damned_institute | Nightshift 31: M21-M30 Hallway

Good, he was! She pulled the door open right away, eager to get the both of them inside. "Hi again," Yukari said in greeting. She stepped aside from the doorway, as if giving Ken room to walk in; after all, this was for him. She gestured a hand towards him, continuing on; "This is Ken-kun-- my friend I mentioned to you on the bulletin."

Ken followed closely behind his teammate, remembering at the last moment to shut the door. It wouldn't be wise to leave it open, even for a supposedly short exchange.

In time to Yukari's gesture, the boy offered a short bow, the sort he gave to newly acquainted grown-ups. "Hello," Ken greeted. "It's nice to meet you."

"A pleasure to see you again," Adelheid answered Yukari with a small grin, and he was about to say the same thing... when he saw who had stepped in the door. And while he knew that size did not necessarily equate to power, Ken was... small. And young.

When Adelheid stood up to his full height, he loomed over the boy, and it was obvious in his eyes that he was suddenly doubtful. The spear had been made for him, after all... not for someone a foot shorter and far lighter than himself. "Um... hello there. The spear's in my closet; just mind the cat when you open the door."

He knew it wasn't polite to stare, but he'd never seen a patient so young! It didn't make sense!

Yukari continued to hover by the closed door, clasping her hands behind her back. Watching the two, she didn't find Adelheid's surprise unusual, although it did belatedly hit her that he would be. Even everyone on the team back home had the same sentiments at first, but after working with him for the past few months, they had gotten used to the idea. Ken was better than she initially imagined, to Yukari.

She wasn't sure whether to try to dispel his doubts or not, but she spoke up anyway; "I know, I know," Yukari began in response to Adelheid's reaction. If she sounded too casual about the situation, well, she wouldn't have been able to deny it. "You don't have to worry about him."

Judging from the man's reaction, he obviously had expected Ken to be much...older. And taller. Of course, the boy couldn't blame Adelheid; even he had to admit, he was hardly the epitome of a proper fighter. Kids his age usually weren't into those things outside of video games, if Ken remembered correctly.

He managed a faint smile, trying reassure the doubt he saw in Adelheid's eyes. "Yeah, I'll be fine," replied Ken. The words likely sounded unconvincing, but this was the sort of matter he couldn't justify with talk alone.

Hoping for a change in subject, the boy nodded politely to what he assumed to be their host's closet. "That one, right?"

"...the spear's made of solid iron..." Which led to Adelheid's primary objection; it wasn't anything about 'worry,' just simple physics! It was a solid iron spear made for a guy of Adel's build. Someone of Ken's size wouldn't be able to wield it at all!

And yet neither of them seemed to consider that at all. Yukari seemed quite relaxed about everything, and Ken was just as nonchalant about it. Baffling, really. For the moment, Adel didn't even realize that Yukari was injured; his focus was primarily on the young boy. "Yes, that's my closet."

They normally were, weren't they? Yukari couldn't determine what kind of drawback, if any, that would be. Maybe it was, but that was Ken's forte, not hers.

Without much of a word, Yukari turned her eyes from Adelheid to Ken; she'd leave it up to him to decide whether or not he was capable of using it.

The mention of iron clearly impressed Ken, whose eyes lit up considerably. "Wow. Really?" The best he'd expected was a makeshift spear fixed with a wooden shaft and a sharpened end. Or, if he was lucky, a glass or metal spearhead. Anything beyond that seemed impossible to get a hold of in a mental institution (granted, Landel's wasn't exactly the average institution).

As a result, this revelation was... Well, it felt like the boy had won an incredible prize! A spear drawn from iron would be highly durable and devastatingly powerful. Yes, it would also be a tad bit heavier than expected, but he'd handled those before. Ken was honestly more concerned about its height (It could not go unnoticed that Adelheid was a tall guy.) and the resulting miscalculation he'd have to accommodate lest it lead to collateral damage.

