Chapter Four: Maya's Request

"This is debasing." Edgeworth sat limply in the hospital bed, looking royally irked.

"Oh, it's not so bad." Maya flumped down on the edge of the mattress. "Think on the bright side. The doctor said you're not supposed to go anywhere until you've had time to rest and now you'll have loads of time to do just that."

Edgeworth glared at her.

"Oh, hey, c'mon." Maya lightly cuffed him on the arm. "It's only temporary. Besides, by the time the tranquilizer wears off, you'll probably be able to get out of here, so relax."

"'Relax'? How am I supposed to relax? I can't feel my legs."

"Can you feel your anything right now?" asked Maya.

"That's not the point." Edgeworth scowled petulantly. "Also, was it really necessary to handcuff me to the bed?" He flicked his head, which was the only thing he'd regained control over since waking, towards the psyche-lock handcuffs binding his wrists to the handrails on either side of the hospital bed.

"Okay, I'll admit that was a bit overboard." Maya idly scratched the side of her cheek. "However, I'm not the one who came up with that. That was Pearly's handiwork. She looked so proud of herself when she cuffed your wrists to the bed frame and announced I shouldn't let you out until you gave into my demands, I didn't have the heart to stop her. Shame she didn't tell me the combo on the locks before she left, though. I would've let you out ages ago."

Edgeworth made a mental note to keep a closer eye on Pearl in the future.

"For the record, I can't say I'm overly fond of her negotiation methods." He snorted irritatedly. "It's tantamount to abduction and extortion, but I doubt she considered that."

"Yeah, I figured you'd say that." Maya nodded thoughtfully. "You didn't seem like the type who'd like it, in any case. Hey, speaking of stuff I bet you really will like, look what I brought!"

"What is it?" Edgeworth angled his gaze over the side of the bed as Maya dove into a brown paper bag next to it on the floor.

"It's a Steel Samurai box set!" Maya held it up for him to see. "I got this off the internet while I was still in Khura'in and since everybody there's into the Plumed Punisher-"

"A rip-off of a classic if I've ever seen one."

"-I figured I'd wait to watch it until I had someone other than Beh'leeb to show it to. She liked 'The Steel Samurai', but nobody else there really got just how amazing the original show is. However, since you like the show a lot, this seems as good a time as any to check it out in all its uncut glory!" Maya's eyes gleamed enthusiastically. "What do you think? Sound like fun?"

Honestly... it did a little.

"Well... it's not as if I'm going anywhere." sighed Edgeworth. "Very well. I suppose that's fine."

"Hey, hey. I know you're just as big a fan of the show as I am, so don't try to hide it." Maya chastised him lightly with a mirthful grin. "I just so happened to have found that Steel Samurai comic stashed in your coat pocket, so don't tell me you grew out of the show while I was overseas."

Edgeworth's adam's apple hitched in his throat.

"Wha- I- how did you-?!"

"I told you, I found it in your pocket." Maya chirped. "By the way, thanks for bringing my talisman back. I found that in your pocket, too. Seriously, I don't know what I would've done had it gotten lost permanently, so I really appreciate you coming out all this way to bring it to me."

"Hmph." Edgeworth turned his head to the side since he couldn't fold his arms over his chest, which thankfully one of staff saw fit to equip with a shirt this time. "You would do well to keep better track of your possessions in the future. So, I trust your meeting with the council of elders was a success?"

Maya suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah, about that... the meeting got cancelled."

"Cancelled? Why?" asked Edgeworth.

"Dr. Bolysm told them I couldn't make the meeting because I wanted to stay here and make sure you were okay, so they cancelled it."

"And they would cancel a meeting simply for that?"

"Of course. Mrs. Voyant commanded it to be done, so the rest went along with it. End of story, case closed."

"Hmph. This Mrs. Voyant must hold a substantial amount of clout among the elder mediums if her word can dispel a meeting like that." commented Edgeworth.

"That's putting it mildly." said Maya. "She's the oldest master alive and she would've been the head of the Kurain School if she'd been able to produce an heir. Among the old ladies' council, what she says is the equivalent to a judge's ruling. They have to adhere to it even if they don't agree. She's also really nice, if a bit crazy."

Edgeworth figured as much. Anyone who canceled a planned meeting on the behalf of a complete stranger was obviously touched in the head.

"I see. So my coming here was completely pointless, then." His head sank into the pillow behind it like a bowling ball thrown into a beanbag chair. "Lovely."

"Now I wouldn't say that. If you hadn't come here, you would've been exposed to more of the carbon monoxide and that could've left you with brain damage and/or death, both of which I think should be avoided at all costs." Maya waved a finger back and forth like a windshield wiper. "And check it, we've got Steel Samurai to watch and I even brought snacks."

