Chapter Text
“You know what this means, Pearly. Snowmen!”
Maya’s voice jerked Phoenix from a shallow sleep. He peeked his head out of his covers, watching light flicker through the crack in his door. Were they watching TV? His eyes drifted towards the nightstand, squinting at the blocky numbers of his alarm clock. He grimaced. Did they even sleep? Should he get up and make breakfast? Two giggling girls barged into his room and the decision was made for him. Maya bounced at the lead, her freshly styled bun bobbing with each of her eager steps.
“They’re calling it the Snowpacalypse!” She shrieked, throwing up her hands with a shake. “The Storm of the decade. The Killer Frost!”
“Who’s calling…what?” Phoenix blinked at her as he swung a leg out of bed, catching his top sheet and pulling it onto the floor. He couldn’t decide if he felt more or less pitiful than the blanket.
“It’s on the news Mr. Nick.” Pearl clarified, the end of her thumb caught between her teeth. She chewed it thoughtfully. “Is it really going to kill? The we-ther-man didn’t say anything about that, Mystic Maya.”
Maya laughed, swinging her berry-colored sleeves in a wide arc.“ Well …maybe I exaggerated that part.”
Phoenix shook his head. “I thought we weren’t supposed to get snow for another week.”
“ Pssh. Get with it Nick. The news is on every station. They even replaced The Pink Princess with a special report.”
“I’ve been asleep!” He said, too tired to be truly exasperated.
Pearl took his hand and frowned as if holding it had told her some terrible secret. “Are you still sick Mr. Nick?”
Phoenix pressed his free hand against his forehead and then against the little girl’s. Pearl was definitely cooler than he was, but he’d just gotten out of bed. He pushed his hand up into her hair and gave it a rustle. “Nothing some breakfast won’t fix.”
The nine year old nodded sagely, but her older cousin clearly didn’t agree.
“Ugh!” Maya groaned. “But all you have is cereal. What’s that going to fix?”
Phoenix stood and walked to the doorway, pulling along Pearl as he headed towards his kitchenette. “I think there might be some eggs in the back.”
Maya followed behind them, squishing past as soon as the hallway was big enough. She ran to the old white fridge Phoenix had all but covered with magnets. “Is that in front of or behind the spoiled milk?”
Phoenix gave her a long look as Pearl let go of his hand and climbed onto a stool. A mismatched set of them sat to either side of a round table, and she’d picked the shortest. He sighed. “It was still good, last I checked, but that was before Hazakura.” He scratched the back of his neck, fingers caught in hair that had stuck there while he’d slept. “Guess there really hasn’t been time to grocery shop.”
Maya’s face fell for a split second before her frown was replaced by a radiant smile. If he didn’t know her so well, Phoenix might have missed it entirely. He winced. She had just lost her mother a second time and here he was running his mouth. He shouldn’t have mentioned the temple.
“Then we’ve gotta stock up while we can.” Maya said, physically shaking him out of the thought. She let go of his arm. “Fifteen inches Nick! The big one-five.”
“FIFTEEN INCHES?” Phoenix exclaimed, nearly tripping as he dashed the ten feet it took to reach the television. A reporter smiled at him from the screen, standing outside of a bustling city hall. He talked about city wide preparations for the “Mega” storm, but Phoenix’s full attention was on the scrolling text by the reporter’s waist.
TOTALS EXPECTED BY REGION
Phoenix blinked and any remaining traces of sleepiness left his body. “Maya, that’s fifteen inches average.”
The young woman hopped onto the couch beside him. “Average?”
Phoenix couldn’t help but laugh. “We’re expecting twenty-five.”
***
As Grocer-Save’s sliding doors opened, the girls ran past Phoenix and into the bright and warm interior. The store was mostly empty, but Phoenix was sure that would change in a few hours. He shook his head, grateful for once that Maya and Pearl were early risers. He could only imagine what it would look like after people got off of work. The thought consumed him as he pushed the least squeaky cart Pearl could find.
