Night 58: Main Hallway, 1-Center

[train-tracer.livejournal.com]

[from here]

Turning the corner, Vino found that, in fact, he was very much early, it seemed. Huh. There was no one yet in this central hallway, though if he looked back towards the west side of the building, that strange person with the unnatural-looking white hair had gone down that end of the big hallway. He could still see the whiteness of their hair standing out from the darkness of the atmosphere around them.

He spent a few moments watching this person, then lost interest, instead finding the nearest wall to lean against to wait for the other person to show. Healing powers! He'd be able to see them in action, right? Vino wondered what it was like, having an injury healed with the kind of abilities that this kid had. Would it be like Czeslaw's 'healing,' he wondered? That would definitely be interesting to see, wouldn't it? Watching your own injury just mend itself like that. Like magic!

But while this ability certainly could be a useful one to have, Vino hadn't decided yet whether this would be an ability he'd want in his arsenal. Felt a bit like cheating, didn't it? What would be the point in challenging yourself to do things if there was no thrill in it? (Most people would call this the 'thrill of danger,' but Vino didn't believe in such a thing for himself.)

If you could always heal yourself from any injury, then how could you tell the difference between being alive and... not? There'd be no difference then, that's what!

A pause in his thoughts as Vino checks around again to see if he can spot any familiar head of spiky hair. Nope, no one fitting the description yet. He settles in to wait.

Comments

[selfnighted.livejournal.com]

Nothing yet. Anticipation was such a terrible emotion to experience. For all Maya was aware, the general had simply wanted his entire staff to reproduce Swan Lake for the night.

Maya paused for a moment in this corridor to collect herself. Her grip on the pipe hadn't decayed (though how she'd use it she couldn't imagine), and there was no universal creed that declared she could only be ambushed if she weren't moving, was there?

Now to settle where she was headed tonight. Her little theory had been tested (rather, she couldn't test it until she woke up and reviewed when her explorations at night had stopped), which left her without another goal. Mail Room? Medical Wing? Whatever else could be found upstairs? Hmm.

[threepwood]

[From here- so sorry this is late! Let me know if this isn't workable.]

Unfortunately, Guybrush's flashlight had plans other than working for the night. As he progressed through the corridor, the beam flickered once, then twice, then refused to come on at all. Shaking it did nothing, as did banging the device on his hook and into the wall, and cursing its entire family- the light remained off, leaving the Mighty Pirate™ alone in the dark (in a non-copyrighted way, of course).

"Great," Guybrush grumbled quietly to himself. "Looks like I'll be walking up stairs in pitch-black darkness. So much for swearing it off after last time. At least it's a straight shot to the stairwell. Just walk forward, and everything will be fine... until I get upstairs and have to actually see where I'm going."

And so, Guybrush did just that: with his hook to the wall, he marched deeper into the darkened hallway. His steps were slow at first; however, his imagination got the better of him with the subsequent movements, his pace increasing with each step. Did that shadow move? Was that voice another patient, or something else? That noise was the sound of his own teeth clacking together, right?

[gald_digger]

[from here]

It was this way, right? Since the Medical Wing had never been open before, Anise had never really gone there - or even around it, much.

She realized as she was walking that she'd forgotten to take her two braids out. Oh well! Changing her look once in a while could only add to her cute appeal, right? (Did the meat tenderizer in her hand detract from it, though...?) In any case, it was probably fine. With Tokunaga on her back and her yellow ribbons tying the ends of her braids, she still looked very much like the usual Adorable Little Anise.

The crowd was starting to thin out as she walked away from the west side of the hall. A couple people seemed to have stopped, either to wait for someone or to get their bearings, she guessed. Anise continued walking, though she slowed to a more cautious pace. If she was going to be the first one reaching the east side that night, then it meant she had to be extra careful about monsters.

[for Gumshoe!]

[ham_fisted]

[from here]

Gumshoe made sure to keep his eyes and ears open (as always!) as he passed THAT hallway. He wouldn't lie; he'd thought about going to look for the two of them, but the chances of actually finding their rooms before they left were slim to none, and that was if they weren't unconscious in the infirmary (he'd check it out tonight!). At least with Ms. von Karma, there wasn't as much ground to--

...

