Chapter Text
Running away without paying any attention to her surroundings wasn’t something irregular for Kay Faraday.
Sure, usually she was running for the heck of it, or to tease her friends, rather than running away, and usually she didn’t almost get run over by horses, and when Kay stopped to breathe, even if she was somewhere unfamiliar, she would usually know how to get back home.
Usually being the key word here.
Kay doesn’t even remember why she started running. The only thing she could recall through her panic was the sounds of people shouting. She doesn’t remember anything from the past… 10 to 15 minutes, which frustrates her to no end and reminds her of a time she’d rather forget.
The situation as is, though, is this:
Kay is out of breath, everything is way too loud, she doesn’t recognise any of the buildings in front of her, and despite being so sure she was in Los Angeles, everyone around her spoke with British accents.
Which was so weird, Kay stopped running. No one is chasing after her, she realises after a second. If she ever was chased, she managed to lose them.
A part of Kay wants to shut down, body exhausted and mind panicked beyond belief, but she forces herself to focus beyond the haze of her panic and take further stock of the people around her.
They were all dressed in a way that reminded Kay of Mr. Edgeworth, rich and pretentious and old-fashioned, except most of the men wore top hats of the sort. Some of them were staring at her, sneering as they purposely steered away from her. She could hear some of them muttering about “orphans from the East End” and “pickpockets”.
…how dare they. A Great Thief is after nothing but the Truth, but Kay decided not to inform the people around her of such.
Maybe she was at a convention. A Victorian era roleplay convention that spanned as far as she could see and was full of old people. Or maybe she stumbled upon a recording for a film of sorts- wouldn’t be the first time she did, although last time there was a murdered president.
…So maybe she doesn’t want this to be another film set.
The next plan of action, Kay decides, would be to ask around for information. Should be easy, just a question of where she is… and maybe also but hopefully she wouldn’t need to ask what the year is.
That is what Kay thought, but quite literally every single person she asked would either ignore her or tell her quite rudely to shove off. Certainly, although they dressed like gentlemen and gentlewomen, they weren’t ones.
Eventually though, Kay noticed another person who the public seemed to steer away from. He certainly looked intimidating- and tall- his clothes slightly more fancy than those of the men around him, yet Kay didn’t think his appearance warranted as much fear as some of the people acted- stumbling over themselves in an attempt to get away, or glaring at him only to shrink as he looked down on them.
Somehow, the looks the crowd gave him reminded her of how some looked at Mr. Edgeworth whenever they went out together.
It was probably the nostalgia that made Kay decide to approach him- the scowl and furrowed brows that seemed to be permanently on his face, or the cold, guarded look in his eyes. Perhaps that familiarity made Kay think he’d answer her query.
“Excuse me?” Kay asked, stepping in front of him. He appeared startled momentarily, before looking down at Kay. He was even taller up close.
“…do you wish to talk to me?” Jesus, even the way he talked sounds like Mr. Edgeworth and Miss von Karma.
How should she best approach this? Kay had, once again, impulsively acted before thinking things through, and although she had practice with talking to people whose mouth only knew how to scowl or smugly smile, it seemed somewhat different now.
“I’m lost,” Kay started. The truth would probably be the best. Some people around them were staring at her as though she was insane, “could you tell me where I am? I don’t know how to go back home.”
He closed his eyes, arms crossed in what was either him wishing to kill her for even daring to speak to her, or contemplating her question. Perhaps both.
Eventually, he let out a sigh, “and who, pray tell, are you?”
Oh, that was easy. Kay grinned, “Even in the depths of night, when no other bird dares to take flight, one alone soars to shine the light of righteousness on the world's blight! And that one is me! For I am the Great-“
He sighed again, louder this time, one eye twitching. A lot more people were staring now, probably because Kay never did manage to control her volume when doing her introduction.
“Oh, I see,” was all he said, before he turned and started walking away.
“Wha- hey!” His strides were so long Kay had to run after him, although her protests didn’t seem to stop him- in fact, he only walked faster.
Maybe it was because he was the first person who attempted to listen to her, or maybe it was her gut instinct, but Kay ran after him until the fancy buildings around them became more modest, before he eventually stopped in front of a door.
Kay stopped next to him, once again out of breath, as he knocked on the door.
