[RL 42: There might be a couple of things...][Backdated]

[samuraiprosecutor]

((OOC: Backdated to noon on Sunday, 1-24-10 comm time.))



He didn't bother to prepare for the visit. He'd never cared much for the duties of a host, and even if he had there wasn't much preparation to be done. The apartment was already spotless, as always, and Edgeworth had been presentable since that morning, having dressed early in neatly pressed, dark grey trousers and a burgundy turtleneck. The one gesture he was willing to make towards a welcome--drinks and/or refreshments--would come after, so when noon rolled around Edgeworth was simply lounging in his armchair, book in hand and Belgian Terv at his feet.

'Lounging' may not be a completely accurate description, given the tight set of his shoulders and the slight furrow of his brow, but by the time the Corinthian was shown into the apartment most of that evidence would be masked.

Comments

....that does make it much better, yes. <33333

[darkmirror-vr2.livejournal.com]

"Forty years." That may have been said a bit more bluntly than the nightmare really intended, but there was no reason to dance around the subject anymore. He needed to know, now more than ever. "Dream was....away, for a long time. Even before that. I guess he just assumed he could do what he liked after a while."

<333333333333

[samuraiprosecutor]

The length of time was far beyond what he'd expected to hear. It was staggering, in fact, and Edgeworth's jaw fell open in response, his eyes widening.

Forty years of kidnapping. Forty years of torture. Forty years of serial killing by a being designed to encompass most of humanity's deepest fears. The rational part of his mind balked at the reality of it.

"Dream was away?" he finally got out, his voice strained. "Your predecessor carried on like this for forty years and no one else could be bothered to stop him?"

<333333333333~!

[darkmirror-vr2.livejournal.com]

And the Corinthian finally looked away, gaze falling to the floor as he fought back the growing scowl. "That's the way it looks, yes. I wasn't exactly around back then, I don't know what the others bothered or didn't bother to do, why no one hauled his ass back, or if anyone even noticed he had left in the first place." He only just barely remembered the realm falling to ruin in Dream's absence, the dreamers that continued to come and for some reason never leave, and after that it all blurred together and ran with red....

Not his memories. They never were.

"But I know he got everything he had coming to him."

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth watched the Corinthian for a long time after the nightmare had averted his gaze, noting with mingled relief and discomfort his thinly veiled anger.

"Have any other dreams or nightmares ever earned the same punishment?"

[darkmirror-vr2.livejournal.com]

It was an equally long while before the Corinthian answered, several strained moments taken to get his thoughts collected again, to try and cap his frustration.

"....none that I've known, but I highly doubt he was the first one."

[samuraiprosecutor]

After that, Edgeworth fell into a thoughtful silence, leaning back in his armchair, his arms crossed tightly before him, his gaze fixed on some unseen point on the floor. Eventually he lifted his head again, giving the Corinthian a questioning look.

"You know it's likely the books would have shown me all of this."

[darkmirror-vr2.livejournal.com]

"Maybe." There was another pause. And then he finally sighed, ran a hand awkwardly through his hair as he chanced a glance up. "But who knows how long it would take to get to that part, if they did?"

[samuraiprosecutor]

Edgeworth blinked at the response, and a frown joined the question that was still spread across his face.

"You think there's some...urgency to me knowing the information?"

[darkmirror-vr2.livejournal.com]

"....don't engage him when he tries to talk to you again." At this point, there was no need to elaborate even if he had wanted to. "And I want you to let me know when he does."

[samuraiprosecutor]

Despite how well-meaning the command obviously was, he couldn't help but bristle at it. His questioning look turned into a warning frown as he leaned back, crossing his arms before him.

"I'm not some gullible child, Corinthian," he snapped. "I haven't been for many years."

[darkmirror-vr2.livejournal.com]

His gaze snapped back up at that. The tone of his voice was harsher, rasp. And suddenly it almost seemed to echo. "What you are and what you're not doesn't matter here, Edgeworth. You caught the bastard's interest and I'm not letting him act on it."

[samuraiprosecutor]

The effect was unnatural but powerful, so much so that Edgeworth found it almost impossible to deny as some trick of self-suggestion. Something small in him quailed at the tone, the likes of which he'd never managed to push the nightmare to before.

It took a few moments of wide-eyed staring for him to recover fully and answer (in a considerably softer tone), "I have no intentions of doing anything stupid, if that's what you're afraid of."