samuraiprosecutor | [RL 4: Chicken Soup for the Prosecutor's Soul

Phoenix had been staring at the door to Edgeworth's apartment for several seconds. It was a simple door; white and plain (aside from the gold-plated "3F" that marked surface at eye-level) and, as Phoenix knew, also unlocked. Twice already, he'd gone to turn the knob and, on both occasions, changed his mind, unsure if he was expected to waltz right in without warning or try to announce his presence in some way or what.

"This feels weird." His voice was slightly muffled by the surgical mask he refused to remove. He turned to Zelos, obviously hesitant. "You think we should knock..?"

Zelos was wary. He knew very well that Phoenix had said there wasn't anything here like the monster attacks he was so used to in his world, but it really wasn't calming his tensed body. Not that it particularly showed. He had enough practice hiding it, after all. He gripped the Omega Shield he was holding a bit tighter, wondering if it's restorative abilities would be of any help against sickness. It was worth a shot, at least.

Peering down while Phoenix continued to simply stare at the door, he caught sight of the small white rabbit nestled safely between him and the shield. It had taken a bit of effort to obtain it on such short notice, but he rather liked the idea. A Snow Hare from Flanoir, the lucky charm of the region...wasn't it an appropriate gift for an attorney who apparently had a streak of devil's luck that could rival Colette's? Not to mention...

He pondered for a moment. It might be a tad less awkward to just give it to him now.

Then Phoenix spoke. Zelos raised an eyebrow. "He knows you're delivering soup to him, and he okayed it. Didn't he even say the door would be unlocked? People don't normally unlock the door for someone and then expect them to knock."

In that moment, he reached behind the shield, fingers wrapping around the small plush rabbit. "Hey, by the way...I brought you something from Tethe'alla." He grinned, handing the charm to Phoenix. "It's a lucky charm from Flanoir. I figured it suited you."

Phoenix nodded, still somewhat uncertain. Zelos did have a point, after all; it wasn't as if Edgeworth hadn't been expecting him (although, Phoenix was fairly certain Edgeworth wasn't expecting Zelos, but he decided it was relatively moot at this point. Besides, everyone liked surprises, right?)... With a sigh, he steeled himself--for what, he wasn't sure--and was about to grip the door knob for a third time when some type of toy was suddenly thrust at his hand. Oddly relieved by the distraction, he took the proffered charm and held it up, raising an eyebrow.

It was small and white and looked unmistakably like a rabbit. Phoenix ran his thumb over the material--it felt as soft as it looked.

"Hey, thanks. You really didn't have to do that." He smiled, gently pocketing the item in his coat. "But I appreciate it. Heh, Lord knows I need all the luck I can get, sometimes.

Zelos did not understand what the holdup had been. Miles was well aware that soup was being delivered to him. He said he would make it a point to allow them (well, technically, he was expecting Phoenix, but that was beside the point) easy entry. However, the delay did make for a nice excuse to give Phoenix the Snow Hare...and that made it worthwhile, he supposed.

"It wasn't a problem. Heh...from all the things you get yourself wrapped up in, it sure sounds like it. You can never have too much luck, right?" Maybe it'll keep you safe. All of you. It was a terribly sentimental thought, but that wasn't important right now. It could be masked, like everything else. Didn't they have some soup to deliver?

"And now," he said with a sudden dramatic flair, the slightest hint of mocking amusement evident in his voice, "would you like me to open the door, since you seem to be having such problems with it?"

That same grin remained on his face the entire time, unwavering.

Phoenix settled Zelos with an annoyed glare, which he promptly turned toward the door. With great determination, he twisted the handle and opened the door, pausing to flash Zelos a humor-tinted, self-satisfied smirk (obscured by the surgical mask, no doubt) before he finally entered.

Assuming Zelos would follow, Phoenix took a few tentative steps inside, an undercurrent of wood-scent immediately overpowering his senses. (In reality, it likely wasn’t very strong, but Phoenix never was fond of incense or scented candles.) He cleared his throat to keep from gagging, adjusting the mask so that it covered his nose, and continued into the living room, stopping behind the couch to survey his surroundings.

