DAY 42: THE BOOKWORM

[forgot_it_all]

[ from here]The smell of old paper, leather and cardboard was oddly comforting. It had been too long since Ritsuka had been able to visit the patient library and since he was only able to check out one book, he usually had way too much time on his hand. Ritsuka was used to reading at least one or two books a day, so having just one for an entire

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[forgot_it_all]

Ritsuka ran his finger over the pages as he read, looking for all appearances as if he were merely skimming them. Really, though, he was just a fast reader and this book was rather interesting. He never spent much time reading science, but since he had the opportunity, he had found no harm in trying.

--wings on a Boeing 747? They have a surface area of 5500 square feet, and they can lift 800,000 pounds into the air - a "carrying capacity" of 145 pounds per square foot. Interesting

[forgot_it_all]

Oh. Oh. He did not just--

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Ritsuka didn't get really mad over many things, but defacing a book? No, worse than defacing it - ripping out its pages? That was unforgivable. He didn't care if it was the guy's own book or this store's merchandise. No one should ever harm a book that way!

"What is wrong with you?!" Ritsuka snapped his book shut and stood, pointing it accusingly at the stranger. Sure, he was small, but the wrath he felt could probably barrel over an ox. "You don't go ripping out pages from a book, you jackass!"

[bitpartgod]

Well, that hadn’t gone very well. In the future he’d have to be more careful who he decided to sit next to on trips unless he wanted to spend a large portion of them trapped in awkward silences. Stepping off of the coach, however, Kibitoshin was met with a rather more literal chill. Was that frost he could see on the gr-

A split second later, he found himself rather more well-acquainted with the ground than he had anticipated. Ah. Yes. That was frost. Wincing and rubbing his side he gave the nurse that hurried to his side a grateful smile and allowed himself to be hauled back to his feet. No one saw that. Hopefully

[high_prosecutor]

There was a certain charm to some used bookstores, Edgeworth thought, walking into the small bookshop. The smell of older books had always been a comfort - it had reminded him of his father's study, and he inhaled the smell with a small smile.

He had a carefully folded note in his pocket, and was just waiting on its recipient to arrive. Perhaps seeing more of the night had changed her mind on things. Perhaps it hadn't. Either way, it was probably for the best that he hadn't decided to ask Franziska to meet him inside the town's antique shop. Books didn't break when they were thrown, after all.

[for Franziska, I think?]

[iwhipthefool]

[from here]

Franziska made a beeline for him as soon as she saw him in the store. He had the information she sought which necessitated this meeting, but that did not mean she wanted to see him. The memory of what he'd said to her - calling her a murderess - was still fresh in her mind and that insinuation burned her to the core. It was a slight against the von Karma name more than anything, and to Franziska, there was nothing more important than the Name.

"Miles Edgeworth," she said, coming to a stop behind him, arms folded if only for the continued lack of a whip. Allen Walker made a convenient witness to this rather strange scene, so if Miles decided to do something odd, at least Franziska would have backup. Not that she expected him to, but after the sword last night? She wasn't so sure she could trust him anymore. "Hand it over."

[broken_exorcist]

Apparently his answer satisfied her, but she wasn't any closer to calling him by just his first or last name. He supposed it didn't really matter. It wasn't until they arrived to meet this mystery person that he found out he wasn't the only person she did it to. Maybe it was just a strange habit.

At any rate, Allen smiled when he saw Edgeworth again, and opened his mouth to greet the man, but didn't get much further than "Hello Mister Edg-" before von Karma started making demands. He looked from one to the other in surprise and confusion. Why had he been dragged into this? And just how did Mister Edgeworth know Miss von Karma?

[high_prosecutor]

"Good morning," Miles said, bowing to the pair. "Ah, it's good to see you again, Mr. Walker. I'm glad that you're well," he said, smiling politely at the young man. "I see you've met my younger sister?"

He nodded to Franziska, handing her a neatly folded note. "The information you requested, as promised. And I do apologize for what happened last night. The situation happened to get the best of me. It's truly a shame we couldn't have met under better circumstances." He wouldn't mention it openly, of course, but that much was true.

There were no regrets about confronting her father, of course. That much had to be done and would have been done at some point regardless. But he did feel the smallest twinge of guilt about having called her what he had.

[lost_metal]

Predictably, Ed found himself in the bookshop once they were let off the buses. It had been too long since he'd been surrounded by books and he was starting to feel a little twitchy about it. They did not get enough library time in his opinion, even if there was nothing really helpful in the books. This bookshop was the same, which just convinced him further than this entire place was a sham; what kind of bookshop, especially the only one in a small town, didn't have any kind of non-fiction? No history or geography or science. No newspapers either. Ed knew small towns and he knew that this wasn't how things worked.

In any case, he quickly settled himself in one corner, examining a pile of books and flicking through them. Some were interesting, some rather less so. Romance he skipped entirely. He didn't know what girls saw in that mushy stuff.

[yin_yang_fox]

Renamon's outfit had been completed with the strangest jacket the Digimon had seen when she got off of the bus into the cold weather. Sense would have pointed to not placing her in a skirt... again... in the first place, but she had already come to terms with the lack of sense. One look, though, and the hood remained down. She would keep what was left of her dignity.

For the moment, Renamon slid it around her shoulders, not wanting the hassle of getting her cast through the sleeve. Again, Renamon wandered, plan-less and meeting-less, contemplating the talk of the bus ride. She found herself in front of the book store again, and a pang shot through her. Why did it seem that the time she had shared with Orihime had been so short? She stared up at the sign, breathing in the cold air.

[taken]

[toadally4boobs]

Jiraiya was outfitted in a rather strangely shiny red shirt and a pair of black pants. To protect him against the cold weather, the nurses had given him a trench coat that completely ruined any style that he had. At least everyone else was dressed like an idiot, too. He sighed and hung his head a little.

Until he caught sight of Renamon, anyways, in the most heavenly short skirt possible. For a moment, he let himself enjoy the view. Then, he decided he'd better make sure she was doing all right, because he knew that she really didn't like being so uncovered.

Of course that was the reason. Not like he wanted a closer look or anything...

"Renamon! There you are--I've been looking for you," Jiraiya waved slightly, smiling reassuringly at her.

If he was lucky, maybe he could even score a date.

[yin_yang_fox]

A voice knocked her out of her self-imposed reverie, and Renamon found herself smiling slightly despite herself. "Jiraiya," she greeted. "You're enthusiastic today."

Keeping the smile, the Digimon tilted her head, raising an eyebrow in amusement. The man's dress was... interesting. Bad enough to match her own. It reminded her of something that Rika watched one time--a foreign film in which a girl crosses into a strange world to save her little brother. With Jiraiya's hair and clothes, the man resembled that goblin king who was the antagonist. She let out a light laugh, then blinked once, eying the man.

"Looking for me? Was there something you needed?" This was said almost teasingly. If Renamon had been watching herself, she would wonder about her sudden change of mindset, but for reasons unknown, she had picked up when the man appeared. Along with Yukari, and the still unseen Dairine, he was all she had left here.

[toadally4boobs]

"I'm just glad for a chance to stretch my legs without being chased by monsters," Jiraiya replied with a grin, reaching her side.

Ah, she looked much more cheerful right now, and that made Jiraiya very, very glad. After losing some of her friends, she needed a chance to be happy. He only hoped he wouldn't screw it up and end up with fatal damage to his internal organs. She had yet to find out about just how much of a pervert he really was, after all....

"Ah, there wasn't anything in particular that I needed," Jiraiya then coughed a bit nervously, shuffling his feet just barely. "I was wondering if you would accompany me today..."