11. Chapter 11: The Tiger (1/2)

january 2019, tres bien, 6:14pm

'found your life's purpose yet, dahlia?'

'not yet, dee.'

the two ladies were about to enjoy a nice cup of tea in the new restaurant known simply as tres bien. they were still inmates, of course, but the

and had become so popular that dahlia had had a

and new luncheon installed within the prison itself. the prices were absurd, and if prisoners wanted in, they were expected to undertake quite a lot of manual labour to make a reservation. dahlia, of course, got in free of charge, and allowed dee to do the same. so the place was rather quiet, except for two flamboyant men having a meal nearby.

'ugh, this place is simply atrocious, redd! this food is practically inedible! not one university i've studied at, and i've been to a lot, had dishes this grotesque. why, of all the eateries out there, did the chief warden decide on tres bien to implement here?'

'ah richard, my magnofiso friend, my stalwart comrade, you have much to learn. it was in fact ms. hawthorne's idea to have this pinkish place

ought to our humble abode, not the warden. clearly her taste buds need some improvement, eh?'

they both had a good laugh at dahlia's expense, not realising she had just entered the room. dahlia smiled and tapped her fingernails against a table, causing redd white to stiffen and turn around to face her. dahlia waved and smiled sweetly at him.

'er, i believe it is time to make or esca- i mean, find entertainment elsewhere, don't you agree richard?'

'just so, redd! just so! i can't stand another minute looking at this awful wallpaper!'

redd and his friend (dahlia didn't catch his name) gave dahlia and dee a wide berth and left the restaurant.

'oh my, dahlia. i think i'll stick with tea if the food's that bad.'

'nonsense, i'm sure it's delicious.'

dahlia had lobster lunch set, while dee opted only for tea. dahlia took one bite of the lobster and knew immediately she had made a huge mistake. it tasted horrible! dee was watching her expectantly, looking for any kind of reaction. dahlia refused to give her one. she swallowed the bite she had taken and sighed, as if the taste had been satisfactory.

'like i said, delicious.' dahlia declared smugly, 'but i realise i'm quite full, so i'll save the rest for the later.'

'uh huh.' dee replied, clearly doubting her words. she took a sip of her tea, which was significantly better than the food.

'onto important matters then.' dee continued, 'you know i'm glad to see you out of your cell, i really am, but you still don't seem you old self, dahlia. me, i'm content to stay in the prison for a while, it's a nice gig. i may try to escape eventually, but right now i'm at peace. but you're the type that can't go on without some kind of goal in mind. do you have thoughts on that?'

dahlia sighed, 'like i said, dee, i'll let fate do it's work. i've had some pretty bad luck this year, so it's about time for karma to

ing me something good, right? hell, i may even get a sign today.'

'oh la la!' a high-pitched french voice shrieked from the entrance.

the pair looked in that direction, and saw an unusual sight. a man with a large build, dressed in a pink chef uniform, with a rose flower jutting inexplicably out of from his teeth. he was looking around the restaurant with a child-like glee. dee gave dahlia a look that asked, 'is this the sign?' and dahlia responded with a look that said, 'i hope not.'

'je suis pas, i never expected to find one of my restaurants here of all places!' he cried in that annoying high-pitched voice of his.

'who gave you permission to be here?' dahlia demanded.

the large man turned to her and dee, and bowed, 'ah, mademoiselles, a pleasure to see you dining at my establishment.'

'your establishment?'

'why yes, i created this chain, to recreate the feel of my lovely home of paris!' he said delightedly.

dahlia shivered inwardly. no wonder the lobster tasted so awful if this buffoon was behind the menu's creation.

'nice to meet you too, mr... ?' dee asked.

'jean armstrong. but call me jean, no need to be so formal among us girls, eh?' jean said, winking at dee.

she stared back, unfazed, 'of course. so you don't look like the criminal type, jean. what are you in for?'

'ah, it is a tragic tale, madame dee. one of blackmail and poison. i suppose it all started in my youth, when i-'

'get to the point.' dahlia said impatiently.'

'ahaha, my apologies.' jean laughed, oblivious to dahlia's anger, 'long story short, i was accomplice to a terrible murder. i shall repent, and hopefully regain my freedom before long.'

'i see. and where's the true culprit?'

'in questioning with the prosecutor. a charming man, by the way.'

'a man? i thought miles edgeworth had left the country.' dahlia asked, curious now.

'non, not edgeworth. this enigma is simply known as 'godot'. white hair, very fashionable facewear, deep voice-'

'sounds like a real weird-'

'and an unusual obsession with coffee.'

dahlia froze on the spot.

dee noticed the change, 'something wrong, dahlia? you recognise this godot?'

there's no way, dahlia thought to herself. he's dead. i killed him!

'possibly.' dahlia responded, surprised that her voice was so calm. 'i'll go say hello, just in case. keep jean company for me, will you? i'll get a headache if i hear his voice any longer.'

'haha, not a problem, dahlia.' dee said, then called to jean, 'hey armstrong, more wine please!'

'coming right up, honey!' jean called back, easing back into his role of chef. dahlia left them to it.

interrogation room, 6:52pm

as dahlia made her way to the man she had previously killed (strange thought to have) she began to reminisce on her past with mia.

there were good times, to be sure. like when she had persuaded terry to take the fall for her and commit suicide, in front of everybody! the look on the hag's face was priceless. she could even feel edgeworth turning on her towards the end, but he was also powerless to foil her plan. it felt incredibly satisfying to best two of the country's top attorneys, even if they were rookies at the time.

but with the good comes the bad. that persistent fool diego armando just had to continue the investigation, all for his precious girlfriend mia. why couldn't they just admit defeat and let it go? who could blame dahlia for spiking his coffee, he left her no choice! of course, that all led to the unbelievable chain of events with phoenix wright. she had pawned off the poison necklace onto feenie to avoid police suspicion, but the love-struck idiot refused to give it back! iris, useless as always, was no help in retrieving the evidence, so dahlia had to take matters into her own hands. which led to the death of doug swallow.

honestly, it's not like she goes out of her way to kill people! they were all just in the wrong place in the wrong time. this led to another trial, and unfortunately, her luck ran out. she thought she was saved when feenie ate the necklace, but apparently he has the luck of the devil and managed to survive! his testimony was the final nail in her coffin, but it all started with that goddamn diego armando. now known as 'godot' for some reason. dahlia had known he was in a coma, but he was presumed