damned_institute | Day 57: Arts & Crafts Room (Fourth Shift)

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Day 57: Arts & Crafts Room (Fourth Shift)

When she left the lobby, Anise still didn't know what to think about her visitor. All this time, she thought the one person the institute would never truly get to was the Colonel, and that if he was gone, then maybe he was hiding somewhere, plotting a way to rescue the rest of them. Now that she thought about it... maybe that was naïve of her. She only thought those things because she didn't want to believe that the institute had that much power...

Thinking about it too hard made her feel so anxious it made her stomach churn, though, so Anise decided it would be best to distract herself in the meantime, and then think about it when her head was clearer. She'd probably have to tell Guy and the others what happened, too.

While she really wanted to see the movie she helped select, she also really wanted to see if the Arts & Crafts Room had those new sewing supplies the Head Doctor talked about a while ago. When she arrived, she asked her "nurse" about it, who cheerfully replied that yes, they had them, and that Anise was among the ones fortunate enough to have the privilege of using them. Was that a good behavior thing, or a military rank thing...? Well, in either case, it meant Anise got to check out the new materials they brought in, so she wasn't going to complain.

There were some pretty floral patterns among the pieces of fabric, so Anise selected those. Anything that she made had to have a few cute elements, after all. She brought the pieces to her table along with some needles, thread, scissors, and a roll of a thick cord-like material.

Before she could begin, however, that "nurse" returned, dropping an envelope on the table in front of her. "This is for you," was all she said before walking away again. When Anise picked the item up, her eyes widened in shock. There, on the envelope, was the name Dolores... written in her Mama's handwriting. Much of the other information on the outside had been blacked out, but... was this from her parents!? Without a moment's delay, she tore open the envelope and began reading the letter within, her hands trembling as she did.

[For Claude!]

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At that precise moment, Phoenix couldn't help but to stare at Edgeworth - he'd done it several times in the past, whether it was in court or outside - but this time, it was different. There was a unique kind of beauty to the vulnerable emotion in Edgeworth's eyes, to the way his hair cast shadows over his face and the light part of his lips, and Phoenix felt caught, as if someone had thrown a net over his entire person and decided to reel him in, closer and closer to the one person he desired more than anyone else in his life.

It was then that Phoenix realized what he was doing - impulsively, he'd leaned into Edgeworth, his heart beating rapidly in his chest - and his face was mere inches from the prosecutor's, his other hand having moved to rest on Edgeworth's knee for support.

"...tell me what to do," Phoenix said, his voice a soft, aching whisper as he desperately searched in Edgeworth's face for an answer. Everything in the prosecutor's face said yes, but when he had just said what he had, and Edgeworth had nodded...he couldn't help but to hesitate. "I won't do this without you telling me that I can."

The emotions clashing in Edgeworth's eyes were plain as day to see, from vulnerable and wanting to nervous and uncertain, and the pace of his breathing met him a little quicker, the closeness of the defense attorney to him making him feel too hot. It was hard to swallow how good it felt to indulge in this, the prospective desire of being able to be affectionate with someone that he cared for so deeply, and the prosecutor could feel his self-control beginning to melt away just by gazing into the intensity of Phoenix's eyes. There was no doubt in his mind what he wanted right then...but then they were still there, trapped in an institute with no rhyme or reason to it, and they were in a room with onlookers who could see what they were doing even now...

...and he couldn't let this happen, not matter how much he wanted it.

Swallowing, Edgeworth's gaze reluctantly fell away, his hand holding Phoenix's so hard that he was nearly shaking. "...not here," he finally managed, his heart pounding and protesting in his chest. "Not now, I...we shouldn't."

Phoenix tried to brace himself against the disappointment, but he couldn't help the slight wilt in his expression, Edgeworth's words and the look in his eyes feeling like a stab in the heart. "...okay," he breathed, as he slowly pulled back, settling back down in his seat without letting go of Edgeworth's hand. "It's okay. I...I get it, I promise." And when he said the words, it was to both comfort himself and Edgeworth, because he knew that this situation was difficult enough as it was.

There was too much at stake, and Phoenix couldn't blame Edgeworth for feeling afraid, though he couldn't help but to feel upset underneath his own ability to reason. Being afraid like this was unfair - being in this place was unfair - and a flash of upset, internalized emotion flashed across Phoenix's face before he stuffed it back down.

Taking in a deep breath, Phoenix shut his eyes momentarily before he breathed outwards, opening them and diverting his attention down to Edgeworth's knees. "I'll find a way to get us out of here, I promise. I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, after...after I said all of that."

