ic contact

[brushoff]

"Hello. This is Dorian Gray's cellphone. I can't talk right now. Don't forget to leave me a message. If you're interesting, I'll get back to you."

voice, video, text, action
[ certain threads in this post contain nsfw content (sex, blood, violence, etc.) so, you know, don't read them where Gramma can look over your shoulder. just kind of a blanket trigger warning for gore & body horror as well ]

Comments

Audio; 1/???

[takethestairs]

[Keeping his tone brisk and professional, but he speaks quickly, with a sense of urgency]

Dorian Gray? This is Miles Edgeworth. Call me back as soon as possible.

2/???

[takethestairs]

[Calls again, and when he speaks, his voice is strained and tense. This is the closest you'll ever get to apologetic from him]

Gray, it's Edgeworth. I- [sighs] Look, I know we didn't end our last conversation on the best note, but this is important. Call me back as soon as you get this.

3/???

[takethestairs]

[Not even bothering to introduce himself this time]

I don't have any more time to waste, Gray, so I'm going to cut to the chase: I know you talked to Yuri Petrov, back in September. Did you accept his assistance? Did you meet him afterward? Speak to him about money, or anything else? Call me.

4/???

[takethestairs]

Dorian Gray, I know you can hear me! Quit being an ass and pick up the line!

5/5

[takethestairs]

Oh for the love of... I know who killed you!

[and with that, he hangs up for good]

1/2

[brushoff]

[ la la la, just checking up on the messages after killing Yuri and oh for fuck's sake. ]

2/2

[brushoff]

[ and then he calls back, utterly exasperated, ]

Edgeworth, you do know that occasionally a man won't return someone's calls because he's busy at the time?!

[takethestairs]

My apologies, but I'd think that you'd want information on the man who murdered you!

[brushoff]

I do want information, but I couldn't pick up the phone until now! I was busy. [ a huffy siiiiigh. and then oh yeah, he's supposed to not know that Yuri is Lunatic, time to get into character. ]

But yes, I do know Yuri Petrov, we've been...close for months now. What does he have to do with Lunatic?

[takethestairs]

...

[Forces himself to pause and take a deep breath. He must remain calm for this. Composed. And, as much as he despises Gray, even he doesn't deserve to be betrayed. Not like this.]

Are you sitting down, Gray?

[brushoff]

I am. [ and then, with a hitch of nervousness in his voice. ] I know it's going to be bad news, but...how bad is it?

[takethestairs]

[He hesitates, unsure of how to explain this, how to ease Dorian into this discovery, when he decides to just rip off the bandaid. It's the most painful and the least cruel option he can think]

I have a- [Friend?] - contact who works at the courthouse, who sneaked a peek at some of Yuri's files. Specifically, his dossier, and his alias.

[Takes a deep breath. When he speaks, his voice is as somber and serious as a funeral]

Yuri Petrov is Lunatic.

[brushoff]

You can't be serious, [ said with a little scoff. ] Yuri wouldn't kill me.

[takethestairs]

And what makes you so sure about that, Gray?

[brushoff]

For lack of a better phrase, we're intimate. Why would you kill someone who you're in a relationship with?

[takethestairs]

[And then it hits him. Oh goddamnit. He groans, running his free hand through his hair]

He's the friend you kissed and made up with, isn't he?

[brushoff]

[ Dorian can't help it—he just lets out a small laugh. ]

Yes, that was him. And we've been doing a lot of kissing and making up since. [ a pause. ] Or, at least, we were, up until a day or so ago.

[takethestairs]

And what about the fight you two had?

[brushoff]

Which fight? [ said with a tone of voice that's purely 'I regret starting this line of questioning to begin with.' ]

[takethestairs]

...a few weeks ago, when you made your grand reentry into the world, I asked you about your friends. If any of you had gotten into a fight. And, while you didn't mention him by name at the time, you did mention an argument with Yuri. In fact, I believe you claimed it was the only argument you had gotten into with any of your friends.

[brushoff]

He wouldn't have killed me because of that. It was just...not about my sins, about me as a person.

[takethestairs]

About you as a person? What do you mean by that?

[brushoff]

Well, we were doing this utterly cliche 'get to know you' thing, mostly out of boredom over anything else. I made the mistake of talking about some of the...negative aspects of past flings, Yuri understandably didn't take it well.

[takethestairs]

...ah. I, erm, I see.

[Dorian's right: Lunatic wouldn't kill someone over a petty lover's spat. However, his phrasing, the words get to know you make him realize something]

Wait a minute - how did you two meet? Was it the post about his work with imPorts, or did you meet someplace else?

[brushoff]

We actually met in a park. It was shortly after Lunatic had made his post about punishing sinners, I egged him on and told him to meet me at a certain place and point, and then I met Yuri instead.

[ and then the penny drops. Yuri was scoping him out. He didn't meet up with Dorian because he was interesting or exciting. He was scoping him out. How much of this relationship was Yuri simply trying to figure Dorian out? ]