[it's certainly a loud enough shout--as the doors burst open for the second time that day, though this time with far more impact as Oswald comes stumbling in. He looks, well...he looks a mess. Really, rather out of sorts. His suit is smudged with dirt, his hair is out of place, there's a scrape on his cheek and his limp is definitely more pronounced as he drags it behind him]
Don't you even think about it, Meroni!
[it's snarled as he drags himself up to the gate, leaning on it heavily once he gets there.]
Apologies, your honor! For some reason, the breaks in my car didn't work this morning, and that unfortunately sent my car into a ravine with me in it! [he smiles, but it's all teeth, biting and vicious] So! Again, apologies for being late, but I had the ambulance drop me off here. I'd hate to miss a court date! [he whips his head over, eyes narrowing at Meroni]
You can leave now, Sal~ [it might be the most mocking that anyone's ever said a name] We won't be needing your services.
[Edward's not expecting anything whatsoever. This is what he expected. For Oswald to be gone, sooner or later, running off like everyone else.
For this case to go exactly like he said it would, at the start.
And he's... fine with that. It's a quiet sort of bitter acceptance he has about everything in his life, by now. It isn't great. But there's no use hoping for the impossible.
...And then, that shout. The doors bursting open.
Edward blinks, as he hears Oswald enter, hears him explaining why he's later. And slowly, carefully, he turns to look. He looks... like an absolute mess, right now. He looks like he probably should've stayed in that ambulance.
He looks... somehow brilliant.
Edward's staring, a little, blinking a few more times. Next to him, his lawyer is muttering nervously, going through her notes, shuffling around papers. But right now, Edward really just sees Oswald.
[Meroni scowls deeply, turning a bulldog-ish snarl on Oswald]
"You can't seem t'solve this case, Cobblepot--why don't you let the adults handle this one, huh?"
[And Oswald's mouth twists further into a scowl of rage as he pushes past the gate, hobbling over to get into Meroni's face. Well...as much as he can. He's a bit too short to do so, but that doesn't stop him from getting right into his space anyway. He's utterly dwarfed by Meroni's bulk, but apparently that's not enough to deter him]
This is my case! [half-screeched] How dare you--!
[the bang of the gavel cuts him off, however]
"That's enough!"
[Oswald's head swivels towards the judge, shoulders hiked up, ready to go on the defensive--]
"Mr. Cobblepot." [they narrow their eyes at him]"Are you well enough to be in court?"
[he swallows at that--before straightening away from Meroni, tugging on the ends of his vest and pushing his shoulders back]
I am, your honor.
[they nod, decisively] "Then it's settled. Mr. Meroni, thank you for your time and your willingness to come over and stand in. However, seeing as it is Mr. Cobblepot's case and he is here, he will be prosecuting today."
[Meroni looks, well...almost murderous. He glares down at Oswald, before sweeping up his briefcase and storming out of the court room. The doors slam shut heavily behind him. The judge blows out a breath as Oswald lowers himself carefully into his chair.]
"Right. We'll review the case so far, and then Mr. Cobblepot, I'll expect your opening statement."
Of course, your honor. [he nods, once, decisive.] I'm ready.
"Hm?" [he bends down, so he can glance at Edward's face] "What's wrong?"
[as the Judge starts going over what they know of the case already, Oswald glances over--and then does a double take when he sees Edward looking at him. And then just...smirks a bit, winking once, very quickly, before turning his attention back to his notes and getting those in order]
"....I understand, you know." [quietly.] "Maybe not completely but...I was invisible, until I met Gertrude. Only useful when my parents wanted a stand-in for a son that they could show off to their friends. Other than that, I was nothing." [he smiles, fondly]
"Gertrude was the first one that saw me. Not an heir, not a convenient son--me."[there's still something awed in his voice] "...there's nothing like it. When things change, like that, suddenly, and you get that thing that you never thought you'd ever have. Feels like the rug's gone straight out from under you."
[Edward doesn't... know what to say to that. Because that is kind of how it feels. Like a rug pulled out from under him.
It feels...
Kind of terrifying.
Maybe Oswald had had a bit of a point, before, when he pointed out that Edward doesn't like it when people go off script. All his life he's wanted someone to do exactly that, but now that it's happening, regardless of the reasons for it, he doesn't... know what to do.
Because if he lets himself feel this right now, really feel it, that would let in other feelings too. And he can't--
Not here. Not right now. Preferably not ever, but he especially can't have a goddamn breakdown in the middle of court.
Edward swallows, as if that can somehow force down every emotion inside him. He notices he's shaking, slightly, and tightly grips the sleeve of his other arm to anchor himself.
