candybox | Ace Attorney voicetest/call me out post

So, I'm going be out of town this weekend, but after that, I'm up to doing some voicetesting with your SoJ people if you're still up for it by then. I might be slow as a heads up since I'll be getting off my month long hiatus break at my game too when I get back.

As for ideas, I'm still on a "I need to talk to all of my kids in a post-game scenario" high with Dhurke, but I also have an Apollo I would like to bounce with either Yuty or Dhurke.

...Although, idk if you know Ghost Trick, but Sissel meeting Dhurke after what happens might be interesting too.

Hey! No worries about being slow; I just started my master's degree this week myself and I'm on hiatus from game RP until I get into the swing of things, so right now low pressure threading is what I am about.

I'm down for all these ideas, especially things with Yuty. I haven't voicetested Dhurke myself yet so idk how I am with his voice, but I'm happy to bounce off your Apollo if you wanted to try that! And I'm only familiar with Ghost Trick in passing... One day I need to finally play it...

A channeled meeting with Nahyuta set post-game then? Or, perhaps playing out the interrogation while Dhurke was held in detention.

If it helps, I haven't played Apollo for a while so I'm pretty rusty with him, but maybe we can set that for another time since I don't want to play out too many scenarios all at once. hah.

Ooh, both ideas sound interesting. Maybe we could do both, just to make things extra awful/poignant with that before/after whiplash.

And that's fine too, it's better to do one or two threads at a time rather than start a bunch of stuff only to get overwhelmed. Let me know when you want to get started and I am down for starting whenever!

lol a double slam of awful, I can roll with this. It's probably better to wait until after the weekend, but if you got a starter in mind already, you can go ahead and set it up and I'll get to it when I'm available. Otherwise I'll think of a stater after this weekend.

[You're still my boy, even if you'll prosecute my case.

Those words still echo in Nahyuta's ears, and his palm itches as if scorched by the dragon. Still, he tries to keep himself calm and collected, schools his expression back into one of indifference, as Dhurke is lead by two armed guards away from Apollo in the visitor's room, through the prison and down into the interrogation room. Nahyuta hates everything about this; the way they manhandle him, the way they push him along with a rifle pointed at the small of his back. How much any of them would love to open fire and liberate their country from the evil of a traitor, the only thing holding them back being the respect for the victim's sacred rites in court.

And then there's Dhurke. This would be so much easier if Dhurke would hate him, disown him as a son, expel him from the Defiant Dragons for good. There is no going back to those days. There is no explaining his reasons. He must move on from the past, and Nahyuta repeats over and over in his head: Dhurke Sahdmadhi is a traitor who deserves to burn in hell. Any who defend him will burn with him. Dhurke Sahdmadhi will burn in hell.

When they enter the windowless, bare interrogation room, Nahyuta grits his teeth and takes a deep breath until he is calmed, then turns to face his father.]

Restrain him. [His eyes flick between the two guards, who do as bidden. Dhurke is forced down into the interrogation chair, his wrists fastened to the arms of the chair tight enough to bite into the skin.] This sinner may have cut short the life of Justice Minister Inga, but in the name of the Holy Mother, I shall not allow him to strike down another.

[Despite what the kingdom has made him out to be, Dhurke did not show any sign of resisting while he was being roughly escorted away. He didn't want to give them a reason to cause him further harm, not while he was holding someone's life hostage. He still hadn't worked out the circumstances behind Inga's death, but he knows that he had been forced out of Maya and channeled by another. There was only one other person in Khura'in right now who could channel the spirits and it made him wary. Eventhough he suspected she had framed him, he could not and would never accuse the love of his life or put her in harm's way.

Of course, he knew that would put him in a tough predicament. It would cause more harm to his own defense and more pressure on Apollo...but he had to believe, that he could see through this and find the truth. He's a dead man already, the lives of the living are the ones who need saving, like the one whose back was to him right now. What he saw at the detention center hadn't gone unnoticed by Dhurke. The Nahyuta he knew was still somewhere buried inside, but just how was he going to reach him? Would he even be able to now that they're able to speak to the other?

