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Wednesday, 3 July 2030
Courtroom No. 7. A wicked place truly. It had brought great despair to Phoenix and had been the show place for the beginning of the dark age of the law. Yes, it had also been the stage for the unjustifiably cruel UR-1 case. The courtroom where Blackquill had put on his show and had taken the blame for a crime he never committed.
As chief prosecutor I knew about that. I also knew that the man avoided said courtroom as well as he could. He would always ask, if another courtroom was available, as soon as No. 7 was assigned as the courtroom for one of his cases. But he never complained if he had to fight in there. Of course, he did not, he was a professional after all.
But sadly, professionalism did not protect us from emotions or trauma. And Blackquill had learnt that the hard way two months ago, as he broke down and finally realized that it was time to get help. He was on the right track now but there was still a long way ahead of him, as far as I knew, and I could only hope that he knew that too.
Anyway, when I heard Gavin grumble about Blackquill’s wish to be left alone in the break room, I had a weird feeling. The black-haired man had been oddly quiet during the meeting we had today and that wish I had heard from Gavin, made me even more uncomfortable.
So, it came to this. It was almost 7 PM, I had followed this obscure whim and had gone to the courtroom No. 7. I stood in the entrance and stared into the shady room. The man was there but did not notice me. His back was turned towards me and I saw him staring at the defendant’s seat on the defence side. He must have sat there ages ago.
I observed the man’s broad shoulders with concern. They were heavy with sorrow and pain. His stance full of doubt and fright. Both hidden with a mask of coolness and sarcasm. I knew the mask as if it had been an old friend. Or maybe more of a drug.
I let out a sigh and put myself in motion. Earnestly I wandered towards the man until I stood directly behind him and cleared my throat. I had no intention in startling the man more than necessary.
Promptly Blackquill flinched and turned around in a haze. I had almost the feeling that he was ready to fight off an attacker but quickly he realized that I was nobody he had to be afraid of. Still, he was tense, what was not that surprising considering the fact that he was caught by his superior in a courtroom after work hours.
I looked up to him, waiting for some sort of explanation or justification of why he was here, but the man remained silent.
In the shady light it was hard to see but I could make out the unsteadiness in his eyes. I felt pity raise up inside of my stomach. The fear of punishment. It had no place in my mind right now.
I exhaled slowly and turned my face to the defendant’s seat. I put on a smile, the one I used to lecture Kay quite often, and side eyed the tall prosecutor next to me.
“It’s terribly cold on that chair, isn’t it?”
I clearly caught him off guard. The shock in his eyes gave it away.
“Pardon?”, he asked with a raspy voice.
I put my hand on the chair and looked directly into his eyes as I answered: “Well, when I sat in this chair, I felt terribly cold and lonely. I assumed you had a similar experience. I might have been mistaken.”
“I-” Simon straightened up, took a step back from me. He turned his head to the side and stared at the ground.
“More so suffocating than cold, really…”
I looked at him with sad eyes. He was a grown man, remember that Miles. He had come this far, and you had no right patronizing him.
… Still, it would not hurt him to have somebody who was there for him, would it?
Slowly, I walked towards the gallery and waited for the man to register it. As he looked up, I waved him over and sat down on the first bench. He followed and placed himself next to me. I felt him observing my movements closely. He probably could not understand why I was doing this. I would have to elaborate it.
“You must have been very lost in that trial”, I said calmly, leaned forward and clasped my hands.
It took Blackquill a moment to respond. I heard it in his phrasing that he had put together this answer carefully.
“Not that much. I knew what was coming. I knew what they would say and how it would end. And I knew that I had to do this in order to prevent something even more terrifying from happening. I was prepared well enough.”
“I trust you were. But there you had no control, no hand in what will happen next. And feeling lost has sometimes not so much to do with being prepared but having control over the situation.
You were a young man, maybe not even a young adult – a teenager so to speak – who sat on this seat for a crime he did not commit in order to protect this little girl, who was crying and shaking horribly on the witness stand.
And you could do nothing to change that. You could not break your mask, or they would see what a farce you had put on. You had to let this girl cry, same girl you were ready to give your life for. You had no control whatsoever and a very good reason to feel lost.”
I spied over to him. He had buried his face in his hands. They were shaking like they often did. It reminded me of something I wish I could forget. I looked away and let my shoulder slump. I would not walk out on him. I had done that enough.
“Had you ever had a problem being in the courtroom where your trial was?”
