Night 62: M11 - M20 Hallway

[age_of_kings]

After bidding good night and good luck to Kratos and being left alone in his room, Tolten stood and decided that he may as well make use of his time. It was rather like being in prison, or so he fancied. He'd never been imprisoned before, but he'd listened to the stories around the fire and the dinner table. And while he couldn't do much insofar as putting his mind to work, he could do his best to stay in top physical shape.

Even if he was (perhaps) under the weather. He didn't know what to think of the announcements that were made, either during the day or after dark. But he didn't trust them one bit. And until he could discuss it with someone else or read the bulletin, he was going to ignore it. It was really easier that way.

But in the meantime he would set himself a routine. Which would involve stretching and warming up each evening between dinner and whatever was to be done that night. Even if he was staying in. Really, especially if he was staying in. At least running about and fighting was physically invigorating!

The young king managed to strip off his shirt and stretch a handful of times before he felt light headed and decided to lay down on his bed for a moment. Just to catch his breath.

He truly hoped this wasn't warning signs of some horrible thing...

[Locke!]

Comments

[kings_thief]

[From Here]

This hallway, too, was just as deserted as the main hall had been telling Locke it was still early enough that no one else had left their rooms yet. Or, if they had, they'd quickly left the area. He supposed that was only normal if someone had somewhere they were desperate to be before the night was over; Locke had been that same way the last few nights. It was...strange but nice to not feel so rushed this time.

Stopping at Tolten's door he knocked twice before opening the door and letting himself in. He'd always been told his manners left something to be desired but, really, if Tolten were expecting him it surely wasn't that big of a deal to just go in, right?

........

................

Well that had been his thought process until he stepped into the room and was met with the vision of a half-naked Tolten sprawled out on his bed. That was where his train-of-thought suddenly found it's tracks heading off the edge of a cliff and into the great, dark, abyss below.

Words...no...he'd try words in a second. Right now he was too busy with the sensation of his face spontaneously combusting while he attempted to close the door behind him.

[age_of_kings]

It was like being back on the Nautilus again. Except there was no cheery, grating call of 'you decent? Eh, what do I care?' before the door opened.

Locke had made remarkable time. And Tolten hadn't at all expected to be caught so unawares. He was torn between panic and every bit of royal training he'd ever had telling him if he made a fuss, it would only make things worse.

Besides, what did it really matter? It was Locke. The young king knew in some muddled way his strange privacy quirks and whatnot were born of some desire not to be seen vulnerable. But it hardly mattered with Locke, the other man had seem him remarkably vulnerable. So Tolten managed to simply sit up, brush his slightly damp hair out of his face, and offer a small smile.

"Goodness you're quick!" he chirped, laughing a bit more from slightly jarred nerves than anything. "Ah...is everything alright? Nothing happened on your way, did it?" Locke certainly looked...stricken.

[kings_thief]

It took everything Locke had to clear his mind enough to register what Tolten was saying to him and then come up with a proper response that didn't include making himself sound like some blushing maid that had stumbled into the same situation.

"Y-yeah, everything's fine. Sorry, I should've...waited or something." It was only a mild success. He chanced a look up from the extremely interesting floor and instantly regretted it. Of course his eyes turned traitor and decided to take in the scenery before he could manage to cement them on his friend's face; he only hoped the steadily increasing heat didn't show as much as he feared it did.

"I have a habit of just...coming in...sorry." And then that was 'sorry' twice. Yeah, he just needed to stop talking. Possibly forever.

[age_of_kings]

"Oh, well, it's...it's alright. It wasn't as if I was doing anything important! Just...waiting here for you."

Tolten hoped that Locke wasn't succumbing to illness. His face was flushed! He surely had to be feverish... Oh dear. Well, it was certainly a good thing they were staying in. And here was Tolten, simply languishing in bed while his poor friend suffered standing practically in the doorway! He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat upright properly, leaning forward and inspecting Locke critically. How did you tell if someone looked sick as opposed to worn out?

"Well, never mind anyway," he went on, waving a hand and then smiling. "There's no time limit for us tonight, is there? Come, get off your feet, there's no sense in standing there...ah, you'd be most comfortable in bed, I imagine?"

