damned_institute | Night 56: The Grand Ballroom

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Night 56: The Grand Ballroom

[ from here ]

That feeling of vertigo that came with using the ring seemed to be getting worse with each trip, Erika thought, as she saw the world spin around her and felt that tugging sensation pulling all three of them. Well prepared this time, Erika braced herself as she felt wind roaring in her ears and saw the surroundings change into that familiar ballroom, getting ready to land -

"Ow!"

Landing gracefully this time was her idea, but she realized the thing she was landing on was not the floor, but on Sync once again. It seemed like she was the last one to fall despite being the one to destroy the ring, a curious constant that might have had more of her attention if it weren't for the fact that Erika was certain she landed against an elbow this time and that she still had no idea where the other boy was. Heaven forbid she landed on both of them, she might have killed one.

"Where is..." Ah, there he was. The other boy had landed a few feet away from them, though whether he was awake or not, she couldn't tell. Instead of checking on either of her companions, Erika took the moment to search around for her belongings, trying to find where the bag landed. It wasn't too far, but she noted with displeasure that several items had scattered onto the floor, including her katana and that gun. Clearly, those were her first priority, and Erika ignored the two behind her to get her things.

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A brother breaking and sneaking around already tipped the scale of today's events toward bad. Discovering a familiar sword and an equally recognizable sash at dinner pushed it to worse. By the time Nigredo collapsed on his bed in a fit of stressed-induced stupor, he predicted he would die sooner than expected. Promise or otherwise, the loss of an affecting individual and Albedo's hurt were telling details, and the boy simply knew things would become worse than they would get better. He probably wouldn't exist at some point if this deterioration kept.

Turns out he was only partially correct.

The variant awoke on his back, feeling as though he had been knocked about in his sleep. At first, the sensation didn't make sense. Feeling sore after a rest was logical; muscles could tense when the posture was not correct. You usually did not feel bruised and broken unless you were moved. Still, here he was, wondering why his body was reacting like it had taken a tumble down a hill.

Of course, when he recognized the soft lighting and an open space, the answers clicked into place. Green eyes widened to their fullest, and Nigredo practically flew to his feet. His waveform expanded--the mental link shuddering in the effort--and then contracted in preparation to strike. He was moved during his sleep. There was no other logical explanation for his presence in the basement. The one responsible may still be nearby.

One happened to be two, with the second figure being entirely recognizable. In regards to the other, he hadn't a clue as to her identity, but something about her was deemed familiar. No matter. Sync alone was enough to label both the perpetrators. Nigredo incensed, his eyes iridescent in the dark, fingers curled into steely fists.

"What is going on?"

"What the hell did I say?"

Erika could do well with losing a few pounds, but other than that the deed was done. The landing had been rough despite expectations, and while he'd managed to land on his knees the latter's fall had well to disrupt his balance. Scowling at the teen as she moved away, Sync was quick to stand from his spot and inspect himself. The rush of vertigo had already came and went, so all that really mattered now was making sure Erika hadn't been heavy enough to strain any portion of his body.

Fortunately, a quick look over seemed to be enough. Sensing that nothing had been twisted or fractured, the God-General watched the other approach her gun before he himself made his way over to the katana. But it was when he reached the weapon, lifting it off the marble floor, did he catch movement from the corner of his eye. In all honesty, he knew the fall would've either shocked Nigredo awake or knocked him out, though it looked like their opportunity to advance further without protest had come to an abrupt stop.

However, Sync wasn't worried at all. With no one else around it would've been too easy to overpower his roommate, and he was certain the latter would agree. So with a smug grin he propped the katana up, leaning slightly into it as if completely relaxed.

"Isn't it obvious?" He began, eyebrow arched. "You'll be spending tonight with us."

The detective was only happy to ignore Sync's whining, though she scowled when she saw him helping himself to her things without asking. It was a shame she needed to keep her trump card a secret for now, otherwise she would be busy threatening Sync herself. After gathering her things, she returned her attention to the irate boy who just woke up and only smiled smugly herself. She didn't know if that boy knew where he was, but she hoped to make it clear that staying with them was going to be the best choice for him.

"I hope you're not thinking of being rude and declining the offer. Sync worked really hard to get us here, so let's not waste his efforts." She cast the latter a look, not particular a friendly one. He was going to return that, wasn't he? It was easy to tell that he was likely going to reset the ring, and this was still the best place to do it. Erika wasn't a fool; she knew that whatever was in there, it was likely going to be dangerous and keeping everyone alive was actually a priority of hers for once. It was strange having to not rely on dead people to solve this mystery, but she couldn't call herself a true detective if she wasn't flexible.

