Apollo grimaced as the chair dragged noisily along the wooden floorboards, breaking the silence in the room. Swallowing hard, he took a seat at the table, eyeing the spread as his stomach rumbled. The pre-trial breakfast feast had become a tradition at Wright & Co - "Fill your stomach and calm your nerves!"the boss always said, but ever since the reappearance of a certain spirit medium, Apollo couldn't help but notice that the amount of food at these little get togethers had exceeded ridiculous proportions.
"Do you eat like this every day?" Apollo enquired, watching Maya pile food on to her plate. "If you do, then it's a miracle you stay so thin."
He blanched inwardly the moment the words left his mouth. Where was his brain to mouth filter when he needed it? Maya barely reacted as she continued to stack pancakes to dangerous heights.
"Fast metabolism!" she chirped, licking syrup off her fingers while she juggled her plate "Channelling spirits burns a lot of calories."
"You perving on my wife, Justice?" Phoenix asked sternly, lowering his newspaper to raise an eyebrow at his young protege.
"What? No! I didn't mean…"
"Why, she's not pretty enough?" Phoenix asked again, placing his newspaper down on the table with a menacing glare in Apollo's direction.
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean she's… um you… err," Apollo stammered.
"Stop it, Nick," Maya smiled. "You're so cruel to Polly."
Phoenix grinned.
"I'm just kidding, Justice," Phoenix said, clapping him hard on the back in a friendly manner, causing him to choke on his mouthful of food. "I mean, who wouldn't take notice of my beautiful wife?"
Apollo felt the stinging 'thwak' of an egg flip on the back of his head as Pearl arrived from the kitchen with yet another tray of food.
"Stop taking notice of Mr Nick's beautiful wife, Polly!" Pearl scolded, clearly having only heard the end of the conversation. She frowned, pointing her finger at the bewildered attorney. "Mystic Maya is Mr Nick's special someone! You find your own!"
Phoenix and Maya giggled like children while Apollo groaned. He sighed glumly as he chewed on another mouthful of his food.
"I really need to find a new job."