I am going to be evil here. Or I could blame it on stupid Larry, who is my favorite character to write.
Thank you all so much for everything! Your reviews truly mean a lot to me, and encourage me to keep writing.
Now I am going to pet my fat and grumpy cat. Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 14
Phoenix closed his eyes as his face grew closer to Miles'. His heart threatened to jump out of his chest. They were so close… their lips brushed…
The Steel Samurai theme song filled the room, Phoenix's pocket vibrating slightly. Cursing under his breath, he flipped open the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Nick! I was gonna bring some drinks over… you want anything else?"
Snarling, Phoenix ducked into the hallway.
"Larry!" he hissed. "I was busy!"
"Oh ho ho, he's busy," cooed Larry. "What were you doing, hmm? You weren't doing anything… naughty, were you?" he whispered deviously.
As Phoenix stammered, blushing crazily, Larry threw in occasional comments, like "Mm-hmm. Oh, I'm sure. No, no, just a joke." Aside, he yelled, "THEY'RE FUCKING IN THE CLOSET!!"
"LARRY!!"
"Heh, you're right," finished Larry smugly. "Edgey would never stand for a closet. He'd insist on a nice, soft bed."
Jamming the "end" button, Phoenix hurled his phone to the ground, the batteries flying in different directions.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
Miles stood, frozen, in the middle of the floor, breathing heavily, face flushed.
'What… the hell… was that?…'Indeed, he wondered, what would have happened if Larry hadn't intervened? What did it mean? Had Phoenix lost his balance or something, or did he really…
'Impossible,' Miles chided himself, regaining a bit of his composure. 'That… would never happen.'
His thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell. Walking over on shaky legs, he pulled at the doorknob, only to be nearly buried in bottles and trays.
"And a Happy New Year!" greeted Larry, stepping over Edgeworth's extremely irritated form. "'Sup, Nick? I got the drinks, and I brought over some brownies, which are to die for! You know, I heard chocolate is supposed to be good for sexual pleasure, so eat up!"
"…You're fast," muttered Phoenix, glaring at his friend.
"Well, I was just down the block with everyone," Larry grinned. "C'mon, we're playing poker!"
"I don't gamble," grumbled Miles, pushing himself to his feet.
"Aww, loosen up, Edgey! After all, it's almost Christmas!"
"…It's April," the latter said, staring at him incredulously.
"Same thing!" replied Larry cheerfully, taking a swig from a bottle. "As long as I get to wear my Santa hat!"
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Phoenix leaned back in his chair, grinning triumphantly. He had always been good at poker, and since Larry was too drunk to know better, he had won quite a bit of his dough, as well as some chocolate chips that Edgeworth had bet in lieu of money.
"Damn!" Larry yelled a little too loudly, slamming his bottle against the table. "I demand a refund… rematch… refund... which is it? Hee hee hee."
"…Right," Miles remarked as Larry giggled. "It's nine-thirty, Larry. Don't you think you should be getting home?"
"Aw, I suppose so," yawned Larry. "I'll see ya around, Edgey. Bye, Nick. Be sure to give me all the juicy details later!" He winked and left, slamming the door behind him.
Phoenix sighed. Why did Larry have a tendency to fixate on these things? Maybe he had obsessive-compulsive disorder, which differed from his previous theory of A.D.D. "Well," he said, pushing himself up and sampling a few chocolate chips, "I'm getting tired, so… uh… goodnight."
"Goodnight," Miles replied, looking up at him while searching for some paper towels. He fastidiously began mopping up the beer that Larry had spilled, wondering why he had tolerated such an intrusion in the first place.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
As Miles headed toward his bedroom, he noticed that Phoenix's light was still on. Poking his head into the room, he smirked at the sight of the defense attorney curled up next to Pess, eyes closed peacefully, his hair already mussed. Stepping quietly so as not to disturb him, he reached under the lampshade and turned the appliance off.
"Sleep well, Phoenix," he murmured. "You won't get much opportunity otherwise."
With that, he padded out of the room, giving Pess a pat on the head before retreating into his own room.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
April 17
9:30 A.M.
Maya Fey's House
"That didn't exactly work," groaned Maya, addressing her assorted company. It had been two weeks since Phoenix moved back into his office, and although he was able to live off of Larry's money, their ultimate goal had not been achieved.
