ext_102992 ([identity profile] fightfair.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] circle72010-02-18 06:48 pm

Space Mafia - Phase One, Perhaps

They've been trailing him for at least half a week now, long enough to know exactly what schedule he held on weekdays, what coffee shop he frequented, where he stopped before heading home, even who he talked to on the commute. It was also long enough for Viana to begin to get antsy, enough for her to begin to despise the simplicity and genuine honesty of this place, but she had never been good at sitting still. It was a relief, then, that Evan rolled over on the couch he slept on this morning and said, groggily (but she had years of experience with interpreting Early Morning Evan-Speak), "We're taking him tonight."

Consequently, she'd been in a good mood all day. Viana was always like that when she had something to do, when she felt useful, when she felt important. It was no wonder that she left their family, Evan realized in retrospect; in his heart, he had been preparing for the day himself. Viana even volunteered to check them out at the hotel counter this morning, probably the happiest Evan has ever seen her when handing over payment. "You're awfully bouncy," he murmurs, leaning against the side of the last store the good doctor seemed to visit before heading back to his home. He takes a drag on his smoke, the last drag, before stamping out the dying embers beneath his foot. "Sure you can hold still enough for this?"

Viana's eyes are bright in the dark. Evan can almost hear the excitement in her veins. "I've been waiting for this all day," she says, voice surprisingly level, tossing the same rock she used to knock out the nearest streetlight up and down in her hand. It made their portion of the sidewalk dark enough so that no one in this sparsely-occupied neighborhood would notice if someone stole a small-name doctor off the street, if they dragged him into the alley. In the darkness, no one would see the flailing of his arms, the panic of his eyes. He lived with no family, had little friends; no one would miss him. Perfect. "And I'm sick of waiting."

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-18 05:20 pm (UTC)(link)
You'd think that a person would wake up slow and groggy under the effects of chloroform and strangulation - but Bentley is just the type to break expectations. He jolts up suddenly, eyes wide; and if he wasn't gagged, there'd probably be a sudden gasp. Instead, it's just a muffled, incomprehensible sound.

"Mmfhm!" It's not hard to guess it's probably something like, 'where am I', or 'what's going on'. But after a moment of staring straight ahead, and heavy breathing, his body starts to ease again. Everything's still shifting into focus, like adjusting to a subject under a microscope, and his ears are filtering out the ringing of the ache in his head.

After staring down at the bed for a moment until the threads sharpen into view, and a dew deep exhales later, he finally looks over at the two - with a none-too-kind glare that wouldn't seem to fit the nervous doctor's features before. It's not like your greet two kidnappers with a smile and gratitude, after all.

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-18 05:28 pm (UTC)(link)
That's not your real name, he thinks to himself. The glare fades just the slightest bit, though. Now they're the ones that strike the doctor as weird.

Bentley just stares, then shrugs. It looks casual enough.

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-18 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
It's enough to confirm that the girl was more dangerous than she looked. The brother was better at keeping his composition and hiding what exactly he was capable of. (The moment of the kidnapping is rather vague; he doesn't remember who held his arm away or who drugged him.)

Although the smile is intimidating, even coming from a young girl as herself, Bentley just takes a breath and seems less tense. At the very least, he knows he's needed alive. Though at what quality of 'alive' is up for debate, so it may be good to cooperate after all.

Bentley adjusts his jaw around the gag, before finally nodding.

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-18 05:59 pm (UTC)(link)
The girl gets a bewildered glare for that. He can't tell if she means it or not regardless, and probably shouldn't push his luck. Bentley sits up as he's pushed, probably glad himself to lean against something, even if his head takes a moment to catch up as he squints through the feeling.

Sheesh, like giving commands to a dog.

There's not much he can say with just a motion of his head. Things like, 'Well, am I entitled to any details? Who sent you? What's your real name anyway, Mikey? I wouldn't recommend joining the acting career, by the way. Oh, can you dig the pills out of my vest for me? In fact, loosen these chains, and I'll do it myself. How's that sound? Also, what in the world am I wearing?'

Bentley just nods again.

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-18 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
The doctor is silent at first, adjusting to his freed jaw. He leans his head back against the wall, scoping out the room. It's good to know your surroundings. Bentley glances out what bit of window he can see. It's nighttime (just after sunset during his kidnapping, he remembers), and the customary steam floating by is only lit by the orange lights.

