139 Catch Me, I’m Falling

A/N: The last Larris chapter was a flashback to Valentine’s Day, and was still before Phoenix’s fateful trial which ultimately incarcerated Kristoph Gavin. For the next few chapters, and as always throughout the story, I cannot emphasize how important it is to please take note of the dates/times as they will be very relevant to the story, plus I tend to go back and forth a lot in the timeline. Of course, any questions or if I’ve made things unwittingly confusing, just ask/let me know! 🙂

So we are now back in the present day which is April 22, 2026, aka two days after Nick’s trial (April 20), and one day after Maya’s arrival back from Australia, (April 21) and the wedding shopping excursion from hell! Miss Fey’s nuptials are now under two months away…and the next time we see her will be at the ceremony.

Saying I love you
Is not the words I want to hear from you
It’s not that I want you
Not to say, but if you only knew
How easy it would be to show me how you feel
More than words is all you have to do to make it real
Then you wouldn’t have to say that you love me
‘Cause I’d already know
What would you do if my heart was torn in two
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real
What would you say if I took those words away
Then you couldn’t make things new
Just by saying I love you

More than words
La di da, da di da, di dai dai da

Now I’ve tried to talk to you and make you understand
All you have to do is close your eyes
And just reach out your hands and touch me
Hold me close don’t ever let me go
More than words is all I ever needed you to show
Then you wouldn’t have to say that you love me
‘Cause I’d already know

What would you do if my heart was torn in two
More than words to show you feel
That your love for me is real
What would you say if I took those words away
Then you couldn’t make things new
Just by saying I love you

La di da, da di da, di dai dai da
More than words

Larry Butz and Iris Hawthorne
Eagle Mountain Lake Area
April 22, 2026

Whenever Larry and Iris were together, she continued to love him without reservation or guile. With her growing certainty of his reciprocation, she became more confident and more enchanting to him.

Back at the magical lake where Larry had first taken her for Valentine’s Day, they sat side by side on the grass. Her head, satiny and fragrant with the scent of lavender wildflowers, rested on his shoulder as they observed the sun’s diamond-like glint on the rippling water.

Despite the serene setting, Larry intermittently wore a palpably somber expression. Each time, Iris attempted to tease or nuzzle him, but her efforts were futile. Undeterred, she plucked a single wildflower from the bush beside her and playfully tucked it behind his ear.

“Will I need to resort to buying you a jewel to bring back that smile, Lawrence?” she teased, maintaining her status as the only woman to ever address him by his full name. “Is that how one reclaims the attention of a distracted lover?”

To Iris’s surprise, her jest prompted Larry to pull her into a tight, almost suffocating embrace. “I am not losing interest in you if that’s what you’re suggesting,” he assured her. “Never think that for a minute, my beautiful Iris.”

Surprised by the force of his declaration, Iris leaned back in his arms, continuing to smile contentedly. Larry pressed a gentle kiss on her smooth forehead, and she shifted to sit in his lap, her luminous eyes reflecting her emotions.

“Must you go on another world art tour?” she asked forlornly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and burying her scented head in his neck. “It feels like you just arrived at Eagle Mountain.”

“My agent insists I leave the day after tomorrow,” he admitted reluctantly. “However, this time, I shouldn’t be gone as long as before.”

“I’ll miss you,” she said quietly, displaying neither resentment nor an attempt to guilt him about leaving – a steadfast integrity that he admired.

He didn’t want to leave. If only she asked him to stay. Her wish was his command; if only she’d exercise her unspoken right to make it.

“Not as much as I’ll miss you,” he whispered, kissing the side of her mouth.

She sighed, wrapping her legs around his waist, placing dewy lips near his lobe, and whispered just one word, so soft he questioned if he had heard correctly.

“Stay.”

The simple plea startled him, elevating his spirits as though sprouting wings. It was the first time she had ever asked something of him, conveying an immense amount of love and longing with just that one, simple word.

God help him, he loved her more than any words could express.

This is your moment, Larry, he thought to himself. Wrap your fingers in her hair; feel her pulse against your fingertips, every heartbeat belonging to you. She won’t always be this vulnerable, this open. Right now, her trust is in your hands. This is your cue to pull her closer.

She placed a gentle thumb on his bottom lip and breathed.

“Stay, stay, stay,” she whispered. “Stay… for me.”