Nevertheless, the boy had to see this weapon. He stepped over to closet and--remembering there was a cat about--cautiously slid the door open. As promised, there stood the spear in question. Wasting no time, Ken reached out with both hands and took hold of its shaft, testing the weight and balance as pulled the weapon into the main room. Those observing might suspect he was handling nothing more than a plastic pole from the way it easily shifted into his hands.

Edited 2008-04-27 22:11 (UTC)

Tyche bolted out of the closet as a bolt of black fur and kitten fury, bounding onto the bed and curling up affectionately next to Adelheid's thigh. Even a cat, the most notoriously fickle of animals, knew where to go when it needed attention. Which Adelheid provided absently, running his calloused fingers through silky fur without even looking down.

No, his crimson eyes were focused entirely on Ken Amada. His gaze was unblinking, like that of a serpent, and again, he focused his mind on understanding. There was no physical way for a boy so small to wield the heavy iron spear, let alone so easily. So then, there had to be some kind of explanation. Some kind of energy, something that his eyes could understand...

...but what he saw baffled him. Most ki flowed through the body like water, with channels that could be seen and disrupted by those with the proper training. Ken Amada had nothing of the sort. No, his 'energy'- though that too was a misnomer, a placeholder word Adelheid put in until he knew more- came from deeper than that, and seemed to radiate rather than flow. It was very baffling to the young German, who stared even as he spoke. "I see that you truly won't have many problems. However... may I ask how you can do so?"

Despite being warned of it beforehand, Yukari made a startled jump when she spotted the cat running out so quickly. It was, however, an unexpected move; she rolled her eyes at herself, bringing a hand up to her chest and let out a slightly annoyed breath. She had better not start becoming so paranoid about things darting out of nowhere, she told herself, although after the last two nights when things did (and attacked!), it was hard not to be cautious.

The door was closed. It was just a cat. Why be cautious in here, now?

Yukari looked back up, once again watching the two in front of her. Adelheid was suspicious, that much was obvious, and it became clearer once he asked his question. "How?" she blurted out unintentionally, and immediately threw a hand up to her lips. "Er... never mind."

Awkwardly, she lowered her head. Yukari was reluctant to explain much at all, and hoped Adelheid wouldn't inquire too much about them. The answer wasn't some horrible secret, but everyone else who didn't know... never should, right?

Maybe she should have thought this all out better.

If not for the preoccupation with the spear, the boy might have spared the cat a thought or two. Animals bordering normality was supposedly a strange concept at night so seeing the kitten should have been a big deal. Instead, he merely blinked as it scurried across his path and out of his mind, finally settling at Adelheid's side.

Ken's attention, however, did not stray far, interrupted by a vague sense of self-consciousness. Something had caught the attention of their benefactor, whose eyes never left the child, and although Ken generally was not one to shrink under a scrutinizing look, even he felt uneasy. He thought he had done wrong in picking up the weapon, but despite his best intentions, the boy could not understand why. Had Adelheid meant another one?

Unfortunately, the real reason further complicated the issue. He knew, or at least suspected; honestly, Ken should have seen the question from the start. They'd kind of given themselves away, what with the hints and assurances about how he could handle a heavy iron spear. Sure, such talk wouldn't have registered for the average individual, but by now, the boy was pretty sure Adelheid did not fall into that category. They had been careless.

"Uh... Well..." He looked between the two, uncertainty etched in his eyes. Mitsuru had explicitly stated not to talk about their powers to outsiders, and though neither she nor Akihiko was around, Ken could not bring himself to break that order. Especially when Yukari--the unspoken leader of the duo--brushed off the topic.

Think, Amada. Think. "I-It's difficult to explain," Ken said finally. A poor choice of words, but hopefully, it got the point across.

Hm. Both of the two were worried and uncertain, and neither were interested in explaining themselves. This told Adelheid a great deal; namely, that Yukari knew- and probably possessed- the same power Ken had, that they were in communication about it, and that they had some reason to wish to avoid speaking of their powers even to someone who had done the 'impossible' and provided a spear for them in the Institute.

