damned_institute | Day 71: Cafeteria

"The morgue?" Lloyd echoed the words, looking more than a little disturbed. "It's not... not too close to the morgue, is it? You don't have to go inside it, do you?" An uneasy shiver ran up his spine at even just the thought of going into a room where people's dead bodies were held. "Could you give directions for how to get there? I don't have a very good map of the second floor. Nothing's really labeled."

He paused then, blinking. It hadn't occurred to him that the Institute might have to justify anything to anyone. The doctors didn't seem like they cared about anything like that. "You really think there's people who check on them like that?" He shook his head. "I found it up on the second floor, too. It was..." He frowned, then grabbed a napkin, tracing his finger along an invisible path. "Say this is the second floor and this is where the stairs are. If you go down the hall like this, then take a left, it was the last door me and Tsurugi found on the right. The room was full of boxes with people's fake names on them. But I didn't find any records there." He moved his finger again. "There's a room across from that one, though. It had lots of stuff that looked like records, but I couldn't find my name in it. My real name or my fake name. I don't know what kind of records they were."

"No, it was before the morgue--that's at the end of the hall we went down. The door we went in was about half-way down." He traced the path on a napkin as well. "It was the first hallway in, counting from the side of the building. At the end of the first part there's a locked door, and the first doorway along that hall led into the area we found. That door and the door to the chemical storage were locked as well."

Alphonse shrugged. "It's always a possibility. These could be a small group of scientists that are acting outside of whatever code of ethics the government around here keeps. If that were the case, they would certainly want to have a cover story for what is going on here."

He frowned, nodding as he followed Lloyd's directions. "It might be worth checking out again. The second room, at least. Do you know anything about the third floor?"

Lloyd followed the line Al traced, trying to commit both it and the directions to his memory in case he had a chance to head there tonight. It was only marginally reassuring that he wouldn't have to go to the morgue. It sounded like the room would still be pretty close to it, and ghosts didn't always just stay in one place. The news of locks, though... He frowned again. "How'd you get through the locked doors? Was it something you could break through, or did you have to have a key?" If they were some of the stronger doors, Lloyd didn't see how he could get through them by himself. He'd have to find someone to go with him, like when he, Flora, and Lee had broken through the front door. Maybe they'd be up for doing something like this...

His frown turned into an outright scowl. "There's no way I can believe a whole world, or even a whole country, would be okay with something like this place. If we see an inspection, we should tell them to check this place at night. I don't care how good the doctors think their cover story is. Nobody would believe it if they saw what happens then." It would be hard to get that message to them, though, if they thought all the patients here were insane. Maybe if Lloyd could smuggle that nurse's uniform out of his room he'd have a chance. Only if there was an inspection that day, though, and only if he could change in time. So many 'if's'.

But a chance was still a chance.

Lloyd ran a hand through his hair. "I've heard about it, but I don't know where it is. You don't know, do you?" Someone had to, or else how had people found out it existed?

"Scar was able to break the doors down. He's really tall and strong, though, so I don't know how hard it would be for you on your own." Al grimaced in sympathy--there were a lot of things about being in the armor he was definitely going to miss. "Brother's intending to make a set of lock picks tonight--I could ask if he wouldn't mind making a set for you, too, if you know how to use them?" Making the second set wouldn't take that much more energy, especially compared to the sword for Scar.

Al brightened at Lloyd's suggestion. "That's not a bad idea! Hopefully whoever it is would be willing to listen, and would be somewhere we could talk to them as well."

He shook his head. "No, I don't have any idea, either. It's gotta have some sort of secret staircase or elevator up to it, if it hasn't been found until now, but to comb over all the areas up there, and at night..."

"I'm stronger than I look," Lloyd said, deciding to leave it at that instead of explaining what it was Exspheres could do. Whoever Scar was, if he could break through the door, Lloyd figured he probably could, too. But that train of thought quickly derailed, his eyes widening just a bit. "Ed can make lock picks?" What a lucky break! "I know how to use them, but I broke mine last night. How soon could he make a new set?"

