Day 49: Noon - South Street

[dual_worlds]

((From here.))As he approached the unusual building, Spock noted the manner in which the doors and windows were boarded up, presumably to keep trespassers from entering. He circled around onto South Street while glancing over the old structure. Oddly enough, some of the boards had been removed. Slowing his pace, the half-Vulcan science officer

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[lookitmemama]

Asuka's eyes narrowed on her new target. She knew that look--or rather, that subtle expression. It didn't take a smart ass long to recognize when another smart ass was giving her the eye. Her slitted blue eyes followed his trajectory until he was too far ahead to feel them burning a hole in his tacky yellow raincoat.

She usually had more grace and maturity at her disposal, but after the complete and utterly embarrassing flop her plan had become, the redhead was more than a little sore and this new mood was only good for one thing: raining on someone else's parade. Who better than this strange man that left her blood boiling after one look. Okay, even if in the minute chance he hadn't meant it as a provocation, his mere presence during her pathetic showing was still cause enough to follow him

[dual_worlds]

The red-haired girl had apparently chosen to follow him, though Spock did not immediately turn toward her. He was, after all, on a limited schedule, which did not allow him to engage in potentially unproductive chatter with a careless stranger. At the very least, he wanted to verify that there was nothing unusual about this structure before making his way further north.

Once it became obvious that she wished to confront him, however, Spock paused long enough to slightly turn his head toward his shoulder to indicate he acknowledged her presence, though he did not directly look at her. "I do not recall exchanging any comments with you before now," he neutrally replied. "Perhaps you should consider listening to your own advice."

As far as Spock was concerned, their conversation was over, as he needed to focus on more pressing matters. Without another word, he focused his attention back onto the removed boards and slipped through the dark opening.

[lookitmemama]

"................." Asuka was left flabbergasted, standing in the rain with her over-sized raincoat and rain boots. Who--wh--wasn't he supposed to apologize? That's how it worked! "Uhh you started this ordeal..." She voiced allowed, not sure if she was trying to convince him or herself. It was the principle of the thing! Once you let one person walk all over you, they all would follow. She wasn't going to allow some upstart change that rule.

[To here]

[quarter_english]

In spite of the rain, and in spite of the fact that it had taken all morning (relieved by a quick stop in Tasty Burger, where L had redeemed his meal coupon and eaten only the ice cream), and in spite of the constant presence of their overseers, L and Howell had managed to scope out most of the area.

Appearances were often deceiving, but on the surface, at least, Doyleton lived up to its reputation as a sleepy small town. Because little about the place seemed worthy of immediate suspicion, it was necessary to dig deeper to find out to what degree, if any, he could dismiss the town as incidental rather than integral to the situation at the Institute. But it shares some of the hospital's peculiarities; it operates under similar conditions, or it did a week ago... do the people here remember their nights?There was more to be done. At the top of the list was talking to the locals, insofar as it was possible to get them to respond to him. He wasn't optimistic. Perhaps he would get Howell to talk, and he could listen, but in some scenarios

[slipperymagic]

Howl followed Ryuuzaki's indication. It was easy to spot the building he meant. The thing looked long since abandoned, and down to the last detail it was perfect (for an empty eyesore, of course). This whole place was the ideal model of a little town. It was just the right amount of flawed to make it thoroughly convincing, and that was more frightening than any plastic over-idealized fantasy. Howl hadn't spotted the slightest hint of seams or rushed craftsmanship, which had been discouraging. If this was magic, it was powerful. It was beyond anything he himself was capable of. He couldn't imagine what it would have taken to craft such a place

[quarter_english]

L, still frowning, turned the full weight of his gaze on Howell.

We should go in...? It seemed both foolish and inevitable. He had no desire to be killed while trapped in the environs of the Institute -- he was, in fact, determined not to be -- but having any chance of escaping from it meant taking calculated risks.

Apart from that, Howell's concerns seemed to be predicated on the possibility of magical... what? Creation, manipulation? The likelihood was far better that it was a normal abandoned building in a dull little town, presenting no danger at all. There was no way of being sure unless they investigated it.

He sighed. "If you think the place has some... inherent esoteric danger... you will be far better equipped than I am to deal with it." He sounded resigned to this sad state of affairs, unable to take the lead because of his own lack of skill, truly regretful about the situation. His sincerity showed in his wide, dark eyes. "I will follow you."

He hoped it would work.

[slipperymagic]

For a brief moment, Howl narrowed his eyes at Ryuuzaki and his plaintive attempts at appearing vulnerable and in desperate need of protection from the evil magics that lurked within. Howl was, perhaps, not the most astute about the subtleties of his fellow humans, but he had learned enough about Ryuuzaki. The culprit was not the fact that he sounded insincere, but rather, the words and the emotions expressed were so stunningly unlikely that Howl could not stop his skepticism from showing.

Slowly, the unimpressed expression morphed into one of his winning smiles. Specifically, the smile he gave people when he clearly wished for them to know that the wool was not being pulled over his eyes