IMPORTANT NOTICE: THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME I NOTE THIS FACT, BUT THIS STORY IS A SLIGHT AU IN WHICH BOTH ACE ATTORNEY INVESTIGATION GAMES, I AND II HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED BEFORE THEIR ORIGINAL TIMELINES. IN THIS STORY, IT HAPPENS IN THE TIME SPAN BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THIRD GAMES. ERGO, THAT'S WHY WE MEET RAY AND LANG NOW AS OPPOSED TO AFTER 3-5. YES, LYN'S PRESENCE HAS PROBABLY IMPACTED TIMELINES, SO THIS IS NO ERROR. THIS AU WAS DONE INTENTIONALLY, SO PLZ REMEMBER THIS FOR NOW ON.
AN: Ahem, in any case, hello! Hope you enjoyed that Samurai Dog ;). I'm super psyched, cause we're getting and closer to the real deal. So, for this one and I guess the next chapter we'll be goofing off a bit. Maybe meeting some familiar faces...hehehe. So, as usual, thanks for sticking around and reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting! Your continued support means a lot! And shout out to people who draw fanart for this story :)!
OBSERVER01: Haha, we shall see if your predictions turn out to be correct. If you ever see that poison go far in the other direction lol...xD. He's lucky Phoenix wasn't around to witness that mess. I full heartedly agree with you! I mean if she disciplined me, I'd be okay with it xDDD.
Spacegoodra: Hahaha agreed.
Harmless Orange: Glad you liked it! And I'll consider it. I thought that'd be a nice touch to add to their final moments :P.
bwburke94: We all need this.
Gilgamesh The King of Heroes: Well, he won't know about this...maybe xD. I don't think Lyn is all that reliable in this scenario hehe... Well, doesn't matter, because that was the one reference I was hoping someone noticed. You've earned a cookie.
Undying Soul98: Hehehe it might. I'm glad you think so! Badges and... xD. Well, I think we needed a laugh after this arc :P. Thank you!
NNinja: As far as Lang knows Lyn is just some subordinate of Edgeworth. With the commotion happening, mentioning that wouldn't be a priority for Franz. And fixed. Phoenix talks about dark times coming for the law system in AJ and I mixed that up with the whole 'Dark Age' DD thing in my head. Thanks glad you liked it.
Hellfire000: Glad you liked it! It was fun to see how Franziska and Lyn would get along :p.
DJJ680: Hahaha, that would be soooo bad. I feel like that's something she couldn't keep a secret, though.
Guest: Hahaha goodness, you're right. Just imagine if Oldbag had gotten a look at that ;D.
AuraRaven: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it and liked the punniness of the title ;D
opalander: Haha, I agree. Poisoned Edgeworth is fun.
Jack54311: Hahaha yeah, gotta wait for the shame to die down before he can. And you're probably right xD. Thank goodness Oldbag wasn't there...she'd be all too happy to have his 'Samurai Dog'.
The Forgotten Reader: Hahaha goodness. You really meme it xD?
A-nervous-fan: We can only hope that Maya doesn't hear about it...but with Lyn's big mouth it's iffy XD. She'd definitely understand after her shizz. And hopefully ~ That's true, haha she'd probably be wtf on multiple levels and not believe it...and probably what you said about the rage XD.
Guest: Hahaha yesss. This review made my day xD. The fart and this Samurai Dog... you know I've been playing with these ideas for months hahaha. Yes, poor everybody haha. Well...Lyn did prank Edgeworth with a Steel Samurai porno earlier so, it's VERY much possible that's where he got it from ;). Yes, I love Lang! I wish we had more of him. Glad you enjoyed it! And don't worry, the next chapters will be full of horrifically embarrassing things muhahaha...
JordanPhoenix: Hahaha yes, we can say it definitely was! You think I out did it too XD? Both are my favorite things now. OMG if Gant were there they'd...get lots of swimming done alright haha. Hehe glad you think so ;)
Aria the Alpha: Thanks, but that was not a mistake!
December 20th, 3:06 PM
Bean There, Done That Coffee Shop
I gripped the warm paper cup, as I took a sip of my tea, half listening to the banter of the two girls sitting across from each other. If not for the sheer number of other patrons in the shop making a buzz, they'd most likely be the loudest customers. Looking out of the window next to me, I watched people rush by in hurry, perhaps doing Christmas shopping as that time of year was fast approaching. It was hard to believe how quickly time was flying by.
