damned_institute | Nightshift 26: 2nd Floor Decontamination Room

[ From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/194728.html?thread=13182120#t13182120) ]

Cyrille let out a sigh, it was true they should use whatever means necessary in order to get around and investigate, but she couldn't help but feel it was still slightly barbaric to break everything with a metal pipe.

Even so, she couldn't help but be curious about this new room. It felt rather different from the hallway they were just in. Perhaps... more sanitary? It was hard to tell with such poor lighting.

...And yes, the locker. It was the only thing that really stood out in the room. Perhaps a weapon would be found inside, or garments and personal items of someone left behind. If only it was a book, Cyrille thought. She would rather comforted at this point to clutch one in her hands. Almost as if it were a security blanket to her, you could say.

Looking around, Cyrille couldn't help but let in a sharp breath of air as she whispered to her comrades, "The air in here... it feels so different."

"Thanks, Anise. It's really appreciated," Peony said as he followed Cyrille into the room. He could have done the same thing - after all, he was taller than six feet, and rather muscular - but probably not with a mop. Not so easily, anyway. And to bust the doorknob right off! What a girl. ♥ She was definitely on his list in two years.

Looking around slowly with his flashlight, he could see that there were benches. He guessed that he could take a load off if he really wanted to, but running around and doing awesome things was infinitely more fun. And like the girls, the locker caught his attention. Maybe he'd be able to find cute nurse uniforms for his cute traveling companions ~~and Gailardia!~~

"It does smell odd, doesn't it? Kinda cleaner, in a way. I wonder what's in the rooms to follow," Peony said cheerfully, taking long strides over to the locker and opening it. It was clearly the most interesting to him right now..

Perfect!

He propped the door open with his mop and almost immediately took out three jumpsuits - two small and one large - then spun around, holding them up in the light. They crinkled under his touch, and were lighter than he'd expected from such a fabric - clearly, the outfits of this planet were a lot different from those in Auldrant! And while this wasn't a nurse outfit, it was modern and awesome. "That's it, gather around! We're putting these on."

That caught Anise off guard. "We're doing what?" It wasn't the first time the emperor had picked out something for her to wear. Was this a weird hobby of his? Not that she minded--His Majesty had a good eye for fashion, not to mention a budget for quality materials.

Setting her pipe and flashlight on a bench, she took one of the smaller suits from his hands and examined it. She couldn't identify the material, and while it wasn't especially attractive, it did look better than the patient uniforms she so hated. It appeared to be a little big for her, but there probably wasn't a smaller alternative. Adult-sized clothing generally didn't get small enough for Anise.

She scratched her head and laughed lightly. "Okay, why not?" It was a little silly, but she wasn't about to decline a request from His Majesty!

They were serious.

By now, Cyrille should be used to this. But really, they were serious. She looked at the piece of clothing and let out a half-hearted laugh. Her clothes were no more than rags at this point, though. A smile crept on her face, they had honest to God lost their minds. Perhaps then Cyrille really did belong here, and if she did... well, there's no point in not going along for the ride.

"Fine, I'll put it on," she haughtily replied, "but you musn't look! You surely must know the code of a gentleman. Right, Peony?"

What an absolute flawless tease that was. If she had realized how silly she sounded, Cyrille didn't make a gesture of it. Girls needed their privacy, this was true! Even a mad house wouldn't change that to Cyrille.

"Riiiight, little dream! Gentlemanly." His voice was triumphant! Peony wasn't going to correct Cyrille - if she was going to take off her clothes to put the jumpsuit on, then so be it. Maybe he could sneak a peek! If only he had eyes in the back of his neck, or a mirror, or... the possibilities were endless.

He was, after all, planning to try to put the jumpsuit on over his clothes. Or maybe he should strip too? Hmm, to be naked in the same room with two cute girls, even though one was just a bit too young for him? The thought was delicious.

In any case, he pranced over to the other side of the room with the jumpsuit, and turned the shine-tube off, setting it on a bench. "See? Lights off! You can't see me, I can't see you!"

Anise seated herself next to her belongings and sighed. "It must be nice, having that much confidence in your body." She tried not to sound too spiteful, but what kind of girl would think of undressing in a place like this? One who was out to seduce His Majesty, maybe!

