"Nick, wake up! Nick!"
"Hmm? What's going on?"
"Oh, nothing. I'm just going back to Kurain."
"WHAT!!?? But…why?"
"For Pearl's birthday party, duh! Now come on, we have to go!"
"Wait, we?" I ask, confused. 'What do you mean, we? It's only 7 AM, Maya, I don't want to go anywhere."
"But Nick, you promised you would help!" Maya whines, sitting on the bed and begging on her knees.
"I don't remember that."
"Well, I promised you'd help! And I can't let Pearly down! Come on, if you do it, I'll do anything you want!" Maya pleads.
"Hmm…" Anything? I could make her not ask me for burgers for a year! Or get her to do all of my paperwork! Ok, maybe that's not the best idea, but still, this is an offer I can't refuse!
"Ok." I answer. "I'm sure it won't be that bad. After all, this is Pearl we're talking about, I'm sure nothing will get too out of hand."
---
"YOU WANT ME TO WEAR WHAT?"
"Oh, come on Nick, it's not that…bad…" Maya says, struggling to stop herself from laughing.
"Maya, I am not wearing a maid uniform!"
"But Mr. Nick!" Pearls protests, rolling up her sleeve with the same menacing look she always gives me before slapping me in the face. "It's a tea party! You have to dress for the occasion!"
"I refuse to dress up as a maid! Can't I wear my blue suit instead?"
"Absolutely not! It's tacky and it doesn't fit into my party. And besides, you can't go back and get it, the party starts in one hour!" Pearl argues.
"Nick, it's just for a couple of hours. Besides, I think you'd look cute in it." Maya says, laughing. Realizing that trying to reason with Pearl won't end well for me, I resign and put on the maid uniform. Upon seeing me, Maya bursts laughs so hard that she can't bear to stand, and starts to roll around on the floor. Even Pearl stifles a few giggles. It's going to be a very long day.
"When is the party starting?" I ask miserably.
---
About an hour later, the main hall of Kurain Manor is filled with flowers, doilies, and tons of china dolls that Pearl owns. One by one, the kids start to arrive, giving Pearl her presents which I bring over to the side room, while the little girls laugh at me behind my back.
[i]What in the world have I gotten myself into?[/i]
As I walk towards the side room, Maya comes out, dressed as a maid. I stop in my tracks. She looks really hot. I mean, I thought that she looked great in the waitress uniform, but Damn!
"How do I look?" Maya asks.
Struggling not to say anything inappropriate, I simply reply with "Great."
"Great? That's all? I was kind of going for fantabulously amazing or something, but OK." Maya says as she walks towards the main hall, acting disappointed. Confused, I go to the side room and put the presents down, then return to the main hall, thankful that Pearl didn't make me wear heels.
"Oh, Ms. Nick, could you get us some tea?" Pearl asks as I walk into the hall, causing an eruption of laughter from the little girls. I sigh and bring the tea trolley over, pouring the girls tea. One of Pearl's friends whispers to her.
"You know, the maid with the weird hair should really shave her legs. It's unladylike."
"Mina, you do know that he's not actually a girl, right?"
"Oh…Yeah. Of course!"
This has to be the most embarrassing day ever. At least Edgeworth and Larry aren't here.
"Would you care for some crumpets, ladies?"Maya asks, enjoying this a bit too much. Then again, she's not being mocked by a bunch of 10-year olds.
"Oh Ms. Nick? Could you go bring us the mini-sandwiches?" Pearl asks.
"Yes, Miss Pearl." I mumble grudgingly.
---
"Since when do tea parties involve little girls bashing up colourful animals so they can eat their insides?"I ask Maya as we watch Pearl moving around blindfolded, attempting to strike down the piñata.
"Oh, since around the time that lawyers went to little girls' parties and served them mini-sandwiches in a creepy maid outfit."
"Hey! Didn't you say that you thought I looked cute in this?" I say, raising my eyebrows.
