Day 42, Afternoon: T&M Electronics

[fooledintuition]

Adachi hadn't expected the town to be so...tiny. A nice enough conversation on the ride over only did so much to aid the disappointment he felt. This whole mental institution thing was supposed to get his mind off of the whole "small, boring town" bit, not toss him right in the middle of another one.

Wonderful.

There had to be something that he

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[tostepforward]

There were so many things that were different and strange here that even Ayumu almost felt overwhelmed for a while. Information gathering could be difficult when there was so very much and she had little frame of reference with which to determine what might be useful and what wouldn't. It was fortunate that she had Robin along to answer questions, though she'd had to be careful with what she asked and how, seeming innocently confused and fascinated by the strange town.

Still, Lelouch was a constant, and hadn't been too difficult to at least keep an eye on for most of the morning. Robin had apparently managed to remember his assignment, and had been doing the same, and this way both of them provided each other some cover under which to pretend to not be watching the young man. It was working out rather well, really.

The latest stop on the tour of the town claimed to be an "electronics" store, and inside was...well, nothing familiar. At all. Ayumu blinked around at the merchandise with eyes wide, staying close beside Robin as he entered and then diverted toward their quarry, who was conveniently alone and unoccupied.

She offered a shy smile as Robin greeted Lelouch, hanging back just slightly behind him as though using him as a shield from the supposed stranger. Under the bashful exterior she watched him closely, though, taking advantage of the opportunity to get a good look at him. Not a fighter, that was for certain, confirming what she'd already gleaned from the bulletin. Though if he could get people to follow him, being able to fight himself might not be that much of a hindrance.

[whohitreset]

"No problem." Lelouch didn't seem embarrassed about the situation at all, which said a little about his character. "I'm just glad to see you're okay. The effects have always been temporary, from what I've seen. The dangerous part comes when you're by yourself when it happens and something nastier comes along." Like what had happened with Mello. If he and whatever samurai he'd run into hadn't been there, the spider that showed up later probably would have made a meal of his friend.

...Not that this mattered now, since the damn bastard had disappeared on him.

He wrapped an arm around Sen's shoulder, easing the woman a little closer so that he could introduce her. Not that he wanted to show her off in an I-bet-my-girlfriend-is-hotter-than-yours sort of way. Of course not. (It was looking more and more like Lelouch swung the other way anyway.) "This is Sen. I was just showing her around."

[tostepforward]

So apparently Lelouch actually had been the injured member of the group the night before. Ayumu hadn't stopped long enough to figure out exactly what had happened, though she hadn't noticed any signs of fresh blood. He could have been wounded, judging from some things she'd seen earlier in the day, but it was difficult to be certain (especially when he wasn't moving much at the moment).

He didn't seem terribly interested in her, though, which was all the better in her mind; the less he paid attention to her then the more she could keep an eye on him while he was occupied with Robin. She had to make her own reports back to Okita and Homura, after all.

But, of course, then Robin had to go calling attention to her instead. It was polite, she supposed, to introduce the third member of the group, especially since the other two had met already, but she would've preferred to remain somewhat invisible. Ayumu just bowed her head slightly in polite greeting, though, and offered a quiet, "Nice to meet you."

[whohitreset]

"Just once." Robin shrugged. "Wasn't all that eventful." The hand that wasn't on his shoulder was placed on his hip as he gave the shop another look-over. "Would you look at this place?" he muttered. "It's like an antique shop in here."

Perhaps 10 year old appliances didn't count as antique in most people's worlds, but Matt was the sort of person who'd keep up with the latest - devices that were already ahead of the current norm. This was as good a time as any to learn a bit more about their new acquaintance. It didn't seem as though he was from a time as far back as Sen's.

[tostepforward]

Ayumu would've liked to know more about exactly what had happened the night before, but if the boys weren't planning to talk about it she'd just have to talk to Robin later. At least now that it had been brought up in conversation, she'd have a reason to do so, rather than trying to come up with an excuse to ask about his night. After all, she'd really rather not say anything to indicate that she'd seen both of them in the hallway the night before.

