damned_institute | NIGHT 65: M-A BLOCK HALLWAY

[from here.]

Gabriel closed the door behind him as quietly as he could, still tense with the lack of expectation, the inability to tell what he might find behind each door, but reassured by the echo of his own words in his head. The darkness was still heavy, but at least it seemed less lonely now than it had.

Quickly he turned to the nearest door on the block and cast his torchlight on it--room 40. Castiel's room was next down that hall. The Archangel's heart was suddenly pounding as he made for it, his thumb brushing the first of the rosary's knots as he murmured its prayer. If it was in thanks or in plea, not even he was sure.

[to here.]

Edited 2012-08-13 12:40 (UTC)

[From here]

He was so close. Link rounded the corner into his and Sora's hallway. There was a heavy feeling in his chest, like this didn't bode well. What if he was too late?

Concern obvious in his eyes, he rounded the final corner.

[To here]

Edited 2012-08-16 01:35 (UTC)

[From Here!]

...He remembered this hallway.

This was where he'd first met Harpuia, with X bracing his hand on the wall just as he was doing now, the two of them eventually traveling together through the night.

There was nothing here that he could use; he was sure of it. He and Harpuia had checked it last night, though the temptation of checking the...bathroom?...to see if they'd replaced the mirror he broke was there.

...No. There was no need for that. He had other things to do right now.

X's stomach clenched.

Harpuia...Zero...

Were they okay? He was sure the two of them could take care of themselves, but in a place like this, he knew that one couldn't be too careful.

Worry touching the back of his mind, X pressed forward.

[To Here!]

Edited 2012-08-14 00:25 (UTC)

[From here]

It left a bad taste in his mouth, leaving his roommate behind like this. As it was, there wasn't anything Seishin was able to do but to passively watch events unfold as they occurred.

He tried shaking his train of thoughts -- they would help Silvestri-san nor Rose-chan as they would venture within the last unknown area of the basement. He pressed on.

[To here]

[From here]

Maybe it was because he'd finally given in and eaten. Maybe it was the steady throb of last night's damage still lingering. Maybe it was finally having the freedom to take action, to actually have a clear goal in mind for at least a little while. Whatever it was, Harpuia was finally starting to really feel alive again.

He briefly wondered if it would be worthwhile to search the hallways, but quickly dismissed the idea -- having no idea which rooms X or Zero had been assigned to meant he would only have been wandering blindly. They all lead to the same place anyway; if he was hoping to search for them, then it would be far more efficient to search those high-traffic junctions instead. Resisting the urge to run, Harpuia kept moving on.

[To here]

Edited 2012-08-14 22:57 (UTC)

[From here.]

As the Anti-Form turned around the corner, still scrabbling forward on all fours instead of walking like a human would have, it sensed one available heart in the area. More than that, the heart seemed familiar somehow, like it had been exposed to it before. But it didn't think much of it.

While a lone target would be easy enough to take down, the Anti-Form was soon distracted by the promise of more hearts a little further on. Its senses were in full force, scoping the nearby areas, and it could perceive three potential victims not that far from its current position.

So, the spiky-haired creature that so resembled Sora slunk past Link without a second glance and then pushed forward toward the promise of those hearts, crashing through the next door.

[To here.]

Edited 2012-08-16 00:32 (UTC)

[From here]

The awkwardness in his limbs mostly subsided as Scar made his way through the hallway, though it didn’t quite ease any of his frustration. He was confronted with yet another sign that would confirm lingering suspicions he stubbornly refused to acknowledge: the room he had just left was located somewhere else! As a result, the former lion didn’t have the slightest idea in which of the three male patient blocks he even was. His disorientation did not quite help matters.

Yet another inconvenience stacked upon the ever rising pile.

As annoyed as he was, however, it would be outright stupid not to pay attention to where he was going. Though the former lion was headed for the main hallway (it just so happened to be a convenient location to pick up some dawdling fool without a sense of purpose he could drag along), it didn't mean he wouldn't be able to find anyone before reaching the hallway in question.

