yatagarasu | IC INBOX | mask or menace

[Kay nods.]

Yes. I just told him as soon as I could, after Judge Petrov made his getaway. I was about to tell Mr. Kotetsu and Mr. Brooks too, but Mr. Edgeworth went public first.

[Well that's. Troubling. Will looks troubled. Unimpressed but worried more than anything.]

You bumped into him and saw his files. Helped him. And now Mr. Edgeworth has publicized it... [Haha, poor Kay. Poor Miles. Poor everyone. Mr. Edgeworth comes out of Will without a second thought, no mockery, just mirroring what Kay calls him.] ...was there anyone else around or is he going to know you're the confidential source?

[Why this.]

[She nods again.]

Well, I didn't know he was Lunatic until I saw the files...and I asked about them. He only told me one was wrong, gave me this scary glare, and ran off. So he - Lunatic - probably knows I'm the source.

[Oh, Kay, if you only knew how worried Edgeworth is about you now.]

[Despite him expecting that as an answer, he's still not glad to hear it. He takes a deep breath, chest puffing out, lips twisting like he's just tasted something very very bitter. Did Miles know that before he put it out there, had he just jumped the gun entirely?]

And you're comfortable being made into target? [Still not saying either way about Lunatic and Yuri being the person, omitting that all together.] Not concerned about it?

[He doesn't know the full extent of Kay's powers. Will's aren't much in a fight, but some people here? They're good to go. Maybe Kay is, too. Maybe Kay could have anyone who got close to her pecked to death, but...if that person in question is someone known to fling fire, would she risk it? She.

Doesn't seem the type.]

[She scuffs the floor with the toe of her boot, folding her arms across her chest. Honestly, she's scared. Lunatic has seen her face, seen her pick up the files, heard her voice. She may not know where he is, but he could easily find out where she is. But they were getting closer to putting him behind bars for good. Kay had to be strong, help in any way she can.]

I don't think anyone would be comfortable. [Kay glances over at the Wriggle Room, wondering if her crows are having the time of their lives while she talks about murders with Will Graham.] But I couldn't just keep quiet about what I saw. I'm supposed to reveal truths and help bring justice...not hide them.

Besides...he knows my face. It doesn't matter if Mr. Edgeworth made it public or not.

Yes, it does. It does matter. Because now, if what you say is true, you've gone against him in a way he doesn't have to do any work to find out. It's been slung, poorly, at his face. He's stated in no uncertain terms that those who stand in his way can expect to meet the same fate as sinners.

[Will's voice is rather stern on this matter, steady. It's not intended as a scolding or a lecture, rather an explanation, recalling words said months ago to people who weren't Will Graham. It's not Kay he finds at fault with this set up, either. He shouldn't have to explain this. She shouldn't be in this position, and no talk about how it's for justice (or how he finds that a load of shit) is going to make it any better.

And it's the first time he breaks eye contact, though that doesn't mean his attention has truly shifted. Just because he's dug into that dumb shirt's front pocket to pull out his key ring (with a dog bone charm on it, of course) and started to sift through them, looking for one in particular, doesn't mean he's not still completely focused on the conversation.

He's not at all liking the visual of Kay in the place of the last body he saw go up in flames, strapped to a wheelchair and rolling down a parking garage. Her crows could empty every single bin in that WRIGGLE ROOM and there is nothing in Will Graham that could actually bring himself to find it worth stopping, not at the moment.]

Please tell me you've got some immunity to fire. Or the ability to become intangible.

[Please tell me you've got a method to protect yourself in place.]

I know. [Since Lunatic's attempts against poor unfortunate locals aren't exactly private, Kay decides that Will should probably know that she may have already been on Lunatic's hit list for a while. Or at least, has made herself known as an obstacle in his way.

Her brow furrows, but her expression isn't angry or impatient. It's grim, the expression of a girl who has seen more death and crime than any girl her age should. She doesn't care that Will is pulling out his key ring or breaking eye contact with her, really.]