Two months had now passed since the incident at Mrs. Rothman's estate. After making my full recovery, I heard some news that made me believe that the whole debacle had turned out as best it could. After holding a funeral for Noa, Mrs. Rothman started offering her help to Interpol, while Ackerman, after recovering from the bullet wound, was sent to rehab to start detox for cocaine addiction. Franziska had her trial against 'J' a week after the whole incident, with a solid guilty verdict. The assassin had received life in jail without parole.
Taking a longer sip, I could better taste the subtle flavor of honey mixed with green tea upon my tongue, enjoying the warmth of the somewhat hot liquid slide down my throat. I wondered how many more were like that assassin, finding it necessary to commit crimes to punish those who weren't taken by the law. How many of them were a part of the Seeker organization still out there...
But at least now, it was all over with.
I had to admit in hindsight, it all made me grateful to be alive and quite lucky to have those poisons wear off. I was glad to have gotten rid of the cane, but I'd now have to live down doing all these crazy things I didn't even remember, like the...'Samurai Dog'. I hoped that no one else found about that mess-especially, Wright. I would never be able to face him again.
Lyn assured me she told no one of it, but I was still wary. However, since then it was perhaps the nicest she had ever been towards me. The trend, for the most part, continued when we weren't bickering.
I felt a tugging on the sleeve of my coat. "Miles... Earth to Miles!"
"Yes?" I asked turning to Lyn who sitting beside me. It still amused me to remember the day I asked her to call me by my first name and how unnatural she sounded initially. It was different now. Somehow, it had turned into one of the most natural occurrences in the world...though, sometimes I regret allowing it. She can now bother me in the length of two syllables as opposed to four.
...But I grew to like how she said my name in that breezy manner of hers.
I felt her leg brush up against my own under the table as she shifted in her seat. I didn't bother moving away. "You zoned out for a while."
"Yeah! You missed my explanation on magnetic fingerprint powder," Ema said squeezing her fists tightly.
"My apologies," I said. "Perhaps, the next time we meet, I could see it demonstrated in person as to avoid a repeat explanation."
Ema's eyes lit up as bright as stars. "Absolutely! I'll give you the best fingerprinting of your life, Mr. Edgeworth!"
(I suppose that would be considered the best fingerprinting as it doesn't involve me being arrested by the police.)
I continued drinking. The three of us had been here for almost an hour. Lyn had insisted we come here before the main activity of the day, that being ice skating. We happened to run into Ema on the way to the shop, as she was finishing up some experiment outside involving some pvc pipes, Pringles cans, and tennis balls. If I had heard correctly, I think it was meant to be a makeshift rocket launcher, or something like it.
To be honest, I was glad to have ran into the scientific teen, because it led to us wasting more time here. The longer we spent here, the more time I had to survive on solid ground before heading to that rink. I had never ice skated in my life, but I had agreed to it as part of Lyn's Christmas present as this was the one thing she admitted to wanting.
"Actually, can you explain how you two met?" I asked, setting down the almost empty cup. This I was curious about, as I had went to introduce Ema, only to see that they somehow already knew each other.
Lyn grinned widely as she adjusted her scarf around her neck. "At the Gavinner's concert last month."
"Ah," I said tapping a finger on the table. "The overpriced teeny bopper show you went to?"
Ema puffed her cheeks out. "As cheesy as it was i-it was for science!"
The other girl responded by rolling her eyes. "We got into a fight over who would get the last limited edition poster of Klavier Gavin and Daryan Crescend."
"It turns out poster paper isn't all that durable when excessive force is applied to it on opposite ends," the labcoat wearing teen said, jotting down a note in her PDA.
"Dare I ask what happened to the poster?"
"Ripped it straight down the middle," Lyn laughed. "We both had to pay full price for it, but in the end, I got the Daryan half I wanted and Ema, her beauuuuuuutiful Klavier half."
(That poor poster. I'll have to remember never to stand between girls and their teen idol sensations.)
"I already told you! I don't like flashy guys! Cool guys are the ones who are elegant and sophisticated and refined and..." Ema's face had brightened to a cherry shade of red. She stopped looking in my direction and looked down at the table instead. Lyn had started to laugh hysterically.
The teen glared as she clumsily picked up her giant pipe which had been set on the floor underneath her chair and then tapped Lyn over the head with it. Unfortunately, it didn't stop the older girl's endless giggles.
Resigning, Ema sighed, checking the time on her wrist watch. "I think it's time for me to go. I do have to study for the forensic investigator test."
"Ah, that's right," Lyn said as she wiped tears streaming down her face away. "Have fun with that."
"It won't be just me! You're going to help me study later this week!"
"B-but I'm just a simple prosecutor…"
Ema removed the glasses sitting on her hat and put them on with a grin. "Well, you could decline, but that would just mean you'd have to be sprayed with some Methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylarginyl…"
Lyn started to sweat. "Guess I'll see you in three days, then?"
