hisheartsdesire | [ic] Contact

Do you remember that bar we went to last summer? The one in Heropa, with the fake boardwalk.

[You know. The bar you took him to when they first met.]

[Toby laughs to himself when he gets this text. Sure has been a while since he's heard from the man who guilted him into going to prison.]

How could I forget? I took you to that one when we first met.
Why are you asking?

I was wondering if I could buy you a drink. Assuming that you're free, that is.

[He could take this opportunity to snub Edgeworth...]

I'll cancel my appointment with the stylist.
A trip to Heropa and a decent drink sound all right.

[He didn't expect Toby to accept so readily, truth be told. Is Toby truly interested in reconnecting? Or is Edgeworth walking into a trap?

If it is a trap, it's nothing he can't extricate himself from. For now, he'll continue to treat this as a completely normal conversation. There's no need to tear down their polite fiction just yet]

Does eight work for you?

[...but he's deciding to play nice. There may be a point to all this, after all.]

You mean tonight?

If you can make it.

Eight this evening.
As it turns out, I am free.
So it looks like I'll see you then.

I'll be waiting.

[Normally Edgeworth is the sort of person to show up to appointments and meetups early, but not this time. This time, he arrives at eight, and not a minute sooner. While he does not want to try Toby's patience too much, he doesn't want to look desperate, either. He holds his head high and looks around the bar, casually scanning the small crowd for his former friend]

[Toby hadn't exactly been leaping for joy at the idea of meeting up with Edgeworth again. After all, being guilt tripped really soured their relationship. And what more, Edgeworth held his own nature against him! Given the same conundrum, could Edgeworth have done much better in his place? Toby would like to see him try!

Anyway, he decides not to tell Dorian when he finally heads out to meet up with Edgeworth. He arrives there just a little later than eight because he doesn't see any need to be especially prompt. Once he's there, he casually seeks Edgeworth out. It's no skin off his back if the man gets cold feet.]

[Ah, and there he is. Edgeworth greets him with a nod, and guides him towards the bar. There are no kind smiles or warm greetings. Both of them remain cool, neutral, and without a single trace of passion. Though, all things considering, perhaps this is a good thing]

You've been doing well, I trust?

[His tone is calm, but cool, and he does not ask him this out of any genuine concern. What he wants right now is a reaction]

[That Edgeworth is as standoffish as he would be with anyone else before their falling out is just plain irritating. If his powers were anything like they should be, Toby could simply hurry things along with hypnosis, though he wouldn't be able to get a meal out of it. Damn.

There's a hint of bitterness in his voice when he answers.]

Well enough, I guess. Since getting out of prison... Not that I'd expected you to notice. Cold shoulder and all that.

[No, that's not quite how he wants to go about this. So Toby tries to manage something of a softer tone, one that's a little more genuinely caring and concerned.]

I'm... sorry. About that. What's done is done, after all. And how have things been with you?

[Toby's biting comment makes Edgeworth stiffen for a moment, but only a moment. He thinks nothing of it; after all, only a fool would expect a pleasant greeting from him. His second comment, though, makes Edgeworth stop in his tracks. Another patron brushes by his shoulder and snaps him back to reality, and he takes another step toward the bar.]

It could be worse.

[His tone is quiet and rough, and he clears his throat before he speaks again]

I made it south of the border after our guests arrived, and weathered the worst of it there. The only problems I had to worry about were sunburn and rowdy roommates.

[After he answers, he takes a moment to order their drinks: a whiskey on the rocks for Toby, and a whiskey and coke for Edgeworth. Even after all this time, he still can't handle the sharp taste of liquor on its own]

Edited 2016-03-30 00:57 (UTC)

[Toby quickly corrects the order to have his whiskey neat since he really doesn't need the ice. Especially if this is going to be a proper drink, and he certainly wants his money's worth coming out here for Edgeworth. Once that's taken care of, there's a bit of silence as Toby considers his response.]

Ah, yeah. We made it out, too—Dorian and I. [Namedrop, just to see if Edgeworth will have any reaction.] Spent quite a bit of time on the beach at night, if only because sunburn is a rather severe problem in my case. So I've still got a bit of cabin fever even after that.

[A beat.]

Since returning, what have you been up to?

[The corners of his lips tighten at the mention of Dorian Gray. Oh, he knew that the other man made it to Mexico, and Edgeworth made a special point to avoid him as much as humanly possible. However, that's nothing compared to the grimace that forms when Toby asks him about his life. He sighs, and shakes his head as he shuffles over to the table]

Catching up on the world outside of Mexico, for the most part. You know, making sure the world isn't on the brink of collapse again.

[He sits down, and waits for Toby to settle in before he looks him in the eye]

...or the people in it, for that matter.

[Ah, there's that reaction to Dorian. Though Edgeworth seems even less pleased being asked about himself, and that. Figures. They're not the friends they once were, after all.

Toby gets himself situated before his gaze meets Edgeworth's, his expression schooled into something dispassionate but not apathetic.]

I see. That sounds... noble. And heroic.

[The people in this world—by that, does Edgeworth mean imPorts and natives? Perhaps Toby will see, in time.]

For whoever is counted among the people in it. But that's not really what we're here to talk about, is it?

Actually, it is.

