Night 66: M11-M20 Hallway

[doctor_voodoo]

[M13]

When the doors unlocked throughout the hallways, Facilier was more than ready to begin his exploration of the institute once Rock Lee arrived as planned. However, he wasn't so eagerly prepared for what could happen with his roommate Hakkai...

The Bokor gathered his things in silence so tense that it nearly solidified the air surrounding him. He constantly kept his eye fixated on his roommate, ever watching for any change emerging from the corner of his suspicious vision. Meanwhile, Facilier's Shadow remained inconspicuously natural, yet he could feel its energy tingling as it was ready to leap into action at the slightest sign of danger towards its master.

Thoughts of killing off his roommate now before anything happened did cross Facilier's mind -- if not dozens of times by now! But he dared not dirty his hands unless it was absolutely necessary. It didn't help that Rock Lee was sure to show up any moment now either; Facilier couldn't trust the boy to remain silent about finding Hakkai's untransformed dead body in his room. He would just have to deal with this unbearable tension until he could exit to the hallway or fight once things became dire.

For now, Facilier took out his costume cane from his closet and leaned it against his desk close to where he rested his hand. Keeping Hakkai within his sight, Facilier sat down to eat the rest of his dinner, his finger constantly twitching towards the handle of his cane as he waited.

Comments

M20

[age_of_kings]

How did that phrase go again? 'Once more into the fray'?

That was certainly how the young king felt. Once more. And oh gods, he'd had so much to think about! The cure did work, but how in the name of his great and holy ancestor were they going to implement it? Was it too late?

No, he refused to believe that. There was no such thing as 'too late'. Another lesson he'd learned from Jansen. One of the good ones. Even when things looked so desperate you were certain the end was looming...there was light. Only you had to be willing to give and do anything to reach it.

Perhaps after all of this straining, they were finally within that reach.

Re: M20

[forsworn]

Kratos had been sitting tensely in his seat, dressed and with his sword right at his side, waiting for the intercom announcement. At the first hint of Landel's voice, he leaped to his feet and, with a terse goodbye to his roommate, vanished out the door.

He'd told Sora three minutes. Time to see if he could keep his word.

[from here]

Re: M20

[age_of_kings]

[Moving down to Edgar's thread!]

[longlivetheking]

Once the doors unlocked, Scar left the room as quickly as he could without giving his roommate so much as a second glance. The head doctor's warning had made the former lion scoff; in light of recent events the 'unexpected' would be rather obvious, would it not? Even the most dimwitted of humans must have been able to comprehend just that.

But he wanted nothing to do with that mess, so his objective was to find some uninfected fool and leave the patient blocks behind as soon as possible. He would have arranged the former during the day had he not been forced to put up with solely infected patients or ignorant brats. It was irritating, having to rely on chance like this, but staying in his room was hardly an option.

[To here]

[somesoulsearching]

Brook wasn't sure what it was that had gotten his roommate in such a hurry to leave. Perhaps he was going to go meet with someone? That would make sense; the nights here were quite short when one thought about it. Brook didn't really want to think about it as he headed out though. As always, he needed to get something done. Anything. That was what he needed to focus on.

Not the fact that he was probably "infected" as Scar had said.

As much as he could put on the face of someone capable of keeping a positive outlook, Brook was likely the most scared of any of those that were ill. He scared easily, but just as easily he managed to keep himself mostly positive.

So when the numb feeling started over him again the moment he left his room, he shook himself out, straightened and pressed on without so much as a shriek - hum prepared on his lips.

[somesoulsearching]

[heading here]

M13

[vinesofregret]

Hakkai had spent the day doing as little as possible. He'd slept through breakfast, which, come lunchtime, he was actually thankful for. The wave of nausea he'd had in the kitchen the night before was worse now, and he'd contented himself with some water and trying to sit as far away from the food as possible. Dinner was harder to avoid - the plate of food was still on his desk, and even laying down on his bed, he could smell it. He didn't bother trying to get up when the announcement came at the beginning of the night - he was fairly certain if he tried to sit up, he was going to either pass out or vomit. Gren was unfortunately going to have to do without him tonight.

