damned_institute | Nightshift 31: M1-10 Hallway

This other Colonel seemed just as polite and proper as he sounded on the bulletin. He was kind of handsome, too! It was a shame she couldn't stick around and get to know him better.

Anise entered the room once she had been invited to do so, setting the pillowcase down at the requested spot. She faced the Colonel attentively as he spoke to her, replying with a less-than-enthused, "Okay, I will," much like a child who had just been reminded of her homework. Admittedly, she was pretty curious about what her friends were up to, though. She and the Colonel couldn't be the only ones getting things done!

Her enthusiasm returned as she made her way back to the entrance, stopping at the doorway and turning to face the two men with her bright smile. "I better getting going, huh? Hee hee. I'll see you both later!" She gave them a two-fingered salute, hardly the sort used in the Oracle Knights - or in any army she knew of - but it was cuter that way, she thought. And the cuteness of the gesture was all that truly mattered!

With that, she took off into the hallway to rejoin her teammates for the night.

[Baaack here]

"The others"? With the way Jade was speaking, it certainly seemed like he and Anise knew each other. Roy nodded in thanks as the girl left as quickly as she came, feeling a little guilty for sending someone so young out into the dangers of the institute's hallways at night. Then again, it seemed that she would be venturing out regardless of what hand he had in it, so at least this way she had some direction.

Once she was gone, Roy drew forward to close the door, catching a few snippets of conversation from the group outside. He imagined that Axel would be able to keep the children in check, and hopefully he wouldn't fault him too much for inadvertently landing him a babysitting job.

There wasn't much he could do about that at the moment, however. He turned back to Jade, another restrained smile touching his lips. "The two of you know each other, then?" He might as well get some more information on this other colonel, and find out why he was consorting with young girls.

"Goodbye Anise," Jade practically sang out. "Please don't inconvenience me by getting yourself killed."

With the charismatic teen having finally strode out the room, the Colonel watched as Roy closed the door, cutting off whatever conversation had been looming about outside.

Of course he wasn't surprised to hear Roy inquire about his 'unique' relationship with Anise. It did seem rather suspicious when taken out of context, didn't it? But Jade certainly had nothing to hide about the matter, and this was clearly evident when he answered the latter's question without hesitation.

"Yes, she - along with seven others, including myself - all come from the same world. You can say that we're all comrades of war, though I wouldn't be the first to admit how vibrant our group truly is." As such, he'd been hoping that Guy would miraculously appear to continue where he left off. Yet since such a feat would prove to be improbable Jade chose to keep his explanations relatively simple for the time being.

That was how it went, then? Roy couldn't say he was too surprised. It sounded at least somewhat similar to his own situation, and he knew that when it came to things like war, the most unalike people would end up as close comrades.

He nodded, not knowing that there was much more to be said on the subject. With everything so quiet now, and that sense that he should be out and doing something, he wasn't entirely sure what to say next.

Some explanation would be a good start, of course. "The patient who I'm making a weapon for tonight will hopefully be dropping by with the necessary materials. That way you can see a transmutation in action, which would be a good start to understanding the process." It would require a lot more work than that, of course, but the man at least needed a baseline to work off of.

"I see. Well then, it's always nice to have a visual aid for reference." Jade had no qualms with taking the backseat for now, especially since attempting to perform this 'transmutation' himself would simply be a waste of energy on the first night. He wasn't ashamed to admit his ignorance; that was why he was here, after all.

"Would you mind explaining to me how you perform this ritual?" He inquired. "That way it may prove easier for me to pick up the steps when I actually see it."

As he spoke the Colonel had produced his notebook from the hem of his pants, pulling out a pen from his pocket and set them both next to the pair of pipes.

It was difficult to explain how alchemy was done in only a few words, but Roy had been forced to attempt it enough times that he thought he might be able to manage. Before saying anything, however, he went over to his desk and looked into the drawer, grabbing a few scraps of paper before heading over to Jade.

"The first thing you'll need to do is make one of these," he said, offering the papers to the other man. They were a few of the arrays he had drawn when making weapons over the past few nights -- a lot of them looked similar since he was usually making very similar items (swords), but there were small differences depending on the amount of metal being used and the size of the weapon being made.

He was about to launch into further explanation, since he doubted Jade would be able to make much of the sketches on his own, but it was at that point that his radio spurted into life on his desk. He certainly hadn't been expecting that (the radio man was allegedly dead, after all), but it wasn't his voice that was heard.

"So this is his replacement," he remarked, more to himself. And the woman the Head Doctor had been damning earlier in the night. With this in mind, it seemed like he could still send patients off on radio duty, as she was even being kind enough to toss out clues. It was something he would have to keep in mind when he put the assignments together tomorrow.

Ah, what were these? Jade carefully took hold of the notes that Roy had produced from his desk, examining and dissecting them to the best of his abilities. It would make sense that some sort of blueprint was required, though he was pulled away from his thoughts when Roy's radio came to life. The Colonel listened intently to the long-winded announcement, quirking an eyebrow amusedly when it finally died off.

