Chapter Text
Even the first day of the investigation feels like eternity. The investigation drags while the panic in the back of Phoenix's mind threatens to catch up with him. He just has to push through, get as much as possible done, prove Edgeworth's innocence. No big deal.
It doesn't help that Edgeworth seems determined not to let them help either. Even though every other defense attorney turned him down already.
"You in particular I cannot ask to do this." He says while staring into Phoenix, with a gaze that could silence an entire courtroom.
At least Gumshoe is on their side, that's a nice change of pace amidst the chaos. He shows them a picture of the victim and that's when they get their first clue something more is happening here.
"Could you show me the picture of the victim?" She asks, she looks at it like the man in the picture was going to suddenly come to life and talk to them..
"Someone you know?" Phoenix prompts.
"I... I don't know" She hands the picture back "I just have this weird feeling that I met him somewhere a long time ago."
They talk with Lotta, a southern photographer camping out by the lake where it all happened. She has a lot of heart, maybe not a lot of brains. She seems a bit too eager to be a part of a case like this. The sort of enthusiasm that only comes from too many detective novels and tv crime dramas.
They talk with Larry, who apparently has yet another job and yet another girl. Phoenix has to break the news that Edgeworth was arrested.
"Why would Larry know Edgeworth?" Maya asks him.
"Woah, Nick!" Larry finally connects the dots "You don't mean that Edgeworth?! Old Edgey?!"
"Yeah. He's a murder suspect." He states it like a fact. That's what it is, a fact. It tastes bad in his mouth.
Before Larry gets even two secounds to register the words, Maya turns to him. "Huh? You know Mr. Edgeworth, Larry?"
"Edgey was in the same class as us in grade school." The words hit Maya like a bomb.
"Whaaaaaat!!?"
Larry reminisces a bit more, about 'old Edgey' and how he always wanted to be a defense lawyer like his dad. Maya looks like someone just told her gravity wasn't real. Jaw slack and brows furrowed. Phoenix isn't fully listening anymore.
The conversation turns to the local lake monster after a bit, they ask to take the newspaper Larry showed them.
"That'll be one million dollars!" Larry says with his best costumer service smile.
Phoenix promptly snatches it from his hand.
The picture Maya reacted to is apparently a lawyer Mia used to work with. This leads them to Grossberg and it only gives them more questions. The mans name is Robert Hammond. A defense attorney in the DL-6 case.
DL-6, Misty Fey, Gregory Edgeworth. More points pinned on an imaginary cork board. It gives them a lot of questions, not a lot of answers.
Eventually they end up back at the detention center, holding a photo of Maya's dead mother, about to ask Edgeworth about his dead father. It has barely been a few hours since they started investigating and somehow this is where Phoenix finds himself.
"Will we ever have a normal case?" He wonders out loud while they wait for the guards to let them in to the visitor's room.
"Probably not" Maya shrugs.
"How are you doing with this so far? Didn't think , uh.. all that would be brought up" He looks at the girl sitting next to him. No doubt this is starting to hit a bit too close to home.
"I'm fine." She doesn't look at him. "So... You used to know Edgeworth?" A sharp topic change.
"Yeah, like Larry said, used to be in the same class"
"Come on, Nick. You gotta give me something more. Why didn't you tell m-" He's saved from answering by a door opening and a guard motioning them in.
Edgeworth is sat on the other side of the glass, looking just the same as they left him. They show him the picture, he looks shocked. The most open display of emotion he's seen from the man this entire day.
Fuck, alright, now how to adress the dead dad thing.
"About the 'DL-6 incident'." Phoenix begins, hoping desperately that he won't have to say much more.
"Right, DL-6." There's a pause. A breath. "The DL-6 incident... was when my father died. Right before my eyes..."
A case where there was only one suspect, a case where they turned to a spirit medium, a case where Robert Hammond cleared the suspects name. The DL-6 incident happened fifteen years ago. December twenty eight is when the statue of limitations runs out. Another few points to the cork board. The red thread is weaving tightly around the pins.
Edgeworth's memories about it all are a bit foggy, some sort of trauma response no doubt. Upon finding out Misty Fey was Maya's mom, he gives her a sympathetic look. The fact that this is a much bigger web than anyone first thought is becoming abundantly clear. Maya tries to ask about his dad, it gets shut down pretty quick.
"Wright." The grey haired man looks to the side. "It pains me to ask you this now..." He trails off, luckily Maya picks up where he left off.
"I know! You want us to defend you!"
"Yes... Will you?"
"This is my chance to pay you back. How could I refuse you, Edgeworth?" He says it with a smile.
"Thank you, Wright."
Maya looks between the two of them and it seems like she may have figured something out of her own. He'll have to ask her about it later.
Just as they're about to leave, the entire building begins to shake. The ground below them shivers like it too is effected by the slight december cold. It's a fairly big earthquake and makes everyone stop in their tracks. Then just as soon as it started it stops.
