Two cannibals are eating a clown

[killswithapen]

Who: Yagami Light, Miles Edgeworth, a few NPC police cronies (Can be Joker/Edgeworth all up in here too if you like?)
When: Saturday 3rd April, during Joker downtime
Where: Edgeworth's apartment
Summary: Clown Light has a wanting for a cravat, and Joker told him just where to get one. Now he and his police pals have a mission.
Warnings: Rope and

Comments

[mentis_reae]

Staying at the office was too hazardous; that had been made clear from the very first moments of this assault, when the Joker had taken over City Hall itself. That did not, however, give any excuse whatsoever not to work. Edgeworth was not so reckless as to dare a foray into his office, and certainly not so reckless as to send anyone else. Fortunately, he had a few files at home and was able to work from memory on a few more, but he knew he was running out of tasks he could accomplish.

This assault had to end soon, lest he be overburdened with free time and nothing to accomplish with it.

When he heard the buzzer, he stood up a bit too quickly, then frowned at his restlessness. He stepped over to the intercom - one of the few luxuries in this apartment, a working intercom - and pressed the button to transmit.

"Who is it?"

[killswithapen]

Light had expected a little caution from Edgeworth, and if he didn't open the door then a violent end was planned for it. He pressed the buzzer again firmly, three times in quick succession, then leaned in to shout at the other man.

"Juliet, of course. Open up."

Would Edgeworth let him in, or would the threat of clowns keep him at bay? Under normal circumstances, Light would just order Edgeworth to open the door, but these weren't normal circumstances. Breaking it down would just have a certain hilarity to it--after all if Edgeworth was so eager to lock himself up in his fortress like this, what better punishment for not coming to play than to let he city's clowns in while he was away without leave? They'd probably be too busy making a mess to actually steal anything...

[mentis_reae]

Juliet? The voice was Yagami's - that much was immediately clear. Yet, no matter that Yagami did have a pathetic and nasty sense of humor that reared its head at the most irritating moments, that was not the sort of joke he would tell. His jokes were aimed always at causing someone some distress. "Juliet" was simply...bizarre.

Had Yagami too fallen under the influence of this absurd poison, that which had altered the minds of so many?

So Edgeworth pressed the button for the intercom again, scowling. "Yagami, give me a good reason why I should and perhaps I'll consider it. If you don't, then you can damn well go away."

[killswithapen]

Well, he did call you Romeo the other day when he came calling, Edgeworth, keep up.

Again, that was the answer that he had expected. "A good reason why... No, not really. I guess you don't like this door, right?"

He gave Edgeworth a moment to object, and stepped aside with a nod to the men beside him to take the door down. He'd given him fair warning, right? Then all was fair and just.

[mentis_reae]

Don't like this... He was more angry than afraid at that moment, and he stayed more angry than afraid when he heard a noise that sounded very much like an assault on the door. He was not afraid of Yagami, he assured himself; even like this, stripped of rational thought and intelligence as Edgeworth had witnessed from others, he was not afraid of him.

"Any property damage will be met with legal action," he snarled into the intercom - which was not precisely a legitimate threat, no, since the actions of those around him could easily be described as insane, but which would at least have the potential to stop Yagami's absurdity. "Are you willing to risk that?"

[killswithapen]

"Property damage? My friends are just doing their jobs, Mr. Edgeworth. They're doormen." Light leant in close enough to kiss the microphone. "See you in a moment, Romeo." Following the path of destruction upstairs, banana in hand, Light waved his new allies to a stop outside Edgeworth's door, politely leaning in to rap against it with his knuckles.

"May I come in, Mr. Prosecutor, sir? I just won't take 'no' for an answer. And if you're thinking that we don't have a warrant--well we don't. But the Governor will give us a full pardon as soon as we see him...which shouldn't be too long. We mustn't keep him waiting."

[mentis_reae]

And now there was fear. Against his will, as much as he tried to focus and assure himself that he was angry, there was indeed fear. He remembered what Yagami had been like when he'd tried to kill him, how that rationality had disappeared...He remembered the man's face, and his name, just a few letters short. He knew what the man was capable of.

And if he didn't fear legal retribution...

Then you'll have to defend yourself, Miles. Stop being such a coward; you're capable now. He slipped his sharp pen into his pocket, thought about what cookware they had in the kitchen, gritted his teeth, and scowled.

"No," was his response, short and harsh. "And I warn you - if you break in here, I will have no recourse save to respond with full force."

[killswithapen]

Oh, well he might have a hard time with that. As much as a display of Edgeworth's powers would be a lot of fun right about now, there was a reason why he had brought a void along for this little game. The prosecutor was a little too dangerous to take on without possible harm coming to anyone otherwise.

"Is that your last warning? Stand back, Romeo."

Light nodded at the man beside him, who aimed a blow for Edgeworth's door. A nice little explosion - just enough to take it off with a bit of a show rather than hurt anyone on the other side of it, or else draw attention to their little games - and Light smiled as the dust settled, raising his banana. "Surrender, and you won't get hurt. Well. Not much."