Once they had him sitting in the interrogation room, Dhurke took this moment to pray in his thoughts. Even a man who supposedly turned against the crown still upheld Khuara'in traditions, and this was the time to do it. It was not a prayer for him though, but a prayer for his family, that when this was all over, they'll be safe.]

Ow, hey not so tight. [The guards makes one final tug to make sure he was completely unable to move before they take a step back. They salute to Nahyuta and then march back to the door to stand guard. Dhurke lets out a sigh as he looks up at his son face to face, in feign disbelief.] Is this really necessary?

[He says with a shrug and showing the palms of his hands as he couldn't really do much else. Those accusations from his own son cut daggers into him though, even when he didn't make it visibly obvious.] And you should know better, killing goes against our creed.

[Nahyuta nods to the guards as they take their posts, his expression impassive. He knows they're here to watch him as much as Dhurke, and any slip-up, any indication of disloyalty, will be reported back to Ga'ran. He has to remain as calm as possible, pretend this is just any other suspect he's prosecuting on any other case.

Easier said than done, but what choice does he have?]

... A small discomfort here on the mortal plane should be the least of your worries, when you are found guilty in court.

[Not if he's found guilty, but when. That is a fact Nahyuta has resigned himself to, however desperately he might wish it wasn't so.]

As for your so-called creed, we have discussed this already. People change; this is as true for you as it is for I. [His tone is even, measured, though it's taking every ounce of the self-control he's had to learn over the years.] Now, tell me what you were doing in the time prior to the murder. Spare no details.

Oh, this is nothing. I meant that you can't possibly think these strings can actually hold down a dragon. [He says with a smirk as he balls up his hands into fists. The guards shifted behind him, as if his words and subtle actions made them uneasy. Heh, nothing but a bunch of cowards hiding behind their guns. ]

I hear what you're trying to tell me, but I don't think you really believe in what you're saying. [He'll keep holding onto that small hope that he saw in Nahyuta, however pointless it may seem. He can't give up on his son even if he has given up on himself. At his inquiry, he settles back in his seat, taking a moment to decide on how to approach this. He's going to have spare some details, like the whereabouts of the Founder's Orb and his own death.]

Well, I was visiting Apollo in the states, just to see how he's been holding up you know. Have you ever been to that kid's office? Never thought I see an office even messier than mine from my old days, hah ha ha! [There's no going around the fact he left the country for a short period of time, and it's not like he was lying that he wanted to see Apollo.] We came back to Khura'in after a certain Minister of Justice gave Wright a phone call, seeking to make an exchange for the Founder's Orb. You know he was holding Maya Fey hostage, right? [He asks pointedly before continuing. Can you really be ok, with what the authority are using their powers for?]

Anyway, that's why I entered the tomb, to make the exchange but then...I suddenly felt dizzy and blacked out. Next thing I knew I was standing over Inga with a knife in my hand, but I don't remember actually harming the guy. [This was the honest truth, eventhough he knew how half baked the confession sounded.]

[Nahyuta shifts uncomfortably. While it could easily be mistaken by an onlooker for being intimidated by his father, Nahyuta isn't afraid of him -- more afraid for him if he did try to escape his bonds and make things worse for himself. Surely he's not so foolhardy?

But he settles down, and so some of the tension leaves the monk. Then, as Dhurke begins his testimony, Nahyuta simply acts as though he doesn't hear all those extra details about Apollo. Why should he care what a silly lawyer does? That man means no more to him than the man in front of him.]

The Founder's Orb. I daresay you know where it is now... Or perhaps who has it.

[If Inga were still alive, he'd probably be taking the lead on this interrogation, and he'd certainly be using more... forceful methods of coercion to get answers on that point. But Nahyuta glosses over it without pressing the point; that's one secret he'll let Dhurke keep. He can't imagine Ga'ran would like it being dragged into the court proceedings more than she can help, either.]