“Walking away from a conversation is really rude, you know!” Kay started once she caught her breath, “that is no proper way to treat a lady-“
Any more of her speech- she would often use it to tease her friends, since it proved effective many times in getting them to apologise for trivial matters- was cut off by the door opening, and a sandy haired man in a vest greeted them.
He froze at the sight on his front porch, before quickly recovering and plastering on a smile.
“Why, Mr. Reaper! Long time no see! I see Scotland Yard is, once again, stumped on a case and need the help of the one and only Great Detective-“
“I assume this-“ the man( Mr. Reaper? Kay has certainly encountered weirder names) cut off the “Great Detective”, gesturing to Kay, “-is yours?”
Normally, Kay would bristle at the way he referred to her, but she was simply too bewildered by the sight in front of her to form coherent words.
The sandy haired man glanced at Kay, with a gaze that pierced through her being. Kay shivered.
“Why yes, certainly!” He proclaimed, “I thank you, Mr. Reaper, for returning her to me. Why, you should offer your child-finding services more often! I’m sure you would be of much help to many worried parents who would love to let you look after their children!” he ended his sentence with a bellowing laugh as if his joke was the funniest in the world, even though it wasn’t funny nor was it even a joke.
“Come along now, my dear, we have much to discuss!” The man grabbed her arm with an unexpectedly gentle grip and led her inside the house, closing the door behind him. Kay got one last look at “Mr. Reaper” before the door closed.
Letting go of her arm, the man called further into the house, “Iris, my dear, we have a visitor!”
“What-“ finally, Kay recovered from her confusion, looking at the man in front of her, “who-“
“Ah, I’m sure you have many a questions about who I am, but personally, I am more intrigued by who you are,” he said, “and, just from a simple glance at you, I could already deduce two incontrovertible facts about you!”
Kay blinked. She had only just managed to recover from her confusion, and now it was back tenfold.
“Number one! You, my dear, are in an unfamiliar place!” Kay startled, although perhaps she shouldn’t have, “and two! You arrived at my humble abode due to a misunderstanding!” Technically also true, Kay supposed.
The man smirked, before he looked at her. His face fell, as if disappointed.
“Well? Where is the astonishment? The applause? Do you not want to hear how I deduced those simple facts from just this one brief meeting?” He demanded.
“Uhhhhh….” Maybe if Kay were in a better state of mind, she would have done all these things, but as of now she was still trying to process… everything, and this man’s energy was simply too much.
“Hurley!” Another voice interrupted, from the sound of it belonging to a young girl, “that’s no way to treat a guest!”
A short, pink haired girl came into view, her pigtails bouncing as she set down a tray with cups on the… maybe-a-table. She crossed her arms, pouting at the older man.
Turning to Kay, the girl smiled pleasantly, before greeting Kay in a curtsy, “my name is Iris Wilson, Hurley’s flatmate and the author of the Adventures of Herlock Sholmes. It’s nice to meet you!”
Following her introduction, she gave “Hurley” a sharp look, causing him to bow with a smile, “and I am a private British consolatory, the only one in the world, the Great Detective Herlock Sholmes!” He introduced with flourish, before adding, with a smug smile, “I presume you must have heard of me.”
For what felt like the hundredth time since Kay entered this house, she was completely baffled. However she forced herself to recover quickly.
“Wait- Herlock Sholmes? As in like, the one in the stories?” Out of all the questions Kay had running in her head, that was the one her mouth decided to ask.
“You read them? Oh, that’s wonderful!” Iris Wilson beamed, clasping her hands together, “did you like them?”
“Why Iris, my dear, of course she does! After all, your spectacular stories feature the one and only Herlock Sholmes!” Sholmes proclaimed, “however, I would like to mention that while we both have introduced ourselves, you, dear girl, haven’t.”
He said this with a glance at Kay, who was still trying to figure out if the people in front of her were very enthusiastic cosplayers or actually genuinely believe what they’re saying.
Kay blinked again, her brain registering the question, and she grinned again once she did, some of her energy returning to her in spite of her confusion.
“Even in the depths of night, when no other bird dares to take flight, one alone soars to shine the light of righteousness on the world's blight! And that one is me! For I am the Great Thief, Yatagarasu!” Kay introduced herself, this time without any interruption. She smiled at the two in front of her, “but that’s just my title. I’m Kay Faraday, nice to meet you both!”
Iris beamed right back, while Mr. Sholmes gave her yet another smirk.
