Night 66: M1-M10 Hallway

[lighthearted]

[M7]

Dinner went by too fast, and as the intercom announcement came on and the change to night officially started, Sora pushed himself to the edge of bed, caught in the tight hold of dread. He didn't want it to become night. He didn't want to change again. He'd gone to a lot of effort to make sure that he didn't end up repeating the events of last night, but something could always go wrong.

Landel cut to the chase pretty fast this time around, and no other clues were given out. Did that mean that the rebel group hadn't been able to get through, or had they just run out of clues to give them? Did that mean they were on their own? Sora let out a breath and tried to manage the panic that was bubbling up in his chest.

Link was still here. Sora had hoped that his roommate would make a move to leave the second that night came, but it didn't look like that was the case. Of course not. If Sora was honest with himself, he'd known from the start that someone like Link wasn't going to leave him alone here.

Sora forced out a shaky sigh. He didn't feel anything yet, but he knew that it wouldn't be long before the darkness started to take over.

"I know you're worried," he said to Link, "but it's fine. My other friend should be here soon, so..." He wanted as few people as possible around when the change went through. Hopefully Tsurugi would get here soon, and then Link could leave.

Comments

[knightspirit]

While the beginning of dinner had given Kyousuke a burst of energy, as the end came closer, he found himself more and more on edge. It was spent in silence, and while he was glad to have a moment alone for once, it was difficult to find anything to focus on but what was about to come. He spent the majority time in a state of restlessness, sitting or leaning against the wall with his arms crossed for a few moments, finding a new spot, and repeating the process. Normally, he would have shown more restraint, but it was difficult to care knowing that they only one shot to get Sora properly restrained. ... It was bad enough he already had to deal with changing. Kyousuke didn't want to add escaping again to his list of burdens.

Eventually, he stopped to investigate the contents of his desk, since he hadn't bothered with it quite yet, and discovered a journal, a roll of pens, and a keyring. He couldn't care less about the pens or the journal, but one of the keys was marked for the room, even though there wasn't a lock inside. ... Now there was something that would come in handy. He'd kicked down doors himself before, but a lock was still one extra layer to get through, so if Sora had a key like this, it might be able to help contain him.

By the time the the Head Doctor made the announcement to begin the night, he already had his flashlight ready and was waiting by the door with an air of impatience, which was only added to by the man's arrogance. The more he heard that voice, the more he learned to hate it.

"... Shut up already," he muttered under his breath. The Head Doctor's idea of 'cutting to the chase' hardly matched his own. But soon the door unlocked, and he pushed his way out into the hall, making his way four doors down as quickly as he could.

It looked like Sora's roommate was still there when he got there, so Kyousuke gave him a nod of acknowledgment; introductions could come later, when things were more stable. Then, without prelude, he made his way to what he assumed to be Sora's desk, opening it so he could fish out the set of two keys. This was overbearing, even for him, but...

"Sorry. There isn't any time," he explained. There was too much going on to bother with courtesy.

Once he got the keys, he turned to face Sora. "... Are you ready?" he asked. Considering what he was about to do, he felt obligated to ask. And truthfully, he could use a small moment to steel himself, too.

[his_legacy]

Sora was quickly proven right, as a younger boy hurried into the room within seconds of the intercom going silent. Link was already at his closet, focusing immediately at the floor. His knife, as well as the scalpels and first aide kit, were still in there. Link snatched up them both as something very green caught his eyes. There was a slight leap in his chest as he noticed his clothing- his tunic, hanging up. He would puzzle on that later.

"I have a health kit of sorts, as well as these small knives from the medical area." The Hylian set the materials on the bed, giving Kyousuke a nod in greeting. He'd seen him speaking with Sora, earlier.

Link's heart was already racing, but as always, he remained calm and efficient under pressure.

[lighthearted]

Before Link could even respond to him, Tsurugi opened the door and stepped inside. That really was fast. He had to only be a few doors down, then. Either way, it was a point of relief, and all Sora wanted to do at that point was get his roommate on his way so that he didn't endanger more people than strictly necessary.

