damned_institute | Female Showers

There were... very, very few people here. But on the positive side, there were no nurses either; if it had been a waste of time, Scholar Ling would have seen if the guardians here were any challenge. As it was, she saw that woman from before, and deciding to shower next to her.

...as an aside, showers were an absolute fascination to the Scholar. She knew about plumbing, it was something that had been installed in the Palace due to the ingenuity of Lord Lao, but to have it sent out for whatever common peasants might need it was truly an interesting thought. Perhaps, the Nameless had no respect for station or power?

Regardless, Ling compared favorably to the other woman; insofar as they seemed to be hardened from the same kiln. Flattering features, soft skin, dark hair, full lips... interesting. That woman was almost like the Silk Fox, and that comparison only made Ling wonder.

"Tell me," she said as she turned on the water, "did your hunt go well last night?"

"Well enough," Lust said, turning to look at the dark haired woman beside her. She had taken off so abruptly the night before. Not that Lust minded - she had never been fond of traveling in large groups. Too much discussing and organizing needed. She tossed her hair behind her shoulders, letting the heavy mass hang down her back. She had never needed to shower in her former life, never worried about dirt or bodily secretions. Her hair alone took as long to wash as her body.

But this woman seemed an able fighter and not prone to hysterics or fear. That earned her some respect from Lust, who had no time for those who dithered and whimpered and couldn't help themselves.

"And your own travels?"

"I'm not going in." Dante growled under her breath, staring into the shower with wary eyes. As enticing as the thought of cleaning her increasingly-filthy body was, she knew she couldn't do it. There was no way she could possibly reveal herself to the other women, not like this, with all of them in one place. She simply wouldn't allow it.

"And nobody can make me!" She sounded childish, but she didn't care. Clutching her robe tightly around her body, she shot Lust a desperate stare. They hadn't seen each other in a few days, but the hours Dante had spent alone in her room had only given her more time to reflect on Lust's loyalty and the ways in which she would go about reclaiming it. Lust owed this to her. She would make her realize that soon enough, or else she would make her pay for her disobedience.

"I, I mean, well," sniffling, she turned away, heading towards the bathroom door. She could feel the other women's eyes on her back, and she didn't want to rouse any suspicion. Lust would understand. She would know how to handle it. "I haven't been feeling very well lately, as you all know. I think I should probably just wait outside until everyone else is finished. It would be simply awful if I got sick in the shower, you know. I wouldn't want to disturb anyone else."

And that way, Dante realized with a tiny smirk, she'd get the best of both worlds. "Lust, why don't you and I wait to shower until everyone else is finished. It will be better that way."

"A great deal happened in a short amount of time. That young man, Kyo, was a disappointment. A sad waste of precious time."

...there was no oil. There were no herbs. How did these pathetic people live with mere soap?

"However, I did see a fair amount in the time that I had. Perhaps," she added with a faint smile, "an exchange for that information? I'm afraid that simply divulging such secrets goes against the truth of the Way."

She paused, though, and simply stared at the newcomer. Pathetic, simpering, whining... Ling's features creased into a frown of displeasure as she gazed at Dante. "Quite the contrary, it would be most inconvenient for me if she were to stop. Why don't you leave the two of us to an important conversation? Shower alone, if you do not wish for others to see."

"A great deal always happens in a small space of time here," Lust said, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. She nodded to what Scholar Ling was saying, understanding well the desire to make a trade of information.

"Of course. Information is hardly something to give away for free in this place. And what do you wish in exchange? I agree with you on Kyo, however. He can hold his own well enough if pressed, but I find him all talk and very little else."

And of course, it would be now that that infernal woman showed up. Lust had hoped she'd died the night before. It would have made things so much easier.

"It will go easier if you just shower now with the rest of us," Lust said, forcing her tone to be kind. "No one is going to care about... your illness. Besides, the staff won't let you out of it, and you'll find yourself drugged or in solitary if you protest." As much as Lust would have enjoyed that, she knew she'd catch hell for it later. And the thin line she was walking was growing thinner and thinner everyday.

