damned_institute | Day 21

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Day 21 - Sun Room

Ichigo was only too eager to leave the cafeteria and its fresh memories behind when the softened chime of the intercome rang clear. What had begun as another ordinary meal, a rather agreeable one despite the lack of the proper utensils, quickly became somewhat unnerving. His conversation with...what was his name again?...took so many sharp turns, he should've felt dizzy. It was easy to feel a little sorry for the guy, though; surrounded by stangers in a very strange place, it was hard to blame him for being so alarmed.

The Sun Room occurred as a more enjoyable choice to spend the time; he had nothing against music, but something about being surrounded by some of the most unruly characters he'd ever met, each of them armed with cacophonous weaponry, didn't sound smart. Once his nurse departed, the young man picked out a cozy little spot near a flood of sunshine and settled in, cradling his head in the palms of his hands. There, he stared up almost bitterly at the ceiling with sharply focused eyes, still exuding the same unapproachable sense of being as ever.

The room was warm, even a little comforting, for any of the tired, weary masses found in Landel's halls, or even those who just craved a little peace and quiet. All he could hear, from end of the room, were soft footfalls and hushed voices. That sounded just fine to the 'berry head.

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...oh come on, like that was going to stop the Nobody? He just grinned, kicking up his feet and lounging; at this rate, he was going to either take a snooze if it got too boring, or bother the ever-living daylights out of the Jedi until something happened. Either way, really.

"Still waiting for my 'I told you so,'" he added after a second, "or do you still not think that time's all screwy here? 'sides, you can take a nap at night if you really want to, this is important."

Was he seriously still talking to him? Obi-Wan took in another deep breath as the scarred man's voice filtered into his mind, rattling his concentration. The Jedi had a feeling this man wasn't going to let him alone. It was probably best to get any discussion with him out of the way before trying to do any serious meditation.

After a moment, Obi-Wan opened his eyes and turned his gaze onto the other prisoner. His expression was fairly neutral, save for the faintest trace of a frown on his face.

"Can I help you?"

Yep, still talking; nothing on earth, or heaven, or hell, could get Xigbar to shut his mouth for more than five minutes at a time. And now Obi-Wan was the individual ~~unlucky enough~~ to be blessed with more discourse than one man could possibly handle.

Lucky, lucky him.

And just getting the man to stop meditating, when before he'd obviously wanted to not bother, was a triumph, however small. It made Xiggy grin. "Yeah, I think you can. See, you were the one with the killin' machine on a leash, which makes you a VIP around here. So I was wondering if you had any juicy gossip to share with another poor patient who wants to get home to his family."

Why not? He could play up the piteous angle if he had to. "Barring that, there's some other things that I'd want to bring up."

Repressing a sigh, Obi-Wan continued to stare at the man for a few moments. He didn't shift out of his meditation position, apparently still hoping to get back to it as soon as he could. The grin on the scarred man's face was nothing short of irritating, if only because Obi-Wan knew he wanted to be a nuisance.

Well, he wasn't going to allow himself to get upset over it. It'd only encourage him, like a small child begging for attention.

"I already told you my connection with RC was solely on his side," Obi-Wan explained to him. "And, as far as any 'gossip' goes, I doubt I have any information that will be of significant use to you. If you've done the proper research, you should know we're located on a planet named Earth, in New Jersey of the America region. But I'm sure all of that is common knowledge by now."

He stared at the scarred man after he mentioned "other things" he wanted to talk about, as if a little wary of whether he should inquire about it or not.

"Does this have anything to do with our discussion from yesterday?" he asked at length.

Xigbar found the staring almost adorable. It was like a nanny with a particularly rambunctious household: which meant that it only took effort to get the anger flowing. And that hope would be foiled, or he wasn't Number II.

"Yeah, yeah, heard all about New Jersey and America and whatever; whoopty-doo. I was thinking of what else you might have learned. And whether it was all one-sided or not, it's still a connection; unless you're saying that he's been giving you the cold shoulder treatment?" He peered down at the man when he said that, balancing on the arm of the chair as though it was nothing at all. "And what nifty powers you might have, too; I'm always on the look-out for a bargain."

As for that last question? He grinned and nodded: hey, even Jedi could be quick on the uptake! "Li'l bit, yeah. For starters, I wanted to know exactly what those lightsabre thingies were."