They could only carry so many bags home, but as the cart began to fill he couldn’t bring himself to protest. With each item she grabbed, Maya did a little dance and Pearl was over the moon at the prospect of bagged salad. All in all, it was just a relief to see the girls genuinely smile. It was a relief that it was still possible. Only days ago they were all up a mountain and fighting for their lives. He had fallen off of a burning bridge, Pearl had been alone and isolated, and Maya had almost been killed by the spirit of a dead woman. None of it felt real. No more real than when Maya had been kidnapped or when she had been accused of murder. It was just another senseless ordeal the universe had thrown at them when they were still struggling with the last. He felt helpless, like he was trying to hold water in his hands and his fingers kept shaking apart. His eyes stopped on one of the shelves and he pushed the thought from his mind. He couldn’t exorcise the grief that haunted the Fey children, but, he thought raking cans of hot chocolate mix into the cart, he could at least soften it.
By the end of the trip they were all struggling under their grocery bags, but so engrossed in the discussion of making snowmen that no one complained. Maya already had plans for a snow samurai, complete with an icicle blade and button eyes of justice, and Pearl waited on her every word. The young girl had never made a snowman and was consumed by the idea of sculpting anything at all. It’s not like they’d had time when she’d last seen snow. However, all these thoughts were cut short as they reached the bus stop.
Maya shrieked and stuck out her tongue, her face angled towards the sky. It was already beginning to snow.
Phoenix sniffled bitterly. He couldn’t decide if he was sick of cold weather or still just sick. “I thought it wasn’t supposed to start until noon.” He said, his cold-flushed cheeks extra pink as he struggled with a bag of soup cans.
“It’s probably those extra ten inches getting an early start.” Maya supposed. She gave Phoenix a friendly elbow in the side. “Lucky you’ve got me and Pearly to keep you informed. You’d still be in bed if it weren’t for us.”
Phoenix’s only response was a sneeze.
***
As they walked the final block back to Phoenix’s apartment, the bottom fell out of the temperature. Maya and Pearl had each borrowed one of his old sweaters before they’d left, but every one of them still shivered as they walked headlong into the wind. Maya was certain it was trying to blow them back to the bus stop and all Phoenix could do was shrug and keep walking. He mostly agreed with her. But, through all of the huddling and breathing out long puffs of fog, they eventually turned a corner and all at once a familiar brick building came into view.
The girls cheered.
As they triumphantly walked up the steps to his apartment, Phoenix fumbled for his keys and jogged to the front of the group. The door was opened with a click and a shove and the three of them all but tumbled forward onto the carpet. Phoenix kicked the door shut and dropped his groceries. He had only one thing in mind. He walked to the thermostat and turned the dial up as high as it would go. After the last few weeks, he’d worry about his bill later.
Reinvigorated by the change in temperature, the trio made quick work of emptying their shopping bags. Pearl arranged non-perishables in cabinets, while Maya threw out and replaced nearly everything in Phoenix’s fridge, making faces at old take out containers she declared were more mold than food at this point. Phoenix laughed and took that as a cue that it was time to cook something. Digging through blocks of noodles and chocolate bars, Phoenix grabbed one of the half-dozen bags of pizza snacks Maya had picked out and threw them on a clean cookie sheet. He didn’t even bother to preheat the oven.
After they’d finished both organizing and their early (and slightly burnt) lunch, Phoenix settled into the couch and turned on the TV. He’d been hoping for more specific news about the week's forecast, but every channel seemed dominated by the developing story around flight cancellations. Resigned, he’d turned it to a cartoon channel and scooted to the side as Maya and Pearl piled onto the couch next to him. They watched reruns of a show Phoenix didn’t recognize but Maya knew word for word, and eventually settled into a comfortable silence.
The rest of the day passed just as sleepily. The snow piled higher and higher but all hopes of snow sculptures had died with the increasing wind chill. So instead they had continued to snack and even played a few card games Phoenix had learned in college. Pearl was uncannily good at blackjack, but the group favorite ended up being long drawn-out rounds of Go Fish. Most of these involved some degree of cheating from Maya and indignant slaps from Pearl as she was easily caught and punished. With all of the laughter from the elder Fey, Phoenix was sure Maya was getting caught on purpose.