"Simply be quick about it and be done before more patients arrive."

Dante growled under her breath, absolutely livid at the other women's behavior. She resisted the urge to shoot Lust's companion a hateful glare, instead reserving all her loathing Lust, making a point to smile sweetly at her before slinking away into the corner. She hated to admit it, but Lust was right, and she had no choice but to shower and be done with it.

Loosening her hospital robe, she whimpered slightly, careful not to let the others see. It had been years since any human had seen Dante's "condition", though she figured the doctors had also seen her body when she came to this place. The very thought made her want to scream. Tears of anger licked at the corners of her eyes, but she quickly shoved them aside, not wanting to expose her weakness even further by letting them catch her cry. She wouldn't give Lust that satisfaction.

Facing away from the others, she let her robe fall, painfully conscious of the smell that wafted through the air as she snuck into the shower and as far away from the others as possible. Oh, Lust, she watched the other woman out of the corner of her eye, biting her lip as she took in flawless ivory skin and perfectly-formed muscles. Dear Lust, you'll pay for this.

But then she noticed something else: something that made her eyes widen in shock. The skin between Lust's breasts was completely clear. The Ouroboros was gone. Suddenly, Lust's disloyalty all made sense.

There were only a few things, in Scholar Ling's experience, that caused such corruption in a human. Ghostly possession, demonic taint... or the twisted curse of cannibalism. Considering the woman's simpering demeanor and pathetic manner, Ling guessed it was the latter. And in that case, her plight did but one thing for the woman.

Ling laughed. A cold, derisive chuckle; utterly amused by Dante's despair and vindicated by her weakness. Ling had long ago found that politeness only got one so far; in this case, emphasizing her disdain by showing that she had no fear or indeed any respect for the other was far more easily accomplished with her tone and the way she turned away as though finished with Dante. She no longer held any interest for the Scholar.

"Information about this place, in exchange for information about this place. Tell me what you know, and whatever interesting tidbits of information you might have, and I promise that what I know will be well worth the price." Her voice, when speaking to Lust, was one of calm politeness; that of between mutually respectful scholars. In her opinion, Lust had far more to offer than Dante did... though Ling's eye had also been caught by the woman from earlier. Shortly, she would plan to speak with that one as well. For now, however, there was much to learn and in a very small amount of time.

Lust raised her eyebrow at her dark haired companion and cast a look to her Master, huddled in the corner in an attempt to hide her condition.

"That woman," Lust said, quietly, for Ling's ears only, "is dangerous and quite powerful. Don't let her demeanor and body fool you - small and petulant though she is. She has crumbled empires and subverted governments and mastered skills that few other humans from our world could ever conceive." She continued to wash, her expression mild as though she were discussing the weather. There was no reason to give Dante any reason to be more suspicious.

"This place is called Landel's. Every one of us came here in the same way. We awoke in this place with no knowledge of how we came to be here. Any powers we possess are muted. We're taken from different worlds. During the day, the staff acts as though everything is normal. We're told we're mad. On some days we're forced to visit with the doctors to discuss our 'madness'. But..." And Lust lowered her voice once more. "On my last visit my doctor admitted that this is a ruse, that we're here for the purpose of experiments. Patients are taken away after dinner and not seen again until morning, and sometimes they're different." Lust's hand went to her own breastbone, resting over a symbol that wasn't there. And she froze, because she realized Dante had to have seen. But there was nothing she could do. Dante would see her with Scar, as well, after all.

"There are various types of monsters that roam at night, but all can be killed in my experience. Weapons are easy enough to come by, if needed. Take apart your bed for a metal rod that serves as a staff, or offer an alchemist a deal to forge you a weapon."

