Day 42: Main Street [evening]

[high_prosecutor]

The sun was starting to set, and it was with a heavy sigh that Edgeworth stepped out of Twin Pines and out onto the street. The tea had helped, but there was still a sense of worry that he couldn't shake. There was, of course, the entire situation with Franziska, but now both Javert and this new person calling themselves 'Justice' were in the

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[cigarettes_plz]

After ice-cream shenanigans with Artemis and the others, he and Alle had broken off from the main group to explore the town - and, if possible, get thoroughly smashed - in whatever time they had left. That was what he told himself. In reality, he'd be lucky to bum a smoke off someone on the seedy side of town, let alone a single drink with the pittance of coupons he had left. But, of course, Badou was an optimist. Maybe this time around he'd manage two smokes.

He shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his camouflage jacket and stared up at the darkening sky before letting his gaze rest lazily somewhere ahead. They were getting to a street that looked Stepford Seedy in comparison to the City, but the chill cut right through him as usual.

"Alle," He whined. "I'm cold. Are we there yet?"

[closed to Alle and Dr. Dearest <3]

[tender_cruelty]

Allelujah pulled his jacket more tightly around himself, crossing his arms across his chest as he did so. It was definitely getting colder a night approached. He knew it hadn't een this cold last week when they'd visited. It felt like much longer than a week had passed since then too. He smirked over at Badou with a touch of amusement. "Smoking makes your circulation worse so you feel the cold more. You brought it on yourself. And I don't know where we're going. You're the one who said we should go somewhere."

[damned_doctors]

Doyleton was normally such a quiet, quaint little town, quite a change from the kind of life that Makiko had known back in Japan. Almost boring, really, when the place was small enough that everyone knew everyone else and she had to watch her step with unaccustomed and exacting care.

And then the Institute had seen fit to provide her with some measure of amusement on her day off, by flooding the town with all sorts of fascinating people. She'd passed among them unnoticed and unremarked-on; when not dressed as a doctor or calling attention to herself she could make note of those patients who seemed promising, those she might have interest in potentially having in her office at some point.

But in her quest for the new and interesting, she happened upon the familiar and yet still potentially entertaining: Oliver Riedel. Her session with the redhead a few days ago had been quite interesting, even if she'd been forced to show her hand rather sooner than she'd intended. And now she owed him (or rather he, her, for the mess he'd caused)

[cigarettes_plz]

"What? That's not my

[damned_doctors]

At first glance the alleyway was empty, but the shelter of the shadowed doorway in which she stood wasn't much for concealment. It wasn't as though Makiko was terribly interested in hiding anyway, however. She'd never have issued that silent invitation to follow otherwise, and was quite pleased that the man had accepted it. And alone, no less.

(Oliver's unknown friend might have been amusing to toy with as well, but dealing with two of them at once might attract more attention than she'd like at the moment. Not here, and not this soon.)

For now she just waited, resting almost casually against the door as she watched to see just what he intended to do. Talk? Or resume the cordialities of their last visit? Either way, she was prepared, ready to move despite her deceptively calm posture.

[cigarettes_plz]

Badou followed, not really trying hard to keep out of sight though he knew - hoped, prayed, guessed - Alle was somewhere back there doing a much better job. She was stronger and faster than him and she was picking the playground, leading him away from the main street where help might be more readily available. This was pretty much suicidal. For all the times he'd thought that today this was the one time he was absolutely certain he could die. He was letting her lead him - no, jerk him around by a choke chain. Why?

Because anything - anything - could be different here. He needed to know what she knew, what she was. Because he had stupid fucking issues that he just couldn't get over. Man, if he saw this shit in a soap opera he would piss himself laughing and egg his own tv.

He'd briefly lost sight of her as she turned the corner, but she was there as he took a few steps into the mouth of the alley and spread his empty hands wide like he was inviting her for a hug. "Hey Miss Makiko, did you miss me that much?"

[damned_doctors]

Makiko shifted as he approached, moving just slightly out of the shadow and into the dimmed sunlight, but still standing easy with hands in the pocket of her light wool coat. "Why, Mr. Riedel. Imagine meeting you here." Her tone was entirely calm, as businesslike as though they were seated in her office back at the Institute. Her smile, however, was razor-sharp and carried more than a hint of malice in it.

And there was absolutely no sign that her nose had been broken only a few days before, not even a hint of bruising

[cigarettes_plz]

Badou had taken and given dozens of broken noses. Even in this place nothing human should have healed so quick and easy. Except his partner, of course, and he knew Haine was human... stronger, faster and neigh unkillable, but human. Those soldiers, loath as he might be to give them that, were human at some point too. He could almost hear his partner telling him how they went down in that dry monotone he'd come to know so well; you didn't bother hitting the vital spots, you just ripped them apart. Cut off their heads tear out their lungs and when they went down they stayed down for good.

Too bad he couldn't do that with his bare hands. Christ Haine, even as a memory you're a useless shit. But his hands were as steady as if he held familiar mac-10s in each and a pasty albino fuckwit at his back. They weren't going to fight here. It was just talking, right? A rictus grin split his face in a parody of a friendly expression

[damned_doctors]

"Old friends? We just might be, at that." He moved closer but she remained precisely where she was, though Makiko's smile did widen just a touch with each of his steps. So stubborn, so driven, so easily manipulated like all of his kind; easy prey he might be but still prey.