His face was still in his hands the shaking had anything but stopped but his voice was as clear as it could be. Maybe a bit quieter than usual, but that had to be expected.
“I dreaded it at first. – He did not budge – But I went in there without hesitation or signs fear. I was sure that I had to face it. I had to be punished for my sins.
Until one day came and –
… I broke down. – He spied at me through his fingers – I ran away. And I ran fast and without a trace.
It was the most stupid thing I’ve ever done, and I hurt many, many with it. Till this day I wished I had done it differently but… We can’t change that anymore…
Did this day come for you now?”
Blackquill stared at the seat. He bit his lip and fumbled with his fingers.
“I won’t run-”
“I know.”
He looked at me in wonder.
“You’re not the type for that”, I said simply.
It took him a moment before he lifted his eyes from me and went back staring at the seat.
“It did not bother me before. I was fine with going inside this courtroom. Well, I probably wasn’t fine but suppressed the memories of that trial. And now…
Things are firing back at me. I feel nauseous and weak in this place. Small and voiceless. I- I came here to change it, somehow.
I guess.”
I let out a sigh. “Did it work?”
“A bit?”, he answered after a long pause.
“I feel less anxious at least. But still not good enough to prosecute in this courtroom, I’m afraid.”
There was guilt in his voice. I huffed and massaged my temples.
“Blackquill, I am not going to be mad at you for this and even less fire you. That I am here has nothing to do with our work relationship.”
“Why are you here then?”
I met his gaze and felt a little foolish. Yes, why was I here? I would have preferred it not to know why I was here, but unfortunately, I knew very well why. Weakly I scratched my bottom lip, let my hand sink again and guiltily turned my head to the side.
“Probably, because Wright’s overbearing father instincts rubbed off on me. At least I’d like to think that it was Phoenix fault, but maybe Kay and Sebastian would argue that I had been fatherly for much longer…”
Blackquill did not react. He waited for me elaborate more. Not filling the silence was a good tactic to make people tell more about themselves.
“I really am concerned about your wellbeing. I have been worried from the very beginning. I could not believe that you would be so well so soon after such a horrible experience, but I gave you leeway.
Innocent until proven otherwise, right? Thus, I kept my mouth shut and let you do as you pleased.”
I looked at Blackquill. His hands laid on his lap and he observed them keenly. His mouth was pressed into a thin line and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. Seeing him displaying so many emotions was … new for me.
“Why… why would you go easy on me? Why would you be so forbearing? Do you think of me as a child?”
I was surprised. There was no accusation or sadness in his voice. Just curiosity.
“No. At least I do not hope so.
I see an incredibly capable man with a passion for prosecuting. You should not be treated as a child…
… But I’m afraid, I saw parts of myself in you and I was afraid to project my flaws on you and overreact on problems that were not yours but mine. So, I remained in the background and let you be.”
“What?”
A smile sneaked on my lips. I made a noise that could almost be mistaken for a small laugh and eyed Blackquill from the side. His eyes had gone wide.
“A lot of sarcasm, knowing smirks and the strong statement of being completely independent. Saying that I’m in control and that there is no need to help or save me.
And that sense of guilt. Feeling guilty for something you aren’t sure you really did but taking the blame anyway.
Yes, that really felt like me from earlier. And it was absolutely worrisome. I had a horrible coping strategy, pushed away everyone who was willing to help me and was a complete dick most of the time.”
He probably did not like that comparison. Neither would I if I was him.
“But that was not all…
Did Trucy ever say something about you and her father?”
Blackquill shot me a look and raised his eyebrows in question. But he gave me an answer.
“She tends to say that we have similar standards and ways of thinking. But what has that to do with anything?”
“Do you want to know, why I was so hung up with your case, Blackquill? Why that it never left me after I first heard of it?”
He nodded carefully. I let out a dry laugh, leaned forward and looked up to the ceiling.
“I was abroad, when I first heard of it. And I was quite surprised. Your name was already known in some circles and I did not think I would hear it in this context.
I came around to look at some records of the trial and I soon discovered that the case was… Very clear cut and straightforward. Which was ideal for the prosecution. Exactly what they waited for.
You told them the facts, what you did, and it was extremely easy to understand for anybody.
But it was not the way how you usually worked as a prosecutor. You were one of those that needed to know every detail and see all the connections and contradictions in beforehand.
