attorneyatlol | [RL: - Thursday, February 19; Midday | Phoenix; Tyki; Edgeworth later?]

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Current Location: Wright and Co. Law Offices - Los Angeles, CA

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[RL: - Thursday, February 19; Midday | Phoenix; Tyki; Edgeworth later?]

Phoenix stared blankly at his computer monitor, idly tapping his pen against the desk. Thus far, the offices of Wright and Co. Law had been relatively quiet. It was a welcome change from the last few weeks, which had seen a steady flow of potential clients (a few had panned out, some of whom even paid), but while he was still up to his neck in debt, it was nice to have what seemed like a long-awaited break. In fact, looking out the window where he could see the Gatewater and the fading evening light behind it, he thought he might lock up early. There were only a couple hours left in the day, after all, and people rarely stumbled in any later than 2pm on a Wednesday, anyway.

Standing up, he lifted his arms above his head, wincing until he heard a satisfying pop in his back and then dropped his arms with a sigh. The whole being an average lawyer in Los Angeles thing was starting to take its toll on him. He couldn’t wait to get home, kick his shoes off, and enjoy some mindless television on the couch, a soda and warm TV dinner in hand…

…Or maybe not.

He nearly jumped at the sudden appearance of a gangly figure standing awkwardly in his doorway. Clearing his throat, he quickly smoothed his shirt and suppressed a sigh. (There went the rest of his day…)

Still, he smiled earnestly and said, “Hi,” holding out his hand in greeting. This was a rare occasion; people usually barged in and did the talking for him. “I’m Phoenix Wright.”

The man didn’t say anything in return. As a matter of fact, the man had yet to acknowledge Phoenix’s presence at all, which was a bit unsettling and caused Phoenix to frown. His arm sagged a little.

“Er, did you need a lawyer…?”

The man lifted his head slightly, then took an unsteady step toward Phoenix. He was shaky and he was limping, and his face appeared to be twisted in pain. He took another step and muttered, “I need… I need, I need…”

Phoenix swallowed and stared for a moment, his hand going for the phone. This guy didn’t look good at all… “Are you okay?” he asked, his brows furrowed. “Do you need me to call someone?”

“I need... I need to…” The man stopped about a foot away from Phoenix’s desk and dropped his head into his hands, shaking it back and forth. “I need to…”

“Hey…” Phoenix reached out as if to steady the man, but the distance between them was too great; he held his hand up in a placating gesture while his other hand grabbed the phone and lifted the receiver to his ear. “Just… hang on a second, okay?” He tried to sound reassuring. “I’ll get some help.”

Then the man suddenly looked up. For a brief moment, they locked eyes, but before Phoenix could possibly know what was happening, he suddenly found himself staring down a thick barrel aimed right at his face… a thick barrel that was coming out of the man’s forehead straight through his skin. Phoenix stepped back and dropped the receiver. “What--!?”

There was a strange sound, like the cocking of a gun, but Phoenix didn’t wait around to see what it was. It was a good thing, too; he jumped to the side just in time to hear the bookshelf with his law books (Mia’s formidable, mocking law books) be blown to smithereens, the aftershock of which nearly sent him sprawling. Without looking back, he scrambled to the bathroom and immediately slammed the door shut, already fishing for his cell phone. He an idea of what was going on, but God, what could he do?

Dialing without thinking, he used his free hand to pile whatever he could in front of the door (it wasn’t much: a wastebasket, a few towels, and a mop) which probably wouldn’t be very effective, but at least it was something. While the phone rang on the other end, he eyed the small window above the toilet. There was no way he’d be able to make it out of there, and he was on the second floor, anyway. Which, in short, meant he’d basically trapped himself. Fantastic.

He couldn’t hear anything on the other side of the door, but that probably didn’t mean anything. He stayed as far away as he could, wedging himself between the toilet and the sink, and proceeded to make a phone post.

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"It's not contagious, is it?" Tyki asked. He wasn't worried about himself, but it didn't seem like a good idea to take Edgeworth to another world while he had a potentially deadly disease. Not to mention that Phoenix might get it.

He watched for the signals and turned right, then left again, then launched another energy ball out the window at an akuma. It was hard to drive and use his powers at the same time.

