damned_institute | NIGHT 64: MAIN HALLWAY, 1-EAST

_{[From here]}

Scar crawled back into the hallway, his arms shaking and weak from the loss of blood. There was a deep gash across his back and one across the backs of his thighs, the muscle damage making his legs useless. His clothes were soaked in his own blood, and he was becoming dizzy. Despite his current state, a deep scowl was still firmly set on his face.

At this point, his only chance at making it through the night was if someone who cared enough to help him showed up before a monster found him.

Scar sat against the wall, unable to go on much farther. Gingerly, he peeled off his bloodstained shirt and began cutting at it with his small knife. The front was mostly blood-free, so he could at least use it as a bandage for his legs. Grimacing, the Ishbalan wrapped the cloth tightly around the wounded areas. It would be soaked through rather quickly, but it would do for now. There was no way he could get to his back. He didn't even try.

Edited 2012-06-24 22:58 (UTC)

_{[from here]}

Tsubaki had been tempted to sidle up to the door and peek inside, wanting to know what was going on in there, if the information leading to a cure had been uncovered, but her desire to keep her word and find Lingormr first kept her at bay. What was taking so long? Hopefully he was coming soon…

With her eyes and ears trained on what was going on back along the corridor, she didn’t notice the figure leaving the Medical Wing until the sharp smell of blood hit her. Unmistakable, that scent. It raised the hair along her neck and arms, making her breath catch.

She jumped away from the wall, searching for the source--and that’s when she saw the man pulling himself free of the doors to her left.

"Oh my gosh!" All those black smears… blood, oozing from more than one wound. "Sir! Sir, what happened?"

In a flash she was on her knees beside him, reaching inside her clothes for the bandages she kept in stock there.

Scar looked up weakly to find the girl who had been in the hallway with him earlier rushing towards him. He continued to scowl, quickly returning his touch-and-go focus to tying the cloth of his shirt around his leg. His hands trembled slightly.

"Special counciling, I think." His voice was raspy and a bit weak, but still tense with anger. It was the best explanation for Loki's motive of getting Scar to go back to his room.

"Just don't go in there." There was nothing worse than being in such a weak state in front of another, but at least it was no one that he knew.

"Here, let me help you… It’s not much but it will help to stop the bleeding." She had a role of medical tape stashed somewhere near her left arm, and she added it to the small pile of gauze and bandages she’d lain out on the floor. The man had made a temporary around his leg, but from what she could see his sides were slick with blood, indicating more areas that needed tending. "Where else are you injured?"

From her vantage point, wounds didn’t look life-threatening provided they stopped the bleeding, but still… for a prisoner under Special Counselling to hurt someone so badly was chilling. What was the likelihood Landel had stationed someone in the Medical Wing just to prevent people from heading to the X-Ray room?

And to think, a whole area of the hospital dedicated to medical supplies but no safe way past…

"Who did this? Was it really one of the prisoners?"

"Lingormr." He spat the name like a curse. Scar grunted as he sat more forward so the girl could better access his back.

"My back... And both of my legs." He closed his eyes, the dizziness of blood loss starting to really get to him.

Scar did not want to dwell on the idea that he had just been so easily torn to shreds by Lingormr, though. He tried not too appear so infuriated by the man. And he was curious as to where Tsubaki had gotten her hands on medical supplies.

"Where did you get tape?"

“Wh--what?” It comes out as a disbelieving squeak, her surprise making her eyes fly wide.

Lingormr? As in… ? How many Lingormrs could there be under one roof!? Logic said only one, which meant… which meant her Lingormr, the one she was acquainted with and was supposed to meeting up, had been taken for Special Counselling. Brainwashed! And ordered to hurt people!

Her hands froze for a split second before Tsubaki reminded herself there were more important things to be doing. Quickly snatching up some gauze, she sat up on her knees. “I’ll bandage them up, okay? Just hang in there.” Her mind might have been racing, but her hands still knew what to do. She pressed the pads to the wound along the man’s back with one hand, using the other to grab a length of bandage to secure them in place. It wouldn’t hold forever, but at the moment any little bit of help to seal the injuries off would be a blessing.

