Day 41: Breakfast

[oftemptation]

Endrance turned his head to look at the intercom, giving it a look that would wither an entire rose garden in an instant. He would never get used to ending up in his room again from somewhere else in the Institute

Comments

[high_prosecutor]

Edgeworth had half-expected Renamon to still be by his side when he woke that morning, and it was almost a relief to be back in his own bed. He breathed out a long sigh. Morning meant that she would have been attended to by the true medical staff, and those injuries treated. He made a mental note to check on her that day if he could, then sat up in bed.

He was immediately hit by a loud noise and a single, sharp bolt of pain in his head, one that almost forced him to lie back down from the shock of it all. Are you back in this place, Manfred von Karma? If not, then...who? He didn't have time to think about it long, before his nurse came in. "Good morning, Mr. Pierce. Are you feeling all right?"

He nodded at her, and silently followed her to the cafeteria, making a plate with pancakes and fruit and sitting at a table that was relatively far away from the rest of the patient population. He looked up only to scan the cafeteria for Phoenix now and then, failing to notice what should have been a very familiar head of hair thanks to a serious case of tunnel vision. It worried him that he hadn't showed last night, and he would feel a lot better knowing that he was safe and sound.

[thread closed to Phoenix.]

[pleading_ngri]

This wouldn't have been better if Maya was here, Phoenix told himself, when he caught himself getting homesick in the food line yet again. Her ability to perform otherworldly feats extended to a positively supernatural ability to land herself in the worst kinds of trouble. His stomach did maneuvers he really didn't approve of when he imagined what sort of things could happen to her here, where there were people whose intentions toward him he couldn't discern, along with, possibly, one person still lurking and actively plotting his demise. It was better if she wasn't here.

Great, now I just feel selfish for missing her. Thinking about her was almost a distraction from thinking of Godot, though, which was something he didn't want to do until he was in a better mood. When he'd agreed to a chat, he hadn't thought he'd been signing on for a full night of smashing his head against a brick wall of insults and circular logic. It wouldn't have been so bad, if a stubborn optimist streak in him didn't keep insisting that there had to be a way to make this work, that the man wasn't entirely immune to reason, that there might still be a way to make an ally of him (and he realized only too well how much he needed allies, right now).

I have to let this go. All of it. It's not helping. He spotted Edgeworth and headed for the empty spot beside him, lifting his chin in a nod when the man's occasional scan of the room came back around to him. "Morning," he greeted, and though the bad mood didn't entirely dissipate, it was a whole lot easier to smile for Miles than it had been to do so for his nurse.

[high_prosecutor]

Miles let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding when he saw Phoenix. That discussion about people missing time and the like before disappearing had more of an impact than he'd first thought, and while it had been easy to push that aside in favor of tending to a severely wounded friend at the time, the morning had meant all of that worry could come crashing back in.

"Morning," he replied, nodding with a relieved smile on his face. "I was worried," he admitted. "It's not like you to miss appointments normally. I'm not trying to be overly possessive, but I had a rather tense discussion with a friend last night. She mentioned a pattern to disappearances, which I put on the board this morning."

Something else seemed off, though, about him. "What happened?", he asked, in a voice that he hoped was staying firmly in the 'concerned' area and not drifting off into the 'way too overpossessive' area.

[pleading_ngri]

Phoenix nodded, sitting and taking a long drink of this morning's grape juice. He hadn't noticed anything from Edgeworth on the board this morning - just the usual primer. He must have tucked it in there.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," he apologized, and sat back and took a drink of that morning's grape juice - if only because it kept his hand from reaching out reassuringly to any part of Miles. He wasn't sure he had to enough pens to list all the reasons why anything even vaguely approaching a public display of affection was a bad idea here. "I just- the talk with Godot didn't go as well as I would've liked." He released a short, unamused huff along with the ensuing smirk, glancing at Edgeworth from the corner of his eye. Sarcasm and quipping at the truth were easier than coming at it head-on, in this case. "I hope you don't fly into a jealous rage at the thought of another prosecutor refusing to let me leave his bedroom," he muttered under his breath, beginning to saw his pancakes into lopsided squares.

