Day 42, Noon: The Twin Pine Restaurant

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

Yuffie took the long way around, practically making it a tour of the entire town. She collared--not literally, since the nurses would've thrown fits--a few random citizens along the way, asked as many inconspicuous sounding questions as possible, and then moved on. Wash, rinse, repeat. Sneaking a few covert glimpses into stores and windows confirmed what she'd been talking about with Sam earlier; no dates, no explicitly mentioned locations outside of the town itself… how weird was that? Even the most insular of towns back on Gaia would've coughed up some kind of connection with the outside world.

It was almost like a living ghost town.

Well, maybe she was just thinking too hard. Maybe she was throwing shuriken too hard at the wrong target. Back home, she had a concrete frame of reference. Here, she couldn't take anything for granted; she had no local or international knowledge whatsoever. All she could try to do was get a profile of the immediate area and build it up and out from there. Theories were already budding, popping up like weeds hit by Quadra-Haste, but without facts to back them up, theories were like sand in a desert.

Not that she didn't want to share those theories, sand or not. She did. A lot.

Once she'd developed a viable mental map of the place (as viable as she was gonna get given the time constraints), Yuffie swung back around and jogged back to North Street. From there, she took the alley; a quick right turn; slow to a trot, and there. Her cheeks were tinged pink from the cold winter air, and they stung as she poked her head in through the door.

Okay, so maybe she was a little early after all. That was cool. Very cool. She had some time to set things up, to pretend that she wasn't hideously under prepared for this lunch date. Stepping into the warmth, Yuffie surreptitiously cased the place out as she headed to a table. Homey, in a way that almost reminded her of some of the up-and-coming rural towns. Automatically seeking out one of the more strategic seats--one with a good view of the rest of the restaurant, and one that didn't leave her totally vulnerable to mutant chairs or murderous sandwiches--she made herself comfortable, whipped out a few crumpled pieces of paper and a pen, and began to jot down her findings.

[Closed to Edgeworth.]

Comments

[4lulzngiggles.livejournal.com]

((Closed to Mr. H.))

Mm, last time Joshua had given the Tasty Burger a shot, and he had been unfortunately rather disappointed. Now he felt like giving the other restaurant in town a shot; The Twin Pine Restaurant sounded promising, after all.

The young teen ordered a nice salad with his country-fried steak, taking some coffee along with it. The steak was a little too rich for his tastes, but the salad was fresh and crisp and delicious, and the coffee... well, it wasn't as good as what he got at the Wild Kat, but it was rich and dark, something he just couldn't get in the Institute.

For now, the boy kept quiet and to himself, watching the few people who had arrived and idly thinking to himself. He was finally starting to get somewhere, it felt like; finally, he was starting to find people he could use and manipulate as was his wont. Perhaps now he could proceed... perhaps. But there was one concern that tugged at the back of his mind, a problem he hadn't been able to find a solution to quite yet.

[catstreetblues.livejournal.com]

This was almost too easy: all Sanae had to do for a nice lunch was simply switch tables and remember to bring his mug - coffee was always so much better when two could mull over it. The company couldn't be better, of course: he had plenty of things to discuss with Joshua - namely Minamimoto.

"How's it going, Josh?" Sanae sat down and took a quick drink of coffee. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a waitress already moving toward him; he halted her with a hand, said, "I'll have the steak as well. Medium rare.", and then left her to wander off and place his order. Wonderful thing, restaurant etiquette.

The barista turned back to his fellow luncher. "I'm sure you already know what we need to talk about." No sense in wasting time.

[opposingheaven.livejournal.com]

Once it began to approach lunchtime, Kenren headed off towards the restaurant to meet up with Hanatarou and Nataku. He didn't bother walking too quickly; he'd seen Nataku talking with Homura after all, and who knew what Hanatarou was up to. He'd give them time to finish off whatever they were doing before they came to meet him.

He stopped outside the Twin Pines, taking a look at the menu which was up in the window. He'd eaten here before and the food looked much the same, but it was a decent selection. Better than the Institute. Had it really been a week since he'd been here? It felt like a lot longer since he'd been here with Rhode.

[For Hanatarou and Nataku.]