“I--I got a first aid kit in town,” she stammered in answer. “But I only brought a little with me.”

Clearly, this girl knew him. Scar scowled.

"He has a... giant knife of some sort," he rasped, gritting his teeth against the pain as she pressed the cloth against his back.

The Ishbalan nodded when she mentioned buying supplies in town. Of course that made sense. Why hadn't Scar thought of that? He would have to remember the next time they brought them down there.

"Thank you," he murmured, still trying to cool off his anger at Loki. He wasn't about to channel the brunt of it to this girl. Really, he was still shocked that Landel was so twisted as to kidnap such a young lady. His mind was slow from the lack of blood, but he was conscious enough that another rush of fury flared through his system at the thought of subjecting children to a place like this.

Landel was just as bad as the Amestrian military. Scar hated him.

Tsubaki felt silent for a moment, lost in the whirlwind of her thoughts. Hard to believe the man she had only just talked to that morning was now prowling the very spot they’d agreed to find each other, attacking whoever went inside. But that was how Special Counselling worked. Lingormr must have been taken at dinner and…

… and given his power and strength back.

The man before her was obviously no lightweight, but Lingormr had easily chased him out of the area. It was good that brainwashing victims seemed to have a limited range of movement and couldn’t follow people throughout the building.

“You don’t have to thank me,” she said in a small voice. “I’m sorry, if I’d known I would have gone inside after you. We‘ll get you help.” She had enough supplies left to tape up the leg he hadn’t gotten around to, but if only Rapunzel was nearby! Healing magic was far more efficient than a few bandages.

Wait. Healing magic…? She didn’t have any healing abilities herself, but she did have the vial of yellow liquid she’d gotten as a “reward.”

Consume wisely and only if you or one of your friends is gravely injured.

Without thinking, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the bottle, which after two weeks still sat full of the mysterious substance. “I have this! It… well, I was told you’re supposed to take it when you’re injured. But I don’t know if it’s true.” Kurogane had advised her not to use it if she didn’t know what it was, and she had been inclined to agree with him, but if it helped… “I don’t know what it does, honestly, but it might help with your wounds and we can get you somewhere safe to rest.”

It was certainly a testament to this girl's kindness that she was offering this supposed healing serum to Scar. He was only made more angry that someone like this was being holed up in this hell.

"Keep it." He grimaced, moving to sit up straighter. "I'll live."

And honestly, Scar didn't quite trust whatever was in that bottle. If she had gotten it from the Institute, chances were it was just as big of a trap as the one he had just marched into.

If the potion did actually work, Scar would rather this girl have it when she needed it, rather than wasting it on him.

“But…”

But what? What was she trying to argue, exactly? That he should take a strange drink from a strange person? If she were on the other end of things, she would probably hesitate to test her luck, too.

But that still meant he was injured in the middle of the hallway, with their way into the Medical Wing blocked by… well, she didn’t want to think about it.

“Do you think you can walk?” she hazarded instead, putting the vial away again. With someone smaller, Tsubaki could have carried them herself, but she hesitated to think of trying to move the man alone. He was a lot bigger.

"It's the only option," he said through grit teeth in response to her question. He would just have to force himself to suck it up and walk. Scar leaned heavily against the wall as he stood weakly, a painful grimace on his face. It was bad enough that his injuries were almost completely crippling, but he had lost so much blood that he was lightheaded.

Scar would be Scar, though. He refused to let himself be defeated by an injury that was actually quite petty in comparison to what other various atrocities he had endured. And the fact that they had been inflicted by Lingormr only drove him further to overcome this.

"Where to?"

Staying in the hallway wasn’t an option. Trouble could come from any direction, and predators that were already nearby would probably be able to smell the blood. But a safe place…? The hospital was definitely short on those, ironically. Upstairs where she knew other medical supplies to be was out of the question with the man’s injuries. So were the patient rooms because of the sheer distance.

The closest spot she felt comfortable enough taking him to was the next hall over, where the doctor’s offices were. On her way past, she hadn’t noticed any of the doors standing open, which meant they were still relatively untouched…

“If we can get you to the doctor’s offices, there’ll be a place to rest!” She lifted herself up, recollecting the leftover supplies. “You can lean on me, I’ll help.”

