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For the umpteenth time since that night not yet two weeks ago, Phoenix fiddled with the ring on his left ring finger. Miles knew he was just getting used to the new sensation and - he smiled at the memory of the conversation - Phoenix was still surprised he'd been offered it at all, but all the same there came a quick burst of nerves. No matter how eagerly his new fiancé talked about their relationship and upcoming wedding, Miles couldn't help but worry that maybe he was having second thoughts, that there'd been some mistake or miscommunication and everything was going to fall through.
"I'm so happy we're doing this."
And then came statements like that, with those bright and loving blue eyes, and all the worries flowed away. Unfortunately, that particular sentence brought Miles back to the present moment, and all the anxieties that came with it.
The drive was deceptively tranquil considering what awaited him at the end. It wasn't as if he had any personal grudge against the Master of Kurain - really, it had been so long since their last meeting that he was beginning to miss her quite considerably - but as for what he was asking her to do, well… It hadn’t ended so well for her mother.
"Hey," said Phoenix once his partner didn't respond to his earlier statement. "It's going to be just fine."
Miles felt his stomach fill with a sweet contentment as his hand was taken by Phoenix's - it was amazing just how good a simple touch could make him feel even after all this time - but the fear remained churning somewhere deeper within him.
"As I said," Miles said quietly, tightening his other hand's grip on the steering wheel, "there are reasons why I haven't done this before."
Phoenix rubbed his thumb along Miles'. "Considering we're not making the poor man talk about his own murder, I'm sure this will be a much nicer experience than his original channelling."
"You know I still have trouble believing in all this spirit medium nons-" Miles cleared his throat. "-all these spiritual things."
"Miles we had lunch with my dead mentor last month."
"I do wish Pearl would give us a little more warning before bringing her cousin back from the grave for tea," said Edgeworth, and Phoenix let out a chuckle. "Still, the whole concept opens up so many endless philosophical questions about life after death - far more than it answers - and I must admit… It worries me."
"Maybe you could ask him today," said Phoenix. "About, uh, death."
"I'd rather not know, to be honest," said Miles. "Death is the business of the dead. It feels like prying to know even this much." He stretched his shoulders, pulling into a more upright, serious posture Phoenix usually only saw when he was working. "And I can't help but feel that talking to the dead gets in the way of the mourning process. Losing a father is supposed to mean losing a father, not…" he sighed. "Not whatever this is."
"If you don't want to, if it's going to be too difficult," said Phoenix. "No one's going to make you talk to him."
"No." He fixed his eyes to the road before him and tried to ignore his fiancé's concerned eyes. "I want him to know, to know about me," he relaxed slightly. "About us."
Phoenix let out a nervous laugh. "Let's hope he approves of you getting hitched to some dodgy, once disbarred lawyer who cross-examines animals to win murder cases."
At this Miles gave a genuine smile. "We just have to tell him about the parrot," he murmured.
"What? No defending my honour?" asked Phoenix. "I just insulted your betrothed!"
Miles just shook his head and hoped his partner couldn't tell exactly how nervous he was about gaining said approval.
The immaculate German sports car (not the one that landed Lana Skye in jail, but a newer, more burgundy one) rolled through the gate to Kurain Village to be greeted by an incredibly excitable figure running down the path.
"Yo, Nick!" cried Maya, practically dragging her best friend from the car. "It's been too damn long!"
"Easy there, I actually need that arm," joked Phoenix, "but boy, you're right. You have to come down again soon, and before the wedding!"
Maya crossed her arms. "Why don't you come up here? I've got my hands full dealing with training all the little ones, go on, help me with that!"
"For the sake of your order, I'd suggest getting someone a tad more qualified," smiled Edgeworth, and Maya let out a little shriek of delight as she rushed to pull him into a bear hug.
"And you! It's been even longer!" she chided. "And when you do finally come up here, you put me to work! Remind me again why I even bother with you two?"
Phoenix shrugged. "Beats me," he said, and endured her playful slap.
"Is it just you today?" asked Miles, looking about at the rather empty village.