Dante sniffed in indignation, squinting as she tried to read the words on the other women's lips through the streams of water rolling down her face. She hated secrets, and she hated them even more when it was one of her pawns telling them. Dante had been the only one allowed to keep secrets! A soulless monster like Lust had no right to keep things from her master, the one who raised her to look human and taught her how to behave in the world. And yet now the roles were switched, and Dante had become the one on the outside, excluded from the lives of everyone she had once controlled. It wasn't fair, and she hated it!

But the absence of the Ouroboros aggravated Dante even further. That tattoo, which should've warned the world of her pawn's abnormality, had faded away, and now she had no way of proving to the others what Lust really was. Dante knew better than anyone that, even with the Philosopher's Stone, it was impossible to attach a soul to a created body, and yet Lust stood before her, apparently human. The whole thing reeked of Edward Elric, pushing it to the front of Dante's mind.

"It's funny," she interrupted the other women, tossing Lust a knowing grin. "The Lust I remember had a tattoo between her breasts warning the world that she was a soulless monster. I suppose our dear Edward removed it for you?"

As for the whispered secrets, about the warnings that Dante had subverted governments and toppled entire empires, and about skills that she alone could master... it merely brought a smile to the Scholar's face, and the gentle phrase, "As have I." Perhaps the other woman was worthwhile to know, but it was just as likely that Dante was a two-bit manipulator, one who sought power but did not contemplate on the nature of that power. The fact that her body was so hideous, compared to Ling's flawless form, was proof enough of that fact.

Besides, if she was someone worth knowing, Ling would discover it all in the fullness of time. Having her riled would be a means to that end.

She took the information in quietly, nodding slightly as she listened, cleansing herself with such precision that, had her eyes not been alert, made her seem almost preoccupied. "Monsters are nothing new; I will be able to deal with them. What you speak of, however... fascinating. Would some such 'experiments' deal with transformations and imbuing otherwise normal humans with power?"

Then Dante spoke, and Ling considered both her and Lust. When she spoke again, it was dismissive of the much older woman and directed towards the homunculus once more. Dante was proving her worth, though; providing Ling a name and more importantly telling her that there was quite a bit more here. Ling wasn't surprised by the implication; quite the contrary, she was intrigued. She'd seen souls without bodies... so the corollary of bodies without souls was not a difficult one to make. "A 'soul-less monster'? That is quite the accusation."

"Their experiments come in a wide variety," Lust said, her eyes focused on the tiled wall in front of her. "Giving powers, taking them away, altering them. Manipulating a person's physical body - there seems no limit to the power of these experiments."

And wonderful, that damn bitch of a woman had to intrude with something that actually tied in to the conversation. Lust's eyes narrowed, and then her expression smoothed once more. She cast an eye over Dante's rotted flesh, realizing that perhaps her fears were overstated. This woman, in this place, had no hold over her. And Scar was no longer quite the loner he had been - he could protect himself and there were others who could protect him as well. Perhaps she truly had no need of playing pawn any longer....

"Edward has nothing to do with what I am now," she answered honestly, working the shampoo through her hair. "And you haven't the slightest idea what I am." As though to prove it, Lust extended her claws a fraction of an inch to display that she wasn't human. She turned to Scholar Ling. "Soul-less monster is something of an exaggeration. If we find time to speak in private, I'll tell you more."

Her stop at the bulletin board had been a whim of desperation, a hope at some sort of validation of her memories. The results weren't reassuring.

Yes, the Mandalorian War was real, it wasn't a figment of her scattered mind, trying to piece things together wrongly. It was also "ancient history" and "not very relevant". Of interest only to scholars. Which would explain why someone like RC 1136 wouldn't have heard of it, he'd been raised to fight in his own war, he didn't need to know about irrelevant, trivial history.

She tried to recall what Ashi and Alex had explained briefly, that not everyone was from the same piece of the universe - or even the same piece of reality.

Chusa knew that there couldn't have been a way for the Republic to sped decades growing Clones for a war that wasn't. There'd been no Seperatists... no breakaway systems.

