mightiswright | ♣ ic contact

[Edgeworth's voice is quite quiet.]

No. I don't think so. There was a difference between...There was a difference.

[ Phoenix frowns. ]

What happened?

[Edgeworth is quiet a moment, then finally forces himself to answer.]

I was the one he came after. The only reason I'm still alive is because he wanted me to spread a message more than he wanted me dead.

[ he stays silent, and when he speaks again, his voice is tight. it's not that hearing about the careless destruction and disregard for lives didn't make an impression. but this? this is personal. ]

Why did he come after you specifically? What point was he trying to make?

I was one of the first on the network after he acted. I was the one who coordinated the effort to stop the fire and rescue the people inside.

He...wanted to show that he was - all-powerful. That fighting against him was pointless. I suppose.

Anyway. Don't sound like that, Wright. I'm fine now.

( How did you expect me to sound?! )

You... [ he sighs, running a hand through his hair. ] Here, you're going on and on about your housemates' safety, and you completely forget to mention the part where you were targeted by him. How long ago was this? How did he find you?

One expects to take on a bit of risk when one is in this line of work. It's fine.

[With anyone else, Edgeworth would sound fierce and defensive. Phoenix alone gets to hear his real attitude towards this: he sounds quiet, a bit resigned, and very unhappy.]

And it was...within moments of his attack on the museum. I don't know how he found me; he simply appeared in my office, then disappeared just as quickly.

He must have some kind of power that lets him find people. Teleportation. None of which will make it easy to find or stop him.

[ damn it. he's concerned and that gives his tone a more agitated edge than he intended. ]

Line of duty or not, that's no excuse for throwing yourself into danger. Leave that to the people who can defend themselves, like the police or those so-called superheroes. I shouldn't have to be the one telling you that.

[ Phoenix takes a breath, before asking more quietly: ] What did he do, when he showed up?

Honestly, Wright, you're acting like I invited it upon myself. I did what I could to protect people, and a madman got it into his head to retaliate. That is the fault of the madman, not my fault.

[But he can't recite that with too much tartness, because of the answer he has to give to Phoenix's next question. He tries to act casual, careless:]

In any case. It was a great deal of speechifying about how he was above human law. A few parlor tricks to show off his power.

[ Edgeworth trying to act casual is in and of itself a cause for concern. ]

Unless you're telling me he made a few doves fly out of his sleeves, which I'm having a hard time picturing, you're holding back on me.

[He struggles to figure out a way to make this sound less horrible than it does. The last damn thing Edgeworth wants is Wright getting upset, and he will get upset - but it's not morally correct to hold back this information. So finally, with some difficulty, he says:]

He - used some - ability of his to temporarily remove one of my lungs. To prove he could. [Then, quickly and aggressively:] The damage was undone, and I've gone to the doctor and confirmed that there were no lingering aftereffects, so do not get worked up about this.

[ 'Upset' is putting it lightly. Phoenix is furious, so much so that he can't even make words come out. that his friend would try to play off something this serious, and that there's someone powerful enough to do something like that without any consequences.

but more importantly, he's beyond worried, and he suddenly needs to see for himself that Edgeworth is as fine as he's saying. ]

Don't get- You're unbelievable, Miles. Where are you?

[Wright sounds as upset as Edgeworth feared he would be. As ever, his instinct is to flee from this conversation - to plead work, to hang up the phone, to desperately avoid the emotion involved in this confrontation, but, well...Wright deserves better than that.

So, uncomfortably:]

I'm...at the office.

I'm coming over.

[ then he hangs up. ]

[And Edgeworth is, as promised, waiting in his office. He does take a few moments to make himself look particularly in good health; he puts on his suit jacket, opens the blinds behind him, puts on the kettle for tea, places some work in front of him so that it's clear that he's busy and important.]

[ true to his word, the second he hung up the phone, Phoenix grabbed his jacket and left the house to make his way to Edgeworth's office.

by the time he arrives, some of the initial fire has faded, but he's no less unhappy, and he doesn't even knock before barging in. he couldn't care less about what the office looked like, and he goes directly to the object of his concern.

