damned_institute | Day 71: Patient Library (Third Shift)

Entry tags:

Day 71: Patient Library (Third Shift)

It wasn't often that Castiel was left to his own devices here, but during the meal shift he actually sat alone for the entirety of it. He didn't necessarily enjoy the solitude, but this place had forced him into more interaction with strangers and more specifically with humans than he had ever been prepared for. He had been managing because there were at least a few others here like him -- not angels (save for one), but other non-humans who struggled to understand the strange species. People like Lust, for instance.

Given a choice of where to go, the library was almost always Castiel's choice, but in this case he had even more reason for it. He and Kratos had gone there last night and found the switch to the hidden passage with little trouble, but he would still be interested to see it all by the light of day -- and also to see what would happen if that book was grabbed for when it wasn't nightshift.

His nurse sighed at his decision, but didn't argue with him beyond that, allowing him to step into the quiet space of the library. "Well, go ahead," she said, waving him off even as her sharp eyes watched his back retreat into the aisles.

It had been the middle one, and a quick glance around proved that there was no sign of the creature they'd pinned under the shelves. Like always, any sign of their nighttime activities was gone by morning. Castiel started down the middle aisle, keeping a lookout for The Oxford Book of English Verse.

[For Soushi.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

When the meal ended and only a few patients were led off toward the waiting rooms for visitors, he couldn't help feeling somewhat disappointed. On one hand, that meant his friends and more importantly, his master was safe from the clutches of this place. But on a more selfish note, he craved just one glance at Ririchiyo's face ever so much more than anything on Landel's menu.

Having visited most of the other rooms, he asked the nurse to take him to the library, when given the option. It was more or less what he'd expected, mostly titles he didn't recognize. Nothing like his own library back home. He recognized several of the titles, books Ririchiyo had mentioned or wished he would read while they exchanged letters. It was worth it to come here for that bit of remembrance alone.

A few moments passed before he took note of the other patients in the room, this time, one he was becoming more and more familiar with. Castiel. While the man had revealed precious little about himself, Soushi held some concerns for the information Castiel had learned about him and his more demonic side. Wishing to keep things friendly as possible between them, he took a few steps in the same direction and quietly cleared his throat.

"Are you looking for anything in particular Castiel-san?" he asked, genuinely curious.

At that sound, made in the back of someone's throat -- which Castiel had learned was usually a way to get someone's attention -- he glanced away from the shelves and found Soushi standing there. It had been a day or so since the two had spoken, but Castiel had reached a point where he didn't perceive Soushi as much of a threat. If Soushi was truly out behaving the way Castiel would have expected a demon to, then news would have come back around about it by now.

Perhaps it was because he was half-demon or it might simply have to do with the world that he was from, but Soushi appeared to have no malice behind his actions. All he cared about was that master he served.

Which still brought up the subject of whether or not Castiel should offer the information he had. Was the knowledge about the secret passage here something that should be shared freely, or kept contained to a few select people? While his instinct was to stay quiet about it, Castiel realized that they were all working toward the same goal in this place. That meant that there should be others making attempts to reach the third floor, in the event that he and Kratos failed yet again.

"There's a book here that opens a hidden passage," he explained as he moved his way down the aisle, finally finding the volume in question. He pointed it out to Soushi. "I was here last night and tested it for myself. Supposedly it leads up to the third floor."

He'd expected a fair number of things from Castiel, given their past experience. Pointed questions, for one, but the man instead was explaining how to enter some sort of secret door. Information he could only assume was valuable. He gave the man a questioning look, but tried to memorize which volume he'd pointed to. The Oxford Book of English Verse.

"Forgive my asking, but what's on the third floor?"

Aidou mentioned the second floor might be where some of the monsters were kept. A kennel, was the word he'd used. But he hadn't heard anyone mention anything about the third floor.

"That would be the question most of us would like the answer to," Castiel said as he grabbed for the book and pulled at it. It stuck in place, not coming out into his hand no matter how much strength he applied. The passage didn't open, of course, but the inability for the book to budge was definitely a clue. That must have been how this secret was found in the first place.

He turned back to Soushi. "The fact that it's so difficult to access is a clue in itself that there must be something of use there -- and many have guessed that Landel can be found therel."

Castiel wasn't expecting that they would find his office immediately, and there was frankly no guarantee that the Head Doctor spent all of his time in the institute, either. But there was only one way to know for certain.

Interesting. None of the patients knew what was on the third floor? Soushi appeared puzzled by the answer, but Castiel didn't seem the sort to tell obvious lies. Perhaps he should reconsider his exploration of the second floor's kennel in light of the new information. Finding the doctor was probably a much faster way to return to his world. If that was at all possible. Was there anything left to return to?

