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When Phoenix adopted Trucy a decade ago, he had no idea she had a sibling.
It wasn’t as if many knew, though. The only people that had any idea were Thalassa herself (and she was presumed dead for several years), Zak Gramayre (who seemingly only had an inkling of a feeling), and Spark Brushel. Valant didn’t know, Trucy didn’t know, not even Apollo knew.
He had promised Zak that he would only tell Apollo and Trucy when the time was right. It was the last promise he made to Zak before their fateful game.
If there was one benefit to that game, apart from helping in taking down Kristoph and bringing Apollo into the fold at the Agency, it was that it led to a series of events that saw Thalassa reemerge, albeit blind and without any memory of who Apollo and Trucy were. She was able to get better on both counts, which was great for Phoenix – he needed her at the time as a jurist.
After the Vera Misham trial, Thalassa met Phoenix in the office – and it was there that Phoenix made another promise. He told her that he’d take care of Apollo and Trucy until Thalassa felt the time was right to inform them of their shared parentage.
In the two year interim from that meeting to Thalassa next approaching Phoenix, Phoenix found it remarkably easy to keep the secret hidden from the two. Despite all the time Trucy and Apollo spent together, both in the office and out of it, the topic of their parentage never came up. As far as Phoenix was concerned, they were completely in the dark – and it was much easier to hide something that way.
It seemed as if things would finally change, though, when Thalassa approached Phoenix in the office a couple months after Apollo announced he was staying in Khura’in. When he heard that she was ready to tell Apollo and Trucy, he was glad he wouldn’t have to withhold the truth from them anymore, even if it was a rather easy one to withhold.
That was almost a year ago, and Apollo and Trucy still didn’t know.
Phoenix knew he couldn’t blame Thalassa for the delay. Sometimes, life gets in the way of things – and both Thalassa and Phoenix were busy people, not to mention Apollo being out of the country and Trucy having her shows. There were too many moving pieces, and it made it next to impossible to get a meeting set up.
Yet all the same, his impatience grew.
He wanted Trucy and Apollo to know. He felt they deserved to know that they were siblings, even if part of him was afraid of how they’d react when they learned that he kept this fact from them for three years.
And yet, he didn’t want to be the one to tell them. He felt that Thalassa, as their shared mother, should be the one to do it.
Thus, he was left at a loss as to what to do. Even the news that Apollo was coming back to America for a vacation didn’t fix things – Thalassa was busy for a good chunk of the month he’d be back.
It was only when he was sitting in the office, staring at the ceiling, that an idea came to him: he needed to talk to the one Gramayre that still didn’t know. It meant that he’d have to reveal the secret, but given that Valant was still behind bars, Trucy and Apollo would still be kept in the dark.
That was how he found himself at the detention center that afternoon, for once without either a client or a client-to-be.
It feels… weird, being here without having to defend anyone, he thought.
“Can I help you, sir?” a guard asked, stirring Phoenix out of his thoughts.
“Oh!” Phoenix exclaimed. “Right. I’m here to see Valant Gramayre.”
The guard nodded and left the room, leaving Phoenix alone in the visitor’s room to work out how he was going to tell Valant the truth.
He already had his suspicions that Thalassa never actually died – he had implied as much to Phoenix a couple years ago, before he turned himself in. He’d likely be happy to know his suspicions had been confirmed.
But when it came to dropping the bomb that Trucy and Apollo were related, Phoenix had no clue where to start. He figured he’d just have to come out and say it, but how that would come up was a problem Phoenix didn’t quite have the solution for.
As Valant entered the visitor’s room, Phoenix resolved to just wing it and hope for the best.
The former magician sat at the other end of the glass partition, dressed in the same outfit Phoenix saw him in three years ago. In fact, were it not for the fact that Valant’s hair had greyed a bit more, Phoenix wouldn’t be sure if he had even aged.
“Well,” Valant said, “it seems history has repeated itself.”
Phoenix chuckled. “I… suppose it has.”
“I will say, you seem to have cleaned up since we last spoke,” Valant observed. “Switching out that raggedy hoodie for a magnificent suit… Why, it’s like you're a completely different person!”