Calm.
He's good at calm. He can... just get back there. Force it, if he has to.]
"....we can talk later." [he straightens--looking over to where Oswald is, once again, stalling for time]
"Ah...I wonder...."
[and he moves, wandering over to the other side of the defense's table--and frowns deeply, reaching out to curl his hand around her coffee mug. Elijah's face twists into something like determination, and after a long moment....it moves. It slides half an inch to the right.
Which his lawyer notices--and promptly shrieks. Oswald jumps in reaction, as does the judge, who's head whips over there ]
"Mrs. Kringle--whatever is the matter?"
"I-it moved! On its own! I-I can't do this, I'm sorry, I just can't--" [and before anyone can say or do anything, she's scrambling out of there, away from Edward and the court, the doors falling shut behind her.
There's silence in the courtroom for a solid moment]
"Ah....I'm surprised that actually worked." [Elijah looks startled, if exhausted, and somehow more...translucent than a moment ago.
The Judge, on the other hand, just sighs.]
"...well. Now that you, once again, no longer have a lawyer, Mr. Nygma, I'm afraid we're going to have to suspend the trial for another day." [they wave a hand at Oswald] "Sit down, Mr. Cobblepot. And maybe go deal with the rest of the trouble with your car. Dismissed! "
[and they bang their gavel, before getting up to leave]
[Edward barely blinks at the shriek. He just calmly looks over, as his lawyer freaks out and... Ah. Ex-Lawyer, now. Well.
But he... frowns, a little, looking over at Elijah, by the mug. His doing, yes. Obviously. He's seen ghosts move things before, but they generally don't really bother.
And the trial suspended again. Good.]
...That was impressive.
[Another day bought... Edward... looks over at Oswald, again, staring a little. There's not much time for it, before he's escorted out, but. Still.]
"Thank you. I believe I'll...rest for a bit..." [and he fades out, just as Oswald collapses into his chair. He glances over at Edward again, blinking when he finds him staring--to which he raises an eyebrow just as Edward gets escorted out.]
[yeah, he sure will. Because Oswald's not going to be able to visit until much later that night...but he still does. And once again, Edward is given the option of whether he wants to attend or not.]
[Oswald looks...better. He's got a crutch instead of his cane leaning against the table, and he's idly flipping through the file he's brought with him. He glances up as Edward enters, blinking at how quiet he is.]
...That's alright. [It's... softer. It doesn't have the defensive sharp edge that's usually on his voice, which stands out a lot now that it's not there.] I wasn't expecting you at all. So...
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3/3
Don't you even think about it, Meroni!
[it's snarled as he drags himself up to the gate, leaning on it heavily once he gets there.]
Apologies, your honor! For some reason, the breaks in my car didn't work this morning, and that unfortunately sent my car into a ravine with me in it! [he smiles, but it's all teeth, biting and vicious] So! Again, apologies for being late, but I had the ambulance drop me off here. I'd hate to miss a court date! [he whips his head over, eyes narrowing at Meroni]
You can leave now, Sal~ [it might be the most mocking that anyone's ever said a name] We won't be needing your services.
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For this case to go exactly like he said it would, at the start.
And he's... fine with that. It's a quiet sort of bitter acceptance he has about everything in his life, by now. It isn't great. But there's no use hoping for the impossible.
...And then, that shout. The doors bursting open.
Edward blinks, as he hears Oswald enter, hears him explaining why he's later. And slowly, carefully, he turns to look. He looks... like an absolute mess, right now. He looks like he probably should've stayed in that ambulance.
He looks... somehow brilliant.
Edward's staring, a little, blinking a few more times. Next to him, his lawyer is muttering nervously, going through her notes, shuffling around papers. But right now, Edward really just sees Oswald.
This is.
...New.]
1/2
"You can't seem t'solve this case, Cobblepot--why don't you let the adults handle this one, huh?"
[And Oswald's mouth twists further into a scowl of rage as he pushes past the gate, hobbling over to get into Meroni's face. Well...as much as he can. He's a bit too short to do so, but that doesn't stop him from getting right into his space anyway. He's utterly dwarfed by Meroni's bulk, but apparently that's not enough to deter him]
This is my case! [half-screeched] How dare you--!
[the bang of the gavel cuts him off, however]
"That's enough!"
[Oswald's head swivels towards the judge, shoulders hiked up, ready to go on the defensive--]
"Mr. Cobblepot." [they narrow their eyes at him]"Are you well enough to be in court?"
[he swallows at that--before straightening away from Meroni, tugging on the ends of his vest and pushing his shoulders back]
I am, your honor.