[mitase.livejournal.com]

It was fortunate that Sora at least knew where to find the restaurant, since Hanatarou was convinced that otherwise he would've ended up wandering around completely lost and missed his meeting. It didn't look like Kenren had been waiting too long, though, and there wasn't any sign of Nataku so far, though, so the healer breathed a faint sigh of relief as he approached the building.

"I'm not late, am I...?" he asked as he paused close to where Kenren stood, hood up and hands jammed into his jacket's pockets against the cold. It didn't seem so, but he still wanted to make certain.

[high-prosecutor.livejournal.com]

At least that morning's business was done. If the elder von Karma was around, he was either hiding or avoiding Edgeworth. Both of those outcomes were acceptable, and it was a lucky turn indeed that a mutual acquaintance had been the one to witness that conversation with Franziska.

He stepped into Twin Pines, looking for a girl that fit Miss Kisaragi's description. He found her relatively quickly, bowing politely. "Miss Kisaragi, I presume?", he asked, extending a hand. "Miles Edgeworth. It's a pleasure to meet you."

[thatdamnedninja.livejournal.com]

The place was filling up fast. Yuffie kept a casual ear out for interesting tidbits of conversation while she worked, doodled, and waited. It wasn't too long before the guy showed up. Or, at least, she was assuming that this was the guy; he was heading straight for her, after all. He was kinda tall-ish, prematurely grey, and had a serious sort of face that reminded her vaguely of Reeve. When she shook his hand, she found it smooth; whatever this guy was, he wasn't a fighter.

Yuffie grinned, nudging the chair across from her out using her foot. “Just Yuffie, okay? Like I said on the board, formality makes me sneeze. This might be a business lunch, but it doesn't have to be made of cardboard – speaking of lunch, you wanna get something while we talk?” She left out the 'I didn't eat breakfast because I was too busy puking everywhere' part.

[knived-grin.livejournal.com]

Bel had more or less demanded the position of this place from one of the civilians, and once he got there, he had to say that he wasn't impressed. Of course, coming from a prince, especially one used to some of the finest restaurants in Italy, it would take a lot to impress him. Still, upon the first glance around, he had to admit that it was more than he'd been expecting, at any rate- from the quality of the rest of the trash here, he was half-expecting some awful roach-infested waste.

Of course, Belphegor was still almost incredibly sullen from the realization that no, he wasn't going home, and yes, nobody had ever even heard of him here. Reputations were annoying things to build up from scratch, especially without so much as a penknife and razor wire, and he was almost positive that he would bore himself by trying.

At any rate, he moved to one of the far booths and sat down, adjusting his scarf to stay out of his way while he glanced over the menu. Nothing impressive at all, and of course, nothing that he was quite used to. At the very least, it was a tiny bit better than the stupid germy lunches they'd been given- and had less of a chance of being poisoned. Besides, if he didn't want to starve, Belphegor would need to eat, and soon.

So, it's with a languid sigh that he ordered a bowl of pasta and glass of milk to go alongside it, before resting his palm in his chin and boredly glancing around at the smattering of people seated at various places in the restaurant. None of them looked particularly interesting.

[for Porky <3]

[piggy-king.livejournal.com]

Good Lord, Porky was hungry. As Porky walked to the Twin Pine Restaurant, his stomach grumbled and gurgled, begging to be fed. Those idiotic nurses had actually packed something palatable for breakfast, but no. They had decided to pack orange slices and yogurt. That may have been all well and good for someone like Okita, but for Porky, they might as well have packed garbage. At least they had given him two coupons for meals. Porky would have to hit up the "Tasty Burger" later, but right now, Porky was in the mood for some...well, Porky couldn't necessarily say quality food, but at least it would be edible.

As Porky walked in, he took a look around the establishment for any familiar faces. It didn't look like many patients were here yet, but it was almost sure to fill up soon. Then again, a lack of customers meant that the kitchen wouldn't have as many orders to fill, and that meant that Porky would get his meal sooner!

Porky walked to the back of the restaurant, not eager to sit in plain sight for all to see. Now, which booth should...What, who was that? He looked so familiar...