As the sun set and Pearl’s sentences began to only end in yawns, Phoenix unfolded his couch into a twin futon. The girls brushed their teeth and began to brush their hair, but as soon as Maya had undone Pearl’s braid, the lights had flickered and gone out. Pearl shrieked and had anxiously grabbed Phoenix’s sleeve in the dark, but her panic was short-lived as he quickly scrounged a lighter and some candles. Phoenix just felt grateful that he only managed to bump his knees a couple of times in the process.
Once the kitchen table was lit, he took one of the taller candles and walked to the window. He pushed open the blinds with his free hand, and took in their surroundings. The city was dark. He thought he could see flickers of light in the distance but it was hard to tell. Even the street lamps were dead.
“It’ll be fixed in the morning.” Phoenix promised weakly, unable to keep the uncertainty from his tone. It was hard to make a promise with snow falling inches from his nose. He doubled down anyway. “The faster we get to bed, the faster we have lights.”
The sun counted as a light right?
The girls fell asleep quickly, but Phoenix couldn’t seem to do the same. His body was exhausted but his mind bounced from one thought to another and then back to the first. He’d never considered himself a worrywart but he’d also never seen weather like this, not in the city anyway. He couldn’t imagine working for the highway department. They’d seen trucks salting the roads as they’d walked to Grocer-Save, but it hadn’t done much good. Unless you considered the pockmarked snow drifts that had replaced the road a victory. Phoenix did not.
He sat like that for a while, looking out the window and just thinking. His mind turned to Maya and Pearl again. He was eventually going to run out of clean dishes…and water. He had bought several jugs at the store, but they wouldn’t last forever, and that wasn’t even factoring in the bathroom. Could he melt snow in the bathtub? If not he could boil some of it. You could drink snow water if the snow was fresh right? He sighed and his breath came out in a white mist. He looked over at the cuddling figures on his futon and frowned.
Phoenix carefully raided his closet for more blankets, tiptoeing as he laid two old quilts overtop of the girls. They didn’t so much as twitch in their sleep. It still didn’t feel like enough. Here they were freezing again. In his apartment of all places! Could any of them escape the cold weather? He shook his head, as if answering his own thought, and began to move. Maybe they could. Phoenix pulled the comforter from his own bed and layed it over the two of them for good measure. Finally somewhat satisfied, he fell asleep on top of his own bed promising himself that the next time he went on a trip it would be to somewhere warm.
***
Phoenix woke with a runny nose and a sore throat. He was still on the tail end of pneumonia and it was no surprise that the cold wasn’t helping. What was a surprise was just how early it was. He was hit by a sense of deja vu as he shivered, looking around for a Maya and Pearl that weren’t there. He rubbed his neck, the muscles tight under his hand. He must have coughed himself awake.
He shuffled towards the kitchen, the linoleum frigid beneath his feet as he considered his windows. He scratched at one of them with his nail and his finger came away wet. “Pretty sure ice belongs on the outside of the glass.” He grumbled quietly as he reached the kitchen. He grabbed the lighter from where he’d left it on the table and thanked god that his apartment had a gas stove. With a burner quickly lit, he warmed his hands. His mind began to race as his fingers thawed. They couldn’t stay here forever, not with the power like this. It was better than being outside, but as drafty as his apartment could be, it wasn’t by much. He realized that there was a lot he couldn’t do so he forced his mind to settle on something he could. He could make something warm to drink.
He grabbed a mostly clean pot and poured half of a jug of milk into it, turning the stove up to medium as he dug out one of the hot chocolate canisters. He dumped the entire thing into the warming milk and gave it a stir with a spoon. Once it was bubbling, he found a plastic cup and scooped some into a pink mug that said “IVY UNI”. He took a sip. It was cheap hot chocolate, but if anyone had asked, Phoenix would have sworn it tasted like a miracle.
“Mr. Nick?”