He pursed his lips, wanting to feel optimistic, but also knowing that his idea had its own set of traps. "We'll have to be careful not to get caught..."

Damn, though. Lloyd had been hoping that Al would know something. "It might not even be on the second floor, either. What if the staircase is on the first floor, or down in the basement?" It wouldn't be the first time Lloyd had found he'd had to go down before he could go up. "Do you know where the basement is?"

"We can have a new set ready for you by tonight," Al said, deciding to make them himself if Ed was a grump about it. He had a bit of spare metal left over still. "Brother's gone through plenty of sets back home, so he's had practice to get the tools right."

"Yeah, especially with the nurses hanging around all the time. But we can't really plan something like this--it would probably be announced the morning of the inspection to keep us from figuring out a way to use it to our advantage."

"That's a good point, actually," Al said. "I was told the entrance is in the refridgerator room, in the corner under a trap door. There's a monster guarding the way to it, though."

The promise brought a grin to Lloyd's face, one he didn't even try to restrain. "Oh man, thanks. Tell Ed I owe him one! I mean it. If there's anything I can do for you guys, just let me know, okay?"

And with that to boost his mood, his optimism bore through. "We'll figure something out," he said confidently. "Or we'll find a way out of here on our own first."

He had to pause, though, and give Al a brief, confused look. "Refrigerator?" he echoed. "What's that? And where is it?" Coming from a world with only the barest level of technology, something like a refrigerator was completely foreign to him. Cold cellars, sure, lots of people had those, but with no context to clue him in to what a refrigerator was, he had no idea what to compare it to.

He nodded with a grin. "No problem! We all need to work together here, after all."

Al smiled and nods, then chuckles a bit when Lloyd voices his confusion. "Sorry, I thought you would have known what that was. It's a room or sometimes just a box that is kept cold inside by a machine. The one I'm talking about is over that way," Al pointed over Lloyd's shoulder, "in the kitchen."

"Definitely," Lloyd agreed. Even that sentiment made him feel more positive, striking so close to the first of the Dwarven Vows. "Now if I could just get my hands on a real sword, or even two would be better. Then I'd really be set." Where did people get weapons in this place? There had to be some somewhere, or else Claude couldn't have given him that dagger. Maybe if he got lucky, he'd find it tonight while he was searching for the third floor stairs.

"Oh, so it's like a cellar." Only... a box instead of a room underground? He followed Al's gesture to the doors at the end of the cafeteria. That was where he'd seen nurses come out sometimes carrying food. It didn't seem like it would be a difficult place to get to, but... "Did they mention what kind of monster it was? Or how hard it is to fight?"

"If you can scrounge up the metal, I can transmute you one like I did mine," he said. "I put up a note about a crafting club on the bulletin--someone I met yesterday said she knew people from my world that had been here before, and they had a similar policy. I don't see why I shouldn't keep that going."

"I think Link said it breathed fire? It was some kind of large beast, at least." He shrugged. "I haven't had a chance to go look for myself at night, yet."

Lloyd blinked at the mention of the sword. He'd almost forgotten about that. "That's right, you said you made that sword. With alchemistry, right?" He was still a little vague on what alchemistry was. That was about when that monster had attacked them, before the brothers had much chance to explain. "All you need is metal? Shouldn't you at least work with good iron or steel?" That was one of the basic things his Dad had taught him. In order to make good quality items, you had to work with good quality materials. "I think I missed your note. Sorry. Do you want me to go sign up for it?" Assuming it was still there. Al hadn't said when he put it up, and Lloyd had noticed that notes from the day before weren't there in the morning the next day.

That news brought a definite frown to his face, though, tinged with more than a little worry. "That doesn't sound good. I don't think I could face something like that by myself. Maybe if I had my swords and all my strength and abilities back I could do it, but I could barely fight that monster that went after us. I'll have to figure out a way to prepare before I try to go down there, or find people who can go with me." Which meant time. Which meant he probably wouldn't try to make it to the basement tonight.