She reached into the bag again and retrieved a smaller paper bag filled with what looked like squishy number '9's.

"What are those?" Edgeworth's nose wrinkled as the smell of pastry dough filled the air.

"Magata-manju." Maya took a bite out of one and held it up. "See, they're shaped like a magatama, except unlike the actual ones, you can eat these. I figured being cuffed to a bed would be really taxing for you, especially if you decided to try and escape and tire yourself out like Nick would, so I had Pearly get them for me when you were asleep. See, we can share. I've got loads."

Edgeworth leveled her with a flat look.

"And how do you propose I go about doing that?" He pointedly glanced at his cuffed lifeless arms.

Maya paused.

"Oh. That's a good point. Oh well, that's okay. I'll just feed them to you."

Edgeworth stared at her.

"You must be joking."

"Nope. Alright, say 'ah'." Maya plucked a fresh nine out of the bag and aimed it at him.

Edgeworth didn't move.

"Mr. Edgeworth, you're not saying it." pouted Maya.

"Obviously not." He scoffed. "I refuse to do something so undignified as allowing you to poke those strange foodstuffs anywhere near my person, let alone in my person. Besides, I'm not hungry."

A furious growl echoed throughout the room, successfully rendering his claim null and void.

"Your stomach seems to disagree with you on that." Maya observed with half lidded eyes. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Th- that's not the point." Edgeworth managed underneath a moderate blush; he didn't want to admit he didn't remember the last time he'd eaten. "With that doctor lurking around, I can't afford to ingest anything unless I properly examine every suspicious nook and cranny for sedative injection marks. Unlike Wright, I learn from my mistakes."

"Oh, hush. You're making a big fuss over nothing." Maya waved the pastry at him. "Other than the 'cuffed to a bed' thing. You're totally allowed to make a fuss over that. And they're not drugged, for god's sake. Pearly got these from a public food stand, so I'm pretty sure it's safe. However, if you're intent on being stubborn, watch this and be amazed."

Maya made a flourish in front of the pastry and took a bite.

"Ta dah. See, I'm fine. Not dead or maimed or anything." She chewed and took a bow. "Now, like I said before, say 'ah'."

Edgeworth still didn't move.

"Mr. Edgeworth, you're eating these if I have to get a plunger." Maya waved the pastry at him again.

While he fiercely wished to contest the issue, the more he thought about it, the more he came to the unsettling conclusion that, unlike Wright when he bluffed, Maya would probably make good on her claim if called on it. So, swallowing what little pride he had left, Edgeworth spared the floating nine in front of his nose a disparaging glance and took a bite of the pastry.

In spite of himself, it was actually pretty good.

"Wright must never find out about this." He muttered as a slight dusting of pink cropped up on his nose.

"Find out about what?" Maya took another bite out of the same pastry and held up the box set. "Now then, what episode do you want to start with? I vote for the pilot, but you're the guest, so you can pick."

"That's fine." said Edgeworth. "However, there's a problem."

"What's that?"

"I need my glasses to watch anything and I can't very well retrieve them as I am."

"Oh. Well, that's not a problem, I can get those for you." Maya went over and picked up the glasses from off the chair's clothing pile. "Do you need help putting them on?"

One silver eyebrow arched at her.

"Right, right. Stupid question. Sorry." Maya grinned. "Okay, hold still, please. Also, I thought you said you were far-sighted."

"I am to an extent on the grounds that I need reading glasses." Edgeworth held his head still so Maya could place his glasses on his face. "However, I just happen to need them for seeing things that are far off as well, and kindly don't poke me in the eyes with the temple pieces."

"So I can poke you in the eyes with other pieces, then?"

"You know what I meant."

"I know, I'm just teasing you." Maya adjusted them so they rested on his nose properly and fluffed his fringe over the sides so they laid overtop. "So you need reading glasses and regular glasses, huh? Well, that's one up on Nick. As much trouble as he's been having lately with reading, he refuses to admit he needs glasses. He thinks he's being clever buying everything in large print, but I'm not fooled. He's getting up there in his old age and needs to accept things change as a result of turning into an old fogey."

Edgeworth's brow furrowed.

Maya thought Wright was an 'old fogey'? What did that make him, then? He was older than Wright was.

"Okay, and there we go." Maya sat back on her heels and surveyed her craftsmanship. "So, if you actually need glasses for just about everything, when you take them off in court, are you just trying to look cool?"

Edgeworth flushed.

"P-preposterous. Of course not." He looked to the television. "So are we going to watch this, or did you change your mind?"

Box set in hand, Maya quickly made use of the disc player in the room and within a minute, the Steel Samurai loading screen showed up on the dilapidated monitor.