“Ah, but that isn’t everything, is it, Ms. Yatasu-Yatagaru-Yatu- blast it all!” Whatever remark Mr. Sholmes was about to make was made incomplete by his own struggle to pronounce her title. Eventually, he gave up, his once overwhelming energy sapped away to a more manageable level by his embarrassment. Kay struggled to hide her smile at his attempts, while Iris had no such qualms, openly giggling.
“That isn’t everything, it is, Ms. Faraday?” He finally said, a note in his voice making Kay be more on guard. Mr. Sholmes turned to Iris, “what do you say, my dear, about a Dance of Deduction?”
Iris beamed, taking her place closer to Mr. Sholmes. Together, they proclaimed:
“Herlock Sholmes and Iris Wilson proudly present their Logic and Reasoning Spectacular!”
In an instant, they were on either side of Kay, who nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Firstly, we have the query as to your identity- in particular, where you’re from,” Mr. Sholmes started, snapping his fingers. It was as if a spotlight was on Kay and him, “you were delivered to our doorstep by the Reaper of the Bailey himself, which provides us an imperative clue to your whereabouts before you came here.”
Suddenly, it’s as if the spotlight moved from Mr. Sholmes to Iris. The young girl had her eyes closed in contemplation, “but you don’t look like a criminal or an escaped convict, and even if you were, it doesn’t make sense that Mr. Reaper would bring you here.”
“Precisely!” The spotlight was back at Sholmes, “furthermore, he said he believed ‘this’- you, ms. Faraday- were mine. Therefore, he likely believed you were a charge under my care, like my dear Iris, or a client.”
“But why?” Iris wondered aloud, “you clearly don’t know who we were before we introduced ourselves, and you don’t recognise our flat. Not to mention we’ve never met you!”
“Uh, maybe if you let me-“
“That’s right my dear!” Sholmes interrupted Kay’s protests. Both he and Iris were completely absorbed in their dance, so much so they seemed to forget the target of their curiosity was present in the room with them, “truly, nobody can tell what goes on behind the mind of the Reaper, but I can hazard a guess. Recall, if you will, our friend’s title, as she introduced herself.”
Kay decided to let them have their fun- honestly, it was kind of entertaining to see them dance around.
“Her title?” Iris furrowed her brow, “the Great Thief- oh!” Her hands flew to her face in surprise, although her voice sounded much more delighted.
“I see you have come to the same conclusion,” Sholmes knocked back the rim of his hat- wait, when did he change into this outfit- with his finger, “indeed, it seems our friend here was about to introduce herself as a Great Thief, but the Reaper, impatient as he is, assumed she was going to introduce herself as another Great Detective- unaware that there is only one Great Detective in the world, and that is I.”
“So he took her to our flat, thinking we’re acquainted!” Iris smiled brightly, before looking thoughtful again, “but that’s weird, how did they even meet? Mr. Reaper doesn’t often come here and…”
At her hesitation, Sholmes took the lead, “yes indeed, our dear friend’s clothes don’t look like those his neighbours would wear,” rude, but Kay supposed it was true.
“They don’t look like anything I’ve ever seen,” Iris said in a tone that was both contemplating and curious- no doubt she wanted to examine them further, from the glance she gave them behind her seemingly closed eyes, “and, most people don’t exactly approach Mr. Reaper.
“Why did you?” Finally, Iris acknowledged Kay’s presence in the room, although the question was rhetorical.
Mr. Sholmes smiled, “recall, my dear, this morning, if you would.”
Iris looked confused. The spotlights dimmed, “how does this morning relate to the case?” She pouted, “really, Hurley, you gotta stop letting your mind wander! I know you want to rebuild your machine, but we’re hosting a guest right now!”
Hosting a guest? Is this what those two call hosting? On the other hand, Kay was having a lot of fun, more than the time where Mr. Edgeworth hosted her in his house- before she got him to debate with her about the Steel Samurai and the Jammin’ Ninja, that is.
Suddenly, Iris’s eyes widened, and she brought her hands to her mouth again, but this time her voice sounded actually surprised as she gasped, “wait, you don’t think…?”
“Right again, my dear! Really, one must appreciate how I’ve raised such a brilliant girl!” Iris looked too surprised to appreciate the sort-of-compliment, “I think, before our machine met an early and unfortunate demise, has managed to do its purpose- although, not without malefactions.”
“So you think we did it?” Iris finally said, voice both excited and nervous.
