Tears In The Teahouse

[truthsnomiracle]

Who: truthsnomiracle and YOU!
What: Edgeworth's first DL-6 day since being made to realize that dear old Dad lied.
When: December 28th, daylight hours
Where: A teahouse
Warnings: Discussion of a murder, betrayal, and major Ace Attorney spoilers.
Format: Your choice of prose or action.

Miles Edgeworth knew better than most that the truth could be an ugly, painful thing. He also knew, however, that truth was the single most important virtue and goal of humanity in the world.

Which made today sting all the more.

December 28th was, to most, just a day for enjoying Christmas presents, preparing for New Year's parties, and neglecting the trappings of the previous holiday. For Edgeworth, however, it was the day when several traumatic hours trapped in an elevator ended with a single bullet through his father's heart that ended the defense attorney's life, the day that haunted his nightmares for fifteen years straight, and then the day it was all brought back to the surface as his own mentor was revealed to not only be the murderer, but to have raised him specifically to see him crushed.

Now, he couldn't even take comfort in the idea that his father was blameless for all that had happened in the wake of his own murder. The supernatural was real, the Kurain technique was the only explanation for the case at Hazakura, his own Shadow had literally manifested to argue that his father was a liar and that he himself would sooner disbelieve the supernatural than this truth, and just to make sure that he couldn't return to denial of the supernatural, fate ensured that Edgeworth now had a power of his own. Even if it had turned out that his father had meant well and that he was rescued from the backstabbing of his own mentor, his past was still the product of hypocrisy and lies -- more so than he ever realized before.

As such, as ribbons came loose in the snowflake-speckled wind outside the teahouse, the prosecutor swirled a half-finished mug of black tea with cream in a corner booth and attempted to hide his glum face from passersby. His usual suit was obscured by a black trenchcoat, but the storm-grey curtain hair and cowlick, to say nothing of his cravat, might well give him away...

Comments

[theheirofbreath]

He's kind of impressed. That sounds like something out of CSI.

"I always thought the detectives did most of the actual crime solving."

[truthsnomiracle]

Edgeworth shakes his head. "The truth can only be make clear through teamwork. Detectives are capable of error -- particularly those in my home district." After those last few slightly-bitter words, he glances aside despite himself. He then takes a sip of his tea before continuing. "Court exists to make it absolutely clear whether or not those accused are rightly so. As a prosecutor, it is my place to attempt to prove the defendant's guilt through the evidence and witnesses available. Oftentimes, trials reach an impasse until more evidence is obtained for the prosecution and defense alike."

[theheirofbreath]

John leans forward slightly and rests his chin on his hands thoughtfully.

"So you have to prove they're guilty, and the other guy has to prove they're innocent? So what if you were having a trial and you found out the suspect didn't do it? Would you still try to convince everyone that they did?"

Lawyering sounds complicated

[truthsnomiracle]

"It is my job, in such a case, to ensure that the other side presents its argument as thoroughly as possible by questioning every theory they present and countering every flaw in their logic," the prosecutor explained with something finally resembling a proud grin. "We cannot risk any errors, after all. To hold back would be to allow others room to doubt the defendant's innocence."

[theheirofbreath]

John smiled back. At least Mr. Edgeworth looked like he was in a better mood now. Maybe something good came out of pestering him after all.

"Oh, I get it. So in a weird way, it's almost like you're working with the other side. And everybody is trying to find out the truth."

[truthsnomiracle]

"Precisely," Edgeworth affirmed before taking another sip of tea.

[theheirofbreath]

"Still, I bet some criminals are hard to pin down. Or have weird circumstances involved in what they did. Doesn't stuff like that make it harder?"

[truthsnomiracle]

"Indeed, that sort of thing is commonplace," Edgeworth responded with a satisfied nod. "A criminal may cover his tracks well, or be in a position of power that makes him difficult to touch, or use methods that veil the facts under an illusion of the impossible. We struggle to clear away what cannot be, one paradox at a time, until only the truth remains."

[theheirofbreath]

"Hehe, you sound pretty into it. You must really like your job."

[truthsnomiracle]

"That I do," Edgeworth confirmed. "It has its share of frustrations, but that is true of any vocation. Furthermore, it is one which suits me well."

[theheirofbreath]

"Oh yeah?" He leans forward, curious. "What's the worst part of your job?"

[truthsnomiracle]

"It brings me in contact with a rather eclectic selection of humanity," the prosecutor explained, "some of whom are remarkably frustrating to interact with." Particularly those who proposition me.

[theheirofbreath]

John can't quite stifle a snicker, trying to imagine the kind of people Edgeworth is talking about.

"I guess you have to expect to run into some pretty weird people when your job involves crime. Cops probably have the same problem."

[truthsnomiracle]

"I've known policemen who were rather... unique in themselves," Edgeworth admitted. "Most that I've known do have dedication to their jobs as a redeeming quality, however."

[theheirofbreath]

"Well, that's probably the best thing to have in a job like that, right?"

[truthsnomiracle]

"I can think of several other qualities that should also be present in officers, but I suppose that dedication at least means that they can be pointed in the right direction to some useful effect," Edgeworth conceded.

[theheirofbreath]

"But don't you have to pass a test or something to be a cop? I mean, they wouldn't let just anyone do it."

[truthsnomiracle]

Edgeworth rubbed his temple with a sigh. "It's disconcerting just how little oversight there can be in police recruitment."

[theheirofbreath]

He laughs.

"C'mon, it can't be that bad. They must at least be catching the criminals, otherwise the lawyers would have nothing to do."

[truthsnomiracle]

"It is true that they arrest suspects and aren't so incompetent that they regularly fail to find clues at all," Edgeworth admitted. "As I implied earlier, however, in my own experience they're often in need of a guiding hand concerning how best to finish what they started."

[theheirofbreath]

"But that's why they have you, right?"

[truthsnomiracle]

John's words provoke a slight smirk from the prosecutor. "That is one reason, I suppose."

[theheirofbreath]

He smiles right back. "So is that what you're doing here in Prospero? Being a prosecutor, I mean?"

[truthsnomiracle]

"Indeed," Edgeworth confirmed with a nod, "although in my spare time, I dedicate myself to the investigation of the crime that we ourselves have fallen victim to."

[theheirofbreath]

He can't quite hide his surprise. "How do you know this is a crime? There doesn't necessarily have to be anyone behind all this. Maybe we were brought here by some kind of accident."