Interrogation

Edgeworth woke up with a start. Blinking his grey eyes, he looked around carefully. Where am I...?

"Oh, you came to! Welcome, Mr Edgeworth, to my interrogation room," A voice called out. Edgeworth turned his head to the source of the voice, blinking again. "And today, my very first victim is... you!"

Maya stepped into the light, a large smile plastered onto her face. "How are you? Are the drugs wearing off yet?"

Edgeworth gave the spirit medium a look. Drugs...?

A hand appeared and smacked Maya on the backside of her head. "Foolish fool! You were not supposed to tell him we drugged him!" Franziska then stepped into the small light in the dark room, a scowl on her face as she glared at Maya, who wore a sheepish expression.

"S-sorry, Franny, I guess I--" Maya's eyes widened as Franziska cut her off sharply.

"Fool! Do not call me Franny! It is a very foolish name for perfection such as I!"

"Shh, girls, girls, settle down. Remember, make love, not war. Isn't that what we're doing here, anyways?" Another voice entered the conversation as a man stepped into view, completing a semi-circle around the pink, drugged prosecutor. The grey haired man blinked, his gaze finally focusing on the three younger people above him. His senses back to their usual sharpness, he finally asked in a scratchy, hoarse voice, "What's going on?! I demand to know this instant, Franziska!"

Maya turned her focus back to the prosecutor, her voice unusually fierce as she said, "Mr Edgeworth! I will be the one asking the questions here, and so will the rest of us. Right Detective Gumshoe?"

The final person in their group stepped slowly into the light, his gaze downcast as he mumbled, "Right, Ms Fey."

"Anyway... to start this off, I would like to ask you this: What is your relationship with Nick?" Maya stared down at Edgeworth, unusually intimidating in this unusual situation. Edgeworth blinked for the fourth time since he woke up. Where was she getting these things?

"Why do you ask, Ms Fey?" Edgeworth avoided the question a bit, giving her one of his looks. She ignored it, her large eyes focused on the older man tied to the chair under the small source of light.

"You knowwhy, Mr Edgeworth! I'm his best friend you know, and getting this out of you will reward me with burgers, I just know it!" Maya stopped to grin at the thought of burgers, her hands clapped together excitedly. "So don't act like you don't know what I'm asking!"

Burgers...?! "I... don't know what to say. We're partners in the act of finding the truth. We work together in the court of law. What else is there?"

"Edgey, don't say that! We want to know what you think of him personally! I mean, I'm sure that you guys must be friends or something. You always hang out together! ...Without me..." Larry snuffled, running a hand over her eyes before settling them on the prosecutor. "B-but you get my point! So c'mon! Say it!"

Edgeworth squirmed slightly under their gazes, the affects of the drugs still lingering in his body. "...Fine. I'll say it. We're... friends, in a sort. On a personal level, I suppose that that's all I can really say."

Maya blinked, her hand clenching around her magatama as three psyche locks appeared over Edgeworth's profile. Oh no... what to do, what to do...! It's a time like this when I need that old fart's help... The spirit medium glanced at her companions, motioning for a time-out. They scuttled out of view, forming a small circle as they huddled together.

"Guys, three psyche locks appeared! What am I supposed to do to get him to talk?!" Maya whispered, her voice filled with panic.

"I shall whip him! That should get him to talk!" Franziska muttered back,

"No, no! We should get Maya to seduce him! That should work!" Larry suggested, elbowing Maya lightly in the side.

"... I think that we should try showing him something that might contradict his statement. I mean, that's what Mr Wright does to get his witnesses to talk, right pal?" Gumshoe looked at his companions uncertainly. Maya shifted her gaze onto him, giving him a smile that lit up her face.

"Good thinking, Detective! And I think..." Maya reached into her sleeves, pulling out a ripped piece of paper, "... That I have just the thing to get him to talk!"

The group of four returned to their stations. Edgeworth moved his tired eyes to them, a bit bored as he thought of all the paperwork still left to do at his office. Maya looked determined, and her hands were hidden as she shouted, "Take that!" The three psyche locks appeared again, Edgeowrth a tad startled at her exclamation.

"Mr Edgeworth! You say that you are just friends, right? I have something that contradicts that!" Maya grinned triumphantly, hands on her hips as she leaned forward slightly.

