Disclaimer: I really need to play Phoenix Wright again. To do this, I'll probably have to quit being cheap and finally buy a DS... Curses!
AN: This is a sequel to Mysteriously Reforged and was totally inspired by a comic on Deviant Art. "And Key" by Hail-NekoYasha.
How'd She Know?
Miles Edgeworth, the unshakeable demon prosecutor, feared and respected by all in the legal profession as a paragon of self-control, was so stunned he nearly dropped the phone.
'How did she know?' He thought he had kept his interest well hidden. 'How could she have possibly discovered that I...?' Miles shook his head, trying to clear out the distracting snippets of doubt that flashed through his mind. Stunned or not, it was indescribably rude to freeze up in shock during a telephone conversation.
From over the phone he heard a slight crackle of static and the girl's voice, sounding slightly worried, no doubt because of his momentary silence.
"Mr. Edgeworth, is something wrong? Oh, don't tell me, you probably have a case today, don't you? I'm sorry, I should have called earlier. I knew this was too short-notice..." The sheer disappointment in her voice was surprising. It was obvious she had planned on having him accompany them from the beginning.
Miles hated to be one to disappoint.
Glancing down at the datebook lying open on his desk, he made a choice. Technically, he was booked solid with meetings and appointments all day. However, none of the meetings truly required his presence, and the appointments were nothing important. He could easily send a memo and achieve the same results. And, most of all, this sounded like it would be fun. If there was one thing he needed, it was a break.
"No, no. Nothing's wrong, Ms. Fey. I was just checking my schedule. It seems we're both in luck; I didn't have much of anything to do today. Just some paperwork, but that can wait until tomorrow."
"So you can come?" Maya sounded almost ecstatic, the emotional swings that girl was capable of were truly astounding...
"Yes. Thank you for inviting me." Miles murmured somewhat absentmindedly as he drew a huge X through the day's page in his datebook. It was thoroughly enjoyable, he didn't do it nearly often enough. On the other end of the line he could hear Maya informing the others that he would attend ("He says he can come!" "Really? That's great! Did you hear that, Mr. Nick?") and bit back a chuckle.
"That's great, Mr. Edgeworth! We're at Nick's office now, but we should be leaving soon. Why don't you meet us at the arena in about... A half hour?"
"That sounds fine. Oh, Maya, do you mind if I bring a guest? I'll take care of his ticket myself."
"Of course not. The more the merrier, right?" Her tone was slightly confused, but sunny nonetheless. She probably wondered who he would be bringing. "We'll see you at the arena then, bye!"
Miles hung up, then picked up the receiver again and dialed the front desk in the lobby. The office's secretarial staff was exceptionally efficient, so he trusted they should be able to handle his request quickly.
"Hello, this is Edgeworth. Please cancel all my appointments for today, and inform those involved that I will not be attending any of the scheduled meetings either. They are to carry on without me. ... Yes, I'm feeling perfectly fine. ... I assure you, I'm not ill, but thank you for your concern. Something has come up that I must attend to." A chorus of surprised whispers came over the line and he wondered momentarily if they had put him on speakerphone. Still, he found it hard to blame them for their incredulity. Miles was well aware he of the workaholic reputation he had built up the years. "Oh, and if Detective Gumshoe is hanging about, send him up to my office. ... Yes, thank you."
Almost as soon as he hung up the phone, Edgeworth heard a knock on his door and looked up to see Gumshoe poke his head into the office. The secretarial staff was good. Miles made a mental note to give them all raises.
"You wanted to see me Mr. Edgeworth?"
"Yes, I'm giving you the day off." Miles explained, straightening a last few things on his desk to prepare to leave, and for something to do until Gumshoe found his voice again.
"A day off, sir? That's generous and all, but... Are you feelin' all right? You shouldn't be working if you're sick, Mr. Edgeworth, you should be home resting!" The detective looked quite upset, as if someone had told him all ramen noodles were now illegal contraband.
"I'm just fine, Detective Gumshoe. I'm taking the day off as well. Now, come with me, we're expected at the ice arena."
"The arena?" Gumshoe was more confused than ever. What was his boss planning? Why the ice arena of all places?
"Yes, we're going with Wright and the Feys to see The Steel Samurai on Ice."