Thanks for the reminder… Phoenix thought.
“And that badge on your lapel…” Valant continued. “It seems that trial has finally released its hold on you.”
“‘Finally’ is… pushing it, a bit,” Phoenix said, “but yes, I retook the bar a couple years ago. How have things been for you, Mr. Valant? You seemed to have hardly changed.”
“Physically, perhaps,” Valant said, “but ever since I accepted these shackles, my guilt has vanished. I… feel like a new man, to be truthful.”
I seem to distinctly recall you saying you had grown tired of vanishing acts, Phoenix thought, but I probably shouldn’t ruin the mood.
“When will you be released?” Phoenix asked. “I’m sure Trucy would love to see you again.”
Valant seemed genuinely shocked by Phoenix’s last remark. He looked away from Phoenix for a moment, deep in thought.
“…I shall be free of these shackles of the past in a month,” Valant answered. He looked back at Phoenix. “Tell me, Mr. Wright, how is she doing?”
“Trucy’s doing well,” Phoenix said. “Her shows have really started to take off, even with some… hiccups. But that was only once, as far as I’m aware.”
Probably shouldn’t mention that said “hiccup” was a murder during one of her shows that she got accused of…
Valant nodded. “…I am happy to hear it. Thank you, Mr. Wright, for taking care of her.”
“I see you made your peace with not having the performance rights.”
“I made my peace with that two years ago, Mr. Wright,” Valant countered. “Besides, even if the demon in my heart wanted to, I cannot do anything behind the confines of my cell.”
That is true…
“Now,” Valant continued, “to what do I owe you the pleasure?”
Phoenix took a deep breath. This was the moment he had been waiting for, as underprepared for it as he was.
“To start, I’d like to confirm something with you,” he began. “When I spoke to you last, you mentioned something before I left: that you and Mr. Zak never saw ‘her’ body.”
Valant hummed. “I do seem to recall saying something like that, yes. But what is your reasoning for bringing up that moment now?”
“You never did tell me who ‘her’ was,” Phoenix said. “And I know now who you were talking about. You were talking about Thalassa, weren’t you?”
There was silence for a moment.
“…I was,” Valant said. “It had been in the back of my mind ever since I met Lamiroir, but when you told me you met Zak when he was still alive… that was when I realized the possibility.” He tilted his head down. “But just as we never saw proof of her demise, I never saw proof of her still walking among us.”
“It’s funny you mention Lamiroir,” Phoenix said. “Did anything strike you as familiar about her? Anything that reminded you of Thalassa?”
Valant didn’t say anything for a few moments, deep in thought. Then, he blurted out, “…Her voice.”
“Her voice?” Phoenix asked. “What do you mean?”
“As… strange as this may sound to you, I recognized Lamiroir’s voice, even through her Borginian tongue,” Valant explained.
“You mean you knew it was Thalassa’s?”
“‘Knew’ is not quite the term I’d use,” Valant said. “I merely had the suspicion that I’d heard her voice somewhere before. But yes, I did think it was Thalassa’s.” He shook his head. “But, ultimately, Thalassa she was not. Even her proclivity for my grand illusion told me nothing.”
He returned his gaze to Phoenix. “…Why did you bring up Thalassa and Lamiroir, if I may ask? I can scarcely imagine a relation between the two.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Phoenix said.
“What?”
“This may come as a shock to you,” Phoenix continued, “but you were right to think that Thalassa may have survived her accident. In fact, I think you’ll find she was closer than you think.”
“Are you suggesting that Lamiroir is…?”
Phoenix nodded. “I am. Lamiroir and Thalassa Gramayre are one and the same.”
“And what proof do you have for such a claim?” Valant asked. “Believe me, Mr. Wright, I’d be overjoyed if it were true, but I’m not in the habit of accepting mere words alone.”
He wants proof?! Do I even have that on me right now?
Phoenix sat in silence for a moment, trying to think this through. He didn’t anticipate Valant to ask for proof. But even if he did anticipate it, there was still not much he could do – there wasn’t a lot of proof that Thalassa was Lamiroir beyond hearsay.