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow, seeing the resemblance to Phoenix in her actions. "Oh? And that would be...?"

"This!" Maya held up the ripped piece of paper, "It's a part of Phoenix's diary. It says that something happened after Thursday's trial... something personal. So Mr Edgeworth, would you like to tell us about it?"

Edgeworth scowled, turning his gaze away from hers. The psche lock still wasn't gone yet, though... "I... What does it say? How is it so personal?"

Maya blinked. She hadn't expected this. "Um... it says, "Edgeworth is better than I had expected. But then again, what can you expect from him?" The rest of it is a bit blurry, since I was in a hurry to get it out before Nick had entered the room. I think he's getting a bit suspicious..."

Edgeworth blinked, but a smirk settled on his face as he said, "So what? What in the world could that indicate that it would be so much as personal?"

Maya glanced at the others in a call for help. Larry grinned in response, "Oh I know exactlywhat that could mean, heh heh. It could mean that you're good in bed!"

At this remark, one of Edgeworth's psyche locks disappeared. He began sweating, but said, "Y-You say that, but where's your proof? How can you prove that I've even touched anyone?!"

Franziska smiled, finger wagging as she took over. Her hooded eyes stared at him with an amused expression as she said, "Proof? I have proof, Miles Edgeworth! Right here is a picture of your neck covered with... something. I do not know, but I have assumed that it has something to do with intimate contact, little brother. In fact, I am quite disappointed that you have not... informed me of such things. I'm happy for you and your progress with Mr Phoenix Wright."

Maya continued to stare at her victim as another pyche lock broke, leaving one in the middle of his chest. Maya bit her lip at this. One more and we'll be done! What do we need, though, 'cause I've got nothing. She glanced at Gumshoe, the only one who hadn't asked or presented something yet. What was left to prove?

Edgeworth looked down, a bit of amusement on his face. When he looked up at them, he said, "Well, well. You've done quite well, haven't you. But there is one thing that you have yet to prove: How are the two pieces of evidence related? Anyone could have given me those marks, and Wright could have been referring to something else. You can assume all you want, but nothing but decisive evidence is going to prove anything."

Maya, Larry, and Franziska all looked expectantly at Gumshoe. He nodded at them as he pulled out a note. "This here note says that Mr Wright had a great time on Thursday, pal. It reads, "Hey, Edgeworth. I had a great time on Thursday, and I've been thinking... Maybe we could try something? I mean, after what I had left on you, I'm sure you might've had to think of an excuse for them, so... Might as well, right? So how about it? I'll call you later. Yours Truly, Phoenix Wright." We found it in his room on a desk. Quite cluttered, pal, and the paper's wrinkled and smudged, like it had been..."

"Erased, serveral times," Franziska finished for the detective, glancing sideways at him. He shrugged before returning his gaze to the pink prosecutor in front of him.

What can you expect from Wright?He thought, but Edgeworth's eyes widened, the final psyche lock breaking. Maya grinned happily at Franziska, who smiled back faintly. They held each other's gazes for a while before Larry draped his arms across all of their shoulders, looking down at Edgeworth as Gumshoe untied him. "Wow, Edgey. Y'know, all I wanted to know was if my two best buddies were doing something without me knowing. It breaks my heart to know that you guys would be hiding something from me, so I just had to find out! So did my little Maya here, so we got together to plan a little something. Maya invited Franziska, and Gumshoe just happened to overhear, so we all got together and decided to, well--"

Suddenly, the lights went on as Phoenix entered the room, saying, "Hey Maya, I have those Steel-whatever it is posters you wanted me to get!" He was holding a box of paper, and as he continued walking, the room quieted down. Phoenix settled the box on the ground before scanning the faces of the other occupants of the area. "Uh, guys? What just--"

"NICK! HOW COULD YOU?!" Larry and Maya chorused, ganging up on Phoenix as he stepped back, startled.

"How could I what?" Phoenix asked, looking back and forth between his two friends as he continued to back away from them.

"How could you not tell us about your relationship with Mr Edgeworth?!" Maya exclaimed, pointing to him standing in the middle of the room. Edgeworth was currently looking at his surroundings, wondering how the laundry room could have been concealed by darkness alone in the middle of the day.