“It appears we have! Our friend here is from the future!” This revelation made both Iris and Kay jump, one with excited surprise and the other with dread. Sholmes didn’t seem to notice though, eyes closed as he danced back to where he started.
“And that concludes this Logic and Reasoning Spectacular!” He said with a grin, one finger in the air, before he looked at the empty space beside him and frowned, “Iris, dearest, are you okay?”
Iris’s widened eyes didn’t acknowledge his question though, instead staring at Kay, “so you’re actually from the future?!”
Truthfully, Kay suspected, but hearing it still brought chills to her spine, “….am I?” She whispered, hating how her voice trembled.
Both Iris and Sholmes frowned, “oh dear,” Sholmes said, “I’m afraid I do not know how to handle this.”
“Can’t you… bring me back? Since you know I’m from the future?” Kay asked, slightly desperate.
“To be frank, I had made the machine with the intention of transporting myself to the past, intent to finally answer whether the egg or the chicken came first,” Sholmes admitted with a frown, “I had never intended for the machine to transport another human being here. And with the machine exploded, I’m afraid it’s going to take a lot to repair it- and even then, we do not know where it will take, if it even will.
“I’m sorry, dear, but it appears you’re stuck here,” Sholmes said gravely, a tone of voice so contrasting his previous attitude Kay would have likely made note of it if her situation didn’t hit her right in the chest.
“No…” Kay breathed out, almost collapsing on the floor of it weren’t for Iris grabbing her and directing her to the couch.
“I-I’ll go make tea,” Iris offered quietly, taking the tray of tea she previously brought with a sad look in her eyes. The tea went cold already.
Iris went out of the room. Kay looked down at her hands in her lap. They were shaking. She was stuck in the past. Kay noticed all the clues, but she didn’t want to believe it. But now the people who apparently made her travel to the past are confirming it. Kay couldn’t deny it. She didn’t know anyone here, she didn’t have the mercy of being in past Japalifornia, instead she was in fucking Britain, of all places. She didn’t have any money, nor housing, nor any idea as to how to go forward. Only herself, in an unfamiliar, hostile country, which she didn’t know anything about- ironically, the most she knew about Britain was from reading the same stories the man in front of her apparently experienced, back when she was a kid.
“Ms. Faraday,” Sholmes spoke up, breaking Kay out of her own mind. She looked up, blinking up at him, trying not to cry, “I know the circumstances seem dire- and, admittedly, they aren’t ideal- but you shan’t lose faith.”
Kay couldn’t bring herself to speak. The lump in her throat was so overwhelming she was afraid that any attempt to speak would simply leave her sobbing, so she stubbornly- desperately- kept her mouth shut.
“Admittedly, the blueprints to the machine were blown together with it, and most of the materials were incredibly expensive, and it took me several years to gather them all and build the machine-“ the more he talked, the more Kay wanted to cry. He looked up, probably realised his mistake, and quickly spoke, “-but! That was simply because the machine was more of a pet project of mine. And I assure you, now that you’ve ended up as an unfortunate and unexpected victim of one of my creations, I shall devote every waking moment to solving this problem. Between the three of us, I’m sure we’ll be able to bring you back to your home before they’d even notice you were gone.”
It was a little reassuring, to hear she had this strange man and his… roommate? Daughter? helping her. It didn’t make the sinking feeling in her gut go away, but it made it a little less overwhelming, to hear she had someone caring for her.
“Until we do, though,” Mr. Sholmes continued, “you are, of course, more than welcome to lodge in our home- we have an attic you may make yourself welcome at, and you can borrow some of my old clothes for the time being… although I suspect Iris will want to sew you an outfit of your own soon. If not, we will still help you in whatever you need, between finding new lodging or an occupation- I suspect most aren’t hiring a Great Thief currently, although you never know.”
“T-“ Kay swallowed, the tears which threatened to consume her now coated with relief, “thank you, so much.”
“But of course! It’s what a Great Detective does,” his smile was a lot more gentle now.
“Here’s your tea,” Iris entered, eyes downcast. Kay took her cup, smiling appreciatively at the young girl, and took a sip.
Instantly, the dread and anxiety Kay felt melt away, still there but not as overwhelming, and she let out a surprised hum at the sweet flavour.
“This is really good!” Kay exclaimed, some of her energy recovered. Turning to Iris, she saw the girl looking at her with wide, hopeful eyes.
