damned_institute | NIGHTSHIFT 28: M-B BLOCK HALLWAY

Hokuto raised an eyebrow. I'd say you need to get off the high horse too. Yes, it was hard to adjust to this place--but what they were at home didn't matter. For her it mostly meant she couldn't call her grandmother and beg for sweets from her favorite bakery (or clothes she didn't hate--she was already scheming ways to keep even THIS outfit), but for Artemis it obviously meant a LOT more.

Still, if he was so smart, why wasn't he realizing none of his people were here?

Artemis was acting like a petulant child. Momo didn't have the time or the patience for it. Not tonight. She could easily speak to the boy of the duties of advisors and how commanders respect advisors. It is an advisor's duty to respectuflly point out flaws in a commander's strategy and it was equally the duty of the commander to take the advisor's words into consideration. But in the end, the final decision is that of the commander's. In this situation, with Hitsugaya unconscious, command was placed into Momo's hands as both Artemis and Hokuto were in Arts & Crafts. Farfarello was not under her command but she wasn't going to turn down a potential ally when she had no reason to.

Especially one that could carry Hitsugaya fast and still defend himself and others easily at the same time if it came down to it.

The flaw in Artemis' argument was that he never actually laid out a strategy. All that came out of the boy's mouth was I can carry the captain and that Farfarello was the first and best line of defense. What kind of strategy was that? Momo didn't know who Farfarello was nor did Artemis find the time to enlighten her. Perhaps had he formulated his thoughts properly and spoke to her as an advisor should, she may have made a different decision.

Regardless, she still stood by her decision for speed over combat readiness.

The shinigami kept her silence, though, and looped her hands in front of her as she would have had she been wearing her uniform. Unfortunately, the sleeves of her sweater just didn't suffice. Inwardly, Momo smirked a bit to herself. A part of her wanted Artemis to spend a night under Signum's command. Perhaps she'd mention that to Hitsugaya tomorrow...

There was no transition at all, really. One instant Farfarello was on his best behaviour, walking calmly beside Artemis. The next instant Farfarello's free hand was knotted in the front of Artemis' shirt and he was slamming the boy against the nearest wall hard enough to knock the breath out of him. "Shut. Up," he hissed into Artemis' face, holding him pinned to the wall with one hand, the boy's feet no longer even touching the ground.

The Captain was still carefully and safely over Farfarello's other shoulder, his left hand on Hitsugaya's back. He looked to Momo, his face set in a scowl. "Take the Captain. Artemis' room is M47. We'll catch up to you shortly, after I explain a few things to him." He hoped the girl would both prioritise the Captain's safety above Artemis' pride and understand that if Farfarello had wanted to seriously harm or even kill Artemis he would have done so in that first strike, instead of just winding him.

He also hoped Artemis understood how bloody lucky he was to still be alive after speaking to Farfarello that way, but with the petulant mood Artemis was in he doubted it would be that easy to knock some sense into him.

[OOC: scene has been discussed with Artemis-mun beforehand]

[Indeed it t'was! :D]

Strangely enough, Artemis was almost expecting this attack, and instead of shouting or panicking, began laughing of all things.

"I knew it'd be you--which makes things much easier for me! I've already brought you halfway, so just go ahead! Snap my neck! Kill me!" His eyes were glittering, as though challenging Farfarello to actually go through with it. Apparently, he'd forgotten where he was and who he was with. The only things in the world right now were him, the wall, and Farfarello. He didn't even acknowledge that Renji had run by twice.

"I told you two nights ago to wait until my pain actually meant something, and here's your chance. I'm sick of this place. Nothing here makes any goddamn sense. People caring about me when I've just met them. And no matter what I do, things never seem to work out--as though something is always, constantly working against me. This logically shouldn't happen. I just want to get out, so why not just hurt me for a second and then it'll be over?

"Everything will be over... done. I can finally sleep," The glistening in Artemis' eyes spilled over. Fuck, he was crying again. Fuck. He was suddenly very aware of everything in the hallway, and the icy hand of shame gripped his heart. "Please just kill me Farfarello, I'm begging you," His tone was more desperate now, and it was difficult to get the words out without his voice breaking. "I hate it here, I want to go home where things make sense. Where people can't beat me and nobody gives a damn, please!"