Being who he was, this only made Adelheid more curious about the two of them.

The tallest of the three gently petted Tyche one last time, then he eased himself up to his full height, towering over both of them. His unblinking gaze shifted from Ken to Yukari, and then back again... then he closed his eyes, and a faint smile appeared on his face. Really, this was getting rather silly, wasn't it? Without the intensity of before, the German ran his hand through his hair and softly said, "If you'd rather not explain, then I understand. However, before then, there are two things you should know. The first is that I already have a guess. I've made my living knowing how other people utilize their strengths."

"The second is tied into the first." With a quiet hiss of indrawn breath, Adelheid focused his own energy, letting it stream down his left arm and into the palm of his hand, then out. A shield of energy, bright blue in color, blazed to life; the boy's face was cast into sharp relief by this, his eyes gleaming with the unnatural light. "I'm not entirely human, myself, and I've fought against everything from psychic powers to demonic possessions. Compared to that, how bad can it be for you?"

It was almost embarrassing being cornered like this-- or maybe Adelheid was using how big he was on purpose (polite and generous or not, there was no way he never used that to his advantage often). Deciding what to say to get them in the clear was hard to come up with, they had never actually thrown anyone into suspicion. When you operated during an hour the rest of the world doesn't experience, that much was easy.

He was perceptive, Yukari had to give him that much. It wasn't until he started to focus on his left hand that she lifted her eyes again. "Huh?" she blinked, eyebrows raised, staring just as curiously as he had done to them... when suddenly, a blue... something flashed right in front of him. Her eyes got wide seconds after it appeared, glancing at Ken for a brief moment as if she were expecting him to have some sort of explanation for this.

"W- wha-- you--" Yukari stammered before she could sort out her thoughts; what was that? The only power she knew existed was that of a Persona, but Adelheid didn't use an Evoker, so that idea flopped before it could even be considered for a few reasons (and inquiring after being told of monsters and someone who could use Dia spells, of all things, came out negative, she had pretty much given up on asking if they knew about them, too-- it would she rare if anyone did). "Not human...?" Forget what he did, that bit was a new one to her.

On top of that, Yukari refrained from answering his last question. She frowned a little, somewhat annoyed that he could so easily downplay what they had to go through. Though, it wasn't like Adelheid knew-- although with that display, it meant he wanted to. It was like he was used to people having weird powers. What the heck should she do now?

His height was indeed imposing, and the boy found himself at a complete loss of words. Not due to fear, no... Intimidation aside, Adelheid didn't seem like that type of person. At least, not without proper provocation. Plus, he had offered them a spear--a remarkable one, no less--without ever really knowing who Ken and Yukari were.

And there lay the crux. If Adelheid could trust them enough with his weapon, the least they could do was provide a more substantial answer. The fact they still couldn't tugged at the boy's conscience. Guilt, really, was keeping Ken Amada silent.

Though, that quickly changed at the existence of a guess. "Utilize their strengths?" he repeated, throwing a curious look. Ken couldn't say he had any idea on what Adelheid meant; actually, the boy was tempted to call it a bluff. But if it indicated he knew more about them than he was letting on, perhaps there could be an exception. Or a compromise.

Ken eyed the older male's hand as he waited to see exactly how the second fit. A flash of blue--one akin to Nemesis' flame--jerked him out of his thoughts, and his expression of curiosity shifted to amazement. This was... He couldn't say what this was. Obviously not a Persona. If Ken took Adelheid's words to heart, not entirely human, either.

What did that leave? Was it enough for an answer on their part? Ken returned his teammate's glance, not knowing how to react.

Adelheid gazed from one to the other, and he tried not to let his frustration show through his eyes. He couldn't do that too often, and while he'd succeeded in shocking them, it hadn't quite jarred loose any information that he'd wished to obtain. Only more questions about himself, and the clock was ticking ever onward. He couldn't keep trying... and something was telling the German that it wasn't rudeness which stilled their tongues. Whatever the mystery was, clearly it was important.

