questionauthority | Riddle 021: Angel Aftermath

[Well, Edward's back from Westport, and he's definitely a little worse for the wear. This hasn't exactly been a very fun couple of days for him. As soon as he gets home, he shrugs off his coat, hangs his hat and his cane on the rack, and makes his way to the phone.]

[Public Call, standard filters in play]

This is Edward Nigma. I'm... back from Westport. I haven't heard too many things about what happened here in my absence, but I can't imagine it was very pleasant. Those of you in my Ethics class will no doubt be relieved to hear that I'm canceling tomorrow's class. Perhaps I might cancel a few classes next week as well, if I'm not fully recovered by then.

Your assignment for this weekend is to write a page or so on... Hmm. "What do you feel is the worst decision you've ever made?" ...that'll work. You can just leave them on my desk at school, if you wish; I'll collect them and grade them over the weekend.

[Private Call, filtered to the Legion of Doom]

I trust you're well, ladies and gentlemen?

...I'll be honest with you. This angel business has caused a major setback in our plans. If possible, I’d like to call another meeting to order at some point within the next two weeks. As an organization... we need to give ourselves more structure.

As for our meeting place? Well, I won’t hesitate to admit that my basement was not a Grade-A rendezvous point for our location. Still... I’d say I’m smart enough to have already found a much better spot. I’m a real class act, after all. Aren’t I?

[Action, for the Death House. Susan, Slugger, Terezi, or anyone else who may have crashed there during the angel takeover, feel free to run into Edward as he does his best to recuperate. He takes a shower and shaves his face, then comes downstairs in warm, clean clothes to make himself a massive lunch.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Understandably so.

[His next words are spoken with a bit more of a quiet, conspiratorial tone.]

Then you must not know anything about the Smiths?

The Smiths?

[If he does know anything, he's playing ignorant. He sounds convincing, though.]

They try to pass themselves off as your perfectly ordinary family. But I can assure you, their intent is something far more sinister.

And the daughter of that family? Lucy Smith? She's this town's ringleader. I'm sure of it.

[He sounds troubled and thoughtful, rather than challenging.]

What makes you so certain?

[After all, it seems like a lot for a young girl to have accomplished on her own. Maybe "Lucy Smith" is only controlled by the real culprit. Questions about Lucy's intent--the whole family's intent--can wait.]

There's far more to this town than meets the eye, friend. And from what I've heard, a good deal of what happens here seems to happen at this little girl's beck and call.

Consider this. When a delirious man by the name of Sergei Smirnoff came to Mayfield, claiming that Lucy Smith was the grand mastermind behind our capture, do you know what happened? She made public declarations that Smirnoff be captured. Or else. As such, Mayfield fell into a state of martial law for weeks after that.

Why did anyone listen? The town seems to have some kind of government, doesn't it?

Trust me. The Mayor? The Postman? Officer Grady?

They're nothing more than her pawns.

How do you know? There have been specific incidents pointing to that inevitable conclusion?

[His words are careful and precise. Is Nigma paranoid, or is this really the only logical interpretation of the situation? It seems possible that both are true.]

Aside from the fact that they would all let one little girl's demands turn this town upside down, you mean? Well. I'm sure there have been---and will be---other incriminating incidents. Call this a hunch. An accurate hunch.

Edited 2011-03-16 08:03 (UTC)

A hunch with a lot of evidentiary support, I suppose. What kinds of demands has she been known to make?

Also: your hunches are usually accurate?

Just after New Years', the Postman---one of Mayfield's other higher-ups---attempted to send us home, though he put forth the option to us as a vote. Lucy was furious. Imaginably so. And as such, she was somehow able to subdue him. None of us were sent home after all.

And yes, I like to think my hunches are usually accurate. For the most part.

Are you certain that the vote was ever meant to accomplish anything other than a survey of who might still be taking every opportunity to leave? It would point up problematic elements in the population. That could be very useful to our captors.

As to your hunches--about what percentage, would you say?

I'll admit I had my doubts. But I can assure you, I have no doubt in my mind about this theory of mine. I'm almost 100% positive of this one.

[Not to say he's always so accurate on his OTHER hunches.]

I see.

[There's nothing in his bland tone to indicate exactly what he "sees," though.]

One small girl... has anyone tried to capture her? There must be ways to test the theory.

That's ambitious.

Though I can't say I've tried capturing her, I've been in her home twice---once during a house party thrown by her family, another time during one of my investigations. Neither attempt brought about anything conclusive, unfortunately. But I fully intend to find the truth.

Ambitious? In what way?

I don't imagine she's the sort of little girl that would so easily be captured.

Riddle 021: Angel Aftermath

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