He frowned deeply.

Surely there'd be members of the History Club there, though he hadn't met that many of them in person. Hmm. Maybe that was what he should have been doing! He wouldn't mind taking up another assignment. Yeah! He'd suggest it to Mr. Edgeworth after filling him in on everything he'd missed. ...Well, what he thought he'd missed, and then the week that had come after that.

It was a good thing something started distracting him then. He noticed a shadow up ahead--presumably a person--that looked pretty short, as in kid-sized. Unless he was mistaken, they were traveling alone.

"Huh? H-Hey!" Gumshoe hesitated briefly, making an effort not to raise his voice too much, given where they were. "Wait up, pal!" Done hesitating, he jogged forward to catch up. Admittedly, he didn't think about how the person might react to seeing something his size running towards them, but since he didn't mean them any harm, he wouldn't know why they'd think he was scary until it was too late.

[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1162614.html?thread=79910006#t79910006)]

The next section of the hall was mostly empty, which would usually be to his preferences, were it not that the silence meant that the voices came through more clearly.

Hey, Dad, what do you think you're doing?

Lloyd's voice, so perfectly pitched and so innocuous that he initially thought it real. Kratos looked abruptly toward the wall, expecting to find his son leaning against the wall with a grin on his face, but belatedly realized that it had been a trick. He was proving remarkably susceptible to all of this, something that would have been unfathomable a few weeks ago. Perhaps it was something about the drug's composition, or perhaps his own physiology was to blame...anything, anything except admitting that after a month, he was starting to tire.

"Hm." Kratos frowned and brushed the thought out of his mind. Too much thinking; it was time to make use of his distraction.

--And...maybe tell Soma that he could be incapacitated for a greater part of the night depending on how things progressed. But that particular revelation could be built up slowly. "Have you gone into the new wing yet?"

[madeinthehrl]

At least this time their destination wasn't as far away as the mines had been. Soma was about to make some pointless comment along those lines when Kratos looked up suddenly. She followed his gaze to the wall--nothing.

Baffled, she looked back to Kratos, but he beat her to the punch.

"I went last night," she said, frowning slightly at the memory. "I was curious about those drugs Aguilar mentioned."

[bodhiandspirit.livejournal.com]

Rita continued down the hallway at a brisk pace, not looking to see whether or not the stranger was following her. She wasn't particularly concerned about getting his help.

As she walked, though, she realized the hallway felt a lot cooler than usual. Did someone leave a door open somewhere...? No, that wasn't important. She had to keep moving.

Her pace began to slow, however, as she became aware of more things that seemed a bit off. There was a tingly, almost numb feeling in her fingers, one that she thought would soon go away, but instead... it seemed to be spreading through her body. Another effect of the drug...? No, maybe she was imagining it. The coldness could be a delusion as well. It took a moment to realize she had been staring at her hand for a while now, and once she became aware of it, Rita quickly shook her wrist and started walking more quickly.

[promisedawhale.livejournal.com]

"W-would you now...?"

Her response of blasting monsters to "smithereens" had been, in Brook's opinion, rather "Luffyish". And given how he'd thought that the girl had a certain navigator's attitude, he couldn't help but feel that he should go along with the young woman. Just in case. Even if she was just a little like either one of the two - both of which could be equally hard-headed - the chance of her getting into a fair amount of trouble remained dangerously high.

With her starting off once more, Brook forced himself forward at a quicker pace than he was used to, wanting to keep up with her since she'd given permission for him to follow. "I wouldn't wish to slow you down in any way," he explained, settling into a groove just behind her as they entered into the next hallway, "My name is Brook, by the way. I'm sorry for not introducing myself sooner. And you would be...?"

As he fished for her name, his large strides suddenly had him catching up to her, and he realized that she had slowed just slightly. Being close enough now, he looked down over her back, noticing that she was watching her hand for some reason. "Is something the matter?"

Later.

[train-tracer.livejournal.com]

...

How long had he been waiting again?

