damned_institute | Day 42, Noon: The Twin Pine Restaurant

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Day 42, Noon: The Twin Pine Restaurant

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.]

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Grell waited until Celes took her seat before hesitantly glancing to Luxord, and finally taking a seat opposite of her. It was improper for a man (as much as he hated to admit it) to sit so close to a lady's side and right now, he had to pretend to be a man. Ugh, the very thought gave him gooseflesh. Setting his gift down in his lap, Grell glanced about the establishment and realized that it resembled a tavern, one step up from a pub, but not quite a 'restaurant' as he would call it.

And sadly, right now, he couldn't call the proprietor over and lecture whoever it was on the importance of decoration in setting a mood. Sigh.

"A-are you alright, Madam General? You seem a bit..." Oh, thin ice, how Grell loved you. "...tired? Did you not get enough rest last night?"

The Nobody took a seat by Celes (why could they not all sit on one side together? X would not mind being between them in the least... But alas. Perhaps Grell would not take it as too offensive), again careful not to test her (or Grell's) patience and sit too close.

As it was, the two did not seem all that comfortable to be around one another. A dim, almost non-existent voice in the back of Luxord's head was reprimanding him, demanding to know why he had assumed this was a good idea in the first place before it was promptly ignored.

He said nothing for the moment, only eying the General and willing her to at least try to be sociable. It was a nice day and they were among friends, were they not? Didn't friends... do things like this? It had been so long, having effectively been a slave to the Organization's schedule, but... Yes, this was something they were supposed to do. Couldn't she fake it, as he was?

"I'm sorry that it's become apparent," Celes apologized. "I overexerted myself last night, but, I'll be well." It wasn't entirely untrue, of course, and Celes didn't regret her actions of the previous night. It was true that it had made her a little more frazzled and worse for wear, though. Beneath the table she patted Luxord's leg in mute apology.

She could be nice. She could. She would have to if she wanted her answers, anyway.

Oh, that was so not fair. Why was Luxord sitting next to her and not him?! Perhaps it was because every time Luxord tried, Grell tended to try and stab him. Really, it wasn't Grell's fault he got a little trigger happy. Luxord just looked far more handsome when bleeding; a feature he shared with most people Grell knew. Celes could do with a little color herself, really, but with the Nobody right there, Grell would have to play nice. For now.

"O-oh, n-no, it's just, um...you reminded me... of my mistress, when she's worked too hard at the hospital. I apologise... for bringing it up." NNNGH, she just touched him. Grell hadn't missed the slight movement of her arm and it took all his willpower not to show his displeasure. He had to be calm and collected, and a total loser in order to keep her suspicion off him. Oh, the trials of being an actress. Lowering his eyes, he fiddled with a button on his coat to keep his hands from grabbing the forks and shoving them into whoever happened to be nearby. "It seems last night was a bad night for many people."

Really, X was in no way attempting to insult the god; truly, he thought he was a very pretty and charming lady. Unfortunately, it was for the greater good of upholding appearances. Luxord had little choice in the matter ~~again, had he a choice, he would be sitting between them, arms draped over their shoulders, like the pimp he was~~.

But there was currently a hand on his leg, and the Nobody made an effort not to smirk. He did not, however, stop himself from reaching towards it and casually running a thumb along the top of her skin.

"Indeed." He nodded his head sympathetically, recalling the night past. With II's injuries transferring to him, Luxord was not exactly in top shape and still felt the bitter sting of Keyblade-inflicted wounds with each of his movements. It was only through the sheer power of painkillers and perseverance that he even bothered to keep smiling through this afternoon. Though, that was an interesting subject.

"Did you stay safe last night, Mr. Sutcliff? You seem a bit... bruised."

Celes had the grace to not blush and pull her hand away, content to rest it there on Luxord's thigh. "It's quite alright - it will not happen again." Of that, she was sure, not when she could be using her talents to freeze the unfortunate monster in place and flamenco all over his head... so to speak. Luxord's fingers tickled her skin and she felt a little line of gooseflesh go up her arm. "And I wouldn't have called the night bad, entirely; it furthers my interests and those of my leader's to see others succeed."

She just needed to patch up the mess between her and Dias. That look of his couldn't sent a lesser person begging for his deepest mercy. It was lucky Celes was used to those sorts of glares. She turned her attention away from Grell again, watching the faces of people she knew show up. Guy had appeared, surprisingly. Perhaps Dias would, as well.

Celes wasn't sure if she wanted that, exactly.

That was it. Grell was going to kill him. Painfully. With fire.

If Luxord thought he didn't notice what was going on, he was going to find out tonight when Grell showed up at his door with a book of matches and a knife to hold him in place. But for now, the butler merely furrowed his brow as if concerned and kept his plan to himself. It was much like when he was driving the carriage about London and he heard his mistress whisper to herself about that night's victim. He could let nothing escape his disguise, not even a simple glance in the unfortunate woman's direction as they passed her on the street. He spent his immortal life stalking down and killing people; waiting a few hours was nothing.

