damned_institute | Day 35: Bus 3 (Return Trip)

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Day 35: Bus 3 (Return Trip)

Armand wearily climbed the steps of the bus. He was less tired than cold, but it made his limbs ache. He hoped they'd actually make it back to the Institute before dark this time. He hadn't seen either Citan or Morrison in town, so he kept an eye out for either one climbing back into the bus. He still wondered if Morrison had been able to rest today instead of coming to town. Other than a lunch that he hadn't liked and meeting a new face or two, he wasn't sure at all what he'd gained by the day. Oh well, he was more than used to disappointment and failure.

[waiting for Citan if Fey is backish]

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So what was a man to do after that particularly bewildering conversation? Why, investigate the matter, of course. This strange Phoenix had presented some potentially damning speculations, and if proven true, Kristoph would have to cover beyond what his rival knew. As easy as it was to playing the ignorance card, the act was hardly conducive when it came to Wright. If he faltered, he was bound for trouble later down the line.

Except investigating required, well, other people, which Kristoph found to be solely lacking in Doyleton. Most everyone was away on their own merry adventure, and approaching the few stragglers felt like overexertion. He'd rather his snooping be less conspicuous; the man could not accomplish that by openly throwing questions at strangers. Better to wait for an acquaintance (i.e., Crane) to conveniently pass by.

So when Kristoph spied a pair of men--one familiar, one not--climb into the last bus of the day, he followed after. Despite the distance and the time it took for the former attorney to finally be within their vicinity, a seat was open in front of the two, a fortune he immediately took advantage of. Without so much as a look to either men, Kristoph settled into the vacant seat and feigned unawareness. It would be easier if Crane recognized him first.

Mikami sincerely hadn't noticed that the day was passing so quickly, and yet the sun was already setting and the shops were packing up when a nurse approached and insisted on leading him and his companion back to the park the buses had been parked at. Fortunately, Crane still seemed willing to talk to him, so he obliged the overly-pleasant staff, following the taller man onto the bus and sitting down stiffly next to him.

The "options" Crane presented for getting away from the institute Mikami found very interesting. Although... despite nearly getting murdered in the dark by a madman, he didn't exactly have a legitimate reason for wanting to leave... yet. He knew that Crane was likely referring to their ability to persevere with his last line, but he kept his thoughts on the matter to himself-- there was still a lot he had to learn.

It seemed as though Mikami had chosen to listen in silence. Whether that meant he believed Crane or not, or whether he would listen, remained to be seen. Still, all he could do was warn and potentially ingratiate himself with the other man. Crane decided that this might be the perfect time to draw Kristoph into the conversation. He had noticed the man taking the seat in front of them. It was rather easy to spot the man's hair, but he was uncertain whether or not it was coincidental or planned on Kristoph's part. It wasn't unwelcome, however; in fact, Crane was glad to see that the man had survived his first night. He rather liked him, and it would have been a shame for some of the more pleasant company he'd come across in the Institute to die so soon. What was better was that now Mikami would meet Kristoph, so perhaps they could start their own little circle of sophisticated conversation.

...Actually, why couldn't they? They could even include Vlad from earlier, and combine forces to take on the Institute. None of them seemed terribly strong; after all, Crane was probably the scrawniest out of them, but they did have brains. Having allies who were all allied with each other was very tempting, and something that Crane was more than willing to work towards. He might even be able to get back at Brock and Luffy for last night.

"Mr. Gavin," he spoke up again, looking up at the back of the man's head "it's a pleasure to see you again. I trust you had a pleasant night?" Never let it be said that Crane didn't enjoy a good 'I told you so' every once in a while.

At the call of his name, Kristoph poised his head in the direction of the occupants behind him. All while attempting to appear mildly surprised at, of course. "Mr. Crane," he greeted before offering a nod toward the unknown man. If the snippets of conversation hinted at anything, they were likely acquaintances.

"Pleasant, yes, albeit rather uneventful," continued Kristoph, now twisting his torso around to fully face the men. "I have to admit, you were quite correct on--"

His tone dropped, quite unexpectedly, as the previous overlooked details came into full picturesque view. Crane and his friend were injured, and in a way that made even Kristoph frown upon sight. Though he had no idea when the other man received his, the blonde certainly remembered Crane being in a fairer state only yesterday.

This reason was enough for him to speak up. "Goodness, what happened?"

