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

[attorneyatlol]

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.

Comments

[samuraiprosecutor]

The only response he received was a stubborn silence and Sigi's continued staring.

[tyki-tock.livejournal.com]

Tyki frowned and stepped closer to the man on the bed, keeping half an eye on Sigi. Perhaps slightly different stimulation was required.

He bent closer to Edgeworth and spoke in a low, seductive, and evil voice.

"Miles Edgeworth...You do look beautiful sprawled out in that bed. Won't you open your eyes and play with me?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

Whether due to the tone or volume of his voice, Mikk's words managed to stir Edgeworth, if only slightly. His brows furrowed briefly, and he shifted his arms, clutching more tightly to the pillow he was laying, cheek-down, on.

Sigi, however, gave a more pronounced response. Taking a step forward, ruff bristling, he lowered his head further and gave the man a warning glare that rivaled one of Edgeworth's own.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix gawked at Tyki. Could he do anything without turning it into some creepy innuendo? “Do you want to wake him or give him nightmares?” he finally remarked, perhaps a hint of exasperation in his voice.

Not wanting to contend with the dog, he sighed and made the decision to round the bed and climb onto the mattress just enough to reach Edgeworth, tapping him lightly on his bare shoulder. “Edgeworth, wake up.”

[tyki-tock.livejournal.com]

Tyki laughed. "I just thought it might wake him up," he said, his voice back to normal, though there was always that teasing purr deep in his throat. "I thought your voice might be too comfortable and pleasant to his ears, and that was why he hadn't responded to your call."

Out of deference to Phoenix - and the dog - he backed up and leaned against Edgeworth's dresser, folding his arms. His left was already beginning to heal, and it moved easily, though not completely without pain.

[samuraiprosecutor]

For once, Sigi spared Wright only a cursory, (albeit warning) glance before fixing his gaze on the stranger by the dresser.

Edgeworth stirred again, his brows furrowing more deeply. His hand raised, too slowly, to swat half-heartedly at the annoyance that poked his shoulder. After meeting only air, it fell back to the pillow.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix simply shot an unimpressed glance in Tyki’s direction and then turned his attention back to Edgeworth, grabbing his friend’s shoulder and shaking it a bit more urgently. “Come on, Edgeworth. It’s time to get up.”

[tyki-tock.livejournal.com]

Tyki rolled his eyes at Phoenix's expression. "Honestly, why do I hang out with so many men who have the sense of humour God gave a wet blanket," he muttered, loudly enough for Phoenix to hear.

Then he raised his voice. "Yes, wake up, Edgeworth. You have guests."

[samuraiprosecutor]

The shaking more than did its work. Edgeworth woke with a violent start, already fighting back a growing panic. His arms clenched convulsively around his pillow, and his eyes flew open wide, darting about the side of the room, taking in the tense line of Sigi's back just before him...and the tall, lean figure beyond.

A fresh wave of confusion and fear washed over him. Against his clamoring instincts, he shoved himself up on his palms, glaring furiously at the shadowed figure. Through the sleep haze that still lingered in his mind, he registered a sudden chill on his right shoulder--or rather, a sudden absence of warmth--and that the shaking had ceased, but all his attention was currently devoted to the intruder.

"What in God's name is going on here?" he snapped, his voice loud and hoarse. As if in punctuation, a quiet growl rumbled in Sigi's throat.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix wasted no time in reaching for Edgeworth, placing a hopefully calming hand on his arm, attempting to hold him back. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “I can explain…”

[tyki-tock.livejournal.com]

Tyki saw the way Edgeworth awoke with a start, and his eyebrows climbed towards his curly hair. He didn't move from where he was, but as Edgeworth address him, he shrugged faintly.

"Good morning, Edgeworth. To answer your question in a nutshell," he said. "I saved Phoenix's life, from some monsters, and he tried to call you to make sure you were in no danger, but you weren't answering your phone. So we came here to make sure you were all right, and found you insensible and difficult to awaken."

[samuraiprosecutor]

The blanket fell further, bunching around Edgeworth's waist as he jerked away from the touch, but the voice told him, before he'd whipped his head around, just who the hand belonged to. He glared at Wright then turned back to the stranger standing by the armoire, narrowing his eyes as he attempted to make out the increasingly familiar, shadowed features. The man's calm narrative went on throughout, nonsensical through Edgeworth's confusion, and he struggled to process it.

Finally, recognition dawned. Surprise flashed over Edgeworth's face, anger following on its heels. He gritted his teeth, turned to Wright, and jabbed a finger back in Mikk's direction.

"You allowed him into my apartment?" Again, Sigi's quiet growl punctuated the harsh words.

[attorneyatlol]

Practically kneeling on the bed for balance, Phoenix recoiled and threw his hands up in defense. “I didn’t allow him to do anything! I just…” He trailed off with a sigh, realizing the any argument would be useless. Slowly lowering his hands, he looked at Edgeworth with as much sincerity as could be mustered in the darkness and continued, “I couldn’t get in otherwise. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

[tyki-tock.livejournal.com]

Tyki's eyes widened faintly at the words, and anger rose up in his throat. Edgeworth sounded like he was nothing more than a piece of slime Phoenix had tracked onto his carpet.

