tvk | 02: [Video/Action for the fight, Dark Hour]

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miles edgeworth

02: [Video/Action for the fight, Dark Hour]

[Two of someone? Again? It's someone you probably haven't seen before either, though the observant might notice that the suit worn by one of him exactly matches the sleeve from that weird post about the cufflinks from this morning. That one is currently facing away from the camera and looking out the window of what appears to be a low-floor room in the hotel. The other one has a suit of a similar but brighter color and a far fancier design, and appears to be starting the recording behind the first one's back -- not to mention that he's the one with the glowing gold eyes and chordal voice.]

Well, well, "Miles Edgeworth". We've been here for less than a day and already you wallow in denial.

[The one who was staring out the window, startled, spins to face the apparent Shadow. Apparently his normal eye color is a steely grey.] H-how did you enter this room?!

[The Shadow sports an evil, smug grin.] Locking oneself into a room does nothing to keep oneself out of it.

[The original looks down his nose at his double, crossing his arms.] When I last checked a mirror, my eyes weren't golden.

[The Shadow chuckles under his breath and shakes his head, clearly unfazed by his original's snark.] You speak of "your" eyes as though you treat them with any respect.

[This earns the Shadow a glare from the original.] Of course I respect them!

Do you? Then tell me, why have you disregarded evidence time and again?

[The original smacks a table he's standing next to with his palm.] OBJECTION! I haven't disregarded evidence since --

Since realizing that we're weighed down by the need for outside aid in unearthing the truth due to our own imperfection? [The Shadow waves his left finger in smug scolding, a gesture that prompts the original's eyes to widen in unease.]

Th-that isn't --

Please, "Miles". We may have accepted the need to force ourselves to trust certain people, but that doesn't mean that we don't resent that such a need exists.

You have no right to call me by that name!

On the contrary, I do for the same reason that no locked door can protect you from me -- I am you.

[The original recoils.] P-preposterous!

[The Shadow shrugs as he shakes his head again.] Hardly. I am a Shadow, the true self. But then, the truth is only of interest to us when it serves our purposes, Those purposes may have changed for the better, but this fact has not.

[This seems to deeply disturb the original; his eyes widen further and he takes a step backward. However, he then manages to reestablish his earlier glare.] Don't be absurd! I strive to uncover the truth behind every case that I handle, no matter the consequences, in tandem with others who would also use the law for its rightful purpose!

[The Shadow gives his original a predatory smirk.] And should that case be decided by the presence of supernatural elements, what then?

[The original grows pale.] Wh-what?...

Would the truth behind the murder at Hazakura Temple have been found had Wright failed to recover from his illness? Particularly once the victim's identity came to light? Why, we didn't even allow ourselves to accept the implications of the Psycholocks' existence.

H-how could anyone else but Wright -- er, anyone else at all know about --

[The Shadow continues to display that smug smirk.] Need I repeat myself? I am you. [He taps his temple.] I embody all that you deny about yourself, and know everything else that you deny as well. I even know that we refuse to reexamine our old cases for purely selfish reasons.

Impossible... [It's not clear anymore whether the original is trying to convince his Shadow or himself.]

[The Shadow chuckles darkly.] "Impossible"? I think not. Impossibility is merely the simplest answer -- the answer that prevents us from becoming a traitor to our father's memory.

[The original staggers further backward with gritted teeth, his cravat fluttering in his wake.] Wh-what?!...

Since the middle of that case, we've reacted to the very concept of the supernatural with resentment, have we not? We may at times cloak it with sarcasm, but the truth stands nonetheless. However, while we were able to delude ourselves into believing that the channelings we've seen were mere acts of showmanship, we couldn't ignore the Psycholocks, nor the impossibility of any solution to the case other than the one that Wright and Mr. Armando revealed. Hatred of the evidence was the only path left to us.

[The original suddenly turns away from his Shadow, looking in the opposite direction while grabbing hold of his arm.] N-no...

To deny the existence of the supernatural is to allow ourselves to continue to consider Misty Fey to be a mere charlatan despite all evidence to the contrary. To face it is to face the possibility that Father may have violated the very beliefs he lived by, post-mortem -- that he, in the end, was responsible for the events of the DL-6 trial!

NNNGGGHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

[The Shadow points at the window behind the original accusingly.] We hate what we've seen out this window! We hate that I stand in this room! [He steps forward to slam the same table that his original did earlier.] Even were it entirely safe to investigate further, we wouldn't wish to do so --

C-cease speaking in the plural immediately!

-- for fear of obtaining further loathesome evidence, for the existence of the supernatural is a truth that we wish were untrue!

OBJECTION! I realized the folly of such selfish bias over a year ago! Ergo, it's impossible for you to be me!

[The Shadow turns slowly back to his original, his eyes blazing a brighter gold than ever.] GUILTY.

[And with that, the feed cuts out. Sounds of a struggle might be audible to those near room 212 of the hotel after that...]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Hmph. Truth hurts.

[Hey, he's not beyond smacking you one, Edgeworth. Don't try to hide from this conversation. 8|]

So why does it matter to you if the supernatural exists or not?

[Silence reigns for a few seconds. Finally, with strain:]

The... the man who was murdered in the e-elevator...

...the man channeled once the police were at a loss...

...was my father. G... Gr...

...Gregory Edgeworth.

[The original Miles Edgeworth sighs.] ...Indeed. In life, a peerless d-defense attorney, and my idol as a young boy. In death, a man forgotten quickly in the wake of a scandal, whose ideals were instrumental in reconstructing my own...

Edited 2011-11-28 23:09 (UTC)

[Shadow Edgeworth takes over after a short beat, sounding very bitter.]

...and a hypocrite! Were he true to his own ideals, would he not have testified truthfully? That the channeling was a fraud was far simpler to believe, until...

Until what? And why would he lie about his death? Protecting something, maybe?

[Hrmph. Well, it's an interesting story, so he'll stay put. Or maybe he just empathizes, in a twisted way-- honestly, Kanda is far more understanding than he lets people know.]

The dead must have reasons. It's not like the living can affect them anymore.

Until the Hazakura incident.

[When Kanda brings up the question of why Edgeworth's father would have done that, however, both steely grey and glowing gold eyes pop wide open with surprise. The former carries more of a note of being stunned, the latter a greater emphasis on realization. Both utter the same word in unison, albeit with differing inflections:]

Motive?!

[Apparently for the past month and a half he's been too busy suppressing the issue to actually think it through. Good job, Kanda!]

...Of course. Why would a dead man lie? Especially about his own death, about bringing his own damn killer to justice?

[Really. Really. Kanda sighs quietly. Maybe it's just because he's not dealing with the issue himself that he can see it.]

Don't tell me you didn't think about it.

[Well, the original seems to be thinking about it now at least... as uncomfortable as he looks doing so. Kanda's last sentence seems to bounce right off of him. The Shadow, meanwhile, merely crosses his arms and taps his finger on one of them, peering down at his original impatiently.]

[Kanda just gives the shadow a look. The kind that says "I will kick your ass right out the window if I need to".]

[Take your time thinking, Edgeworth. It's obvious you need it.]

[After several long moments of silence, Edgeworth finally looks up. His voice is choked and his lips are quivering, but he presents as steadily as he can manage:]

It was established in the last-minute trial... over two years ago... that the true killer came from outside the e-elevator, after we had all passed out. Ergo, Father could not have actually known who killed him. In a truthful testimony, he... would have stated as much.

However... much like the police, he had n-no reason to consider the idea that anyone outside of the elevator could have performed the deed. F-furthermore... it was after I threw the gun and it misfired through the window and into the killer's sh-shoulder... [...that scream, the one that had haunted him nightly for almost fifteen years...] ...that w-we passed out.

The bailiff, Y-Yanni Yogi... he didn't remember. I... apparently repressed it, whereupon it became... that n-nightmare. But if Father r-remembered, he... h-he...

[Now Edgeworth seems to be trying too hard not to cry to form the rest of his words.]

He would've been trying to protect his still-living son. Whom he thought was more precious than revenge or any sort of judicial construct.