Vino didn't know, but he decided that he really, really didn't do the 'waiting patiently' thing. Standing around and waiting was never his plan of action, ever. Could it even be called a 'plan of action' if he wasn't even moving anywhere? Probably not.

Eventually, he had stopped being the only one in the hall. Vino had watched, making sure the kid didn't accidentally pass by and miss him, or something. But he’d seen no one even close.

Sometime during the course of his extended wait, he'd started switching the flashlight on and off, on and off, because he'd seen someone else do it when they passed by toward the other hall where the white-haired person had gone. Then he'd gone to swinging the metal bar around, perhaps drawing odd stares by people who passed by, but Vino didn't care. Hey, it was practice, right? And he was bored.

But it looked like the kid was going to be a no-show. How disappointing. And rude, but right now, Vino's more distressed by the fact that it seems he won't get to witness magical healing tonight after all.

He sighed and pushed himself off the wall, picking up the railing and swinging it back over his shoulder. Fine then, Vino would just have to find the kid tomorrow or later on and ask about it.

Where to now? Right, right, his list! Maybe he should have written down locations so he could figure out where exactly he was going to cover tonight. That would be more… organized, right?

…Whatever, too much trouble! He could pretend he wrote it down later. It counted so long as it was on paper, right?

A second later, Vino was turning right and heading west, according to the map he had, if he were remembering correctly. He'd meant to check that upstairs corridor before. Vino hated leaving things finished halfway. Time to get that over with tonight, at least.

[to here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1162614.html?thread=80067446#t80067446)]

[forgot-it-all.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1161848.html?thread=80040824#t80040824)]

For such a short walk, Ritsuka sure felt on edge. The vision from before haunted him still - the sight of a featureless face reaching for him with bladed hands wasn't something he could just forget. It reminded him of the dangers of going out tonight and his worries over his friend. If touching him caused pain, then what if Ritsuka accidentally brushed up against him in the dark? Or if someone had to grab him and pull Albedo out of harm's way? The basement was dangerous enough as it was, but to navigate it when one person couldn't be touched and another was hallucinating dangers around every corner?

Putting his back to the Sun Room wall, Ritsuka rubbed one arm and waited. That was a bridge they'd have to cross eventually, but for now the important thing was simply to wait and see how Albedo and Nigredo were doing. Maybe Albedo was better by now. Maybe it was simply a fluke or a temporary effect that had already worn off. He sincerely hoped so. He also hoped the others would arrive soon. Standing alone in a hallway when he could see the shadows twisting and turning out of the corners of his eyes did very little for his sense of safety, let alone his sanity.

[Nigredo and Albedo]

[falseblack]

[From here.]

Without the identities of their companion(s), Nigredo was walking blindly into the situation. An annoying facet in this trip, but he had long since decided to trust Albedo's efforts. When the elder pointed out a figure in the shadows, therefore, Nigredo walked toward him without a second's thought, pausing only once to consider the identity.

"...Hello," he gave to Ritsuka, shuffling unease beneath his features. He tried not to recall the events of a certain morning. "How are you, Ritsuka?" Green eyes darted over the other boy's features causally, as if to answer his own question. The other appeared well, though that might have been accentuated by the cat ears on his hea--

Here, Nigredo dropped all thoughts, eyes locked without shame on the forms on top of Ritsuka's head. It was incredibly rude, and he was certain to berate himself afterward, but they were just so hypnotizing that the child couldn't help staring.

[ofthemotions]

[from here]

This would probably be his best bet for finding people, in the end. Dead center (bad turn of phrase there...) and in the middle, he could probably see if there were people who seemed likely to approach, or seemed more friendly than some of the ones he'd seen. So he could just. Wait here for a while and....

The door there. Opposite from the sun room. Was he imagining it or was there maybe a trace of wind coming from it? No, he was imagining it. It was just that-- Could that be the door to opposite? And didn't Snow... and the others say that the creatures and animals were mainly inside and slipped in?

...It probably wasn't anything, but it couldn't really hurt to move a little bit down at least, could it?