Phoenix slams his hands down on the desk (knocking over some papers) and gives Edgeworth a good look over before sitting down, satisfied for the moment that he's not going to keel over. ]

You weren't even going to tell me, were you? [ saying it out loud just gets him fired up again, and his voice rises. ] Parlor tricks? What Trucy does is parlor tricks, removing one of your lungs isn't!

[Edgeworth wants to default to any number of defensive, dismissive answers in his arsenal. Good day to you too, or You're being irrational, or This is why I didn't want to tell you in the first place, or something else that will make Edgeworth's desire to stay silent less irrational. Something that will shift the blame to Phoenix himself.

But Phoenix deserves better than that. He can't bring himself to do so. So instead he just stands, and crosses to the teapot, and begins fixing tea for them both.]

What good would telling you have done? It happened. That can't be changed.

That's not the point, and you know it.

[ Phoenix watches Edgeworth get up with a small frown, keeping an eye on his movements, to reassure himself that he's physically fine. though he already said he was, Phoenix's not willing to take that at face value, considering how much he'd stalled just giving up the information in the first place. ]

Where did it happen? You said he just showed up right?

It was here.

[The ritual of making tea is always soothing; there's a familiarity to the movements that brings him a measure of calm. Calm which is, frankly, much needed. Because no matter his confident air, the carelessness with which he is endeavoring to speak of the incident, even the memory of it shakes him. He thought, in that moment, that he was going to die. All he wanted - all he could do was leave evidence of who killed him, and -

But he can't indulge that fear. He has to keep it together. He's not going to have Wright getting more upset. And so, with his voice perfectly controlled - nearly emotionless - ]

The site has, of course, been searched thoroughly; any physical evidence left behind was recovered. That was why I was allowed to return to work in here.

[ Edgeworth's attempts to sound controlled comes off as the wrong way to Phoenix, who doesn't look any more mollified by the fact that any evidence was recovered. because that wasn't even close to what he was concerned about. if that's the way he wants to play it though...

he waits for Edgeworth to sit back down, with the tea. ]

Were there any leads on his identity?

All that's known is that he is an import like the rest of us. He claims to be the Christian devil - but I suspect that is merely an affectation.

[He hands Phoenix a cup of tea and sits down with his own. Then he hesitates a moment, because of the absurdity of this, but...]

The...prints I got from him matched those of the President. This was, of course, a function of his ability to alter the space around him.

[ Phoenix accepts the tea, but doesn't do much more than nurse it in his hands. tea's not really what he needs right now. ]

... The President.

[ he repeats it, just to make sure he heard correctly. ]

So far, he can teleport, somehow know where a person is, and now alter his fingerprints too? What does that even mean, alter the space around him?

I don't know how else to describe it.

[Edgeworth speaks staring down into his tea. His face is controlled, his voice quiet.]

All I know is that his ability to manipulate what's around him physically seems to be nearly...unlimited. So, too, does his sadism and his malice.

[ Phoenix's grip on his teacup tightens with every word. if it were anyone else, his expression would be composed but with present company, he doesn't feel the need to hide the displeasure on his face. ]

Nothing is unlimited. [ his voice is even but tight and fierce, and as always, Phoenix is the last to heed his own advice about staying out of the line of fire. ] We're going to catch him, I swear, he's not going to get away with this... with attacking you. He'll face justice for what he's done, sadism and malice and powers be damned.

[ with that said, Phoenix leans forward, eyes searching his friend's face. ] But right now, are you okay? And don't give me that stuff about what the doctor said, that's not what I mean.

I'm fine.

[Quick and clipped. As though Edgeworth would give any other response.

But what Phoenix gets that no one else would is a moment of troubled silence, and then a quiet confession.]

He made it clear that he'll strike again. Elsewhere, where people cannot defend themselves. I tried to...taunt him into staying here, and he said he would if I could offer him something of value. But he was not satisfied with anything I offered.

[Another moment; he doesn't look up.]

If people die, I suppose their blood will be on my hands, won't it.

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I'm dictating that we do action you can't stop me

joke's on you i was going to start a log anyway

Oh damn

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