He looks to Maya who has her arms spread for balance, she's okay.
He looks to Edgeworth, only to find him gone.
"Where's Edgeworth?"
"He's on the floor in a ball, shivering." Maya points at the pile of mostly magenta fabrics that is the prosecutor.
He's curled in on himself, arms gripping the fabric on his suit like a lifeline. His eyes are tearing up and he seems to be hyperventilating. He looks so small and so frail. Suddenly he's not the 'demon' prosecutor. Suddenly he's just Miles.
The guards standing in there don't react much, no one moves to help him.
"I guess he doesn't do so well with earthquakes." Maya says, understatement of the century in Phoenix's humble opinion.
The prosecutor seems to be mumbling something to himself, impossible to hear at this distance. The guards don't move.
"Let's go Nick!"
"Uh.. right"
They have a letter to deliver, and if Edgeworth's afraid of earthquakes then that's not gonna stop them. Surely he'll be fine.
Neither Phoenix nor Maya sees how the man flinches as if shot when the door to the visitor's room slams shut.
Lotta's going to enhance the photo, because apparently that's something she can do. The other witness cancelled, which apparently is something they can do. It doesn't make much sense, but they don't have the time nor energy to ask around about that right now.
"You guys feel that earthquake a little while back?" Gumshoe asks. "I was worried!"
"Worried? We're fine! I've lived out here my whole life. I'm pretty used to them by now." Maya says.
The detective rubs his neck. "Oh, I wasn't worried about you two." He explains. "I was worried about Mr. Edgeworth!"
That makes more sense.
"He did seem to over-react a little" Phoenix says after a moment.
"Yeah, it was a pretty big quake and I doubt he had the sense to ask anyone to bring Pess when he got arrested."
"Pess?" Maya tilts her head.
"His dog. His service dog, she's supposed to help 'im with these sorts of things" Gumshoe starts rambling and Phoenix get's the sense that they're not supposed to know about this.
"I mean not that he knew there was gonna be an earthquake, but he got arrested! That's a pretty high stress situation so you'd think he'd want me to bring her, you know. She's good with that anxiety stuff."
"Why have we never seen his dog in court? Aren't service dogs supposed to be with you at all times?" Maya prompts.
"Now this really isn't my place to say-" It really isn't, thinks Phoenix. "so you gotta ask Edgeworth about it" Yeah, not a conversation to have without him present- "But, if you ask me. He's confident in court and says he doesn't need her when he's there. But pal, I'm telling you, he's just stubborn. I think he doesn't want people to see him as weak."
It makes a strange amount of sense. Edgeworth is a very private person, doesn't want to leave himself open to anything or anyone these days. A bit of a contrast from the little boy Phoenix knew who would constantly talk about his dad, his plans for the future, and his interests in silly tv shows.
Come to think of it, he's found out more about Edgeworth these past few hours than he has in years.
Eventually they part ways with the detective.
"I wonder what it is with Mr. Edgeworth and earthquakes." Maya says as they're walking out the police station.
"I wonder..." Phoenix agrees. "He was never that scared of them when he was in school."
Manfred Von Karma is an intimidating man. Bossing people around like he owns them. The judge under his thumb and the courtroom in his hand. The trial is stressful and only made worse by the fact they can't call upon Mia.
The moment Von Karma opens his mouth Phoenix understands what Edgeworth meant by 'a god among prosecutors.'
When the first ten minute recess is called - by Von Karma himself nonetheless - Phoenix feels like he's run a marathon.
Edgeworth stands in the defendant lobby, now accompanied by the dog Phoenix met a few weeks ago. She's putting herself like a barrier between her owner and the world. She wears that same vest and when Phoenix and Maya walk up she stands rigid between them and their defendant.
"Sei nett," He says something, in what's maybe german, and the dog immediately looks a bit calmer. Still standing in front of him, but not looking like she's ready to bite.
Maya still can't contact Mia, it seems to be weighing on her more than he realized.
"I need you here" he says "You do help out, doesn't matter if you can't talk to Mia right now. You help with cases like these and you even help with my stupid art projects. That's not nothing." She doesn't seem convinced. If anything she looks more out of it.
Edgeworth, known spirit skeptic, seems to be a bit out of his dept with this conversation. He just sort of looks between the two and awkwardly clears his throat. Pess paws at him.
"Hey uh Edgeworth, does that mean anything?" Phoenix motions towards the dog. Said dog has walked over and is now pawing at Maya while looking at Edgeworth in the eyes.
"Usually she does that when I'm, um... " He looks at the dog and refuses to meet anyone's eyes "indisposed." is what he finally lands on. "She does that when I need to calm down, a motion for me to sit down and-" He finally looks over at Maya properly.
Phoenix looks as well, she's staring into the distance not really moving. Her shoulders shake a bit, she's trying to hide it but it's easy to see once you look closely.