"Yep!"
Ema stood up, clutching her lab materials tightly to her chest. She glanced at me for a moment as she started out. "Bye, Mr. Edgeworth! If someone has fun at the ice skating rink, I hope it's YOU."
With that she, awkwardly brushed past some other patrons who were entering through the front door, shuffling down the street, lab coat blowing in the wind. It seemed that coat doubled as a winter coat for her.
After watching Ema leave, I turned back to Lyn who was grinning like a cheshire cat, folding my arms. "Is there anyone you don't give a hard time?"
"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black," she said giving me a look. "You're always giving me a hard time."
"Not true."
"Do I have to bring up your hospital stint? Don't deny it. That's supposed to be my job anyway. Right?" she asked wryly.
"...Hmph."
"Hehe. Gotcha," she said happily as she stood up, adjusting her black peacoat. "Well, let's get going before it gets too late. "
I took my final sip of tea before standing up, tossing it in the nearby trashcan. Seeing I was finished, she started for the door and I followed, both of us off to the rink.
December 20th, 4:09 PM
A Rinkle in Time
Of course, Lyn would pick a place like this. As if the name didn't make me cringe enough, once we stepped foot inside the building I felt tired. It was packed with people excitedly preparing to go into the rink, trying on skates, and chatting. It was overwhelming. The baby blue walls, with crudely painted on snowflakes, did nothing to calm me. The line to pay for entry and for skates, was almost headed out of the door. Adults and children inside were sitting on benches removing or putting on shoes or skates, with coats hanging off the benches or set upon the ground. It seemed that there was no place besides those little stumps, to leave jackets or shoes.
(Perhaps the name of this establishment should have been Rinky Dink instead...)
Waiting in line, I could feel the gusts of wind from the door being open and shut and had the pleasure of listening to an autotuned version of Jingle Bells, so awful that I thought my ears would bleed. Anxiously, I peeked my head out around the man standing in front of me, in a feeble attempt to see what was happening with the line. It seemed to be taking an unusually long time for people to pay. I folded my arms, tapping my finger non stop.
"You good? You seem kinda restless," Lyn said as she stood beside me, looking on with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine," I replied.
(I'm just impatiently waiting for my impending destruction on ice.)
The line inched up slightly. Once again, I tried to get a better view of the action happening up front. From I could see, the attendant, a raven haired teen, chewing bubble gum, was just taking her sweet time to count money at the register and stamp the hands of the paying customers. Such laziness was inexcusable. As I scowled, returning to my spot behind the man who was ahead of me, he turned around. The red hair, brown eyes, square jaw...he somehow seemed familiar. He was scrutinizing me as well. After some time, his eyes widened as though a bulb went off in his head.
"You...you're that guy from the hospital!" he said snapping his fingers.
"We met at the hospital?" I asked.
He whipped his head back laughing. "Yeah, you're the Samurai Dog guy!"
My face grew warm, as I cringed.
"Yep. You just walked into my room, offered me a dog, and whipped it out! It's too bad I'm happily married," the man chuckled.
"Right…" I muttered not knowing or even wanting to respond.
"Good man, good man. That cheered me up, you know? I had been absolutely miserable in there for weeks. That was the craziest thing I'd ever seen at a hospital!" The man patted me on the back, grinning. "Well, you have a good time out there on the ice, Samurai Dog man."
The man oblivious to my shame, happily turned back around in the line that was now moving with a bit more alacrity. I wiped my face, which was probably the same shade of red as my suit. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lyn covering her mouth, looking off to the right side.
"It's not funny," I glared.
"I...know," she said attempting to suppress her laugh. "It's just the look...on your face."
I grumbled as I took a step up. The man who recognized me had paid and gotten his skates and had walked off. It was now, finally my turn. I looked at the girl close up; her round face held a bored expression, as she rolled her green eyes which were surrounded by a mass of black eyeshadow. The badly dyed black hair didn't look right against her very pale skin tone. I wondered if she was one of those goths. She had on a blue polo with a name tag that read: Charlise.
As she chewed her gum, blowing a bubble, Charlise extended her hand. "Entry fee's eight pounds. Skates are four pounds."
Wanting to speed this process up as much as possible I quickly grabbed my wallet from my pocket and handed over the exact amount of money. Charlise took and at a tortoise's pace stared at it in her hand with a fixed gaze that almost made me wonder if she were stoned. Eventually, she placed the money in the cash register. "Gimmie your hand."
