damned_institute | Day 21

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Day 21 - Sun Room

Ichigo was only too eager to leave the cafeteria and its fresh memories behind when the softened chime of the intercome rang clear. What had begun as another ordinary meal, a rather agreeable one despite the lack of the proper utensils, quickly became somewhat unnerving. His conversation with...what was his name again?...took so many sharp turns, he should've felt dizzy. It was easy to feel a little sorry for the guy, though; surrounded by stangers in a very strange place, it was hard to blame him for being so alarmed.

The Sun Room occurred as a more enjoyable choice to spend the time; he had nothing against music, but something about being surrounded by some of the most unruly characters he'd ever met, each of them armed with cacophonous weaponry, didn't sound smart. Once his nurse departed, the young man picked out a cozy little spot near a flood of sunshine and settled in, cradling his head in the palms of his hands. There, he stared up almost bitterly at the ceiling with sharply focused eyes, still exuding the same unapproachable sense of being as ever.

The room was warm, even a little comforting, for any of the tired, weary masses found in Landel's halls, or even those who just craved a little peace and quiet. All he could hear, from end of the room, were soft footfalls and hushed voices. That sounded just fine to the 'berry head.

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The sun was bright in Phoenix's eyes, but he didn't mind. It was his first true glimpse of what it looked like outside since he had gotten here, and the warmth relieved some of the stress in his head.

Curled up on one of the couches, Phoenix wrapped his arms around himself, notebook in his lap. He had skipped lunch, having decided to go back to his room in order to gather up his notebook and a pen, wanting to follow Edgeworth's example. The nurse had been annoyed by his dilly-dallying, having wanted him to go and eat something, but Phoenix had merely entertained her in idle conversation as he had searched his room for things. Once he had finished, she had brought him to the lunchroom and forced him to scarf down a bowl of noodles -- but from what it had looked like, everyone was already leaving.

She had then brought him to the sun room, and Phoenix had found a lone place to sit and think.

To say Phoenix was preoccupied and slightly confused was an understatement.

Seeing Edgeworth again bothered him, but the thoughts had already exhausted their way through his head. Phoenix was tired of trying to figure out whether Edgeworth wanted him around. Everything pointed towards the obvious -- no -- but Phoenix, whether it was through forced ignorance or idiocy, couldn't bring himself to believe it.

And then...he felt stupid, if only for the simple fact that he had built certain parts of himself on Miles Edgeworth. He had hoped...Phoenix wasn't exactly sure for what, but he had. Phoenix couldn't help but feel as if he were about to leave himself vulnerable for another wave of rejection just by speaking to Edgeworth.

Phoenix didn't know what to do with his anger and unhappiness. The emotions were heavy and cumbersome, and hard to swallow. But he knew that he couldn't abandon Edgeworth, no matter how badly he felt. Somehow, he needed to get all of it out of his system, but there was nowhere for him to raise his voice, and he couldn't escape the nurse long enough to kick something. He almost wanted to go home, where Edgeworth was gone and Phoenix could pretend that he had died, as unfair, shameful, and contradictory as it was.

The emotions reflected in his expression -- perhaps not clearly, as he was a mess of it all as it was -- and he leaned his head upon the cushions, not quite ready to begin thinking and writing about what he had experienced so far, too wrapped up in trying to think around the heavy rock of thoughts lodged in his head and chest.

He'd intended to go speak with Hakkai again, but it seemed like the other man was already in a conversation and while with Tenpou he'd have had no qualms about inserting himself into it seamlessly, Hakkai was different enough that he didn't want to disturb things. Still, he felt drawn to the other man and it was kind of disturbing, especially if what he thought was true.

Damn, he missed Tenpou.He could really have used his 'spouse's' input about now. Together they could take on anything. They wouldn't necessarily win, but they' kick ass, look fantastic and have a great time doing it.

He sprawled lazily on one of the sofas next to another guy. Looked deep in thought and depressed as hell too. Kenren chuckled at that. Depression had never been one of his vices. He preferred the fun ones.

"You know, no matter how bad you think things are, they can always get worse. Might as well enjoy yourself before it does." He flashed a grin at the other man. It was typical of him to say something not quite as comforting as it seemed, but hey, he was, despite his other faults, something of a realist at times.

The constant interruptions were quickly draining Edgeworth's patience - he'd been pushed from breakfast to the library to lunch. He'd declined the music room, though it had been tempting to put on a pair of headphones and a Beethoven symphony and just think. It wouldn't quite be the same as the small radio he sometimes put on in his office, but it would be close enough.