"Yeah, Pearly's been in the wilderness doing solitary meditation all week," said Maya. "She's real sad she won't be able to see you. Just another reason to come back again soon, though!"
"Alright, alright, we'll be back as soon as possible," said Phoenix. "Just no more sad Pearls."
Maya laughed and rubbed her knuckles against Phoenix's cheeks, making some mocking comment about his fatherly nature or somesuch, as Miles could only stand to the side and fidget. If only they could just get this over with.
"Are you ready, Miss Fey?" asked Edgeworth. Despite their growing friendship over the years, the two had never really bothered to move beyond last-name basis. "I would like to start as soon as possible."
Maya turned and gave him a brief but incredibly understanding look and Miles was suddenly struck with the knowledge that she too was missing both parents.
"Of course. To the main hall, everyone!"
Maya set about preparing the channelling room and checking the size of her robes (even producing a pair of glasses of the appropriate prescription from somewhere) as an acolyte that was new to both men stood guard at the door. All the stuffing about and fussing over details only served to let Miles' concerns fester, and soon he was holding onto Phoenix's hand with a truly unnecessary degree of force.
"Stay with me," said Miles, so quietly Phoenix almost missed it. "During the channelling."
"Whatever you want," Phoenix whispered back, squeezing Miles' hand in return.
"Kneel here," said Maya, gesturing in front of her own spot on the floor. "This should only take a second." She gave Miles that understanding look again and he realised that had this happened only a few years ago Miles would have been seriously offended everyone was pitying him so much. As it stood, however, his heart slowed its rapid beating ever so slightly and he realised that if ever he wanted to do this, it was here and now, with these two helping him.
Maya closed her eyes, her breathing slowed to almost a stop and, too fast for the average eye to properly see, her features changed. One moment she sat before them as her usual self, the next she was taller, older, male, and staring, wide-eyed and confused at the room and people before him.
"Another channelling?" asked Gregory Edgeworth. "After so long?"
"This isn't about…" Miles cleared his throat, embarrassed at how suddenly hard it was to speak. "Not about the DL-6 Incident. This is a, ah, a personal call."
Something about his voice or mannerisms must have triggered something in Gregory's memory, for his eyes grew wide with shock and he immediately reached for his glasses.
"Miles?" he asked, his voice coarse. "Is that you?"
"Yes, yes it's me." Miles' voice was suddenly just as ragged. "It's me, father."
Fear and worry kept his eyes from his father's, unable to truly face the emotional reality of what was happening, but Gregory himself seemed to have no such qualms. After a sudden gasp, Miles was pulled into a tight embrace, recalling vividly every single hug he'd received as a child. It was insane just how identical it felt, how despite 26 years of growth and change and loss Miles still fit exactly the same in his father's arms. And yet… he couldn't bring himself to relax into the hug. Not yet. There was still - quite literally - a lifetime between them.
"I have," Miles said awkwardly into his father's shoulder, causing the tight hold to slacken slightly. "A lot to tell you."
"I'd imagine so," said Gregory, releasing his son but keeping his hands on his shoulders. "Even in the great beyond, however, I have heard a few stories." Here he smiled, small but sincere. "I heard you became a lawyer, like you dreamed as a child."
"I…" Miles faltered and all of a sudden the realisation that his father could possibly disapprove of every single aspect of his life came crashing down on him. His hand, halfway to the pocket where his prosecutor's badge rested froze, and he felt so many of his muscles begin to tremble.
"Miles?" It was his father who spoke, but Phoenix's hand that rested on his back.
He couldn't do this, couldn't look his father in his eye and tell him everything he'd done in the name of perfection, couldn't let him know how he'd let Von Karma manipulate him, all the people he'd hurt and how, even now, all the just verdicts couldn't make up for the ones he'd fought for himself. But his hand, still trembling, had made its way to his badge, and now all he'd become was on display for the one man he'd never wanted to see it.
There was utter silence.
