*Tiny little black kitten goes up to Mia and looks up to her*
@headofrdi
Mia had been sitting on Rick's sofa, relaxing after a hard day of training. She'd honestly been starting to feel a bit defeated. She just wasn't picking up on things as quickly as she'd hoped. The basics had come easily enough, but pushing past that, to get stronger, well it seemed like she'd hit a wall of some sort. Maybe there was still a part of her that was unsure that she was doing the right thing.
Her thoughts were distracted when she spotted a black kitten, that was absolutely out of place. "Oh...you're really really cute" she spoke with a grin, leaning down and picking it up. "I don't know where you came from though" she pet its head as she looked around, "Rick?.."
“Did I look as sexy coming out of the water as I thought? I was really trying to go for fantasy right then and there.” Titania smiled as she wrapped her towel around her and made her way towards Mia. Titania was happy to be home after another long stretch of press tours for a Netflix series she was in. A new season, new storyline, lots of things to keep her busy but nothing quite as exciting as spending time with her girlfriend. She loved how easy it was for them to do their own thing, make time for friends and their own fun but they always found each other at the end of the night. “I was trying to give you a show,” she teased and leaned in for a kiss. “Everyone checked and accounted for? Remind me to show you the video of Vaughn taking the slide earlier, it’s already my favorite.” @call-me-two-bit
After the disaster that was talking with Dodger, Edgar was more unsure of himself as he stared at the woman a few feet away. It wasn't intentional, he hadn't sought her out, but there she was. Edgar recognized her from the pictures Nathan had shown him, even if she was older now. Swallowing, he decided to hell with it and walked up to Mia, tapping her shoulder. "Hi, uh, Mia? I-I'm Edgar. Edgar Wayne. I'm a...friend of Nathan's. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Mia took in a breath as her worries were soothed at Nilo’s words. The fact that he even trusted her enough to speak to her meant the world to her, it always had. She was glad she wouldn’t be losing him, she had no idea what she’d do without her closest friend either.
“I feel the same way” Mia spoke honestly, “I’m sorry I got jealous, that’s not fair of me...I...Im guess I got used to having you all to myself. I am really glad you’re making new friends too though” she added as she placed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Do you want to go walk around for a little while before it gets too dark?”
“Trust you?...I’m not sure that I can” Mia spoke keeping a distance between herself and the stranger. She’d learned the moment her parents had betrayed her years ago and sent her to that horrible facility that trust wasn’t a luxury she could afford.
Mia couldn’t stop the pull of her lips into a smile at the sound of the leash clipping onto her collar. Her body seeming to relax in her knelt position on the ground, at the knowledge that she was back under his control, “Yes Sir, Mister Pierce. I’ve missed you. A lot” she admitted quietly.
Mia had never expected to actually manage to escape the facility. She had been too terrified to even make an attempt during all her years locked away. Maybe that’s how she’d managed to catch the lab coats off guard because she was hadn’t fought them, not since the first few months she’d been placed there. Her spirit had quickly died out when she realized how cruel they could be when pushed. Then again she was rarely treated with any kindness there. She had been nothing more than a science experiment to them. The facility may have posed as a place to help Mutants ‘get better’ but she was sure now that was just a ploy to make family or friends who turn them in there feel less guilt if they ever felt guilty in the first place.
She had thought for sure that she’d be caught when she caught sight of the men in jet packs after her. She didn’t know the city at all, she’d gotten turned around and hit a dead end somehow in her panic. Her abilities still weren’t working, due to the drugs they kept pumped into her to keep her manageable. That was when the masked figure showed up and got her out of dodge. She didn’t come out of her escape attempt unharmed, but she was used to ignoring injuries until they eventually healed anway.
She was in the room she’d be given to stay in while she was with the group of strangers. She was still nervous, unsure if she should stay or not but she was trying her best not to let her fear cause her to run from the one place she might be safe in. She had pulled her shirt off over her head to get a better look at her injuries, when she turned around her eyes widened a bit out of surprise she wasn’t alone in the room, she hadn’t heard him come in, pulling the shirt back on over herself to ease his obvious discomfort. “It’s…its okay. I still owe you a big thank you….for…you know, not letting them take me back” she spoke timidly.
Phoenix’s decision to become a lawyer in part to save Edgeworth often is interpreted along the lines of “Phoenix changed his life to save Edgeworth because he’s gay for him.” and while I don’t think this is necessarily untrue, I think a much more compelling and realistic interpretation is that Phoenix’s reaction to seeing somebody he loves in trouble revealed to him his deep-seated desire to protect the innocent from injustice, so he became a lawyer.
Edgeworth has, in the grand scheme of things, very little to do with why Phoenix is a lawyer. he was, however, a catalyst for Phoenix unlocking that part of himself (along with Mia!). and, to me, the sentiment that love reveals who you are is much more romantic than the idea that Phoenix made a sacrifice only to save the man he loves. loving Edgeworth brings Phoenix closer in line with his true self, and it’s through his love that he sees the potential of who he could be. even if he couldn’t save Edgeworth or if he never even came face-to-face with him again, Phoenix would remain changed by his love and would stay on this path he’s realized he’s so well-suited to. becoming a lawyer was never a sacrifice for Edgeworth; it was the realization of who Phoenix is: a protector. that he realized this through his feelings for Edgeworth is almost immaterial.
Mia still was adjusting to the changes that had happened in her life over the last several months. The X-Men had somehow found out about the facility her and Nilo were kept at and had infiltrated and rescued them along with a few others that were kept there. Some of the others had chosen to go their own way, but Mia was far from ready to be out there alone. She had been grateful that Nilo had also chosen to stay with them because she wasn’t sure that she would ever feel fully safe without him with her.
It had become a bit of a habit for the two of them to take turns sneaking into each other’s rooms in the middle of the night. The nightmares from that place still made it difficult for Mia to sleep and the only place she felt safe was in Nilo’s arms. She had waited til the halls of the school were quiet before she quietly made her way through them to the familiar room. Knocking softly on the door before peeking her head inside with a shy smile, “I can’t sleep without my Nilo pillow” she whispered as she stepped the rest of the way in quietly closing the door behind her.
Mia could sense the shadows surrounding her despite the blindfold being over her eyes. The problem was the device they had around her neck was keeping her from being able to pull them to herself. To offer any sort of comfort in the frigid room that she had been taken to. She wasn’t sure where she was currently, but she knew it was no longer the facility. She had been manhandled into a van, handcuffed and kept in the dark quite literally for the entirety of the trip. Fear was radiating through her small form, as she attempted to pull her knees into herself to make herself seem even smaller if that were at all possible.
The mutant attempted again to reach out to her gift for some comfort if not for maybe some small hope of using it to escape only for a painful shock to course through her body in its place. She whimpered at the sound of footfalls approaching, taking a shaky breath. “Please...just let me go” she pleaded desperation in her tone. At least in the facility she had grown to know what to expect, she had no idea where she was or who she was with. If they would hurt her for what she was but it was clear they knew, from the precautions taken to prevent her access to her powers.