“Well, it’s not airborne…” Phoenix held onto the armrest for dear life. He would have offered to drive himself, but being that his first and last venture behind the wheel ended in a minor car wreck, well…

Besides, the apartment wasn’t too much farther. Figuring it was useless now, he pocketed his phone and leaned forward in his seat a bit, looking through the windshield for Edgeworth’s apartment complex.

“There it is,” he said, pointing ahead as it came into view. But what came into view along with it caused his blood to run cold. “Oh no…”

"I just don't want you or anyone else to get sick, that's all," Tyki said grimly. "I don't know anything about that kind of stuff."

He saw the akuma at the same time Phoenix did and cursed softly in several languages, none of them English as he brought the car to a stop. "Stay in the car," he said, throwing the car into park and reaching for the door handle. There were a dozen akuma out there, though at least Tyki couldn't see any second levels this time.

Hopefully it wouldn't take long to deal with them.

There was a clear path between himself and the door to the apartment complex, but with a dozen akuma hovering outside, even Phoenix knew not to press his luck. He could only hope that none of them had gone inside the building…

“Be careful,” he told Tyki, and then unbuckled his seatbelt. He wanted to be ready to run the second it looked safe.

Tyki glanced at him, his lips curving in a smile. He was starting to look a little wild again.

There was a part of him that still deeply enjoyed the violence, the thrill.

"Don't worry. Just keep your head down. It'll be over in a minute."

Then he stepped out of the car and walked brazenly down the street, teases rising up from him in a great cloud once more and two balls of energy forming, one in each palm.

Phoenix cast him a wary glance; as long as that part of Tyki existed, there would probably always be a part of Phoenix that was disturbed by and distrustful of him, but that was the least of the attorney’s worries right now.

Giving the apartment complex one last look, Phoenix sighed and put his head down.

The street shuddered with explosions and gunfire as Tyki leaped into the air and launched balls of white energy at the akuma. This time he didn't suffer any further damage, and he landed only minutes later, the acrid smell of smoke filling his nostrils.

He drew the teases back into his body and walked back towards the car. "Phoenix," he called. "Come on. It's safe now."

The minute the explosions stopped, Phoenix had looked up, unbuckled his seatbelt, and was already halfway out of the car before Tyki had even finished gathering the teases. He ran toward the apartment building, but stopped just inside the main entrance to make sure there weren’t any akuma.

All was quiet in the lobby, though. Maybe a little too quiet. As he made his way to the elevator, Phoenix could only hope that everyone had simply fled to their apartments because of the commotion outside. He pressed the call button, clenching and unclenching his fists impatiently.

Tyki took one last glance around the street and then trotted off after Phoenix, arriving in the lobby while Phoenix stood impotently by the elevator.

He stood next to Phoenix, waiting for the elevator to arrive, then started forward as soon as the set of doors glided open. He stood back against the wall of the elevator, waiting for Phoenix to lead the way.

He was aware of Phoenix's impatience and frustration, but there was nothing he could say to help the situation. The only words he could think of were empty and meaningless.

Phoenix was about to hit the call button again when the doors finally slid open. He went in immediately after Tyki, hit the button for the 3rd floor, and then repeatedly pressed ‘close doors’ until they finally complied. Watching the numbers slowly make their ascent, he sighed and waited.

When they finally opened again, he darted out into the hallway, heading for the last door on the left, where he stopped and proceeded to knock so loudly, it hurt his knuckles. “Edgeworth!” he called and then knocked again. “Hey, Edgeworth!”

Tyki didn't run, but he let Phoenix go ahead of him, and start pounding on the door. There was a sinking feeling in his heart as Phoenix shouted and knocked, and there was still no answer.

Since he didn't hurry, by the time he reached Phoenix's side it seemed clear to him that Edgeworth wasn't going to answer the door. He reached out for Phoenix's hand. "Do you trust me?" he asked softly.

“What?” Phoenix drew his hand away and hesitantly turned his attention from the door to Tyki, obviously confused. “Do I trust you to what?”

Tyki left his hand outstretched. "To get you into the apartment without breaking down the door," he said simply.

Edited 2009-02-25 21:34 (UTC)

Phoenix frowned, studying him for a moment until realization finally dawned, and his eyes widened slightly. He turned back to the door and then, without a word, he took Tyki’s hand.

Tyki stepped closer to him, reaching out to encircle Phoenix's waist with his other arm and drawing him against him. Then he stepped sideways and pulled them both through the door into the apartment.