I knew that from your early case reports, which I requested after hearing of this whole ordeal. You needed them to believe your story. You needed them to see it as you wanted them to see it.
And I did not know exactly why that was. Why taking the blame for something like this? Why would somebody do such a foolish thing? It would cost your life and who would be willing to go this far?
And then…
I was allowed to see a recording of the trial and your questionings. And the second I saw you standing in this seat I recognized that look.
It was the look of a man that was willing to safe somebody with all the means he had. Somebody who was willing to give himself up for the ones he loved. It was the stupid look I saw the first time in Phoenix face on the trial for Mia Fey’s murder.
And in that moment, I knew I had a huge problem. Because I knew what this look could mean, and I knew I had never won against that determination before. And I was pretty sure I would not win against it anytime soon.
But still… I was not ready to give up just yet. I had been unable to prevent Phoenix disbarment, but I was not willing to let a man be convicted for a crime that was not investigated properly.
So, I did my research. Over the span of seven years I read and read about the Phantom, the work of Professor Cykes and your techniques. And the more I read the more I was sure that you had not committed the crime. You staged the crime and set up the crime scene in order to protect Ms. Cykes.
You took the blame for her. And you did not do it, because you thought she should not be punished for her crimes, no. That was not the thing you believed, that was not the prosecutor you were.
You believed her to be innocent. Even more, you knew she was innocent. But you had no way of proving it. As a prosecutor you were the one who had to outline the case and connect the dots, but you could not find a way to find the real killer. As a prosecutor you wanted to protect the innocent by putting the criminals behind bars, but now you would have had to prosecute the child, you knew was innocent.
You could not help as a prosecutor. So, you became a criminal. You became the one thing you could not find on the crime scene in order to protect her.
…
I had seen this behaviour in Phoenix many times. So often did he try to do something for the right reason on the wrong way. Too often it had worked for him. Until it collapsed, I suppose…
And I still had no idea how to get you out of this mess. I still had no solution for your missing culprit.
Until, well, Justice moved onto the field. When he managed to get Kristoph Gavin down and with-it clear Phoenix name, I had a plan.
For quite some time I had thought about returning to the US and taking the position of the chief prosecutor. That position had many negative sides to it but on the same time it would give me enough power to change some important things in the system.
I would be able to reopen your case that started the dark age of law. But reopen a case without a new culprit wouldn’t help me or you. I needed somebody who would be able to prove your innocence and believed in you.
I was not aware of Ms. Cykes plans back then and underrated Mr. Justice’s abilities greatly, but I knew a man who had taken cases that were just as hopeless as yours. A man that I would trust with my life and so I invited him to Europe one last time.
I asked him if he considered going back into the legal scene and he said he was not quite sure yet. It was not a straight up no, so I told him to look at some of your questionings. I did not tell him why and only gave a rough outline of the case before I started playing them.
During them he did not say a word, only looked closely at your words and gestures. And when it was over, he looked at me emotionlessly.
I asked him what his opinion was and with not a single sign of doubt he told me: ‘He’s innocent. I know a bluffer, when I see one.’
I told him that I believed the same but had no other culprit than him. And then I asked if he would take you as a client, if he had his badge.
Without hesitation he said: ‘Yes.’
And so, I sped up the process for his bar exam and prepared different papers to reopen your case. It took us a lot of time and with the bombing things slowed down dangerously. We would have made it in time, but then your sister interfered and well, the hostage taking happened and we had to deal differently with it.”
Blackquill stared at me with the eyes of an abandoned child. Helpless, wondering and pure. I was not sure if he believed me, but somehow, I had the feeling he wanted to.
“I- “
I did not interrupt him. He shall have his time to explain himself.
“Why – Are you initiating that I was – was the reason you came back to LA? Why – why would you? Why for me? I’m not – special.
Not at all?”
Phoenix sentimentality must have rubbed of on me. There was no other explanation for why I had the urge to take this huge man into my arms and tell him everything was going to be fine and that he was indeed a very special man.
Luckily, my impulse control was still working fine, and I did not hug the man. Instead I laid my hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring look.
“I’d beg to differ. And I am sure that your colleagues and family would say the same.
And on another note, your trial wasn’t the sole reason for my return. But it probably was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
And even if it had been, you would have no need to feel guilty about this. My life has never been better than now and that’s only the case because I came back here. And it was probably the same for Phoenix to be honest.”