[high_prosecutor]

"I'd added it into the primer," Edgeworth explained, with a nod. "It seemed more effective than making a separate post to discuss it. And I'm sorry if I seemed overly concerned."

He frowned just a bit at the mention of Godot. If there was anyone here who needed to take off their blinders and look at the truth of the situation, rather than wasting their time with personal vendettas, he was one of them. "In a way, I'm surprised to hear that," he said offhandedly, "but in a way, I'm not surprised at all. I think the lack of coffee is getting to him." A brief eyeroll accompanied the statement. "I take it he decided to be obstinate, rather than in any way cooperative?"

That last part got Phoenix a smirk in return. "Well, not this particular one, since I think he'd rather have a long love affair with an espresso machine than with a person."

[pleading_ngri]

Nick laughed, if a bit shortly, trying not to let that mental image stick. "I think that with him, it's still up for debate if I'm actually a person." He navigated a corner of the pancake-stack through the puddle of syrup surrounding it, a thoughtful frown creeping across his features. "I'm still not comfortable handing down any judgment on Kristoph, one way or the other, but it's starting to look suspicious that he goes around telling this story to people who are bound to have strong reactions to it. And-" He gave a frustrated noise, resting his chin on his palm, voice dropping into a quiet, uncomfortably honest pitch. "I'm not ignoring the idea. Just the thought of getting disbarred, that quickly . . . it scares me. I'd do whatever I could to keep it from happening. But I know that none of us can do a thing about it right now. At the same time, none of that is going to change Godot's opinion. The whole thing is just another reason for him to go after me."

He finally took a bite of syrup-heavy pancake, staring into the middle distance, letting his eyes unfocus. He didn't strictly have a headache, anymore, but looking at nothing was still more comfortable. "I'm not sure it's even possible to do anything about his opinion of me, as it is. It could be that nothing short of seeing State vs. Iris through to the end will do that." Given where they were, the closest that Phoenix would have been able to get to putting Godot through an as-yet unseen life experience would be acting it out for him with hand puppets. Even if the prosecutor first suffered massive enough brain damage for that strategy to work, Phoenix wasn't sure how you'd represent spirit possession with nothing more than dressed-up gym socks.

[high_prosecutor]

"I don't think that's quite the case," he began to reply, "because when I spoke with him yesterday, he seemed to be a bit ambivalent about whether or not he believed the story or not. That said, he either needs to drop the obsession with State vs. Iris, or somehow see the case through to the end in one way or another - in other words, find resolution with it - before either of us can get anywhere with changing his opinion." There was a silent 'but you can bet I'm going to keep trying' tacked on to the end of that sentence.

"I agree," Edgeworth said, nibbling on a piece of melon as he considered that situation. "Particularly considering the younger of the two Gavins not only didn't trigger the voice, but also seems almost apologetic about the situation, or at least less inclined to..." He trailed off, drumming his fingers against the table for a moment. "Does it feel to you like Kristoph's intentionally baiting those of us who would have the strongest reactions?"

He sighed just a bit. "I'll run interference between him and Franziska, now that she's here. She would be target number three, if my suspicion is correct. I suspect it's a very good thing that at least at this point in time, she shouldn't have any sort of whip." Miles laughed, a bit more tersely than he might have otherwise, and let it drop more quickly, as well. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then looked straight across the table when he spoke again.

"Phoenix, I'm sorry for the sudden topic change, but I'm sorry that I didn't get to you about the 'tests' sooner. What happened is that the two gentlemen I was with the night you were taken found some of the needles that were used, and arranged to have them analyzed, to first determine how they did it, and second, to determine whether it could be reversed. That's why I'd asked you to meet me upstairs, so that you could be there in person.

