Up to Speed

[madimpossibledreamer]

I got stuck because I was going to have Phoenix share the news about the director mentally and that just wasn’t working. It occurred to me today that the reason why it wasn’t working is that Edgeworth is at least trying to cut down on the accusations of corruption and thus the Link wouldn’t be available. (And then he just goes and has a private meeting with the guy verbally, but hey, see the naïveté part.)
...I have been writing too much Assassin’s Creed; I just capitalize Assassin automatically at this point. Lol
Welcome merest!  I hope you enjoy your stay.

Main Points:
Ace Attorney Soulmate AU
Chapter Summary: Neither Phoenix nor Edgeworth are really happy about how the case is going.
Word Count: 2139
Rating: Teen
Pairing: pre-Wright/Edgeworth
Spoilers: Mainly for the second game, but given that the other parts have spoilers for the first and third games as well...

 

        Phoenix doesn’t remember too much of the trial itself. He’s too busy being worried about Maya and the fact that Edgeworth’s acting strange to be able to remember and get upset at himself about the blow-by-blow. The thing is...Edgeworth is both more and less ruthless. He’s focused on bringing an airtight case, but this time it’s not an airtight case that he and the police force have constructed. No, he actually welcomes Phoenix’s objections, or he wouldn’t allow them, would have cut off the case when the judge was satisfied. It’s like he’s trying to determine for himself that they’d found the whole truth and nothing but. Several times during the case he makes remarks that indicate he’s actually counting on Phoenix to catch flaws in his argument and help find the truth (and is, at times, a little disappointed that it took so long for Phoenix to catch up). On the other hand, he throws out his usual barbs freer and harsher than before, and Phoenix has never seen him so callous as when he declares he doesn’t care if Ms. Andrews kills herself, and when he spots the man anxiously waiting for news of his sister at the clinic, he tells Edgeworth so. (He’d do it in the privacy of their Link, to spare him the possibility of eavesdroppers, but the only thing he can guess is that now that Edgeworth is officially on the case, he has decided to take blockers for the duration to lessen accusations of impropriety, a guess that is later confirmed by a notarized record of doctor-administered injections added without comment into the Court Record.)
        “And what would you have me do?” Edgeworth responds acidly, the strength of the response taking Phoenix aback. “Stand aside as you frame an innocent woman for murder? You read the report, as did I. Being convicted and having my sister’s irresponsible words be proven wrong would likely kill her as much as having her situation known.”
        “I’m not…” Phoenix stammers, before remembering that he has to be strong for Pearly, currently clutching his hand. “I wasn’t framing her on purpose, and it’s not like she’s innocent. You can’t tell me you didn’t find her suspicious.”
        That is enough to calm him down a bit, though he’s still eyeing Phoenix thoughtfully, mostly with his usual sideways glances. “I’m aware, but it would not be true justice to have her be convicted of the crime she did not commit, rather than the crime she did.”
        All of that is true and reasonable and still possibly just a very logical excuse. “I still think you’re rationalizing it, Edgeworth.”
        Edgeworth doesn’t respond immediately. “Perhaps.” Just like he had the day before. But then, given how he’s trying to voice his thoughts out loud more often, maybe it’s actually a sign he’s going to think about it, and not just dismissing it. He did that when they were kids, didn’t he? Maybe these days, if he didn’t think it was worth thinking about, he’d just say so.
        And then they’re interrupted by one of Phoenix’s least favorite people on the planet (there are...an unfortunate number of people vying for the top place) still acting like he’s somehow a medical professional, and Edgeworth with the same naïveté that comes out at the weirdest moments (like Phoenix is one to talk, he thinks sourly) just believes it, just like that. The man’s followed shortly by Franziska with her whip, which is the first time Phoenix has ever been happy that a member of the prosecution is armed. Even if the conversation afterwards is nothing short of awkward and painful despite the fact that she’s not nonsensically accusing him of stealing her little brother away or ruining him this time. And she’s half focused on her ‘little brother’ and accusing him of all sorts of things, so it’s not all focused directly on Phoenix. For goodness’ sake, Miles is happier to see the get-better-soon flowers than she is, and he’s still working on expressing emotions.
        He isn’t completely incapable of taking a hint, though, so when Franziska suggests that visiting hours are over, Edgeworth suggests, “Perhaps we should take this outside?”
        Phoenix is only briefly surprised when it turns out Edgeworth knows of a small nearby park, one that he would have taken as private if not for the little rusty sign on the gate. It’s equally likely that Edgeworth had investigated here—because kind of out of the way location is exactly the kind of place that someone could stash a body and no one would find it for weeks—or had used it as a brief escape from interacting with people before returning to work. And being here seems to be doing Pearly some good, so...that’s something, at least. They all need a break—and they can’t have too much of one, but even a little might be enough to get their energy back.
        Honestly, he probably should know about the ‘director’, and yeah, okay, so Phoenix is half sharing the information hoping that someone can finally deal with the creep, but still. As expected, Edgeworth’s prosecutor brain instantly jumps to prosecution. It’s actually kind of funny, but Phoenix even catches his ‘perhaps this will be good for Franziska; she’s getting a little restless and impersonating a doctor is similar enough that differences in case law won’t serve as a stumbling block’ under his breath. It’s a lot like one of those thoughts he’d just let slip. Edgeworth really has been working on expressing himself more. Miles then files that away for later in favor of a different line of thought. “Did Franziska happen to mention that I suggested she call for a pre-trial meeting?”
        Phoenix might make fun of how old Edgeworth’s clothing and speech and everything is, but that’s a little ancient even for him. “No, she absolutely didn’t mention that. Why would you do that? Nobody’s used them in years.”