“Do you like it? This is my own special blend, it’s supposed to help with anxiety.”
“This is perfect! I could drink this all day!” Kay grinned at Iris, who beamed back.
“Oh I’m so glad! I really want to help you, it seems really scary to end up in an unfamiliar place and time,” at the last sentence, Iris looked back down, tearing up.
“It’s helped Iris, thank you,” Kay smiled at the young girl, who shyly smiled back. Turning to Sholmes, Kay asked, still smiling. “Now then, where’s the attic?”
•—•
Truly, Kay was extremely lucky. Not only did she end up with the only people who would believe her situation- due to accidentally causing it- but they even offered to let her live in their attic. Dusty as it was, Kay much preferred it to the streets.
And her housemates were honestly delightful- although Mr. Sholmes’s mood swings make Kay feel overwhelmed. But they were kind and accommodating, Iris constantly trying to make Kay feel better and Sholmes… doing whatever it is he does.
Kay’s bag traveled to the past alongside her, so Kay still had Little Thief, her phone, her promise notebook and a bunch of Yatagarasu calling cards, amongst other things.
Of course, the internet wasn’t invented yet, so some functionalities of her phone and Little Thief didn’t work, but she could still take pictures, simulate places and play crappy mobile games, so Kay considered that a win- the second she showed Little Thief to Iris, the little girl immediately tried to figure out how it worked and how to build a charger for it, so Kay had a good time showing her all the things the future had to offer.
Mr. Sholmes kept his offer to lend Kay his old clothes, which included a surprising amount of feminine clothes and Japanese ones, but Kay didn’t really find anything she liked. Sholmes was right that Iris would want to make Kay her own outfit, though, as the pink haired girl had insisted on measuring Kay and getting her opinion of different fabrics. It was very cute, if a bit worrying that Iris was willing to trust Kay so readily.
Kay did need to take off her Yatagarasu pin, however, after much convincing from both Sholmes and Iris. Kay didn’t want to part with her hairpins, but Sholmes did make the convincing argument that Kay needed to look like she belonged in the past a little bit, and the pin was apparently “not the type of thing people wear today, unless you’d like to revolutionise fashion”.
One thing kept creeping up into her mind though- the “Mr. Reaper” she had met on her first day. Inquiring about him gave her some very interesting answers.
“Ah, the fearsome Lord Barok van Zieks,” Sholmes had said, “he was a force to be reckoned with back in the day, you know! Especially to small children!” His last remark made him guffaw in a way Kay had already grown used to.
However, that wasn’t what caught her interest, “back in the day?” She echoed, tilting her head.
“He was once a prosecutor- quite a good one at that, or so I heard,” Sholmes brought out his pipe, putting it to his mouth, “took on all sorts of high profile cases- many of which I helped solve, you know!- and took down major criminal organisations for five years or so.”
That’s really impressive, although… “Why did you call him Mr. Reaper, then?”
“Unfortunately, prosecutors do not always manage to bring criminals to justice,” he explained, “occasionally, the jury or even the judge are bribed or coerced into letting the real culprits walk free.”
It brought to mind the time Justine was coerced and almost let that warden walk free- criminals like the Chairman certainly have enough influence and connections to decide the end result of a trial. Japanlifornia didn’t have a jury system, but the idea wasn’t exactly foreign to Kay, as Mr. Edgeworth would sometimes talk about it and she would half-listen while Seb asked questions.
“Some of those criminals, however, had the misfortune of being prosecuted by the Reaper, and soon enough, they met their ends.”
“Wait…” Kay started, “you don’t mean…”
“Indeed I do- any criminal prosecuted by Lord van Zieks would end up meeting their end, either at the gallows or in the streets. Soon, the prosecutor got the title of the Reaper of the Old Bailey,” Sholmes chuckled, though it didn’t have much cheer behind it, “of course, Lord van Zieks would always have an alibi for the deaths, so the police could never press charges against him.”
“And now, because of those rumours, he isn’t a prosecutor?”
“Exactly, ms. Faraday- you are quite bright. He hasn’t been seen in the courtroom for almost five years now. But the rumours persist.”
“That’s awful,” Kay had murmured.
She would like to attribute her decision then to gut feeling, but the truth was, despite how she’s only been in the past for a couple of days, she really did miss her friends.