"Like I said, then, I don't think I have anything that's new to you," Obi-Wan told him, his eyebrows furrowing. "Everything I've learned today mostly points to the fact that the prisoners here have a wide variety of abilities, and that it's going to be very difficult for everyone to get back to their respective homes. Something I'm sure you're well aware of." He could have elaborated, but he saw no reason to. Obi-Wan wasn't entirely sure what to think of this man, so he was playing it safe for now.

"No, RC and I have been keeping in contact with each other," Obi-Wan said, and he watched the scarred man carefully. "Why are you so interested in this 'connection' I have with him anyway? And as for my powers, I'm just like any Force-sensitive who's had Jedi training." He carefully folded his arms, his mouth tightening into a tiny frown. "If you're wanting a 'bargain', you should look somewhere else. I'm not for sale."

When the scarred man asked him to elaborate on lightsabers, Obi-Wan wasn't sure what he was getting at. "A lightsaber is the traditional weapon used by Jedi. An energy blade that emits from a hand-crafted hilt. It's a danger to whoever uses it without proper training, but it's a powerful tool when combined with the mastery of the Force. They come in a variety of colors." He inwardly sighed. "We went over a lot of this yesterday."

"It was the hilt thingie that I was wondering about," Xigbar mused, "see, I know a dude who can make energy out of his hand, red blade and all, so I was wondering if there was a whole order with him as a part of it. Woulda scared the dickens out of me, crazy as the guy was."

But there was no need to worry there, so he shrugged and grinned.

"I'm not buyin', I said I was looking for a bargain. See, the way I see it? Everybody's got a gimmick of some sort; mine's a little more flashy than most people's, but that's that. And believe it or not, but I'm a good boy here." He grinned his best 'I am so totally a nice dude so you should lighten up' grin to emphasize the point. "I want to get out of this dump and take my buds with me, which means I'll have to rub elbows with bunches of people just to see who's gone where and done what."

"To put it another way... I thought that you, with a clone of death and doom, in that order, would have been halfway competent and figured some things out. If you haven't, then shoot, I'll let you get back to your snoozing. No skin off my nose either way."

"A red blade out of his hand?" Obi-Wan repeated, and he tried to imagine what kind of power someone must have had to be able to accomplish a feat like that. It definitely sounded like it was linked to the Force, though he knew such an ability wouldn't be found in a true Jedi of the Light. No, it sounded rather...Sith-like, to be honest.

"You might not be in the clear," Obi-Wan told him. "There are other schools of thought behind the Force, as well as other, darker orders not affiliated with the Jedi." He paused, frowning a little. "Who is this man? He's not here at Landel's, is he?"

"I'm not buyin'," the scarred man had said. "I said I was looking for a bargain. See, the way I see it? Everybody's got a gimmick of some sort; mine's a little more flashy than most people's, but that's that. And believe it or not, but I'm a good boy here." A wide, almost innocent grin. "I want to get out of this dump and take my buds with me, which means I'll have to rub elbows with bunches of people just to see who's gone where and done what."

Obi-Wan paused at this, and he carefully studied the man (which wasn't so difficult considering his uncomfortably close proximity). His reasoning sounded valid enough - it was, in essence, what Obi-Wan himself was trying to do. Perhaps he'd been wrong to judge him too quickly. They were all in this mess together; there was no reason to act so cold towards him. In fact, Obi-Wan almost felt bad for the way he'd behaved earlier.

He was opening his mouth to apologize when the scarred man spoke again.

"To put it another way...I thought that you, with a clone of death and doom, in that order, would have been halfway competent and figured something things out. If you haven't, then shoot, I'll let you get back to your snoozing. No skin off my nose either way."

The Jedi's mouth clamped shut, and he had to fight down the surge of frustration that briefly washed over him. He knew this man was trying to bait him, and he couldn't let himself fall for it. Briefly closing his eyes, Obi-Wan tried to release his negative emotions to the Force.

"I've only been here for three days," Obi-Wan told him after a brief moment, keeping his voice calm and controlled. "This facility obviously has a lot of unseen technology that's more advanced than what a lot of people here are used to. It'd be unreasonable to think anyone could find a way out of here so easily. Right now, patience is the best tool we have in collecting any information we need."

He gazed up at the other prisoner, managing a small smile in spite of himself. "We'll find a way out of here. I can't promise when or how, but we'll get out of here one way or another."

