July 29, 2024
Fey Mansion
8:00 AM
The sound of summer cicadas buzzed in the air. The humidity seemed to evaporate overnight, leaving the cool mountain air that trickled in from the paper doors which glowed from the light of the courtyard. Phoenix lay atop his futon, his blue eyes studying Miles' sleeping visage. His expression was soft and gentle, so unlike the glares and wicked smirks that had haunted his dreams through the night.
His mind couldn't help but go to the conversation last night and what came after. His heart pounded as he absently touched his lips. It excited and terrified him. Miles Edgeworth was in love with him. It still hadn't really sunk in. Sure, he noticed that the fair-haired man was attracted to him, to Phoenix von Karma. He just never expected the depth to which Miles felt for him. Even though he should have realized it from everything that Miles did for him, took care of him, was so gentle with him. There were signs everywhere, but he still felt just as blindsided as he'd been when he realized that his past five years were a lie.
A kernel of guilt gnawed at the pit of his stomach. He wished he'd noticed earlier. Maybe he wouldn't have resisted quite so much. He could have... However, he quickly shook that idea off. He wasn't ready. It would have been disastrous if it had come up earlier.
Miles Edgeworth is in love with me.
Emotionally constipated, childhood hero, Miles Edgeworth.
Handsome as sin, smartest man I know, Miles Edgeworth.
Sweet, kind, gentle Miles.
And he's in love with me.
Delight squirmed in his veins, making him giddy and restless. Damned if he didn't feel like the luckiest man on the face of the earth. How in the hell had he managed such a feat without even realizing it? The thought sent a goofy grin across his lips. Take that Blackquill! he crowed at his non-existent rival.
Phoenix was still grinning like a loon when Miles began to stir. It was late for Edgeworth, but he figured the man had been working crazy hours for days now and needed the rest. Slowly, the fair haired man blinked awake, frowning at the unfamiliar surroundings. He stilled when he noticed Phoenix watching him, eyes widening at his mischievous smile.
"...What is that look for?" Miles asked warily, though his pink cheeks gave him away.
"Nothing~" Phoenix replied innocently.
Miles' blush deepened. Then suddenly he jerked. "What time is it?" he demanded.
Phoenix blinked. "Wha...? Oh, around eight I guess?"
A colorful curse flew from the chief prosecutor's lips as he threw off his blanket. He snatched his cell phone up from the mat and furiously began dialing in vain.
"You have to use the payphone outside," Phoenix reminded him.
An even more scandalous curse escaped him. Barely taking the time to even pull on his shoes, he shot out of the room like a rocket, leaving a very confused Phoenix in his wake. A touch more slowly, he roused himself and headed out into the morning light. The halls were far more bustling with activity as various staff began to clean and the smell of cooking filled the air. He took a minute just to look out over the brightly lit courtyard, stretching the sleep out of his limbs.
"Morning, Nick!" a voice called and he turned to see Maya walking down the hall. "I just saw Edgeworth tear out of here like a bat out of hell. What happened?"
"Knowing him, probably work," Phoenix said with a shrug.
Maya stopped and studied him. "You look like you're in a good mood," she said, her eyes narrowing.
Phoenix dropped the grin he didn't know he'd been holding. "Do I?" he asked, feigning innocence. "Maybe I'm just so excited to try this channeling again."
The look on the spirit medium's face said she didn't buy that for one second. "Uh-huh~" she said, her tone going sly. She grasped her hands behind her back, shuffling a step past him before she smirked over her shoulder, "You know, this house is pretty old. And the walls are literally paper thin, if you know what I mean~"
A bright flush of heat shot straight to his face, his eyes widening when he realized just what Maya must have overheard. "I- that was-! That wasn't what it looked- I mean, sounded-!"
"Oh relax!" Maya laughed, waving off his protestations. "You think I didn't notice you two had the hots for each other at Edgeworth's house? Why do you think I stuck you such a tiny room?" Absolutely mortified, Phoenix hid his face behind his hands. Apparently, he was way more in denial than he thought he was. Maya Fey, Mistress of Schadenfreude, just laughed at his embarrassment and punched him in the arm. "C'mon Nick. Let's go get some breakfast. You'll feel better."