[mentis_reae]

Edgeworth stumbled back, shielding his face from that explosion. When he looked up again, he saw a familiar shape, and terror drew Edgeworth's eyes to Yagami's hand, to where he clutched a -

Banana? What the hell...

Everything about Yagami was wrong. His hair was an unnatural shade of green, his skin too pale - and his expression was one he had not ever worn and should never have worn, a broad and twisted grin. He was flanked by others wearing police uniforms; this struck Edgeworth as an outrage until he recognized the man on Yagami's right and realized that these were police officers.

That more than anything else unnerved him. But his window opened onto a fire escape. He needed but to block their advance and escape to that window; from there, he'd be able to run. He called upon his power, now familiar and simple to use, and commanded that a wall be built between them -

And nothing happened.

How...

[killswithapen]

"Are you missing something?"

Light's grin brightened as he stepped inside, looking around the apartment openly as he hadn't done during his previous visit. "Oh, of course you are. It wears a collar, comes to the sound of its own name and says 'Miles, help me.' Doesn't it? Do you want to know a secret?" Oh, he did like telling secrets. "He was so frightened up there on the stage, so alone, when they stripped him down, violated his mind and prostrated his body for all those gawking slavers.

"Oh, it was so funny. I wish you could have been there, Romeo--but then, I wish you had been in his place, really. Imagine how high the bidding would go for a piece of you. Two hundred thousand--half a million. Sold, to Italy de Drago himself for one million dollars. The crowd goes wild." Admittedly he also liked the sound of his own voice, and the police officers around him cheered and faked loud applause as Light took a bow.

"And here's the longshot, fifty to one. How do you think you stand your chances against all of us? I warn you, I've got a

[mentis_reae]

"Don't - " Edgeworth choked on the sound, taking another step back. He needed to figure out why his powers weren't working - but his mind was filled suddenly with what he hadn't allowed himself to think about before. Sam, up there alone, searching desperately for the savior who never came. The picture Yagami painted was far too vivid, far too detailed; he was filled with sick guilt - and with fear, yes, because if they'd taken and sold Sam then there would be nothing to stop them doing the same to him...

Stop it. Stop.He forced those thoughts away, shaking his head violently and forcing himself to think. It wasn't fear which was stopping the use of his powers; fear, indeed, usually made his powers more effective. No...It was

[killswithapen]

"They have nothing on you...right now. But then, they didn't really have anything on Sam either. You see, the way things are here, they can just make it up if they want to. Drop a few dead cadavers with your name on them. They'll have you in their pockets on a technicality. Or well... The Prince of Clowns could just throw away the rulebook we all follow so closely. Seems about time to make some new laws anyway, don't you think?"

Light raised a hand to casually sweep away his green fringe, inclining his head toward Edgeworth, grinning malevolently as he caught his eye. So much fear. Retreating toward the back, toward the stairway down to the street below. Well there was no chance that he was getting that far. Light lunged forward sharply, closing in on Edgeworth's space like a striking snake, reaching up to try to get a good grip on his cravat.

"Surprise."

[mentis_reae]

Edgeworth barely knew how to deal with Yagami on a normal day. When he was like this - crazed, laughing, calling him Romeo, whatever the hell that was about, and spitting these threats - Edgeworth was completely at a loss. At least he could at times appeal to Yagami's limited powers of reason. Now, however -

He was tense even before Yagami lunged at him. He reacted unthinkingly, only stumbling back a bit further when Yagami grabbed at his cravat. He tried to remember the training Nara had given him, but most of it had focused on honing his powers...Desperately, he balled his fist and swung wildly at Yagami's jaw.

"Let go of me!"

[killswithapen]

The wild attack glanced off his jaw, and Light sneered. "If you insist."

Of course he wasn't about to let Edgeworth go completely. The other officers were here for a reason, and one of them was already pulling reams and reams of brightly coloured hankerchief rope out of his sleeve, even while the others circled to catch the prosecutor if he tried to run. Releasing the cravat, Light stepped away from him, pulling off his tie one handedly, gesturing with the other.

"The boss wants to see you, but before then I thought you could spare a little time for little old me. After all, I am your Juliet. You could recite me some poetry. Can you rhyme, Edgeworth? I'm really rather good at it, myself."

[mentis_reae]

Edgeworth glanced around himself wildly, fists clenched. His right was throbbing from the poorly composed attack, but by God the left was ready to strike whoever moved in towards him. He was not about to be captured.

"Stop talking about Romeo and Juliet," Edgeworth spat, not looking at Yagami. He caught one officer moving in towards him, and he turned, ready to strike - but it had been a feint. Someone grabbed him from behind. Edgeworth twisted, trying to free himself.

[killswithapen]

"But here you are up in your high tower, and aren't we just star crossed, Edgeworth? Eternal enemies, bound in a dance of justice--it's a lot like love. Your little doggie is Mercutio, don't you think? It all fits so beautifully."

Naturally it was just the construct of a sick mind, and enough to irritate the prosecutor and slow his responses. Grinning clown or not, Light wasn't completely stupid--or irrational. He still had motives, intentions, and when Edgeworth began to fight, Light grinned, waving to a chair.

"Tie him up. Where is Mercutio, hm? Somewhere around here?"