The Long Awaited Court Trial

[cutslikeasword]

Who: cutslikeasword, wright_idea, Various NPCs, anyone else who wants to participate (Turn order will be posted here, too.)
What: Phoenix's trial.
Where: Los Angeles Court House, Phoenix and Edgeworth's timeline.

Comments

[wright_idea]

Phoenix is brought to the courthouse himself about a half-hour later. The guards treat him a little more roughly than is probably warranted. Guess they're still bitter about that whole "escaping and disappearing for a couple weeks thing, he thinks to himself.

He's a little surprised to see Edgeworth already there when he arrives. "Geez, are you always so prompt during cases?" he asks, rubbing the back of his neck. Phoenix can't count the number of times he's squeaked into a trial on his own end, possibly due to his lack of car.

He looks around, feeling awkward. Usually I'm the one that's standing here waiting to defend someone. "Are you sure you're up to this? I'm telling you, being a defense attorney's a whole different beast than being a prosecutor," he says.

[cutslikeasword]

"Usually." Comes the reply, almost scripted, only answering once the other guards have moved out of earshot. Luckily, arrival time wasn't affected by the fact that he could not get to his car. PINs have their uses, but since he didn't know how to PIN into the court house.. well..

"I am aware of that." It takes a great deal of effort to not appear as nervous as he feels, remaining stoic and unaffected. His hands are hidden in the pockets of his jacket, and he looks around the room discreetly. Such memories. Last time he was in here, the roles were reversed. One corner of his mouth pulls back into a faint smirk.

"Are you doubting me already, Wright?"

[wright_idea]

Phoenix frowns at the delay in response, but doesn't quite compute that Edgeworth's trying to keep a low profile. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised. You always seem like you have everything else under control," he comments, looking sheepish.

He doubletakes a bit. "N...no! Of course not! I'm just warning you in advance. I mean, hell, even *I* don't know how I win half the time," he stammers. Yes, he just admitted that in front of Edgeworth. No, he doesn't seem to be too self-conscious about it.

[cutslikeasword]

His issues with control are overlooked, and instead Miles tries to push certain troubling thoughts out of his mind. It was a long time ago, and he was found innocent. Inner turmoil aside, anyway.

...Well, he was found innocent by the man in front of him, who just admitted to..

Miles gives Phoenix an odd look, a look that shows he really has no idea how to react to that. He almost feels like laughing, but.. Instead, he folds his arms, thoughtfully tucking one hand beneath his chin.

"..Really. I thought you won on the belief that your clients were really innocent." He pauses, tilting his head. "Certainly puts a new perspective on how you work."

He might be kidding.

[wright_idea]

Phoenix looks startled. "Of COURSE I always believe in their innocence! It's just, well, nobody else DOES. And when things are stacked against you like that, well..." He sighs. "Sometimes it's a matter of stalling for time until something relevant comes up."

He looks at Edgeworth. "Basically: the moment you walk into that courtroom, NOBODY'S gonna like you until you leave because you're 'stretching things out.' So you've gotta hope the evidence has really BIG holes instead of really tiny ones," he says. Words of experience. (From Phoenix, mind, which aren't the most reassuring in the world.)

He paces a bit. "I just want this over with."

[cutslikeasword]

Miles listens to Phoenix, which then results in him watching the other attorney pace back and forth with anxiety.

The prosecutor has seen defense attorneys come through court. He's dealt with so many of them, but nobody's worked like Phoenix. Mia came close, but..

"If it puts your mind at ease, you could.." He trails off in thought. What is it called? God, defense attorneys always had someone next to them..

"You could stay at the stand, too, if you want."

[wright_idea]

Phoenix stops pacing and looks at Edgeworth. "You want me to sidebar? Are you sure? I mean, I'd have thought you're used to working alone..." He rubs the back of his head. He hasn't sidebarred since he was apprenticed under Mia. And to do it for EDGEWORTH of all people...

"Yeah, sure, if you don't mind. I'd like that." He nods. If he can't defend himself, he might as well help somebody else do it.

[cutslikeasword]

It has nothing to do with Miles' preferences. He's been working alone since he entered the profession, forced to become independent even before he left von Karma's residence behind and moved out on his own.