He did feel better and after breakfast, he sought out Miles who had made camp at the town payphone at the bus station. As expected, the chief prosecutor was rattling off a number of instructions to his deputy back in the office, somehow managing to make Dox's life hell over the phone. It inspired such warm, fuzzy feelings.
"Miles, I brought you food," Phoenix said, holding out a couple of rice balls in offering. "I'm not leaving until I watch you eat it."
Edgeworth cast him an annoyed glance, then looked to his hands. The payphone in one and his cell phone in the other. "I'll call you back," he told Dox before he hung up the phone and pocketed his cell. "Thank you," he said, although he gave the rice balls an inscrutable look, as if trying to figure out how to eat them without touching them with his fingers. With a sigh, he gave it up and took a delicate bite out of one.
Satisfied, Phoenix said, "So, you ready to try the channeling again?"
Miles just rolled his eyes. "Perhaps you'd better do this without me. Without cell reception, I have to stay near the phone to pick up calls." However, when the former defense attorney scrunched his nose, he asked, "Is there a problem with that?"
"No? Not exactly..." Phoenix hedged. "Just that Maya has a habit of channeling people that are slightly... murder-y. Might be helpful to have you nearby in case something goes wrong."
Miles went still. "I'll be right there."
Two hours later found them in the exact same position as they had last night. Edgeworth didn't even try to hide his sheer displeasure, while Maya gave the entire group an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry. It's just not working. I don't think I can channel her."
"It's okay, Mystic Maya," Pearls said next to her, putting a consoling hand to her arm. "You're still in training! You'll be able to do it one day without fail."
Gritting his teeth, Edgeworth glared at him out of the corner of his eye. "Well, Wright, I'll thank you for this monumental waste of time," he bit out. "It took precious time away from your cases and our investigation. We should leave here immediately to get back to work."
Phoenix refused to let himself be baited. Maya really had given it her all and he didn't buy that she just wasn't strong enough. No, something else was throwing a monkey wrench into the mix. "You have to have the true name and the true face to channel the deceased, right?" he asked, just making sure that he got it right.
Maya nodded. "Exactly."
Phoenix mulled the facts over in his mind. Is something off about this or this is one of the 60% failures? Is Benedikta's spirit just too far to channel? As if this investigation wasn't already complicated enough. This was going to muddy the waters even more.
Sighing, Phoenix pushed himself up to his feet. "Thanks for your help. The both of you. We should head back, like Miles said."
"Oh! Before you leave, I have something for you!" Pearls said, before pulling out something oh-so familiar from her pocket. A slightly iridescent, green magatama. She smiled up at him. "I charged it with spiritual energy. Do you remember how to use it?"
Phoenix sucked in a breath. "Do I," he said, reverently taking the sacred charm from her hands to cradle in his palms.
Hello, my old friend.
If only he'd had this on him when he'd been taken. He never would have been duped with the magatama in hand. His hand fisted around it tightly, feeling the cool energy press into his palm. Already, he felt so much stronger with it. Like he had his power and agency back. Miles cast the magatama a skeptical look, but didn't comment. Perhaps thinking that a placebo effect was better than nothing.
I still don't know how he can deny it works when he used it himself.
Oh well. Mystery for another day.
With goodbyes and a packed lunch in hand, Phoenix and Miles headed back to the red sports car parked outside the mansion. Miles was still being something of a grumpy-guss, muttering to himself about all the calls he must have missed since they were here. All smiles, Phoenix leaned over the roof of the car on the passenger's side, "Oh cheer up, Miles. It's not like our trip was totally useless. We learned a lot."
"If you are referring to the fact that Ms. Fey couldn't hypnotize us into thinking she was a spirit who died thousands of miles away, you and I have very different definitions of success," Miles groused.
"Actually, I was referring to the little revelation you spilled last night," Phoenix said with a smirk.
It was so, so gratifying to watch Miles Edgeworth turn as pink as the suit he owned. It was nice not being the one caught off guard. "Ah, um... yes... well," Miles muttered awkwardly, fumbling for something to say. "Th-that is a discussion that can be tabled for another time. Let's go. You'll need to handle the phone while I'm driving." He dipped out of sight, getting into the driver's seat for the long trip back.
Phoenix got his biggest smile yet.
Not a psyche-lock in sight.
~o~
July 29, 2024
Edgeworth Residence
3:00 PM
The warm glow of their mutual affections didn't last long.