Right?

Right?

Her own mind mocked her with it's emptiness.

She followed the nurses guidance to the showers, she didn't think she needed one, but she wasn't in the mood to fight them on a trivial point. She placed her clothes where indicated and unwrapped the bandage on her upper arm for inspection. The gash was held closed by black stitching, the wound now healed shut and no more than an angry, aching red line. It would join the collection of older, paler scars soon.

The scars she didn't see though, were the ones on her back. Still bright and livid, testemony to the forgotten, violent explosion of shrapnel that had nearly taken her life not so long ago, the body healed, but the new skin still unfaded.

Chusa picked the first available slot and turned on the water. With a soft curse, she then hastily turned on the second tap for the heated line.

She was really beginniing to hate the primitviness of this place.

((Coming from here, (http://community.livejournal.com/landels_damned/10110.html?thread=354430#t354430) when it's completed.))

That had been... most informative. Scholar Ling's mind was buzzing with new information, carefully taking it apart and comparing it with what she already knew. There were already discrepancies, flaws that she would have to file smooth... but there was certainly potential. A great deal of it, so much that could be done.

Now she wanted to speak with the woman she had seen before, the one with the interesting spirit. There, too, was somewhere she was needed, and her voice was as calm and polite as ever when she stood next to Chusa. Ling had just showered, but... she went through the motions again, deciding that the grime of such a common place might as well be thoroughly dealt with. "Did you watch, last night? Did you learn?"

Chusa looked up from where she'd been quietly cleaning herself and gave the dark eyed woman a careful look.

"A few things, yes. About myself, about this place and what it can do to even those who are friends with each other."

Cemented that in stone really, no matter who you were allied with, come the night, those who were called by the intercom, became your enemy. And even though the morning's conversation with RC 1136 had thrown doubt on the truth of what memories hse possessed, she knew that no matter who she was, death wasn't a stranger... it might even be an old friend.

A nod of approval; that was a start, and Ling was glad to know that the other woman wasn't one to shrink away from a hard truth. "You learned much, then. The spirit is a fickle thing, and even those with a strong will can be forced to obey. The results speak for themselves, do they not?"

"However..." She looked at the other, musing quietly. "You had both the resolve and the skill of a warrior, so I must test you. To whom does the blame fall, for that young man's death? You looked at his end unfliching; can you also look at the truth behind that deed in the same manner?"

It was just like in the past, when she had another and was educating them along the Way. Perhaps, in time, this one could learn the intricacies... she had the beginnings, at least. A beginning was all that was truly needed.

"The blame?" Chusa stiffened a bit and stepped away from the water flow so she could look at the other woman squarely.

"Mine? I'm the one who led him there, I could have picked a different route. His? He was drugged, or dazed and should have stayed in his room. Cid's? He knew the danger better than anyone, he didn't pull Cloud away. Vincent's fault? He was the one who slew him."

She wiped away the water that sheeted across her face. "Or the fault of the one who speaks from behind the protection of the comm system, who just sits back and laughs at the dying? Who brought us all here, to tamper with our minds and bodies?"

Chusa looked back over at where the staff was waiting.

"There's fault and blame to go around. Cloud for not being strong enough to live, Cid and myself for not defending him, Vincent for killing him. But the reason he died is over there." She nodded at the impassive faces watching them.

"...you are on the right path," the woman softly said, nodding just a bit. Her instinct was right, apparently; this was one who wasn't afraid to face the harsh truth. But her focus was just a bit scattered; that was where the Scholar would fit in.

"However, you confuse my words. I asked to whom the blame fell... and on that, there is only one answer. Consider; if this 'Cloud' had been stronger, if he had not been lost, then would you and 'Cid' not have been able to fight Vincent together? With myself and that other man, would we not have been victorious? And if you had been successful in defending him... what then? Would not the night have repeated, over and over, until eventually another challenge was found to which his weakness would have been a fatal liability?"