Porky moved closer to get a closer look, and could barely hold back a gasp when he realized who it was. Without pausing for a moment, Porky nearly sprinted to the booth that the boy was sitting at and sat down across from him.

"How..." Porky stuttered, "Why...How did you get here?! This shouldn't be possible!"

[secret-orchard.livejournal.com]

Armand's hands and face were getting numb from the cold, but the rest of him ached slightly from using under-worked muscles. He was glad when TK called a halt to their training, presumably so everyone could eat. Armand didn't really like modern fast food, so he suggested the nicer restaurant and was happy that TK readily agreed. The agreement was so fast Armand wondered if there was another reason the big soldier wanted to avoid the burger restaurant, but he didn't mind. Not at all.

Despite it being the busy time of day--the restaurant was full of patients and townsfolk enjoying their meals--they were able to be seated rather quickly. Armand hung his heavy coat over the back of his chair. The t-shirt didn't seem very appropriate here, but what could he do? The Institute didn't dress the patients for fine dining, and this wasn't quite that level anyway. He sat down and blew warm breath onto his cold hands, not even looking at the menu yet.

"I hope the food here is better than that other place." The one time he'd been here before, he really hadn't eaten.

[loyal-soldier.livejournal.com]

622 hadn't wanted to work the two all that hard so they could be ready to move when the night started, but it would be good for both of them to build some endurance. And besides, there was food to eat after training. Food that smelled really good, from what he could tell so far. That was a nice set-up, as far as he was concerned.

Seeing what Armand did, he took off his jacket and put it over the back of his seat, looking at the menu. Almost all of it was indecipherable to him, but at least he recognized the word 'steak'. "The stuff at the other place tasted pretty good, but it wasn't healthy."

[demon-beast.livejournal.com]

She hadn't seen Roland as she'd got off the bus, but there had been so many people around that she wasn't really surprised. She'd find him soon though, she hoped. She was worried about him. If he'd been taken last night then he might be hurt. She hated that this place put him in that position. The other patients attacked him like he was a monster and it made her want to hurt them in retaliation. He was her Tribe.

She found herself walking further into town, the chill touching her skin, raising goosebumps which fascinated her for a moment. Odd. She didn't know that skin could react like that. Then again, there had been no weather in the Junkyard besides rain, and no weather in the Karma Society Dome or the underground city.

[For Roland]

[intoindra.livejournal.com]

Roland was still a little stiff after the previous night, but he'd certainly done far more to those women than they had done to him. It was kind of disappointing, to be honest; even now, the rage of the demon was burning in his heart, having not found nearly enough of an outlet. He'd just have to rectify that later. Especially now that he had some seriously powerful weaponry.

For now, though, he needed to find Argilla, as he'd promised to take her for lunch and a manicure, things that normal people should be allowed to do. Which meant, after a bit of searching, he found a nurse who pointed him in the right direction- the Twin Pine Restaurant, perfect!

He made his way there, and he saw Argilla standing outside. In short order he walked up to her, offering a tiny smile. "Hey, sorry for not finding you earlier... Are you well?"

[dawn-rune.livejournal.com]

Of the two places they could choose to get food, this was the one Frey suspected he would prefer. He had never actually gotten around to getting lunch the previous week, so he couldn't say for sure what the other place was like, but the smell around it had been of grease and fried things. This place seemed much nicer, though still well outside Frey's experiences. "What do you think, Takaya?"

[for Takaya]

[forgot-my-life.livejournal.com]

Takaya looked around, then shrugged and nodded. "Looks a hell of a lot better than the other place." Not that Takaya didn't like burgers, but he usually ate them with his friends and with the other Kanshousha and he didn't want to think about them now.

Besides, this place seemed to appeal to Kagetora, so there was less of a chance of an outburst. ... he hoped.

"Let's grab a place to sit."

[fear-attachment.livejournal.com]

Chidori was quite glad that Junpei brought her here for their 'date', and not to the other place they had coupons for--"Tasty Burger" did not, in fact, sound very tasty to her.