So maybe it was how much van Zieks reminded her of Mr. Edgeworth- the stories she had heard of the Demon Prosecutor, the isolation, his appearance- or maybe it was the need for something to do, as she still hadn’t found a job, or maybe it was that instinct she had honed for years, that told her whenever something didn’t seem right.
But right there, Kay had decided: Lord Barok van Zieks wasn’t the Reaper, and she was going to prove it.
And so, the (second) Great Thief Yatagarasu had her next target, a new truth which needed to be revealed: the identity of the Reaper of the Old Bailey.
And the first step, of course, would be talking to the man himself.
•—•
For some odd reason, Sholmes knew Lord van Zieks’ address, and very readily gave it to Kay the second she’d asked. Kay would be concerned, but it helped her goal immensely, so she decided to let it be for now.
“One word of warning, my dear,” Mr. Sholmes had said, after he answered her, “do be mindful of what you say. Some facts can only be revealed when the time is right.”
Kay had thanked him, but now that she was here, about to open the Lord’s window, his words kept repeating in her mind.
She had only met the man once, after all. What if the familiarity she saw in him, in an unfamiliar environment, was the only reason she had latched on to this complete stranger?
Kay hesitated. But her instincts were telling her something wasn’t right with the story she heard- and she knew her mind wouldn’t let her be until she uncovered the truth. Be it with this stranger or without him.
And with that, Kay opened the window.
The room she landed in was empty, full of dust and cobwebs. By the bed and the closet, Kay deduced that this was a guest room. Sholmes would be proud.
Quietly, Kay crept out of the room, only to be met with a sword at her throat.
“What is your intention here,” a growl came from above her, and Kay lifted her head only to be met with the eyes of Barok van Zieks.
His eyes widened for a moment, no doubt recognising her, but he made them narrow again.
“I want to talk with you again,” Kay said, trying not to be intimidated. It was kind of hard with a blade way too close to her throat for comfort, but she thinks she did a good job.
“And you broke into my house simply to talk?” His tone didn’t sound very convinced. More like he believed her less.
“Well, Mr. Sholmes said you don’t accept visitors,” Kay reasoned. His eyes twitched at the mention of the detective. That was the wrong thing to say.
“Of course,” he remarked dryly, “so tell me then, what did he send you to tell me? Perhaps to insult the law system again? Or to brag about-“
“I know you’re not the Reaper!” Kay said. Lord van Zieks seemed taken aback, so Kay continued before he could interrupt her, “and I can prove it! Well, I don’t have any proof right now, but I’m going to find the truth about the Reaper of the Old Bailey, and-“
“For five years, I have worked to find the identity of the Devil following my shadow,” van Zieks let out another low growl, “and you think you can simply- what, stumble onto the truth? What makes even think I’m not the monster they claim I am?”
He sounded angry, but Kay recognised a hint in his voice- he was willing to hear her out.
His last remark though… Kay winced internally.
“I know when something isn’t quite right,” Kay started, “my instincts have never led me astray before, and they are telling me that you aren’t what they say you are, and that there’s a truth here just waiting to be brought to light. I will not rest until the truth is revealed, so if I follow my gut feelings, I know I’ll manage to find the truth eventually.”
Van Zieks considered her words, his sword lowering slightly as he began to believe her. Still, he asked, “for someone who is new to the country, you seem very willing to throw yourself into something bigger than you.”
Kay wasn’t going to ask why he thought she was new to the country- it was as good a reason as any, and she supposed she should be thankful he gave her a backstory before she could think of one herself.
“I… I think the people deserve to know the truth. It’s what I believe in,” Kay hesitated, trying to figure out her words. She nearly said she had experience with stumbling into things much bigger than her, and that at least now she is going to head into danger knowingly, but Sholmes’ words rang in her mind.
“And you decided to speak to me,” it wasn’t said like a question, but Kay decided to treat it as one anyway.
“Well, the first step into any good investigation is to talk with the suspect, isn’t it?” Kay replied in a somewhat cheeky tone, dampened by the sword still a bit too close to her.
“So you broke into my house to offer yourself as my defense, then.”
Truthfully, Kay broke into his house out of nothing but impulsive curiosity and the need to do something, but van Zieks didn’t need to know that. Besides, his interpretation did seem like the best step forward.
“Well, sort of! You’re not really in jail and I’m not a defense attorney, so more of a partnership, really.”