-- -- -- -- --
Phoenix couldn't focus on the show. How could he be expected to when his rival, the mature and sophisticated (or so he had thought) Miles Edgeworth, was sitting a mere two seat to his right and seemed to be enjoying the performance just as much as Maya? It was just too surreal. Phoenix kept glancing down the row at regular (and short) intervals to make sure he hadn't been hallucinating the prosecutor's presence; and each time he did Edgeworth was still sitting there, bundled up in a long maroon coat a few shades darker than his suit with his trademark half-smile gracing his face.
Maya planned this, that much was certain. This was why she asked for four tickets instead of three. But, how could she have known that Edgeworth was a Steel Samurai fan? The idea was still so radical his brain was almost refusing to process it. How was Maya able to guess and adapt so quickly? Maybe it was her latent ESP giving her a preternatural edge again, or maybe...
Yes! That had to be it. Maybe Edgeworth wasn't a fan at all. His coming along was probably just part of the deal he struck with Maya so she would let him analyze Ami's pot, nothing more. Now that was an idea that made sense, much more sense than the previous scenario. Phoenix sure loved his little flashes of insight. They helped him win court cases, comforted him by letting him know he wasn't going crazy, and were pretty useful all around. Secure in the knowledge that he had figured everything out, Phoenix settled down in his seat and turned his gaze to the ice where the Steel Samurai and the Evil Magistrate were locked in a complexly choreographed battle. He had to admit, the performers were good. The way they moved, you could almost forget they were on ice skates. Until you looked around you and saw the ice rink again, that is.
Phoenix was, surprisingly, almost getting into the show when a tiny prickle of doubt started chafing at the back of his mind. If Edgeworth wasn't a Steel Samurai fan, then how did he answer all the trivia? Out in the arena's lobby before the show, Maya and Pearl had started quizzing each other over little factoids about the Steel Samurai. They were tough questions, things only a die-hard fanatic would know, and when the girls included Edgeworth, he knew every single answer. It was irrefutable proof... (Honestly, how did he know the crest on the back of the Steel Samurai's haori was the "panda of justice?" It always looked like an ink-blot test to Phoenix, too abstract to be recognizable.)
After the show, Phoenix decided, he and Edgeworth were going to have a long talk.
-- -- -- -- --
A few hours later in the arena lobby, Edgeworth stood with Phoenix and Gumshoe as they waited for the girls to return from the restroom. Miles felt twinge of pity for his rival, knowing that the girls both drank three jumbo-sized sodas apiece and Phoenix would have to deal with the spastic rush of hyper activity alone. However, as Miles noticed, Phoenix didn't seem at all fazed by the prospect of looking after two caffeine-crazed teeny-boppers; he was too busy alternating between sneaking glances and outright staring at him. It made Edgeworth feel more than a little awkward. What was he staring at? The piercing quality in the defense attorney's eyes made it seem as if he was trying to, through sheer willpower, see through the prosecutor's cool facade and root out a deep, dark secret hidden in his soul. It was slightly annoying.
"Can I help you with something, Wright?"
Phoenix started at the peeved bite in Edgeworth's voice, but quickly regained his composure. Somewhat... Scratching at the back pf his neck sheepishly, he plucked up his nerve and asked the question that had been gnawing at his mind since the prosecutor actually agreed to show up at the arena.
"Edgeworth... I've just been wondering, are you really a fan of the Steel Samurai or did you only come because Maya asked you to?"
That was what Wright wanted to know? Edgeworth was taken aback. Was he really so unapproachable that even asking a simple question like that made Wright nervous? Miles knew he wasn't the most personable of men, but he couldn't help but think his rival was being comically overcautious. It wasn't as if he would bite the defense attorney's head off for a minor inquiry. It wouldn't hurt to answer truthfully either. From the looks of it, the truth would shake Wright up and be an amusing way to spend the next few minutes while they waited.
"Of course I'm a fan. I have been ever since I was a child. Franziska was interested in the series as well, though she rarely had an opportunity to watch television, thanks to her father's study regimen."
True to Edgeworth's prediction, Phoenix was shook. He gaped like a fish on the shore for a full minute before snapping out of it and hurling a fierce "objection!"
"Come on, stop kidding around Edgeworth. I may not be a fan on Maya's level, but I do know the Steel Samurai wasn't around when we were kids. You couldn't have been watching it then!"
"Sorry Wright, but I'm being completely serious." The wry grin on Edgeworth's face made Phoenix doubt that, but he let the prosecutor continue uninterrupted. "You're correct, the Steel Samurai is a fairly new program, however... Do you recall the samurai show that was playing during our childhood? The one where the wandering samurai in a suit of European armor would travel the land righting wrongs for 'great justice'?"
