damned_institute | Nightshift 29: M31-M40 Hallway

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Nightshift 29: M31-M40 Hallway

Another unexciting dinner led into to another shot at busting out of the institution as Nightshift rolled around. Of course, Jack had other plans to attend to first. He had been rather interested in ~~crashing~~ paying a visit to M98 after the bulletin promised "cigarettes, booze, and sandwiches". The "manflesh" he could do without, but even if he wasn't welcome (last time he checked, he wasn't a hot lady, though the way things were going, who knew what tomorrow held?), he'd strong arm his way in and take what he wanted!

Sliding from his room into the hall with his maps and flashlight, the Fable set out to find his way to the party and may score some liquor and smokes.

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"The radio listed a location earlier," Sasuke answered, still flexing his arm to restore a bit of movement after the tight grip he'd had to keep on the jug of bleach (blood made things slippery). "I intend to head for the library."

Weapons sounded promising, and hopefully they would be real weapons, not the makeshift ones that Usopp would be making. Not that those didn't have their uses, though, and really it was probably best that Usopp and Sai both stayed, judging by how they sounded.

Although he sort of wanted to ask if Sai had recently seen ... but no, that definitely didn't matter.

"Okay, well, good luck. Thanks for the help tonight." Sasuke wasn't a 'friend,' just an acquaintance, right? Why did being friends with Sai suddenly make Usopp more aware of the differences between the two, anyhow? Usopp had already started unloading his bag and Sai's pillowcase, organizing items. He'd need to rearrange his closet to make room for all of this...

The sign, actually, made a nice little divider in the closet. He propped it up between the two bleach bottles for now. Maybe later, if he ever did start making things for a wider range of people, he could put the sign out to show he was in, or something. As it was, he'd just liked it and wanted to bring it with him.

"Next time, we'll hit the gardening shed. I think that's where Yuber got those blades, and if I'm right there'll be gasoline too. Aside from more gardening stuff." Usopp was talking out loud, but didn't expect an answer. "The soldering iron seems to need gasoline and batteries to run, so even if I don't make any weapons that need gas I can at least have backup fuel."

Sai watched Usopp and Sasuke both, eyes shifting from one to the other. Sitting down now, his thoughts and vision were clearing, leaving only the aches and pains of the various other strikes. So Sasuke was leaving, then. "I hope the man on the radio proves knowledgeable," he said. It wouldn't do to have the trek be a waste of Sasuke's time.

He gestured towards the items Usopp was taking from the pillowcase even though the other ninja wouldn't be able to see the movement. "The extension cord," he pointed out. "I would like that, Usopp. Sasuke-kun, if you can make use of it also, please do." It was no high quality ninja equipment, but it was better than nothing.

"The radio's information has been solid so far," Sasuke said with a shrug. At any rate, it was something else to follow -- it wasn't as if he was going to be much use in the business of making things, anyway. Fighting was one thing; putting disparate objects together was probably another one, and also something to which Sasuke was rather less accustomed.

He paused when Sai offered him part of the extension. It was probably much thicker and clumsier than the wire shinobi normally used, but it was certainly something. "How long is it?"

It was probably too much to hope that Sai was just going to hand the whole thing over, but if it was long enough they could probably split it.

"Huh? Oh, sure." Usopp pulled it back out again, handing it over to Sai. He could decide who got what of it. Considering the two of them had helped him on a raid, their getting part of the spoils was only fair. He wasn't Nami.

"Anything else you think you need, feel free to ask." That was as directed at Sasuke as at Sai. "I wouldn't have been able to make it there and back without help from both of you."

With the roll held in both hands, Sai began unraveling foot upon foot of it onto the floor. Eventually satisfied with the length, he set it aside momentarily and focused on standing back up on his feet again. Then he held the cord out in front of him, two about even-sized bundles in each hand. "Come here and feel where my hands are, Sasuke-kun." He pulled it tight. "Take your sword and cut through the middle."

The idea of having a blind man slash out that close to any part of him would probably have bothered anyone else. If Sai was the slightest bit worried about the notion, however, he didn't show it.

