Case File 001; Audio

[takethestairs]

[Clears his throat. This is going to be a difficult post to make]

Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth speaking.

[The young man’s voice is clear, but stiff, with a harsh edge to it that hints at the anger bubbling underneath his skin. He represses this rage, attempting to remain composed and professional]

Earlier I received a tip from a confidential source- [Sorry Kay, he's not going to drag you out in the open, it’s too risky] - regarding a potential lead in the Lunatic case.

[A deep breath as he steels himself. This is a damning accusation to make and he knows it, and there’s no going back if he’s wrong]

Yuri Petrov, imPort advertising manager, has two files, with two different sets of abilities… and two different aliases. According to one, he’s been graced with an immunity to alcohol, but according to other? Pyrokinesis, with the ability to control and manipulate blue-green flames, specifically. Sound familiar? [A note of bitterness seeps into his tone, but he moves on quickly] And, if that’s not enough to convince you, there’s his alias, printed right on the file. Lunatic.

[A short pause follows, just enough to let the information sink in for any potential listeners.]

Unfortunately, my source only caught a mere glimpse of the files, but when I tried to confirm the discrepancy with Petrov, he was nowhere to be found. And, as much as I wish we had time to gather more information, we cannot afford to wait any longer for a response! If anyone listening has further information regarding Petrov, Lunatic, or their current whereabouts, I implore you to share anything and everything you know. With Lunatic on the move, it could mean the difference between life... and death.

[With that, he ends his little speech, and waits for a response from his fellow imPorts]

[OOC: And here’s the grand IC reveal! This post isn't strictly for conversations with Edgeworth. Feel free to talk to other characters, threadjack, and make IC plans here. Edit: And to clarify, this post takes place in the evening!]

Comments

voice

[rathercommon]

[ Good. She's glad that this information is out. She's glad her suspicions were confirmed. And she's glad, too, that they were confirmed without anyone more having to be hurt.

She hopes.

Her voice is a little more subdued than usual. ]

We've got to take him out.

voice

[takethestairs]

[And the ID says...Kitty Jones. The would be revolutionary, the terrorist tracked by John Mandrake, the woman who asked them to fight another world's war without anything resembling a plan. Her very existence makes his teeth ache, even though they have yet to exchange a single word. However, tonight? Tonight they have bigger fish to fry. He chokes back his irritation and one-sided grudge long enough to eke out a reply]

That much is obvious. [There's that harsh edge again, though even he's not sure if it's directed at Jones, or Petrov, or just the world at large. He takes another breath] But the question is, how. We can't charge in recklessly-

[Shakes his head, not that anyone can see it]

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First we need to actually find Petrov, and confirm what evidence we do have.

voice

[resipiscent]

Uh --

[He swallows, realizing he's started off on the wrong foot and it's awkward, so he starts over.]

Sorry, I... don't know anything about this. I've only been here a few weeks, and I've never heard of the guy. But I'd like to offer my strength, if there's anything I can do. I can identify people by scent, if I've met them before, and I can fight, so... you or anybody else, if you think you need more firepower, I'm there.

voice

[takethestairs]

That...

[Strange. Unusual. Bizarre. And yet...]

...could actually be quite useful. However, don't make plans for a brawl just yet - we need to find him, first. Could you tell me more about your other talents? Regarding identification, I mean.

audio; wild tiger

[earnedmystripes]

[No.

That's the first thought that runs through his head, and then runs on loop over and over and over. No no no no no no. It can't be. This can't be true. This can't be happening. Yuri was a judge, high-ranked in the Justice Department. (Maverick was the CEO) He's always tried to help them, even here. (And hadn't Maverick always seemed to have the best interests of the city, the Heroes, Barnaby at heart?) He couldn't be. He wouldn't have lied to all of them like this, for all this time. (Maverick did for a lot longer) Immediately, he pulls up the contact list on his communicator. Dials Yuri's number, again and again and again, for almost ten minutes straight. Actually yells out loud--why won't you answer, dammit?!

There's a notable shake in his voice when he finally does reply.]

Why...why should we believe your source? The last 'source' to leak files falsified a whole bunch of crap.

audio; fulcrum's encryption; also viewable by edgeworth

[yatagarasu]

I'm the source.

voice;

[infomodder]

[Will has a key to Yuri Petrov's place. He's had it for a while now, right after he had his business trip. The one Will didn't ask about, just went over to take care of the plants left behind. They've...had differences of opinion before. Big ones. But Will has plenty of conflict with people who aren't serial killers in hiding and when Miles says Sound familiar?—damn straight it does. Too familiar.