Then, suddenly, he was distracted from his nausea by a spasm of of pain - it felt like being gutted all over again, and his jaw clenched to keep from crying out in pain. Before he had fully recovered, he realized something else was happening, too. He could feel the changes - slower than usual, but familiar - and a hand flew up to his ear to feel for the limiter cuffs. They were still there - and yet he could feel the skin moving underneath his fingertips.

"No, NO!" As if words alone could stop it, could stop the rush of cold rage that was welling up inside him, beginning to overwhelm his senses.

[doctor_voodoo]

That sudden movement of pain from Hakkai was like a bright red alarm flashing in the corner of Facilier's eye. The Bokor's head instantly snapped towards the younger man as his whole body seemed to bristle up like an agitated animal. This behavior was a far cry from Hakkai's cheery state of desperate denial from the other night. Merde! This is it...! Facilier's infallible intuition was right about tonight and for once he wished it had been wrong.

Immediately Hakkai gave out another cry of pain as his whole body jolted from the bed. Just as that happened Facilier had already sprung into action with the speed of a lunging snake. He grabbed for his cane and backed off towards the door with his eyes locked onto his roommate. Meanwhile Facilier's Shadow spiraled out of its rigid state and swooped in to grab one of the chairs, holding it by its shadow and keeping it aloft in the air in front of its master like a shield.

"Mr. Hakkai?!" Facilier knew the door behind him was unlocked; he could easily run out and leave his withering roommate behind. But the doctor's morbid curiosity got the better of him. He had to see what was behind these transformations. He needed to get a sense of the sort of magic Landel used if he were ever to understand this place and win, over it!

But as each frightening second passed, Facilier could only sense the growing danger of the situation. There was no sign of magic, no spirits or anything! Not even the most basic puff of magical smoke! All he could make out was the subtle changes coming over Hakkai as green patterns emerged upon his skin like rapidly growing weeds while his ears seemed to be lengthening on the ends. Whatever form Hakkai was taking on, it didn't appear as monstrous as Facilier feared, but he had no idea of Hakkai's new capabilities. Should he escape now or try to get through to the suffering lad? Either way, Facilier had to get this boy killed for the sake of his deal with Landel and by now it was starting to look like that job was going to get messy...

"Hakkai?! Remember who you are boy!" Facilier barked at the trembling youth, holding up his cane as he stood close behind the floating chair. "Damnit! You best keep control of yourself or I'll have no choice but to deal with you the hard way! Y'all hear me?!"

[vinesofregret]

When Hakkai's eyes opened again, they were not the same as they had been a moment before. The right was still it's usual green, but the left was a bright, unnatural gold, its pupil slitted like a cat's - and any trace of humanity that had been there was gone.

"No."

The voice was ostensibly Hakkai's, but there was a coldness to it that never made it into his usual tone. And the single word was spoken with a harsh, absolute certainty.

He rolled up off the bed with a speed that would have been unimaginable for the sick man who'd been laying there a moment before. As soon as his bare feet touched the ground, vines raced out from him like shadows, skimming the floor and seeking Facilier's feet.

[doctor_voodoo]

Facilier gritted his teeth against the sudden chill he felt from hearing Hakkai's foreboding reply. He hunched over defensively and clenched hard into his cane. Was this humanoid form the result of a possession by an elemental of some sorts? It sure wasn't like any sort of spiritual takeover he had witnessed with his own magical practice! Or was this Hakkai's true state before he became a prisoner in this world? Just what sort of sorcery is this?!

The unnerved witch doctor had no time to ponder further over this, as he was surprised by Hakkai's sudden display of superhuman speed--

"Ah--!" Quick as a flash of light, the vines that sprouted forth from Hakkai instantly wrapped themselves around Facilier's ankles and up to his knees. This attack was instantly countered by the Bokor's shadow, which was just as speedy as darkness snuffing out a candle. It swiftly threw the chair at the possessed Hakkai with the same furious strength as its master, intending to break the furniture over the attacker's head and knock him over.

[vinesofregret]

The vines tugged at the other man's legs, trying to pull him over. In a room this small, this was the kind of fight they'd have to do. There wasn't enough space, enough leverage. Something in him longed to be outdoors, in the wild.