There was one thing, though, that could tie Lamiroir to Thalassa. He didn’t have it on him, but he had to try and hope Valant remembered.
“I don’t have any physical proof on me,” Phoenix admitted, “but I have something. Do you remember the bracelet Thalassa wore?”
“But of course,” Valant said. “I always saw her with at least one bracelet on. Before she left the Troupe, she wore two, you see. Though… I never did find out what happened to the other one.”
You’ll have to remain in the dark for a bit longer, I’m afraid.
“I know Lamiroir wore sleeves that covered her arms,” Phoenix said. “But was there ever a time, however short, where you caught even a glance of her right arm?”
Valant lowered his head in thought. “…There was one time, during a rehearsal for my illusion, where I caught a glimpse of it.”
“Did you see anything on her arm?” Phoenix asked. “Anything at all?”
Having to rely on Valant’s memory wasn’t ideal, and the silence that dragged on indicated to Phoenix that Valant was really struggling to remember. He did say that he only caught a glimpse of Thalassa’s arm, so odds were he probably didn’t even see her bracelet, which would force Phoenix back to the–
“A bracelet.”
Phoenix was snapped out of his thoughts by Valant’s voice. “A what?”
“My eyes caught sight of a bracelet on her arm,” Valant clarified. Then, after a moment of silence, he added, “I thought it impossible at the time.”
“What do you mean?”
“That bracelet… is a part of a grand Gramayre secret,” Valant said.
“You mean how those descended from the Gramayres can sense tension in others?” Phoenix said. “And how the bracelet you saw Lamiroir wearing helps in recognizing that tension?”
Valant leaned back in shock. “Wh–? How did you…?”
“Zak told me,” Phoenix said, “the night he died. Now, if you recognized that bracelet, then that means you’d seen it before, right?”
Valant nodded. “…I have, though I must confess, it was some time ago.” He paused for a moment before a realization hit him. “Wait, are you saying…?”
“By your own admission, you thought it was impossible for Lamiroir to have Thalassa’s bracelet,” Phoenix said. “A bracelet tied to the power of the Gramarye blood. So why would Lamiroir have Thalassa’s bracelet?”
Valant sat in silence for a few seconds, his head tilted down in thought. Then, he chuckled.
“…Of course,” he said. “It seems so obvious to me now. All the signs were there, and yet…”
“If it’s any consolation,” Phoenix said, “Thalassa – or Lamiroir – was suffering from memory loss when you met her. Even if you recognized her, she wouldn’t have seen you as anyone other than a stranger.”
“A stranger hired to help her with the illusion of teleportation,” Valant added. A beat passed. “…Where is she now?”
“She’s in the country,” Phoenix said. “From what she told me, she’s due for another performance in a couple days.”
Valant hummed. “A busy woman, I see.”
You have no idea…
A moment passed before Valant spoke again, his tone curious. “You mentioned that she told you about her next performance.”
Phoenix nodded. “I did.”
“Why would you be in contact with her, then?” Valant asked. “Unless… you wished to talk to her about Trucy?”
It’s… funny how close he is to being right, Phoenix said. At least now I can move to the next point I wanted to talk to him about.
“In a sense, yes,” Phoenix said.
“‘In a sense?’” Valant repeated.
“I do talk to Thalassa about Trucy,” Phoenix began. “Her and Apollo – you remember him, I’m sure – met her while investigating a case. You should know which case I’m talking about, because Trucy told me that they ran into you more than once.”
“I remember that quite well,” Valant said. “Fate brought me back to Trucy for the first time in seven years… and she was caught up investigating such an odious act. But for what reason are you bringing that up?”
“When Trucy and Apollo met Thalassa,” Phoenix said, “they, like you, didn’t know her real identity. In fact, they still don’t. They only know her as Lamiroir.”
Valant hummed. “And this is important because…?”
Alright, here goes…
“Before I get to that, I think some background is in order,” Phoenix began. “Thalassa only regained her memories a few months after the murder of her manager, during another murder trial. I knew by that point who ‘Lamiroir’ really was, and I also came to learn more about Thalassa herself – including from a reporter that I think you know quite well.”
