Audience: Gojou Satoru

[probe]

Comments

[mukagen]

[ i know why gojou is stupid but why are you stupid ]

did my first text instill fear into you?

[worthyness]

[i somehow read that as you asking me, ty, why i'm stupid and the answer is still "it happens."]

Was it supposed it?

[mukagen]

[ i would never when i, hei, have done so many wrongs and stupid things and i will be glad this hell ends ]

not sure. maybe. something about it invoked my first name, so i'm sure there was something.

[worthyness]

Did you not consider the fact that perhaps I simply wanted to?

[considering how stubborn he is about ever using a person's first name, that's not surprising.]

[mukagen]

suddenly? now?

[worthyness]

This is likely the last time I'll ever speak to you again, so yes.

[mukagen]

Good point. Since this might be the last time, want to play some rounds of chess?

[worthyness]

Alright.
Your room, mine, or the library? Your choice.

[mukagen]

you don't live in the library?

[ HAHAHAHHAA ]

[worthyness]

I can easily retract my agreement and invitation, you realize.

[ALSO....he does not want to admit how often he's in his library instead of his own room shut up.]

[mukagen]

i'll spare you.

show me your room! you said you would take a break, so let's stay away from the library.

[worthyness]

[he also does not tell gojou he went to the library and vibed for several hours between the return of the avatars and now.]

The appropriate button on the elevator should be available to you now. Press it, exit into the hall and come through the purple door. It's open.

[which is to say that if gojou does as he's told he'll find the elevator has a button labeled the tip. pressing it will send him all the way to the top, and he'll find the purple door nestled between the red door and the orange door.

as promised, the door's open! it means gojou's greeted with the sight of a large room with a king-sized bed, dark walls and marble flooring. the colors are all very rich and deep like burgundies, creams, etc. there are a few small things on the walls, nondescript awards and the like along with a bookcase full of books. there’s a fireplace and a plush chair for reading, and the fire's been started. maus is in his dog bed that sits on the floor nearby, along with bowls for food and water that are kept immaculately clean. the executive desk is nearly spotless, though there seems to be a few notes on the desktop along with what appears to be a bouquet of flowers and a figurine of some weird samurai.

anyway the most important part of that is that there's a table with an actual chess set and miles is sitting in a chair nearby scrolling through his phone while he waits. hello.]

[mukagen]

[ Gojou has never been here before! And of course “the tip” makes him laugh, but that isn’t the point. He makes it to Edgeworth’s room and takes a gander—yeah, this feels like him. Kind of pretentious, but distinguished. Maus is also cute as ever!!!

He’s about to greet him until he sees Notes over there and beelines to the desktop instead. Unfortunately, Gojou is a nosy, curious creature.

Goodbye. ]

[worthyness]

[maus wags his tail in greeting because he's a good but sleepy boy. edgeworth, meanwhile, glances up from his phone briefly to watch gojou zip through his room and does nothing to stop him. it's difficult to say if he doesn't think the notes are worth hiding or if he doesn't care.

so. sure. gojou can look! they probably don't mean much to him though because they appear to be case notes about a case called State vs. Gramarye and another labeled State vs. Blackquill. the former is about the death of a famous magician and the subsequent presentation of forged evidence from defense attorney phoenix wright, and the second is about the murder of dr. mentis cykes and the guilty verdict of prosecutor simon blackquill. i do not expect you to read the link bc it's long.

anyway there are also...notes...about every single trial this game has had in neat, orderly fashion. along with a few separate notes for miles about observations he's made around the base, and a document tracking his own monster modifications.]

[mukagen]

[ Ohhh, interesting. Gojou, at most, glazes at what he can read on the first page of these. Once he’s done, he does head straight to Edgeworth and occupies the other seat. ]

Nice room! I’d ask about the samurai figurine, but let’s go with how you’re feeling now.

[ After vibing in the library for hours. Don’t mind if he starts the game by making the first move, not even asking. ]

[worthyness]

[pretty much what he'll get is that miles is meticulous and detailed in everything he does because miles edgeworth is slightly neurotic that way. also, he looks minorly defensive of the steel samurai but lets it go, glancing at the board and following with his own move. please ignore that the pieces are definitely red and blue, and also i am likely going to handwave them playing chess as they're talking because chess is so hard.]

Depends. How much of the truth do you care to hear at the moment? [it's a bemused sort of tone, but also curious.]

[mukagen]

[ It’s okay. Gojou is quite used to unhinged and more neurotic individuals, but since Edgeworth is a normie he can judge on a normie baseline.