As she pulled the jumpsuit over her clothes, Anise found that she was indeed too small for the garment. Still, it was a gift from the emperor--even if on a whim, and even if it technically wasn't his to give. A second layer of clothing could also serve as added protection against whatever dangers lurked in the night. Rolling up the cuffs at her wrists and ankles to shorten them, Anise decided it would have to do.

But she couldn't help but feel even more resentment towards Cyrille now. After all, a young woman with long legs and a little cleavage (though certainly not melon-grade) would look much better in one of those suits than a short, shapeless girl like Anise. How frustrating!

"Hmph," Cyrille interjected, she didn't quite like Anise's tone. It embarassed her slightly, was Anise mad at her? She couldn't think of a reason for Anise to be haughty, did she really wish to stay in these clothes forever? Maybe Cyrille was just thinking too much into this. Yes, that must be right. The cool and dimly lit night was just playing tricks on her.

With a sigh, Cyrille bent down and began to dress. For a moment she looked over to see if should could see Anise to ask her a question. Instead, she just whispered it to no one in particular, she couldn't help her curiosity after all, "I sure do hope he doesn't have any special night-vision abilities, even with our mana gone..."

Out of the patient clothes and into the strange uniform! Cyrille stretched and felt around to make sure everything that needed to be covered was indeed covered. The sudden darkness was now a disadvantage to her as she accidentally bumped into the smaller girl. That's a good way to win points there, for sure.

Peony couldn't help but smile as he pulled the suit on over his clothes, noticing that it might have been one of the strangest things he'd worn before. It was unknown whether he heard Cyrille's whisper, being far enough away to either possibly hear it or not. But still, he was a good boy! He didn't even sneak a peek at the girls dressing!

In due time. In due time.

After some time, when the emperor was sure they'd all finished dressing, he flicked his shine-tube on and passed it over the rest of the room. "Now, my little cuties, we'll probably wake up in the morning with these things on. Like how I woke up in the morning with my helmet on and my bat this morning, we can assume that it'll happen tomorrow, too! So when we wake up, be sure to strip and hide it!"

Now there was the problem of where the door to the next room was - there had to be one. Unless there wasn't, but Peony had a good feeling!

"We should move on, wouldn't you say?"

Anise stumbled slightly, but kept her balance. Damn that Cyrille! Did she do that on purpose!? Anise was thinking of giving her a piece of her mind when one of the flashlights turned back on.

Right--the emperor was watching. She had to control her temper, and keep smiling! No matter what that other girl did. It would all be over if she made a bad impression on His Majesty.

"Okay!" she sang back to him. Was it really okay? She didn't want to wake up in a rotten place like this again! Couldn't they just escape already? But Anise knew that was too much to ask. They would just have to see what they could find, report back to the colonel, plan from there... Oh, what a hassle!

There didn't seem to be anything else of interest in the room, so she picked up her belongings and used her flashlight to locate the next door. "Right, let's go!" Marching in its direction, she wondered if she would end up having to smash any more doors open with the pipe. Not that that would be a bad thing.

As the light flicked on, Cyrille mumbled a small pardon to Anise. She wasn't very good at apologizing, it always made her feel very uncomfortable and recluse. Now wasn't the best of time to show her antisocial behavior, though!

"Y-Yes," Cyrille stammered as she looked up Peony, "Moving on sounds like a good idea, staying here for too long might invite trouble for us..."

Admittedly, she was a bit afraid of the stark walls. They were just... so clean! There just seemed something unnatural about this place, something that wasn't right. Her predictions were always far more morbid then they should be, she thought. It was only a matter of imagination, and Cyrille had quite a large one.

"We should head back to our destination..." Hand to her chin, she paused. Her tone now far more whimsical and aloof, "Unless you wish to continue breaking and entering new rooms for treasures?"

"Moving on it is, then!"

Truth be told, Peony was a little bit afraid too. It was dark, and it was oddly clean, and it was quieter than it should have been. He wasn't used to traipsing about fighting monsters (much as he wanted to sometimes) and he wasn't used to feeling the need to protect people from real threats. It was cool and all, but..

..he sometimes wished he was at home with his cute rappigs.

