Parcel

Maya had grown to like bagels. They were like burgers but for breakfast; the bacon and cheese was her favourite at it was always without pieces of lettuce that seemed to manage to sneak into her burger for lunch. They had grown on her, like Mr. Edgeworth had grown on her; irritable at first, but then they became something of a novelty that she quite enjoyed. She wasn't sure if Mr. Edgeworth would like to be compared to a bagel, but there you go.

However, it was eleven in the morning, and Maya was annoyed as she tore into the bagel with an uneccassary amount of force. To an outsider, it looked like she was ravenously hungry, (which to be fair, was quite often), but if Phoenix or Pearls were there, they might back a way a little in apprehension. The frown on her face gave it away, a furrowed brow with angry eyes.

Phoenix was late. And not just late by fifteen minutes, he was late by two hours.

He would walk in the office with some lame excuse such as, 'I missed the bus' coupled with a embarrassed look and a scratch to the back of the head, despite the fact that his apartment was in easy walking distance, and then would ask if he had any calls. He hadn't, the phone had been silent all morning. The silence was driving her crazy, the TV that she had at her end of the office was broken, and she had called Phoenix many many times, only to get his annoyingly cheery answer phone message, Sorry, I'm not here at the moment, but leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you Wright away!

Maya wasn't sure if he did the pun on purpose or not. She hoped not.

She wouldn't have been so annoyed if it was just her on her own usually, as she would have simply stolen Phoenix's money from his wallet, (yes he was stupid enough to leave it lying on her desk), and go out to watch the latest Pink Princess movie for the fifth time. The problem was the parcel.

A parcel had been delivered just thirty minutes ago, when Maya was thinking up a just punishment for Phoenix's inadequacy on time management skills. With the lack of human company, she had tried to start up a conversation with the delivery man about the weather, after introducing herself as Mr. Wright's most adorable and amazing assistant. The man showed his impressed enthusiasm by rubbing his nose on the back of his sleeve.

"Sign here." He had said in a gruff voice.

Maya signed the clipboard with a flourish and as soon as he had left, Maya hefted the box to an empty area of the room, trying not to knock down the stacks of paperwork that were dotted around the room like mini skyscrapers; her eyes darting over it with curious glee.

What was it? Where did it come from? Who bought it? Why did they buy it?

It was too late to be a Christmas present, and she couldn't think of anyone who had a birthday coming up. Was it a surprise gift? Was it for her?

The TV had broken recently after all. It was a bulky rectangle shape, and Maya grinned as she thought of a wide TV plonked on her desk, playing a back-to-back series of Pink Princess. The fantasy was perfect as she imagined Nick in a maids outfit, offering her a burger in one of those posh silver dishes. A burger with no lettuce or any kind of irritable vegetable: the perfect burger.

With this thought, it was near impossible to not open the parcel, and she would have done if there were no stupid tape wrapped all around the stupid thing. She had tried ripping it off with her fingernails, and after five minutes of frustration, she admitted defeat. The sharp objects were kept in Phoenix's locked office and despite his absence, Maya could imagine his disbelieving face easily, 'You think I'll let you loose in my office? The place will be trashed within minutes!'

What does he think I am, five? Maya sulked, biting into her bagel as she lamented on the loss of her cartoon-filled mornings. It was supposed to be the climax of the second series, and she had only watched that episode twice.

So, for another half an hour, she had stayed where she was in the hope that Phoenix would turn up. She made a mental note that if he took any longer than fifteen, she would use his money to go out and buy some scissors, but after fifteen minutes she had racked it up to twenty, then to thirty, and now she had changed it to forty-five.

After a few more tense minutes the bagel was finished, and as Maya started thinking up ways she could slowly kill the idiotic defence attorney, Phoenix burst into the room, a brown paper bag in his left hand with the Burger Boy logo printed on either side.

"I missed the bus," He apologised with an embarrassed look, and scratched the back of his head with his free hand.

"Don't lie to me!" Maya accused, one finger outstretched, and then added, "Give me that burger right now!"

She didn't wait for a response, snatching the offending item out of his hand. She reached inside for the food item, glaring as she scoffed it as quickly as she could.

"I asked for them to remove the lettuce for you," Phoenix continued, hoping the peace offering would work, "Did I get any calls while I was out?"

"No." Maya replied shortly, after she had swallowed a mouthful of burger. She found her irritation dwindling, the burger tasted so damn good.

Stupid Nick, and his stupid attorney tactics.

"What's this parcel?" Phoenix said to change the subject, only just noticing the cardboard box below Maya's feet.

"What do you mean, 'What's this parcel?'" Maya said indignantly, finishing the burger in a matter of moments, (Did she even taste that? Phoenix wondered, and then thought it best not ask.) "It's my TV you ordered!"

"Huh?" Phoenix gave her a bewildered look; "I didn't order you a T – wait have you some how put this on my card?" The look of confusion turned to panic as this realization kicked in, "Maya I can't afford this! I'm already broke from when we went out to dinner after that Engarde case! I'm already are starting to live like Gumshoe – I don't think I could take it if I can't afford better cup ramen than him!"

This confession seemed too desperate not to be considered genuine, and Maya frowned, "Well if you didn't get me a TV, what is it? Maybe someone else is giving me a present!" She clapped her hands eagerly, wondering about all her fans in the world that might have given her a gift.

"I think someone's sent it to the wrong address."

"You're just like an old man!" Maya exclaimed, scoffing at Phoenix's cynical comment, "Maybe someone's giving you a present." She added with a suggestive wiggle of the eyebrows. To her delight Phoenix blushed, and was about to tease him further, but suddenly his eyes shone as he made a connection.

"Oh I don't believe it!" He cried, his eyes falling on the labels that were stuck to the box, "I've won!"

"You've… won?" Maya echoed, and then she jumped up and down with joy, "Oh! You've won! Um…what have you won, again?"

Phoenix didn't answer, and picked up the parcel, toddling over to his office like a blue-suited penguin, which he struggled to unlock with the key resting in his pocket, "I don't believe it!" He cried over and over again as he unlocked the door, giving Maya a grin as he turned around to push the door open with his back, and Maya crossed her arms with a frown.

"Stop ignoring me! What have you won? I didn't know you entered some kind of competition." She called after him as she heard the background noise of him dropping the mysterious box on his table.

Then in a sudden moment of clarity, it made sense. The only reason Nick wouldn't tell her that he had entered a competition would be because he didn't want her to know about it. He had probably won something for her, like the new remote-controlled Pink Princess figurine, with the all new karate chop feature and flying ability! It would be like all those kids that flew their helicopters in the park, except hers would be a load cooler.

With this revelation, she ran into the office, the sound of tape being torn off the cardboard sounding like Christmas, but the outburst that was about to be shouted from her lips suddenly fell silent, her manic grin slowly edging it's way downwards, slightly parted in lack of understanding.

"Isn't it great?" Phoenix said with childish joy as he looked around for a place to plug in the brand new paper shredder, "Now all our paper-work worries are over!"

Maya threw a pen at him, and stormed out of the room, fuming out load about the boring nature of the adult world.