I sleep like a soldier without rest

[mentis_reae]

Who: Miles Edgeworth, Diego Armando, their Fabulous Dancing Witnesses, and YOU!
When: June 22nd, 2011.
Where: Siren's Port Superior Courthouse.
Summary: The date of the AGI trial is upon us! LET'S SEE HOW IT GOES. (Hint: How it goes is that it gets adjourned to the following week, with the plaintiffs holding a clear advantage.) There'll be

Comments

[kingofrooks]

[ Legally, what he is doing is illegal. It's a breach of privacy. Police officers aren't allowed to do this without a warrant and a judge's approval and plenty of evidence. That's why Bruce isn't a police officer. Because he can do all the things that people keeping to law cannot.

He has Edgeworth's car bugged. The insides, the outside. Tiny little transmitter that send masked signals to his NV, which immediately translates any suspicious sounds and voices into the earpiece he keeps permanently in his left ear. It's a curious little thing, that ear piece - inconspicuous, stuck to the curve of one ear and hidden under the fall of his hair. The sound quality is amazing, and it's wireless. If he sells it to SERO, he would earn a fortune.

Too bad he doesn't need one.

He's heard sounds near the car. He is in the spectators' seat during the trial, keeping watching on the door, the windows, any possible attack. And he's heard, once the tide turned against AGI, whispers near Edgeworth's car. Bruce had pretended to scratch his ear-

[mentis_reae]

[He's eager to get home and to whatever absurdity Black has planned, so he walks briskly. Lost in thoughts of what's ahead, and confident he's finally shaken off the press and everyone else, he's not paying attention to what's going on around him - so he's startled, and a little hostile, when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

That hostility melts away as he sees who it is.]

Mr. Wayne.

[His nod is respectful.]

I'm glad you were present today.

[kingofrooks]

How could I have missed your big day?

[ There's a strain in his smile, barely visible. The urgency tugs at him, and he throws away his own hatred of intimacy to wrap an arm around Edgeworth's shoulders and start to tug him towards the other side. Away from the garage. ]

Anyway, it's a fine day today, so it'll do you good to walk home instead. You should take your car everywhere, you know.

[ As if to punctuate his statement, the skies above boom. Lightning flashes.

Well. ]

[mentis_reae]

[Edgeworth stiffens somewhat. He's no less uncomfortable with intimacy than Wayne is, and so he tries subtly to pull away.]

I appreciate your health-consciousness, but this is not what I'd call a "fine day." Would you like a ride?

[kingofrooks]

[ Bruce loosens the hold a little, but continues to herd him away from the car and the garage. ]

No, I love walking. It's a very healthy past time!

[ Then under his breath, in a sudden rush without even moving his lips. ]

Just work with me here. I'll explain later.

[mentis_reae]

[Edgeworth's head snaps around, his eyes suddenly sharp and focused directly on Wayne. Subtle he is not, but nor is he a fool; there's one beat of searching his face, and no more before he lifts his head in acknowledgment.]

Some of us get adequate exercise, Wayne, but if you insist. I'll come along.

[kingofrooks]

[ That's it. Edgeworth is never coming with him on any undercover missions. He's even worse than Clark when it comes to hiding- which is why it's good that Bruce decided to lift his arm at the moment, at the same time that it covers Edgeworth's face from people watching them from behind.

From the front, he can't do much with. ]

Hey, I exercise just fine. Besides, why would you want to hurry home? You deserve to celebrate!

[ They are rounding past a corner full of corner waiting for the rain to make up its mind. Bruce steers Edgeworth to a deserted corner in full view of everyone- but where the sound amplification makes sure they won't be heard.

(He's revealing himself a little too much, but a man's life is worth more than Bruce's identity issues.) ]

[mentis_reae]

I suppose that I do.

[His manner is far from relaxed or jovial, however; indeed, he seems quite tense. And, finally losing his patience, he snaps sotto voce:]

What the hell is going on?

[kingofrooks]

[ Oh, they are in the corner now. Bruce drops his arms. Shoves on into his pocket. Rubs the back of his neck with another. Takes a breath and visibly tries to not shift around. ]

Er. Just now I saw some people walking around your car and [ this is completely what an engineer would notice: ] three of them had engine oil on their fingers.

I think they did something.

[mentis_reae]

[He lifts his chin. His eyes are sharp as he goes for his NV.]

And you couldn't have just said that to me? For the love of God, they could get away.

[kingofrooks]

If I did, they might decide to cut the chase and just shoot you. [ So incredibly dryly- then he looks around him. ]

Did you notice that none of the AGI lawyers and witnesses are going to their cars?

[mentis_reae]

[Edgeworth pauses with the phone halfway to his ear.]

What?

[And he turns and looks.]

[proxysearch]

[She's on the other side of the crowd looking after Diego when her phone goes off. She quickly answers.]

Yes?

[mentis_reae]

Ah -

[He raises the phone to his ear again.]

Officer Mayer. Mr. Wayne believes that my car has been tampered with. Are you in the area?

[proxysearch]

[That stops her cold.]

...Yeah, I'm by the courthouse. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll be right there.

If you two are near it, find a safe distance away. If I find that it's been fussed with, I'm going to call in the bomb squad.

[mentis_reae]

All right.

[He hangs up and looks to Wayne.]

She's on her way. What did these men look like?