Sora stepped up off of his bed and moved slightly closer to Tsurugi. He was hesitant to get close to anyone, really, but he would need to if Tsurugi was going to knock him out. But before that...

"You should make sure you have a weapon with you, at least," Sora warned Link. "But now that Tsurugi's here, I should be fine." That really wasn't true. Their plan was to knock him out and possibly perform surgery on him, once Kratos got here. But Sora wasn't going to say anything about that, and hopefully Tsurugi would know to keep his mouth shut too.

"Thanks for worrying about me, and I hope you can find something helpful for the other sick patients."

As Sora glanced down, he saw wisps of black starting to form around his hands and wrists. He held his breath for a moment and then tucked his hands behind his back. Tsurugi already knew, but Link didn't need to see it.

[knightspirit]

[someone just come punch me if anything is amiss idk]

'Health kit?' Kyousuke glanced towards the objects the stranger indicated, and noted the first aid kit he'd place on the bed. ... Right. He'd never heard one referred to that way before. But though it was being offered, he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about taking it. "Are you sure you don't need it?" he questioned. This may have been incredibly dangerous, but considering where they were, all of them were likely to get injured.

That aside, it sounded like Sora wanted the roomed cleared out as soon as possible. Kyousuke didn't have any issues with having any extra hands around, since it could probably be a lot of help in this kind of situation, but he guessed for Sora, it was more like adding extra targets. The fewer the better, huh... He understood what the other boy was thinking, but privately, he couldn't help but think it was stupid. He didn't say that out loud, though, nor could he ask someone to stick around for this mess.

He couldn't see the point in the motion Sora made, either. What good was that...? The moment he was unconscious, his hands would be visible again. But it also meant that there was absolutely no time left to lose. He raised the hand holding the flashlight with an air of uncertainty. This may have been his idea, but he really wasn't keen on doing it. ... Still, he couldn't afford to hesitate. The longer he held this off, the harder it would become to do. He shoved down his reservations, and using the metal flashlight, gave Sora a good strong blow to the back of the head.

He grit his teeth, apologizing for it mentally. He just hoped that it was enough, or worse, that it wasn't too much. He did, however make sure the other boy was settled comfortably on his bed. It didn't make too much difference, but it still didn't feel right not to do somehow.

That accomplished, he turned Sora's roommate. "... We should leave. I'm going to lock the door and block it off, and someone else will be here soon."

From there.... who knew what happened. He didn't want to entertain any possibilities, good or bad.

[his_legacy]

"I will stay until my companion for the night has arrived. Help is more needed right here and right now." Link ignored the implications in Sora's words that his roommate wanted him gone. Each was too noble for his own good! The Hylian had his knife, and that was enough as far as he was concerned. His sharp eyes only caught a glimpse of the eerie smoke on Sora's fingertips. He swallowed and addressed Kyousuke.

"Sora is going to need it far more than I do." He spoke quietly. Link had gotten adept at conserving his own medical supplies, which meant that he was good at avoiding injury. In the wilderness, it was necessary.

Link did not wince when Kyousuke struck Sora with the magic light. He took a deep breath, watching his roommate closely and only glancing back up when Kyuosuke spoke.

"We shouldn't..." But he was right. Despite Link's hesitations about leaving Sora alone, it was best for all of them at this point. Even if they could only contain him for now, it would at least keep people safe. "Alright." He collected his things and gave Sora one last glance. Almost as an afterthought, Link grabbed his tunic, hat, and boots from his closet before making his way to the door. He glanced back at Sora once more, uncertainty obvious on his face. It seemed cruel, to leave the boy here in this state.

[lighthearted]

Link wasn't going to give up that easily, and while Sora might have argued with him further, about how he wouldn't need that first aid kit because he didn't keep his wounds when morning came around, he never got the chance.

