boxolawyers | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Edgeworth, Belial
What: First meeting
Where: The courthouse
When: Late afternoon/early evening
Warnings: None as far as we know? :|a

Wherever Edgeworth went, he had a tendency to go with purpose. So while he may linger around the courthouse for hours after a trial, cornering witnesses or defense lawyers or performing dozens of undoubtedly crucial tasks, when he was finally ready to leave for the day he didn't waste any more time. He moved smoothly towards the exit, briefcase swinging heavily at his side and ears perked, listening for any important individual who might need to grab his attention at the last minute. That sort of interruption seemed unlikely, given how few people were left in the building at this hour, but there were a few judges who haunted the courthouse even later than him.

He made it to the exit without a hitch; there he paused before the grandiose doors, glaring at the sheets of rain pouring down on the marble steps beyond. There had been no hint of inclement weather that morning, and, being from Southern California, he was woefully unprepared.

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One of the judges did seem to be on his way out as well now, he and another man coming down the hall some ways from where the prosecutor stood. The two spoke in hushed tones as they walked, though the judge seemed....anxious. Jumpy and distressed, constantly looking around the area as he and the other walked. He practically jumped out of his own skin when his companion placed a heavy - and, from a distance, seemingly reassuring - hand on his shoulder.

And the moment the man broke contact, the judge all but made a break for it, walking briskly and just a little too hurriedly to the doors, and very nearly walking straight into Edgeworth as he exited the building. He was soaked almost as soon as he reached the pavement and took off down the street without a second look.

A moment later, the man he had been speaking with approached the doors as well. He stopped beside Edgeworth, a small gray bundle in hand, and looked off in the direction his companion had gone with a weary little sigh. "Twitchy sod forgot his umbrella."

Edgeworth watched the strange tableau with barely concealed curiosity. He had never been the type to gossip or involve himself in his associate's lives--people in glass houses and all that--but it was difficult not to take an interest when a person one knows as unflappable behaves in such a...vulnerable manner.

His eyes follow the judge down the slick steps, and one eyebrow crawls toward his hairline in surprise. It isn't until the stranger beside him starts to speak that he finally drags his gaze away.

"I'm afraid he's not the only one."

"And you both did pick the best possible day for that, now didn't you?" Belial replied, a smirk tugging at his lips that colored his tone. His dark eyes stayed on the rain outside, though, until the judge was long out of sight.

"I can understand when a tourist like myself has no idea what to grab before heading out, but I would've assumed you locals were better prepared than that." But the smirk was good natured, and with a small shake of his head Belial finally looked up, briefly eyed the man up and down, and held out the umbrella.

"Here. Seems our Mr. McLafferty won't be having much use for it anymore."

"Ordinarily we might be, but this isn't exactly typical for this time of year." He returned the smirk easily enough, though his held a bit of a critical edge to it. "I'm sure you'll see evidence of that once you're out in it. Rain is uncommon enough here that most of the locals tend to forget how to drive as soon as the sun disappears behind a cloud."

Edgeworth hesitated a moment, giving the man an almost wary look before accepting the umbrella with a nod. "I'll be sure to get it back to him later." He set his briefcase down to undo the thin strap on the umbrella and shake it out, but he hesitated to open it just yet.

"Are you on your way out? ...This umbrella looks big enough for two."

"Sounds a bit like home, though they should be used to it," he said with a chuckle, already on his way out the doors when....hm?

Was that question directed at him?

Well, it would make getting back to said home take just a little longer than he had intended, but....it never did hurt mingle a bit while he was about. And the other appointment he'd had today had never never showed up. Maybe there'd be a chance to run into him on the way out, before he had to start looking for himself.

"I would appreciate that. I'll only trouble you as far as the nearest bus stop."

"Where people are concerned, 'should' and 'are' rarely mesh."

He had been hoping for a rental car in the same lot where Edgeworth had his own car parked. The bus stop was a bit out of his way, but now that the offer was made he could hardly rescind it, especially when he owed this stranger a debt of gratitude. He gave the man a shallow, elegant bow.

"Let it not be said that Los Angelinos don't know how to treat their tourists," he quipped, as he stepped over the threshold and released the umbrella, which opened with a loud snap. "There's a stop at the end of the block. A covered one, fortunately."

He'd forgotten how much he didn't miss the weather in this city. And after that last little trip he should have sworn off ever visiting again at all, but it really was a hard place to stay away from for too long. Ever changing sights and ever changing people....

"That's all I ask for right now." A small nod in return, a quick buttoning up of his coat - the cold, too, he could have definitely done without, though it really was no worse than London - and he stepped under the protection of the umbrella once it was up, and tried to keep what he hoped at least looked like a polite distance from the other man. The space under the umbrella didn't allow for much; the eventual lack of effort was probably because of that.