[to here]

[propheteer]

[From here]

Ah... There were fewer people about in this part of the hallway, Izaya noted with disappointment. He'd gotten to see a number while he'd been hanging around in the other part of the hall, but there really were fewer and fewer the further he got from that end.... Maybe he should have stayed longer, or gone a different way. This was the quickest way to get to the medical ward, but perhaps another route would have been more interesting.

He thought he heard a faint hiss as he walked, but looking around, the source was nowhere to be found.

[To here]

[melodists.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1162614.html?thread=80136566#t80136566).]

The hallway was fairly peaceful. Aside from snippets of conversation, Tear found the area to be quiet. Not entirely secure, of course, but less traffic was an aspect she could appreciate. It was easier to spot danger, for one. For another and relating to the first, it made dividing her attention much simpler.

"Which exit?" she asked, glancing momentarily at Renamon and Utena. They could go through one of many; it was really a matter of which they preferred.

[revolutionise]

Utena knew the river Tear was talking about; she remembered it from that previous excursion with Himemiya. So, Utena figured, that was probably going to be easy to find if they went in pretty much the same direction she and Himemiya had gone before. In which case, it only made sense to take the same exit as before.

"Out through the greenhouse yard's probably easiest," Utena suggested. Renamon seemed to agree, which was good; they could get moving all the faster if everyone was all on the same page.

Utena took the lead, hurrying them past the (shiver) Medical Wing entrance and into the hall that would take them outside.

[To here]

[savagestray.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1162614.html?thread=80186742#t80186742)]

Heine stopped when the numbers began to thin out. The rooms were back the other way, though he hadn't seen any trace of Lily and he'd no idea how the rooms were organized or- or if you really saw what you think you saw?

He kept to the far wall, leaning against it for support. How long had it been since he felt this uneasy? This unstable? First the disappearing and reappearing collar, then Lily, now whatever this institution had become now that night had fallen. As promised, the doors had unlocked, people were walking around wherever they wished, and the soldiers had completely vanished. Whether the problem was rooted in this place or the insanity was his alone, he couldn't be certain.

[strayfag]

[from here]

As it turned out, Heine actually didn't reflect light, but he was pretty damn ghostly in the dark anyway. Badou kept the flashlight trained on the floor ahead of him and called out to Heine as he approached. He was steadfastly not remembering what happened in this hallway the first time he came down this way.

It was easy to be distracted, anyway. Partner-tan wasn't lookin' so hot. Understandably, considering where he was, but... "What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost, man."

[its-the-mileage.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1162614.html?thread=80076918#t80076918)]

The center portion of the hall was pretty quiet (again, it looked like most of the patients had already passed through). Indy peered through the dim light of Lockhart's flashlight; he didn't notice anything else out of the ordinary either. Good. The giant insects he'd seen around here a while back wouldn't pose much of a threat under normal circumstances, but he wasn't sure how he'd deal with one now if they ran into it.

"How long have you been here?" he asked Lockhart conversationally as they made their way toward the far end. "And how much have you heard about it?"

[commentated.livejournal.com]

[going here (http://damned.livejournal.com/1166171.html?thread=80242779#t80242779)]

[gargantuanlaugh.livejournal.com]

"Speaking of the medical wing," he continue, glancing back at her, "I decided to take the gamble. And I got something rather nice out of it."

Tipping his hand was a gamble itself, but with this kind of advantage he felt it was probably his best move. Because if Lana was planning something, which was still completely unlikely, at least she would think twice about trying anything while he was armed.

[fourstonewalls]

He had? That surprised her. Control, and not losing it, was something she could have told anyone was important to Gant long before SL-9. Though arrogance -- hmm. If he thought he could control it, well, of course he'd play to win.

They'd both made some of the same mistakes. Acting quickly and on impulse, when their skills laid in methodical and considered measures. It would give her an answer she'd been looking for, though, and without telling him why. Though she had to assume he'd seen her post to the bulletin.

"I take it any side effects were of limited duration?" She hadn't heard from either of the children, but if whatever had happened to him had worn off, it likely had for them as well. She didn't like the thought that she'd lied to the boy.

