madimpossibledreamer

Jury duty today. It was interesting, and thus, Ace Attorney fic.
~Dreamer~

Main Points:
Ace Attorney AU
Chapter V of Turnabout In Law
Summary: Edgeworth and Wright visit the Eerie Mansion (aka the Lemures Mansion) and do some investigating.
First case of Edgeworth & Wright!
Word Count: 1086
Rating: T

Investigation Day 1
October 13
Inside the Lemures Mansion

          They’re quickly shooed into another room to sit and wait. Outside the bustle picks up as detectives begin rushing in. The two lawyers are probably not supposed to be listening in, but Edgeworth has no compunction about gathering information while he can, and all he gathers (at the moment, anyway) is that Phoenix’s patience has very definite limits, if his fidgeting is any indication, and that the new discovery has thrown a wrench into the prosecution’s case, adding new questions like whether the remains have anything to do with the current case and, if so, whether the same killer is involved in both cases. If the latter, there’s a definite angle to take, since as far as they’ve been told Ruby formerly something else had never visited the mansion before and would therefore not have had time to secrete the body in a location that could have been easily spotted, let alone dress it. That’s another reminder—it would be prudent to look into her former life and any potential connections on that front. He’s able to pull out the organizer and add a few notes on that front as well as add to the details of the house, noting the closeness of the closet and the body. Miles feels his frown deepening as the headache gets worse, and eventually begins rubbing his temples again absentmindedly.
          “So, do you think the skeleton in the closet will factor into the case?” Phoenix whispers in a voice so loud he might as well be speaking in a normal tone. Fortunately, given the bustle outside, Edgeworth doubts that any of the detectives will hear. It’s not as if it’s not something that they’re supposed to be talking about, given that they’re the lawyers on the case, but they also weren’t meant to be in the house during the discovery.
          “Given its proximity to the body, I would be utterly surprised if it did not. If the detectives try to keep it out because it does not ‘fit the facts of his case…’” Edgeworth grimaces. His whisper is a lot more circumspect. “Well, it’s lucky we were on the scene, should that occur.” He doubts it will. Prosecutor Faraday is nothing but open and honest, at least when it comes to the cases he’s shared with her. In fact, she’s taken to saying something odd about “stealing the truth” when outside the courtroom.
          He can’t claim that he understands her, but when it comes to it, she’s one of few prosecutors he can count on to have a genuine stake in the truth and not their own egos or track records. Generally, provided she knows about it, she will call to inform him of any new information uncovered by the detectives or prosecution, often with a lot of unneeded teasing, but in general he still prefers her to the the Payne brothers.
          Phoenix seems decidedly concerned as he continues to massage his head. It’s an indication to their relationship that he doesn’t find the worry very annoying and instead just a little annoying. And maybe a touch flattering as well. “Are you okay?” From his reaction, Mia had been relatively good at disguising her own, since it didn’t appear he had experience dealing with those suffering one. On the other hand, given that this was Phoenix, perhaps he was just like this all the time, even when he had experience. Wright’s own immune system had not really inspired confidence during college, apparently (at least, according to Franziska, when she’d finally stopped glaring at him constantly). And, of course, Von Karma had not been happy about the circumstances, either. He shrugs off unpleasant memories, certain that they are not helping with his present physical state.
          “Migraines are decidedly uncomfortable, Wright.” He sighs deeply. “If I had been at all myself, I should have brought painkillers along, just in case.” Unfortunately, he had been distracted. It probably hadn’t been the best idea to drive here himself, either, but Wright still had no driver’s license, and Maya was busy with her duties. Fortunately, the Fay clan is due to send more herbal teas along, which helped greatly when he was growing up. Even more fortunately, those specific teas are ones even Maya is not fond of and will only drink under duress, meaning that he gets a great deal of them to himself.
           “We should see if there’s something in the house,” Phoenix suggests, still looking a little anxious.
          Edgeworth winces. “I’m not sure I’d trust anything from a house where two bodies have been found, Wright.” It’s not extremely likely that anything is poisoned, but he’d rather not take his chances if he doesn’t have to do so.
          “Oh, right…” Phoenix—and his spikes—deflate, and Miles feels a twinge of guilt.
          He smiles at his friend. “At the very least, we can make inquiries.”
          That cheers the man up a little, which is good. He dashes out into the hall—to a “hey, pal!” from Gumshoe. Edgeworth buries his head in his hands and tries hard not to feel any sense of discouragement. Wright’s enthusiasm combined with his logic will help the two of them find the truth, he tries to remind himself. And he’s been able to deal with Maya’s enthusiasm before. He just needs to remind himself that this now applies to his old friend as well.
          “Hey, he said…are you okay?” Instantly Wright is by his side, rubbing his back. It’s a little calming which comes as a shock since he’s not used to others touching him, but he sits up and shrugs it off. He’s hardly an invalid, after all.
          He considers lying, but for once, at least in conversation, he discards that for the truth. Wright deserves to know, no matter how hurtful it might be, and perhaps that rule is the source of more than a few arguments and unhappy people. “I’m usually used to only corralling Maya-chan,” he responds.
          Rather than reacting with a pout or hurt, as he suspects, Phoenix responds with an impish, wry grin. “Yeah, well, Miles, you’d better get used to it.”
          He seems a little shocked as this provokes an equally wide smile from Edgeworth, but it’s a relief that Phoenix won’t hold this against him, and the reminder that he’s not dealing with Prosecutor Wright is also a welcome one. That’s right, this is his life now, and it’s hardly a bad one by any stretch of the imagination.