"And I hope you're planning to return that once you're done with it," She added to Sync, looking back at the other boy to see what he was planning to do. Certainly, most idiots would try to fight or something, but this boy... she couldn't quite pinpoint it, but if he was here with the rest of them, then chances were he was no ordinary child. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too much of a bother to keep the boy in line.

A more volatile individual might have slipped into fury, threw out his waveform in the method most damaging to humans, and ideally stalked back to his room. Nigredo, however, was a more discerning individual and thus, saw all of the flaws to that plan, especially when he caught the glint from the objects each carried. They had weapons. He did not. Furthermore, his abilities proved themselves to be faulty at best, and although the hypnosis had worked admirably in past situations, the child had felt the limitations. Risk powers? Be shot in the arm. Run? ...Likely be shot in the arm. If only that girl didn't have that firearm, he could risk an escape. As Nigredo existed, not a chance.

And Albedo would never reach him in time, even if he had changed his mind about his brother's involvement.

He scowled, eyes narrowing in the perceived helplessness of the situation. Their demands were obvious--the setting gave everything away. You required at least three bodies to open the doors in the basement, which the child had discovered fairly recently in retrospection. The two were looking to obtain the useless sword and the equally useless shield, and they needed his presence. The fragile part of him remembered a trauma and scrambled to deaden reactions, but in the end, the advantage in this scenario was clear.

Nigredo relaxed to the point of apathy, the light in his eyes subsiding in the span of a single sigh. "Could have spent more of that effort getting my shoes," he muttered, pointedly staring down at his socked feet. "Tell me what I'm getting out of this, and maybe I'll consider it without dragging my feet," he added, louder this time. Hostage or no, promise or otherwise, the boy had no patience for making himself to be pleasant tonight.

Sync ignored Erika's response for the time being, knowing exactly what he was going to do with the katana before tossing it aside once he was done. He had no interest in using the latter's weapon aside from the obvious, though he felt it was idiotic of her to bring about two weapons. That meant having to keep a close eye on Nigredo, who could very well take an opportunity if Erika ever gave him that chance. Idiot.

Their voices carried farther in the large expanse of the ballroom, and so he couldn't help but chuckle at his roommate's side quip. The God-General soon made his way over to where Erika stood, angling his own arm so that he could slide the katana's blade over the healing skin and reopen the wound. Expecting the other to cooperate and hold out the ring, he quickly hovered a drop of blood over the shattered jewel.

"Maybe you shouldn't have taken them off in the first place," He pointed out for the sake of belittling his roommate further. "Anyway, I'm sure most would be happy enough to keep their lives, but I guess I can make an exception. If you cooperate then you're free to come with us to the-"

But before he could finish it was as if something had completely cut off his thoughts, green eyes narrowing as Sync fumbled to finish. Yet the words refused to spill, and after a few more seconds of trying he finally gave up. Letting his scowl get the better of him for a moment, he pushed the handle of the katana into some vague direction of Erika's hand, gaze still focused on his roommate.

"You're after the same thing, aren't you? Don't be an idiot and fight back. You would've just wasted my time getting you down here in the first place."

It was truly amusing to Erika how simply having the fake firearm in her possession was enough to gain the boy's reluctant assistance. Therefore, she had to do her best to keep herself from smiling too widely and decided to just hold her tongue on the whole matter. Honestly, the fact she was carrying what was assumed to be a loaded weapon in a pillowcase should have been enough to tell them at the very least that she wasn't planning on using it, but she shouldn't complain. Perhaps she was mistaken and Sync was the reason why the boy was at least bargaining with them.

Her ego took a bit of a blow when considering this reasoning though. The threat of violence was always such a crude method for gaining assistance, one that Erika greatly disliked in favor of having people follow her simply because they were stupid and she knew better. That was probably why it greatly pleased Erika when Sync's threat was interrupted, the boy seemingly at a loss for words when he tried to describe where it was exactly where they were going.

Or perhaps the words weren't coming out at all. Erika arched a brow, realizing that it was not a case of forgetfulness. He looked like he couldn't say anything about their destination, a fact that both pleased and intrigued her. How was this possible? Sync was a violent, angry child at best, but he wasn't stupid. She took her katana back wordlessly for a moment, contemplating the situation. She didn't have any incentive to offer the child, nor did she care to. Simply sparing his life should have been good enough and Sync knew more about the rewards to be gained from going through this place.

For Erika, the only reward would be solving it's mysteries. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Let's go. You two can work something out while we walk, can't you?" The other boy didn't have anywhere to go, and she was sure Sync would just drag him along if he had to, so Erika let the two of them sort each other out while she headed towards one of the two other doors in the room. She already knew that two items were needed to open the third door across from the entrance, and the door behind the stairs wouldn't open to her. So... which one did she want to go through first.

The doors were identical, with no hints if there was a right or wrong answer. Erika had the feeling it didn't matter.

"Let's go through the left one." She called out to them, hoping her voice would penetrate through their thick skulls. Sync's reaction would probably tell her how good of a guess that was.

Edited 2011-06-02 21:18 (UTC)

Keeping his life was a laughable concept, like being told you could have a cookie when you hated sweets. If not for his tendency of being the stable child, Nigredo might have taken a cue from his less sane sibling and giggled in a high-pitched tone. He would have done it, too, if not for the effort involved and the offer given--the latter having less to do with Sync's "willingness" to concede and more the strange cutoff. Like the girl, he lifted an eyebrow at his roommate, incredulous of what he saw. Though reason would suggest otherwise, Nigredo refused to believe the older boy was the type to trail off without a reason.

Before he could question, however, a ping from the shared mental space threw any sarcastic remarks to the wayside. Which in complete honesty, happened to be the worst interruption imaginable. If Albedo knew the exact source of his anger, all control would be lost, and the situation would derail into a more comically stupid wreck than it already was. Without hesitation, Nigredo dispersed his previous thoughts and divided the attention between people.

"You don't know what I'm after," he retorted, eyes rolling in disdain. He then stepped toward the girl, who was heading in the direction of one of the doors. Of course, the child ignored what was actually chosen. "But fine. I won't waste your time. Just don't ever touch me again." Anyone who knew Nigredo well enough might have been taken aback by his attitude, but in his mind, all bets were off. Propriety was the last thing he wanted to hold to this night.

To Albedo, however, the response was less hateful. Unfortunately, his sibling was sharper than most, and it took maneuvering to offer a believable excuse. It helped that the words were mostly true, and that he was staring angrily at the female the entire time. They eventually offered their farewells, and Nigredo was left alone. Uneasiness slid through his chest, but nothing could be helped. They were not in the relationship they were last night.

As the girl offered her suggestion, his mind moved suddenly, a memory flitting to life. He had thought that girl looked familiar. "Hey," he called out, not bothering with pleasantries nor addressing the decision. He did, however, walk to the aforementioned door. "Do you know someone named Rika?"

Sync tried not to think too deeply about what just happened, even if he was certain the other two had also noticed that obvious pause. It could very well have been another one of their captor's tricks, but it wasn't like it mattered in the end anyway. Didn't Erika want to just figure out what was actually down there as opposed to the end result? Still, he supposed it was just added insurance to make sure the 'mysteries' of the coliseum weren't revealed prematurely.

"There's only one reason why you'd already have one of the items in your possession." Sync thought it was common sense, unless Nigredo was the type of person that hated progress. But given the pacing of this damned Hell he wouldn't have been all that surprised if that were the true. "But don't worry, I'm not interested in taking what you have."

It was Erika's words that caught his attention next. Right, they might as well make it a quick run if they wanted to get anything done tonight.

"Fine by me." Like Nigredo, he was compliant with the girl's choice, and he'd remain that way as long as they didn't go through those damned elemental rooms. He said nothing at his roommate's question, figuring it was reserved for Erika given the similarities of names, but that alone was enough to pique his curiosity. Regardless, he acted uninterested, pushing open the door and making his way into the next hallway.

[To here.]

[[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1104746.html?thread=78082666#t78082666)]]

Sasuke had thought that it might be easier to get used to the ring's effects, but they didn't seem to be abating over time -- or perhaps they were growing worse, and tolerance made it seem the same? Still, at least there was nothing as dire as Aidou had suspected in store. In the short term, which was of the main concern for their particular mission. Letting go of Sai's hand, Sasuke redistributed the weapons in his hand and took his bearings.

If Sasuke recalled correctly, he'd bled just enough from that scrape last night to set the ring again, and indeed he sensed that particular underground smell as soon as his senses cleared from the ring. From the foot of the stairs to the doors across the room, where Landel had been gloating about whatever trick or trap he'd left -- a brief trip, and one he'd already explained to those who needed it.

"Sakura, the shield," he said as soon as they'd reached the other side, hefting the sword that had been won so long ago at the same time.

The noble kept his mouth shut rather than voice thoughts that would, likely, fly over the heads of the other four. That Sakura had also had her things returned to her would have to wait, too. The ring and its potential abilities was enough to focus on at the moment, though apparently the tall, ill-fitting one was acting as no more than a warm body on the trip.

He watched Sasuke display the ring, expression hard. Some shortcut. There were powers that only a small handful deserved to wield--like purebloods.

… But on the surface, a shortcut was what the ring provided.

Aidou wasn’t a stranger to travelling great distance by special means, but in this case finding himself in the ballroom a floor below was accompanied by physical discomfort, a kind shared in part by the others, by the looks of things. He made a dour face at the woozy sensation and slipped his hand out of the girl’s. Unsurprising that his body reacted poorly, he supposed. But the ring had done what Landel said it would. Would they always, though? Surely their creator was still tied to them?