In reality, it was probably for the best. They might have gone back and forth forever otherwise, but the flashlight knocking him in the head ended that conversation promptly. Sora felt only a shock of pain centered in his head before he passed out and collapsed to the floor, luckily not hitting anything on the way down.

But while he remained unconscious even as Tsurugi moved him into the bed, the darkness sprouting up from his arms and now his legs didn't stop. Slowly, his clothing and skin were stained black, and while he looked almost peaceful on the bed, how long could that last?

[envy_the_sinners]

Scar looked almost wearily to the intercom as the cheery voice faded into the head doctor's madness. Despite his injured body's protests, he stood and collected his things from the closet.

Scar lifted the photograph of his brother gingerly, as if it were something sacred. There were no cameras in Ishbal; he had not seen the man's face since their fateful day in the wilderness. It had vanished for the last time beneath the sand, in a messy grave dug with the bare hands of his hateful and broken younger brother who should not have even been alive. There were still little scars on his fingertips (only the left, now) from the rubble.

Scar swallowed the lump in his throat and fought wetness from his eyes. There was no time for his undeserved sorrow, for his remorse.

He put the photo in his pocket, anyway.

Scowling in a way that gave no indication to the emotions now stirring in his chest, Scar, one of the last sons of Ishbal, stamped out of his room and into the night. Frank would not face this sickness alone.

[To here]

[unpriest]

Seishin watched his roommate leave with a concerned glance, but otherwise remained as silent as he had been during dinner. He could only hope the other man would be alright...

With that, the former priest rose from his own seat and began collecting everything he needed for the night. He didn't particularly look forward to traveling down to the underground lake again, but if they wanted to make any progress he didn't have much of a choice.

It was best not to keep Silvestri-san needlessly waiting...

[To here]

[M5]

[maverickhunterx]

[To here!]

X could barely concentrate on his food through dinner, though he'd made a valiant effort in choking it down (emphasis on choking). He probably should have broken out of the hole of his thoughts, at least enough to have more than fleeting conversation with his roommate.

But this place. This situation.

It made him antsy.

And the intercom message wasn't helping either, filling his stomach with the cold stone of dread, and his heart with the burning coals of impotent rage.

Landel would be stopped. There was no questioning it; he'd be brought in to the proper authorities and brought down -- justice would be carried out.

X was going to make sure of it.

But first...he had to find him. And get some equipment; and that wasn't going to be done if he stood around doing nothing.

Glancing down at his bed, he spied his journal, and the piece of glass he'd stored inside.

X let out a sigh.


X acquired [Journal]
X acquired [Glass shard]


Tucking the journal (the glass shard still inside) under his arm, he glanced towards his roommate, then the door.

"I'm going ahead. Take care of yourself."

With a spriteliness he hadn't felt since he had first arrived, X dashed out the door and into the hallway.

Re: [M5]

[awokentospring]

Lee hated to see his roommate sigh so much but there was hardly any helping it. This place was rather dismal. Lee hoped his charming smile might light up the room, but it did only very little.

Wishing his roommate good luck before he sped off, Lee stood and started gathering his own things. He had an appointment tonight and he did not plan on being late! However, before he left, he thought it wise to go ahead and check on the room again in case any changes had come his way.

Looking in the closet, Lee was utterly surprised and ecstatic to find his green spandex suit, leggings and chuunin vest neatly hanging as if they had been hung there so naturally for him. Reaching out tentatively with his unbound hand, Lee's face slowly morphed into an expression of delighted wonder. His Youthful and Spring-like suit was here! Gai-sensei! Surely his teacher was thinking of him right now!

Lee wanted to put it on that very second! But unfortunately, his sling was in the way. At home, Lee might have discarded it without a worry, but here he wasn't sure if that was a good idea. He was surrounded by nurses during the day but they hardly seemed capable of healing at a level he was used to back home. He couldn't trust that if he removed his arm from the sling that he would have any luck getting it back on properly, or that he wouldn't break something even further in trying to get his outfit switched out.

