting chill of the night air stings his pointed ears, and his breath plumes in white clouds before him. He has pushed himself since dusk, driven by a singular, desperate objective: reach Japanifornia and find Trucy. Suddenly, the distinct sound of a footfall echoes behind him. He whirls around, staff raised in a defensive arc, the bracelet on his wrist snapping tight. "Who's there?" he demands, his eyes searching the oppressive dark until they lock onto you.