Day 32: Lunch

[damnrudecock]

Sanosuke hadn't quite been ready to part ways from Kenshin, but his nurse was insistent, and she was offering food. That second thing was what really got Sano off the couch and headed to the cafeteria. And at the very least, the thing about Okita had been settled, which meant the fighter could focus on his meal

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[high_prosecutor]

[waiting for Yue]

You could almost feel the grumpiness radiating off Edgeworth as he followed his nurse to the cafeteria. The girl had tried to start a conversation with him, but one look had silenced her.

At least the bulletin board had proved useful, even if he was no closer to figuring out who was responsible for the M-U trial. That was something, and it did help to cut down the grumpiness. He moved through the line, taking two slices of vegetarian pizza, and wishing there was salad or something to cut the grease.

It seemed as if he'd gotten to the cafeteria early, and as such, had a pick of seats. He took one at a table near one of the windows, and after blotting the grease off the pizza, started his usual custom of taking out his notebook and scribbling a few notes.

[winged_moon]

Yue was feeling much better by the time the nurse had returned to tell him it was time to move on for lunch. He might have even recovered entirely from whatever drug he'd been given, though with how weakened he'd already been, it was hard for him to tell for certain. When the nurse (accompanied, he noted, by a pair of the burly orderlies this time) tried to take him to the cafeteria, he insisted on stopping at the bulletin board Ururu had indicated; he very carefully drew out one of Clow's circles and posted it there, just in case - anyone from his world who mattered would recognize that

[high_prosecutor]

"Hello," Edgeworth said, looking across at the young man seated across from him. Noticing that he hadn't immediately moved to start lunch, he asked, "I take it you're not a fan of pizza either?" Most of the time, the food wasn't absolutely terrible here, but he was used to better Italian than the Institute generally provided.

He scribbled the last of the names and room numbers from the list he'd begun making on the bulletin board, having had just enough time to take a look at it before lunch. The simple act of getting the list together was brightening his mood just a bit - if it was enough to get someone assistance if it was needed, that was enough for the time being.

He closed the notebook, then added, "Miles Edgeworth, by the way. I don't think I've seen you around here before. If you don't mind my asking, are you one of the new patients they mentioned on the intercom?"

As he said that, he took note of his lunch companion's appearance, thinking, Teenagers. Maybe Wright was correct about trying to form something of an army...

[winged_moon]

Not a fan of pizza? The corners of Yue's mouth twisted down just slightly at that, and he lifted a hand to prod somewhat dubiously at one of the pieces of garlic bread where it sat on the tray next to the rapidly-cooling pizza. Not a fan of the fact that he had to eat anything, really, but he could hardly ignore the fact that he was increasingly ravenous. It was something he was only used to feeling distantly from his Yukito side, as his true self was dormant.

Mention of the bulletin board post, however, did get the irritated guardian's attention, and Yue slowly glanced back up at the other man at the table. The post had filled in some of the gaps in Ururu's explanation, though not in a really good way. "I just...arrived, this morning," Yue replied quietly, finally giving in and taking a small bite of the bread. Maybe if he didn't look while he ate it would make the whole concept a little more bearable.

After a brief hesitation, he added, "Is it truly so dangerous at night?" He was, after all, Yue. Even if he was crippled and

[high_prosecutor]

"I see." Edgeworth took a forkful of mushrooms and peppers from the top of the pizza, chewing thoughtfully as to forumulate a response. "It is as dangerous as I said, yes. There have been people killed here by the creatures roaming the halls. Some have been taken down, but only the smaller ones; the rats, cats, insects, and such. The only reason to fight the more dangerous creatures is so that you can get away from them

[winged_moon]

"Mmm." Yue considered that for several moments, eyes narrowing a little as he absently finished off the rest of the piece of bread. The man certainly believed what he was saying, and had scars to prove it. And yet, Yue didn't sense any kind of magic about him, nor did he look like some kind of trained warrior; perhaps he was just too powerless to really do anything.

Still, though. As he thought, Yue found himself halfway through the slice of pizza without realizing it. He forced himself to stop and very carefully set the thing back down on the plate, feeling distinctly annoyed at himself. He might be subject to such things as hunger, but that was still no reason to start devouring the food like...like...like Cerberus.

"I can take care of myself," he said, carefully wiping his fingers on a paper napkin. "But...is there no way out?" The last was spoken with just a hint of urgency, the closest thing to emotion he'd displayed thus far.

[high_prosecutor]

"So we've reached the million-dollar question," Edgeworth said, wiping his fingers on a napkin and setting it aside. "I assume the same mechamism that was able to bring each of us here is equally capable of returning us to where we came from

[winged_moon]

What Edgeworth had to say was interesting, Yue was certain, and probably useful to know. But as soon as the man mentioned the potential of returning home the same mysterious way he had come - well, that held most of his attention, and he only halfway listened to the explanation about Jack and the newcomer.