Even so, he shouldn't be so negative! Live life for the moment, right? Exploring was fun, and he had to keep a sunny face for everyone. There was no way Peony was going to let the weird air press in on their emotions as well.

So he turned back to the girls, responding indirectly to Cyrille's question. "Come on, there's totally no way we can pass up more treasure, right?"

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/204008.html), pardon me as the first time I posted into LAST NIGHTSHIFT'S thread lolololol]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/194728.html)

Upon entering the room, the Pokémon spotted nothing interesting, except for the locker... which was already open. He thought he could see some spare clothing in there, but it also looked like if there was anything useful in there, it was taken already.

"People may have already gone this way. Perhaps we can find someone who can assist us," The Pokémon mused, though he also knew that they could find more foes along the way as well.

"I'm not sure what another patient could do, unless they have some kind of healing paralysis magic or something," Haruhi said, a hint of frustration in her voice. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand being carted around like this. But again, she had little choice.

"But maybe we could find someone to help with your arm. It still hurts, right?" She wasn't so cold that she didn't understand what Mewtwo was doing for her. He had been injured as well, even if he could still move after it. Haruhi supposed she must still be bleeding as well (but hopefully it had stopped). Lucky the paralysis also had a nice numbing effect on her so that she didn't feel the pain. She had no clue what it must be like for him.

The Pokémon was in pain, but not so much that he would complain about it. He still had his mobility and he was grateful for it, although Suzumiya was feeling increasingly heavy on him. He was hoping that Suzumiya's condition improved over time rather than getting worse, but for now, he could not stop. It would take too much work for him to return Suzumiya on his back.

He was not ignorant to the sharpness of Suzumiya's comments, but he imagined she was frustrated at being carried around. Mewtwo actually found this endearing; most humans expected their Pokémon to carry them around.

"I am fine. I have endured worse," Mewtwo told her, and he had. His fight with Mew had been far more taxing than this.

It was then that the Pokémon faltered for a moment, as he suddenly felt light-headed. Unrealiable weak human bodies!

"... I suppose a rest would be beneficial."

Haruhi was alarmed the moment Mewtwo faltered. Yeah, right, he was just fine. Like she hadn't seen through that. Her weight must have been a lot for him to bear. Damnit, if only she could move just a bit on her own. Even if she couldn't walk properly it would be fine if he could just support her. Luckily, it didn't seem like the paralysis had gotten any worse. She could still speak, and she was still alive, so her organs were working properly or something.

She was silent for a few seconds before remembering that she couldn't nod confirmation. "Yeah, let's do that." She wasn't about to press him to go on like this. As long as she was getting any worse, it wasn't like they would accomplish anything by rushing.

Man, she had to get rid of this paralysis quick. It was making her think strangely.

Mewtwo bent down to lay Haruhi against a wall, before he took a seat next to her. The excess movement was agitating his wound. It was not going to heal nicely, and Mewtwo hoped that it wouldn't continue to slow him down for the next night.

This was very inconvenient, but he wasn't going to complain about it. Why waste time complaining when he could spend time trying to fix his condition? But for now, there really was nothing more he could do.

In the silence, he thought he could hear the faintest sounds of human voices. But perhaps it was just him.

"Do you hear that?" Mewtwo didn't dismiss anything that sounded like potential help.

Haruhi was patient as he set her against the wall. Hopefully this rest would help him a bit. In the meantime, she would concentrate on trying to move. Yeah, ok, that was really working.

"Huh, hear what?" Admittedly, Haruhi hadn't been paying much attention to what was around them, since she couldn't turn to look at anything. It kinda soured the whole idea of paying attention when she couldn't even react.

Was it another monster? Now, as much as Haruhi liked them, even she could see that finding another one tonight was not the best idea. Neither of them was in any condition for that.

There were sounds, Mewtwo was sure of it. It sounded like something was hitting another, and there was a loud crash following it. A battle? It seemed that there was the possibility that there was a fight going on beyond the door. Which meant that their path was barred for now. He did not want to get caught in another battle when they had barely survived their first encounter.

"I believe we will have to leave this room soon," Mewtwo frowned, keeping his human ears strained for more noise. "I do not think it will be safe for much longer."