So far, they had mostly just walked around looking in windows at the things they couldn't buy, and gathering suspicious looks from the staff and the town natives alike. There hadn't even really been anything worth drawing, except Junpei, and Chidori never drew him when he was actually watching. The drawing that Kibitoshin had messed up on the bus was still just a series of vague lines--this was probably the first day in many years on which Chidori hadn't completed even one drawing.

"Do we just find a table, or wait to be seated?" Chidori didn't know much about places like this.

[whos-da-man.livejournal.com]

As uneventful as window shopping was, Junpei actually kind of enjoyed it. Not that he'd ever admit to it for fear of losing his man card, but he probably would have done anything to just be walking around with his girlfriend. It also gave him a chance to see if there were any places secluded enough to maybe see if he really could talk Chidori into making out in the bushes. Yeah, they might get caught but that was half the thrill.

"I think this is a sit-yourselfer," he replied, casting a look around and not seeing one of those Please wait to be seated signs. He picked a table and sat down, coupon already out on the tabletop. This was better than that fast food joint. It was a better atmosphere for Chidori and, though something that reminded him of Wild Duck Burger would have been yummy, he didn't think his girl could stomach the grease; she didn't eat enough as it was.

"So, whatcha think of the town? It's the first time I've ever been in an American town."

[tightsofmight]

[For that creepy blind guy who's always following him around. :| ]

After leaving the playground, Peter had taken to wandering aimlessly around the town, taking note of the shops but refusing to enter any. The contents of his lunchbag had slowly disappeared on the way, but even then he wasn't full. Still a little queasy, but not full yet. What if he was actually sick, and not just miserable?

God, he hoped not. If there was ever a place to not get sick, it was Landel's. Bad enough that most of his powers were gone.

Peter stopped outside a restaurant, something like the small town Applebees. Twin Pines, huh? Didn't he have a coupon for that?

The smell drew him in, but upon finding himself standing alone at the Please Wait to be Seated sign he was overwhelmed by the urge to slip back out again. The people packed into the seats were laughing, chattering, calling out for the waitresses. Just the general, happy clamor of a family restaurant. Maybe he should just head over to the Tasty Burger instead. It wouldn't feel so pathetic to sit alone there.

[paper-murdock.livejournal.com]

Matt really didn't like the strong smell of grease and teenage cooks at the 'Tasty Burger', and decided to try the other place in town for lunch. He wouldn't have bothered, but he'd refused the food they'd given him and given it to another patient instead. Didn't catch their name, but they'd been thankful all the same.

Cane tapping out in front of him, he followed the directions he'd been given and walked into the 'Twin Pines'... and promptly caught, just under the scent of food, a familiar smell.

"Coming or going?" He'd been worried about Peter, and this could be a good chance to find out how he was doing.

[nobleman]

That attempt to talk to Celes had failed miserably, although Guy had at least been able to see for himself that she was feeling better. There also hadn't been a chance for her to ask too much about how far they'd gotten last night, which might be for the best. Dias could always explain it to her.

Guy had decided to make a quick getaway after so much awkwardness, and he figured that it was as good a time as any to get some lunch. He'd already been to Tasty Burger - while the food had been good, it wasn't anything that they weren't served up at the institute once a week. The "Twin Pines" restaurant, on the other hand, sounded like something that might be better quality and also have more variety.

It took some wandering around and then eventually asking a nurse for directions in order to find it, but he got there. He noticed the awards and newspaper articles that were proudly displayed as he walked in, and he could only hope that the food lived up to all the hype about it. He wasn't exactly picky, but he wasn't going to refuse high-quality food either.

The steak sounded good, although it was a bit heavy for lunchtime. Guy wandered over to the menu they had displayed at the front of the restaurant as he tried to pick out what he wanted.

[For Anise.]

[gald_digger]

[aaaaa sorry, edit for reading comprehension fail, this is why I shouldn't post right after waking up]

After parting ways with the doctor, Anise spent a little more time wandering around town and taking a look at the shop windows. Her gift from the doctor, a delicate, high-quality doll with blonde curls and a pink dress, was kept safely in her arms in front of her.

It wasn't long until the girl got hungry, and started keeping an eye out for restaurants. She soon caught sight of one that she had a coupon for: Twin Pines. It looked less tacky than the other restaurant, so she decided it was as good a choice as any.