"I suppose..." he said, mostly to himself, fingers still worrying his button like it would somehow improve his mood. "I do wish people would be careful though. It's terrible, everyone always being hurt." And not having the common courtesy to at least bleed to death. Grell glanced up and noticed that Celes was looking the other way. The death god took his chance and shot Luxord a look that said he was treading on dangerous territory, then dropped his gaze again as one hand rose to touch his neck. "Ah...last night? Um... Well, I decided to go out, a bit, you see, since it seemed rather safe, but..."

A demon grabbed me from behind, shoved my face into the tile, tried to kill me and didn't even give me the courtesy of a parting kiss. That bastard.

"...well, someone tried to kill me, but I'm okay!" Grell smiled nervously and went back to playing with his button. "...I just won't be going out anymore."

Mmm, flirting with danger. Did Grell not recall that little habit of his? At that glare of the butler's, Luxord only shot back a grin. Really, the thought that Grell would come after him just made it all the more fun. It was not as if he were staying within these walls for long anyway. When Grell finally decided to turn the knife on him, he would be long gone from here.

Those next words, however, caused that grin to disappear.

"Someone had tried to kill me."

What.

What.

X's eyes narrowed at that. If he was incapable of being upset, he was making a damn good show of pretending. While the thought of someone wishing death upon Ms. Sutcliff was, of course, no surprise, the idea that they would leave such incriminating marks was simply...

Hmph.

"Was it the man from before?" His voice was cold. That interfering little imbecile. He should have only known he would find them eventually. This of course meant the Nobody need to deal with him before he was targeted next. If only Mr. Lamparouge had been more willing to be of assistance, then- Augh!

Why did he even bother on Saturdays? Nothing ever pleasant occurred on Saturdays.

Celes turned her attention back to the conversation at hand. It didn't exactly have anything to do with her - Grell was a full-grown man, and should have been perfectly capable of defending himself. At least, that's the way it had been in Vector, even if most butlers had been dandied fops. Perhaps it would be for the better if Grell stayed inside.

But that was neither her nor there. On that note, she would go; it was only proper. The business was not on her time. "Is that so?" she asked, lips thinning. She turned her hand over in Luxord's and squeezed once, before pulling them away. A man with no heart, such as he claimed, shouldn't be reacting so passionately to someone's misfortune. It was, after all, what she found pleasing about him.

"But, I really think I should go; Luxord, my apologies, perhaps we can get together later." She stood and pressed her lips to the side of his cheek chastely - just the same kind of perfunctory kiss one noble would give to another. Still, it pleased some dark little part of her as it lasted a heart's beat over long.

"Be sure to tell me that name later, Grell. I'll be sure to look into things. It doesn't do anyone any good if there's an idiot running about murdering people." Or not, she might forget from here to the door. Who knew? Still, it was somewhat worrying to the young general that a murderer was about.

[ To here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/661753.html?thread=55086585#t55086585)]

Edited 2009-07-07 07:23 (UTC)

"The man from...?" Before Grell could answer (and what a perfect opportunity to pin the blame on Tim and get him taken care of), Celes stood. Setting the gift on the table, Grell stood as well, if only out of habit. A man wasn't supposed to sit when a lady was standing. Even if that lady could break him in half.

Grell kept his feelings to himself when Celes pressed her lips to Luxord's cheek and bowed to her, one hand against his chest, when she requested a name. "I will, Madam General, if you so wish it."

He remained standing until after the woman was gone and far out of earshot. Then he sat and checked the area once before looking back to Luxord. There was no use for pretenses now so long as he kept his voice down and his expressions neutral. With a smile that fit the butler on his face, Grell dropped his voice low so no one else could hear. "Really, now, was it so necessary to get upset? You made your lovely date leave."

Luxord moved to stand as Grell had, though that kiss caught him off-guard. That was an awfully warm gesture for such a cold woman, but why leave in the first place? He hadn't meant to chase her off...

Sigh. Just like that, another part of the day turned sour. There was simply no fun in this world anymore, was there?

Still, he had Grell to play with, as it were. It was better than nothing, despite the murderous vibes he was sending the Nobody's way (which Luxord made good at ignoring). "Strange of you to say that," he began, smiling as always. "I still see her right in front of me." No harm in being charming. "And who would not be upset at finding that bother still maintains his level of persistence? Action needs to be taken, love."

Celes apparently didn't like the act, or else she just didn't like Grell. It was no matter since Grell had no interest in her either, so long as she didn't try and break his disguise. There was something about her that just didn't sit right with him, but that feeling was likely mutual.

That left him, however, with the flirtatious Nobody who had, until a moment ago, been focusing attention on the Lady General. Were blonds really that much more fun? She didn't look fun. Unless you called running laps and fighting wars "fun." Grell much preferred the clean-up of war to the actual messy business of it himself.

And cleaning up this mess compared to some of the things the Londoners did? It was easy in comparison.

