Chapter Text
Maybe this isn't a good idea.
It was a warmer than average winter day, the sun was shiny, clear skies, birds were singing and there weren't many cars in the streets, on the other hand, everything surrounding Edgeworth was visibly darker, his hands were so cold that they were numb, his heartbeats were loud and getting faster every second threatening to break out of his chest, the sing of the birds felt like his funeral song, accompanied only by the sound of his shoes slowly being dragged towards the door of the Wright & Co. building.
Edgeworth's hands felt heavy, as if he was carrying a bag full of rocks on each side, and when he had a grip of the cold and smooth knob of the door, a shiver ran all over his body.
Nowadays you can learn about anything on the internet, so there really is no reason to involve others. Not that thinking about this would matter when Edgeworth was already taking the stairs to get to that office.
He drew a breath. Each step was a step further from the exit and closer to the end of his already wretched social life. First he tried to hide his presence, walking slowly, trying to not make any sound, but as the seconds passed, he found himself running and at the verge of screaming and just turning around for considering this foolish idea in the first place. Before he could contemplate the idea of running away to keep intact what little dignity he had, he bumped into the office's door.
Only ten seconds passed until the door opened, revealing a confused, yet happy Maya. " Mr. Edgeworth? Why are you here? " Edgeworth let himself in and after a quick scan of the office, which had clearly seen better days, he made his way to the small girl watering a plant that clearly was more experienced than the current chief of the office.
He didn't hesitate nor looked at the others inside the office when they called for him. If he did this fast, maybe he would avoid the embarrassment for now, and well, if it wasn't her, it would be either the young, childish, Steel Samurai enthusiast, noisy and reckless assistant/new Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique, Maya Fey, or his mediocre, average, boring, unlucky, single and somewhat reliable childhood friend, Phoenix Wright. Hands down the easiest choice he had made in years.
" Your name is Pearl Fey, am I correct? Is it acceptable if I call you Pearl? " Pearl finished watering the plant and looked at him with the biggest innocent smile he had ever seen.
" You may call me Pearl, Mr. Ed-egeywor! " Her poor attempt at saying his name touched Edgeworth's heart.
" If Edgeworth is too complicated for you, you can call me Miles. Is that better, Pearl? " Pearl nodded with the same energy her smile had.
" Ok, Miles! "
Now that he had introduced himself he could ask what he needed and leave without exposing himself more time. " Listen, Pearl. I have to ask you something, it's of vital importance and you have to keep it a secret. " Pearl looked at Wright and Ms. Fey, who were caught red handed trying to hear the conversation.
" So I can't tell Mystic Maya or Mr. Nick about it? " After delivering the pair of peepers a deadly glare, Edgeworth continued his affair with Pearl.
" No, specially they shouldn't know about this. They don't have to know about what we are about to talk about. Can you keep the secret for me, Pearl? " Pearl toyed with the watering can in her hands, and after darting her eyes everywhere she finally nodded. " Great. Listen, I need your help regarding… dates. I, I invited a certain person to have dinner tonight but I don't know what to do. " Even talking about this with the girl he barely knew was hard, he could feel his blood pressure rise and the office suddenly felt warmer.
" Is this person your special someone? " Pearl Fey is a young, cheerful, curious and usually shy kid. Edgeworth hasn't had the chance to meet her on more than a couple of occasions. Even if she had caught him with his defense low with that response, it was better than any teasing Wright could offer or any ruckus Ms. Fey would do after knowing the situation. He was embarrassed, that's undeniable, but it was still better.
" Wh-what do you mean by that little girl? " Edgeworth found himself taking a step back when the girl's eyes changed, it was as if she was looking at his soul, her eyes were turning deep, as if they were hiding something inside. A very powerful and cold gaze trapped Edgeworth, it was almost hypnotic, he was getting scared when a hand warmed his left shoulder.
" Hey! D-don't mind her too much Edgeworth, she, uh, likes to do that, a lot. Gumshoe had it rough when he first met her too, ha ha ha… ugh. " Wright saved him from the little girl. Who knows what she is capable of, but even Wright was noticeably nervous, trying to hide it with a terrible attempt of laughter.