He could only hope that whatever he would find would be restricted to fellow patients right now...

[Link!]

[From here]

Link was nearly frantic. Making his way back toward the main hallways, he knew that he needed to find Sora again. Whatever had been the source of the blood in his room... He would rather not think on it, now.

On his way through this hall, though, the Hylian's light caught onto a figure lurking in the dark. His knife was out at a moment's notice, the blade glinting in the glow of his magic torch. His pillow case, containing the medical kit, was immediately dropped to the floor.

After a moment, though, he realized that this man was wearing the same (strange) outfit as the patients. He lowered the knife, but only a fraction.

"What are you doing out here without a light?"

The advantage of being able to navigate the hallways by his eyesight alone meant that there was hardly a need for Scar to advertise his presence so prominently. Unfortunately, it was hardly the first time that Scar ended up caught in someone else's light beam, with all the wrong implications being drawn as a result.

Someone appeared to be rather jumpy tonight...

The former lion turned his head towards the source of the question; a young man -- a fellow patient -- who was regarding him rather suspiciously. The blade did not quite escape Scar's notice, because apparently not advertising yourself as a walking target warranted a knife being pointed in your direction, along with a demand for an explanation. He offered it a glance, swallowing his initial urge to snarl at such insolence and tell the idiot it was none of his business. After all, the former lion had no idea how the other patient would react, so he ought to be a little careful with how he handled this situation.

Hnn, if he overplayed his situation a little, perhaps the boy would lower his suspicion and his efforts would pay off. After all, an armed meat shield was all the more convenient for him. It'd be a shame to waste such an opportunity, would it not?

"Oh, I was simply passing through. That is what these hallways are for, if I'm not mistaken?" he began nonchalantly, though there was a small hint of annoyance still lingering in his voice as he spoke. "And I'm sure you've already realized those lights make it even easier for those monsters to find you? You see, I'm rather defenseless."

As if to emphasize his point, Scar made a somewhat awkward gesture with his hands which would only reveal the portable light to the other patient. One might have argued it was quite a risk to reveal his own helplessness so readily, but the former lion had little choice but to take it. It would hopefully be the fastest way to lower the other's suspicions.

"I would hope this wouldn't warrant being stabbed to death by a fellow patient."

Edited 2012-08-19 07:55 (UTC)

"There's been talk of betrayal and murder. Surely you can understand my suspicion." Link lowered his knife, though. He wasn't about to make an enemy of another patient if he didn't have to. The Hylian had no idea that Scar is ignorant of the recent sickness.

He didn't miss the arrogance in the older man's tone, though. Even if he had been innocent, Link wasn't hugely keen on collecting allies with such a nasty streak.

"And I can handle whatever monsters this place has to throw at me, anyway." Perhaps this was the sharp eyed man's way of showing concern? Link was always the type to give the benefit of the doubt. He wasn't the type to leave a self-proclaimed defenseless man in the dark, though. (No pun intended.)

"If you're as defenseless as you say, you'd be best staying in your room, tonight. People are turning into monsters." There was a hint of regret in his eyes, then. He had failed Sora.

Edited 2012-08-19 18:39 (UTC)

The boy didn't appear to be one of the painfully naive types. At least, the other patient had lowered his knife -- and he was a confident one, wasn't he? -- which hopefully meant he was going to be a little more cooperative. However, the thing about people turning into monsters did not quite put Scar at ease even aside from certain implications. He needed more information about the situation before doing anything else; tonight had already granted him more surprises than Scar would have liked, there was no need to add another one to the list.

And as irritating as it was, however, the former lion realized he would have to do a little bit of explaining himself before getting what he wanted.

"So it's patients who are turning into monsters now? It appears I have missed more of the head doctors infuriating little games than I had thought..." he commented, though the final part of the sentence was spat rather bitterly. "An explanation would be in order, I suppose: I appear to have been...out of it for an unknown length of time, only to wake up and find myself moved and deprived of a means to defend myself. I had been hoping to remedy the latter, but it would seem there are some crucial matters that would be simply foolish to ignore."