Ever since he’d first set foot in Edgeworth’s office, Phoenix had nightmarish visions of what the prosecutor’s apartment might look like, some of which included garishly regal furniture in shades of pink and copious frills that may very well rival those found in Maraich’s bedroom. Finally standing in the midst of the lion’s den, Phoenix found his fears mostly confirmed. The layout was a little more traditional, reminiscent of a study, perhaps, and the couch and curtains were in shades of pink (It’s magenta, Wright, Edgeworth’s voice tut-tutted in his head, amusing him) with light, oak accents. While it wasn’t as flashy as the presentation in Edgeworth’s office, it was definitely gaudy enough for Phoenix.

He would have taken the time to observe further, but the contents of the paper bag weighing down his arm snapped him out of his reverie and reminded him why they were there… though a quick once-over of the room revealed its vacancy. He shifted the paper bag to his other hand and pulled the mask away from his mouth. “Hey, Edgeworth,” he called, just loud enough for his voice to carry. “Soup’s here! … Edgeworth?”

At the lack of response, he turned a curious eye to Zelos. Despite his prying nature, Phoenix didn’t relish the thought of going any further into Edgeworth’s apartment than necessary (and he was sure Edgeworth would appreciate the sentiment), but he had a sinking suspicion that that’s exactly what they were about to do.

((OOC: Have some tl;dr! I'm basing the description of the apartment off some references Tif has given me, by the way, so if you have any questions about that, I'm sure she won't mind you e-mailing her or something. XD;))

((ETA: I edited because Tif changed the description of the apartment on me. :P))

Edited 2007-11-28 00:30 (UTC)

Judging by the utter determination in his action and the accompanying look in his eyes, Zelos had the suspicion that Phoenix was giving him some sort of self-satisfied smirk. He couldn't be sure, what with the ridiculous surgical mask that Phoenix had insisted on wearing, but overall, it was likely the attorney's current expression. Zelos playfully rolled his eyes in return, as Phoenix ventured in to the apartment.

He followed Phoenix in, pausing momentarily just inside the doorway, taking in the new environment. This was his first experience in a house on their world, after all...so of course he planned to use the occurrence for comparison.

He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but he couldn't say he was all that surprised at Miles' apartment. It seemed...oddly fitting, for some reason. Decorating notwithstanding, there didn't appear to be any major differences. It was almost disappointing. Then again, Maraich's apartment hadn't been anything out of the ordinary either, but he still felt ever so slightly let down at the similarities in housing between worlds.

Zelos noticed Phoenix's hesitance to move past the empty room. Hesitance which, it should be mentioned, he did not share. He tucked the shield under his arm, moving farther forward.

"Well, it doesn't look like he's in here. That means we move farther in, right~?"

Phoenix wavered for a moment, then nodded and pressed onward toward the hall.

The apartment was eerily quiet, though thankfully not in a way that set of any alarms in his head. It did, however, give him pause. “What if he got tired of waiting and went to bed?” he wondered. “We can’t just wake him up, you know, not after we all gave him a hard time about getting some rest. We could always leave the stuff on the counter with a note and— … Edgeworth?” He’d stopped at the first (and only) open door in the hall, mouth slightly agape as he peered into the room and let the scene sink in.

It was an office; that much was apparent and not particularly surprising. What was surprising was the robe-clad prosecutor slumped over his desk, head loosely cradled in his arms on top of his keyboard, snoring softly. His face was turned away, but Phoenix imagined he was breathing through his mouth, if the box of tissues on the desk was any indication.

He almost felt bad about smiling. The whole thing was pitifully endearing.

((OOC: oh noes!!! ;-;-;-; That sucks! I hope you're able to figure out what's wrong! We miss you~!))

Thankfully, Phoenix finally decided to move forward, and Zelos fell in step behind him.

Phoenix was apparently still unsure, however, as was apparent by his slowing of pace and the uncertain waver in his voice. He was ready to reply, when the defense attorney stopped rather suddenly, peering into the open doorway, shadowing a good portion of the faint light bathing the floor and wall just outside the room. Walking forward slightly to look over his shoulder, Zelos took in the scene with a raised eyebrow.

Miles obviously had no intention of setting aside his work for sleep, so apparently sleep had taken drastic measures in making its necessity known.

...and Phoenix was smiling slightly at what he was seeing. Maybe there was hope, after all.

"That can't be a good position to fall asleep in," Zelos whispered, "If he's not feeling it now, he definitely will be tomorrow, and being sick is only going to make it worse." He gave Phoenix a half-amused, half-questioning look, silently wondering if they try to move him or not, or just save themselves the trouble and wake him up now. Phoenix had a point in what he said about Miles getting rest, but Zelos didn't think the computer was the best place for him to be getting it.

