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

... [the sad eyes endure]

[the Demon Prosecutor, scourge of the courtroom, is wilting in the face of those puppy dog eyes. but he must endure! his loner's lifestyle depends on it!] Really, it's as much for your benefit as it is for mine. I'm being completely honest when I say I would be an infuriating person to live with. I can only assume you haven't spent that much time with me if you can assume otherwise.

[he gives her what's meant to be a self-deprecating smirk but mostly comes off as pained.] I'm rather a selfish, cranky old man at heart.

[ah-ha! her keen eyesight sees right through that sad smile: it's not that he doesn't want her around, it's that he's afraid she won't want to be around him! at least that's what her gut tells her]

[sitting forward, she gives him a serious look] That's not true, Mr. Edgeworth! ...At least not entirely. Maybe you're old and maybe you can be a little cranky, but you're not selfish! [she lowers her gaze a moment, and when she looks back up, there's an earnest plea in her eyes] I know you could probably find someone nice for me to stay with, but the truth is... my daddies always taught me that trust is important above all. I trust you, Mr. Edgeworth! You're the only one I know here, even if you're not the same Mr. Edgeworth I know back home. You always seemed to try your best when Daddy needed help taking care of me... A selfish person wouldn't do that.

Edited 2014-06-15 21:58 (UTC)

[as he listens in stunned silence, his emotions run the gamut from offended to uncomfortably flattered to flat out uncomfortable. there's so much information for him to pick out of her words, but the most shocking of all renders him speechless.]

['You always seemed to try your best when Daddy needed help taking care of me...']

[at that point he tries to convince himself that this girl is not actually a part of his future. surely she's from some alternate version of his world, a version where he isn't the cold, damaged man he is now. the thought brings him pain and relief simultaneously.]

[but all of that is neither here nor there. the most pressing matter still has to be decided, or rather, the girl has to be convinced that the decision is what's best for her. because it is what's best for her. dealing with his surliness, his temper, his fits of moodiness and brooding, his nightmares...that's no life for a child. and pretending to be anything he's not is no life for him. what she's suggesting couldn't possibly work. he averts his eyes, sets down his tea, and curls in on himself a bit, fidgeting with his sleeve. for a long time he considers the situation; when he finally speaks, his voice is tired and holds a note of defeat.]

I'm sorry, Miss Wright. Truly sorry. I can't be the man you need me to be. But I can promise you I won't force you into any situation with which you're not completely comfortable. We will find someone you can fully trust. You are welcome to stay here until then.

Edited 2014-06-15 22:06 (UTC)

[there's a protest in her expression, just waiting to be voiced... but she manages to reel herself in at the last minute, giving a short, resigned nod instead. she can't very well force her way into Mr. Edgeworth's apartment if he truly isn't comfortable with it. that wouldn't be fair to either of them]

...Alright. I trust you to find somebody good. [she looks up at him again] But since I can stay here until then, can we investigate tomorrow? I'm sure we'll be able to find something! I've gotten really good at investigating since Polly joined the agency. Sometimes I'm even able to see stuff he misses!

[with her apparent acquiescence Edgeworth is able to breathe again. he gives her a weary smile at this new glimpse into the life of this other Phoenix Wright. his daughter seems to have joined the ranks of chipper assistants on someone else's 'payroll.'] I don't doubt that. I gather your father also relies quite heavily on his young assistants during his investigations. I sometimes wonder if they aren't more competent than he is. Other times I'm quite sure they are.

[there's something else he wants to ask--has been meaning to ask for a while now. but first thing's first.] As for our plans tomorrow, things aren't quite settled yet. I'd like to go into town for some supplies, and there are a few people I want you to meet while we're there. After that, we'll see what we have time for.

[tries not to look too disappointed at that. aren't lawyers supposed to be all about investigating? maybe Mr. Edgeworth has become a little too used to his life here...]

Alright...

[Mr. Edgeworth has become used to his life here only in as much as he knows the first priority here must always be staying alive. the food and new clothes for the girl that he plans to pick up tomorrow will help them do just that.]

[and the people he introduces her to might turn out to be sources for information or, eventually, protection for the girl. yes, his plans for tomorrow could prove to be crucial. with a trace of smugness he retrieves his tea.]

Now that that's settled, perhaps you can tell me a little more about yourself. You said you're a magician?

...Mm? [after staring, unseeing, at her teacup for a moment, she perks up again] --Oh! Yes, I sure am! [smiles broadly] Would you like to see a trick?

...All right.

[his mind helpfully supplies memories of the week in his childhood where he fancied himself a magician. his father (and there's the familiar sting of loss and pain he'll never be free of), always eager to feed his interests, bought him a deluxe magic kit. he tore through the enclosed book on the history and workings of performance magic, and obsessed over the props for several frustrating days until he could do each trick with perfect precision. when he finally gave his grand performance, his father, who could probably see through every trick, had treated it as if it was the most incredible magic show he had ever seen.]

[Miles swallows hard around the sudden lump in his throat and forces a look of polite interest on his face. it's doubtful this girl managed to bring any of her props with her, but there are simple magic tricks that a child could handle without props. he's not expecting much, but he's determined to give her a proper amount of respect for her efforts.]

[it's true that she doesn't have all of her props on hand, but a real professional is never without a little trick up her sleeve--or, in Trucy's case, in her panties. out of nowhere, they seem to materialize, and she holds them up for Mr. Edgeworth's inspection. clearly they're too big to be worn, which, of course, means it's not awkward at all]

Ahem. As you can see, there's nothing inside these panties! [she opens them wide so Mr. Edgeworth can make sure]

[...what just happened? why does he suddenly have a large pair of frilly, blue bloomers in his face, and where did they come from?]