"Miss Fey" Edgeworth cuts through the silence, but gets no reaction. "Miss Fey" He tries again.
"Maya." That gets the slightest hint of a response. Her eyes dart towards him and he bends down a little so he's not towering over the girl. "Can you do me a favor and follow me to the couch? I need you to sit down." It's calmer and more gentle than Phoenix has seen him.
"Oh, uh yeah" says Maya without really moving. Phoenix watches as Edgeworth guides her to one of the couches and how Pess jumps up and puts her entire weight on Maya's lap.
She sits like that for a few minutes just petting the dog absentmindedly.
"She usually doesn't alert to other people that much." Edgeworth tells him as they stand there. "Sometimes she does that exact thing with my sister though. Paws me, then her, and stares at me as if trying to say 'fix this." Maya's face is buried in fur.
"What is she alerting for?" Phoenix takes a risk asking.
"...She's a PTSD and anxiety service dog," Stated like he's reading off a script, an answer rehearsed from previous interactions with nosy people perhaps.
"Most likely Miss Fey was showing symptoms of either a panic attack or a flashback. Maybe Pess just sensed she was needed. She is admittedly much better with peoples emotions than myself."
"She's a good dog."
"Indeed."
Soon their ten minutes are up and the trial continues. Von Karma is as ruthless as before, maybe even more so. He metaphorically backs Phoenix into a corner. No way out, nothing to turn against the prosecutor, nothing to prove Edgeworth's innocence.
Maya yells at Lotta, she stands up and slams her hands on the desk like Mia would. She ignores the judge much like Von Karma did earlier. More than that, she gets her answer.
She gets thrown in contempt of court, Phoenix gets to cross examine Lotta again, they get their opening.
"Tell her something from me." Edgeworth grabs at his own suit jacket.
"Tell her..." There's a long pause as he stews over the words. "Tell her to watch what she says in court." He's fooling no one.
Maya sitting behind that glass really shouldn't be as familiar a sight as it is.
"Why'd you do that anyways?" Phoenix asks.
Maya looks down. "I don't know." Suddenly the floor is more interesting than Phoenix. "I... just knew I had to do something. I know I'm not the lawyer my sister was..."
So that's what this was all about.
"You did save the trial." He remarks "Any luck with Mia...?"
"None, can't get through to her at all." To anyone else it would sound like they're talking about a phone call. He wonders vaguely what the guards think they're on about. "I tried, I really did!" Maya continues "I don't know what to do... I think I probably shouldn't have stopped my training."
She really did do her best, maybe he should check if there are any waterfalls in the local area. Maybe they could take a trip after this case is over, some sort of spiritual retreat- literally.
"I wonder if I'll ever see my sister again." Maya says it so quietly that he probably wasn't meant to actually hear it.
"I'm sure you will. Sometimes you just end up in a rut with these things."
"How would you know?"
"Well, it's kinda like art-block right?" Admittedly not the best comparison, but he's working with what he got. "Sometimes no matter how much you try to force yourself to do something, especially something you're supposed to be good at, it just doesn't work. You gotta take some time off and do other things. Come back to it later and it'll work eventually."
"When did you get so smart? Who are you and what have you done with Nick?" She smiles a bit as she points an accusatory finger at him through the glass.
"Ha-ha. God forbid I try to be nice to you" He's also smiling.
"But this is like the worst time to get spirit channeling art-block."
"Spirit-block." He says it with a straight face, it lasts about two seconds before they're both giggling.
"I just feel sorta useless you know." She mutters. "I'm a spirit medium who can't channel spirits. That's like my entire thing!" She throws her arms up in the air and the shitty metal stool she's sitting on makes a screeching noise in protest.
"You're also a co-counsel who saved the trial. You looked at the scariest man I've ever seen and metaphorically spit in his face! I'd say that's pretty good." He looks at her in earnest "You're not useless, Maya. You literally help me every day, and even if that wasn't the case I doubt you'd be useless. Your worth isn't defined by your spirit channeling."
"You are uncharacteristically wise today. Maybe that old age is finally good for something."
"I'm literally in my twenties."
"And?"
"Shut up!" He sputters.
Apparently they'll let her go after questioning, if someone can pay the bail. So that's both a solution and a problem. God she's gonna drag him into debt.
Edgeworth covers the entire bail amount so less than an hour later Maya is free to go. More determined than ever to see the case to completion.
Investigating and monster hunting goes fairly smoothly at first and they get to borrow a police dog, a fishing rod, and a metal detector. Missile, the dog, is very cute. Not very helpful, but he boosts morale. It's the same dog from the picture in Gumshoe's wallet.
The metal detector is a lot more helpful. Larry was on the lake the night of the murder, Gourdy is just an inflatable Steel Samurai figure, and the next witness is just an old man in a boat shop.