“For you, Iris Elizabeth Hawthorne, I’ll do anything your heart desires,” he whispered back fiercely, cradling her glowing face in his hands and drawing her mouth up to meet his…

Larry Butz and Miles Edgeworth
April 22, 2026, 9:50 AM

Ka-ching! Cha-ching!

The sharp clang of a cash register ring coming from his phone jostled the artist awake, just before Larry managed to place his aching mouth against the sweetest lips on this side of heaven.

Money, get back
I’m all right Jack keep your hands off of my stack
Money, it’s a hit
Don’t give me that do-goody-good bullshit…

He swore a blue streak and reflexively clamped his pillow against his ears in an attempt to muffle out the rest of the song lyrics blaring from his cell phone, which he’d forgotten to put in silent mode before he’d passed out. It was bad enough that he loved and respected Iris so damn much that, unlike with any other woman he’d ever known, his blasted Boy Scout subconscious couldn’t even conjure up fantasies beyond the Disney variety with her! But now, it appeared that life was going to be such a bitch, it wasn’t even going to let him kiss the woman of his dreams … during his dream?!

Money, it’s a crime
Share it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pie
Money, so they say
Is the root of all evil today…

The loud ring tone had shocked him so unexpectedly from his slumber that it resulted in him somersaulting from his bed and landing, ass over tea kettle, in a tangled heap of sheets on his floor as his floundering hand groped onto his night table for his cell.

Drowsily, he managed to clamp his hand onto his cell before it stopped chiming the Pink Floyd tune.

“Mrrrmph,” he grunted as a way of greeting. Mornings were simply not his thing, especially not after barely four hours of sleep. Not even Iris’s compelling presence could soothe his aching muscles from his long, laborious days.

“Good morning, Larry.” A deep baritone with the slightest influx of British intonation greeted him.

“Morning,” mumbled the artist, trying to grind the sleep out of his eyes with his fists.

“Did I wake you?” The polished baritone sounded immediately contrite. “My apologies – I hope you won’t be too incited with me for unintentionally rising you from your slumber.

“Inside what now?” Larry grumbled drowsily. “Who are you?”

“Is this one of your non-humorous attempts at ill-timed jesting by suggesting my cadence is unrecognizable?” The voice sounded slightly clipped now, with borderline impatience. “Or have I just been gone for that long?”

Something in the artist’s mind suddenly clicked as he, at last, recognized who his mystery caller was. Of course! To whom else would he have given the ringtone of Pink Floyd’s “Money”… other than to Prosecutor Moneybags himself?

“Edgy?” He gasped, now wide awake and sitting up swiftly. “Is that really you?!”

Larry could picture the magenta-clad man giving his customary debonair bow in greeting as Edgeworth spoke again.

“Indeed, it is I. I’m not sure if it’s my reception or yours that is questionable, but you don’t sound very clear at the moment. Are we on a bad signal?”

“No, that would be my end.” The artist staggered toward the front door of his cabin. “Hang on a second, I’m gonna try stepping outside to see if that helps. Even though there’s a cell tower in Kurain that we share the signal with, the village is still about a good 20 to 30-minute trek away, so it’s a lot more patchy up here in the mountains. Wow, howdy, stranger! Long time, no speak! When did you get back in town?”

“I arrived the night before last. Wait – you’re up in the mountains?” Edgeworth asked abruptly. “As in Eagle Mountain? What the deuce are you doing up there?”

“I’ve been up here since the New Year, staying in the cabins near Sister Bikini and Iris,” Larry replied awkwardly, now fully alert and feeling slightly perturbed at the sharpness in his friend’s tone. “I offered my artist services for Maya’s wedding.”

“Maya’s wedding?! Iris?!” The barrister thundered incredulously. “What in the name of God’s elbow are you doing cavorting with both of your best friend’s ex-lovers, Larry Butz?!”

Sister Bikini and Iris Hawthorne
Hazakura Temple
April 22, 2026, 9:55 AM

Iris slept in that morning. Normally, she’d have been up at the crack of dawn, eager to spend every waking moment possible with Larry and collaborating on the cabin preparations and decorating for the upcoming wedding, but she’d gone to bed at near dawn and was feeling the effects of little sleep, even though she’d hit the hay in a euphoric state, a dreamy smile on her lips.

