damned_institute | Nightshift 24: First M Block Bathroom

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Nightshift 24: First M Block Bathroom

(from here)

The nice thing about wearing so many layers, Jack realized, was that it made for plenty of wraps and tourniquets. Slipping into the the empty bathroom afforded him the chance to wash out the wounds and the blood from his skin. That wasn't to say it did HURT when the water beat down on his injuries (the broken collar bone and chest slice especially stung).

The ache remained when he slid out from the shower. The night had just begun and he already felt like he should just go back to his room and curl into a ball. Jack ignored this desire. What did he have to show for his fight with Recluse?

1)A shanked thigh
2)A hole in his chest (which had thankfully stopped bleeding)
3)A sore head and hand
4)An undoubtedly fractured collar bone
5) Sore...parts
6) No flashlight

Sighing, he tore some of his extra clothing into strips and began treating his injuries the best he could with the items available. No, he wasn't going to give up so easily. He was going to find a way out of this hell hole. But where to look for an exit?

He didn't know too many locations at this place yet. The Sun room was out, but how about the rec field he had seen earlier? THAT was outside. THAT might be the way.

Cinching his final cloth bandage, Jack pulled his remaining intact clothing back on and heading out. He winced as he walked through the door. He hurt, but if he avoided that S.O.B., he could at least make it to the field...

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(To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/119246.html?thread=7976398#t7976398))

[coming from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/118925.html?thread=8515469#t8515469) on an urgent mission]

It was a good thing he hadn't needed to go really badly, with all of this chit-chatting trying to explain what a bathroom was. Pushing the door open, his flashlight tucked under his spare arm, he glanced around the room before making a beeline to the end of the room where urinals waited, hoping that Yuber was following and that he'd be germaine to holding Usopp's basket for a moment. Usopp thought he could manage one-handed if he had to, but didn't want to risk getting his new supplies wet.

((((Saunters into the unknown (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/118925.html?thread=8511885#t8516493)))

Keeping the door open as he entered in after Usopp, the knight found himself peering into the room he’d briefly glanced in previously. This was hardly a bathroom by his knowledge, for there didn’t seem to be any form of bathtub in the area at all. All he saw instead were a few rather interesting wall designs and small booths which appeared to allow single humans to enter into.

Curious yes… but Yuber would hardly call this room anything remotely close to interesting.

“Where the humans decide to relieve themselves is hardly a matter I burden myself with.” Yuber murmured as he stood just inside the door area. There was a subtle click to his right as the door closed back into place, but it went unnoticed by the knight as he folded his arms over his chest. “Such inconveniences are not something I need to worry myself over.”

Usopp glanced back over his shoulder at Yuber standing by the wall, then shrugged and put his basket gingerly on the ground, a safe yard or so from the urinals themselves. "You can't tell me you don't pee. If you drink, you have to pee, and if you don't drink--" He wasn't sure what the end of that thought was, but he was sure that Chopper could give a good medical diagnosis.

At any rate, he wasn't shy about pulling his pants down enough to begin the business at hand.

“I have no need to indulge in such human limitations.” The knight casually explained. A slender brow slowly began to rise up at his companion’s words. As Yuber watched the basket be set well aside, along with the beginning of Usopp’s pants being undone, the knight began wondering if their version of this urinal business was to simply relieve themselves on a wall. It was something he wouldn’t have classed as a better alternative to the humans from his own realm.

Finding his gaze drawing over towards the stalls, Yuber found his attentions drifting in curiosity at what exactly lay beyond those walls. Unfolding his arms he didn’t bother with Usopp’s apparent version of a hygienic way to relieve the human body, and instead found himself moving over to the stall closest to him.

Usopp didn't continue the conversation until he was done, and a light rush of water cleared the small bowl of the urinal for future use. Though the water looked kind of funny... maybe they had something nasty in the pipes. Putting himself away and tying his pants back up on his waist, Usopp turned to see where Yuber was looking, lifting his flashlight and basket to follow.

"Um... that's a stall for a toilet. If you need to do more than piss. Say, if you don't drink, do you eat? And if you don't drink or eat, how do you have energy to keep moving?"