Freddie Lounds also had a source, after all.

Will rarely uses anything but text, but this isn't the usual, so it won't be treated as such.]

A tip. From a confidential source. [So, so unimpressed over here. He does not at all sound the same as when he last talked to Edgeworth, that much is for damn certain.] No pictures. No evidence...just the word of a source who, by your admission, only caught a mere glimpse.

[Uh huh.]

What are we supposed to find enough to convince in this?

not here;

[yatagarasu]

[Wherever Will is, a crow will be winging his way toward him. If there is a window in the way, the bird will tap against the glass with his beak.

And if Will takes a closer look at said crow, he will notice a small message container strapped to his leg. The message reads, in cramped handwriting:]

Can I come over? I can explain.

- Kay

voice;

[takethestairs]

[Edgeworth seethes silently, gritting his teeth, his face turning a deep red. He could give more details, but- no. Not at the expense of Kay's confidentiality.]

The man has two files, Graham, both with his name on it. Don't you find that even the slight bit suspicious?

[His tone's changed as well. There is no vulnerability, there is no uncertainty. He's not yelling, not yet; his tone is dreadfully quiet right now. But it's sharp, his words ready to cut at a moment's notice]

voice sure

[goldenlegacy]

[...well that explains a great deal. If Giorno had a sense of humor he'd probably laugh, but instead, he just says...]

Hm. That seems believable.

[Given his interactions with the two.]

[takethestairs]

[Now that gets his attention]

I take it that you've spoken with Petrov? Outside of your own announcement, I mean.

text

[heavyhitter]

whaaaaat the gigs up before i even get to see it??? and this after the whole kanaya thing. villains around here suck.

text

[takethestairs]

I beg your pardon?

[He feels like he's missing something. Or several somethings. Or... okay, he's lost track of this metaphor, look he has a lot on his plate okay]

text.

[immigrantpunk]

WAKE UP EVERYONE HE'S BEING FRAMED

not here

[rathercommon]

[ but...awkward ]

video | because the mun has shit for resistance

[unbreaker]

You gotta be fucking kidding.

...it's always the guys with the crazy ties. How did nobody figure this out sooner.

video

[takethestairs]

...probably because bad fashion isn't enough to convict a man of murder.

[Seriously kid, shoo. The grownups are talking]

text;

[somethinghidden]

I can't really say that I know him; I'd only met him earlier this month. But are you sure that Mr. Petrov is indeed Lunatic? With just the glimpse of a file?

Re: text;

[takethestairs]

I'm not certain if he's Lunatic, but I am certain that there is a connection, and the sooner we can find him the sooner we can get the answers we need.

Video

[trickstar]

Yuri Petrov, of course! Who else would it be!

... Ha ha ha, just kidding. I've never even heard of him until now. But hey, you're lucky I want him caught too, because I can tell you where he is!

[Seems like someone's feeling back to his normal self. Aka not brainwashed by lightening.]

But first, you're going to have to convince these guys here that we're after the right guy. Because I don't want my great moment where I go "I've found the killer!" to be ruined by a bunch of guys going "BUT HE'S INNOCENT! YOU'RE FRAMING HIM!" It'd be a real bummer. Got it?

Video

[takethestairs]

[Stares blankly at Joseph's dramatics, but once he's done speaking, Edgeworth gives him a sharp smile]

I'll worry about proof - you just worry about finding him. Do you mind telling me more about your talents, Mister...Joestar, is it?

[That's what the name says on the ID. Huh, weird, but he's heard weirder here]

voice; like five hours after the post is made

[brushoff]

[ Dorian 'late to the party because I was killing someone' Gray. ]

It makes sense, you know. [ said with as much sadness and tiredness in his voice as he can muster. ] Yuri never once showed me his power, that's probably the reason why.

voice

[aggressiveapathy]

This is all super legal.

[ Why does that sarcasm sound approving? Good work not-ex-boss. ]

voice

[takethestairs]

[Great, not only is she implying that he's breaking the rules, she sounds almost proud of him for that. He's not sure what part bothers him more]

Well technically, we're just gathering information and talking about hypothetical situations. For now.

voice | scarlet spider ID

[darkspider]

So I was right about looking into files.

And someone thought it was invasive.

1/2

[takethestairs]

[Huh. That's an angle that hadn't occurred to him before, and he's kicking himself for it. Why didn't he think of that earlier?]

