Case File 007; Text; backdated to 9/10

[takethestairs]

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Miles Edgeworth, and I had the misfortune of meeting with our "esteemed" Doctor Crane before he unleashed his research on the university. Seeing as he's still on the loose, here's what I've observed about some of his abilities. Unfortunately, my knowledge is limited, at best. If anyone can elaborate, it would be most appreciated.

1) He has a connection of some kind to crows, and in the past, has used them to spy on others and collect information. He may simply be able to communicate with them, though others have suggested shapeshifting as a possibility. From what I've observed, though, the former seems more likely.

2) He can affect people's emotions with a single touch. In my experience, he was able to instill an almost supernatural calm in me. I do not know if this is the extent of his control, or if he can influence other emotions, as well. It seems that skin to skin contact is required for this ability to take effect, but I still recommend caution, just in case I happen to be mistaken.

While I shared this information with RISE, I apologize for not sharing it with the general public earlier. I also apologize to everyone who was concerned about me and Kay Faraday. I should have announced my presence, and shared what I found out, much earlier.

Speaking of Ms Faraday, she and Franziska von Karma were sent back home earlier this month, for those who missed it. Her own murder of crows seem to be lingering around, though; if anyone is concerned about the differences between her birds and Crane's, please contact me privately.

[The message is a bit late for Kay and Franziska's friends; the would have noticed their absence by now. However, that last message isn't intended for friends, exactly]

Comments

permatext; private

[restingstitchface]

Congratulations, Miles. I'm pleased you're sharing your experiences with the group. We don't want you getting hot under the collar.

permatext; private

[takethestairs]

What do you want, Crane?

text;

[bonsoiree]

I hope you'll forgive my late response. I've only just arrived. I feel it is important for "imports" to become familiar with their new environment, and browsing the network seemed a sensible place to start.

I have only briefly encountered Dr. Crane myself, and not yet in person, but I understand he is associated with a few friends of mine. Needless to say, I am very curious about this information you have provided. Your shared research, I'm sure, is valuable to many.

That said, I must question the morality of making such information private to the public... Is it customary to eradicate all sense of privacy for a man and outline the specifics of the abilities bestowed upon his arrival? If so, I should exercise greater caution myself. Either way, this has been most informative.

Perhaps this is not usually the case for us, but instead, he has raised suspicion to be under some manner of professional scrutiny or investigaton?

[takethestairs]

He's currently a wanted man, if that's what you're asking. He's under suspicion for a chemical attack that occurred this past month, and several members of our community have been personally terrorized by him. However, before I continue, I must ask: how much do you know about Jonathon Crane already?

AUDIO.

[selfimage]

Out with it, I suppose.

[ hello, Edgeworth. have Loki wiggling his fingers at you. ]

You seem to already have a naysayer.

Audio, 1/2

[takethestairs]

I wouldn't call him a naysayer, exactly. I'd say he's someone who wishes to learn more about the situation.

Audio, 2/2, PRIVATE

[takethestairs]

[And he switches to a private feed. When he speaks again, his voice gets darker, losing the neutral, professional tone it had a moment ago]

Besides, he's not my concern right now. I have a few questions I need to ask you.

[Video]

[hands4healing]

Kay's gone?

[Winry hasn't seen her for a while but that is common in this world. She sighs. Another loss.]

I wondered...I've seen some crows around the back yard.

Audio; Private

[takethestairs]

[Sorry Winry, he'll switch away from text, but audio is as far as he's going to go this time]

I'm afraid she is. And what have you noticed about these crows? I'm speaking in terms of appearance and behavior. Kay's crows tended to be a little flashy. They liked to adorn themselves in tinsel, metal scraps, lost jewelry... you get the idea.

[acclimatized]

Thanks for letting us know. About Crane and Kay.

[takethestairs]

It's no trouble at all. You were one of Kay's friends here, correct?

video;

[brushoff]

Just how many people has Crane locked in his basement at one point or another?

text;

[takethestairs]

Don't tell me he did the same thing to you, too.

[Sorry, too surprised to switch formats]

( video. )

[desequilibre]

And in your observation he gave no clues to where he would prefer to hide if he needed to?

[ The rest is secondary. If Athos can help find this man he will do so. He'll just have to tell Lucy and d'Artagnan that they need to invest in a scarecrow or two to avoid the birds.

And perhaps train the cats into hunting them. ]

audio;

[takethestairs]

I'm afraid not. He does have cohorts in De Chima and Nonah, and while I imagine that he'd avoid De Chima, he might be hiding out in the second city. However, this is only a guess, and must be taken with a grain of salt.

text;

[attainment]

It's good to hear from you, Mr. Edgeworth.

Thank you for sharing your observations, and for letting us know Kay has returned home. She will be missed.

text;

[takethestairs]

Thank you for the sentiment, Mr. Brooks. However, considering recent events, returning home may be for the best.

text, private

[rathercommon]

[ Oh. Well - Kitty, before she starts in on the heavier stuff, and out of some small sense of kindness, asks Edgeworth: ]

So how long did it take before Crane hit up this post and started being shitty to you? I assume he's somewhere in here behind a private filter.

text, private

[takethestairs]

Why do you ask? Has he done the same to you?

[He put up a strong front when he spoke with Crane, but the conversation left him shaken and tense. He doesn't want to think about it more than necessary]

text; private

[amadaman]

[Ken sends no interrogations, no comments, no condolences. Not over the network. Instead, he sends a picture of a certain fluffy someone, and just one simple question.]

Do you want some company?

[takethestairs]

[Oh, Ken, you know him so well.]

I'll be fine. However, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you. You can bring Koromaru, if you like.

[In other words, yes. Yes he does.]

[text]

[vacationer]

What did he do?

[takethestairs]

To me, personally, or are you asking what he did on a wider scale?

text;

[lifepreserver]

[Well, he appreciates the info, that's for sure. But Marty's been out of the loop, to say the least, since his departure. This seems to be a pretty important post, so he decides to respond.]

"released his research"?
are we talking evil mad scientist kind of "research" or...?

text;

[takethestairs]

He released a potent hallucinogen that makes people see their greatest fears come to life. So yes, I'd say he fits in more with the "mad scientist" end of the spectrum than with the Nobel Prize winners.

[text]

[makethman]

With charms like that, I'm quite surprised people didn't catch on to him sooner.

[text]

[takethestairs]

To be fair, he's managed to keep his impulses under control until relatively recently. So, his "charms" may have gone unused... or, he was simply more discerning about his targets in the past.

[Permavoice, private]

[equinamity]

[Hawkeye's response is quick, and tense.]

Physical contact. Of course-- [If there was more to her initial reaction than this, it dies quickly and she presses on.]

Once again, you have more information than I. Unfortunately, I have nothing to offer than you already seem to know. Crane was seeing patients in a private office in North Carolina. He seems to have kept a relatively booked schedule, but never had seemed to have appointments booked so back-to-back that clients met one another while waiting. Until August, nobody seemed to outright question his credibility or credentials as a clinician, at least not that I've heard stated outright.

I was not aware of his association with crows, but I will keep an eye out moving forward.

text;

[akito]

Kay was very worried about you.
I am glad you are okay. I tried to keep an eye out for you but had no luck!

[takethestairs]

Well, there's only so much one can do in these circumstances. I take it you were one of Kay's friends?

audio;

[hisheartsdesire]

Then no one else knew Crane's powers before this?

audio;

[takethestairs]

Not that I know of. Keep in mind, Crane relied more on his intellect than the abilities he received here. He may not have seen any reason to use them on most people.