"Naw, he's not here yet. Matter of fact, I thought he might have been the dude behind it all; fact that my buds don't think so kinda shoots a few holes in that theory. Trust me, you'll know when he's here." A bit of a shrug at that. "You won't be able to ignore him, no matter how much you try."

While Xigbar had followed Xemnas to the ends of quite a few worlds, that didn't mean that he necessarily liked the Superior. Quite the contrary, as a Senior Member he knew just how fallible dear Xemnas was. But the Jedi didn't need to know that, not really.

...but he was awful cute when he was being yanked around. Number II made a note to keep doing so in the future, because this was the perfect cherry on the hot fudge sundae of hatred he'd been enjoying all day long. The fact that Obi-Wan knew that he was being played, but was trying to go along with it anyway, made it only sweeter. It was always more fun that way, making a game out of seeing just how far one could push while still keeping the conversation going.

Speaking of which, it was time to be dangling the carrot. Getting some Nobodies out of all of these dudes would be just the ticket to making Organization XIII a little stronger. And if there were so many traitors, then they'd need the replenishment. "Speaking of finding a way out... did you think about how you were going to get all these folks to their homes safe and sound? Most of 'em aren't even from earth, let alone this earth at this time. And even if you have a gummi ship that gets a zillion parsecs to the gallon, you're not gonna get 'em where they need to go."

Xigbar grinned again, his one eye sparkling as though he'd already been thinking about this for a good while. Even if he'd literally only come up with it on the fly.

"Yet?" Obi-Wan couldn't help but frown a little. "It almost sounds like you're expecting him." The last thing anyone needed here was a potential Sith running around. Lightsaber-wielding droid creatures were more than enough, thank you.

"Speaking of finding a way out," the older prisoner said, "did you think about how you were going to get all these folks to their homes safe and sound? Most of 'em aren't even from Earth, let alone this Earth at this time. And even if you have a gummi ship that gets a zillion parsecs to the gallon, you're not gonna get 'em where they need to go."

The Jedi momentarily gazed up at the balcony that spanned around the upper half of the sun room. Of course he'd thought about that. He and Qui-Gon were from a different galaxy, a different time, perhaps even a different universe by itself. A mere spacecraft was not going to get them back where they needed to be. And the situation was no different for a lot of the prisoners here, he was sure of it.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Whoever put us here took us from our original times and places somehow. So, it would stand to reason there's a way for us to get back home. I'm afraid we'll need the help of our captors to do it, though. Otherwise, it may take us years for us to do it on our own, if we're lucky enough to even manage it at all."

Obi-Wan turned his gaze onto the scarred man again, raising an eyebrow at the way he was grinning. "Why? Have you thought of something?" The Jedi supposed it would make sense. After all, the older prisoner claimed to be a scientist whose specialty was bending space. In fact, out of everyone Obi-Wan had met here, it appeared this man was the one who understood concepts of time and space best. That had to count for something.

"Story of my life, dude; he'll come knocking when I really don't want him to. But I'm out from under the thumb, so I'm good for now; knock on wood for him to stay happy and out wherever he is now." And Xigbar rapped on the furniture to emphasize his point; while he didn't feel too much of, well, anything on the subject, Obi-Wan seemed to be a bit worried. So why not play up that angle, as well?

As for the other point? Xigbar nodded slightly. "Problem with that is just what you said; we'd need to ask 'pretty please' real nice to get the Head Doctor to show us how it's done. To make things more interesting, what would happen if he smashed the thing as he was going down? 'From the heart of hell I stabbeth thee' and all that? We might never get off this rock."

"Except... that you've got me." Here he put his hand to his chest, taking a slight bow. "Anyone ever tell you about the 'Corridors of Darkness', Mr. Jedi?"

Obi-Wan was a little surprised when the scarred man knocked his knuckles against the furniture, not quite understanding the meaning behind it, but he chose not to comment. It must have been some sort of good luck gesture.

"I suppose one can only hope," Obi-Wan said. The Jedi could think of a variety of people he wouldn't want to run into here, so he at least understood where the other man was coming from.

As he listened to him explain the problem behind relying on their captors' knowledge to free them, Obi-Wan quietly nodded. What he said was true. While it was possible they could Force-persuade one of the higher-ranking staff to let them free (provided they actually got a better grasp on the Force and found someone who had some sort of real authority), it was likely the Head Doctor would destroy any means of escape before they even got to him. They would be stuck on Earth for a long, long time.

