Adrian sighed as she pulled the black ribbon from her hair, smoothing down the flyaway strands. She had changed back into her regular clothes, having put the dress in the closet with the other museum props. It was almost three in the afternoon, but she had already passed her duties to her assistants in order to focus on Franziska's situation. Not that she was certain the decision would yield a new clue; the last time she had heard anything from Franziska (assuming it had indeed been the young woman who had attempted to contact her) had been three days ago, when the mysterious letter had appeared in her apartment. It was the same letter she had passed to Edgeworth, in the hopes that he would have better luck uncovering the mystery.
Now Edgeworth was off somewhere. The police department, I believe he said. And it was about time. The poor guy had been trying to get back to Criminal Affairs since the previous night, his plans thwarted by a series of earthquakes. Adrian hoped he would make it without encountering another one.
The woman gathered her hair into a ponytail and began to twist it upward. He really has gone through so much in his life. He shouldn't have to deal with this anymore. No one…should have to be revisited by the ghosts of their pasts. When it's over, it should be over. With that thought, she paused, still holding her hair up in the back with one hand. Damn you, Matt…what are you thinking?
Her stomach turned at the thought of her former client being close to free on the streets. While she was relieved a professional assassin was behind bars, she wasn't too pleased by the tradeoff. After all, she knew how rotten Matt could be when he got carried away. She could only imagine how two years of prison life had made him even more of a cretin.
Adrian wondered if Matt would ever try to get back into the business...that is, if the appeal went through. Would he get in touch with his old friends? Would he attempt to contact her? Just thinking about it made her skin crawl. I can't imagine he'd want to have a friendly chat with me. After all, I'm the one who framed him for murder, even if he was guilty of ordering the hit. She released her hairdo without having secured it, allowing the long blonde strands to fall down her back. I guess…I've never really considered the repercussions on the other side. With Mr. Wright putting me in the hot seat two years ago, I was more scared of losing my own life and freedom to the courts.
She couldn't afford to be nervous now, though. Edgeworth had been right in that it was a crucial time to be strong. She couldn't be of any help to Franziska if she simply crumbled before every potential threat to her new life. Adrian was glad Edgeworth had been there to point that out. Not that she intended to hang on to every word he said, as she had with others in the past, but it was nice to have a friend who could remind her of what was truly important. Everyone is working hard. I should, too.
Thinking about Edgeworth only caused her to think about Franziska's inability to ever talk about the man. And whenever she did, it seemed to always be in a diminutive, almost belittling way. Why doesn't she ever talk about what a great person he is? He's so kind, intelligent, inwardly strong…and always focused on getting the task done. Considering everything he's had to go through, he's…just amazing. How could she not appreciate a man like that? I…
She was blushing again, and she shook her head. No. I refuse to even approach that topic. I admit he's been better company than some of the men I've dated, but…it isn't as though he would even think of me in that way. She thought of how she had tripped on her own dress earlier, and how Edgeworth had been forced to catch her. How he frigidly stared at her while she only stupidly blushed at him. And how, in a desperate attempt to escape the already embarrassing situation, she'd managed to make it even more embarrassing by literally bumping into a waiter. To salvage her pride, she'd told herself, over and over, that Edgeworth was a man so focused on his job that he probably didn't have time for anything else, much less concern himself with how she'd acted earlier that day. So what if she'd made a spectacle of herself? Was that any reason to feel like she'd lost a certain prosecutor's respect?
But Adrian couldn't help that feeling, especially when she thought about the end of their conversation. That joke I made about my dress…now, why did I say that? It wasn't even that funny. She let out a sigh. Oh well. I'll have to face Miles again soon, so there's no sense in wasting time being embarrassed about such things.
"I'm all right," Adrian whispered, taking a deep breath. "I'm all right. Everything will be all right. I have to focus on Franziska. She's more important than anything else right now." Despite her priorities, she realized she was still at square one, with no clues or even hints as to where her friend was, or even if she was alive.
It was time to go home. Adrian placed her notes and agenda in a leather case, said goodbye to the other workers, and headed off to her apartment.