"That is the lesson that you must learn, and quickly. You have skill, and you have something inside of you that intrigues me like little else has done in this place. However, you must not allow yourself to be lost in the weakness of others. Encourage their strength if you can... but if they refuse to be helped, then what have you gained? Is it not a weight around your neck, to be thus constrained? Are the failings of others not like heavy chains binding you? But strength can grant you true victory, and in true victory those chains shall be shattered, leaving you free from whatever this place might seek to inflict. Do you understand?"

Chusa listened to the other woman, a small furrow forming at her brow. You were supposed to help others... because then they'd help you... right? That was how it worked...

But Sanzo had been willing to let her stand or fall on her own and leave her behind if she fell.

And then the last words that the woman spoke seemed to echo inside of her, like a very familiar old tune.

"...Is it not a weight around your neck, to be thus constrained? Are the failings of others not like heavy chains binding you? But strength can grant you true victory, and in true victory those chains shall be shattered..."

She staggered, her eyes unfocused and rapidly going blank.

She knew those words.

She knew them.

Her lips were moving on their own, almost soundlessly, but the words were spilling out.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall..." her voice cracked and broke off suddenly and her hands rose up to her head as a violent tearing pain ripped through her mind. A group of people standing around her, soberly clad, the chant on their lips as they struggled to meet the harshest standard... not hers... but their own.

Her mind wanted to gray out, shut down, stop that line of thought now.

The knowledge that the nurses would get their hands on her if she fell kept her on her feet, sheer stubborn will forcing back the grayness, if not the pain.

Chusa took a very shaky step forward back into the spray, letting the water beat on her face.

That had been a memory.

She gripped at the taps for the shower and kept her feet.

She just... just needed a moment.

To make the pain stop.

"You understand." Those two words summed up the entirety of Scholar Ling's reaction; the other woman understood, she spoke litany that betrayed long understanding and contemplation, something that went beyond instinct to true enlightenment, and the understanding of a kindred soul was like a balm on Ling's heart. Here, even here, there was a fellow student of the Way. And bringing enlightenment of that Way was the appointed task of the Scholar.

"You can be free, if you have the strength to grab it. There are those who would wish for you to follow that path of 'peace,' to reject that freedom and beg for one's place. However..."

She held out her hand, but waited for the other woman to take it... or not. If she was not strong enough to struggle against whatever it was that was attempting to hold her back- the Scholar thought it was like seeing Wild Flower again, the two demons instead wrestling for control- then Ling would not drag her. But if she was... a faint smile appeared on Ling's delicate features.

"I can free you, if you are strong enough to earn such freedom. One application of the Dark Flame, and you shall see, all delusions and all lies burned away until nothing but the truth remains. It will burn, it will be agony, it will threaten to consume you. However, you are strong enough to withstand it... and you are destined for greater than this place, than to sit at the table and beg for what might be given."

She could feel it. Scholar Ling could feel the threads of destiny around this woman, her intuition and her knowledge of the Heavens telling her that this woman was meant to be great. Terrible perhaps, but great. And for those who could see it, Ling's shadow began to twist and contort; roiling with the discord of the Way of the Closed Fist and seething with anticipation. If only that woman could be freed, so very much could be done...

It wasn't that Chusa wasn't willing to accept the hand the other woman offered, it was simply at the moment she was too busy struggling within her own mind to see the guesture.

The words that she spoke though echoed in Chusa's thoughts. Dark Flame... will burn... consume... withstand it...

Burned. She'd been burned before. Though if she'd fallen or not... she didn't remember. Her breathing slowed and she she lifted her head enough to meet the dark regard of the woman who'd opend up something deep inside of her.

It had hurt, terribly. But she was still on her feet.

"I'll listen." Chusa's voice was thick and a bit cracked. I'll listen about your Dark Flame."

Nothing else had triggered so much.