“…A vague description alone is not enough, Mr. Wright,” Valant said. “I have spoken to the press and encountered more than enough reporters for one lifetime.”
“But this one you knew well,” Phoenix said. “As did Zak.”
Valant’s expression morphed into one of shock. “You met him?! That no-good, persistent smiler of a newsman?!”
Phoenix nodded. “I did. And while I was talking with him, Thalassa came up.”
“I would be astonished if she didn’t,” Valant said. “That man… he truly did not know when to stop. I thought for a time that he was consumed by that accident and nothing else.”
“Well, he told me something very interesting,” Phoenix said. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Thalassa had a child with her first husband.”
“Wh-what?!” Valant exclaimed. “Thalassa… had another child? Did Zak know?”
Phoenix shook his head. “I don’t believe he did. He seemed just as shocked when I showed him who her first child was as you are now. Though… I have to wonder if he was as shocked to learn that this other child wore a bracelet.”
“A ‘bracelet?’” Valant repeated.
“And not just any bracelet,” Phoenix continued. “This child… he was wearing the very same bracelet that Thalassa wears.”
“What?!” Valant yelled. “I-is that why she only had one after coming back?”
Phoenix nodded. “Zak had the same thought. She gave her bracelet to her other child sometime before she returned to the Troupe.”
Valant sat in silence, his head tilted downwards in thought. The silence dragged on for a few seconds before he spoke again.
“…I believe I have seen who has the other bracelet,” Valant said.
“You have?” Phoenix asked, even if he knew who Valant was going to name.
“When I was reunited with Trucy during the murder that took place during my great illusion, she was with that boy,” Valant said. “Apollo, I believe it was.”
I did tell you he was with her not even a few minutes ago…
“That boy…” Valant continued. “He had the bracelet. I remember it as clear as day.” He paused for a moment. “…So he was Thalassa’s other child.”
“He was,” Phoenix said. “Which, I’m sure you’ve realized, makes him Trucy’s brother.”
Valant chuckled. “And all this time, I had not a clue.”
“If it helps,” Phoenix said, “Apollo and Trucy don’t know either.”
“They don’t, do they?” Valant asked. “And why might that be?”
Phoenix took a deep breath. “I made a promise to Thalassa shortly after she regained her memory that, when she was ready, she could be the one to tell them. Until then, I’d keep their parentage a secret.”
“And how long ago was this?”
“Over two years ago,” Phoenix said. “So all this time, Trucy and Apollo had no idea that Lamiroir…”
“…was their mother,” Valant finished. He chuckled. “Fate truly is a curious thing, isn’t it? I had not a clue that Lamiroir was Thalassa, and those two still have yet to realize the truth themselves. And yet… that case reunited us all.”
“And at the time,” Phoenix added, “none of you were any the wiser.”
“Yet here you are, enlightening me as to the truth of the matter,” Valant said, “with Thalassa already enlightened. That leaves the last two of Gramarye blood.”
“Trucy and Apollo,” Phoenix said. He sighed. “Thalassa and I have been trying to get a meeting set up to tell them for about a year now.”
“By the tone of your voice,” Valant said, “I can already see that such attempts have been for naught.”
“Unfortunately.”
Valant hummed. “…Tell me, what is stopping you from simply telling them yourself?”
“I promised Thalassa,” Phoenix said. “She’s their mother, and so she should be the one to tell them both. At least… that’s what I thought.”
“You’re having doubts,” Valant said. It wasn’t a question.
As much as Phoenix didn’t want to admit it out loud, his patience was running thin. Apollo and Trucy had both been kept in the dark for years, and with Apollo being out of the country for decent stretches of time now, the prospect of ever getting a meeting set up with those two and Thalassa seemed unlikely at best.
“I… suppose I am,” Phoenix admitted. “I still want Thalassa to be the one to tell them, but I’d be lying if I said the thought of me being the one to tell them hadn’t crossed my mind.”