"Alchemy," he corrected, smiling. "And it's fine, I put the note up after you left the note about the map. And you don't have to leave a note up there--I'll just make a note for myself about it later in my journal." He didn't want to leave too many notes for the nurses to see hanging around, after all. "And I can change the metal from one type to another. Technically I could change dirt into a metal by messing with the atomic composition, but it's going to be a lot easier to use something that's already a similar element. That takes a lot less energy."

Al nodded, frowning as well. "Yeah, but I think you would want a group going down to the basement with you anyway from what it sounds like. Brother and I could give it a shot with you at some point, but I think he'll want to keep looking for the third floor right now."

"Alchemy. Got it." For now, at least. Technical terms weren't something Lloyd had an easy time retaining, but as cool as alchemy sounded, Lloyd figured he'd remember this. "Man, alchemy sounds awesome," he enthused. "I wish I could do something like that! Just change stuff to make it whatever I needed it to be!" It was entirely too bad that Ed had mentioned you had to be good at chemistry.

Using lots of energy, though, that he understood. "So the closer the metal is to what it needs to be, the less energy you'll need?" That made sense, and he found himself nodding at the idea. It was too bad he probably wouldn't be able to get his hands on any stock iron or steel, but lots of things were made of metal... "How much do you need? As much as there is in a sword?" That was a guess he thought made sense, but he wasn't sure how Al's alchemy worked.

Unconsciously, he rubbed the back of his hand, then flexed his fingers a little. The tips were tingling, like they were starting to fall asleep. Probably not even related, but it was enough to remind him of his more immediate priorities. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. I need to do some of my own searching tonight, though, so... Yeah, another night."

He paused then. Hesitated. The temptation to ask for Al's help was strong, but he still wasn't sure how much to say. How much was too much? How much would Al need? Lloyd trusted him. He'd already decided that much. Just something about the younger boy made him feel like someone Lloyd knew that he could count on, even for something dangerous. But Tsurugi had warned him that he didn't need to tell people everything, that scaring people wouldn't serve any purpose.

Maybe he could just ask and see what he got. Worry about what questions Al would ask when he asked them.

"Hey, Al? Can I ask you a favor? Do you... remember what I had on my hand the night that we first met? The stone and the metal crest?"

Al smiled and nodded--he was quite used to that reaction, even from people in his world. "It really is useful, in a whole lot of ways. Brother's always been more the scholarly type about it, but I'd like to study medicinal alchemy at some point."

"The mass needs to be equivalent, yeah. It doesn't all need to be one piece, though, so if you yank off a couple locker doors or something like that, I can fuse them together." He frowns a moment, making a few mental calculations. "Don't worry too much if the metals you get are of different types, or if there's rust or something on it. It'd be easier if it were all one type, but it's such a small difference it's not too big of a deal."

He watched Lloyd flex his hand, frowning a little when he mentioned the crest. Was this what had been bothering him when he first sat down? "Sort of. What were they, anyway? I don't remember if you explained that or not."

Lloyd tried not to sigh at that single word confirmation that alchemy would probably never be possible for him. Study. He hated studying, especially the 'scholarly' type. "I bet he'd get along really well with my friend Genis. He loves studying, too. His sister's our professor back home. She's really smart - practically obsessed with books." Among many other things. "So you can use alchemy for healing?"

He nodded, making a mental note to figure out how big a sword he wanted so he could estimate the metal he'd need. "That's good to know. About the rust and the types of metal, I mean. I don't know what happens at night to make everything rusty and old, but if I don't have to worry about rust, that'll makes things a lot easier." It also meant he wouldn't have to be too picky about where he got his metal from, or spend any time trying to figure out what kind of metal it was.