Unseen, her hands clenched tighter for a moment, then slowly relaxed again as she forced calm on herself. Not yet, not yet, not yet. But she wanted it, wanted the bitter tang of fear on the back of her tongue, rip into his skull and drown in it but no. Not here not now not yet.

Not a hint of it touched her voice, but her eyes and smile tightened for just an instant. A predatory look, to say the least. And hungry. "I'm amazed that you've learned manners, Mr. Riedel. Especially after our last talk."

[cigarettes_plz]

Badou took one look at the hungry expression on her face and laughed. It was a real laugh too, like Makiko had just been telling a really long joke and the last words out of her mouth were the punch line. He should probably be terrified, because she looked like she really really wanted to eat him in that moment and her smile was so wide and sharp it would put a shark to shame.

But his brain didn't really work like everyone else's, and Badou was just thought this was all pretty hilarious in its own way. All this time he'd thought she was just fucking with him because she could. He knew she could kill him. That was a given. But maybe through his own fog of adrenaline and fear and fury he hadn't realized before just how badly she really wanted to do him in. He could taste the violence. She wanted it almost as bad as he did. Wow, they had such sublime kinship and he'd never known

[damned_doctors]

....fascinating. Very fascinating.

It seemed clearer and clearer all the time that there were depths yet to plumb within the admittedly twisted psyche of Oliver Riedel, and each moment only made her more interested in doing so. Everything was still there, all that she'd sensed, all that originally kept her from dismissing him as being as uninteresting as most of the other spineless delusional cattle inhabiting the walls of Landel's Institute - but at the same time it wasn't.

That was something Makiko had never seen before, and as he laughed her hands twitched involuntarily within her pockets before she clenched them into fists, ruthlessly suppressing the instinctual desire - no, need, driving need, need, need - to see and taste it for herself.

No. She wasn't ready yet. He wasn't ready yet. The time would come, oh yes, it would. But not today

[cigarettes_plz]

The blood rushing through his veins snapped from hot to cold with one word. (Three guesses and it started with an A.) Badou snorted, flippant as ever. "Bitch I'm not his babysitter."

It was still funny. Really, life to Badou was one big bad joke because you just had to laugh. He'd been so careful about Artemis following him around at night as if the day was safe enough. He'd been irrationally afraid of a retarded magic trick, of having that memory play out again without a handy reset button that let them pass it all off the next morning. Artemis would never grow up like him but there was - if he wanted to admit it and he didn't - a good chance he'd die or disappear on the kid anyway. A scenario that ended with a bloody pile of Arty bits 'n pieces on the floor had never even crossed his mind. Probably why it was doing vivid double time right now

[tender_cruelty]

Not a punch was thrown, but Allelujah could sense the violence running just beneath the surface. He'd never believed that humans could e intrinsically evil, but that woman definitely came close. She made his skin crawl and made him want to take her out for the safety of everyone. Ugh. He was ready to run in to help Badou but she was gone before he could get even half way to his friend. He didn't touch Badou, not wanting to startle him into violence.

"What did she do?" he asked when he reached the other man, staring in the direction that she'd left suspiciously. "She's dangerous."

[cigarettes_plz]

Badou shook his head slowly, like he was trying to clear it. Maybe he should get a new shirt, you know, seven fucking years and still a tool or screw me, I'm easy. He leaned back against the wall and raked a hand through his hair. Arty was a pedo rage magnet. Badou just attracted a lot of bad shit. They were perfect.

Ok, that was enough bawwing for one day. The next thing he knew he'd be painting on some mascara and writhing to...whatever the hell those emo kids writhed to. Maybe he should ask Alle.

"She told some bad jokes." He replied with a short bark of laughter. "Man, Alle, this place really sucks. I want some smokes. And a giant fucking bag of cheese Doritos."

[tender_cruelty]

"Right. Bad jokes," Allelujah replied dryly, not believing a word of it. Bad jokes would not leave Badou in such a state. He sort of wanted to go and find the rest of the group again. Perhaps they'd make him happier? Allelujah had never been good at knowing what to say, especially not when someone was upset. He wasn't particularly comforting.

He'd be keeping his eyes on that woman though if he ever saw her again. She was a doctor. It wouldn't bruise his conscience any to kill her. Not after this.

"There's a grocery store?" Allelujah suggested, looking up at the sky for a moment and frowning. It was getting darker. He wondered how long it would be until night fell. He was a little surprised the nurses weren't coming to get them yet. "Might as well add petty theft to my list of crimes, right?"

[cigarettes_plz]

"What? It's true. They were that bad. I almost cried." If Haine and Naoto managed to breed - and with all the combat sex they had, that could be likely - their spawn might manage the level of deadpan Badou had just accomplished. He was actually kind of proud. Maybe it would throw Alle out of that kicked puppy thing. Didn't matter that neither of them were the comforting sort. He didn't need to be cuddled and told everything was ok, because it wasn't. What he really wanted was to smoke himself into a nicotine coma and then drink off whatever consciousness was left, preferably while killing people in large numbers. Basically an average night out. Nothing fancy. Nothing possible. Lament.Though he would admit it was kind of satisfying to see Alle glance in the direction she'd gone like he could brutally maim her just by glaring hard enough. Badou flashed him a grin - a normal, albeit slightly razor-edged expression, and threw an arm around his shoulders. "Thou shalt not steal Doritos, for it taints the cheese with sin," He intoned. "