"W-Well, I--"

"And how could you have been hiding it for so long Nick?! I hate to be in the dark, you know, especially when it involves my two best buddies," Larry said, effectively cutting him off. He and Maya were giving Phoenix expectant looks, both of them in his valued personal space. The defense attorney gave a helpless look at Edgeworth, who was quick to pick up his signals, only to be stopped mid-way by his sister.

"And where do you think you'regoing, Miles Edgeworth?" Franziska stared at him, whip in hand as she continued, "You have yet to give me an explanation of your choice of leaving me in the dark!"

"Y-Yeah, pal. I thought we had a good, trusting work-relationship, and now you decide to keep me out of your love life? I'm sorry Mr Edgeworth, but I'm afraid I'm gonna hafta agree with Ms von Karma," Gumshoe said, looking at Edgeworth with saddened eyes.

Edgeworth gulped quietly, taking slow steps away from them. He bumped into Phoenix, turning to look at him. "Wright. I... read your note. Well, they read it to me, actually, and, uh..."

Phoenix flushed slightly, taking a moment to look into his eyes, "O-Oh. W-Well, um, how about it, Edgeworth? Would you like to try?"

Edgeworth glanced back at the four people surrounding them. They had stopped to listen, and were staring at them expectantly.

He flushed as well, holding his arm as he looked down. "I would... I would like that. I really would, Wright."

"Well then, for starters, why don't you call me by my first name? I have one, you know," Phoenix suggested, elbowing Edgeworth lightly in the side. He gave him a small smile in response as he returned his gaze again, looking him in the eyes as Phoenix grinned widely, tipping Edgeworth's chin up to meet his lips, generating a loud, "Awwww" from the group above them. Not counting Franziska, of course.

"Mystic Maya? What's going on her--!" Pearl gasped, her little hand flying to her mouth as she stared at the sight of Edgeworth and Phoenix kissing on the floor of the Fey mansion's laundry room. "M-Mr Nick? What are you doing with Mr Edgeworth?"

Edgeworth twitched, moving to get away from Phoenix to answer, but he kept him in place to finish, his grip firm on Edgeworth's chin. They parted with a smacking sound, and Edgeworth raised an eyebrow at the defense attorney in front of him. The spikey head was only shaken in response before he spoke up, "Pearls, come on down here."

The little girl scampered down the steps in a huff, her face set in a scowl. It was probably an attempt to be intimidating, but it ended up in a pout. "Mr Nick, I can't believe that you could cheat on Mystic Maya like that!"

"Look, Pearls, I want you to pay really close attention to me, okay?" A brown-haired head nodded, signalling Phoenix that he had her attention. "Now you see, me and Edgeworth here, we're, uh, close. Like, really close. Closer than Maya and I have ever been."

"But--!" Phoenix cut the young spirit medium off with a finger to her lips.

"Ah, ah, ah, let me finish, Pearls." Phoenix glanced over to Edgeworth for a second before giving Pearl a stern look. "I know that Maya talks a lot about me, and we're good friends, really, but the thing is... That's all we'll ever be. Me and Edgeworth... You know what we were doing back there?" Pearl shook her head. "Well, that's one of the ways we're closer. I would never do that with Maya. No offense, or anything."

"None taken!" Maya piped up. She was very amused, and proud, of Phoenix's explanation, and you can see it on her face.

"So... That's it. Me and Maya... Good friends. Not each other's "special someone." Me and Edgeworth... Well... You'll see," Phoenix ended with a wink and a smile, and Pearl blushed cutely in response. Edgeworth matched her flush at the suggestion, looking down in embarrassment as Pearl smiled up at them.

"Okay, then, Mr Nick. You and Mr Edgeworth are each other's special someones, then!" Pearl announced, clapping her hands together. Phoenix nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, not exactly..." The defense attorney trailed off at the look on Pearl's face. "...Yeah. Yeah, he's my special someone, Pearls."

"Yay!" The little spirit medium cheered, smiling brightly at the two men.

"Wow," Maya breathed, leaning over to talk quietly to Larry, "Didn't think it would go that well."

"Me neither," Larry replied, eying the happy little girl. "But what can we do, really."

"So Mystic Maya, who's your special someone?" Pearl asked, her big brown eyes staring up at the older spirit medium. Maya blinked her own eyes before shaking her head.

"That, Pearly, is another story."