“Mr. Wright, I must commend you in your dedication to upholding Thalassa’s wishes,” Valant said. “All the same, don’t you feel as if the time has come for the curtain to be lifted on this secret?”
“What do you mean?”
“Trucy and Apollo, children of the great Thalassa Gramayre…” Valant mused. “And yet, both remain ignorant of this fact, and have for… how long was it? Three years?”
Phoenix nodded, though he didn’t know where Valant was going with this.
“As I said, I commend you for so valiantly upholding Thalassa’s wishes,” Valant continued. “But I must ask: do you believe it matters who reveals the truth? Do you believe it matters who lifts the curtain on perhaps the greatest secret in Trucy and Apollo’s lives?”
That… was something Phoenix admittedly hadn’t considered. He had been keeping Trucy and Apollo’s parentage a secret from them for years. While part of him was worried about how they’d react once the truth got out, it did bring up an interesting point, only reinforced by Valant’s line of reasoning – did it really matter who broke the news to them if there was a chance they’d get mad anyway?
He had dealt with an angry Apollo before – he hadn’t been hit as hard as he was when Apollo punched him in a long time, and he was a little surprised at the time that Apollo never hit him again. Trucy was a more… unique case. He hadn’t seen her ever get as mad as Apollo did when he told him the bloody ace was forged, but that didn’t mean she never got upset. She did have a tendency to hide her emotions, but Phoenix knew how she really felt, both with and without Athena’s Mood Matrix.
But he couldn’t even begin to envision how they’d react to the news of their shared parentage, whether it was Thalassa that told them or him. For now, though, he decided to push that thought aside.
“I suppose it doesn’t, does it?” Phoenix responded.
“…Mr. Wright,” Valant said. “I cannot say I envy you in this decision. It is one you seem to have been grappling with for some time, no?”
“I… suppose you could say that, yes,” Phoenix admitted.
“I cannot make this decision for you,” Valant said. “This decision is yours and yours alone to make. However, if I may make a suggestion…?”
“Go ahead.”
“Tell them,” Valant said.
Phoenix probably should’ve seen that coming based on what Valant said earlier, but to have it so bluntly said still left him shocked.
“Wh-what? But what about Thalassa?”
“No doubt she will be upset about you breaking your promise,” Valant said. “Yet you cannot let that deter you.” He paused for a moment, chuckling lightly. “She might even thank you for taking such a burden off her.”
That’s… not the reason why she hasn’t told them yet.
“And besides,” Valant continued, “I would say you have been more of a presence in Trucy’s life than Thalassa has by this point.”
He has a point there, Phoenix thought, his hand on his chin.
“So,” Valant continued, “have my words brought forth any wisdom upon you?”
“…They have, actually,” Phoenix said. “I know what I need to do now. Thank you.”
“But of course,” Valant said.
Phoenix checked the clock. Visitation hours were nearly over, and he had already been at the detention center far longer than he had intended.
“Well, I should probably get going,” Phoenix said. “It was good to speak with you again, Mr. Valant. And thank you again for your advice.”
Before Phoenix could get out of his chair, though, Valant spoke.
“Before you go,” he said, “might I make a request?”
Phoenix nodded, even if he was confused at what Valant could possibly have to request at this point. “Sure, go ahead.”
“Once these shackles finally release their grip on me,” Valant said, “I will be a free man once more. And once that happens, I wish, were it possible, to visit Trucy and Apollo. Will you grant me this request?”
“I… don’t think you needed to ask me that,” Phoenix said, “but I’ll see what I can do. At the very least, you should be able to visit Trucy.”
For your sake, hopefully Apollo’s still in the country by that point.
“Thank you,” Valant said. “And I thank you for having this talk with me.”
“Of course.”
With that, Phoenix stood up. The guard, noticing that he was finally done, approached Valant and led him away. With no further business left in the detention center, Phoenix turned and walked out, already running in his head all the various ways the inevitable talk he’d have with Trucy and Apollo would go.
But no matter how they reacted, and no matter whether or not Thalassa got angry at him for not letting her be the one to tell them, the truth needed to come out.
And Phoenix would make sure that it finally did.