He was torn. What he would give to wear that glorious spandex again... Alas, common sense won out and Lee regretfully closed the door of his closet. However, he vowed that tomorrow he would wear his spandex, and it would be glorious! Everyone would behold his beautiful costume with such envy and admiration! He could see it now...

But enough about that! Lee shook himself of his reverie and put on a determined face. He had a meeting to see to and he would not be late! Gathering his flashlight, Lee happily skipped out the door and headed down the hallway.

[to here]

[lovesthepain]

Another night, another try.

As much as Zero's warnings over the bulletin board had annoyed Harpuia, he could still see where Zero was coming from; accumulating a new injury every time the sun went down was shortsighted, reckless behaviour. It was all well and good to want to protect Master X, but if he was going to keep doing it while woefully under-equipped, then he certainly wouldn't be doing it for very long.

Harpuia already knew that the most useful thing his room had to offer was his flashlight, but it was in his nature to be meticulous -- double-checking took only a few minutes, after all.

He didn't end up finding anything that would be useful in a danger situation, per se, but the search nonetheless paid off: a quick look into the closet revealed a splash of colour amid all the generic gray Institute-wear. Curiously, he pulled the garment free. Green and gold... the same colours he'd worn as part of his Neo Arcadian uniform. The coat appeared to be a variation on his armor; the same symbolic criss-crossing in the front that all Neo Arcadian soldiers had, but the length was definitely new. As was the design on the back: a golden insignia, prominently featuring a large X.

...Why was this in his closet? Had someone put this there in hopes that he would wear his Neo Arcadian colours again? (A smaller, quieter voice in the back of his mind couldn't help wondering if he really even deserved to.)

Not that this was the appropriate time to be agonizing over fashion, of all things. Whatever it was that had brought this here, it wasn't as though it was a threat. He went with his gut: he pulled the coat on, seized his flashlight, and hurried outside. He already knew which room was Zero's -- with any luck, meeting up wouldn't take long at all.

[to here]

[thisisyourgod]

After the staff had dragged Ishida off, Karkat had been left staring at the door aghast until it opened again, which wasn't long. He waited to see if anyone else was going to enter, and when they didn't he was then left with the issue of how to proceed with the rest of his night.

There was some irony in that fact that his roommate had just been talking about them grabbing people for experimentation only to have it happen to himself, or at least that's what Karkat assumed that all had been about. It had been disturbing how easily they'd just come in and subdued him, and it twisted the troll's stomach up to realize that the same thing could happen to him in the future if he didn't get out of this place.

He couldn't just run out. He'd been left with instructions, poor as they'd been. Though he resented the teen a bit for forcing that upon him, he wasn't going to completely ignore the orders either. There was a bat in the closet, apparently, and when he looked he did indeed find one - made of metal and everything, which id more than he'd expected. The idea of keeping it for himself was tempting, but it would be wrong to keep it from whoever was waiting for him out there.

Some girl, wasn't it? The name had come out so weirdly. Inoway, or something like that.

He didn't think to take anything else in the room - not the radio, and not perhaps a pillowcase for lugging things around. He didn't even take the flashlight, because strangely enough despite his human body, moments after the lights went out his eyes adjusted as though he was still a troll. That was one thing he could at least be grateful for.

The sun room, Ishida had said. At least that was somewhere he could find. So it was with bat in hand that he began walking down the hall toward his destination.

> ==>

M9

[thisisyourgod]

> Karkat: Return to original location.

Karkat pushed the door open to find the room... exactly as he'd left it. He didn't know if he'd expected anything to have changed while he was gone, but it was nice to know that it hadn't, and that this was still definitely his room and things hadn't been switched around the moment he'd left. After all, the room he was in now wasn't the same one he'd woken up in that morning - he knew that for sure. With everything being flipped all topsy-tury on him, it would be nice to know there was at least one thing that stayed constant.