As for Maya Fey, I am aware. Mr Wright and Mr Justice have also given statements to that effect, even if she herself is in no fit state to testify. Minister Inga's crimes are not the crimes of the accused, however, and will be considered separately. [Nahyuta pauses, taking stock of Dhurke's last piece of testimony. If the evidence alone and eyewitnesses weren't a death sentence enough, that testimony is so conveniently lacking as to be fatal. Dhurke must know it, too.

And yet Nahyuta doesn't feel like he's being lied to.]

... I-is... that all? Is there nothing more you would like to add? [There's almost a pleading note to his voice. This is sounding less and less like an interrogation and more like an inadvertent confession by the second.]

[He's taking the opportunity Nahyuta had presented to him and choosing not to speak further on the Founder's orb location, less he say something unintentionally to lead Ga'ran to it. There was a moment of silence between them when Nahyuta asked if there was anything more. He would usually give a witty remark here, but instead he just looks at Nahyuta with a vacant expression.]

...That I'm sorry I still haven't saved you. [That's...not the answer Nahyuta was looking for, but what other chance will Dhurke have to speak to him but now? He's on borrowed time, and his only hopes of saving his family now lies in the hands of Apollo. His expression hardens.] I've told you what I know, how I remembered it. I didn't kill the minister, and I believe in Apollo to be able prove that in court tomorrow.

E-enough...! Your misguided sentimentality has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

You will lose tomorrow. You have all but confessed your guilt, the evidence is heaped against you, and drawing Apollo into this will only mean he is dragged down with you--!

[He cuts himself off short, recalling Ga'ran's men are still watching, and paces away, silently beseeching the Holy Mother to give him patience once more. Can he do this? His father, and Apollo...

But he thinks of Rayfa and his mother, and it steels his conviction once more. They're innocent parties in all this, and can't be harmed because of his own mistakes, however much evil he must commit to save them. He stops his agitated pacing and looks back at Dhurke. Maybe it's best to speed this along, to make it no more painful than it has to be.]

Where are the other rebels located?

[He raises a brow when Nahyuta went off on a tangent. More of the real Nahyuta shown through that facade he had built up for himself. It's a strange comfort just knowing he's still there, fighting within himself. It pained him though, to see him try to conceal it, to see what Ga'ran has done to his boy. It frustrates him more that he couldn't do anything to help him at this point. All he can do, is stay true to his conviction, for both his son's sake. So he smiles in defiance to his claims.]

That won't happen, not when we haven't found the real culprit. Have you ever fought against him in court, Nahyuta? He may not look it, but Apollo's a tough kid. He's not going to yield until the truth is brought to light. [He said it with such confidence, eventhough he could feel the doubt and regret sitting in his heart. He was still taking a huge gamble with his own son's life, and it disgust him to his core that he would allow this. But he can't falter now, everything has already been set in motion and he could only give Apollo all the support he can give.] Oh and you should know, Apollo made the decision to defend me himself, I didn't tell him to do anything.

[He shifts in his seat, what little he can. He was going stiff from sitting in this uncomfortable chair. He sadly won't find that sweet spot and will give up not long after with a sigh.] Now what's that question have to do with anything? Or could it be that you've missed us?

[Nahyuta's expression only hardens. If he can bear to even speak to him, he'll have to do whatever he can to dissuade Apollo from defending Dhurke. Maybe it's already too late to change his mind, but...]

Nothing of the sort. You're charged with assassination of the Minister of Justice. [Just as he was charged with the murder of Queen Amara all those years ago... though that painful memory should go without saying.] My purpose here is but to safeguard the good of the kingdom. If Her Eminence is under threat, or the stability of Khura'in imperiled, I must know.

Then you're wasting your time with me. You should be talking to Her Eminence, about how she's been permitting murder and hostage taking under the crown.

[There was movement behind him as the guards gave Dhurke a nasty reminder that they were still present. They had their guns aimed at his head, telling him to watch his mouth. He just shrugs, undaunted by their empty threats. He knows they can't do anything to him, not yet. Still, it's probably best to reel it in a little in case they decide to get physical.]

