Night 67: Main Hallway, 1-West

[ofthemotions]

[from here --and waiting for Ryusei!]

There still wasn't a lot of people in the halls, and it was starting to make him nervous. Maybe he should try to find someone to hang out with tonight. Snow and Celty had insisted on how Mikado shouldn't be alone at night--it wouldn't hurt to take their advice. But it would be strange to just go up to someone and ask to walk around with them.

...Wouldn't it?

He made a face, and paused in the hall, looking around. He was more aware of the bandages covering his eye in the dim, and even wearing his own clothes didn't negate that uncomfortability. He was suddenly starting to think he should have just stayed inside.

Comments

[asteroidbelt]

[from here. HELLO]

Now he really had to make a decision. He could explore the areas of the building he hadn't seen, but there was no telling whether or not there was staff there. And he had to slide past this...kid.... That was a kid, right? Unless the institute was big on recruiting kids for their patient-busting security, the stranger probably wasn't a staff member. (And if he was, Ryusei hadn't done anything that 'but the door was open' couldn't cover for, if he played it innocently enough.)

He flicked on his flashlight. "Seems I'm not the only one who has one," he said aloud.

[ofthemotions]

There was a light suddenly near to him, and Mikado turned toward it (not jumped, which he should be grateful for. It seemed that not every interaction would begin in embarrassment...). The owner of it seemed to be a boy around his own age, maybe a little older. Mikado was beginning to wonder if everyone he came into contact with would be that pattern.

He angled his flashlight down politely. "It'd be strange if someone didn't have one," he replied, trying for brevity. It came off slightly awkward, a beat too late, but by now he was becoming used to this.

[asteroidbelt]

That probably meant Ryusei could safely conclude that the doors had been unlocked intentionally. He hadn't had to worry about any staff, then. Who was that that Ryusei had avoided earlier? Probably another patient. Where had the other patient been going?

"—Right. Where are you headed?" That comment about the flashlight made it sound like he'd been here awhile, and every person Ryusei had spoken with had been here longer. Then again, nearly every person he'd spoken with had seemed, uh...unreliable. But at least they were consistent, and Ryusei had to wonder how much of that was due to the weirdo on the intercom. If he hadn't already needed to get out of here as soon as possible for other reasons, he'd be trying to. But who ever heard of people not trying to escape from an insane asylum?

[freewill]

[From here.]

As Castiel slowly made his way into the main hallway, he heard a voice and squinted through the darkness (his flashlight was in his coat pocket, and his vision wasn't as good as it should have been) to see a pair of patients. One of them was a boy he'd spoken to briefly, but since it had been the first day after his surgery, the conversation hadn't really gone anywhere.

In other words, this wasn't any of his concern. Instead of continuing on down the hall, though, Castiel realized that he had to take a break. His arms were burning with pain from using the crutches, and he doubted he'd be able to go further without resting first. He sighed and moved the crutches into one hand so that he could lean himself against the wall.

He just needed a few seconds to catch his breath and let his arms relax, and then he'd keep going.

[For Lust!]

[a_sin_for_him]

[from here]

Still, it seemed an eternity from one corridor to another. Her boots sounded too loud in her ears, ringing against the floor. But here was the main line of halls! Now which way? A silly thing to question, as she came the same way every night, but sense of direction went to madness in the dark...

Left, it should be. Lust paused, finger at her lips, peering up the hallway to confirm for herself that it was the way to the main part of the Institute. She was aware of other presences in the hallway, but for the moment ignored them.

"Of course it's left," she snapped quietly, irritated for allowing herself that moment of doubt. Perhaps striking out on her own hadn't been the wisest of ideas....

[freewill]

Just as Castiel had reached a point where he thought that he could put his crutches back into place and keep moving, he heard a familiar voice and watched as another patient drew closer.

The one named after a sin, an attempt to replicate humanity, and here she was wandering alone. That didn't surprise him much. For someone like Lust, chances were she would always feel like she was at least slightly ostracized from the rest of the people here. Castiel felt that way too, though for different reasons.

He didn't know what she was talking about (could she really be lost this close to the rooms?), but seeing how both of them had struck out on their own tonight, it might be a good idea to pool their efforts. It was true that he'd treated her with suspicion when they'd first met, but he'd worked past all of that already.

"Where are you headed?" He called out to her from his place against the wall as he shifted the crutches around. Maybe she already had plans, or maybe she had no interest in searching for those flowers. But there was only one way to determine that.

[knightspirit]

[from here]

The stairs were at end the end of the hall... Kyousuke wasn't particularly looking forward to climbing them like this, but it couldn't helped. At least the painkillers were doing their job, for now, although he was sure he'd be feeling the effects of so little rest tomorrow.

He scanned the hall just as he had the last, and after a moment of hesitation, he ended up leaning against the wall. He still didn't know where Kratos was, and though this wasn't where they were supposed to be meeting, he felt like he should at least give a small grace period, just in case. Normally, he wouldn't have, but he owed the man, and even though he was already convinced of what the result of this little expedition would be, he was beginning to grow agitated, uncertain if he really wanted to face that. For that matter, why was he the one doing this...? It wasn't that he minded, but there had to be better choices than a near stranger. Someone who had been closer, maybe.

