[open RP meme] The "pester Edgeworth in his office" post, Dreamwidth edition

[truthsnomiracle]

[Chances are, when you enter room 1202 of the Prosecutor's Office, you'll find High Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth hard at work. He learned the hard way not to be too quick to throw people out when they interrupt him, so as annoyed as he probably will be once he notices your presence, you'll more likely than not get a sufficient chance to justify yourself. Usually.]

[To help clarify the purpose of this post, this is someplace anyone can come tag me if they want -- just start a thread and specify Canonworth, TVKworth, or any other preference! Canons, AUs, OCs, and canon OCs welcome, both AA and non-AA!]

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[yatagarasu]

But what if there are clues to be found in the woods?

...by the way, I think I see a parking spot.

[Kay points to a spot near an old pier that looks like it has not seen boats in ages.]

[truthsnomiracle]

Then inevitably our investigation will lead there.

Indeed. [And he'll just pull in there before turning the car off and getting out. The pier will get a quick once-over to make sure there are no signs of recent usage, though. After all, an entrance that can only be reached by boat would be more secure than average.]

[yatagarasu]

[Kay tags along, looking around as well.]

There's nothing here. Not even a boat or any sign of one. [She sighs, crossing her arms and looking out over the lake - which is big, yes, and blue. It's a little difficult to see the bottom, though.

But across from the pier...is the large cliff marked on the map, which Kay is examining right now.]

Hey, that's the cliff on the map - where the hideout is supposed to be!

[truthsnomiracle]

More tellingly, there's no sign of any fresh rope burns or recent wetness above the water line.

Then we should walk there and begin searching for an entrance in progressively wider areas from the marked point.

[yatagarasu]

Okay! [Kay quickly gets off the pier and marches off toward the woods, holding the map out in front of her like a wannabe explorer.

She's even marching.]

It's almost like a scavenger hunt!

[truthsnomiracle]

[Edgeworth, for his own part, scans the surroundings for any signs of human modification or disturbance as he walks briskly to keep up with Kay.]

Although we only know a few of our objectives in much detail, and our clues as to what those targets are aren't mere riddles.

[yatagarasu]

[You had better walk fast, Edgeworth. Because Kay has picked up the pace and is already in front of the woods.

She hears a rustling noise, and the snap of a twig.]

Someone's in there! [Kay whispers the words, and points toward the trees for emphasis, then plunges right into them, map in hand.

Better be careful, those woods can be pretty dim since there are so many trees. Ah, untouched wilderness.]

[truthsnomiracle]

K-Kay!

[And now you have Edgeworth running right in after you.]

(Not again! Must she always react to potential danger with a headlong charge rather than the stealth she believes herself to have mastered?!)

[yatagarasu]

[Clearly, either she hasn't learned her lesson yet, or she's too excited about the chase to care. Kay weaves past several trees, bushes, and everything in between, trying to look for anyone - or anything.

She runs deeper into the woods, and when she stops, she's in the middle of a thick grove of trees. That's when she realizes Edgeworth is not with her, but before she could figure out how to call him without calling too much attention to herself, she gasps, feeling her neck.

By the time she realizes a dart has found its target, she falls - and is caught by a man with a black mask over much of his face, black gloves, and black boots.

Kay is too unconscious to notice the necklace this man is wearing, or to notice that her wrists are quickly being tied behind her back, or to struggle as she is carried away into another part of the woods that would emerge into some of the ledges.]

[truthsnomiracle]

[And meanwhile, a very dismayed Edgeworth is trying to figure out how he could have lost someone in pink and blue in such a brown and green place.]

KAY!

(Calm yourself, Miles! You'll accomplish more by searching for clues than by running blindly, to say nothing of the fact that such panic will strain your heart!)

[After taking several deep breaths, the prosecutor looks for any signs of snapped twigs, footprints, lost articles of clothing... anything that might point him in the right direction.]

[yatagarasu]

[The man is strangely light on his feet for someone carrying a teenager and trying to get out of the woods first. But of course, his load doesn't make the going any easier; he nearly sways into a bush and creates quite a bit of noise.

He nearly drops Kay, and so hesitates to make sure he doesn't before bursting out of the woods and heading for a ledge looking out over the lake, a drop of about ten feet.

There are other, smaller ledges surrounding it, like tame diving boards compared to the high dive.

By the way, that map Kay was holding? Is now stuck in the pocket in the seat of the man's pants.]

[truthsnomiracle]

[A sound that doesn't go unnoticed by Edgeworth. He gasps lightly, but rather than breaking into a run with trees around and risking charging into danger, simply walks quickly in the direction he heard the sound come from while attempting not to make too much noise in the process.]

[yatagarasu]

[The man isn't running either; he's still carrying Kay and doesn't stop as he walks up the ledge, where several boulders are waiting.

From his belt, he takes a length of rope and starts binding Kay's ankles before tying the rest of the rope onto the nearest rock. Then he pulls the girl into a kneeling position next to it, raises his hands up, and begins chanting in an odd language that sounds Latin but doesn't seem to be.