The chair caught him by surprise - an attack he'd never seen before, had not anticipated. His arms flew up to protect his face as the chair slammed into him, sending him stumbling backwards. He hit the bedframe, and only barely managed to keep his balance - but as his concentration broke, the grip of his vines loosened as well.

[doctor_voodoo]

As the chair went crashing into Hakkai, Facilier's balance was overthrown by the vine's pull against his legs. He barely got a chance to cry out before he slammed down back-first into the floor. The sudden impact knocked the wind out of his lungs and sent his top hat tumbling down the floor. Gasping for his lost air, Facilier experienced a terrifying flashback of being pulled to his doom by the Loa as the vines were dragging him closer to Hakkai and farther away from the door he should have escaped through in the first place!

"N-NO!" The panicking Bokor threw his cane back and hitched its curved end around the leg of his desk as an anchor against Hakkai's clutches. He wasn't going to get dragged to his death again if he could help it!

Just then the chair hit its mark and sent the monstrous Hakkai falling back onto his bed. Facilier felt the possessive vines loosen their hold on his legs and he wasted no time to pull himself up by his cane and reach his hand out to rip away at the leafy tendrils. Meanwhile, Facilier's dark doppelganger flew in for a second attack, stretching out its curved arm to throw a punch at the shadow of Hakkai's head.

[vinesofregret]

Hakkai barely had time to sit up again before he felt a blow clip the side of his head, making him hiss in pain. His opponent, though, was still across the room, freeing himself from the shadow-vines. Another attacker, then. Closer. But where? Even with his enhanced senses, there was only the two of them there. His eyes narrowed in anger - another vine lashed out towards Facilier, but his focus was on rooting out whoever else was here.

M16

[girlsandgadgets]

Though he'd wanted to speak to Gren, Edgar couldn't find the words, his mind still sharp and working ahead of him as his body mechanically gathered his equipment for the night. The shovel was a given, as it seemed it'd be the most useful weapon given his condition and Locke's; he took the thick coat he wore to the town as well, hoping it might provide some minute protection from further injury. He rifled through his possessions box for his medical supplies, taking a few bandages in the event they needed them. With his meal, he also had some of the candies Anise had given to him, just in case he didn't get another chance. He was confident in his skills, but he was in no shape for another fight. Not after last night.

With injuries abound and his friend becoming a beast, there was no telling what would happen. They needed to find a cure, but containing Locke was equally important. If he got out and injured someone— or worse— he'd never forgive himself; if he ran into one who mistook him for one of the abominations of the institute, he could be in true danger.

Edgar's shoulder ached as he stopped by his desk, stitches in his skin pulling as he rotated his neck. Grabbing the pills the nurse had given him for his injuries and swallowing them down, he picked up one more stray object before heading out for the night: a two-faced coin, one that reminded him of what was important.

[age_of_kings]

Well, that was one lucky stroke.

Tolten lurched down the hallway, burning with fever this evening. At least the nausea was gone. Fever he could fight through, but roiling guts? Oh great ancestor, that would have felled him for certain! He kept his light turned down as he realized Edgar was down the hallway. Thank gods they were neither of them alone in this burden.

And thank gods he was still human, despite the sickness that wracked him.

"I spoke to a woman about the cure today," he began, not bothering with niceties or pleasantries. He knew Edgar would understand, they had no time to waste. "A woman who has been cured."

[girlsandgadgets]

Edgar pocketed the coin as he heard Tolten's approach, his mind having been elsewhere— on allies and his kingdom and a brother he was determined to see again one day. In order for that to happen, he had to survive. They had to survive. Tolten's news couldn't have come at a better time; with luck, perhaps they could find a way to cure Locke of his condition before anything unfortunate— more unfortunate than turning into a monster, anyway— happened.

However, he and Tolten were going to have to make sure their mutual ally was caged first, put somewhere for both his safety and that of others. With only a nod to Tolten for the second, he headed down the corridor.

[To here.]

M12

[rocksthecourt]

It was horrible that waking always seemed to carry with it some sense of dread. Even more so when one awoke in a groggy haze. Or perhaps it was just a headache. Lovely. Klavier sat up in his bed, rubbing the heel of a hand against his temple in an attempt to clear that haze away quickly. And he very quickly realized why his head was pounding.