[swapping posting order with permission]

As the drama unfolded before the shinigami, Momo did not interfere. She stood there, her hands folded before her just as they had been with the facial expression. She had picked up Farfarello's intent a split second before he moved and had she sensed and true malice in his movement, she would has flash stepped between the two. Unfortunately, Artemis had overstepped his bounds and being a fourteen year old boy there were some lessons he'd only be able to learn the hard way. Why was this the case with the young and incredibly bright?

"Please place his feet back on the ground, Farfarello-san," were the first words out of her mouth, the tone even, calm and quiet.

"Sumeragi-san, please take Hitsugaya," were the next.

Momo stepped up next to Artemis, her age and existence as a shinigami clear on her face for the first time since she'd been in Landel's, and she slipped her fingers into the boy's hair and stroked it back from his forehead. "Death is never the end and death is not freedom. The dead do not sleep," she said to Artemis in a voice only one with true knowledge of death could have. "Death will not bring you the escape you so desire." Her hand traveled down to gently caress the boy's cheek before she removed her hand.

She fell silent for one moment before setting her gaze upon Farfarello. "Five minutes," she said in that same voice. "And should his injuries increase in any manner because of all this, I will kill you," she said to the Irishman. It wasn't a threat; it was simple truth.

"Let's go," she then said to Hokuto once she was certain the girl had secured Hitsugaya and turned from the two males. Her footsteps carried her steadily down the hall.

Hokuto took Hitsugaya quickly; he was a little heavier than she'd expected, but he was small enough so she could carry him without too much trouble. Aside from being worried that she'd drop him if she moved too fast.

Before following Momo, she looked at Artemis, meeting his eyes if he let her. "We care about each other because all we have in this place, or anywhere, is each other. Everyone has the right to be loved." What kind of life had he lived if most of the people around him didn't care? She had no time for more now, but when he came along later she'd see if she could get him to talk.

Hoping that Artemis at least really would be along in a few minutes, she turned to follow Momo down the hall. They'd get somewhere safe and then try to plan from there.

[[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/255390.html?thread=18919070#t18919070).]]

Watching the girls leave, Farfarello made sure they got the captain to Artemis' room without incident, then turned his gaze back on Artemis. "Well now. Here we are. And I'll tell you this right off, I have zero interest in killing you. It'd be like kicking a kitten, and I grew out of that shit a decade ago."

Finally lowering Artemis until his feet touched the floor again, though leaving him pinned against the wall, Farfarello leaned in very close. "Now, I was trying to be 'nice', and save this stuff for private conversation. I was going to tell you as gently as I know how. Well fuck that. You want to be a mewling brat? I'll treat you like a mewling brat. And you will shut your damn mouth and listen for a change."

"This self-pity bullshit has got to stop. It's well past time you got over your fucking self and started using that brain of yours. Did you wake up one morning and know physics? Chemistry? History? No. You fucking studied them. You sought out information from experts, absorbed it, and then applied it. You probably screwed up the occasional chemistry experiment when you were five or six, too, because books can't substitute for real experience. And you think we should listen to you about battle, without question, when all you've got to go on is Sun Tzu and Machiavelli?" Farfarello snorted in disgust, and turned his head to spit on the floor.

"Let me put this in terms that might get through to you. Right now, to us, you look like some kid who keeps playing a rook, when the situation calls for a knight. You are not a damn rook! You cannot charge ahead directly at the enemy! And yet you keep doing that. So why should anyone trust you in a fight?"

Letting go of Artemis' shirt, Farfarello snarled in annoyance and turned his back on the boy for a moment. When he finally turned back, his expression was somewhat calmer. "I don't waste my time with useless garbage. You have the potential to be an excellent strategist, and a decent guerilla-style fighter. But unless you swallow your damn pride and accept that you are not and will not ever be the field commander here, you'll never be able to properly take advantage of your actual strengths."

Artemis remained silent for the duration of Farfarello's talk, a look of mixed terror and confusion in his shining eyes. For once, he looked his age--a scared and hurt boy who just wanted to go home. It was scary how just a few moments ago, he'd wanted to hit something as hard as he could. Now he just wanted someone to hold him again. It had been nice when Renji had done it, but the small, still-functioning part of Artemis' logic center told him that Farfarello would probably kick him if he tried to hug the assassin.

And then that part decided to crash while the rest of his system rebooted. Artemis took a shaky step forward and hugged Farfarello around the waist.

