Dashie Wright: Competent Co-Counsel

by Terabyte West

It's only September.

September 6, 2016

Grossberg Law Firm

9:00 AM

Phoenix finally found the law firm, a good 17 blocks away from the detention center. Walking into the front door, he found himself jealous of the presence of the receptionist. Throwing the bias aside, he walked up to the desk where he was and spent a good while trying awkwardly to get his attention.

Rainbow Dash lost her patience with her dad's stalling after barely 30 seconds. Out of sheer disdain for businesslike conduct, she sat on top of the important papers, shooting puppy-dog eyes at the man on the phone. A mere "I'm gonna have to call you back." was muttered by the guy before he set the phone down, never breaking eye contact with Dash.

Unprompted, a hand flew behind Rainbow's ears, scratching furiously. "What is it?" He asked.

"Can we speak to Marvin Grossberg?" Phoenix asked, the receptionist losing eye contact with Rainbow. The receptionist pointed to Phoenix's left, showing a door with a small plaque on it.

Marvin Grossberg
Attorney at Law

Phoenix opened the door, letting Dash fly in first, and he got his first glimpse at Mia's apparent mentor.

When did Peter Griffin go red-and-green colorblind? The mustache that covered about half the distance from the two sides of his face didn't stick out very much. Rainbow, on the other hand, seemed to have an uncanny attraction with the guy, and perched herself unto his shoulder, getting his attention.

"I want a Steel Samurai T-Shirt for Christmas!" Both human beings in the room facepalmed with enough force to prompt Marvin Grossberg to lean dangerously back in his chair. He muttered something about this not being the first time he was treated like Santa, and set the pony down on his desk.

"Not the best foot to start on, I take it?" Phoenix asked, doing what he could to show concern and stifle his laughter.

"Not really." He said. "What is this about? You don't seem to need an attorney; I can tell by the badge."

"It's not me," Phoenix confirmed, taking a seat across from Grossberg. "someone related to someone I knew needs an attorney, and they wanted you because you seem to have the most concrete relationship with them."

"There's a girl named Maya Fey-" Rainbow piped up, only to have a hand shoved over her mouth by Marvin.

"Well why didn't you say so? I'll gladly take the case."

"Thanks. Make sure you send the bill to her, her sister's death has placed us both in a financial hazard." Phoenix said, smiling sheepishly.

September 6, 2016

Fey and Co. Offices

9:45 AM

"Dad, what are we doing back here?" Rainbow asked. "We got Santa to handle our case, what's left to do but let him take over?"

"I still feel like I need to help out here." Phoenix said. "I can't help but shake this feeling that Redd White's gonna have plenty of monkey wrenches to throw into our plans."

"Actually, I think there's one place we need to check out." Rainbow interjected. "When I was comforting Maya, some lady across the street was calling the cops about the murder. I recognized her from some of the newspapers with Redd on them. I think there's something worth noting about her.

"She was at the hotel across the street. I hope she still is."

You miss all the shots you don't take. Phoenix decided, stepping out the door.

September 6, 2016

Gatewater Hotel

10:00 AM

The main foyer was about as grandiose as any four-star hotel. Phoenix envied those with the money to stay here overnight, but he had a job to do. The reception area up front had some character playing a flash game, as no one had checked in and there was no call for accommodations.

"Excuse me, we're looking for someone."

"Yes, can you give me a name or description of what they looked like?" The receptionist asked, pausing the game.

Rainbow hovered up to rest her forearms on the counter, in deep thought about what she looked like. "She had... pink hair... a pink button-up shirt-"

"I think I know who you are referring to. Lemme see." The receptionist brought up the customer database, and brought up a picture of some cute young lady with a vaguely matching description of what Rainbow said.

Phoenix looked at a news clipping Rainbow gave him, and even though Phoenix's picture had no color, the comparison was clear-cut. "Yep, that's her."

"Well, she's in room 413. I can give you a card if you like, just please return it when you're done?" They both nodded affimative, and they were given a plastic card with half of the Gatewater building pictured in black and white on the side.

September 6

Gatewater Hotel

10:05 AM

Sliding the card into the lock, a satisfying "click" was heard as the green light shined. Phoenix opened the door, entering the room to find nothing off, save for one drawer having cables coming out of it.

Curious as to the source, Phoenix opened up the drawer, and was slightly underwhelmed by what he saw. Nothing more than a black box with two wires from it.

Phoenix snapped a photo of both it and the attached screwdriver before noticing that the shower was running in the bathroom. Bringing his finger to his lips to tell Rainbow to be quiet, they made sure to tread lightly on the carpet. Once they were both sure they were out of earshot, Phoenix closed the door, careful not to slam it, and then they hi-tailed it to the elevator.

September 6

Gatewater Hotel

10:30 AM

Phoenix and Rainbow had spent 15 good minutes pondering where to go from there, Rainbow wanting to show the picture to "Scruffy Detective" to learn what it was, whereas Phoenix wasn't in any rush to get things done, before Phoenix's phone started buzzing in his pocket.

"Yes?" Phoenix asked.

"Mr. Wright." A familiar, raspy voice said.

"Oh, Mr. Grossberg!" Phoenix exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. "How's the case coming along?"

"For unforeseen circumstances, I can't take Ms. Fey's case."

"Redd White?" His silence on the end said absolutely everything he needed to know. "Look, he's going to get it someday, it's just a matter of time when."

"Well, him, but also the prosecutor for the case. No attorney worth their salt would take on Miles Edgeworth."

Phoenix's eyes widened as his grip slipped from the phone. Rainbow Dash was able to catch it before it fell, allowing her to carry on the conversation for him.

"Sorry, Daddy's mind just snapped and he doesn't seem to be moving. He'll call you back later."

Rainbow stretched out her wing to fold the phone back in, and pushed on Phoenix's back, leading him to the couch. "I don't know what he said, but I'll give you some time to process it. But the more pressing matter, do you want to defend Maya?"

She barely saw him nod.