However, the idea of some of the louder patients getting their hands on percussion instruments had been enough to put him off the idea entirely.

He'd wanted to speak with Wright, anyway, since he hadn't been around at lunch, which was a surprise. He had company, as usual - the defense had always been the more social one of the two of them. But it was unusual that he looked so...sad.

That same uncomfortable feeling came over Edgeworth again - the emotions that had first come over him when they'd met for the first time in years, during the Fey case. It just wasn't like Wright to ever look upset - even when a case looked bad, the look on his face was always at least one of determination, and even a smile at times. Not a cocky smile, even, but an honest one.

And as bad as he was with this kind of talk, Edgeworth didn't like seeing Wright like that. He came over to where the other two were and approached. "I'm sorry. You know how awkward this kind of conversation is for me, and I apologize for interrupting. But you don't look like yourself, Wright."

Lifting his head from the pillows, Phoenix glanced at the person who had sat down next to him, not sure what to say to him.

There was an element of truth in what he was saying, but Phoenix wasn't in the mood to entertain it. He felt snippish and annoyed -- he knew that it could get worse, but he couldn't figure out any part of what he was thinking about that he could enjoy.

He pulled his expression into a more casual one, realizing how much of what he was feeling was showing, and smiled slightly. It wasn't fair to drag someone else into his own personal issues. "It could get worse, I agree." Phoenix wasn't sure how much worse it could get, but he wasn't willing to bet that he had seen the worst of it -- he hadn't experienced nightshift yet. "I don't think we've met before...my name is Phoenix Wright."

And right when he had finished speaking, a familiar voice reached Phoenix's ears. He turned his head to meet Edgeworth's gaze with his own as he uncrossed his arms, instead fiddling with the cover of his notebook with his fingers, twisting some of the first pages between them. "...and this is my friend, Miles Edgeworth." The same even, smiling expression was on Phoenix's face, and he ignored the statement about not 'looking like himself' -- in fact, what did Edgeworth know about what he looked like in the first place? The courtroom was a battleground, and Phoenix walked into it like a soldier, ready for a fight. But as for personal things...it wasn't all about looks and confidence. And as much as Phoenix liked to stick to persevering and being optimistic about situations, he wasn't immune to moments of weakness.

Kenren returned the smile with a cheerful one of his own; the one calculated to put people at ease with him and not insult them. He could be diplomatic when he needed to be, after all. There was a reason he'd survived for so long. "Kenren Taisho," he replied, nodding towards the other man. "Pleased to meet you."

He leaned back on the sofa, propping his feet up and resting his arms behind his head. "Seems from what I've heard that the night is the place for worries. Might as well relax while you get the chance." Of course he wouldn't exactly take his own advice. Strategising was a priority when they weren't under attack.

He barely moved when the other man approached, just observed him from half-lidded eyes. These two were what... friends? Maybe at some point. Definitely old whatever-they-weres anyway. He could tell that just by looking.

"Good to meet you too, Miles Edgeworth."

Edgeworth nodded at Kenren. "Likewise." He still wasn't feeling particularly social, but it seemed that in lieu of his other investigative skills, conversation had done the most so far, and as such, he'd continue to rely on it.

Inwardly, he sighed again. The constant moving around had left his own nerves taut, and he was still confused about why and how he'd gotten into Landel's in the first place. The lunchtime conversation had only added more worries to the growing concern about what the place actually was. The more he learned, the less he liked it.

But more to the point - and this was odd, really - it really wasn't like Wright to look as worried and upset as he did now. He hadn't even looked this upset when he'd been prosecuted for murder - a case which Edgeworth himself had actually prosecuted - after it'd been proven that Maya Fey hadn't killed her sister, and that was a case with a lot of personal connections for the defense attorney.

He took a seat in an armchair opposite from the sofa. "I must say, I agree with Kenren. I've had an...interesting conversation about what happens here during Nightshift. Apparently the monsters..."

He paused for a moment. It still seemed unreal to be speaking of such a thing.

"They're deadly. While I don't know if they've actually killed anyone, I suspect they're capable of it. It explains the injuries others here have had."

Edgeworth looked at Wright again - and if you looked closely, there was a look of honest concern for the defense on his face, as difficult as it was to muster it.

"It's nice to meet you too." Phoenix was beginning to change his mind about being irritated towards the company -- having someone else here allowed Phoenix to create an invisible barrier between himself and the issues he was struggling with.