At his last statement, however, Yue's attention immediately snapped back to Edgeworth, expression turning into something like a faint scowl. The very idea that he wouldn't want to go home was abhorrent to him, and he took it like some kind of an insult. "Of course I want to go back," he replied, his voice still low but taking on an edge. "I have to--"

And there he cut himself off, unwilling to explain himself to one who was almost a stranger. Obviously being in this place was wearing on him in more ways than he'd thought, even though he'd just arrived. If he had to spend too long here....

Yue straightened in his chair, carefully resuming his neutral expression once more. "If you think you know a way out, I would be interested in

[high_prosecutor]

"The only other way out is as mysterious as the first. People have been known to simply disappear. One moment they're in the halls, and the next, they've vanished. In one case I'm aware of, the person was brought back at a later time with no memory of when they were here in the past

[winged_moon]

Yue's shoulders twitched slightly as he listened to Edgeworth speak, an unconscious movement to re-settle wings that were no longer there. While he understood what was being said, none of it made sense to him, and he liked none of it in the least. But if this Landel person was the one responsible, it did seem logical that finding him would be the best plan of action.

But after explaining all the difficulties involved, Edgeworth only fell silent once more; slightly annoyed and impatient, Yue prompted, "How will you find the way?" If there was so much security and mystery involved there, Yue was interested in knowing just how Edgeworth intended to get past it. Perhaps there was some way that he could assist in that, but he wanted to hear what the plan was before volunteering anything.

[high_prosecutor]

"I think a direct approach is too obvious, and would more likely than not fail. The trick is trying to find where the man's hiding and how to get past the security surrounding him," Edgeworth said, pulling out the maps of the first floor, second floor, and the roof. "The latter is the hardest part. The one time Landel showed his face, there was a shield surrounding him and a number of staff members armed with sedatives. No one was able to get close."

Pointing to the roof map, he said, "I suspect the access tower here is the best bet; it's well-guarded, I'm sure, but it also means it's not easy to escape."

He drummed his fingers on the table, thinking before speaking again. "It's going to take careful coordination, and I'm not sure that any of the major organizations are ready to take on such an attack. They're preparing, to be sure, but it's difficult to organize with such a large population."

[winged_moon]

Yue pushed his tray to one side as Edgeworth pulled out the maps, stubbornly ignoring the fact that he was still hungry in favor of something far more interesting. On the first-floor map he recognized the "sun room" and cafeteria, and noted the different areas he'd seen on the way to those, as well as the parts of the building he hadn't yet visited. The access to the outside caught his attention for a moment: perhaps if he could just get outside of the building, he could find his wings again. If so, there would be no need to hunt for a mysterious hidden man in order to leave

[high_prosecutor]

"Once we have enough information and people who have weapons and training, I'd be very happy to assist with coordination," Edgeworth said, pushing his tray aside. "I'm not a trained fighter by any means, but I've assisted in operations of that type. I'm a prosecuting attorney back at home, and on occasion, we worked with the police in order to capture a criminal." Of course, the last time that had happened had been the SL-9 case, which had ended in the death of a very talented prosecutor, but there was no need to mention that

[winged_moon]

Well, obviously his suspicions had been correct: not only was the man neither fighter nor, apparently, sorcerer, he was an attorney. Not exactly the sort of person that Yue would expect to be able to hold his own in a fight, which would explain the scars and the man's belief that it was dangerous at night. It certainly would be, for him.

"So you have ideas but no solid plans, nor the means with which to achieve them." Though his voice was utterly neutral, Yue could not help feeling not only disdainful but also irritated at himself for beginning to hope that this man might have an actual solution. The maps were certainly useful, and lacking materials with which to make copies just at the moment, Yue did his best to memorize the basic layout; he would be certain to explore when he could, to compare reality to what had been laid out there. After, of course, he'd checked the way to the "recreational field" so temptingly close to the patient rooms.

[high_prosecutor]

"The means are in the making," Edgeworth said, evenly. He sensed the disdain, choosing again to ignore it. "It's difficult to organize a large group of people at the best of times. The staff does their best to keep people from organizing, which I'm sure is no surprise."

He pushed his chair back from the table a bit. "If you're looking for weaponry, your best bet is probably the first floor kitchen. There are people who can make what you find there into weapons."

"And if you're going to go out, it's best to find someone to go with you, if for no other reason than to have a guide."

[winged_moon]

"I need no weapons." Yue folded his arms across his chest as he leaned back in his chair, the words spoken with supreme self-assurance. He felt no need for any kind of false modesty, after all. And even if he needed a weapon, his chosen one would hardly be found in a kitchen, of all places.

As for having someone go with him...was Edgeworth suggesting that he be Yue's "guide"? If so, the guardian wasn't terribly thrilled at the idea, for a number of different reasons. He needed no help. He wanted no help. He especially wanted nobody around to notice if he tried and failed to use his powers again. "Your post said friends can turn on you," Yue pointed out, with a slight frown. "Seems dangerous to have them around."