[And he's by within ten minutes. He looks, charitably speaking, shitty. For once, he hasn't bothered with his suit and cravat, just coming by in the standard-issue uniform, and that makes him look a bit less stuffy; yet the pinched and weary expression on his face, the deep lines and shadows, ages him considerably.
Still, he knocks, and when Josh answers the door, he bows formally and wordlessly.]
[ josh doesn't look much better. but that's not exceptionally abnormal for him, actually, so it doesn't have the same dramatic impact. there's a pause while josh takes it in, feels a sliver of guilt at the knowledge that this conversation isn't going to improve whatever hell miles is going through. ]
Hi.
[ it's lacklustre, somewhat awkward, but he's not going to bow. he might as well say something in greeting. then he steps away from the door and ushers edgeworth in, and there's none of the usual easy chatter to fill the space in the meantime. ]
[He does straighten, and he does enter, and by his demeanor he at least wasn't expecting a return bow. He doesn't sit; instead, he remains standing, stiffly and awkwardly.
After a moment, he starts - but again, he can't arrive directly at the point.]
I did not say that you should not be worrying about the recent incident, for the record. I think it's something that needs to be discussed at large. [A slight pause - ] In response to your earlier text message.
[ josh doesn't sit either, just shuts the door before leaning back against the bureau, arms crossing tightly over his chest. it takes him a second to figure out what edgeworth's going on about, but he gets there before the unnecessary clarification. ]
Discussed at large.
[ it's a slightly critical echo, but that's not meant for edgeworth. it's not fair to lay it on him, especially not now. so josh stops himself from saying anything else on the topic, just meets edgeworth's gaze evenly and takes a second to focus on the issue at hand before attempting a more civil, sympathetic tone. ]
[He glances off to the side. At once he's grateful and resentful: grateful, because one of them needs the courage to broach the unpleasant topic at hand...but resentful, because on a certain level, he doesn't ever want to talk about it. Not really.
He can count the number of friends he has on one hand. Easily. With fingers to spare. Now the list will be getting shorter yet.]
No. I wanted some clarification about something you said. Earlier.
[ there's a slightly insane moment where he thinks he should just open with "i'm a werewolf", but decides it's probably better to ease into this. he looks away briefly, either stalling or getting up the nerve to go ahead with this properly. ]
I won't lie to you.
[ it's more a warning than an assurance, because lies would be better, easier to deal with. ]
But you have to promise me that whatever I say, it doesn't leave this room. This is my business. It doesn't have any impact on the ship or the people on it.
[ another way of saying past crimes don't count here, if edgeworth's listening for it. ]
[Which might or might not be a lie, depending upon that comes next. Crimes done at home won't be prosecuted here; no. But in Edgeworth's eyes, that doesn't mean they don't count; each person who might conceivably pose a threat to those around them have a special file in his office, where he notes down what he's overheard.
But Josh doesn't need to know that.
He's a man of his word - for the most part. Of what use is one's word, after all, when people might die for one's honor?]
[ he's not sure where to start with this. it really is either the werewolf part or the murder part, and they both suck, though at least the werewolf gives some kind of reasoning for what comes next.
but this was edgeworth's idea, and he's the one who wants clarification. it's strange how much this suddenly feels like a trial; on the other hand, edgeworth's a friend. he wouldn't hesitate to tell him his life story if it'd come about some other way, but doing so now seems like some kind of loss, like a very literal confession of guilt instead of a confession of trust between friends.
so he doesn't start at the beginning. he doesn't start at all, actually. it might be a mistake to give hard details and backpedal from there, because that means excuses instead of explaining how he got from point a to point b. but he'd rather only give what he has to, so- ]
What do you want to know?
GOD SORRY in this thread: reasons Edgeworth has no friends
[He can't really meet Josh's eye. Instead, he stares off into the corner. He hopes that by doing that he looks tough, firm, uncompromising - not nervous, not uneasy, not awkward. But - God - those are the sorts of things he hopes while confronted with a criminal - ]
That's difficult to say. You weren't precisely forthcoming with the details; I'm not even wholly sure what it is I'm supposed to be asking.
[But, after a moment, he cuts to the brutal quick:]
[ josh probably feels more steady than edgeworth right now. because this is his life, accepting responsibility for the choices he's made and not shying away from them. it'd been easy to dodge it here, where nobody knew the first thing about him, but- ]
Yes.
