[RL] Sooo...what now?

[samuraiprosecutor]

((OOC: Continuing this thread omg.))



Luck wasn’t with Edgeworth that night. His workload, the interruptions of co-workers, his own distraction (and, perhaps, trepidation) all conspired together to keep him in the office even later than anticipated. By the time he finally made it to his car it was almost 9:00, and he was feeling simultaneously drained and high with the sickly kind of nervous energy he often felt after concluding a particularly trying trial.

Not quite ready for direct contact, he texted Wright instead; it was a short, polite text, apologizing for the late hour and asking if his partner was still up for dinner. Then he rifled through his briefcase while he waited for the reply, fiddling with papers and struggling mightily with the urge to keep looking at his phone.

Comments

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix himself had been struggling with the same urge throughout the day. Although he was aware that Edgeworth often worked late into the night, he'd been anxiously anticipating a phone call since at least 5:00. With little more than TV and books to distract him at home, he'd caught himself checking his phone on an embarrassingly regular basis, jumping at any sound it made, and fighting the urge to simply call Edgeworth himself. It wasn't that he was desperate; no, it was actually worse than that.

He was worried -- about what he wasn't exactly sure. Perhaps that Edgeworth would change his mind or run away or just not call at all. Whatever the reason, with each passing hour, Phoenix became more anxious, until finally his phone dinged with an incoming text message at nearly 9:00. Like a weight being lifted, the tension left him as soon as he saw what it said, and he shook his head at his own foolishness as he hurriedly typed a response, smiling to himself.

'It's OK. Dinner is good, I'm starving.'

Of course, now he was nervous for an entirely different reason, but that would have to run its course.

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth had just given into the urge to check his phone and was silently berating himself for his foolishness when the text came in. A soft sigh escaped him after he finished reading it. He had half hoped that he would have been able to steal a few more minutes to stop by his apartment, a chance to change clothes and regroup before facing Wright. The giddy energy hadn’t left yet; he felt brittle and wary and not at all sure he was up to coping with...whatever it was they might be dealing with now.

Unfortunately, he’d kept Wright waiting too long already. He typed and sent a quick reply--‘Be there in 10.’--then turned on the car and started on the familiar path to Wright’s apartment.

‘It’s not as if you’ve never done this before,’ he told himself. A chance to prepare might have been preferable, but this was dinner, for God’s sake, not a battle. Surely it wouldn’t be that different from the many dinners they had shared over the past few years.

By the time he made it to his partner’s front door he had managed to talk himself down (for the most part). He knocked after hesitating only briefly.

[attorneyatlol]

A few moments passed before the door was open. Phoenix stood there, the very air around him buzzing with nervousness, but he was smiling. Though his appearance didn't seem much different than usual, a critical eye might notice the effort he'd put into grooming himself in the short time before Edgeworth arrived: clean-shaven and only a few, frustrating hairs out of place. There may have even been an extra hint of his usual cologne.

"Hey," he greeted.

[samuraiprosecutor]

There were few eyes more critical than Edgeworth's. The subtle differences didn't escape his notice. For a moment he doubted the evidence of his own senses, hoping his own nervousness was distorting his perception and making the ordinary seem enhanced. The alternative--that Wright might be putting extra effort into his appearance--only reminded him that this dinner was more than just a dinner.

A brief wave of nausea rolled through Edgeworth's stomach. He nodded, and his lips quirked up for a moment with the hint of a lopsided smile.

"Hey." There was a moment of awkward silence. "Did you have any preferences? ...For dinner, I mean. I don't know if you feel like anything in particular..."

Eloquently put.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix shook his head. "No, not really. I mean, whatever you feel like having is fine with me. I'm not picky." He ran a hand through his hair and caught a whiff of his cologne, immediately regretting that extra dab he'd put on before answering the door. Geez, he must look like such a fool right now; he really should have gone as he was. It's not like Edgeworth wasn't used to it, anyway...