[Edgeworth glances away, no longer looking Toby in the eye. When he speaks, his voice is stiff, stilted, and quiet.]

Over the past few months, I've seen imPorts that I've written off as useless - or worse - rise to heights that I could have never dreamed of. They've displayed courage, valor, and at time even wisdom, and have risked their lives to aid both friends and strangers alike. In other words... they weren't the people I thought they were.

[And now, he looks back at Toby. His voice is still quiet, but it's firmer now, and he has a serious look in his eyes]

That's why I invited you here tonight, Toby. I wanted to see what kind of person you are.

[...It bothers Toby that Edgeworth wants to talk about heroics. Even if the lawyer has seen even 'useless' imPorts because greater than anyone could imagine, Toby is too grounded and realistic in his reality to see it with any degree of optimism.

Although he isn't confronting Toby with the same raw, cutting brutality of guilt tripping him into prison, Edgeworth still comes off as intimidating with that serious look in his eyes. At the same time, Toby finds himself slightly intrigued.]

Hmm... all right. What do you have in mind, how do you want to go about it?

[What does Edgeworth want to know? Toby is just barely staying out of trouble nowadays, so he hopes Edgeworth isn't expecting active attempts at being heroic. Because he can't, he's really not cut out for it.]

[He's not sure how to assess Toby, to be honest. When they were still friends, Edgeworth only saw what he wanted to saw in regards to Tobias Matthews, and his humanity had been replaced with a silly, foolish fantasy. After he discovered his true nature, though, all he could see were his sins. What was Toby like beyond that? Was there anything to him beyond that?

Edgeworth has no plans to admit his uncertainty out loud. He remains quiet for a moment, taking a sip of his drink]

Let's start small.

[He tilts his head again, and he relaxes, his severe reaction softening into neutral curiosity]

What have you been up to? After your release, I mean.

Let's see… [He's not feigning the actual thought he's putting into this.]

To say I've done anything remarkable would be complete bollocks. But starting from the beginning, I informed Drew Warner of my release. Because once the nullifier was off, both of us would feel the effects of the werewolf bond again, and it could be so disorientating and disruptive when it first happens. But all that vanished not long afterward, and I made mention of it on the network that I thought he might have been Ported out.

While I was at it, I also mentioned my time in prison and made the, uh, public service announcement that I'm a vampire. [Toby stresses PSA like he's just testing out a brand new term, but it's clear that outing himself and actually telling other people about it himself isn't easy for him. Not after roughly two hundred sixty years of keeping it from others. Back home, Dorian's really the only one who knows about it—anyone else who might possibly know is either dead or gone.] There's no point in keeping secret my nature and the things that I've done.

[Nor is there any point in expanding on that.]

Not long after that, keeping abreast of the political tensions and the volatile atmosphere, Dorian and I caught wind about Mexico, turned tail, and ran. I know he's been a twat about the whole thing—though really, when is he not? [And that's said with little to no endearment whatsoever. He took no pride or joy in Dorian being such an asshole during such a desperate time.]

Anyway, I… I saw what was happening, saw the things people said and did and shared on the network, and I did nothing. I lived normally and uneventfully… until it was more or less safe to come back.

Edited 2016-04-08 21:44 (UTC)

[Edgeworth's brow furrows as he tries to take in everything, and finally, he holds his hand up]

Wait a moment - forget Mexico. What did you just say about Warner? And that...bond thing.

[Though Toby is a little surprised by Edgeworth's interest in the werewolf bond, he doesn't hesitate to speak about it.]

He admit to killing me, yeah? When I came back from that, he and I had a bond, the sort that he would normally share with another member of his pack. It was a sort of empathy where we might know each other's feelings through our senses. Negativity could manifest in a disgusting taste in one's mouth or perhaps the sound of a migraine-inducing screaming in one's mind.

[He recalls those times with slight annoyance.]

It was especially terrible at first because he was so angry with me. I felt drunk and incapable of functioning properly, and the pain... it was almost crippling at times.

[Which, in retrospect, explains a great deal of Toby's behavior during their last meeting. Would it be in poor taste to shove their drinks aside and bang his head against the table? Edgeworth decides that yes, it would be, and he settles for a subdued groan]

He, of all people, had no right to be angry with anyone. It was his own damn fault for-

[Edgeworth shuts his mouth and goes for his drink, taking a sip to cool his temper. This isn't a conversation he wants to get into and he knows it]

...nevermind. It's gone completely now, correct?

[Before Edgeworth abandons his remark, Toby shoots him a look—raised eyebrows, wrinkled forehead, and a pointed glare asking whether the other man really wants to go there. But when Edgeworth instead clamps down and takes a drink, Toby is satisfied enough to drop his gaze and return to nursing his own glass.

With a sigh,] Yeah. Totally gone, so far as I know, ever since a few days after my release.

[Momentarily, he considers asking whether that changes anything but ultimately decides against it. Because it's not worth opening that can of worms.

Instead:] So, what's the verdict?

The verdict?

[Edgeworth looks back at Toby for a moment, before turning his attention back to his drink]

Regarding your nature, you mean?

[Edgeworth doesn't mean his status as a vampire, though it would be easy to misread it that way. He means his status as a person.]

Early March; text

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