tvk | 24: Death has a revolving door [forward date to March 31st]

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24: Death has a revolving door [forward date to March 31st]

[audio]

[The feed clicks on and at first there's silence for the first few seconds until there's the sound of someone gasping for breath and then coughing.]

Ow ow ow ow...I'm back? My third time dying, huh? [She laughs bitterly until she finds her phone on and recording.]

Hey, wait my phone's on. I don't want to be a bother, but can someone help me back to the hotel? I'm not exactly in the best condition to get up and walk after dying. I'm back where I was murdered. Shopping district, one of the alleys.

[The feed clicks off as she coughs some more.]

[audio -filter to Miles Edgeworth-]

Mr. Edgeworth, I'm ready to give you my statement as soon as you're ready. Don't worry, I won't disclose who murdered me to anyone else.

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One of rather few, yes. For that reason, I took the time to instruct any would-be avengers to restrain themselves to incapacitation and capture, with varying success.

I see. Were there more murders after mine? Actually do you think you can tell me what happened while I was gone?

You were far from the only victim even on the first day. Several natives as well as Grainne were also murdered that day. The killer continued his rampage for two more days after that, then ultimately sent an audio tape to the police in which he gloated. We have a suspect in custody, or what can pass for custody under the circumstances, as of yesterday.

[Is there a hint of unease concealed under that genuine disgust and determination?]

I had a feeling he would continue...I have to say sending in a tape like that is something he would do.

...Am I allowed to know who that person is or are you not at liberty to tell me?

If your statement implicates the suspect in custody, then I see no reason not to tell you afterward so long as you agree to uphold confidentiality. Telling you beforehand could be construed as influencing your statement, after all.

Understandable.

All the more reason to give you my statement. Of course, just to be safe, I'll give it to you in person. Where and when do you want to meet?

For want of a more secure location, Room 212 at 5:00 PM.

Alright. I'll see you there.

[Action, 5 PM]

[She arrives at door labeled 212 and knocks.]

Mr. Edgeworth?

[Edgeworth is careful about how he opens the door, but once he sees it's Saori he opens it wide, steps back, and makes a sweeping bow.]

Enter.

Thank you.

[She enters the room quietly. By now she gotten herself cleaned up, but it's clear from her downcast eyes the trauma of the murder still lingered in her mind.]

I'm glad you could meet up with me on short notice.

The truth is my first priority, Ms. Nakagawa -- I expect no less of myself.

[He walks over to the kitchenette to start boiling water for tea. Saori might notice that there's lined paper and pens already set out on the table. Meanwhile, a black and white, collie-like dog trots over from behind the bed with her tail wagging and begins sniffing at Saori's legs.]

Do you require anything before we begin?

No, I'm ready when you are.

[She crouches down so she can pet the dog. There's a smile on her face as she scratches behind Pess's ears.]

Hello to you too, sweetie. I don't think I've met you before.

[She seems to appreciate this, leaning into the scratching.]

Her name is Pess. Through the recent, er, offer extended to so many of us, I was able to retrieve her.

[As he speaks, Edgeworth measures out plain black tea into a cup and sets up an egg timer.]

Oh so this is the Pess you mentioned to me. She's such a sweetie. We should have her and Sirius meet. After we get this affair sorted out, of course.

[While the tea is brewing, she focuses on showering Pess with affectionate scratching and petting.]

Since we were caught without a kidnappee justice system ready, it may not be a matter that will easily be brought to a satisfactory conclusion. However, rest assured that I will do everything in my power to see both matters through.

[As long as Saori's here, it would be rude not to make her a cup of tea too, right? Thus, when it's all done steeping, Edgeworth brings two mugs over.]

I have cream and sugar available in case you prefer the presence of either or both.

I know you will. That's why I wanted to come to you with my statement as soon as I came back. I just would like some closure and I'm sure the others will agree with me.

[She accepts one of the mug and gives it a sip. It's a very good tea indeed. It could be a little sweeter but not too sweet or else it would muddle the flavor.]

Both, please.

I hope we can come to an agreement on what constitutes "closure". Even the best idea I can come up with doesn't completely satisfy me even if it can be implemented.

(And I continue to fear what might happen if we can't easily come to that agreement.)

[Have a tiny carton and a tray of sugar cubes as he seats himself, then, Saori. He'll take a bit of the cream himself for his own tea and sip the result.]

But enough. You have a statement to give, do you not?

So long as no one is falsely accused of the murders and the truth is revealed, that will be enough for me. Regardless of what our definition means, it'll be better than doing than nothing at all.

[Saori takes her seat and adds a little cream and sugar to it. She holds the mug between her hands, letting it warm them.]

Edited 2012-03-31 18:51 (UTC)

[She clears her throat and begins.]

Here goes nothing...It was last week, about 1:15 in the morning. I was on my way back to the hotel from Caliban when I walked into the shopping area. It was there I met up with...Ryuunosuke.

[She takes a sip of her tea, but when she puts the mug down back onto the table, her hands shake a bit as she digs up the memory.]

We just started walking back together and making small talk, when he said there was a shortcut he knew. He pointed to this alleyway. I should've spoken up because I didn't recognize it from the shortcuts I already knew. He told me to go first and it was just simple straight ahead. Not even five feet or so into the alley, that's when I felt the first stab in the back.

I staggered forward and he ambushed me with another stab. I think he had a knife on him. Since I came out of the Dark Hour, I was already exhausted and couldn't summon my Persona. Plus, something told me I had no chance of winning since he's been here longer than I have. I ended up on the ground and he had taken my weapons. When I tried to run, he grabbed me and stabbed my left then my right shoulders so I couldn't use my arms. He also made sure I couldn't move my legs either. It felt like an eternity as he continued to stab and let me bleed there. He avoided hitting vital spots like he was saving them for last. I lost count how many times he...

[Her hands let go of the mug and tightly clenches the skirt of her dress. She looks down, trying to regain her strength to speak. After a while, she speaks again.]

By then my vision got blurry and everything just faded into black. Must've been because of the massive blood loss. So...was that enough for you, Mr. Edgeworth?

[It was one thing to come to terms with the fact that this sort of testimony could exist in a murder case. It was another to actually hear one. While Edgeworth took dictation simply enough up until the first stab, listening to the rest wasn't an especially comfortable thing. Especially not the end... It's only after Saori is done that he continues to write down what he's heard, more slowly than he did the first parts.

Once he's finished, he looks the statement over. One thing is missing...]

Did you see him clearly at any point after the stabbing began?

[She clenches her jaw as she tries to keep her composure.]

At some point, he rolled me onto my back so he could watch my reactions to each stab. By then, my vision was getting a little blurry but I could still recognize his voice.

I couldn't sense his Persona around either. Then again, now that I think about it, he would've kept his murders a hands on experience unless there was a situation that wasn't in his favor. He seemed to enjoy doing all the actions himself.

And for the record, I haven't told anyone else about this. I know Kaiji is upset with me about it, but for everyone's sake, you're the only one who knows about this. I'm quite sure he's responsible for the rest of the murders. I don't know if I was hearing this right but I've might heard him say he was still bored even after what he put me though.

[Edgeworth nods uneasily, shoves aside his irrational twinge of self-betrayal, and continues to take dictation, slightly faster than before but still not quite at his normal speed.]

(That last part is valuable indeed -- a motive of boredom would explain several aspects of the killings. For the murderer to be willing to stab someone in the particular manner Miss Nakagawa describes, he would need to be depraved enough to find some sick pleasure in the act as well, which could fit with such a motive.)

Blurred vision doesn't rule out recognition of colors.

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24: Death has a revolving door [forward date to March 31st]

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