"Sir, your son is the Chief Prosecutor of the state," said Phoenix. "He's prosecuted around the world and is regarded as one of the greatest legal minds of his generation. He ended the dark age of the law with very little help, he's put countless guilty people behind bars and liberated those who were wrongly accused in a tireless pursuit of truth and justice that everyone who hears of him admires. Miles Edgeworth isn't just a lawyer, he's the lawyer."
Silence again, and then Gregory sighed.
"I heard, or learnt, or however it is spirits come to know things, that after I died Von Karma took you in." The room was so quiet it seemed to absorb sound. "I was so scared of what he would do to you, but I kept thinking to myself "Miles is a strong boy, a smart boy, a stubborn boy, he'll be alright". And then when Mia Fey died I learnt from her that you weren't alright, that nine-year-olds aren't exactly experts at withstanding constant emotional manipulation and I was… Well I don't even know what I was. I think it hurt more than dying, learning how you'd been hurt and how you'd been changed. I felt so incredibly guilty for leaving you behind so young, for having you face that on your own." Miles began to shake his head, trying to say something, but his father just held his head and smoothed his hair. "For you to take such a situation and turn it into a tool of justice…" Gregory shook his head. "I believe you are a far greater lawyer than I ever was."
"Don't say that," said Miles, intending to sound biting but coming out soggy instead. "Phoenix is exaggerating, I may be Chief Prosecutor but the dark age of the law… that was him and his legal team. He's the golden boy of the legal world, not me."
"I was disbarred, you know," said Phoenix.
"That wasn't your doing at all," said Miles. "You know that."
"There's no legal career I've ever heard of that was without its rough patches," said Gregory. "Miles - Miles, listen to me," at the strength of his father's voice, Miles' head snapped up on instinct. "It is far better, it is wonderful, for you to start working for you own interests and grow to understand and appreciate truth and justice on your own than it is for all those lawyers who started bright-eyed and optimistic but ended up Grossberg-ing their way into a life of protecting their own behinds. Our path is one that requires being in constant connection with the darker side of human nature, we see greed and atrocities every day, and that is an abyss which you have avoided so well. Do you hear me, Miles? I've heard so much about you on the other side, news from people such as Mia Fey and Diego Armando, but also from people like Damon Gant and - yes - Von Karma himself. Over time I noticed how the stories changed - that's one advantage of working in law, people are always dying around you - how you went from being nothing more than Von Karma's puppet in their eyes to a man of incredible integrity. Miss Constance Courte in particular had a lot to say about everything you'd done for the legal system and yourself. I've heard so much about you, I didn't need your friend's - very accurate, may I say - summary, I have been so proud of you for so long."
Gregory pulled his son into his arms once more and rocked him slowly for quite some time. Miles wasn't sure if he was actually physically crying but he felt as if his insides had been thoroughly washed out, as if everything he'd been holding tight within him had been released and now he was clean, empty and new. It was, quite likely, the greatest relief he'd felt in all his life. So much so that he didn't even feel happy so much as completely wiped clean, as if now he could begin again, that anything could happen.
"Thank you," he breathed into his father's shoulder.
Gregory took his son's face in hand, palms cupping cheeks, and smiled softly, kindly, at Miles' now rather blotchy countenance.
"I can't wait to see what you accomplish next," he said, and pressed a kiss to his son's forehead. "Now," he smiled, pulling away. "Did I hear you call this young man Phoenix? As in Phoenix Wright?"
"That's me," said Phoenix. "I'd be pretty surprised if anyone managed to meet two different people named Phoenix."
"I doubt I'd ever forget that hair of yours," said Gregory. "But I've heard plenty about you, too. Miles wasn't kidding when he said you were the golden boy of the legal world."
Miles couldn't help but smile as Phoenix moved into that age-old position of hand behind head and blush across face. He really was easy to read when he wanted to be, and hopefully Gregory would see this as the display of trust Miles knew it was. At least so far his father seemed to approve of Phoenix, but there was still the hardest part to come…
Balling his hands into fists, Miles cleared his throat.
