[RL 29: Happy Birthday, dear Phoenix...; Phoenix, Edgeworth][Backdated liek whoa]

[samuraiprosecutor]

((OOC: Aheheh, yeah, so...this RL is backdated from November 29th, 2019. This was originally posted during Phoenix's birthday party, but we ended up working on it without posting and...well, kept working on it on and off for months and tonight we finished it, whoo! 8D

So, taking place at the Montefaire Hotel on the night of Phoenix's birthday party last year (11-29-2019).))



When he found Wright alone, sitting at one of the tables that were scattered around the room and nursing his drink, Edgeworth didn't approach him immediately. Instead he stood to the side, sipping occasionally at his own glass and watching the crowd mill about, all the while slipping stealthy, almost trepidatious glances at Wright.

Almost a minute had passed before Edgeworth moved, smoothly and surely, across the room, and came to a stop at Wright's side. He hesitated there, his brow furrowed minutely, but when he finally spoke his voice was as sure as usual. "Enjoying yourself?"

Comments

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix caught Edgeworth’s approach from the corner of his eye (it always surprised him to see the other man dressed in something more subdued, such as the gray slacks and maroon button-down he currently wore; it was nice) and smiled as he set his drink down, raising a hand in greeting.

“Yeah, I am,” he answered honestly. He looked around the room, taking in its appearance for what must have been the umpteenth time that night. “I can’t believe Larry and Maya managed to book a place like this…” The statement was followed by a subtle glance in Edgeworth’s direction.

[samuraiprosecutor]

If Edgeworth noticed the glance he showed no sign of it. Instead, a mocking near-snort escaped him, and was quickly drowned with a sip of his wine.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix bit back a chuckle. Even with their combined funds, he knew there was no way Larry and Maya could have afforded a place like this. He did, however, have a hunch as to how they managed to procure those funds, but he kept his suspicions to himself for now. “What about you?” He sat forward and leaned against his elbows. “Are you having a good time?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth raised his gaze to the ceiling for a moment, as if in thought. After a significant pause he gave an exaggerated shrug. "The evening hasn't been completely intolerable." A small smirk spread across his lips, and he gave his companion a pointed, side-long glance. "It's considerably easier for a man to enjoy himself when his apartment isn't threatened with full-scale destruction."

[attorneyatlol]

Having enough sense to look sheepish, Phoenix cleared his throat and glanced away, his gaze landing on the chair next to him. “I’m sure…” He wasted no time in changing the subject and promptly slid the chair out from under the table, turning back to Edgeworth with a grin that could easily be described as overeager. “Do you want to sit?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

His eyes lingered on the proffered chair far longer than they should have. Edgeworth finally dragged his gaze away, and let it drop to the glass in his own hand. "No, I was about to..." he scoured his mind with a desperate, almost frenzied energy for a moment, before he found himself blurting out, "...take a walk."

An almost pained expression flashed across his features, and he closed his eyes as he took another, longer sip of wine.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix cocked an eyebrow, giving the room a cursory once-over before settling his gaze on Edgeworth again. “You mean… in the hotel?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

"Anywhere that isn't here. I can only be expected to tolerate a crowd with this level of exuberance for so long," he casually replied, giving the room his own, appraising look.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Try not to be such a party animal, Edgeworth. He shrugged and lifted his glass, offering his friend a casual toast as he said, “Have fun, then.”

[samuraiprosecutor]

"I'm sure I will," Edgeworth replied, lifting his own glass in return before taking another, rather drawn out sip.

[attorneyatlol]

Nodding, Phoenix took a sip of his own drink, focusing on the bottom of his glass while he waited for Edgeworth to depart.

[samuraiprosecutor]

The only move Edgeworth made was to twist his wrist, slowly swirling the last ounce of wine around the bowl of his glass. He cast a sudden, surreptitious glance at the large double doors on the other side of the ballroom, then with a measured sip he finished off the glass' contents, savoring the bite as the cabernet slid down his throat. Once it was gone he paused to stare at the empty bowl, watching as a thin, red film slid down the sides to pool in the bottom.

[attorneyatlol]

Finishing off his own drink, Phoenix set the empty glass on the table with a satisfied sigh (possibly exaggerated, as he wasn’t sure of what else to do while Edgeworth was still standing there. Speaking of which…). He cast a curious glance in his friend’s direction, eyebrow slightly arched, but said nothing, drawing his attention to the condensation that had seeped into the tablecloth instead. It looked sort of like a happy face when he concentrated on it hard enough.

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth resisted the urge to make an attempt at draining the last drops from his glass; even if he were successful, standing there with his head tilted back and waiting for the drops to fall would make him look more foolish than he no doubt already did. Determinedly avoiding Wright's gaze, he let his eyes drift around the room again.

[attorneyatlol]

It finally occurred to Phoenix that Edgeworth must be waiting for something. (Either that or he was much further gone that Phoenix initially suspected.) Scratching his head, he turned to the other man and took a shot in the dark. “Did you, er… want some company?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

The almost guilty glance Edgeworth threw at him quickly shifted as he pointedly cocked an eyebrow. "Generally a man chooses to escape a crowd because he's no longer interested in socializing." He paused, then shrugged, his tone taking on a forced nonchalance as he continued, "Though, if you're in desperate need of your own moment of peace, I suppose I could tolerate the intrusion."

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix inwardly rolled his eyes. Is it really that hard to ask me to go with you? Standing from his chair, he watched Edgeworth expectantly, waiting for him to lead the way.

