damned_institute | Night 37: F11-20 Hallway

[F18]

Sheena made it to Raine's room in no time, a semi-smug look on her face. She was so happy to have her clothes back. Leaning in the door frame, one foot up against the opposite side of it, Sheena knocked.

"Yo, Raine! Get your half-elven butt out here."

Just getting her broom, Raine rolled her eyes at Sheena's greeting. As she reached for the door, she called back, "Just because it's not a secret anymore doesn't mean you can--" she stopped short when she saw the ninja's outfit. Again? "This is a surprise."

Her first planned night away from the clinic; this should be something to remember. Hopefully not due to trauma.

Sheena rolled her eyes. As if Raine could stop her from saying and doing whatever she felt like. She blinked back at Raine, though, when the woman appeared and gave her an odd look.

"Hey... come on. Grab your orange coat of DOOM and let's get going," she said, assuming Raine had been given her clothes as well. "We've got people to save and an idiot to heal."

"It's not in my closet--I would imagine it would be next to my broom, and it wasn't." Raine shrugged. "I've seen others get their outfits before, about a week ago, and I was skipped over last time as well." While her usual outfit would be nice, she didn't care much either.

"Which idiot is this?" She could name several... part of her almost hoped Zelos really was still here, but after all this time with no word, it wasn't likely.

"Not the one I'd like to see," Sheena muttered, thinking she said it quiet enough that Raine wouldn't hear it, as she turned away from the door and started down the hallway. She turned around to face Raine again, walking backwards.

"Soubi. He was... taken for those experiments and torture last time there was some, remember me telling you?" She sighed and looked a little distraught. "Well, he's got some really bad injuries around his neck and he's refusing to get them healed. Something about bearing the pain is nothing compared to something else they did."

She sighed. "I've seen the raw injuries and they're nasty, Raine. He can barely talk and I think he's starting to get an infection or he keeps accidentally reopening the wounds again. He's so focused on protecting Ritsuka that he's not taking care of himself. So... you need to heal him."

She narrowed her eyes. "From at least five feet away so when he flips out I can drop him to the ground." She gave Raine a challenging look, as if daring her to tell the ninja she wasn't going to do it. "It's for his own damn good, whether he wants it or not. I'm not going to let him keep torturing himself. If I had a damn gel, I'd just force it down his throat, but I don't. I have you."

The hint of a smirk made Raine's lips twitch. "All right, then." She hated having to triage, so while Soubi likely wouldn't die, injuries around the throat that were that severe and beginning to get infected... well, she had no qualms about using her limited magic in that case. Regardless of what the patient had to say about it.

Broom, bag of supplies, flashlight, book... that was everything. "Let's go."

She wondered if she should say anything about Zelos, or the previous night, but decided to let it go for now. If Sheena wanted to bring it up, she would.

"Good." That was one worry off her mind. Now, hopefully, Soubi won't be too pissed at her for doing it. She also hoped Ritsuka understood why they were doing this.

Sheena continued down the hallway and then let out a heavy sigh. Damnit, why did it matter to her? "I saved a couple guys from a cat last night after I rushed out," she said, the topic obviously not related to the sigh at all. "I'm also not sure if I have the patience to continue teaching Forte. It's like he's insisting on trying to fly before he can walk. He doesn't take criticism well, nor does he want to try to think things through. Stupid robot..."

"Students can be trying," Raine said dryly. "It may also take a while to find the way he learns best. It's important that he stay interested and willing, though, so while you may want to hit him upside the head and remind him this is important to his survival, you may not be able to force him to learn." If not, he would figure out on his own that Sheena was right... or die trying to convince himself she wasn't.

Privately, she was glad the ninja had brought up the subjects she had--Raine knew she'd been in the Sun Room and had possibly seen her with Valyn. That was another conversation she would rather not have.

Oh, Sheena hadn't forgotten about the elf that had so comfortably taken up Raine's lap as a pillow, not to mention walked away unscathed after touching the half-elf's hair. Oh no, she hadn't forgotten. This just wasn't the time to bring it up. She needed to talk to this elf first. What? The days were boring and the ninja had little else to do than pry into Raine's non-existent sex life. It helped pass the time and she got the added bonus of making Raine get all flustered. All in due time.