...Actually, I've gone against him before. Remember Fabian the jerk? I was with everyone else who tried to stop Lunatic from doing him in. I just haven't been stepping into his path for a while.

[...that doesn't help.]

My only two powers are understanding and controlling crows, and mimicking voices and sounds, but I've been learning how to fight.

[Flick. Flick. Flick. By the time Kay confesses to having tried to stop Lunatic before, Will's found the key he was aiming for, holds it, keeps his eyes on it. The way someone might look at an old photograph with the kids from the block, there are good memories associated with it as well as bad. Bad that was smoothed over, he's fond. Even as she speaks of that which no one should be truly fond of and Will recollects words from Annie, his own conversations with Yuri and Lunatic. Even as the world turns to flame and blood and horror, there is something gentle to be found.]

Learning how to fight. [Kay might surround herself with crows, but surely she can recognize a parrot when she hears it, because the way he says it? That is not Will Graham. It's his voice, but the cadence, the timbre, it's all Kay. A mirror reflection of herself, coming out in a voice that is not hers but sounds exactly like how she would speak...if she were an older man. And it's natural—mimicry instead of mockery as he looks at her, indicating the key by slightly nudging it forward.] This is a spare to Yuri Petrov's apartment. He gave it to me the night of that charity event in De Chima so I could take care of his houseplants while he was on his business trip.

[Perhaps Kay can find a mirror in the small, attempted smile following those words. Realization. Striving to hold onto the good while it quickly vanishes, reaching for a memory that won't be immediately injected within poison. A delusional last ditch effort to keep from the hideous feeling that comes with betrayal.]

I'm going to lock up. Then I'm going to go over to his place and see if he's there. If he's not, I'll stick around. If the cops haven't showed up in a half hour, I'll call them myself. [He flicks the key back in line as he says it, shifting to the one that he'd presumably need to lock up with. Reveal truths and help bring justice, hmm? Well, it was an effort, however shoddy Will might view it to be. His words aren't anything but honest, either—he will, in fact, stay around Yuri's home for thirty minutes before he calls the (legitimate) law on someone he considers a friend. That's just good friendship. Is he thrilled by that idea? Not really. Doesn't mean he won't do it. He gestures out with one hand while he starts the locking up business, leaning into the back room to flick off the light.] If you're just learning how to fight, I'd suggest you find yourself somewhere safe. If you can't think of a place that would be safe, find people who have the ability to combat what Lunatic is capable of. Then surround yourself with them like [your life depends on it] they're your crows.

[The ones who are going to have to come out of that WRIGGLE ROOM so he can lock it up properly. Will Graham is serious about walking into the home, the personal sanctuary, the belly of the beast of this Lunatic. He's not going to be stopped from walking in on a bunch of crows having a joyous time at the expense of maggots and breaking up the party, shooing them out in the same way he would his own dogs.]

[She nods, and manages a faint smile when Will repeats her words. Oh, she can do better than that. She can parrot any of his words right back to him, with his exact voice and pitch. Anyone who would hear that replication alone would mistake her for the real Will. Kay watches him stare at that key. When it is nudged toward her, she looks at it, as if waiting for it to disappear, or do some magic trick.

He must trust Will that much, if he could leave a key with someone. That must also mean Yuri was very confident that no one would ever make the connection between him and Lunatic - because he carried the real file around him wherever he went.]

I'll keep working on it. [A pause.] Right now I don't know anyone. [Except possibly Edgeworth, as he could regenerate and had enhanced physical abilities. But Kay was certain his powers wouldn't work if he were instantly killed instead of just injured. That thought makes her swallow, creates a weight of dread that sinks down her throat. And Edgeworth had already exposed himself over the network, choosing to step forward and hiding her from public view. Annie...Kay couldn't contact her. What about Reiner? No, Kay feels she isn't as close to him as she is to Annie and Edgeworth.] I'll be okay. [Kay adds that last part to psych herself up and reassure Will at the same time.

At least the crows have eaten their fill and soon fly out of the WRIGGLE ROOM - a bit more slowly than they came in, very full and satisfied. Kay extends her arm for them, and all three birds perch on it.]