Blackquill gulped and looked back at his hands. It was a frown that dominated his face, but I somehow could see a small attempt of a proud smile on the corner of his lips. He had the right to feel pride for himself. He had been an extraordinary man all along and brought greatness into these halls of justice and the office.
“I just realized…”, the man suddenly mused, an unconvinced smirk on his lips.
“Wright, the defence attorney, whose first rule it was to always trust his clients. And I, a prosecutor, whose duty it was to unravel the truth, so justice could be served.
And we both were put in a spot, where we had to do the opposite form our pledges. Wright had to distrust all and everybody, in order to find the one who had brought him into this situation. And I had to bend the truth, so ‘justice’ would not be served. For seven years.
Isn’t it funny? I almost have to laugh at that…”
I did not feel like laughing. More like madly glaring at the man for making such stupid remarks. But then again, he was talking about his problems and this was probably his way of coping. Not the best one, but one you could see quite often these days.
I massaged my temples and gave him a pat on the back. He gave me a sceptical look. Yes, I did not even know myself why I had just done that, but it had certainly distracted both of us from this uncomfortable mood.
Eventually Blackquill shrugged it off and leaned back. He had closed his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest, while humming something rather gently. I suspected that he actually had quite a beautiful voice but might be too self-conscious to sing or even hum with Gavin or Sahdmadhi around.
“Sir”, he suddenly said in the quietest tone, “I’m grateful for your company. I hope you’re not opposed of me coming here again a second time? I think I really need to visit this with Athena once. For our both sakes.”
I did not truly like that plan, but I had no arguments against it. Also, Blackquill seemed to need this and I was not about to stand in his way for redemption.
I gave my permission and straightened up.
“I should head home now”, I explained and gave Blackquill a pointed look. “I would advise you doing the same. Gavin was already eager to find out what was going on with you, when I had last met him.”
Immediately the man frowned and scratched his forehead in unease. Well, that was quiet the reaction.
“Is there a problem? You don’t seem so well?”, I inquired, while crossing my arms and taping them with my finger.
He looked at me in complementation and then quickly looked back to the side. He was clearly not sure if he should tell me what was wrong or not. I did not fancy seeing that at all and fixed him with a glare. Not my gentlest attempt but a powerful one, nevertheless.
“I’d would prefer to go anywhere but home to be honest. As much as I appreciate Klavier’s help, it’s not always helpful and today he has one of his especially intrusive days. He doesn’t know when to stop and I don’t have the patience for this right now.
I would not forgive me for shouting at him today…”
I studied him closely. Did this man not deserve some rest for now? And a good and quiet meal without having to explain himself? I was sure he did. And technically I could provide him just that…
A year ago, I would not even have considered it, but since a certain man turned my world around once more, I had come up with the strangest suggestions for my employees. And this idea in particular, was really unprofessional. And yet, I apparently had decided that it was okay to be unprofessional once in a while and lend the poor man a hand.
I cleared my throat, glared at the judge bench and suggested to Blackquill: “I can offer you our guest room for the night. And since Trucy is visiting Ms. Tenma, it would be quiet enough for you to lay back. And as far as I know Phoenix is making a stew, what usually means that there will be enough food for at least fifteen people, ergo enough for you to eat as well.”
Composed I looked at him and waited for his answer. He did not need to know how ridiculous I felt. It would not make it easier for him to decide to flee from Gavin’s questions.
“I-”, Blackquill stammered staring right at me, “I would not want to intrude! I’ll – I’ll find another way. Or just go home. Klavier is probably not as bad after all.”
That lie was so bad that Ms. Cykes eyes would have been tingling.
“You do not believe that yourself. You are a very good judge of character and I am pretty sure that you are able to predict your roommate’s behaviour well.
And for another place where you could stay at would be Ms. Cykes, who you probably are not going to bother, or you’re planning to sleep in your office, which I do absolutely not approve of.”
Blackquill almost looked as guilty as a kid who had been caught eating candy before dinner. I sighed and shook my head.
With a faint smile a stood up and stretched my back. It cracked, and I realized I was getting older. Maybe that was another reason, why I became more sentimental these days.
“You do not need to be shy, Blackquill. We had nothing planned anyway, and there is no way that you would disturb us. Phoenix will welcome your visit and I’d be glad to know that you will have a quiet space to calm down.
But I will not push you any further. It must be strange to get that invitation from your superior. So please excuse my boldness.”
