himagsikan | she spreads her wings and takes to the skies.

[Edgeworth sighs, shakes his head, and returns his attention to his reading.]

(It never has been possible to fault her for a lack of imagination.)

[Kay doesn't dwell too long on the phone charger, however, and proceeds to leaf through the documents on the second desk. At least she's quiet now.]

[Kay will find that a lot of the documentation on the second desk has to do with sound mixing and editing, as well as with some kind of esoteric auditory concept called "binaural beats".

Edgeworth, meanwhile, is able to use the respite Kay offers him to finish skimming the notebook with Erickson's notes about hypnosis and assessment and comparisons about others' assertions about it. He then goes back to read a few sections more carefully, and can't help but shudder at parts...]

(As I read how easily a hypnotized person's thought processes can supposedly be led, either deliberately or accidentally through careless phrasing, I can't help but be reminded of certain abuses in questioning I was taught how to exploit. All the vulnerabilities of the human mind, stripped of their armor... and yet, somehow I must think of ways to test the implied capabilities of the invention we've found safely.)

[Kay frowns in thought as she reads the papers, then speaks her thoughts out loud.]

There's something here about sound mixing and editing. Maybe this is how he makes the commands hypnotize-y!

Edited 2014-10-06 07:39 (UTC)

[Edgeworth blinks, snapping out of his reverie and looking up from his reading again.]

That may well be part of it, though I have the impression that this system involves several features interacting with one another to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

...Now that's what I call, "some assembly required".

[Kay continues reading.]

[That weak attempt at clever wordplay earns Kay a Look.]

(Was it really necessary for her to grasp for a punchline in order to fill the silence resulting from her having nothing to say on the matter?)

[Rather than verbally calling her out on it, though, the prosecutor returns to his own reading.]

(If Mr. Erickson's notes are to be believed, while many of the myths surrounding hypnosis are in fact entirely false, a few that are regularly denied are merely half-true or vary depending on the situation and the relationship of the individuals involved. Indeed, he has an entire essay spanning several pages just about the single myth that those in such a state are helpless, and the common counterclaim that such subjects retain full control.)

[Edgeworth takes a few minutes to read this part.]

(If this is to be believed, Kay's willingness to trust me so much in the first place suggests that she may be especially susceptible to my suggestions in particular once hypnotized. It also begs the question of just how well Mr. Erickson and Mr. Condon might have known each other — or, alternately, whether Mr. Erickson had an accomplice whom Mr. Condon might have been more vulnerable to.)

[Kay smiles sheepishly in reply when Edgeworth gives her the Look.

After quietly reading for a few more minutes, she sighs, yawns and tosses the paperwork back onto the desk.]

This is worse than studying for my chemistry final...

[For his own part, Edgeworth gives Kay no more than a brief aside glance at that, and remains quiet as he continues reading.]

(Supposedly, speaking in ways that are in accord with how she usually thinks would be advantageous, as well as the use of metaphor. Furthermore, it seems that if I anticipate that she will resist a given suggestion, it would be best to come about it with softened or indirect language. Projecting confidence and authority is vital as well, but I have significant practice at that.)

[Eventually, Edgeworth is satisfied that he's gleaned what he can from Mr. Erickson's notes without taking all day to study them at length. He sets down the notes where he found them, writes down a few things in his organizer, and finally carefully reaches for the walkie-talkie-like device to remove it from its charger.]

Are you ready, Kay?

[Kay sets her jaw, and swallows, banishing her fears and doubts. She would be okay. This was for the truth, and she was going to take one for the team. With a smile, she says:]

Bring it on. We've got this! [Then she picks up the headphones and places them back onto her ears, instantly muffling all outside noise. It's almost as if she was suddenly thrust into a quiet room, cut off from the entire world. No, Edgeworth's voice was about to be her entire world.]

[Edgeworth turns on the walkie-talkie; and the LED on it turns red. He then looks over the headphones for its own on switch, then consults the schematics for a clue as to where it is once he finds it's not visible. Once he finds the reference to the small cover concealing that switch, he removes said cover from one of the earphones and flicks the switch beneath. Almost immediately, the LED on the walkie-talkie turns yellow.

...For five seconds, however, nothing seems to happen...

...but then, the near-imperceptible sound of rushing blood in Kay's ears gradually seems to take on a secondary, lower tone. It blends in with Kay's own natural sounds so perfectly that it creates the illusion of the new sound coming not from the headphones, but within her. The two whooshing sounds combined seem to create a faint warbling third "sound" between them, a side-effect of how their pitches interact.

After a few seconds of this, the twinned sound gradually grows somewhat louder, seemingly almost begging to be focused on...]

[Kay's lips part in surprise when she hears the sound; it's almost like static. Before she could comment or react further, the third sound hits her, and she listens intently to it, her eyes blank. She doesn't move from where she is.]

[Kay's expression doesn't escape Edgeworth's notice, and he has to repress a slight surge of unease at what they're doing. This is, after all, necessary to verify what can and cannot be made possible through the use of the inventions here, which is a necessary step towards learning the truth behind Kain Condon's actions and any connection Sven Erickson might have to the crime, and Kay did volunteer.