Mikami was distracted from staring at the seat in front of him when suddenly, Crane greeted the man occupying it. He glanced at his seatmate, then after a moment, the other man, staring over the top of his glasses and waiting patiently as the two exchanged pleasantries.

When the man seemed to finally notice him entirely... well, he was already quite aware that at the moment, he seemed more suited to lying in a hospital bed than sitting in a bus like a child on a field trip. He said nothing at the expression leveled at them. As for the question spoken, he... actually found it surprising nobody had asked him all day. He took a deep breath, glancing away to the front of the bus, and...

...felt the blood drain from his face in an instinctual reaction he wouldn't have ever guessed he'd exhibit.

Immediately, he turned his face away to the side, grabbing at the top of the seat in front of him and leaning over slightly- without thinking of the consequences. He hissed in pain at the sharp objection from the wounds in his side, but remained still, listening intently. Surely, it couldn't be him, right? After several torturous seconds, he risked another glance over the top of the seat and noted Wolverine was sitting down and talking with someone else. It had to be some glorious divine intervention that he hadn't been spotted.

"I believe the man who just sat down several rows up is the one who attacked me last night," he said from behind his teeth, "With claws."

Edited 2008-09-19 03:09 (UTC)

Crane's expression turned rather sour, and he shook his head, indicating it hadn't been anything half as pleasant as Kristoph's night had apparently been. He debated for a moment whether or not to tell them what had happened, then decided that there was little harm in actually doing so. "I was trapped in my room by two patients and mercilessly beaten for the entirety of the night." If Kristoph really wanted the details, then Crane supposed he would provide them, but he didn't particularly care to go about explaining that he had been thrown into a desk, among other things. It had hurt physically, but admitting it also hurt his pride.

...Time to change the subject. There were so many better things to talk about. He was rather curious what Mikami had done back home, since he hadn't yet asked, and Kristoph seemed unfamiliar with his newest acquaintance.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I've been rather rude. Mr. Gavin, this is Mikami Teru," he said, gesturing to the man at his left, only to find Mikami leaning over and turning his face in towards the seat, giving an explanation for his strange behavior. So it was chalked up to fear, then; not that he could particularly blame the man. Last night he'd been rather frightened for his life and well-being, but at least the former had been left to him. Crane cocked an eyebrow, then glanced up over the top of the seat, looking for the man that he was talking about.

He didn't see Brock anywhere on the bus, so was there really another clawed man running around? Looked as though Dr. Landel needed to keep his strange half-human pets in better check. He sighed and looked back at the other two men. "One of the men who assaulted me last night had claws, as well," Crane commented, looking thoughtful. "I don't believe he's on the bus, though. I wonder if they might have been related somehow."

Clawed men or no, this was an unsettling revelation. Kristoph had supposed the night's setup would attract vulgarities, but never had he imagined its effects to be so brutal. And sloppy. They should have at least had the decency of finishing, was the afterthought.

He tried, however, to appear sympathetic, for the sake of the two men before him. Sadly, that meant Kristoph had to keep from prying into the details of Crane's little misadventure and wait for the psychologist to supply the information on his own. That probably was not going to happen.

"How despicable," he stated without the usual amusement.

"Have you not reported this to the staff?" Kristoph continued before turning to Mikami to offer him an acknowledging nod. This man (A foreigner?) actually looked worse off than Crane (It was a wonder he even came on this outing.) but rules of conduct demanded Kristoph mind his own business.

That is, until Mikami pointed out his assailant, a burly sort of thing situated a few seats away. Kristoph cautiously glanced over at the area, noting anything inhuman about the man and his seat partner. Nothing came up.

"Considering human claws are fairly atypical, I would imagine so." As if exasperated, he shook his head gently. "Do you mind telling us what happened, Mr. Mikami?" asked Kristoph.

After several seconds, Mikami's initial reaction was fading, and his usual mental barriers were beginning to lock back into place... his inner voice herding his thoughts into a more orderly fashion. Reason... even if the man in the seat in front was the same one as before, and even if said man saw him, it likely wouldn't matter with all these people around. While in the Sun Room the day before, he'd noticed that the staff didn't stand for violence... at least during the day. And he doubted the staff would care, even if they were made to believe that there were clawed men trying to kill patients while the building was dark.