[samuraiprosecutor]

"All right." Edgeworth stepped back from the door. While he waited for Wright to lock up, he leaned over the railing a bit to look down in the courtyard, trying to hide his exasperation with his own foolish behavior.

"There's a gastropub a few blocks from here, Potter's Cupboard. They serve a decent variety of dishes, some American and some traditional pub fare."

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix locked the door, discreetly rubbing his wrists on the front of his pants while Edgeworth was looking away. Maybe that'd dull the scent a little...

"Gastropub?" he asked as he turned around, an eyebrow cocked. The 'gastro' part didn't sound particularly appealing to him, but he knew Edgeworth's tastes well enough to be certain they weren't going to some greasy dive. Still, not the most appetizing term, in Phoenix's humble opinion.

He shrugged and deposited his keys into his pocket. "Sure, that's fine. I've never been to one, but I'm hungry enough to try something new."

[samuraiprosecutor]

"You won't have to stretch yourself too far." Edgeworth gave him a quick smirk before preceding him down the stairs and to the car. "A gastropub is simply a pub which puts more emphasis on food than a traditional one would. I doubt they'll have anything on the menu you're not already familiar with, except perhaps shepherd's pie."

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix followed close behind, rolling his eyes.

"I know what shepherd's pie is, Edgeworth," he replied. At least, he'd heard of it before; now that he thought about it, he wasn't exactly sure what went into one, but he wasn't about to make a bigger fool of himself by clarifying that. Maybe he should try it tonight...

[samuraiprosecutor]

"Excellent. That gives me a better idea of where to start." He unlocked the car (the Benz this time) and slid into the driver's seat.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix eyed him dubiously and then slid into the passenger's seat, shutting the door behind him.

"Should I be worried?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

"Only if you object to being educated and having your horizons expanded." A smirk punctuated the neat little double trap. Surely a reasonable man couldn't object to either, any more than Wright could fail to respond to a challenge.

[attorneyatlol]

Phoenix's stomach rolled at the remark, and he swallowed in spite of himself. It was obvious Edgeworth was talking about the food, but the whirlwind of thoughts that had been going through Phoenix's head all day (and before that, even) made it difficult to not to apply the words to the overall situation.

He avoided eye contact by buckling his seatbelt, ignoring the first signs of heat rising to his face. "When have I ever?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

Perhaps fortunately for both of them, Edgeworth meant the comment in only one context and so the other possible meanings escaped him, as did the color rising to Wright's cheeks. His tone was lightly teasing when he responded, "You seem to object quite often when I'm the one teaching the lesson. Especially where food is concerned."

As always, their banter put him more at ease. He fell deeper into it as the minutes went on. By the time he turned on the car and backed out of the parking space the night's true purpose was fading into something like the familiar comfort they were accustomed to, albeit more fragile.

[attorneyatlol]

"Who objects where food is concerned?" Phoenix countered, turning a raised eyebrow at Edgeworth, his ridiculous thoughts silenced for the moment. A smirk played at his lips. "I seem to remember you giving me a hard time about a sandwich shop, which--thank you very much--had great sandwiches. Besides," he added, "just because I know what I like and what I don't like doesn't mean I don't want to 'expand my horizons'. It just means I don't want to expand them towards things like fancy lamb chops and escargot."

[samuraiprosecutor]

"There's a substantial difference between objecting to a kind of food you've never even tried before and objecting to food of a questionable quality. If I was asking you to eat at some seedy establishment I wouldn't blame you for being hesitant." He shot Wright an indignant look in the moments before he pulled out of the parking lot.

"...And what objection could you possibly have to 'fancy' lamb chops?"

[attorneyatlol]

"I don't like lamb," Phoenix replied with a shrug. "And for the record, I take offense to you implying that I eat food of 'questionable quality'. If you want questionable quality and seedy establishments, try spending a day downtown with Maya or Larry. I guarantee my sandwich shop will seem like five stars in comparison."