It was dark. How was it dark? Had he actually slept in all day? Hadn't that happened a few times recently? What kind of sick joke was this? At least he wasn't the only one. Brooks seemed to be fast asleep on his side as well, though if he had lost as much time was a mystery. Had they both been knocked out at the same time? Maybe there was something in the food after all.

After some small internal debate regarding whether he should wake his roommate or not, he ultimately decided to leave him be for now and went to the closet. Brooks was fine right now and he still wasn't in perfect health. It would be best not to provoke unneeded action. Klavier, on the other hand, couldn't afford to continue wasting time. He wasn't sure what he would find, or even what he was really looking for, but he had to try to find something. There had to be more information to work with out there. There just had to be.

He had only been going to the closet to gather up some supplies and a weapon. The last thing he was expecting was to suddenly find his work attire neatly hung and waiting for him. It caused his heart to jump, startled, and he stared at it. He remembered hearing about something similar before. Other people had mentioned finding some clothes of theirs in their closet out of nowhere, though in cases like Claire's, they were sometimes left in some state of disrepair. Should he be thankful that Herr Doktor hadn't decided to add desecration of his clothes to his laundry list of crimes? Or maybe he was supposed to feel gratitude, like this was some kind or reward. No. Instead, Klavier couldn't help but feel the sudden appearance of his things was immensely unsettling.

On one hand, he really didn't want to play along with whatever it was they might be going for with this. But on the other hand, such a simple sense of familiarity might really be nice for a change. ... Sure. Why not see what game Herr Doktor had in mind?

He quickly changed into his clothes and grabbed his flashlight along with his bag, the radio, some granola bars, and a metal pipe. Hardly what one would call an arsenal but that was about as set as he was going to get.

[to here]

M16

[stellarregions]

Edgar had seemed distracted--with everything that was going on, Gren could hardly blame him--and it hadn't seemed like a good idea to pry into whatever was bothering him, so Gren had opted to spend dinner in silence. It was fine, he really wasn't sure what he would have said, in any case.

He was slow in gathering up his things, a nagging voice in the back of his head telling him it was better just to stay in his room. It was safe here, whatever was happening beyond these hallways didn't matter...

But it did matter, even if the number of people he could count on as allies had shrunk in the last few weeks. Just because he didn't know them didn't mean he wanted people tortured, especially not by a man who seemed to be taking such great pleasure in it. He just didn't know what he could do.

He went to the closet and retrieved the box all his belongings were stored in now, pulling things out and setting them on the desk. In lieu of a real plan for the evening, he might as well take stock of things.

There, at the bottom, below all the other paraphernalia he'd collected was a knife. One that certainly hadn't come from the kitchens, by the look of it, and was, as far as he could tell, brand new.

Why? It wasn't the first time something had mysteriously turned up in his possessions, but it always made him wonder what had triggered it. Was he being rewarded for something, or was this just another mind-game? Give him a weapon better suited to killing, the way the people who ran this place seemed to want?

Or maybe it was the means of freeing himself from this hell.

He shoved that thought away as soon as it entered his head, set the knife down on the top of his desk and didn't touch it again, instead simply looking at it, as though it might bite.

He was suddenly very glad Edgar was gone, because he didn't doubt he looked like a madman at that moment.

Re: M16

[stellarregions]

It wasn't long before he started hearing noise close by. At first, he thought perhaps he was just hearing the storm, but then it got louder, and he realized someone must be fighting somewhere near by. His first instinct was to help, which was immediately checked by the fact that he wasn't going to be much use in a fight, even with his newly acquired weapon. So he sat there, listening, still staring at the knife on his desk, the two emotions waring and keeping him from doing anything.

And then things went quiet. A pair of footsteps went past his door, and once they were out of range, he stood up, grabbed his flashlight, and then the knife, before moving out into the corridor. Nothing seemed out of place at first, and then, further along, there was an open door. Hakkai's door, and any thought he'd had of going back to his own room vanished.

[To here]

M12

[oyaji]

[From here]

As usual it didn't take long to reach his partner's door. The hallways were practically deserted, which made them all the more creepy. He shined his light onto every dark bend and alcove in the walls to make sure nothing lurked around him. The last thing he needed to do was bring a monster right to Barnaby's door.

