Pressed in a Book || [Ed/Open]

[robotparasol]

T

[/i][/color][/size]he clock tower, commonly known as Big Ben, chimed loudly as it signaled the coming of a new hour -- noon. Its emitted vibrations triggered surrounding flocks of birds to panic and scatter, only to have a change of heart and return to their original locations within moments. A more than gentle breeze whizzed by, ruffling their feathers as well as the earthy, green ornaments hanging from the decorative foliage that highlighted each shoppe along the strip. August in London wasn't usually so 'cool'; fourteen degrees Celsius and the occasional gusts of wind made it, indeed, a rather blustery day. Despite the weather, lenses tinted with sepia, boarded in thick plastic frames of red, concealed minty hues and masked an expression of 'overwhelmed'. The owner of the aforementioned eyes absentmindedly brushed the stray stands of hair away from her face as, yet another, gust of wind whipped around her form.

The dark silhouette shifted into a glide as its proprietor began to move; her lively, red heels clicking softly against the ornamental cobblestone. Long cotton sleeves with thick, grey-colored stripes alternating with equally thick navy ones hugged her arms, extending from the body of a turtlenecked mini-dress bearing the same pattern. It was slightly loose, but still somehow managed to enhance the slight curves of her body. South of this article of clothing, she wore a pair of black leggings that went mid-calf, only revealing a small portion of her ivory legs. For the summer season, her attire was a tad unconventional, but it was an abnormally cool day, and seemed to keep her a fairly good temperature.

But the climate was not the cause of her discomfort, or rather, awkwardness. Returning to Europe nearly always threw her for a loop. Perhaps accepting it as the place she originated from was a bit strange to her. New York seemed so much like 'home'.

She took a few more tentative steps forward, deciding that, while she was there, she would enjoy what the capital had to present her with. It would only be a short while longer before she and the rest of her family headed back to Birmingham -- a couple of hours or so -- and if she wanted to survey on her own, she'd have to get started.
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[Ed Thompson]

When Kagumi had told him they would be stopping in London on the way to Japan, Ed had agreed. After all, she had done quite a bit for him, it was the least he could do. A common courtesy, so to speak. He was sure any other in his place would have agreed. Though now, he found it rather ironic. The shoe was on the other foot, and he began wondering to himself. Had she done this on purpose?

Ed, you see, was lost. Yes, quite embarrassing for a man of his stature, but true all the same. And looking back, he realized that when he had met Kagumi, she had told him she was lost in Los Angeles. Knowing the girl, he didn't think it was too far of a stretch that perhaps this was some form of payback, for making her look for him. Though she truly HADN'T searched a very long time. He revealed himself the moment he deduced that she was one of the Wammy's House children. But still, her mind operated in an odd way. Perhaps that, in itself, was the insult. That he had denied her the 'fun' of the search...

Shrugging, he let these thoughts go. The fact was, he'd need to focus on the current situation. Truly, he did not wish to ask for directions, seeing as how ignorant he would appear, but now was not the time to worry about one's image. He sighed, looking for a likely candidate to know their way around.

He saw an elderly man, sitting on a bench. He never enjoyed speaking to the elderly, personally. Each and every conversation, it seemed, turned to his ignorance as a young man, and he ended up being lectured, or told a tale of the person's past. He also observed a few young children, but truly, he did not want to burden THEM with his problems. That would be a terrible thing to do.

And, amongst the crowd of people, one girl caught his eye. She was a teenager, he's wager around 15-16 years old. But she seemed to know her way around, and simply be observing the place, and reflecting. Ed figured she had some kind of attachment to this place, though he could not say for sure exactly what. Though, if she could provide him with some answers without giving a lecture or telling a story, he'd be fine. Well, as long as the whole attitude that every teenager seemed to possess didn't kick in, it was a pretty solid candidate.

So, he made his way over to her. He scratched the side of his head, and yawned. He hadn't gotten much sleep. The past day had been too exciting. He was finally going to Japan to work on the Kira Case, what he'd wanted to do since the case itself cropped up. So, he could do with some rest. He arrived a good 3 feet from her. "Excuse me, miss." He said, waving his hand a little at her to confirm that he was, in fact, speaking to her...