He looked down to see Pearl at his hip. He hadn’t even noticed that she’d woken up.
Her voice was very small. “Can I have some?”
“Of course Pearls! Do you think I could drink this all on my own?” He flashed her a winning smile and found another mug. He made sure to grab one of the smaller ones. “Tell me when to stop.”
“Hmm. Mmm. Stop!”
“Perfect!” He said with a flourish, his hair sticking at weird angles as he shook his head. “Here you go. Be careful. It’s hot.”
She nodded and sighed as she took it in her hands, holding the mug against her face.
A loud yawn made him turn. “Morning Nick. Oh look at that! You’ve always talked about wanting to try hot chocolate Pearly. Hey…where are the marshmallows?”
“I don’t-” Phoenix began and then sneezed into his shoulder. “-Cabinet?”
Maya made a face. “Are you okay? I thought you said you weren’t sick any more.”
Phoenix merely shrugged. “Mostly.”
Maya rolled her eyes and grabbed one of the blankets from her and Pearl’s shared bed, wrapping it around Phoenix’s shoulders. It was his own comforter. “You really gotta take better care of yourself.” Maya admonished him.
Phoenix waved away her comment and filled another mug with hot chocolate, passing it to her and then wrapping the blanket around his head like a hood. “When have I not been the picture of health?”
Maya plopped onto the couch. “Right now.” She grabbed the remote and gave it a shake when pressing on didn’t do anything.
Pearl sniffled from above her cup. “Is the power still gone?”
“Heyyy. It’s okay Pearly!” Maya said, popping up in an instant. She crouched down and put her hands on either side of Pearl’s shoulders. “It’s just like being at home. Only half of the buildings in Kurain have power anyway.”
The child nodded, but it was clear she was only partially convinced. “But Mr. Nick is sick.” She hiccupped. “What if he…”
“I’m fine.” Phoenix reassured, swallowing another sneeze. “It’s just the tail end of that cold from last week. Don’t worry about it. There’s some medicine in the cabinet.”
At the word “medicine” Pearl relaxed slightly and she sat near the tv. She sipped her hot chocolate thoughtfully. “...Okay.”
“I’m actually going to call into town.” Phoenix said, walking back to his bedroom. “I think I saw some lights last night and if anyone knows, City Hall will.”
“What about Gumshoe?” Maya yelled after him. Pearl’s voice followed a second later. “Scruffy detective!”
Phoenix shook his blanket-covered head. “I don’t know-” He began, but was interrupted by his phone ringing, of all things. He rushed into his room and dug it out from where it had been charging and subsequently buried by clothes. He flipped it open without looking at the caller.
“Hello?” He said, unable to keep from sniffling as he did.
“Wright?”
“ Edgeworth .” Phoenix sighed and walked to the window near his closet. “You know I’m actually glad to hear from you. Crazy weather right?”
“You are Wright.” The other man replied in a half joke.
“Hey! That’s my line.” Phoenix complained with no heat. He smiled. “They finally teaching Prosecutors how to joke?”
“If only to put up with our rivals at the defense stand.” Edgeworth countered.
“Speaking of. Do you-” The words caught on Phoenix’s teeth for a second. “Do you have power by any chance? Not that I’m trying to invade on your privacy or anything.”
“That was actually the impetus of my call.” Edgeworth informed him factually. “With the widespread outage, the Prosecutor’s office is one of the few places in the city with power. It, City Hall, and a few other important government buildings retain electricity due to back-up generators installed in the 90s.”
Phoenix whistled through his teeth. “Well that’s lucky.”
He could hear Edgeworth’s frown through the phone. “If you consider planning ahead, luck.”
“If it were,” Phoenix said, scratching the back of his neck. “ I wouldn’t have any. Anyway. I’m assuming you didn’t call just to gloat.”
“Gloat?” Edgeworth scoffed. “Of all things... I called to inform you that extra rooms at the office have been opened for friends and family due to the freezing conditions. Need I remind you that you nearly died last week and then acted in court while suffering from pneumonia.”
