damned_institute | Nightshift 25: 2nd floor hallway near staff research/medical reference library

[From here]

If a being that lacked his heart could somehow have a heart attack, Xemnas would certainly have one as soon as the radio broke the deafening silence. As the man blurted his message, the Nobody found himself torn between listening to said message or trying to silence it. It would seem he had no choice in the matter, even despite the possible foes the noise would certainly attract. If it was possible for Xemnas to do so, he would certainly regret bringing the item along this little trip.

Naturally a curious man, the message was merely fuel to the fire. Where the Dead rested..., certainly some of the patients must have perished during their stay, leaving a mere corpse behind. There was no graveyard to speak of, yet those bodies needed to be stored somewhere...

Even so, the Superior had no idea where he could find such a place, as he still hadn't fully mapped the institute. Added to the fact he still had no decent weapon...it seemed incredibly unwise to pursue the supposed clue unless he would have some means to defend himself. There was also the possibility it was a trap. How much could this man of the radio be trusted, after all? What could be said of him?

He continued ascending the stairs, eventually reaching the very spot he had been a few nights ago. He had gone straight ahead back then, now there were both the options of left and right. After a moment's pause, he finally chose to head left.

[To here]

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Staring wide-eyed at MOMO, she canted her head inquiringly. Could she have known the Jin she'd known? That'd take the cake as the weirdest coincidence ever. Now that she thought about it, she never did catch her bodyguard's surname, even after all that time they'd traveled together. It brought a darker flush of colour to her cheeks as the realisation hit her. Mugen probably hadn't identified with the idea of possessing a family name, so that wasn't much of a bother... but Jin was from a civilized background. Surely his parents would've left him a family name...

Whatever. Knowing someone's surname wasn't pertinent in proving you were friends, though it helped. How could she present a plausible query, one to classify this girl's Jin as hers?

"Pleased to meet you, doctor. And, uhm..." She turned to the new female acquaintance. "Your Jin, is he..." Pausing for a tick, she pressed on with her question of choice. "Is he a ronin?"

"What an interesting coincidence!" Citan beamed, but mentally he was running through Yui's relatives that he knew of. Not one of them named Jin, so he supposed it truly was a coincidence. Otherwise, he imagined things would be a bit awkward to say the least.

"I never knew Uzuki was a common name! One learns something new every day, as I can't say I know of any 'Jin's in the family tree. Oh, of course, here I am assuming you and I come from the same place. Ah..." He paused, listening to the conversation. "Oh my, have I been mistaken for two different people with the same name?"

Now that was a remarkable coincidence.

"Ronin?" MOMO canted her head slightly as she gave Fuu a curious look. It wasn't a word she readily recognized, but being an Observational Unit had its advantages.

"I... don't think so." She wasn't even aware that such people still existed-- unless her database had produced the wrong definition... "I know he used to run a bookstore, as strange as that sounds. And before that, he was... er..." Hadn't Shion mentioned something about him studying to become a doctor? Saying that would only end up making things more confusing, though... "...I think we're talking about two different Jin's."

Turning to Citan once more, the realian laughed slightly before putting on a bashful smile. "It, um... seems like it, sir." She was certain she'd laugh when looking back on this someday, but for the moment it seemed very... strange. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding."

The girl's lips curved a little. Any mention of a bookstore and she was off thinking about the perverted artist guy. Ha, she couldn't even remember his name! That went to show how much of a jerk he was in her books. She folded her arms, more as a way of shielding herself from unsuspected sources if they may arrive, and shook her head at MOMO.

"I guess. ... Creepy coincidence, huh?" She added, voicing silent thoughts. "I'm really sorry," she then addressed the doctor with a frown. "Must just be the dark, combined with how much we wanna see our Jins..."

There was a pause as she stared bashfully at the floor.

"We should keep moving. If we stay in one spot, something could catch up to us." Someone being the greater fear, in Fuu's case. "Are either of you familiar with this floor?"

"Oh, no need to apologize at all!" Citan held up a hand, smiling. "I'm sure it will make a very humorous anecdote in the daylight. And I know my wife would be quite amused! Though perhaps I should think about changing my name..." He winked and laughed, just a rather absent minded gentleman.

"I'm afraid I'm not, this is only my second night. My knowledge of the building's layout is limited to the places I visited last night, and I'm sorry to say we remained on the ground floor. Or what I assume is the ground floor, though I've been told it's foolish to assume anything here. Well, I suppose we'll become familiar with the upper floor tonight!"

Used to leading, Citan headed up the stairs, glancing back at the two girls. "I suppose I should ask if either of you are fighters?"

MOMO couldn't help but chuckle as Citan joked about changing his name. The situation still seemed more strange than funny, but it was a relief that one of them was able to make a joke out of it.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not, either," she said in response to Fuu's question. "This is my, um... fourth night here, but I've always stayed on the first level." Only four nights? She could've sworn it had been longer.

"Yes. Even though I wasn't made for combat, I know how to fight," MOMO replied to Citan next. Although, she had to admit, she didn't see why people always asked that. She had been lucky thus far, and hadn't yet run into any of the monsters that allegedly roamed the halls at night. "But I'm probably better at support, rather than actual fighting.."

Remaining solemn, Fuu nodded at Citan. So he must've awoken here yesterday, like her... And MOMO was proven to be a patient with a bit of experience in these matters. It was disappointing to learn of their lack of layout know-how, but there wasn't really anything she could do about that.

She didn't answer the doctor until MOMO had finished.

"The same kinda goes for me, too. I had to go around with a couple of bodyguards once, outside of here, I mean. Goes to show how hopeless I am in that respect," she muttered, though a smile was planted on her face as she said it. "Should we explore, then?"

"Well, I picked up a few things here and there, as far as fighting goes. And I've a bit of bodyguard experience myself. I think we'll be alright." Citan knew if they did get into a fight, it would be rather clear 'a few things' was an understatement.

Upstairs seemed to be rather... well, he was rather sure he could hear a good deal of commotion from deeper in the asylum.

"Yes, let's explore," he added, almost absently. "We'll go straight ahead."

Whether it was due to the fact that she wasn't wandering aroung alone anymore, Citan's resemblence to Jin, or a combination of the two, MOMO found herself feeling less apprehensive about exploring the instutition now. Whatever the reasoning, the realian nodded in silent aggreement, before speaking in a more audible manner.

"I'm sure we'll be okay, too." Three people would certainly be able to handle something, should they encounter an enemy... right? Yes, of course. Fighting experience or no, they'd be all right. She couldn't afford to let herself think otherwise.

"Straight?" she repeated, before pointing her flashlight ahead. "Okay, then. Let's go!" She smiled at the other two, then began walking.

Nightshift 25: 2nd floor hallway near staff research/medical reference library

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