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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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 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."

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?”

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…”

"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."

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?”

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.”

"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."

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'?”

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.”

"Are you sure?" Tyki returned, not much appreciating the irritated glance Phoenix had shot in his direction. He took a few steps into the room, closer to the other two men so that they could talk more easily and they could all see each other's expressions in the semi-darkness.

"One of them troubled to go straight to your office in disguise to kill you, Phoenix. It's not impossible that it could be a coincidence, but I am not at all certain that the Earl's aim is not to at least attempt to kill anyone I am associated with," he said bluntly. "At this point, I can't dismiss the possibility."

Sigi reacted immediately to the man's approach, rising to his feet and putting himself between his master and the stranger. Catching the movement out of his peripheral, Edgeworth dragged his gaze away from Wright. "Sieghard, bleibsitzen," he snapped; the dog sat instantly, though he gave his master a curious look before he went back to warily watching Mikk.

Edgeworth followed the dog's gaze. "Then we may have you to thank for this debacle?"

Phoenix tensed at Tyki’s words; the possibility of being specifically targeted hadn’t occurred to him, though it made a reasonable amount of sense now that he thought about it. A frown creased his brow, his thoughts running along the same path as Edgeworth, yet as much as he wanted to place blame on Tyki, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The man had saved his life, after all.

“I don’t think he anticipated anything like this,” he said to Edgeworth, though whether it would do any good was doubtful.

Tyki gritted his teeth. The fact was, he did blame himself, at least somewhat. But that only made it harder to hear the reproach coming from the likes of Edgeworth.

"You may blame me if you choose," he said coldly. "However, the fact is that I have made every effort possible to hide this community from the Earl, not wanting him to turn his attention to other worlds, or realize the extent of my feelings for humans. I have not told him of it, and I have hidden my tracks as best I could. I have done all I can not to endanger anyone. I do not know how he learned of it, nor did he tell me if he is displeased with my activities here."

Bitterly, he finished, "So I suppose you can blame me merely for existing and using the community as all the rest of you do, since that is all I have done to cause this."

Wright's attempt to mollify him served only to do the opposite. Edgeworth shot him a warning glare then turned back to Mikk, his expression darkening as the excuses went on.

"You've knowingly involved yourself with the kind of man who apparently thinks nothing of murdering uninvolved and innocent bystanders. You were clearly aware of the danger he presented. We," there he gestured sharply at the thin line of light streaming in between the curtains, "...were not."

Tyki clenched a fist. "I never had any choice about 'involving' myself with him in the first place," he said sourly. "It was never something that I truly wanted, and this decision I have made is something that I could not physically have made before recently."

He made a gesture of dismissal. "But I see no reason to plead for your forgiveness for sins I have committed, as I have committed none against you, and you have no right to prosecute me in this country, Edgeworth."

He shook his head. "I have done all I can to protect the people from the community from any reprisal, but I never once imagined that something like this would happen. I figured, at most, that those I cared for most deeply would be targetted directly, in order to punish or control me, and I am sorry, but you and Phoenix are not counted amongst those people. I am truly appalled that this has happened."

He watched the man, peering through the darkness to survey his features for several long moments after his speech was finished. Finally, Edgeworth tilted his chin up, seeming to look down on him despite the current difference in their elevations. "Every man has a choice, Mikk. Only the number and quality of his options may differ."

With that, he turned to reach for the lamp on the nightstand behind him, flicked it on then turned the full force of a cold glare on Mikk. "If what you're saying is true, your short-sightedness may have cost us a great deal. It's fortunate you're not requesting forgiveness; I never presume to offer it on behalf of anyone else...particularly those who are no longer capable of giving it."

Phoenix silently watched the exchange; while he agreed with a lot of what Edgeworth was saying, he couldn't help but feel this wasn't the time or the place for it... not to mention there was a part of him that was sympathetic to Tyki for whatever reason (though, he suspected being saved from an akuma with a gun in its forehead might have something to do with it).

"Edgeworth, he's trying to help," he said, a desperate attempt to curtail the discussion. "You guys can argue your cases all you want, but the only thing it will amount to is wasted time that could be put to better use elsewhere."