There it was, though. The question he'd known Al would ask. He would have asked the same thing if their positions had been reversed, he knew, but that didn't make it any less uncomfortable trying to figure out how to answer it. But he could trust Al. If he couldn't trust Al, who could he? He swallowed, then decided to just bite the bullet. "The metal plate's called a Key Crest. The stone is called an Exsphere. Exspheres... It's really complicated, but they can boost your strength and your power and let you use your mana in ways you normally couldn't. If you don't have the Key Crest, though, they'll make you sick. If your mana goes out of control, it's... it's not good." He drew a breath and let it out. "They took mine. Two nights ago. They took my Key Crest and Exsphere and gave me someone else's Exsphere instead. They gave me a Key Crest, too, but it's a fake. I need them back. The other Key Crest, too, if I can find it. Could you, you know, keep an eye out for them?" He was still trying not to alarm Al too much, but he couldn't keep the edge of fear from his voice.

Al nodded with a fond grin. "What sorts of things do they study? And sort of. Alchemy can boost the natural regeneration of the body to heal faster, but the most common use is to create medicines that are too difficult to create by normal means."

His frown deepened as Lloyd explained--this was really dangerous, that much was incredibly obvious. "I'll keep an eye out for it. I wish I could try and make a new one for you, but from what you're saying I don't think I could with just alchemy." His mind was already racing, trying to decide where the scientists might have stored the stolen Exsphere and Key Crest. "...is your mana going out of control something you can can be held off? Or is it just...how the sickness progresses?"

"The professor really likes archaeology. I mean, it's scary how much she likes it sometimes." He grinned at a memory of her hugging a stone wall. Literally hugging it. "But they both study almost anything. Raine's a healer. I bet she'd love healing alchemy."

He let out a breath, not exactly relieved, still too tense, but glad for the promise of another set of eyes. "Thanks." Then he shook his head. "Yeah, I don't think it's something anyone can copy. It's dwarven technology. No one can really match what they do. Maybe if I had a forge and inhibitor ore I could come up with something close, at least something better than what they gave me, but I don't." And that wasn't likely something he'd ever get his hands on here. The doctors themselves hadn't been able to get enough ore to make a Key Crest, and there was no way they put a forge inside a mental institute.

He winced at the question, unconsciously rubbing his hand again. "I... I don't know. Back home, people could go days, weeks, even years without a Key Crest, but I think it depends on the person and... and what they're going through." Had his mom lasted so long because she'd escaped from the Human Ranch? Or was she just more resistant to the effects of an Exsphere without a crest? "And I don't know how good the Key Crest they gave me is. I just know it doesn't feel right." And he hoped Al didn't ask him to describe what it was he was feeling because he wasn't sure he could pin words to it himself. It was something intangible, something wrong, something that made it feel like his mana was... stirring or slipping or something. It wasn't the way it should have felt like. "It hasn't done anything yet, but I don't know how long I have."

Edited 2013-06-23 12:51 (UTC)

Al laughed, grinning. "She must have a real passion for history! And she's a healer, too? Does she do surgeries, or does she use mana to heal her patients?" He had to admit the mana of Lloyd's world seemed to be an incredibly flexible power. It was a shame Lloyd only seemed to have a basic grasp of it, rather than any theoretical knowledge.

He grimaced and nodded. He couldn't blame Lloyd in the slightest for being worried over this--his life was literally on the line with what they had done to him. "If we can, Brother and I will go looking for the crests. I can't make any guarantees, but..." It's better than nothing, which was about all that Landel left any of them with.

"Damn." He bit his lip, looking at Lloyd's hand. There had to be some physical effect on the body, even if the mana disturbances were more connected to the soul. "...is the sickness more physical or mental? If it's physical, I...I might be able to tell how bad off you are." He gave Lloyd a weak smile. "I can tell what substances are composed of by touching them, including people, and I have a really good knowledge of the body's chemistry. So if the Exsphere is affecting your body, I might be able to tell something." Al just hoped Lloyd wouldn't ask him why he could do that. He wasn't sure he wanted to try to explain what the Gate had done to his minds--or if he even could.