But so too, in his inestimable opinion, was Adelheid himself.

He said nothing as he clenched his left hand into a fist, and the energy suddenly dissipated as though it had never been, again leaving the room in its usual gloom. He kept that fist closed- he didn't want them realizing what it cost to use his power- and instead reached beneath the bed for his rapier. Then he quietly started cutting down the cast again, working in silence to free his leg.

Only after a few seconds passed did he speak again. "In my world, what you saw is common enough to be considered boring, and I could utilize it as often as I pleased without a problem. The energy my techniques draws upon is called 'ki', and it flows through channels in the body like a river. For as long as I can remember, I've been trained to trace such lines, to discover how my opponents fight so I can defeat them quickly. As I discovered other kinds of power, I adapted that skill to a more general basis."

He glanced up from beneath his long blond bangs, his eyes focused more on Ken than on Yukari. "When you use that spear, your muscles alone aren't providing enough power. There's something else aiding you; from inside of you, if I had to guess. Somewhat like ki in principle, though your power doesn't flow like mine does. It's not exactly like anything I've experienced in my world, but it shares some similarities with a few individuals I've seen."

Then he looked back down, ripping at the cast with his one good hand after putting his rapier aside. That way he didn't have to look at them and be confronted with that enigmatic power he wanted to understand. Nor would he have to explain his comment about not being human; not until some sort of compromise was reached, at least. "As I said, if you don't wish to explain, then I will respect your wishes. But in my world, powers such as these are commonplace. I only ask because I'm curious, and because it's in my nature to understand what I see; not for any other reason."

When Adelheid sat, Yukari had the feeling she'd done something wrong. People only went quiet like that when they were getting less than desirable results, which was probably the case now. He wanted to know about their power, but could they really say? If they could, Yukari was hesitant to trust him with such knowledge; maybe it was dumb not to, with where they were at, as Adelheid was as much of a victim as they were. Plus, he was being awfully generous, too. But when only a month prior (for them) did nothing good come out of one of their fellow S.E.E.S. members admitting their powers to a girl he had only recently met... No, that was dumb, too-- by now, Adelheid couldn't be an enemy.

She was beginning to feel awfully conflicted about this.

Then he did speak up again, and although it only raised more questions for her, Yukari refrained from asking any of them. The biggest was that 'other world' topic again... He, too, mentioned from being elsewhere entirely, and although Yukari couldn't bring herself to fully believe that-- not until she understood it was well as someone could-- if at least four different people had brought it up as well, she had to start considering it as a possibility.

If he was used to weird abilities, then... Her inner conflicts were obvious by the awkward expression on her face. Adelheid had nearly pinpointed it-- the only thing he hadn't guessed was what exactly their power was called.

Yukari pulled her arms behind her back again, her thumb teasing the switch on the flashlight she held. "Well..." she began, slowly and unsure, eventually pulling her eyes up from the floor to the younger boy. "Ken-kun?" she ended, as if passing the baton over to him. If anyone was going to start revealing information, if at all, about him, she'd leave it to Ken himself.

Remarkable. Adelheid had done precisely as he said: he basically pinned the origin of Ken's strength. All he lacked was a name, which didn't count in the long run. Names were arbitrary matters to begin with.

Ken ran a free hand over his mouth as a quiet resolution fell over the boy's mind, one that was confirmed when Yukari verbally nudged him forward. It would not hurt either of them to confirm the guy's statement, especially when he had offered so much information concerning his own power (not to mention, his world). Their senpai may have been explicit, but as long as the two avoided the why, Ken should be all right to talk.

This had better not come back to haunt them later.

"You're right, Adelheid-san," he spoke softly, bringing his eyes to the ground. "Closer than I expected, actually. Something is helping me lift this spear." The boy let out a slow exhale, as if fumbling for words. "I'll admit I honestly don't have much of an idea about this as I'd like. And we're under...obligations to keep quiet on the subject if possible." This was one of those situations where the "if" did not apply.

