Requiem 10: Yuka-Tan
The hospital is easy to find with Yukari's map (what a useful little thing), and once again the familiar sight of the front desk is before him.
Tom meanders up to the desk, to the (surely, in a hospital) clerk at the helm, "Excuse me, could you possibly help me find a patient?"
"Certainly. Name please?"
"Actually, I'm here investigating the cause of the lad's coma, and I'm not too sure of the name. Was there anyone who was admitted with heavy
slashing or puncture wounds, or is currently in a coma?"
"...your name, please?"
"Oh, sorry. Thomas Magnusson."
"Thomas Magnusson...you've been admitted for both slashing wounds and exhaustion...is this correct?"
"That's correct."
"And your insurance is...alright...and you're looking for a boy admitted with heavy slashing or puncture wounds, or in a coma?"
"Or a combination of those traits. I'd assume it's been a while since his admittance."
"I'm afraid I can't actually tell you who fits those specific qualifications," she says after a moment, "Due to legal problems."
"Would it help if I were to tell you that I've been currently investigating his sister? Actually..."
"But I can inform you that there are people who meet some of those qualifications here."
"Could you tell me if any of those patients have a recurring female visitor?"
"I can't."
"Violation of privacy, I'm afraid."
"I understand."
"Is there anything else I can do to help you?"
"Hmm, well..."
"Not really, but I do have an unrelated question. Have you heard anything of strange cases of disappearances as of late?"
"Just what I read in the paper, Mister Magnusson!"
"That's fine, then. Thank you very much for your help."
"Have a nice day. Hope we don't see you again soon!"
"You won't miss me? I'm hurt," Tom smirks, turning to leave. That's one errand down... Now he had some questions to ask his coworkers.
Back to base for a bit, it seems.
That map is just the best thing that ever happened to him today. Easy to find, easy to return to.
Yukari's still sitting at the desk when he enters.
Tom shuts the door behind him. He hasn't gotten lost ONCE today! That's a good track record! "Hey there Yuka! Anything fun happen while I was
out?"
"Not a damn thing. You're home early, Tommygun - must be pretty boring out there. Or did your date stand you up?"
"Edgeworth's got a sharp tongue, but Roger was a wealth of info. Speaking of information, is boss home?"
"Asleep. Why?"
"I needed to run a few ideas by him."
"I'll tell him to wait around in his office tonight, okay?"
"That'd be great. Thanks a lot, Yuka. Oh, and uh..."
"No, Mitsuru hasn't called for you recently."
Tom's eyes drifted to his shoes, returning to her only a moment later, "I'm sorry if I brought up anything painful the other day."
"Reel the tongue in, I can practically see it hanging out your mouth every time she comes aroun..." She looks away.
It's like an utter shift in personality to the Nth degree. From light, cheery, peppy Yukari to a somber frown.
Tom rubs at his scalp- ouch, wrong topic. "I'm sorry, I'll stop bringing it up."
"No...it's...it's okay. It's not something I really wanna talk about, at least not with you, Tommygun." She leans forward and sighs.
"I talk about it with the people I need to talk about it with. So don't worry about me."
"I understand."
"...I'll just ask Minato about it later. So let's talk about something else, huh?"
"Sounds good to me."
"So... Any progress on that disappearance?"
"Nope...Fuuka's not up yet, so I can't analyze the stuff the police lab sent over."
"I'm dumb." She makes a face. "I spent all my time in school trying too hard to be normal and wound up as a secretary."
Tom chuckles, resting his hands in his pockets, "She's still asleep? Must be tired... And don't worry too much about that, you're a pretty
damned good secretary. That map you gave me's been really useful."
"I figured. You seem like the sorta guy who can't find his head from his ass without a map."
"No offense."
"I won't lie, I have the navigational ability of a lone lemming."
"I'm good at pegging people's problems down."
"I'd probably be a psychologist if I didn't have so many of 'em myself."
"Well, they say that being able to relate with a patient is one of the most vital advantages a therapist can have..."
"You and I both know that's not what I meant."
"Anyway. What are you looking into so closely, anyhow?"
"Uh, I think that it might hurt to hear."
"Then we'll skip it."
"Yeah... So Fuuka's not up yet? It's getting pretty well into the day."
"...Then again, she's really been at it lately."
"She doesn't usually go straight to sleep. And she'll come downstairs a lot in the middle of the night if she has an idea."