"So..." it's the start to any awkward conversation, "Why did you kidnap me?"

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-18 06:27 pm (UTC)(link)
Bentley falls quiet at that. He almost speaks again to ask Viana to stop on a show where there's an autopsy of some sort going on, but holds his tongue. Now's probably not the time. (Even though, quite contrarily to Viana's tastes, that thing full of legs looks very appetizing to Bentley, after getting interrupted on his way to dinner.)

In a seemingly long moment of silence, as he stares out the strip of sky through the curtains, he scrapes his brain for any hints. He's no detective, but the process of observation and elimination, and painful attention to detail, has yet to fail him.

"Because I'm a doctor," he announces, quite confidently. Even if he isn't wrong, it's quite possible, he reasons, that they'll tell him otherwise.

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-18 06:44 pm (UTC)(link)
The doctor frowns, more because of the lack of reaction. He knows he's right; he has to be. The first thing 'Mikey' had called him was 'doc', before he had any knowledge from their meeting about who he was. In fact, Bentley never introduced himself, but he gets the feeling he doesn't need to. Not to mention Viana's arms are the result of poorly treated wounds - whoever they work for obviously has no medical knowledge. It's a vague hypothesis, but the closest one he can come to. Mechanics are easier to come by than doctors, anyway.

"Can someone at least give me the pills in my vest?" he sighs, shoulders slackening.

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-18 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Bentley rolls his eyes. "Seriously. I'm not asking you to unchain me.

"Third pocket in the first row."

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-18 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
His lips tighten and brow furrows, reminiscent of the nervous Bentley they met the other day. (Especially the way the sudden explosions make him jump.) They already know too much about him, and telling them what the medicine is for would place him at more of a disadvantage.

"You can't provide me with those. Prescription. Trust me, I'll be more of a hassle if I don't have those."

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-19 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
The doctor looks more and more uncomfortable. This isn't looking good.

"Exactly what harm do you think a few pills can do?"

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-19 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
The punch is unexpected - then again, what did he expect from her? She's obviously a fighter. It's not like he approved of the attire she wore, really, but it's not like Bentley was a firm believer in clothes making the man, or woman, so to speak.

Well, at least he got a sliver of a real name out of it, whether they realize it or not. For a split second, Bentley is surprised by the treatment he gets from the other man. It fades quickly after the added part about goods. (Like checking to make sure if dropped, fragile item is broken for trade, huh?) His jaw will be fine, at least. Sore, but he's obviously been through worse.

"I hardly think you have any room to talk about treatment," Bentley snaps back, rattling the chains around him to get his point across.

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-19 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
A thunk is all that's heard from the bed, now; the sound of the back of Bentley's head on hollow wall. "Don't blame he when you're dragging my dead weight around," he says, realizing rather quickly that be may be the only one listening. The doctor knows when he's being ignored, anyway, and it suits him fine. He can focus on gathering his thoughts; something he can spend hours doing, really - something he likes to have in order before everything else.

Here and there, a few quiet mumbles come from the bed. It doesn't seem to matter to the man whether or not someone hears him; talking to himself is a rather odd, unshakable habit of his. The mutters aren't loud enough for them to hear over the hologram entertainment display, but it's not uncontrollable enough to where he'd blurt out something important, anyway. Even if he did, it's hard to say whether it'd be comprehensible at all. His inner dialogue can get rather jumbled up.

Right now, he's debating whether or not he should try to get out of this. A part of him is curious, really, and it's not like he had much going for him in this town. As of now, he's not in danger. (Apart from being denied his hypotension pills.) He's about ninety-three-point-two percent sure he's kidnapped on behalf of him being a doctor, but also wonders if this may have something to do with his being prothetist. The male, falsely known as 'Mikey' (it will stick in his head despite whatever other name he goes by), is missing two fingers - an easy job, in his line of work. Is that his payment for capturing me, maybe? Made some kind of promise by his boss? Really, he could've just asked. Bentley shrugs to himself, considering. Maybe this whole thing has something to do with the malpractices - but he'd rather not think about those.

In fact, what Bentley wants to think about becomes rather obvious. His stomach growls, and that can be heard over the speakers.

whoa what's professor layton doing here

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-19 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
For once, Bentley looks embarrassed.