Taking a deep breath to collect himself, Wild Tiger stood in front of the young man's door and eventually knocked, just so no one in the room got their boxers in a bunch when he stuck his head in.

"Bunny...?" He asked he opened the heavy door, praying that something sentient would return with an answer.

[baniichan]

When Barnaby finally awoke, he was startled to find that he'd fallen asleep in bed without realizing it. He didn't even remember lying down. The other side of the room was empty; apparently, Gavin had left before him. The man probably didn't realize it, but he'd made a wise decision tonight.

An unpleasant wave of nausea churned in his stomach. Whether it was from the symptoms or his own anxiety, though, he wasn't sure. He just knew that it was hard to get a deep breath, and a sheen of sweat had started to form on his clammy skin.

It took a moment for him to realize someone had knocked on his door. Sitting up, he nearly drew his knees closer to his chest, but resisted when the stiff bandages around his thighs reminded him why his movements were limited.

"Kotetsu?" he answered without thinking. His voice sounded smaller and more unsure than he intended, but there was little helping that now. Barnaby had too much on his plate to worry about appearances, let alone around his partner.

[oyaji]

When he heard his name, Wild Tiger let out a heavy sigh of relief. Barnaby hadn't changed yet and he didn't sound like he was in any pain, yet. "At your service!" He saluted before closing the door behind him. His partner's roommate wasn't here, which was for the best, honestly. No one needed to be privy to their problems.

His steps were quick to take him beside Barnaby's bed, but his cheery bravado wavered when he saw the young man's face in the yellow illumination of his flashlight. He looked weary and nervous, which Wild Tiger could not fault him for. He wasn't sure if he could have kept it together as well as Barnaby. Nevertheless, the sight squeezed his heart in a cold vice. All he could do for now was place his hand on the blond's back to let him know he was here for him. It may not have meant much when he couldn't stop the terror or the pain, but unfortunately that was the limit to his companionship and it frustrated him to no end.

[baniichan]

The familiar presence was a comfort to him, as well as the warm, large hand that settled on his back. There was no denying that he felt safer and more at ease when Kotetsu was around, but Barnaby realized it was a false sense of security. He wasn't selfish enough to ask the man to stay with him, not when it placed him in very real danger. Besides, he was counting on Kotetsu to investigate the few clues they'd found.

"You shouldn't be here," he murmured with a frown, not quite meeting his partner's gaze. "I could change at any moment." His breath quivered as he tried to stop his chest from heaving with the terror that threatened to seize him. "There's a key ring in my desk with the room key attached to it. Go and lock the door behind you."

[oyaji]

"Why not?" It was as petulant as it sounded while Wild Tiger frowned at the floor, listening to Barnaby talk like he was a monster that should rot alone in the dark. Wild Tiger was not prescribing to that. "I'm your partner, this is right where I belong." The hand at his shoulder came up around the back up his neck, his fingers gently squeezing the hard bands of muscle. He could understand precaution, but there was that and then there was self-flagellation and he wasn't going to let the young man wallow in his own fear and loneliness as he was turned into a monster.

"I'm not saying I'm not gonna go look--I am! There's a river everyone's been talking about that might be connected to the uh, the uhhmm ah--The painting! But how--I can't just leave you! I won't."

[baniichan]

"It's too dangerous," Barnaby insisted. He understood Kotetsu's reasons for wanting to stay. If their situations were reversed, he suspected he would be just as reluctant to leave the man behind like this. To be honest, he didn't want to face this alone. But he also knew that Kotetsu's staying here wouldn't do much to keep him from potentially transforming again. There was lending support as a partner, and then there was self-sacrificing foolishness like this. This couldn't end well for either of them, and they both knew it.

As Kotetsu's calloused fingers pressed against his neck, Barnaby slightly bowed his head, his eyes stinging with moisture. He was still struggling to keep his breathing even, and it was a losing battle.

"Please." He didn't want to beg. He didn't. Yet as the horrifyingly familiar pain began to gnaw at his stomach, Barnaby only grew more desperate to see him go.