[ he's not elaborating, but he's not flinching away from it. this is probably better in small doses, anyway. which means he pauses a second, lets that sink in, then preempts the next question. his voice is less sure on this one, more ashamed; weirdly incredulous, maybe. ]
[ this is where it gets really messy. for josh, anyway. because there's a very long explanation here, and he could go for that, but instead he goes for the one that's almost laughably simple. he knows it's not really fair to edgeworth, because this isn't the kind of confession he's expecting. he's expecting that josh is a human being, even if he's not a decent one. ]
A werewolf named Douglas.
[ it was the wolf, but it was still him, his weight to carry. he says it slowly, gives each one time to settle before moving on to the next. ]
A young man named Stevie, more vampires than I've bothered to count. [ stevie was a zombie and asked to be killed, of course, but it didn't do anything to lessen the guilt of that visceral memory. ]
And the werewolf who turned me.
Edited (shh) 2013-04-29 01:41 (UTC)
Josh he has seen you going to lilith fair he knows already
[And there is a sudden glance in Josh's direction, sharp - but more about the way in which the news was revealed than in reaction to the news itself. He does keep track of the people who are important to him, even if he'd deny it, and he's not so dull that he hasn't noticed certain circles of people and the things that a percentage of them have in common. Josh might not have been "out," as it were, but when one naturally cleaved to those who were, one began to expect a certain revelation after a certain point.
But that he didn't start with that -
There's just a moment when Edgeworth is meeting Josh's eyes. Then he looks away again, trying to keep that neutrality in his face. The next question is a natural one, even if that had come close to derailing him.]
[ that's not a question he's expecting. maybe he should have, but there's a flash of anger in the realization that edgeworth isn't surprised - that he probably knew. there's also the question, as if it's something he can possibly explain, and that fans the quick, instinctive anger as well; edgeworth has no right to this, to judging him.
but that's not him. it's something else, something that's been living under his skin since that day they confronted the witch, and he tries to ignore it. ]
Because I had to. Because a bunch of vampires threw us in a cage together on the full moon, and if I hadn't he would've torn me apart. Because I made a deal with a witch and brought Stevie back, and he was hurting people and it was my responsibility to stop it.
[ ignoring it doesn't work, obviously, and what starts out as a confident assertion that he's in the right spirals into something more bitter, more defensive. ]
And because Ray was going to kill my wife, and because he made me into this- [ he's moved away from the bureau now, and as soon as he realizes he's lost his composure he catches himself, freezes up. the next part is slightly quieter, but it's somehow sharper. ]
Because even if people are naturally good, monsters aren't. Some of them deserve to be put down.
I measure my successes in the number of <s and >s you end up having to use, actually
[His eyes are fixed unmoving on the ground as he hears all of that. He tries to reserve judgment; he tries to hear all of that impartially. And yet that last statement stays in his ears -
Monsters aren't. Some of them deserve to be -
Isn't that how he lives with himself? Not monsters, but criminals. His responsibility is to see that through. His responsibility is - will be, when he finally sets foot in court - to see them to their deaths. The only difference will be that he'll be acting through the aegis of the state -
But that's all the difference. If you don't act through the aegis of the state, then you're a murderer.
Right?
God, he can't stop thinking about the dead people. The dead pirates. He's supposed to be happy that they're dead. He's -
He's still fighting to think through that; his next statement is listless, automatic, a statement that he doesn't even have to think through so many times has he said it.]
Self-defense isn't murder, and nor is using force in defense of another so long as it is not excessive.
[ it was excessive. it was excessive when he bashed ray's face in with a rock the first time, more so the second; the things he said, the terrifying thrill that came from cutting the wolf's head clean off its shoulders.
he doesn't say any of that, of course, because that's too much. it's none of edgeworth's business. ]
What does your court say about destroying peoples' lives?
[ the anger isn't gone, but it's softer now, turned inwards instead. but the bitterness is there, and that's for edgeworth and his stupid, rigid morals. ]
There are people who are dead because of me. Because of my choices, because of what I am. I turned my own wife into an animal; into a killer.
[ he should probably stop there; he doesn't, of course. he's fed up with all of this talk of right and wrong and the law as if it actually matters. ]
How about disposing of the corpse of a pureblood werewolf? Or hey, I know, resurrecting your best friend. What's the legal procedure for that?
[That penetrates his haze of uncertainty, at least. He lifts his head. He looked mad before; now he just looks sad and tired.]
The court has never been confronted by something like that before, and as such it has not had to come up with an answer to...either of those questions. If it were so confronted, it would adapt.
