boxolawyers | [RL] It was only a matter of time

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Current Location: Los Angeles, CA

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[RL] It was only a matter of time

Who: Edgeworth, the Corinthian (II)
What: A celebration is interrupted by an old favorite virus.
Where: Edgeworth's apartment
When: Mid-evening
Warnings: None

Sieghard was waiting by the door long before the jangling of keys preceded their entrance into the apartment. Edgeworth greeted the dog with a few gentle pats, leading him out of the doorway to allow their guest room to enter.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, for once mindful of his duties as host. "There should still be a few beers left from the last time you were here."

Sieghard moved on to the Corinthian, planting himself at the nightmare's side and sniffing curiously at his hand before greeting him with a lick.

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"I have plenty of favorite films that have nothing to do with dismemberment," he reassured lightly, the smirk finally coming back full force. "It does get a little old after a while, you know."

"I know only too well. Hence why I feel the need to break up your offerings with the occasional boring drama or independent gem." He emphasized it by pointing at the nightmare, teasing smirk still in place.

He snorted. "I still say you could find slightly more exciting dramas if you looked a little harder."

"I can and I have, actually. It's just that excitement isn't always what I'm looking for in a film." He shook his head. "Besides, you seem to get more than your share of excitement in your daily life. A few hours of boredom could be good for you."

"A few hours of boredom only makes me want to create my own excitement," he pointed out idly, a mock sigh escaping him. "And for some obscure reason, everyone's decided they'd rather avoid that these days."

"Don't take it personally, Corinthian," he said, with a graceful shrug. "We simply get too much excitement from unwelcome sources. It makes it difficult to appreciate excitement when it comes from anywhere else."

He tried hard to look at least a little offended. He did. But somehow that chuckle ended up leaking out anyway. "That sounds like all the more reason to not put me through some of those flicks you come up, aside from them being a cruel and unusual punishment."

That chuckle was extremely gratifying, and Edgeworth's smirk softened in return. With a glint of mischief in his eyes, he said, "Ah, but the benefits far outweigh the negatives. Every man could use a bit more culture in his life, not to mention a few hours of peace now and then."

And it was with that the Corinthian seemed to finally concede defeat, because he nodded, and sat back with a smile. "And I suppose any excuse to visit for a while is a good one, boredom or no."

The statement gave Edgeworth pause. He watched his companion for a moment, his expression settling into something indecipherable, and eventually settled back into the cushions.

"Which begs the question, why visit if you know you have only boredom to look forward to?" There was still amusement in his tone, but a note underneath that leant a subtle weight to the question.

If he had noticed, he certainly gave no indication of it. He only gave a small shrug, reached to pull the beer back over to him before he answered almost flippantly.

"I still get to see you. It's not that hard to suck up a few hours of boredom in that case."

Edgeworth shot him a smirk and lifted the remote, preparing to turn the film back on as soon as they were done.

"Then my company is at least as valuable as a few hours of excitement? That's good to know."

"Probably even a little more valuable, I'd say." He took a drink, but then there was a pause on his end as well, and a small frown crossed his face as if the conversation was just then catching up with him.

After a thoughtful moment he merely shook it off. "But like I said. Any excuse to get out for a little while is a good one."

He was tempted to ask how much more--the answer was guaranteed to be amusing and possibly even a bit flattering--but then the Corinthian moved on and Edgeworth was content to move with him.

"Mm. I suppose if I lived in the Dreaming I'd welcome the occasional dose of reality myself."

He couldn't help it. He actually laughed at that, this time without even doing a thing to hide it, and he turned to Edgeworth with a raised brow. "Except the Dreaming is reality for me. It's the rest of your worlds that are so bizarre, and that's what makes them worth seeing."

Without even noticing it, Edgeworth lowered his hand again, as the movie quickly slipped away from his immediate thoughts. A soft chuckle escaped him.

"Point taken. Though I still haven't seen anything in our worlds to quite match what I saw in yours. The library, for example, or your home...I think it's safe to say that in all the worlds they are unique."

That chuckle was certainly encouraging, and he didn't look at all disappointed to see the movie put on hold for a little longer. "Whereas in your world, people are pretty much free to do whatever they like. And if they don't like what they do, they can easily change to something else. Again and again. I'd call that unique as well."

"That's not always a good thing. For that matter, it's not entirely unique. The same could be said for many worlds, particularly most of the Earths." He paused, searching his friend's features. After a long moment he asked, "Do you like what you do, Corinthian?"

The question caught him a bit off guard. He glanced over at Edgeworth for a moment, only to let his gaze drop down to the bottle in his hands instead, thoughtful.

"....sometimes I do wonder if what I'm doing actually means a damn thing in the long run," he admitted, maybe just a little hesitantly. "But yeah. I really do."

Emotion hit him in a wave, intense but fleeting. Not pity--he'd never do his friend the disservice of pitying him--but anger, dull and warm, and an aching need on his behalf. He didn't drop his gaze until long after the Corinthian did.

"I think we all ask ourselves that question from time to time," he said. "I'm afraid having choices doesn't make it any easier to answer."

He looked up again, his brows furrowed slightly. "But I can tell you your work is appreciated."

Again he shrugged, the action suddenly full of his old self-assurance.

"There isn't much that can be done about it on either end anyway, so there's no point in dwelling on it." Even his tone was back to the cocky state usually reserved for this particular subject, though it softened considerably when he finally looked up. "....but that does mean a lot, coming from you."

The cues were easily recognizable, and Edgeworth was ready to obey them, to stop his prying and slip back into the comfortable, companionable atmosphere they'd been enjoying only minutes before.

Then the Corinthian looked up and said something that couldn't be dismissed just yet. Edgeworth allowed the nightmare's dark sunglasses to hold his gaze for a few moments before averting his eyes and shrugging nonchalantly.

"If others knew what I knew, it wouldn't just be coming from me. I'm sure you've helped many in your time, whether they know it or not."

That was true enough, and even the Corinthian knew it. Several people, in fact, and a few of which he even knew personally. But none of which would have been achieved if he hadn't gotten involved in their waking lives on top of their dreams. Hadn't shown them that no, they really weren't just the dreams they assumed they were.

And when it came right down to it, that was the part that got to him most.

He shook his head, and gave the man a wry smile. "Mm. I suppose you might be right."

"I usually am," he said, with a sidelong glance to confirm the smile he could hear in his friend's voice. He returned it with a small but genuine smile of his own. "The work you do is worthwhile. I know I haven't enjoyed the...full benefit of it yet, but if my thanks means anything to you, you certainly have it."

"Probably a hell of a lot more than you know...."

He stopped short. Again. Now he knew that hadn't been the reply he'd wanted to give, but somehow the thought had come through regardless. It was starting to feel a little too familiar for comfort, but he sat back and attempt to hide the sudden tension under the bottle. "We should finish the movie. I should probably be heading back soon."

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