The prosecutor takes a breath, then glances down at the walkie-talkie — just as its light changes from yellow to green. He presses the button on it as he raises it close to his mouth; unlike the normal kind of walkie-talkie Kay mimicked earlier, there isn't a burst of static when he does so. Summoning the fighting spirit he's filled with in the courtroom, Edgeworth makes a simple request in a decisive tone:]

Raise your hand.

[He would have asked for a nod, but no sense in risking interfering with how the headset is seated. Also, there's no sense in adding "if you can hear me"; it's already been established that the headphones cut off all outside noise, and if she can't hear him, she wouldn't respond anyway.

...What Kay hears alongside the "static" is definitely those words in Edgeworth's voice, but a number of subtle alterations have been made in the version she hears. The request, already commanding in tone, is superhumanly so after processing, yet has also had a faint soothing quality added.

What's more, the automatic sound mixing causes two other things to happen. The higher of the two whooshing sounds drops almost imperceptibly in pitch as soon as he speaks, faintly altering the illusory third sound as well to a lower tone; and the voice itself is automatically balanced with the existing natural sound to make them seem almost as thing they belong together. Is Edgeworth's voice being carried by the static like a boat on the waves, emerging from within it, or something else entirely?]

[Kay hears Edgeworth's voice, and while it is indeed his voice, it's...different, somehow, and more persuasive. And she feels compelled to do what he says, to trust that he's telling her something important. She doesn't say anything else about the change in the sounds, and her expression changes very little.

Her hand goes up mechanically like that of a tentative schoolgirl, her gaze still impassive.]

(At the very least, that confirms the fact that she can hear me through this. She does seem unnaturally calm and outwardly blank, but appearances prove only so much. I need more decisive proof of her vulnerability... though I believe I ought to take measures to make it more likely to be decisive. I believe I saw ideas to this effect alluded to in the notes. I'll need to remember to pause regularly...)

You'll find that it's now easy to keep your hand in the air... as though a soft, wide silk ribbon attached to a large, helium-filled balloon were tied to your wrist. ...Its pull is over half your entire weight... more than enough to suspend your arm... and yet the wide silk ribbon acts to gently cradle your wrist... making it easy to relax as your arm is suspended.

(Naturally, Kay will still be holding her arm up herself, yet allegedly, she won't be aware of this nor that that the effort is exhausting her — which, in turn, would in theory allow the conclusion of this exercise to work. There is still more to be done, however... as ridiculous as the idea that the next part will work strikes me. And yet, such nonsense is supposed to seem perfectly logical to someone in such a state. I suppose there's only one way to find out.)

[Edgeworth pauses for several seconds, watching Kay's expression and arm for any signs of change, then continues with what he's reconstructing from his skim of this portion of Erickson's notes:]

Hanging from the portion of the soft, wide ribbon between your wrist and the large, strong balloon... are various light plastic bags tied to it at intervals. ...You can fill these bags with as many of your fears, doubts, anxieties, and worries as you like... just by willing it so. In this way, they will hang apart from you... burdening the balloon instead of you.

(If anything will strike her as so implausible that she'll snap out of it, this aspect will be it. It seems like the sort of thing that would only make sense in a dream, if that. If by some chance it does work, however, the imagery of burdening the balloon further should serve to explain away why it would be more difficult for her hand to hang in the air by now.)

[Kay's hand remains in the air, not moving an inch - until her arm relaxes and her hand droops slightly as if she really had a balloon tied to her hand. Not much happens to her, except that her expression is now a little less glazed, probably because now she had more commands to listen to and obey.

She tilts her head back as if surveying an invisible balloon, no doubt focusing on the equally invisible bags tied to the also invisible ribbon, her face rapt. The rest of her relaxes, but her hand and arm twitch.

The silence and acquiescence from her is almost eerie.]

(I... I can hardly believe it! Not only does she appear to still be completely enthralled, but she's looking straight at where the balloon would be without seeming to perceive any sort of contradiction. Is she merely engrossed in a known imagining, or do I have so much power over her perceptions or beliefs even now?)

(My discussion with her after this first session has become all the more important. But for now, there is still more to be done during this one.)

The ribbon's tie to your wrist... is the only thing preventing the balloon... and all the bags tied to the balloon... and any troubles you've placed within those bags... from simply floating away. In a moment, I intend to cut the ribbon... freeing your arm to fall to your side... and freeing the balloon to carry your troubles away. ...When your arm reaches its lowest point... a wave of relaxation will surge from your arm... through your whole body... and into your brain... so you can even more easily accept my voice.

(The exhaustion in her arm will serve as a rather plausible beginning for that "wave of relaxation". I wonder how much of this, if any of it, she'll realize after I return her to normal. For that matter, while a second session will be necessary in order to fully test the possibilities inherent in this invention, I'll want to reaffirm her permission before doing any such thing.)

I will count down from five to zero. ...With each number, you'll trust me more. ...When I reach zero, I'll cut the ribbon at a point near your wrist. ...Your arm will drop, and the balloon and all else attached to it will rise... and float away... as everything within you relaxes.