[kings_thief]

Pretty much everything Locke had thought to say vanished at 'in bed.' Was Edgar right? He hadn't thought so but, now....now he wasn't so sure. Either way he was just going to play this cool. Well, cooler he'd pretty much already messed up any pretense of being calm with his stuttering and blushing.

"Yeah...probably." He hesitated before moving forward. If this wasn't the situation his jumbled mind was putting together, then which bed was he supposed to sit on? It wasn't like it was very polite to sit on some stranger's bed....but then that would mean sharing Tolten's bed. Of course if this was that situation then sharing Tolten's bed was the whole point.

He really needed to learn how to stop thinking along with not talking. Both activities were just getting him into more trouble.

Silently, he sat on the farthest end of Tolten's bed and slipped off the boots, clearly they wouldn't be needed, so that he could sit cross-legged. "So...how was your day?" Oh, that deserved some mental scolding; how domestic could he sound?

[age_of_kings]

Oh well this wouldn't do! Tolten frowned slightly, mentally kicking himself for his inability to conduct himself like a normal person. But he'd hardly had friends, let alone ill friends. Gongora had never suffered from illness. And once he was on his own, Sarah had taken care of any bugs anyone may have picked up. Naturally or magically.

And Locke seemed so uncomfortable with Tolten's meager attempts at hospitality. He as making a mess of this, wasn't he?

"Oh, not terrible. I visited the Greenhouse, that was pleasant." As he spoke, the young king slipped off the bed and turned to arrange the pillows against the head of the bed. If nothing else, he was rather proud of himself for not rushing to don his own military uniform like some frightened girl. "And I enjoyed dinner! Here, lay down. I'm sorry, I should have done this at first. I'm...not used to this sort of thing."

How often did he find himself saying that?

[kings_thief]

For a moment his mind went blank. Okay....so Edgar, the bastard, had been right. At least that was how it seemed...well, he had offered, hadn't he? Just because he wasn't expecting the offer to be taken up so soon didn't mean anything. It wasn't like he'd been making the offer lightly. He really needed to calm down, it wasn't like he was new to this.

"Okay...if you want." If they were really going to do this then Locke was going to let Tolten call as many of the shots as he wanted. The whole point of him offering was so that his friend would be as comfortable as possible.

He just hoped he didn't do or say anything to mess everything up; he had an unfortunate track record with that sort of thing.

[forsworn]

He knew. He remembered the name. (Jack) Was it sad or remarkable that he remembered? How many weeks had it been? How many people had--

That was enough. Kratos nodded almost sluggishly as his roommate said his goodbyes before pushing himself up out of his seat and getting dressed. A night like any other: he had to treat it that way.

Tonight, there was one slight difference, though. Because of last night's success, if he could call it that, he had two new additions to his on-person inventory: the scalpels he'd picked up in the medical wing. Whether they would prove useful or not remained to be seen, but like any seasoned fighter, Kratos knew that it was good to always have at least some sort of a "last resort" with him. They were sharp, and for the moment, that was all that mattered.

[forsworn]

[to here]

M12

[rocksthecourt]

Any hints of pleasantry that had overcome Klavier during the conversation with his roommate evaporated as soon as that voice came up over the intercom. And his mood darkened the more that man continued along. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure what it was Landel was referring to at first. It was more than apparent he was addressing someone else entirely. Someone he was evidently gloating over. Who was he speaking to? Who that would hear it over the building's intercom, at that? Or was he simply gloating for the sake of hearing himself talk?

When he finally shifted to address the patient populace, it was to talk about some illness that had been going around. ...Klavier hadn't been out for very long during the day, but he hadn't noticed anything of the sort. At least people hadn't looked particularly sick. But he doubted the doctor was bluffing about that. Apparently there were some people who had caught something. And if the doctor's words were to be taken at face value, this virus would turn them into monsters within a few days' time.

And it wasn't just a physical transformation he was describing. It was something that would... truly make them monsters, in every sense of the word. People would want to hunt each other. Even those they cared about. It was a sick thought. And it was made that much sicker in how Herr Doktor seemed to revel in the thought. It seemed that was Landel's sole joy in life: Sitting in the audience and and observing this abominable concert of horror.