"Yahtzee. Now we're cookin'." Maya clapped her hands together in triumph and climbed onto the hospital bed. "Hey, budge over a little, will ya?"

"M-miss Fey, what are you doing?!" Edgeworth tensed up as Maya crawled her way up the bed and hunkered down next to him.

"Sitting, obviously." Maya pulled another bun out of the bag, clicked the episode on with the remote, and settled in the crooked space inside his left arm with a wiggle. "Can't watch if I can't sit."

"You can sit in a chair, can't you?" Edgeworth shivered as her hair tickled his arm. His skin's sensations were coming back faster than he initially anticipated.

"That's true. However, if I sit here, I'll get a better view of the TV. This way we'll both be able to see. Bun?- Oh, here it comes!"

Despite Edgeworth's complaints about a breach in personal space, the Steel Samurai proved to be a most effective distraction. Two minutes past the opening credits, the pair of them were utterly engrossed in the tragic, yet harrowing tale of the Steel Samurai: Hero of Neo Olde Tokyo's origin story of being orphaned at a young age due to the misdeeds wrought upon the land by the Evil Magistrate.

A classic episode, truly. He'd forgotten how much he liked this one.

Be that as it was, about halfway through the hour long program, Edgeworth noticed something a little strange. Whether she meant to or not, Maya had turned herself sideways and was resting her head right on top of his heart. Frankly, if he didn't know how captivated she was in the story right then, he'd have suspected she was listening to his heartbeat.

Despite her earlier efforts to maintain his 'bubble' as she aptly put it when in his office a day ago, she wasn't proving to be very consistent.

Her presence wasn't invidious, though. Maya was a decent fit for the space between his torso and his arm, so it wasn't incommodious with her being there. In addition, she was relatively warm, which kept the cold at bay, and she was also very... soft.

He hadn't expected that.

She was soft and... she kind of smelled nice-

"Is Pearl not joining us?" Edgeworth abruptly inquired just as the picture faded to what would've been a break for commercials had it been the original airing date.

Maya peered up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you okay? You look like you got zapped with a live wire."

"I am perfectly fine, thank you." said Edgeworth curtly. "So, your cousin?"

"Pearly said she had to take care of something and couldn't come." Maya yawned and bit into another bun. "I think she was meeting a friend or something. It's probably for the best, though."

"Why's that?" Edgeworth took his own bite of the same pastry when she offered it.

Maya grinned at him.

"Mr. Edgeworth, if Pearly came in here and saw us like this, you'd get the slap of the century. Your face already has red marks from the oxygen mask. Let's not add any more, shall we?"

"Ah. Yes, Pearl did mention something about instigating amorous intent between you and Wright. Would I be correct in thinking Pearl is quite enamored with the idea of you and Wright becoming intimately acquainted? Her earlier prostrations said as much, although I hadn't pegged her as a violent zealot on the subject."

Maya's cheeky grin washed away for a beet red blush.

"W-wow, way to not beat around the bush, Mr. Edgeworth. However, yeah, that's about it. Pearly's the one driving that train. I know she's got her heart set on Nick and me being a thing, but as much as I like Nick, I've known him for years and let me tell you, that is not happening."

"Really now?" inquired Edgeworth. "Might I be so bold as to ask why?"

"It'd be weird, that's why! I mean, that'd be like me getting it on with my older, overly protective, annoying-as-all-get-out brother." Maya shuddered. "Nooo, thank you. I'll pass. I'm not into that kind of stuff and I don't want to learn how to play the banjo."

"I see." said Edgeworth nominally. "I'll be sure to pass that along should the topic arise."

That piece of information would be just the ammunition to derail Larry the next time he became too needling.

They quickly fell into silence as the show ramped back up again, but Edgeworth found himself unable to concentrate. With all the bravado and inanity that surrounded the day's events and the day having long since succumbed to night, Edgeworth still wasn't entirely sure what had possessed her to plead with him to come to the village in the first place.

Hmph. He'd waited long enough. Now was as good a time as any to find out.

"Miss Fey?" Edgeworth broke the quietude once the final scene faded and the credits started to roll.

"Maya." said Maya. "You don't need to be so formal with me all the time, Mr. Edgeworth. That's my name, you might as well use it."

"Very well. Maya."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"What was the real reason you wished for me to come to Kurain Village?" asked Edgeworth as the last remaining credits trailed off the screen.

Maya sat up straight like someone had jammed a rod into her back.

"I- I told you." She replied, though her tone was rather unstable. "I asked you to come to the village because I needed legal advice for my meeting."

"No. That's not the real reason." Edgeworth shook his head. "Pearl told me that you already went up against the council two weeks ago. This was your second meeting. She also told me you weren't acting like yourself and lost your appetite, yet you somehow demolished a whole bag of manju without breaking a sweat, so I have to assume my being here is the prime instigation of your behavioral change."