Not to mention the fact that Zelos was wondering if this was an opportune moment to find out exactly how Miles' hair did feel.

Zelos had a point; that position couldn’t be comfortable, and any soreness attained would only be amplified by the flu. Phoenix nodded his agreement and placed the mask back over his mouth, taking a deep breath to steel his nerves (who knew what Edgeworth would be like upon waking, especially in his current state?). He crept into the room and quietly placed the bag on the desk. A glance at the computer monitor revealed a long series of ‘n’s filling the document Edgeworth had open on his computer, and a glimpse down revealed Edgeworth’s head resting heavily against the bottom row of keys on the keyboard.

Phoenix shook his head, smiling. It really was a pitiful scene. He moved around the chair and then stopped suddenly, struck by what he saw.

Edgeworth’s face was completely relaxed with sleep; no scowl, no worry lines, not even a frown, really. Phoenix, slightly bemused, thought he looked almost human.

He was also drooling.

Phoenix leaned over a bit, trying to hide his amusement. “Rise and shine, Edgeworth,” he mumbled through his mask. “Your soup’s here and you’re drooling. It’s not very becoming, if you ask me.”

((OOC: Edgey's not waking up yet, so feel free to go.

YAY LLOYD~!!))

Zelos carefully leaned the Omega Shield on the wall to the side of the door, before softly treading into the room, carefully navigating his sword to avoid hitting anything and the loud noise that would no doubt be quite unwelcome. He hung back a bit, deciding that it would probably be wiser to let Phoenix wake Miles up...after all, Miles wasn't even expecting him to be there, and as funny as it might have been to see his reaction, rationality won out.

This time.

Leaning against the wall, he crossed his arms, deciding that his role at the current would simply be one of observing.

So observe he did.

He did, however, snicker slightly in response to the drool comment.

Phoenix sighed and straightened, giving the situation careful consideration before he made his next move. Edgeworth was clearly out cold and probably wouldn’t take too kindly to being woken, but, Phoenix reasoned, if he hadn’t been so insistent on working himself to death in the first place and had just gone to bed like any normal person…

He shook his head, sighing again. Edgeworth was a stubborn bastard, but Phoenix wasn’t one to talk. He wouldn’t even be here, chicken noodle soup in tow, if that weren’t the case. So bracing himself for the inevitable onslaught of righteous fury that would surely befall him once the prosecutor opened his eyes, Phoenix gripped the other man’s shoulder and gently shook him back and forth. “C’mon, Edgeworth,” he tried again. “You gotta get up.”

((OOC: Ball’s in Edgey’s court, now.

Why does the {:] face scare you? o.O))

His sleep (a rare, blissfully nightmare-free half hour) was interrupted by rough shaking. Memory gripped him, prompting an irrational fear; he jerked awake violently, shooting up into a sitting position, back tense and wide eyes sweeping the room. He glazed over details until Wright's face drew his gaze to a halt, bringing him back to himself.

Forcing his breathing to slow, he tried to cover his discomfiture with a fierce glare: it was easy to work one up as he took in the ridiculous white surgical mask and the fact that Wright was in his office.

Sudden protest from his back and shoulders drew his focus back to his body. Dimly, Edgeworth noticed a peculiar wetness on the corner of his mouth. 'God no...' Snatching a tissue from his desk, he cleaned his mouth thoroughly before turning back to Wright with an icy stare. "What do you think you're doing in here?"

((OOC: Hey, if it's okay Phoenix is gonna go first, since Edgeworth doesn't realize yet that Zelos is even there. XD [hug]))

Phoenix jumped at the sudden movement and stared, wide-eyed, at Edgeworth until recognition finally dawned in the other man’s eyes. Not for the first time, Phoenix was thankful for the surgical mask; it hid his amused smile as Edgeworth wiped away the drool that collected at the corner of his mouth, and when he turned in anticipated anger, Phoenix almost lost it when he saw the imprints of the keyboard on Edgeworth’s face.

Taking a moment to compose himself, he gestured toward the paper bag setting on the desk. “You invited me, remember? We brought your soup.”

In the daze of struggling back to a fully awake state, Edgeworth almost missed the word.

"...We?"

