[RL 9: 'Tis the Season to be Jolly - Edgeworth, Phoenix]

[samuraiprosecutor]

((OOC: Taking place Christmas Eve night.))

The apartment was mercifully quiet that late at night. If he listened carefully he could hear Sigi's soft breathing from his place on the floor (stretched out between the ottoman and the armchair, below the bridge of Miles' legs). The air was warm and suffused with patchouli, comfortable without being thick, and Ten Little Indians lay open in his left hand. The tableau should have been a relaxed one, and indeed on any other night it might have been.

Being that it was Christmas Eve, however, the book was held loosely, carelessly, his eyes moving across the pages only every once in a while. The half-empty cup of tea sitting on the table beside him had long ago cooled, forgotten in favor of the wine beside it (filled twice and also half-empty), and the patchouli was mingling with the smokey scent of a neighbor's wood-burning fireplace (yet another memory - sweet, sharp, and raw).

Sigi raised his head and stared at the door. Edgeworth ignored the reaction (just neighbors in the hall, returning from a holiday party) until Sigi shot to his feet, suddenly enough to bump Edgeworth's legs nearly off the ottoman. "Sigi, nein!" The dog quailed, his tail dropping and ears swiveling back, but he turned his attention to the door after glancing only briefly at his master.

Miles hadn't made it to his feet before the knock sounded through the room, and he crossed the foyer quickly. A frown tugged at his lips: it was well past the hours in which errant party guests might be expected to come knocking at the wrong doors. His brows furrowed in confusion as he swung open the door.

Comments

[samuraiprosecutor]

Hand halfway to his own glass Edgeworth paused, cocking an eyebrow at Wright. "Is there something wrong with that?"

[attorneyatlol]

“Huh?” His smile wavered slightly. Had he asked it offensively, or was Edgeworth just being difficult? “N-no, I just… I thought it was interesting.”

[samuraiprosecutor]

The guileless answer mollified him, somewhat. He made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat, picked up his drink and swirled it without thinking. The nearly-purple liquid formed a small vortex in the center of the glass, spinning out to the sides and drawing his eyes. He held it under his nose briefly, and inhaled the sweet, sharp scent before drinking.

[attorneyatlol]

Unconsciously mimicking Edgeworth, Phoenix swirled his wine and distractedly peered into the glass as if it would provide him with a topic of interest. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

He bit back a sigh, wondering, with no small measure of despondence, if the whole night would consist of clipped snippets of conversation that would eventually lull into uncomfortable silence. Not that he’d expected much more, if he’d had any expectations at all.

He looked up, suddenly, grasping. “Are you fluent?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

"Serviceable." Edgeworth regarded him over the rim of his glass, his expression neutral. "I studied there for several years. I know enough to get by, but I'm hardly fluent."

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix nodded, unsure how to proceed. Foreign languages were never subjects he’d excelled at, a fact that was reaffirmed as unbidden memories of his Spanish teacher unhappily shaking her head suddenly manifested. “I can count to ten,” he offered, scratching absently at his neck.

[samuraiprosecutor]

"In English?" The barest hint of a grin threatened at the corner of Edgeworth's lips. So brilliant at times, so simple at others - a strange dichotomy.

[attorneyatlol]

The look of indignation (if one could call it that—there wasn’t a trace of anger to be found) lasted only a split second before Phoenix snorted unflatteringly, the corners of his mouth settling into a playful smirk. He’d walked right into that one, hadn’t he? “English, Spanish, German, and French.”

[samuraiprosecutor]

"Consider me suitably impressed," he replied. Wright's smirk was contagious and Edgeworth's lips responded in kind, his eyes narrowing with a sharp amusement. "Obviously you're a man of many talents."

[attorneyatlol]

One of Phoenix’s eyebrows raised, matching Edgeworth’s amusement. “You’re just now realizing this?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth shrugged, the simple gesture smooth and somehow elegant. "In my defense, you keep your hidden talents very...well, hidden."

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix cocked his head to the side, clearly enjoying himself. “The better to surprise you with?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

"You seem to have that down to a fine art."

Even as he said it the words brought an unexpected thought to mind, and his smirk slowly faded as he dropped his gaze to his drink. Hidden talents. Unexpected interests. There was so much he didn't know, hadn't thought he'd wanted to know about Wright, but now...

"When you were in college...what styles of art did you study?" His tone was only mildly curious, carefully controlled, but he continued to stare at his drink.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix blinked. To say he was surprised by the question would be an understatement. He hesitated in taking a sip of his wine, afraid even a momentary lull in conversation would land them back where they were a few moments ago, but he needed time to collect his thoughts. He averted his eyes and took a longer sip than anticipated; the wine was good, even tasted expensive, and went down smoothly.

“Well, I… I was studying graphic design, actually, but I really preferred the required courses that went along with it. You know, like… painting?” He cast Edgeworth a sidelong glance, trying to stifle his discomfort as sudden, uninvited memories took residence in his head: paint-spattered jeans and soft-spoken words and stolen kisses over canvas while he tried in vain to express just how beautiful she was with shaky hands that refused to cooperate.

He took another long sip of wine.

[samuraiprosecutor]

"Who were your favorite painters? The ones that influenced your work?" Easy questions, but despite his skills of interrogation they were disproportionately difficult to ask. The surprisingly comfortable mood had shifted; the territory they walked was becoming unfamiliar.