"I know that," Sheena replied, giving her friend a glare for going all cold again. "Sorry I haven't managed to become desensitized to the plight of those I try to teach, Professor." She crossed her arms. "Besides, I think I prefer teaching actual children as opposed to adults that act like children."

"Few people can," Raine murmured. Despite appearances, she hadn't; Colette and Lloyd were as precious to her as Genis, if in slightly different ways.

She smiled again at the mention of Sheena's preferred type of student, though it didn't reach her eyes. "It depends on the student."

"Tell you what. Next time, you teach Forte how to defend himself and I'll teach Tamaki... I dunno - Tethe'allan History or something. I bet you'll be just as frustrated with Forte as I am," Sheena retorted.

She huffed then. "Did you see the post on the board from that Brainy robot that liked to tell us all we're delusional since things like magic and non-humans don't exist where he's from?" She glared at nothing in particular. "Couldn't take us all telling him to shove his close-minded research up his rear and yanked his whole post down."

"Yeah, he'll figure this place out doing things like that." She then patted the top of her head and glanced behind her. "Hey... if I suddenly sprout ears and a tail, yet me know, okay?"

Raine replied, "I did--and I would be interested to see him arguing with the staff on that exact subject." No doubt even he was told he was delusional.

The sudden, very odd request made her chuckle slightly. "All right. As unlikely as that possibility is."

[[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/517218.html?thread=42598498#t42598498).]]

Renamon opened her eyes from her light mediation and calmly started repacking the container she used from the other night. The glass containers and the weapons were the only things she kept in there. She placed a few more knives and scapels into the back of her waistband, slid the knuckle on (it fit like it was made for her), and without anything else, grabbed her flashlight, and stepped out of the room.

She had work to do.

[to here]

[over from here]

Once in the place that she called her room, Renamon allowed herself to break free of the calm that she surrounded herself with. If she couldn't slide again, if she couldn't... She might... Just.... Renamon took a breath. No need to panic until she knew for certain.

Laying the case at her feet, she closed her eyes and cleared her mind of all thoughts. A moment, and then her blue stream of power shuddered into view, and Renamon slid from sight once more. Her eyes opened with unrestrained relief. She was still able to access it. Then what was...? It was possible that it might simply be stress, but Renamon did not believe herself capable of letting that affect her that greatly. What could it have been? Was it possible that it was somehow another limitation, something like-

A time constraint. Why hadn't she thought of that sooner?

Renamon tested out the limitations, and narrowed the time frame down to around five minutes. Five minutes was all this body was capable in her slid state. But it still seemed she was able to use it, time and time again. It was still useful. It was fine.

She wondered, then, as she unpacked her case, and slid more daggers and scalpels to replace her lost ones into their place; she wondered why her breathing was so unsteady.

Full up again with weapons and sharp things, Renamon adjusted the knuckle on her hand. Where would she go now? Upstairs, of course, was the answer her mind gave, for no reason more than a feeling.

But it had been enough in the past, and it was enough now.

[skipping out to here]

[Continued(?) from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/513517.html?thread=42171629#t42171629)]

"Oh, sounds like it's time to play," said Yukari as the intercom cut in before she could get Callisto's opinion. The second cut in of the intercom was a little unexpected, though it really shouldn't have been, if Yukari considered the whole duality of the institute. So that was how it would be. She could already tell that many of the monsters and hazards of the night were going to be "dark" versions of things she'd seen in the day. Probably.

Well, she could find that out after she found other things out, namely, her powers. Giving an absent swing of her parasol, she let loose a barrage of brightly colored danmaku. Only she didn't.

"Hmm..." Giving a shrug, she tried to open a gap out into the hallway that she could just walk through. For a moment, a little tear of purple and red appeared in the air before her before fizzling out. It was so quick, it might have been a trick of the eye, but Yukari had felt it.

"Well. Well, well well," she murmured with a smile. So she wasn't completely powerless.

Callisto missed any display of abilities from her roommate, busy as she was in preparing to leave for the night. Now that the doors were open, she didn't have the time to try and convince Yukari further. She'd just have to find someone else to drag along on the way.

"I'm leaving," she said over her shoulder, in case the other woman hadn't already left herself. "Do have fun on your own little jaunt around the building."