The reason she was so utterly exhausted, after all, was from a late-night star-gazing excursion from the night before with Larry. They’d been enjoying the meteor shower that had brightened up the jewel-lit, inky-velvet sky, and together, they’d had lain back blissfully on the flowery field, enjoying the breathtaking spectacle for hours, just talking and laughing, until nearly sunrise.

Her warm and fuzzy feelings, however, had been somewhat dampened by the phone call she’d just received from Phoenix a few moments ago. Normally, speaking to her ex was a rare, albeit pleasant, exchange, but this time, it had left her so overwhelmingly saturnine and lachrymose, that she’d felt as though a black cloud of doom had formed over her head!

Iris was still so overcome by her latest all-consuming feelings of hopelessness and despair that by the time she joined Sister Bikini in the main temple hall, she was initially convinced that in her drained and helpless state, her exhausted ears surely must have misunderstood the message her adopted mother conveyed to her.

“What do you mean you’re no longer officiating the ceremony?” Iris stared, agog, at the tiny woman, positive she’d somehow heard incorrectly. “Why in the world not? Especially after all the trouble that you went through in getting ordained?”

“Mystic Maya seemed very distraught when she informed me of the news this morning, which she hastily assured me had not at all been her decision,” the nun replied with a shrug. “But as his future wife, she can hardly go against Longines’s wishes for a different officiant.”

“And you’re not at all distressed or feeling slighted by this sudden arrangement?” She still couldn’t believe such a momentous decision had been made nearly so last minute.

“Not at all!” Sister Bikini replied cheerfully. “If anything, Mystic Maya was more distraught about this than I was! In truth, I only would have performed the ceremony as a favor to the darling girl – I’m thrilled to be able to sit and relax as just a guest now, instead of experiencing the nerve-racking, stressful responsibilities of officiating, and standing up at the altar with all eyes on me! Evidently, her fiancé has decided on quite a few last-minute changes to the wedding. He now wishes to fly in, from Italy, the priest who baptized him a baby. Who am I to deny the bridegroom his sentimental wishes to have his wedding take place in beautiful Kurain with his minister of choice?”

“The ceremony will now be in Kurain? Not even up here in the mountains?” Iris was beyond stupefied at this turn of events. “I suppose that means all the wedding guests from out of town will be staying in the village then, instead of in the guest cabins? Oh dear, I feel terrible now at how much I’ve imposed upon poor Larry all this time, and having him needlessly assist me with the preparations for those dozens of lodgings…”

“No need to lament about your fruitful labors going to waste!” Sister Bikini let out a booming laugh. “Longines is not only moving the altar location from Eagle Mountain to Kurain but to ensure a large enough venue for the suddenly expanded guest count, those cabins will still be needed, trust me! I know there aren’t enough guest accommodations in the village to house all the extra invitees, so I’m pretty sure all that hard work – and extra time! – that you and Larry have spent together won’t have been entirely for naught!”

The old woman punctuated this last sentence by flashing her daughter a sly winking grin. Normally, the knowing gesture never failed to make Iris blush, but at the moment she was too distraught to play the bashful maiden card, as another awful realization dawned upon her.

“Wait – what about my playing “The Wedding March” as my gift to Mystic Maya when she came down the aisle?” She was completely chagrined, as it appeared her peace offering to her estranged cousin had gone right down the tubes. “Is that a no-go as well now?”

“I’m afraid so. I’m sorry, Iris. I know how hard you’ve been practicing the tickling of those ivories, but I think Longines is looking into the LA Philharmonic to play the ceremonial arrangement, and some New-Age band called The Pink Tacos to be playing at the reception.”

“The Pink Tacos?” Iris echoed in disbelief. “What a bizarre name! Why in the world would the groom choose a band with a grotesque innuendo name like that?!”

“It was the best man’s choice apparently – Jean really likes pink things I guess? He opted for them because his first choice, The Shockers weren’t available, whatever that name means, hoh hoh hoh!” The nun smiled sympathetically as she saw the lugubrious expression in Iris’s eyes. “Don’t look so blue, dear girl. I’m sure by the time the nuptials take place and Mystic Maya is a married woman, all this animosity between you two will have blown over, and there will be dozens of other opportunities for the two of you to bury the hatchet.”