[panties? really? they can't possibly be hers, can they?]

[completely flabbergasted, all Edgeworth can do is stare, slack-jawed, at the inside of the clearly empty panties.]

[pleased with his reaction, she pulls the panties back and then holds them out to one side in one hand, grinning like the practiced stage performer she is] Now, you're probably thinking, [and here she does her best Mr. Edgeworth impersonation] "What on Earth could possibly be in those panties?" But what you should really be asking yourself is "what couldn't"!

[reaching into the panties with her free hand, she makes a show of digging around] Now, let's see here... oh! [she pauses, a surprised look on here face, and slowly starts to pull] What's this! [the head of a rusty, bent out of shape golf club soon appears. (it's a random item she came across while exploring the area just outside the city and, as she's always thinking ahead, it's just one of many she picked up for "practical" use later.) she pulls and pulls, as if doing so is a great effort, until the entire club is out and in her hand in all of its crooked glory. she holds it up, beaming] Would you look at that!

[his eyes widen as utter bafflement gives way to a slew of other emotions: surprise, awe, and undeniable curiosity. he honestly cannot believe what he is seeing. he expected a child's trick which would fall in a very limited range of competency and got a piece of an act that could satisfy a paying audience. and it was a piece of an act. after seeing that, he's fairly certain that when she mentioned her shows she wasn't speaking of a school talent show, and when she called herself a professional she was speaking in a very literal sense.]

[for a few moments he can only gawk at her. when he finally finds his voice he almost asks to examine the panties until he realizes what he's doing, at which point he shrinks back a bit and gestures at the golf club instead.] May I?

Of course! [she tosses it to him, expecting him to catch it, and then bounces on her heels expectantly while he examines it, confident that he'll find no evidence of trickery]

[Edgeworth expects the same--a real professional wouldn't simply hand over their prop if there was a chance it could give them away. still, he gives the club a very thorough, methodical examination. the club is only that: a rusty, old golf club. aside from the fact that it's far too large to have come out of a pair of bloomers, the most remarkable thing about it is that it clearly came from Adstringendum. if there was any prep work done on it, it must have been minimal. meaning if there was a mechanism involved in the trick, it's in the bloomers she brought with her to the city...which he is not about to examine.]

[finally he hands the club back to her, nodding appreciatively.] I must say, I'm very impressed. Where did you learn that?

[she takes the club back and twirls it in one hand, tilting her hat with the other while wearing a secretive smile. the panties have since disappeared back to wherever they materialized from]

Tsk! Magician's secret, Mr. Edgeworth! ...But if you really wanna know, my other daddy taught me. Well, he taught me how to start small, anyway. I figured out the bigger stuff myself!

[he still has his questions about her surprising ability, but this is too good an opportunity to pass up. there are many other things he needs to know about her life before Adstringendum--the life that may or may not be waiting in his future as well. trying to restrain his tone to only mild interest, he says] Then I'm even more impressed. You've got a great deal of talent, Trucy. Your "other" father... You were with him before you came to live with Wright?

Mmhm! [though the subject has recently become painful for her, she outwardly remains chipper] We were part of one of the greatest magic acts of this century! Oh, maybe you've heard of us?

[detecting no sign of this being a sensitive subject for her, he casually forges on.] It's possible. But I'm afraid I'm not very well versed in the world of professional magicians. What was the act called?

Troupe Gramaraye! Both my mommy and daddy were part of the act, along with Uncle Valant and Magnifi, the greatest of all!

[not surprising, he doesn't know of them, though he thinks he may have heard them mentioned at some point, perhaps in flyers or other advertising for the performance venues he usually frequents.]

That name seems vaguely familiar. I suppose that means magic is in your blood. [just as the law is in mine. he gives her a subtle smile, but slowly a small frown overtakes it.] But then how did you end up with Wright, of all people? The man can barely take care of himself half the time, let alone a ch-- young girl.

[and if there was an entire family to turn to when the unthinkable happened, why would an outsider have had to step in? in Miles' own case, there had been no other family to protest when von Karma claimed him, but ordinarily family would be given access over a man who presumably didn't know the child or the family beforehand.]

Oh. Well... [she averts her gaze, the first sign that this may not be the most comfortable topic to broach. she quickly recovers, although the smile she wears is noticeably subdued, perhaps painful] The Gramaryes are known for their grand illusions, you know... Sometimes, you disappear and you can't come back. ...But! [and just like that, the pain is gone, replaced by a clear sense of conviction] Daddy has been a great daddy! Maybe he's not always good at taking care of himself, but that's what I'm there for. We take care of each other!

[and just like that, the girl unwittingly takes up a very particular spot in his heart. he knows that pain like he knows his own. he recognizes it for what it is and recognizes the effort it must cost her to hide it as she has. it's not a conscious decision or one he's even aware of making, but from this point forward he will do whatever it takes to protect this girl, both for her sake and the sake of the man who never shied away from doing whatever it took to protect him.]

[he gives her another, this time pained smile, swallows hard against the unexpected wave of emotions, and nods gently. as he never welcomes other people speaking about his father, he decides to shy away from the obviously sensitive subject of her former life and focus on safer ground.]

He has always done a better job of caring for others than caring for himself. I suppose it's about time someone returned the favor.

[if only that 'someone' hadn't been a child who should have been years from being burdened with such responsibilities.]

Yep! And boy, does he need it! [golf club disappearing back into her cape, she folds her arms thoughtfully] Sometimes I think he'd forget to eat if I wasn't around to remind him...

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

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