Klavier stood up. It wasn't very long ago that the thought of heading out into the night here was enough to nearly paralyze him. Now, however, he was resolved. He took up his flashlight and went through his closet. He wasn't going for supplies so he would leave his bag here. A weapon, though, would be good. So he took the same metal pipe he usually took. And... that black hoodie that had been sitting in his closet for a few weeks. Finally, there would be some use for the blasted thing after all. He slipped it on quickly, snatched the radio along with the rest of his supplies, and checked the map in his notebook one last time.

After stating his farewells and words of caution to his roommate, he headed out.

[to here]

M14

[tasteoftruth]

Landel could just be talking out his ass, but at this point Badd wouldn't lay money on it. He wracked his brain, trying to think if he'd seen Byrne looking ill at any point today, then tossed the obsession aside like a lollipop wrapper.

What would help him was getting a look at those torture rooms. Badd armed himself with gun, blade, and trenchcoat. Tonight he would be responsible for himself. Consider it a break...consider it an incentive, because anything he saw upstairs would be painful.

Re: M14

[tasteoftruth]

[To here.]

M12

[baniichan]

Barnaby hadn't been sure of what to expect from tonight's announcement (if it could even be called that), but the Head Doctor's words about the strange symptoms made him grow still. Some of you will have the opportunity to experience the thrill of the hunt--losing volition and conscious thought, he'd said, tearing into and masticating your beloved friends and family, the very same behaviors native to our homegrown monsters.

The full weight of the explanation didn't quite sink in right away. In fact, Barnaby couldn't even say whether he trusted the man's word. Turning people in "monsters"? What did that entail, exactly? And how was that even possible? For all he knew, their captors were simply trying to incite suspicion among the patients here in order to further divide them.

He did, however, realize that he would need to better monitor his own health -- not to mention Kotetsu's. Maybe their mild aches and nausea from today were just a coincidence, but it was also possible the staff had induced them somehow. Barnaby's eyes narrowed, although he chose to keep his thoughts to himself for now.

Gavin, evidently, felt confident enough to venture out into the hall, and Barnaby sent him off with a polite good-bye. Their conversation from dinner still gave him a lot to consider, but he knew he needed to follow the man's example and finish preparing for tonight while he waited for his partner to arrive. Once he'd slipped into his real clothing and shrugged on his red jacket, Barnaby went about collecting whatever supplies they might need if they had time to explore later. As things stood now, though, Barnaby wondered if it would be better to spend a few minutes trying to get onto the same page, as far as their memories were concerned.

The thought made him more anxious than he liked, but there wasn't much helping that now.

Re: M12

[oyaji]

[From here]

"Okay, this is it!" he said with more confidence than he truly felt. Clearing his throat, Wild Tiger rapped on the door softly and waited for the man to enter. There was an awkward silence while he and Castiel waited for Barnaby.

He glanced back at the man, smiled reflexively, and turned back to the dark door.

Re: M12

[freewill]

For some reason Kobayashi had failed to answer his question about the supposed shapeshifting patient, but Castiel got the feeling that had been due to him getting distracted rather than because he was being purposefully evasive. He didn't have much faith in them having reached the right room, seeing how it had taken his roommate a few minutes to get them here.

He seemed confident enough now, but Castiel decided not to say anything either way. If it turned out that he was being led on some sort of wild goose chase, that would become clear as soon as the door opened.

Crossing his arms over his chest (an action he did carefully, considering he was holding a blade in one hand), Castiel simply waited.

Re: M12

[baniichan]

When Barnaby heard a knock, he didn't waste any time in striding over to the door and opening it. He was greeted by Kotetsu's masked face and out-of-place smile -- and an unfamiliar man standing at his side. Muted surprise crossed his features, but he promptly schooled his expression into one of neutral indifference.

"A friend of yours?" he asked, his tone distant and polite. Although Barnaby's cool gaze settled onto the stranger, the question was obviously directed toward Kotetsu. "I didn't realize you'd need help finding my room."

Or maybe he'd just collected a stray on the way over here. With how unwell some of the patients here sounded, and Kotetsu's constant need to butt into other people's personal problems, Barnaby supposed that wouldn't have surprised him, either.

Re: M12

[oyaji]

"Eh, heh, well doesn't hurt to walk in packs," he explained, though his nervousness made it sound like a question than a cautious statement. Wild Tiger directed his amber eyes at Castiel briefly as he considered his next words carefully.