"I see. That is troubling. Do you think we were meant to find it? I can't imagine that man making such an obvious mistake unless it were some kind of bait or trap," he theorized. An entrance somewhere that the patients could so easily access? Then again, Aidou had been here at least a couple of months and he was still no closer to escape. Was it that well hidden? He supposed there might not be a lot of interest in English Verse in the middle of the night.

That was the problem. Soushi had hit on that almost instantly, but it was the natural question to ask when you were handed something on a silver platter in this way. Granted, it had taken the patients quite some time to actually find this hidden switch...

"Landel knows that we're aware of it," he explained. "When I went into the passage last night and started to ride the elevator upward, there were speakers fitted into the walls. He spoke to my companion and I and made it very clear that he was aware of what we were doing, and we woke up this morning after that." Which wasn't a good sign, naturally, but Castiel had already discussed this and decided that in the end, he couldn't give up so easily. This might be the only chance they have.

It might not be a good idea to linger by the spot of interest for too long, and so Castiel started further down the aisle, a vague attempt at subtlety.

That was the part he didn't understand. If they were somewhere Landel didn't want them to be at the end of the night, all he had to do was dispose of them, rather than take them gently to their beds the next morning.

He followed Castiel's lead, leaving the book behind. Now that he knew about the passage, should he take it as well? Did he really want Landel's attention trained on him like that?

"How did he react?" Soushi pried. It was hard to tell from Castiel's explanation whether the doctor had been pleased that his patients had made it so far, or angry that they had done so. His lips formed a thin line as he mulled the information over.

"Has anyone else found it? Or seen what's beyond the elevator?" he didn't mean to keep questioning Castiel, but the idea of making progress in this place was too tempting. He didn't want to allow himself to hope until he was a bit more certain they had a chance.

"He seemed to be... pleased with himself," Castiel responded as he reached the end of the aisle and moved into the next one. There wasn't much to do in a library when having a conversation with someone else, so he'd resorted to wandering idly. "He wanted to make it very clear that he had control over whether or not we saw the third floor for ourselves."

Castiel couldn't see why Landel would change his way of handling that from one night to the next, but he was willing to keep trying until there was a better result. That might be tantamount to insanity, but seeing how they were in an institute, it seemed appropriate.

"A man named Skulduggery originally told me about the passage," he said. "Other than him and whoever was investigating it with him, I don't know who else is aware of it." It couldn't have been that many people, or Castiel would have heard of it before now. "But as far as I know, no one's actually made it to the top yet."

Which only made him more eager to see it for himself.

The more he heard, the more confused he felt. The doctor was pleased with himself, not at all bothered by their attempts to reach him. Either they were heading in the right direction and sorely out-classed, or it was a dead end. He wasn't sure he liked either option, but at least it was a hint that went somewhere. Thus far he felt like he was chasing shadows and whispers and hoping that he found something to lead him back home.

"Not terribly encouraging, but I suppose he might have been bluffing," Soushi suggested. Despite the low probability for success, Castiel didn't seem to have any intention of giving up. Otherwise, why mention it at all?

"You intend to try again?"

Soushi wasn't providing any optimism toward the situation, but that would have been wasted on Castiel, so it was for the best. He was always going to approach a situation in a realistic way, not seeing much point for false hope. He realized that this was a long shot and that they might never get to the top of that escalator, but there was no better option available to them.

"Tonight, yes," he said with a nod. He wondered what sort of creature would be sent out to guard the area this time around. Now that he was healed up, it would be that much easier to handle, but he wasn't going to let his guard down either. The last thing Castiel wanted was to get another injury just after recovering from his surgery.

He glanced over at Soushi. "How have you been spending your nights?"

Edited 2013-06-20 16:20 (UTC)

Well, that was that. He had the information and he knew now what Castiel's plans were. The question was, did he want to do the same? Or did he want to continue in his own way. There was still the kennel on the second floor to look into.

"Looking for answers in all the wrong places, it would seem," he said with a quiet sigh. His nights had seen little progress, and his luck seemed terrible no matter who he went with. The only difference had been the success in actually finding his supposed possessions.

"I've not made any real progress since I saw you last, Castiel-san."

Soushi's response came as no surprise, not when that was the case for most of the patients here. It was rare to actually encounter helpful information in this place, which was why he wasn't going to give up on the idea of the third floor so quickly. And even then, this lead had already led to disappointment. That was how things worked here.

And to an extent, that was how things had worked back home as well. No matter what he and the Winchesters had tried to stop Lucifer and the Horsemen, it had usually ended in disaster of some kind.