The sound of rushing water filled the bathroom, marginally drawing the knight’s attention away from the stall for the moment. They truly were rather interesting inventions, unlike anything he’d seen before, and Yuber found himself wondering just where exactly such soiled elements would end up ultimately. Clearly whatever methods they implemented here on this world was far more advanced than his own, on a more technical side anyway.

As Usopp attempted to explain the toilet device, Yuber’s mismatched gaze trailed over what appeared to be a bowl fixed to the wall. Was it all automated? He had witnessed such machinery which allowed humans to travel between floor levels without the need of stairs, not to mention those weak gear bots those foolish tricksters use as companions, but he’d never seen something as small as this device in any of the castles he’d journeyed to.

“Quite the elaborate devices humans make in order to dispose of the more unpleasant side of their life.” Yuber murmured more to himself rather than to Usopp. The inquisitive nature Usopp was displaying at his lack of fuel consumption seemed to be stumping his companion. Was it truly something inconceivable to believe? “I obtain all that I need from other means.”

Usopp watched Yuber examine the toilet, and reached around to flush it just to see Yuber's reaction.

"Other means? From the sun like a plant?" Usopp guessed. Then he paled. "Y... you're not a vampire, right? Because I have garlic and crosses right--right, uh--I know where to get them!"

"And you're one to talk about it being elaborate, after being all upset at the idea of peeing in the tub. You must take baths at least, otherwise why would you care what people do to other people's bathwater?"

As the water began to spill out from around the top of the bowl, Yuber found his gaze widening for a split moment in surprise. That was something that he hadn’t expected, the black knight thought as he watched the water swirl around before disappearing down the bottom of the bowl.

“Vampire? Hardly, those half-breeds are barely worthy of my attention.” Yuber snorted softly at the accusation. Of all the things he’d been accused of in his lifetime, this would have been the first time he’d been called a vampire. “Besides despite their diet, they’re still a creature which needs to feed in order to sustain themselves.”

Turning his attention away from the toilet, Yuber’s interest shifted away from this odd invention as he walked a few steps back into the main area of the bathroom. It was rare that he ever saw the inside of any bath house during his summoned periods. “I’ve been known to take them on the rare occasion, but it’s a luxury I have very little time for.”

Usopp supposed that vampires did technically drink, it was just blood... and managed with much effort to force himself not to consider whether vampires subsequently also had to use the bathroom.

"Well, you have to take a bath sometime to clean off. Even if you don't sweat, to wash off the dirt of travel and the blood of your enemies!" Usopp trailed after obediently. "Uh--if you don't mind my asking... if you are a mighty being summoned from another realm who doesn't need to eat or drink or go to the toilet, then... why were you having trouble when you were messing around with my chair?"

Realizing he might have crossed a line, he laughed with embarrassment and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "I'm just an ordinary human, I'm even ordinary for ordinary humans, I need weapons to fight. I figured you were a devil fruit user, but it's starting to not sound like it, so... I was just wondering why you'd wanna ally with a human. And if something's gone wonky with your powers." It'd explain why the guy was so restless...

Pausing his movements, Yuber glanced back over his shoulder at the sudden question. It seemed to be a never ending trait on Usopp’s behalf, and out of all the other human’s he’d served before in the past, none had found the need to ask so many trivial questions. The only thing which kept Usopp’s health as it were was the apparent differences in their realms.

“There is something about this place which inhibits abilities.” Yuber murmured thoughtfully for a moment before eventually turning to face his companion. Considering the fact that Usopp was bound to find out eventually, there was no harm in informing his ally of such information, especially considering that it was unlikely he was the only one inhibited by such things. “I was testing the extent of this limitation while you were constructing those devices earlier and found them to be quite lacking.”

He held no idea what this devil fruit was, but found himself wondering if perhaps it was similar to a human obtaining the power of a rune? Or even a True Rune at that. “My reasons for allying with you are my own.” Shifting himself where he stood, Yuber’s gaze slower trailed over the room before it eventually ended up on the door. He was beginning to feel restless. It had been quite some time since he’d last been this inactive, and it was a feeling he didn’t like. “If you’re finished with your tasks in here then we be best to continue.”