"Thank you... Perhaps I'm not as smart as I seem--I needed that spelled out for me in order to understand it," He sniffled quietly, his body started to shake again. "I'm sorry... Part of me knew that what I was saying was out of line, but I was so angry I couldn't stop myself once I'd started... I'm so sorry Farfarello...!"

Farfarello just stared down at Artemis, a poleaxed expression on his face. There was a child. Hugging him. There was something very very wrong with this. This place really was making him soft! "... If you get snot all over me, I am going to slam you into the wall again." The warrior woman would never notice the difference between one set of wall-induced bruises and two sets of wall-induced bruises.

He sighed, looking up at the ceiling, because looking at the sniffling, pathetic kid hugging him was really, really depressing. It made him feel like he was dangerously close to becoming a good guy. "Look, self-control comes with age. For most people. Not sociopaths, but most people. Until you have real self-control, you just gotta learn how to fake it. Say all the stupid shit you want inside your head, but clamp your damn jaw down and don't let it past your teeth."

Farfarello paused briefly, and added, "Except stupid thoughts about Schuldig. I would reccomend stopping that entirely. He picks thoughts about him out of the mental chatter in a heartbeat. Like that one today, about him hating you."

"Doesn't he though?" Artemis stepped back and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. He so did not want to be in the same room with Hitsugaya when the Captain awoke. His face was a complete mess. "He called me a manipulative midget, and seemed rather testy when it came to me being close to you. It seemed like the right answer..." He laughed a little, "But I'm not exactly thinking clearly right now. If my mind was a field, it would be a crater right now. All right," He did his best to smile, but it was very weak. "I'll put him out of mind. I promise."

The boy pushed up his sleeves and began walking towards his hallway, "Now, I have a job to do," He turned back and smiled at Farfarello, a spark zipping across one of his facial cuts and sealing it shut. "You might call it one of my strengths."

"Sure he does. He's a misanthrope, he hates pretty much all humanity except me, Crawford and River. But we're partners, and because I like you, he's gonna look out for your interests. Don't look a gift telepath in the mouth, is all."

He nodded when Artemis got moving, and went along with him. "Oh, and don't waste power trying to impress me. Save it for what's really needed. A facial scar or two isn't a big deal." Said the man with three, if you didn't count the missing eye.

"I wouldn't dream of it," the boy said, attempting another smile. "I had no idea that he had any intentions of looking out for my interests to begin with. I'll have to thank him." Exactly how he'd go about thanking a misanthrope, though, he wasn't quite sure. But his mood was steadily improving--to the point where he would have given Schuldig a thank you card if he had one in his possession.

"Hm? Oh," Artemis raised a hand to touch his face, "I've been having trouble keeping it in check all day. It's probably the rampant emotions--nothing to worry about. I'll be back to normal very soon, I assure you."

"Why do you think I helped River that night? Because my partner likes her. I wouldn't die for her, and Schuldig wouldn't die for you, but as long as it doesn't endanger us it's to our benefit to protect each other's... investments, to put it crudely." Farfarello shrugged--it was just a matter of self-interest, in the end. A happy partner was a good thing.

He didn't say anything else as they turned into the hall where Artemis' room was.

[this way (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/255390.html?thread=18919070#t18919070)]

[from here]

Renji cringed at the amount of noise he heard Artemis making as he entered his block. He was about to yell something at the kid, when he realized it was highly unlikely that Artemis was talking like that to himself. And he was quickly able to tell that both Momo and Hitsugaya were very near him. So he wasn't going to worry about it. One of them would tell him to shut the hell up eventually. He was surprised Hitsugaya hadn't already.

He went over to the wall and kept one hand on it, now, because the layout of this area was a little more complex than the main halls, though he knew it just as well. At this point, he could get from his room to the entry way with his eyes closed, he was pretty sure. He'd been stuck in this damn place long enough, and taken the same course almost every night and during the day as well.

Now to just get to his room.

[to here]

[from here]

For the time being, Renji kept the flashlight on; once he stepped out into the hallway, he had the bright idea of using a couple bits he'd torn off one of the sheets to secure the flashlight to his waist. Not the greatest, but it left his hands free and he was more concerned with that right now.

He needed to move quickly again; he ran to the doorway of the block, keeping his sword secure against his shoulder.

[to here]

(From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/255390.html?thread=18989214#t18991262))

Artemis walked down the hall, making sure that Farfarello was with him. "I guessed that overalls wouldn't be the best clothing to fight in. I'll need every advantage I can get right now."

(To here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/254862.html?view=18992526#t18992526))

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/255390.html?thread=19087518#t19087518)]

Hitsugaya stepped back out into the hall. Hopefully Ed hadn't grown tired waiting for him...but with the bedlam of the change from day to night, he wasn't entirely surprised.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/253623.html?thread=19088311#t19088311)]

[[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/255390.html?thread=19027358#t19119006).]]

"Just curious," Hokuto admitted. "I thought maybe the power seal only extends so far, but now that it looks like it's on us... I don't know. I was guessing it was a seal on the grounds, but now..." If the spell keeping their powers mostly in check had been on Landels itself, then it could have been the result of arrays etched into the foundation of the building itself, either extending a ways out or etched into the outer walls as well. Now she was guessing it was something placed on each of them, and could only guess how.

She had a pretty good idea of at least one way it could be done, though, considering what her last act in life had been.

[[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/254862.html).]]

[[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/254862.html?thread=19192718#t19192718)]]

Poor Rukia was so frantic she'd almost run herself into the door! Hopefully this wasn't a wild goose chase. He wasn't quite sure what to expect when they finally arrived, but he was fairly sure Renji-bear wasn't going to be in excellent shape. This evening was much more thrilling than the first one had been, though he was starting to think that the calm nights weren't so bad.

"S-sorry," Rukia mumbled as she heard Fai stumble behind her. "Renji's hurt." To her, it seemed like that was the only explanation necessary, though who knew how Fai would interpret it?

Rukia traced her right hand lightly across the wall, counting hallways until she'd reached the one she thought was the correct one. "This way," she said, turning right.

[Going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/255390.html?thread=19118494#t19118494).]

[[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/255390.html?thread=19274398#t19274398)]]

Without a word, Yuuhi hurried back out into the hallway. Things would be easier if he wasn't there, of that much he was certain. Though, where to go from here was the difficult part. At the moment he felt like just finding a dark corner to hide in and get away from other people for a while.

[[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/254862.html?thread=19277966#t19277966)]]

[From here]

Success at last. Homura entered the correct block of rooms, firming his grip on Kenshin before heading to the final hall.

[To here]

[From here going to here]

These were the hallways he knew best. He traveled down them every day and every night, so it was difficult to get lost. Even without the light, Okita had memorized the number of steps it took from one point to another as a precaution against losing his magic torch or some other unfortunate event. It seemed, it was a good thing he had. They were almost to his hallway, so he pressed on despite the dizziness he felt creeping in.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/261846.html)]

[returning from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/261846.html?thread=19536598#t19536598)]

Okita felt like he was on patrol again. Or he would have, if the floor was dirt rather than tile and he was flanked by two others wearing the same ridiculous uniform. Instead, he smiled at Kenren and kept moving. They had an appointment to keep and he didn't want to keep the others waiting. Kenren, no doubt, was going to want to look for someone. Okita hadn't missed the look on his face, or the doubt that still hid behind the man's eyes. He was thinking of someone who he hadn't yet seen tonight.

It seemed everyone was searching for someone.

[going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/254862.html?thread=19537038#t19537038)]

Edited 2007-12-14 10:23 (UTC)

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/255390.html?thread=19383710#t19451550).]

The hallway at the end of the M-Block was empty. Rukia and Renji made their way to the end, but Rukia hesitated near the doorway; there were voices in the next hallway.

Quietly, she peered around the corner, and spotted Homura, a young red-haired man, and Fai. And Fai did not look good...

[Going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/254862.html?thread=19408782#t19408782).]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/254862.html?thread=19579534#t19579534).]

By the time they turned into the M-Block, Rukia's arms were shaking. She had used up a lot of energy during the night, and her many injuries weren't helping. Cold sweat beaded on her brow, and she felt suddenly light-headed.

The flashlight slipped out from under her arm, clattering loudly to the floor. "Wait," she said to Renji. Lowering Fai's legs to the ground, she took a moment to simply breathe, then bent to pick up the flashlight.

Renji paused, looking back at Rukia, concern breaking through his absolute anger for the moment. He stayed still, holding his end of Fai's limp body up even though he was starting to get a bit tired, too. He said nothing yet, though. They had to get back to his room, so worry would have to wait until then.

[here]

NIGHTSHIFT 28: M-B BLOCK HALLWAY

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

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject