(Untitled)

[mentis_reae]

WHO: Miles Edgeworth and YOU
WHERE: New York County Courthouse
DATE: August 25, 1935
WARNINGS: JUSTICE
SUMMARY: A press conference announcing Edgeworth as the new special prosecutor.
STATUS: Incomplete and open.
NOTES: Journalist characters can ask questions. Others can mingle. MINGLE. Or shout questions. And get crankiness in response

Comments

[payback]

The leaden, raindrop-spitting skies seemed like an ill omen for Mr. Edgeworth's conference, but I stood in the crowd with the mob of reporters and the spectators that flocked to every potential spectacle in New York and it seemed to me that he handled the matter with aplomb and a sort of austere grace

Hope you don't mind me slipping in~

[irrisolti]

I arrived a little late to the show, so to speak, but perhaps it did not matter - I had come to the press conference on a whim, after all. A nearly... professional interest, given the line of my real work. One needed to keep up with the times, after all, in order to stay ahead of the game.

From the looks of it, Miles Edgeworth certainly was the sort of character that matched the behavior he exhibited in the notebooks, the strong handwriting that now blazed across a multitude of their pages. I studied him with a fair amount of interest, weighing his words against their implications, most especially for my trade. Was it my place to ask questions? I considered that option briefly.

For the moment, however, I stayed near the edge of the crowd, watching the event unfold. I noticed, idly, that there was a young woman (another like myself, judging from her features) very close by... she seemed to recognize Edgeworth as well. Another notebook owner?

of course not! (though I am obviously v. slow =|)

[payback]

More likely it would have been the ladylike thing to do to give way to the reporters and more belligerent types surging towards him shouting queries; I fought to keep my footing and my place instead, though there was little enough I could offer to the proceedings. Maybe it would do these so-called gentlemen good to find a lady who did not cede so easily to their unvoiced but obvious demands for space and precedence.

Still, still, I found myself shunted a little away from his podium, towards the edges of the crowd, and even employing a sharp elbow here and there was not enough to stop the process entirely. I lost my smile in favor of snapping "watch it!" at a man who'd bumped me hard with barely a glance, and then found myself jostled close against more strangers, a young man who watched me with a clear, distant expression. "Sorry," I muttered to him, turning back and trying to catch Edeworthe's eye again. I was too far away, though. I could hardly see him over everyone else.

Huhu, shiny new journal, get. (And lmao, s'okay, LET US BE SLOW TOGETHER.)

[icaruschmicarus]

I made an acquiescent sound, faintly amused at the outburst I had witnessed on the part of the young lady, who had already seemed to have forgotten that I was there at all.

Well and good, for the moment.

Edgeworth seemed thoroughly occupied with the crowd and the queries shooting off from all directions, and the way that people jostled about was starting to annoy me - it was difficult to concentrate, after all, if everyone insisted on acting so tastelessly. Hence, with some choice words and pointed looks on my part, I managed to get more than a few of the imbeciles to clear out, or at least stop pushing.

...That was much better.

[alwayslogical]

Spock had considered not coming and then decided that part of being a good American citizen and supported the cause that had put him here and given him what he wanted was to give back and stay informed. Which explained his presence near the back - close enough to pay attention but far away enough to avoid the crowd. It wasn't that Spock didn't like people, really, he just had (always had, really) a thing against unnecessary touching, and that many people together suggested that it would be impossible to avoid such a thing. Therefore, in the back

[cowboy_newsie]

Guess it is good news was the first thought that ran through my head as I watched Miles. It was a nice speech he'd given, and I made a note to tell him when I wrote in the journal later. And honestly, it was a good thought: that maybe with Miles and the police force working even harder, the big crime bosses would fall, and we could all live in peace. That maybe crime could be stamped out for good, and everyone could get by honestly, and no one would ever have to worry about being robbed or murdered or anything like that ever again.

Like I said. It was a good thoughtBut it was impossible to stop all crime-- not unless they fixed a lot of other problems too. Most people either steal because they's greedy or they need to. And maybe Miles and the police could lower crime by making sure nobody ever needed to steal food or money out of desperation, but there was no way to stop greed. Somebody would always want more, no matter how much he cracked down on crime or how many people he prosecuted

[relaxfriend]

I had mixed thoughts about crowds. On one hand, people were touching me, and that made me tense up and want to be as far from them as possible. Too many voices, too much skin too close to each other, and if it wasn't for the miserable rain, too much heat coming off of that skin. I wrapped my arms around my chest tightly

[cowboy_newsie]

"Dunno if it's an act," I said, still studying Miles fixedly. "I think he really believes all that." There was something in the way the lawyer spoke-- not just this speech, but in the journals. Whenever somebody got him on the topic of justice, or criminals-- I don't know, he seemed like he really did believe the stuff he was spewing.

Or maybe he was just a first-class actor. Time'd tell, I guess. Especially now, with him making a big deal about it.

Stepping away from Gary a little and running a hand through my hair, I added, "And they gotta be impressed. He's actin' like the poster boy for a perfect lawyer-- tryin' to stomp out criminals and do good." I paused to listen to-- was that Clark?-- ask Miles a question. "It's impossible, but it sure sounds nice."

