Night 67: Main Hallway, 1-West

[ofthemotions]

[from here --and waiting for Ryusei!]

There still wasn't a lot of people in the halls, and it was starting to make him nervous. Maybe he should try to find someone to hang out with tonight. Snow and Celty had insisted on how Mikado shouldn't be alone at night--it wouldn't hurt to take their advice. But it would be strange to just go up to someone and ask to walk around with them.

...Wouldn't it?

He made a face, and paused in the hall, looking around. He was more aware of the bandages covering his eye in the dim, and even wearing his own clothes didn't negate that uncomfortability. He was suddenly starting to think he should have just stayed inside.

Comments

[asteroidbelt]

[from here. HELLO]

Now he really had to make a decision. He could explore the areas of the building he hadn't seen, but there was no telling whether or not there was staff there. And he had to slide past this...kid.... That was a kid, right? Unless the institute was big on recruiting kids for their patient-busting security, the stranger probably wasn't a staff member. (And if he was, Ryusei hadn't done anything that 'but the door was open' couldn't cover for, if he played it innocently enough.)

He flicked on his flashlight. "Seems I'm not the only one who has one," he said aloud.

[ofthemotions]

There was a light suddenly near to him, and Mikado turned toward it (not jumped, which he should be grateful for. It seemed that not every interaction would begin in embarrassment...). The owner of it seemed to be a boy around his own age, maybe a little older. Mikado was beginning to wonder if everyone he came into contact with would be that pattern.

He angled his flashlight down politely. "It'd be strange if someone didn't have one," he replied, trying for brevity. It came off slightly awkward, a beat too late, but by now he was becoming used to this.

[asteroidbelt]

That probably meant Ryusei could safely conclude that the doors had been unlocked intentionally. He hadn't had to worry about any staff, then. Who was that that Ryusei had avoided earlier? Probably another patient. Where had the other patient been going?

"—Right. Where are you headed?" That comment about the flashlight made it sound like he'd been here awhile, and every person Ryusei had spoken with had been here longer. Then again, nearly every person he'd spoken with had seemed, uh...unreliable. But at least they were consistent, and Ryusei had to wonder how much of that was due to the weirdo on the intercom. If he hadn't already needed to get out of here as soon as possible for other reasons, he'd be trying to. But who ever heard of people not trying to escape from an insane asylum?

[ofthemotions]

This guy was right to business, and Mikado glanced away to the hall, before looking back to the other. Where was Mikado going? Did it matter? There was a current of discomfort in that question, phrased that way, but Mikado tried to brush it off. "Me? I'm... It's not like I had a plan in mind, really. I was going to see what was in the medical wing, but I might go upstairs as well."

...Maybe a bid for congeniality. He smiled, slightly. "I'm Ryuugamine Mikado. I don't think I've seen you before. Are you new?"

[asteroidbelt]

"Sakuta. Yeah, I'm new. Seeya." Ryusei was leaving. It was a terrible idea, but now that he was here, he really wanted to see if the front door was open. If he remembered correctly (of course he did; it was only two days ago that he'd been admitted), it was just through here....

He got two steps away before he turned back around. The last thing he needed was something else to weigh his mind down, so he may as well resolve it right now. "... Hey. How'd you get that eye injury?"

Uh, wait. "... If I may ask?" he added. He didn't feel like smiling (would Ryuugamine be able to see it anyway, with just the flashlights for illumination?), but even if he could, it was too late for that now, after having been so rude. Which...was an indicator that he needed to calm down, but he urgently had business to attend to (front door, front door, front door, I have a funeral I need to attend).

[ofthemotions]

[ Sorry for the delay; I had a partial-emergency. I should be good from here on! ]

An introduction and a dismissal, clear enough that Mikado only watched as the other started to walk away. Well. He supposed that was it, then. It was hard enough to talk to people normally half the time, under these conditions, it was even worse.

But then Sakuta turned back, and Mikado's eyebrows rose. "This?" he echoed dumbly, a hand moving to his face. That's what interested this person? He was reminded, suddenly, of Izaya. "Um, yeah, you can ask. It's, uh. From the experiments that they do at night. I got it a couple of days ago." Which only served to remind Mikado that Sakuta was new, and might not even know the dangers here. "...Hey, are you meeting up with someone else? You really shouldn't go out alone at night."

...Said the hypocrite.

[asteroidbelt]

[No problem! Hope everything's okay!]

... He didn't have the time to get into this. But here was someone who could finally answer what had been bothering Ryusei all day, and even if it wasn't true, he wanted to hear about it. 'Experiments they do at night'? Did that not sound like the crackpot theory of someone who wanted to make sense of this place, who was fully willing to believe the worst? But Kurogane had had a bandage over his eye, too, and he'd also been taken at night.

Ryusei shoved his free hand into his pocket. He really didn't have the time for this. "... No, I'm not meeting anyone. Are you?"

Ryuugamine had said he didn't have a plan, didn't he? If Ryusei could talk to him while they headed for the front door, that would be the perfect solution to both Ryusei's problems, but it wasn't like Ryusei expected people to just follow him. And anyway, depending on whether the door was open, Ryusei was going to run away, and Ryuugamine might not want to. But that was getting ahead of himself; the door might not be open. Even if the door was open—

One thing at a time. "Why shouldn't we be alone at night?"

[ofthemotions]

[ It's getting worked out... Thanks though. ]

Er. And there was Mikado being called on it. The boy shifted his weight, a hand going to his neck in embarrassment. "Ah, no, I actually... don't." He glanced away at that, acknowledging the double-standards--though, honestly, he understood the danger and was being an idiot anyway. If Sakuta was new enough, he might not even know that--

...Which was clarified in a further moment. Mikado looked back at him. "Well... It's sort of hard to explain. Strange things happen at night, and it can get a little dangerous. Especially outside. There are these giant birds about the size of a car outside at night and they target people--" The boy sighed suddenly, slightly hanging his head. "I know how crazy this sounds. But I've been here for a couple of weeks now. It's the truth."

[asteroidbelt]

Right. "Wanna join up? I'm sorry for my rudeness from before." He was headed outside, though. "Not that I don't believe you, but I want to check something at the front door."

If it were that easy, others would have made the attempt. If nothing else, he needed to scope it out. "—I'm in a hurry," he added. He was making a herculean attempt not to start tapping his heel on the floor. He realized now that there was no danger of getting caught, but the anxiety about it wouldn't go away. Or maybe that was anxiety about something else, but whatever, it was all the same.

[ofthemotions]

And he had no wanting to go outside, but if this person was actually willing to join up with a random stranger.... "Yeah, okay." At the hurry remark, Mikado nodded once, blinking in habit. "Right, then; it's just over here...."

[from here]