boxolawyers | Once upon a time, when we thought of joining adstringendum...

[oh, it was nothing important. just doing his regular updates on his profiles of the many suspicious customers that populate this strange land. he looks up with a frown; who would be visiting him? no one ever visits him. shutting his files, he warily opens the door.]

[to find a child standing there. a young girl, to be precise, one he's never seen before. he cocks an eyebrow.] Can I help you?

[the girl--who at first seems very serious, with a deep frown and her hands fisted determinedly in front of her--quickly turns surprised when the door is fully open]

Oh my gosh, they were right! It is you!

[brightening, she leaps towards him for a hug]

Oh, Mr. Edgeworth, I'm so glad to see you!

[this sort of treatment isn't entirely foreign to Edgeworth--he's been pounced on by the Fey girls often enough to not want to jump entirely out of his skin when it happens--but this is the first time it's happened with someone he's never met before. more puzzling, she seems to know him. he stumbles back a step and has to steady himself on the door, with his other arm held out awkwardly to the side, and stares down at her in open confusion.]

[stammers] I-I'm terribly sorry... Have we met?

[still crushing him in a bear hug, she laughs] Of course we've met, Mr. Edgeworth! It's me! --Oh! [she pulls away just as suddenly as she'd lept towards him, frowning] Wait. You didn't bump your head and get amnesia, did you!?

[he pulls away gratefully and puts a little distance between them.,clears his throat and studies the girl. no, he can say pretty definitively that he's never met her before. he's sure he would remember quite clearly someone who looked like her, and even more so, someone who was comfortable enough with him to take such liberties. he feels a sense of foreboding.]

...Not that I'm aware. I'm sorry. If I could ask, who are you and from where do you think you know me?

[for a brief moment, she seems sad and lost, like this is the last thing she expected to contend with when he opened the door--and it is. when she first heard Mr. Edgeworth's name mentioned in passing, heard that he spent most of his time alone, she'd imagined he'd be just as pleased to see a familiar face as she would be, not... not this!]

[in a flash, the sadness is gone, replaced with a disapproving frown as she places her hands on her hips] ...Mr. Edgeworth, that's not funny! You were at one of my shows with Daddy just last month!

[the sorrow that flashes across her face makes him feel inexplicably guilty. fortunately it's gone almost as quickly as it came, replaced by a disapproval that rivals Pearl Fey's at her worst. he finds himself wanting to flinch away from her then chides himself for his foolishness. his back stiffens and his tone grows a bit firm, though not as harsh as he usually is.]

I assure you, I'm not finding this any funnier than you are. If we have met, I'm afraid I don't remember, though I think it's...highly unlikely that I would forget someone like you. Perhaps if you tell me who your father is it would jog my memory? I meet so many people in the course of my work, you see...

[that must be where she knows him from, right? it isn't as if he could have met her anywhere else. he doesn't socialize outside his own tiny circle, not even here, in this place where having friends can easily mean the difference between life and death. and he certainly hasn't been to any 'shows' since he came here.]

[...wait. his eyes widen in surprise.]

Are you saying you know me from...home?

[it seems her hope is deflating again, each word from Mr. Edgeworth like another pinprick in her resolve. how could he not know her? maybe being here so long does things to your memory...?

but then he mentions home, and she's all determination again]

Yes! From home! You remember home, don't you? You work as the Chief Prosecutor there and drive a flashy red car!

[for a moment he's stunned into silence. the dots are beginning to connect, and he's not sure he likes where they're leading him.] ...Not the Chief Prosecutor. I'm only the High Prosecutor, and I have no intentions of changing that anytime soon. ...Had no intentions before I came here, I should say. God knows if I'll ever...

[he squeezes his eyes shut and rubs the bridge of his nose, fighting a losing battle against a sudden and rapidly growing stress headache.] Miss...? Would you tell me who your father is, please? And ah...the year you come from.

[God, please don't say you're Larry's child...]

The year I come from...? [she frowns; wow, he definitely must have amnesia! Poor Mr. Edgeworth...] It's twenty twenty-six, and my daddy's name is Phoenix. Phoenix Wright? You two were fearsome courtroom rivals back in the day!

[it's more shocking than her being Larry's child. worse than that, too, though he hadn't dreamed anything could be worse than another Larry Butz roaming the Earth. Edgeworth's features go slack with total shock and he stares at her, unable to make himself speak for an uncomfortable length of time. finally he manages to swallow hard against the lump in his throat.]

Miss, ah... [did she tell him her name? he can't remember now. his mind's gone blank. but he can't call her... ] Has anyone explained to you yet the nature of this place?

What do you mean? [the odd way he's suddenly looking at her doesn't escape her notice, nor does the way he has to swallow before speaking; she peers at him curiously] I know we're far from home and something's keeping us here, but --oh! Are you trying to say it really does mess up your memory!?