He paused for a moment, looking at the other patient. Hopefully, the other would be cooperative enough. "Would you, perhaps, be so kind as to fill me in on the situation?"

It was starting to make some more sense, now. Link had never seen this man before, but he clearly had an idea of where he was. He lacked the lost confusion that they all experienced on their first night here.

"I only arrived yesterday evening, so I may not be the best person to talk to, but patients have been getting sick. The madman who talks through the magic box, er, intercom, has been telling us that the sick ones are going to turn into monsters." Link's eyes became downcast.

"At least five tonight, he said. I... just saw my friend lose himself completely. He wasn't bluffing."

That was the gist of it, at least.

"What a terrible mess this is turning out to be," Scar responded, "How awful for your friend, as well."

His initial thought was to ask whether such an illness would be contagious or not, and how he would be able to recognize the ones who were infected. It wouldn't quite do to travel with someone who was going to turn, was it? But he knew it would not be the appropriate response for what he was seeking, so such information would have to wait for now. If he wanted to use this boy for his intentions. No, it was best to feign some concern and pity -- though the former was not entirely fake.

"Do you happen to have learned more about this sickness in the short time you were here?" Scar asked. The boy had mentioned his friend had been affected, so chances were that he had. "And I don't suppose our fellow patients have taken measures against it?"

From the sound of it, the illness has been going on for a while -- it was hard to believe people would be sitting around waiting for what was going to happen. If there was not something like a cure, it would be simple to either restrain or eliminate them. It was bound to happen to this boy's friend, anyway -- or rather, what remained of him. Surely, someone had enough brain capacity to think of something so simple?

Despite this man's seemingly sincere words of sympathy, Link was still slightly suspicious of him. He certainly didn't give off the same friendly aura as Sora had, whom Link had decided to trust quite quickly. The suspicion didn't show on his face, though. He remained calm and serious and rather stoic as he always was in a serious situation.

"A clue was left in the X-Ray Room last night, and a new one this night. All implications point to the idea that there is some kind of parasite... or insect... inside each sick prisoner's stomach. People have been contemplating performing surgery to get it out." Link paused.

"I was on my way back to help my friend with that when he ran past me, already... something else." Something frightful. The hunched over, black as night form that barely resembled Sora reminded the Hylian of the Twili beasts. Sora's name was intentionally left out for now. This man's wording didn't sit well with him- taken measures against it, rather than specifying actually helping.

Sechs had mentioned that there were patients willing to kill over this. Link would take every precaution.

Edited 2012-08-23 20:14 (UTC)

The X-Ray Room? It was not an area Scar had ever heard about before, but he supposed it was another area the head doctor had revealed for the sake of his fun little games.

"You mean to say no one had bothered to think of a way to at least somehow restrain the infected patients?" Scar responded, raising an eyebrow, "You know, to prevent them from attacking others which they will doubtlessly do once turned?"

Because, certainly, extra monsters roaming the place was just the thing they needed. Not that the former lion was particularly concerned about the well-being of others, but his own happened to be rather high on his list. He couldn't care any less whether the infected patients lived or died in the end, but suggesting that they would be restrained seemed the more diplomatic option of the two. At least, it would have prevented similar threats wandering the already dangerous hallways while some other fools persisted in chasing down some dubious cure.

It would seem Landel still enjoyed stuffing the place with the appropriate amount of idiots. It would have been almost adorable had the situation not been so dire...

"I can't help but think how ugly this will all turn out to be," he added with a sigh, the tone of his voice concerned.

Link, thankfully, had the self control not to roll his eyes. Of course people had tried to constrain themselves!

"They're turning into monsters. More powerful than whatever weak bonds we could forge in time. The madman was... cryptic in his messages. We did not know of what would happen this night specifically before it was too late." There was no sign of his slight irritation in his tone.