I turned towards him and just waited. I somehow felt that the man would come with me. And as he hesitantly opened his mouth, I already heard Phoenix and Kay’s voices teasing me for my sentimentality. But I was not regretting anything of it. Not quite yet, at least.
“Would you be fine with a feathered guest as well? I would not want to go without Taka…”
Well maybe I was regretting it a bit right now, but I could arrange with the bird. There were worse things than that.
Miles Edgeworth was secretly a sentimental bloke. I had known that from the moment on that I saw him keeping that keychain I had given him years ago. It was a quality both of us shared and neither of us liked too much for different reasons though.
But as he came home this evening, with Simon Blackquill at his side I could not care less for my husband’s sappiness. I did not need to glance twice at the samurai to see that he needed some rest and a good meal. And maybe some more things but I was not so sure if all of that was within my ranch of possibilities. We had to see what I could do.
“Good evening Prosecutor Blackquill. Miles”, I greeted both and gave Miles a peck on the cheek.
Blackquill looked to the side like an ashamed teenager, who was seeing his parents being gross. I could not blame him for it.
“Come inside. Food will be ready soon. You’re lucky, I have decided to make a vegetarian stew this morning. Oh, and Miles would you go and set up the guest room?”, I brabbled nonchalantly and walked back towards the kitchen, demanding Blackquill following me with some hand gestures.
“I’ll take care of it”, Miles simply said and disappeared upstairs.
Meanwhile I went into the kitchen and got the cutlery for the three of us and handed it over to Blackquill, while asking him to set up the table. He only nodded and went straight at work. I had noticed over time that he was a man, who was calmest when occupied. In a way I liked that trait quite a bit.
Not five minutes later I was ready to serve dinner, Miles was back downstairs with us and I started to fill our plates. We did not talk much. Miles told me some stuff happening at work and I told about request for a lawsuit I had gotten this day. Blackquill did not talk too much, but he did not seem to tense nor uncomfortable. Actually, he seemed to be quite focused on our conversation and payed close attention. Not many people I knew did watch our body language as closely as he did.
If I had to guess, he tried to analyse us. He wanted to see how our dynamic was in a more private setting than he usually was able to see us in. At another time, in another place I would have suspected him to have a malicious intend behind this observation. But after these last months I had learnt that he was mostly just a very, very curious nerd, who had proved himself to be a lot gentler than he seemed at the first glance.
As we finished dinner, I subtly reminded Miles that the Steel Samurai Reboot was on, what caused him and Blackquill to go into the living room and watch the wicked thing, while I started to put away the dishes.
Time went by quickly, I sat with them watching the stuff for a bit but eventually started sketching a bit. It did not take too long until Miles decided he wanted to go to bed, he was more of an early bird than a night owl, and bid Blackquill good night after he informed him, that he had put clothes for him to sleep in on his bed. The man thanked him for the hospitality and wished him a good night as well.
Miles shot me a last glance and disappeared then. So, it was only me and Blackquill left inside the room. I had just finished a sketch of hand as I heard the man coming closer to the table. I looked up and put my pencil aside, as he sat down on the chair in front of me.
“Why did you never ask, why I came here?”, the man asked coldly.
I put on my poker face. Nothing made prosecutors more desperate than that. And he was one of the few that could actually take that picture, without being reminded of a person I did no longer want to be.
“Should I start asking now?”, I countered with a smirk.
“Do not avoid my questions.”
I let out a laugh.
“Well, well, well. You’re not one to fall for such a simple trap, are you?
I didn’t ask because, even though I search for motives as a living, motives aren’t as relevant as we want them to be. The fact was that you were here and did not seem too well, so I fed you and provided you a calm place.
To do that I do not need to know why you decided to come here.”
Blackquill eyed me up in suspicion. Of course, he did. He was a prosecutor after all, who had to doubt anything.
“You know why I came, didn’t you? You just did not want to make me talk about it. This is why you never asked.”
I tilted my head from one side to the other. He was rather good at guessing, had a spot-on intuition or was just sure that that was the most possible route for me to go. Either way, he was not completely correct.
“I had a hunch. But even if I didn’t, I would not have bugged you with questions. It’s not always productive to talk about the past too much. It’s important to remember and to work things out, but it’s never helpful to just bury oneself in those old stories. I know that very well myself.”
Blackquill looked in his lap and nodded slightly. It was probably hard not to over focus on these things, when they suddenly reappeared on the surface. He had pushed this pain away for far too long and now it was hard to manage.