The prosecutor shook his head in a manner of saying 'don't worry about it', his expression looking almost as regretful as Phoenix's before he tamped down the sharper edges of his emotions. Covering Phoenix's hand with his left, Edgeworth's hands tightened around Phoenix's, his thumb idly brushing against the back of it in an almost apologetic way. "...I know that we spoke on the bulletin board," he started, an almost pointed edge entering his gaze at Phoenix's prior relentless teasing, "but I would like it if you could meet with me tonight. I want to secure some first aid supplies, and I'd intended on having Detective Gumshoe assist me, however...it doesn't appear that he has had the time to contact me in return."

That fact was beginning to worry Edgeworth - he'd replied to the first note he had received from Gumshoe, and there hadn't been any response either - but he shelved the concern, assuming that the Detective was off lallygagging somewhere unimportant. "We could also...discuss all of this in a more private setting," he prompted as well, his gaze moving over to the patients milling around the room before returning to Phoenix.

Expression softening at the mention of the exchange they'd had on the bulletin board, Phoenix smiled slightly. From what he'd been able to see while milling around the Sun Room, Edgeworth hadn't taken the picture of the pineapple with the cravat down.

"...I'll be glad to be your 'extra pair of hands' either way," Phoenix teased gently, a soft flush appearing on his face in pleasure at thought of the fact that Edgeworth really did like him; it made him happy to know that it wasn't a silly figment of his imagination, and that he could make sexy jokes and Edgeworth would enjoy being part of them (kind of).

Shifting his attention to the drawings on the table, Phoenix decided that it wouldn't be so bad for Edgeworth to look at them after all - especially since he didn't have much to hide. He'd had a lot to hide prior, but it was only because Phoenix had been unsure of how it would affect his friendship with Edgeworth. "...and I know that I don't want to give holding yours up, but you can look at what I've drawn so far if you want."

Offering Phoenix a sidelong glance at his suggestive comment, the prosecutor ultimately nodded as his offer, squeezing Phoenix's hand one final time before releasing it. "Stealthy as you believe yourself to be, I did happen to catch a glance at what you were working on prior to my interrupting you," he said, taking the proffered stack of drawings and shuffling to the one in question.

The level of detail once again caught Edgeworth in a strange way, his eyes focusing on the slight cowlick in the back of his hair to the lines on his face, and he could barely believe that Phoenix could recall so much about him just by memory. "...you must draw me a lot if you can recall this level of detail so vividly," he surmised, his tone gibing as he looked back at the defense attorney.

Sheepishly, Phoenix lifted his right hand and scratched his fingers back through his hair. "...u-um...well..." he trailed off, his gaze upon the picture in Edgeworth's hands. "...when I first saw you when you came to help me with Iris' case...in that hospital room, that's when everything hit me - how I feel about us, and how deep it goes."

The defense attorney fell quiet for a brief moment, before picking up the topic again. "It means a lot to me for you to go through all that trouble to help me...and I know that I asked for a lot of difficult things from you."

Edgeworth held Phoenix's eye contact for a moment, a meaningful look entering his gaze. "...yes, well, under the circumstances, I may have asked too much of you once or twice in the past," he said, taking a furtive glance behind himself before he reached out and placed his hand just above Phoenix's knee, squeezing lightly. "...to be honest with you, I'm not certain that I've repaid those debts yet."

Phoenix shivered and shut his eyes momentarily as Edgeworth's fingers pressed into his sensitive muscles, and he was helpless to resist his own need to touch the prosecutor, his left hand moving to cover Edgeworth's. Taking in a soft breath, his expression was shmoopily soft as he opened his eyes and refocused on Edgeworth.

"...I never paid for a private jet to save you," Phoenix said softly, his tone gently teasing, yet intensely affectionate. "You don't need to pay me back for anything. Just having you around, and making you happy...as a friend, or more than that...that means everything to me."

An almost indecipherable emotion entered the prosecutor's eyes before he looked away at the drawing, his hand tightening on Phoenix's leg as he felt the defense attorney's hand over his. "...yes, well, if you had the funds to hire a private jet at your own discretion, I doubt that I would have gone a day without seeing you," Edgeworth gibed, his thumb gently brushing the side of Phoenix's leg. "At any rate, I...don't know as if you can compare what you've done to anything monetary."

A flash of a strange emotion ran through Phoenix's gaze at Edgeworth's mention of how far away he had been - what the prosecutor had said was true, but the words had strangely mirrored many of Phoenix's past desires. He'd been tempted to visit, to somehow scrape up the funds to go and see Edgeworth, but he had decided against doing so because it felt as if the prosecutor hadn't wanted him there, that he wasn't welcome in that part of his life. Back then, he'd felt oddly at a loss; he had been scared of what it would mean and be like to take a step outside of his shell into an unknown country and place, and he hadn't been completely sure of how much Edgeworth would have helped.