While walking, Anise realized it was no wonder that it was mostly noble girls she saw with porcelain dolls. Now that Anise had one of her own, she realized she had to be careful with it if it was going to make it back to her room undamaged. For active, energetic girls, it was a bit of a challenge to refrain from running around or doing anything else that could be risky.

Which was why Anise was horribly disappointed when, upon entering the building, she came across a familiar blond, standing with his back turned. It would have been so easy to just run up and grab him! But if she did that, there was a chance the doll would get damaged, especially if he had a bad knee-jerk reaction to it. This day wasn't so lucky after all! Boooo.

No encounter with Guy would be complete without an invasion of personal space, however, so Anise walked over and squeezed in next to him to get a good, close look at the menu he was reading. "Hmm? See something you like?" she asked innocently, making sure to announce herself only after getting so close.

[remnantsofflame.livejournal.com]

It was easy for Asch to determine where to eat lunch, simply by the smell coming out of Tasty Burger. There was nothing appetizing about it, and he decided to head to Twin Pines and try his luck there.

His mind was racing as the waiter led him to a table. There were a few other "patients" here, but no one he could put a name to. That was just fine; it meant he'd get a chance to think and not have to answer anyone's stupid questions. He looked over the menu, nodding absently as the waiter left him a glass of water, and thought over what he'd learned.

The replica was missing. There was still no sign of Van, and when he'd asked a nurse, she'd apparently had no idea who he was. Asch didn't know what name they'd given him, so he couldn't ask about him that way. Using his actual name yielded nothing, though that was unsurprising. But describing him did no good, either. The nurse simply smiled and said she'd never heard of a patient fitting that description.

Asch had wanted to hit her right in her smug, smiling face. He'd managed to refrain, of course, but imagining it felt all right. They couldn't bust him for imagining things, after all.

He reached for the water, tasted it, and decided it was fine. The waiter hadn't yet come back for his order, but that was all right. Just sitting here would do for now.

[Claude]

[full-score.livejournal.com]

Claude remembered the last time he came to Doyleton and how he'd forgotten to eat anything. In hindsight, it was probably understandable, considering he'd been caught up in looking through the bookstore, worried for Ashton, and distracted by Guy all in the same day. Not only that, but the paper sack of food he'd been given to eat on the bus was almost a joke compared to what Claude preferred to really eat in the morning. How was a guy supposed to have a proper day of walking around if he couldn't get some meat on his bones, anyway?

After leaving a note about Luke on the bulletin, Claude figured he ought to at least try some of the local cuisine. It'd be a nice change of pace from what the nurses normally served them back at the institute, anyway. And, hey -- he ought to at least use some of his coupons if he was going to be stuck here for awhile.

As he entered Twin Pines, he idly wondered if he'd have to find a seat to himself. Not that he minded eating alone, but it always seemed a little awkward to hog a whole table or booth to himself. That's why he paused once he caught sight of his former roommate, and, eyes brightening, he made his way toward him.

"Hey, Asch," he greeted with a smile. "How're you? Any luck in finding some metal or weapons yet?"

[idolism]

_{[Closed to Michael.]}

He was happy to finally ditch his person-sized burr; being alone in a town that was as corrupted as the stinking halls of the hospitals as night was preferable to being with someone. At least, someone who was not Akatsuki, who had explored a bit with him the first time he’d ever been here before disappearing entirely. Aidou considered the empty building to his left blindly for a moment before shaking himself and looking forward again, stoically ignoring the feel of sunlight on his naked skin as he did each time he was outside in the daylight.

Even here, where everything was fake, manipulated, wrong, the sun still did its job. It did the opposite of reassure the vampire.

Rather than his time on the streets again, however, now was the time to seek out the shade inside and plot out more of the town. Up ahead was the local restaurant, which was a better choice than whatever fast food dump was around if he were looking for a place to eat. He wasn’t, but given it was lunch time, it would doubtlessly be busy with other prisoners, and perhaps other townspeople. But when he stepped inside, Aidou saw that the majority of faces inside were those he was stuck seeing every day and night, anyway.

How depressing.