The man is a bit out of it to say the least. Neither he nor his Parrot seem to be much help. Then Polly mentions DL-6 and the door locks behind them as they exit. Suddenly everything comes back to that incident. Red thread connecting at one point. DL-6.
The records room is dusty and the file looks like it hasn't been touched in years. The elevator murder, Yanni Yogi, the earthquake, Miles. Jigsaws falling into place. Still it just adds more questions, more pieces.
The second trial is just as nerve wracking as the first. Von Karma seems offended Phoenix even dares cross examine the witness. Maya is fuming next to him as the judge declares Edgeworth guilty.
Then a familiar voice rings over the courtroom. Larry, their knight in ... well not exactly shining armor, but still. The gunshot on almost Christmas! The third shot. Another unaccounted for bit of evidence.
Von Karma grabs at his own suit coat as Phoenix explains the crime wasn't on the boat. Maya looks at him with wide eyes as he explains that the old man was the murderer and the step by step of how it happened. Von Karma looks as though he wants to jump over his desk and grab Phoenix by the neck.
Only one problem. The witness is gone.
A nightmare. That's all it is. That's all this case has been. A nightmare.
"That's why you became a defense attorney!? To meet Edgeworth!?"
"Okay when you put it like that it sounds a bit extreme."
"A bit?" Maya asks "You couldn't get in contact with him so you decided to become a lawyer. You went to law school for a man, Nick!"
"It's kinda romantic bro" Larry chimes in
"It's not like that!" Probably not his best defense.
"It totally is!" Maya argues "You fucking, Elle Woods-ed that shit"
"That's not a verb."
"What, did you learn that in law school? The same Law school you went to for a man." Maya's hand is planted on her hip as she looks at him with disbelief.
"I didn't just want to be a lawyer to meet him, your sister was also one of the reasons I went"
"Dude. You're like, bisexual Elle Woods." Larry says it like he's discovered a new periodic element.
"No I meant she inspired me when-" He tries to argue, but Maya is practically on the floor laughing already.
They go to meet and talk with Edgeworth for a bit before continuing on to the boat house. Grossberg is there for some reason. Polly has been left behind. There's a letter in the safe, a step by step instruction on how to commit the same murder they're investigating. How to get revenge on Miles Edgeworth. It's a valuable piece of evidence, it also makes Phoenix feel sick.
They bring it up with Edgeworth himself. He figures the old man might be Yogi. Another thread on their godforsaken imaginary cork board that leads back to DL-6.
Edgeworth tells them about a nightmare. That's all it is, a nightmare.
"Maybe it was I who killed my father." He gives Phoenix a look, looking deep into his eyes as if he's searching for some sort of answer within them.
"What!?" Maya says.
"If you think about it that way, this letter makes sense." Unfortunately it kind of does, but Edgeworth couldn't have killed his dad. Right?
"I was the true criminal of DL-6. I shot my father!" Edgeworth says it like the murder confession that it is. It hangs heavy in the air. Neither Maya nor Phoenix fully prepared to believe it.
Phoenix isn't exactly proud of what he did. Provoking someone who probably orchestrated a murder is not one of his best moments. It felt good to shove that paper in Von Karma's face though, to point how much they knew and how they had proof.
It felt good for all of three seconds... till the stun gun came out.
First Mr. White had punched him, then Vasquez threatened him with the mob, now Von Karma with the stun gun. He really should invest in some better health insurance at this point.
But not only him, Maya had jumped the old man and gotten hit straight in the chest she had- ... Maya!
"Maya!" Electricity still buzzing in his ears, his heartbeat echoing too quickly through his body, he looks over at the teenager. Her eyes are still squeezed shut. She's folded in on herself and lays there rigid. Grabbing her shoulders and shaking her awake gets a whimper out of her. Luckily she doesn't seem too hurt, but she looks up at him with tears in her eyes.
"The letter! Did he take it?"
"Huh, oh yeah" Why was she asking about that? That didn't matter right now. "Are you okay!?"
"I... I couldn't stop him." She looks at him and then quickly down at the floor. "I jumped as fast as I could, but one shot from that thing knocked me out cold." It's like she was trying to explain that she didn't mean to break something of his, apologizing for doing something wrong, rather than literally jumping a man holding a stun gun in order to save him. "I'm useless."
"Maya..." He tries to figure out how to even begin the sentence, but she continues on.
"I'm no good as a lawyer, or a medium! I can't even call my sister." They're both sitting on the floor in the evidence locker. She reaches one hand up to wipe away tears and Phoenix reaches over to put a hand on her shoulder. "Not even now when we need her the most."
Phoenix wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer.
"Hey, come on. Maya, this is in no way your fault." She leans her head on his shoulder and just sort of sobs. "He had a literal stun gun, this is in no way your fault. It was a bit reckless to try and jump him like that, but not your fault." He repeats it a few more times while rubbing circles on her back.
"I wish I hadn't woken up at all." She says into his suit jacket, and something in him breaks.