As he does so, Kay slowly begins to wake up, blinking her eyes open and trying to regain her bearings...]

[truthsnomiracle]

[And it isn't much longer before Edgeworth finds the scene. It disturbs him, no question, but there are better ways to stop this than acts of desperation...]

HOLD IT!

[yatagarasu]

[The man only stops briefly to regard Edgeworth...then continues chanting, this time faster and more frantically as Kay finally comes to her senses, and begins struggling against her bonds.]

What the - h-hey! Lemme go! Lemme g - ow!

[Before Kay could wriggle away, he kicks her - just enough to cause pain and annoy her, but not enough to make her fall.

If she did, she could fall over the edge.

...not that he wasn't going to do that.]

[truthsnomiracle]

[Gumshoe has complemented Edgeworth on his punches in the past. Now, it seems, is the time to see whether they're useful for more than attempting to knock sense into a partner. Edgeworth runs uphill as best he can manage, then tries to take a swing at the cultist, hopefully before he has the chance to push Kay in...]

[yatagarasu]

Mr. Edgeworth!

[The man finally finishes chanting - and staggers when the punch connects, grunting. Then he drops to his knees next to the rock Kay is tied to.

But did he really drop because of the punch? Maybe he did. Or maybe he's faking it.

Meanwhile, Kay has decided not to make any more movements to be safe...]

[truthsnomiracle]

[Still too close to Kay for comfort. Inwardly wincing at the inevitable grass stains on his suit that will result, Edgeworth drops down himself and reaches for the man's back in hopes of grabbing him and, ultimately, throwing him down the safer side of the hill.]

[yatagarasu]

[Kay watches the scene with wide eyes, her heart hammering in her throat as the man glances over his shoulder at Edgeworth dropping down close to him and reaching out.

As Edgeworth manages to grab the man, the latter tries to pull away, and in the process, push the rock forward and into the lake.

And yes, he manages to do it.

Kay's eyes widen even more with shock and fear as the rock goes over the ledge - and pulls her with it. She screams as she goes.]

Mr. Edgewoooooooorth!

[truthsnomiracle]

NNNGGGHHHOOOOOOOOOH!

[Edgeworth tries to shove the cultist aside -- away from the ledge, not off it -- and regardless of the results, looks down at Kay in horror as she hits the water, winces at the costly consequences of what he's about to try, then takes a deep breath and dives after Kay head-first with his hands extended in a classic diving position, cravat fluttering as he falls.]

[yatagarasu]

[In any case, the moment Edgeworth takes that leap of faith, the cultist decides to escape - by diving off the other side of the ledge.

Kay barely manages to take a deep breath herself before she hits the water, and quickly tries wriggling as she sank to reach her bag. She was sure she had a small knife inside...but that would do her no good if she couldn't grab it. Her wrists were still bound, after all...and the rock was still on its way to the lake bottom.

As she goes, she does manage to notice a large shape some distance away...almost shaped like a person with wings standing on the lake bottom, its "head" just several feet below the surface.

It would be so interesting if she wasn't in deep trouble, literally.]

[truthsnomiracle]

[Edgeworth enters the water with a splash, then struggles to keep his eyes open while swimming down after Kay. He couldn't afford not to see where he was going and what he was doing, after all, no matter how uncomfortable the lake water felt against his eyes. Given that she has only gravity dragging her down and this wasn't his first time swimming by any means, he does start closing in on the thief.

The figure below doesn't escape Edgeworth's notice, but he doesn't have time to pay it any attention -- Kay's life is on the line, and it's almost certainly just a statue anyway.]

[yatagarasu]

[Seeing Edgeworth coming after her was a relief - even though she still couldn't move around much and was still sinking. Desperately she tries twisting around to show him her bag - even if she ended up forgetting her knife, some of those lockpicks might be sharp enough.

Her breath was almost spent, and her brain was screaming for air; it most likely showed in the struggling, extremely anxious expression on her face. Her eyes were clearly urging him to act fast.

At least she stops falling once the rock she was still tied to touches bottom, but when she gets a good look around her, she gasps in horror - which is a very bad idea when you're underwater.

Even if you are surrounded by identical rocks tied to ropes littering this part of the lake bottom and the remains of people who must have been sacrificed in the past, possibly even as far back as many years ago, judging from the bones.]

[truthsnomiracle]

[The sight may be grisly, but in context it was all too expected. More frightening is how little time Kay seems to have, especially after her reaction to all the bodies in various states of decay. It's a good thing she did manage to call attention to her bag, or Edgeworth might not have thought of something to do quickly enough; as it is, the prosecutor heads straight for it and digs frantically, quickly locating her knife, grabbing the rope to steady it with his free hand, and slicing as best he can manage.]

[yatagarasu]

[Kay watches intently as Edgeworth begins cutting the rope, keeping her mouth shut this time but barely hanging on to consciousness. Not only was she anxious for herself, but also for him - how long could he last? How long could either of them last?

She begins to panic inwardly, straining against her ropes.]