Can Fix!

[bashfulshifter]

Characters: Rick, Waver, anyone else from the clear fluid research team and the Lancer Brigade.
Setting: September 16th, night, Floor 27 (laboratory)
Format: Should probably stick to action-spam on this one, but can match!
Summary: Rick decides that he's going to "help" his team by making sure that nobody stays in the lab after dark and gets killed again. Surprise, surprise, he falls asleep and ends up by himself with the beasties to keep him company.
Warnings: No character death in this one (hopefully), but there will likely be violence and injury and monsters 'n junk. You know, the standard Tower fare.

[It took more than a week of planning, lingering, and mental speeches for Rick to get up the nerve to finally try this. But it was necessary, he'd convinced himself--Edgeworth had died and Diarmuid was scarce, probably beating himself up over something that wasn't his fault, and Waver certainly wasn't in the best mood either, because he hadn't done a good enough job checking in on his teammates before retiring for the evening, making sure that they went somewhere safe before the unpleasant creatures of the night found them first...obviously this was something Rick could have prevented.]

[Well tonight he would not be so negligent! He'd park himself in a chair after dinner and wait until some hours after dark, just in case Waver sneaked in to take some last-minute measurements and lost track of time, or the like, and he'd make sure they all left with him, and he'd clean the place up and close the doors. There would be no mess, no deaths, no more pointless suffering and misery. Everything was going to go according to plan.]

[Things were going well enough when he arrived in the evening to the empty room and busied himself with cleaning used equipment. They were still going well when he sat down to copy and organize the newest batch of notes.]

[Still going well at the first yawn. Only a couple hours in--he really needed to get used to staying up this late. Still fine thirty minutes later when he began to nod off. Still fine...]

[...The lights are still on when he wakes up--it makes it difficult to tell what time it is, or how long he's been sleeping. All Rick knows is that he's been startled awake by some noise, a scuffling in what he expected to be an empty room. Did someone sneak in when he wasn't looking?]

...H-Hello?

Comments

[fionnuisce]

[Speak of the devil, he did show up in the middle of the night. Waver had a lot on his mind after talking to Karna, and the result was that he had more trouble sleeping than usual. Might as well try to get some work done, right? Volumen Hydragyrum in its maid form walked a step behind him as the lecturer walked in and blinked in mild surprise. Out of everyone that could have been there, he wasn't really expecting Rick. Not to mention he looked more nervous than usual.]

What's wrong?

[bashfulshifter]

--Eh?

[Rick visibly jumps in his seat, all residual grogginess rapidly clearing from his mind.]

...Oh, W-Waver. [He breathes a sigh of relief.] J-Just you. I th--thought...

[...No, mistaking the lecturer for a monster would have been equal parts silly and humiliating. Rick chuckles nervously and trails off.]

[fionnuisce]

I didn't mean to startle you. Are you feeling alright?

[or, 'the fuck are you doing sleeping here']

[bashfulshifter]

[He nods, thoroughly rubbing his eyes under his glasses.]

...Y-Yeah...m-must've f-f-fallen a-asleep. I... [Suddenly Rick pulls a face--he remembers why he was here in the first place and is inexplicably perturbed.] --wh--what a-are you d-doing here?

[fionnuisce]

My problem seems to be the exact opposite of yours. I couldn't sleep, so I decided I might as well use the abundance of spare time constructively.

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick looks sufficiently alarmed.]

B-But-- [There's a significant amount of hand-flailing to accompany the man's surprisingly assertive, if desperate, babbling.] --l-last w-week--you c-c-can't--E-Edgeworth! I-I-I w-won't--I c-can't l-let that h-happen again.

[In the background, something hits the ground.]

[It's not glass--nothing's broken, probably--but whatever fell sounds heavy, metallic, like a table or a particularly large machine, and it's certainly enough to distract Rick from his panicked lecture and get him to turn around.]

[Predictably, there's nothing nearby. The lab goes on for some distance; the only areas out of sight are the quarantine booths at the far end, still closed. Nothing seems misplaced.]

...D-Did you h-hear that?