Where to begin? "The power you're detecting is what we call a Persona," Ken continued, trying to recall what Ikutsuki would say. (Minus the puns. The boy wasn't cruel.) "You can say they're a manifestation of our minds...or souls, either works. All I know is my Persona is a part of me and given the time and situation, we can affect each other."

He paused as another thought came to him. "I can't demonstrate the extent outside of wielding a spear, though." The boy sighed, almost mournfully.

Edited 2008-05-02 03:10 (UTC)

The German listened quietly and attentively, not saying a word as Ken explained himself. More than that, however, he watched; his gaze could be almost unnerving when he was focused, unblinking and unwavering as he took both of them in. Yet that was just how he was, when he was confronted with something he wished to understand.

What worried Adelheid was that the power they were describing wasn't too dissimilar from his own heritage. Orochi granted power to all of his lineage, but in exchange, his hissed voice was always in their thoughts. Some, like Adelheid, fought it; others, like his uncle and mother, embraced it. All of them were affected by it. He doubted it was exactly the same, but in a vague and general level, there was a parallel.

Ken fell silent, and Adel too was quiet for awhile. All of their powers were greatly weakened, but judging from what Ken could do even in that state, these Persona were extremely powerful. Perhaps, though Adelheid hated to think it, more powerful than himself. That kind of power always came with a cost... in the end, the boy quietly muttered, "I shouldn't take up any more of your time tonight, but I did want to ask one more question of both of you. If you don't wish to answer, I'll understand."

However, the question still needed to be asked, and Adelheid was completely serious as he spoke. "...did you wish to have these 'Persona,' back in your world?" Strange to be asked, perhaps, but for Adelheid it was an extremely important point.

Yukari made a surprised blink at Ken as he explained; she hadn't actually expected him to say that much about his-- and her-- power, though in retrospect, that was about as basic as you could get. Personas had never been a simple topic to discuss, at least, to her.

She wasn't sure how to break the silence when it rose. It felt strange in itself that they were explaining this to someone outside of S.E.E.S., and now that they did, Yukari wasn't sure how to feel about it. Although it wasn't only hers to hold, she wasn't one to spill her secrets, especially not to someone she was newly acquainted with. This situation was different though, wasn't it?

And then he asked. It was strange-- why did it matter? The second unusual thing about it was nobody had ever asked such a thing. The obvious answer was no, because as far as Yukari knew, you weren't aware of it until it awoken. However, after that... did one wish to keep it? She would have been lying if she ever denied her doubts at first.

There never was a definite yes or no, just a vast gray area with far too many mixed feelings jumbled within it. She could say no, because the idea of fighting monsters on a near nightly basis in a giant labyrinth at first? Wasn't exactly anything she ever wanted to do. Even as she did it, she never liked it. On the other hand... without gaining her Persona, Yukari might have never unraveled the truth behind her father's mysterious death. No one without one would ever know about the Dark Hour's existence nor the Shadows, and it was some sort of horrible yet miraculous coincidence that he happened to be one of the major reasons behind them. All she wanted was the truth, and gaining her power brought her one step closer to that.

"I didn't wish for it," Yukari finally answered; at first, her voice continued to be unsure, but as she spoke further it became more firm. "I don't think any of us did, I didn't even know I had one until the signs hit, but..." She paused briefly, taking in a breath. "If I had the choice, I still wouldn't give it up. There's something I have to fight for."

Plain and simple. Surely Adelheid would understand that.

Unsure of how Yukari thought of his explanation, Ken shot her an apologetic look. Maybe he should have waited for a verbal confirmation, but it was too late now; he'd already given his explanation. If something bad came out of this, the blame would be solely on the boy's shoulders.

Strangely, Ken did not mind so much. Perhaps he'd subconsciously wished for the outcome since the subject was brought up. Who could say?

