Doesn't Shake Well :: Part 2

To be quite honest, I was only partially aware of the sound of another person in the building with me. Curled in on myself in a terrified and vulnerable position, and sure that everyone had left the building for the night, I wasn't really listening for the sound of another human. Much less one Mr. Phoenix Wright. The defense attorney, of all people, was one I had suspected to be farthest from the Prosecutor's Office. But at the moment my brain wasn't really focused on that and more on steadying myself.

Earthquakes had never been a good experience for me and they shook up more than simply the ground and surroundings. My focus and resolve was sent scattering like the illustration of gas molecules in science books. They collided together and occasionally molded into something logical but it was all too soon that I would lose that thought. The sudden jerk from stability made me shrink away from my surroundings, curling into a ball of safety on the floor as though that would make the shaking stop. I could feel my limbs absorb the vibration and soon my very own body was shaking and I was unable to control it. Left unable to move, my eyes tightly shut and feeling the dread of a cold sweat was all too often how I found myself.

The crash of the vending machine a mere three feet or so away resounded through my ears and further shook me up. My brain was racing at a mile a minute but the thoughts I could usually keep up with were slipping through my fingers; fast. In the middle of it, I heard my name. It was loud and frightened...no...panicked. Definitely panicked. It was amazing how I could focus so easily on someone else's plea in the middle of my own mental deterioration.

"Edgeworth?"

Hearing the name form in the air around me helped soothed me a little, like a single strand I could clasp onto for the time being. I still couldn't move, of course, but hearing something that sounded familiar was calming. From there it was a matter of time as I built up from that small piece of information I had been given. Edgeworth. Miles Edgeworth. I'm twenty-five. My eyes are gray...and so on.

A hand clasped a bit nervously onto my arm and I shrank away, grating my nails hard into my scalp and forcing my hair away from my face, "Don't touch me!"

Wright backed off immediately, so quickly some of the glass crunched under his feet and I heard him bump into the machine that lay on the floor. What a foolish mistake on his part. Typical Wright, assuming that getting closer and attempting to touch me would assist. Didn't he understand that a terrified Edgeworth was the same as any other? The room fell into silence around me and I tried to absorb that into my system just as my body had done with the shaking building. Unfortunately, the process was never a quick one and I had learned not to try to rush it. Halfway through I realized that this was the third or so time I had been seen so weak in front of my rival. In mute tones I scolded myself for it but knew that this part of the night was beyond repair. No, instead it was a matter of pulling myself together and keeping the resolve I normally carried.

I carefully uncurled myself from my position but didn't stand, instead I eased my hands away from my head and planted them firmly on the ground. The gesture of checking the vicinity and making sure that they were stable had become habit to me now. As I went through the motions Wright wisely chose to stay away until I was back on my feet. It required some assistance from the wall and, even as I stood, my legs were shaking, but I leaned against it and did my best to hide it.

Even with my eyes closed I could hear Wright rising, it must have been killing him to stand there helplessly. Watching me with so much unused helpful energy ready to vomit itself up in the form of a crutch or comforting words but trusting his better judgment, as usual, and staying away. If I were anymore myself I probably would have enjoyed that very much and opened my eyes to see the expression, but for now I just kept them closed and waited for my body to settle. It must have been at least ten minutes after I was up for either of us to dare speaking.

"Are you-"

"No," I answered flatly. Was I fine? Going to be okay? Alright? At the moment that answer was no and I didn't feel much like being asked such a pointless question. My lungs filled with a few deep breaths before I opened my eyes partially to a world that was clear yet moving. I glanced towards Wright who had once again fallen into silence but was staring at me with a disturbing eagerness to assist. I allowed my eyes to fall closed again, "Water...if you'd please." I hesitated between the phrase, unsure if I really wanted to add that last part. But the thought of one word statements made me feel even worse about myself and that was not something I felt like going into.

I heard him open his mouth, either to protest or insist he help me to my office first, "Water, Wright. Now." My tones were steady and firm, being sure to keep my voice from quivering in the least. Thankfully that worked, because I heard Wright race out of the room in search of the nearest source of water.

I let out a breath that shook terribly and felt my jaw begin to chatter, my body shivering once again. Gripping the smooth wall as well as I could with one hand, I moved the other up to rub at my eyes. Even though I was back on my feet, everything felt unsteady and blurred. When I was younger I'd have cried by this point, but somewhere along the tedious chain of life I had come to accept it. Earthquakes were just one of the many things that remained beyond my control. It was nothing to cry over, crying would only make me weaker. No, it was yet another difficulty meant to be accepted and handled as well as I could manage.

Unfortunately, there were other physical signs of weakness. Such as curling into a ball and quivering for half an hour or more.

Soon Wright returned, the glass crunching under his feet as he made his way towards me. I lowered my hand and opened my eyes to watch him, but stayed against the wall. With its surface at my back I felt reinforced despite the fact if I were to stand on my own it was very likely I'd collapse. The few and far between nature of earthquakes didn't give me nearly enough to get used to them so when they did happen the symptoms were never light.

Phoenix held out the cup from a reasonable distance but didn't step back once I took it. At the moment I didn't particularly care what his reasons were, I was more focused on getting the water into me. It's chill helped alert me and my body resisted the shaking it had started up with again. The cold and tasteless liquid was a far cry from the tea I would have preferred but until I could return to my office this would suffice just fine.