Zelos took this as his cue to enter himself into the conversation. Pushing off of the wall slightly, he stood up straight, although he didn't bother moving toward Miles. "Phoenix couldn't exactly get soup from Maraich to you by himself, now could he?" he stated, amusement audible in his voice. He couldn't see Miles all that well, but he had a feeling he knew exactly the sort of look that was on the prosecutor's face at the moment.

"Besides," he added, seemingly oblivious to Miles' current mood, "sleeping there's not going to end up helping you much. I'd wager you're already sore. Just think how much worse it would've been in the morning."

Edgeworth shot Wright a glare, eyes blazing, before swiveling his chair just enough to fix his gaze on Zelos. "I was given the impression that he would be buying something here, not traipsing across the universe for it. Had I known, I would not have agreed to this.

"Of course, if I want to look on the bright side of things..." he stood smoothly, giving no outward indication of the momentary dizziness the sudden change in blood pressure caused, "...at least I'll be able to continue working, now that you two have decided to wake me."

((OOC: Posting order is Edgeworth -> Phoenix -> Zelos! But Bridgie's being a poot and deciding to not reply tonight because she's too busy with other threads and doesn't love me anymore. ;_;))

Phoenix instinctively backed up a step when Edgeworth stood (the prosecutor simply had an air that demanded more room) and rolled his eyes as he leaned over to grab the paper bag. “At least eat your soup first. Maraich cooked it up for you, home-made.” He opened the bag and pulled out a pill bottle and an opened box of Tylenol Flu, offering them both to Edgeworth. “And take some medicine, will you? You look like crap.”

"Well~," Zelos started, "that was the plan originally, but Maraich was very insistent that his soup get to you, so how could we say no~?" He crossed his arms and grinned at Miles. "Besides, what difference does it make? He promised to bring you soup, and so he did. I'm just along for the ride~."

His eyes may have narrowed every so slightly at Edgeworth's comment about continuing his work. If they did, it was just barely noticeable. "I don't believe that was quite our reason for waking you up, you know. If you were as up for work as you seem to think, you wouldn't have fallen asleep on your keyboard, would you~?"

"Maraich takes too many liberties. But then, so does everyone else in that place. Present company included."

Edgeworth turned away, bending slightly over his computer, reminded of- The document he'd had open was filled with lines of 'n's. He cursed almost inaudibly under his breath, leaning over his chair to grab the mouse, clicking on the window, and cursing again when the 'encountered an error and needs to close' message popped up. He couldn't remember the last time he'd saved...

He turned on Zelos with a scowl. "Well I am wide awake now, whatever your reason, and apparently with even more work to do."

Giving the offered medicines only a cursory glance, Edgeworth snatched the paper bag from Wright's hand and stalked out of the room. He allowed five seconds of silence to pass before calling back over his shoulder, "Out of the office." When he reached the living room he paused to make sure the order was obeyed.

"And just think, said present company is taking all these liberties just for you~," Zelos couldn't help but point out, his voice once again laced with amusement.

As soon as Miles was out of the room, Zelos quickly made his way over to the computer. He hadn't missed the look of agitation that had passed over Miles' face and the accompanying message window that had popped up on the computer screen, and he had taken the liberty of assuming that Miles' comment about having more work to do was related, so he figured that something must have happened to whatever it was he had deemed more important than sleep.

Looking through the list of recent documents easily showed that Miles' word processor of choice was apparently a program called Microsoft Word. He opened the program, hands flying over the keyboard. Distantly, he heard Miles demand they leave the office, and realized he wasn't sure if Phoenix was still in the office or not, but he was intent on finishing his task.

Finally sat back and admired his handiwork, grinning as he exited the room. He picked up the abandoned Omega Shield on his way out, and made his way back to the living room. They still needed to make sure he took some of that medicine that Phoenix had gotten, and partook of Maraich's soup, after all.

The computer screen was left, the document that Miles had been working on open and saved (on his desktop, where it would be easy to find).

And at the end of the document was a small heart.

Edited 2007-12-07 15:56 (UTC)

As if the response had been expected, Phoenix didn’t even flinch when Edgeworth snatched the bag away. He watched Edgeworth leave the room, and took a few steps with the intention of following, but was distracted when Zelos crossed the room and stopped at the computer. Phoenix was surprised… and somewhat alarmed.

“What are you doing,” he demanded under his breath, but Zelos either ignored him or didn’t hear him, and Phoenix was not about to be privy to the details of what was sure to be some type of conspiracy, so he quickly fled the office, medicine still in hand.