"You too," called Yukari distractedly, considering the air before her and the facts. Well, she apparently could use her power, just not to open portals into the next room over.

Well, start small.

She willed a tiny hole, a gap barely big enough to fit her finger through, to come into existence before her. To her pleasure, it happened quite natural; the air split, revealing a void of purple and crimson. A single, curious eye stared back out of it at her.

Waving her hand, more for effect than anything else, she slowly expanded the gap, widening, elongating. At about two feet across, its growth began slowing. Actually concentrating, Yukari stared at the portal, forcing it wider.

It was strange, actually having to put effort into doing what she did. Almost disconcerting, considering how little she was doing, if it weren't for the fact she had more or less expected it for this sort of game - after all, how easy would it be if she could simply walk out of this reality?

The gap she'd opened came to a halt and stabilized at about three feet across. She could probably push it further, but that would be a pain. Besides, there were other bits to test.

So, for the moment, she just stood there, one hand motioning idly at the gaping hole in reality before her, a deep void of crimson and violet rife with staring eyes (http://danbooru.donmai.us/data/90088b5a68be3ff38699d5e7a48d9f17.png) that pulsed vaguely, its edges tied by the ribbons on either end of the gap.

That did get Callisto's attention, and she spun to watch Yukari's efforts with a frown of confusion. (Did that hole have ribbons on the sides?) She stepped closer to the other blonde to get a better look, careful not to get too close. She'd been through a dimensional gateway before and she didn't feel like repeating the process - especially without her godhood to help get back again.

"And what's that supposed to be?" she asked, trying to sound as though such things were commonplace and not worth staring at in bafflement.

"A gap," she replied, grinning over her shoulder at her roommate's attempt to remain nonchalant. "A break, an opening, an empty space or interval, an interruption in continuity. The space between here..."

Her smile widened as she successfully opened a second gap behind Callisto's head, a twin to the one before her. She reached one gloved hand into the gap, its swirling depths swallowing up her arm as though she were submerging it in violet waters. As she did, the same unmistakably gloved arm reached out of the portal behind Callisto, setting its hand on her shoulder.

"...and there," she concluded.

The hand on Callisto's shoulder was grabbed immediately, and the former warlord threw her weight forward with the intention of pulling anyone attached to it over her shoulder before slamming to the ground in front of her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew it belonged to Yukari, but there were some lessons that just had to be taught - this one being that startling the Greek woman wasn't the best of ideas.

Okay, so really, startling someone that Yukari knew was probably in a violent line of work probably wasn't the brightest idea she'd had all day, but how could she resist? The look on Callisto's face was, while not quite priceless, certainly chuckle-worthy, in a "oh, shit, she's mad!" sort of way.

But for everything, there is a price. And unfortunately, the price here was having Callisto try to throw Yukari over her shoulder.

Even more unfortunately, for all parties involved, it didn't work.

What happened instead was Callisto yanking her arm, Yukari flying forwards, slamming into the gap before her up to her shoulder, then yelping in pain as it felt like her arm was about to be torn off, since her body wouldn't go through.

Luckily, due to the speed of the throw and Callisto probably not expecting to have to pull someone through a hole that was too small, the warrior's grip gave out before Yukari's shoulder did, and her hands ended up coming away with nothing but a white glove as Yukari quickly withdrew her arm from her end of the gap, which quickly snapped closed.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" griped the youkai loudly one hand holding her shoulder as the other flailed about angrily. "That hurt!"

Normally, this is where someone would say "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!", but "Sorry" wasn't a word Yukari liked to use, and she certainly wasn't going to start now. Instead, she asked, still massaging her shoulder, "Can I have my glove back?" She even added, "Please?"

"What was that?" Callisto snapped, The glove was tossed aside and onto the bed, only barely missing the tray with what was left of her dinner. "What were those and what can you do with them?"

If her roommate could stick her arm through one and have it come out the other side, what else could she stick through? She hadn't been able to fit fully, but if the hole had been made larger, could she have?

She didn't want to waste time here. The longer she stayed, the less people there would be around to potentially latch on to.