Maya? Bury the hatchet? As if! Probably in my back if she thought she could get away with it!

Iris was beyond miserable that her dreams of making amends had now vanished in a puff of smoke. This, coupled with the semi-devastating phone call from her ex, was the cherry topping on the poop sundae to an already bad day even worse! It seemed this was the proverbial second strike in her seemingly endless streak of bad luck …what else could possibly go wrong?!

“Well, Larry and I have a bunch of cabins to not only ensure are spic and span, but also have festively decorative surroundings,” she sighed resignedly, already heading towards her friend’s lodging with feet that felt like lead. “I’ll probably be back in time for lunch. Are you OK with having the leftover stew from last night?”

“You crazy kids have fun and take all the time you need to get things done!” Sister Bikini insisted, smilingly making a shooing motion with her hands. “Don’t worry about me at all! Mystic Matilda is coming by for lunch, and we have much to discuss, so I will be in good company. Between the two of us old ladies, I’m sure we can rustle something up for ourselves and we can all enjoy that lovely stew for dinner tonight, so you needn’t fret about cooking this evening at all.” Her dark eyes twinkled impishly. “I will ensure we have enough supper for three – just in case that charming young man wishes to break bread with us.”

The “charming young man” in question had had yet to miss a single dinner with them since he’d settled up there, and Sister Bikini knew it! The nun just simply couldn’t resist ribbing her daughter, and was about as subtle as a Mack truck!

Iris felt the customary heat already rising to her face, right on command, as she quickly scurried off without bothering to reply, eager to meet up with the only person in the world who made her believe that maybe, just maybe…there could be a rainbow looming over the horizon of this dark thundercloud that had become her life.

Larry Butz and Iris Hawthorne
Eagle Mountain Cabins
April 22, 2026 10:00 AM

“Edgy!” Larry whimpered, cringing as he held the phone away from his poor, abused ear as his childhood friend had not ceased lambasting him for his duplicity and irredeemable error of fraternizing himself so closely with Phoenix’s past lovers. “Would you please stop yelling at me just let me explain?!”

“No, I most certainly will not!” Edgeworth was inveterately fuming, pausing briefly to let some air back into his starved lungs as he rallied himself for round two of his lecture on why Larry was possibly the worst friend ever! “I was hoping you would have become more cultured having traveled the world on your art tour, perhaps even had some growth and maturity over the years, but I see I was wrong to have given you that much benefit of the doubt!”

“I don’t understand why you’re so mad at me, considering the circumstances of their breakup! It’s not like I’m trying to be the bad guy here by saying yes to the wedding invitation!” Larry cried plaintively. “Surely, you received an invitation too, since you’re a good friend of Maya’s as well?!”

“An invitation which I have since politely declined via RSVP because as much as I’m fond of the girl, my loyalty lies first and foremost with Wright! Yours should be no different, either!”

“But it’s not like I’m attending the nuptials of the wicked witch who broke Nick’s heart!” Larry protested helplessly. “It was him who dumped her, remember?!”

“That’s beside the point!” The prosecutor snapped. “You being present for Maya Fey’s wedding, never mind living within the same quarters as Iris, breaks an insurmountable and inexcusable number of violations of The Bro Code!”

Larry didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the legal eagle’s convenient reference to the unofficial guide of rules and regulations to male friendships, something neither he nor Edgeworth had even known to have existed until that fateful night at The Borscht Bowl Club when they had all conspired to get Phoenix and Maya together in the first, place seven years ago.

“But Edgy, both Nick and Maya are my friends! You couldn’t possibly expect me to choose between them, could you?!”

“Do I expect your loyalties to ultimately be with Wright, considering he was your friend first, in the grand scheme of things?” Edgeworth demanded sanctimoniously. “You better believe I do!”

“And I respect that. But, er, I just have one question…” Larry interjected meekly, scratching his head in confusion. “I don’t understand what you meant earlier when you said I was cavorting with both of my best friend’s exes. Last time I checked, Maya was his only ex-girlfriend, right? I mean Iris is Nick’s current love, not his former! I mean, was that a mistake on your part, or is there something that I’ve been kept out of the loop on?”

There was a terse silence on the phone as the barrister muttered something unintelligible under his breath. If the artist hadn’t been so certain that his normally articulate and gentlemanly childhood chum was so averse to using unnecessary profanity, he could’ve sworn it was a daisy chain of expletives that would’ve made a sailor blush!