Feeling Yuber's annoyance, Usopp resolved not to ask any more questions of him for a while. The intimate details of what Yuber was, while interesting, weren't really crucial. Though knowing what Yuber could do and not do might be, if they got into battle again.

"I don't feel inhibited... I guess taking my stuff is inhibiting enough." Usopp observed rather quietly, looking down into his basket of makeshift goodies. "You seem to do all right even with them blocked, though. I'm ready too--let's head out. Any direction is the same to me, since I haven't been around much."

There were a lot of things he wondered about--whether Kazuo made it away in that courtyard outside, what happened in that fight between the demon and the howling woman... but he wasn't sure he wanted to set out to find the answers, either. The demon seemed to not want to give killing strikes for some reason, judging from the bite on Rude Eyepatch's shoulder instead of his neck, so the woman should be able to flee... she and her company seemed to be trying to do so when Usopp and Yuber had passed...

And the girls outside were injured, but they'd been taking good care of each other...

That was his most important job now too. Teaming up seemed like the only way to survive in this place, and he'd lucked out in getting an especially manly ally who had some sort of special powers--restrained or no. So his duty was to try and keep an eye out and protect his ally, work beside him. For now, it seemed that Yuber wanted to test his strength... so Usopp would be backup in case that strength wasn't all Yuber hoped.

It didn’t come as any surprise to hear that Usopp seemed to lack any magical properties. Many humans from his realm lacked them as well unless they had the aid of a rune. “To be put into such situations is often a test of ones ability to adapt.” That was the whole point of Chaos after all, for without Chaos change could not occur.

He didn’t bother saying anything else after that, and instead brushed past Usopp as he made his way back over to the door. Pulling the door open, the black knight looked expectantly over towards Usopp while he waited impatiently for his ally to move out ahead of him.

((Moving back out to the hallway with Usopp (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/118925.html?page=2#comments)))

((From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/126452.html?thread=8548852#t8593140) ))

The first place with a bathroom open was the first M-block, a place where she had not stepped foot yet but knew the way to. Stepping inside, it seemed like no one was there; this was a good thing, as Amaterasu felt too drained to be her usual cheerful self.

Speaking of which... when she trooped right over to the mirrors, feeling an instinctive connection with them however muted... she stared at her reflection, the great goddess gazing at herself in disbelief. The markings of her divinity were there, albeit dull and faded, but her face was still so alien, so unlike herself. How odd, that a goddess of humanity would feel so odd in a human's body, but... it was like a shepherd wearing a sheep's body, but orders of magnitude more severe.

A hand still cold from the melted ice dagger traced along her delicate cheek bones, a frown appearing on her face. How strange this all was...

"Amaterasu-sama? You okay?" Hokuto leaned over to look at her, wondering what was going on. Was she just lost in thought, or sad about something?

Of course... they were all trapped here against their will, and it was a good guess that the goddess could do far less than she was accustomed to. She supposed that would lead to depression... their situations were nothing alike, but Hokuto couldn't help but think she knew how Amaterasu felt.

She spared a glance at the rest of the room; just a normal bathroom. A men's bathroom, but there wasn't anything special about it that she could see. Well, maybe one of them had hidden something in here, or they were supposed to meet someone; if that was the case, she wondered if it was okay that she was here. She looked at Nel, hoping for a hint about why they were in here.

"A shield," Nel murmured to Hokuto in reply, voice as calming as ever. The Aquarian could easily see the sadness in Amaterasu's eyes, and as such she sought to act in as calming a manner as possible. Morale was low, and Nel couldn't help but want to raise it. She had never been the 'cheerleader' type when she traveled in groups - that position had usually been filled by Farleen, or, later, Sophia.

But Nel knew, as she always did, that she could do some good. One didn't have to be peppy and energetic to turn a mood around.

So she walked to Amaterasu's side, and placed a hand on her shoulder, in a quiet gesture that said I'm here, even though she didn't say it outright. The message would be communicated.

As always, the heart of a goddess could be stirred by the faith of a human.

The great goddess glanced at Nel when she felt that hand on her slender shoulder, and a small smile finally creased her face. Like the sun peering over the horizon, so did her face slowly brighten as she reached up to squeeze Nel's hand. Nothing needed to be said; Amaterasu could feel the desire of Nel's heart, and it warmed the goddess like a fire in the depths of winter.

