[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]

Edgeworth watched the display with amusement, and responded to Wright's reaction with a smug smirk. "Does it?" A hint of challenge in his eye, he raised his own cup to his lips and, with a quick tip of his head, he threw back the warm sake. Small as the cup was, his companion was right about the drink's potency; as he set the cup back on the table his head swam pleasantly for a few moments. He wasn't accustomed to indulging so early in the day, but this was a rather...special occasion.

He refilled his cup and left it on the table. Picking up the chopsticks, he began to transfer several of the more colorful (and odd) pieces of sushi to the other rectangular plate, which he calmly slid across the table.

The glint in his eyes spoke volumes.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix rolled his eyes. Not one to pass up a challenge, he held his breath and knocked back the sake, all while resisting the urge to gag. He was never very fond of drinks that burned going down, but he had to admit that the taste wasn’t entirely unpleasant: bitter with a hint of sweetness.

Unable to keep from wincing, he set his cup back down and cocked an eyebrow at the plate of sushi in front of him. He settled Edgeworth with an incredulous look before decisively pushing the plate back in the other direction. “I said I liked my food cooked.”

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth leaned back in his chair, smirk still firmly plastered across his face. "My mistake. Considering how experimental your methods tend to be, I assumed you'd be open to trying something new. How...disappointing."

[attorneyatlol]

After offering Edgeworth an unfavorable glare, Phoenix went back to scooping beef and rice into his mouth, eyeing the sushi critically as he chewed. “What kind is it?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

Smirk widening at his companion's vexation, Edgeworth pronounced in perfectly accented Japanese, "Unagi and tako nigiri, and that is a California Roll." With each name he pointed the piece out. The unagi and tako were both slices of meat laid across pads of rice, the unagi a dark brown and the tako a pure white lined in a vibrant red. The California Roll was made of rice rolled around a collection of brightly colored ingredients, and the whole thing was sprinkled with tiny orange-red spheres. "The sauce the unagi is brushed with is similar to teriyaki, by the way. It would go well with your meal."

[attorneyatlol]

“’California roll’ doesn’t sound very Japanese to me,” Phoenix remarked as he poked one of the pieces with his chopsticks. “What’s the orange stuff?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

"Astute. Most sources credit its creation to a chef here in Los Angeles."

Wright poked at the (rather expensive) sushi, and this time Edgeworth didn't bother to resist rolling his eyes. "It's a traditional garnish." He folded his arms, smirk fading as he raised an eyebrow. His voice was tainted with irritation when he continued, "As you've never had it before I'm sure you're not aware, but most sushi types, such as tako and California Rolls, are best when chilled." He accented the names with a deliberate tap of his finger against his temple and a pointed look.

[attorneyatlol]

Scrutinizing each piece individually, Phoenix decided that the California roll was probably his best bet since whatever uncooked elements it contained were surrounded by seaweed and a good amount of rice. After a few, slippery tries, he finally caught the roll between his chopsticks and brought it to eye level for a more careful examination. “So I just dip it in some soy, right?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

With a triumphant smirk returning to his face, Edgeworth retrieved his chopsticks and reached for another California roll. "It's not required but that's the most common method." In demonstration he dipped the roll lightly, and quickly popped it in his mouth.

It was exceptional, as usual. As he chewed he shut his eyes and concentrated solely on the mixture of flavors and textures.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix watched, momentarily transfixed by the sheer concentration on Edgeworth’s face. If anything, the other man made the experience of eating raw fish look exceptionally pleasing.

Tearing his gaze away, Phoenix considered his food once more and, with a mental shrug, he leaned over and quickly dipped the roll into Edgeworth’s dish of soy without permission, then popped it into his mouth. As he chewed, his brow furrowed in thought.

[samuraiprosecutor]

Upon opening his eyes Edgeworth was greeted with the sight of his companion's sushi being lifted from his dish. He fixed Wright with a heated glare. "Would you care for some soy sauce?"

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix swallowed with a smirk. “I got some, thanks.”

Running his tongue over his teeth, he contemplated the taste. Aside from the rice and the soy sauce, it was unlike anything he could remember eating before, though not necessarily unpleasant; ‘different’ was certainly a qualifying descriptor. He looked at Edgeworth. “It’s not bad.”

[samuraiprosecutor]

"So glad you approve." Edgeworth's glare lessened only slightly as he poured another bowl of soy sauce and slid it smoothly across the table.

[attorneyatlol]

As Phoenix eyed the other two sushi pieces, a new glass of soda was placed at his side, and with nodded thanks, he took a few sips to cleanse his palate before grabbing the sushi identified as tako. Like with the California roll, he brought it to eye-level for scrutiny.

