Day 53: Sun Room, Morning

[scarefaux]

With breakfast finished and a new acquaintance made, the Scarecrow's mind turned to his other friends. The disappearance of Depth Charge's friend had brought back memories of how he'd felt when Kaiji went missing: helpless, useless, as though he should have and could have done something more to find him. If only he had his brain, then maybe he could have thought of something!

As much as he didn't like to admit it, it was unlikely his former roommate was still within the Institute's walls at this point, though the Scarecrow wouldn't know for sure unless Kaiji returned to visit him as Dorothy had, encouraging his supposed recovery. There was still the concern that Landel, despite his vile methods, was actually right and he was suffering from the delusion of having been a scarecrow in Oz. After all, that movie had been a pretty elaborate trick. Would he have planted it in town on purpose, knowing the Scarecrow would be taken there the night of the enchanted doors? And how could he guarantee that once he did find it, he'd take it and actually watch it? There was so much guesswork involved- it seemed the Wizard Landel either liked coincidences or he had more power on his side than any of the patients could have guessed.

The Scarecrow stopped by the bulletin board before heading for a seat, considering writing a note to his friends to check on them. He'd heard from Depth Charge, Remy, and Kibitoshin within a day's time, so he figured they were probably fine (as fine as Depth Charge could have been after last night, anyway). He'd seen Mele and Scar the day before. He put a finger to his head, thinking- he'd not heard from Abe or Sangamon in a day or so, but being professionals, they were probably very busy. Perhaps a note would be best for them.

[Kibby]

Comments

[gargantuanlaugh.livejournal.com]

Badd seemed to accept that he wasn't lying. That was nice. Not necessary, but nice. Still, he seemed adamant that Gant was in the wrong with what he had done. Well... maybe Gant had been a bad boy at times. He regretted Marshall's and Goodman's deaths to an extent. They were necessary at the time, though, so he couldn't rightly say he would never have done it given the chance to do things again. He merely shrugged. What was done was done.

"Still got to see it though, didn't you?" Gant grinned widely again, chuckling. "Satisfied, Baddo? Can't say I'm altogether thrilled to know you're not quite the same virtuous crime-fighter I'd thought you were. But... I guess I have no reason to complain." Badd had always done his work well. Other than the Yatagarasu cases, at least as far as Gant could remember, Badd was always on top of things and doing his best to make sure they got their man. Still, always sad to see someone sink to the level of criminals.

"Speaking of handcuffs, when was the last date you remember, Baddo? Remember your trial, by any chance?" Gant was actually more concerned about the date than anything. He just wanted to get a feel for Badd's time. Was he caught shortly after Gant had been, or had it been years after? It was hard to tell given the circumstances. Still, Badd looked relatively unchanged since their last run-in before Lana's trial. Those grizzled old detectives never changed much.

[tasteoftruth.livejournal.com]

"My trial was a few weeks ago. March 2019, if you're still playing the amnesia card at me. They slammed the entire thing through in a matter of weeks, from the ring boss on down." Probably skittish of the same divine intervention that had saved them during KG-8. Badd hadn't relaxed until the gavel went down for the last time.

Badd's sharp gaze flickered across the room, looking over the patients who seemed so resigned to their existence and the nurses distractedly keeping a watch over them. "So why anyone would want me out of the way, when all the shouting's over and I've given every shred of testimony I can, is anyone's guess." Motive, motive, there always needed to be a motive no matter what that idiot Zheng Fa kid seemed to think. Any means were possible with enough resources and the ring was huge, but revenge wasn't enough reason for an operation of this magnitude.

He wondered what the outside world was thinking about him. Was he marked as an escaped convict or had the car gone off a tragic and convenient bridge?

[gargantuanlaugh.livejournal.com]

So he still believed Gant was lying about the passage of time. As irritating as that was, it was a normal reaction. Gant had been the same himself before he'd gotten to know some of the fine patients a bit better. But there was no doubt in Gant's mind that Badd wouldn't last that way for long. Yes, it was just a matter of time.

"March 2019, huh? Two years..." More than two years since the conclusion of Lana's trial, actually. He knew the court system was fast in their day, but sentence execution could still take years, especially if there were any appeals involved. Gant didn't think he would have appealed were he found guilty in his own trial, he doubted he would even have pleaded innocent after being so thoroughly routed by Wright, but it was definitely a possibility he was still rotting in jail in Badd's time.

Pulling his mind away from that depressing topic, Gant instead focused on Badd's musings. He chuckled, feeling just as in the dark as the ex-detective. "Who knows, really? Why would they want a washed-up Chief of Police that was arrested for an alleged murder or two? Don't you think it would have been simpler if they'd just left me in chains?"

He shook his head then picked at the snow white bangs that fell into his face. "We're all in the same boat here, Baddo. Don't think for a minute you're anything special, just because you happened to know a bit about covering up evidence or thieving for justice or what have you."

The intercom came on then, announcing lunch. Funny how it always felt like so much of their day was planned around eating. Gant wasn't going to complain though. Standint, he stretched out his arms until he heard his joints crack, then glanced once more at Badd. "This place is bigger than any one crime ring, Baddo. Don't limit yourself thinking otherwise." Gant had made that mistake at first, thinking this was just a private operation or the results of mixed-up paperwork. But after being here long enough, it was obvious there was more to it than met the eye.