The Defiant Dragons have always taken a bloodless stance in this battle. We'd never take the lives of another, so I see no reason to answer your question.

Peace. This criminal will receive his punishment in due course. Slander of Her Eminence shall be added to his many crimes.

[Nahyuta raises a hand for the guards to stand down. Grudgingly, they lower their weapons. The distrust in their eyes even as they obey the order is plain to see, but there's little to be done about it. No matter how loyal Nahyuta is to the queen, the fact that the accused is his father will taint this case right until the end.

Then, he addresses Dhurke.]

It will go easier on you if you admit to your crimes now. When your deeds are exposed in court tomorrow, and you are proven both a liar and murderer twice over, a traitor even to your own cause, and your revolution will perish. You cannot claim even now to espouse the ideals you have so plainly violated.

...Sorry, but that's not possible. I wouldn't be telling the truth if I admitted I was any of those things that you claimed that I am.

[The hand that carried the dragon tattoo, it desires to reach out and grab Nahyuta. All he could sadly do though was clench his fist.]

And you're in no position to tell me, that I betrayed my own Defiant Dragons.

[Dhurke's words cut deep, and Nahyuta can't meet his eye for the shame of it. Still, he has a reply at the ready.]

... Whether you believe you're a traitor or not is irrelevant. You will be found guilty, and your reputation will be in tatters. Your movement will wither and die. But if you confess and explain your motives, your followers will at least be at ease in the knowledge that you sinned for the revolution -- that you did not try to mislead them with claims of innocence.

[Nahyuta isn't even sure why he's spelling this out. Any care he held for the revolution died years ago. And he knows his father will confess to nothing, no matter the risks involved in pleading not guilty. So why... His hand moves to grip the black cloth concealing his own right hand, in a seemingly unconscious force of habit.]

Are you so eager to throw away all that you've worked for, only to salve your own pride?

Ha, if you think my comrades will find such comfort in half-baked lies, then you underestimate their conviction. They are not so easily taken in by the so called justice that you and the rest of this kingdom have resigned to. I will not yield to these false accusations, and as long as Apollo stands as my defense attorney, my innocence is assured. A revolution will come, in fact it's already happening. Her Eminence's days as Queen are numbered.

[There's that absolute confidence again. The guards felt uneasy once more at the mention of Her Eminence. It'll be a tough fight, but at least a battle will be had. A chance for the truth to finally come out. No, the truth will be brought out. Justice will finally be given to the one truly responsible for all the pain and suffering the people of of Khura'in have felt all these years, to what had been done to him and his family. Even if everything is stacked against him, if there is hope, then there is a way.

He leans back in his seat, what little he could at least.]

It has nothing to do with pride, though I'm not exactly the one who needs to answer that. I haven't given up on doing what is right for this kingdom afterall. [He said pointedly as he observes Nahyuta grip the black cloth. Someone isn't being truly honest with themselves.] ...I don't know what led you down this twisted path, but for your sake, I will keep on fighting until the bitter end.

[Nahyuta can only clench his jaw in response. Why is Dhurke so confident, even knowing what he's up against? For all his father's talk of conviction, all Nahyuta can picture in his mind's eye is Dhurke and Apollo's very public executions. And if Nahyuta so much as lifts a finger to stop it... No, even if he tried, he couldn't do that much. He is, after all, powerless.

All he can do is carry out his duty in the courtroom. He moves around Dhurke to stand behind him, where he doesn't have to look at him, and snaps at the guards.]

W-well? You heard the suspect. [...The snappishness isn't very convincing with his voice wavering like that.] He feels no remorse, expresses no guilt, and he would threaten our Queen before her husband's very blood has cooled.

I have heard enough. Take him to his cell.

[The guards move to unfasten the restraints -- at gunpoint, of course -- and haul Dhurke to his feet. Nahyuta remains where he is, with his back turned, as still as a statue. He's keenly aware that this is the last conversation they're likely to ever have together... And he has nothing more to say.]

