8. Gateway


Miles glanced over at him. He had his arms crossed and his head turned toward the passenger window where he was sitting slouched in the bucket seat of Mile's Alfa Romeo. He seemed so uncharacteristically solemn Miles couldn't help but be concerned.

"Wright," he turned to face the windshield as he spoke, "You're not ill, are you?"

"Huh?" Phoenix startled in the seat and shuffled under the seatbelt so that he was facing forward again.

"You seem... Strangely contemplative," Miles said, trying his best to sound casual and disinterested.

"Oh... Yeah," he could feel Phoenix's eyes sweep over him for a moment. "Maya went back to Kurain."

"Oh," Miles frowned slightly, "Surely she'll return?"

"Maybe," Phoenix sighed and fidgeted in his seat, "She's the Master now. So she's going to be pretty busy."

"Do you need a new assistant?"

"Oh, I'll be okay. I'm just... I'll miss her—I already do."

Miles frowned, there was nothing he could do surely?

"Wright is there something I could do perhaps to make you—"

"What are you going to do, Edgeworth? I'm not just losing Maya, but Mia too. Unless you think you could learn how to channel the dead?"

Miles could only glare at him for several terse moments. Phoenix laughed.

"I'm just kidding," he punched Miles lightly in the arm, "I know you don't believe in that stuff."

Miles stared at the road ahead with his teeth set in a grimace. His hands were gripping the steering wheel as if he could strangle it.

"You probably think it's going to open some gateway to hell or something."

Miles' eyes shot toward Phoenix for a moment before focusing back on the road.

"Like an Oblivion gate..." Phoenix set his chin in his hand grimly, "Or maybe you're worried you'll get possessed and start speaking in tongues and turning your head all the way around—or something..."

"Just stop, Wright," Miles said, "I thought you seemed sad. I didn't mean to let loose this flood of crazy..."


A/N: I don't know why... But I think Phoenix plays video games... It just makes sense to me...