When they arrived around the corner from Miles' house, both of them knew that something was amiss. Police and unmarked cars littered the street, police tape cordoning off sections of the neighborhood, while officers and CSI filtered in and out of Miles' home.
"This can't be good," Phoenix said, a bit redundantly Miles thought, as the pair of them got out of the car outside of the perimeter.
"Excuse me," Miles spoke as they came up to an officer, with all the authority and gravitas that came with his station. "I'm Miles Edgeworth, Chief Prosecutor. What is going on in my house?"
The uniformed officer stared at them from his clipboard, apparently unhinged that they were present. "Uh, s-sir!" he saluted briefly before he seemed to think better of it. "Uh, I mean, Mr. Edgeworth, you, uh- Can you just stay here a moment?" With that, he ran off to one of the detectives on the scene, a man familiar to both of them, who dashed in their direction.
Detective Barnes, a hefty middle-aged man who looked like he came right out of a crime serial, looked at them just as incredulously as the officer. "Mr. Edgeworth. Mr. von Karma," he greeted. "Kind of surprised to see you here."
"Wright, actually," Phoenix interjected, "and why would you be? This is his house."
Barnes didn't answer immediately, instead he said, "Can I see your hands, please?"
That sent the first flare of real alarm between the two. Nonetheless they complied to show that their hands were literally clean. Once he was satisfied, the detective looked up to the pair of them.
"Well, now it's the scene of an active murder investigation," Barnes replied. Phoenix and Miles looked at each other with a growing sense of dread. Somehow, they knew what was coming. "I'm afraid that we're going to have to ask you to come in."
Miles stiffened. That was not technically an arrest. They could probably fenagle their way out of this. However, it wouldn't do to be too uncooperative. He was, after all, supposed to be the face of the legal justice system. "May I ask who was murdered?" he asked lightly.
Barnes looked at his notepad, "Josephine von Karma."
The name hit like a sledgehammer, both of them taken aback. Phoenix went white, looking like he was about to fold. Miles steadied him, gripping his arm in a vice to keep him standing. The detective watched both of them. "I take it you know the lady?"
"Yes, she's my sister's, er, sister," Miles replied, not caring how that sounded.
"Meine Cousine," Phoenix whispered, which the prosecutor didn't correct.
"My condolences," Barnes replied, though it sounded rote. "Is there anyone that you need to call?"
"Yes," Miles said, still trying to find his footing. "My sister, Franziska. She will need to know. Excuse me." He couldn't help but notice that a couple more uniformed officers seemed to materialize nearby. Taking out his cellphone, he mentally noted the time difference before putting Franziska on speed dial. As the other side trilled, it was Phoenix's turn to grip his shoulder tightly.
"Wir müssen Lana anrufen," he whispered in instruction, his use of German only heightening the awareness of the danger they were in.
Miles nodded, "Einverstanden." Lana would have to wait. For now, he had to figure out how to tell her sister that her blood relation was murdered. And not by his hand. Surely, she would believe that, no matter how often he had threatened Josephine in fantasy.
His heart pounded as a sleepy voice answered the line. [Kleiner Bruder? Was ist los?]
Miles swallowed. "Franziska, es tut mir leid, aber ich muss es dir-"
"In English, please," Barnes called over his shoulder, several eyes watching him. A flare of annoyance went through him, abating his dread somewhat. He took a breath to steady himself before he tried again.
"Franziska," he repeated, "I'm sorry, but I have to tell you that... They found your sister's body in L.A. She was murdered."
A chilled silence settled over the line. A silence that reeked of accusation. [Kleiner Bruder...] Franziska said slowly, [Sag mir, dass du nichts damit zu tun hast.]
"Nothing, I swear," Miles vowed, the phone tightening in his hand. "I had no idea she was in the country. That she was here. Do you think I would have let her come anywhere near-" he bit off the words before something that sounded like motive passed his lips. "We were both with the Feys last night. We did not do this."
There was another suggestive pause. [You're in trouble, aren't you?] Franziska asked, finally picking up on why he was sticking to such a 'foolish' language.
"We will be contacting Lana next," Miles replied by way of answer.
[Foolish fool. Very well. The investigation here will have to go on without me. I am coming on the next flight.] With an exasperated sigh, she added, [And try to stay out of trouble for once, Kleiner Bruder.]