[they nod, decisively] "Then it's settled. Mr. Meroni, thank you for your time and your willingness to come over and stand in. However, seeing as it is Mr. Cobblepot's case and he is here, he will be prosecuting today."
[Meroni looks, well...almost murderous. He glares down at Oswald, before sweeping up his briefcase and storming out of the court room. The doors slam shut heavily behind him. The judge blows out a breath as Oswald lowers himself carefully into his chair.]
"Right. We'll review the case so far, and then Mr. Cobblepot, I'll expect your opening statement."
Of course, your honor. [he nods, once, decisive.] I'm ready.
2/2
[Gertrude's husband, Oswald's father--he stands next to Edward now, between him and his son, a little back and off to the side]
"Good thing he directed the ambulance here. That was a close one all around."
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He doesn't know what he's feeling, right now. How he should be feeling. Nothing like this has ever...]
...I don't understand.
[He doesn't.
He really, really doesn't.]
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[as the Judge starts going over what they know of the case already, Oswald glances over--and then does a double take when he sees Edward looking at him. And then just...smirks a bit, winking once, very quickly, before turning his attention back to his notes and getting those in order]
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People don't... come back.
That doesn't happen.
[And yet...]
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"Well, Oswald was never really one to follow the norm, as it were."
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[But he doesn't really know what he wants to say. So he just... stares down. This is... something he needs to think about. To figure out.
The trial can just go on while he does that.]
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"Gertrude was the first one that saw me. Not an heir, not a convenient son--me."[there's still something awed in his voice] "...there's nothing like it. When things change, like that, suddenly, and you get that thing that you never thought you'd ever have. Feels like the rug's gone straight out from under you."
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It feels...
Kind of terrifying.
Maybe Oswald had had a bit of a point, before, when he pointed out that Edward doesn't like it when people go off script. All his life he's wanted someone to do exactly that, but now that it's happening, regardless of the reasons for it, he doesn't... know what to do.
He stays quiet.]
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"I sure did. I avoided the kitchen for a solid week because I was so scared."
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Because if he lets himself feel this right now, really feel it, that would let in other feelings too. And he can't--
Not here. Not right now. Preferably not ever, but he especially can't have a goddamn breakdown in the middle of court.
Edward swallows, as if that can somehow force down every emotion inside him. He notices he's shaking, slightly, and tightly grips the sleeve of his other arm to anchor himself.
Calm.
He's good at calm. He can... just get back there. Force it, if he has to.]
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"Ah...I wonder...."
[and he moves, wandering over to the other side of the defense's table--and frowns deeply, reaching out to curl his hand around her coffee mug. Elijah's face twists into something like determination, and after a long moment....it moves. It slides half an inch to the right.
Which his lawyer notices--and promptly shrieks. Oswald jumps in reaction, as does the judge, who's head whips over there ]
"Mrs. Kringle--whatever is the matter?"
"I-it moved! On its own! I-I can't do this, I'm sorry, I just can't--" [and before anyone can say or do anything, she's scrambling out of there, away from Edward and the court, the doors falling shut behind her.
There's silence in the courtroom for a solid moment]
"Ah....I'm surprised that actually worked." [Elijah looks startled, if exhausted, and somehow more...translucent than a moment ago.
The Judge, on the other hand, just sighs.]
"...well. Now that you, once again, no longer have a lawyer, Mr. Nygma, I'm afraid we're going to have to suspend the trial for another day." [they wave a hand at Oswald] "Sit down, Mr. Cobblepot. And maybe go deal with the rest of the trouble with your car. Dismissed! "
[and they bang their gavel, before getting up to leave]
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But he... frowns, a little, looking over at Elijah, by the mug. His doing, yes. Obviously. He's seen ghosts move things before, but they generally don't really bother.
And the trial suspended again. Good.]
...That was impressive.
[Another day bought... Edward... looks over at Oswald, again, staring a little. There's not much time for it, before he's escorted out, but. Still.]
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He'll have plenty of time to dwell on it when he's back in his cell again.
....Great.]
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Honestly, shouldn't Oswald be... resting, or something?
But he's quiet again, as he's led in. Quieter than he's ever been. Which is... saying something.]
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....good evening, Mr. Nygma.
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He's not sure what to say.]
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....apologies for being late earlier today.
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[Apologies for--
Is he for real?]
...That's alright. [It's... softer. It doesn't have the defensive sharp edge that's usually on his voice, which stands out a lot now that it's not there.] I wasn't expecting you at all. So...
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I told you--I don't drop cases.
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[...He's still not... sure. What he should be saying.]
But people say a lot of things. And after our last conversation...
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