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Ema Skye's first case after reluctantly joining the Police Department wasn't easy or pleasant.
It felt a little bit as though the universe just wanted to make it as awful as possible for her. She was still coping with the fact that she hadn't been accepted for the position of a forensic scientist (which was total bullshit, she was more capable for the job than anyone else they could consider, and she totally deserved it) only to be thrown on some kind of messed up murder case all by herself. As if that wasn't enough, it turned out the prosecutor she'd have to work with was not only her ex-whatever (she still hadn’t found the right label for their relationship in her head), but also the man responsible for Phoenix Wright's disbarment.
She thought that she could maybe make it a little more pleasant for herself by sneaking some of the scientific methods she had dreamt of using at work all her life into the investigation, but getting told off for that by Klavier Gavin of all people would probably be even worse than having to face any repercussions at the precinct later. So all she could do was just bite the bullet and see the case through to the end, especially since the little thing she had planned for after the conclusion would be totally worth it.
Edge-worth it, even.
(No, her humor has become so much worse than when she was a kid. Seriously, how come a girl in her mid-twenties was already making dad jokes?)
Mr. Edgeworth was actually the one who reached out to her first when he found out about her return to LA for good (from Kay, most likely), asking to reunite after her first case and update him when she found out whether she got accepted into the forensics department. Unfortunately when she messaged him back regarding the latter, she had no good news to bring him, but she couldn't disappoint him completely by not coming to the arranged meeting. She'll just have to do her best to tone down the complaining to a minimum.
The Prosecutor's Tower was a building Ema used to visit much more often when she was younger, but she could still make her way around it with her eyes closed. This time however, rather than heading straight to the top where the Chief Prosecutor's office was located, she found herself at the door with the metal plaque saying “1202 M. Edgeworth” and knocked twice.
“You’re here already, Ema?”
If it were anyone else implying a jab at her tendency to be late everywhere, she'd probably get offended, but she just didn't have it in her to genuinely get upset with this man. Not after everything they've been through together.
“Haha, I couldn't keep you waiting.” She gave him a bright smile like she always would and followed him to sit down on the ever so comfortable couch in his office while he prepared her tea.
“You seem rather tired, are you sure you wouldn't prefer a coffee to wake you up?”
“No, it's fine…” It was very nice of him to offer that in the first place — Mr. Edgeworth was much better at expressing frustration with his face and voice than affection, so this little gesture served as a much appreciated sign of care.
He didn't insist on it, instead sitting down next to her with the small fancy teapot and two teacups. Just the first question he asked about Ema's first case was enough for her to start talking so much that she didn't even remember to drink her tea. She mentioned pretty much everything that's been on her mind since it all ended the previous day, and brought up the “glimmerous fop” at least a few times, in case the man didn't catch just how much the prospect of working with him, of all people, frustrated her.
“It's not fair! I'd much rather swap him out for you, Mr. Edgeworth… then again, who wouldn't in my place?”
“Believe me, it's not often that somebody is this willing to work with me. Most people are still scared of me.” He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused with the little joke at his own expense, successfully getting a laugh out of Ema.
“Well, I guess, but you just feel like a different person around me than you do in the courtroom!” She definitely wasn’t exaggerating — the Mr. Edgeworth who checked up on her well-being almost the way a parent would and invited her over to his office to cheer her up was nowhere near the demon attorney he’s been known as in the world of the law. But, of course, she wasn’t complaining, it always felt good to have somebody like this in her life, especially while Lana was in jail.
“Might be… still, I believe you most definitely have a chance at getting to work by my side one day. Maybe even as a forensic scientist.”
“Pfft, nooo, I still need to learn a lot, apparently.” She wouldn’t normally be so modest, but being praised by somebody she looked up to so much did make her a little nervous.
“I’m serious, Ema. I need you to accept this setback — failure, if you insist on calling it that — and let it encourage you to pursue what has been your goal from the start. If there’s somebody who can achieve this dream, it’s you.”
With how skeptical Ema has been about her own qualifications and the legitimacy of that test recently, she probably wouldn’t actively listen to anybody trying to cheer her up and encourage her to actively keep going for it, rather than just try to sneak scientific investigation methods in every once in a while. But for some reason, hearing it from Mr. Edgeworth felt different. Maybe it’s because of how long she’s known him, or because of how much he’s changed ever since she first met him, from a corrupted prosecutor into a man who followed the truth above anything else. Maybe it’s the way he was willing to do anything in order to achieve that, even if it meant the risk of losing his reputation or his position as a prosecutor. Even if the way things turned out for him in the end was a little lucky in its nature, he inspired her not to give up, to keep looking for ways in which she could improve and get closer to her goal.
“... Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Edgeworth.”
If there was somebody who could convince her to stay on the path to achieving this dream, it was him.