[He heard those hurtful accusations from his son, but they didn't have the impact on Dhurke like they should. He hid his face from him, leaving his words lacking in assurance. All he heard from Nahyuta was that he had doubts on whether he could do this to his own father.

And so, as he turns to face his son's back, he decides to put in a few words before they part.]

Make sure you do your best tomorrow, son. Your old man's going to have front row seats afterall. And once this is all over, we need to properly catch up on things over a nice hot meal at our old favorite hangout. Me, you and Apollo!

[And just as they brought him in without incident, he shows no resistance being escorted out once more. With his head held high, he had a smile on his face as he passed Nahyuta. With both his sons at the defense and prosecution bench, he's confident they'll create the revolution he has worked towards for so long and finish it for him. This was not what he wanted for them to go through, but this was what fate had decided. He will stay strong for them both, for as long as he can stay in this world without endangering Amara at least.]

[Nahyuta's initial reaction is silence. He knows he should deny Dhurke's proposal, throw it back in his face as an idle fantasy. Instead, even against his will, his father's words still have a way of worming their way into his heart. He can only nod quietly, some of the tension in his slender shoulders seeming to ease.]

... I will.

[Even then, he doesn't sound too sure of himself. But whatever happens, he has to try.]

[The promise of a nice meal with his family unfortunately never comes to pass. The trial led to his innocence on both accounts of murder, but he wouldn't be there to see that victory.

He had already returned to the Twilight Realm before the verdict arrived in order to protect his wife. Since that time, he hasn't been channeled again, and so his last memories was escaping the courtroom and leaving Amara. When he does find himself being channeled once more, it's no surprise he arrives a little disoriented. It was just like that time in the tomb, only he wasn't covered in blood and standing over a dead man. He was standing in a new room that was neither the tomb or the courtroom. Checking his surroundings, he vaguely recalls this particular room could be found somewhere on the royal grounds. This was a room meant for spirit channeling.

Examining himself, he sees the channeler has been courteous to dress him appropriately once more. He is now left to wonder why he has been called, how long since his last channeling, and the current state of the trial. In a mirror's reflection, he sees he is not alone in this room. He turns around to properly face his guest with a look of uncertainty.]

Nahyuta...? [Having no idea what has happened, he isn't sure what to make of his son's presence here. The only thing he's certain of, is that his son knows his father is no longer of this world now.]

[It had been Amara's idea, to give her children a chance to speak with their father before allowing him to return to the Twilight Realm. The thought had not crossed Nahyuta's mind -- if anything, it only filled him with misgivings. He had worked tirelessly to shoulder both his mother's former duties as regent, and his father's legacy in the revolution, in bringing justice back to the courts. And yet, perhaps Amara had noticed how he was still plagued with guilt by all he had done, that there were still things he never had the chance to say or do.

So she gently advised him to put aside his anxieties, and persuaded him into the channelling. He agreed, if in large part because he would never dream of refusing his mother's kindness. As the channelling begins, he's seated on a cushion on the floor, eyes closed in silence so as not to break Amara's concentration. It's only when he hears movement -- and that distinctive voice -- that his eyes open. He takes a breath to steady himself, taking in the sight of his father before his eyes once again.]

...Yes, Father. It was Mother who called you back here.

[He'll give Dhurke a moment for the implications of that to sink in. They have much to discuss, but it would be best to take one thing at a time.]

[There was silence between them as Dhurke processed the information that had been presented to him. He could feel that there was no sense of urgency in this meeting. Nahyuta himself was giving off an aura that was different from their previous meeting in the interrogation room. He even addressed him as father in a sincere way. For Nahyuta to be here and not in the courtroom, the trial must have already ended. For Amara to able to channel him once more that meant....no, he's getting ahead of himself. He should hear it from Nahyuta.

After just idly standing there, he'll see a cushion had also been prepared for him at his feet. So he seats himself, facing Nahyuta with a solemn expression.]

Looks like my big secret came out, during the trial I'm assuming.

Ace Attorney voicetest/call me out post

I can't just choose one...

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does this work for you as a starter? o7

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