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It started when Edgeworth adopted her. Informally, of course, but now, the paperwork was going through. The option for Kay to take Edgeworth as her last name was presented to her.
"I could take your last name?" She fiddled the pen in her hand.
Miles cleared his throat, "It's an open option. It's up to you, Kay."
"Hm."
So she checked the box and held onto the papers.
Kay started to wonder, who else's last name could she take? Her uncle's? Her adoptive brother's? Her aunt's?
After a long, totally extensive amount of research, there was nothing she couldn't exactly not change her last name to. Her options were really open.
And one of those options was hyphenating every last name she can get.
"Uncle Badd," Kay started, leaning into the visitor table, "How would you feel if I wanted to take your last name?"
Badd blinked twice, "Why?" He scratched his stubble, "Why would you want to take my last name? I would think you're content with Faraday."
"Oh I am!" Kay surrendered her hands, "I'd get it hyphenated. Faraday-Badd. How does that sound?"
"I still don't understand why you'd want my last name, let alone hyphenate it with yours."
"You're like my family!" She crossed her arms, "Please?"
"I wouldn't recommend it, kid."
"Can I do it anyways?"
"I still wouldn't recommend it."
"You didn't say no!"
She wrote his name down in her notebook.
Her hand held a tall ice cream cone, which she was attempting to devour before it melted onto her glove. Sebastian was trying to do the same, but it was a bit late for him. He was trying to clean his hands up from the melted ice cream.
"I've been meaning to bring this up, but, are you taking Mr. Edgeworth's last name?"
His attention peaked, "I'm hyphenating my name. Mr. Edgeworth said you were thinking about it?"
"I'm hyphenating mine too, but, I have a strange idea in mind," Kay smirked, remembering her devious plan.
"Hm?" Sebastian licked his ice cream.
"Can I take your last name too?"
He suddenly stopped eating to process her words. "Huh?"
"Can I hyphenate your last name with mine too?"
His eyes looked away from her, "I– Um–"
Kay laughed, "–You're like a brother to me, I thought I should ask,"
Sebastian seemed touched by her words, "I– I do?"
"Absolutely, I consider you like the brother I never had."
The young prosecutor tried to hold back what looked like overemotional sobs. Alas, Sebastian kept himself together a bit longer, "You'd want to do that?"
"I did ask if I could take your last name,"
"You'd seriously want to do that? I mean that much to you?"
As much as Sebastian questioned behind his tears, Kay persisted, "Absolutely."
"I– I–" He took a deep breath before composing himself once more, "If– If you really want to, I guess you can."
Kay grinned more, "Thanks Sebby."
She wrote his name in her notebook, right under Badd's.
"Would it be weird if I hyphenated my last name with yours?"
Von Karma's ear rings swung slightly as she quickly turned to Kay, "You want to hyphenate your last name with mine?"
"Yes, after all, you're basically my aunt now,"
Von Karma pointed her finger at Kay, "Shouldn't you be taking Miles Edgeworth's instead? He's the one legally adopting you, Miss Faraday,"
"Yeah, but yours is cooler," Kay snickered.
It took one moment before Von Karma processed the joke, "I believe you're correct, Miss Faraday, but what makes you want to hyphenate your last name with mine?"
Kay shrugged, "You're basically my aunt, I don't see why I shouldn't."
Von Karma scoffed, "The Von Karma name is of great prestige, Miss Kay Faraday, I hope you know."
"Oh, absolutely," Kay subtly nodded, agreeing.
"You have high standards to live up to if you decide to hyphenate my last name,"
Kay tilted her head, "Is that a yes to my question?"
"Miss Kay Faraday," Von Karma sighed, "I'm simply saying you have high standards if you decide to hyphenate my last name with yours."
"But if I don't mind taking those high standards–" Kay smirked, knowing she's won their game of conversation chess, "Can I hyphenate your last name with mine?"
Von Karma simply hmphed, "If you so wish."
Kay pulled out her notepad and wrote Von Karma's name under Sebastian's.
It was truly a beautiful wedding. Kay was surprised Edgeworth didn't close it off to a lot of them, alas, she stood there as one of Edgeworth's grooms-women.
As much as the wedding was possibly one of the best events she's ever gone to, and besides having some of the best food ever, Kay was astonished to hear that Edgeworth would be hyphenating his last name to Wright-Edgeworth. Was she thinking of the same person? Miles Edgeworth? Hyphenating his last name to Miles Wright-Edgeworth? It seemed out of character for him. Then again, it was painfully obvious that he was deeply in love with this strange man.
She already knew and figured it out. Overheard the stories Edgeworth was telling. Phoenix Wright? The man Edgeworth was finally marrying? He's been That Man all along. Today just confirmed it.
Now that Edgeworth's last name was Wright-Edgeworth, Kay felt obligated to ask. Ask the question that she's been pestering her chosen family with. And now that Wright– or Wright-Edgeworth was marrying Edgeworth– or Wright-Edgeworth, god damn it– it's only polite she asks to hyphenate his name with hers and Edgeworth's original last name.
Simply, she was going to ask the original Wright permission to hyphenate her last name with his new last name.
When she saw Wright alone, at least not busy talking with either Edgeworth or other guests, Kay made her way over to him, "So, now that you're marrying Mr. Edgeworth..."
"Oh?" Wright turned to her, keeping his warm smile, "What– What about our marriage?" He clearly seemed nervous. Kay couldn't tell why.
"Can I hyphenate my name with both of yours?"
He was caught off-guard, but also put at ease ever so slightly. "Well, Kay– I hope you don't mind me calling you that now– you'd have to ask Miles if you could take his last name first–"
Kay interrupted him, "–He said I could take his when he adopts me."
