Day 49: Late Afternoon: Twin Pine Restaurant

[quarter_english]

If L was being shooed indoors out of the rain by his unwanted caretakers, then he wanted to be shooed somewhere useful. He had managed to glean some knowledge earlier -- not as much as he would have liked -- and was aware that the hour was advancing. As much as he wanted to escape from this predicament, time was always in short supply

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[vbyv]

Jim had been interesting. Yeah, fine, so an ice cream date in the middle of the afternoon wasn't what Faith normally had in mind when she was thinking about having a good time, but this place pretty much sucked and Faith was willing to take one pretty face over no pretty face.

Of course, it wasn't like there was a shortage of pretty faces here. More than enough, actually, she'd noticed and while that was sure as hell strange, it was nothing to complain about. It didn't matter that her main goal was getting out of here. Who said she couldn't multitask?

She'd tried to take another look around town, but the chick who was supposed to be her nurse (more like a goddamn babysitter, Christ; woman was worse than the Watchers) insisted she get inside. Whatever, it was just a little rain. Faith wasn't keen on being sopping wet, but she already was in that condition, so, y'know. What did it matter if she stayed out longer

[quarter_english]

A young woman walked into the restaurant as L sat at his table considering what to order. She was attractive; the way she moved suggested that she was well aware of it. She had been caught in the rain, like everyone else. He had not minded being wet, but it was a nice change, after a week, to be in a place where he stood a chance of receiving a cup of hot coffee.

He felt a flicker of surprise at her approach, but it passed. Of course. There is barely anyone else here, I am a man alone, and she... wants attention? Maybe.

She took the seat across from him and asked if he was waiting for someone. He tilted his head at a slight angle, fixing a cool, expressionless gaze on her face for a few beats before answering her in a tone that he knew to be on the flat side of polite. "No. Mm -- perhaps a waitress. Have you been here before?"

[vbyv]

The polite sort, then. Less awkward than the stuttering geek in the corner and maybe it was for the best, that she steered clear of any familiar bells. Faith hadn't talked much to Xander ever since Sunnydale. It was kind of hard to know what to say after that. Sorry I almost choked you to death in my bed, I was going through a rough time.

They didn't make Hallmark cards for that sort of stuff. Though they should. Maybe she and Angel could start a business, add a Guilty Conscience section right next to Belated Birthdays.

"Nope." She spun a menu towards herself and flipped it open. A drop of water splattered onto the pages. She was pretty hungry now that she thought about it. "First joyride here. Shitty weather for an intro to town, I'll tell you that." Behind her, she could hear someone else enter the restaurant. She glanced up at the guy. "What about you?"

[quarter_english]

"No, I haven't been here before." He frowned and pressed the side of his chin against his knee.

His gaze flickered towards the door when someone came in; he noted that it was neither Howell nor Lunge, although the face was vaguely familiar, as were the faces of most of his fellow detainees. It was good to know that Lunge was on his feet, but the extent of whatever damage had been done to him remained to be seen. Since reading his message, L had not been able to find him in town. He would find him on the buses, if he could.

This woman in front of him, though... who was she? He turned his attention back to her almost as quickly as it had wavered. Working-class language, not unfriendly. She had been here less than a week, if she was telling the truth, and he suspected that she had no particular reason to lie. More than that, she seemed as if her greatest concern at the moment was the rain.

"I'm afraid that I missed last week's excitement." There was no regret in his voice. "You are prepared for some kind of repetition of it, Miss...?"

[not_rly_fai]

Though the morning had been fun, he'd spent most of the day wandering the town, trying to catch up with Sakura, Yue, Touya, or any sign of Chise, but so far he'd been without luck and only ended up soaked to the skin. The nurses urged him inside and insisted he eat since he hadn't had so much as a bite since the bus ride up. While he wanted to continue his search, he could do little by way of protest