damned_institute | Nightshift 26: M1

Seeing as Roy was on his own when the intercom came on to announce the beginning of night, there was nothing to distract him from listening to the message Landel had for them. It was all rather cryptic, but most of it seemed to be in reference to the poor three who had gotten taken for brainwashing this time around. None of it rang any bells with him, so he was going to assume people he knew weren't involved. It didn't make it any less upsetting, but at least he didn't have to prepare to run into a friend who wanted him dead.

He was used to leaving his room the moment he heard the locks click, but that wasn't how it would be working tonight. The alchemist had finished his meal, so he sat on his bed, glancing first down at the metal he had ready and then over at his sleeping roommate. Hopefully his visitors wouldn't wake Otacon.

As for the 'underground' part of that announcement, he did recall a time when there had been talk of a basement, but that had been back before the building had warped itself twice. It was possible there still was one, but he wasn't going to think about that now. He already had a plan for the night, and he would rather stick to it than get distracted by the newest 'clue.'

Though for now, all he could do was wait.

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The knock was something of a surprise, as he didn't remember making any other plans. There was a good chance he had simply forgotten, seeing how so many people were eager to meet up with him for one reason or another. He needed to start keeping a record of who he was supposed to see and when.

Once again, Greed went ahead and opened the door without really getting any permission, but Roy didn't really mind, as it meant less moving around for him. As he got to his feet, he glanced over once the door was open and caught sight of Renji. He had to move to the side to see Kuchiki (Greed had been blocking her before), but once he caught sight of her, it was easy to imagine what they were here for.

He wondered what had made them think that he would still be in his room, considering how busy he was, but they had been lucky. Taking a deep breath, he moved over to the closet where he had stashed the weapon. "I have your sword, Kuchiki," he raised his voice to say as he opened the closet door. "Hopefully it fits your requirements. Oh, and your journal is on my desk over there."

Riza stood aside with the knock at the door, remaining passive as the two entered, though only one seemed to have business here. Involuntarily she stood more formally, resisting the urge to let her eyes follow the colonel out of concern. Old habits--especially those learned in the military--were hard to break, and she would do nothing to suggest his weakness. That was up to him.

Though she kept her eyes mostly downcast, she could tell these two were a little worse for the wear tonight, reminding her of the dangers without. She hadn't been physically injured yet, but any time spent among the other patients told her it was imminent.

So the bathrooms were dirty. Well, they could always use the small basins in each bedroom to clean up a bit, then change clothes. Rukia just hoped Renji didn't want to go out and do anything else. While she had healed him, he still looked pale; and she certainly wasn't up to any serious exertion.

Rukia jumped slightly at the grating noise on the other side of the door; it sounded like someone was opening it with gardening implements. It swung open to reveal a tall, dark-haired man with disturbingly sharp teeth. Rukia glanced up at him, then at Colonel Mustang, who moved into view a moment later. There was a blonde woman in the room as well, but she was as silent as Rukia often was in the presence of her brother.

Letting go of Renji's hand, Rukia bowed to the Colonel. "I apologize for leaving so quickly before, sir," she said, stepping quietly into the room to retrieve the katana and journal. The blade so resembled Sode no Shirayuki that she half expected to feel the its presence when she touched it. Hands shaking slightly, she grasped the hilt... But of course, there was nothing. It was just a weapon. A very well-crafted weapon, but it was not Sode no Shirayuki.

Hiding her disappointment, Rukia glanced at Renji, adding, "I was, I had to leave right away. Again, I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you, and I am sincerely grateful for your efforts." Tucking the journal into the back of her pants, and the katana into the makeshift belt, she stepped back to the doorway. "I will bring materials to replace those you used tonight as soon as I may. Tomorrow night, if possible."

Nodding to the Colonel and the other two occupants of the room, Rukia retreated into the hallway. Hand resting possessively on the blade at her hip, she looked up at Renji, then began to make her way slowly down the hallway again.

[Going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/184780.html?thread=13438924#t13438924).]

Renji nodded, at Rukia's promise to bring materials. Though he intended far sooner than tomorrow night. He only needed a few moments, or so he thought, to rest and recover. He turned to follow Rukia, then looked back for a moment. "Don't go to the Sun Room," he said to Roy. "There is a Shinigami there. You can already feel his spirit." Of the three people, Roy would have the best chance of knowing what that meant, and take the warning seriously.

There wasn't much else to say. He wasn't in the mood to have another discussion of how powerless they were, like he'd just had with Ran and Tatsumi. He turned and followed Rukia.

Greed watched the two newcomers leave as quickly as they had entered and then turned to Roy, whistling.

"So, you've even got total strangers calling you 'sir'? Not too shabby." Greed smirked, scratching his chin with the dull side of his claws. "Guess that's to be expected when you're making them free shit, but..."

He trailed off, glancing to the door and remembering the warning that the tattooed guy had given. The homunculus looked back to the colonel, losing his smirk as he spoke.

"She-knee-gah-me? What the hell's that, some kind of dance?"

Whatever it was, it was potent enough to cause that oppressive weight all around, though Greed had a hard time buying that it was all because of some "spirit."

They were in and out in a moment of seconds, and yet they had both managed to say whatever they had needed to. Once again, even some appreciation for his work was welcome, and he was glad to hear that Kuchiki was willing to return the favor somehow. As for what Renji had to say, he certainly had a better idea of what that meant than Hawkeye or Greed would, but the concept of 'shinigami' was still rather vague.

Still, he saw their efficiency as a good example to go by, which made him all the more eager for them to get on their way.

"Don't worry about it," he said in response to Greed's question. His tone was somewhat clipped, but that was only because he was starting to feel rushed, which always made him a little tense.

First, Adelheid's room. He was irritated that they were going to have to delay the real task at hand simply because the boy wanted to talk, but he might as well get it out of the way. So, with that, Roy closed the closet door and moved to exit the room.

Nightshift 26: M1

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