... Well, whatever. It was too late to be thinking that now.

[for Link eventually]

[his_legacy]

[From here]

The main hallway. Link took a glance around. There still weren't too many folks in even the main hall. Were people simply late getting out, tonight? Or maybe they knew that it was dangerous...

One way or another, Link was still faced with what he would do if he did run into the beast that killed that man. Would he be able to tell if it was a patient at all?

He spotted Tsurugi and swallowed uncertainly. He was injured... What was he doing coming out?

"Tsurugi?" Link approached him in his clothes from home, the katana held in his left hand.

[his_legacy]

[From here]

Link somehow found strength in his legs once again, dashing through the largest hallway toward the women's blocks. He needed to focus!

But it was so difficult, with people dropping dead around him and nothing he could do about it.

[To here]

[fourstonewalls]

[from here]

The sounds of conversation grew louder as Lana turned into the main hall, resolving themselves into words and distinct voices. She stopped, for a moment, and pretended to wait while she listened. One man on crutches was following a woman somewhere, but she hadn't heard where, and they were already leaving. Another pair were headed to the morgue, and confirming Mr. Dent's death was not something she felt any need to do. He was dead, or he wasn't, and if he was going to come back to life, she didn't expect he'd like an audience for the process.

There had to be more patients heading for the greenhouse. Maybe she'd just wait a few minutes. Though the worst that could happen...didn't bear thinking about, really. This was, quite possibly, the most dangerous place to wait, not for her, but for everyone else. And yet there she stood, watching the ends of the hallways stay perfectly in line. She might, she admitted, be more spooked by the idea of heading to the greenhouse alone than she'd pretended before. Five minutes, she thought, and then she'd go.

[L & Co.]

[dispersive]

[From here]

Luke made it to their designated meeting spot without any trouble. Frankly, he was surprised since he would think something that made such a mess of a man would be a bumbling tirade throughout the rest of the institute. With no tracks to follow, the only conclusion the replica could come to was that another person had done it and wiped away any evidence.

It frustrated him to know that people were fighting among themselves instead of at the real terror in this institute. The redhead kept a keen eye on each patient around him, wondering if the perpetrator was right under his nose.

[Abysmal peeps!]

[gald_digger]

[from here]

So far, so good. Knowing that some people were nearing the late stages of the monster illness, Anise had to be even more cautious than usual as she passed through the patient block halls. Who knew when someone might suddenly transform and attack everyone around them? Anise couldn’t even describe how relieved she was that she didn’t have to worry about doing that herself. Hopefully Claude was in the clear, too.

When she reached the main hallway, there were already a few people loitering about. Anise squinted through the dim light of her miniature flashlight, searching for a familiar face… and she found one! Looked like Luke was first to arrive again. He was being surprisingly reliable lately!

“Luke! Hi!” Anise called, waving excitedly before bounding over to greet him. Anise was more or less back to her usual cheery self, but upon drawing closer to Luke, she noticed he had a grim look on his face, like something was bothering him. “Um, did something happen?” she asked, dropping her smile for a questioning look. It was possible that she’d just caught him while he was lost in thought, but it was best to make sure.

[redcladidealist]

[From here.]

There were several other people in this hall, but as near as he could tell none of them were Kratos. Any minute, though, the man would probably show up, and the others all looked busy, intent on their own goals for the night. Lloyd picked an out of the way spot and leaned against the wall, keeping an eye out for who came and went. Any minute now...

Any minute.

[redcladidealist]

[In response to this.]

"Wh-whoa!" Lloyd let out a startled noise when someone dashed through the hall, someone very tall and dressed in green instead of the Institute's regular gray clothes. The look of panic on the man's face stood out stark in the pale illumination from Lloyd's flashlight, but he was gone before Lloyd could even form the words to ask what was wrong.

Uneasily, he looked down the hall after the other patient, then in the direction the man had come from. His free hand slipped down to the knife at his belt. He half-expected at any moment for a monster, something horrific enough to inspire that kind of terror in someone, to come tearing down the hall after him. If that was the case, he'd have to be ready.

[ever_loyal_dog]

[from here]

He rounded the corner, following cautiously. They probably wouldn't have to worry too much about the monsters in a place this populated, but he wasn't about to take a chance. So far, it looked much the same. The same hall he'd walked by this morning on the way to breakfast, and again when he'd come back for dinner. He was fairly certain it wasn't just his imagination though, that made things look aged, worn, and damaged. The building had seemed in such good repair in the daylight.

Still, he glanced about the shadowed faces for any familiar ones. That was Ryuugamine not far off, and little Anise, though he doubted they would recognize him at his current size. No sign of any of the Ayakashi residents, demons or no, and at least the smell of blood in the air was no longer so heavy in the open hall. He stayed close to Lingormr, flashlight concentrated on the ground in front of him.

sorry still airport surfing >.>

[complicatedliar]

Loki found it so very amusing when the mortals had problems pronouncing his assumed name. His real one would be far easier on them, of course but also far too revealing. "Lingormr," he said again, enunciating carefully. He kept his tone resigned rather than amused. "A rather uncommon and old name, I know."