“I misspoke in that particular with regard,” the DA conceded grudgingly. “But that’s neither here nor there! It’s even more indecorous in fact, for you to be spending so much time with the present lady in our friend’s life, seeing as how Wright is stuck down in the city, two hours away, playing single father, and cannot make it up there as often as I assume he would… desire to be.”

“I already promised Maya that I would be her official wedding artist!” Larry informed Edgeworth, his shattered confidence returning somewhat as he instinctively sensed he had somehow gained the upper hand in this reprimand. “As much as I applaud your loyalty to Nick, and understand your stance about deeming me to be disloyal by my very presence here, surely you wouldn’t expect me to break my word to the bride, who is now counting on me to be doing the sketches and portrait to capture her big day! She didn’t even ask for my services – I offered them!”

How does he expect me to recant my offer now, totally out of the blue? He wondered sullenly. Tell her, “Sorry Maya, but my self-righteous old pal suddenly felt a need to plague at my guilty conscience?!”

Just as he was about to add that not only was the cravat-wearer proposing the unthinkable and impossible in the name of friendly fealty, thusly not only letting down the future Mrs. Beaugosse but on top of that, leaving a poor old nun and a delicate shrine maiden to their own devices to set up for this momentous affair, the prosecutor snarled contemptuously as he stepped up his attack.

“What with your very existence being a contradiction, I’m not sure if you are capable of grasping the validity of my argument against this most heinous breach of loyalty or not!” Edgeworth sounded as though he were speaking through gritted teeth. “I don’t have enough brightly-colored puppets to explain in a way you’d understand! Nonetheless, I shall try to make it easier so that even you can comprehend it!”

Larry winced at the scathing words. The normally collectively calm Edgeworth sounded beyond steamed. If he didn’t know better, he would’ve sworn his friend had much more that was bothering him other than what he perceived to be the artist’s misplaced devotion.

“Phoenix Wright has been our childhood friend since elementary school and that man has bailed you out of countless messes over the years, including keeping you from being indicted for murder, while expecting, and getting, absolutely nothing in return from you!” Edgeworth unleashed his full wrathful tirade. “Your allegiance shouldn’t even be a matter of questioning, Larry! That man has always looked out for you and been steadfast by your side at all times…yet this is how you repay his unwavering loyalty?”

Larry reeled back at the ferocity of this closing argument.

I have no worthwhile retort to that whatsoever, he realized, completely crestfallen as the weight of the other man’s words sank in. What could I possibly say in my defense? Perhaps I truly am a blight on the face of humanity, as Edgy once said. I can’t do anything right. In attempting to be a good friend to Maya and a Good Samaritan with Sister Bikini and Iris, I still end up doing everything wrong and upsetting or betraying somebody else! When something smells, it’s probably the Butz, right? Well, maybe I’m doomed to forever stink and never rise above my surname! It’s pointless, right? So, why do I even bother trying to become a better man?

Iris was rounding the corner as she approached the cabin, just in time to see her usually loquacious comrade now slumped dejectedly against the door frame, his head bowed as if in submission, like a chastened puppy being scolded for peeing on the floor.

A frown of concern crossed the shrine maiden’s features as she slowly approached, noting that the artist’s normally jocund expression seemed pained as he mutely listened to whatever abuse the other party was heaping upon him, without any interruption.

“And let me tell you something else, Larry Butz!” The strangely familiar voice on the other end of the line was barking, so loud that Iris could hear it as loud and clear as though she were on the phone herself. “It doesn’t matter whether or not Wright tells you that it’s acceptable for you to be at that wedding, because we both know he always tries to take the high road and put others before himself – something you fail to do at every given turn!”

Larry’s shoulders drooped, and his gaze was downcast as he nodded his wordless agreement to this completely cruel and unfair tongue-lashing he was allowing himself to succumb to! Iris recognized Edgeworth’s voice immediately, and it didn’t take any sort of logical level of genius to ascertain exactly what he was presently berating Iris’s dear friend for.

Filled with righteous indignation on his behalf, as Larry Butz was one of the kindest and most noble of men that she had ever known, Iris reacted without thinking and deftly snatched the phone away from his ear. Cradling the mobile into her hand while giving the artist’s shoulder a consoling pat, she then directed her attention to the irate caller.