It all finally comes crashing down for them both. This case really is just a nightmare.
"You're not useless, Maya." She doesn't respond so he says it again. "You're not useless."
That's when he sees it, Maya's left hand - the one still somewhat cramping from the onslaught of electricity - is tightly wrapped around something. "Can I see that?" He shimmies a bit to the side and she holds out her hand. A bullet. A singular piece of evidence from the DL-6 incident.
The gears turn in his head, somehow he knows that this is important. Somehow he knows Maya has just saved the case. He'll prove it to her. He will prove it to her tomorrow in court!
They make their way back to the office, his apartment is too far away and honestly he needs to read up on everything he has about this case for tomorrow. Maya doesn't say much, just plops down on the couch. He swears he feels a small electric shock as he hands her some takeout he ordered. She eats in silence as he gathers his notes, scribbling furiously throughout the evening. Eventually he sees her asleep on the couch, the same couch he placed her on after she fainted when Mia died. He puts his suit jacket on her like a blanket before going back to the desk. For once he's sort of thankful that he works best with short deadlines.
Judgement day.
December twenty eighth, fifteen years after DL-6, and the last day of court.
Maya seems to be feeling a bit better at least, meanwhile Edgeworth is pacing the defendants lobby like he's trying to dig a hole in the carpet. Gumshoe seems equally nervous, but also gives phoenix a pat on the shoulder that's probably supposed to be comforting. It just ends up throwing him off balance.
The trial is hectic. He feels like he's in a boxing ring rather than a courtroom. He knew who did it, just not how to prove it. The old man doesn't even have fingerprints to look up, because why would he!? He gets the parrot to testify, which may just be up there in the list of stupidest things that he's ever done. Still it pays off.
Yogi confesses. The murder, the letter, his plan for revenge, everything. Everything except one thing, but it doesn't matter. A full confession. Phoenix feels himself slump in relief as the 'Not Guilty' verdict echoes through the room. Miles Edgeworth is an innocent man once more.
"OBJECTION!"
Fuck.
Miles Edgeworth's voice cuts through the silence like a knife. A somber look in his eyes as he explains his guilt. As he tells them of his nightmare. For that's all it is, Phoenix is sure of it, a nightmare.
A five minute recess is called, five minutes till Phoenix has to do it all over again. He'll prove Miles Edgeworth is innocent! Even if the man himself doesn't believe it.
The real fight is just about to begin.
Von Karma once again has an air of control around him. Like he knew what was going to happen before Edgeworth himself did.
Pess was pawing at Edgeworth, wanting him to sit down, it was clear to Phoenix even at this distance that the man was incredibly stressed. He didn't need a dog to tell him Edgeworth was on the verge of a panic attack.
Originally the judge didn't want to allow the dog up to the witness stand, weirdly enough it was Von Karma who was adamant about letting her accompany her owner.
He said something about them 'Already allowing a parrot to testify' and how 'it would be foolish not to allow the witness his literal service dog.' Edgeworth had sent the man a grateful nod and that was that.
Pess was trying to do her jobb, but clearly no one was listening so eventually she just lays at his feet.
Cross-examining a man already convinced of his own guilt is difficult, but the more he pressed on the more things seemed to contradict each other. Just like any other case, find the flaws, point them out, make the connections.
It all comes down to a single unaccounted for clue. A bullet. A bullet that magically disappeared off the crime scene. A bullet that is of no use unless he can prove where it is. Phoenix and Maya whisper to each other, but reach nothing. The judge asks Edgeworth, he has nothing.
It's just like Phoenix's first day in court. So much he should be saying, but not managing to string the words together like he needs to. He needs to do something.
He objects.
The second bullet. It must exist. Like a voice inside his head, something resonant and far away. Did he zone out? Did Maya say something? No, no she didn't.
The second bullet must exist? But where!?
Someone took it. There it is again!
The back and forth continues. Occasional that voice chimes in and he listens.
It all comes down to that bullet. Von Karma's slowly loosing control of the courtroom.
Maya realizes it before he does- the vacation. Von Karma.
The fucking metal detector.
Phoenix has never been so thankful for Gumshoe and that fucking metal detector. He sees the disbelief on the prosecutors face when he slams it down on the bench. The emotion is quickly covered by panic. He gets to wave the machine in front of that petty old man, lo and behold, it beeps.
It all comes down to that bullet. The same one Maya grabbed.
Not Guilty!
Maya is ecstatic in the defendant lobby. Miles looks shocked, but still happy. Phoenix feels like he just experienced all the fifteen years between DL-6 and now in one moment.
"I... I'm not sure how to say this." Miles begins awkwardly.
"I know! I know! Try 'Thank you'" Maya's smiling smugly. Back to her usual self.
"I... I see." There's something very endearing about watching him like this. Who thought the demon prosecutor could ever looks so out of his depth? "Th- Thank you, Wright."