Especially if the humans, or whomever was in that room, could not fend off whatever was attacking them.

Ok, Haruhi could definitely hear it now. It did sound like some kind of fight was going on. As much as she hated to admit it, she wouldn't be any use in that kind of situation now. Not that she was before. Damn.

Again, she found herself trying to nod along with what Mewtwo was saying. The difference was that this time it worked. Shocked, she tried to pull her head back up a bit too quickly, and got a good spell of nausea and pain as punishment. But she could move something again!

"I can move my head!" she said to him excitedly, forgetting about the fight nearby for the time being. Maybe she would be able to move the rest of her soon too! Then they wouldn't have to go searching for medicine at all.

As the Pokémon turned to look at Haruhi, he immediately noticed that she was able to nod, something that she could not do before. The paralysis must have been fading away, instead of getting worse. This was a very positive development.

So of course, Mewtwo was not going to put themselves in any more danger when the problem seemed to be fixing itself.

"Can you move your arms? I will return us to a safer area. It looks like all we must do is wait until the paralysis completely disappears," He told Haruhi, bending down and preparing to load the human on his back once more.

"I'm not sure, but I'll definitely try!" Maybe this time she could actually hold on. It would be easier for him then, right?

The small bit of movement Haruhi had regained had done wonders to her spirits. She felt a lot less discouraged now. Hah, she could just jump up right now and start running around. Ok, well, she couldn't do that yet, but she would soon!

As he said, it was only a matter of waiting for the paralysis to disappear.

Suzumiya couldn't completely move yet, but getting her on his back was much easier this time around. He also noticed that the human seemed much happier now that she had some of her mobility back. It was a nice change from all the negativity.

He was actually feeling more fit himself. His arm had stopped throbbing for the time being, though doubtless the sudden action would agitate the wound. Still, it was not as bad as it was before.

Mewtwo decided to take them further down the hall. He did not know what was in its depths, but the further they were away from that red creature, the better off they both were.

[back to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/194728.html)]

[ From Here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/204008.html?thread=13618920#t13618920) ]

Out of the frying pan and ... into safety? Cyrille let go of Peony's arm in order to drop down and catch her breath. Exercise was not Cyrille's forte, even so such a quick sprint from room to room while dragging an injured man had severely drained whatever little energy she had left. She was rather tired to begin with, but now mental fatigue and fear were beginning to set in. Anise! Poor Anise, why did she agree on letting her stay behind? She carried a weapon, but she was still just a child!

Pounding her fist on the ground (although rather weakly), Cyrille let out a frustrated and anguish cry. All they could do now is wait for Anise to hopefully appear through those doors, would they have to leave her behind if a scuffle were to erupt? What if the monster suddenly received a burst of energy? Humans had their limits, Cyrille couldn't think any further. There was too much going on around her at the moment, she should focus on the present.

And the present was Peony. His leg! It was in terrible condition, at this rate he could die before they could find good medical care for him. Cyrille's face crinkled and her lips quivered when she saw how intense the wound was. She truly was surrounded by amazing people, it seemed. They were all so much more stronger than her, she would be envious if she wasn't so worried.

"Peony... please let me take a look at your leg," Cyrille's voice didn't hide her scared she was at this point, "You're badly hurt!"

Peony had willingly gone with the girl, still a bit dazed from his recent purge. He'd - never done that in front of another before, certainly not since childhood. He'd always had doctors swirling around him at the faintest hint of a cold, and his food was always checked beforehand to prevent food poisoning...

Sometimes, lacking a title wasn't so comfortable.

Being out of there was a breath of fresh air, though, and Peony felt himself gasping for its unearthly purity, the cleanness of the air that had seemed so hostile and otherworldly now so welcoming. And Cyrille's eyes weren't the only ones that were watering up - Peony's own had tears in them, if only from the sheer reflex and adrenaline that had built up in him over the last minute or so.

He backed up against the wall, putting his weight on the other leg before pulling up the torn leg of his Tyvek jumpsuit. Yeah, it did look pretty bad, but he had been able to run thus far, even though the blood was running down his leg in rivulets and dripping all over the floor.