"All right, Soushi. The medical wing is this way along the hall. Don't get too close to the doors of the Sun Room." Loki continued on, taking the lead.

[fallenbeanpole]

[from here]

The Once-ler continued at a fast pace, avoiding the other patients in the hall. His leg was starting to protest the exertions even more, but he pressed on towards the western patient blocks.

[to here]

[thecamellia]

_{[from here, and for Leanne!]}

It was well into nightshift, and Tsubaki still didn't feel any different. No discomfort, no pain... and no rashes or anything of the sort. Did she dare to hope? Would she be well enough to pull this off?

If good fortune was on her side, maybe there was room for hope. She had to see this possibility through; it was a duty she'd set herself, just as elsewhere in the building Kratos would be ready to tend to Sora if need be. Thinking about her friend and what had become of him because of their inability to find a cure just made her more determined to get to the Greenhouse and back.

She owed it to Sora--they all did. And to people like Leanne, too, who were depending on a solution.

Now, it was just a matter of waiting for Leanne and her friend to arrive in the main hall, and then they could go! If the other girl didn't appear soon, Tsubaki was prepared to head to her room if she had to. Leanne had been well enough to put up notes during the day, but that could've changed come nightfall.

i know how to close html tags

[survives]

[from here]

This was it, the meeting place they'd agreed on. Leanne resisted the urge to dash down the hallway, keeping her steps measured and careful instead. She couldn't afford to let her guard down yet, not when she hadn't even met with Tsubaki yet. They had a lot of ground to cover and she didn't intend to drag her friend down, after all. At least... Not anymore than her sickness was dragging the both of them down already.

She lifted her flashlight slightly, her eyes following the path the beam cut straight to just the person she'd been looking for. "Tsubaki," she called out, even as she rushed forward, hoping her voice no louder than was absolutely necessary. "There you are!"

[idolism]

_{[from here]}

The route back toward the male cell blocks was clear, but Aidou kept up a swift pace nonetheless. He needed to get back. His trip had not taken long, however it'd been long to likely make Sasuke antsy. Assuming the boy was ready to tackle the cavernous area again.

He supposed picking a place to meet would have reduced the amount of uncertainty... Who would've thought he'd have been moved to a new cell, though?

[firewhichrefines]

[[from here]]

It was -- Sasuke confirmed it as soon as he stepped more fully into the main hallway, confusion speared with irritation tempered in turn by relief that another night's delay was at least not fully recognized.

Whatever Aidou was doing in the hallway was less inconvenient than anything that might have transpired in an experimental cell; that fact did little to hide the hint of impatience in Sasuke's tone as he drew level with the vampire, moving with enough obviousness to be heard and recognized.

"Did you need to check on Aigis again?"

[oyaji]

[From here]

The hallway was much quieter than it usually was. He wondered if many had stayed in for the day or they had just been slow to start wandering. Either way, none of the patients looked anxious or spooked like they had just seen a bloody deranged monster come scrambling down the hallway. Well, he supposed that was for the best even if it meant there were no leads on where the bastard could be.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to check rooms as they went. Barnaby couldn't get mad at him if they were heading in the direction of the greenhouse and just popping a head in a few rooms on the way, right? Right!

[baniichan]

Even as they continued further down the hall, the lack of evidence pointing toward a culprit remained all the more apparent. If it were a mindless creature, Barnaby doubted that the surrounding areas would have stayed so clean, and that the patients would remain so collected in the wake of a beast's rampage. They couldn't rule out the possibility that the murder had been carried out deliberately and carefully in some way.

But poking at a cold corpse wasn't going to get them very far, either. Quite frankly, Barnaby was all the more determined to get to the greenhouse, particularly if these gruesome deaths became a trend, and they needed to be at their best in order to get to the bottom of it. Yet Kotetsu was determined to check every nook and cranny along the way, and Barnaby supposed he couldn't blame him.

That was why he didn't try to stop his partner as he moved toward the lobby. Instead, he followed and did his best to remain vigilant.

[To here.]

[seekingmystrength]

[from here]

"This is one of the main halls," he commented in passing, giving a quick nod to the hallway they'd just come from before continuing on, "Unless you go through a field back that way, every patient passes this way if they want to get anywhere from the rooms."

On occasion, Kurogane had used the field himself. It was the fastest way to get between his and Fai's room, and one of the safer options for getting to the basement. Heading for the stairs, Kurogane wondered over whether this Fai had the same room or not and asked back, "Do you know your room number?"

[behind_my_smile]

Fai made a mental note about the two exits then looked towards Kurogane as he was asked about his room. Fai tilted his head and reached up to tap at his lips as he thought about that. He hadn't really thought about looking where he was at the time.

"I'm not sure. I didn't look when I came out of it and I'm not sure I could remember which one it was should I head back that way. Waahh~ I hope that doesn't become an issue." But if this world just put him back when the night is over, it didn't really matter. He'd have to remember to look next time he left the room.