[to here]

[saviored]

[from here]

The funny thing was that the dark wasn't...really the dark to him, precisely. Not the way it would've been for someone who was human. He knew, objectively, that it was dark, but the ability to see clear through it meant it always registered on an entirely different level. Even here, with all that enjoyable interference.

Which meant his sudden awareness of the serious lack of lighting shouldn't have been happening.

He blamed his distraction for the way he started when he found a damn knife in his face. The look he gave Rick was edged with irritation—though not entirely aimed at him.

Damon took the knife. Weapons had never done anything for him. Vampire factor and all; he didn't attach to weapons the same sense of security people did. It was only now that taking it back made him feel less...

Never mind. He kept walking without moving too far ahead of Rick. In fact, he stayed uncharacteristically in step with the teacher.

"Anyone who wanted to play lab rat last night went down to the medical wing. End of the hall. Figured now that we're in the same boat, we might as well take a look ourselves."

[deathandgin]

Something about the weight of the knife leaving his hand bothered him. Alaric, though he was hesitating on approaching his own mind - a weird place to be in the first place, seriously - he recognized it was not because he felt like he was less protected. The knife did not symbolize protection to him right now. He clenched his fist, moving down the hallway with renewed purpose. He was definitely being pushed towards something, and it wasn't the goddamn medical wing.

"Sounds good," he said, regardless of how he felt otherwise. There might be a few clues there and in either case it was worth checking out. Hadn't the intercom guy said it'd just been opened up last night? That combined with all the weird bulletin notices...

Damon didn't take the lead. Huh.

He might as well break the ice. "Are you feeling any different?" Alaric's tone worried him. He sounded annoyed. Not in a justifiable way. He didn't feel annoyed. Or did he? "I mean, they have to be testing for something."

[ninelivesonce]

[from here]

There were at least two fights brewing, one between two men, and another between two and what sounded like a brainwashed friend, and Taura wanted no piece of them.

The fact that she could almost smell the blood, pulsing just under their skin, was just her imagination. She'd seen enough of it spilled, after all, and she didn't need to see it again to know what blood and intestines and brains smelled like splashed against steel or concrete.

[to here]

[ryuuzaki]

[From here.]

L's next line of thought was an analysis of the situation, comforting because considering it made the anger and fear recede. If a friend of Marc's, perhaps another operative, was killed by patients last night, it could have been be one of... two things. No, two at the least.

The friend might have been able to infiltrate the Institute. But if he--or she--was, why would patients have murdered them? Even if some of us are dangerous, most would be more interested in escaping than in indulging homicidal urges. Also, it's hazardous enough here in a general sense that Marc wouldn't have been able to pin the killing on patients unless he had seen it firsthand, or had spoken to someone who had... otherwise, it would be more natural to assume that this friend had been attacked by something inhuman.

We know that the military sent groups of patients out last night to accomplish various tasks; we know that the patients were mostly young women. Two groups were reported. There might have been more, but if so, the other groups have been quiet about it. One was Rapunzel and her roommate, supposedly tasked to deliver disks. The other was Ilia Silvestri, and a young girl... probably the Rose she checked in on. They were less forthcoming about their mission.

His feeling was that Ilia and Rose had probably been the killers. He wondered what goal had been set for them, what rewards or punishments had been presented. He could ask to meet with one or the other of them in the morning, if he survived the night, but even then, answers might not be forthcoming.

Something far down the hall, down near their destination, caught his eye: a black shadow that shifted from one side to the other. It made him uneasy, but as he peered in its direction, it dissipated, and he saw nothing.

If it continued to be nothing, he would write it off as a trick of the light.

[girlsandgadgets]

Edgar kept his eyes ahead as they crossed the corridor, diverting his attention for only a moment as they passed the Sun Room. Knowing the room was often a danger zone at night left him on edge as they moved past the doors. Hallways were not the best areas to deal with encounters, and given their improvised equipment, neither of them would have been prepared for fighting any of the monsters he'd seen there on previous nights.

"It does seem like he must have superiors," Edgar noted. "Though that doesn't mean he should be underestimated. Sometimes, it's not the men on top who are the most dangerous."

[To here.]