[shortpantsrobin]

It's a good idea, and I want to be part of it. I'm standing a little to the side as I listen, not quite hiding in the shadows, but not really trying to draw attention to myself.

With Edgeworth in charge, I probably won't be able to do much as Nightwing. But I have a badge now. It's gleaming on my chest right now. I still can't fully believe that I'm a cop. Even wearing the uniform, my first instinct is to go change, but I'm a cop. I stop a mugging without ducking into a phone booth.

I'm not sure if I'm one of the best and brightest in the New York Police Department. I've only been on the force for a day, and although I'd done well in training, I'd tried not to outshine everyone else by too much. I don't want to stand out. Being too good would be suspicious.

Best case scenario, I guess, they put me on the task force. But they're getting my help whether they want it or not.

[mentis_reae]

It was rather reassuring to see that there were police officers in the crowd. Perhaps I had simply been overwhelmed by the sheer number of warnings that the entire police force was corrupt, that there wasn't an honest man to be found, but I had half expected utter disinterest from the department that was most crucial in this endeavor. Yet a number of them had shown up, and appeared engaged and perhaps even hopeful...It wasn't necessarily an omen of success, but it was encouraging nevertheless.

Once the press conference had concluded, I stepped through the crowd. It was not my habit to attempt to make eye contact with anyone, not my habit to acknowledge them, as I did not wish to suffer wasting time on petty pleasantries, but perhaps I was buoyed by the prospect of real change. As I passed, I caught one's eye, and I nodded - not precisely a greeting and not precisely a thanks, but perhaps an acknowledgment.

[shortpantsrobin]

For a moment I worried that he knew who I was. Then I realized that he wasn't not shouting for me to be arrested, and anyway, we've only ever written to each other. As usual, it was just Bruce's paranoia at work. I smiled at him and nodded back.

But... this was an opportunity. So I walked over to him and offered my hand.

"I'm Officer Dick Grayson," I said, grinning. "This task force sounds like a great idea, Mr. Edgeworth."

[mentis_reae]

It had been an excellent idea to greet the officer, I told myself; no matter that it was evidently resulting in idle chit-chat of the sort I most despised, this could provide a later advantage if indeed this Dick Grayson were the sort to be helpful in the task before us. I did despise such chit-chat, though.

"Ah, quite kind of you to say," I responded, taking his hand with what I hoped was a relatively minimal amount of self-consciousness. "Previous efforts were halfhearted at best and had little impact upon organized crime - at least at the local level. The federal government has admittedly had limited successes, but the city of New York has too long been ineffective in its fight against crime." I was rambling. I was perfectly aware I was rambling. But better this than awkward silence. "It is my sincere hope that this will be a step towards changing that."

[wutaian_rose]

Wasn't that just plain Aces

[mentis_reae]

It was difficult making my way through the crowd after the conference. Some tiny, absurd, egotistical part of me believed that the assembled mass ought to have parted before me, as before some conquering hero, notwithstanding the fact that I was far from a heroic sort and even if I were I had yet to do anything at all. My majority was simply irritable at the proximity. Honestly, there ought not be anything difficult about moving out of the damned way.

It was while I was attempting to force my way through one particularly slow-moving throng that I was jostled to the side and trod most ungracefully on a someone's foot. I immediately winced, aware both of the indignity and of how painful that must have been, and turned to the young woman who I was fairly certain owned the injured appendage. "Apologies," I said.

[wutaian_rose]

Normally, I'm all for crowds. They make my job easy, they're entertaining, makes it harder to get caught...So for me, they're pretty damn keen. But there's a point where even the most patient person is about ready to sock somebody, and I really ain't all that patient. I'd just about had it, and decided to wait instead of shove through the mess, thinking that might work a little better.

Of course, as usual, not doing something's as bad as doing nothing at all, and I jumped as someone used my foot as part of the damn sidewalk. I was just about to give whoever a piece of my mind too, when to my surprise, I recognized the guy.

"Oh!" I had been about to give him a talkin' to, but this was a lot more fun. Instead of making a fuss, I smiled brightly and tried my best to look the model citizen type, and I've had all kindsa practice at that act.

"No problem, Mr. Edgeworth." I said, deciding to tack on pleasantries while I had his attention. "That was a pretty snazzy speech you gave, I liked it very much."

[mentis_reae]

"Oh." I had expected simply to offer an apology and then move along. At the very worst I was prepared snarl a few hostilities if she herself became angry over my clumsiness - indeed, I rather relished the thought, liked the idea of a quick barked exchange to relieve some tension.

Instead, the young girl didn't even acknowledge the offended appendage, simply grinned up at me with almost discomfiting sweetness. I was very much glad at her cheer, her optimism, and her kindness in complimenting me in such a way, but I hadn't the faintest what I was to say to that.

So I cleared my throat, rather embarrassed, and nodded at her. "Kind of you to say," I muttered. "Ah, I worked on it for some time..." Good lord that had sounded imbecilic. "No matter. Kind of you to say."