I'm assuming they didn't want a repeat of the Tattlecrime debacle. But, what's done is done.

voice;

[andaway]

Assuming your source is right- which I don't doubt it is for now, but I'm not going to buy it right away either...

Isn't making this kind of post kind of dangerous? It would probably put you as a target.

voice;

[takethestairs]

...I know that a post like this has its risks. However, we can't let him slip through our grasp, either. I've spoken to someone familiar with Lunatic, and I have reason to believe that he could be planning something big, either another murder or something else.

voice

[eastdetective]

Who is this Lunatic? What did he do?

[Conan couldn't remember hearing this mentioned in any of his investigations so far. And this definitely sounded like something he should know about. ]

video

[takethestairs]

[That voice sounds rather... young, but Edgeworth can't be certain how young until he sees a face. So, he switches to video]

Lunatic is a dangerous serial killer with a grudge against criminals, who's decided to take justice into his own hands. [He says, without any awareness of his own grudge against criminals] I'm afraid he's been terrorizing the city over the past few months, and we have yet to capture him successfully.

[OOC: Edgeworth might be hesitant to get Conan involved if he thinks he's just a kid, but! He gave someone else deets in a public thread. I just wanted to link them now in case Edgeworth ends up holding back info in this conversation]

video »

[verification]

[ She doesn't intend to come forward, not initially. It's only when the words ring in her head, 'it could mean the difference between life... and death', that Verity bites her lip and connects to a video feed. She looks anxious, albeit sounding resolved. There's so much doubt being thrown around in here by everyone, and she knows the truth of the matter as it is presented.

She could do this in private to him but that just comes off a little too ironic, even for her. Not wanting to broadcast her abilities to the network is a desire completely outclassed by the need to do the right thing. ]

Mr. Edgeworth, I think I can help. My name is Verity Willis and I'm sure you don't know me, just as I'm unfamiliar with a lot of the events you're talking about — but I'm something of a human lie detector, you see, and I might be able to set some of the doubts here to rest, once and for all.

video » permaencrypted; viewable by edgeworth

[yatagarasu]

[There is a teenage girl in this transmission. She's sitting cross-legged in her bedroom, with a crow on her shoulder.]

Miss Willis, my name is Kay Faraday. I'm Mr. Edgeworth's source, and I'm willing to take a lie detector test.

I understand he's keeping my name away from the public, but I also want to convince people that I know what I saw.

voice; private (backdated to well before Joseph's post, just for clarity)

[attainment]

[He can't say this has come out of left field. Barnaby's suspicions have been mounting for well over a month now. Yuri Petrov has been too quiet about Lunatic's most recent activities, perhaps realizing the writing was already on the wall yet unable to tear himself away. But without the evidence to support an accusation, Barnaby's hands were tied.

Until now.

As unfortunate as this is (Petrov does hold a lofty position back home, and he can only imagine how much this will upset Kotetsu), Barnaby remains as poised as ever when he contacts Edgeworth.]

I'd been trying to get a hold of his files for awhile now, so I'd like to hear more about your source for myself, if you don't mind.

Also, you do realize you've put yourself on Lunatic's radar by doing this, right? He's not the type to ignore someone's attempt to obstruct his version of justice. And on the off chance it's not Petrov, he's not the type to let an innocent man take the blame for a crime he didn't commit. You might want to download our distress signal application if you haven't already, or stick close to someone capable of defending you in case he decides to make you a target.

[takethestairs]

Don't worry, I've had the application downloaded for quite some time. As for my source...

[Takes a deep breath]

She's a girl, someone that I know from home, someone who-

[Hesitates, unsure of how to describe their relationship]

-who has no reason to lie to me. She came across Petrov at the courthouse - or rather, bumped into him there - and saw his files when she helped him with his things. I have no idea why he had them on him at the time, though. My only guess is that he didn't want to risk someone sniffing out a hiding spot.

voice; 1/2

[bratziska]

You've been holding out on me, Miles Edgeworth.

[bratziska]

( She should probably clarify something, though. )

It's me. Franziska.

( Aaaand that's as close as a 'sorry I worried you' he's going to get from her. )

text;

[onhold]

( Communicator ID reads 'Blue Rose'. )

lunatic is someone for my world.
i had no idea that he was here as well.
i didn't know his identity
he always managed to escape capture
i'm sorry i can't be more helpful.

what are you planning to do about him?