Link eased, though, with the older man's next comment.

"I know. It's already becoming a mess. We don't even know if those infected will be able to return to themselves..."

"Well," Scar remarked, "You had given me the impression that this had been going on for a while..."

One would think there would have been enough time for the proper preparations, but apparently people were too busy chasing down that dubious cure. He supposed he had given those hairless monkeys a little too much credit -- he'd really ought to stop doing that. In any case, it was too late for any of that.

"But I suppose it can no longer be helped," he said before dropping the subject and moved on to the boy's next comment. "Unfortunately, I doubt the dear head doctor would volunteer such information. He would be too busy enjoying himself with our inevitable misery, I'm sure."

To say that Scar was displeased with having landed in such a mess would be quite an understatement. He should have expected no less from the sadistic fool, however. In the mean time, Scar tried not to think about where he possibly could have been for some unspecified length of time.

Nonetheless, he still needed that weapon, and though their little chat was interesting enough, the remainder was perhaps best saved for daytime. "So, what did you intend to do now?"

"Well, yes, but... Never mind." There was no sense in trying to make someone who had only just woken up in the middle of this mess understand. One really couldn't, without having been here for it all.

Then again, had Link not woken up only last night? Well, then, Sora was simply better at explaining than he was, clearly.

"I had initially intended on spending the night simply patrolling the hallways- Making sure no one is killed." He paused. "You're welcome to come, though the idea of a fight may not be the best without a weapon."

"I see," he answered, making sure he sounded thoughtful enough. How noble this fellow was proving to be. Fortunately, Scar was more than capable of seeing this wonderful little opportunity presenting itself. Now, it would be a waste not to do something with it.

And, perhaps, the boy would prove to be even more useful if he managed to stay on his relative good side.

"Going anywhere without a means to defend yourself is a rather bad idea in this place, I'm afraid. I was hoping to remedy just that tonight," Scar said, "There should be available options on the second floor if I'm not mistaken. However, it's rather dangerous to go alone -- even more so now..."

He trailed off at that, hoping the boy would make a certain offer. Making sure no one would be killed, was it? Was he not but a defenseless person that required such protection as well?

Link nodded.

"Then I will come with you. Once you're armed, we can discuss what to do from there." He wasn't about to let somebody go off on their own unarmed. The man didn't even have a flashlight he could use to beat down monsters, with.

Taking a look around the second floor sounded like a good idea, anyway. Link hadn't seen much of the building, yet.

"I would prefer we moved quickly, though."

Ah, there it was. Scar inwardly smirked in triumph, but outwardly he offered a smile. "That would certainly be appreciated."

It would seem his new-found meat shield was not as dimwitted as some others, which was a relief in a sense. "Of course," he agreed. Who knew how much time they had left after their little chat, after all?

"Let us be on our way, then."

[To here]

[from hurr durr]

Kyousuke's movements as he traveled down the hall were very deliberate, for a few different reasons. He had to keep his eyes peeled, be it for what Sora had turned into, or something else, and had to be careful about where he shined his light, so if did come across that creature again, it wouldn't run away this time. He shone his light down the other patient halls too, trying to see if he could get a glimpse, but though he looked carefully, its movements had been so fast that he doubted it was here anymore. He tried to move more quickly in desperation, but every little burst of speed was short-lived, since it only seemed to aggravate his wound.

One particularly forceful step sent a sharp pain though his ribs, and he exhaled sharply, drawing a hand to his chest, an action which he regretted immediately. It wasn't just the sting of the claw marks, but that his chest had become incredibly tender, so the touch brought even more pain. The breath hurt, too, and he had to take a moment to steady it.

When he got the door, he pushed it open with his shoulder, using the side that seemed to hurt less; the less strain he put on himself the better.

