NIGHT 65: F1-F10 HALLWAY

[madeinthehrl]

Another clue in the X-Ray Room. That was surprising and, if Soma was perfectly honest with herself, a little frustrating. She'd already mostly convinced herself the surgery was necessary. But if there was still more information out there...

The operating room in the medical wing would have most of the supplies Lingormr would need tonight, she decided. It was probably too much to hope the power would be on, but they'd have to make do with what they could find. If she was quick about it, she'd be able to run across the hall and find the next clue, too.

She packed hurriedly: flashlight, radio, handgun. The katana would likely only get in the way tonight. The faster she moved, the better. Her symptoms didn't seem to be any worse right now, but she wasn't leaving anything up to chance.

She stripped the pillowcase from her bed and tucked it into the waistband of her pants. Then, with an attempt at a smile, she nodded at Leanne and was out the door.

[to here]

Comments

[ninelivesonce]

Taura's arsenal had been cut down; a set of claws would do nothing to convince people she was trying to help. The throwing star would be less threatening, strapped to her upper arm, and that meant the stunner could go in her shoulder bag. She tucked the radio in as well, alongside the materia.

Normally it would be a risk, but they weren't trying to hide tonight.

[to here]

[she_is_ruin]

Yomi was rather behind on current events thanks to her own personal concerns, but she wasn’t overly bothered by Landel’s message. Let him fool around if he liked. Forcibly transforming his prisoners into spectres was hardly his most original experiment, and since she hadn’t been showing symptoms of her own, it mattered little to her. The suffering of the prisoners around her was more or less background noise.

Not true for an exorcist, but then it was a hard thing to live up to those duties when she, herself, had become a monster. The idea of monsters hunting monsters had an odd ring to it--the only people who had a right to do so in the name of protecting others from harm were the pure and the untainted, as Yomi saw it. Anyone else was just hunting for the sake of hunting.

She supposed she belonged to the latter category, if any at all. Although Landel’s monster creations weren’t her first priority, if they became an issue for her she expected she’d have to take action. And hunting itself… well, that was one of the sesshouseki’s strong suits, wasn’t it? The bloodshed and the terror.

Always, in the back of her mind, there was that yearning for the fight, and it made her fingers twitch around the katana’s grip as she left her room.

[she_is_ruin]

_{[to here]}

F9

[survives]

Leanne only returned Soma's smile and watched as she left the room in silence. It was a little strange to not follow her lead, to not just get up and bolt out of the room the second she was able, especially not after hearing... that transmission, the message enough to send a chill down her spine. But she'd promised Tsubaki she'd wait for her in her room this time, and she intended to keep that promise.

Doubtless, it wouldn't take long for her to arrive at the room anyway, so she busied herself getting her things together. The flashlight and the guns: not even close to what she'd take on a real job, but it'd have to be enough in this place. She ran a hand over one of the guns, stopping to check its ammunition before setting it back with the other one. Not that she'd even needed to do that.

The opportunity to shoot at something hadn't quite come up yet.

[thecamellia]

To say Tsubaki was nervous about leaving Rapunzel and Scar (especially Scar) to their own devices was an understatement, but she understood the need to forge ahead with one’s own efforts. Even if it was worrying to think her friends would be in danger.

But she, too, had her own plan in mind--though it was at the moment only a desire to see Leanne and figure out if she could be of some assistance.

Leanne’s room wasn’t far away from her own at all, so once everyone had gone their separate ways, Tsubaki crossed into the next hall over where F9 was. She didn’t want to think that something had happened to Leanne in the mean time, that the Head Doctor’s prediction--no, his promise--had included her. It was with a tentative hope that the girl approached Leanne’s room. Scar had turned out to be fine, but what if…

As she had done at Scar’s door, she reached up and knocked to announce her presence. “It’s Tsubaki. Is anyone in?”

[survives]

When the knock she'd been waiting for came, followed by a familiar voice, Leanne immediately sprang to her feet, her heart leaping to her throat. All right, this was it. No more waiting around, no ending up somewhere else entirely. There was no way she was going to miss everything this time, especially the chance take a good look at... whatever happened herself.

"Yeah! I'm in here, Tsubaki!" she called out, crossing the room to the door. She quickly pulled the door open, breaking out into a smile as soon as she caught a glimpse of Tsubaki. Great. There was no time to waste! "My roommate already left, it's just me."

[thecamellia]

Oh, thank goodness! Tsubaki felt herself relax a little at the sound of Leanne’s voice coming from inside the room. She sounded okay. She sounded… well, like herself. That realization did more to put Tsubaki’s mind at ease than anything she could think of.

