Come one and all to Gotham

[blindingtrust]

Here is where everyone can find the place where Ivy met Phoenix for their date. Actually they might find her here too with a large dog on a leash. The dog looks to be a cross between a Saint Bernard and a German Shepard and is sniffing around. Of course it can't pick up on Phoenix's scent here. Too many people have been here. But Ivy brought her dog along just in case not many people appeared to investigate the missing defense lawyer. In all honestly she isn't sure what to expect.

But the city seems dark. Oppressing. And it holds many secrets and clues if someone is willing to look for them. Get ready folks, because this will prove to be an adventure.

Comments

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

"Yes." Li nods, though Ivy can't see it. Unfortunately, while he'd like to make some kind of small talk while they wait to see if anyone else will show up, he really isn't feeling very conversational right now. All he can think to say is, "I hope we find him."

This is not going to be easy.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

"If we're lucky we will." She goes silent for a few long minutes. Then finally sighs. "We should start looking for clues of some kind. I mean, we gotta start somewhere."

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." Li pauses for a moment and then looks around for a second. The portals are one block south and three blocks north - if he were Phoenix and wanted to explore the city he would have headed for the northern one in probably a roundabout fashion. "... Alright. I'm going to head north. Are you staying here, or...?"

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

"I'll stay here. There might be people who need directions or--Or something." She looks rather nerved up. But soon calms right back down. "Just stay safe Li. This city is deadly if you're not careful."

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

"I will. You do the same, okay? I'll be back in an hour or so if I don't find anything." And he's off, heading north. Or, at least, in a northish direction - having not thought to bring a compass he's actually using the museum entrance as a bearing.

***

"This isn't working," Li mutters to himself. Sure, he had only been walking for ten minutes, but he had already found the portal Phoenix might've used and wasn't sure where to go from there. What if Phoenix had taken a walk around the city, as Ivy had suggested? Where would he have gone? Li was quickly losing faith in his search and was starting to wonder what exactly he was doing all alone in an unfamiliar city, pretending to be a detective.

He can't give up now. Phoenix needs to be found, dammit, whether or not there are actually any clues. It wouldn't hurt to have someone else along who might know the man better, though. Taking out his PINpoint, Li presses a few buttons and waits for it to ping Edgeworth's PINpoint.

[cutslikeasword.livejournal.com]

It's bad enough that Miles has been waiting on figurative 'pins and needles' for someone to contact him on result of the search in Gotham.

The wait is painful.

So it comes of no surprise that he reacts without thinking, pinging in without even looking at the number. He appears, and blinks, before managing a scowl at seeing, of all people, Li.

At least Miles is dressed normally, since he has off today. Polo shirt and khakis under his trenchcoat. Something about not wanting to attract too much attention in a creepy city such as Gotham, and yes he was waiting nervously to jump in.

"...What." It isn't a question. Why Li had to bother him...

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

Li smiles broadly at Edgeworth's appearance. For his part, he's just wearing jeans, a button-down shirt, and the obligatory Big Black Goth Boots. Nothing special or eye-catching, and one can't be sure if he's smiling because he likes Edgeworth or because Miles is just cute when he looks all annoyed.

"You weren't busy, I hope?" he asks, in such a way as to imply that he actually doesn't particularly care if Edgeworth was busy. The smile fades abruptly and he takes on a more serious tone, continuing, "I think I need your help. This is the portal three blocks north of the museum. I figure that if Phoenix were curious as Ms. Ivy said and wanted to take a walk, this would be the portal he'd use. But I don't really know him well enough to know where else he'd go, so...." he pauses to twirl a few strands of hair around his finger, "I'm doing this all backwards, aren't I?"

[cutslikeasword.livejournal.com]

Miles is clearly annoyed, and would probably be moreso (and rather flustered) at Li thinking he was cute, so he ignored that look entirely. The expression is far from returned.

"No." Abrupt and terse with the reply. He isn't in the mood to be social, especially since he's waiting for any sort of news to dispell the pessimism in his mind. While trying not to outwardly show he's stressed, although he does look like he's lost sleep over it.

Then again, he always looks miserable.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he blinks at Li before glancing around, falling silent with thought. Think like.. Phoenix? That might hurt his brain, but he tries anyway.

"Hn." A thoughtful sound, before he starts walking.

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

This was neither a confirmation nor a denial, Edgeworth, and so Li stands in conversational limbo. He pauses for a moment and sighs inwardly before following Edgeworth, certain that the prosecutor knows what he's doing!

A few silent, tense minutes pass, and then Li makes another attempt at starting conversation. Will he never learn? "How long have you known Phoenix?"

[cutslikeasword.livejournal.com]

Miles is randomly walking now, making mental notes of anything that could have possibly caught Phoenix's attention. Everything looks the same to him, but Miles is very meticulous and tries to process every detail.

An eyebrow raises faintly at Li's comment, and his lips thin as he contemplates an answer. Small talk. Right. "The better part of sixteen years."

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

Li, meanwhile, has his notepad out and is scribbling every once in a while, trying to keep track of where they are. He doesn't know about Edgeworth, but his own sense of direction isn't all that keen and getting lost in a strange and dangerous city is definitely a risk. So, he has kept track - assuming that there are no glitches in the fabric of space and time and that the north entrance to the museum is indeed facing north - of what cardinal direction they are walking in and how far they are from the museum. Hey, the kid might as well be good for something.

