Thanks for reviewing, everybody!
This is one of those chapters that kinda gives you a little more background on what's going on in the story. Nothing dramatic. Sorry-- but I promise there will be TONS of fun in the next chapter! I'll update as soon as I can. My internet hasn't been working that well lately.
I opened my eyes and was immediately blinded by the bright sun sitting outside my window. I woke up on my bedroom floor, next to my cell phone, which I never got around to turning off after listening to Franziska's message. Was the previous night a dream-- or, more appropriately, a nightmare? I reluctantly got up and examined my room... the sink was still running. I never finished brushing my teeth. I looked at the clock: it was 7:00 AM. I ran to turn off the sink, pausing to look in the mirror again.
I was greeted by my usual irritated expression.
I quickly turned off the bathroom light. I didn't have time to gawk at myself that day. I knew something was up when I saw Phoenix, or at least a guy that looked exactly like him, out the window the night before. I needed to get out of the apartment and further examine the situation.
I threw on a jacket and some pants in a hurry. I ran my fingers through my hair instead of brushing it. I never bothered to look presentable anymore. Anyway, if I was right about Phoenix and Maya, I didn't want to be recognized.
Hopefully they won't recognize me if I look dishevelled enough...
With that final thought, I grabbed my key, shoved it into my pocket, and dashed down the stairs of the apartment complex.
I was greeted by a cold blast of wind as I walked out the door. Something about autumn weather makes me nostalgic. I don't know if it's the changing colors, or the crisp air, or the fact that holiday season is just around the corner-- but I always seem to be doing a lot of reminiscing during October and November.
That day, November 19th, was no different. As I walked along the street to the nearby restaurant, I tried to remember a time in my life when I wasn't hiding from someone or something.
No such time ever came to mind. I had been hiding my whole life.
I hid from the truth about my father... I hid from the law when I forged evidence... and now, I was hiding from Phoenix Wright.
I wasn't planning on changing that, either. If I never saw Wright again, I'd be happy.
An annoying bell jingled as I opened the door to the diner. The usual waitress smiled at me-- I sighed, disappointed in myself for having become a "regular" at that cheap excuse for a restaurant. I flashed her a nod of acknowledgement and sat down in my usual booth-- one of the booths that only has room for two people. I never brought a second person with me to breakfast-- but the idea of sitting on a stool in the front, next to a bunch of other people who have no one to eat with, just seemed so... depressing.
The waitress walked over. "Good morning, Mr. Edgeworth! You want the usual?"
"Er..." I was barely awake, and I hadn't listened to a word she said, other than the word 'usual'. It rang in my head. I realized how 'usual' I had become; I wondered about the various ways that I could apply the word to my life. Keeping with this theme, I replied groggily, "I want the usual."
The woman gave me a weird look. "Didn't I just say that?" she asked.
I paused, and laughed at myself awkwardly, "Heh... oh, I guess you did. Sorry, but--"
"No need to apologize, Mr. Edgeworth," she grinned. "I've seen men with worse hangovers than you. I'll just get you a tea."
She walked away before I could say anything. I was going to argue, and mention that I hadn't been extremely drunk since my twenty-first birthday, but all I could say was a meek "okay".
The bell hanging from the front door jingled, and I instinctively looked up. I made eye contact with the person who walked in--
"MR. EDGEWORTH?!" The guy yelled in astonishment.
Panicking, I tried to pretend like I didn't know who he was, but he was already lumbering over to the table.
"I was going to sit over there, with all those other people who have nobody to eat with, but... GOD! Is that really you, Mr. Edgeworth?! You look a little... well, not yourself," the man said as he sat down, referring to my no-frills shirt.
Sitting across from me was a bulky, scruffy guy in his mid-late thirties-- Dick Gumshoe. He wore a beat-up trench coat and always looked like he was exhausted. I was in shock. Just another person that I thought I would never have to talk to again...
"Actually, I'm more 'myself' now than I was when you knew me," I replied as calmly as I could. "The frills were a little too stuffy."
"Oh."
The situation was extremely awkward. Luckily, the waitress returned with my tea to break the silence-- and was surprised to see someone else sitting with me. She looked at the man, and asked, "Um... can I get you anything?"
"I'll have a coffee, with extra milk... let's see, wheat toast-- with grape jelly, please... oh, and make sure the toast is crunchy, I really like when it's dark, um... hash browns, and an egg sunny-side up," he replied.
I hope you have the money to pay for that, Dick, I thought to myself as his order dragged on. The waitress nodded her head and walked away.
The man across the table was staring at me with his usual puppy-dog eyes, waiting for me to say something. I finally spoke up. "Gumshoe, what the hell are you doing here?" I questioned abruptly. I wasn't even going to try to be polite.
He flinched, and pouted, "Well, I was hungry, pal... can't a guy get something to eat?" He was still the same as ever.
"Ugh... not that. I meant why you're here, in Chicago."
"Oh! Well, I'm here with Mr. Wright. He just moved in a couple blocks away, and is looking for a place to--"
My teeth were grinding. I thought I was going to have to get up from the table and slam my fist into a wall. "Phoenix Wright... moved... HERE?!"
Gumshoe replied, more relaxed than ever, "Yeah. He wanted to move into the city, where he can defend more clients."