“Mr. Edgeworth! Is that you?” She cooed, in her most saccharine voice. “What a lovely surprise! Feenie told me you’d been out of the country for the longest time and I imagine you were calling Larry to let him know that you were back?”

There was a dumbfounded silence on the line and Iris could practically hear the gears in the man’s brain turning as he wracked to register who this mystery lady on the line was, as well as the confoundment at having been unceremoniously interrupted mid-rant.

“It’s me, Iris, Mr. Edgeworth,” the shrine maiden continued in her most syrupy tone, the one she had perfected years ago while playing the role of her man-eater twin sister. “Sorry to interrupt your little reunification chat, but I never did get a chance to properly express my gratitude for your assistance in getting my parole granted last year. I am so eternally grateful to you and forever in your debt.”

“Iris, er, hello.” The prosecutor coughed awkwardly as he attempted to switch his previous severe timbre, which he had reserved exclusively for Larry, into one more sangfroid. “It was my pleasure, and think nothing of it. If anything, I only wish I hadn’t been out of the country at the time, so I could have leaned on the motion to have gotten you released sooner.”

The children’s illustrator was staring at his heroic angel with an amazed on his face. Iris flashed him a little wink and returned to the lawyer.

“Well, it certainly has been nice catching up! I’m sure Lawrence would love to have you pay a visit sometime! Be sure to pop in on me, too, whenever you come up so that you and I can also have a proper reunion, as soon as you’re settled!” She trilled, ensuring her speech was as lilting as possible while doing her best to mask how irked she was at the attorney for having upset the man she loved. “Welcome back! I hate to be the bad guy and cut this short, but I’m sure our friend, the astute gentleman, did mention all the backbreaking labor that’s been involved in helping prep for this wedding, and times a wasting!”

“Ahem, yes. He indicated he was to be Maya’s wedding artist,” Edgeworth ventured hesitantly. “But I don’t think he said anything about his services being required elsewhere.”

“Lawrence is much too modest to be boasting just how invaluable a lifeline he has been up here in these penurious temple surroundings!” The shrine maiden emitted a tinkly laugh. “Sister Bikini and I would be utterly lost without him, considering it is just little ol’ me up here to do the heavy labor in readying the cabins for all the wedding guests! Also, I don’t know if you recall, but the good Sister suffers from terrible back pain, poor dear. It’s only worsened with her advancing years. Ergo, the man has just been such a lifesaver! Aren’t you lucky to have such a selfless and helpful man to call your friend?”

“Ah, well,” Edgeworth sounded extremely uncomfortable now, much to Iris’s great relish. “Yes, I suppose I am…”

“Wow, will you look at the time!” Iris interrupted, injecting as much sunshine into her cadence as possible. “Like I said, I hate to cut this short, but we have a really busy workday ahead of us! It’s been a pleasure hearing from you again Mr. Edgeworth! Hope to talk to you soon! Ta-ta!”

With that she hung up the phone, her bravado fading as she suddenly realized what a presumptuous and obtrusive thing she had just done by taking over her like some sort of meddling, emasculating Buttinsky, and acting as though a grown man couldn’t even fight his own battles! What had she even been thinking?

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to meet Larry’s eyes, unable to read his current expression and wanted to sink right into the mucky, damp spring mud that squished between her shoes and simply vanish into it, such was her shame at her unseemly behavior!

Witnessing the pain of a virtuous soul is deeply affecting. The presence of those wounded, soulful eyes compelled my intervention. However, acknowledging this does not justify my intrusion into matters that were not my concern.

“I am so sorry about that, Lawrence,” she mumbled, quickly slapping the phone back into his hand, her cheeks flaming. “I – I shouldn’t have meddled like that. I don’t know what came over me.”

The Butz stared at this wingless seraph standing humbly before him, and his mind was blown that she felt a need to be apologetic for her behavior! He still couldn’t believe this avenging angel had done something that nobody since Phoenix, during his murder trial of Cindy Stone, had done ever since –defended him! – and in the most endearing, effective, and inoffensive way possible!

The sting of Edgeworth’s words was slowly fading, and he let out a quiet chortle as he recalled hearing the prosecutor stumble and stammer for words while speaking to Larry’s self-appointed defense attorney! Iris may have missed her calling in the legal field – after all, it wasn’t every day the Prodigy Prosecutor, Miles Edgeworth, was left floundering like a fish out of water!