Edited 2015-01-29 12:58 (UTC)

[don't know anyone—that's troubling. Will still manages to lock the door and flick off the lights near it, perfectly capable of mundane tasks while troubling discussion is going on. For how much he's doing ordinary, daily activities he's done for almost a year now, there's a gravity present in tense shoulders, swallowing through a dry throat.

Yuri has plenty of reason not to trust Will. He does, however, have the ability to reason that Will won't do anything serious outside the limits of legality without just cause—and, of course, what one views as just cause can vary wildly. That extended trust adds to the gravity. He seems almost weighed down by the key in his hand, too heavy an anchor but one he can't drop or pass along. Especially not to Kay, not that overtly, not when she's already got so much on her shoulders. No need to go mentally beheading people. He takes a look at the birds on her arm, rolls his bottom lip between his teeth, and makes a beeline for the counter, pulling out a piece of scrap paper and jotting down a name and number without any hesitation.]

This is a guy I do side work for, fish with. [He folds it in half before he holds it out, still keeping himself out of personal space. Just enough that she can reach out and take it without having to stretch but without him getting too close.] The family owns numerous townhouses, condos, and cottages along several beaches. You can't find another place Lunatic won't think to look for you, you can call this number. At any time. Give him my name, explain as much as you're comfortable with, and they'll take care of the rest.

[Rather than sounding as though Will's pulling this out of his ass, shoving off a problem on someone who wouldn't expect it? He sounds more like someone who's had a plan for certain situations in the works, for quite some time now. This design isn't one he ever intended to be put into action for someone outside the Baltimore crowd, but even the best laid designs have their hiccups, their changes, their surprises.]

Okay?

[The crows preen while they're on Kay's arm, paying little attention to the humans. On the other hand, Will has Kay's full attention. When he holds out the folded piece of paper, her other arm reaches out for it instantly as if she knew she could trust any note from him right off the bat.

Kay nod slowly, solemnly. There's really only one answer for that.]

Okay.

[She has to wonder...would these people really be okay with a teenage girl suddenly knocking on their door asking for sanctuary from a serial killer? That makes her decide to find other options first. Will's connections would be her last resort. She didn't want to needlessly burden anyone when she got herself tangled up in this case on her own.]

[Oh, he wouldn't expect her to trust him immediately. Few people do, with good reason. He's generally trusted as a last resort. Desperate times call for desperate measures, call for waltzing into his class and asking for his help. Help that he's the opposite of eager to give, but, eventually, stops fighting too much.

Will's rarely anyone's first choice for who to trust with something of importance. He'd never be offended if she said that much out loud.]

Suppose that's that. [Winding his way around to lock up the cash register, turn off the main lights, open the door to the outside world as he shuffles through his keys again. Coming to the end of his day as regularly as he can, trying to ignore the weight of the discussion, Kay's position, what Will's going to have to do whether he likes it or not. He manages a smile, but that tension in his shoulders is still there. This is...not an ideal situation for anyone, he can't hide that completely.] See you soon, yeah?

[Stay safe, yeah? Hopefully this whole thing is cleared up soon enough, hopefully Kay doesn't have to deal with anything gruesome much longer, hopefully? None of them do.

At least, regarding Lunatic.]

[Kay lifts her crow-filled arm a little, urging them to get off before it begins to ache. They acquiesce, flying around and around and examining the shop before they're shooed out.]

See you soon, Will. [Hopefully sooner than later. The crows caw as if agreeing and saying their own see-you-soons.]

IC INBOX | mask or menace

Lunatic's hips sure lied a lot

But they lie so well........

And make lying look good

Delicious, even.

Is it time to break out Beautiful Liar?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMqgVXSvwGo

So now our playlist for these two is Shakira songs

Every playlist should be Shakira tbh.

WAKA WAKA.

LET THAT SHE-WOLF OUT OF THE CLOSET

BUT IT'S A SHE-CROW

TECHNICALITIES

OKAY IT WAS GETTING CRAMPED IN THE CLOSET ANYWAY