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

[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...

[he tries not to be too distracted by the club apparently disappearing into thin air. how...? she really is a talent.]

[a smirk spreads across his lips as the focus settles firmly on Wright. any discussion of his friend and partner's shortcomings can be counted on to amuse him.]

[...except this particular shortcoming is one Edgeworth happens to share. damn.] There are times when other matters are so important that it becomes easy to overlook the basics. [his gaze wanders around the room now, never quite falling on her.]

[that wandering gaze doesn't escape her notice. tsk tsk, Mr. Edgeworth... you, too?]

[she places her hands behind her back, smiling innocently] ...Did I mention I can cook?

[hint of a smirk.] I believe you did mention that. If you can make these supplies edible, I'll be more impressed than if you made them disappear into thin air.

[there's a trace of melancholy in the joke. before being dropped into this nightmare, he was used to gourmet fare, including occasionally cooking for himself using the finest ingredients available. aside from his friends and his work, that was one of the things he missed most about home.]

Well, lucky for you I'm a professional in more than just magic! I'm an expert at preparing fine, quality meals with limited ingredients, too! [of course, judging by the taste of the Mr. Edgeworth she knows back home, the Wright family's definition of a fine, quality meal likely differs greatly from this Mr. Edgeworth's, but he doesn't need to know that part]

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

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