[Nightshift 35] Stairwell By Nurses' Station 1-B

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

[From here]

Miku pushed open the door to get away from the smell wafting down the main corridor. She swallowed some of the bile down that threatened to surge up into her throat and sighed. Her face felt hot, and her hands seemed clammy. Miku worried if there was something she would see tomorrow night, and hoped she didn't know the victim.

Her thoughts turned to Ritsuka, and her stomach dropped into her knees. "Sousuke," she squeezed her new boyfriend's (again, that was such a weird... word to use) hand and shined her light up the stairwell. "You don't see anything, do you?"

Comments

[uruz-vii.livejournal.com]

Sousuke's discerning and sharp eyes watched Miku's movements. She seemed sick, almost to the point of being ill, and preoccupied with something. The question she asked was odd, to be certain, but Sousuke would answer it in the manner he felt was best.

"I don't see anything," Sousuke confirmed. He frowned down at her. "I think we should finish our mission and then you should rest. Something is on your mind."

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

"But Lust," Miku started to protest. She stopped after a moment and reminded herself that if she protested too much, Sousuke was probably more than apt to pick her up like a sack of rice and deposit her right back in her room.

"I'll go and sit, after the mission," she wasn't going to fight him. "I just... I just didn't like that smell." Her stomach rolled again. Please be safe, Ritsuka-kun. Please.

[uruz-vii.livejournal.com]

Sousuke looked down the stairs, his eyebrows drawing together, mouth turned down in a deeper frown than usual. No doubt someone had been torn--or blown--apart down there. Sousuke had seen the results of landmines before, it wasn't too hard to put two and two together--even for the sergeant.

He took off the overshirt his nurse had left him in and handed it to Miku. "Cover your face, once we arrive at the second floor, the smell should be gone."

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

Miku took the shirt and pressed it to her face gratefully. It was still warm and smelled like him, but with the overshirt gone, it gave Miku firsthand access to the damage wrought by their attacker the night before. She pursed her lips under the shirt and gave him a knowing look over the fabric.

She wasn't going to be the only one resting when this was over. Stomach calmed, for the moment, Miku started up the stairwell.

[uruz-vii.livejournal.com]

Sousuke didn't like seeing her disapproving looks, but the pain that he was enduring was for her sake. He would rather see the scars on his own body than on hers. Certainly she could understand that...?

Women were confusing.

He followed her intently, making sure nothing was coming up behind them. Stairwells were always the most dangerous places...

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

She understood alright, but it didn't mean she had to like it. Miku hesitated to think what would've happened had Sousuke been the one to join her in the Himuro mansion two years earlier. He likely would have tried to feed the Family Master's sword to him.

The thought cheered her away from worrying who it was plastered over the walls in the main corridor. "Thank you, Sousuke. For the shirt, I mean," she added quickly, so that he wouldn't become confused.

[rope-victim.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/465075.html?thread=37570227#t37570227)]

[gone-2far.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/454507.html?thread=37737579#t37738603)]

Knives kept one hand on the rail as he went up the stairs. It was always disorienting to go upstairs in the middle of the night and he was going to completely unknown territory. He was quiet for a moment before he paused to listen to what might be going on upstairs.

"Do you know where the kitchen is?" he asked Subaru with a low voice. Maybe it would be best for Subaru to take the lead.

[broken-babylon.livejournal.com]

It wasn't much different from travelling with Yue, really. Though, if anything, this man was more willing to talk to Subaru than Yue had been. Though the problem of names was the same... "I do, I can lead the way or tell you, whichever you prefer. Ano... it might be more convenient if I had a name to call you. I'm afraid I don't remember it, if you told me when we first spoke."

[gone-2far.livejournal.com]

"You can call me Knives," he said without commitment and then moved to give Subaru space to get in front of him. "You lead the way."

[broken-babylon.livejournal.com]

What a strange name. But it wasn't Subaru's place to judge, and if the blond wanted to be called 'Knives', that was his choice. Hopefully it wouldn't cause any confusion when they started looking through the kitchen for, well, knives. "Thank you, Knives-san."

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/465075.html?view=37740467#t37740467)]

[vladville.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/454507.html?thread=37677931#t37677931)]

The stairs were somewhat imposing, mostly due to the difficulty in seeing what was ahead. It was also annoying to have to rely on his own flashlight again, but Vlad flicked it on, and even led the way so his new companion wouldn't have to feel too put-upon as a guide.

"Have you been upstairs many times yourself? Aside from the maps, I haven't had much chance." Well, he had come up to replace Daniel's lost flashlight, but there'd been no time for further exploration after the detour to avoid a monster in the central hallways. Whatever could have resulted in that explosion downstairs, anyhow? Someone must have taken a very strong hit very close to their abdomen... but then the spray pattern seemed to almost imply the person was horizontal when it happened. On top of whatever had done it? Not that it mattered much.

[tsunagari.livejournal.com]

"I've been up here more than once." Sai paused to listen for noise as they ascended the stairs. It was common for there to be something or someone guarding the main hallway, and it was doubtful that it would be something he could take on his own.

Hearing nothing, he continued to press forward.

"You should keep behind me." It was unnecessary advice, as he doubted Vlad was going to attempt to sprint past him up the stairs any time soon. All the same, it wouldn't hurt to take precautions.

[fyeonly.livejournal.com]

(from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/456451.html?thread=37842691#t37851395))

"I don't know how long we'll have to wait, once we're up there," Naomi went on, frowning some. God, what were they doing to L? She fought down her imagination, figuring it did no good to wonder.