Five... four... three... two... one... zero.

[Kay doesn't seem to register Edgeworth's next words because she remains impassive as ever, but she is staring at him intently as if waiting for him to cut the invisible ribbon.

He counts down...and the moment he says, "zero", her arm drops predictably as she exhales, her eyes half-closing as her posture relaxes. Kay raises her head slightly, as if watching the balloon carry away her troubles, before focusing on Edgeworth again.]

(The way she's languidly staring at me with absolute attention and yet not even a hint of a glare... I can't help but feel that at this moment, I'm the very center of her reality, perhaps even the source of all truth to her mind. ...What a grave responsibility. And yet, to prove that one's mind can be led in truly abnormal directions through this method, I must attempt to do precisely that to hers. At the very least, one idea vaguely alluded to in the notes seems like a notion she'd appreciate on some level, even as the victim.)

At this moment... through your desire to assist me... I have access to all your knowledge... from the most pointless trivia... to your most basic understanding of reality. ...As though your mind were a library... and you were the librarian... here to assist me. ...I need only request a fact... and you shall give it to me.

(Given her persistent love of the idea of being my "assistant", framing her role in this in terms of "assistance" ought to make the idea of doing as I say seem even more appropriate.)

Much like any library... at this time... a fact could even be taken out of your mind... though given time, anyone trustworthy... will always return such a fact to you... where it belongs. ...While a fact is gone... all references to it are stolen from your memories... almost as though you never knew it. ...Trying to think of the fact... and trying to relearn the fact... will just draw a blank... since your ability to be aware of it has been taken... so only the person who took the fact... can give it back to you. ...You trust me enough... to assist me... in taking a fact from your mind... which I will return later... do you not?

(Supposedly, phrasing a suggestion as a question in this particular way will both weaken resistance to it and prompt a response. As for the action itself, I can't help but imagine that Kay would appreciate my plan of temporarily "stealing" her name; even if not, the promise both explicit and metaphorically implied of an inevitable return should reassure her, particularly as I plan for her to remember this first session.)

[With the burden lifted from her shoulders, Kay feels free, and is waiting for Edgeworth's next command. As far as she is concerned, he can do no wrong. He is always right, and he was right in letting her problems float away on that (imaginary) balloon. All her apprehension and concern about letting herself get hypnotized, even her eagerness to help, are gone. All she has is every word from Edgeworth.

She continues staring at him fixedly, with almost no emotion visible on her features. Yes, her mind was a library. Yes, she has organized it, and yes, she would give him any fact he requested. Kay doesn't even leaf through all the facts he might ask from her or wonder what he might even choose. As far as she knew, she was at his disposal and will give him whatever he asked.

Assisting him. Yes, that was an accurate way of putting it.

There are no doubts, no qualms, no complaints about Edgeworth taking a fact and completely erasing it from her memory while it is his. Kay is completely silent, and when he stops talking, she nods languidly as if about to fall asleep, except that her eyes remain open - a bit more open now, alert and waiting for whatever he would take from her mind.]

(She seems more alert when anticipating an upcoming suggestion from me. I wonder if that's normal.)

[With no more consideration than that, Edgeworth moves on with an even firmer statement than he's already been issuing, made even more so by the sound editing like everything else so far:]

Give me the knowledge of your name. ...At the latest, I shall return it tonight while you sleep... though I may choose to return it sooner. ...That choice is mine alone.

[No sense in risking her forgetting her name for an extended period because he forgot to explicitly return it, after all.

Edgeworth pauses to allow Kay to process that command and its supporting suggestions, even to interact with him if putting a motion to the mental action makes sense to her.]

[She could almost see it in her mind's eye - shelves upon shelves of her memories, of everything about her life. There is a book that Edgeworth has requested, and he will have it.

Kay recites the title of that book mechanically, in a voice devoid of emotion. It's almost as if she really was just reading the title of a book out loud in class.]

Kay Faraday.

[There is no hesitation. No other comment. Her face changes little.]

Edited 2014-10-24 12:59 (UTC)

And you've forgotten what you just said... have you not?

(It's surreal to think that this could be the case.)

Open Post: The Kay Faraday Edition
This is my permanent Kay Faraday open post. Spam me with prompts, picture prompts, AUs, and the like. Indicate canon point or universe when necessary. Please note that I don't do slash, smut, anything sexual or anything overly and excessively violent.
Canon	Future AU
Choose a canon point, any canon point! Even from AAI2, why not.	7-8 years later, AJ/DD era. Prosecutor who studied under Miles Edgeworth. Still hyper and makes thief jokes. Still the Yatagarasu.
Somarium	Mask or Menace
Lived with Edgeworth and Stitch. Recruited Ema, Trucy and Maya into the Yatagarasu. 19 years old. Had college plans.	Can command and talk to crows, replicate voices and sounds perfectly, and use Charter Magic. Juror for Teen Court.

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We could time lapse here if you want

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Have a bit more to react to at once. ;)

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