[RL: Sunday, Noon - Lunch [Freud!Virus] | Phoenix; Edgeworth]

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix stared at the piece of paper in front of him. The prospect of eating raw fish didn't seem as appetizing as his lunch companion made it out to be, and the fact that he didn't recognize a single item on the list only served to make him more skeptical. Magura? Hamachi? Kani kama? Perhaps if there had been some kind of explanation, he may have been less inclined to set the paper aside in favor of the regular lunch menu, although that was a very large if.

As he scanned the selections, he sighed in relief. At least you couldn't go wrong with a teriyaki beef bowl, right?

Comments

[samuraiprosecutor]

A smirk crossed Edgeworth's lips as he glanced up to find Wright setting aside his sushi menu. The man had probably never set foot inside a sushi restaurant...for that matter, he doubted Wright had ever eaten at a restaurant where crayons weren't available upon request.

"Not a fan?" he asked, his tone politely curious. He perused his own menu, noting a few items that he would not have normally ordered but which seemed appropriate considering his company.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix glanced over his menu and frowned upon sight of Edgeworth's smug expression. "I prefer my food cooked, thanks." With a glare for added effect, he turned his attention back to the description of the beef bowl and nearly did a double-take at the price. While $10.98 wasn't going to break his bank, it was substantially more expensive than the bowls at Yoshinoya.

Their waiter (Kim, Phoenix recalled him introducing himself as) returned with the drinks they had ordered a few minutes ago, carefully set them on the table, and pulled out a pad of paper, smiling pleasantly. "Were you gentlemen ready to order?"

"I'm pretty sure I am," Phoenix said, a bit distracted by the straw that decided to bend in half upon attempted opening. Kim provided another without prompting and Phoenix smiled appreciatively, albeit somewhat self-consciously, before turning to Edgeworth. "Are you ready?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

The wide-eyed stare Wright directed at the menu provided further amusement, but it was cut short as their waiter returned. As Edgeworth folded his menu he watched Wright's difficulties with his straw. The waiter's prompt and discreet correction of the situation garnered further notice, and Edgeworth mentally adjusted the man's tip in accordance.

Nodding in response to Wright's question, Edgeworth rattled off several types of sushi in well-accented Japanese, along with sides of miso and rice. After a pause, he added kanzake for two to the list, then handed the waiter his menu as he turned his attention to Wright.

[attorneyatlol]

The accuracy with which Edgeworth pronounced the cuisine was impressive, and Phoenix suddenly felt the weight of uncultured ignorance weighing down on him. Swallowing a mouthful of Coke, he cleared his throat and hardly glanced at the waiter. "I'll have the, uh, teriyaki beef bowl," he said quickly, handing Kim his menu. "Medium, please."

[samuraiprosecutor]

Menus gone and with nothing else to occupy them but talk, Edgeworth found himself slipping into silence. Idly he surveyed the restaurant; it was only half-full despite the lunch hour, but that was one of the things that usually drew him to this particular place.

Edgeworth glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye. It was...strange seeing him casually. Not necessarily in an unpleasant way, yet... He tried to remember the last time they'd even seen each other. Or the last time before 'Maraich's trial, as business obviously didn't count. Nor did that one drug-induced night when Wright had come to the apartment...all Edgeworth could clearly remember of that visit was that Sigi had been crucial to the night's events. Their...discussion in the cafe came to mind, but he couldn't recall anything else more recent.

'Has it really been so long?' With a slightly curious gaze he turned his attention back to Wright.

[attorneyatlol]

In the midst of performing his own survey of the restaurant, Phoenix noted the décor: simple, but not in an unattractive way. A single, pink lotus decorated each table top, adding a splash of color to the otherwise black and white design of the restaurant, and natural light was blocked by the tint of the windows, rendering the atmosphere somewhat dark, but not unpleasantly so. It was actually sort of calming.

Unlike the impending awkward silence.

Restlessly stirring the ice in his drink, he brought his attention back to their table and raised a curious brow at Edgeworth, surprised that he had to fight a knee-jerk reaction to look away when their gazes met. "So," he exhaled, grasping at the first words that came to mind. "What's 'kanzake?'"

[samuraiprosecutor]

Ignoring his own growing discomfort, Edgeworth met Wright's eyes levelly and smirked at Wright's pronunciation, a clumsy but fair approximation of his own polished delivery of the word. "You want me to ruin the surprise?"

[attorneyatlol]

"Surprise?" Phoenix cocked his head, eyebrow arched just a bit higher. He tried to recall the sushi menu, but had the distinct feeling that, had he even bothered to glance at more than the first few items, he probably wouldn't have remembered many of the names, if any at all. He responded with a slight smirk of his own, tainted by a trace of apprehension. "Now I'm worried. Is it some kind of fish?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth's smirk widened. "I'm not about to engage in a round of twenty questions." With a forced casualness he lifted his glass of water and squeezed the slice of lemon over it before taking a long sip.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix rolled his eyes. “Of course not,” he muttered and leaned against the table with a sigh, chin cupped in his palm. He studied Edgeworth for a moment, soaking in his appearance. It was only the third time he’d seen in the man in anything other than courtroom apparel, and while it wasn’t an unwelcome sight, it was a considerable difference that would take some getting used to. The sweater did him well, though, Phoenix decided, even if its purplish hue caused the defense attorney to wonder if his friend owned anything that wasn’t some variation of pink.