"You're very arrogant to think so, Edgeworth," Tyki said coldly. "I envy your so very ordered and neat little life."

It was all very well for Edgeworth to call him short-sighted, when no one could have imagined that such a thing would happen. He supposed that Edgeworth had never made a mistake in his life, or failed to predict the future with perfect accuracy.

"And Phoenix is quite right," he added. "All I'm doing here is wasting time." He looked at Phoenix. It was him who'd asked him to stay longer, and he was more than ready to leave now and destroy some things.

"If you knew more about my 'ordered and neat little life,' I doubt you'd continued to envy it." There was thinly disguised irritation in his voice, a cold glare in his eyes. With that, Edgeworth rose from the bed and crossed to the bathroom in a few long, smooth strides.

"But it seems we can all agree on one matter," he continued, his tone suddenly and deceptively casual, as he disappeared behind the door. "Obviously you have work left to do here." He reappeared, his hands busy with the ties of the black, cotton robe now wrapped around him, and treated Mikk to a tight-lipped smirk. "Don't let us keep you."

Phoenix gritted his teeth in response to Tyki's comment. The idea that Edgeworth's life was so 'ordered and neat' was the same conclusion others had jumped to in the past, and Phoenix fought the urge to jump to his friend's defense in retaliation. Couldn't people see there was more to it, that there were reasons people acted the way they did?

"Sorry for wasting your time," he finally said, rising from the bed as well. He tried not to let his annoyance show, but his jaw was still set tightly as he spoke. "I'll stay in the city. I'll just... get a taxi back to my place later."

Tyki might have had more sympathy if he'd known, but not much. Couldn't the very same question be directed towards Edgeworth? There were reasons people acted the way they did, whether that person was Edgeworth or Tyki, and he didn't appreciate being condemned and belittled when he was in the middle of trying to save lives - the very act which would probably result in his own death, shortly.

"And if you knew something about my life, I wonder if you would condemn me so," Tyki replied, just as stiffly.

He was especially angry because all that had happened here was that both of them were mad at Tyki, when Edgeworth was the one who'd started off being rude!

"Don't apologize, Phoenix," Tyki said. "I'm certain you'd rather not spend more time in my presence than you must, in any case." That last was said a little petulantly, and even he flushed slightly at his own pettiness. "As a matter of fact, I'll just leave before I can make even poorer a showing of myself," he muttered as he turned to leave.

"Given what I've already seen, it's probable," Edgeworth commented offhandedly to Mikk, and Wright's intention to return home earned him a significantly cocked eyebrow, but otherwise Edgeworth contented himself with simply watching their exchange, his smirk widening minutely as his friend's irritation became clear.

As Mikk turned to go, Sigi finally loped back to his master's side. Edgeworth reached down to run his fingers through the dog's ruff, his gaze fixed on Mikk's back.

Edgeworth's remark earned him a disapproving glance, but Phoenix refrained from making any comment. As far as he was concerned, they were both acting petty.

He turned his attention back to Tyki, watching the man's retreating form for a moment before he finally released his built-up tension with a sigh.

"I didn't mean it like that..." Aside from his knee-jerk defensiveness, he wasn't so much angry at Tyki as he was irritated about the situation in general, and the mounting weariness from his ordeal with the akuma wasn't making matters any better.

He ran a hand through his hair. At the very least, he owed Tyki his thanks. ...But maybe not here, he decided after another quick glance in Edgeworth's direction. The last thing he wanted was to be the cause of another source of contention.

"...But you're right," he added. "You should probably get going. I'll, uh... see you out."

Tyki paused in the doorway and glanced back. He ignored Edgeworth, afraid that the anger in his chest would flare into a desire to actually hurt the man if he looked at him. While he didn't believe he would act on it, he was afraid his own sadism would be visible to the two men in his eyes. So he he had eyes only for Phoenix.

"I wonder how you meant it, then," he said. He almost refused the offer to see him out, but that would be unconscionably rude by the standards of his own time, and he inclined his head to indicate Phoenix was welcome to accompany him.

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