[fionnuisce]

Calm down. I'm fully aware of what happened, but unlike our unfortunate friend I have the benefit of both a Mystic Code- [he pointed over his shoulder at Volumen Hydragyrum.] -and a Servant that moves just about as fast as a normal person can blink. And unlike him, I'm actually capable in a fi-

[Waver stopped cold at the sound, green eyes narrowing dangerously as he stared coldly in the direction it had come from. As though waiting for the other show to drop, Waver didn't respond immediately.]

...I heard it, too. Stay behind me--closely. [If Rick was nearby, it wouldn't be difficult for his weapon to shield both of them in case of an attack. Waver's entire demeanor had shifted from casual to sharp and ready for a fight in an instant, his next words spoken for the liquid familiar.] Dilectus incursio. Automatoportum defensio. [The mercury immediately lost the shape of a maid, turning to something largely formless and shifting in response to the incantations like a snake preparing to attack.]

[bashfulshifter]

[He's already standing by the time the noise catches Waver's attention, and has instinctively shrunk behind him even before he's commanded to do so. Rick's heart pounds in his chest; he might've been more calm about this if Waver didn't look so serious about it.]

[Based on the continued scuffling noises coming from those quarantine rooms, however, he probably has reason to be on alert. Something else falls over and clatters, followed by a muffled chorus of angry grunts. There's more than one of whatever it is.]

...D-D-Diarmuid...w-was w-w-with h-him...w-wasn't he? Wh--When he... [Rick trembles, mind too foggy to finish the thought.]

[fionnuisce]

I said calm down. [For as serious as he was, Waver seemed to be in control of the situation; already he was planning several different methods of attack and ways to escape if necessary.] I won't let you get killed, so shut up and don't panic.

[He took a breath to steady any unseen hesitance. They couldn't just let whatever was here run freely; that risked damaging their materials if not the fluid itself.]

...We'll need to get rid of it. I'll have Volumen Hydragyrum throw the door open and attack, so be ready for anything. If you can't handle it, start running; I can take care of myself.

[bashfulshifter]

[For all the fear in the world, Rick knows how to follow orders. His stammering abruptly ceases and he nods, trying his best to take deep breaths, keep his nerves in check. It doesn't work, but at least he's not blubbering anymore.]

[Not blubbering incoherently, anyways.]

--'M n-not...l-leaving. [He flinches as something crashes, like it's been thrown or kicked, followed by a heavy pounding on the door. If Waver's construct doesn't get there in the next couple moments, whatever is inside will beat it to the punch.] I-I-I s-s-stayed h-here...t-t-to m-make s-sure...n-no o-one's l-l-left b-behind. I...w-won't...

[fionnuisce]

Take a deep breath. Volumen Hydragyrum can protect me automatically, so if you stay close that should cover you as well. Whatever you do, don't panic; our priority is making sure our materials don't get damaged.

[Waver raised his hands and shifted into a fighting stance; having said that, he made a slight motion with one hand and the mercury immediately struck like a whip, slicing across the door several different ways and rendering it basically a pile of useless splinters.[

[bashfulshifter]

[Waver has remarkable timing; just as the door is more or less vaporized, the two mangled orcs throwing themselves against it hurtle through the now empty space and stagger into the main area. The one standing behind runs into his buddy up-front, knocking him sprawling on the floor and leaving himself unbalanced.]

[While those two are otherwise occupied, their two other friends have been waiting in the quarantine room and now take this opportunity to come screaming into the lab, weapons raised to bludgeon whatever--or whoever--gets in their way. The mercury seems to be their primary target at the moment.]

[Rick tries his very best not to panic. This proves to be extremely difficult by his will alone; thankfully it isn't just Rick who's reacting to this situation as it unfolds, and Mittens is known for being much more level-headed than his human host. His soul stands at the ready while Rick freezes in place, deep in concentration, simultaneously terrified and entranced by the mind so closely linked to his own. He is prepared to react as soon as he must.]

[Meanwhile, there's substantial commotion coming from the quarantine room mirroring the first. It's too loud and chaotic to determine what exactly is going on in there.]

The morning after the attack. Open to any of you?

[frilliance]

Good...god...! [Edgeworth was pretty good at handling dead bodies and blood - he would not be a good prosecutor if he weren't. After all, part of the job involves looking at pictures of dead, cut-up bodies and all other sorts of gruesome stuff.