Bless handwave chess. Takes out my coin flip generator to chooses who wins later. ]

I’m not asking for my peace of mind, but for your sake. You can figure that out yourself.

[ the answer is TRUTH. ]

You can speak more honestly now, right? Now you’re not turning into a monster... Attached to the furby... Getting wrung dry every Thursday.

[worthyness]

[valid. also. hum.]

Yes, we can. Nothing is stopping us from speaking about anything and we're not going to disappear again. [...] I suppose the answer is "conflicted", erring on the side of "horrible" and a hint of "well-deserved."

[sometimes...you are dramatic, but sometimes you also just have a lot of trauma you stare at before shoving into a nice little monogrammed box.]

Regardless, tomorrow's the final day and I'll have a plan to move forward when I return to where I was.

[mukagen]

[ FUCKING DRAMATIC, but Gojou is also a ham. Also, hmmm. Touches this part. ]

... How much self-loathing do you have, Miles?

[ cause what. WHERE IS... RELIEVED! ]

[worthyness]

...[he kind of laughs in a quiet, uncertain way before he looks at the chess board again.]

I don't know if I would call it self-loathing so much as things aren't enough.

[specifically, the things he does never quite feel like enough and so he constantly a.) works to try and stay ahead and continue to change things b.) is unsatisfied with his work because it's not to his standards and c.) talks himself out of things he actually wants under the idea that it isn't important or necessary to what needs to be done.]

But as I've said to some others, you've done well and you have my thanks for your accomplishments today. It only means something better for everyone.

[mukagen]

... It's always good to strive for more. That's how you get things done, that's how you get what you want. I've told my students similar! If you're going to die alone, then you need to want for yourself.

[ POWER. He thinks about it as he takes some time to make his next move on the board. ]

I'd like to say! I did not do much, but I can tell you about my day while you were inside the furby. [ Hehe. ] I'd also like to say you did more than enough.

And I'm sure you will be more than enough to change your world.

[worthyness]

I'm not one of your students, Satoru. [it's more of an aside than anything, though he also doesn't disagree? if you're going to die alone, they you need to have wants to grab for.] But I understand well enough.

[...he's not sure he wants to hear about the day's events, but also he's heard a few summaries that perhaps it's worth it. doing more than enough is also questionable, but they did bring the dead back so he can agree with that. instead, he pauses in his words.]

...I've come to think this was perhaps a foolish choice to come here for what I originally wanted. I think it could have been achieved on its own, but with the indulgence generated now I'll come up with something else. [he does appreciate the words, but it's a prickly subject now. so instead, he takes the bait.]

What all did I miss while being inside an overgrown furby?

[mukagen]

I'm sure if you were my student you'd hate it.

[ HEHEEE. Yeah, bringing the dead back, reverting Avatars to normal? Is a big feat for everyone and yourself, Miles? Gojou just thought that they wouldn't be able to at all. His expectations were pretty low despite what he promised—he thought only the living or the Avatars would win. Team games? Are just not his thing. He snorts. ]

Even if you think it was foolish, there must have been some things you took away from all of this. Positive development!

[ Your Experiences, Miles. The company that you've gained by existing!! ]

Sasazuka, Mineo, Grace, and I went into the mouth! Which was aligned to you. Saw some not nice things then got taken into court. Everyone else pleaded not guilty and got chained for lying in court. It was kind of funny?

[worthyness]

I absolutely would have. [don't agree so fast??? nevertheless, he's still of the opinion that they brought the dead back but it was the work of the dead and the living that actually solved stuff and not really their own efforts. it's impressive and he's grateful that the third option presented itself, and that they were able to solidify it, but everything from today sounds exhausting.

as for the experiences...it doesn't hurt to lie just this once.]

There are a few things I've taken that have been interesting to note. I don't mind taking those memories back with me. [and then gojou explains the mouth and miles looks at the back of his own hand when he hears mention of the chains. he would like to know what they saw and experienced but he's also aware it's private and...he will let it lie.]

I suppose this means you weren't chained up and somehow managed to fix things? Consider the thing consumed us, being absorbed into it and translated into parts doesn't surprise me as much as it should.

[mukagen]

Memories are nice.

[ why is edgeworth cr always "i would like this but i will not ask. i will keep quiet until i die more than # times." ]

I was not! I didn't plead anything since I didn't think I need to. When they asked, I just told them I couldn't be tried under the same system as civilians.

[ ... ]

For some reason, it worked.