"P-pearly told you all that?" Despite still smiling at him, Maya's hands were starting to quiver.

"Yes, she did. She is most worried about you." said Edgeworth. "Back to the point at hand, if you had truly been in need of legal advice, did you do what would be expected and contact Wright? No. No, you did not. You chased me down across the entire city in a crazed manhunt and then pleaded with me to travel here, knowing full well just how malleable I am not when it comes to my work. Therefore, I have to assume it was I whom you were after specifically. This was not a matter of legal issues at all. You wanted me here."

Maya's complexion went chalk white.

"Well, I... I just thought you were the right man to ask, that's all." She countered, all the while not looking at him in favor of a spot on the floor. "I mean, if Nick's forte' was matters like that, I would've asked him and I probably would have if you hadn't come back because of my talisman emergency-"

"You mean the emergency that you orchestrated?"

"Wh... what?" Maya blinked.

"I examined the frayed edges on your talisman's cord in the taxi on my way to the train station. Those weren't done by age. You picked the straps apart to make it look like they'd come off on their own and stashed it in my sofa so you could later use it to beg me to take it to you like a glorified errand boy, all because I said I would leave if it was an emergency."

"But it was an emergency!" protested Maya.

"An emergency you created." Edgeworth parried seamlessly. "Did you really think I wouldn't figure out your scheme? I'm a criminal prosecutor. I figure out schemes. It's what I do."

Color was starting to come back into Maya's face, but it all welled up in her cheeks and she sniffed.

"You wanted me to come here no matter what and you didn't give up even after I refused. Don't deny it, for you will only be digging yourself further into a mire of falsehoods." Edgeworth continued, "What I haven't figured out yet is why. What could have been so dire that you would do all this work, risk your livelihood by discarding, if not desecrating, the master's talisman and lie to me, just to get me here? What was your endgame in all this? What did you hope to achieve and why lie to me about it?"

Maya sat there on the hospital bed watching him with wide eyes, and, though she didn't say a word, her shoulders began to shake.

"B-because..." Her voice hitched in her throat.

"Because?" repeated Edgeworth. "'Because' what, exactly?"

Tears started streaming down Maya's face.

"Because somebody's gonna get murdered."

Edgeworth's eyebrows shot to the roof.

Alright, out of everything he'd been expecting, he hadn't been expecting that as an answer.

"W-what?! What are you talking about?!" He demanded in rising alarm because a grown woman was crying at him and he was handcuffed to a bed and couldn't run away.

"Somebody's going to get murdered." Maya rubbed at the cascading tears pouring down her cheeks. "Ah, jeez. Sorry, I, um... I got a tipoff a few weeks ago right after the meeting and I didn't know what to do and I'm so sorry, I didn't want to lie to you, I know how much you hate being lied to, but I didn't have a choice, I had to get you to come here and I knew you wouldn't listen if I told you what actually happened and-"

"Maya, Maya, calm down-" Edgeworth tried to move, but the handcuffs on his wrists stopped him. "Gah, curse this infernal things- Look, just stop crying and... and let's talk about this in a calm and rational manner, preferably without getting me wet-"

"I'm... I'm trying." The torrent of teardrops grew turbulent and wild like a raging river. "But.. but they just won't stop... I just... I've been holding it in for so long and..."

And with that, the dam broke.

Edgeworth watched on in horror as Maya, cheerful, perky, happy Maya, drowned in her own tears, the perfect picture of sorrowful misery.

Great.

Now what was he supposed to do?!

"I'm so sorry I lied to you..." Maya sobbed and stuttered through the flood on her face. "Please don't... please don't hate me."

"Gnnrk..!" Edgeworth choked.

If there was a hell, he'd like to see it top this.

"Maya. Maya, listen to me." Edgeworth kept his tone as even as he could manage without sounding overly menacing and/or panic stricken. "I don't hate you."

"You... you don't?" hiccuped Maya. "But... but I lied to you."

"Yes, you did lie to me. However, it seems that your reasons for doing so were pure, if extremely misplaced. So, you needn't fret, I do not hate you. I'm questioning your life choices right now, but I don't hate you. So stop crying. Now. Please."

Maya sniffed at him, but the tears appeared to subside a little.

"Ok. I'll... I'll try." She sniffed again and wiped her hands on her gloves. "I didn't really mean to, it just... kinda did it on its own."

Edgeworth's body went slack against the hospital bed. That was more exhausting than the IV. Still, she wasn't crying as much anymore and he was making some headway in discovering the truth, so small victories meant mountains.

"Miss Fey- Maya, why didn't you just tell me right from the beginning you were tipped off to a murder plot? That's a rather crucial fact to omit."