'A shame that they'd waste a perfectly good cadaver like that' was what Jade had in mind of saying, but not just yet. The important thing was that they still managed to retain a connection with the outside world. In fact, with the way the woman sounded, there seemed to be a plethora of rebels that were lined up behind one another and took their turn in accordance to when the one before them dies.

"I'm sure the others would have the right mind to go after these clues if any one of them brought a radio along." Which was doubtful in many aspects, but that didn't exempt it all together.

"As you were saying?"

"They probably didn't, considering it would have been extra weight that they didn't need." There was a small chance one of them had taken their radio along on a fluke, but he wouldn't have counted on it. He could only hope that the missions he had sent Hughes, Axel, and the others on would be at least mildly successful.

Drawing himself from his thoughts, he looked back to Jade. "Drawing arrays isn't easy, and I'm not quite sure how to teach you the principles behind how to make them, but to continue with the general explanation..." He drew forward and carefully took one of the sheets of paper from the other colonel.

"You take the metal - as much as you need to make the weapon, or at least a close estimate; always use more than you need since you don't want to fall short - and then arrange it over the array. Then activate the array by touching it, and that will start the transmutation. With the help of the array, you should be able to use your own energy to force the metal into its proper shape. Here, it will take a lot out of you," he warned, though he imagined Jade had already expected that.

While Roy explained the purpose of these arrays, Jade paid great attention to the various details each one possessed. He would've favored at least a book of basics along with this demonstration, but he wasn't exactly alienated from the idea of using various symbols as a medium for some enhanced ability. There were several differences between the both of them, but as long as there was a connection then the rate of success of crossing from one to the other was moderate to high.

"Would you mind if I copied these down for my own reference?" He would've been a fool not to notice the similar patterns in several of them. If he could decipher what each one meant through the weapon they created, then that would certainly make the whole process much easier.

"Not at all," Roy responded, knowing that those arrays were hardly innovative, and there was no need to keep them secret. The one that he had carved into his hand - his signature symbol - was another matter, but Jade hadn't asked to learn offensive alchemy.

"It might help if you knew which one made what," he added, drawing closer so that he could take the papers back for a moment. He went through each one, explaining the sort of weapon that each had helped make so that the other man might have a better idea of the concepts that went into drawing them.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity given to him, Jade took notes on each array Roy pointed out, writing nearly as fast as it took the other colonel to speak. By the fourth or fifth circle he was gradually picking up the more minute details of each array, asking every now and then how one line helped build up the weapon into its present shape.

Jade set his notebook down once Roy finished his explanation, readjusting his glasses as he glanced over at the imaginary clock hanging on one side of the wall.

"Was there a scheduled time in which your 'customer' was supposed to arrive?"

((From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/336340.html?thread=27654612) ))

In a ~~dramatically appropriate~~ ironic turn of events, it was at that time that Xigbar found the first room of the hallway and knocked on it with the two bats he held in his hand. It was at roughly this point that Xigbar wished he could just teleport wherever he wanted, but he doubted he could go quite that far. Aggravating, really; but hey, bow time!

"Roy! Can I come in?" Which, as it was Xigbar, served really only as a warning; as soon as he asked, the Nobody shifted the bats into the crook of his bare arm and against his torso before he opened the door, proceeding to waltz right in as though he owned the place. Or at least, as though he wasn't going to leave until he got what he want. Two bats and a soccer net; not quite what Xigbar would've anticipated, but so it went. And there was a ~~strangely pretty~~ different person as well... huh. "Man, you wouldn't believe what I went through to get these things!"

Oh god, finally there. Which, of course, allowed to the Gambler to finally lean himself against the doorframe and ~~die of exhaustion~~ rest. So much as he put up a front of calm, the men in the room would most likely leave him to himself.

The timing on that was near-perfect, and Roy hardly had a chance to respond before he turned to the opening door. "II" wasn't quite what he was expecting, though he did sympathize with the fact that he had an eye patch. Roy knew what that was like, even if his situation had since been changed.

"I hope it wasn't too much effort," he responded, moving over to his customer for the night. He had gotten here in one piece, so he knew it couldn't have been too bad. He felt some amount of guilt at sending people into danger to get the supplies necessary for their weapons, but there wasn't much else he could do.

He noticed the supplies the man was carrying, surprised to see that it wasn't quite what they had discussed over the board.

My, my. He truly did know what to say at the right time, didn't he? But Jade already knew of the appalling amount of talent he held, and as such was old news to him. At the moment he was more curious about the newcomers that entered the room, twisting his body until he was now facing them. He stole a quick glance at the meager supplies before offering his usual smile.

Jade was only there to witness Roy’s alchemy in action, and thus saw no need to add into the conversation. For now anyway.

"Heck, I've had worse. Just didn't want to risk time running out while I was wandering around doing my thing." Which was a valid concern, in Xigbar's opinion. Roy had made it clear he wanted things done in that night's time, which meant rushing. Heck, there was still the risk that it'd be light's out before he got his bow.

Which wouldn't be forgivable.

Upon seeing Roy's surprise, Xigbar shrugged and offered the equipment to him. "Nylon's stronger'n cotton, and I didn't wanna risk going to the Arts 'n' Crafts room. Think this'll work anyway?"