Instantly a general wariness of the man crystallized into active dislike.

"I apologize if our concern has offended you, Edgeworth," he said crisply. "I suppose that means I should get back to saving the lives of the other people in this city. Please excuse me."

He turned on his heel and strode towards the door.

[samuraiprosecutor]

Sigi paid more attention to Mikk's imminent exit than Edgeworth, who gave the man only a cursory glare before muttering, "Sigi, setzen," to the dog. Sigi relaxed visibly at the sound of his master's voice (and, likely, the stranger's retreat), sitting smoothly down beside the bed. Edgeworth patted his head, then sat up fully, his back to the door, and threw a (slightly milder) glare at Wright.

"As you can see, I'm quite all right," he snapped. "Or was, rather, up until I was rudely awakened. Now my headache is returning, and my dog is distressed."

[attorneyatlol]

Your dog would be more than distressed if there had been any akuma in here, Phoenix thought wryly. Heaving another sigh, he turned toward the door. “Tyki, wait.”

Hoping the other man would adhere, Phoenix ran a hand through his hair and turned his attention back to his friend, wondering how to best go about this. “Listen, Edgeworth,” he began. “I’m not sure how much you’ve heard, but there are… things from another world invading the community, and right now, they’re sort of… Well, they’re sort of roaming the streets of Los Angeles.” He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, toward the sliding glass door, as if to illustrate his point. (That he could say any of that with hardly a second thought only served to prove how much effect the community had had on his perception of normalcy.)

“Tyki’s been helping clear them out,” he went on, and then a bit hesitantly, “He helped… me out.”

[tyki-tock.livejournal.com]

Tyki did indeed pause as Phoenix told him to wait, and as he did so he immediately felt foolish for his own reaction. He knew the cause of it as well - Edgeworth rather reminded him of his father, with his contemptuous words and manner.

Tyki had left his father's house at an early age to escape that stripe of nobility, and still loathed the type. It might seem odd, given that, that he was so attracted to Zechs, but he knew the real man behind his aristocratic mask and knew that he didn't actually think of any class of people as being inherently lesser than himself.

He had been caught off-guard, but he could wear the mask of the aristocracy as well as anyone when he tried. So he turned back and smiled blandly.

"Quite so," he said in a calmer tone. "I imagine you missed the news, due to your illness, Edgeworth."

[samuraiprosecutor]

The earnestness in Wright’s voice was enough to stay Edgeworth’s temper...possibly only temporarily, but throughout the explanation, at least, he managed to restrain himself to simply scowling at Wright and pointedly ignoring his other, more unwelcome visitor. He did cock an eyebrow at Wright’s moment of hesitation, but otherwise remained impassive as he attempted to override his mind’s initial, balking reaction and process what was being said.

When they were done, Edgeworth cast a glance at Mikk over his shoulder, then brought his attention back to Wright. “What sort of ‘things’ are we talking about?”

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix relaxed slightly; Edgeworth may have been far from happy to see him, but at least it seemed like he was willing to listen.

“They’re called ‘akuma’,” he answered, and then he paused and scratched his chin, wondering if it was even possible to give an abridged explanation. “They’re creatures that, er…”

[tyki-tock.livejournal.com]

"They're weapons, powered by human souls," Tyki said flatly. "They're used by the Earl of Millennium in the war between himself and the Black Order, on my world."

"They are unstoppable, except by myself or an Exorcist, and their only desire is to murder." He cocked his head. "I've decided, in light of the fact that the Earl has expanded his war to other worlds, that I will no longer serve him."

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth whipped his head around, finally giving Mikk his full, wide-eyed attention. “Powered by their victims, you mean?” he snapped, his gaze darkening again. “This is the war you’ve been fighting?”

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix should have seen this coming… “There’s no time to argue about it,” he cut in. “We have to figure out what we’re going to do.”

[tyki-tock.livejournal.com]

"Essentially, yes," Tyki said calmly, unruffled by Edgeworth's reaction. "You are correct."

His eyes shifted to Phoenix. "I should go and take care of the rest of them, if there are any others. I'm guessing you want to stay here, after all? I think you'll be safe enough. The akuma don't seem to think Edgeworth is all that significant, while they might have been after you specifically."

[samuraiprosecutor]

The words prompted a mild stab of wholly irrational indignation. Edgeworth narrowed his eyes at Mikk, but the man's expression was indecipherable in the darkness.

Then the full significance of the words registered, and with it a chill began to gnaw quietly at his stomach. He turned back to Wright, finally shifting his position so both men were within easy sight, and gave his friend a demanding stare, his eyebrow raised significantly.

“’After you'?”

[attorneyatlol]

Shooting an irritated glance in Tyki’s direction, Phoenix replied, “They weren’t after me. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”