"I should say not. I didn't know he was such a nasty bastard at poker," grumbled Larry.
"Silence, fool," chided Franziska. "You lost. It was just a game. Make more money if you so desire it."
Ema frowned, thoughtfully tapping her chin with her pencil.
"So now what should we do?"
Everyone looked at her.
"I can't think of anything, pal," said Gumshoe sheepishly.
"I'm very sorry, but I can't either," Pearl added, biting her thumbnail.
"Pearly, that's not good for your nails," Maya reminded her. "So... there's no Plan B? What do we do, then? Just… give up?…"
Franziska ran a hand through her hair, reclining on the sofa.
"Such a shame. I must defeat that fool in court, and this is not making it any easier."
A silence followed her words as everyone but the detective started to think. Gumshoe himself was staring at the young prosecutor, a wide grin slowly beginning to spread across his face.
"What?" Franziska snapped.
"Ms. von Karma… you are a genius."
………………………………………………………………………………………………
April 17
12:00 P.M.
The Judge's House
Franziska von Karma stood on the front step with her allies, tapping her foot impatiently. She had gone through so much trouble for these fools, even going so far as to locate the whereabouts of that idiotic judge. As luck would have it, he had not been summoned to preside over a trial today.
Although she had been assisting Phoenix Wright's little friends, her motive remained consistent. She was not doing this to make those fools happy. No, she was doing it to avenge her defeat, which seemed so long ago. If Mr. Phoenix Wright was focused, then his defeat would be all the more rewarding. She would not fail in her goal. She was, after all, a von Karma.
Her eyes shot open as the door opened to reveal the astonished face of the judge, clad in a simple shirt and a pair of slacks.
"Well! Ms. von Karma, and…" He looked around. "Maya Fey, Harry Butz, Ema Skye… and Detective Gumshoe! What a coincidence! Oh, who's this?" he inquired, bending down to Pearl's level as Larry fumed.
"My name is Pearl Fey, sir," she replied.
"Delighted to meet you," the judge smiled, shaking Pearl's hand.
"Uh, Your Honor," began Maya, "we have a favor to ask."
The judge blinked at them for a few seconds.
"Why, certainly!" he said. "Come in, come in! I don't get visitors much, you know…"
A few minutes later, they were all seated at the judge's mahogany table as he poured tea.
"Now, what was it that you wished to ask me?"
Maya took a deep breath.
"See, Ema here is interested in a legal profession, and to help her practice for her chosen occupation, we have organized… a mock trial, of sorts." The judge nodded as Maya took a sip of her tea. "The thing is, we do not have a judge. I was wondering, if we arranged this on a day when you have no work, you might consider the position of our judge, since you're… uh… very professional."
The judge frowned thoughtfully, a few creases appearing on his forehead.
"So this is like… a game?" he finally asked.
"You might say that," Maya replied. Sensing that he needed a little more persuasion, she added, "Of course, there will be refreshments, from none other than Ms. Angel Starr herself." She grinned in satisfaction as the host's eyes lit up.
"Well, I do like games, and food is always a pleasant bonus," he chuckled. "Very well. Send me the details once you have this 'trial' planned out."
"Thank you, Your Honor!" Maya grinned. "I must warn you though… since this is a… game, as you put it, the so-called 'crimes' might be a bit ludicrous, if they are even crimes at all. We haven't decided."
"Don't worry, Miss Fey. I'm used to it," the judge winked. They all rose, Larry gulping the remaining tea in his cup.
"Great! We'll see you later, then!" Maya waved to the judge as she ran down the steps, beckoning for the others to follow her.
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April 24
11:00 A.M.
Prosecutors' Office Auditorium
"You're lucky I was available," mentioned Angel Starr as she passed out lunches to the group. "Since I have been reinstated as a detective, it was rather difficult for me to get a day off. Of course, Angel Starr always gets what she wants." She smiled at them as they dug into their food. "So, when is this trial going to start?"
"Probably in an hour," Maya replied, reaching for another lunch. "Did you
manage to secure a bailiff?"