He moved to the side to let the others in and spread his arms out in a 'here it is!' sort of fashion. If they knew how to make anything helpful out of what little there was to find here, then they were free to give it a shot. At least his roommate was organized. The troll's side of the room already looked slightly more disheveled by comparison, and he'd only just arrived.

[redcladidealist]

There was a sheepish moment when Lloyd realized that he'd completely forgotten to ask for Karkat's name, that he'd been so caught up with the news that Ishida was missing that he hadn't noticed when Karkat hadn't offered his name in turn.

"Karkat, huh? Well, I guess it could have been better circumstances, but I'm glad to meet you, Karkat." A belated attempt at manners was better than nothing, right? It was also true. He was glad to have run into Karkat. Otherwise he and Inoue wouldn't have realized Ishida's plight.

Once inside the bedroom, Lloyd took a good look around. For the most part it looked just like his room. No sign of a struggle, no immediate hints as to which way the nurses might have taken their friend. He glanced at Inoue to see if she had spotted anything. She knew Ishida better than him.

And if he happened to also look to make sure that she was still all right, well, that wouldn't stand out since he was already looking at her.

"What do you think?"

[faeth]

Vantas-kun. She would have to ask him about what kind of name it was later, as interesting as it was (Vantas -- it was always difficult for her, pronouncing the V in English class) -- but for now, there was the room.

If it bothered her at all, being in a boy's bedroom, then the feeling was shadowed over by more important items of interest. Her eyes were intent as she searched the room; Ishida-kun was as neat and tidy as ever, and it didn't take her long to determine which side belonged to whom. Not that she assumed Vantas-kun was messy per se, just... after knowing Ishida-kun for so long, it was really no contest.

If she had more time, she'd dust for fingerprints. Try to improvise a black light out of the flashlight she'd tucked into the waistband of her sweatpants. Alas, she had no access to luminol, and the clock was still ticking -- no time for her to play detective.

Thankfully, she didn't have to think very hard to figure out what to do instead.

"Is this your journal, Vantas-kun?" A little rude, perhaps, to open it before waiting for his answer, but... "Ah, this is Ishida-kun's handwriting, I think... Yes! I think it is!" Orihime flipped through the pages, searching -- not reading so much as scanning for key words, pictures maybe. After all, it wasn't very kind to go about reading Ishida-kun's diary, if he'd used the journal for such a purpose.

It wasn't long until she stumbled upon a picture of a... map? Yes, there was the Sun Room, the cafeteria -- it was a map of the first floor of the institute. Most of the hallways were labeled, too. A boxed space labeled 'Greenhouse' had a question mark written right next to it. So too did some of the doctors' offices, the group therapy rooms...

But despite that, a map of the second floor was nowhere to be found.

"Maybe... we should check upstairs," she mentioned, almost offhandedly as she clutched at the journal in her hands. The lines were blurring on the page no matter how hard she focused, but her gaze was firm when she lifted her head. "There's nothing in here about it, but... it doesn't seem like Ishida-kun could be on this floor."

[thisisyourgod]

Journal? They had journals? Oh right, those books. His handwriting was terrible, though. Writing on the board had been bad enough. Not to mention that, seeing as there were no computers with time jumping technology here, he could easily foresee himself getting into arguments with things he'd written a few days prior and then get irritated when his past self couldn't argue back. It was really pathetic when you thought about it.

Still, it might not help to write some things down. His roommate had some foresight in that department at least, not that it seemed to have given them any real big leads.

"Upstairs? You mean like how we were right by the staircase before you two nook-draggers decided there might be something important here? Yeah, that sounds awesome. How about we go march right the fuck back to where we were as if this whole bit of hoofbeast shit hadn't happened. It's not like I told you beforehand this would be the case or anything, except I did." Oh right, and there was that other thing he'd wanted to deal with while they were here.