"Y-you're welcome" He allows himself a moment to poke fun at him. He feels as though a weight has been lifted off his shoulder that he wasn't aware of. It's been weighing him down since he saw the news of Miles getting arrested.
Miles? When did Edgeworth become Miles?
"I think you could have done better than that" Maya points out.
M- Edgeworth makes a noise, almost like it pains him physically to be put on the spot like this. "Sorry... I'm not good at this sort of thing."
"You got a lot to learn, Edgeworth!" She got him there.
Detective Gumshoe makes his entrance with a loud "Woooo!" Putting one arm around Edgeworth and the other around Phoenix. Pess immediately starts trying to buffer him away, but Edgeworth is quick to reassure her. The bumbling detective is hugging them both in the most awkward way possible. Maya takes her chance to complete the group-hug-circle they've found themselves in. Edgeworth freezes up like he doesn't know what to do, but just let's it happen. Phoenix finds himself just smiling.
Eventually they let go and Gumshoe hugs Edgeworth, Phoenix is pretty sure the prosecutors feet leave the ground as he hears a huff. "Alright, alright. Detective, that's enough."
Detective Gumshoe offers to pay for dinner. Phoenix wonders vaguely if Edgeworth will pay him, unlike some of his other clients.
"See, Mr. Edgeworth? You should take a lesson from Detective Gumshoe!" Maya says with a smirk "That's how you say 'Thank you'"
"Hmm. I... I see." He clears his throat "Whoooop!" It's not as enthusiastic as the detective's. It also doesn't sound right coming from the grey haired man. It falls flat and Phoenix sees Miles put his head in his hands. "I... I feel foolish."
"Don't worry. Take it a little at a time, you'll get used to it!" Maya pats him awkwardly on the back, which doesn't do much to ease his embarrassment. God, it's been so long since Phoenix has seen him this unguarded. Fifteen years to be precise.
More people start piling into the lobby and a bit of that guard goes back up. Lotta comes in talking about how he knew Edgeworth was innocent. A lie if Phoenix has ever heard one. Then Larry comes running in, tears streaming down his face looking devastated. Something about his girlfriend leaving him.
Then he hands Edgeworth an envelope containing exactly thirty eight dollars...
"Larry Butz, you are dead to me."
"C'mon man! I literally paid him back!"
"Dead to me!... Edgeworth you didn't know, did you?"
"I suspected." There's a small smile on the prosecutors face. "I just couldn't picture Larry protecting you like he did that day. Everyone else was saying you did it. The whole class was against you, remember?"
"Yeah... Too well."
"You may not know this Wright, but we had a saying back in school. 'When something smells it's usually the Butz.'"
"I know, I know." He's still glaring at Larry.
"Really, Wright. I'm surprised you didn't figure it out."
"Well this sure is an unexpected turn of events, huh." Larry's smiling brightly like he did nothing wrong.
"Edgeworth. You should have told me!"
"Now, Now, Nick. It was fifteen years ago!" Maya states "Don't you think the 'Statute of limitations' has run out, Mr. Edgeworth?"
"I'd say so, yes."
Phoenix takes a moment to look at the three of them. "You are all dead to me. Don't expect me to defend any of you next time you get in trouble." Despite himself, he is smiling fondly. "Where does that leave me, huh? I literally became a defense attorney because of what you two did!"
"Well... not only that..." Maya begins. He steps on her foot to make her shut up "Hey!"
"Oh yeah!" Larry chimes in. "Our own Elle Woods!"
Luckily Edgeworth is used to ignoring the weird things Larry says. So instead he just comments. "Well, you have always been something of an insufferable emotionalist."
"Yeah! And you get worked up too easily too!" Larry continues.
"D-Death! The death sentence for both of you!" Phoenix points a finger at them, Maya laughs at him in the background. "Man, if only I'd known, I'd have become a prosecutor!"
"Same goes for me, only the other way around..." Edgeworth adds thoughtfully. "For the longest time, I thought I might have killed my own father. I thought I might be a criminal." He pauses. "I became a prosecutor in part to punish myself. If I had known the truth, I might have become a defense attorney after all."
The room suddenly felt a bit smaller. "Edgeworth..."
"Want to switch, Wright?"
Lotta takes a photo of them all together. Gumshoe takes them out for dinner, though Edgeworth was still in detention, they manage to get him out a few hours later. Edgeworth ends up paying for a dinner he wasn't even part of. A late Christmas gift for Gumshoe, he says as they walk out into the december evening.
"Nick, we never got to do Christmas!" Maya points out.
"What?" Edgeworth turns to her.
"Oh yeah" Phoenix scratches his neck. "We sort of, ran to the police station as soon as we heard the news..."
"Right. I'm terribly sorry if I ruined any plans." He's fidgeting with his suit sleeve.
"It's okay, we can do late Christmas today! You guys should come too, we can make a thing out of it!" Maya claps her hands together turning towards the detective and prosecutor.
