Pearls

Chapter 7

"Right, time to get back to work."

Phoenix opened the door to the office and walked over to his desk. He made himself comfortable in the office chair and placed his satchel on the ground next to him, pulling out the case files he used in today's trial. As he booted up the computer, I stood behind the doorframe with Pearl in front of me. He didn't seem to take notice of us. Most of his attention seemed to be taken up by the report he was about to write.

Knowing him, this report is going to take a while before he's finished. He's a great attorney, but he ought to take a break every now and then too. Still, this gives us enough time to figure out another plan.

Pearl and I nod in unison to one another and leave our post. We close the door slightly to make sure our voices weren't overheard by the preoccupied attorney and sit on the couches made available in the front room.

"So...what do we do? It's obvious now that he likes Edgeworth, there's no denying it. The way he pleaded for Edgeworth to stay, how he kept looking at him throughout lunch, his reaction to the waitress' behaviour...he seemed so heartbroken after Edgeworth left too."

"He really did."

"What do you think we should do next? I thought the lunch date today was pretty good." As I spoke, Pearl looked to be in deep concentration. "Maybe we should do another one? This time it'll just be the two of them. And a bit more thought out and romantic. Today was really all out of the blue."

"I think we should do something big."

I sat there, baffled. "'Something big'? What do you mean?"

I watched as she pulled out a piece of paper and some crayons.

Where did she get those? She wasn't carrying them before.

She started to draw two stick figures, one blue with black spiky hair and the other red with dark grey hair. Stopping to think, she picked out a pink crayon and drew some hearts above them.

"That's...cute, Pearly, but what are you trying to draw? What big thing do you have in mind?"

Pearl continued to stare at the drawing in front of her, tapping the crayon in her hand gently on her cheek. Unsure of what to do whilst waiting, I got up to get a cup of water from the office sink.

What's something big we can do for them? And how big is BIG? I think the biggest we could go  for is a wedding, but that might be taking it too far. Ah, refreshing water. My throat is dry from all this talking. That reminds me, Charley will be needing some water right about now.

I retrieved a jug that lay upside down beside the sink and filled it with water. Before making my way out of the kitchen, I quickly made a cup of coffee for Phoenix, knowing he'd be feeling drained of energy. I walked carefully with both water and coffee in hand to the office. I knocked twice with my foot before pushing it open. Upon entering, I found Phoenix still typing away on the keyboard. I smile as we made eye contact. "I'm just here to water Charley. How's the report going?"

Phoenix rubbed his eyes and face. "It's going along great," was the muffled reply. As I made my way around the desk I placed the cup of coffee beside him and tapped his shoulder gently. He looked over and mumbled a thank you, picking up the coffee and swallowing half of it. I chuckled lightly before turning away to water the firm's mascot. A small clink of the cup hitting desk was heard. No other sound was made aside from the water being poured onto the plant. Finished watering the plant, I headed towards the door.

"Maya."

I stopped in my tracks and faced him. "Yes, Nick?"

"I was wondering...what do you think of me?"

I quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Phoenix fiddled with a pen, spinning it around in his hand, not making eye contact. "I mean as a person. Do you think I'm okay to be with?"

I tilted my head in confusion. "Yeah, I think you're great to be with. I always think it's fun to hang out with you. Why do you ask?"

A sigh laced with regret escaped his mouth. "I don't know. I just feel like I'm not enough, not living up to my potential."

"Nick!" My eyes widened in shock. "Don't say those things! You're more than enough. You ARE living up to your potential. Why are you saying those things?"

Phoenix shook his head. "I...I don't know. I just thought maybe I wasn't..."

He swung his chair around, facing away from me. I sighed deeply. Walking over to him, I reached for his chair and turned it around. Sadness welled up inside of me as I looked at him. His face had fallen and his eyes were brimming with tears. I picked a few tissues from the box sitting on top of his desk and gently dabbed at them.

"Shh. Don't worry, everything's okay. Everything's going to be alright," I cooed.

He just nodded and let his tears flow, sniffling and sobbing softly. I rubbed his arm slowly and pulled up a chair from opposite the desk. Sitting down, I looked at Phoenix and held his hand in a comforting manner. "Now, Nick. Do you mind telling me what's making you upset?"

With deep, shaky breaths, Phoenix tried to calm himself down. "N-no. I don't mind." Steadying himself, he placed his hands on the arm rests of the chair and planted both feet firmly on the ground as if he was bracing himself. "But please promise you won't tell anyone else. Please?"

I nodded. It was the only thing I could do as I waited patiently for his answer.

"It's...about Edgeworth..."