For the moment, the noble took a seat at an empty table, expression blank. Flag down someone? Because they weren’t conditioned to see him solely as a nutcase, his appearance was bound to put things in his favor. Being a vampire still allowed him that, however lessened the effect was.

[justlovesyogurt.livejournal.com]

Michael walked down the street, smiling and squinting into the sunlight. Supplies were not going to be easy to acquire. He couldn't bring anything onto the bus with him, because there were DEFINITELY enough nurses to pat him down, and he was being watched closely enough that he'd need to either start making friends with these nurses or enlist some kind of a distraction. A change of clothes would be ideal, if he could get a weapon and a few moments away from the orderlies...

Michael stopped in front of the Twin Pine Restaurant. The weapon, at least, would be easy to get. And here, just inside ...

"Aidou!" said Michael, waving away the hostess and taking a seat across from the vampire. "I see you're not dead. That's good. How was your night?"

[clockmongler.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/661753.html?thread=54964217#t54964217)]

Ah. It was not the best looking of restaurants, but it could be worse. It had that annoying, lingering sense of a diner attempting to be more presentable than the average fast-food joint and little more.

It would do, though. One grew tired of eating the same thing week in and week out, after all, regardless of the quality. Perhaps they had something a bit more interesting for this date? X would hate to be wasting their time.

Once finding a nice enough table for the three of them (he stood in front of it to allow the other two to take a seat first. No need to be impolite, after all), he nodded his head politely to a nearby waitress, attempting to get her attention.

[lady-general.livejournal.com]

Celes sat down and looked around the restaurant for faces that were of the familiar variety. She could see... Claude, was it?, sitting at a table across the way. He looked well, as well as Dias and Guy both had. She was certain he'd be the healthiest of the three anyway, considering he'd been given the bulk of her best magic. It would be rude to linger overlong on another's face, considering whom she was with, and returned her attention to the table.

Her eyes felt a little heavy, as if reminding the young general that she spent too much energy healing and would need to rest properly, instead of using up her good time and health raging over a weak man.

[scarletspeedstr.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/654839.html?thread=54928887#t54928887)]

The Twin Pine might not be the best restaurant ever, but at this point Wally, and, more importantly, his stomach, didn't care. It was there, it was warm inside, there was food, and he had a coupon for a free meal. Things could have been a lot worse all 'round in his experiences.

"Last time I was here I had the country fried steak," he commented to Bruce, leading the way to one of the few remaining empty tables. "It was pretty good actually. Dunno if it's anything like you're used to, but I can't complain."

Not that he could ever really afford to be picky, but he'd definitely eaten much worse things.

"So I'll have one of those and can we maybe get a pot of coffee to share?" he said, favouring the cute waitress with a smile and a wink.

[gothamnight.livejournal.com]

The walk was brief and pleasant—two qualities Bruce had found impossible to attach to most anything since he'd arrived. Strange how, in the repetition of mundane events, Bruce had almost forgotten that he had in fact experienced moments like these before, back in Gotham, when the days were calmer. Things like taking a walk around WayneCorp's headquarters or spending an afternoon tweaking the Batmobile's design before going upstairs to hear Tim going on about some new television program he'd discovered that Bruce would never watch.

And just like those moments, Bruce could hardly experience this one without sensing that familiar twinge of something. But the key, in these times, was to ignore it.

Wally was certainly talking enough for a distraction.

Bruce followed Wally into the restaurant, adjusting slowly to the smells and sounds of traditional American dining and feeling distinctly overdressed. It was warm, but Bruce adapted easily and looked around, trying to identify the patients he could as they walked to a table.

"That's fine," he replied, following Wally's wink to the waitress and smiling, sending her a look of sympathy.

[notachick.livejournal.com]

"But I don't think--"

"No, Julian. You need to eat something."

"But-"

"Julian."

And apparently, that was that. Okita sighed when his nurse led him inside an unfamiliar building, handing him a menu before practically forcing him to order something. He had eaten a bit of his muffin and the oranges - so wasn't that enough? He could just see Ayumu's face as he asked that question and laughed quietly to himself. Oh, yeah, that would go over as well as a rock trying to fly.