Barnaby had only one look and that was his stone face, but after spending as time as he did with the young man, he knew when his partner was anything but stony. Right now, he was rather irritated. Wild Tiger could see it plainly in his green eyes. This was going to take some finesse to get Barnaby on his side and, unfortunately, the older man sucked at that.

"Uhh, yeah sort of. He's my roomie. Bunny, this is Castiel. Castiel, Bu--Barnaby!" he corrected before the blond gave him a cold frown. "He's my partner. And uh well I thought we could swap information and stuff... 'Cause, he's been here awhile and I'm sure you... listened to the... intercom..." The longer he talked, the more his voice grew soft as he began to mumble and trail off like he was slowly drowning in a tar pit.

Re: M12

[freewill]

It was clear from the man's clipped way of speaking that he wasn't particularly pleased by the fact that Kobayashi had brought him along. Castiel understood the feeling of not being welcome well enough, having experienced it his fair share of times in recent years. The question was why his roommate had insisted on bringing him along despite the fact that his friend might not be agreeable to it.

He glanced between them, trying to judge the situation as Kobayashi jumped in and started to explain. Barnaby was the blond man's name; Castiel nodded in polite greeting, putting the name to memory.

It seemed that his roommate wasn't the most skilled at giving concise explanations, and so without any hesitation Castiel spoke up to add some detail. "Against my will, I managed to sleep through the day. Kobayashi informed me that you might be able to offer some information about what took place during that time, along with what Landel spoke of over the intercom."

As for where they were going for the night, he would be surprised if these two managed to work it out among themselves. It made him realize that he'd taken the Winchesters' coordination with each other for granted. And he still didn't know what had happened to Dean or if he was reading too much into things.

Re: M12

[baniichan]

Kobayashi. Barnaby's face didn't betray his surprise from hearing Castial refer to his partner with an unfamiliar name. Obviously, Kotetsu had decided to introduce himself as such in order to protect his identity as Wild Tiger. For his sake, though, Barnaby hoped he hadn't latched onto the name the nurses had given him. Since the staff used "fake" names for most of the patients here, that was the fastest way to draw attention to himself the minute another patient caught onto what he'd done. Still, he supposed it was better than giving no name at all.

"I see," Barnaby simply said, placing a hand onto his hip. He didn't sound as reproachful as he might have under different circumstances. There wasn't any reason to drag this stranger into their personal disagreements, for one thing. For another, he'd wanted Kotetsu to point out his roommate anyway, so he could regard this as simply killing a couple of birds with one stone.

Of course, Kotetsu could have avoided dragging Castiel to his door if he'd just paid attention to the intercom. He'd have to remind the man to listen to things other than the sound of his own chewing the next time the intercom came on during dinner.

For now, his aloof, green-eyed gaze fixed onto Castiel, committing his features to memory. He appeared to be around Kotetsu's age, and was at least a little more articulate than him. Normally Barnaby could decipher Kotetsu's muddled explanations, but he had to admit he was a little tired tonight, so he appreciated the clarification.

"I'm not sure how much you missed," he admitted. "The staff behaved the same as they did yesterday." Things weren't so simple, though, so he easily continued. "The only difference was tonight's announcement over the intercom. The 'head doctor' seemed to address someone in particular before moving onto everyone as a whole. He talked about how some people will begin to develop strange symptoms, and claimed that a few suffering from this infection will eventually turn into...violent creatures, for lack of a better phrase."

Barnaby didn't believe in monsters, but he knew he couldn't assume they were all safe, either. "Whether he's telling the truth or not, I think it's obvious he's trying to divide everyone by making them suspicious of one another."

M13

[vinesofregret]

The restless feeling that had plagued Hakkai all day - more so than usual in this place - seemed to only increase with the onset of nightfall, and the sneering laughter over the intercom. He hadn't been feeling particularly well all afternoon - persistant headache, bit of lightheadedness - and he'd contemplated just sleeping it off, but after that announcement? There was no way he was going to sleep any time soon. Particularly given that it sounded like he wasn't alone in his poor health - and that it had been planned.

Well. At least he could put that nervous energy to good use, and poke around a bit instead. Perhaps see where the trap door in the refrigerator led. He grabbed his flashlight and headed out, heedless of his roommate.