"Good." Scholar Ling's lips curled upward, pleased with this response. "But such knowledge is not for those who are not worthy to hear of it. Nor will I be interrupted and leave the task half-done."

Here she leaned forward, to whisper into the woman's ear. "Room F6, tonight. If you are truly willing to learn, then I will show it to you. Then you will see what you were meant to be."

With that, Ling offered a slight nod of the head- as from a master to a student- and turned to leave. Lunch was calling, and there was still so much to learn, and very little time to do it in... but she would throw all of that aside for the sake of awakening this woman. There was so much potential, Ling would be a fool to throw it aside.

Her brief reunion with River was swiftly broken up as the announcement called for another change in schedule. Even as she'd been escorted away, the girl's words rang clear in her ears.

"I hoped I was the only one."

Inara closed her eyes and forced herself not to worry too much on the subject. River needed taking care of, but, at the same time, the girl had obviously proven herself more than capable of taking care of them all on her own. The fact that she'd managed to attach herself to a small group already seemed proof enough of that fact. Still, River Tam was a subject that was never entirely clear to anyone, and Inara supposed she should find the time to speak with Lust and that other man later.

As the Companion entered the shower, not at all bothered by the idea of bathing with other, adult women, she found Lust already engaged in conversation with two others: the arrogant woman from the night before and another that she hadn't seen before. Not wanting to intrude without invitation, Inara chose to stay by herself as she found a spot and turned on the water.

As horrific as Landels was, a hot shower felt good in any environment. Or at least refreshing.

Kaylee was extremely comfortable in her own skin, and showering with other women didn't phase her in the slightest. However, showering with strange women in an Alliance prison that pretended to be some sort of hospital after being told that she was ill and that Kaywinnit Lee Frye did not exist sort of put her on edge.

She approched the showers slowly...not out of modesty, but because she was searching the other women for anyone remotely familiar.

But--there. In the corner. Kaylee sure knew THAT person!

"Inara! Zen me le*? Where are we? Is anybody else here? Simon? The Captain?" Without any sense of propriety, she reached out and embraced the slippery Companion. "I'm so glad I found you."

[*What's going on?]

"Kaylee?" Inara turned around so quickly at the sound of that familiar voice that she nearly lost her balance. The same relief and fear filled her instantly as she confirmed that the voice did indeed belong to her companion. How many of them had been unfortunate enough to land a spot in Landels?

Mal...

The Companion embraced the younger woman gladly, trying to offer her a comforting smile as she knew how difficult a place like this must've been for someone like Kaylee. It was difficult enough for Inara to deal with; she simply had the training and poise to pretend that it wasn't.

"I'm glad to see you too. I can't say that 100% certain what's happening here, but we appear to be some sort of mental hospital. I haven't seen anyone else yet besides..." Inara hesitated, biting her lip. "...besides River." The older woman took a step back, hands still resting on Kaylee's shoulders so she could look at her. Her friend seemed unharmed as of yet, meaning she probably hadn't experienced Night Shift yet. "There's so much that needs to be explained..."

Inara's voice trailed off as she heard a call from just outside of the showers.

"Anita? Anita you've been in there for quite a long time. I think it's time to come out now," the all-too cheery voice of one of the nurses came. Inara sighed heavily and flashed Kaylee another smile.

"I think it's nearly lunch time. Meet me in the cafeteria. We have a lot to talk about, and I'm sure you'd like an explanation. I'll give you what I can, and I know some people that seem to have been here longer than we have." Inara stepped away slowly, regretting that they didn't have more time to talk in private here. "Don't worry, Kaylee. Everything will be fine."

As she stepped out at another of the nurse's prompts, Inara wondered if she could truly live up to that promise. Some words of comfort had been required, given how distraught and confused Kaylee probably was. However, for one of the second time in her life, Inara had no idea what she was supposed to do. She was completely lost here.

She only prayed that they weren't all suffering the same fate...

Female Showers - Day 19

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