Night 56: Entry Room

[thestormishere]

[ 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.

Comments

[propheteer]

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.

[freewill]

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.

[melodists.livejournal.com]

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.

[propheteer]

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."