"Phoenix is here today not just as support, however," he said, focusing almost all of his energy into maintaining eye contact as he spoke. "He is, actually, the source of the main reason I, er, called you today."
"Really?" asked Gregory, moving his hands back to his lap. "How so?"
Miles turned to his fiancé and met what could only be called Phoenix's "contradiction face". There was a smile, confident and triumphant but also a strength and determination beneath the surface, a willingness to fight and a promise of victory. Nodding once, Miles took his hand and turned to his father, riding the wave of adrenaline and Wright-fuelled confidence before it ran out.
"We're going to get married."
Silence again.
Despite his own love of quiet, Miles found himself wishing his father would be a bit more vocal in his initial responses, especially when he kept such an impassive face. Hardly fair, he thought, desperate to keep his thoughts away from everything that could go wrong, that they just had to sit there as Gregory kept them in such an unwavering gaze.
"Hmph," he said eventually, bringing a hand up to rest against his mouth. "I knew it."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Miles, his voice brittle.
"Miles, I don't know if you noticed, but you were incredibly in love with Mr Phoenix Wright here as a child," said Gregory, and it was clear by now that his hand was trying to hide a rather amused smile. "I'm just glad that, even if you had to go through so much else, at least you were able to hold onto him."
"So," Miles paused, suddenly rather dizzy. "You… approve?"
"Naturally," smiled Gregory, "I would approve of anyone who could make my son happy. But as I said, I've heard quite a few stories from deceased members of the legal world, and quite a few featured Mr Wright here. He seems just as successful as you."
"Almost," said Phoenix with a wry smile. "Miles is smart enough not to work pro-bono."
Miles gave a small exhalation of air which those who knew him well would be able to recognise as a slight, relaxed laugh, and Gregory rested a hand on his son's arm.
"Thank you for telling me," he said. "For telling me everything. I'm so glad I got to see you again."
"I am sorry I didn't channel you sooner," said Miles. "I… It's been a long road for me."
Gregory just nodded.
"But this won't be the last time we speak." Miles' voice was stronger now, and his composure was returning. "I promise."
"Please don't feel guilty," said Gregory, and Miles twitched ever so slightly. "Remember, I am actually dead, I no longer belong on this plane of existence. My visits here should not be excessive. But that said…" he smiled. "I would not be adverse to being updated on your life occasionally."
"Would you like to come to the wedding?" Miles asked, and immediately felt bad for not discussing it with Phoenix beforehand.
"We'd really appreciate it if you could be there." Of course, while his fiancé's tendency to think on his feet often annoyed Miles, it sure did make him good at improvising.
"Would it be possible?" asked Gregory.
"Well, all the mediums we know personally are going to be in there in their own right," said Phoenix. "But I'm sure they'd be able to recommend someone who could do it."
Gregory smiled and inclined his head. "Then I would be honoured. But first… Please, tell me more about your lives. I'm sick of hearing secondhand stories from ghosts."
As he and his partner began filling in his father on absolutely everything they could, Miles finally allowed himself to relax. Phoenix had been right - of course he had, with fear no longer clouding his judgement Miles realised that his father was not the sort of man to disapprove of a son he hadn't been allowed to raise, and he certainly wasn't the sort of man to disapprove of such a well-made match. He and Phoenix really did make a perfect team, that much was obvious from all the stories they were telling Gregory. But from the way his father reacted, his comments, suggestions, where he laughed and where his eyes grew dark, Miles found that his father was just as great a defence attorney as he'd believed as a child. Another wave of bitterness at how such a parent had been taken from him momentarily threatened to overcome him, but looking at the company he was in and thinking back on the life he'd led held it all back. His father was dead, that much was true, he would never be able to work alongside Miles or lead him in times of trouble, but that was not the end of the world. He had Phoenix and all his other investigative and legal partners from Kay to Gumshoe to Blackquill to even Franziska, and with them by his side Miles knew he would be able to accomplish so much. But above all, his father loved him, would always love him, had always loved him, and with this knowledge secured safe in his heart, Miles Edgeworth was truly, finally, at peace.