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While it was understood that deep co-operation between the defense and the prosecution on cases was a moral dilemma, sometimes cases were far too complex for one side to handle on its own. In times like this, the powers that be would neglect to enforce that particular standard, allowing for moments like this to develop.
Phoenix found himself perched on the end of the very elegant couch in Miles Edgeworth’s office on a sweet spring day. It was almost idyllic, with the cherry blossoms planted outside of the window shedding its leaves in excessive amounts, painting the streets below the prosecutor’s office pink. In front of the window displaying this scene was Edgeworth, his affect one of a concentrated frown as he flicked quickly from one page to another, going backwards and forwards through a log of evidence.
Phoenix had been doing the same (although, not as enthusiastically) for the past few hours with little progress made between the two men. He glanced down at his watch, having to concentrate to see through the cracked glass. Their morning of investigation had transformed into missing lunch as the clock continued to tick forward despite their steadfast progress. Phoenix groaned for a moment, looking at the prosecutor who look equally defeated.
“We should take a break, Edgeworth. We’re getting nowhere at the moment.” Phoenix said, as Edgeworth pushed the papers on his desk away from him
“I concur, I feel as if I’m just going in circles at the moment. I’d like to open a window to get a draft through the room if that’s ok with you?” Edgeworth suggested, already rising from his seat
“By all means, go ahead. Do you want me to open the office door?”
“That won’t be necessary. I prefer to ensure our privacy while working a case anyway.” Edgeworth said as he stretched his body upward, struggling for a second before he managed to latch on to the black, plastic handle and to yank it down, pushing it forward. He turned back around to see Phoenix hiding his face behind his arm as he tried desperately not to laugh directly at Edgeworth. He brushed it off, rubbing his eyes for a moment before he stared down at the city street below.
“I know there’s more to this case, I just… can’t pinpoint it. It looks just like a locked room mystery, but here’s more here, I can feel it. I just need to push through.” Edgeworth thought to himself
“It’ll all come out. It always does. Just sitting here and pondering about it isn’t going to get us anywhere, and it won’t help to think too much about it on our- achoo- break.” Phoenix said, his rather emasculating sneeze making Edgeworth turn to look at him, very amused.
“What on Earth was that, Wright?” He asked, holding back a laugh as Phoenix hid his face in his hands in embarrassment.
“I-I don’t- achoo- know! I must be allerg- achoo-ic to something.” Phoenix tried to say, constantly interrupting himself to sneeze. As he desperately tried to cover his face, he felt the inside of his sleeve grow soggy and sticky from the snot leaking out of his nose. Edgeworth grimaced at the image, before rummaging through his desk drawer in search of a tissue.
“Here.” He said bluntly, handing over a large, untouched box of tissues he’d had stashed at the back of the drawer for moments like these.
“Oh, th-th-achoo! Thanks, Edgeworth.” Phoenix said, accepting the box and attempting to dab away at his sleeves, shuddering in disgust slightly as he seemed to only make the issue worse as it seems to make the snot go stringy and spread further down his arm. He then grabbed a fistful from the box and began blowing his nose furiously on them.
“Do you usually sneeze like this, Wright?”
“What, like a-achoo, like a maniac?” Phoenix asked, sneezing directing into the bundle of tissues
“I was more referring to your more feminine way of sneezing, but yes, that too.”
“Oh, ha ha. No, I’ve never sn-achoo- sneezed like this before.” Phoenix said, gasping for air at every chance he got. Edgeworth thought for a moment, looking at his investigative partner almost doubled over on his couch and then to the open window next to them.
“Just out of curiosity, are you also experiencing sore eyes in any way currently, Wright?” Edgeworth asked as he’d began again to search the insides of his desk for something
“Yeah, but I thought that-choo- would just be the tiredness of reading evidence logs all day, why?” Phoenix asked from behind his pile of tissues
“Well, just wondering if your sneezing could be a hay fever symptom. In which case, I assume we need to go out since I can’t seem to find any antihistamines of my own.” Edgeworth thought aloud, slamming his drawer closed with more force than usual.
“I don’t th-achoo- think that this is pollen. Hay fever season isn’t due for a f-f-achoo- few months, I always buy my hay fever tablets closer to the time so I don’t have any right now.” Phoenix sneezed, barely able to keep his sentences together.
“That’s grass pollen, which is later in the year. Other pollen types do exist, such as tree pollen, which is active this time of year. You know, the type of pollen that cherry blossoms would produce.” Edgeworth said, gesturing to the window behind him, the large cherry blossom trees clearly in sight from where Phoenix was sitting.
“Ah.”
“Let’s utilise this break time we’re taking to get you some medication from a local pharmacy. And, we will only be going to a pharmacy. Time is of the essence in this case.” Edgeworth said as he jumped feebly at the open window, latching on for dear life and dragging it closed with a heavy bang sound, which deafening out the deep growl coming from Phoenix’s stomach.
“Could we could stop for lunch on the way? It is around the time we usually take it.” Phoenix suggested, before sneezing aggressively again into the growing gathering of tissues in his fists.
“I mean, it depends, what time did you have breakfast Wright?” Edgeworth asked as Phoenix tried desperately to avoid looking at Edgeworth.
“You haven’t had breakfast today?!” Edgeworth exclaimed
“No, I mean, I a-achoo- ate really late last night and that’s basically the same thing, right?” Phoenix implied weakly, being shut down by one ferocious glare from the prosecutor.
“I suppose our trip out could be to a pharmacy and a local café if you were amicable to the idea.” Edgeworth said as he slipped his wallet into his blazer pocket.
“Yep. Fine with that. We could get it to takeaway if you wanted to- achoo- work through lunch.” Phoenix said, heading towards the door at a breakneck pace
“I think it’s better we eat outside the office. Prevents the smell of food from lingering in the furniture.”
“I’ll be paying by the way, since I’m salaried and you won’t be paid until the conclusion of the trial.” Edgeworth added as they both left the office, Phoenix still sneezing as they went
“You don’t need to do that, Edgeworth-“ Phoenix started, before he collapsed his face into his arm as he began to sneeze yet again.
“Nonsense, I fully understand the financial gap between us and it’s unfair to treat your income as equal to mine. Plus, getting you medicated and fed benefits me greatly as it makes your company more tolerable.”
“Wow, thanks Edgeworth.” Phoenix said sarcastically, rolling his eyes
“Perhaps we should… get you your antihistamines first. Just in case your rather enthusiastic sneezing gets us kicked out of wherever we choose to eat.” Edgeworth joked as Phoenix continued to sneeze desperately into his sleeve
“Yeah, I can’t afford to lose a-achoo- suit to sneezing here.” Phoenix joked back, receiving an unwanted look of pity as they continued down the corridor towards the stairs, Phoenix sneezing the whole time as his eyes began to swell and water.