Sighing, I reached out my hand. On the desk, she had an ink pad with a stamper. Slowly, she picked up the stamper, pressed it on the pad, and then pushed on the backside of my hand, leaving a blue mark that said RIT.
"What size skates?" she asked in a monotone.
"Ten and a half."
Charlise sighed as she shuffled away from the register and into the room next door in the back. After an eternity she returned, dropping the skates on the counter. "Next," she chewed.
Taking the skates, I shook my head.
(What poor customer service. If I had the energy I'd report it to a manager, but then again, if someone with that kind of attitude was hired, I can only assume that whoever hired her doesn't care either.)
I found an empty bench amongst the sea of people in the center of the room. I removed my coat first and then took off my shoes. I undid the lacing on the black ice skates, sliding my foot in the stiff shoe. I supposed they needed to be tight, considering you would be supporting yourself on the ice with a slit of metal.
Lyn finally done, getting her skates plopped down the bench next to me rolling her eyes. "What a piece of work."
"I think you're giving her too much credit," I said putting on my other skate. "It's a wonder any work went into her at all."
She laughed in response as she unzipped her riding boots, revealing the small feet inside, as she slid on foot into a skate, tying it up. Looking up, Lyn stopped. She was starring at something in the distance. Suddenly, she raised a hand in the air waving. "Mr. Blackquill!"
(Don't tell me...)
Perhaps she was mistaken. I had no issue with the man; he was an interesting colleague. Yet, I did not want to be seen here in this dump of a ice rink, to make a fool of myself. But there was the tall raven haired man I often spoke with when I did my research, entering into this room from a door leading out to what I assumed was the ice rink. With him was a small girl dressed up in matching bright yellow skirt and t shirt with blue tights, who looked about maybe nine or ten years old. He had heard Lyn and wade his way through the sea of coats and shoes on the ground to approach.
"Hello, Ms. Doom, Mr. Edgeworth," he smiled nodding at the both of us. "You're skating today as well?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Don't be such a party pooper!"Lyn elbowed me in the arm. "He needs to get out more anyway."
The younger prosecutor chuckled. "It's good to see especially after your poisoning. Though, I must admit, I would have liked to see you as a samurai. Perhaps we could have battled..."
I flushed. That was an absolutely ridiculous suggestion! We would sometimes discuss samurai culture, but...
"Oo! That would have been a sight," Lyn said tilting her head. "Your sword vs. Miles' spear...I'd put money on you Mr. Blackquill!"
Mr. Blackquill smirked. I had to admit I was insulted. "Why would you bet on him?"
"Well, he has the vigor of youth! And he just looked so cool when he used his sword before..."
"I'm only twenty six!" I snapped.
Ignoring me with a grin, Lyn took a glance at the little girl standing shyly watching us. "So, who's your little friend?"
"Ah, how rude of me. This is Athena Cykes. She is my mentor's daughter," he said.
"H-hello..." the girl quietly said stepping closer to Mr. Blackquill.
"Aww! She's so cute," Lyn gushed.
"I thought it would be good for her to get outside around other people a bit more often, so that's why we came."
She did come off as a bit sheltered, just looking at her demeanor.
"It's a pity that you caught us as we were leaving, but I do hope you enjoy the rink," he smiled. The girl grabbed hold of his hand and they walked towards the back of this room to sit on a bench and put their shoes and coats back on.
I was relieved, knowing I was sparred from having someone I knew seeing my performance on ice. Though, something else had occurred to me.
"Lyn," I began tapping my arm with a finger. "Just how did Mr. Blackquill know about my stint as the Steel Samurai?"
"Hmm...you're right that is unusual..." she said trying to play dumb.
I waited for a better response.
"Alright. S-something may have slipped," she began to sweat a little. "But it was only that, I swear! I mean, now you guys can fanboy together over it, right?"
I flushed. "Nothing like that would ever happen!"
"Oh, I definitely believe that..." the girl snorted, as she finished lacing up her skates. She threw her coat to the ground. "You ready to go?"
(If you mean go as in leave this place, then yes.)
I held my tongue and nodded. "I am ready to learn, in the very least."
"Me too!"
I stared at her. "I thought you knew how to ice skate?"
"Huh? Why would you think that?"
"You said it was fun."
"Yep!"
"...Then how exactly do you know it's such if you've never set foot on ice?"
She shrugged. "It looks fun. That's all I needed to know."
I felt as though my head her going to explode any second. What was she thinking? "Lyn, are you trying to kill us both?"
"Oh, relax. We'll be fine," she said waving a hand nonchalantly. She stood up on the carpeted area with the skates on, hobbling down towards the door leading into the rink. "We'll figure it out!"