"Well… sort of," Angel told her. "I managed to reserve a security guard, by the name of Wendy Oldbag." Taking no notice of the group's horrified cringes, she continued, "That judge seemed very receptive to my magnificent lunches, especially the caviar. Maybe I shall offer him the position of 'yet another boyfriend' again…"
"You! Whippersnappers!"
The group collectively groaned as Wendy Oldbag briskly approached them,
clad in a blue bailiff's uniform.
"Where are your manners?! When I was a young girl, children always respected their elders! In fact, if we showed any sign of discontent…"
"Silence, you foolish old woman!" snapped Franziska, making her entrance as the infamous whip hit its mark. "We have no time for your yammering." She turned to the group, ignoring the indignant Oldbag. "This trial will only proceed to upset Phoenix Wright, you fools. He will not confess to Miles Edgeworth on his own, so my little brother must attend. Knowing him, he will want to talk to Phoenix Wright afterwards, and that is how the desired result will be achieved."
"Oh! That makes sense!" Ema nodded and adjusted the sunglasses on her forehead. "All right! See you soon!"
"Well! How rude! Youngsters these days, I swear…" Oldbag continued to rant as Maya and Ema dashed away from the group. They had some final business to take care of.
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April 24
11:15 A.M.
Wright & Co. Law Offices
'Taxis are very handy at times,' Maya thought to herself as she pushed open the door to the office. 'At least I'm not late…'
"Hey, Nick!" she cried. "I need your help!"
Phoenix looked up from his desk and quirked an eyebrow at her.
"See, we're holding a mock trial," she continued, "and we don't have a defense attorney! Could you please do it?" She pouted and made her eyes as big as possible.
"Okay, Maya, calm down. When is it?" Phoenix asked.
"At... noon, I think."
"Today?! Maya, this is really short notice… I don't know if I can…"
"I-I didn't know!" Maya panicked. 'I better win an Oscar for this performance…'
"Okay, okay! I'll help, but I don't know what to do… I'm going in completely unprepared…"
"Thank you, Nick!" the spirit medium cheered, throwing her arms around him. "Let's go!"
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April 24
11:45 A.M.
High Prosecutor's Office
Ema looked through Edgeworth's paperwork, making sure he hadn't overlooked anything. At least, that was what she was pretending to do. In actuality, she was so apprehensive that she felt like vomiting. When her beeper finally rang, it was somewhat of a relief. Edgeworth looked up at the noise.
"Oh, Mr. Edgeworth! I completely forgot! I'm appearing in court today as a witness! I'm very sorry, but I have to go for a while…" She bit her lip as Edgeworth frowned.
"What case is this?" he asked. "I don't recall seeing your name in any
recent files…"
"Um, well…" Ema stuttered. "I'm not quite sure of all the technicalities, but… you can come watch if you'd like!" She clasped her hands in front of her, eyes sparkling.
Edgeworth mulled it over. As much as he needed to get his extra paperwork done, he was rather curious. If Ema was appearing as a witness, why hadn't he seen her name? And more importantly, why hadn't she told him?
"Very well. I'm assuming you'll need a ride?"
"Oh, no!" Ema assured him. "It's just in the auditorium!"
'What the hell?…'………………………………………………………………………………………………
April 24
12:00 P.M.
Prosecutors' Office Auditorium
Phoenix Wright was, to say the least, very confused. Why was this 'trial' being held here, of all places? And where was the client? "Maya, what's – " He broke off, realizing that Maya was nowhere to be seen.
"The trial is starting," interrupted a familiar voice. "Come with me, whippersnapper."
"Ms. Oldbag?!"
"Go!"
Phoenix found himself in the auditorium, which had been set up to look like a courtroom. Several people surrounded them on all sides, mostly curious onlookers. The judge was seated behind a desk at the front of the room, and two smaller tables had been set up for the defense and prosecution. Standing behind one of those tables was none other than Maya Fey. He moved to join her, but Oldbag stopped him.
"Your table is the one over there, whippersnapper."
"But… what?!" As he was led over to his table, he asked, "Who's the prosecutor in this case, anyways?"
"You're rather dense," snapped Oldbag, pointing to Maya. "That young snip of a thing is the prosecution."
Phoenix stared across the room at his assistant as Oldbag retreated to stand by the doorway.
Yes, something was terribly, terribly wrong with this.