Phoenix felt it was his duty to point out that most, if not all, samurai shows followed that pattern, but he was surprised to find that he did remember. He remembered quite vividly.
"Yeah... It was the Silver Yojimbo, right? That was a great show! I used to watch it every day in grade school. But... What does that have to do with this?"
"Well, you see," Edgeworth laughed and spread his arms, a gesture from the courtroom so familiar that it made Phoenix flinch reflexively, expecting a major bombshell to destroy his case. "After the Silver Yojimbo series ended, Global Studios bought the rights to it. Several years later, they changed the Yojimbo storyline slightly to set it in a different place and time, gave the characters new names, and remade the Silver Yojimbo as the Steel Samurai. If you watch diligently, you'll notice that, aside from the superficial differences, the plots and characters of both shows are practically identical."
Wright's jaw made a hollow "clop!" sound as it impacted the floor. He couldn't believe the Silver Yojimbo he had loved so much as a kid and the Steel Samurai Maya tormented him with now were, for all intents and purposes, the same thing. It was mind blowing, but at least now it made some sense. Edgeworth was a fan out of nostalgia, and it was logical, but now there was something else bothering Phoenix...
"Edgeworth, does that mean...? Am I...?"
"Technically a Steel Samurai fan as well? If you still like the Silver Yojimbo, then yes, in a way you are."
Phoenix flung out his arm, finger pointed and at the ready, but his disbelieving objection was cut short as Maya exited the restroom, drying her hands on the edge of her kimono as she walked with Pearl trailing close behind her.
"You wouldn't believe it, Nick. They've got those cool automatic paper towel dispensers in there, but they're all broken!" Looking up from the hem of her kimono, Maya noticed that something was up and glanced confusedly between Phoenix, Edgeworth and Gumshoe (who, not wanting to get caught up in the debate, was standing off to the side, whistling innocently and eating a soft pretzel.) "Uh, Nick, what's going on?"
"Ah..." With the objection ruined, Phoenix let his arm fall back to his side. At least her interruption gave him time organize his thoughts. "Not much, really. Edgeworth and I were just talking about the Steel Samurai's history."
"You mean like how it's based off that corny old show the Silver Yojimbo?"
Corny? Phoenix and Miles both wilted at her remark, but she was right. Favorite show and childhood memory or not, the Silver Yojimbo was always pretty hokey...
"Yeah..." Even as Wright mourned the rapidly plummeting nostalgia value of the Silver Yojimbo, he couldn't help but notice how unspeakably happy Maya looked, like she always looked when talking about the Steel Samurai. That joy was pretty much the only reason he thought about the series anymore, for her sake.
Edgeworth cleared his throat as he caught his rival drifting off into his own private world of thoughts, earning him both Maya and Phoenix's semi-rapt attention.
"Maya, I've been meaning to ask you, how did you know I was a fan of the Steel Samurai?" That got their attention. Both Phoenix and Gumshoe jumped in with their own queries, elaborating on Edgeworth's and each other. It seemed the mystery of Miles' fandom had been foremost in all their minds.
"I was wondering that too, Maya. How did you know? I've never heard Edgeworth say anything to hint that he's a fan, and it's not like he has a Steel Samurai bumper sticker on his car... I was shocked when I found out."
"Me too, pal. I've known Mr. Edgeworth for years and I had no idea. Was it just a lucky guess, or is there some secret thing only you fans can see? It's a 'it takes one to know one' thing, isn't it?"
With a cool, level-headed smile to rival her sister's, Maya just shook her head.
"Come on guys, I've got ESP! I can't really read your minds, but there are all sorts of things I know about you, all of you."
From the lighthearted way she said it, the men knew Maya didn't mean anything bad, but the words still sent chills down their spines. 'There are all sorts of things I know about you...' How creepy. As they walked out to their cars in the parking lot, an unspoken sentiment passes between Phoenix, Miles, and Gumshoe. 'There are all sorts of things I know about you...' Each of them knew those words would haunt them for the rest of the day.
AN: So, I added a bit of my own madness to the Phoenix Wright world. Think of the Silver Yojimbo as the original 'Horton Hears a Who' in book form, and the Steel Samurai as the hideous CGI movie remake. Also, Maya could be creepy as all get-out if she really wanted to.
By the way, am I the only one who truly despises how FF doesn't support dashed linebreaks in chapters anymore? Dashes looked classier than these rows of X's I have to use now. (Since the full horizontal rule looks bad, trust me...) Do the powers-that-be think before they make these changes?