"Touché. Come on, I think we deserve a break." Maya says, dragging me away from the party and into her bedroom. We sit down on the bed, and Maya takes off the heels that Pearl had forced her to wear.
"Man, these things were killing me! I love helping out at Pearl's party, but this outfit is just ridiculous."
"Oh, you poor thing." I say sarcastically. Maya ignores me.
"So, have you planned out what I have to do yet?"
"Not yet, but after all I've been through, it's probably going to be something really embarrassing."
"Yeah, sorry about the maid outfit. I had no idea Pearl would make you do something like that. And I promise I won't tell anybody."
"Great. And I promise I won't tell anybody that you ate all of the crumpets when nobody was looking."
"What!? That didn't even happen!!!"
"Riiiight. " I tease.
"I didn't!" Maya says, pushing me onto the bed and laying on top of me.
"Hey, get off!"
"Not until you take it back."
"Mystic Maya, you can kiss Mr. Nick later! Come on, you've got to cut the cake!"
"But I wasn't -!"
"Oh please Mystic Maya, you don't have to hide your love from me, I know exactly what you were up to. Now come on!"
---
"Happy Birthday to Pearl, Happy Birthday to Pearl, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to Pearl!" Pearl's guests sing. Pearl makes a wish, and blows out the candle.
"Oh, oh, what did you wish for Pearl?" her friend asks.
"Well…I wished that Mr. Nick and Mystic Maya would kiss each other." Pearl says shyly.
"Um…I don't really think that-"
"Oh, don't be such a party pooper, Nick. It's her birthday wish, we have to!" Maya says beside me, before leaning in and kissing me. Shocked at first, I attempt to pull away, only to find Maya has her arms around my neck with no intention of letting go. Oddly enough, I realize that I'm enjoying the kiss, even with a table full of 10-year olds staring at me. I begin to kiss Maya back, until she pulls away, gasping for air. Pearl cheers, and Maya looks away, her face red.
"Ok, who wants cake?" Maya asks, excusing herself from her seat and slicing the cake.
Wow…I should visit Pearl more often.
---
"Well, that was an interesting party, wasn't it?" I ask Maya once all of the kids have gone home, and Pearl is in her room playing with her presents. As with all birthday parties, there's a huge mess left over, and Maya and I have to clean it up.
"Yeah, the, um, cake was good." Maya says, avoiding my gaze, which she's been doing since cake was served.
"Yeah…So, when you said you'd do anything if I helped you out…"
Maya turns to look at me. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, you could kiss me again."
"Pardon?"
"You said you'd do anything. So kiss me."
Maya blushes furiously. "W-why?"
"Well, why not?"
"O-Ok…"
Maya walks over and slowly leans in for a kiss, but unable to wait I grab her and press my lips against hers, kissing her passionately. Maya begins to kiss me back, and presses me up against the wall, both of us enjoying every second of it. One of my hands makes its way towards Maya's hair, stroking it gently, the other staying firmly at her waist. Maya pulls away slowly, staring into my eyes.
Maya giggles. "That was unexpected."
"You totally loved it." I say smugly.
"Maybe." Maya says, "I'd need another one to be sure."
"My pleasure." I say, kissing her again. Maya brings her arms up onto my shoulders, and brings us both down to the floor. The arm resting on Maya's waist moves down to her thigh, eliciting a soft moan from Maya.
"What do you think now?"
"You're right, I do love your kisses. Among other things." Maya says, grinning.
"You're not a bad kisser yourself." I reply.
"Oh, I know. And Pearly's party wasn't that bad, now was it?"
"I guess not. Especially considering how it ended."
"Well that's good to know, because Mr. Edgeworth's party is coming up soon and-"
"Absolutely not."I cut in. "I'm done with parties for the rest of the year."
Maya sighs. "Fair enough. Now hush up, I need your lips for something else." She says as she pulls me in for another kiss. It seems that even though Maya's schemes always get us in trouble, they usually work out in the end.