“It pained me to see you be spoken to in such a manner,” she continued. “It didn’t seem fair – or right – for a man that you call a friend to be treating you like a whipping boy. I just couldn’t help myself – even though it was none of my business. Again, I sincerely apologize for overstepping my boundaries.”

In that moment, Larry realized he not only loved her but sensed the universe shared in that affection, more profoundly than with others. She was uniquely captivating. One couldn’t ignore the way sunlight wove through her hair, transforming it into lustrous obsidian silk cascading around her exquisite ivory face, which remained gently lowered. Despite her belief that he was upset by her interference, his thoughts were consumed by the tender feel of her lips and how his love for her unfurled like a solitary moonbeam breaking through dark clouds, casting its glow over an otherwise pitch-black ocean.

“Edgy – he was angry, angrier than I’ve ever known him to be in all the years I’ve known him,” he informed her wearily. “He’s normally not like this. Something else is bugging him – I can just tell. That’s probably why I didn’t put up more of a fight. Also, there was some validity to his words, harsh though they were. They say nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent, but for some reason, the stuff he was saying was getting to me. Perhaps because what he said was true. I have been a very self-centered and unthinking man of rash decisions in the past. Maybe I really am a bad friend and am being disloyal to Nick by attending his ex-girlfriend’s wedding – and probably suck, even more, for actively assisting with it! I thought I was doing the right and gentlemanly thing all this time…but I guess I was wrong.”

He laughed bitterly and scuffed the ground with his shoe.

“Imagine that! Me being wrong about something! It wouldn’t be the first time. I just can’t seem to keep out of trouble – or keep from somehow upsetting the people I care for.” He jabbed his hands in his pockets. “Either way, I’m sorry you had to witness me cowering like a cornered mouse and Edgy being such a judgmental jackass! Moreover, I thank you for acting like I’m somebody worth defending.”

“Because you are!” she exclaimed passionately. “Mr. Edgeworth was wrong to utter such cruel remarks to a good man with a sensitive, poetic soul. You honored your commitment to my cousin’s wedding and selflessly assisted a helpless old nun and me out of the kindness of your heart. Lawrence, you’re not a bad friend; in fact, you’re a remarkable friend and an even better person. Your compassion for people shines through; you go above and beyond to support them. However, it’s impossible to please everyone or align with everyone’s perspective all the time. If I were in your shoes, I would have unequivocally told that unkind individual: I’m not live up to meet your lofty expectations, and you’re not here to live up to mine!'”

Her dark eyes flashed as she continued her impassioned speech, unaware of how beautiful and virtuous she looked as she did so.

“In life, absorb the useful, discard the unnecessary, and embrace what’s uniquely yours. Be genuine, have faith in yourself, and resist the urge to emulate someone else’s success. You are Lawrence Butz, and that’s more than enough for me. I wouldn’t have it any other way, and I wouldn’t change one damn thing about you!”

There was an odd silence between them following her uncharacteristic outburst, and then Larry let out an elated shout of laughter, startling the nun. Subsequently, unable to help himself, he quickly kissed her on the nose, his eyes dancing with restored humor and vibrancy, uncaring that the action made her blush to the roots of her hair.

“Thank you, Defense Attorney turned motivational speaker, Iris Hawthorne!” His formerly dismal expression was now filled with endearment. “Thank you for rescuing me from the dastardly Edgy and restoring my faith in myself, which was tragically faltering until you came along. I am forever in your debt for picking me up when I was down, milady.”

His expression was tender as he gently brushed an errant lock of hair off her face and smiled indulgently.

“I know you came here to fetch me to get on stringing up those decorative lights and paper lanterns, just let me get dressed, and I’ll meet you by the gardens in about five minutes, OK?”

“Sounds good. I have some work to do on the flowerbeds anyway.” Iris shyly touched her nose, which still felt warm from the brush of his lips as she headed off. She knew that she may have made an error in allowing him to take such liberties with a woman that was supposedly off the market, but he’d been so cute in expressing his gratitude…and she loved him so very much, it had just felt so right at the moment!

Nevertheless, she could not let herself get carried away like that with him ever again! Not considering what Phoenix had just told her…