It was… a very pretty piece of sushi, he had to admit, but the waves on the side of the meat gave him pause. “What kind of fish is this again?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

"It's not a fish..." His glare smoothed out and a knowing smirk settled at the corner of his lips. With a deliberate movement he reached for a piece of tako, and flipped it over to dip the meat in the soy sauce. "...and it's not dangerous, Wright." A challenge lurked in his eyes when he took a bite of the tako.

[attorneyatlol]

Only Miles Edgeworth could turn lunch into a competition, Phoenix thought, and it took all of his will power to stop himself from flinging the sushi in the other man's face.

With a begrudging sigh, he accepted the challenge, dipped the nigiri in his own dish of soy, and, with yet another mental shrug as he examined it once more, bit down. It seemed, however, that this type of sushi was not meant for small bites (at least, not while one had a flimsy hold on their chopsticks) because Phoenix's teeth hardly broke the skin of the meat and whatever rice didn't make it into his mouth fell into his beef bowl like a pellet of lead, leaving the meat dangling gracelessly from his lips. His eyes crossed when he tried to look at it, brain working to decipher what just happened.

Embarrassment already prickling beneath his skin, he attempted to save face by shoving the entire thing in his mouth along with a scoop of salvaged rice, eyes downcast as he considered the texture. “Uhmm… chewy,” he noted between gnawing.

[samuraiprosecutor]

It was that last sheepish word that finally broke Edgeworth's resolve. His former irritation melted into laughter. It was clipped and somewhat subdued, but it was laughter nonetheless and Edgeworth's shoulders shook gently with it.

It wasn't long before he managed to bring himself under control, but a slight smile remained, the only indication that anything unusual had indeed occurred. "You approve of that one as well?"

[attorneyatlol]

The laughter hadn’t escaped Phoenix’s notice. His gaze immediately shot up and landed on Edgeworth, food momentarily forgotten. He wondered when the last time he’d seen the other man laugh was and realized, with hitched breath, that he had never seen this man laugh, not once since finding him again after fifteen years. While the sight was warming, the thought saddened Phoenix and he attempted to bury the sudden melancholy when he finally swallowed his food. He smiled slightly. “Little rubbery for my tastes. Was it squid?”

[samuraiprosecutor]

Wright's focus caught Miles' attention, and as it lingered his brows furrowed slightly. Eventually he dropped his gaze to the table, suddenly and inexplicably self-conscious, though he attempted to cover the movement by reaching for his glass. "Octopus. You've had squid before?"

[attorneyatlol]

Under normal circumstances, Phoenix may have balked at the idea of eating octopus, but he was otherwise distracted by studying Edgeworth, struck by a sudden sense of self-awareness over his admiration of the other man's features and demeanor.

He quickly shook his head, and it took a moment for the question to sink in. "Uh, yeah. I tried it once. It wasn't as rubbery, but it had the same kind of consistency. Not bad, just... you know..." He trailed off with a shrug and dropped his gaze to the remaining piece of sushi.

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth glanced up, found Wright's gaze still fixed on him, and hid behind his glass as he took a long sip of water. When he finished and set the glass down his eyes remained on the spread of sushi still laid out on the table. "It's generally favored by the more...adventurous sushi enthusiasts." His gaze traveled across the table, landing finally on Wright's plate. "One piece left, though...you're welcome to more, if you'd like."

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix glanced at Edgeworth before bringing his attention back to the food. "Yeah... thanks."

What Edgeworth called unagi bore more of a resemblance to chicken than any cut of fish Phoenix had ever seen and, much to his relief, also bore a resemblance to something that was cooked. Not wanting a repeat of his last blunder (though it may have been worth it for the reaction, he didn't want to press his luck), he grabbed the sushi with his bare hand, dipped it, and took a bite after only a single beat of hesitation. He chewed slowly, mulling over the taste.

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth finally looked up again, and watched his associate with a mild interest before settling back into his lunch. He was silent as he ate, and didn't bother to raise his gaze from the table.

[attorneyatlol]

"I kind of like this one," Phoenix confessed, offering the sushi an appraising look before he dipped what remained and popped it in his mouth.

[samuraiprosecutor]

At his words Edgeworth finally deigned to look up at his companion. He held his gaze for a few moments, then picked up his napkin and cleaned his fingers with a few quick, careful swipes. "You haven't yet told me your reason for bringing me here. Doesn't this violate some sort of...unspoken rule?"