The thought brought up a question - now that he knew, would he travel outside of the country, scrape up anything he knew of how to defend himself, and endeavor into a complete unknown for Edgeworth? While Phoenix knew the answer was yes, he couldn't help but to feel as if he would only be welcome under Edgeworth's invitation. And then, on top of all of that, Phoenix began to wonder about how much he knew about Edgeworth - he'd never asked any questions, didn't know how - and now, he had every chance to ask the one person that he wanted the most in the entire world about himself, when Phoenix had never even thought he'd have the possibility.

"...I've never been outside of the United States," Phoenix started, as he slowly stroked his fingers gently up and down Edgeworth's wrist, slipping them underneath his hand once he had returned to his previous position and squeezing warmly. A sheepish smile then took over Phoenix's face. "I know I'm kind of uncultured - probably like a country boy compared to everything you're used to. I would be too scared to travel on my own - you would have had to come get me."

Letting out a slightly amused breath, Edgeworth squeezed Phoenix's hand a final time before he withdrew his own, shuffling the drawings about in his hands as he took in the whole of them. He wasn't surprised to see multiple sketches of himself and Larry as children, but he didn't spend much time taking them in - though he did wrinkle his nose somewhat at a drawing of himself as a child with a wad of paper that looked like a mutation of a paper crane.

"I don't know as if I find that to be surprising. I can just see you being turned away at customs because you were fidgeting suspiciously or because you unknowingly disposed of your passport," Edgeworth teased, his attention remaining on a drawing of Mia Fey in her offices. "...though if you have an interest in art, Europe would certainly captivate you. Perhaps I can accompany you to the Louvre when..."

The prosecutor hesitated, the corners of his lips turning downward as the weight of their current situation pressed heavily against his shoulders. "...when the opportunity becomes available."

Phoenix let his hand rest upon his knee where Edgeworth had last touched, his gaze focusing on his face. "...it'll happen, Miles," he murmured, the look in his blue eyes intensifying with spirited, sure emotion. "We'll get out, one way or another, and we can see all of that. Together."

Lifting his left hand, he stroked the knuckle of his index finger between Edgeworth's shoulder in gentle, innocent reassurance, before he let his palm rest on the back of Edgeworth's chair. "I want to see the world with you...and I want to learn what it's like to be in your shoes. Just promise me you won't lose hope, no matter what happens."

Edgeworth kept his gaze averted as he placed the drawings back on the table, his expression solemn. Phoenix's words tugged on his resolve stubbornly, but he couldn't find himself being wholly swayed by them, not when there were so many unknown facets to their situation. Not only were they trapped against their will in a place where they could very likely be killed, but the entirety of their conversation was mocking them with something they couldn't have - and in that moment, Edgeworth almost wished that Phoenix didn't have feelings for him at all, if only to make the steady ache in his chest more bearable.

"...it will take more than hope to get out of here, Wright," Edgeworth finally managed, his right hand reflexively moving to grip his bicep. "I don't know where we are. The laws that keep our world in balance don't seem to apply here. We're powerless to escape, even if we walk out the front door. I've had several individuals tell me that you and I have been here before, and I can't fathom the idea of living a life here without having some clue in my memory as to if it ever took place." Gripping his arm more tightly, Edgeworth's brow furrowed in frustration. "...and even if we do return home, who's to say that we would remember everything between us here?"

Silence lingered between them for a long moment, and Phoenix's expression turned intensely thoughtful. What Edgeworth was saying was true, but Phoenix was never the sort to give up a fight - and as a result, he couldn't help but to try to find a foothold on the situation for both himself and Edgeworth.

"...you said you were coming home - right?" Phoenix asked, before he clarified, "Before you came here. I don't think that I would have let you go again without telling you about how I feel...so even if we don't remember, and we just wake up in our realities...I think all of this would have happened either way."

There were a lot of topics to tackle in the statements that Edgeworth had just provided - one of them the reason why Phoenix had drawn so many pictures of his memories. There had to be a way to communicate to himself - even if whatever person that came here that was "himself" wasn't him - of the things that he should know about, to truly identify as Phoenix Wright.

The prosecutor seemed to think over Phoenix's words, rolling around the possibilities in his mind before he appeared to accept them. It was true, in all likelihood, especially if Phoenix carried on at home the way he had at the institute - but the more Edgeworth thought about it, he realized that he didn't take much comfort in that fact. They were trapped now - later didn't matter.

"...perhaps you'll be more tactful about it the next time around," he gibed, his words clearly teasing despite the fact that he didn't appear to be set at ease by Phoenix's statements. "...you will have to excuse my trepidation on the matter. I...don't want us to be put in a vulnerable position. I know that this would more than likely be a problem regardless of whether or not we're...involved, but I don't ever want to be put in a position where our...where we can be used against each other."