"Alright then, how about this?" he asked, pointing to a soup, salad and dessert set. The nurse agreed and left with his order and his coupon, giving the samurai a little more breathing room now that she was certain he'd eat something. Soon after, a waitress came and filled Okita's water glass, and then the man was really alone.

Finally.

Taking a look around the room, Okita spotted a familiar lizard and grinned when he saw who Hanatarou was sitting with. That should be an interesting meeting. Unlike Okita, Kenren was likely just trying to be friendly, which was a good thing. Hanatarou needed friends, not bosses and recruiters. Looking away, Okita pulled out a pen and took a paper napkin, doodling on it as best he could with his left hand as he waited for his food to arrive.

[free as far as I know?]

[screwthegods]

[Not free! Since Nataku abandoned Homura for his fellow adorable thing.]

While Homura had never seen Hanatarou, what he'd heard from his fellows had of course made him curious about the shinigami. Deciding that his other business could wait for the moment, the demi-god headed over to Twin Pines, intending on finding a table alone where he could simply watch. The demi-god never really objected to time spent on his own, after all.

Of course, there were other things he didn't object to either, and that included the company of certain others. Seeing Okita sitting without anyone else around, Homura headed to his table, claiming the seat across from his friend before nurse or waitress could object. It wasn't always easy to tell, but Homura thought the swordsman was looking leaner lately than before. Perhaps the disease, or perhaps something else? Either way, it was hardly a welcome sight.

"I hope you're getting something substantial, Okita." Homura grinned, though it was tempered as he noted which hand was being used for Okita's play. "You look like you could use it."

[iwhipthefool.livejournal.com]

[Free! Limit: Any]

When given a choice between a restaurant called Twin Pines and something called Tasty Burger, Franziska knew exactly where she was going. Although she needed to speak with Allen Walker, first she needed to organize her thoughts and establish a plan. Her investigation had to be perfect; the perfect evidence, the perfect eyewitnesses, the perfect testimonies. Even if she was chasing after a crime she didn't want to solve, it was her duty as a prosecutor and as a von Karma.

Be it that she doom her own flesh and blood or not.

Taking a seat at an empty table, Franziska snapped her fingers and ordered tea as soon as the waitress appeared. Then, after careful consideration, she tacked on a food order and waved the woman off. She had no time to deal with the staff here any longer than need be.

Removing the note from her journal, Franziska looked it over carefully and then copied out the names. She'd work her way down this list as quickly as possible. Somehow. Perhaps if she just served them a subpoena she could finish this relatively painlessly. Taking a napkin from the holder, Franziska started writing her draft as the waitress brought her tea.

[unmocked-lawr.livejournal.com]

Javert had more or less forgotten to eat during his last few forays into town, caught up by his own interest in exploring a new town and trying to gather information from the unsurprisingly uncommunicative inhabitants. It had, in some not entirely dissimilar way, been a little like being back in Paris, except for the fact that not even the worst of the Parisians he had known had ever been this recalcitrant.

Today, though, he had had the bad luck to be spotted by his nurse just as he passed the Twin Pine, and it had been frankly impossible to evade her and his free lunch after that.

It had also been frankly impossible to avoid being seated at an already occupied table by the same well-meaning nurse, with the now-familiar admonishment that he really ought to make more friends. As if he'd never been seen speaking to any other patients here! Sometimes he was certain it was she who needed to be the one in the cell.

Thankfully, it seemed the girl seated across from him was busy writing and not inclined to conversation. Javert ordered a cup of coffee--he might as well take advantage of what the Institute sorely lacked--and sat back, looking around the rest of the restaurant under his nurse's watchful eye.

[human-sponge.livejournal.com]

The restaurant was already packed with people by the time they got there, but one of the workers assured Peter that they would be able to find a spot for him and Nathan. It wasn't long before they were seated at a small two-person table off in the corner, which suited Peter just fine for the moment.

He sat down, not even looking at the menu for now. They could worry about food later.

"So, I guess the first thing you should know is that you were here before. It was only for a few days and then you disappeared on me, but that's pretty common here," he explained. "People will show up, vanish, and then come back without any memory of being here in the first place..."