So when she turned to Hokuto, her voice was entirely sincere. "Yes, I'm fine now."

She smiled in return. "Okay, good." Hokuto really wasn't taking news of the place they were in badly; she was aware enough to realize it was entirely because she didn't know enough to be frightened or upset, but--ignorance really could be bliss. Looking back on the last year of her life, she knew exactly how blissful. In the morning, she would learn about the other side of the Institute, but that was hours away. Hokuto didn't know what to expect then, but she wasn't going to let future worries like that bother her.

It was strange, really, how going through something so horrible could be so freeing.

"A shield?" she repeated to Nel, looking around. "Hmm... we might be able to take apart the paper-towel dispensers." The mirrors were also worth considering, especially since she knew Amaterasu would want one. They were too big to just take down intact (not to mention bolted to the wall, anyway) but if they broke one... it would be hard to handle mirror shards without getting cut, but maybe the goddess had her ways of avoiding that. With that in mind, she went to a paper-towel dispenser; maybe she could get a good enough bashing weapon out of its parts to break a mirror with.

Nel's spirit needed lifting right now - the pain hadn't dissipated, and she was realizing that she'd have to be sedentary for the night in order to make her wounds scab over completely. In a pinch, though, the goddess' smile was certainly healing enough.

Refreshed, she dropped her hand and moved it over to the mirror in front of the goddess, peering into it. Even the mirrors here were different from those on Elicoor - more artificial, it seemed.

"Break the mirror with my flashlight," she said to Hokuto. The tone she used was one very used to giving orders, but not intrinsically arrogant or bossy. She had led more than enough forces in her time, and led them well. "And take apart that thing if you find that it'll do us good. We don't want our hands getting too full, but if you can do something with it, by all means."

Then she got out of the way, ushering Amaterasu behind her. If there were to be flying shards of glass, she would not allow her to be hit by a single one.

It was becoming ironic, how much the goddess was relying on the humans of the Institute, and yet she wasn't too surprised.

Had it been a few weeks earlier, she might have insisted that she break the mirror and handle everything. But on the Day of Darkness, all of that had changed. Now she knew that even a goddess had her limits, and that humans were far greater than she could have first imagined.

Therefore, she nodded in acknowledgment of Nel's gesture and trotted behind the woman. She had an idea of what was being planned and what to watch for, and all she added was a quiet, "Be sure to stay out of the way of the shards."

Her task would begin after the shards had been scattered.

"I will," Hokuto assured, taking the flashlight and holding it like something of a club. She studied the mirror, trying to think of how to do this--mainly the best way to do as Amaterasu suggested! If she tried to break it near the bottom, gravity would probably result in some deep cuts from flying glass, so she decided to try at the top.

Holding the business end of the flashlight in her hand, she used the other end of it as a battering ram and smashed it against the very top of the mirror, as close to the center as she could manage.

She'd been intending to jump back anyway, but she nearly flinched away just at the sound of the glass breaking; it was loud to the point of seeming to hurt her ears in the quiet of night. Her breathing quickened slightly, fully expecting the sound to bring trouble, but she still gave her handiwork a once-over. The mirror was completely shattered, with only a few shards still clinging to the wall; what she hadn't broken directly had smashed into pieces on the floor. The shards were fairly decently sized--some were probably too small to be useful, but none looked too big. They all looked sharp, but again, hopefully that was somehow not a problem for the goddess.

Ever the faithful servant, Hokuto turned to Amaterasu, and Nel in front of her, and gave a theatrical bow.

Nel nodded at Hokuto. "Good work," she said in a clipped voice. Hokuto's theatrics had gone largely unnoticed.. Nel had been traveling with people who fought in some of the flashiest ways possible, and so nothing seemed out of place. The sound hadn't bothered her - she was prepared for it, and not unused to such noises. They were unavoidable in her line of work, after all.