More than eager to discuss something else, versus his own personal feelings about things, Phoenix leaned his elbows down on his knees, crossing his arms upon them as he let his gaze drift from Kenren to Edgeworth. "I've heard about that too," he said thoughtfully, recalling the injuries he had seen upon Adelheid. "I'm kind of wondering about what we can do about it. But since I haven't gone outside during nighttime yet..." the fact hardly helped him in his desire to prepare for what could be existing outside his door when night fell. Phoenix literally had nothing to fall back on -- he wished he had taken up some kind of martial arts while he had been in their world -- and he knew that Edgeworth was in the same position.

The attorney, for more than one reason, couldn't look at Edgeworth too closely. Perhaps it was the mere fact that Phoenix couldn't express what he was thinking completely, without feeling as if his emotions were going to spiral out of control. He walked the knife-thin edge between what he could deal with and what he couldn't -- and he certainly didn't want to create drama when he could deal with it face to face to Edgeworth, and at a more personal level, if it ever happened.

He's been right then. Neither of these two were fighters. They had the same air as some of the bureaucrats he'd known; fancy words and intelligence, sure, but that counted for little when diplomacy was, apparently, completely useless. He might not have seen these 'monsters' himself, but he'd spent a good part of his life fighting youkai and monsters for a living. It wasn't that big a change. Well, except for the lack of weapon which was kinda' frustrating.

And the lack of cigarettes and sake. That was more than frustrating. He wondered absently if Hakkai smoked. He didn't quite have the look about him, even though Tenpou had probably smoked more than Kenren himself.

Kenren stretched languidly, a half smile on his lips. "There's definitely too many injuries around if this is supposed to be a safe place and isn't in a war zone," he said dryly. "Haven't seen anything myself yet, but this many people talking about it suggests there's something behind it." He trusted Hakkai already, an instinctual thing. He just hoped that this theory was right. It'd suck to be betrayed by someone wearing his closest friend's face.

"If there's monsters here and this whole place is wrong, then the only thing you can do is fight and find a way out," he said more quietly. In his mind it really was that simple. "And if you can't fight, then use whatever skills you have to get yourself protected or find things out." Cleve words had their advantages after all. It had got him out of a couple of scrapes after all.

Common ground again. That was a relief. "He's correct, Wright. And..." Edgeworth lowered his voice so, with any luck, it wouldn't be overheard. "All the investigating I've attempted to do - when it hasn't been interrupted by a shift change, which I suspect is to keep us from looking into things too much - has basically led to the same conclusion. I don't know where we are, but it's more dangerous than it looks."

Wright and Kenren were also correct about the fact that neither of the two lawyers had the type of combat skills it would take to actually take down a monster. It was another failing on his part, he supposed; there was security around the courthouse and his office, and his home had a security system installed, so he hadn't worried about needing to protect himself. He hadn't particularly wanted a weapon, either. Of course, Franziska had her whip, and von Karma himself carried a tazer, but in his arrogance, he'd assumed the security he had in place would always be enough. Besides, the thought of owning a gun was more than he could bear to think about. He had seen too many murder cases involving them.

He looked away, in thought for a moment. He supposed a flashlight could serve as a blunt-force weapon, if need be, though the thought of actually hurting something - or someone - even in self-defense... Edgeworth shivered briefly, and uncontrollably. It took a moment for him to regain composure and respond.

"What are you planning to do tonight?"

"I think we just need someone to cover that side of things -- I'm not a fighter, and...I don't have super powers." Phoenix's thoughts were brought back to Adelheid, and he smiled slightly in response to them, remembering the demonstration of his abilities. "But I think we can cover other things...like finding clues and putting the puzzle together. Being able to get a weapon is important, but if we don't know how to fight, it won't do us much good."

Phoenix listened quietly as Edgeworth spoke, and then his gaze flicked up to his friend, feeling out the pause in his words. The emotion he was garnering was similar to the one that he had sensed when Edgeworth had, after an earthquake, hidden underneath the detention center counter, curled up in what looked like fear.

Maya had refused to stick around to show sympathy for Edgeworth, but Phoenix had wanted to stay, if only to let Edgeworth know that he cared.

Moments like those gave Phoenix glimpses of Edgeworth's fragility underneath the abrupt, cold surface of his personality, and Phoenix couldn't help but feel as if he should do or say something to reassure Edgeworth.

But what could he do if Edgeworth didn't really want him around...? There was evidence to prove otherwise, but...the evidence that stood out the most and smothered the decent things away told Phoenix so.