I took another glance at the front door behind me. I could quietly sneak away if I wanted to. It was very tempting...But having promised, I had to go through with it. I sighed to myself as I stood up and as carefully as possible began making my way out towards the rink. Through the door, the air felt a little colder. Further down on both sides were seats, I supposed for watching hockey games or performances on ice. Straight ahead was the real rink, surrounded by this clear tempered glass that one could see through. A good portion of people were out there skating or rather walking on ice skates.
Lyn was standing near the tiny break in the arena that led out directly on ice. "Ready to rock?!"
"I suppose..."
Without hesitation, she walked out on to the ice, grabbing hold of the wall on the inside, trying to find a balance. Slowly, she moved little by little hanging on to the side of the rink. A few other people were doing likewise ahead of her. After making it a couple of feet down, she looked through the glass, gesturing me to come onto the ice with her free hand.
I swallowed. Lyn hadn't stopped looking at me through the glass. She kept mouthing for me to come on. I took a few steps forward towards the gap; even this floor surface here was slippery. I watched as the people entering the rink before me were equipped with helmets, knee, elbow, and shin pads, as though they were trying some extreme sports. I started to wonder if I should have brought similar gear.
I took a breath as I was now only a step away from the ice. I pressed a foot down, feeling the ever too slippery slidey surface beneath me. I pulled my foot back in immediately.
A small child, maybe about eight or nine pushed past me from behind, zipping off on to the ice, leaving nothing but an emerald blur behind. "Get outta my way, old man!"
I growled. The boy was spinning in circles, and seemed to dance out there on the ice. He made it look so easy. I glared. No. If he could do it, surely I could do so as well. Mustering up what little courage I had, or perhaps irritation, I once again tried to step out on the ice. This time I clung to the glass on the entry way as I moved as best I could to the ledge to hold on to dear life. Though it was a bit cold, I felt beads of sweat forming on my forehead.
I did it. I was on the ice. This was an accomplishment in itself. However, I couldn't revel in it for long, as a bunch of people were coming up behind me, also holding on to the side...Groaning, I made my way down taking baby steps, bobbing back and forth, not quite finding the balance I needed. Farther down was Lyn who was looking back. If I could make it over to her, I'd consider it my checkpoint...
Five rude people going around me and a couple of cold falls later, I had made it to the mid section down the line to where Lyn was waiting. "It took you long enough," she grinned.
"Hn. I got this far. That's the only thing that should matter."
"True! Now, that you made it, let's go around the whole rink!"
"T-the whole thing?!"
She cocked her head to the side. "Huh? What's wrong with that?"
I barely made it down one side of the rink. I briefly looked back. The door leaving out was too far for me to return to at this point, without my efforts of making it this far going to waste. On the other side of the rink was the other...escape route onto a more solid ground. I sighed.
(Only an hour of this, Miles. If you survive for that long...)
"Nothing," I muttered. "Let's go."
Lyn nodded and began the journey to the other side of the rink with far more pep in her step than me. I followed along. She fell many times far more than I had, suffering from the same lack of balance problem. Luckily, she hadn't enough momentum to hurt herself badly when she fell forward one time. But each time she stumbled over her feet, she'd just get back up, laugh and keep going. I wasn't sure how; if I had fallen as much as she had, I would have given up.
I looked out onto the middle of the rink. Those people and children were out skating so effortlessly. The same child who had shoved me earlier, met my gaze and he stuck his tongue out at me as he did a figure eight. Brat. It was all reminding me of the paper cranes in grade school. It seemed no matter how many times I tried, I could not make it look anything like a crane, whilst everyone else around me was doing flawless folding. I'm certain it was one of the first times I was frustrated with my inability to get something right.
With time, and I do mean, quite a bit of time, we had reached the second checkpoint, sliding off of the ice on to the solid ground. I took a moment to catch my breath, grabbing a seat. Walking around the rink, trying not to continuously fall into the cold ice was exhausting. Even if it was tiresome, I could note that it gave one's legs a good work out. Lyn hadn't sat, but stood up scrutinizing me for a bit.
Her lips curled downward. "You know, we don't have to stay, if you're not having a good time."
"Hm?" I shook my head. "I'm fine. You're really thinking of leaving this soon?"
"I don't want you to be miserable on my account. It's not fun for me, if you're unhappy," she said.
Wonderful, now she looked a bit down. I tried to force a smile and sound upbeat. "I assure you, it's fine."
Lyn looked mortified. "Oh God. Please stop, you're scaring me. The scowling was better."
I looked off to the side for a moment, face feeling slightly warming. Why did it always seem like my attempts to better convey emotions fell short?
