[RL 26: In Nightmares; Corinthian, Edgeworth]

The routine was one that had been honed over years of holidays. Through trial and error, a bit of what little luck he seemed to possess, and his own baseless, probably foolish superstitions, Edgeworth had developed several methods to ease his way through the season. None of them were particularly effective--most had to be used in conjunction with each other, and success was never a guarantee--but as difficult as the nights were, they could always be more difficult without them.

That possibility alone was enough to enforce his subconscious (and, sometimes, conscious) habits, and this year life had taken a few uncharacteristically gracious steps to make it simpler to maintain them. The annual swell in property crime had reached a new peak; busy days at the office became busy nights at the office, with only an occasional interruption by a wild-eyed and breathless co-worker to break his quick, comfortable working pace. Tea, which was normally a close friend, became his crutch, and when the Gatewater ceased deliveries for the evening, his own stash of Darjeeling and Earl Grey was always available. Late drives were followed by late dinners accompanied by late glasses of wine. When Sigi lead him on their evening stroll, the brisk, barely-winter air served to brace him for several more hours of the work he carried home with him.

When Edgeworth buried himself in his sheets and forced himself to lose focus by listening to the quiet breathing drifting up from his bedside, he was never quite able to quash the (probably vain) hope that tonight, the darkness he fell into would hold only darkness.



((OOC: Sorry I'm so late, Cori. ;o; You can start with whatever scene you want to!))