damned_institute | Night 30: Main Hallway, 1-East

There was no doubt in Leon's mind that Kratos' anguish over his son was real--real, and strong enough to distract him even through whatever spell Landel had put on him. Kratos felt as strongly for his son as Leon had felt for Marian.

Without having to think about it, Leon interposed his cane between Kratos and the woman's kick. "Isn't this enough?" His grip on the cane was weak, though, because he held it once again in his maimed hand. The woman's kick sent it flying, and Leon was left unable to move, all his weight put on his good leg so that he could even stay standing. He still had the knife in his left hand, but if Kratos or the woman lashed out at him there was little he could do but try to deflect the blow with the tiny dinner knife.

Well, he deserved it, though, didn't he? For taking advantage of a friend's pain, for allowing Kratos to suffer so, and for failing to render him unconscious with his first blow, Leon knew he had it coming. He had failed in so many ways, and failure brought consequences.

Raine's kick didn't connect, but it was enough to solidify in Kratos' mind that the elder Sage was his enemy now. "Internal strife...?" He couldn't help but echo her own words from a while ago: they were eerily appropriate. "How...pathetic."

Kratos lurched to his feet, coughing. It seemed his throat hadn't fully recovered either. "Answer my question, Miss Sage. Your last chance." Such bold threats- he doubted he looked intimidating enough to back them up, what with his current state. Still, his anger was enough to fuel him at the moment and push him upright. "Your last chance, or I end it now." And then I find Lloyd...dead or alive.

Raine held her broom at the ready, but more defensively than offensively. He wouldn't be under orders to kill her, and he was hurt enough to give her the advantage, but that wasn't saying much. A retreat might make the most sense... she was still close enough to the patient rooms to make a break for it, and as far as she knew, he wouldn't follow.

Still, for the moment, she didn't move. All she saw in Kratos' eyes was justified anger, no hint of forced madness. He didn't know where he was or what was going on, but aside from that his mind was intact. I can't tell him where we are--he'll have been brainwashed not to believe most of what I say, undoubtedly. But a partial truth... "You've been lied to," she said. "I don't know what you were told, but you're attacking innocent people. I wasn't intending to cause injury, just disable you any way I could." She wouldn't point out she had no chance against him in a fair fight--at full power, while some of her spells could match his, he could fly and teleport.

If she told Kratos now that she had lied and Lloyd was neither here nor hurt, would he let her go or lash out in anger that she had taken advantage of knowing exactly what to say to demoralize him? It was a chance she didn't want to take... she'd been hoping to get to the clinic eventually, but she didn't have much hope that she would, at this point. "We're all leaving," she told him. "If... you want to check on Lloyd later, he'll be glad to see you." It was the closest she would get right now to saying that as betrayed as Lloyd felt, he didn't hate Kratos.

Raine glanced at Leon; she could see that he was just concerned for his friend. Much like Lloyd, his heart was in the right place, even if his brain wasn't. Kratos wouldn't kill him either, but the boy was in poor shape already and didn't need any more wounds. Even walking would be difficult, and worse, Kratos stood between him and the way to the nearby patient blocks. "May I take him with me?" she asked, nodding to Leon. "He'll be able to get out faster with assistance."

Maybe she should say she was out of magic and low on Gels, and offer what she had left as a peace offering... she wasn't sure what the result would be, but it certainly wouldn't help Kratos fight.

"I'm not leaving him like this!" Kratos was injured now and in no shape to take on further opponents, but his orders would have him continuing to attack people as soon as he realised he'd been lied to. "Don't think you can make decisions for me, woman!" Leon cursed his weak leg, and his inability to move, because right now he really wanted to put himself between Kratos and this woman--Miss Sage, was it? "Until this night is over, I'm not leaving him alone."

Fighting against one's friends, alone and unmourned at the end, was no way for anyone to go. The chances of Kratos dying this night were slim, Leon knew. More than that, he knew that it was irrational to be more concerned for Kratos' life than his own, when Kratos surely saw him as an enemy right now. But his life had already ended, hadn't it? He'd given it up for Marian's sake. What was one more time?

"Your loyalty is appreciated, but I don't need it," Kratos said coldly. "You'd be of no help." This all was his business, and it was his intention to make sure that no one decided to play interloper, lest they get unintentionally wrapped up in the affairs of Cruxis. "I suggest you get a hold of yourself before this devotion leads to your death."

There was a flash of green as Kratos quickly cast First Aid, the mana sweeping over him as it attempted to repair what the Cruxis Crystal had failed to. It would do little, but at the very least the spell would give him the strength he needed to last just one more fight. Lloyd was gone. He could not rely on his emotions any more to ensure his morals' victory; he would throw himself completely into the arms of Cruxis. "My orders were to halt a possible threat to Lord Yggdrasill within this building, and it seems that threat has currently culminated in your group, Miss Sage. Lloyd Irving is beyond my reach, now. Having failed him, I have only one course of action left." Kratos' voice was mechanical, meant to be emotionless, but still there was the unmistakeable note of guilt. "I am sorry, but no one will be leaving any time soon."

A pause. "Double Demon Fang!" He sent the shockwaves at Raine; his previous attacker appeared to be unable to move, meaning that there was no purpose in trying to further ground him.

Raine would have at least tried to explain, but Kratos not giving her that chance wasn't exactly surprising. She had no time to dodge, after all, but she threw her broom up in time to block. It still hurt, especially without even the minor protection that long sleeves provided, but the cuts it gave her would heal quickly enough.

Knowing he needed a moment to recover, Raine backed away and ran as soon as the attack was over. That had backfired spectacularly...

[[Running around the corner to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/304693.html?page=2#comments).]]

Leon laughed softly and shook his head. "You don't make decisions for me, either, Kratos. I act according to my own nature, even here. Especially here." Here, without Hugo to force his hand, Leon could do as he chose. Funny that he still ended up with the same fate, though, even with that freedom.

His good leg growing tired, Leon sat down on the ground quite suddenly--the movement was just barely too controlled to be considered 'falling', but it was close. At least the woman was gone and wouldn't see his weakness displayed so spectacularly.

"So, since I'm not going anywhere and killing me right now would be a waste of energy, tell me about your son. What's he like?" Leon wasn't entirely sure why he cared--Kratos' son was nothing to him, he didn't even know him. But he was... call it 'curious'.

The boy had some nerve.

Kratos, still seething from Raine's escape, swung the Flamberge to rest its tip squarely at Leon's neck. "Why." Obviously it was meant as a question, but he stated it baldly enough to make it sound like an ultimatum. "Give me one reason why I should tell you."

Leon didn't flinch in the slightest, staring up the length of the blade tiredly. "No reason in particular. I've heard that some fathers like to talk about their children, that's all." Pity no one had gotten the sword away from Kratos--it would probably disappear come morning, along with the rest of his gear, now.

A sigh. He didn't have time for this, nor did he have the patience. The Flamberge reared back as Kratos contemplated knocking the young man unconscious right then and there. It would be easy to do so and then move on, all too easy. "I'm not in the mood."

Leon shrugged, sighing a little. "No, I guess you wouldn't be." He wanted to keep Kratos busy until night ran out, but in his current condition there was little he could do but talk. Pity talking had never really been his strong suit, or at least not any kind of civil talking.

Night 30: Main Hallway, 1-East

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