The girl sighed. "Let's just go back to the hotel..."
HOLD IT!
When I eventually returned to my studies, I had been busy catching up on lost time. Thus, it wasn't very often I'd do anything besides work. So when Lyn suggested we do this, I was okay with it. She had been excited about it for a while, so I didn't want to ruin it for her.
"Don't mind me. I'll figure it out. It's part of your present and I promised."
(Even if I fear I may break my ankles…)
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'm just…" I looked off to the side holding my arm. "...a bit of a perfectionist."
Suddenly, Lyn began laughing.
"What's so funny about that?"
"I could have told you that," she chuckled, looking back out at the rink. "You don't have to be good at this, you know. It was just something I wanted to try out."
"Why?"
"Because it looked fun to glide across ice."
"Not like you're gliding now."
She shrugged. "So? I'm not very graceful, but it's fun to figure it out as I go."
Fun. There was that word again. It was such a simple way of thinking. Do it because it's fun...In the past, all I could ever recall was doing things to perfection. Priding myself on how well something was done. Doing things that way...I don't think I ever really focused on how some things were what others called fun to do. And because of that I only ever sticked to the things I was good at and new how to do to the utmost of my ability. For her to be willing to try something new and look foolish in front of so many people was different. Something I wouldn't have contemplated, let alone done...at least before now.
"...Well, we're wasting time, aren't we?"
Her eyes widened for a moment, but then she grinned. "Yeah, let's go back and try it again!"
She essentially tiptoed on those skates, one foot at a time. I rose from my seat and carefully, followed behind with a sigh. Time to finish getting around the whole rink…
After centuries of ice walking- I didn't dare call it skating- we had went around the entire length of the rink, not once, but twice. There was a small feeling of pride in the fact that I didn't fall as much as I probably could have. With time, it had become a bit easier to maintain the proper balance and to keep moving. But not without the exertion of a sizable amount of effort.
"We did it!"
"Yes...now let's take a break," I remarked tiredly.
"Aw, come one don't be an old fart!"
"You can go again, but I'm done for the moment," I said about to head out of the rink. Lyn pouted but continued on, one hand gripping the wall, pace was increasing little by little. But she had gotten a bit too cocky, bending her knees to accelerate faster. She slipped, and fell backwards right on her bottom. I stifled a laugh.
I wasn't too far away so I made my way to her to offer my assistance. When I reached her, she was laughing herself, rubbing her back. I extended my hand.
"Thanks," she said as she grabbed it, trying to stand. But she didn't center herself, tilting forward and then backward like a pendulum.
I was struggling to stay balanced. "What are you doing? Just stand up…"
"I'm tryin-"
"Ngh...!" Lyn had tripped forward, unable to keep up causing me to fall backwards, hitting the ice. Lyn followed suit, this time on her knees in front of me.
"Whoops…sorry."
I sat there for a moment and looked at her dumbfounded face. All I could do was laugh. "You're a mess."
"Hey…" she said lowly, though it was with a slight smile. "It's not my fault you suck at offering a hand."
"Rather, it's not my fault that you aren't very good at standing."
"Shut up," she laughed.
"I'd offer you a hand again, but I fear the results would be neither of us getting off of the ice."
"Whatever, I don't need you help!" she said as she slowly pushed herself up. It took her about three times, but she finally did it. "See? I'm good!"
Carefully, I did likewise, but with only one time necessary. "It took you long enough."
"Hey, hey. It just matters that I got there eventually..." she shook her head. "See, you're getting it! I suck at it, but it's still fun anyway! Right?"
"I suppose so," I said. "Though, it's more fun just watching you fall."
Her expression went from mild surprise to amusement. "That was mean."
I smirked. "It seems like you don't mind it."
"Oh, not at all," she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. She inched forward and took my hand, trying to drag me off.
"Lyn wait-" she didn't stop, she just kept pulling and pulling. And because I didn't want to risk falling again so soon, I moved along bending my knees slightly. "What are you doing?"
"We're going around again...but this time without holding onto the ledge."
"What?!" I slipped free of the grasp on my hand. "You're crazy-"
"Am I?" Lyn approached me like a predator would their prey. She prodded my side with her pointer finger repeatedly. "Come on…"
"S-stop it," I said taking small steps back, as I tried to stifle my laugh.
"Not until you come with me..." she said moving forward continuing the rampant assault of my side.
I swatted her hands away, stumbling slightly. "A-alright! J-just cut it out…"
She grinned triumphantly, ending her attack. She took my hand once more. "Now, let's do this."