Nathan wasn't going to like hearing about this one bit, but Peter at least hoped that his brother would realize that he wouldn't make up something so serious, even if it was hard to believe.

[aleaderwillrise.livejournal.com]

Nathan sat at the table across from Peter, noting the serious look on Peter's face. Obviously, whatever they had to talk about was going to be important, and between how much it sounded like Peter wanted to tell him and how much Nathan wanted to ask it was shaping up to be a long lunch indeed.

He was about to open his mouth to launch in, but Peter got to it first. His topic of choice wasn't exactly one that Nathan wanted to hear. His lips pressed into a thin line as Peter continued, listening but not fully understanding. This was what Peter wanted to talk to him about? It sounded crazy. Nathan didn't consider that Peter was purposefully making it up, but the thought that maybe being in that place had started to affect Peter's mind crossed his.

His eyes stayed on Peter's, a look of concern fixing itself on his face. Slowly, Nathan leaned in, hands folding, arms resting against the tabletop. Peter trailed off and Nathan didn't immediately pick the conversation back up. Finally, though, he sighed, closing his eyes for a second or two before glancing back up to Peter.

"You're saying I've been here before and somebody, what, wiped my mind of it or something?" It shouldn't come as quite so much of a surprise, considering what Nathan knew people could do, but the idea was so far-fetched he didn't know what to make of it.

[kagurazuki.livejournal.com]

Kagura had to admit, after the spa, she did feel a little more relaxed. She'd never had a real massage before and it was really kind of nice. Just what she expected. There was still the toy store to look out for, but her stomach was grumbling too. The fast food really didn't appeal to her, so they'd headed for the only other place. It did seem nice enough, though it was still foreign food. Seemed they rarely got Asian meals in this place.

She looked over the menu after they'd been seated at a small table. It had a nice atmosphere at least. Almost made her believe this was normal.

"It's kind of nice here," she admitted, toying with her water glass. Too bad things always turned for the worse once night fell.

[roger-hug.livejournal.com]

Despite the moment of embarrassment when the women there had assumed he was a girl, Bridget had enjoyed the massage and he was glad that Kagura had had fun as well. He looked over his menu, also finding the american food a bit strange.

"It is," he agreed. "You can almost pretend like things are okay." He glancd up at her and smiled. "I hope that you're having as nice a time as possible Miss Sohma."

[thebatbutler.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/654839.html?thread=54758391#t55139063)]

Alfred walked into the restaurant, glancing at each of the other diners as he made his way to a table near the back and sat down, making sure that he had a clear view of the doors. A coupon for a free meal at this restaurant had been handed to him as he’d gotten off the bus and, after he’d left Timothy, Alfred had asked one of the ever present nurses to direct him here.

It looked like several people had ordered coffee to go with their meals, but Alfred made sure to specify that he would prefer hot tea, “if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, miss.” It wasn’t, and in a few minutes the tea had arrived. While it wasn’t the best tea that Alfred had ever had the pleasure of drinking, it certainly wasn’t the worst, and so it was acceptable in a way that was moderately above that of the food he’d eaten last night.

He glanced over the menu and dug the coupons out of his pocket, separating the necessary coupon and laying it on the table. He gave the waitress a small smile, removing his cap as he placed his order. Once the waitress was gone, the cap returned to it's former position, shading Alfred's face and causing his study of the other diners to go unnoticed.

The conversation that he'd just had with Timothy had been rather confusing, and Alfred still wasn't sure what he should think about Bruce or Batman. Perhaps, if he was lucky (or unlucky) he would run into the man himself and come to his own conclusions. While Jason may have had reason to lie about Bruce, Alfred couldn't believe that Timothy would do the same. So he must believe what he'd said.

Alfred ate his meal alone, in silence, taking two bottles of water with him when he left the restaurant. They'd both been concealed within his untouched breakfast bag. One bottle was empty, and the other was full and sealed. He politely thanked the waitress as he stood up, heading for the door. This town might hold something that could be useful once he was taken back - provided he didn't see an opportunity for escape - he just needed to find it and get his hands on it.

[thebatbutler.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/673360.html?thread=55642448#t55642448)]