"Except...that you've got me," the scarred man said, taking a small, almost gentlemanly bow. "Anyone ever tell you about the 'Corridors of Darkness', Mr. Jedi?"

So, it looked like he'd thought of something after all. Obi-Wan watched him for a moment, a little curious. "No, not that I'm aware of," he answered, his voice neutral.

At least he had Obi-Wan eating out of his hand now; Xigbar knew when he had a guy's attention, and while he was tempted to make the snide comment about whether the dude wanted to go back to his meditation or not... right now? He was more interested in making sure that the Jedi danced along with the plan.

~~He was totally going to win that bet with Luxord.~~

"A lot of it's classified or just plain boring, but putting it in simple terms? Folks like me can yank dudes like you and take 'em anywhere we want; even across worlds if we want to. Fast, easy, and all we need is to get our powers back and we're outta here."

Obi-Wan blinked, his eyebrows furrowing. The Jedi wasn't entirely sure what to make of this bit of information, as incredible as it was. Instant teleportation across worlds sounded awfully convenient for everyone here. Even if the man was really capable of that kind of power, Obi-Wan highly doubted he was actually offering his services once they escaped. And if he was, there was probably some sort of price attached. He would need to be careful.

"I take it your powers operate on whatever principle you used to drop that stylus onto my head the other day," Obi-Wan commented before giving a small, dry smile. "Well, in that case, I suppose you and you 'buds' have nothing to worry about, then. How nice for you."

Okay, that got Xigbar's goat, just a little. He rolled his eye, and even though his tone was as light as ever, he obviously was a little upset by the Jedi's statement. "Dude, I know that you may not want to give me the time of day, but at least pretend you're listening to me? I said I was the only one who can do what I do. But every one of my guys can use the Corridors; two totally separate deals here."

...now he almost didn't even want to offer. Stupid Jedi.

"Hey, if you want to be stuck on this rock when everything goes down, have at it. Seeing as how we're the best way to get out, and the only way to get to the right time without asking the Doctor, it's a seller's market here. And here I was being all neighborly and telling you about it first."

"I didn't say I wouldn't give you the time of day," Obi-Wan told him, knowing he really shouldn't be trying to give the scarred man a dose of his own medicine by going out of his way to irritate him. "I've been taking time from my meditations to talk with you, haven't I?"

He watched the scarred man for a moment. "So, these 'Corridors' of yours link time and worlds together?" he said slowly, as if pondering out the implications in his own mind. He wondered if the people of Landel's used the same sort of means to pull everyone here.

"I don't want to be stuck here anymore than you do," Obi-Wan said, and he meant it. "I'm just not entirely sure what you're trying to offer, so you'll have to forgive my skepticism."

Yeah, yeah, that was true; the little monk-type-person was still chatting, which mollified the Nobody. A little. Maybe.

"Nope, just worlds together; for time, that's something that only a dude of mine can handle. He has time, I have space; it'd take both of us to get anyone anywhere. But neither of us can do nothing but twiddle our thumbs without our powers."

"That's where you come in." He pointed his finger at the Jedi, grinning once more. "In black and white, clear as crystal. You and your clone-dude, if you can get him to heel, are gonna keep looking out for where my powers are, or where my gun-arrows are. Instant you get 'em? You give them to me, no questions asked. Then when I've got the juice, it's a one-way ticket out of here for you."

"Deal?"

Obi-Wan watched the scarred man for a moment, his hands clasping neatly in his lap. The idea that anyone could have such control over time and space would have sounded ludicrous, but the fact he was even here to begin with muddled that normally logical view. The Jedi was willing to withhold judgment for now.

Then, the older prisoner laid his plans out in the open, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but feel relieved they'd finally reached the main point. It was certainly an interesting proposition, to say the least. But there were a few things that didn't quite add up.

Barely tilting his head to the side, the Jedi studied the scarred man. "Why do you need me to do it?" Obi-Wan asked. "Surely someone who has time and space on his side has a few tricks up his sleeve. You can't be all that helpless."