"That's not out of the ordinary," he said after a pause. "It can take weeks to make any progress here." It wasn't an encouraging remark, but it was the truth.

Speaking with Edward had been stressful as usual. Scar meandered through the Sun Room and into the library, not seeing anybody he knew.

The Ishbalan had never actually been in here before. He had heard that there was hardly anything informative, so he had steered clear. There was no sense in wasting his time reading nonsense when he could be speaking with people or resting. And tired as he was, Scar felt restless and on edge. It was a slightly different feeling from his typical paranoia, something he couldn't quite place.

Not minding the others in the room, he began poking through the shelves.

[Alphonse!]

Al headed over towards the Sun Room after breakfast, pausing for a moment over by the bulletin board to check any messages before heading to the library. Maybe there wasn't anything useful in there, but he had an itch to read something and clear his head a bit.

He had been looking around for a few minutes before he spotted Scar, and smiled as he headed over to him. "Hey, Scar. How did you do last night?"

Scar turned away from the shelf upon hearing Al's voice.

"Not much of anything," he replied. It had been an uneventful night; unusual, in this place.

"Edward tells me that you two were successful."

Al nodded eagerly, quite proud of their efforts. "Five flash bombs and stink bombs for each of us. It should help to get past the monsters without any of us getting hurt."

"That's good," he grumbled, half turning back to the bookshelves.

"You got some rest, as well?"

"Brother and I both. We're both feeling a lot better for it." Al looked over the shelves as well, pulling out one of the books to leaf through curiously.

Scar nodded, continuing to look through the books. It was a strange thing to stop and appreciate; although the information contained in this library was mostly useless, it was a sight to behold. Ishbalan libraries had been limited to religious scriptures. Paper was expensive and books simply for the sake of reading them were rare.

He pulled a particularly large tome from the shelves, looking it over with a frown.

"Fairy Tales..." It seemed to be a collection of some sort. Intricate illustrations and wording, not a list of original authors to be found. Folk stories, then, he could only assume.

Al blinked, looking over to the book Scar was holding. "Does it say what tales are in there?" Maybe there's something from home it there, or at least something similar.

Scar only shrugged, thumbing through the book.

"Nothing I have seen before. Unsurprisingly," he grumbled, thumbing through the pages. "An abundance of princesses, though." His flat, mostly disinterested tone gave no indication that what he said could have been taken for a joke. It wasn't meant to be one.

Joke or not, Al chuckled none-the-less. "I guess stories like that are aimed towards girls more than boys here."

He sighed then. "I wish I could get my hands on a good book--it's been ages since I could really sit down and study, it feels like."

Scar made a noncommittal noise of agreement as he thumbed through the book, still standing by the shelves. What studying he had done in Amestris had never been for leisure, at least not in recent years. He had enjoyed reading when he was younger, though books were expensive in Ishbal. Trade was closed between the desert tribes and Amestris, which made any resources not found in the arid Eastern Desert scarce. Most often the only Ishbalans who had books were priests, and those were religious scripts.

Then there were the forbidden texts, most of which had been lost in the war. If one blessed thing had come of the violence, it was that. Scar didn't remind himself that he had practically rewritten them.

"The sciences that are studied here could prove to be intriguing." It was obvious that the technology here was far beyond Amestris, despite the nation's constant boastings of prosperity and growth. And here they did it all without alchemy.

"Yeah, I know Winry would be having a field day trying to take stuff around here apart." Al smiled a bit, remembering his friend's passion for anything machine. "I'm glad she wasn't brought here, though. She shouldn't be put through something like this." Especially the nights. He shuddered to think of her wandering the halls with those monsters prowling around.

He looked up in the general direction of the medical library they'd found a few nights ago. "I wonder what sorts of advancements this world has in chemistry. It must be pretty different since they don't seem to have alchemy here, or lost the knowledge of it."

"Winry?" Scar glanced sideways to Al. A sister? A friend? They sounded close.

"Medically, they are far superior to Amestris. I have heard that people have somehow been brought back from fatal injuries after night ends." Meaning you just had to survive the night, and you'd be okay. They had absolute control.

"Which also raises the question as to whether it is exclusively Landel's technology that is so advanced or if it is commonplace in this world." Everything they had seen in Doylton seemed to indicate the former. Nobody spoke of crossing dimensions there.

"We grew up with her. She's the one that built Brother's arm and leg--with Granny Pinako's help, but it was mostly her." Al was quite proud of his friend--that sort of expertise at their age wasn't easy to achieve.

Al nodded--if Landel could bring the dead back to life, fixing a mortal injury was probably child's play for him. "Somehow, I don't think Landel is the type to share his power with anyone. Whatever his goals and methods are, he probably keeps them under tight wraps."

