Day 56: Main Street (Early Afternoon)

[predictator]

[From here]If Villiers was going to join him, Izaya was going to make the most of the time. He'd mentioned an interesting piece of information just a moment ago, so now was as good a time as any to find out more

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[the_prosecutor]

The investigation was not going well.

After warming up and sharing a meal with Ushiromiya Battler, Edgeworth had immediately taken to Main Street once again, this time with a resolved sense of exploration. If it would take asking every person in town about the institute, he would do it...or so he thought.

There seemed to be a recurring trend after he had made his decision - after striking up a conversation with a local, he was turned away the moment that he so much as brought up the institute - and after a while the small crowds of people walking down the street were ignoring him completely. It wasn't enough that he couldn't get any direct answers; people were outright avoiding him. It occurred to him after a few instances of this that they might have good reason to - the dog tag under his shirt declared him to be a member of some sort of militant group for the insane, and even if he lacked answers as to why and how he had arrived there he could see the local's rationale for avoiding any contact with him

[gald_digger]

After parting ways with Ilia, Anise had made her way to Tasty Burger, where her coupon was put to use. She ate by a window, looking at the nearby stores and watching people go by

[the_prosecutor]

After nearly a half-hour of consistently receiving the cold shoulder from the locals, Edgeworth was startled by the sudden presence of the young girl, his eyes widening slightly as he dropped his arms to his side. A certain amount of dismay hit him then, the fact that the only people in this town willing to engage him on the streets were apparently young girls (and as helpful as Ema had been, her age and naivete had both made it so that she hadn't exactly been as comforting of a presence as he had wished for), and Edgeworth's features tensed slightly, the corner of his lip twitching as he suppressed a frown at the girl's openly displayed glee at his misfortune.

"They seem to be more in the business of scaring themselves off, it seems," he replied tersely, his gaze holding the girl's teasing expression before he turned away and towards the path before them, determined not to be baited by it. "Are you lost, or have you not been taught to not to speak with strangers?"

[gald_digger]

Normally, Anise might have taken offense to being treated like a little kid, but the fact that she got him twitching like that was funny enough that she couldn't bring herself to get angry just then

[the_prosecutor]

Rather than take the girl's offer immediately, Edgeworth found himself hesitating, both her age and demeanor leaving him at a roadblock as to whether or not he should even try...but then, she didn't appear to be all that much younger than Ema was, and the institute had seen fit to make a patient out of Ema as well. It was certainly possible that she might know something worth hearing about, but given the amount of people evidently dwelling in the town versus the amount that had departed from the buses...

The silence carried on for a short moment as Edgeworth's thoughts reeled, his brow furrowed lightly in thought as he slowed the pace of their walking. Even if she is merely a child, her attitude isn't exactly one that reflects the personalities of the townspeople here. I have to wonder..."...right, well, I would venture to say that 'help' would be putting things a bit too lightly, but what I'm mostly after at this point is information," he said, venturing a glance back at the girl. "I've been making inquiries in regards to an

[gald_digger]

Huh. He was being really vague, wasn't he? Maybe he wasn't sure whether Anise was a patient or a resident. With how out-of-place this man was, and the subject of his inquiries, it was obvious to Anise which group he fell into

[the_prosecutor]

...an incident? Edgeworth thought, his features tensing with curiosity as he filed away the question for a more appropriate time. Anise had pressed on before he could even open his mouth to ask, and she had presented him with a much greater opportunity - he could always inquire further later.

However, Edgeworth's mind turned to the thin credit card in his jacket pocket. He couldn't be sure just how much he had, and he hadn't really intended on wasting a cent...but from the look on Anise's face, he somehow had the feeling that he was going to have to part with at least some of it in order to keep her talking. Why exactly does this remind me of someone...?Damning the consequences, Edgeworth nodded, his gaze lifting from Anise's face to the stores lining the street. "Very well, if that's what you wish," he reluctantly agreed, his hands slipping inside the pockets of his jacket as he idly fingered his credit card with his right hand. There had been a toy store near the end of the street by the park, if he wasn't mistaken, and he slowed

[gald_digger]

Anise wasn't sure if it was the offer of information or her cuteness that convinced him to agree, but whatever it was, she was satisfied. "Yay!" she cheered, her smile brightening. Anise really did like helping people out... and if helping them led to them helping her farther down the line, then that was just a bonus! He was being so polite to her, too. Could that be a sign of a good upbringing? Hmm...

"Okay, let's try... over there!" she quickly decided, pointing her ice cream cone in the direction of the hardware store. "I bet there's some useful stuff in there." Maybe even things they could make use of during the night shifts! Anise wasn't sure what kinds of things those would be, but she'd have to look and see.

She skipped ahead a few steps, turned around to make sure he was following, then continued to lead the way to the store.

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