Raising an unimpressed eyebrow at Luxord, the death god again checked the area and then chucked the disguise altogether. "If you think being a flirt now will save you from me ripping your throat out later? You'll have to try a little harder than that." Picking up the unfortunately blunt knife from the table, Grell twirled it in his hand, leaning back in the chair to cross his legs. He wished he could rid himself of the hairtie and the glasses, but his nurse would probably throw a fit. "And I never said it was him - although he makes a handy scapegoat. Perhaps I'll let your lady friend think it is that disgusting vigilante and have her take care of him for us."

"And if you believe that frightens me in the least, you haven't been paying attention. I suppose that means we are at an impasse." So it was going to be this way, was it? X shrugged, uninterested, before removing a card from his sleeve to idly play with. He watched its edges as the God spoke, not missing that twirling of the knife, but altogether not caring.

Grell could try to kill him if he wished. It would at least be a fun game, if nothing else. Besides, he could not say he would mind feeling just how sharp those teeth were once again.

Nod. "True enough. As my original plans for him had fallen apart as easily as a house of cards, perhaps misleading Ms. Chere's attention would be for the better. I do doubt Mr. Tim would be kind enough to not make it a fight to the death, so one can assume that, should Ms. Chere fail, it would at least cause you joy.

"If you do not mind my intrusion, however," he tilted his head, eying the other curiously, "who did attack you? Not another vigilante, I hope?"

Grell smirked when Luxord stood firm against the threat. Men were so very attractive when they were like this - uncaring, just a bit on the rough side, such piercing eyes... "I suppose we are." With one hand, Grell twirled the knife around and around in slow circles. "It's a shame, though." The knife slipped from his fingers and fell toward the floor - and just as it dropped beneath the table's edge, he caught it and slipped it into his sleeve. When no one immediately came to stop him, he straightened and shrugged. "I was so hoping to get a rise out of you. Ah~ It's no fun when no one plays along."

Leaning forward, Grell dropped his chin in his hand with a pout and let his eyes wander the restaurant. There were a lot of people in here, some whom he knew and some he didn't, but there was one thing they all had in common. He couldn't tell when their time was slated to come. It was frustrating for a death god to not be able to read a person's life and know their death. Next to his scythe, that was what he missed the most.

Sighing, the death god blew a strand of hair out of his face and tapped a finger against his cheek out of boredom. "Don't misunderstand me, love, I don't dislike her. She was just my rival for your attention. And, of course, nothing would cause me more joy than to see everyone here lying in a pool of their own blood, but she's not exactly top of the list."

When Luxord asked who attacked him, Grell slid his gaze over, peering at the Nobody over the edge of his frames. "No, merely the man who nearly killed me before I arrived here." Suddenly sitting up straight, Grell raised a hand, delicately touched his fingers to his forehead, closing his eyes, sighing in lament. "I could have loved him, if only he and I weren't born of different worlds! He, destined to devour the souls of the innocent. Me, to reap them and send them along to Heaven!"

The hand dropped and Grell shrugged, giving up the Juliet act. "...That and if he wasn't such a complete twat about that runt of his. Unfortunately, where the loyal dog goes, so does the master and that brat ordered my death; and he has this thing about following orders to the letter. So you, my dear, are safe, unless someone ratted you out as well and the Earl Phantomhive decides to be particularly vindictive."

...Well. At least Grell was honest with his desires--that did have to count for something, did it not? X thought so.

Though the gesture with the knife did remind him that, yes, they were in a restaurant and, yes, they should perhaps order something. Luxord didn't particularly feel as if this diner would anything more substantial than the institute did (he would much rather cook his own food if he could, really. Why was that? Perhaps too much time spent with II...) though, so this processed, mundane business was not really rubbing him the right way. He had every right to be apprehensive of their meals.

In any case.

"I see," he said casually with a nod of his head, still toying with that card. It shouldn't surprise him that anyone from the God's world would also wish him dead, but it was a small comfort to know that Mr. Tim had not taken upon his offer to attack just yet. "Will you be alright?" Not that Luxord was offering to help.

[Busy at work ate me alive. DX Think we're probably pretty good, but will backthread a little faster from here on out if you want to continue]

Grell knew that Luxord held no love lost for him, or any love at all. A man without a heart had that little problem. Sometimes it was appealing and sometimes, Grell would like to at least pretend there was something deeper to Luxord's words. It was unfortunate, however, that he couldn't delude himself that much.

Such a shame.

Shrugging his shoulders again, Grell waved his hands dismissively and leaned back in his seat. Only to wince and sit forward again. Right. He'd nearly forgotten how Sebastian had driven his knee right into his back. He probably had an ugly bruise there to match the rest of them. "I won't die, if that's what you're worried about, love. It's a bit harder to kill me than that. But what of you? If my identity is revealed, won't it blow your cover as well with our lovely stalker? And unfortunately for you, you're a bit easier to kill than I am."

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Day 42, Noon: The Twin Pine Restaurant

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