08: [Action]

[truthsnomiracle]

[All over Prospero for the next couple of days, though primarily near the courthouse, Prosecutor's Office, and Bay View Hotel, you may encounter Miles Edgeworth looking amiss in a couple of ways.

First off, he's not wearing his usual suit. Instead, he's wearing a stiff (and lightly armored) burgundy trenchcoat over a dark grey bulletproof vest that fully covers his torso, shoulders, and neck (though the latter is less obvious since his cravat's tied around it), which in turn is over a plain white shirt. Plain burgundy pants and heavy-duty dark grey knee pads (and matching elbow pads, to judge by the way the coat is hanging) complete the ensemble.

Second, he's clearly extraordinarily fatigued, yawning with bags under his eyes and sluggish in his movements... if he hasn't already fainted, or isn't collapsing before your very eyes. There's likely a paper or styrofoam cup full of tea involved, whether he's awake and holding it in his hand or asleep and its contents have spilled nearby.

Miles Edgeworth may not be under the Devil Arcana's direct influence yet, but being one of the few sane people left on the island is taking its toll nonetheless.]

[[OOC: This post is the fun-for-all-ages stage of things! The scary parts come later.]]

Comments

[truthsnomiracle]

That sounds too miraculous to be completely true.

[want_a_vacation]

That's probably not the word someone who's been through it would use.

*This is something of a bitter smile. It's obvious by now that what he's talking about really bothered him, especially since even that quickly fades into a grimmace.*

When you Dive into someone's subconscious, you visit the deepest levels of their mind. Imagine...imagine if something so horrible that it affected the entire universe and is still endangering people fifteen years later happened because of something you did after being traumatized, and for those fifteen years everyone was utterly convinced that it was someone else's fault. It's not my place to mention any names here, but I saw a visit to someone's subconscious domain drag that memory to the surface. And what happened after that pretty much confirmed that it was the truth.

*He's incredibly tense by now and can't even look at Edgeworth. He manages to keep his voice from trembling, but it's still clear that what happened deeply bothered him.*

[truthsnomiracle]

[The basic idea of a trauma-induced mistake having an effect for fifteen years specifically is enough to further unrattle Edgeworth, but the content...]

(Once more, a tale of trauma from another world dwarfs my own with its outlandishness, yet is told too earnestly not to be what the speaker honestly believes.)

I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply...

[want_a_vacation]

*He seems to deflate a bit at Edgeworth's apology, as if he'd let slip something he thinks he shouldn't have and is trying to act as if the impact on him is much less than what it actually was.*

No, don't...I'm the one who should be apologizing. You don't need to hear about this...and it's not your fault, either. I've just had that whole thing on my mind a lot these past few days.

[truthsnomiracle]

My apology is for seeming to belittle your experiences.

(The weight of a universe... I can scarcely imagine what that must be like. The weight of Prospero alone is...)

[want_a_vacation]

Ah, it wasn't mine...it was a...a very close friend of mine. That's why I said it wasn't my place to mention any names. Especially since I'm still not sure if she's forgiven herself for it or not.

[truthsnomiracle]

Regardless, the recreation seems to have affected you, if presumably not to the same degree.

[want_a_vacation]

I'll be fine, I...just need to calm down a bit. I think the stress of everything going all to hell like this is getting to me.

[truthsnomiracle]

If it's any consolation, remember that you aren't the one having to prosecute in these conditions.

[That... didn't come out sounding particularly consoling, but being soothing never was Edgeworth's strong suit.]

[want_a_vacation]

It's still been a nightmare and *Yawn* a half. I keep wondering if today is when I'm going to get jumped in the streets or something.

[truthsnomiracle]

From my own perspective, the nightmare began as soon as I returned from abroad and has scarcely let up since. As for the danger, I've been wearing this rather than my suit for good reason.

[want_a_vacation]

That was about when Ryuunosuke started causing trouble, right?

[truthsnomiracle]

Indeed -- and we were far from ready to bring him to trial for his crimes against our own. As you're aware, I was even less ready to do so alone. I'm still at a loss concerning how we could possibly replace Wright, and allies in the cause of justice remain few and far between.

[want_a_vacation]

*He flinches faintly at the mention of Phoenix. His loss is still a bit of a sore subject.*

I'm wondering if he set everything over the edge or something...up until then, the island was pretty safe outside of Dark Hour.

*Yaaaaaawn.*

[truthsnomiracle]

I've considered the possibility since his killing spree first began... (...and feared it since Wright's disappearance. Together, perhaps we could have stemmed the tide, but alone, I...)

[want_a_vacation]

There has to be some way to cut it off...you'd think people would at least realize that cooperating until we get to the bottom of everything would be better than making enemies left and right...sometimes I wonder why they call it common sense with how rare it is.

[truthsnomiracle]

I admit to often wondering precisely the same thing.

[Edgeworth turns his gaze to a particular tall building a short distance away.]

There was apparently no attempt to investigate anything other than the Shadows prior to my arrival, for example. ...I appreciate the fact that you're attempting to change that.

[want_a_vacation]

Someone had to, after that news broadcast. And I guess it may as well be someone who's already been part of dealing with one corrupt religious organization that had its claws in the government.

[truthsnomiracle]

Heh... [That laugh sounds more awkward than amused.]

A pity that we haven't had the time to arrange a discussion.

[want_a_vacation]

Yeah... *Yawn.* Maybe once the natives figure out how to be sane again and you get some decent sleep.

[truthsnomiracle]

On that subject, I appreciate your assistance. I can feel the difference already.

[want_a_vacation]

Don't worry about it, I'm happy to help. But, ah..about the stuff I mentioned about Gaignun...could you not bring that up with anyone but him? Modified humans aren't exactly popular where we're from, so a lot of them don't like spreading it around.

[truthsnomiracle]

Given the probable irrelevance of their status to our current situation and the everpresent risk that someone who would care despite that may arrive without warning, that's a reasonable request.

[want_a_vacation]

Thanks.

[truthsnomiracle]

Of course.

[By now, they're just across the street from the building Edgeworth was staring up at a few minutes earlier. Careful observation will show that only the lower six floors have any sign of activity.]