Phoenix exhaled softly before he rubbed the fingers of his right hand back through his hair, his gaze moving from Edgeworth's face to the table as he rested his elbow upon the surface of it. There was always going to be risk when it came to having a relationship with another person - and while Phoenix understood why Edgeworth would be concerned, he didn't see how they could avoid it without sacrificing everything. "...it's up to you, Edgeworth. If you don't want to risk it..."

Trailing off, Phoenix felt his frustration at their situation rising inside of him, Edgeworth's insistence on being logical grating at him. It was unfair - he couldn't help but to wonder why it had to happen like this - and the only logical way that Phoenix could see for reducing the risk of their relationship/friendship being used against them was to avoid interacting with Edgeworth entirely.

Edited 2011-07-16 15:44 (UTC)

Moving his gaze to Phoenix, Edgeworth took in his expression for a few moments, a frown tugging at his lips as he tried to remain even. "...it seems like you do want to risk it," he prompted softly, conflicted emotion rife in his features. Even if he was unsure of himself, it was clear that Phoenix wanted more even beyond the consequences - and if nothing else, Edgeworth wanted to know his rationalization for all of it.

"...if you want my honest answer, I don't care about the consequences," Phoenix said simply, his gaze flicking upwards to meet Edgeworth's. "There are always going to be threats and risk. When I decided I wanted to help you by becoming a defense attorney...I was all in. I put everything I had on the line. That still hasn't changed, even if we're in a crazy place like this...and it's a gamble, I know. But it's a risk I'm willing to take for you."

A light frown tugged at Phoenix's lips as he looked down at Edgeworth's shoulder, a troubled look entering his expression. It was a painful thought to absorb that Edgeworth in most probability didn't feel the same - but he had to accept it, because there was no way that Phoenix could expect Edgeworth to react the same way as he did. "The ball is in your court. I can't make you want to...and I'm not going to force you - I never have. It's up to you."

As much as Edgeworth didn't want to admit it, it hurt to see Phoenix looking as melancholy as he did, the fragile edges of his resolve fraying and falling away before he could even consciously make a choice in the matter. Closing his eyes, the prosecutor breathed out a sigh to cool his nerves, the cogs of his mind turning and moving almost visibly as he tried to unearth a compromise.

After a few moments, Edgeworth moved his right arm around the back of Phoenix's chair, using the change in position to shift close enough to Phoenix that his lips were a few inches away from his ear. "...I want to take precautions," he said in a whisper. "As far as anyone else in the institute is concerned...we're childhood friends and nothing more. But if we're alone...and we presumably can't be caught, then it...would be all right."

Phoenix turned his head slightly so he could look at Edgeworth, the close proximity of his lips and voice tickling his ear in a teasing way. Unable to help himself, the tingling sensation of Edgeworth's words trailing down his spine and pooling at his hips, Phoenix leaned in and pressed a quick, almost innocently pressured kiss to the prosecutor's lips.

"...I can do that," Phoenix breathlessly agreed as he pulled away, his expression lightening in the wake of the kiss with a childish kind of soft happiness as his face flushed pink.

Edgeworth froze, Phoenix's kiss somehow catching him by surprise (distantly though, he supposed that he really shouldn't have been that thrown by it), and it left him feeling incredibly off-kilter. Flushing slightly, he looked away, forced indignation welling up as he tried to recollect himself.

"You...obviously you can't," he returned uselessly, his heart thrumming uncomfortably in his chest. Lifting his right hand, Edgeworth placed his palm against Phoenix's head, rustling down his bangs in front of his face by way of punishment before he withdrew his touch. "You're completely insufferable."

The mussing of his hair made Phoenix laugh, even while he was incredibly dismayed by the wreckage internally, and he worked on trying to smooth it back once Edgeworth was done. "...that's the first kiss I've ever given anyone," Phoenix started, the look in his blue eyes fond as he gazed at Edgeworth, "so don't be too mad. I couldn't help myself - you were too close."

As much as Edgeworth tried, he only partially succeed in attempting to make himself look annoyed, a bitterly amused fondness resting in his eyes as he kept his glare nice and sharp. "...right, well, remind me to purchase a muzzle at my earliest convenience, then," he gibed, his expression wry. "I can't have you attacking me anytime I need to tell you something in an inconspicuous way."

"...it wasn't an attack," Phoenix said poutily, though it was clear that he wasn't too offended by Edgeworth's mock prickliness. "You were whispering sweet nothings in my ear...can you blame me?" The defense attorney's lips turned upwards in an affectionate way as he watched Edgeworth, enjoying the prosecutor's inability to cope with random, unexpected affection. In several ways, his reactions were incredibly endearing, and Phoenix couldn't resist poking further fun at him.

Day 57: Arts & Crafts Room (Fourth Shift)

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