That, however, ceased to bear any significance once Adelheid brought up his next question.

In contrast to Yukari, who grew decidedly more confident in her answer, Ken fell into uncertainty. Oh, she was right in that they hadn't asked for a Persona. He couldn't argue that point. The ability was innate... One dealt with it much like life: you either accepted or ignored it. But this was hardly the issue.

Ken once said he knew why he was granted the power. Now, the reason was gone, buried beneath a marker on the outskirts of Iwatodai. Although he could have nodded to his teammate's words for convenience's sake, the boy couldn't bring himself to lie. Instead, he pulled the spear closer to his body and kept silent, unwilling to glance at either occupant in the room.

Once more, Adelheid learned a great deal from what was said. 'Any of us'? That meant that there were others with Persona from their world; enough that they were organized into recognizing 'signs' and someone could give orders that others would obey. And from the way that both of the two looked at each other, neither was that person. Were they lost then? ...Adelheid could understand that.

Just as he could understand Ken's reluctance and Yukari's feelings. In a way, he shared them; he didn't want the power he had, but during his time in the Institute, he'd learned that they were needed. And yet he still feared them... in the end, he quietly smiled and finished ripping off his cast, leaving it on the bed as he started stretching his leg.

"I won't ask any more, then; I thank you both for being so forthright with me. There's only so much time we have tonight, and I'm sure both of you have other things to do. However, Yukari... if we could meet up at breakfast, I would appreciate it. You're welcome to join us if you wish, Ken." Of course, if they had things they'd wish to ask him, either now or then, Adelheid would answer... but if not, then the night was too precious to waste. And now Adelheid had a much better picture of who he had made a deal with... so much different than Homura and his ilk.

Watching Ken's silent response only made her heart twist, even if Yukari only had a very vague idea of what he could be thinking. Their team had a common goal to reach, but everyone had their different reasons for fighting. His reaction made her wonder... What reason did Ken have now? After recent events, was he even willing anymore?

He'll be all right, she told herself. It wouldn't help matters any if this was looked at in a negative way.

With a nod, she opted to move on. "Alright," Yukari agreed. "I'll save whatever else for the morning then. Sorry to take up so much of your time." Out of politeness, she folded her hands in front of her and made a quick bow of her head. "Thank you for helping us."

The conversation was now winding down, much to the boy's relief. With some effort, he lifted his eyes toward Adelheid. "Sure," he answered softly. "I'll stop by." Not that he had anywhere to be at breakfast or anything.

"Yes, thank you, Adelheid-san." In time to Yukari, Ken bowed his head in thanks, albeit it was difficult with a weapon in his hands. "I promise to take good care of your spear." No losing it to a giant spider this round; he'd die first.

Adelheid gently picked up Tyche and returned her to the closet, with a whispered admonition for her to stay put. Not that any kitten would deign to listen to a human being, but it made Adelheid feel a little bit better, at least. So far she'd remained safe over several nights, and if Adelheid had his choice, she'd stay that way. Of course, the kitten wasn't the only one that needed admonishing.

As Adelheid picked up his rapier, he glanced at Ken with a slight smile. "I appreciate that, but you should take care of yourself as well. I can always make another spear- I might do so anyway, if that one's too cumbersome for you. Healing, however, isn't something I can do." It was an obvious, glaring deficiency in his repertoire. He could make weapons, he could defend himself or attack... but once the damage was done, he was as weak as anyone else. Before, in his world, it hadn't been such a concern. Here? If he could only manage some kind of healing, everyone would be that much better off.

Ah well. No point in moping about what he didn't have. Adelheid took the flashlight as well, then raised his rapier in a salute before leaving the room himself. He knew he didn't have much time; which meant that he was going to be going as fast as he possibly could.

((Going to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/333472.html), and onward!))

[moving here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/333472.html?thread=27778976#t27778976) ~~after 10 years hurr~~.]

Nightshift 31: M21-M30 Hallway

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22

Re: M22