He caught up with Edgeworth in the living room, took note of the unusual slouch in the other man’s stance, the beginnings of gray circles under his eyes, and sighed. He shook the pill bottle—filled with Phoenix’s cold medicine of choice, Coldkiller X—with a reprimanding gesture in Edgeworth’s direction. “We didn’t come all this way to have you work more—we came here to deliver your soup and make sure you get the rest that you obviously need.” Not breaking eye contact, he thrust the bottle and the box toward Edgeworth’s hand, glaring as if he dared Edgeworth not to take them.

Edgeworth bristled at Wright's obvious challenge, his eyes narrowing perceptibly as he glanced down at the medicines the attorney had rudely shoved at him.

"You came here to play delivery boy, as far as I'm concerned." He grabbed the bottle and the box awkwardly, one-handed. "Now you've done so. Don't let me take up any more of your precious time."

He realized suddenly that Wilder was still in his office, just as the man himself appeared in the hall, wearing a self-satisfied grin that set off all of Edgeworth's internal alarms and...carrying what appeared to be a large shield.

Covering his confusion with a glare, Edgeworth said, "What were you doing in there? And...what is that?"

From what Zelos was able to overhear from the office, Miles wasn't all that thrilled with the medicine Phoenix had brought for him. The look on the prosecutor's face as he came down the hallway and into the living room seemed to confirm this. His attention was called away from Miles' mood, however, as he was now speaking to him...and of course, accompanied by a glare. Why wasn't he surprised?

"Nothing, nothing," Zelos responded, grin never leaving his face. "And this? Is for you. It's an Omega Shield. It's supposed to have restorative properties. I don't really know if it'd do anything for the flu, but it's always worth a try, right?" He grin softened a little, into more of a smile, almost barely noticeable.

He would have handed it to Miles, had the man not already been holding the medicine that Phoenix had given him. Instead, he settled on setting the shield gently down on the nearby couch.

“We came here to make sure you were all right,” Phoenix grumbled, even as the other man took the proffered items from him. “And we’re not leaving until you take some medicine.”

When Edgeworth’s attention turned back to the office (and Phoenix did well to notice the moment of perplexity on his face), the defense attorney followed his gaze, and the amusement of the situation—however unwarranted it was at this point—suddenly struck him: they must have looked quite the pair walking into the apartment complex, one wearing a surgical mask and the other carrying a large shield. One could only hope no one had seen them, or Edgeworth would likely have some explaining to do.

Edgeworth watched as Zelos set the shield down; from his expression one might almost think Zelos had just sat down on the couch and propped his mud-covered boots up on the leather ottoman.

The shield contained a gold omega symbol on a bright green field, and silvery metal glinted on its edge. It would clash horribly with his decor, except perhaps in the kitchen. But who would hang a shield in their kitchen? "I would guess this soup has more 'restorative properties' than that thing could ever claim."

Turning his attention back to Wright, Edgeworth said, "And if that's the requirement for your exit, you'll be here for a while yet. I'm not taking that on an empty stomach." He eyed the surgical mask again, contempt clear in his eyes.

"Why are you wearing that ridiculous thing? I thought your vaunted vaccine was supposed to protect you. No one saw you coming in, did they?"

As Zelos turned back around after setting the shield down, he caught sight of Miles' indignant look. He rolled his eyes playfully in response. "That shield is perfectly clean, and no harm is coming to your couch." He had bought the shield new from Trupelos, and had taken extra care to make sure it was spotless, given everything he knew about Miles' disposition.

Zelos raised an eyebrow at the following comment. "It's hard telling what will happen with the shield here, since you guys don't have mana. However, I've used an Omega Shield before, and when you're battling? You can definitely feel its effects." He cocked his head to the side, grinning again. "Can't say I've ever tried it with soup, though."

He watched as Miles addressed Phoenix, and chose to jump in to the conversation. "I'm sure Phoenix would love to stay to make sure you take it. And I've got nothing better to do~." That was inviting trouble, he was almost sure, but hey, at least it would make things interesting.

...judging by the look Miles gave Phoenix's surgical mask, Zelos guessed that their feelings regarding it were about the same. Good to know. This was confirmed by the comment that followed. Unlike Zelos, however, Miles was concerned with what people might think about it. "I don't recall seeing or hearing anyone around. So no, I don't think anyone saw us."

[RL 4: Chicken Soup for the Prosecutor's Soul - Phoenix, Edgeworth, Zelos]

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