[SCENE] Jake and Miles in "Lady Lana's Lovers"
Miles: *It's a nice spring day, if a bit windy. Clouds roll across the sky as if they've got somewhere to go and Edgeworth observes them as he walks his beloved dog Pess, who's now getting on in years. Of course this doesn't keep him from straining at the leash a bit when they come into eyeshot of the park* Heel. *Pess complies and shortly they're in among the gently blooming and budding trees and greening grass. The prosecutor seems to be enjoying himself, though there's something a bit off about his aspect. At irregular intervals, he sneezes and brings a handkerchief up to wipe his face crossly*
Jake: *Jake walks down the street, generic white plastic shopping bag full of groceries in hand. He'd gone on foot to feel the breeze against his face. Taking a longer route, he happens to be passing by the park while Edgeworth is on his way there with Pess*
Miles: *He might not have noticed the unmistakable figure in the cowboy hat if it weren't for the faulty leash. The metal connector to Pess' collar comes loose suddenly, and as soon as the pressure is off, the dog trots off as he's accustomed to doing at the leash-off dog park. Edgeworth reels in the leash irritably and looks up to watch his dog speeding up, tail wagging as he heads towards a familiar cowboy. He cocks an eyebrow and murmurs flatly,* Oh, joy.
Jake: *notices the collie running up to him; he smiles amicably as Pess sniffs at his boots and bag* Whoa there, fella! *crouches down to scratch the dog around his collar* Got loose, did ya?
Miles: *clears his throat as he approaches* Pess. *the dog turns as Edgeworth walks up and gives him a guilelessly pleased expression. Edgeworth nods stiffly to Marshall* Good day, Marshall. I see you've met my dog.
Jake: *acknowledging the other man with a nod, considerably more relaxed* Afternoon, prosecutor. A fine amigo you got yourself here. *scratching Pess behind the ear* A real friendly sort.
Miles: *he looks down at the dog, softening a bit* Yes, he gets along with most everyone. He came to me with such a good disposition. *Gives Jake an appraising up-and-down look* You seem to have settled back in.
Jake: Wyoming's counties are somethin' to behold, but this city's second nature to me. *pats Pess on the head before standing back up to face Edgeworth* It's like slipping into an old pair o' boots. Doesn't take long to do up the laces.
Miles: *considers this* Hm. Do cowboy boots have laces now? *shrugs as he leans down to clip the leash to his dog's collar, giving it a bit of a yank to be sure it won't come off again. Before Jake responds* Metaphorical language, of course. Don't mind me. I understand that feeling well enough. No matter how far I go, I still feel most at home here.
Jake: A traveling man. *smirks* What's it like, hittin' the trail so often, I wonder? Back in the old days, crossing the mountains often meant you're quittin' home for good.
Miles: *raises an eyebrow at that* It means little in the present day. Though you're liable to come back and find things have changed in your absence.
Jake: Of course. That risk's been there since the dawn of man! *nudges his hat with his thumb* That's one good side to livin' out in the country. Things don't change much over there. Folks in the city get over-bored easy.
Miles: You don't suffer from that affliction?
Jake: Nothin' dull about this place. *looks off into the distance* It's all in what you make out of what you're given. So, no, can't say I do -- if anything, this train's goin' too fast.
Miles: *follows the cowboy's gaze, then turns back to look at him with flat eyes. He speaks with a bit of dark humor in his voice* And yet you still hit the trail, as it were. For what reason, if not boredom?
Jake: *reflective, still looking off* My train hit a loop. Didn't have no destination and didn't know whether I was comin' or goin'. So I had to hit a switch on the tracks and make my own destination. *facing Edgeworth again* Had to take action, with the way things were.
Miles: Hmph. *he scowls sourly all of a sudden, then takes a step back and turns, lifting his handkerchief to his mouth and sneezing a couple of times facing away from Jake. He sniffs haughtily, but there's really no making something like that look sophisticated* Pardon me.
Jake: *smiling* Bless you.
Miles: *clears his throat and leans down to scratch Pess behind the ears as he sits patiently waiting* I can't say I don't understand the feeling. *stands up again, narrowing his eyes* And yet somehow I think you could have handled it better. With all that dogged persistence you possess, you couldn't manage to do something as simple as keep in touch.
Jake: *his expression falls to a carefully neutral one* How much did she tell you?
Miles: Very little. To be honest, I never asked. I would have been comfortable with having a purely social relationship with Lana, and so I never pressed the matter. *tilts his head thoughtfully* We didn't speak at all of it until some months after you stopped writing, but she seemed very distressed. *looks back at Jake* I don't care to hear your excuses, if you have any. It's a matter of the past and no longer any business of mine.
Jake: *lowers his head, hat rim shadowing his eyes as he keeps his gaze on the prosecutor* Wasn't intendin' on giving you any, pardner. Me and bambina's relationship...it was already as good as dead. I'm sure she'd realized it, too -- either she didn't want to admit it, or she "settled." Whatever the case, someone had to put the nail in the coffin.
Miles: *Jake's words don't seem to sway him, he raises his voice a touch* And I saw how well you did that.
Jake: *steadily* You didn't see a thing.
Miles: *with a cold smirk* That sounds accurate to me.
Jake: *reaches into his shopping bag, taking out an opened bottle of water* Who put the burr in your saddle? I ain't on trial here. *unscrews the cap and takes a few gulps*
Miles: Defensive enough for it. *he again pays attention to Pess, who is alert to the tension between the two men. Looking at his dog and not the other man, he speaks more calmly* It is ungentlemanly of me to be so sour towards you. I must not be as detached as I claimed.
Jake: *crouches down and pours some cool water into his palm, offering it to Pess* Defensive? Like I said -- I don't have an excuse. Just statin' the facts, prosecutor.
Miles: *Pess eagerly laps up the water, tail wagging at just the right level to be very distracting to Edgeworth. He scoots to the side and looks over at Jake, the two on eye level more or less* The facts as you see them. You're aware that witness testimony is rarely reliable.
Jake: *watches the dog slobber over his hand* And you're aware in this scenario, you're the witness. Not me.
Miles: *seems unconcerned* I report the facts as I see them as well. Whether they lead to any form of truth is not for me to decide. *stands* The same goes for you. You may have wanted to think it so simple, but it clearly wasn't.
Jake: *wipes his hand on his jeans and stays down there* ...Is the white knight done trotting around on his high horse now, hmm?
Miles: Please. *As Pess sticks his face up into Jakes and gives his chin a lick, Edgeworth crosses his arms irritably* If we're going to use broad, condemning strokes, I may as well ask you to get down off the cross.
Jake: *gives Pess a few generous strokes on his head and behind his ears before standing up, slinging his shopping bag over his shoulder* *tugging down on the brim of his hat, his voice low* Keep your judgments to yourself, and I'll keep mine. Out of the two of us, I ain't the only one who cut a path abruptly. *starts walking the opposite direction, towards home* To my credit, I said my proper good-byes and left a forwarding address.
Miles: *Pess skirts close to Edgeworth as Jake walks off. Edgeworth's voice is neutral as he calls after the man* I left with no one to whom to say a proper goodbye. That's the difference between you and me.
Jake: *says nothing in return and doesn't look back as he walks away*
Miles: *watches Jake leave with the barest note of displeasure in his expression. It flees as he looks down at Pess who is in turn looking up at him expectantly. The two of them get back to their walk as if it hadn't been interrupted in the first place. Edgeworth, not being the type of person to talk excessively to his dog, remains silent save for commands for the rest of the walk*