[to herp]

Edited (dear god i suck at typing sometimes) 2012-08-17 20:05 (UTC)

_{[from here]}

Made it, she thought to herself once she was safely inside the men’s cell block. She didn’t dare speak out loud, hardly dared to breath, really. It felt like if she didn’t put everything she had into being swift and quiet, then her worries would give her away, falling like jewels on the floor behind her.

One thing at a time, though, one thing at a time.

The girl took a look around her before venturing into the far hallway.

_{[to here]}

[from here]

He was in the second men's section. Of course he was. Well, nearly there. Lust's mind focused on Lingormr and simply Lingormr for the moment. It was just easiest.

Or at least easier than wondering what Scar needed so badly he'd seek her out for it....

[From here.]

Edgar moved into the next hall quickly, pace picking up with every step. His trip would have been a lot shorter had they not moved Locke's room; thankfully, the treasure hunter had the foresight to pass him a note with the new location.

The unfortunate part was that it was several hallways away, and while navigating them in the dark usually wasn't much of a problem, there were other things plaguing Edgar's mind. While he was lucky to be one of the few who wasn't sick— and after his infusion-induced sickness, he hoped to never be ill ever again— the fact of the matter was that everyone around him appeared to be so in one degree or another. When combined with the disappearances of his allies, it seemed things were against him.

Then again, that's often how they were at Landel's.

[For Tolten!]

[from here

Torch in one hand and sword in the other, the young king moved slowly through the corridors. It was a testament to his lack of caring that for the first time since waking up here, he hadn't changed into his military uniform before venturing out. He was too sick and fretful to bother changing. Let him wander about in what amounted to underthings, he was beyond caring at this point.

No, that wasn't entirely true. He felt a blossom of something painful and anticipatory when his light fell on Edgar, in the halls already.

"Edgar?" he called, softly. His voice was weak and roughened by the illness.

Edited 2012-08-23 16:57 (UTC)

Even with his mind full of distractions and the call soft, Edgar heard his name, barely recognizing the voice that spoke it. "Tolten," he addressed as he turned.

There was little time for idle chatter, but he made it anyway, giving the man a moment's rest- he looked like he needed it already. "Perhaps you should stay in your room tonight." It wasn't a suggestion he made lightly; he'd ventured out sick as a dog himself once or twice, simply because there was no progress to be made from hiding in his room; however, given the infection and what might happen based on the warnings they were being handed, it seemed like a valid suggestion. While he couldn't be sure if the warnings held any truth, he'd learned it was safest to err on the side of caution and assume there would be people changing.

"No."

Tolten's voice was harsh but firm.

"I don't now what's going to happen to me. Or..." He swallowed hard, not able to even give breath to the rest of the thought.

"But if anything happens to me...take my sword. Rip it out of my hands if you have to, just take it if....something begins to happen to me. Now come. We need to find Locke."

[to here]

Edited 2012-08-28 16:48 (UTC)

[From here]

At the corner of the hallway, Hakkai paused and did a quick sweep with his flashlight.

"Looks safe for now."

"Then we'd better keep moving." He wasn't sure how long the 'healing' Hakkai had done would last, and it wouldn't do to waste too much time.

Hakkai nodded. "Yes, let's." He headed out through the door into the main hall.

[To here]

Edited 2012-08-29 07:21 (UTC)

[From here]

Perhaps it was pathetic of him running to a little kid for help, but Ritsuka was the only person he knew at night. He hadn't been successful in getting anyone else's room number so this would have to do. Hopefully the boy hadn't left. Although--And this made Ippo flush with shame for even thinking about it--Ritsuka ate like a bird and the boxer was beyond ravenous every night to say the least. He could at least pick off what was left of the kid's meal. He had said that was okay in the first place!

Yeah, he would just go over there and check it out, eat something to get his strength back, and then try to find a familiar face in this chaos. So far, he had been lucky to run into the same man three times in a row when he had actually ventured out of his room, though who knew if it would work this time. Three had already been pushing it for luck anyways and if his scars said anything, Ippo was fresh out of luck these days.