"Yep, I sure am. Does it look okay? It doesn't feel too hot, but you'd know best - you're the Seventh Fonist, after all." He managed a grin, so strange so soon after he'd just lost his lunch.

"There you go again," Cyrille forced her words out with much frustration, "...talking about things that don't make any sense at all. As if we have time for this!"

There were many things that Cyrille wished to say to Peony at that moment, but his injury was the first thing that had to be taken care of. They couldn't continue to run if he was just going to bleed the whole way through! Peony would just leave a trail of blood for all monsters to be attracted to. An injured prey meant an easier meal for those who were looking for it.

Cyrille took the moment to wipe her misty eyes and dry her ace with her sleeve. Where could they find a cloth like bandage to stop Peony's bleeding? It would be a crude way to stop the blood flow, he could even get an infection! At this rate, he wouldn't live to see an infection spread. Maybe if they could just find a way to stall time by putting pressure on the wound... but with what?

Then it hit her, Cyrille looked up towards Peony's eyes. Her face crinkled with thought, that's right. Peony should still have his clothes underneath!

"Peony..." Cyrille whispered softly. She paused to she shake her head and blush at the request she was about to make.

"Your shirt. Off with it. I need it, now."

Peony paused for a moment, letting those sweet, sweet words of Cyrille's sink in. Sure, they might not have time to talk about fonons or anything, but Peony always had time to take off his shirt for a pretty girl.

What a cute little nurse! She almost took his mind off of the excruciating pain... but he could live with pain if he had such a pretty girl by his side. He'd been known to enjoy a little kink once in a while, anyway! Pain was nothing.

So, never mind the whole bleeding to death thing! He could at least try to be smooth as he unzipped the white jumpsuit and pulled his muscular arms out of it before bending over slightly to pull the grey shirt over his head. Hmm, could she tell that he worked out? Did she like what she saw? And forget that she was probably going to use the shirt instead of tossing it to the side and tangling her gentle scholar's fingers through his hair.

He traced the line of her jaw with his thumb, then handed her the shirt. "A girl who knows what she wants! Yow. You just let me know if you want my pants too, mm, little dream?"

By now, though, he was finding it more and more difficult to stand, so he slid down the wall till he was sitting, the bite exposed and bleeding.

Oh, she would ignore those words... for now. If she were to handle this situation properly, Peony would live long enough to fear her wrath later. For the moment, Cyrille needed to concentrate on the immediate dangers. He was losing strength, this was bad. Very bad.

She took Peony's shirt and (with the power of extra-strength teeth!) ripped the shirt into segments. His crude remarks had left an impression on Cyrille's face, at this rate she'd never be able to feel the regal air surrounding this man. He was nothing more than a suave and influential pervert, but currently he was a patient in need.

Truth be told, Cyrille wasn't very good at tending wounds, Faulklin specialized in healing magic when she was around. Cyrille always found herself to be an offensive spell caster! The lack of magic use here made all of this seem insignificant. Holy Magic Mastery or not, it didn't matter when it came to skillful hands at first aid.

Tightly, she wrapped Peony's wound in the shredded cloth. It might sting at first, (gentle nurse hands these were not) but the halting of the blood loss and the start of coagulation were critical steps right now.

After a few loops around his leg, the cloth was secured in place. Cyrille wiped her forehead of the sweat and dirt that had accumulated on her. Peony had to be taken to a doctor, but for now... for now they had to wait for Anise. Losing one person would be bad, but two--!

"There, that should do it." Cyrille's voice was mellow at this point, her cool and calm features surfaced. Her face no longer flushed and her bright blue eyes no longer watery, she stared at Peony's face, checking for signs of fatigue. His face seemed to have lost some of the color it previously had, though it was quite hard to tell with Peony's natural tan.

"Everything will be fine, please just..." Oh, how her voice betrayed her! It quivered and cracked into a squeak as she spoke, "don't die on me, okay?!"

[From here]

The moment she was past the doorway, Anise allowed the pipe to fall unceremoniously and quite noisily to the ground. Safety, at last! With her good arm, she closed the door behind her. The clean air of the decontamination room was a welcome change from the rotten stench of the laboratory. The piercing pain in her shoulder wasn't letting up, but for the time being all she could think of was how good it felt to breathe again! But her relief was cut short when she laid eyes on the pair.