"I told you, it's a gap," replied Yukari, still massaging her shoulder as she went over to retrieve the glove. "I can put things through them." And into them and on top of them. And into other dimensions and theoretical concepts. Never mind that there were even more things she could (maybe) do. Oh, well. Yukari didn't feel like elaborating and besides, she'd heard lying by omission was popular these days.

Opening gap, she quickly directed it around the room as she replaced her glove. In a few seconds, she established that it - the gap, that was - couldn't go through things, which was somewhat annoying, nor, if she stood in the corner, could it reach the far end of the room; it seemed five meters was her limit without pushing it.

"Well, I suppose that's that," she said, shrugging as she let the little portal close. Swinging up her parasol again, she tried a few other exercises. However, no barriers appeared, the beds didn't move and Callisto's hair certainly didn't turn bright mauve. She didn't even bother trying to manipulate the border of "independence" and "dependence" to turn the woman malleable.

"If the Q&A session's over, I'm going for a walk now," said Yukari, heading out the door. Opening it, she found it to be dark out. Very dark. And for some reason, she couldn't see.

Turning promptly right around, she went back in and grabbed the flashlight from where she'd left it on the desk.

"For real this time!" she said, waving the parasol in Callisto's general direction before heading out, as if daring her say otherwise. If the woman wanted any better answers, she'd have to follow; if not, then fine with Yukari. There would be other dinner shifts, and Yukari had given her just enough to intrigue her apparently. Give her something to think on until they next met.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/517051.html?thread=42622395#t42622395)]

Despite how curious she was about what Yukari was capable of, Callisto didn't stop the woman as she left. She was right. There would be future dinner shifts and she'd be thoroughly grilled then.

She might have stopped her if those abilities seemed particularly useful, but she'd been watching the other blonde try things out and she could tell she wasn't used to the limitations of this place. If those gaps, or whatever they were, had been useful before, they wouldn't be the same here.

The former warlord scowled and went off on her own. She had a proper stooge to find.

And again, Shiki had spent another meal with her thoughts. She'd eaten the ice cream first, and then picked at the rest of the meal.

She was glad to have talked with Mr. Hanekoma earlier. She hated that it was under the circumstances that it was in, but she felt a lot better having gotten that off her chest. She also felt a little more hopeful about Neku's situation. The bulletin board conversations had scared her, but the idea that it was just a bad alternate Neku? Well, if there could be the RG and the UG, then, well, that didn't seem so bad to her.

There was one thing that still bothered her, and that was what had transpired between Joshua and Neku. Mr. H. had assured her that it was just part of the Game and that there weren't really any hard feelings, but she wasn't so sure. The blonde had sounded so serious about it...

Oh, well. She could try and talk to him tomorrow. Right now, she was hoping for a knock at the door, and the chance to maybe find Mr. Mew, or the things to make a new one. She waited just inside the door, listening for a knock.

Kurogane went down the hallway to the door marked F16 and nearly entered before stopping short. Right, this was a girl's room, so he didn't know that going in without a warning was such a good idea. Even he knew better than some things.

So he stopped outside, gave a good look around the hallway to make sure nothing would rush out to attack, then rapped on the door. "You better be in there," he called through, though he wasn't so sure that the doors could be heard through. If she didn't open within the minute, he'd be entering like it or not.

Shiki promptly answered the door, with a bright smile. She noticed the outfit before she said anything else - a girl with her eye for clothes couldn't help it. He cut an impressive figure when he was dressed the way he was, and had she not met him before, she would have been a little intimidated.

"I'm here, Kurogane-san. I promised I wouldn't go out by myself again, after all."

The door opened, and Kurogane glanced down at the girl, but at the smile he quickly looked away, hiding his eyes easily beneath his head gear. "Right. You ready or not?" he asked, keeping his words short. It was bad enough that he had to not only babysit but also pick them up that he didn't want to waste any time with chatter.

"Let me just grab my pillowcase, and I'll be all set." She did so quickly, then stepped out and closed the door behind her. "OK. Where to?"

He watched her silently and remained quiet until she returned with the pillowcase. "The other room," he answered, vague save that Shiki should know where they were headed. With that, he turned, expecting that she would follow quickly and, hopefully, quietly.

When the doors unlocked, Anise had been ready for a while. After finishing two thirds of her dinner she decided it was enough, retrieved her makeshift weapon, and sat on the edge of her bed, waiting impatiently for the next announcement.