"Seriously?"
Kay nodded.
"Well then– I guess– Um– I'm not going to stop you, but don't feel obligated to anything," Wright surrendered and waved his hands.
"Of course, of course."
Kay grinned as she pulled out her notepad from her bag alongside her pen, to write down Wright's name on the list. But now she had to figure out if she should hyphenate both of their last names in the notepad.
It was going to be a simple conversation. Hell, it wasn't even going to be a conversation, it was going to be a phone call. Technically, it still counts.
"Hi Gummy!" Her voice chimed, happy that Gumshoe had picked up the other end.
"Hiya pal!" Gumshoe chuckled for a moment, "What makes you call me at this hour? You need some advice on a case?"
"Oh, actually, I wanted to ask you something," Kay leaned into her phone a little more, "Could I hyphenate my last name with yours?"
Gumshoe laughed a bit more before Kay's silence confirmed that she was serious. His laughter reduced immensely as he answered, "You'd want to do that, pal?"
"You're like, another uncle to me," She twirled a bit of her hand with her finger, "Please, Gummy? Could I hyphenate your last name with mine?"
Utter silence. Gumshoe was thinking, for once.
"Have at it! It'd be nice to have another Gumshoe other than good o' me,"
Kay childishly giggled, celebrating another 'yes' to her question. She wrote his name down under Wright-Edgeworth, the original Wright's, name.
The court hearing date occurred. Kay could finally take on the many, many last names.
Interestingly enough, Justine Courtney was in charge of this hearing. Perhaps when she saw Kay's name– and new requested name– Courtney wanted to look over the process herself.
"Miss Kay Faraday, you wish for your new name to be, and I repeat as best as I can pronounce, Kay Faraday-Badd-Debeste-Wright-Edgeworth-Gumshoe Von Karma. Did I read that correctly?"
Kay eagerly nodded, "You read that correctly."
Courtney looked over to the documents and back to Kay, "And what makes you desire to hyphenate your original last name–" she counted each individual last name, "–Five times, technically six?"
"Personal preference," Kay stated. She didn't need to provide an explanation beyond that.
The truth was that– honestly– she truly did see each of them as her family. So she wanted to take every one of their last names. As one of her ways of love.
"I don't think– Well there's–" Courtney was confused, slightly lost on what to do, "–At this point, you might as well take my last name too," Courtney laughed.
Then it hit Kay. A brilliant idea.
"Could you sign off on the papers if I add your last name?"
"Huh?"
Kay repeated her statement, "Could you sign off on the papers if I hyphenated your last name too?"
Courtney looked through the rest of the courtroom. Whoever was there remained silent. How were they supposed to react to Kay wanting six hyphenated last names and her own? Surprised? Shocked? Concerned?
"I believe you can hyphenate your last name to–" Courtney squinted to read the paper again, "–Faraday-Badd-Debeste-Wright-Edgeworth-Gumshoe Von Karma. There are no laws against having such an extensive last name."
"May I see my decree again?"
"You may," Courtney handed over the paper officializing Kay's soon-to-be last name.
Kay pulled a pen from her pocket. The sound of chicken scratch on the table from the pen could be heard. Kay handed back the paper.
Courtney skimmed the paper before lowering it from her gaze, "What exactly did you change?"
Kay only grinned ear to ear. The judge scanned the decree again.
"Faraday-Badd-Debeste-Wright-Edgeworth-Gumshoe-Courtney Von Karma–" Courtney read out loud, "I was only joking?"
"Well, now I want to change my last name to Faraday-Badd-Debeste-Wright-Edgeworth-Gumshoe-Courtney Von Karma," Kay rubbed the itch below her nose, "If you could please grant my decree,"
Courtney sighed. She grabbed the pen on her desk and read through all of the documents again, "Miss Faraday, I assume you have no intention of dropping any of your hyphenated last names?"
"Yes, your honor, I do want all of my last names in my decree to be hyphenated after my own, in the order requested."
"And you have proof that each of these people, not including myself, have given you permission for you to hyphenate their family names?"
"Verbally, yes."
"Well then, Miss Faraday," Courtney corrected each of the documents by hand, "I'll grant you your decree."
Kay's eyes lit up at the remark. As Courtney went on about the legal stuff about her new last name, Kay was thinking about when to get her passport and driver's license renewed and corrected.
This was hilarious.
Gumshoe scrambled to the front door of Edgeworth's office, "Edgeworth!"
In unison, Kay and Edgeworth stood up, "Yes?"
The prosecutor looked over to Kay, "I'm sure Gumshoe meant me,"
"Did he though?"
His cold gray eyes pierced through her, "Kay,"
"Hey!" Kay pulled her wallet from her front pocket, pointing to the printed last name on her driver's license, "My last name is Edgeworth too!"
Gumshoe sounded like a lost puppy, "Um, sir?"
Edgeworth groaned, "One moment! Miss Faraday thought you called her,"
"She did?"
"Yes, Gumshoe," Edgeworth took off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "I'll be with you in a moment."
Kay cheekily smiled, "I'm right here though," she responded, pointing to the respective last name again on her license.
Kay Faraday-Badd-Debeste-Wright-Edgeworth-Gumshoe-Courtney Von Karma. She was so proud of it.
The prosecutor picked up some files on his desk before trotting over to Kay. "How long are you going to confuse everyone with your myriad of last names?"
Her cheeks hurt because of how much she was smiling. She loved messing with everyone. She loved the long, extensive last name of Faraday-Badd-Debeste-Wright-Edgeworth-Gumshoe-Courtney Von Karma.
"A while."