The intense look on Phoenix's face faded when Adelheid's hand rested on his shoulder, and much like a balloon being pricked with a needle, the words left the defense attorney merely looking tired and worn out.

"...sorry," he said, but the apology wasn't just for his outburst towards Tamaki. It was for the fact that he hadn't asked as to what Adelheid wanted, and without realizing it, had probably made Adelheid's situation worse.

Phoenix then pulled his chair close to the table and sat back down, finally allowing his gaze to focus upon Edgeworth. He wasn't going to fight him about this, not when he was feeling this badly, and certainly not around everyone else. Phoenix then nodded slightly, picking up his fork and picking at his food in the attempt to look normal, and said nothing in response. There was nothing that he could say without saying everything at the same time, and the fact frustrated Phoenix.

He didn't mean to ignore Edgeworth -- that was the furthest thing from his mind...but he couldn't stop himself from backpedaling and trying to keep the situation as steady as he could without saying anything to make anyone's situations worse. And so, he remained quiet, his eyes on his food. For now, he could just listen, and hopefully that was good enough.