Night 69: M11-M20 Hallway

[forsworn]

Kratos firmly ignored Landel's usual nighttime rant as he got dressed, a task that required a little more thought than usual. Usually, he would shrug into his old military fatigues rather than deal with all the minute details of his clothes from home, but tonight, he was meeting Lloyd, and it was probably better to look more familiar: Lloyd hadn't been around during the military occupation, and even though the specifics of that weren't personal, Kratos wasn't in the mood to delve into the institute's past.

It was strange to be fumbling once again with all the belts and buckles on his Cruxis uniform, but even after a month away, the muscle memory was still there, guiding everything into proper position even as his mind blanked on the next step in the complicated procedure. Thus, it wasn't too long before he was, for the first time in over a month, actually looking the part of a seraph of Cruxis. It actually felt comforting, never mind that everything now hung a shade loose on him.

He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind before he headed out. He would just be teaming up with Lloyd. That was all. There was nothing more to it. He'd asked for help. He was getting it. Enough. Simple. He opened his eyes and tried to pretend that had done something for his confidence as he gathered his things.

With a brief nod to Tolten, Kratos headed out the door.

[to here]

Comments

M12

[baniichan]

Dinner had been pretty uneventful, though it was strange to see his roommate sleep so soundly through most of it. Then again, Barnaby had been doing just that for awhile, so he couldn't judge. Some people might have worried about leaving him on his own, but Barnaby figured Gavin ought to be fine. Their room was probably much safer than the rest of the place, and his roommate had probably been here long enough to know better than to do something foolish. He likely wouldn't have lasted as long as he had if that wasn't the case.

Either way, Barnaby didn't waste any time in getting properly dressed. He was oddly calm as he made his preparations, though he couldn't quite fight the thread of anxiety that was slowly beginning to coil in his stomach. They weren't going to go exploring tonight -- at least, as long as Barnaby had any say in the matter -- and yet he knew he would have likely felt more at ease if that was all he intended to do tonight.

No, he was going to have to dig for answers of a different kind, and he wasn't sure what to expect. With that thought pressing at the edge of his mind, he grabbed his flashlight and stepped out into the hallway.

((To here.))

M16

[girlsandgadgets]

Though his body was still worn and the medicine made him sluggish, Edgar had to admit that his mind felt clearer after talking to Gren, their discussion bringing some of his focus back to where it needed to be: on progress, on moving forward no matter what. Things weren't going to get better on their own, and there was seemingly no end in sight to Landel's cruelty; the only solution was for them to keep looking, keep trying until they found a solution. It wasn't just for the good of everyone else that they continued to fight- it was for everyone, himself and those they'd already lost included.

He didn't know if there was a way out, or a way to recover those who had brainwashed, but he wasn't going to simply give up because the circumstances looked grim. He was determined to get out, and alive- he had people who depended on him within the institute, and ones who needed him in his own world. The longer he was trapped, the worse their situation would be.

Pulling his bag of equipment over his shoulder, he wished Gren luck and headed out.

[To here.]

[age_of_kings]

It somehow seemed as though the darkness had become more heavy, more swallowing. It was so frightening, that darkness. Great and terrible.

Tolten stepped out into it on shaking legs, sword in hand. But he had a light. The beam from the torch didn't exactly cut the darkness, but it pushed it back some.

He hated his own failing, lack of making any sort of plan. But what else was there to do but go out? He'd wasted too many nights already.

He'd wasted so very much.

But no more. He attempted to give himself a pep talk, utilizing all manner of inner fire metaphors, but even he had to admit it all sounded like nonsense. There was nothing wrong with being afraid, as long as he didn't let the fear rule him.

Now to decide where to go...