I felt my heart pound against my chest as she dragged me to my death. This time we weren't leaning on the ledge for support, but now were at a good four feet away from it. There was nothing, but shakiness between the two of us. I had never felt this nervous doing an extracurricular activity my whole life...
The whole time Lyn was nervously laughing, as we tried to stay afloat. "Take it one foot at a time..."
"You don't think I am?" I snapped.
"H-hey, we won't let each other fall! ...Well, I'll try. But you're kind of heavy."
"Oh, how reassuring," I rolled my eyes, trying not to lean too far backwards. "If I fall you're coming with me."
"Aww, no fair!"
"You pulled me out here into this rink, so I think it would be a well deserved punishment."
"Ha…" she laughed. "Maybe you got a point ther-"
A young boy had skid in between us, breaking through any feeble support for standing that either of us had. The shock of it had knocked Lyn backwards, and she barely had time to catch herself from harshly hitting her head on the ice. I landed on my knees as a result. It was the same brat from before, in that stupid puffy green coat, haphazardly skating around like that!
I looked over at Lyn. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said rubbing the back of her neck. "Though it definitely feels like I strained my neck..."
I glared at the boy from afar as he weaved between other poor innocent skaters like us, making it more difficult for them to maneuver. I stood up, locking onto the boy's location.
"Miles?"
"I'll be back," I said as I marched over as best one could do on a pair of wobbly ice skates. The brat was on the other side of the rink. I might have tripped and stumbled a few times, but I made it just close enough in proximity to make my presence known. The boy had noticed me lurking nearby. "What do you want gramps?"
I said nothing, but gave him the best death glare I could I muster. The boy looked back at me, with a ruddy red face that looked like it belonged to that of an alcoholic, growing more and more apprehensive by the second. Eventually, he broke the gaze, and began skating away from me. I followed behind him. He wouldn't get away from me that easily...
Everywhere the brat would skate, I would be right there, not too far behind. He was sweating up a storm, trying to escape. I smirked, enjoying the display. While sometimes having an intimidating glare had setbacks, this was one moment when it was an incredible asset. As I did my last act of scaring the daylights of the child, I decided to end it by changing up tactics.
I stopped following. He looked behind him, sighing, thinking himself free of me. I allowed him a second of relief, before I reappeared directly in front of him, staring him down. The color drained from his face.
"J-just what do you want from me?!"
"I want an apology," I said folding my arms.
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"
"And one for my friend you happened to knock over and hurt," I glared. I pointed at Lyn across the way, who was now standing up. "She's right over there."
The boy nodded furiously as he quickly skated away from me, right up to Lyn. I followed. "I'm sorry, lady! I didn't mean it!"
"It's alright."
"Don't do anything like that again," I said. "Or else, we'll be meeting again...in court."
The boy's blue eyes widened. "Noooo! I-I'll be good I swear!"
"Now, off with you."
The brat skated off so fast, one would have thought he left a cloud of smoke in his wake. Mission successful.
"...I'm just going to say it: You're crazy."
I folded my arms. "How?"
"You just chased down a kid on a ice rink. I could honestly hear the Jaws theme watching you," Lyn said shaking her head.
"He had to learn a lesson."
"From a grown man hobbling after him on ice skates..." she covered her mouth, perhaps in an attempt to stop the laughs from escaping. "If only you knew how ridiculous you looked!"
I flushed slightly. "Well, didn't you say that it was okay to look stupid here?"
She continued laughing, tears coming down her eyes. "Y-yeah, of course..."
Did it really look that bad? I was going to ask, but then there was a loud buzzing sound hanging over head. On the scoreboards, it said it was five thirty and that we all had to clear out. Within seconds, skaters from all over the rink were filing out. Lyn, still chortling, started walking off. Embarrassed, I departed as well. We found our way back to the bench where he had left our possessions. I began unlacing my skates. "You can stop laughing now."
Lyn wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm- sorry," she breathed out, going right back into a laugh.
I grunted. "In the very least, you can admit that I'm the better skater out of the two of us now."
She took a deep breath eventually calming herself down long enough to respond. "What makes you say that? You're good because you stalked a bratty kid on ice?"
"I got very far in a short distance of time," I huffed. "And besides that, it was on your behalf."
"My behalf? You're crazy..." she shook her head grinning as she started to remove her skates. "But, I guess I'm flattered."
"So admit it. I'm the superior skater."
She put on one of her boots. "No way."
"Admit it."
"You don't get points for rage skating," she protested.
I glared at her, as I put on both my shoes and coat. I came to this stupid rink and got revenge on that bratty kid for her! The least she could do was admit I had improved significantly. She was wasting time giggling to herself, only having one shoe on, other foot out and completely exposed...