Once she’d gotten the door unlocked, she knew there would be a couch to lay on, which would help take the pressure off of his legs and back. And then… and then she could figure out the next step.

"Alright." Scar tried not to put too much weight on the girl as he walked, keeping one hand on the wall and the other arm on her shoulder. Thankfully, she was on the taller side. It was a painfully slow process, and Scar wasn't quite sure where he was going. He had never been to the doctor's offices before.

Something hit him after a moment of walking in silence. He hadn't thought of the sickness as an issue before. No one would be concerned if he transformed or not. But he wasn't about to put this girl's life in danger.

"There is a chance I may transform tonight. If that happens while we're in the doctor's office, barricade the door on your way out."

Or, he supposed, he wouldn't mind being locked in the Medical Wing with Lingormr. That would certainly be satisfying in some sick sense.

At times like these, Tsubaki was almost grateful for the physicality of her work; she would never be the strongest person in Shibusen, but she wasn’t grossly out of shape, either. Having a little muscle made leading the man a bit easier.

With one hand on his arm and the other above the wound on his back to steady him, the two of them made their halting way back down the hall. The stranger deserved credit for his endurance--given the severity of his injuries, every step he managed must have been an uphill battle for him.

Just getting him out of harm’s way was enough to focus on. The last thing she was expecting to hear was--

“You’re sick?” Damn, why did she think she could stop looking for signs of the infection? She’d known there were others out there, others who had to be going through the same thing as her friends… “I’ll… I’ll be careful.”

If he transforms, not when. Surely that wouldn’t happen.

Bit by bit, their destination emerged from the blackness, rows of doors resolving themselves into familiar shapes. The first door facing them was the same office she and Rapunzel had found a computer in, and it was the first room she thought to go to.

“Okay, first things first. I’ll get the door if you’re okay to wait here,” she said, peering up at him. Leaving him by himself even for a short time wasn’t the safest, but she needed both hands to pick a lock.

Scar nodded. He wasn't going to leave her in the dark about something so serious.

"That's fine." His expression was still stiff, his teeth grit against the pain. Scar leaned heavily against the wall, waiting for the young woman to return. At this point, every moment was a fight to remain conscious. He had been so hurt that he blacked out before, but he couldn't afford that to happen here. Scar didn't expect the girl who was kind enough to help him to be able to get him into a safe room. And he was certain that there would be beasts attracted to the stench of blood.

While Tsubaki was away, Scar managed to get a shaking hand into his pants pocket, pulling out the photo of his brother. Blood now stained one corner. He frowned slightly. He shouldn't care... but least it wasn't ruined.

_{[Sorry for the wait. D:!]}

Okay… quickly now, let’s go…

Once Tsubaki was relatively sure the man wasn’t about to topple over, she turned and ran for the door, pulling out her lock picking tools as she did. She hadn’t had a lot of chances to get a feel for the Institute’s locks, but after breaking into the doctor’s offices she at least knew what to expect where they were concerned.

A few tense seconds of fiddling led to the eventual click that she was waiting for. Thank goodness. Tsubaki breathed a sigh of relief and straightened.

“Got it open! I’m going to check it out!” she called.

Monsters could be hiding anywhere, even behind a locked door. If Landel wanted to inflict a nasty surprise on someone, putting them there would be the best chance to do so, too. But when Tsubaki poked her head inside and scanned the darkness, nothing stood out to her. It was the same as it’d been before--dark and quiet. Most importantly, it was a place for the man to rest.

Hurrying back to Scar, she held out her arms to once again get some of his weight across her shoulders. “All right, it seems safe. There’s a couch in the corner where you can lay down.”

[Nah, don't worry about it!]

Scar nodded weakly, leaning against the girl once again and making his way slowly to the office she had opened. Crossing the hallway was difficult without a wall to lean on, but Scar eventually made it. It was a slow, painstaking process, though.

[To here]

Edited 2012-07-04 01:01 (UTC)

NIGHT 64: MAIN HALLWAY, 1-EAST

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