"She uses mana," Lloyd said. "She's really good at it, too. I know some other people who can use mana to heal, but she's better than all of them. She even used her magic once to heal someone who'd turned into a... who lost control of their mana." The smile he offered tried to be positive, reassuring, but it fell short of the mark because Raine wasn't here, and he wasn't sure he wanted her to come. He didn't want her to be trapped in this place because of him. Who knew if she'd even have enough of her power to heal him if it came down to that?

Little as it was, though, Al's offer drew a breath of relief and gratitude from him. "Two sets of eyes are better than one. Even if you guys just keep an eye out for them, that's better than me looking by myself."

Fortunately for Al, Lloyd had already gotten the idea that the details of how alchemy worked were probably way behind him. If you had to know chemistry to make anything work, he had a sinking feeling that asking Al to explain anything would quickly turn into the kind of lesson that made his eyes glaze over and left him feeling more lost than when they'd begun. Still, his eyes widened just a little. "You can do something like that?" It took a moment before he remembered that Al had asked a question. "It's more physical, I guess. I don't know all the symptoms, but my... my body will change if it gets bad enough." He swallowed. "Trust me, you'll know if it gets that bad."

'Who'd turn into a...', huh? That didn't make Al feel any more at ease, but he didn't let that show on his face. No sense in aggravating something Lloyd was already worrying about. "That's amazing! She must be really skilled to be able to accomplish so much."

Al was better at trying to find a simple way to put things, especially since he was well aware that he processed things a lot faster than other people. (Something that Edward forgot far too often when he would actually get going on a subject.) "I bet. But I could sense changes that are too small or subtle for you to notice on your own, so you could at least know how fast things are progressing right now before it becomes obvious." Al shrugged. "I admit it wouldn't be for much more than peace of mind, so you're not wondering if you'll...whatever at the drop of a hat all the time."

"Yeah, she is." Lloyd smiles, but beneath it, he was grateful Al was pressing the subject of what exactly happened when someone's mana went out of control. Maybe he should warn him, but...

Maybe he was being selfish, not wanting to see fear in Al's eyes yet. Fear or the level of worry that would come with knowing the details of what might occur.

Even so, the promise of forewarning was too appealing to pass up. "You can't do it now, can you?" Would that count as one of the powers they suppressed during the day? "Is it something you could do tonight?"

"It's...kind of fuzzy right now. It would be better if I tried tonight. Did you get one of those toy radios in town yesterday? If you want to go get the metal first, it'd be easier for you to find me that way." Not that Al had any real idea what he and Edward would be doing tonight. Probably more exploring to find the third floor, or maybe check the patient records.

Lloyd brightened at the question and what it implied. "Yeah, I did! And my friend Tsurugi explained how to use them last night. My number is seven-eight-nine! What's yours?" Then as an afterthought he added, "And what room are you in?" Knowing where Al would be would make it even easier to find him tonight. "I'll try to be as fast as I can. I think I've already got a plan." An idea had been forming in the back of his head as they'd talked. Those rusty door handles hadn't looked like it would be that hard to break them off...

"It's zero-seven-four," Al said with a grin. "And my room is M1. Brother's radio is zero-seven-nine." The more points of contact they had with each other, the better. "Just let us know when you have everything, and we'll find a place to meet up."

Zero-seven-four. Zero-seven-nine. M1. Lloyd repeated the numbers in his head, wishing he had something he could write them down on. As soon as the shift ended, he resolved to visit the bulletin and borrow a pencil and a piece of paper there. He also wanted to post a note to see if anyone had any better maps than the ones he had, especially of the second floor, or the third floor if he was lucky. For now, though...

"Got it. I'll call you when I'm ready." In retrospect, it was probably a better idea to call anyway, rather than just showing up at Al's room. Ed and Al probably had plans and wouldn't want to stick around just waiting for him. "If you need anything, you can call me, too, okay?" Just in case they ran into trouble like they had the other night.

Speaking of the shift change, though, it looked like the nurses were starting to move...

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