"Couldn't you have kidnapped be after I came out of the bakery? Really," he scoffs. He was so looking forward to the sweet bread sandwich tonight.

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-19 09:29 am (UTC)(link)
"...Did something indicate I wasn't?" Even as he says it to Evan, he's glaring at the back of Viana's head as she leaves - especially after her comment. For a moment there, he considers yelling for help in the bit of time the door is actually open. But Bentley can't say he's a fan of commotion.

The doctor drops his weight down onto the bed, sighing. He seems indifferent to the hologram, unless it's medical related or food related. Turning his head, his view of Evan is sideways. "Deal about what?"

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-19 10:11 am (UTC)(link)
So he's not the first, huh? Bentley shrugs his free shoulder.

"I'm interested. A bit."

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-19 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Bentley watches his face carefully, as though the answer might be written there. He sits back up, turning the phrases over in his head, trying to figure where in the world he might be headed. Before he can open his mouth to ask any questions though, Viana returns, graceless as usual. And insulting as usual.

"I resent that," he says to Viana, but wary of Evan's response. Two sockings in one day would just be two more than he cares to have - and who would want quite-possibly-dirty nails in their mouth, anyway? Bentley is somewhat tedious about cleanliness.

The bread is in face gets a good stare for a moment, then Viana's face. He looks incredulous. Almost would rather her brother feed me. Hesitating a moment, he slowly leans over, taking the bite. It's rather gentle, actually, just barely pressing teeth into it and taking it. No fingers or nails get bitten in the process.

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-19 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
The small routine of bite, chew, take a piece, bite, chew, repeat, becomes rather customary pretty quick, probably thanks to the unusual indifference Viana seems to have once she's sure Bentley won't bite her fingertips off. Domestic, maybe, if it weren't for the chains. The doctor still thinks they're unnecessary.

Like Evan, the doctor is too polite to speak with food in his mouth, and takes a moment to respond. "No," he answers.

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-20 02:29 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe he's so distracted and awed by the coordination that he doesn't see the soda can headed straight for his face.

"H-hey, wait, water is fi-" The following sounds are gurgles of cream soda, and Bentley's unfortunate enough to spill some onto the front of his shirt as a consequence. (Actually, it's not even his shirt, is it?) He just frowns silently, trying to lick the soda off his mouth.

Bentley wants to point out that it did come from a convenience shop downstairs, therefore he shouldn't expect the best - but it's true. Asche's alcohol is less than satisfactory. At least, back when Bentley did drink.

"Can't I brush my teeth?" The look on the doctor's face could best be described as a disgusted pout. Sleeping all night with sugar sitting in between your teeth, eroding away your enamel and gums... He shudders at the thought.

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-20 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
Bentley slumps against the wall, seeming to resign to the fact, despite the way he looks to the side so dejectedly. After a minute or so of silence, just filled by the sound of running water in the other room and idle music from the hologram, the doc seems to get a bit antsy. Ah, right, he has a question.

"What happens if I refuse this whole thing, anyway?" He looks at Evan through the corner of his eye, waiting.

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-20 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
"Refuse to be the median of this trade," he adds helpfully, "To cooperate and go willingly."

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-20 03:03 am (UTC)(link)
Bentley looks alarmed, eyes wide. "D-don't you think you've upset my blood pressure enough for one day?! I said 'if'!"

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-20 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
The doctor pauses, looking between Viana and Evan. Then, he scoffs.

"It was a completely hypothetical question. I don't plan to go back on what I said," he grumbles. "I do wonder how you're going to get me out of here a second time without raising suspicion, though."

[identity profile] loadsavepoint.livejournal.com 2010-02-20 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
Even if it's modest compared to her usual wear, Bentley makes it a point to look away. Evan was right about the 'gentleman' impression, at least. There's no signs of embarrassment, though - just the simple reflexive manners kicking in. It's rude to stare, anyway.

"Walking. Great. As if there's not enough of that in Asche, going from bike to bike, dealing with doting old grannies and their grand kids, flailing their walking sticks at me and..."

Bentley rambles on, sliding down onto the bed, closing his eyes. He faces the window, back is to the two siblings. There's not much he can see outside of it, the orange lights dimmed down for nighttime. Phantom, misty clouds disperse across the glass now and then, and it's with a sad sort of fondness that the doctor watches them disappear into the air.