Night 56: Main Hallway, 1-West

[freewill]

[From here.]

He had reached the meeting point in less than a few minutes and there was still not another patient to be seen. Castiel paused, standing near the wall as he moved his flashlight up and down the corridor. There was nothing, not the sound of a shadow slipping through the dark; not the whisper of something less than human.

The only sound was the static that periodically came from his radio. He couldn't seem to get it to let up, and he wondered if it was reacting to him or if he'd been given a faulty one.

He would have preferred the former option, but he had been knocked down too many notches when it came to the loss of his abilities, his divinity, the very things that made him him.

Castiel let out a breath that had been caught in his chest and then lowered his flashlight. He wondered how long this whole process would take, but he supposed that all depended on how well he did as a student. He fashioned himself a fast learner, but he had never been able to grasp things like popular culture.

He imagined he would do a bit better with lockpicking, though. Leaning himself against the wall, Castiel stood there quietly, waiting for Orihara to show himself.

[For Izaya.]

Comments

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

Aigis didn't stop after exiting the block hallway, moving quickly into the main hall of the institute. She would have been lying if she said she didn't feel a need to rush past the place Aidou had ambushed her the night before. Something about that area now had her spooked, and she was a bit breathless by the time she reached the main hall.

There was still a lot of activity here, so she felt relatively safe to stand by. Leaning against the wall, Aigis turned off her flashlight and caught her breath. For a moment, she just indulged in the feeling of the rush of air in and out of her new lungs. It had been a while since she'd allowed herself the extravagance of enjoying a human sensation. Other than eating, of course.

She didn't want to waste time waiting too long, but maybe she could rest here. Just a moment more.

[sixth-attack.livejournal.com]

Sechs stormed through the halls like soldier rushing in for combat, yet his agitated pace was without direction, his focus comprised by the stalking shadow of his dark consciousness. The voice from the drug continued to accuse and blame him, staying just out of reach for Sechs to confront or ignore. It was just as bad as having to hear that damn Landel's taunting speeches echo from the countless speakers that infected the halls of the institute; he couldn't just cover his ears and tell it to shut up.

The burdened Replica just wanted to get away from the terrible thoughts, but that meant getting away from himself, which was impossible and only added to his sense of helplessness, a feeling Sechs hated to experience. It was like being chased by an unseen pack of wolves in the dead of a wintry night, chilled to the bone from a fear that Sechs could not bear to face...

So he marched, pushing himself forward to his goal, fighting to keep his mind directed towards finding the answers to his questions. Was Alita truly here in the institute? Could Sechs find his revenge against the doctor who experimented on him nights ago? Where were the institute's weaknesses, secrets, and most importantly, exit?

It wasn't long before Sechs arrived in the Main Hallway once again, shivering and panting quietly in his armor, bent over slightly from the weight of his axe which he always kept propped on his shoulder, and the damning thoughts that weighed down his spirit.

He finally stopped, just for a moment, to check out his surroundings with his flashlight. No towering men with glowing red eyes and swords were to be spotted. Just the usual population of patients scurrying about with no signs of danger lunging out from the darkness. Some shadows moved unnaturally, which was to be expected when the side-effects of Sechs' ordeal under that sick doctor's mercy were agitated so much by the cold and guilt. Sechs gritted his teeth and ignored the shifting blackness before making one last sweep of the area with his light.

A familiar head of blond hair was caught by the beam of Sechs' flashlight. Leaning against the wall in what appeared to be an exhausted state was Aigis! Immediately concern filled Sechs, which was swiftly demeaned by the drug in his spine. "Why do you care so much about her? You'll just drag her into more trouble like you did with all the others!" it hissed in Sechs' ear.

Sechs hesitated, gritting his teeth against the freezing guilt that crawled throughout his body and heart. She looked fine, and nothing was attacking her. They were probably both better off if he just left her there and went onward alone...

Yet that one slice of his heart that was untouched by the drug reached out, and Sechs found himself take a wary step towards the fellow battle android. "Aigis...?" he said, his voice strained against his better judgment to keep to himself and away from everyone else.