[ he's actually arguing it. edgeworth's actually standing here in front of him and arguing that the legal system would adapt to werewolves and resurrections, and if it weren't so offensively awful, it would actually be hilarious.
but he just cut himself open in front of edgeworth, and he's getting politics back. there's a moment where it almost tips the wrong way; the anger's an itch at the back of his neck, except it's more than that. it's the wolf, and it's got its own system, its own code; one of pack and family and doing whatever it takes. there's a quick flash of rage in his expression, carefully held in check as he clenches his jaw and forces himself to step back - because he has to do something, and if it's not moving back it's moving forward, and that won't end well.
he doesn't say anything for a moment, just fixes edgeworth with a cold stare; but then he's opening the door and stepping aside, and if the message wasn't clear enough: ]
[It's not even stubbornness that makes him stand there. It's a sort of stupidity. He's just not able to process this, and he needs the time to stand there and think about it and ask more questions. And now Josh is trying to usher him out. So, quietly:]
[ now he's back to incredulous. which is better than angry, at least, but there's a pause while he considers just shoving edgeworth out bodily. he runs a hand over his face in frustration and closes the door - doesn't slam it, thankfully. but it's a controlled sort of calm, which isn't much better.
he doesn't lean back against the wall again, just crosses his arms over his chest and closes his eyes for a second to regain some kind of balance. when he finally looks back at edgeworth, he doesn't look any less pissed off - but he's keeping it in check, so there's that. ]
Fine. But you don't know the first thing about my world, and I don't need your preaching.
[ he judges himself enough. it's a cheat, telling edgeworth he's not allowed, but he doesn't care. not right now. because he's not talking about his universe - he's talking about his world, the supernatural and the dark, and it has its own set of rules. if he tries to live by the ones he used to believe in, he can't even justify living. ]
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[text] oh edgey-poo
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Still, he knocks, and when Josh answers the door, he bows formally and wordlessly.]
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Hi.
[ it's lacklustre, somewhat awkward, but he's not going to bow. he might as well say something in greeting. then he steps away from the door and ushers edgeworth in, and there's none of the usual easy chatter to fill the space in the meantime. ]
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After a moment, he starts - but again, he can't arrive directly at the point.]
I did not say that you should not be worrying about the recent incident, for the record. I think it's something that needs to be discussed at large. [A slight pause - ] In response to your earlier text message.
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Discussed at large.
[ it's a slightly critical echo, but that's not meant for edgeworth. it's not fair to lay it on him, especially not now. so josh stops himself from saying anything else on the topic, just meets edgeworth's gaze evenly and takes a second to focus on the issue at hand before attempting a more civil, sympathetic tone. ]
You're not here to talk about the pirates.
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He can count the number of friends he has on one hand. Easily. With fingers to spare. Now the list will be getting shorter yet.]
No. I wanted some clarification about something you said. Earlier.
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I won't lie to you.
[ it's more a warning than an assurance, because lies would be better, easier to deal with. ]
But you have to promise me that whatever I say, it doesn't leave this room. This is my business. It doesn't have any impact on the ship or the people on it.
[ another way of saying past crimes don't count here, if edgeworth's listening for it. ]
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Very well.
[Which might or might not be a lie, depending upon that comes next. Crimes done at home won't be prosecuted here; no. But in Edgeworth's eyes, that doesn't mean they don't count; each person who might conceivably pose a threat to those around them have a special file in his office, where he notes down what he's overheard.
But Josh doesn't need to know that.
He's a man of his word - for the most part. Of what use is one's word, after all, when people might die for one's honor?]
wow screw u edgey
but this was edgeworth's idea, and he's the one who wants clarification. it's strange how much this suddenly feels like a trial; on the other hand, edgeworth's a friend. he wouldn't hesitate to tell him his life story if it'd come about some other way, but doing so now seems like some kind of loss, like a very literal confession of guilt instead of a confession of trust between friends.
so he doesn't start at the beginning. he doesn't start at all, actually. it might be a mistake to give hard details and backpedal from there, because that means excuses instead of explaining how he got from point a to point b. but he'd rather only give what he has to, so- ]
What do you want to know?
GOD SORRY in this thread: reasons Edgeworth has no friends
That's difficult to say. You weren't precisely forthcoming with the details; I'm not even wholly sure what it is I'm supposed to be asking.
[But, after a moment, he cuts to the brutal quick:]
Have you ever killed someone?
edgeworth pls
Yes.
[ he's not elaborating, but he's not flinching away from it. this is probably better in small doses, anyway. which means he pauses a second, lets that sink in, then preempts the next question. his voice is less sure on this one, more ashamed; weirdly incredulous, maybe. ]
Several.