He gestured toward Orihime, still glowering. "But you. Sit down first. I'm tired of watching you wobble around like you stuck your head in someone's recuperacoon for too long."

[redcladidealist]

Lloyd shot Karkat an irritated look. Did he really have to insult them like that? "Hey, we didn't know that was where we needed to go. It's not like you knew either." The fact was, though, that they were going to have to backtrack now, which did make it feel like they'd wasted time. That only made the scathing remarks hit that much closer to home. He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled roughly, trying to breathe out his frustration. "I told you, we had to start somewhere. I asked if you had any better ideas, and you didn't."

Still defensive, he nearly shot back a retort in Inoue's defense - that is, until he looked at her himself. He was still being rude, probably insulting (what was a recuperacoon?), but he was unfortunately right. Inoue didn't look steady at all.

"Inoue, are you all right?"

How much had that healing taken out of her? Or was this a symptom of something else?

M6

[dispersive]

Luke didn't have time to sit around and let the night wander off without him. Every minute was precious now that life and death was truly on the line tonight. The last thing they needed was for Anise to change or for her to rush into surgery and die from complications. Perhaps it was arrogance, but if they could save their entire world with the alternative route, the replica just knew they could find another cure besides invasive surgery.

But they wouldn't find it the longer he lollygagged around here. Grabbing his sword and a fontech torch, Luke left but not before wishing his roommate good luck.

M1

[monkeyboy]

Now that night had hit, Goku felt strange--Not bad, but strange. The little boy vaguely remembered dropping sick to the floor last night and yet he was in perfect shape the morning after! Even his appetite had been normal despite the occasional stomach aches that had begun to flare up now and again.

Rubbing his belly, he felt as if something was lying in wait, like a wolf in the forest. It was a unique feeling that Goku couldn't classify. Usually a wolf waiting to spring was a good test of his hearing and reflexive skills for him. This wasn't the same and that was as well as the boy could describe it. But what did it matter? It did't right now as he picked up his staff and headed out for the unknown. Or, well, the big glass plant house... It was sort of unknown. He had to help Taura, and possibly clobber some things along the way.

[ofthemotions]

And night came. And Mikado still had no idea on what to think of anything.

What the man--Castiel--had said had only given more fuel to turn around inside his mind, but still, at the end of it, Mikado was still where he was when he started. He had more knowledge... just not in the direction he wanted. And now it was nighttime. And honestly, he didn't even know if he should leave his room.

But whatever was out there--in those halls, maybe even outside--wasn't anything more real than what Mikado had experienced. Those giant birds were as valid a threat as that shadowed doctor, and for that reason, fleeting and insubstantial as it was, Mikado took his flashlight and opened his door carefully to poke his head outside to look around. The blind spot on the right side from the bandaging was in no way less disorientating, and he was unconsciously moving in jerking motions to compensate.

Darkness. Only shadows and shades. Maybe he should just stay inside.

[propheteer]

For all the freedoms night allowed, it really wasn't a good time to get anything done—or at least, to do the kinds of things Izaya needed to right now. Short of trying to gather information about the supposed 'cure' again, or perhaps about those who were shedding their humanity to become literal monsters...

Well, no matter where he went, it would be better than staying cooped up all night. He couldn't find out anything at all if he stayed in the room. Landel might not have given a deadline, but it felt as though it was inching ever closer, all the same. Izaya needed something he really could use to his advantage, and soon.

Despite not having a clear goal for tonight, he slipped out of the room he shared with Snow and started down the hall. Should he try the x-ray room again? There had been no new message about it, but maybe it could be worth it all the same?

He clicked on his flashlight and pointed it down the hall as he walked; the beam caught a familiar figure. Up ahead, peering out from a room towards the end of the hallway—wasn't that Mikado? The boy had wanted to talk, and Izaya hadn't found him earlier... The hallway in the middle of the night wasn't necessarily the best place for a chat, but all the same—shouldn't he at least say hello? And the way Mikado seemed to be hesitating—looking outside the room without leaving it—made Izaya want to give him a little push...

