paradisa | 23 - dictated

[It's late at night when Phoenix spots the cat, as he's traversing the halls of the castle, headed back to his room.]

Oh--uh, hey there?

[Although the creature is a little too deep in his uncanny valley, he still puts on a friendly smile. It's not that much stranger than meeting a lion here, after all, right? Probably just a new resident from some weird world with bizarre cat things.]

...are you new around here?

[But the cat doesn't say anything. Phoenix shrugs and is about to wander on toward his destination, when suddenly there's a heavy weight flung into the left side of his body; he's knocked over, the journal skidding some distance away and falling open, to record the full attack.]

What--aaaaggghh!!! Get off me! Get... get away! No!

[The sounds of a struggle are plainly evident for a few moments more, before a rustling as the journal is quickly retrieved, and desperate panting, running--]

GLaDOS!!

[He reaches her door, on the same floor as his own room but further down the hall, and bangs frantically, begging to be let in.]

GLaDOS, please please open the door, please...!

[But no answer comes quickly enough, and the cat is there again, and Phoenix takes off once more, already knowing the sprint to his own room is fruitless--]

H...help! Somebody, please--it's following me! It's--

[And then a scream filled with fear and agony... and then silence, for a long while before Phoenix speaks again.

This time, his voice is hollow.]

Oh my god...

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[After another round of sobbing, Phoenix is finally able to calm himself and clear his head at least enough to speak a little bit more coherently. He stares at Edgeworth's jaw, unwilling to make eye contact and afraid to look at the left side of his body.]

How will I... how can I manage like this?

[He eases out of the embrace to look at Phoenix. He turns his head up gently by his chin.]

As I said before, Phoenix, I suspect that this is merely one of the Castle's antics. A temporary loss.

I hope you're right. I... I don't know.

[It's very reluctantly that he lets go of his grip on Edgeworth.]

I just want to live a peaceful life for a little while. Surely... something good has to happen to me again sooner or later... right?

It will.

[Rubs at Phoenix's side, where the arm used to be. It may be a bit of a morbid question, but Edgeworth wants to gauge the extent of Phoenix's discomfort..]

How does it feel? Tell me what happened.

[He winces at the rubbing, not because it hurts, but because it just feels so wrong.]

It... when it happened, it hurt like you wouldn't believe.

[His eyes are distant.]

...I could feel ripping, like my tendons and muscles... it was a nightmare.

[Or he wishes it was, again.]

Now it doesn't hurt as much. Just a dull kind of throbbing feeling. But it... feels all weird, and tingly even though it's gone...

[So, even though there's no blood, it seems as though the "cat" didn't even spare the pain...

That's downright horrifying. And Edgeworth's eyes stung at the thought.

He placed a kiss on his forehead - a rather uncommon gesture for him.]

[And Phoenix's thoughts can't escape the cat, his mind replaying the whole horrible scene over and over again.]

I hope it doesn't go after anyone else, but... it had human hands and one human arm already. I think it's been getting around.