"I see... So has she at least had anything to eat?"
"Probably. She tends to take food down with her, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess that's true. So when does she usually get up?"
"There isn't really a 'usually' with Fuuka."
"Aha, eclectic in hours, huh?"
"She doesn't have a 'cycle' so much as 'random up and downs.'
"
"Huuuh..." Tom sighs, popping his shoulder, "I needed to ask her about that Knight, too."
"You mean the Moonlight Knight?"
"Yeah."
"It's a pretty romantic story." She gives him a lopsided grin. "But he's sort of a local fact of life around here...I guess myth is more
appropriate, but people keep going to fight him, and they keep getting dragged away..."
"Do the stories say anything about where this Knight is from?"
"You know as much as I do, I'm sure. Shows up on the nights of the full moon to challenge people to fights, says if they win they get a wish..."
"But from what I've heard, not many people have actually won."
"Nobody that I know of."
"I see... So maybe it could be a trap?"
"I doubt it."
"It's just been going on for way too long, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it. So what happens if someone DOES beat the knight? I mean, if nobody's ever actually won, how do we know it actually grants
wishes?"
"I guess it's just the sorta thing people hold on hope for, you know?"
"I say 'you know' a lot," Yukari chirps after a moment, a bit of a grin on her face.
Tom chuckles, pressing against the base of his skull, "Yeah, and I think way too far into things."
"Sometimes you just have to live for the moment, Tommygun."
"Heh, I guess I do, sometimes. Life's too stressful otherwise, right?"
"Mmmhmmm."
"You're living the good life, Tommygun - enjoy it! You work too hard."
"I only work hard because there are people who need me to work hard. Can't just leave them without answers, after all."
"Trust me, I'm not really a workaholic ALL the time."
"That's good to hear. Fuuka won't shut up about the festival, so you better not skip it to work or something."
"Unless a monster pops out of my chest, or something, I definitely won't."
"That's also good to hear," Yukari adds.
"Heh, she says I'm an R-0. Suicidal tendencies with a hint of masochism."
"Huh?"
"It's probably true," he snickers, "Oh, the Requiem directory."
"She was doing profiles on everyone. I asked her what she thought I was."
"Oh."
"She hasn't said anything about that to me yet."
"Heh, we only talked about it last night..."
"And she said she more or less just got started. We both went to bed after that."
"Ah."
"...I wonder what she thinks of her own profile? Or yours, for that matter?"
"It's like one of those online quiz things, except several tiers more serious."
"Dunno," she replies cheerily. "I don't like thinking about that kinda thing."
"Do you do a lot of those?"
"I used to do them once in a while, back in college."
"Mostly just to see how accurate people could be. I kept rolling up either 'Strength' or 'Star' or 'Tower' for those tarot ones,
though."
"Weird."
"I tried this one once that said 'Magician and Hierophant,' but they're just tests. Kinda like horoscopes."
"I guess we just have to trust Fuuka to know what she's doing."
"Yeah, she's a hard worker, I'm sure she'll do a great job."
"You better take care of her, Tommygun."
"One false move and-" She mimes shooting him in the chest. "Bang!"
"...I will. I wouldn't break her heart conciously."
"Not even for a certain sultry redhead?"
Tom glances behind him to make sure nobody was listening.
Nobody.
"...Like an ice sculpture, nice to look at, painful to touch."
"You'd be surprised."
"I take it she wasn't always like that?"
"Well. No. She's more or less always been like that."
"...Aha."
"...Huh."
"But people see her as the 'babe' and I guess it's a defense mechanism or something."
"The ice-queen thing, you mean."
"Right."
"Huh."
"Well it makes sense."
"True. Drive away the guys who only want her body and all."
"She's rich, she's got looks most girls would kill for, she wears clothes most girls would kill her for..."
"She's bright, clever...how do you compete with that kinda woman?"
"Truth be told?"
"What I look for in a woman is the same thing I look for in work: truth."
"That was the corniest thing I have ever heard a man say in my entire life, and I've heard some pretty awful lines before."
"Looks are always a help, and brains are practically a prerequisite, but if I feel they're putting up a barrier, it's like they don't trust
me."
"Heh, I can be pretty corny sometimes, I guess. Call me a romantic, maybe?"