She glanced over at Robin with eyes wide at his comment about the antique shop, though, then looked around once before lowering her attention to the floor. If these were considered "antiques," things that she'd never even imagined existed, well. Being from a time as far before Robin's as she was (a concept she was still working to grasp fully, though that was helped by the tour of this town) then she should qualify as an antique as well.

"I haven't been here before," she offered, in a shy-sounding murmur, still watching the floor.

[whohitreset]

Matt knew what he'd said about the items there being antiques might make Sen feel a little awkward. He'd apologize to her later. What time period she'd come from really wasn't any of Lelouch's business either, so he hoped to avoid the subject. At least he knew that the other young man was from a time period as late as, if not later, than his own. That was something. Barely. "Well, yeah. I think whatever world we're stuck in is at least a decade behind, if you know what I mean. They probably think this junk is current."

That television still had a VCR, for Christ's sake.

"So, did you come looking for anything in particular? We're just looking." Man, he was prattling on like an idiot, but whatever got the job done... "It's kind of annoying, really. Sending us out into town without any cash. I mean, it's not like they'd allow us to decorate our rooms or anything. The whole 'look but don't touch' aspect of this trip sucks ass."

[tostepforward]

The conversation so far wasn't really telling Ayumu very much except that Robin wasn't all that good at making small talk. That part wasn't terribly surprising, though, nor was it what she was trying to find out. But Lelouch didn't seem like the friendly and open type, so it had to be difficult to get him to talk.

It was too bad she was here with Robin and not alone, otherwise she might have been able to attempt other methods to get him to talk. Although...she did have to wonder if that would even work, given that he'd barely even looked at her at all, even in the rather tight clothing she'd been given to wear. No matter, though; it wasn't an option so she wouldn't consider it.

"I think it's kind of interesting." This time a hint of petulance entered her tone, as though she were growing bored or irritated with the conversation. "I haven't seen anything like it."

[whohitreset]

This guy was something of a bastard, wasn't he? Matt held back a smirk. Sen's tone caused him to pause for a moment, though. Had she been bothered by something he said? Or was it because she felt out of the loop due to the time period she was from. She would be finding their tour interesting, he supposed. And he'd wanted her to, so he should be pleased with that.

"Well, I mean... the trip would have been a complete bust if I hadn't had you around." He gave the woman a light peck on the cheek. "But it's been fun walking around with you. I'd do it again any time you wanted."

[tostepforward]

A slight blush touched Ayumu's cheeks at the affectionate gesture, and she glanced briefly at Lelouch before lowering her eyes to the floor. It clearly said that she was a little embarrassed that a near-strange was there to see it, though the tiniest hint of a smile would also let Robin know that she still wasn't displeased with him.

"It is educational," she agreed, though ostensibly still focused on the flooring at her feet rather than either of the two men. "Though quite confusing. This place seems like another time and place entirely than what Robin is accustomed to, and very far removed from my home in Kyoto. Is it the same for you...Lelouch-han?"

She paused just a moment before the name, as though uncertain quite how to address him. People had such odd names around here, it was hard to know which were given names and which were family names and just what it was polite to call them. Still, he should correct her if she was wrong.

[whohitreset]

Sen was so damn cute when she was embarrassed. ...She was cute all of the time, though. Except for when she was gorgeous.

Matt nodded at Lelouch's comment. There wasn't a whole lot they'd be able to get out of him at this point without getting threatening, which was definitely something they didn't want to do. He was risking enough just looking him in the eyes every now and then, given what Homura had said, and he made sure to keep his gaze focused elsewhere as much as possible without making it too obvious. At least if something happened to him, he had Sen there to tell him Lelouch's exact words.

"You have to wonder what the point of bringing us out here really is - aside from a show of power or something." Then again, did Landel really need any other reason?

[tostepforward]

The fact that they were all there and not where they were supposed to be seemed like more than adequate a show of power to Ayumu. She had no idea just how one could pull people from different worlds and times, especially not people who supposedly had special powers of some kind. The trip had done little to change her opinion, though she had to wonder if there was some kind of clue to a way home in this place.

If there was, would she even recognize it, in such a baffling array of unfamiliar devices? It wasn't as though she could tell Robin what she was looking for, either.

"Maybe they're doing something back at the building," she suggested, sounding hesitant to venture a comment. "Something that they need to get us away from, while they do it?"