"...I didn't think you'd believe me." Maya smiled weakly through weepy eyes. "It's a crazy story and I know that you don't buy into 'mystical nonsense' because you're a man of science and think it's a crock, so I tried to come up with something that you'd buy instead so you'd come here. I'm sorry."

"I see. Well, why don't you tell me the whole story and I'll make that decision on my own?"

"You mean... you'll help me?" Maya blinked back some more tears.

"As long as you do not lie to me anymore, yes. It is clear you are in great distress and it wouldn't do to leave a... a friend in such a state. Also, as the Chief Prosecutor, I cannot turn a blind eye to a crime, especially if I can prevent it from happening. Doing so would go against everything I stand for."

"Even... even if I tell you and you think I sound like a crazy person?"

"Maya, you have always sounded like a crazy person to me."

"Eheh, yeah, you're right. I probably do." Maya laughed a smidgeon. "Alright, I'll tell you. However, before I do, I want you to promise you'll listen to the end and not make any snap judgments. No 'objections', or changing up the autopsy report at the last minute, or any of that malarky, okay?"

Edgeworth felt a new white hair spring up somewhere.

"Fine. I promise. Just get on with it."

"... okay. Well, a couple weeks ago when we had the first Synod meeting, Mrs. Voyant, the head of the council, called me into her chambers. She said she had something important to talk to me about. I figured she wanted to talk to me about my Master's channeling test, so I went in no problem."

Edgeworth's brow line deepened. Again with this 'Mrs. Voyant' person.

"What did you two discuss?"

"Well, we started out talking about the weather and my plans for the future and if I... er, if I had intentions of pursuing more training abroad."

"Do you?"

"I'm not sure yet." Maya tilted her head from side to side. "I might, but I want to stay in the country for a while so I can get my priorities straight on other aspects of being the master beyond just channeling. There's a lot to consider and I can't very well do that running around from country to country like a chicken that's about to be turned into a nugget."

"An interesting analogy, but I'm following you. Proceed."

"Right. Now this is the part where it gets a little weird." Maya drew in a deep breath. "Smack in the middle of when we were talking, Mrs, Voyant went rigid and started shaking like a leaf in a typhoon."

"Was she having a seizure?"

"No, she..."

"Yes?"

"She was prophesying."

Edgeworth stared at her.

"Prophesying." He repeated drily.

"See, I knew you wouldn't believe me!"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to! Your eyebrow said it for you."

Edgeworth's brow wrinkled. This was like pulling teeth with a pair of tweezers.

"... Very well. I shall do my utmost to keep my skepticism at bay. Continue."

"Anyway, I was really taken aback by her diving into a divining state like that. I knew she was really skilled with divination, but I'd never seen it in action before."

"'Divining'. Hmph. Is that a common skill among the Fey clan?"

Playing along with this was painful.

"No, it's not. I can't do it, and Pearly's a prodigy and she can't even do it. Only a few women among the clan can pull off predicting the future and nobody's as good as Mrs. Voyant. She's never wrong." explained Maya. "You might not know what she's talking about at the time of the prediction, but it always comes to pass and she's got a perfect track record, kinda like what you had with your win record before Nick came along and trounced it."

Edgeworth internally winced.

She just had to pick the scab off that old wound.

"Seriously, she's a master of an almost impossible skill to even attempt, let alone get right all the time. You can ask anybody, they'll tell you how accurate her readings are and put that eyebrow away, I'm not finished with my story yet. So, there I was, watching the old lady have one heck of an episode, and then she started chanting about 'someone of high esteem and honor being faced with mortal peril' and how they would 'surely perish if the tides stay the course' and that 'only the will of the Kurain would save them from a certain end'. I'm paraphrasing, of course. I was kinda too freaked out to remember it word for word, but that was the gist of it. Do you see why I was so worried by the end of it now?"

"Indubitably." nodded Edgeworth; watching an old lady experience an epileptic fit would give anyone frayed nerves. "If her word is as reputed among the other members of the clan as you say, it stands to reason her foretelling of a horrible tragedy would rattle you."

"It sure did, let me tell you." Maya swallowed hard and ran her fingers through her hair. "I didn't know what to make of it at the time, but the more I thought about what she said, the more I got a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that she was talking about a murder and a nasty one, too. Not there's such a thing as a nice murder, but you know what I mean."

"Why seek me out, then?" asked Edgeworth. "Surely one of the local police could've handled this if you thought there was a problem."

"That wasn't an option." said Maya. "I wanted to go to the police, but Mrs. Voyant told me that would only make things worse if the police became involved. As a result, I had to get creative and that's when I thought of you. You're not the police, but you think like them and work with them all the time and you do much better detective work than they do, so I thought that was a loophole I could exploit without actually bringing the police into the situation. I heard about how you took down a bunch of smugglers that were selling off evidence with just your wits and uncovered several murder plots on your own, so I figured if I was going to stop this, you were my best shot."