Yukari shrugs. "I'm just worried. I'm protective of Fuuka. Mitsuru's my friend, too, though, and I know she likes you at least a little bit -
she wouldn't've even bothered using you if she didn't, trust me. She could find better to use."
"Erm, no offense."
"I don't want Fuuka to get hurt, though."
"She's fragile."
"That she asked you out at all is practically a miracle."
"She's a bit withdrawn?"
"Normally, I mean."
"You've seen what she's like."
"...Yeah."
"How about you? Junpei more your speed?"
"I might have to hit you for that."
"Please don't, I'm fragile."
"Liar."
"Hey, I'm already injured!"
"You're not fragile."
"I'm not sure about that. Never punched anything so hard I broke yet."
"I'm sure you are."
"Fragile? Got that right."
"I have the body of a behemoth but a heart of glass, you know?"
"..."
"...not really."
"Fine, don't believe me."
"I don't."
"Anyway, I've got some calls to make."
"Alright, that's fine. I'll probably head downstairs and look over stuff, or something like that."
"Fuuka locks the door by day, actually."
"...Damn. Well, is there anything else to do around here?"
"I'd ask for a console, but I'd break the controller."
"Nothing," Yukari replies. "This is a pretty bummed-out place when you think about it."
"Huh."
"Well, that's no fun."
"You guys should invest in a punching bag, or something."
"Well."
"You're getting paid."
"You buy one."
"...Yeah, but I need that stuff for medical bills."
"Gotta pay off the insurance premiums."
"You mean they haven't told you yet?"
She just sort of stares at him, phone in hand, slowly setting it back down.
"...No?"
Tom recalls a mention about the insurance, but...
"Told me what?"
"Well...the agency is a private one, technically...but we're still a business. We actually get paid a lot to look into things the police turn down,
and because of that, we have...well, really good insurance."
"You're pretty much covered, Tommygun."
"Really, you didn't know what you were getting when you signed on?"
"...Honestly, I only looked at the paycheck."
"Also, the chance to travel."
"...you are, an utter and complete bonehead, Tommygun."
"Having a hard head is useful. Keeps the concussions at bay."
"Cute."
"Anyway...you're free and clear on the insurance, at least for the most part. I'll call ahead to the hospital and let them know that you're on
our plan, not whatever you were using."
She sighs. "One more thing I have to do today...better quit giving me so much work, Tommygun."
"Hey, I'd rather be doing work than waiting through the day. Speaking of which, I seem to have money to burn..."
"Any idea where I could drop by to pick stuff up?"
"Might as well kill some time in the commercial district, if you have to go spending money. Me, I'd...well, okay, I was gonna say I'd 'put it
in a savings account', but that's only true half the time."
"Hah, avid shopper, are we?"
"Actually, I need to pick up a new replacement coat. My other one got torn to bits... And a punching bag. Or maybe a Television."
"...I'll need to save up for the TV, probably."
"I'm not an AVID shopper..." She admits, "Just...I tend to be frugal. And when sales come, that's good frugality."
"Uh...electronics, well, I'd point you at Tronne's...they sometimes sell old stuff people give 'em."
"Or ask them to build you a custom if they're not too busy."
"...Oh, yeah, I would, but..."
"Uhm, I think they might still be closed after what happened to Roll. I could go check though."
"What happened to Roll?"
"She was... Cut open pretty bad by this thug that was after Shinji."
"Fenrir, Endgame."
Yukari gasps, covering her mouth with her hands and once again dropping the phone.
"You're kidding! Is she okay?"
"She's concious, last I checked, but she got hurt pretty badly."
"I would have taken it myself, if I had seen it coming. I think she's still on the mend- and Rock was without his lower half, so I'm pretty sure
they're taking a break to get everything back together again."
"Oof...well, that's...wow." Yukari slumps. "Well now I feel bad for pointing you at 'em."
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure she'll be fine."
"...Speaking of which, I totally forgot to ask about her at the hospital. Poor girl, she's probably going through a lot."
"How thoughtless of ya, Tommygun."
"Well, I was kind of absent minded then..."
"I guess it was, just a bit."
"I'm sure she'll forgive you."
"I hope so. Else I'll have to pay for her lunch. Again."
"Good thing you have money to burn."
"Yeah, I hope so- after this trip."
"Well then, I'd better let ya go."
"Yeah. Call me if Boss and Headphones wake up, kay? I need to pester them for a few answers."
