Night 61: F-A Block Hallway

[gald_digger]

[from here]

The halls were quiet, as it seemed Anise had beaten the crowd in getting out of her room. Maybe the other patients were being more cautious this night... That thought made Anise wonder if it really was wise to hastily run out by herself. Like there was a danger that everyone was aware of but her.

... Nah. She was probably overthinking it. There was nothing wrong with being first!

But even as she reassured herself of that, Anise slowed to a cautious pace and carefully checked every corner with her flashlight before moving out of the girls' block.

[to here]

Comments

[ham_fisted]

[from here; for Tsubaki!]

Gumshoe stopped in front of the entrance to the Women's Block and panted. He swung the beam of his flashlight over to his right; this hallway looked clear. Taking a deep breath (Gotta calm the nerves...), he curled his large hand around the door handle and pushed it down.

[thecamellia]

_{[from here]}

Tsubaki didn't have a concrete idea for her first destination, only that it likely wouldn't be found in the female cellblock. She hurried into the main corridor, slowing just enough to double check that the area was safe before proceeding. The faces in the corridor around her were not ones that she knew, but she didn't think much of that.

With luck, her friends were still around in the cellblock, not involved in whatever plans the Head Doctor had going on...

Afterward, Tsubaki would mentally pinch herself for not paying closer attention, but in the moment she was more focused on getting a move on than she was on the door she reached out to open. Before she could close her fingers all the way around the handle, the door jerked, opening from the other side, and she sprang back in surprise before catching a hold of herself. "Oh. Um. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there..."

[ham_fisted]

Gumshoe opened the door to find something waiting for him on the other side of it. "Ahh!" He jolted back a step, bringing his flashlight up to illuminate the figure as quickly as possible. Boy, he couldn't tell you how relieved he was to see it was just a girl. "Phew! For a minute there, I thought you were a monster," he nearly laughed, a boyish smile quirking up one side of his mouth as he pretended to wipe the sweat from his brow. "What a relief. You're fine, pal. Sorry if I gave you a scare."

It took a few seconds for him to think to move out of the doorway so other people could walk through it. He sidestepped to the right, still facing the stranger.

"Say, haven't I seen you around, pal? I'm Detective Dick Gumshoe, by the way." It felt good to know that telling people he was a detective might help them relax. He just wanted to do his part for the community, no matter where he was.

[thecamellia]

The scream sent her back another half-step, and she smiled awkwardly as the person in the doorway passed his light over her. A monster? Sadly, that was entirely within the realm of possibility in the Institute; anything could be lurking behind a closed door. She of all people should have been paying attention to that sort of thing!

“N-no, it’s okay, it was an accident,” she assured, stepping out of the man’s path in case he wanted to continue on his way. “I don’t know… maybe we’ve passed each other before. I’m Tsubaki, Nakatsukasa Tsubaki. It’s nice to meet you, Detective.” She’d never met a real detective before. It sounded like a perfectly respectable name to her.

[ham_fisted]

Whoa. Try saying that name three times fast! Hopefully he wouldn't have to repeat it too often.

"Likewise," Gumshoe replied with a smile. "So, where are you going tonight? Any plans?" He reeled off the questions a little absent-mindedly, folding his arms and glancing away from the girl. He wondered what kind of person they'd be. The person he was meant to meet tonight, that was. It hadn't even occurred to him that she might be as young as this girl. Possibly younger.

[thecamellia]

_{[Sooo laaaate. X(]}

She blinked. “Um--”

Her plans? Well… it wasn’t like she had any secret schemes in mind that she couldn’t share with someone else, but it had been a while since anyone had jumped into such a companionable line of questioning with her right off the bat. It surprised her a little. Landel’s prisoners shared common ground in an unusually intimate way, yet people still held their distance from one another. Not everyone was willing to embrace a stranger, even if that stranger was in the same boat with them.

But if he was just asking to be polite, she hoped he wasn’t delaying his business because of her…?

“--Ah, I’m not sure yet. I thought I’d check things out first. And you, do you need to get somewhere in the women’s block?” That way if he needed to be somewhere, he didn’t have to feel bad about continuing on his way.

[ham_fisted]

[♥]

What if meeting each other at night hadn't been the best idea? People already thought cops were scary enough as it was. He didn't want a little kid being freaked out when he turned up at their doorstep. Next time, he should give people his description before he met them for the first time at night.

But he guessed he was getting worried over nothing. Have you ever known a kid who'd give up their free time to help a stranger do a science experiment?

"Huh? Oh, I gotta go and meet someone, but we're going to need to head back out." By the sound of it, this girl hadn't agreed to meet anyone tonight. He couldn't have a kid like her walking out there by herself. It was too dangerous! "You wanna come with us? We could use a third pair of eyes." He offered her an encouraging smile.

[thecamellia]

“Oh, I see, then I hope I didn’t delay you,” she started to say, but the man wasn’t quite done yet.

Go… with them? Who was “them,” exactly, and where were they going?

Waving her hands a little, she said, “Ah, that’s a kind offer, but I wouldn’t want to interrupt whatever it is you have planned. Don’t mind me!”

[ham_fisted]

"Aww, don't be like that, pal," Gumshoe replied with a crooked grin. "Come with us!" He started toward the next hallway and called out instructions over his shoulder. "Just sit tight. I'll be right back!"

[to here]