#thisisnewradio

Phoenix hadn't lived in Flammelle's house for long, but he had already established a firm relationship with the whole group. He had assembled the "family" together, Ibuki, Noisemaker, Miles, and Godot. Since it was the house owner's birthday, he wanted to make it the best celebration he had ever had. Phoenix never had one perfect birthday party--besides when he turned 10 with Edgeworth and Larry there. It was one of the better days he had. He wanted to have Flammelle experience the same thing on a larger scale.

Chuckling as everyone but Flammelle filed into the living room, the "housewife" smiled. "So guys, you know it's Flammelle's birthday today, right? We should celebrate with a surprise party," Phoenix gestured to the cabinet that he claimed kept laundry detergents for every single one of the guys (and gal.) "I've been keeping stuff other than laundry detergent in there, haha." His naivete didn't exactly help--because at least half the people in the house practically already realized that.

"Are you stupid too? There's no way the scientists are being honest. I'm staying here, because unlike everyone else, I don't want to get trapped in some endless nightmare." That's what the Thanksgiving event felt like, anyway--a glimpse of a true nightmare.

(5th Person gets: A kiss on the cheek)

"I honestly wasn't sure what to get you at first."

At first Flammelle had thought about getting Liu a tie, but he figured that would come off as more annoying than anything and would take that joke between them too far.

"But I decided might as well get you something practical, right?"

The host handed Liu a present which, when unwrapped, would reveal a box. Inside the box was a fancy-looking watch.

"I hoped you might like a new watch. It's hard to look good in a city like this where we're all really too poor to afford it, but I managed to save up money and get it for you. Merry Christmas, Liu Yee."

Liu looked the watch over, expression unchanging. He hadn't expected any more gifts. Why Flammelle had him in mind when he was Christmas shopping was beyond him... Or why he'd decided a watch was the best gift. He was lucky Liu wasn't overly superstitious, but he still reflexively took the gift as an insult. 

As many times as he asked himself why he was here, he didn't get any closer to the answer--or to leaving. There was some sense of duty still keeping him here, for better or for worse. He'd been asked to this ball. At some point, it could wind up worth it.

...Somehow, his newfound sense of optimism had stuck around. It just clashed hard with everything else filling his head.

Liu hadn't been paying attention to the music or anyone around him. He was standing off to the side, leaning against the wall, and thinking hard enough to practically block everything else out. After a heavy, irritated exhale, he gave himself a break and glanced around. Suddenly, there was the ball again: well-dressed couples dancing, cheery music, decorations and bright lights. A party for everyone else.