"Will do."
The hospital is easy to find with Yukari's map (what a useful little thing), and once again the familiar sight of the front desk is before him.
Tom meanders up to the desk, to the (surely, in a hospital) clerk at the helm, "Excuse me, could you possibly help me find a patient?"
"Certainly. Name please?"
"Actually, I'm here investigating the cause of the lad's coma, and I'm not too sure of the name. Was there anyone who was admitted with heavy
slashing or puncture wounds, or is currently in a coma?"
"...your name, please?"
"Oh, sorry. Thomas Magnusson."
"Thomas Magnusson...you've been admitted for both slashing wounds and exhaustion...is this correct?"
"That's correct."
"And your insurance is...alright...and you're looking for a boy admitted with heavy slashing or puncture wounds, or in a coma?"
"Or a combination of those traits. I'd assume it's been a while since his admittance."
"I'm afraid I can't actually tell you who fits those specific qualifications," she says after a moment, "Due to legal problems."
"Would it help if I were to tell you that I've been currently investigating his sister? Actually..."
"But I can inform you that there are people who meet some of those qualifications here."
"Could you tell me if any of those patients have a recurring female visitor?"
"I can't."
"Violation of privacy, I'm afraid."
"I understand."
"Is there anything else I can do to help you?"
"Hmm, well..."
"Not really, but I do have an unrelated question. Have you heard anything of strange cases of disappearances as of late?"
"Just what I read in the paper, Mister Magnusson!"
"That's fine, then. Thank you very much for your help."
"Have a nice day. Hope we don't see you again soon!"
"You won't miss me? I'm hurt," Tom smirks, turning to leave. That's one errand down... Now he had some questions to ask his coworkers.
Back to base for a bit, it seems.
That map is just the best thing that ever happened to him today. Easy to find, easy to return to.
Yukari's still sitting at the desk when he enters.
Tom shuts the door behind him. He hasn't gotten lost ONCE today! That's a good track record! "Hey there Yuka! Anything fun happen while I was
out?"
"Not a damn thing. You're home early, Tommygun - must be pretty boring out there. Or did your date stand you up?"
"Edgeworth's got a sharp tongue, but Roger was a wealth of info. Speaking of information, is boss home?"
"Asleep. Why?"
"I needed to run a few ideas by him."
"I'll tell him to wait around in his office tonight, okay?"
"That'd be great. Thanks a lot, Yuka. Oh, and uh..."
"No, Mitsuru hasn't called for you recently."
Tom's eyes drifted to his shoes, returning to her only a moment later, "I'm sorry if I brought up anything painful the other day."
"Reel the tongue in, I can practically see it hanging out your mouth every time she comes aroun..." She looks away.
It's like an utter shift in personality to the Nth degree. From light, cheery, peppy Yukari to a somber frown.
Tom rubs at his scalp- ouch, wrong topic. "I'm sorry, I'll stop bringing it up."
"No...it's...it's okay. It's not something I really wanna talk about, at least not with you, Tommygun." She leans forward and sighs.
"I talk about it with the people I need to talk about it with. So don't worry about me."
"I understand."
"...I'll just ask Minato about it later. So let's talk about something else, huh?"
"Sounds good to me."
"So... Any progress on that disappearance?"
"Nope...Fuuka's not up yet, so I can't analyze the stuff the police lab sent over."
"I'm dumb." She makes a face. "I spent all my time in school trying too hard to be normal and wound up as a secretary."
Tom chuckles, resting his hands in his pockets, "She's still asleep? Must be tired... And don't worry too much about that, you're a pretty
damned good secretary. That map you gave me's been really useful."
"I figured. You seem like the sorta guy who can't find his head from his ass without a map."
"No offense."
"I won't lie, I have the navigational ability of a lone lemming."
"I'm good at pegging people's problems down."
"I'd probably be a psychologist if I didn't have so many of 'em myself."
"Well, they say that being able to relate with a patient is one of the most vital advantages a therapist can have..."
"You and I both know that's not what I meant."
"Anyway. What are you looking into so closely, anyhow?"
"Uh, I think that it might hurt to hear."
"Then we'll skip it."
"Yeah... So Fuuka's not up yet? It's getting pretty well into the day."
"...Then again, she's really been at it lately."
"She doesn't usually go straight to sleep. And she'll come downstairs a lot in the middle of the night if she has an idea."
