Nightshift 36: East of the Institute

[ellectriclights.livejournal.com]

[from here]

As she walked, Elle tried to think of all the things she wanted to do if this worked. Drink a slushy, fall asleep in her big warm bed with her comfortable pillows. Shock a patient or two.

Trouble was, Daddy wouldn't let her do any of those things.

Especially if she didn't straighten herself out. Snapping at people and being grouchy wouldn't make him proud of her. She needed to be better.

"Sorry," she said to the boy grudgingly. "You're a robot from another planet?" Maybe that would get him talking again and she could space out. Deluded raving wasn't as good as silence, but at least he'd think she was being nice without her actually having to interact with him.

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[thecamellia.livejournal.com]

The dark, made opaque without any artificial lights to help chase it away, was still lightened now that they were outdoors. Like late nights on the mountainside, Tsubaki felt a certain familiarity being in the pitch black, under the stars.

Except a hike through the wilderness in this situation was a lot more ominous a thought.

Nodding wordlessly in the face of Matsumoto and Ichimaru’s resolve, she followed them to the outer wall, sneaking a peek through the dark windows of the greenhouse as she passed. The wall itself was fairly tall and smooth, but like the others, Tsubaki didn’t think it’d be that difficult of a climb--she scoured it for handholds before sucking in a shallow breath and starting up, ignoring the hot throb that started up in her injured arm.

Accepting Matsumoto’s hand with her uninjured one once she was within reach, Tsubaki found her balance on the lip, casting a quick look at the moon’s position in the sky. Then when the silver-haired shinigami in front gestured them down, she slipped off, cushioning the near-silent drop with bent knees and keeping the wall close at her back. It’d be easy to turn an ankle on this uneven terrain if she wasn’t careful…

[fuyunohanabi.livejournal.com]

Rangiku helped Tsubaki onto the top of the wall and then jumped down herself, landing silently in her slippers. She paused, taking a long moment to look around at the first glimpse outside of the walls beyond the trips to the town. Trees for the most part, not too thick thankfully, although the ground was uneven and littered with debris and rocks.

"I guess we keep heading that way," she said quietly, pointing off towards the east, although there was little to be seen in the darkness to suggest what might be waiting for them.

She headed off walking in that direction, keeping her head held high defiantly and only stopping once to rub at her eyes when she felt a flare of reiatsu be snuffed out completely.

[traitors-smile.livejournal.com]

This was the time when good people said things like "it'll be okay," or "we're too far away to know for sure if they're gone." Things like that. Empty hopeful words that meant little yet somehow seemed to comfort others. The were simple enough, but Gin was having a devil of a time getting anything of the sort to come out of his mouth. Whatever he said would hold no meaning and they both knew it. Neither of the reiatsus that had been in danger were people he cared for, or cared whether they lived or died even. In fact, life for him would be much easier if they weren't around, it was one less thorn in his side.

And yet, he did feel guilt, if only in the tiniest degree, because no matter how little he cared, Ran still cared a great deal. And seeing her in pain was what bothered him.

"M'sorry," he said quietly as he brushed past her, scanning the area for anything ahead. It was not tender or heartfelt, nor was it completely callous, it simply was as he'd stated it, simple and straightforward. There was no explanation, and while it might not have even been an "I'm sorry your friend is gone," it was at least an "I'm sorry you're in pain." Probably the best she'd ever get out of him.

[thecamellia.livejournal.com]

"All right..." Tsubaki's response was soft enough that it was almost carried away by the chilly breeze, which rustled tree branches and occasionally muffled the sounds of others' movements in the woods.

She wished these moments never happened, moments when she could clearly sense the grief. She wanted to do something, even if she had only an inkling of the circumstances. She wanted to say something, even if Matsumoto was trying to conceal her pain. But in the end, she did neither, because the only thing Tsubaki knew she could do was quickly slip out of her slippers, scoop them up, and creep to the left and over an incline, on alert for any activity in the darkness around her--support the team by staying focussed on her part.

And still she wished that she could do something more... Anything, really, so that these things didn't have to happen.

[fuyunohanabi.livejournal.com]

She didn't reply to Gin, not verbally at least, but just brushed her fingers against the back of his hand lightly, accepting his words gratefully. It was more comforting than empty platitudes would have been, because it wasn't going to be alright and she knew that it would have felt hollow and empty if he'd said that he was sorry that it had happened when he hadn't even liked Renji. But it was what he felt and that was better than anything else would have been.

She took a deep breath, forcing down the sorrow that she felt and then turned to face Tsubaki, feeling bad for having mostly ignored both her and Gin. "I'm not sure what to expect, but I think we just keep heading into the trees," she said. "Make a note of anything interesting that you see."

[traitors-smile.livejournal.com]

There was little else to be said, so he hurried on, giving a nod to show he understood the order. Something to stab about now would be a relief, but so far no luck. The forest up ahead would offer them cover, but it would also put them at risk. He was curious about what sort of things might be outside or if it would just be more of the same.

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