Scar nodded. It was almost strange, to hear about the boys' lives at home. He knew very little- only that their mother was dead. But of course they had friends and family and others whom they cared about.

Amestris wasn't so different, much as Scar was hell-bent on thinking that it was. They were all just humans.

"Unless it is commonplace in this world to do such things. Pulling people from the grave, I mean." Again, it was unlikely, but the nurses and doctors spoke nothing of the madness that truly went on. How far did the delusions spread?

That, or Landel was simply a sadistic genius. Which, given his nightly rants, Scar would not count out.

Such was always the problem with a country beset with war--everyone on the other side became 'other', inhuman. Al remembered how the men of the village would talk about 'the barbarian Ishballans' and their animal-like ignorance. It wasn't until Al met Scar that he himself was able to see completely past that lie.

"I doubt it. Something like that, just...it wouldn't be sustainable, for one thing. The population would run out of control after a few years, as people kept having kids and the old didn't die to make room for them." Nevermind that the moral implications made him shudder. If death--even violent ones--meant nothing, then murder would surely increase as the concept solidified in the mind of the populace. What would it matter if the man you shot and killed would be walking around again the next day?

"My thought exactly." Bringing the dead to life... The thought still made Scar uneasy and angry, even though it had happened to him twice. How could he do it? How had he cracked the secret to bringing a human to life when so many brilliant alchemists had tried and failed? He was not driven by loss or love... only madness.

Unless that was the key all along. That he did not care the pain he caused his victims, the disorienting mess that was dying and waking again.

"Maybe he can do it because he simply does not care." Because humans were playthings. Humans... But he hadn't taken exclusively humans, had he? And still, there was the connection between the four of them that nobody alive should have known of. Of all the people in their world, they had been the ones to show up here.

And it didn't matter how much Scar thought about it. The answers weren't going to magically come to him.

"...it could be. That was why the men at the Fifth Lab were able to achieve what they did." Marta, Dorchette, Roa...even that false Nina. All of them had suffered at the hands of those deranged scientists, all for the sake of 'progress'. "If you don't care what happens to your failures, there's no reason to not try."

Scar remained silent at Al's words. Taboos just because they could? The flash of the memory was inevitable- his brother, bleeding and pale, shuffling out of his house like he had just failed a math exam. Had that been why? An excuse to give it a try? It made Scar feel sick to his stomach.

Part of him was convinced that the notion was ridiculous. That his brother had been delusional, obsessed... That his sanity had been breaking long before he had begun to develop the Stone. And even though Scar had come to terms with the fact that he did not, could not hate his brother, he couldn't push all bitterness away. That he had let himself become something so much less...

But what of the Elric brothers? Why could he see their sin as more of a tragedy than something for which they needed to be punished? The reasons, he supposed, he had been through in his mind all before.

Finally, he nodded with one small addition-

"Depending on the circumstance."

Al blinked, glancing over to Scar before he realized what the older man meant. Looking away quickly, he nodded with an acute sense of embarrassment and shame. He could still remember Tucker's taunts, claiming that he and Edward weren't any different from him...much as he wanted to deny it, there might be a shred of objective truth to that. "...yeah."

Scar was silent for another long moment before closing the book and putting it back on the shelf. The intercom soon went off, and he glanced to the door as the nurses approached.

"Come on." Scar placed a hand on Al's back, urging him gently toward the door. He wasn't about to vocalize what he was thinking, even if it was Alphonse. He hardly needed to explain what was on his mind, anyway. The boy already knew.

Al looked up at the other man, offering a small smile after a moment. It wasn't much, but it was a comfort that someone else knew, understood the pain. "Yeah."

He closed and shelved his book as well, following along with Scar.

Though the library wouldn't do her much good without the stone, Taura found herself wandering there anyway. Two patients were clustered by the rack with the book that wasn't a book, and as she watched, one of them tugged on it.

It saved her doing the same thing; it was as stubborn as it had moved freely the other night. Still, she'd never found out how the secret of the passage had come to Rita -- or anyone else, and they still didn't know whether it was a trap or a way out. Or both. Nor what the radios had to do with anything; everything was changing, and Taura wasn't sure she liked it.

No. She hated this place; change was good, even if uncomfortable. Consistency and vague comfort was how you took away people's souls, and convinced them to take away others. Whatever was up there, it was worth finding out -- at any cost to herself.

Mind resolved, she slid a regular book out of the shelf at random, and began to flip through it. Within a few pages, she was actually reading it, in spite of herself.

[free!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Day 71: Patient Library (Third Shift)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

WHOOPS, I meant escalator, not elevator, let's just pretend that never happened.

lol no prob

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject