damned_institute | Night 56: Entry Room

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Night 56: Entry Room

[ From here. ]

Deserted.

Regardless, Lightning took several steps into the large room, looking about and listening intently. Most importantly though, she was also trying to get a feel for the air there. She remembered quite clearly how it had seemed her first and second nights, how someone else going through ahead of her had caused the oppressive air inside to be stirred slightly, and figured that would be the best way for her to tell if anyone had already beat her out the door.

However, that didn't seem to be the case here, and as far as she could tell without walking all the way over to it, the entrance at the other end of the room hadn't yet been opened. Taking a hasty step backward, Lightning was quick to retrace where she'd come from as soon as she was sure of the possibility being struck out--

And then the sound of static from the radio trapped in her jacket, harsh and almost deafeningly loud in the darkened silence, nearly caused the already wound-tight l'Cie a heart attack then and there. Pressing her lips together in annoyance, she moved to retrieve the thing, immediately recognizing the first voice and then...

... That was-- was that the 'head doctor?'

Now almost outright scrambling, she quickly lifted the radio to not far from her face, first bending her head so that pieces of her pale hair fell forward as she listened, then promptly shaking it back, turning her back to the wall and leaning there, determined to keep an eye on her surroundings at the same time despite her surprise.

Much of the message went right over the ex-soldier's head still, but... they were working together- not even a child could miss that. Shaking her head in disgust, she started putting the noisy device back in the jacket pocket almost before the broadcast had come to an end.

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"Nothing important" was a dubious response by anyone's standards, especially considering the subject of their conversation. Tear couldn't imagine why one would bother waving aside an obvious answer when it was more beneficial to simply be honest. Then again, perhaps the gesture was a show of distrust. She wouldn't be surprised. Not many had taken her as she was tonight.

She pursed her lips at the younger of the two men, before glancing at the elder. His answer happened to be much less grating, and thus, Tear was willing to extend some patience. "I only need both of you to leave this area once you are finished," she stated, tone matter-of-fact. "Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated."

Her voice lowered, then, as though addressing the air. "I don't need to endanger any more lives." Two people had already went into the miasma, after all. She didn't need more mistakes.

Was the woman to be some sort of guard, or did she merely want to use this area for her own purposes tonight? No matter which was the case (if it was really either), she'd expressed danger... but in what manner might she have been endangering lives?

Izaya cast a glance at the front door. They should get started soon, but he wasn't particularly bothered by a delay as long as it proved interesting—and so far, it had the potential to, if only to hear what else the stranger (or even Castiel) might say. And since Castiel had taken a more diplomatic approach that Izaya's own slithering out of the asked question, he stayed quiet, waiting to hear how Castiel might like to handle things. It was his lesson, after all.

With his business in the drawers completed, Izaya slowly moved away from the desk, keeping an eye on the woman just in case she was the very danger she'd suggested. He paused after he was only a few steps closer to the door, glancing at Castiel.

The request was a simple one, although Castiel's guess was that she wasn't willing to let them leave through the front door; she wanted them to go back. That was something he could agree to, if only because the goal tonight was learning how to get doors open -- stepping through them wasn't necessarily a part of that. While it would be more interesting to take another look around outside, it seemed that they would be in danger if they attempted to defy her.

That was what she was implying, at least. Castiel had seen monsters take the form of young girls before, and so he had no intention of doubting her. She was being reasonable rather than outright attacking them, and he responded to reason well.

"That's fine," he said after a pause. He didn't know how she would feel about the lockpicking itself, but he was willing to find out for the sake of finally learning this one skill. After responding to the woman, he turned back to Orihara. "We should continue from where we left off." His hand was extended, waiting for the human to give him a paper clip so that he could start learning.

Well, then. One reasonable man made up for one doubting man, and Tear was quite willing to let them have their little lock-picking business if it meant they would leave without incident. That is, until she realized exactly which lock they planned to use as a lesson. Perhaps they intended to stay within the institute even after a success; however, fiddling with that lock was forbidden.

The last thing Tear wanted from them, on the other hand, was contention. It could incite them to venture through to the institute grounds. She might find more of a success if she directed their efforts elsewhere. As stated earlier, the soldier did not need any more fights tonight, and if they really just wanted an exercise in unlocking doors, any one would do.

She edged toward the front door, blue eyes locked on both men. "I wouldn't recommend this one." Her gaze drifted past them, to the doors leading to the file rooms. Once they were in sight, she nodded in their direction. "They may work better."

It seemed more and more likely that the woman was, in fact, a guard. She was edging towards the front door, apparently intent on dissuading them from using it as the object of their practice, even if she wasn't going to try to driving them from the room entirely.

Well, no matter. Any door would do, as long as it was locked; the front door had been their goal because Izaya had picked it himself once before, but... While he had no real problem with changing which lock Castiel learned with, he wondered how the woman would react if they insisted on that one. He also wondered why she was recommending they not use the front door.

Izaya glanced at the doors she recommended, but then returned his attention to the one she was guarding from them. "And why is that?" he asked. It was an open question: why she wouldn't recommend that one; why she thought the others would work better... he didn't mind which one she chose to answer as long as she answered.

