The Ties That Bind

Chapter Ten: The Panty-Dropping Prosecutor

"Give me that!" Franziska suddenly heard Miles' agitated voice in the background before he spoke directly into the phone. "Miles Edgeworth speaking."

"Greetings, liebling," she managed to say pleasantly, even though she was inwardly fuming. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"No worries, I will always make time for meine dame," He assured her.

"Me being your lady is knowledge that seems to elude a few," Franziska intoned with mock sweetness. "It appears the strange girl on the line was unaware of my identity? Do you have that many women calling you regularly? I inquired if I had caught you at a bad time as you seemed too busy to answer your own phone?"

"Of course not!" Miles groaned. "I just don't make my subordinates privy to my private affairs unless absolutely necessary." He then attempted to muffle his next words but she heard the dangerous note to his voice nevertheless. "So help me Kay Faraday, if I ever catch you filching my phone again..."

"I told you I was the Great Thief, Yatagarasu!" Crowed Kay, whose voice Franziska recognized from earlier. "It took you this long to notice? I swiped it an hour ago!"

"You're supposed to steal the truth! Not my cell phone!" Miles sounded exasperated. "Now could you go get a Swiss Roll or something please? I need some privacy for a few moments."

"No problem, Mr. Edgeworth. I'll get lost. But I'm kind of short a few dollars. Can you help me out here?"

Miles muttered unintelligibly under his breath. "Here, take this ten."

"Thanks! But hey, what about Gummy? Can you give me some money so I can get him one too?" Kay needled.

"No! Let him buy his own snacks," Miles grumbled.

"Well, I'm sure he would if you paid him more! Come on, I've got to get him one, too, or else he's going to guilt me into sharing mine, as he undoubtedly will whine that he's always starving because he's living off nothing but instant noodles!"

"I am not the food bank, Kay!"

"Don't be such a meanie! Give me money for Gummy or I'll just stand here and force you have an audience while you have phone sex with that sultry-sounding German lady!"

"That's Ms. Von Karma to you!" Miles retorted. "Here, take this twenty. And I want my change back this time!"

"Thanks Mr. Edgeworth! You're awesomesauce!"

"Yesterday, I was amazeballs," Miles confided to Franziska once it appeared his assistant was out of ear-shot, in a reluctantly amused tone. "And that was because I bought her lunch. The girl thinks I'm a walking ATM, apparently! Good grief, now I know how Wright feels about the expense of supplying his assistant's bottomless burger diet!"

"She sounds awfully fond of you," Franziska observed, a hint of misgiving in her voice.

"You've met her before," Miles reminded her. "As a child, and then again in Los Angeles, when you were investigating Tsubasa Kagome's murder for Interpol. We've both known the cheeky little imp since she was a 10-year-old whippersnapper who blew her nose in my cravat! She's naught but a child."

"Oh yes, the little raven-haired hissing cat of a girl now turned Ninja? I remember now. I also recall she's a comely teenager at the present, and more woman than child."

"Regardless, the girl-child is still a minor, and my assistant, nothing more," Miles stated firmly. "Besides, she's 17, so completely illegal. Not to mention way too immature and young for me, even if I wasn't already spoken for, which we both know I am."