"Heck no, I'm not helpless. But remember what I said, dude?" Here he leaned forward to tap Obi-Wan on the forehead, like an old-fashioned teacher with a recalcitrant student. Darn if he wasn't adorable when he had that quizzical look on his face, though. "What I need is to get my powers back. Powers and guns both. And in case you didn't notice, I've only got one eye; I can't search the whole darn place myself."

A bit of a shrug as he leaned back, still grinning as his plan seemed to be falling into place. Just like fish and bait, really. "See, I don't really need you. Any random schmo off the street would do it. But you've got a good head on your shoulders, and I don't think you'll be trying to punch me in the face any time soon. That's all the reason I need."

Xigbar, helpless? As if!

The Jedi's eyebrow faintly twitched when the scarred man touched him on the forehead, but he bit back any comment he might have made about it. Yes, he'd noticed the one eye. While that wouldn't have been much of a problem for a Force-sensitive, Obi-Wan could see how it'd be a potential handicap for most other people.

"See, I don't really need you," the other prisoner had said. "Any random schmo off the street would do it. But you've got a good head on your shoulders, and I don't think you'll be trying to punch me in the face any time soon. That's all the reason I need."

Obi-Wan's mouth slightly quirked into an odd smile. "You seem awfully sure of yourself on that last bit," he said, though he clearly meant it in jest.

Well, half in jest, at least.

For a brief moment, he paused, as if considering the man's words. "Sounds fair enough. Though, I'm afraid I can't make any solid deals with you until I talk to RC and a companion of mine." He was fairly certain RC would agree to whatever he proposed, but Obi-Wan was curious what Qui-Gon would say to all of this.

Xigbar had been trying to hold back the hilarity, he honestly had. Really. Monumental amounts of willpower had been expended!

...but every Nobody had a breaking point. This? This was Xigbar's. Obi-Wan had no idea how he looked with a twitching eyebrow, did he? So very adolescent in his ruffled dignity, and then turning around and saying that he'd have to chat with his pals? With that little smile on his face?

Xigbar laughed, abruptly tilting just enough to flop on top of the Jedi, unable to contain his mirth anymore. "S-sure," he barked out, "go ahead and ask whoever. But man oh man, if that's not the most adorable thing I've seen all day!"

~~Begin Operation: Cuddle Torture~~

Obi-Wan was visibly startled when the strange man laughed, of all things. The sudden weight from the older prisoner effectively pinned him against the cushions, and he immediately tried to push him off as tactfully as he could. Slightly unnerved, Obi-Wan glanced over at his former Master's chair, only to find Qui-Gon still meditating in peace.

"S-sure," the scarred fellow laughed, "go ahead and ask whoever. But man, oh man, if that's not the most adorable thing I've seen all day!"

Obi-Wan sharply looked down at him, taken aback. "E-excuse me?"

Priceless. That unnerved, startled expression was so hilarious that Xigbar thought his sides were going to split; the fact that Obi-Wan had looked towards someone else- and with the obvious hope of help- meant that it was time to play a little game of Mind Reader.

Namely, he patted the Jedi on the shoulder and promptly hopped up to his feet, letting his touch linger for a second longer before gesturing to the man. "That one of your pals? Go ahead, bother him; I'm sure he'll want to hear it straight from the horse's mouth, and this'll be one of the few times I'm not going to be floating around."

Oh, if only he could mean that literally.

He left the 'adorable' comment right where it was. Honestly, the Jedi really needed to get a clue. Or, well, no, he didn't. He was far too much fun this way.

Obi-Wan tried not to look too relieved when the man got off of him, though he did subtly straighten his wrinkled clothing. There was no reason for him not to maintain what little dignity he had left. (He was, at least, thankful he hadn't elaborated on the adorable comment.)

"Unlike some people," Obi-Wan said with an even tone, "I don't go around interrupting others when they're meditating."

Yep, precious as a new-born kitten. Xigbar couldn't help but draw a parallel between Obi-Wan's straightening out and poor Namine's vain attempt to keep her hair in some semblance of order. Honestly, that was a hopeless gesture, if Xiggy was in the right mood. Now, though?

...now, he was in his usual bright mood, and he easily shrugged as he leaned back and gazed at the Jedi. "Hey, you want to spend more quality time with yours truly? Won't hear me complain~!"

Why did anyone ever see any point in meditating? Xigbar knew himself well enough, and it wasn't like anything ever got done by looking in. Outside, and in others, that was what was important.

Day 21 - Sun Room

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