[RL 36: Miscellaneous Scenes from a Vacation Taken During a Virus; Edgeworth, Phoenix][Backdated]

[samuraiprosecutor]

((OOC: Action spam of several scenes taking place during the 'What If?' virus. The first scene takes place several hours after the phone call at the end of this post--so the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 9th comm time, second day of the virus--and the scenes will cover the entire duration of the virus. Action spam is go!))

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Wednesday, Sept. 9th.--Morning

[samuraiprosecutor]

[the ride up the coast is scenic, relatively short, and reasonably congenial. Edgeworth dons his driving gloves, and they drive with the windows down and the cool, ocean air whipping through the Porsche. there are a few uncomfortable incidents, prompted by misspoken words or slip-ups on Edgeworth’s part, and the speed with which he takes some of the curves in the road inspires a few outbursts along the way, but eventually they find themselves outside the chic Malibu Beach Inn.]

[check-in is a short affair. Wright spends some of it wandering nearby, taking in the sights of the lobby, until Edgeworth sends him up in the elevator with the bellhop and their bags, assuring him that he’ll be up shortly.]

[Wright and the bellhop only have to wait outside the door for about a minute before Edgeworth arrives from the opposite end of the hall. he moves past them and slides the cardkey through the slot on the door to let them in.]

[attorneyatlol]

[Phoenix looks at Miles curiously as the bellhop enters the room with their bags] Where did you go?

[samuraiprosecutor]

[averts his eyes to the luggage that the bellhop is setting inside the door, cagily.] I...wanted to check out the bar before I came up.

[attorneyatlol]

Oh. [seemingly satisfied with that, he offers Miles a smile before entering the room himself, briefly taking in the sparse (but not in a bad way) decor before quickly becoming distracted by the sliding glass door next to the couch. the curtains are drawn, revealing a balcony just outside and, beyond that, the most amazing view of the beach]

[he stares, wide-eyed] ...Wow. [glances over his shoulder] Miles, you've got to see this view!

[samuraiprosecutor]

[looks over, his lips turning up momentarily in the barest hint of a smile, before turning back to the bellhop and handing over a bill.]

[the bellhop accepts the tip with a grateful:] Thank you, sir. I’ll just get you some ice before I go. Is there anything else I can do for you?

No, thank you. [waves the man away and walks toward Wright, appraising the room as he goes. finally, once satisfied that everything meets his standards, stops next to his companion to silently take in the view from the balcony.]

[attorneyatlol]

[is clearly enamored by it; still smiling, he turns to Miles with a questioning look] How did you afford this?

[samuraiprosecutor]

[the contented look he was wearing when he turned to meet Wright’s gaze quickly fades and that caginess returns. he considers feigning offense that Wright would even ask such a question, but isn’t sure how that would be taken and doesn’t want to start off what’s already a tenuous situation with another conflict.]

…With savings.

[now might be a good time to start unpacking… crosses to the closet and opens the luggage rack inside.]

[ Wednesday, Sept. 9th | Afternoon ]

[attorneyatlol]

[Phoenix is just getting out of the shower. the past few hours have been tense but not entirely unpleasant; the two of them have managed to remain cordial to each other, even smiling and joking at times, and on the few occasions that Miles has said something odd or behaved strangely, Phoenix has--albeit forcibly--ignored it. (curtailing his curiosity and his propensity to pry is something that's proving to be difficult...)]

[it's not the vacation he'd expected or hoped for when Miles called him last night. he can't pretend it's not disappointing when he thinks about it--it was supposed to be for him, wasn't it?--but he's determined to make the most of it]

[the warm shower has helped a bit; currently, he's standing in the bathroom, drying his hair]

[samuraiprosecutor]

[Edgeworth, meanwhile, has taken advantage of Wright’s short absence to keep himself abreast of the happenings on the community…or as much of those happenings as he can read up on in a matter of minutes. he’s seated at the suite’s small, black laquered desk, his back ramrod straight and his eyes flying over the screen of his laptop. as the shower stops, the silence dimly registers in the back of his mind, but for the moment he pays it little notice.]

[attorneyatlol]

[unintentionally quiet, Phoenix exits the bathroom with a large towel wrapped around his waist, staving off a brief chill as the coolness of the air-conditioned room hits his warm skin. he drapes the towel he'd used for his hair around his shoulders and heads for his luggage, in search of hair gel]

[on the way, he spots Miles sitting off to the side, laptop in front of him. figuring the other man is catching up on some case or another, he shrugs to himself and goes about his business]

[samuraiprosecutor]

[the quiet sound of the door opening briefly draws his attention. once he finishes with the comment he was reading, he glances up, just in time to catch sight of Wright’s tanned shoulders and back, draped with a thick towel. his eyes drift down, toward the thighs and…remarkably defined calves visible below the second towel, which is draped around the man’s waist.]

[his gaze lingers there for several long beats before Edgeworth finally drags his attention back to the laptop with a frown.]

[attorneyatlol]

[having procured the gel, Phoenix starts back in the direction of the bathroom, offering Miles another casual glance as he passes by]

[...and then he pauses, cocking his head to the side as he catches a glimpse of what's on the screen. it looks like some sort of forum or chatroom. he didn't think Miles was into that kind of thing...]