Also? Be careful what you reveal when you speak with Wesker. He was acting fairly suspicious early in the evening, almost as if he knew too much. He explained it away, but I still don't entirely trust him."

[pleading_ngri]

"It's hard to say, since everyone who knows me and is here would have a strong reaction to hearing that." Phoenix nodded, sitting back. Kristoph was hard to get a bead on at all, but judging by behavior, he didn't seem particularly invested in making sure that Phoenix wasn't constantly bombarded by speculation. While not overtly rude or unfriendly, that sort of habit still made him suspicious. "But my gut says yes."

The change in topic came completely out of left field, and he paused, listening silently. At that last caution he suppressed the urge to roll his eyes (Edgeworth doesn't trust someone? Well I never.), reminding himself that paranoid skepticism or not, Edgeworth was the one between them with a supernatural Geiger counter for malevolence.

Besides, a little paranoid skepticism was probably healthy, here.

"I'll keep that in mind. But really, about the tests? It's not a problem." Phoenix attempted a brief, reassuring smile, meeting Miles' eyes deliberately. "As far as I'm concerned, it's evidence from a crime scene that got sent in to the lab. That's it." He kept working at his pancakes - the more he ate, the more he remembered that he was actually pretty hungry, after having felt sick all day yesterday - and it was easy to pretend that he averted his gaze a second later to make sure that he speared the next stack just-so. "Besides, it's probably just as well I didn't get another look at them. I think I've seen enough needles that size for a lifetime." His spine prickled dully at the memory he couldn't avoid, staring straight at the the advancing steel point as time slowed to a crawl, though the sound probably would have done him in instead, the sharp clatter that came just before--

He blinked back into focus, realized that his fork was still hovering about a centimeter off the plate, and glanced up at Edgeworth with a little self-conscious, apologetic look before taking his next bite.

[high_prosecutor]

"That much is true, but he seems to have a flair for picking the most dramatic times to tell them the story," Edgeworth said, finally working on his own stack of pancakes. "The fact that he didn't tell you immediately also says something. I have the feeling that if they had arrived in opposite order, Klavier might have told you straight-out, not let the word come to you via your acquaintances."

He shifted topics back again, meeting Phoenix's eyes with a nod. "All right. I just didn't want you to think I was intentionally going behind your back about them. That probably is the best way to look at the whole thing, though."

Miles couldn't not notice that moment's pause there, and the resulting freeze and apologetic look. "I agree. But..." It was probably a stupid idea, but hopefully everyone that knew the both of them was sufficiently distracted enough not to notice when he reached over and took Phoenix's hand for just a brief second before letting it go. "How are you holding up - and don't try to sugarcoat it for my sake."

[pleading_ngri]

The fact that the reassuring touch had barely lasted past the second mark didn't make much difference to Phoenix - he was still caught off-guard by the instantaneous way parts of him relaxed when he hadn't even known they were tense, the lingering warmth sunk into the back of his hand, the level concern of Edgeworth's question and everything unsaid beneath it that left him tongue-tied and twenty all over again. He grinned across the table, pleased and a little surprised, and went a few seconds before remembering himself and averting his face, clearing his throat briskly. Considering what was being asked of him made being frank and level a little easier, but still, he didn't reply until he was reasonably sure that a free-floating sparkle or heart-shaped bubble wasn't going to put an innocent bystander's eye out.

"I'm fine, as long as I'm not thinking about it. Sometimes I still ask questions without really thinking, but overall, it's not really that startling. Besides, the locks . . ." He hemmed and hawed a second, weighing his words. "They act more like I'm used to, during the day. Less invasive."