However... right now, Mikami knew that it was very important to leave a better impression on Crane and Kristoph Gavin. Even if the two of them actually deserved being in a mental institution, he couldn't risk slipping up.... In addition, he owed it to Lord Kira to behave better. Anger was good. Seeming to cower was most definitely not.

He took a deep breath, and released the seat with one hand, although still keeping himself turned slightly away.

"I went to the Sun Room in hopes of gaining more information," he said quietly. "There was a woman there that seemed to need help, and that man... disagreed with my presence when I moved to intervene." He gestured at his left hand with his right, indicating the outline of the metal claws he'd been attacked with, then frowned. "They... might have been knives. I'm not certain."

Crane had to admire Mikami for forcing himself to sit back up straight, and was also rather interested in what happened. He glanced over to Kristoph as Mikami finished up his story, to see if he might be able to form an idea of what the other man might be thinking, but eventually gave up on that. He had the feeling the man would voice a brief opinion on the matter, and not much else.

"I have heard several people mention that other patients have been brainwashed on previous nights and made to attack other patients. Perhaps that is what you stumbled upon, Mr. Mikami." Crane looked thoughtful for a moment, then frowned slightly. "It's not too much different than other monsters, I suppose, but causing a patient like that to run loose...does this doctor really have any idea what he's doing, or is he simply enjoying showing off his toys? He's like a child with a rather bruised ego."

It looked as though the only question that was left unanswered was Kristoph's earlier one.

"As to whether I've reported this...the staff," Crane commented dryly, "is incompetent. Even before I could begin to try and explain this morning, my nurse apparently seemed certain that I had done all this to myself. Either of you are welcome to attempt to make sense of how I could manage all of this on my own, if you really wish to."

Certainly, Crane enjoyed incompetent staff when it was able to secure him more time as a doctor with his own experiments, but he didn't much appreciate it when he was under their supposed 'care'.

Hmm, interesting. Whatever emotion that held Mikami in its grip had now passed, leaving the man less tense and significantly more coherent. "I see," Kristoph answered, offering his new acquaintance a look that spoke of understanding. "Glad he at least left you in one piece." In truth, the former attorney was in awe. Whether faced with claws or knives, this man could have been killed for the kind act. Horribly, even.

Oh, he would never understand these Good Samaritan types.

He then regarded Crane as the other man mentioned the possibility of brainwashing, recalling his previous warning about experimentation in the institute. With sudden curiosity, Kristoph glanced back at the individual purported to be one of the unfortunate subjects, the man responsible for Mikami's injuries. "It does reek of a reckless mind," he agreed, "but it does beg the question, Mr. Crane. And Mr. Mikami, if you happen to know as well. These brainwashing effects, are they long-term? He seems a tad too lucid given what had occurred last night." An possibility was already formulating in the back of his mind, but the man wanted to hear both of their responses.

He would not ask, after all, if he had no need for the answer.

With one arm remaining on the seat and the other with the hand clenched in his lap, Mikami managed to keep his eyes trained on whichever man happened to be speaking at the moment, listening with disdain for the people being discussed.

"I don't know," he responded to Kristoph, sounding a tad distracted. After a moment, however, he turned slightly to look at the blond straight. "But it's my belief, 'brain-washed' or not, with the things he said... the intensity of his behavior, that he can't be entirely without fault. There had to be something 'already there.'"

Crane listened to the other two men and nodded along, although he shook his head once he was asked. "I don't know if the effects are long-term or not, as I've never been under them myself. It might be best to talk to someone who has for that information, or look into experimentation records. However, we share the same belief, Mr. Mikami. I believe it's impossible for someone to be so completely brain-washed if there was not something already there to begin with."

As the bus came to a stop back outside the Institute, Crane thought it might be best to wrap things up. Mikami had mentioned wanting more information, which Crane had, and he needed more allies. It was a long shot, but potentially worth it.

"Well, gentlemen, it seems our time is up for now. However, if you wish, I intend to remain in my room all night. M80. You're welcome to stop by and we can arrange a sort of information exchange." Of course, he was probably holding more than either of the other two men, but he preferred things that way.

Crane gave them a smile, then stood up. "I trust you bear no ill intention. I would be rather disappointed if you did." Of course, he didn't bother to add that they would end up on the same list as the two men from the night before if they did. Before he left, Crane fully intended on getting back at Brock and Luffy for what they had done.

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Day 35: Bus 3 (Return Trip)

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