At one he looked right up again. His mouth was wrinkled in a question and he suddenly said: “What Edgeworth did for me today… Would he do that for other people in the office as well? Or do I have a privilege, because I remind him of you?”
Oh, that had been part of their conversation earlier as well? Miles had gone further than I believe he would go.
I let out a surprised noise and said to the man in front of me with a wide hand gesture: “He actually told you why he wanted to reopen your case, huh. That’s a lot for him. He’s rarely that open…
Well, it doesn’t make a difference for your question at hand, does it? You see, I’m pretty sure that he would offer Klavier, Sebastian or Kay and Ema all of this as well.
He’s – He is really proud of the bunch he has with you, even if he cannot tell you right away. He thinks that kinda thing is unprofessional and since you all are in a relatively professional relationship, he doesn’t try to get this mixed up.”
I let out a laugh and turned in the direction of our window. It was raining outside. I saw the rain drops in the streetlights.
“It’s just rather unfortunate that things have already been mixed up. You guys are always present in our private lives as well. For me as Athena’s friends or Klavier as Apollo’s boyfriend and much more. And Miles was basically Sebastian’s mentor for the longest time. And I remember how much he feared that task. He was so sure that he would mess it up.
And who could blame him? In our circles good mentors are rare. Only I, probably you and hopefully Athena had decent mentors, and mine and yours ended up dead. There was nobody who could really tell us how to do things, we had just to figure it out on our way, and that was rough.
And that’s probably why Edgeworth decided to mentor Sebastian in the end. So, he would have it easier than him. So, he would not have to make the same mistakes as him. And honestly, I think he did a great job with the guy.
Needless to say, that he did a way better job than I did when I was first Apollo’s “mentor” so to speak. I was really useless and unnecessarily mean, till I got back on track. I think I’m a better help for Athena, but then again, I’m comparing myself with something like Mia Fey and then it’s obvious I can never reach her level. She was just ingenious as a mentor and a lawyer.”
I stopped for a second and realized that I went of track. Well, that happened when you started philosophizing about your past choices in front of a rather good listener. I shot Blackquill a apologizing smile and continued.
“Well to end that intercourse; Miles is not sure if he should take the role of a mentor for you guys. You’re all really good on your own and probably he’s under the impression that he should not try to mentor somebody that has already gone through so much. Maybe even more in your case, since you’re the same age as Franziska, what makes it even harder for him to decide if it would be rude to offer you some help or even guidance.”
Blackquill stared at me for a long time. He did not let on if he had liked what I just said, if he believed me or if he didn’t. The only thing that I was sure of, wat that he had found my words intriguing. So, I waited with my poker face still on and folded my hands on the table.
Then, he finally pressed his eyes together and stated slowly: “What you described as a mentor, sounded more like a parental figure to me. But I’m not sure that you think that this would make a difference, don’t you?”
“Well”, I began with a huff, “a mentor and a parent are often something rather different. But honestly, for most of us a mentor would actually be some sort of parent, wouldn’t it? Basically, all of us are somehow orphans and I think that’s why I use the term mentor pretty similar to parent. Because it was the same to me. Because Mia was in a way the closest thing to a mother I had.
And some days I look at Athena and realize that I’m just as proud of her as I am of Trucy. That I see my family in her.”
I stood up and put away my drawing stuff. It was about time for me to turn in soon.
“And because Athena is my family, and she would definitely consider you as her family, you are also part of my family now. Which is why I get to tell you that you should go to bed as well and try not to stress out your work dad to much”, I snorted.
Blackquill gave me a very unamused look and shook his head.
“Never refer to Edgeworth-dono as “work dad” ever again. And even if Athena considers me family, you would pass as distant drunk uncle at best, so you have not the allowance to patronize me.”
I laughed and walked to the kitchen to turn the light off there. Blackquill followed me quietly. Even though he did not seem too like my advice he was following it apparently.
I quickly told him that it was the second room on the right upstairs and was about to go in the bathroom as he said at last: “Although you are an unbearable person, I still am somewhat honoured that Edgeworth compared me to you. Your will to believe is unique and that durability you showed, I have not seen often.
…
And I’m glad you two take care of this family. We all really could need some reassurance that isn’t paid with blood.
Thank you for the hospitality.”
I only nodded and let him go upstairs. He was a fine man. I hoped he would find peace in this family, just like I had a while ago.