[Izaya]

[From here]

By the time Izaya exited his own hall, he was already starting to reconsider having left Snow back in the room. He would have to be a little more cautious in his treatment of Villiers for the time being since they'd become roommates, but that didn't mean he couldn't get some use out of the arrangement. Villiers was a big, strong guy, so he'd surely make for a big, strong shield as well...

Izaya slowed to a stop on one side of the hall, keeping a lookout as he considered turning back to see if Snow had any plans, or at least waiting until Snow followed this way. He could always say that he was concerned for their mutual safety, that he was worried about going out alone tonight; Snow would probably buy it. Who wouldn't, in such an unusual place as this?

As he was still weighing his options, the beam of Izaya's flashlight crossed a familiar figure.

...Well, there could be another possibility entirely.

"Ippo-kun?" Izaya called out, trying to get a better look at the boy without leaving the post he'd taken up. "Is that you?"

When someone or something uttered his name in the dark, Ippo jumped and thrust his light toward the area of the noise. Okay, keep calm! Calm allows you to think rationally. He had to think rationally right now. Losing himself to fear would only hurt him in the long run. Whatever it was, the boxer would have to face it head on or be a regretful pile of meat in a monster's stomach.

Thankfully, the only thing his light picked up was a familiar face. "Iz... Izaya-san?!" Ippo let out a big sigh of relief as he doubled over, thanking the gods for having mercy on him for once. "W-What are you doing out here alone?"

So it was Ippo. Izaya smiled to himself at the boy's startled reaction, and stammered response. He was still as nervous as ever, it seemed.

Approaching Ippo now ran counter, in some ways, to how he'd treated the boy prior: never speaking of nighttime activity as anything but dream, not shattering any belief Ippo may have held in the words of the hospital staff... But after a week in this place, how much might Ippo still have been willing to believe? And if Ippo did have some lingering faith, who was to say he couldn't treat this very meeting as nothing but a dream once night turned to day?

More importantly: skittish though he seemed, Ippo was still a boxer. If he could convince the young man to come along, he could be handy to have around in case they met any of those 'turned' patients.

"I was thinking of taking a walk over to the medical wing to see what all the fuss is about," Izaya said, with a casual shrug of his shoulders. He left his spot along the wall to approach Ippo. "But what about you?"

"Oh..." Ippo's heart dropped to the bottom of his shoes and took with it all of his blood, if his suddenly pale face was any indication. "Th-The medical wing?" Thankfully the dim light made it a little harder to see the beginnings of a cold sweat break out across his forehead as he recalled what had happened to him the last time he had taken a chance in that place.

"Ah, well I'm... I'm not sure--I just didn't want you get out of my r-room." It made it harder to get kidnapped when you had space to run away. "But you--I mean, that is..." Ippo fumbled over his words, trying to make up his mind whether or not it was rude to pry into his friend's intentions. "Why are you going there? They're not giving out more medication are they?!" If that was the case, he needed to warn as many people as possible to stay away from it.

His slight smile lingered as he listened to the boy stammer through his response. Ippo really hadn't changed at all since Izaya had last seen him, even if he was perhaps more nervous now than the times they'd met during the day. Was it because of the night itself, or because of the experiences he'd had during past nights? Was he worried about what Landel had mentioned on the intercom—those who would 'turn'?

The mention of medication was so unexpected, however, that Izaya had to think for a moment to realize what he'd meant: pills, the 'concoction' from about a week ago that Ippo had taken. He'd said he'd been turned to a sheep then, hadn't he?

Izaya wondered whether the 'medicine' from that time had a connection to what was to be starting tonight.

"Not as far as I'm aware," Izaya said, waving a hand along with his verbal dismissal of the idea. "Apparently there's supposed to be some kind of clue there about how to cure the illness that's been going around... I wanted to have a look for myself to see if there's any validity to it."