This had quickly turned from a mild annoyance to a complete waste of time. They had agreed not to go out, and Castiel had imagined that that would be enough. Now the stranger was ordering them to use a different lock, and he was willing to do even that. (He had no idea where those doors she'd pointed out led to, after all. The rooms couldn't be very large considering where they were positioned, but it was still curious.) And now Orihara was continuing to draw this out unnecessarily by asking the young woman questions.

"Let's just do as she says," he said roughly, balling his hands into fists as he moved away from the desk they'd been raiding and over to one of the doors that she had suggested. He tested the knob; they were as locked as she said, and there was no reason why this wouldn't work as well as their original choice. He would rather do as she said and avoid a fight in order to finally accomplish something.

Granted, regardless of what he said the others might continue talking, and that was the most frustrating part. He had no way to threaten people anymore, and that shouldn't bother him as much as it did.

Ideally, the reaction should have been somewhere along the lines of compliance. Of course, reality rarely fit into the ideal, and thus, Tear was forced to accept that at least one of the men would always question her motives. If only the younger would follow the elder's words, she wouldn't have to waste anyone's time. She gave a look to the questioner, pulling the magician's staff closer to her torso.

"The door is unlocked, for one," explained Tear, attempting to hide the exasperation. Like always, the attempt proved a little faulty. "For another, I've been ordered to keep it closed until the miasma outside clears. I hope you understand my reluctance to allow any 'practice' on this door." She gave a pointed look at the man, as if silently asking him to find a reason why the Melodist would be so inclined to do otherwise.

She finally shook her head, appearing as put off as the one who had spoken wisely. Did they have to make this more of a hindrance than it already was?

Edited 2011-06-22 03:43 (UTC)

Oh, had Castiel's patience ended? Izaya could understand wanting to get started—to that end, Castiel had even moved over to test whether the other doors were indeed locked—but there was no harm in a few little questions in the meantime. It wasn't as though chatting and working were mutually exclusive; if the girl intended on sticking around, they could easily talk while Castiel tried his hand at the lock.

Nevertheless, he followed Castiel to the door, glancing back at the woman as she answered his question.

"If that door is already unlocked, you could have said so in the first place," Izaya commented with a thin smile. He wanted to ask about the 'miasma', but... For now, he would get Castiel started.

He finally held out one of the two paperclips to Castiel: the one with broader bend. "Insert this one first, at the bottom," he instructed, pointing his flashlight towards the lock so that Castiel would have a bit of light. It wasn't an ideal setting, but it would have to do. "You need turn it in the direction of the lock. Keep pressure on it the entire time you're working."

Izaya then held out the other paperclip. "This one is your pick. For now, just insert it and feel the pins in the lock." If it hadn't been for the girl's interruption, Izaya had intended to explain the workings of a lock to Castiel... but he could come back to it later. For now, he wanted to let Castiel feel like he was beginning to accomplish something.

Despite his brewing frustration with Orihara, he did have to agree that the woman should have mentioned that the door was unlocked before this point. That meant that some other patients had made it here before them, which, now that Castiel thought it through, wasn't so surprising considering Orihara's late arrival.

Still, it seemed that the young man was going to get down to business now, and as Castiel was handed the paperclips he fell into a crouch, needing to be level with the lock in order to work properly. It felt odd to have the girl standing there and watching them, but there was no easy way to make her leave and he wasn't interested in wasting time attempting to do so.

Though he had to admit, he was curious about the miasma she'd spoken of. Perhaps Orihara would ask about it eventually. Castiel was now focused on the task at hand.

Following the other's instructions, he inserted one of the clips toward the bottom of the slot and then pressed it toward the side, feeling the resistance from the lock. The makeshift pick was placed in afterward, though Castiel couldn't make much of what he was feeling beyond that. He closed his eyes, hoping that that would help him visualize the inside of the lock more easily.

"What do I do now?" he asked, tone completely serious. The girl had been forgotten for the moment as he concentrated on the real point of this evening.

She could have, yes. Tear had assumed they already knew the front door was off-limits. A careless assumption, she recognized too late. "My mistake," she told the younger man. "I apologize."

The matter was left alone for now, and the men went to have their lesson. Although monitoring their activity seemed like the wisest course of action, Tear lingered in the background, allowing both their space. A part of her was curious at the reason for such a lesson--you wouldn't teach another how to unlock a door without purpose, after all--but ultimately, it was none of the Melodist's business. As long as they didn't demonstrate the limits of bravado like a certain pair of sword fighters, they would be left alone.

On occasion, however, she glanced back to watch their work, wondering how they were coming along.

Izaya glanced back at the woman one more time as Castiel followed his instructions. Apparently she had no other complaints about their actions, if the silence after her apology was any indication. He could only vaguely make out her shape in the dark now that his flashlight was pointed elsewhere.

He turned back to Castiel when the man asked what to do next.

"Since you're a beginner, start off with raking the pins. I think your pick is sturdy enough that it won't get bent out of shape from it... Move the pick all the way to the back of the lock to lift up the pins, and then pull it out quickly. The tension on the lock should catch some of the pins as they fall."

He paused, and then added, "There will mostly like be some pins left to adjust after that."

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Night 56: Entry Room

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