[showtime-matsu.livejournal.com]

"We'll wait until we can get in, then we get him out," Matsuda said simply, trying to focus just on the end result of all of this. He refused to focus on the fact that they could be eaten by monsters at any second, and that he hoped he didn't make a very appetizing meal.

Instead, he started thinking of the directions Naomi had given, and repeated them to himself, in case he needed to make a break for it.

Down the hall, to the left. Down the hall, to the left.

[fyeonly.livejournal.com]

"As quick as possible," Naomi agreed. "And don't...you know. Ask him if he's okay or anything." She knew how damn sensitive L could be, and she didn't think a night of...whatever was going on was going to change that.

(to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/465075.html))

[missedfortunes.livejournal.com]

How long could Kaiji's bravery and leadership ability last? Well, his track record on that front wasn't so good. A few hours at most, maybe, and even that depended on several factors. He hadn't figured out this 'gamble' yet, and as he moved along he fluctuated on his opinion of whether it really was going to turn into some ridiculous massive game or if it was just an experiment or something. Hadn't that bastard debt collector said that Kaiji would be forced into manual labor before knocking him out? This was more like being a lab rat.

Ascending the stairs at a moderate pace, Kaiji kept his eyes ahead and his fingers spread out to let a decent amount of light shine. He assumed that the others following would at least be competent enough to know to watch for anything that might chase them down from behind.

[mitase.livejournal.com]

[skipping Atoli with permission]

The two men seemed to be approaching this expedition with an attitude that suggested not so much enthusiasm as a sense of necessity. And a near-certainty of doom and/or death. Essentially, it was kind of like being back home and being with shinigami who rather resented dragging along a 4th Division healer on an expedition. Thus reassured of his place in the group, Hanatarou followed along after them with about as cheerful a heart as he could manage under the circumstances.

Though maybe he should have torn the contents of his bag into bandages before leaving his room - that would be a waste of precious time if they were needed. He'd have to make a note of that for the next night, if he didn't find any supplies on this trip.

[going here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/465075.html?thread=38054835#t38054835)]

[tender-cruelty.livejournal.com]

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/454507.html?view=38050155#t38050155)]


Allelujah carefully slipped into the stairwell, peering up into the darkness as he shone his torch around, making sure there was nothing nasty waiting for him upstairs. It seemed to be clear so he began the ascent.

[tender-cruelty.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/465075.html?view=38051251#t38051251)]

[notmyfather.livejournal.com]

(from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/454507.html?thread=37888619#t38143851))

"And I'll warn you now, it's best to be on guard upstairs," the young elven lord went on. "I've had my worst encounters on the second floor. Things up there seem to be bigger and more dangerous. Which I suppose makes sense - there are more useful rooms and objects to be found up on the second floor."

[wildunderstress.livejournal.com]

Jamie listened to Valyn's explanation with an expression of ever-growing bewilderment. Spells? Was the guy serious? Then again, the little light was quite unlike anything Jamie'd ever seen before; he couldn't come up with a better explanation for it. And this place was pretty weird to begin with - who was to say magic didn't really exist here?

The teen's brow furrowed as he followed their guide into the stairwell, and his contemplation of the mage-light was quickly abandoned. "What, uh...what kind of things are up there?" he asked, a little nervously.

[wild-right-hand.livejournal.com]

So he called it a spell, huh? Must be like an RPG character, then, not a fighting game type. Then it would probably be technique or skill or the ever-popular super move. Tokito didn't play very many RPGs, though, so he was out of luck in figuring this place out with video game knowledge. Crap. Back to letting Jamie ask questions, and occasionally interjecting his own. "What kind of useful rooms and objects?"

[notmyfather.livejournal.com]

"Beasts," Valyn said, simply. He didn't know the names for the creatures, and few of them resembled anything he was familiar with. Not even his people had created monsters on the scale of what roamed the institute. And they were known for that sort of thing.

"Maintenance rooms with various small machines, tools and utilities, rooms where they keep items from the lives they tell us we led, medicinal supplies and things of that nature," he went on, taking the stairs carefully. "You should be able to find something to use as a weapon."

He paused at the top of the stairs, silently waiting to ensure his companions were ready.

[kanpekinasenshi.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/454507.html?thread=38106219#t38106219)]

She slowed her pace as they walked up the stairs. It wasn't that she was afraid of tripping, but it would be easy for something to startle them in the darkness. Or, for that matter, easy for Seiya to be surprised in the narrower passageway.

Even after the previous night's suggestion that moving faster would result in less attacks, Seiya was more inclined to keep an eye open and see any attacks coming if possible. She didn't comment on it to Michiru, only listening closely to be sure Michiru was still following and that there was no tell-tale swish of air to duck.

[tranquil-seas.livejournal.com]

Michiru was indeed still following, though her thoughts were a little more preoccupied in the wake of seeing such a gruesome sight. She wanted to ask if that was a common occurrence--if they would be seeing more of that. If Usagi had run across whatever did that... Michiru quickly stifled that particular thought. She was already worried enough about the missing girl. There was no need to jump to any horrific conclusions.

The fact that there could be creatures listening for them forced Michiru to keep her silence. That, and she wasn't sure that she wanted Seiya to know exactly how unnerved she was. No, she'd ask someone else when morning came, if their current path didn't answer her question by the end of the night.

[youlackmascara.livejournal.com]

Itachi proceeded up the stairs quickly, assuming Jiraiya would follow at the same pace. He needed plenty of time to investigate the upper floor.

[youlackmascara.livejournal.com]