A moment later, the door popped open, revealing Leanne in the flesh. Tsubaki’s answering smile was one of relief.

“Sorry to make you wait! My friend decided to head out on his own after all, but we’re still set if you’re up for it.”

[survives]

She shook her head, opening the door the rest of the way as she did so. It wasn't like she'd had to wait for Tsubaki that long anyway, and she hadn't particularly minded it either. Besides... It was difficult to admit even to herself, but Leanne had needed those moments to steel herself, to build her courage again. The idea of just what they were going to look into that night was... still quite a bit more frightening than she would have liked.

But that was the last thing she needed to be thinking about.

"I didn't have to wait that long!" she called over her shoulder, turning around and walking briskly back to her bed. Giving them one last quick look over, she grabbed her guns and turned back to Tsubaki, still smiling. "I'm up for it!"

[thecamellia]

Tsubaki followed Leanne with her eyes, watching her arm up. She'd had an idea of what the other girl was capable of, but it was a different thing to see her ready and willing to fight.

Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. Hopefully Tsubaki could more than merely drag her along on a wild goose chase. "How are you feeling now?" she asked, stepping back to allow room for Leanne to exit the room.

No use pretending most of the Institute hadn't been listening to Landel's intercom announcement that night with bated breath.

[survives]

Wordlessly, Leanne followed Tsubaki's lead and headed for the door, after shooting one last glance behind her. All right, everything seemed to be in order so far. Now they'd just have to brace themselves for what was outside of the room.

Hearing her friend's question though, she couldn't quite stop herself from frowning. "I'm..." Terrified. Trying very hard not to think about what was going on, about what would happen that night. "I'm fine! Yeah, I'm still sick, but I've gotta keep going!"

[thecamellia]

The stifling sense of unease filling every nook and cranny of the building hadn't just taken its toll on Tsubaki--Leanne, too, had to be feeling the pressure. Of course she was. She was being forced to sit back and let the Head Doctor puppet her around.

She gave the other girl's shoulder a pat, flashing a smile. "You're right, and you can do it! Together, we'll do it." There was some good news mixed in with all of the bad to take into account, too. "You heard the announcement, right? There's another clue to find tonight. The Medical Wing might be the place to go, after all."

[survives]

Figures. With that reaction, Leanne had no doubt Tsubaki had managed to see through her, at least partially. She was unsurprised to find she didn't quite mind it either, having someone who wasn't Zephyr or Vashyron offering her support. Having another friend really was... nice.

She flashed a smile in return, giving her a firm nod. Tsubaki was completely right. Together, they could do this. "Yeah, I heard. After the clue last night, this has to be something that can help us, too! I think... I think we're really gonna be okay."

Leanne took a deep breath, before tilting her head toward the darkened hallway. "Ready?"

[thecamellia]

"There's only one way to find out!" she said with a nod. It was as much a way to say that she was ready than anything.

If Leanne was prepared to steel herself against her symptoms and throw her all into their search for a safe cure, then the only thing to do was to get to work. Everything else could wait.

"Let's go find some answers!

_{[to here]}

[mirrorimage]

"What makes a human, exactly? The shape of his body? His so-called conscience?"

The Head Doctor's question rang in Nina's ears, haunting her as she got ready for the night. It was a question she had been forced to confront many times before ever arriving in Landel's, but the context was completely different this time, in a way that Nina thought she would never have to confront.

Five people would turn into monsters. Real monsters.

Or would they? Johan had always kept a human shape, but if he was a human, then wasn't anyone? No matter what they looked like? But that assumed only their looks would be changing, an assumption Nina did not make given the nature of the things she already knew about the institute.

She grabbed her radio, her flashlight, and the bat Ryuuzaki had given her. (Ryuuzaki! He was ill. Would he be one of the ones to turn? Nina desperately hoped not. That wasn't a fate she would wish on anyone, but especially not someone who had helped her so much.)

There was simply no other option. They would have to find a cure tonight.

To become a real monster -- no, there truly was no other worse fate that could befall someone.

[To here.]

[a_sin_for_him]

The doctors words had rung in Lust's mind in ways she didn't want to think about. She had more pressing things than pondering the same pithy philosophy she'd been pondering most of her existence. First Lingormr, then Scar.

She felt as though perhaps there should be some shame, in going from one man to the other. But that was ridiculous. Scar had made his view of her clear. But whatever could he want to see her for? It couldn't be anything good, and to be willing to seek her out as he had....

There was no sense in thinking at it now. She would see him shortly and find out for herself. And in the meantime...she was going to have one thing that was simply hers.

[to here]