"Wh-what in-" Edgeworth radiated scandalized revulsion as what Maya said sank in. "You're telling me that this 'Mrs Voyant' individual told you that someone was going to be horribly slaughtered, didn't give you any definitive proof that this was so, scared you beyond reason, and then told you not to call the police because they would make things worse?!"

"Mmhm." Maya fiddled with her sleeve. "That's about it."

Another choleric pang of heat flared in his sternum.

"Maya, with all due respect to your clan, this woman sounds like a first rate escapee from a loony bin." Edgeworth advised sternly. "You shouldn't listen to a thing she says. She's obviously a nut."

"That's what everybody outside the clan says when they go to get a reading and hear something they don't like." Maya drooped. "Then, usually right afterwards, something she prophesied comes true and everyone else has to deal the fallout. If it weren't so serious, I might just go ahead and ignore it, but Mr. Edgeworth, I can't let this person die. I just... I can't even risk it. I just can't."

"So that's why you lied to me, because you were desperate to get me to come here because you had no other options."

"Heh, I'm kinda pathetic, aren't I?" Maya sniffed; the tears were threatening to make a comeback. "I lied to you to get you here because I needed someone who thought like you do, but in the end, it was because you think the way you do that ended up exposing me as having lied in the first place. The irony, it burns."

From where he sat, Edgeworth observed the teary young woman next to him try to laugh her misery away with a ruminative glint in his grey eyes. While he did indeed think that the basis of fearing such a catastrophe occurring was bunk of the highest order, Maya truly believed there was a threat in her midst and was scared out of her mind. That much was crystal clear.

He certainly didn't think much of this 'Mrs. Voyant' person, though. Who did she think she was, running around terrorizing the populous with pronouncements of doom, death and destruction?!

That was the media's job.

"Is that everything, then?" Edgeworth queried after he let her have a minute to compose herself; he really didn't want the waterworks to return since he was still wet from the last downpour. "That's the entirety of the situation as it stands? You didn't exclude anything?"

"No, I told you everything I know." Maya rubbed at her eyes with her hands again. "I know I don't have any proof, but I can't just leave it to chance and-"

"Then I suppose the first thing to do is to speak with this Mrs. Voyant herself." said Edgeworth succinctly. "If she is the source of this 'prediction', it's only fitting that she be the first person I interrogate."

"You mean you'll look into it?" Maya gazed at him with wide watery eyes. "Really?"

"I don't honestly expect to find anything, but yes, I will investigate. You have my word I will uncover the truth, whatever it may be."

It was probably a whole lot of nothing as far as he could see, but he'd still look into it. At the very least, he'd put a stop to this nonsensical prattle being issued by a lunatic old crone so Maya could rest easily without being terrified of a homicidal incident taking place under her watch.

"Mr. Edgeworth..." Maya sniffed again and then broke out into probably the most radiant smile he'd ever had aimed in his direction. "Thank you so much. I seriously owe you one and I'll do everything I can to help you with your investigation."

Edgeworth sat still as a statue.

If Maya smiled at her clients like that, it was little wonder why they fought all the time over who conducted the seances.

"Think nothing of it." He quickly shifted his attention to the side while a smattering of red bloomed upon his cheeks; he must've been getting feverish. "Did this 'prophecy' specify who the intended victim is?"

"No, it didn't name anyone specifically." said Maya. "I would've remembered. Actually, I can't remember the full thing, but I do know Mrs. Voyant keeps a voice recorder in her room at all times so she can document her prophesies after she snaps out of it. If we go talk to her about it, I don't see why she wouldn't hand over a copy of the manuscript."

"Then we already have a plan of sorts." Edgeworth introspectively crossed his arms over his chest. "Is there anyone else who knows about this foretelling?"

"I don't think so." said Maya. "Other than you, I didn't tell anyone and Pearly only knows that I went into her chambers for a private conversation, so unless she told someone else- hey, wait a minute. Mr. Edgeworth, you're out of your cuffs!"

He spared his arms a slight glance.

"Yes, I slipped out of them a few minutes ago when you were recounting the story of the crazed woman with the fits."

"You 'slipped out'?" Maya repeated in disbelief. "Mr. Edgeworth, those are psyche-padlock cuffs. Nobody just 'slips out' of those. They adjust to the wrist of the wearer and have a randomized rotary lock that Pearly didn't even tell me the answer to when she set them on you and there are thousands of combinations with only one right answer. You shouldn't have been able to get out of them at all."

She scrutinized him through slitted eyelids.

"Are you a wizard?"

Edgeworth snorted.