He hadn't noticed earlier, but as he got closer, Izaya noticed there was a bandage wrapped around the boy's head. Had he run into trouble? A monster maybe? Perhaps even one of those monsters that had formerly been human?

As he finally reached the room, Izaya considered reaching inside to pull Mikado out, or maybe pushing his own way in—but instead he merely stopped, turning to lean against the wall and keeping a steady eye on the boy's bandages.

"You wanted to see me?"

[ofthemotions]

There was movement in the dark. And for one long second, he wasn't sure if it was something he should flee from or stay to see. And if it mattered either way, in a place where you would be taken all the same.

Izaya's voice, therefore, came as the utmost of reassurances.

Mikado exhaled, relieved, and moved to face the man, hand half-raising out of self-consciousness to the bandages on his face before he noticed and dropped his hand back down. "Orihara-san," he greeted, not bothering to keep his relief in check. He hadn't realized how much he had wanted to see Izaya, to make sure the man was still here and not gone like others, until the informant was leaning against the wall nearby.

That Mikado had originally asked to meet with Izaya was nearly forgotten. The boy blinked. "I... did, yeah," he finally replied. Though now it was starting to seem rude to only speak to him when Mikado wanted the man's advice.

[propheteer]

When Mikado turned towards him, Izaya got his first good look at the boy's face—and it was... surprising. His eyes widened a fraction in confusion before he purposely blinked it away, turning his face to scan the hall for any unwanted company and to hide his expression until a sociable smile was firmly back in place.

He'd thought the bandages had been for some head injury when he'd first spotted them, but with the placement of that patch, they couldn't be for anything else but his right eye. Whatever had hurt him must have been more intelligent than your average overgrown animal—or perhaps Mikado's luck had just been especially bad? He'd ask about it (oh, he'd ask), but unfortunately there was another question he had to ask first:

"And?" he said, looking at Mikado once more, now that the surprise of the bandaged eye was long passed. "What was it you wished to talk about?"

[ofthemotions]

[forever late...]

Mikado wondered if he should ask about something else. But, in honesty, he had no one else to go to that he trusted, and it wasn't as if Izaya had said it bothered him. The boy glanced downward with his good eye, his weight shifting as he moved his feet nervously. "Um, I was going to ask you about this," he said almost shyly, bringing a finger to touch the edge of the bandage on his face. "It happened last night."

But there was something else as well that he wondered, from his conversations today. Something that actually made no sense, but while they were here.... "And I was wondering if you knew what day it was. Because there were people talking about being infected and things like that, and I-- The last thing I know of was the buses stopping when we were coming back from the town." And those giant birds, but no need to bring that up again.

[propheteer]

Ah... how convenient for the topic Mikado wished to discuss being the very same one that had piqued Izaya's curiosity. He could find out about it easily this way, without having to watch his words at all.

Just as he'd opened his mouth to ask about it further, Mikado continued—and this time, Izaya was taken aback. The night when the buses stopped on the way back from town... hadn't it already been three days since then? Now that he thought about it, Izaya hadn't seen Mikado's face since that time, but for him to have no memory of more than a day, either...

A part of him wanted to withhold that information, to see what Mikado might be willing to trade for it—but how long it had been was the sort of easily-obtained information that the boy could find anywhere. It was more surprising that he hadn't found out already, actually. That he'd actually come to Izaya to ask... well, that alone was a kind of a payment in itself, if he thought about it.

—That and whatever else Izaya might see from the boy at learning the day.

"Ah... It's been a little while since then," Izaya answered. "The trip was on Saturday, wasn't it? So today should have been Tuesday."

He waited a moment for the information to sink in, watching Mikado carefully. Then, in a sudden movement, he leaned in towards the boy and gestured towards the patch over his eye. Upon further inspection, the bandage really was covering the injury neatly; there wasn't so much as a hint of what had happened showing...

"So, how did that happen?"