“Pray forgive me, but I do not accept partnerships with people I do not know the name of, especially not when they broke into my home,” despite that, he lowered his sword to his side, although his body still sent the clear message that he was on guard.
Kay decided to ignore the first half of the sentence in order to answer the unasked request of the latter half. Clearing her throat, Kay was about to introduce herself, only to then get interrupted by van Zieks’ hand- the one not holding the sword- raising.
“Without all the theatrics beforehand, if you may.”
Kay huffed, but conceded, “fine. I am the second Great Thief Yatagarasu, but my name is Kay Faraday.”
Van Zieks stared at her in disbelief. After a moment, he managed to gather his bearings enough to say, “do forgive my inquisitive question, but you are aware I am a prosecutor, yes? I have assumed you were, since your reason for breaking into my home was about the Reaper, but perhaps I have been mistaken. Pray forgive me if I am.”
Kay kept smiling innocently, “no, you’ve assumed correctly. I know you’re a prosecutor.”
He seemed even more flabbergasted, “then why, pray tell, did you readily admit to a prosecutor that you are a thief? I could very easily turn you in, especially after you have trespassed on my house.”
“Because I know you won’t,” now that there wasn’t a sword pointed at her, Kay leaned back into familiar habits, the banter almost instinctual, “and I’m not a thief! A Great Thief is only after the truth, because that’s the greatest treasure of them all!”
Van Zieks regained his composure, then sighed, “am I correct, then, in assuming you are intending to use your “Great Thief” skills as a means to help me?”
Kay nodded, “yep!”
“I’m afraid I do not conspire with thieves.”
“I haven’t stolen anything yet!”
“Yet you plan to in order to help me.”
“It’s been five years, you said. Sometimes all you need is a Great Thief to help you find the truth.”
There was something cold in van Zieks’ eyes now, a look that made Kay pause, afraid she’d made a mistake.
“I do not need a vigilante to pursue justice for my sake. I will uncover the Reaper’s identity, and I will bring them to the courts, but I will do so legally. I do not require a “Great Thief” to find my demons for me.”
Something akin to anger sparked within Kay, the comparison not entirely lost on her, “and you will bring them to the courts! I just want to help you find the evidence necessary to make sure justice is done! No truth deserves to get buried, but you do not have enough proof to lean on. I want to help you find that proof!”
His frown, which only deepened the more the conversation went on, has now turned into a scowl, “I do not wish to have your assistance. Leave my residence now, and I will not press charges.”
The situation was looking dire, but she had one last hand. And this one, Kay knew was going to work.
“I’m not going to quit trying to find the identity of the Reaper,” she stated, crossing her arms, “even if you don’t accept my help, I’ll still try to find the truth anyway.”
“So this partnership isn’t particularly substantial for you,” van Zieks glowered. “Neither is it for me. I fail to see what you’ll get out of it.”
“Because then I’ll know who to go after,” Kay said, holding her head high in defiance, “I’m sure you have suspicions. You could tell me who to distrust, who’s dangerous.”
“If your instincts are telling you to trust me, surely they’d be able to tell you who not to trust.”
“…you’d be surprised,” Kay didn’t often like to think about Saint, but sometimes her traitorous mind liked to bring him up anyway. “And either way, I’d know who not to go after. I’m not afraid to throw myself into danger, Lord van Zieks.”
His eyes narrowed, surely understanding the implication behind her words. “…And if I’d accept your… partnership, you would only investigate into people I ask of you?” He asked, searching for confirmation on whether his suspicions are correct.
Kay nodded again, “and won’t throw myself into such investigations until you give me the go ahead.”
Kay grinned internally, seeing the nobleman consider her words again. She knew what his answer would be, though. The one weakness of intimidating prosecutors, Kay learned, is thinking someone might be put in danger when they do something about it.
Using such tactics might be a dirty move, but sometimes it was the only way to get stubborn prosecutors to accept help. Besides, she isn’t lying. Kay only felt a little bit bad about twisting his arm like that.
Eventually, he gave a resigned sigh, “very well then. I… accept your offer. But I would have to ask you to use the door next time you want to talk to me.”
“No promises!” Kay beamed back. “We’re gonna be a great team, Mr. Van Zieks! We’ll uncover the truth about the Reaper in no time!”
Van Zieks furrowed his brow, looking in confusion between Kay’s face and her outstretched hand, before he let out another quiet sigh and made to shake her hand.
“I pray to the heavens I will not come to regret this.”