After glancing at Amaterasu to check for injuries (thankfully, there didn't seem to be any - Nel herself was unharmed, and unless the shards had magically found a way to slide around her, so was anyone she could possibly be protecting), she immediately began to collect the larger shards. They could easily be used as weapons in a pinch, though she'd have to wrap them in something if she was going to use them as anything but throwing weapons. Her fighting ability would suffer if her hands became injured.

Looking at the goddess, she finally asked, "What shapes are you looking for - and will any of these help? I plan to take what you don't use, so let me know. What are you planning to do with them?"

And oh, how those small things mattered so greatly to the goddess!

She beamed at the theatric bow, applauding to acknowledge the work that Hokuto had done, and then she walked forward to begin gathering some of the shards together. "I'm planning to create a reflector with them. A circular shard of the mirror should be close enough to one of the Sacred Treasures. Just like this..."

Once she'd placed enough of the shards together in a circular pattern, the goddess took a deep breath and began drawing over them with her brush. Wherever the brush went, the mirror mended together, slowly becoming a completed article of smooth edges and flawless interior.

And the markings disappeared at that time, her holy power spent and her body weakened to the extent of slumping on one arm, yet a happy smile was on her face. "Now I can block anything that I might need to... I won't have to worry about protecting anyone again. Thank you, both of you."

Naruto led Lee to the same bathroom he had taken Gaara to after they got injured a few nights back, except this time it wasn't empty. He blinked upon opening the door, still gripping Lee to help him walk, a little bit bewildered by the sight of a small gaggle of girls.

Not that it was really a big deal. This place was insane, it wasn't like the same rules applied about men's and women's restrooms. Any viable place to escape from the crazy farm was open to all the patients.

So he continued over to an unused sink, chest heaving a small amount. They were dripping a lot of blood behind them. He released Lee once they made it, and gripped the sink with both hands, staining white with red and taking a moment to catch his breath.

Lee kept silent as they made their way into the bathroom. He too blinked as they entered and saw several females. Well, nightshift did known no bounds, so he supposed it wasn't surprising. Though the fact that they were holding broken glass did disturb him a little. It was a good idea, he supposed, but considering they state they were in.

When he was released by Naruto, he stood several seconds, attempting to gain back his balance without collapsing. The adrenaline was beginning to lower, and that meant that they were likely to become extremely tired.

Carefully, so as not to touch Naruto's injured arm, Lee turned on the water, letting the water run luke warm. He began by carefully wiping the blood off of Naruto's arm first with his hands, not wanting to grab him suddenly and make him lose his balance. They would have to wash out their wounds in the water, let some more blood flow, but it was better to try and get out any foreign...whatever the creature carried...out of their bodies.

"One gash, one bite...where else are you injured, Naruto-kun?"

Lee's touch surprised Naruto, though he was gentle, but he refused to wince at the fiery ache that spread through his arm. They would have to endure this pain - as shinobi he knew there were times in the past that they'd both been more tired, more hurt than this.

But never this weak. The blond clutched at the sink with undue force and small trembling, as a million unreasonable thoughts rushed around. Without Kyuubi... his own strength, was it useless? Would he lead his friends into danger every night without being able to protect them? Even though, with Kyuubi, he was -- but Lee didn't believe he was a monster. Some part of him was still shaken, still amazed to have heard it.

He commanded the shaking to stop.

"That's as bad as I got it," he told the other nin and leaned his hands toward the running faucet, washing away the first layers of blood and sweat. "The rest are just scratches. C'mon, you should sit down against the wall and rest. Let me take care of your leg first, and your side."

Lee's injuries looked more worrisome than Naruto's, if only because of their location. He ignored the girls as he spoke and reached for paper towels, and as long as they didn't bother them, he would continue to.

Lee watched as Naruto's reaction. He could tell that the other shinobi was distraught from what happened, and Lee could not blame him. This was a great blow to their training, realizing how weak they were here. Nonetheless, they had to stay strong, if not for themselves, then for their friends.

Carefully, at Naruto's prompting, Lee slowly made his way to sit against the wall. Moving downwards was unpleasant, to say the least, and he hissed at the cold contact.

"Do not make light of your own injuries, Naruto. Even the smallest of wounds can cause problems."

After running some warm water over the towels, sufficiently dampening them, Naruto moved to Lee's side and knelt down. His lips quirked at the lecturing, and he answered, "S'alright, Lee, I heal fast."