Phoenix tensed in Tyki’s grasp. “What are you—” But before he had a chance to protest further, they were already stepping through the door, and by the time they were on the other side, he was more preoccupied with looking around the apartment.

It was quiet, he noted. The curtains over the sliding glass door were drawn shut and the lights were turned off, offering very little light in an already darkened and apparently empty room.

Phoenix sighed and turned his attention back to Tyki. He considered asking if that stunt was really necessary but settled on giving him a decidedly unamused look instead and then attempted to extricate himself from his hold.

Tyki released him once they were across the threshold and he'd ensured that all limbs had made it through without issue. He raised an eyebrow at him, vaguely impatient with Phoenix's suspicions.

"You'd have been pissed if I'd gone without you and taken more time unlocking the door, when I could have just brought you with me," he said in a reasonable tone. "You're allowed to complain again when you've saved my life three times in one day."

And he turned away to search the apartment for any sign of Edgeworth.

Phoenix opened his mouth to protest, but he knew there wasn’t much he could say that wouldn’t sound stupid and petty. He sighed and averted his gaze, but his jaw was still tightly set when he said, “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

His gaze immediately went to the dark hallway to the left of the foyer, to the closed door at the end of it. If Edgeworth was actually heeding his doctor’s advice, he would be behind that door, lying down in bed, and sleeping. It was a long shot and possibly a pipe dream, but the office door was closed with no light on underneath, and Phoenix didn’t have many other options. He quietly made his way down the hall.

“…Couldn’t we have gotten through with you just holding my hand?” he asked.

Apparently, he wasn’t completely beyond a little pettiness.

Tyki was mollified to a considerable degree by Phoenix's apology. He glanced around, then moved to follow Phoenix, since he seemed to know where he was going.

As far as he could tell, the apartment seemed deserted, though since Edgeworth was sick it was possible he was asleep in his bed. Maybe that was where Phoenix was going.

"Well, we could have," Tyki said, wryly. "If you'd like to risk getting stuck halfway through. Since Eris was the one who returned my powers, I prefer to play it a bit safe, and tuck elbows in. I've gotten stuck myself a few times, and it's not pleasant."

Phoenix stopped at the bedroom door and cast a glance over his shoulder, eyebrows raised. “Her price?”

"I guess so," Tyki said wryly. "It takes conscious concentration to use my powers, now, whereas before it was the other way around. It used to be that if I didn't choose to touch something, I didn't."

He shrugged faintly. "I'm getting better at holding it than I was at first, otherwise it wouldn't be safe to hold the teases inside me, or fight the akuma. But it's not perfect." He touched the wound on his arm in illustration.

Phoenix glanced at his wounded arm. He knew there had to have been some sort of catch to Eris’ ‘gift’… “All the more reason for you to get some rest, then,” he sighed. He turned back toward the door and softly knocked.

Tyki hesitated, then nodded. But sleep didn't seem to be in the offing right now. He listened intently, but heard nothing from the bedroom.

"If he's not in there, where might he be?" he asked quietly. At least he hadn't seen any piles of dust in Edgeworth's clothes. Yet.

“I don’t know. Maybe at the Prosecutor’s Office, but…” Phoenix inwardly cringed. Realistically, the Prosecutor’s Office should have been the first place he thought to check, but he was certain that Edgeworth said he’d be taking the week off to recover. Not that that meant anything, as this was Edgeworth he was talking about. Phoenix wouldn’t be surprised if he’d somehow gotten around his ban. He sighed again.

Hoping this hadn’t been a wasted trip, he reached for the doorknob and knocked again before slowly pushing the door open and poking his head in.

“Edgeworth?” he quietly called. The curtains in the room weren’t drawn as tightly, and the light from outside shone in well enough that Phoenix could very clearly make out a pale figure lying on the bed, presumably sleeping. He relaxed considerably and opened the door all the way, unsure of what his next move should be.

[OOC: I don't know if Tif wanted to next or what. I'll tell you when I figure it out. XD;]

The word died quickly in the silence of the bedroom.

When something finally did stir it wasn't the figure on the bed but the smaller, dark shadow lying next to it. Sigi, who'd been watching the door intently since before they entered, rose suddenly to his feet with a single, smooth movement. He stood by the bedside, ears perked forward and eyes glinting dully in the darkness, and stared at the familiar intruder.

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