However, he had his first death not long ago. Moreover, it was in this room when it happened. Therefore, he could not stop himself from being incredibly taken aback when he sees the large amount of blood in the room.

After half a minute, however, he manages to regain his composure. When someone discovers him, he is calmly standing next to the blood, deep in thought, wondering what might have actually happened last night.]

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick would have been in there earlier had he not been the cause of a lot of the mess that presently needed cleaning, but keeping to his job (and his self-made schedule), he returns to the scene of the crime at a reasonable enough hour. Not easily, mind--Lancer may have healed his wounds, but the man is pretty badly bruised and woefully out-of-shape, and after a fight like that he is definitely suffering the consequences.]

[The blonde man hobbles slowly into the room, looking in about as poor condition as the lab is, but mostly looking concerned for Edgeworth. Because priorities, right?]

--M-Miles? [Rick's voice is hoarse; he only just got out of bed, plus it kind of hurts to breathe. Doesn't seem to stop him any.] I-I-I'm s-so sorry, I--y-you sh--shouldn't have to--

[He starts wandering around the edges of the room, partially to look for his cleaning supplies, partially because the counters provide good, sturdy holds to support himself with while he walks.]

--I-I'll c-clean this up. D-Don't worry.

1/2

[frilliance]

Mr. Dawn....? [Once he faces Rick, Edgeworth's eyes momentarily widen with shock as he sees the bruises on the man's face and hears the hoarseness of his voice.]

2/2

[frilliance]

[Wait, he's going to clean up? In his condition? Right now? When the crime scene hasn't been explored yet? Oh no you don't.]

Hold it!

You will do no such thing! Instead, you are going to sit down and tell me exactly what occurred here.

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick visibly jumps.]

--Hnuh?!

[That was incredibly forceful and alarming! Rick is too startled to follow that command and sit, but he does stop what he's doing.]

--B-But--the l-lab--!

[frilliance]

The laboratory will be cleaned up afterwards. However, I do not want the crime scene tampered with until I know what has happened!

[Unfortunately for Rick, Edgeworth's glaring and forceful commands are tactics to get witnesses to tell the truth.]

[bashfulshifter]

[Said tactics are more than enough to sway the nervous, exhausted blonde man, who quickly gives under the weight of Edgeworth's glare and, with some bracing, hobbles his way to the messy island table in the center of the room. There aren't any upright or nearby chairs for him to sit in, so he settles for leaning heavily on the counter instead.]

...S-S-Sorry...o-okay. [Long pause as Rick catches his breath.] ...I-I'm not g-g-going a-anywhere.

[frilliance]

[Sigh.] Thank you.

[And he just stands there, his expression softening a little.] Would you like me to get you a chair?

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick bite his lip with much hesitation--as if asking will somehow break the more tranquil mood Edgeworth has slipped into. He responds in a hoarse whisper.]

...I-I-If it's n-not t-t-too much t-t-trouble...

[frilliance]

(For goodness' sake, why is this man still walking about?.)

[Nevertheless, Edgeworth grabs the chair nearest to him, carries it over to Rick and sets it down beside him.] Now, sit down. You shouldn't be out and wandering about, let alone cleaning the lab.

[bashfulshifter]

...Thank y-you.

[He gingerly sits in the chair, as instructed. Edgeworth seems to have chosen a tone that resonates well with the nervous man; he already looks much calmer than he was five minutes ago.]

S-Sorry, I...th--this w-was m-m-my f-fault...I sh--should be...r-r-responsible for c-cleaning it up.

[Maybe not right now, by Edgeworth's persistence. But he'll get there.]

[frilliance]

I will clean up this mess. After you tell me what happened last night. [And he's not gonna take no for an answer, man.]

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick inwardly flinches. Nope--still just as bristly as he was beforehand. Best not argue with him.]

...R-Right. [He nods, takes a few deep breaths, and after a moment's pondering on where to start becomes extremely embarrassed.] I, uh...I s-stayed too l-late...f-f-fell a-asleep. A-And then...m-monsters.

[That's the short of it! Press the witness for more detail?]