Edgeworth’s neck seemed glaringly bare without his jabot, however; his Adam’s apple bobbed with each gulp of water in an almost hypnotic rhythm, and Phoenix had to tear his gaze away.

[samuraiprosecutor]

Wright's sudden and deliberate move coincided perfectly with the completion of Edgeworth's drink; he caught the gesture just as he opened his eyes again, and when he set his drink down a bit too suddenly the ice tinkled sharply. "It seems that patience is a lesson you have yet to learn."

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix's eyes hesitantly drifted back toward Edgeworth. "You're kidding."

[samuraiprosecutor]

A frown twitched at the corners of his lips, and he quirked an eyebrow questioningly. "You disagree?"

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix quirked an eyebrow in response. “Well, I wouldn’t say I have the patience of a saint or anything, but I’d like to think I’m capable of waiting for answers.” He briefly glanced up, an amused smile playing at the edge of his lips when he met Edgeworth’s gaze again. “At least when it comes to lunch.”

[samuraiprosecutor]

Their eyes held for a few moments until Edgeworth's gaze dropped to the gentle smile on Wright's lips. The expression was one that had become damnably familiar to him, and his eyes lingered on it a few moments too long. "I'm finding that hard to believe. Patience notwithstanding, you're not a man who waits for answers, Wright."

[attorneyatlol]

Though his smile retained its amusement, it grew slightly sheepish when Phoenix chuckled. “I guess I do have a tendency to press, huh? Works well enough in court, anyway.” He took another sip of soda, gaze falling to the tabletop.

[samuraiprosecutor]

"That your methods do work is nothing short of miraculous." He paused and wrapped his hand around his glass, though he waited to drink again until after he finished saying (in a tone of complete professionalism), "Have you taken on any cases since the last one?"

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix rolled his eyes again; Edgeworth certainly was a master of the backhanded compliment. He turned a curious eye at the question. “You mean since Maraich’s? No. Why?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth rolled his eyes, unconsciously mimicking his companion's response. "That would be the last trial we were both involved in. Though technically you could say it wasn't Maraich who was on trial."

He paused and gave Wright an appraising look. "You take on clients quite infrequently."

[attorneyatlol]

“Actually, a few people have come to me since the Engarde trial, but the plans have fallen through,” Phoenix replied. He leaned back slightly and folded his hands on the table, studying them as he drummed his fingers together. “I’ve been focusing on trying to get the office organized to handle a larger clientele, in the meantime. Mia left quite a legacy.” He smiled faintly. “The tradeoff being overflowing filing cabinets, of course.”

[samuraiprosecutor]

The rhythmic drumming drew Edgeworth's eye as well, and he watched Wright's hands until he dragged his gaze away, only to let it fall on his own hand spread comfortably on the table. Almost without thinking he compared the two (Wright's had large knuckles; his nails were cut close but clean. His own fingers were longer, thicker but with smaller knuckles, nails perfectly manicured.) until he realized he was taking just a bit too long to respond and a few moments of awkward silence had already passed.

"Mia Fey's legacy included an incompetent secretary? Overflowing filing cabinets shouldn't be your problem."

[attorneyatlol]

When moments passed without a response, Phoenix lifted his gaze to find Edgeworth’s eyes downcast, a look of contemplation on his face. He waited a moment longer, unsure if that signified the end of the conversation, and began mentally sifting through other possible topics of interest when Edgeworth finally spoke up.

Phoenix afforded him a curious look. “Mia did her own filing,” he explained. “Maya does most of mine, but she’s not always available, so…” With a shrug, he leaned forward to take a small sip of his soda, idly glancing in the direction of the kitchen.

[samuraiprosecutor]

Masking his embarassment Edgeworth met Wright's eyes, his gaze firm. "Ms. Fey did her own filing?" His tone was a confused mix of impressed and mildly contemptuous. "She handed down an interesting catch-22. Perhaps when you can handle a larger clientele you'll be able to afford a professional secretary, in addition to upgrading your suits, but getting to that point will be difficult without a full-time secretary."

[attorneyatlol]

A pointed glare was his response. Phoenix knew Edgeworth was right. He also knew he could make things infinitely easier on himself if he proactively sought clients instead of waiting for them and actually demanded payment instead of allowing himself to be brushed off, but he wasn't about to bring that up. "I'm sure we'll manage."

[samuraiprosecutor]

'Managing' was hardly reassuring; it brought to mind an image of the Wright & Co. Law Offices, every available surface hidden by folders and stacks of paper. It was difficult to imagine either Wright or his young 'assistant' as being particularly well-versed in the running of an office. A slight frown furrowed Edgeworth's brow. "I'm sure."