        “Because they offer the defense a better chance, as there are less chances for surprises. The judge was feeling nostalgic and thus was inclined to agree, but Franziska refused, which is why I had Gumshoe offer you that evidence instead. Inform me of his salary at your office.” Maybe he’s feeling guilty? “And…” It seems like he’s finally made up his mind about something, though he’s still hesitant when he offers. “...You were behaving...strangely in there, Wright. More than could be expected given my change in strategy. If there’s anything I can do to help—anything not illegal or that would cast doubt over the outcome of this case, that is—I...I would like to offer my services.”
        That’s a very Edgeworth way to put it, but—well. Phoenix swallows his first instinct when the realization hits him that even with the Link temporarily deactivated, this shows that Edgeworth still cares enough to prioritize paying attention to Phoenix and trying to find out what’s wrong and help. It’s not forced on him. He chose this. Chose to actually pay attention and to care, even when he didn’t have to. (And, now that he’s starting to sniffle, drawing out a handkerchief as discreetly as he can, is handing Phoenix evidence that he’s even braving spring allergies for this, and he hates those.) Phoenix swallows. It’s not over, so he can’t cry. Not yet, anyway. He glances over at Pearly, who’s examining all the cherry blossoms with her usual childlike wonder.
        He probably should’ve mentioned this earlier. It’s not like he doesn’t trust Edgeworth, and he’s pretty sure his old friend would have dropped everything to be here and help out, but he had wanted to let Edgeworth come back on his own terms. To prove that Phoenix could do some things on his own and wasn’t just a burden that needed help all the time. Worrying about things he couldn’t control was a big part of how Edgeworth got into such a bad headspace in the first place. “Maya was kidnapped. She got a phone call in the Gatewater and then—that’s actually when I freaked out.”
        To his credit, Edgeworth only stammers a little bit before he gets down to the actual facts that matter. “As I assume you were contacted, there was a demand?”
        Phoenix swallows. The facts of the case rattle around his head. The psyche-locks said so. The psyche-locks don’t lie; they just indicate falsehood. But there’s no reason, no reason that if he’s perfectly innocent some weirdo would kidnap Maya for ransom, and there’s weird moments, like when Engarde finally agreed to let them represent him, and Miss Inpax’s death, Miss Andrew’s coldly trying to frame Engarde… “He wants me to get an acquittal for Engarde.”
        Edgeworth nods as if he’d half been expecting it. To be fair, it is the thing that fits everything the best, even if it’s so out there. And then, anticipating Phoenix (because they have learned how each other thinks even when the Link isn’t active they still can read each other better than most), he responds, “It seems a strange ransom but...I believe I may know why. It has to do with the card Ms. Andrews had in court.”
        “Oh, yeah. You really got angry about that. It’s not like I haven’t seen you angry in court, but…” Right, he might not want to talk about that. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem, visibly at least, to bother him.
        “It has to do with the investigation occurring at the Gatewater. I didn’t mention it before, because I was not then aware that you were involved. As it is, I trust that you will keep this a secret, under penalty of law.” He’s probably only half-joking.
        “I know the law, Edgeworth,” Phoenix agrees instantly, because if there’s a lead here…
        “Sometimes, I wonder,” the prosecutor murmurs to himself, which might be a little more evidence of it actually being a joke. Maybe. “A top-secret taskforce has been operating for some time trying to catch an assassin known as Shelley de Killer, an inherited title operating for over a hundred years. That card is his mark indicating his culpability, an act likely to try to ensure no one else is blamed for the death, particularly his clients. He prizes the trust between himself and his clients among other relatively honorable gestures and will not act outside that code, so we can at least be fairly certain he will keep his word with regards to Miss Fey’s safety.”
        “...Wait, so Corrida was killed by an assassin?” That’s...not where Phoenix was expecting this to go. At all. Wait— “So that’s why he’s kidnapped Maya. Somebody’s being charged for his work. And given that it’s not likely anyone else would go that far, it’s probably not a copycat.”
        Edgeworth nods approvingly, still gripping his elbow tightly. “True, but sadly a little incomplete. His client...was yours as well. Matt Engarde.”
        A shiver runs up Phoenix’s spine. “I can’t believe that.”
        The usual smug smirk is a little broken, a little softer. “In that case, I shall simply have to prove it to you. I may have some skill in that regard.” He stands and actually holds out a hand to help Phoenix up, relaxing slightly when Phoenix actually accepts. “It is some good luck that we encountered this situation now, when I am inclined to be thorough. I believe we can keep the trial going for long enough to find something useful. I will do everything in my power to ensure the safe return of Miss Fey, Wright, including the formation of a rescue team, and giving you a letter to allow you to continue to investigate at the hotel. Do try not to rile up Oldbag further.”
        Phoenix winces. “Thanks, Edgeworth, but, uh...that last one would be easier if I wasn’t fairly sure my existence offends her.”
        “I would say part of that is my fault, but in point of fact, one cannot control the formation of a Link, so it is neither of ours.” Edgeworth’s voice is brisk again as he pulls out a notebook from his jacket, bothering even in his haste to take the time to carefully rip out the page so it’s nice and even. The nerd. “Your letter, and cab fare—don’t bother to argue. Good day and good luck, Wright, young Miss Fey.” He bows extravagantly as usual and then strides off.
        “So, he’s not...a bad man?” Pearly asks disbelievingly, kind of confirming Phoenix’s hunch that she’d been ignoring him on purpose. It’s still not entirely clear whether she’s picked up on the fact that they have a Link and he and Maya don’t, but Phoenix is leaning towards the fact that she hasn’t simply because he hasn’t been slapped yet.
        “Edgeworth is...complicated, but he means well. Let’s go investigate.” That cheers her up a bit even as she yawns.