"Hardly. I just have more experience escaping from handcuffs than you realized." He held up a hand to show her the scarlet drag marks the cuff made on his skin. "As you can see, I can move my arms around now. The tranquilizing agent from that serum wore off somewhat. It's not a full range of motion yet, but I'd say it's a vast improvement to earlier when I couldn't feel anything other than my patience run thin."

"Why didn't you just do that earlier, then?"

"Thanks to that damnable IV concoction, I didn't have full control over my fine motor functions. I also wanted to know what you were hiding." said Edgeworth with a small smirk. "I've found from one experience involving a murder aboard an airplane that people tend to be more forthcoming with information if they view the listener as incapacitated in some way."

Maya's eyebrow arched.

"Doesn't the Steel Samurai use that trick whenever the Evil Magistrate captures him in order to get him to monologue his plan out into the open?"

"It doesn't change the fact that such a tried and true method works."

"Okay, that's a good point. Still, just because you can move a little doesn't mean you can leave. Unless Dr. Bolysm discharges you, you'll just get stuffed back into the Matrix again if you try to escape."

"Yes, I am well aware of that." Edgeworth groused unhappily; being sedated again was something he fervently wished to avoid. "Well, I don't suppose it really matters at this juncture in time. The last train for the city leaves soon, so there's little point in my rushing. Even if I'd refused your request and headed for the train station posthaste, I'd never make it in time."

"Fair enough. Hey, um... do you want to continue the Steel Samurai marathon? We've got five more episodes left before the disc needs changing."

"You still want to watch it?" Edgeworth figured after that tear sodden confession, Maya would want to go regain her wounded pride and compose herself elsewhere.

"Yeah. I think that's just the thing I need to get myself back into a state of not crying at you." Maya inhaled a quivery breath and wiped the last remnants of moisture off her face. "I don't... really want to be alone right now. And, um... is it okay if I still sit here? I can move if you want..."

Edgeworth was silent for a minute.

"Do as you wish." He turned his attention back to the screen as the second episode clicked on.

"Okay." Maya smiled at him with a fragile light in her eye and settled back into the space next to him, but remained far enough away that only the outside of their arms touched.

Unlike the first episode, however, she was significantly more subdued as the second played out. There wasn't any advice shouted at the characters on the screen, nor any tidbits of trivia about the production behind the scenes, nor any whoops of delight when the Steel Samurai vanquished his foe.

Instead, she just curled into a tight ball and didn't say a word.

At first, Edgeworth decided to leave her be, but as the episodes played on and he kept finding himself sneaking discreet glances at her, he was forced to accept her lugubrious countenance was far more distracting than her buoyancy.

'Good grief.' Edgeworth pinched the bridge of his nose. In his pursuit of discovering the truth behind her insistence on procuring his presence, he likely, yet unintentionally, traumatized her emotional sensibilities. He wasn't overly surprised, though. While she liked to project an air of vitality and resilience to the outside world, Maya was a fairly delicate creature on an emotional level.

It seemed he had no choice but to attempt to rectify the situation if she was to make a prompt recovery.

God help him.

"Maya." Edgeworth lightly tapped her shoulder.

"Mm?" Maya made a noise of acknowledgement, but she didn't look at him.

"The next time you want my help, just say so. There's no need to draw it out further than that."

"Okay." murmured Maya.

"Good. It's best you remember that. I'm not one to thrive in a situation based on speculation and emotional expenditure. All I need to ascertain the situation properly are the facts of the case, so in the future, if you need assistance, just say so."

"Okay."

Edgeworth frowned.

That... hadn't seemed to change much.

If anything, Maya appeared worse. She was breathing heavier than before and her arm leaned on his to an even greater extent.

He felt a twinge of panic; she wasn't going to cry again, was she?

Anything, anything but that.

See, this was why he was a lawyer and not a therapist.

"I, er... I also wanted to-" Edgeworth cleared his throat; this was horrendously awkward. "Earlier when I confronted you about your reasons for cajoling me into coming to the village, I did not realize how much stress you were under. As a result, I might've been… heavy-handed with my approach. So, if I at all put you in a state of... distress, it was not my intent and... Maya?"

Edgeworth craned his neck around to get a look at her face.

His expression fell flat.

Maya wasn't worse.

She was just asleep.

"Well, that's just typical, isn't it?" Irritated that his pseudo apology hadn't even been heard a little bit, Edgeworth folded his arms across his chest and spared her a pointedly annoyed glance, but all that did was cause her limp body to sag further against his arm.

Tch. It was Trucy on the plane ride back from Khura'in all over again.

Although...

Edgeworth reached over and gently tipped Maya's chin upwards towards his own. He hadn't noticed before, but she had dark circles under her eyes, made even more prominent from the streaked water marks on her face, and there was a faint gauntness to the hollows of her cheeks.