I took the foot and held it up and smirked. Lyn looked utterly confused. "H-hey...what're you doing with my foot?"
I pressed my finger into her foot covered by the fabric of a navy blue sock, running it back and forth. She started squirming around. "L-let it go!"
"Admit it."
"N-not g-gonna happ-ha," she laughed out trying break free.
I applied more force. "Admit that, I am the superior skater."
"Nooooooo..." I tickled in a worse fashion, now grazing the bottom of the foot lightly.
"O-okay! Okay! Y-you're t-the superior s-skater!"
"Hmm...Needs to be more precise. The proper phrasing would be, 'Miles Edgeworth is the superior skater."
"Y-you jerk- hahahaha!" she flailed. "S-stop!"
"I'm waiting."
"M-Miles Ed..geworth is t-the su...perior skater!"
"I didn't quite hear that," I said holding my other hand up to my ear. "Can you repeat that more clearly?"
"Ughhh! Miles Edgeworth is the superior skater! Miles Edgeworth is the superior skater!"
I dropped her foot. She quickly grasped it in her own hand, and then swatted my arm. "What's with you? You...you..."
"You what?" I asked dryly. "Too tired to form a complete sentence?"
This time, she hit my arm hard enough to leave some bruising. "You jerk...you'll pay for that!"
"Try me."
Our eyes met. The dark brown eyes looked as though they were trying to burn a hole through my head, but the effect was lost due to the slightly pouty lips. She couldn't beat me, no matter how hard she tried. She was already aware of that fact...so what was the real goal? The stare off lasted for what seemed an eternity, until I caught the woman moving up closer, ever so slightly, swiftly trying to jab her hand into my side. I swatted her hands away with every attempt as an attack...
"Hey, it's like, time for you to leave," said the familiar monotone voice of the goth attendant.
The two of us stopped and turned to the now slightly irritated looking teen standing to the side of the bench. A quick cursory glance around the room, shown that everyone except us had left.
"Oh, my apologies," I said somewhat sarcastically. "We'll be sure to be on our way as fast as possible."
Charlise rolled her eyes and went back to her post behind the counter, now looking at the clock. I glanced at her for a moment and then leaned into Lyn. "Take as much time as humanly possible," I whispered to her.
She looked a bit surprised for a moment, but then smirked, nodding her head in agreement. Together, we spent more time talking and spending an even longer time to put on coats. Every time I looked back Charlise looked as though she were slowly dying on the inside. By the time it was all said and done, we had wasted about twenty minutes. When the two of us finally left the establishment, I felt satisfied.
"Take that," I muttered to myself as we walked into the cold air, feeling the door shut behind us.
Lyn shook her head, slightly smiling. "I can't believe you."
"Why's that?"
"You're way more petty than I thought," she laughed.
"I get it from you."
She pointed at herself. "What? Me, petty?"
"Yes."
"Psh. Whatever Mr. Ice Stalker..." she said waving a hand. Some time had passed before she had spoken again. "Thanks for coming with me."
I nodded. "Of course."
"Maybe we should do this again."
"No."
"Seriously? After all that bragging? And insistence that you were the superior skater?"
"It was just for a gift, after all."
"So am I just gonna have to wait for another occasion to ask you to do something different?"
"Probably," I said. I didn't think I could survive trying on a variety of different things frequently. In fact, I was certain of that. Perhaps doing something new would be fine, every once in a while, so God willing it wasn't an activity that would take years off of my life.
Lyn responded by groaning. "Well, you didn't turn out to be miserable the whole time right?"
"It wasn't too awful," I paused. "Though, I suppose I could say that in the end, it was...fun."
"Ha! I knew it!" she said flashing a huge smile, hopping up slightly. There was more of a pep to her step, as she walked more energetically a bit farther ahead of me. I wasn't sure why that made her so happy, but either way I was glad it did.
I took a small breath, noticing the white puffs in the air. The weather seemed a bit more frigid than I recalled earlier. It was a good thing the walk back to the hotel wouldn't take too long.
"Yo! Hurry up!" Lyn yelled back at me, turning around waiting for me. "I'm starved!"
I quickened my pace slightly. The day wasn't over quite yet, it seemed, but that was fine. It had been one of the nicer days anyway.
Evidence:
Prosecutor's badge: One of my possessions. Proof of my profession. However, I prefer to keep it in my pocket.
Profiles:
Lyn Doom: Age 24. Another prosecutor with a penchant for causing mischief.
Ema Skye: Age 17. A girl hopelessly devoted to all things scientific.
Simon Blackquill: Age 20. A colleague I sometimes do research with here.