"I was planning on going out and exploring a little." As much as it was going to be a frightening situation, Phoenix was beginning to understand that there wasn't much of a choice. "I was supposed to go out last night -- but I ended up not leaving...hopefully I'll find something out tonight."

"What about mapping?" Kenren said speculatively. He got the impression that the building was much bigger than he'd seen. It had to be with so many people. And at least a couple more floors. The balcony around the Sun Room proved it. He frowned, thinking through what needed to be done. Terrain could affect everything and contribute to victory or defeat.Vantage points, places for ambush, where to find supplies, they were all essential. "If you go out keep track of where you go and what you find there. Saves covering ground you've already been to."

He was used to having backup, even if just Tenpou, but information was key. He tapped his lips for a moment, settling into his General persona. "And if you're good at talking to people," and it seemed like they both were, "then find out what they know. Build an archive of the knowledge everyone has. Trust me, knowing what you're facing helps." And maybe eventually they might persuade people to organise properly. He got the impression that people tended to form small groups which didn't particularly help in the long run.

This made sense. "I'm writing down what I've seen so far. Admittedly, that hasn't been much, but it's something."

He nodded at Phoenix at that point. "You might want to make a note of this too, Wright." It might take his mind off things, at least.

In the end, an investigation was always the same, no matter what angle you approached it from. Motive, maps, the suspects, the weapons, everything. Edgeworth knew the process - it had been drilled into him from the age of nine. It all needed to come together to form the perfect case. He'd always been ruthless in that regard, right down to going over his witnesses' testimonies with a fine-toothed comb so he knew exactly what they would say and do on the stand. Find the suspect, find the evidence, build your case, find them guilty, and that was it. It had served him well for years, until...his own murder trial, and the Skye case. The Skye case in particular, where the truth came out in two halves of an evidence list.

There would be two halves here, too, it appeared. He wouldn't admit it, but having one familiar face here, and that familiar face one he knew so well, was a comfort.

"I am in room M88 - they're calling me Thomas Pierce. I'd like to go out exploring myself tonight, if possible, if you are up for this?"

The intercom's by-now-familiar ding went off, and at that moment, right on cue, a nurse came to escort the prosecutor to his room. He scowled briefly at the interruption, and then nodded to the others. "Until then."

"I've started to take notes, too," Phoenix patted the notebook in his lap with a hand. "And I'll start mapping things once I get a chance." If there was anything he was good at doing thoroughly, it was combing a scene to death -- and he was ready and willing to start, no matter what was waiting for him.

Phoenix then turned his gaze to Kenren. He wasn't quite sure what the man was capable of, but considering the way he spoke -- it sounded like he was fully able to fight -- or, at the least, able to strategize. And while Phoenix hated to imply that he was using anyone for anything [even while he wasn't, and he wasn't in this case], it wouldn't hurt to ask. His expression was entirely serious as he spoke. "Would you like to come? And if you could, bring anyone you know -- the more people we get to know, the better."

The defense attorney was certainly unopposed to getting to know more people in the facility -- there were many, and while he knew Edgeworth didn't particularly like to involve himself with people, Phoenix believed it would be better in the long run. Letting his gaze drift up to the doorway of the sunroom, he watched as nurses began to filter in, holding clipboards and waiting to take the "patients" back to their rooms.

When Phoenix spoke again, it was in response to Edgeworth's question, and he spoke quickly, knowing that there wasn't much time before the nurses came to guide them away. "...I don't think we have much of a choice." A wry smile appeared on Phoenix's lips. "I'll meet up with you," he said this with a glance over at Kenren to indicate that he was welcome to come if he chose to, "as soon as I can. They're calling me Peter Snide...and my room is M29."

Kenren smiled at the two of them, a little more softly this time. "Sure I'll come. There's one guy I'd like to find but I don't know his room number." He'd been too distracted by Konzen as a priest at breakfast. And in all honesty, he didn't like the idea of these two wandering around alone, unprotected and vulnerable. It'd make him feel guilty and that would really ruin his night. "Just don't keep waiting too long. I'm sure there's too much stuff that can come up to delay people." He shrugged. "No sense wasting the night."

He sighed and stood up as the nurses came towards them. "My room's M80. I'll come find you if I can."

Edgeworth turned and nodded at them before leaving the Sun Room. His nurse seemed impatient - a sharp contrast to the cheerful, chatty behavior they usually displayed, and he didn't want to risk getting on her bad side, so he quickened his pace to match hers as they left.

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Day 21 - Sun Room

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