"And thank you again, stranger," he continued after a moment, flashing Edgeworth a sharp smile before they moved. "I'd hate for pneumonia to be the only souvenir I take back from this place."

Edgeworth was putting in enough effort for the both of them. Without conscious thought, he gravitated further and further out as they walked.

"Considering the state I would be in without this..." in a move vaguely reminiscent of a scene from Singing in the Rain, he gave the umbrella a little lift, "...I think you're the one who deserves the thanks here."

He paused to look down the street. At the moment it was uncharacteristically empty, and the asphalt was slick and dark. It wasn't often that he got to see the city like this; he took a moment to relish it before turning back to his new companion. "Where will you be going back to?"

The thanks was waved away, a small, almost amused smile on his face. But the further away Edgeworth drifted, the more rain that started to sneak through, and Belial popped up the collar of his coat against the wet and cold.

"England. Whitechapel, specifically." Despite the distaste that seemed to follow the city's name, his smile never wavered. "Just a quick visit to an old friend of mine, before I head home."

The man's accent had been surprisingly hard to place, but Edgeworth's guess turned out to be right, in a vague sense, at least. He would never have guessed Whitechapel as the stranger's origin, and from what he knew of the place, he couldn't blame him for the distaste.

"Ah. I'm afraid I've never had the...pleasure of seeing Whitechapel, but the country itself is among my favorites."

"It is a beautiful country," he agreed with a quiet chuckle. "But yes, unless you're especially fond of hustlers and junkies, I can safely say that you really aren't missing out on too much."

"I see more than enough of them in the course of my work. I'll be happy to take your word for it." He gave a wry smirk until he was distracted by a few large, errant drops of rain tapping him hard on the shoulder. He had finally drifted too far, and was quick to correct his course, though he couldn't bring himself to get too close to his companion.

"How much longer will you be with us... Mr...?"

There they go, that was much better, and with the umbrella safely overhead again he looked up to give the man another small, seemingly grateful smile.

"Belinger," he replied. "And only a few more days, to wrap up some business."

"Edgeworth," he answered off-handedly, nodding in greeting. "I hope the city has been treating you well."

It wasn't simply a casual platitude. Edgeworth loved Los Angeles enough to want others to love it too. In fact, he was far more fond of the place itself than the people in it.

"Very well, in fact," Belial agreed, and his smile quirked into something a little more genuine, if not a little more smug. Yes, business was going well indeed.

"Considerably better than my last visit, actually. I always have loved this city. You meet the most interesting people."

It was amusing how closely the man's response mirrored Edgeworth's own thoughts. He gave Belinger a dry smirk. "Interesting being the operative word. Personally I'm more fond of the city than the people, but I must admit they make sure things around here are rarely boring. And there are a few diamonds scattered throughout the rough."

Again, Belial nodded. Yes, that he could definitely agree with. "You sound as if you've met your fair share of both."

"I have. Less of the latter than I'd like, but at least enough to keep me from completely abandoning all hope of forming any meaningful relationships." His casual shrug belied the seriousness of his statement. "And you? Did you meet your 'old friend' on a prior visit?"

"Several years ago, yes." In that small little back room of the man's office building, panicked and desperate with the old man very nearly bleeding himself out just to get the attention of someone, anyone that would heed the call-- "I ran across him when he was having a bit of family trouble and I offered some aid. We've been rather close ever since."

Edgeworth nodded, sparing only a brief moment to question what kind of trouble that might have been. He knew very little about the judge's family situation, and even less about what it may actually be. He assumed that like most people, the man's public and private life were very different things. To him, the difference only mattered in as much as it might affect the man's work.

"It's good that you've been able to continue your acquaintance under better circumstances." He gave Belinger a subtle, searching look, an opening rather than a question. Sometimes all one needed to do to get a confession was to stop talking and listen.

Whatever confession Edgeworth was hoping for, the non-committal hum of agreement was all the reply he got. At least at first.

After a few more moments, however, he sighed, and his expression was concerned when he glanced up again. "Just between us, he's....well, he's been struggling again as of late," he started, rather reluctantly, his tone holding all the guilt of one who probably shouldn't have been sharing such information in the first place,no matter how vague. "That's why I came. I'd feel a bit better about leaving if I knew somebody would at least look out for him on occasion and make sure he was all right."

Before he did something stupid, tried to find a way out and left someone else to pay the price he owed.

He nodded again, not at all surprised by the ease with which Belinger opened up to him. Other people's secrets were easier to tell, especially if one was convinced that the telling was in their friend's best interests.

"He's fortunate to have someone willing to go that far for his sake. Not all of us are so lucky." If Belinger was expecting outpourings of concern, Edgeworth was destined to disappoint him. His voice held a vague, general sense of concern, but nothing more personal than that. The judge was a colleague and co-worker whose personal business was his own. "Did you find anyone to temporarily take your place?"

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