While Anise's original intention on this "adventure" had been to give those two as little privacy as possible, she never imagined they would go this far! She was gone for no more than five minutes, and that hussy already had the emperor halfway undressed!

Maybe she should have just let Cyrille get eaten by the monster.

Still, being back in His Majesty's presence meant she needed to mind her manners, and make the best impression possible, even if she was in a bitter mood under the surface. Rather than expressing any of those unsavory thoughts of hers, she gave a light feminine gasp, drawing her hand to her mouth in innocent surprise. "Oh! Am I interrupting something?"

Peony visibly winced as Cyrille pulled the homemade bandage around his leg, sucking in a quick breath through his teeth as the wounds were compressed, then letting out a tired sigh as she finished. He didn't really know the first thing about first aid besides some stuff Jade had rattled off as he once bandaged Peony's skinned knee after he'd fallen from a tree. Though he couldn't help but assume she was doing the right thing.

Oh, the way her voice was cracking! Despite her proper demeanor, she obviously knew how to win a man's heart! Oh, would that they were not in such an institute! Would that he could buy her a cute swimsuit and take her to the Keterburg spa too. ♥

He was about to say something when the door burst open. So he turned to Anise, noticing the dark patch of blood staining her jumpsuit. "No, in fact you're just in time." He patted the place next to him on the floor, retaining his easygoing demeanor - it wouldn't do to get all serious right now. This was what their little party needed while in such a dark place. He could ignore the pain and just smile.

"Now you might need my pants. This girl needs them more than I do, you know?"

Never let it be said that Peony was a man of tasteful jokes.

That? That was the sound of Cyrille's disgusted groan echoing the room. Her eyes rolled with extreme exaggeration as she smacked Peony's leg one last time for making such that smart comment. He should be fine if he didn't open up the bandage and wound, but she wasn't going to let an injured man get away with talking like that to a little girl.

Anise's entrance did frighten her for a moment, she feared the loud burst of movement meant that Anise had lost the battle and the foul beast was coming for them. Thankfully, her premonitions were wrong. Cyrille's face softened once she could get a good look at Anise. It seemed the dark patch of blood might not be her own, it was a very comforting thought. You go girl! Show those monsters what you're made of!

"Anise!" Cyrille's voice was still terrible at masking her feelings. She was relieved and... happy! "You're okay! I'm so glad..."

Of course, once Cyrille realized what Anise was alluding to in her own tone, (Tact? Even Cyrille wasn't good at that!) she quickly huffed and crossed her arms. She looked away from Peony and made -such- an adorably malicious face. Pouting was something any girl was an expert in, and the mad scowl on Cyrille's face showed she would rather go back into the previous room than seduce this unsavory charlatan.

"Don't think anything of the sorts!" Cyrille replied. Oh, was that a quick and angry tone they were hearing? "I'm just making sure he doesn't bleed everywhere and die on us. That's all!"

Peony's casual commentary and Cyrille's vehement denial were pleasing answers to Anise. "Oh, really? Good!" She still had a chance! And it was a relief to hear His Majesty's injury was being looked after, besides. The man appeared to be in better shape since she last saw him, though still far from his best. Peony was a man who took things in stride; it was a refreshing change from her experiences with a certain whiny rich kid months ago.

She was a little surprised by Cyrille's display of relief, but she responded as cheerfully as she could manage. "Of course I'm okay! I said you could count on me." That girl was really worried? Anise wasn't used to being worried over like that; whenever she returned from something dangerous like this, she was usually greeted with the colonel's mean jokes. And besides, it was weird having someone she had been antagonizing all night (though not vocally) look so happy to see her.

The emperor's invitation was appreciated. With the effects of adrenaline and shock wearing off, the feelings of pain and exhaustion were worsening by the second. If she didn't take a rest, she was likely to collapse! Even if she was able to keep a straight face, her small body had its limits. Anise lowered herself to the floor next to His Majesty, her back to the wall.