It seemed Pearl hadn't been exaggerating about Maya's deteriorating physical state, after all.

"You really must be concerned with this threat if it's taking such a toll on you, Miss Fey." Edgeworth let her chin fall so her head hung lifelessly like a puppet without a master. Well, if she needed the sleep, he wouldn't wake her. If there was anyone in the room who knew about what happened when one pushed themselves too hard without proper rest, it was him.

Careful not to rouse her, Edgeworth meticulously maneuvered his left arm out from underneath Maya's shoulder and plucked the remote out of her slack hand. He wasn't that tired, he could watch a few episodes of the Steel Samurai if he wished without her.

Without the presence of the arm to steady her, however, Maya's slumbering body tipped over and she fell against the side of his chest with a thud.

He looked down at her.

"And we come full circle." He sighed while rolling his eyes. Though she was asleep, she managed to get right back where she'd begun, stuck between the crux of his torso and his arm with her head on his heart.

So, with Maya firmly wedged up against his side, Edgeworth clicked on the episode, sat back against the propped up cushion, lightly rested his left hand on her shoulder so she didn't fall further, and prepared himself for a solo television marathon for the rest of the night.

He didn't last five minutes.

As the clock above the train station platform struck 11:15 and an owl hooted by, a solitary manju cart sporting a bright red and pink umbrella puffed out a cloud of steam while the proprietor cleaned up the last few remnants of the night's production.

"Hm." The manju salesman pulled out an antiquated pocket watch and flipped up the lid. The time on the watch matched that of the clock. With a slight lilt of his shoulders, the salesman pocketed the watch once more and peered out onto the road.

It was empty.

In all honesty, that was to be expected.

While most regular passengers didn't tend to ride the trains at that time of night, sometimes inebriated souls or those working graveyard shifts would stumble inside in search of passage. So, while it wasn't their biggest rush hour, there was a decent reason for running the trains at night and thus, there was a decent reason for keeping a snack cart open.

However, with the exception of a courier who'd visited him earlier for a bag of treats, no one had come or gone from the station.

Very strange indeed, given the current circumstances.

The salesman spared the road another glance. Eight hours of standing there in the same place was starting to take its toll, though the salesman never would have said as much out loud, professional pride being what it was and-

With a booming roar that would've made a 747 jet that'd just had a goose fly into its' left turbine proud, both the cart and the proprietor were flung off their feet as the train station behind them erupted in a sea of flames.

They landed with a crunch twenty feet away, but unlike the cart that fell flat on its wheel and spun helplessly on its side like an upended turtle, the salesman gripped onto the handlebar of the cart and clung to it, just barely missing being impaled by the sharp tip of the garish umbrella.

Looking upwards from the pavement, the salesman's eyebrows lifted just a little.

The train station, or rather what was left of it, glowed scarlet as smoke billowed out of every orifice like a foreigner that had never been privy to the dangerously piquant nature of the notorious ghost pepper and had eaten a handful on a dare.

"Hm. I see. So that's how it's going to be." The salesman got up and glanced down at a molten piece of metal slag in front of the cart that almost had cleaved it in half. Removing the parasol from the stand, the salesman then bent down and poked it with the tip of the umbrella.

"This doesn't look like a piece of the building." mused the salesman as the sign tipped over, exposing the mottled bluish lettering on the other side. "Well, no matter." From such a far flung, with an emphasis on 'flung', position as the salesman had come to be in, the exact cause of the explosion couldn't be determined by outside inspection alone. Any further information would only be garnered from an inside investigation.

However, this was a job for the authorities, not a simple manju salesman.

The salesman sighed.

"It seems I have no choice but to report this. The fire brigade will wish to know." Saying no more, the salesman uprighted the cart, steered it around the slag and wheeled it down the road away from the burning train station while smoke and ash covered the street in a blanket of white.

(a/n- Well, didn't that escalate quickly? Hm. I wonder what'll happen next.

Oh heck, what am I saying? I already know that.

So, I wanted to say 'thank you' to all of the people who favorited, alerted and commented on my last chapter. Hearing from you guys always makes my day. :D Also, I thought of something else to say down here other than just a bunch of thanks, though that is my main reason for writing these little notes. Okay, so a few weeks ago, I was walking past a room that had the weather channel on TV and they were covering 'Winter Storm Maya' that had just passed through the landscape and hammered a bunch of different regions with a boatload of snow. However, half the people were angry because they got too much snow and the other half of people were angry because they didn't get any and had to go into work without getting the day off. So, I suggested that what they really needed to do instead was just find a 'happy medium'.

Nobody in the room got the joke.

So, in other news, I found out I'm surrounded by a bunch of uncultured heathens.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!)