[To here]

M13

[doctor_voodoo]

Both Doctor and Shadow waited for Hakkai to leave before moving on to their own agenda for the night. Facilier easily sensed his roommate's tension during dinner and knew it would be terribly unwise to reveal his shadowy power to him so soon. The Bokor still liked to know more about the boy and see if he could be of any benefit, but for now he had much work to do tonight.

Facilier's plan was to remain in the sanctuary of his room and put his sparse supplies to good use. If he was to test the limits of his oppressed powers and gain an upper hand on others, a voodoo doll or two would suffice. He had the entire night and a whole bag of crafting supplies and spare uniforms to work with.

With his living Shadow idling about the walls, Facilier opened his closet to gather his tools when he noticed a new object in his supply box. There he found a can of WD-40... Is this...? Facilier frowned as he rotated the object with his fingers, reading the small text printed upon its metal surface. It certainly fitted the description of the item Guybrush had been offering. Yet the pirate never reached Facilier... How did this can get into his room if Guybrush disappeared?

Facilier sniffed, whether out of disgust or disappointment was not clear on his placid face. Shrugging, he dropped the can back into the box. He would use it later. To think that Guybrush managed to do something right after his disappearance... Such a shame he wasn't around to be of further use to Facilier...

Knowing that the night's life span was a finicky and unpredictable sort, Facilier wasted no time on making his own personal brand of voodoo dolls. The cotton balls, buttons and extra uniforms were particularly handy, and it wasn't long before he was sewing up his crude but functional humanoid talismans. Much to his own amusement, he was even able to make smaller replicas of the grey shirts everyone was forced to wear during the day!

Keeping the victim's likeness in the doll was key of course, but for now Facilier had to keep them bland until he was able to get a physical trait of someone he wanted his dolls to emulate. With his own special techniques, a few hairs from someone would be more than enough to power the magical bond between doll and host.

For now, Facilier decided to make three of them, yet in the midst of sewing up the head of his first doll, a very unnerving message from Landel hissed into his ears. Both Facilier and his Shadow froze, listening carefully to the Head Doctor and his unsettling words. As the disturbing announcement set in, the gears in Facilier's brain immediately clicked into motion. A virus capable of turning human beings into monsters? That sounded like an extremely complicated hex cast by a very powerful witch doctor... Facilier was admittedly impressed by such capabilities!

Not only did Facilier find a new reason to respect his enigmatic captor, but he was already pondering over what this "monster bug" meant for him and the rest of the institute population. He himself was confident of his health, but what about the others? Surely there was going to be panic and paranoia... Not to mention a sudden demand for supplies and services to combat this widespread concern! What a perfect situation for a good doctor such as himself to take advantage of! He would be damned to miss such a golden opportunity!

Pleased by this profitable change in events, Facilier toiled on into the night with devious plans hatching inside his scheming head and a greedy curl growing in his smile.

M16

[stellarregions]

The night announcement had gone off more ominous than usual, although how much of it was bluster and how much of it was truth. It was so baldly laid out that he couldn't help but think it was simply meant to make them more paranoid.

The joke was on Landel, in that respect. Gren was far, far too worn out to feel any more paranoid than he already was. He took the time to gather his supplies and shovel, and then headed out.

[stellarregions]

[To Here]

M16

[girlsandgadgets]

With only a quiet nod to Gren, Edgar collected his usual supplies in preparation for the night ahead. They hadn't gotten far on their first attempt at the basement, and after Landel's nightly announcement, he wasn't feeling terribly optimistic. Still, he'd never been one to simply give up because a door was locked. That was where people like Locke usually came in.

Not that the treasure hunter would be with them, of course. Edgar tried not to think too hard on Locke's apparent illness, face flushed. Had it only been that way due to his teasing, Edgar would have thought nothing of it; however, with the nurses whispering of an illness going around, Landel himself confirming something more sinister going on with his announcement at the start of the night, it was harder to push down the concern welling in his chest. One of his closest friends was definitely ill, but was he one of the infected? And if he was...

He shook his head, refusing to think of that for now, resolving that he could find Locke in the morning. They had a task for the night ahead, and being distracted would only complicate matters that much more. Shovel and flashlight in tow, he headed out.

[girlsandgadgets]

[To here.]