ACE ATTORNEY AU

[enigmaster]

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[enigmaster]

You did. [...He's still not... sure. What he should be saying.] But people say a lot of things. And after our last conversation...

[agoodname]

[at the mention of that, Oswald goes a bit stiff, glancing away] ...yes, well. It was a bit shocking.

[enigmaster]

...I'm sure it was, yes.

[agoodname]

[he huffs out another sigh, then, rubbing a hand over his face] So. You see ghosts. Not just see them, but talk to them, apparently. Frequently.

[enigmaster]

[He blinks.] ...Um. Yes.

[agoodname]

[......] ...my mother included. [that, itself, is quiet--and Oswald his hiding his eyes behind his hand for a moment]

[enigmaster]

...Yes. That's right.

[agoodname]

...okay. [his voice wobbles again, slightly, and he clears his throat--getting all of that under control before he drops his hand]

Well, in that case, my condolences. [drawled, because sarcasm is a very good defense mechanism h e y]

"I heard that! Naughty boy!" [speaking of, Gertrude sits on the table, tsking] "Teasing his mother like that."

[enigmaster]

[Well. Well, that's a response, alright. And Edward blinks a little at Gertrude's appearance.] She says she heard that. And you shouldn't tease her.

[agoodname]

[and Oswald blinks--yeah that's going to take him a moment, and his face does a sort of weird thing where he's not sure if he should be happy or sad or not so he just ends up looking confused] It's a son's job to keep his mother on her toes. "Yes, and my heels have never touched the ground in twenty-one years." [her response is automatic, practiced, like this is a common conversation.]

[enigmaster]

She says her heels haven't touched the ground in twenty-one years. [It's easy enough for Edward to repeat things. He's done this before, though usually the circumstances are... different. Worse.] ...I know this is... very weird.

[agoodname]

[when Edward says that first part, his expression starts to morph, and Oswald drops his head to hide it. It takes him a moment to actually respond] Ah. A bit. [his voice is...very quiet.]

[enigmaster]

...Yeah. I mean, it's... you know, normal for me, but. Very unbelievable for anyone else.

[agoodname]

[Oswald barks out a strangled laugh at that, though it hiccups a bit in the middle--and he swallows. What does he even say right now?]

[enigmaster]

Are you-- [oh my god no stop talking don't finish that sentence] ...okay? [goddammit Edward what the fuck do you think]

[agoodname]

...it's been a pretty strange day. [his voice wobbles a little--and he clears his throat, trying to get himself under control somehow. For all that Oswald has seemed almost a force of nature at times, he's...almost small now. Young. A kid who lost his parents a little over six months ago. Both of them at the same time.]

[enigmaster]

[Every day is strange on his end. He doesn't say that, because there's no point to that. That's not... what this is about, right now.] I'm sorry. About... what happened. [It feels like it needs to be said.]

[agoodname]

[he curls in on himself a bit more at that] ....did my mother tell you? [he manages a small, wet laugh] She's always been a gossip. "Ah, liebchen..." [Gertrude hovers her hands over his shoulders, looking down at him sadly]

[enigmaster]

She... did. Yes. Though I did ask her about it.

[agoodname]

[it takes a moment--but then] ...the other night. When you asked if I used to be a defense attorney.

[enigmaster]

Mhm-hm. After you... left, I asked her what happened to make you switch like that. I wanted to understand.

[agoodname]

...as I said. A gossip. [this is...he doesn't even know how to handle this, honestly. It's a lot. Especially to be told his mother is here] "A mother should always want to talk about her son." [quietly, sadly, and if Gertrude could cry like this, she might]

[enigmaster]

[...] ...It's personal. I probably shouldn't have asked.

[agoodname]

[Oswald shakes his head at that, once] It's fine. It's pretty well known anyway.

[enigmaster]

Oh. I wouldn't really know. [And then Edward goes quiet. Not... sure what to say, exactly.]