But getting off her feet wasn't enough to clear her head, it seemed. Just how bad was the wound? She raised a hand to her shoulder to feel. Blood had soaked the uniform underneath the jumpsuit, and made the cloth stick to her skin. It seemed that the area around it was beginning to swell, too. It hurt to touch, so she withdrew her hand quickly, hoping no one had caught that wince of pain. She still didn't know exactly how much damage there was, but as a girl who prided herself on her looks, Anise couldn't help but feel that it was simply ugly. She didn't want to bring attention to it. It was unattractive, and she hated making people worry. But the injury gave itself away, the dark red spot slowly spreading down her jumpsuit. There were some things a smile just couldn't hide.

Oh, Cyrille wouldn't be groaning and denying Peony for long. Oh, no, no, no. She wouldn't, not once she'd gotten a taste of the ultimate manliness that was this emperor. Though that rejecting body language definitely did have a certain charm. She was cool and sweet and delectable, just like a popsicle. Oh yes.

As Anise slid down next to him, Peony was half-tempted to slip his hand around her shoulder (oh, the woeful difference in age! Even so, Peony could definitely act as a loving father figure until she was old enough) but immediately realized that something was wrong. It didn't read on his face very obviously at first, but it made him drop his hand to his lap.

She was playing the same game as Peony was. Smile even though it hurts. Did both he and the Fon Master Guardian care about their company that much? It would seem so. Stoicism would only go so far in a place like this, though..

"Hey, little dream?" he asked, in a tone that suggested neither seriousness nor a playful joke. "Might want to make Anise take off her shirt, too."

Maybe she was wrong. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that night that it had happened. Cyrille's attention diverted towards Anise, she gave a small gasp and quickly shuffled towards the younger girl. What was wrong with them!? These must be mad, utterly mad, the both of them! What Cyrille thought was caked on blood from the monster turned out to be far worse than she expected.

"Anise..." Cyrille's voice was merely a whisper, how could a child hold in pain? There was no reason to! "You're just as stubborn as that," oh, how she stuttered at this point, "idiot, aren't you?!"

Cyrille internally swore, this would be far easier if she could only tap into her magic! Maybe if she tried hard enough she would be able to produce enough light magic to stop the bleeding. Her mind focused with all her might, but she could barely produce enough magic for her to sense. It was no use.

She was definitively not cut out to be a nurse. The wounds on her companions made her hands shake uncontrollably. It was nerve-wrecking! Peony was a healthy older man, even with the amount of blood he lost he should be able to live to see tomorrow. Anise seemed more of a delicate patient, though. Her wound might not be as critical, it was hard to tell for such an inexperienced worker, but Anise had fought off the monster and used up a considerable amount of energy so far.

"Arrgh," Cyrille yelled, she was frustrated with the both of them by now, "This isn't good. Please, Anise, let me look at it for a moment."

Playing hero was something Cyrille never liked from others. Toma was an expert of this. She hated it, absolutely hated it. What was the point of acting tough around others when you're suffering? She certainly didn't think they were saving anyone from grief. At the same time... Cyrille couldn't help but feel she had acted as such before. Yes, she felt people should find out her problems, but maybe there really was no reason to face them alone.

It was a terrible time to have an existential crisis. She would have to think of it later, they might be out of immediate danger now, but they certainly were no where close to safety!

Did she just call the Emperor of Malkuth an idiot? That Cyrille sure was lucky she was in a situation where she was able to get away with such impudence.

Under normal circumstances, Anise would have insisted she was fine. But these weren't normal circumstances, and this wasn't a normal injury. She wasn't even sure if she could move her left arm; she felt it was too painful to test. Besides that, it was becoming a struggle to even stay conscious. In that state, what could she do?

It was frustrating, but she had no choice but to accept Cyrille's help. Hopefully the delicate-looking older girl wasn't too squeamish. With her right hand, she tugged the zipper of her jumpsuit down to her waist, and pulled the left side down to her elbow. The cloth shirt underneath was soaked red and had a row of holes on either side of her shoulder. The distance between the holes was uneven, the monster had thankfully lost quite a few teeth from all the whacks on the head it had received in the struggle.

Anise averted her eyes, trying not to look at either of her companions. There wasn't anything she could do or say to make the situation look better. The severity of the damage was obvious.

Nightshift 26: 2nd Floor Decontamination Room

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