Luxord was as Jade then, merely there to watch. He crossed his arms over his chest and kept quiet- a first for him, really.

Glad to see that no one seemed to want to generate any unnecessary conversation (they were on a time limit, after all), Roy nodded in understanding as he carefully took the materials from the stranger. "You obviously know more than I do. I can't say I've ever used a bow."

He set the equipment down carefully on the floor before he moved back to his desk to get his journal, along with a pen. "The bats will be used for the wood part, then?" he asked while flipping through the pages and pulling out the sketch II had drawn for him when he had first made his request.

He drew back toward Jade, imagining that he could gain some knowledge from watching him draw the array. "Something along these lines, right?" he asked his customer, offering him the sketch. He wanted to be sure before he started drawing.

Though he decided to keep quiet throughout Roy's little demonstration, this didn't mean he was also going to sit still. With pen and notebook already at hand, Jade also waited for the other man's approval so he could add another array to his growing collection.

"Well yeah, something like that." Xigbar fought the urge to go 'duh' immediately afterwards. If a Nobody asked for something to be made in a certain way, then it was to be expected for that thing to be made that way! But Roy was making a bow, so Xigbar was gonna play nice. Even if it wasn't a bowgun or his beloved gunarrows, it was still better than a pokeball when it came to doing damage.

...still, he really wanted to quip about the obvious part. Nah, he wanted the nylon to be used for the wood part and the bats for the string!

Ah well. In his mind he could make those cracks, and that was the important thing. "Be sure to keep the wood nice 'n' thick like in the drawing, yeah? Don't want it snapping like a twig when I'm shooting. But not so thick that it's not bendy."

Luxord was trying, of course, not to laugh at how the conversation sounded out of context. It was a bit immature of him, but as his demeanor held the same, studious look it normally held, who would call him out on it? No one- that's who.

And would they hurry up by now? It was beginning to waste his Time, that was abundantly clear.

Nodding at the other's requests, Roy took to drawing. The arrays didn't have to be too complicated, luckily, so it didn't take very long. He made sure to lift his arm slightly so that Jade could watch as he sketched, though once he was done he didn't hesitate to head over to where he had left the materials on the floor.

It was a little strange having such a large audience (usually there were one or two people watching, but three?), but he imagined that it was quite the spectacle for those who weren't used to alchemy.

Setting down the piece of paper, he pulled the bats and the nylon slightly onto it before taking a deep, clearing breath. With that, he leaned forward and set both hands down on the paper, initiating the transmutation.

It was a little different from the more yellow light he had been seeing as of late (a little darker), while making all of those swords, and he had to strain himself more than usual in order to reshape the wood into the curved form of a bow. He could only hope that he had it right, having to go by how he knew they looked rather than focusing on the logistics, since it wasn't something he knew about. He also made sure to form the nylon, and even used his alchemy to string the bow, leaving it fully finished once he was done and had pulled away.

He felt a stirring nausea in his stomach from the exertion, and the sweat was pouring down his forehead as usual. He lifted his arm up gingerly to wipe it off and then leaned back until he was sitting, his breathing uneven. He didn't know if he had it in him to make any arrows at the moment.

The moment Roy lifted his arm Jade wasted no time copying the array the latter was drawing, making sure to leave notes off to side about the type of weapon being produced. When that was over he quickly flipped to a blank sheet, keeping his pen hovered over the paper as he watched the other set the materials on the floor.

Jade kept his eyes on this 'conversion' of sorts, making note of Roy's posture and the length of time that it took as he scribbled his notes down. As usual, there wasn't much that needed to be said. He'd hold off his questions until after the other two left.

Xigbar whistled as he saw the light show, quite impressed to be honest. Strange to see so much power left to someone around that place, but heck, Xigbar could do some nifty things himself, so perhaps it wasn't so strange. More important thing was that he might just have a workable bow.

The Nobody knelt down and took the bow in his hands, his one eye narrowed as he scrutinized the work. No warps or imperfections, nice thick material, and designed exactly as Xigbar had wanted it. Mm, perhaps a little too thick... The Freeshooter pulled the string back and let it go, his pointed ears carefully tuned to the twanging sound. The string was definitely good to go, a nice echoing sound just peachy for what Xigbar wanted. Good stuff!

"Great stuff! ...huh, though. Silly me, forgot to get something for the arrows. Mind if we try that tomorrow?" Which translated, in Xigbar-speak, to something akin to, "You're beat and probably don't want to admit it, so how about a nice face-saving excuse for a rest?" The fact that Xigbar even bothered to offer something like that showed how happy he was to finally, finally, have a bow. Well, that, and the wide grin plastered all over his face.

Had he the jealousy in him, he would have glared at the alchemist for holding onto such power, even if it had drained him as such. Instead, Luxord merely glanced at II with his continuing 'blank-stare' theme as if waiting for the signal to get up and leave.

The thought of running back outside for an encore of the night's performance made the Gambler wince internally. If Xigbar wished to repeat himself the next night, so be it, but X would kindly decline.

Nightshift 31: M1-10 Hallway

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