"I see... So has she at least had anything to eat?"
"Probably. She tends to take food down with her, you know?"
"Yeah, I guess that's true. So when does she usually get up?"
"There isn't really a 'usually' with Fuuka."
"Aha, eclectic in hours, huh?"
"She doesn't have a 'cycle' so much as 'random up and downs.'
"
"Huuuh..." Tom sighs, popping his shoulder, "I needed to ask her about that Knight, too."
"You mean the Moonlight Knight?"
"Yeah."
"It's a pretty romantic story." She gives him a lopsided grin. "But he's sort of a local fact of life around here...I guess myth is more
appropriate, but people keep going to fight him, and they keep getting dragged away..."
"Do the stories say anything about where this Knight is from?"
"You know as much as I do, I'm sure. Shows up on the nights of the full moon to challenge people to fights, says if they win they get a wish..."
"But from what I've heard, not many people have actually won."
"Nobody that I know of."
"I see... So maybe it could be a trap?"
"I doubt it."
"It's just been going on for way too long, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it. So what happens if someone DOES beat the knight? I mean, if nobody's ever actually won, how do we know it actually grants
wishes?"
"I guess it's just the sorta thing people hold on hope for, you know?"
"I say 'you know' a lot," Yukari chirps after a moment, a bit of a grin on her face.
Tom chuckles, pressing against the base of his skull, "Yeah, and I think way too far into things."
"Sometimes you just have to live for the moment, Tommygun."
"Heh, I guess I do, sometimes. Life's too stressful otherwise, right?"
"Mmmhmmm."
"You're living the good life, Tommygun - enjoy it! You work too hard."
"I only work hard because there are people who need me to work hard. Can't just leave them without answers, after all."
"Trust me, I'm not really a workaholic ALL the time."
"That's good to hear. Fuuka won't shut up about the festival, so you better not skip it to work or something."
"Unless a monster pops out of my chest, or something, I definitely won't."
"That's also good to hear," Yukari adds.
"Heh, she says I'm an R-0. Suicidal tendencies with a hint of masochism."
"Huh?"
"It's probably true," he snickers, "Oh, the Requiem directory."
"She was doing profiles on everyone. I asked her what she thought I was."
"Oh."
"She hasn't said anything about that to me yet."
"Heh, we only talked about it last night..."
"And she said she more or less just got started. We both went to bed after that."
"Ah."
"...I wonder what she thinks of her own profile? Or yours, for that matter?"
"It's like one of those online quiz things, except several tiers more serious."
"Dunno," she replies cheerily. "I don't like thinking about that kinda thing."
"Do you do a lot of those?"
"I used to do them once in a while, back in college."
"Mostly just to see how accurate people could be. I kept rolling up either 'Strength' or 'Star' or 'Tower' for those tarot ones,
though."
"Weird."
"I tried this one once that said 'Magician and Hierophant,' but they're just tests. Kinda like horoscopes."
"I guess we just have to trust Fuuka to know what she's doing."
"Yeah, she's a hard worker, I'm sure she'll do a great job."
"You better take care of her, Tommygun."
"One false move and-" She mimes shooting him in the chest. "Bang!"
"...I will. I wouldn't break her heart conciously."
"Not even for a certain sultry redhead?"
Tom glances behind him to make sure nobody was listening.
Nobody.
"...Like an ice sculpture, nice to look at, painful to touch."
"You'd be surprised."
"I take it she wasn't always like that?"
"Well. No. She's more or less always been like that."
"...Aha."
"...Huh."
"But people see her as the 'babe' and I guess it's a defense mechanism or something."
"The ice-queen thing, you mean."
"Right."
"Huh."
"Well it makes sense."
"True. Drive away the guys who only want her body and all."
"She's rich, she's got looks most girls would kill for, she wears clothes most girls would kill her for..."
"She's bright, clever...how do you compete with that kinda woman?"
"Truth be told?"
"What I look for in a woman is the same thing I look for in work: truth."
"That was the corniest thing I have ever heard a man say in my entire life, and I've heard some pretty awful lines before."
"Looks are always a help, and brains are practically a prerequisite, but if I feel they're putting up a barrier, it's like they don't trust
me."
"Heh, I can be pretty corny sometimes, I guess. Call me a romantic, maybe?"
Yukari shrugs. "I'm just worried. I'm protective of Fuuka. Mitsuru's my friend, too, though, and I know she likes you at least a little bit -
she wouldn't've even bothered using you if she didn't, trust me. She could find better to use."
"Erm, no offense."
"I don't want Fuuka to get hurt, though."
"She's fragile."
"That she asked you out at all is practically a miracle."
"She's a bit withdrawn?"
"Normally, I mean."
"You've seen what she's like."
"...Yeah."
"How about you? Junpei more your speed?"
"I might have to hit you for that."
"Please don't, I'm fragile."
"Liar."
"Hey, I'm already injured!"
"You're not fragile."
"I'm not sure about that. Never punched anything so hard I broke yet."
"I'm sure you are."
"Fragile? Got that right."
"I have the body of a behemoth but a heart of glass, you know?"
"..."
"...not really."
"Fine, don't believe me."
"I don't."
"Anyway, I've got some calls to make."
"Alright, that's fine. I'll probably head downstairs and look over stuff, or something like that."
"Fuuka locks the door by day, actually."
"...Damn. Well, is there anything else to do around here?"
"I'd ask for a console, but I'd break the controller."
"Nothing," Yukari replies. "This is a pretty bummed-out place when you think about it."
"Huh."
"Well, that's no fun."
"You guys should invest in a punching bag, or something."
"Well."
"You're getting paid."
"You buy one."
"...Yeah, but I need that stuff for medical bills."
"Gotta pay off the insurance premiums."
"You mean they haven't told you yet?"
She just sort of stares at him, phone in hand, slowly setting it back down.
"...No?"
Tom recalls a mention about the insurance, but...
"Told me what?"
"Well...the agency is a private one, technically...but we're still a business. We actually get paid a lot to look into things the police turn down,
and because of that, we have...well, really good insurance."
"You're pretty much covered, Tommygun."
"Really, you didn't know what you were getting when you signed on?"
"...Honestly, I only looked at the paycheck."
"Also, the chance to travel."
"...you are, an utter and complete bonehead, Tommygun."
"Having a hard head is useful. Keeps the concussions at bay."
"Cute."
"Anyway...you're free and clear on the insurance, at least for the most part. I'll call ahead to the hospital and let them know that you're on
our plan, not whatever you were using."
She sighs. "One more thing I have to do today...better quit giving me so much work, Tommygun."
"Hey, I'd rather be doing work than waiting through the day. Speaking of which, I seem to have money to burn..."
"Any idea where I could drop by to pick stuff up?"
"Might as well kill some time in the commercial district, if you have to go spending money. Me, I'd...well, okay, I was gonna say I'd 'put it
in a savings account', but that's only true half the time."
"Hah, avid shopper, are we?"
"Actually, I need to pick up a new replacement coat. My other one got torn to bits... And a punching bag. Or maybe a Television."
"...I'll need to save up for the TV, probably."
"I'm not an AVID shopper..." She admits, "Just...I tend to be frugal. And when sales come, that's good frugality."
"Uh...electronics, well, I'd point you at Tronne's...they sometimes sell old stuff people give 'em."
"Or ask them to build you a custom if they're not too busy."
"...Oh, yeah, I would, but..."
"Uhm, I think they might still be closed after what happened to Roll. I could go check though."
"What happened to Roll?"
"She was... Cut open pretty bad by this thug that was after Shinji."
"Fenrir, Endgame."
Yukari gasps, covering her mouth with her hands and once again dropping the phone.
"You're kidding! Is she okay?"
"She's concious, last I checked, but she got hurt pretty badly."
"I would have taken it myself, if I had seen it coming. I think she's still on the mend- and Rock was without his lower half, so I'm pretty sure
they're taking a break to get everything back together again."
"Oof...well, that's...wow." Yukari slumps. "Well now I feel bad for pointing you at 'em."
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure she'll be fine."
"...Speaking of which, I totally forgot to ask about her at the hospital. Poor girl, she's probably going through a lot."
"How thoughtless of ya, Tommygun."
"Well, I was kind of absent minded then..."
"I guess it was, just a bit."
"I'm sure she'll forgive you."
"I hope so. Else I'll have to pay for her lunch. Again."
"Good thing you have money to burn."
"Yeah, I hope so- after this trip."
"Well then, I'd better let ya go."
"Yeah. Call me if Boss and Headphones wake up, kay? I need to pester them for a few answers."
"Will do."