"Miss Fey. I don't know if I-"
"You got it, Pal!" Gumshoe interrupts with a big grin and a stupid thumbs up.
"Great! Meet us at Wright and co in like, two hours?"
"Do I get a say in this?" Phoenix turns towards Maya.
"Nope! You owe me a Christmas"
He looks over to Edgeworth, giving him a sort of 'what can you do?' shrug.
"Detective Gumshoe, you make sure Mr. Edgeworth actually gets there!" She orders.
"You got it, Pal!" Gumshoe repeats, this time with a salute.
Edgeworth just sort of looks resigned to his fate. "...Alright, two hours?"
"Yep!"
They part ways, Phoenix and Maya makes their way to his apartment first. Gathering their gifts for each other. Phoenix takes the time to shower and change into some more casual clothing. His suit smells like sweat and despair after all it's been through these past few days, not really fitting for their impromptu Christmas.
"Do we have to get something for Gumshoe and Edgeworth?" Maya asks as he steps out with his jeans and t-shirt combo while drying his hair.
"Ugh... Should have thought about that before you invited them."
"Don't act like you don't want them there." She pauses. "Besides I kinda don't want Mr. Edgeworth alone rotting in a room right now, you know?" Maya looks up at him. "Today was a lot."
"Yeah... How are you holding up by the way?" His hands gripping the wrapped tape recorder, turning it around just so he has something to fidget with. It's a horrible wrapping job, some of the tape is threatening to jump ship, but the ribbon is good.
"Better? I guess? Yeah, a lot better I think"
"You think?"
"Yeah, still not the best, I just have a lot of things to think about you know."
"Yeah, yeah I know. Just let me know if you need anything, alright?" He receives a nod and a mock salute in response.
"So... is that my gift?" She looks at the small package in his hands with a smirk and then back up at him.
"You'll literally find out in like an hour!"
"Okay, but you could give me a hint" She flutters her eyelashes at him in a comically exaggerated manor.
"No." He stuffs the gift in a bag.
"So mean to me. And on Christmas!"
"It's not even Christmas!" He argues "Besides, you haven't given me a hint either"
"True. Oh hey! You should totally give Edgeworth some of your art" She claps her hands together and goes to the living room to rummage through his piles of doodles.
"No. Absolutely not. Besides I can't exactly whip up a drawing in the- what forty minutes? - that we got." Speaking of drawing, he still has to scan that commission and send it. He'd completely forgotten about that in all the chaos.
He asks for Maya's laptop - that now remains a permanent fixture in the living room - so he can send of a message.
Signal-Blueprint
Hey, sorry, just wanted to let you know that the drawing is done I just gotta scan it. Meant to tell you before, but life's been kind of an insane lately
He get's a response much faster than he expected.
SteelMetaMe
That is quite alright. In all honesty I've had an eventful few days too. Feel free to take your time, as I am in no rush.
Signal-Blueprint
I'll try to scan it tomorrow? Hopefully? Maybe???? but yeah, just know I haven't abandoned you and stolen your money :D
SteelMetaMe
:)
Maya remains undeterred in her self appointed quest. "How about one of the painting that didn't sell? I hate to say it Nick, but your apartment is cluttered as is and some of them literally just lay in drawers"
It's true, his apartment isn't big by any standards and the paintings collecting dust aren't helping, but is any of it good enough? There's no way Edgeworth is ever seeing those old sketches of him from the newspaper, and most of his art is just character based nowadays. A lot of silly looking characters from silly shows or his own imagination. Probably nothing a guy like Edgeworth would want.
His eyes wander over to one painting in particular. Yeah, he thinks, yeah maybe
Maya requests they make a last minute stop at some store so she can get the detective something, she comes out with a neatly wrapped little gift in one hand and a dog toy in the other. "For Pess" She explains.
They set their gifts under Mia's old plant Charlie as if it was a big tree. At exactly two hours after they split up, there's a sharp knock at the door to the office.
Maya runs to open it. In the door stands Miles Edgeworth wearing his usual court attire, holding a paper bag in one hand and an excited dog on a leech in the other. Gumshoe towers behind him with a big grin and a few gifts of his own.
"Come in! Come in!" Maya waves them through the door. Phoenix notes that the dog isn't wearing her vest at the moment, so at least he isn't the only one dressed casually, she's sniffing the air and gives a small "bwoff" before looking up at her owner with expectant eyes.
"Hi" Phoenix says.
"Hello." Miles responds. He then looks towards the dog and up at Phoenix again. "I- She's off duty now, but I hope it's okay I brought her... I'm terribly sorry I should have asked-"
"No, no! Don't worry about it, she's always welcome here" The implication of so are you hangs silently in the air.
"Does this mean I can pet her?" Maya chimes in, breaking whatever spell the two men had found themselves under.
"Yes of course, just let me take off her harness."