At the very least, the vampire was otherwise unaffected by the transition, or so it seemed so far.

The southernmost door was the one everyone wanted, and on the way there, he kept his eyes on the room at large. He couldn’t sense any threat nearby, either. Another good thing. Looking back over his shoulder at the other end of the ballroom where the northern doors sat, he considered their rough facade silently. Those were, of course, another mystery. For now there was the investigation at hand and all the assembled tools to (hopefully) complete it--a group of people, and the sword and shield.

The trip was a dizzying one, and Sakura had to move quickly not to be left behind. If Brook's stuttered outburst was anything to judge by, she wasn't the only one. The sudden change in scenery was enough to put her on her guard, but just as before, they all ended up in the large room in the basement. She'd heard little about the ring that was able to do such a thing and she had her reservations about using a tool left them by their enemy, but now that things had changed, maybe it mattered less? Who knew.

It was a little disappointing that she didn't get to grab hold of Sasuke as well, but at least she no longer had to beg and plead and poke and prod at him just to come along. Before her thoughts could trail any further though, Sasuke's commanding voice calling her name shook her out of it.

"I'm on it," she replied quickly, pulling the small shield from the belt at her hip and moving to affix it to the other indentation on the door. It fit, just as expected, as if the door had been made for it. Most likely was, of course. She pushed onward, through the doors and into the dark hall beyond.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1119653.html)]

When she emerged from the dark stairwell, Rita had to wince as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of what appeared to be an elegant ballroom. The marble floor, the fountains, the chandelier... It was like being inside a palace.

"What is this place?" she wondered, her eyes wide in awe. How did they build a place like this beneath the institute? And why? It didn't seem to serve any purpose other than to show off how much money and resources their captors had. Did they have no sense of practicality?

Once she was able to get over the bizarre appearance of the room, she realized there were already people there. They must have come another way, if she and Taura were the first to get through the kitchen entrance. The portal rings, perhaps? Rita knew she wasn't the only one who had one.

Whatever they were doing didn't necessarily concern them, so once she confirmed they weren't enemies, Rita looked to see what their options were. There was a large door ahead, one behind them, and two on either side. "Where do you suppose we should go?" she asked, looking back to Taura.

The room was beautiful. It wasn't unusual to find this kind of thing lurking in the basements of those with more money than sense, from what she knew, but she hadn't put Martin Landel in those ranks. Power, yes, but the kind that delighted in cruelty, not beauty. Very few liked both, she found. Fewer still were men (or women, or herms) that were successful at gaining them. Of course, whether or not Landel would retake his House was an interesting question.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Let's take a look, yeah?" The closest set of doors were plain, like bulkhead doors. They didn't quite fit with the rest of the room, though if you didn't look too closely they could just be a wall. "I wonder which side is the other side?"

Another group of patients had just disappeared down the far hallway -- and there were two more sets of doors. She started jogging towards the eastern set. "I was told that you needed three people to get anywhere down here, but I never found out exactly why." It wasn't like there were signs posted, after all.

When Taura approached the eastern doors, Rita followed, looking around the room as she did. It was uncertain whether the doors mentioned by the Head Doctor were the ones those patients had just disappeared behind, or perhaps the ones behind the stairs. In any case, they needed to investigate things for themselves.

"Three people...?" Rita echoed, a dubious expression on her face. How did that even work, from a technical standpoint? And more importantly... "Why didn't you say so earlier!?" If it was true, then they were at a dead end, and an avoidable one at that!

Unwilling to accept that the trip had been a waste of time and effort, Rita ran her hands along the carvings on the door, hoping to find some sort of hidden switch or secret.

If they needed three people... could it be there were three switches, spaced so that three people would be needed to press them all simultaneously? Or a section of the floor was weight-sensitive, and acted as a switch itself... Mulling over these thoughts in her head, Rita tried to rationalize how such a requirement could be applied, if it was even the truth. After all, if she could figure out the trick, then there could be a way to bypass that requirement.

"I thought there'd be a crowd down here, after that radio broadcast. Maybe we just got lucky." Sometimes you had to count on luck, when everything else failed. It was better than despair. She cheated the odds by waking up and breathing every day; it wasn't always as easy to be optimistic, but she tried.

"That or they're pulling something else." They rebuilt damaged doors every morning; who said they couldn't do it in the middle of the night. Split people up, isolate all of them further. That wasn't a friendly thought.

"Find anything?" She was thinking along the same lines as Rita, and came and stood by her. If it was weight, she massed enough for two, at least when they were Rita's size.

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Night 56: The Grand Ballroom

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GOTTA MAKE HER MIND UP, WHICH DOOR CAN SHE TAKE???

EVERYTHING. UH. /lets Brenda choose

my choices are the best.

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