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

Aigis looked up at the sound of a voice still fresh from her memories of earlier that day. A comforting voice to hear, despite its roughness.

"Sechs-san. You are here." She smiled at him in relief. Seeing him put her at ease; she wasn't going to be attacked and all alone again tonight. She pushed away from the wall and took a step towards him.

"I had hoped to run into a familiar face tonight." Minato would have been her first pick, but any friend was a welcome companion. "Would you like some company? I would gladly assist in your excursion tonight."

She didn't have a clue what he had in mind, but any activity was better than standing around and accomplishing nothing.

[sixth-attack.livejournal.com]

"Uh... Yep! I'm here!" Sechs answered rather awkwardly, unable to ignore the small yet very noticeable warmth within his chest (and his face as well, much to his dismay) at Aigis' welcoming response. He shuffled uncomfortably on the spot as she approached him, lifting his flashlight bearing hand to scratch at the back of his head. He couldn't get his guilt-ridden eyes away from the hopeful girl before him. She looked so happy to see him, like he was just the person she needed to find in such a dark time as this. Yet was that to be a mistake on her part or his?

Realizing that he may have lost some confidence in his armored appearance, Sechs quickly brought his hand back down and straightened his pose somewhat. Still, he was unable to hide the hesitance in his eyes and voice.

"Um..."

Should he let her tag along with him? What if something happened though? What if a monster attacked her and he wasn't able to stop the attack fast enough? What if the side-effects of the liquid parasite in his back flared up to unbearable levels in front of her? What if she slowed him down? What if he ended up hurting her? What if, what if, what if....

"Sure!" Sechs finally blurt out, his words influenced more by his heart than the whirlpool of "what ifs" that swirled in his head. ...He was going to regret this, wasn't he?

"I'm trying to figure this place out... I'm looking for a bunch of things, and I'm grabbing for whatever I can find first..." he gruffly explained. "It'll be dangerous though!" he hastily added, "You sure you wanna come with me?"

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

Aigis couldn't see Sechs' face very clearly in the dark, which may or may not have been a good thing. She would have worried greatly on his behalf, but as it was she only remained still and quiet through his awkwardness. She allowed him to say what he wished to say, not planning to resist if he said no. It wouldn't be right to force herself along with him.

She nodded once she heard his objectives. It seemed like a typical night adventure in Landel's. She could handle it. "I am not afraid of danger. I was an attack android as well."

Her eyes grew determined and she stepped closer, waving a hand to indicate the hall. "I would follow along with you anywhere. Please, do not let my presence worry you." She added, after a short pause, "I have claws, so I will not be unarmed."

[sixth-attack.livejournal.com]

Aigis' reply was unwavering and logical, but still brave as any other comrade Sechs had at his side during the nights he spent within the institute's walls. The mentioning of being armed was a bonus as well, and she is (or at least was) a battle android after all! They both had pretty decent chances against whatever the institute threw at them if they stayed together.

Yet that nagging voice that taunted Sechs from the far back of his mind did not relent.

"All your friends will die around you..."

Sechs nearly snapped at the voice, but managed to hold his tongue (nearly biting it in process) before he could utter another "Shut up!" at the drug; he didn't want the drug's effects to be revealed to Aigis, like so many others before, and Sechs was in no mood to explain it to her or bicker with the mental parasite in question.

All he could do was nod, a gruff sigh escaping his nostrils as his eyes followed Aigis' gesture towards the end of the hall. "Alright then," he agreed in a firm tone, his grip upon his axe tightening, causing his leathery, metal-plated glove to creek in the heavy silence.

"Let's go that way then," he said as he began a slower march towards the center of the Main Hallway, "I wanna explore that area more and get upstairs..." Of course, Sechs could easily just go upstairs sooner by taking the staircase nearby, but he didn't want to go by the same place where his friend nearly died...

"They're gonna die, and it'll be all your fault...!"