Sidebarring. So it had a name.

"Think nothing of it. You seem to have a lot of nervous energy, so it might be better for you to not have to sit the whole trial." Spoken as if he has no idea why Phoenix is going crazy. He understands, of course: he felt the same way for his trial.

He sometimes has a hard time with expressing 'sympathy' properly.

[wright_idea]

Phoenix looks at Edgeworth askew. He thinks he's trying to be nice. Trying. It's hard to tell with Edgeworth sometimes. "Yeah, I'm gonna go crazy if I have to just watch while everybody figures out what the rest of my life is gonna be like. Mind, you'd think I'd be used to this sort of crap by now." He chuckles a sort of bitter chuckle before sighing. "It's like my life is cursed or something, I swear."

He looks at the clock. "Not too much longer now... let's hope we can pull this together."

[cutslikeasword]

Miles is trying to be helpful. Trying. He might be failing, but.. hard when his emotions are so limited.

"..."

Miles looks off to the side, rubbing his left arm. "...I apologize again, for all this." His eyes do stray to the clock. Certainly, they'll be coming for Phoenix soon.

"..Do you mind entering the court first?"

[wright_idea]

Phoenix shakes his head. "We were both victims, Edgeworth. You don't need to apologize for anything," he reassures him, not for the first time.

He looks at Edgeworth for a little bit. Is he... nervous? "...yeah, it's no problem, Edgeworth. You're gonna do fine. I trust you," he says. And he sounds like he means it.

[cutslikeasword]

Miles is, even if he's trying to hide it. He doesn't second guess his decision to defend Phoenix, but.. it's Phoenix. He doesn't want to risk messing up, and having him locked away..

..and what if the court doesn't approve of him being there?

Upon hearing Phoenix's vocalization of his trust, Miles feels a little better. He manages a sort of half smile as he adjusts the collar of his jacket so his face was somewhat hidden.

"..I know." He pauses, hearing footsteps approaching the door. "..I promise that I will not let you down." Not again.

Before Phoenix can reply, Edgeworth heads into one of the little side rooms, ducking out of sight as the police officers come to fetch Phoenix.

[wright_idea]

He nods. "I know you won't." And then he's led off, shooting one last glance in Edgeworth's direction. It's a look of complete trust.

Though trust does not prevent nervousness, alas.

[pw_drive]

The officers take Phoenix into the court room, where already he is recognized. The crowd on both sides of the court room begin to murmur to themselves, speaking in hushed whispers to each other. Yet however quiet they might be, voices grouped on top of each other tend to build up, slowing droning into a roar.

"Is that him, Mommy? Is that the man who killed the prosecutor?"

"Good thing, I couldn't stand that guy."

The officers lead Phoenix to the stand, where he will address the court with what he wants to do. The Judge pounds his gavel to bring a calm to everyone who seems intent on causing a rukus.

"Order, order! I'll have order!" A few loud pounds of his hammer and the court quiets down.

"Mr. Wright, you are being charged with the murder of high prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. How do you plead?"

[wright_idea]

Phoenix ignores the whispers as best he can as he's led in, though it's sort of hard when they keep hitting sore spots. [Poor Edgeworth. You may have been the golden boy, but that sure doesn't mean you were loved. Then again, you probably fostered that image.] He sighs a bit and waits for the judge to restore order.

[Boy howdy, where have I seen THIS before?] Phoenix thinks to himself as the judge speaks. He replies, "Not guilty, your honor, and I believe you'll see at least part of the reason why very shortly."

At least, he hopes so. And that Edgeworth isn't going to try and do something weird like disguise himself or something.

[cutslikeasword]

There is a lot of love-hate towards the frilly prosecutor, as shown in the next few moments when the court begins to murmur again at Phoenix's admittance. The judge works on calming the court room again with a few poundings of his gavel. "See what soon?"

As if on cue, the front door is pushed open, causing a loud bang to be heard. "The truth, Your Honor." There is Edgeworth, striding into the court room. The crowd reacts loudly to this, and despite the seriousness to his features one can tell a von Karma was born to cause scenes like this.