Immediately he remembered that technically wasn't true anymore. Damn, he would probably never get used to it.

"In any case, last time this happened I remember waking up in the morning all patched up. I think that's the way it is for everyone, but I'm not sure. And since we'd have to be completely out of our minds to trust Landel's to take care of us--" he finished the sentiment by gripping Lee's injury at the leg very carefully, both firm and gentle, and mopping at the open wound.

He furrowed his brow as he cleaned off the old blood while pushing back torn cloth. Any amount of pressure was going to hurt. It was slightly difficult to work around the cloth from the Landel's uniform, but with girls lingering around he wasn't going to ask Lee to take off his pants. The other difficulty was in keeping his hands from shaking too much, when the pain in his arms refused to dull.

Naruto gripped the bottom of his shirt, where he then ripped a long stretch of cloth off. He held the strip in his teeth temporarily while tending to Lee's wound and frowning at the new blood. Discarding messed paper towels over his shoulder once the bite was sufficiently clean, he placed the strip over the wound and under Lee's leg.

"Sorry," he warned before tying a tight, makeshift bandage over the bite. He had to tie it tight enough to quell the bleeding, and that was bound to sting.

Lee leaned his head back as Naruto began to clean up his leg. Images of the creature popped into his mind, it gripping him, tearing his flesh and muscle, allowing all his blood to spill onto the ground...

The thought did not make him feel too well, especially with the pain of having it cleaned. Still, he dealt with all of it quietly, trying to focus on his heartbeat so as not to think of the pain.

He looked up when he heard the tearing. When Naruto apologized, he nodded before the knot was tightened. Only after it was secure did he realize he had been holding his breath and exhaled slowly. The injury burned, but this was the best thing to do.

"We should clean your arm off more thoroughly now," Lee said. "Even if Landel's bind our wounds, it will not do to spill any more blood. And I cannot imagine that it feels pleasant." Carefully, without a care of the others in the room, Lee began to remove his shirt. He would not wear it again, considering, therefore he could use the shirt to bind Naruto's arm. The shirt stuck to the cut in his side, tugging at injured skin and making the removal rather unpleasant. But they were shinobi, and sometimes it was better to be in pain for a few seconds in order to get something done. Despite the pain in his side, Lee started to slowly tear the shirt to small strips. he had a sinking suspcion that in the morning, he was going to have another smiley face shirt anyway.

Finishing up tying Lee's leg, Naruto wiped his brow with the back of his wrist. There was still the matter of his friend's bleeding side -- and he wanted to insist on taking care of that first. It was probably the most serious injury, and he glanced at it worriedly.

But he had to admit that his wounds were not a very light matter either. Automatically he assumed that it would let up soon, soon, surely he couldn't bleed for this long; but with lifelong regenerative abilities absent, it kept going. He was feeling lightheaded by now. It was so strange.

The blond slumped back against the wall tiredly next to Lee and nodded once in agreement. When Lee slipped off his shirt, Naruto did the same, to make his wounds easier to treat. He touched at one of the gaping holes in his bicep gingerly and curled a fist into the gray shirt in his lap.

"We," he said, breath still a little short, "we have to make sure to treat your side right after. That doesn't look good."

Lee allowed a tired smile to cross his face. He knew of Naruto's ability to heal quicker than others, and noted that here, even that was stunted.

Carefully, he stood up, and took a good amount of paper towels. He kept an eye on the other occupants, as well as Naruto, hoping that his friend would not pass out. It was a rather tempting idea, to simply slump against the wall and allow day to come, but not something that they would do.

He made sure that the water was running warm before wetting the paper towels. Carefully, Lee got to his knees and began to clean up the wounds as quickly as possible, but carefully. "Day will soon come," he said softly. "Soon we shall be safe, even if it shall be a short time."

When the wounds were cleaned, he threw the dirtied towels into the trashcan and washed his hands. Only then did he begin to tie the cleaner parts of his tattered shirt to stop the bleeding, ignoring any signs of pain that Naruto might give. He highly doubted that Naruto would show any signs anyway.

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Nightshift 24: First M Block Bathroom

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