After the cup was empty I crushed it and let it drop from my hand to the floor, allowing its presence slip to the back of my mind. There was a tenseness on the air that shouted words that weren't said. I didn't feel like talking but it didn't surprise me that Wright very much would have liked to right now. His uncertainty around me nearly made me laugh but at the same time I liked the feeling of control. He wouldn't do anything unless I told him it was okay; it felt nice to know that.

Opening my eyes again I waited for the world to calm, focusing on Wright's eyes across the room. Grey was intently fixed on me, waiting and watching for any twitch in my face or composure. After a few minutes I opened my mouth and something physical seemed to change. As though I could see that he was hanging on my every word.

"Don't just stand there," I grumbled. Like a puppy waiting for the go word, Wright practically lunged at me and I very nearly flinched. But his hand moving around my back to steady me at the waist and his gentle guidance of my arm along his shoulders was enough to make me feel a tad foolish over something like that. Of course Wright wouldn't have jumped me.

The particular manner of assistance seemed a bit much at first but as I started trying to move I realized Wright had the correct idea all along. My legs still felt weak and I couldn't have managed more than two steps without him to lean against. Simply forcing myself to manage as much of my weight on my own as I could was enough to keep me from thinking how utterly pathetic I felt.

-----------------------

Getting Edgeworth back to his office wasn't exactly easy but he seemed focused on carrying as much of his weight as he could. I set him down on the couch and almost immediately he seemed to cling to it. Seeing the usually fearless prosecutor clinging to a bunch of cushions was a bit unnerving but I wasn't about to make a comment. He'd already been through enough by this point.

"There's a thermos in the bottom left drawer of my desk," he said in the usual instructing tone. Most of the time that tone made me want to blow him off like a teenager with their parents but right now I just wanted to help. I found the thermos he mentioned and poured out a surprisingly hot cup of tea before setting it on the desk and walking over to pass it to him.

"You keep that in your desk all day and it stays that warm?" I asked. Edgeworth lowered his cup to chuckle into it slightly and I knew I had said something that would seem stupid in two seconds.

"Of course not. Detective Gumshoe always stops by with a thermos of tea if I'm still here after nine," he pointed out. There was the feeling of stupidity sinking in; how could I not have figured that out?

"Oh," I sighed before taking a seat on the couch beside him. It was a bit of a challenge to keep an eye on him without seeming like I was staring but by the time he finished the cup, Edgeworth seemed fairly calm. He wasn't so much clinging to the couch as relaxed back into it and his legs had crossed casually. The cup was balanced steadily in two hands and a calm, somewhat dazed expression had spread across his face. His eyes were gazing across the room but didn't seem to be focused on anything.

I'd have to find out what kind of tea that was.

“What are you doing here, Wright?” his voice cut through the silence like a dangerous but smooth piece of glass. For a moment I had to truly think about why I had stopped by and that lead to me running through much of the evening. I had gone out to dinner with Maya to celebrate a case and had seen Gumshoe sometime that night too. Picking up on the correct train of thought I turned to him and felt a slightly triumphant look cross my face.

“I saw the light in your office on,” I replied. Edgeworth blinked at me slowly in a look signaling that the answer wasn’t good enough, “Well…I…figured that you’d be here late so I was bringing you something to eat.”

This blink was different and was soon followed by a somewhat amused smirk, his cold gray eyes scanned over me, searching. Immediately it clicked and I jumped to my feet, “I must’ve left it in the other room!” Before the intent could be argued I jogged out of the room and headed back to find the bag sitting where I had left it. By the time I had returned, Edgeworth was seating himself back on the couch again with a refreshed cup of tea and the thermos on a small table beside the couch.

I passed the bag to him but he simply set it in his lap for the time being and continued to down the warm liquid. Sitting down again seemed slightly awkward so I fumbled for a minute before putting my hands back in my pockets and looking around the office. Law books were neatly lined along the shelves that overtook the wall behind Edgeworth’s desk, much neater than my own back at Wright & Co. Law Offices. The file he’d been looking over sat beside a bag with the word ‘evidence’ in blue ink standing out in an almost haunting way. It seemed almost strange to think that Edgeworth would work so hard like I did yet appear so collected in court. Maybe it was stupid to think he could develop something to go off right from the get-go but it always seemed that way. Did I seem that way to him too despite my long nights trying to find clues?

“Was that all, Wright?” I could tell by the tone he knew my offer of sticking around to help was swelling and he wanted to cut it off. Turning around I found that he’d opened the container and was shifting through the contents with a pair of chopsticks that he hadn’t broken apart yet. His eyes weren’t even on me and more on the meal though he didn’t look hungry. The earthquake had probably sucked the hunger out of him for the time being.

“H-Huh? Oh, y-yeah,” I stuttered. His eyes came up to peer at me through light hair and he closed the box as though he hadn’t realized I was watching. There wasn’t anything in there he didn’t like and we both knew it so throwing something out would have just have looked stupid. I gave a bit of a smile before turning to head for the door, “You should call someone about that machine.”

“Thank you, Wright,” the reply was crisp and strong, I had to hide the smile that had bloomed because of it. Nodding I reached over to pull the door shut behind me as I left but was unexpectedly pulled to a standstill, “Wright.”

“Hm?” Turning partially I noticed Edgeworth had returned to shifting through the food and broken apart the chopsticks. Whether he was attempting to pretend he was fine or was seriously hungry was impossible to tell but I waited silently for the response.

“Hand me that folder and evidence off of my desk before you go.”