" A-anyway, why are you here, Edgeworth? It's not common for you to visit us, perhaps… " Wright set his hand in motion to his badge, it was slow and the movement looked so natural. The lawyer had certainly practiced it countless times in the past. " Are you in need of an extremely professional attorney like me at your service? " Phoenix had a tendency to present his badge everytime and he always had that smug face while he accommodated the badge on his lapel to make it look better. This was the first time that Edgeworth experienced it first hand though, he had only heard about this from Gumshoe in the past, maybe he wasn't getting paid enough for dealing with this in every encounter.
Giving up on all hope, Edgeworth decided to confront Wright. " Wright, you have to promise me to never mention what I'm about to ask you, not even a word about it. Understood? " Wright replaced that annoying smile out of concern and in a more serious tone asked
" What happened? Is everything alright? Did something happen to Franziska? A-Are you leaving again? " Edgeworth had to hold himself to not slap Wright to bring him to his senses and calmly waited for him to end his attack of questions.
" I appreciate your concern, but you don't have to worry Wright, everything is alright. " Edgeworth could see how his words relieved his friend, and his assistant who was peeping behind. It was true that he was leaving again soon, but that detail wasn't important.
Edgeworth looked away, already ashamed of what he was about to ask. " This is a private matter, a tad embarrassing if I may add, so I'd really appreciate discretion about what I'll ask. " Wright waited a moment and then realized Edgeworth was expecting an answer so he nodded vigorously with his eyes wide open.
" O-Of course, Edgeworth! You can count on me! " Wright turned around and dashed towards Ms. Fey, they mumbled something, then she clenched her fists and with determination walked to Edgeworth.
" You can count on us, Mr. Edgeworth! Shoot your request, we as a team will help you, no matter what task you ask us to do! " As energetic as she was, she went and crashed on the couch, taking a stance that suddenly made Edgeworth feel tired, her levels of laziness were highly contagious. That explained some of Wright's traits.
" I want you to give me advice for a date tonight . " The room went silent as if the idea of Edgeworth asking for advice was enough to crash both of their minds. Then both Wright and Ms. Fey burst into laughter. Why do I even bother? Edgeworth headed to the door when something pulled his suit from behind. He was ready to explode and send everyone to hell when he saw that it was Pearl who was holding him back with watery eyes. " Please Miles! D-Don't leave yet! We can help you! "
Edgeworth could see how Wright shrank when Pearl approached him with her left hand on her shoulder and her right hand raised. That girl wasn't normal for sure. She slapped Wright on his right cheek and he fell to the floor. That hand was way too heavy for her size. " Apologize to Miles now, Mr. Nick! That was rude, and mean! " Pearl relieved the tension on her shoulders as she turned around to face Ms. Fey. " Mystic Maya, uhm, you should apologize as well. That wasn't proper behavior for the current master. " Pearl seemed to have a weakness for a Maya, embarrassed all of a sudden and happily smiling. It was painfully obvious that she was biased.
Wright looked apolegic at Pearl, who raised her hand again and Wright quickly turned his eyes to Edgeworth. " I-I apologize for my inappropriate behavior, E-Edgeworth. Don't worry, we are friends and that's what friends are for, we got you. A-am I right, Maya? " The apology lacked meaning, it was clear that he was more afraid of that little girl than guilty for laughing. Edgeworth could let it pass if that meant that he would leave the building sooner.
" O-Of course, Nick! You don't worry, Mr. Edgeworth, we'll help you with our knowledge of romance in the media! Even Pearl will help you. " She looked at Pearl, who easily went from her menacing stance to her usual self, smiling and giving small hops. " Yes, Miles, there's nothing to worry about! "
Edgeworth was surprised by the great relationship they all had, it looked like they depended blindly on each other, they were taking turns to talk and even the little girl was part of the team. Maybe he should improve his teamwork with that detective as well.
But even if they were a good team, that didn't mean that they would be great advisors, Wright could be either a whiny boy or a devoted partner, Ms. Fey would date her first partner in 10 years at least and everything Pearl would know probably would come from the Kids' Masterpiece Theater or any fairy tale she had heard about. Regardless, it was worth a shot.