He'd see what Ippo might do with that first. The young man didn't seem to have any plans, so the road was clear to inviting him along... But would another person finding the clue help or hinder his own goal? It would be a shame if it hindered Izaya, but at the same time... He wanted to see how it would turn out.

"Oh, thank goodness! Ah--I mean, the pills, n-not the people!" For once in Ippo's life, he could relate to someone and he genuinely felt horrible knowing these people were at the mercy of some illness. It was good to know, though, that incredible people like Izaya were trying to find a cure! He was such a beautiful human being! If there were more of Izaya, the would be a little more kind to people like Ippo.

The boxer wished he could group himself with his friend, but he had never been brave enough to face any obstacle or injustice. He had come close when Sawamura had hit Kumi, but ultimately they had settled things in the ring. Kojia... Well, Ippo regretted his actions. That hadn't been a defense or anything that could be remotely called justice. That had been a brawl and he had known better. A punk like that couldn't help others, only hurt. He didn't want to be that kind of person.

"Uhm, not that I'm very knowledgeable about these sort of things, but you shouldn't go anywhere by yourself. If... If you need a partner, I can uhmm go with you--If you want! I'm not very good help, but... I'm better than nothing..." Although, he wondered if that was really true. At least being alone, you reliably knew what moves you would make. It was hard to judge other people's characters, especially if a monster came along. He lost his head a bit when one came around, not surprisingly.

"You want to come with me?" Izaya asked, sounding surprised—as though getting Ippo to come along hadn't been his intention all along. "Really, I'd be grateful if you did... But are you sure? It could be dangerous."

Truthfully, Izaya's confirmation was only because he was interested in seeing how Ippo would react to the words "it could be dangerous"; he wouldn't stop him if the young man decided to back out because of it, but neither did he have any intention to dissuade him from coming along. Ippo had already volunteered, so Izaya was interested in just how far he could be pushed, tested. Was his courage just a flimsy and fragile thing? Or was it made of sterner stuff, running deeper and lying hidden beneath his surface timidity?

"A-Ah--Well, I..." It was hard to argue the man's logic. Looking down at his hands, both covered in his brass knuckles he had received as part of his reward for being a desperate and gullible sap, Ippo watched him wring his fingers together in indecision and worry. He certainly wasn't all that good under pressure when it came to monsters over men, but the alternatives weren't looking any better.

"I understand that, but... I'd rather go with someone than be by myself--Besides! You're... Ah, that is... You're helping other people, right? Then... s-someone should be helping you!" It took awhile to get it all out, but the boxer was proud of his conviction! Yes, he would dare to even compliment himself tonight for actually saying it all!

Deeper it was, then—or at least, the combination of various factors had bolstered his courage in this case. Further observation was needed to truly understand his courage.

Izaya's smile returned. "That's very kind of you, Ippo-kun. I'm glad I'll have your help."

He wondered how Ippo would react if he knew Izaya's real motives for wanting to investigate the clue, what kind of face he'd make if Izaya told him. But no matter how tempting it was to tip his hand, he couldn't. Not yet, at least.

He gestured with his free hand down the hallway. "Shall we?"

[To here]

[from here

Hell just kept repeating itself, over and over again.

Night came and he went out and he couldn't do one fucking thing. He wandered the halls, chair in hand - God, he could do with a better weapon, but there weren't many to be found lying around here - and hoped he could find something.

And then what? Fail, like he had before? He couldn't help anyone. He could hardly help himself.

The only reason he even left his room tonight was because of that rosary. It had touched him, deeply, and given him a hell of a lot to think about over dinner. Luckily Harvey hadn't cared that he'd been about as talkative as a pile of quarry stones.

"You can find God anywhere, Murphy. You just have to know where to look."

Murphy wiped at his hot eyes. "Even here, Frank?" he asked the empty air. No voice echoed in his head, even from memory, but he knew the answer. Yeah. Even here.

Edited 2012-08-27 16:33 (UTC)

NIGHT 65: M-A BLOCK HALLWAY

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