[samuraiprosecutor]

With a small wave of relief washing over him, Edgeworth set his empty wine glass on the table and started toward the double doors, not bothering to check if Wright was following. He paused as he exited to the hallway, waiting for Wright to reach him before he closed the door behind them. A near silence fell over them as he did so, and after a brief glance at his companion, Edgeworth turned and began to make his way down the hall in the direction of the main lobby.

[attorneyatlol]

This won’t be awkward at all, Phoenix thought wryly as they silently walked down the hall. Assuming they’d be leaving the hotel, he bypassed the stairwell and the elevators and headed toward exit, only to realize—as he pushed open the door, ready to ask where they were going—that Edgeworth was no longer with him.

Puzzled, he turned around, in search of his friend.

[samuraiprosecutor]

As they'd passed a small niche off the hall Edgeworth had stopped before one of the four elevators there, still in Wright's line of sight but facing the gleaming metal door. The down arrow beside it was glowing a muted red and the numbers above the door were counting down; with every soft ding that rang out to mark another floor Edgeworth's heartbeat quickened slightly, and he finally dragged his gaze away, down to the buttons on the wall, then pushed the up button, perhaps a little too hard.

Belatedly Edgeworth realized that the small pill--an anti-anxiety medication his therapist had prescribed when he was still attending sessions--remained in his pants pocket. He turned from the door, struggling to keep his expression neutral as he looked for his companion.

[attorneyatlol]

Catching his gaze, Phoenix stood at the exit a moment longer, watching Edgeworth uncertainly with one foot out the door. What is he…?

The sound of someone clearing their throat snapped Phoenix out of his thoughts, and he quickly moved out of the way to allow the man access to the door, muttering a sheepish apology in his wake. After hesitating another moment, he finally joined Edgeworth at the elevator, noticed the up button was lit, and that the carriage was slowly making its descent to the ground floor. He cast a sidelong glance at his friend; the man’s expression was painfully neutral, but it didn’t take a detective to notice the underlying anxiety. He quietly cleared his throat, turning his attention to the numbers counting down the elevator’s arrival and, again, wondered what Edgeworth was doing and whether or not he should ask.

[samuraiprosecutor]

The loss of Wright's attention came with a mingled reaction of relief and nervousness, and the latter mounted exponentially as the door finally slid open, the movement punctuated by a loud ring. Edgeworth hesitated a moment, taking in the space inside, mercifully empty yet still so cramped...

With a deep breath--which was meant to be bracing and only succeeded in heightening his sudden light-headedness--he crossed the threshold and turned to face out, avoiding Wright's gaze as he waited for the man to follow. Once his companion entered (and God, the box seemed even smaller with two grown men inside) Edgeworth leaned forward, letting his finger hover over the button marked '38' for what felt like a very long time before he finally pushed it.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix couldn’t remember the last time he’d been in an elevator with Edgeworth—if he’d ever been in one at all—but the memory of his friend decisively passing up the elevator on the third floor of his own apartment building had stayed with him. It was clear then, just as it was now, that the subject was not up for debate, and so Phoenix remained silent, opting to examine the plush interior of the carriage instead. Like everything about the hotel, it was new and stylishly regal—nothing gaudy like the ‘royal’ design of the Gatewater, thankfully. The carpet was a bit tattered by the door (probably from the people filing in and out at all hours of the day) but other than that, everything from the polished, wooden walls to the soft rug was in pristine condition.

He couldn’t even find a single fingerprint on any of the buttons.

Quickly running out of distractions, he hesitantly cast another glance in Edgeworth’s direction, knowing he was nervous, knowing the source of that nervousness, and finding himself uncharacteristically tense on his friend’s behalf. With a (hopefully imperceptible) sigh, he followed Edgeworth’s gaze to the numbers above the door, watching each one light up as they climbed a floor higher.

Where on Earth was Edgeworth planning on walking to?

[samuraiprosecutor]

The decor, which Edgeworth may have appreciated under different circumstances, went unmarked. Edgeworth kept his eyes trained on the dull shine of the metal doors, and on the few occasions when he moved them it was only to flick them to the slowly shifting glow lighting up the numbers above. During the ride he had lifted one arm and laid it across his body, and as his gaze lingered above the door (25, 26, 27...) he knotted his fingers in his shirt sleeve, squeezing the delicate fabric reflexively. Somewhere in the back of his mind Wright's almost imperceptible sigh registered...he should give the man an excuse, should say something to discourage Wright from thinking he'd lost what sanity he had left, but with that unsettling pressure rolling in his stomach and his persistent light-headedness he couldn't bring himself to do anything more than watch as the numbers changed.

When the doors finally opened with a cheery ding he was out in an instant, weaving past a quarreling couple who'd been hissing quietly at each other as they waited for the elevator. The woman shot him a curious look as he passed. He ignored her, simply crossed to the hall and stood there, back stiff, as he struggled to bring his breathing under control and waited for Wright to join him.

[attorneyatlol]

Muttering an apology to the couple, Phoenix quickly exited the elevator and made a beeline for Edgeworth. His pace slowed to a cautious approach as he neared, one hand held up uncertainly as he considered placing it on his friend’s shoulder, but better judgment won out, and he scratched the back of his head instead.

“So,” he sighed, distractedly looking around the room. The elevator had dropped them off in an alcove that opened up to another hallway. From his vantage point, he could see that the doors to the rooms here were positioned much more sparsely than on the ground floor. It was impossible to know for sure, but he had a pretty good idea that it meant they were bigger inside.

He turned his puzzled gaze to Edgeworth, but tried not to let his confusion show through as he smiled reassuringly and asked, “Ready for that walk?”