[Kanda rubs his shoulder. It's starting to stiffen up. Drat.]

That's not hypocritical. That's priorities.

[Edgeworth nods slowly, shaking a single tear loose in the process. He didn't entirely agree with those priorities, to be honest -- surely a track closer to the truth would have prevented the travesty of justice that was the original DL-6 trial -- but now, the final questions had been answered.

...However, the Shadow doesn't look completely satisfied, instead looking down his nose at his original.]

That's a start. [The fancier-dressed one looks over to Kanda neutrally while his original chokes back sobs.] Given the circumstances, however, your presence may not be necessary for the remainder.

I wouldn't trust you alone in a room with him any more than I'd trust a fox alone in a chicken coop. Get used to it.

Hmph. Is it so inobvious to you... ah, we don't believe you stated your name.

I know how it works. I also know what seems fine now might disintegrate in the next fifteen minutes. So you're gonna have to deal with it.

[Eyeroll.]

Edited 2011-11-29 07:45 (UTC)

We're entirely familiar with distrust of others as well as with sudden turnabouts, so we concede the point.

However, you still haven't given us your name.

To whom am I giving it to?

[Hmph.]

Miles Edgeworth.

Edgew--Forget it, I'll just call you Ruffles.

[In true Ace Attorney style...]

[Once upon a time, Miles Edgeworth was easily enraged by petty setbacks.

Shadow Edgeworth bears no small resemblance to the Edgeworth of that time.

Guess who's punched the table and has his eyes glowing brighter than before?]

NAME!

Tch. Rude. I think I'll keep it to myself, thank you.

[Snort. He is not afraid of you, bro.]

Nnnnnnnngh!

To further enrage the one you're here to keep contained would seem counterproductive. Or are you bored by such a simple task?

[What? Who the...?

Oh, wait. The original Edgeworth's still in here too, isn't he. Seems like those shenanigans gave him enough time to pull himself together. He's still slightly puffy-eyed, hoarse, and red in the face, but...]

Hn. Boredom happens.

[Yup. It doesn't help his persona is a trickster, huh?]

Gathered yourself, then?

To a point. [He turns to his still-angry Shadow; that seething doesn't even seem to faze him.] However, it would seem that the task is still in need of completion.

[Edgeworth clears his throat.] This situation does, indeed, bear some resemblance to my last crisis. However, differences do exist. Most notably, this error... was entirely of my own making. [He looks away, gripping his arm.] It is I who piled denial upon denial rather than face the possibility th-that... [He pauses, his eyes squeezing shut briefly.] ...that F-Father may well have been to blame for the sweep of my life, particularly so soon after returning to the ideals that he introduced me to as a boy. [He shakes his head with a sad smirk.] It is I who was the hypocrite in denying not only that, but all which served as evidence that it was even within the realm of possibility. With further evidence came resentment, spite... even hatred.

[This alone seems to have been enough to grab Shadow Edgeworth's attention and mostly calm him down -- but the original continues.] And that isn't the only way I've failed to properly walk the path of truth, is it? I've avoided revisiting my old cases for fear that I might lose my position or my self-respect, if not both; it is entirely correct to call these reasons selfish.

[Edgeworth looks to Kanda, at once troubled, reluctant, and grateful.] I still have much to learn about that one shining ideal, it would seem -- including more about the role that others can play in attaining it. Perhaps my resentment of that need will fade one day as well.

[Shadow Edgeworth bows.] The prosecution rests. [With a shattering sound, the Shadow's body suddenly turns into a mass of blue motes of light, which float and fade away.]

Truth, huh. That can be a tricky thing to follow.

[Not a bad thing. Just a tricky one.]

Indeed, as has clearly been demonstrated here.

...Um. Concerning what you've done... [The prosecutor trails off. It's clear from the look in his eyes that he wants to say something more, but... well, did he use up his word quota just now or something?]

02: [Video/Action for the fight, Dark Hour]

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[Action] 1/2; cue DL-6 music if you haven't already...

[Action] 2/2 Done!

[Action] I actually cued up "Borderline of Madness" |Db

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