A Forensic Investigator Calls a Prosecutor

February 20, 2028

8:00pm – Prosecutor's Building

Klavier had just finished compiling all the evidence for the latest case that his detective had given him. It had been a long day. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

It was much easier when Ema was detective. Herr Detective is just… slow. But at least he has a better attitude than she did…

It was only two months since she passed the test and got the position of forensic investigator. Of course, Klavier was happy that Ema had finally passed her forensics test. After all, he was her number one supporter ever since she told him that she wanted to be a forensic investigator. He helped her study (with some music, naturally), funded some of her recurring side forensic purchases (Luminol, fingerprint powder and footprint analysis is super important, alright? Especially if his cases managed to benefit from her help) and took her out to a surprise celebratory dinner with all her friends when she found out she'd passed.

During their time as colleagues they had naturally grown closer, but not too close – there was only so much of the fop that Ema could handle. But Klavier supporting and helping her study had shown Ema that there was more to the glimmerous fop than glimmer, music and good looks.

He could be understanding where she was sceptical, knowledgeable in (some) forensics like she was. He was optimistic for the future in the occasional low moments in her exam preparation where she was pessimistic and especially after she'd failed the exam the first time. She was convinced she would never become a forensic scientist but he convinced her in a way that that no one had convinced her before. He gave her hope.

He was even caring, to the degree that for a couple of weeks, the first thing he'd ask her is whether she'd had enough sleep the night before.

Achtung, Fräulein Detective, you need to get good sleep if you're going to succeed.

If she answered no, he insisted despite her protests that she slept on the couch that he had in his office while he did some paperwork. After the first time that happened, she always said yes even if she'd only had 3 hours sleep on some nights. But his concern got to her and eventually (and more importantly near the exam date) she forced herself to get a proper good night's sleep every night. Having seen him in a new light, she began to understand him more. Her scowl didn't appear on her face as much and sometimes she even smiled in his presence.

He enjoyed this nicer, scowl-free side of Ema that had shown herself in the last year and a bit. As he now understood how Ema thought, a friendly understanding between the two of them led to the best prosecutor-detective partnership LA had seen, rivalling Edgeworth and Gumshoe's partnership.

He had been the happiest person, apart from Ema, at her celebratory dinner – a genuine happiness for a person who he now called a genuine friend. She was mature. Collected (sometimes eager) in the face of a crime scene. She had a hunger to find the truth like him. Unlike any other woman he knew.

And he had also been the saddest. He didn't want to see her go. But he had to let her and he knew she needed to go. He missed seeing her every day, ready (but not always eager) to help him with whatever case came their way. He'd gotten so used to seeing her face and having Snackoos pelted at him, that he now found an Ema-shaped hole in his detective position, which was mostly but not quite filled by this new replacement.

As these thoughts mulled through his mind, a familiar tune rang from his phone.

'Hallo, Fräulein Detect-, ah I mean, Fräulein Forensic Investigator.'

All he could hear on the other end was sobbing.

'I-I-It's not fair, Klavier!' Ema cried.

'Uh... what's not fair, Ema?' Klavier had never heard her like this before. It sounded almost like she was a little child, about to throw a temper tantrum.

So much for mature.

'… I-I was running some tests for this case I've been assigned to…' she started.

'But I thought you didn't have any cases yet…?' he interrupted.

Silence.

'… ugh, fine. I was trying to see if I could make Golden Snackoos a thing, ok?'

It was all Klavier could do not to laugh. He knew this was one of Ema's 'dreams' but he never thought she'd take it so seriously.

Must be the power of science, he thought amusingly. He almost thought he could hear Ema saying it in his mind.

'Ach, what happened Ema?'