No, it... [he hesitates, still puzzling it out himself from what he's managed to glean of the world's workings in the short time he's been here.] As far as I've been able to gather, this place was normal once, but then something went awry. Now people and...parts of various worlds are being drawn here at random. I haven't learned why yet, but I have heard that other people have encountered other versions of themselves or people they know.

[dramatic pause!] When I was pulled here only a month ago, I came from the year 2019. The Wright I know doesn't have a daughter. I am only High Prosecutor. ...I do have the red car, though I doubt it's the same one. I'm sure by now this is all sounding completely ridiculous to you. I can only tell you what I know, outlandish as it may seem.

[no more outlandish than Wright having a preteen daughter in seven more years. how is that possible?]

[silence ensues as she thoughtfully taps her chin] ...2019? That's when I went to live with Daddy. [she turns to him then, a curious frown on her face] So you don't have amnesia then? You just don't remember me because... because you haven't met me, yet?

[his mind stumbles again over the new information. 2019. she's...so soon? how could this...? for one mad moment he thinks Wright had an illegitimate daughter he failed to mention. then a slightly less ludicrous possibility presents itself.]

[dazedly] ...Something like that. Are you... Uh, Wright...adopted you...in 2019?

[he's never been very good at tact.]

[the news is disappointing, although she tries not to show it; she's been missing her daddy and Polly terribly for the past week, and hearing that Mr. Edgeworth was here had lifted her spirits. now it seems she's alone all over again...

ah, well... it's not like she can't get to know him all over again, right? she nods, quickly brightening again] Yup. He took me in when I was eight years old, and he's been my Daddy ever since!

Generous of him.

[pain stabs his chest from an indecipherable source, momentarily twisting his features. he can't imagine any scenario that could possibly lead to Wright making such a drastic decision mere months from 'now,' but knowing his dearest, oldest friend's life might be on the verge of changing so completely is a shock to the system. suddenly feeling lightheaded, he lets his eyes drift back into his meager apartment.]

Ah. I'm sorry. I think this is a conversation best conducted while sitting down. Preferably with a good, strong cup of tea. Would you care to come in?

[he pulls back to clear the doorway. the apartment beyond is moderately small and sparsely furnished with a few pretty knick knacks and ostentatious furniture that's well past its prime. everything looks like it came from some dingy, little antiques shop in rural England, but it's neat and tidy and as clean as anything ever can be in this place. everything is worn, from the thin spots in the sofa's upholstery to the wood shelves set in the far wall, and even the bindings on the books that dot a few of the shelves. between them all the apartment and its contents must have seen years of use.]

[she curiously notes the odd way his features twist, but the observation goes unremarked. with a nod, she quickly bounds through the doorway, taking in the scenery with awe. it's not the nicest apartment she's ever seen, but it's certainly better than a lot of the rundown places she passed along the way]

Your place is really cute, Mr. Edgeworth!

[he stands in the doorway with his hand still on the door for support, staring blankly at the strange, young girl as she enthusiastically looks his pathetic living quarters over. when she finally speaks, he blinks as if seeing her for the first time.]

[dear God, pull yourself together, man.]

I'm afraid there's only so much one can do in an environment like this. [he gestures for her to take a seat on the sofa and crosses to the electric kettle and box of Twining's sitting on an old sideboard at the back of the room.] Would you like a cup of tea?

[she flops onto the sofa, glad to find it's comfier than it looks. bouncing a couple times as she settles into place, she turns her attention back to Mr. Edgeworth]

Yes, please! Oh, and some sugar, if you have any.

[nodding, he busies his hands with the work, as his mind rolls this confounding new situation over and over and comes back to square one. finally he joins her, sitting in the armchair across from her and setting a lacquered tray on the small table between them. he leaves her to prepare her own cup while he prepares his.]

Did you just arrive here?

Edited 2014-06-13 02:46 (UTC)

Mmhm. [she diligently prepares her tea like one who's done it many times before, spooning in what seems like a haphazard amount of sugar but is actually a very precise measurement in her world] Just a little over a week ago. --Oh! [suddenly she stands, tea momentarily forgotten, and looks determinedly down at Mr. Edgeworth] I almost forgot! If you don't know me yet, I have to introduce myself.

[cup and saucer still in hand, he blinks up at her. surprised yet again... a trace of a smirk crosses his lips, and he lifts his teacup towards her in salute.] That would be helpful.

[idly he wonders if someone taught her to prepare her tea with such care. not Wright, surely.]

[tipping her hat at him, she smiles] Trucy Wright, ace magician and CEO of the Wright Anything Agency, at your service! Pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr. Edgeworth. ...Um, again, that is!

[quite a long introduction for such a young girl. he sets his drink down to give her a sort of half bow from his seat.] Miss...Trucy. The pleasure is all mine.

[he wants to ask her so many things, but first thing's first. retrieving his cup, he frowns down into his tea.] Has someone been taking care of you since you arrived here? The city is quite dangerous, especially on the outskirts.

Once upon a time, when we thought of joining adstringendum...

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