"Funny," Miles drawled in the most unamused tone he could manage. "Be safe, Franziska." When he hung up, he could see their would-be escort begin to close in around them. He straightened, wishing he wasn't still wearing jeans, and with all the grace of professional courtesy, he asked, "Detective, my dog was in the house. Where is she?"
"At the station for processing," Barnes replied. "Mutt was found wandering around the street covered in blood."
That sent a chill through both of them. However, Miles forced himself to nod and said, "If you do not mind, I would like to call my assistant to pick up some fresh clothes for us. I would also like our attorney to be present during questioning."
"Yes, of course, sir," the detective replied sardonically with a bob of his head. He gestured towards one of the unmarked cars, door already open for them. "Now if you wouldn't mind coming right this way..."
~o~
July 29, 2024
Police Station
9:50 PM
They were still at the station hours later, waiting on the next round of questioning. Lana had gotten the first flight she could from Seattle, heading down so that they could have their first round of questioning from the detectives. It was little surprise that the pair of them were separated from the start, questioned about their whereabouts throughout the night. They had the truth on their side, but Miles could see the rather dubious looks in their eyes that they simply had to go see a spirit medium in the middle of the night due to some kind of supernatural emergency. Nonetheless, the Feys would provide a perfect alibi for them. ...Hopefully.
By that time, he also had his suit and cravat, so he felt far less awkward but instead armed and armored for this type of environment. Phoenix was similarly armored in his own new bespoke suit that was procured from the house. As for the interviews, the entire thing was tedious and exhausting, but not insufferable. This was their battlefield, after all.
Miles checked his watch again, hunger gnawing at his insides as the three attorneys waited out in the hall of the station. He noted his companions beside him. Lana looked grim and determined. Phoenix... he looked far more haggard than he should, wan and pale. He looked as though he might faint any minute. Worse, he looked guilty. It worried Miles immensely, but unfortunately, he could not safely inquire after the man's mental health at this very moment. Not here. Phoenix would have to endure for just a little longer.
"Sorry about that," Barnes called out into the hall. "We wanted to get our lead prosecutor in to talk to you. Come on in." This time all three were escorted into the interrogation room with Miles ready to glare down whomever they chose from his office to take on this case.
However, the chief prosecutor only blanched when he saw none other than Simon Blackquill sitting across from them at the table. "What the hell are you doing here?" Phoenix demanded, echoing Miles' very thoughts.
Blackquill gave them that dry, sardonic smile of his and gestured in front of him. "Shochou, Wright-dono. Take a seat." On his shoulder, his hawk Taka shrieked and shifted as if settling in. "I'm as surprised as you that they chose me," he said calmly in the face of their furious expressions. "But apparently, I'm more impartial than the rest of your staff since I'm an outsider."
"You are also heavily involved in our investigation into the von Karma family," Miles hissed through gritted teeth. "Taking on this investigation is grossly inappropriate."
"Yes, I'm very aware of what kind of motive you would have to cause the von Karma family harm," Blackquill replied with a half-shrug as he stroked Taka's puffed breast. "Besides, you brought me into your investigation for my expertise in psychoanalysis. Not as a lawyer." Leaning in, he crooned softly to Phoenix. "Now, Wright-dono, did you kill Josephine in self-defense? You can tell me if you did..."
An already pale Phoenix went even whiter, leaning back as he stared at their turncoat compatriot in acute horror. He was trembling, hands gripping the edge of the table. Not from distress, no. From sheer, unadulterated fury.
"I think that is quite enough," Lana broke in coolly. "My clients have been cooperative with your investigation so far, but we won't stay here in the face of these baseless accusations. We are leaving. Now."
Blackquill didn't seem remotely phased by this. He merely smirked, eyes shining underneath his fringe like a promise. He simply gave them a little wave as Lana quickly hustled the pair out of the room and into the hall.
"This is bad," Lana spoke, once they were safely outside the station and out of earshot. "How much does he know?"
"Know?" Miles echoed incredulously. "There is nothing to know. We didn't do this."
Exasperated, Lana elaborated, "No, I mean, how involved was he in the whole von Karma case? Why does he seem convinced that Phoenix would have done this? You have alibis."