Gumshoe makes his way past Miles and holds out something towards Phoenix. A flat box? Then something towards Maya, a smaller package. "Here you go, Pal! It's not much, but I wanted to get you guys something" he says, scratching his neck.
"You really didn't have to, especially after she literally forced you to be here" Phoenix says, at the same time Maya takes her gift with a small bow.
"Thank you!" She smiles at the detective. "Gonna put them under the tree"
" 'Tree' " Phoenix repeats with visible quotation marks.
"I, um. Also brought something." Miles holds out his paper bag, he holds it at arms length like it may attack him.
"You really didn't have to-" Phoenix begins, but is quickly interrupted.
"I have come to learn that it's better to just go along with these sorts of things." He motions towards Maya, who's currently trying to balance boxes under the potted plant.
"True."
Most of the next hour is spent talking about nothing in particular, Maya starts talking about a new episode of The Pink Princess and that somehow becomes a heated discussion. Eventually Maya stands up and announces, "Alright! Everyone, I cannot wait anymore or I will literally explode, let's open some gifts!"
She hands out gifts in a hurry. Edgeworth looks honestly shocked when he's handed his gift.
"I.. um, you really didn't have to. Especially after everything I've put you through these past-"
"Edgeworth, I've learnt that it's better to just go along with these sorts of things." He smiles at the man, using his own words against him as if they were in court. "Also this is from me, but if you don't like it that's completely fine"
Miles unwraps the painting very carefully, almost as if tearing the paper too much will hurt the thing inside. His eyes scan the canvas. A painting of a familiar courthouse. It is colorful and way too saturated, it feels like looking at a kids memory. The prosecutor turns it over and sees the signature 'Phoenix Wright'.
"You made this?" He asks. Phoenix isn't sure how offended he should be at the genuine surprise.
"Oh. yeah, a while ago. Thought you might like it? The gift idea was very last minute, and it's technically from both of us just like gumshoe's gift, so it's completely fine if you don't, like completely fine-"
"Wright."
"Yes?"
"It's wonderful, thank you."
To his left Maya is getting pulled into a hug by Gumshoe. She'd apparently bought him a new tie, it had little paw prints on it and was incredibly tacky, but the detective seemed overjoyed. Pess seems happy enough with her gift, Edgeworth seems a bit more apprehensive over the fact that it squeaks.
His gift from Gumshoe was a box of donuts, he ignored the 50% off sticker and the very near expiration date. Maya got a box of various things based around the Blue Badger, the police mascot. It contained pens, erasers and a little hat matching the mascots head. Phoenix is fairly sure Gumshoe gets those for free. He doesn't see if the detective and prosecutor got each other anything, but they both seem pleased.
Maya hands him a package, it's neatly wrapped and has a glittery pink bow on it. He opens it gently and it's a box set of fairly fancy set of brushes and inks.
"How did you even afford this?" He looks at her with awe.
"I get a bit of an allowance from my aunt still, I think it might be more of a guilt tripping tactic than anything honestly. and uh. Had some extra money from Mia..."
"You shouldn't spend that money on this"
"But I want to. And I'm pretty sure she's fine with it."
He handed Maya her gift, the tape recorder. He explained his thought process and got immediately tackled to the floor. "Thankyou-Thankyou-Thank you!"
"Come on, you're gonna actually ruin my back, let me up" Maya relents and lets him sit back up, only to grab him from the back before he can fully regain his balance.
"Ah!" It's a childish wrestling match, - the dog gets in on it, jumping on his back and snipping at Maya's sleeves. Clearly enjoying the game - till a loud ahem startles them all.
Edgeworth is staring at them clearly trying not to laugh. "I took the liberty of bringing gifts for you two as well."
He hands a gift bag over to Phoenix and a fairly big package to Maya.
Phoenix gets a bottle of wine that's probably worth more than his suit.
"I wasn't sure what brand you'd like so I went with a personal favourite." Miles says while not quite meeting his eyes. It's something red and European and Phoenix know very well it'll probably sit on a shelf for years because he'll feel bad about drinking something that fancy. "I hope it shows how appreciative I am over everything you've done the last few days. Oh, I almost forgot." He hands him a letter, it's full of money "Your full payment."
"Thank you, Edgeworth."
"Holy shit!" Maya exclaims next to them. She's holding a big pink rabbit plush. The same one Phoenix had been eyeing a few weeks prior.
She runs up almost as if she's about to tackle the prosecutor, but stops short, clearly thinking better of it. She puts out her hand for a handshake. "Thank you so much Mr. Edgeworth!"
"You're very welcome Miss Fey." He takes the offered hand. It looks a bit like a business transaction. "It's the least I could do after everything you did." Phoenix looks at him and mouths 'Thank you' and gets a nod in response.
Eventually both Miles and Gumshoe have to leave. Maya and Phoenix sort of mutually agree to pass out in the office and to clean tomorrow. It's surprisingly nice.