"Oeee~" he utters in reply, taking a moment to glance at his notepad and then at a street sign. "So, since you were both ten? That's a pretty long time."

[cutslikeasword.livejournal.com]

Miles stops briefly, glancing down between some buildings. He seems to be wandering aimlessly, although he is relying on his PIN should danger arise. He hates relying on something so... insignificant, but if it'll work...

And, for some reason, talking about Phoenix keeps his mind focused and less on thoughts of finding him dead somewhere. Yeah...

"We were in fourth grade together. Same class." He glances up at the same sign, making a mental note of it, and then glances down all the directions before picking one. Hey lets go left. "We.. kind of lost touch for a few years though."

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

Li may have picked up on the fact that Miles is wandering aimlessly, but he refuses to consciously acknowledge it. The idea that Miles knows what he's doing and has some type of plan makes him feel better and less likely to flail around panickedly. Ah, the sign of a truly submissive personality - calling in someone with an equal lack of a clue just so that you can be the follower and not the leader. Some of us, I guess, were just born not to be in charge.

"Any particular reason?" he asks, nosily, as he tries to keep up with Edgeworth while writing down that they are heading due south and are about three blocks northeast of the museum.

[cutslikeasword.livejournal.com]

"...I moved away." Miles manages, not really sure what else to refer to it as. And while Miles might be wandering 'aimlessly', he would contest that he is actually just 'narrowing out possibilities'. He's actually moving in a gridlike pattern, even if it doesn't seem like it.

Touching about his past is rather touchy, too. "I met up with him again. Apparently, he became a defense attorney to find me or something." A shrug.

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

"Really? Hm." This illicits a little smile from Li. Somehow, that seems very sweet of Phoenix. Sentimental, even. Li is a sucker for that kind of thing. "I guess those alternates of yours aren't entirely out there, then."

He's referring to the fact that they're gay for each other, Edgeworth. In Li's defense, that's not quite what he meant to say.

[cutslikeasword.livejournal.com]

Miles stops dead and glances to Li with a look torn between confusion and murder. Anything in reference to his alternate makes him really freaked out, and now, especially on lack of sleep and stress, it rubs Miles the wrong way.

"No. They are. I'm not..." He folds his arms and scowls, trying hard to hide his embarassment. "It's.. nothing like that."

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

Li's eyes go wide and he takes a step back. "I didn't mean it that way, I..."

There's a silence, which started with him trying to figure out how to finish that sentence and ends with his gaze drifting away from Edgeworth, as if he is listening to something distant and quiet.

"Do you hear that?"

[cutslikeasword.livejournal.com]

The total mortification at being accused of being like his alternate regarding Phoenix is technically forgotten, as well as thoughts of killing Li and leaving him behind, once Li points out a sound.

"...?" Straining his hearing a bit and inclining his head, Miles listens.. and just gives Li an odd look, which faintly reads something along the lines of 'why am I with you?'.

"No, I don't." Now he sounds bored and terse again. "Please enlighten me."

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

"Well, then either you need your ears cleaned or..." There's another pause. Yes, it's got to be - nothing sounds quite like it except for maybe the inside of an adult video store! "... Maybe that's the magatama..."

Li cannot be held responsible for the possible grabbing of Edgeworth by the wrist and running at full tilt in a seemingly random direction.

[cutslikeasword.livejournal.com]

Miles cannot even react, as he's grabbed and pulled along. All he can do really is hurry to keep up so he doesn't trip or fall over.

"Hey! What is the meaning of this?!" He tries to protest, not fully trusting Li and where he's dragging him.

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

Li does not reply but dashes on for a few blocks, down a sidestreet and into an alleyway, where he stops right in the dead center and lets go of Edgeworth.

"Okay, where's it coming from...?" He starts looking around, although he's not entirely sure what to look for. Knowing his luck, the magatama is over there, behind Li and close to a wall.

[cutslikeasword.livejournal.com]

God, Li's quick. Or maybe Miles is just out of shape. Either way, he manages to keep up and lamely tries to hide catching his breath as Li looks around.

Now free, he refolds his arms and looks around as well, trying to locate the source of the sound that he cannot hear.

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

"Agh, I don't even know what it looks like but it's here! It has to be," Li mutters to himself as he rummages around the alley, looking under things, peering at stuff, and just generally searching in a flaily manner.

He is totally getting nowhere.

[cutslikeasword.livejournal.com]

Well, that certainly only confuses Miles more. Which.. makes him more annoyed. But he still looks around, refusing to touch filth as readily as Li so lets him do that.

Something does catch his eye though, walking a bit away from Li and trailing his eyes along the floor. Something.. that does not belong with the scenery.

He crouches down some, trying so hard to not touch anything because the atmosphere squicks him out, and picks it up. Of course it's covered with dirt slightly, showing that it was probably bounced or something when it fell.. or maybe someone kicked on it accidently. Either way he picks it up, brushes it off with his hand, and stares at it.

Why did it look familiar?

"I think I found it.."

[clever--fool.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Li looks up. And there, in Edgeworth's hands, is the obvious source of that vaguely annoying (yet, at the moment, oh-so-sweet) buzzing noise he's been hearing.

This must mean that Phoenix was here. A-and they're going to find him. And... maybe he's okay.

Maybe.

Edgeworth will find that he now has a Li-like creature firmly attached to his person in glomping mode.