Sasuke blinked when Sai offered to let a blind man cut at him. Maybe the spider had hit him even harder than they'd previously expected? Still, the other shinobi sounded confident enough, and if another person was that willing to trust Sasuke's skills, then it would be stupid for Sasuke not to do so.

"Hold still," he said, a bit unnecessarily, and strode over. It was easy enough to figure out where Sai's voice was relative to his outstretched hands, and Sasuke ran his arm over the taut section until his fingers just brushed the front of Sai's clothing.

Good, that was enough space, providing Sai could stand still.

Taking a step back, Sasuke focused on the memory of the distance and brought the sword up and then down in a decisive cut. The cord snapped with a loud sound and Sasuke had to pretend that he wasn't relieved at the fact that there was no accompanying cry of pain.

"Thank you," he said, a little gruff as always.

Usopp watched, blinking, but not feeling any alarm. Actually, it felt a little bit like a circus demonstration or something, 'see the blind man cut without touching his partner!' And it also seemed like something Zoro would do. He hadn't thought much about his nakama tonight... how were they doing? Were they making progress in the basement? What kinds of monsters were down there? Were they running off without Usopp like Nami had threatened on the board? He couldn't take that threat seriously, even if he'd argued with it through logic--that was just the way Nami was.

And carrying around a sword and slicing things other people hold out without fear was like Zoro. Maybe Sasuke, back home, could cut through all kinds of metals too. Or maybe this was a ninja thing...

The sword flashed in front of Sai's face by mere inches and the ninja didn't even blink. He checked the two pieces to see how the cut was, then dumped the half in his left hand onto the bed before passing over the right one. It was still rolled into a nice bundle and should be relatively easy for the other ninja to handle. "Here," he waited for Sasuke to take it.

Though Usopp had offered use of the other items they'd collected, Sai could think of none others for the moment that he would need. He would keep the sentiment in mind for later, but he didn't think this would change.

Once the cord was out of his hand, he let himself fall back to sitting like he'd been before. He glanced back at the pirate with a small smile. "Usopp, I may want to take a short nap, if that's all right."

Sasuke found the cord easily enough, slinging it over his right shoulder. He wasn't sure what else he could use -- or even of precisely what else had been taken -- but at least he had maintained equal footing tonight, instead of incurring yet another debt.

Although he hadn't managed to quite hold his own, given that he was the best-armed of the group. Sai and Usopp had both gotten injured, and even if Usopp had technically been the leader of the expedition, Sasuke had more combat experience than Usopp seemed to, and that made him partially responsible.

He finally wiped the lingering sense of having failed a team (however temporary) and nodded briefly to the room at large, encompassing both occupants, before heading back to the door.

"I hope to work with you both in the future," he said, a bit awkward with the formality, and stepped back out into the hall.

"You too, see you later!" Then Usopp had the urge to smack himself in the head, but... he couldn't think of another way to put it, and Sasuke surely understood he didn't mean anything rude by it, and besides, the ninja was already in the hallway...

So it was back to organization, glancing back at Sai. "Are you really okay, Sai? I could go to the clinic room if you need help... but you're welcome to my bed, too." What could people in the clinic room do?

And... would anything in the box Yuber had brought be useful? If he just knew something about medicine... he really should give up and turn it over to the clinic people. Even if it was just for good will, it was something, as opposed to being useless in Usopp's hands.

But what if Chopper shows up? he reminded himself.

"You don't need to go to the clinic," Sai shook his head slowly to avoid making the room twist about again. "I'll be fine until morning. Just allow me to lie down here for a short while. If you need me for anything I'll be willing to help you.

Then he began shifting himself around, pulling both legs up onto the bed so that he was sitting on it lengthwise. He'd need to check his injuries first. It wouldn't do to lay wrong and hurt something more.

So first, pulling off one glove and then the other, he went about removing his oddly asymmetrical top. There were bruises visible on his stomach already, along with a few long smudges of black spider blood, but the damage underneath the shirt was worse. Sai laid a hand over his ribcage. It was possible that one of the ribs was fractured, but that was getting off pretty light. It wasn't anything the natural healing of Landel's wouldn't fix within too long.

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Nightshift 29: M31-M40 Hallway

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