Phoenix drummed his fingers on the table, releasing a slow, pensive breath. "I'm not sure I'd even mind them so much, but the situation's all wrong. Back at home, I didn't like using the magatama unless I ran into a really tough investigation and I felt like I'd have to. The questions that brought up locks were so focused on whatever I was looking into that I usually had something on me that would break them. Even if I didn't, I'd have a good idea of where I could find what I needed." He knew that he was thinking out loud, but if there was anyone he was comfortable doing that with, it was Edgeworth. He knew he'd be corrected if any of his logic came up short. "But the way this place is set up, I can't do that. There are just too many questions and absolutely no evidence. It's just impossible to . . ."

It's impossible to function like a lawyer when they won't let me be one.

And somewhere between one second and the next, that aggravating fact became an answer.

The first laugh caught him off-guard, and he clapped a hand over his mouth, unable to do more than mute the gales that followed (just his luck, a nurse would have to come by and sedate him when he'd just figured something out). It was so ridiculously simple, though, he couldn't help but laugh when all this time he'd been angrily trying to jam a square peg in a triangular hole and wondering how the puzzle was broken. "I've been doing this all wrong-" He thought he might almost be able to stop himself, but then he thought of what Mia would have said, if she'd seen him fumbling around this long. "I can't believe it took me a whole week to-" He didn't stop, but managed to trail off, panting for breath and still grinning past the corners of his fingertips.

[high_prosecutor]

Miles nodded at the first part. It made sense, really - if everything else here was worse during the night, it was neither unusual nor unlikely that the same principle would apply to unwanted abilities. Now that he thought about it, wasn't the voice more likely to react at night, too? It was, now that he thought hard about it, and he internally kicked himself for not having noticed the pattern sooner. You're going soft. Pay attention to the details. If you don't, your dearest sister is going to kill you with whatever implement she has available and then have your head for breakfast tomorrow.

He started to reply to the second part, about only using the magatama when it was absolutely necessary and the evidence needed, but that unexpected -- the only words he could think of to describe it were 'giggle fit' -- threw him off. What was so intensely funny about the setup of this place, and the lack of evidence for many of the questions that they had?

"...are those locks affecting the oxygen supply to your brain, Wright?"

[pleading_ngri]

Phoenix snorted at the quip - he'd admit, he had that one coming - explaining himself once he wiped his eyes and was sure that he was done. "It doesn't matter if I've got the Psyche-Locks back or not. If I'm not allowed to work like I usually do, there's no way I can solve this like I usually do." He ticked items off on his fingers, elbows braced against the table. "No client, no charges to fight, no reliable way to keep my hands on any kind of evidence, and that's not even starting on the fact that I've got not one, but two very smart prosecutors who are against me."

His expression settled into something more serious as he went on, brain already whirring two steps ahead of his mouth. "I have to work on this from a different angle. If Gavin's going to keep sending people after me-" If that really is my future- He swallowed, then made himself continue, despite the way every inch of him protested backing down from a challenge. He couldn't keep bashing away at a problem without the tools to overcome it, though. He'd just hurt himself trying. "-the only thing I can do is put some distance between myself and that. For now, the future can stay in the future."

It seemed a little crazy, once it was out of his mouth, but what else could he do? Godot was unreliably helpful at best, and if von Karma was still around or showed up again, he'd doubtlessly want him dead. There was apparently a younger Gavin here - possibly the one from that much-discussed case - who was more pleasant, but Phoenix had seen a little too much among the Feys to entirely discount the possible role of family dynamics. Gumshoe was more reliably helpful than Godot, but Phoenix was beginning to worry at his silence since that last bulletin note from the infirmary. And now there was Franziska, and while he wanted to believe that she was from around his time and thus would at least be somewhat co-operative, that von Karma was actually gone and there would be no conflict of interests between her goal-oriented "little brother" and frankly psychotic father . . . Phoenix couldn't say anything about her for certain.

"I'm not used to not working in plain sight, but I don't know what other choice I have, right now. Besides-" he leaned forward, tucking a rebellious bit of hair back into his almost-spikes. "We'll cover more ground this way."

[high_prosecutor]

Miles nodded - now that the momentary lapse of whatever that was had passed, and Phoenix was explaining it further, the idea made more sense. He still wasn't sure what he thought of it, not immediately, and hummed into his juice glass as he mulled it over, the gears in his brain spinning into motion. When he spoke, it was in his usual tone, the one that indicated his own brain was going ahead.

"So what you're saying," he began, a smirk coming over his face, "is that I'll work the contacts and connections I have above ground, and you'll do what you can in the shadows." He nodded then, breaking out his journal and a pen and moving his tray aside to make room for them.

"I've got some meetings scheduled for later today which I expect to be productive. I'll keep those, and at the same time, keep pulling in what information I can regarding the future occurrences. You're right to put some distance between it, but - and you'll forgive me - I've also got a vested interest in what happens, considering. But I'll consider that a separate idea for now. Either way, I'm meeting with the younger of the two Gavins and a very talented young Japanese detective this afternoon, so I'll see what I'm able to do with it. I'd still like to keep him on our side, as much as is possible. I don't know how much family dynamics will play into the whole thing, but it's worth trying. As well, I'll be meeting with the young man who has been organizing so much information on the bulletin board. I'm hoping that will turn into another set of useful contacts that I can draw on.

As I said, I'll also run interference with Franziska. She's more likely to listen to me than anyone other than her father, and I'll just hope that I'll have gotten to her first. She's in deep denial about this place right now, so whatever happens when that denial breaks is what will ultimately set her path."

He scribbled down notes as he spoke, then looked up at Phoenix again. "As for the bulletin. I normally sign with my initials, but perhaps something of a code is in order there, as well?"

[pleading_ngri]

Busy man. Phoenix looked on with a noticeable lift of his eyebrows, watching Edgeworth's pen fly across the page. He wondered if he wasn't playing right into somebody's hands, going off on his own and running in parallel. Safety in numbers seemed to be a rule at Landel's, with all of its clubs and those mysterious spots of isolation that apparently preceded disappearance. Still, a lot of his current projects were dead ends, or at least so extremely long-term in scope that he couldn't focus on them alone.

"It might not be a bad idea. Something random, though - I don't know how well anyone from the future knows either of us, so anything too symbolic seems risky." He pulled out his own journal, copying the list Edgeworth had just given him quickly. There were a few things that interested him in that lineup, among them not only another detective, but the guy from the bulletin. The confession he'd made to the general population not too long ago had interested Phoenix, more than a little because of what it meant that both of them might be capable of. He glanced up from scribbling names, chuffing a half-laugh. "You have your chance to suggest something before I start spouting fictional characters."

[high_prosecutor]

"I'm not suggesting that you isolate yourself completely," Miles said, catching that raised eyebrow. "In fact, I'd almost say talking to certain people that I know would be beneficial for you. When you can, you may want to speak with M. Javert - I've worked with him on more than one nightshift, and spoken with him outside that. He's gone through the experiments and is the one that collected the evidence, so. I suspect you would also get along with the detective himself, Naoto Shirogane. I was quite impressed by him, and I'd love to see him working for us once we're out of here." The last sentence was accompanied by a grin and a light laugh.

"As for a set of code names...it may seem almost too obvious, but occasionally the especially obvious names go unnoticed. Holmes and Watson?"

[pleading_ngri]

Another name for the list, then, and a quick strike through the previous 'detective?' followed by an attempt at the name that Edgeworth had rattled off with such enviable ease. "Japan seems like it has its fair share of competent detectives," he agreed, setting down his pen. Not that he knew much about Matsuda's work, but he'd been friendly and easygoing enough, had a good grasp of causality, and didn't seem like a pathological liar or borderline insane. That was more than Phoenix could say for some of the detectives he'd seen back at home.

"It's not that obvious. I mean, neither of us is a doctor or a detective." He finished off his juice, as he lowered the glass arching a dark eyebrow and briefly grinning around its rim. "And wasn't Holmes celibate, anyway?"