“It sounds bad when you say it like that.” Phoenix admitted. “I guess…I guess I’ll probably take you up on that offer.” He shut the door to his bedroom and lowered his voice. “Pearls and Maya are with me actually. Maya didn’t want to go straight home after Hazakura and neither did Pearl. Do you think there’s enough space for all of us?”
Edgeworth thought for a moment. “It shouldn’t be an issue. When in doubt we could even put cots in my office.”
Phoenix sighed in relief. “Thanks.”
“Of course.”
“ Wait .” Phoenix started in realization. “Wait a second. Aren’t you supposed to be back in Europe?”
Phoenix heard a soft chuckle across the line. “With every flight canceled until further notice?” Edgeworth asked. “Leave it to you to throw yourself from a bridge a week before a winter storm.”
“I resent that comment.”
“Objection.” Edgeworth replied easily. “You resemble it.”
BEEP.
Phoenix pulled his ear away from his cell phone, squinting at the screen.
“Wright?” Edgeworth’s voice hovered distantly.
“Aw man. I swore I…I...ugh the power.”
BEEP.
Phoenix groaned and then cradled the phone back against his head. “Sorry, my battery’s dying. Will you-”
“I will arrive within the hour to collect both you and the Feys.” Edgeworth finished for him.
Phoenix glanced out the window again, his voice a little skeptical. “Does your sports car have 4-wheel drive?”
“No, but my rental does.” Humor laced Edgeworth’s words. “ Lucky how that worked out.”
BEEP.
Phoenix’s own tone was humorless. “Ha. Ha.”
“I will see you soon, Wright.”
“Sure. Thanks Miles. Bye.”
Phoenix opened the door and walked into the hall. Both of the girls had migrated to the table.
“How does everyone feel about a field trip?”
They stared at him from over their hot chocolate as Phoenix leaned against the wall. “The Prosecutor’s office has power.” Phoenix told them. “Edgeworth is picking us up in an hour. Looks like we need to pack.”
“Mr. Eh-ji-worth?” Pearl asked.
“You’re joking right Nick?” Maya added. “Really?”
Phoenix nodded his head.
“Woah.” Maya said, nodding along with him. “ You can tell things are bad when Edgeworth invites us over for a sleepover. I thought he’d had enough of us at that victory dinner.”
“A sleep-over?” Pearl questioned.
Phoenix laughed at them both. “I wouldn’t let him hear you call it that.”
Maya stuck out her tongue.
Pearl scooted out her chair with a squeak, abandoning her cup. “Mr. Nick, do you have a thermos?”
He walked toward the cabinets, kneeling to rifle through the ones under the sink. “Uhh. Somewhere probably. Why?”
Pearl looked over his shoulder. “Do you think Mr. Eh-ji-worth likes hot chocolate?”
Phoenix’s mouth opened in a silent “oh” of understanding. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate the gesture even if he doesn’t Pearls.”
“This is going to be so cool!” Maya shouted, rolling all the blankets on the futon into a large bundle. “Think about all the weird back hallways that building has. I wonder if there are any secret passages.”
“In the prosecutor's office?” Phoenix buzzed his lips. “You’re lucky if you can find the vending machines.”
Maya blinked at him. “How would you know? Have you spent a lot of time there Nick?”
Phoenix shrugged, actually thinking about it for a moment. Had he? He frowned, without knowing exactly why. “Sometimes you have to bum a ride off of Edgeworth. Which is exactly what we’re doing now. Stop asking so many questions and keep packing.”
Maya lifted her hands in surrender, grinning at him. “Okay. Okay! Gosh Nick, when are you going to learn how to drive.”
Phoenix knocked over a pan and winced. “When it’s cheaper than the bus.” He said sharply.
“It is cheaper!”
Phoenix didn’t answer, instead plunging his arm into a pile of old tupperware containers. After a moment he pulled out a tall metal thermos. He held it out like a present, despite the fact that it was dented in a few places. “Here you are Pearls. Do you need me to fill it for you?”
“Yes please.”