My cheeks were turning an angry red, but I couldn't start screaming in the middle of the restaurant. "That's... just... wonderful," I said as calmly as I could, sarcasm seeping through my clenched teeth.
Either Gumshoe didn't realize how angry I was, or he was just trying to avoid conflict-- either way, he was getting on my last nerve. "It really is! I thought I was never going to see you again..." he mumbled sadly.
"Yeah, me either." I replied. What Gumshoe didn't know was that I was happy with the fact that I would never have to see him again...
"So, what have you been up to, pal? Have a new job?"
"Not really. I write occasionally."
"Miles Edgeworth, a writer?" Gumshoe gasped. "I never woulda guessed it!"
I cleared my throat. I hated talking about that subject. What's so surprising about me having a creative side?
Gumshoe gave me a solemn look, and asked quietly, "Have you heard from Franziska yet?"
That question took me by surprise. I looked at him suspiciously, and replied, "She called me at four o'clock this morning... and how do you know that she was trying to reach me?"
"She's been telling me about this... plan of hers, for months. She wants you to help her get revenge on Phoenix Wright. I was supposed to be on the lookout for you today. Heh, I didn't know I'd end up finding you here, though!"
"What?!" I exclaimed, angrily. I was not about to get sucked into her usual petty ways like I had before. "I'm trying to forget about Wright. I have no reason to seek revenge against him."
"According to her, you do. That's why she wants to meet you... to tell you why you should want revenge against him. I don't know what she's talking about, but apparently, Mr. Wright did something pretty bad--"
"What the hell!?" I growled a little too loudly. "Why can't you all just forget about me?! I don't want anything to do with you!"
The waitress returned with our food. She gave me the most peculiar look as she set down our plates, and said, "Um, excuse me, Mr. Edgeworth... Could you keep it down? Thanks..."
Gumshoe looked confused, hurt, and embarrassed all at the same time. My face turned pink as I realized that every person nearby was staring. "Sorry," I replied to our waitress as she left. Bringing unwanted attention to myself is my least favorite thing to do.
I rubbed my temples, hoping that my headache would disappear. Gumshoe ate his meal in silence, as did I. He occasionally looked at me, and whimpered a little bit when I looked at him as if to say, what do you want?
Once the detective cleared his plate, he dug a five-dollar bill out of his pocket and laid it on the table. He stood up and said glumly, "That's for breakfast. Good luck with Franziska. I guess I'll see you around...?" He started to walk away.
I had to find out about Wright... I couldn't let the guy leave, as much as I wanted to.
"Aren't you going to wait for me?" I asked, shoving one last piece of bacon into my mouth quickly.
Gumshoe's eyes lit up immediately, like a dog begging to be loved again by his owner. "You really want me to?"
"Of course," I answered. "How else am I supposed to find out what's been going on for the past four years?"
---
I was shivering as I exited the diner and walked down the street with Gumshoe. The temperature must've been in the 20s.
"Sorry for getting angry," I began. I'm not used to apologizing, so it was a little uncomfortable. "It's just that, when I moved, I thought I was leaving my past behind..."
Gumshoe didn't say anything.
"And then I see Phoenix and Maya out the window, and then I find out I'm going to meet Franziska Von Karma later on tonight, and now I'm walking along the street with you. As much as I wanted to, I guess I could never really escape you guys."
Gumshoe was quick to forgive and forget. "It's okay, pal! I figured you'd be kinda mad when I told you about Wright... wait a minute! You saw him already? And Maya Fey?"
"I saw them, all right... french-kissing at a street corner."
"...That's not surprising. It seems like everytime I turn away, they're holding hands, or kissing each other, or something," Gumshoe speculated. "But I guess it makes sense. Wright was dying to give that engagement ring to Maya for the past year and a half, but only a few months ago did he actually gather up the courage and propose."
"That's pathetic."
"Maybe, but now that they're engaged, they're attached at the hip."
"Or, more appropriately, they're attached at the lips?"
"Haha! I missed your witty sense of humor, Mr. Edgeworth," Gumshoe laughed.
I sighed. I wasn't actually trying to be witty, I was just making an observation. "I can't believe they're engaged." I honestly couldn't. "So, this thing about Wright that Franziska wants to tell me... you know nothing about it, correct?"
"Yup."
"Do you think she would lie to me? About Wright?" I looked up at Gumshoe, who was about six inches taller than me.
Gumshoe looked ahead, slightly angrily. "Of course she would! She lies about everything else, pal... every piece of evidence she's shown in court lately has been falsified. Every witness is biased. It's gotten really bad..."
"I left just in time, then." I realized we were getting pretty close to my apartment complex, and started walking a little more slowly.
"Mr. Edgeworth," Gumshoe started hesitantly. "I think she started lying about everything for a reason..."
"Really? What reason?"
"Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but I think it was because of... you, pal."
I snarled. "And why would you think that?! I never did anything to her!"
"Well, you never did anything bad to her. But you brought out her good side, or, at least, the best side of her we'll ever see. After you left, she became all... angry... blaming everyone else for her obsession with being perfect-- blaming you, actually."
"Why...?"
Gumshoe never answered. We had reached the front door of my complex by then. He asked, "So what's your number?"
"What?"
"Your phone number. So that I can call you later and find out what Franziska said."
"Oh, yeah." I told Gumshoe my number, and he gave me his, and we said a quick goodbye.
I had to clean up the apartment before Franziska showed up.