"There must be something they're keeping from us as part of the investigation until the arrest," the chief prosecutor concluded. "It's par for the course. However, the alibis should hold." Another detail hit. "Ah, I called Dox from the payphone in Kurain. We should make sure that we have those records."
"I'll dig them up," Lana agreed. She tiredly ran a hand through her hair. "By the way, Ema has Pess, so she'll be taken care of. I'll stay with her tonight. Do you two have anywhere to go? They haven't released the crime scene yet."
Was everything he owned doomed to become a crime scene at some point?
"We'll check into a hotel," Miles replied. "Thank you for coming. Thank your sister for taking care of Pess as well. We're very grateful."
"Of course, Miles," the former prosecutor smiled. "Phoenix, you take care. I'll call you tomorrow." With that, she spun on her heel and headed down to the street to catch a cab. Taking one look at Phoenix, Miles decided that they had better follow suit and flagged down a cab to take to one of his favored hotels.
Once they were safely absconded in a luxurious two-bedroom suite, the chief prosecutor finally found the opportunity and words to address Phoenix. The man barely touched the food Miles ordered from room service, staring instead into an untouched glass of wine in his hands. It was like he was in shock. Like he might shatter with the slightest touch.
Miles took a long pull of wine himself before he found the courage to speak to him. "Phoenix?" he called softly, directing the other man's gaze to himself. "How are you? This... this can't be easy for you."
Sighing, Phoenix pushed the glass away from him and sat back into the leather sectional. In front of them, the news was on mute on the large flatscreen, displaying a vague report of a woman found dead in Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth's home. Details to follow.
"It doesn't seem real," Phoenix finally admitted. "We spent all this time trying to figure out a way to take her down and now...? Should I feel relieved? Disappointed? I thought we were going to have some kind of climactic confrontation with her. Not... this." A guilty grimace marred his expression, the confliction so expressive in his eyes. "Mostly I feel guilty. And pissed that I feel guilty, because I shouldn't be feeling this way in the first place. But... she was my family for five years, Miles. Your sister's actual sister. Even if we weren't being accused of murder, I wouldn't feel like celebrating."
Wright's fist tightened, as a flare of life came back into his eyes, "And I want to find who really did murder her. I need to find who did this."
"We will," Miles swore, reaching out to take Phoenix's hand. The other man started, but after a moment, squeezed his hand back tightly. "Besides, Friedrich still has to account for his part in this. You will have your justice. I swear it."
A weak smile stretched across Phoenix's face. "Gosh, Miles, you sure know how get a guy a present." The words made the fair-haired attorney's mind mentally sputter, causing Phoenix to laugh outright at him. Well, that was fine. It was good to hear him laugh. Warm and happy, Wright's smile only widened, his eyes glowing with affection. It made Miles' mind stutter for an entirely different reason. "Have I told you how amazing you are lately?" he asked softly, gently rubbing his thumb in a tantalizing motion across Miles' palm.
A sweet inviting shiver ran down Miles' shoulders. He gingerly took his hand away, lest his emotions run away with him. The compliment helped matters not at all in making his less flustered. He coughed awkwardly, trying to compose himself. "Are you alright now? Perhaps you should eat something and head to be-" His words caught in his throat as he looked up at Phoenix's expression.
"You don't have to keep mothering me, you know," Phoenix reminded him softly. Miles couldn't figure out the dark emotions behind his eyes. They were- He sucked in an audible breath as the other man leaned in. "A guy gets to feeling awfully emasculated when you do that." Wright raised an eyebrow. "Or are you the one that doesn't want this?"
Miles, for his part, had to fight the urge to pull back, lest he confirm Phoenix's thought. His voice was an embarrassing husky whisper when he replied, "Don't start something you can't finish."
That seemed to take the raven haired man aback. Phoenix regarded him with that searching gaze of his, the one that always seemed to cut right through him. Then he smirked. "Good night, Miles." And with that, he bounded up from the sofa, heading off into one of the two bedrooms. Calling his bluff.
The prosecutor let out a faint wheeze, his entire body lit with intense need. He had the acute sensation that Phoenix was holding all the strings. He could feel the tug of them, pulling him towards Phoenix's bedroom door. Towards...
Having had quite enough of the emotional rollercoaster, Miles snipped the threads himself and headed to his own bedroom. Where he spent a sleepless night wondering if he had made the right call.