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]

"What? That's not my--"

Badou stopped very suddenly, recognition snapping him from lazy and whiny to sharply alert. If it were possible, his hackles would have raised, but as things were his lip drew back in a silent snarl as the bitch walked right past them and away, smirking.

He'd been vaguely aware of the doctors having to live somewhere nearby, but he hadn't expected to see any of them wondering the town. Didn't matter. She'd all but invited him, and what kind of asshole would refuse an offer like that?

"My doctor." That sounded rather more like a growl than human speech, but it had been far too long since his last cigarette to care. The corner of his lip twitched up, and he barred his teeth in what could technically be described as a grin. "Do me a favor Alle. Watch my back. Find a weapon if you can and keep out of sight. Don't step in unless it looks like she's going to kill me." His expression changed, now composed and utterly closed, though his tone was light as ever. "I'm counting on you, bro."

Without waiting for a response he went after her. Maybe they wouldn't even talk, and maybe he'd just follow her as far as she went, but god fucking dammit he would trade his immortal soul for a pistol or a plank with a nail in it right now. The streets were too clean.

[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.

"You didn't want to wait until our next session to say hello? I'm quite touched." There were no staff members within sight right now (unless she counted herself, which she didn't) but that certainly wouldn't last for long at all. That much she had already established as she'd wandered the town during the day. Had it not been for the fact that Oliver had followed her so quickly, not even that window of opportunity would have presented itself.

But within the shelter of the coat pocket her hands closed into fists, nails digging into her palm as a reminder to stay calm, steady despite the driving hunger that had flared with the man's proximity. It was far too risky. Not now, now now, not yet. There was time still.

[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.

"After you passed right by? That would be rude. Besides, this is kind of a dangerous part of town." His own hands returned to his sides, fingers curled slightly, and he took another couple of steps towards her, jerked forward by that stupid choke chain. "Does this mean you didn't want to see me again after all? I thought we were old friends."

[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.

"You know," He said slowly, once he'd stopped laughing at his own messed up joke. "I think I changed my mind."

His voice was still light with laughter when he spoke, "You really piss me off, so I'll kill you when we tear this place down."

Delivered as casually as an invitation to a play date, it wasn't the most impressive or creative of threats to be sure. But he was done trying to make sense of this whole stupid mess or trying to pry one sliver of an answer out of the murderous shark-faced bitch. If she wanted him that bad she'd have to come and find him now. He'd find the truth about that incident some other way if it meant divining it out of her entrails.

There was only one thing that she could hold over him anymore by virtue of this place being the way it was. His brother. Dave. He was barely willing to think it, but if there were soldiers here then there was a chance that Dave was still alive somewhere - or he was some parody like Haine had been, but that made it no less dire. Not in her hands though. She barely wanted to tell him if she knew anything, so chances were that she didn't know anything or she wasn't going to tell him. He might as well just walk away and leave her high and dry. He could wait. What was a couple of weeks on seven years? It was funny, really funny, how often clarity struck in the middle of madness.

He shoved his hands into his own pockets and started walking. He'd brush right past her and out the other end of the ally. Choke on it.

[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.

Her plans for their next session, however, had taken an abrupt turn; she'd have to consider more in depth later, but for now, ah. It should be a day to remember, or so she hoped. More satisfying than even Miss Waterhouse, if she but made the right preparations.

Makiko remained still the entire time, expression unchanging, even as he started to walk toward her. "Until we meet again, then, Mr. Riedel," she observed, with a touch of amusement bleeding into her tone. Just as he was about to reach her she likewise began to move forward (and just a touch to one side; any distance between them could only help her self-control) and observed, "Say hello to young "Artemis" for me, will you?"

And with that she continued onward toward the street again, having apparently dismissed him from her mind.

[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.

He'd known Artemis for a week tops. All things considered, this shouldn't be a big deal. Kids died all the time back home and you just stepped over the bodies and kept on gunning. You didn't adopt a stray on every street corner. When Haine had brought Nill to the church the first time Badou had looked at him like he was crazy. Between them, that was saying something.

It didn't make any more sense to him now why trying to process the thought of Arty disappearing was something like trying to see out of his ruined eye. It was a painful, futile blackness. But that was family, right? God he was a fucking moron.

He had stopped where he was as soon as the sound of Makiko's steps disappeared. He could have broken her neck from behind but it would have been pointless - satisfying in a very therapeutic zen kind of way but pointless none the less. Once that immediate threat had removed itself he just stood there in the ally, silent, veins pumping ice water all the way into his heart.

[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. "Grocery store guy traded me a smoke for one of the coupons."

So he figured he'd be too memorable a face, and he wasn't about to fail at petty theft and lose himself the chance for a cigarette later on. He glanced up at the sky. "It's getting dark. Let's try the bar first. Don't want to get halfway to the grocery just to be dragged in by nurses."

[tender_cruelty]

Allelujah snorted softly at that, nudging Badou in the side with his elbow gently. It said something that he was comfortable enough to do that with Badou. There was very few people who he was comfortable with touching and Badou was the first outside of Celestial Being. He got the impression that he needed to become comfortable with more of them since he had apparently acquired a family. That was a weird thought. He felt like he might need a stiff drink.

He grinned back at Badou, a little startled to have an arm slung around his shoulders, but he relaxed after a moment although not without a moment's panic over what he was supposed to do with his own arm. He settled for letting it hand at his side. "What if the person who owns the shop is dead?" he asked deadpan. "Is it still stealing then?"

He glanced along the street again and then nodded. "Sounds good. Aren't they cutting it a little short for getting us back to the Institute?"

[cigarettes_plz]

That was a decidedly more gentle nudge than Badou was accustomed to, not that he was complaining at all. It was kind of nice to know someone who actually understood the concept of a bruise and made an effort not to cause them. Badou was a simple creature. For the most part, he liked not being in grave pain.

Having someone start at being touched wasn't exactly unusual either, but once Alle had relaxed he started dragging him back the way they'd come - a task made slightly awkward by the fact that Alle was a couple of inches taller than him. "Then it's grave robbing."

He glanced up at the darkening sky and frowned. "Yeah, they are. I heard something happened a couple of weeks back. Buses broke down outside somewhere but at this rate..." They might not even make it to the buses. "Bar's got glass, flammable liquid... shit, I wish I brought my lighter. What are the chances of a mutant squirrel knocking back some nut flavoured rum instead of us?"

[tender_cruelty]

"I can deal with grave robbing," Allelujah replied cheerfully as Badou proceeded to drag him back along the street, presumably towards the bar that he'd mentioned. He didn't really care much where they went. He doubted that they could get hold of anything useful while there were there, not without the nurses finding out.

Huh, he'd heard rumours and stuff about what had happened on one trip. "Druken townspeople zombies?" he added to Badou's list with a grin. "Maybe if it was flesh flavoured rum..."