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But after that moment, he speaks - eyes still closed, but voice low.]
Who.
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A werewolf named Douglas.
[ it was the wolf, but it was still him, his weight to carry. he says it slowly, gives each one time to settle before moving on to the next. ]
A young man named Stevie, more vampires than I've bothered to count. [ stevie was a zombie and asked to be killed, of course, but it didn't do anything to lessen the guilt of that visceral memory. ]
And the werewolf who turned me.
Josh he has seen you going to lilith fair he knows already
But that he didn't start with that -
There's just a moment when Edgeworth is meeting Josh's eyes. Then he looks away again, trying to keep that neutrality in his face. The next question is a natural one, even if that had come close to derailing him.]
Why.
wow rude also congrats angry italics/meltdown
but that's not him. it's something else, something that's been living under his skin since that day they confronted the witch, and he tries to ignore it. ]
Because I had to. Because a bunch of vampires threw us in a cage together on the full moon, and if I hadn't he would've torn me apart. Because I made a deal with a witch and brought Stevie back, and he was hurting people and it was my responsibility to stop it.
[ ignoring it doesn't work, obviously, and what starts out as a confident assertion that he's in the right spirals into something more bitter, more defensive. ]
And because Ray was going to kill my wife, and because he made me into this- [ he's moved away from the bureau now, and as soon as he realizes he's lost his composure he catches himself, freezes up. the next part is slightly quieter, but it's somehow sharper. ]
Because even if people are naturally good, monsters aren't. Some of them deserve to be put down.
I measure my successes in the number of <s and >s you end up having to use, actually
Monsters aren't. Some of them deserve to be -
Isn't that how he lives with himself? Not monsters, but criminals. His responsibility is to see that through. His responsibility is - will be, when he finally sets foot in court - to see them to their deaths. The only difference will be that he'll be acting through the aegis of the state -
But that's all the difference. If you don't act through the aegis of the state, then you're a murderer.
Right?
God, he can't stop thinking about the dead people. The dead pirates. He's supposed to be happy that they're dead. He's -
He's still fighting to think through that; his next statement is listless, automatic, a statement that he doesn't even have to think through so many times has he said it.]
Self-defense isn't murder, and nor is using force in defense of another so long as it is not excessive.
sighs loudly
he doesn't say any of that, of course, because that's too much. it's none of edgeworth's business. ]
What does your court say about destroying peoples' lives?
[ the anger isn't gone, but it's softer now, turned inwards instead. but the bitterness is there, and that's for edgeworth and his stupid, rigid morals. ]
There are people who are dead because of me. Because of my choices, because of what I am. I turned my own wife into an animal; into a killer.
[ he should probably stop there; he doesn't, of course. he's fed up with all of this talk of right and wrong and the law as if it actually matters. ]
How about disposing of the corpse of a pureblood werewolf? Or hey, I know, resurrecting your best friend. What's the legal procedure for that?
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The court has never been confronted by something like that before, and as such it has not had to come up with an answer to...either of those questions. If it were so confronted, it would adapt.
wow gj
but he just cut himself open in front of edgeworth, and he's getting politics back. there's a moment where it almost tips the wrong way; the anger's an itch at the back of his neck, except it's more than that. it's the wolf, and it's got its own system, its own code; one of pack and family and doing whatever it takes. there's a quick flash of rage in his expression, carefully held in check as he clenches his jaw and forces himself to step back - because he has to do something, and if it's not moving back it's moving forward, and that won't end well.
he doesn't say anything for a moment, just fixes edgeworth with a cold stare; but then he's opening the door and stepping aside, and if the message wasn't clear enough: ]
You should go.
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I - would prefer not to.
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he doesn't lean back against the wall again, just crosses his arms over his chest and closes his eyes for a second to regain some kind of balance. when he finally looks back at edgeworth, he doesn't look any less pissed off - but he's keeping it in check, so there's that. ]
Fine. But you don't know the first thing about my world, and I don't need your preaching.
[ he judges himself enough. it's a cheat, telling edgeworth he's not allowed, but he doesn't care. not right now. because he's not talking about his universe - he's talking about his world, the supernatural and the dark, and it has its own set of rules. if he tries to live by the ones he used to believe in, he can't even justify living. ]
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[He looks off to the side again, though, and pushes a hand uncomfortably through his hair. And, quietly:]
Did you have any alternative to these killings?
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sorry edgeworth
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