[curiosity getting the best of him, he gets a little closer, trying to make out what's being said]

[samuraiprosecutor]

[the maneuvering goes unnoticed. Edgeworth’s already intent on the community happenings again, his frown deepening as he reads; he assumes Wright’s fiddling around the room before heading back into the bathroom to finish up, and hasn’t yet noticed that that doesn’t seem to be the case any longer.]

[ Thursday, Sept. 10th | After Midnight ]

[attorneyatlol]

[it's been a tiring, emotionally draining night, but Phoenix is unable to sleep, and he's spent the past few hours staring up at the ceiling, with Miles lying more than a foot away from him on the bed. he knows the other man has been restless, too; he's distracted himself all night--reading a book, checking his laptop, or flipping through the TV--yet they've hardly said a word to each other. it hurts, but... it's easier for now, Phoenix reasons. it seems like they can't say much without becoming irritated with each other, whether that irritation is voiced or not]

[Phoenix sighs; is this what it's going to be like for the next few days? how long after that...?]

[samuraiprosecutor]

[Edgeworth’s muddled thoughts are running along similar lines. the tension of the first day of their impromptu “vacation” has left him drained and surprisingly ready for the sleep his mind normally shies away from. the next day isn’t likely to be much better, nor the next, until the virus ends, but the alternative—the disbelief, indignation, and hurt an explanation would undoubtedly rouse in his friend—makes the prospect bearable.]

[...and the disturbingly reassuring solidity of the warm body nearby and the distant sounds of the surf drifting in through the open balcony door are making the evening itself quite bearable. Edgeworth lies on his side, his mind working over the problems of the near future, but the lull of the ocean proves to be too much for his exhausted body to cope with. in an uncharacteristically short time, his eyes are beginning to drift shut, his breathing evening out. flashes of memories from the day play behind his eyes, gentle smiles and wounded looks. he won’t be awake much longer.]

[attorneyatlol]

[it's quiet; Miles hasn't moved or changed the channel in some time, and after a while, the silence rouses Phoenix's attention. he glances at the man beside him, noting his closed eyes and the slow rise and fall of his chest. it's the most relaxed Phoenix has seen him all day.]

[turning back to the ceiling, he sighs again, supposing he should give it another try, too]

[as quietly and with as little movement as possible, he raises himself to a semi-seated position and reclines against the headboard, hoping some mindless television will be enough to distract his thoughts and lull him to sleep. while his brain tries to wrap itself around the prospect of what's being advertised (anti-flatulence underwear? really?), his gaze drifts off to the side, to the desk beside the entertainment center, where Miles' laptop is sitting]

[samuraiprosecutor]

[Wright’s movement doesn’t register on Edgeworth’s fading consciousness, but the chill breeze that finds its way to his bare shoulder does. rolls over to face away from Wright, pulling the sheets about his shoulders as he does so, then settles quickly into silence again.]

[attorneyatlol]

[Phoenix starts at the movement, but upon inspection, it's clear that Miles is still asleep]

[...not that it would have been a problem if he were awake, of course]

[with a small yawn, Phoenix turns his attention back to the TV]

[samuraiprosecutor]

[while Edgeworth’s attention still remains firmly fixed on sleeping. his breathing slows even further, and only an occasional, soft noise of contentment breaks his silence.]

Thursday, Sept. 10th--Morning

[samuraiprosecutor]

[waking to the intoxicating scent of salt, sea air and the distant susurrus of a pounding surf was a luxury Edgeworth hadn’t allowed himself in years. even after his mentor’s near-tyrannical influence was out of his life and these trips began, they were still infrequent, short sabbaticals snatched from rare spurts of regrettably decreased workloads; with the combined efforts of the community and work, it had been so long since the last that he’d forgotten the sheer pleasure of such a morning.]

[consciousness is followed by a rather protracted period of waking, involving a great deal of rolling, shifting, and stretching under the covers, accompanied by several heavy sighs and muffled, contented sounds. by the time he finally opens his eyes, he’s facing the opposite direction from the one he fell asleep in, and his bleary focus falls on Wright, who’s sitting on the couch across the room. his heart gives a start at the unexpected presence, but unfortunately, the circumstances of this sabbatical quickly come back to him.]

[blinks blearily at his companion, rubbing his hand across his eyes and up through his hair as he props himself up in bed, letting the sheets fall from his shoulder and expose half of his torso to the cool morning air.]

[sluggishly, sounding as though his tongue is unusually thick.] How long have you been up?

[attorneyatlol]

[he's slouched against the couch, his arms folded across his chest, and he's staring at Miles like he's been watching him for some time]

I haven't slept. [the answer is quiet and hoarse]

[samuraiprosecutor]

[there go the warning bells, distant but shrill. he frowns, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and propping himself up a little straighter. mutters:] I thought I was supposed to be the insomniac.

[attorneyatlol]

['you're supposed to be a lot of things,' Phoenix thinks. he continues staring at Miles, an unreadable expression on his face; he's not angry, but he's not exactly pleased, either]

I went to that website.

[samuraiprosecutor]

[his stomach rolls, though he manages to keep the reaction off his face. silently curses his foolishness in assuming he was safe with Wright lying in bed beside him. feigning obtuseness:] Which site?

[attorneyatlol]

[the question irritates him slightly; he knows Miles knows which site he's talking about] The one you didn't want me to see.