It looked like the Head Doctor wasn't around tonight, but Anise didn't really care what he was doing, or what the Head Nurse was saying in his absence. The nighttime speech was as creepy as usual, but being so eager to leave her room, Anise found herself more irritated at its length than intimidated by its message.

The second she heard the telltale clicking sound, the girl threw open the door and dashed out into the hallway.

[To here!]

Finally, night had come. It seemed odd to be almost wishing for nightshift to start, and MOMO couldn't help but frown at her eagerness, but she was determined to prove herself tonight. She hadn't been able to do too much lately, and after falling asleep last night she wanted to show that she could handle whatever assignments she got; healing or otherwise.

After changing into her usual outfit, the realian grabbed her flashlight and headed out the door. She waited for a moment, listening, and once she was sure it was safe, MOMO hurried down the hall.

Today had sure been interesting, or at least a lot more interesting than she'd thought it'd be judging from how it had started out. This place was really getting weirder and weirder. So, they transferred people without telling them, which could be like kidnapping yes, and then tried to make them seem... crazier? What was the point of that, huh?

Regardless of how accustomed she'd become to the mental institution scene, Harley wasn't a big fan of mind games. People poking around where they didn't belong only led to dangerous things. When she thought back to her days as a doctor, there were some theories that things like that could work. Essentially the idea was to break down everything the patient believed, start a clean slate, and rebuild the 'correct' way of thinking. It was really a load. She thought so back then and she sure as heck thought so now.

But sitting around pondering the "ifs," "whys," and "what the hecks" wasn't her place or her style. She'd be sitting here til next summer. All that was important was getting to what she needed, and that was that lab upstairs.

She grabbed her flashlight and the wrecking bar, thinking over the map route in her head before finally stepping outside.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/517051.html?thread=42756027#t42756027)]

Wow. It was somehow a whole lot creepier when you heard night being announced like that. Kimberly couldn't suppress a slight shudder, and she quickly rubbed her arms in an attempt to ease the chill. She couldn't afford to think about that right now, she was supposed to meet Stefan.

The Pink Ranger grabbed her flashlight and was about to leave the room when she paused. If they were going to be gathering wood, wouldn't they need something to carry it in? They could always carry it the good old fashioned way, but given that it was supposed to be dangerous that probably wasn't the best idea... What to do, what to do?

There didn't seem to be much in the room itself, so she decided to try looking in the closet. Maybe there was a spare pillowcase or something she could use as a makeshift bag. Hmm... There didn't seem to be too much in the closet either--wait! Was that something pink?

Kimberly pushed aside a couple extra smiling shirts (because yes, she could swear that the yellow face was smiling at her) and sure enough, there was her ninja outfit all folded up. And sitting on top, much to her delight, was her communicator.

Unfortunately, as she quickly discovered, the communicator wasn't working but that didn't stop her from slipping it onto her wrist. Who knew, maybe it'd work once she was outside? She could hope, anyway.

It was several minutes later before she managed to successfully chance into her ninja outfit though. She'd never really thought much about it before, what with the instant transformation that came with morphing, but those outfits were confusing. I am never taking morphing for granted again, she thought to herself as she adjusted the facemask.

Once satisfied that everything was as it should be, the Pink Ninja Ranger set out.

Claire still hadn't arrived by the time the new intercom announcement came on, and Melissa gave up ever expecting her back. The other bed was still fully made, still untouched, still a constant reminder of how easily and quickly people could disappear here. How little time they had.

When the doors unlocked and the medley of anticipation and excitement thronging the air finally managed to focus on movement and activity, Melissa tried to pick at a little more food for a while. Eventually, she gave in and stood up. As much as she didn't want to face anything else out there, her arm was killing her and her thoughts kept coming back around to the healing fountain in the chapel. She knew the way, and it wouldn't take long. Hopefully.

All she had to do was avoid freaky Spiderman psychos on the way.

Making up her mind, Melissa grabbed the knife and tucked it away safely in the waistband of her pants, slightly more nervous now that it was her only weapon. But she had to go and heal this arm before she went insane, and she had to do it as quickly as possible.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/517051.html?thread=42817723#t42817723)]

Eileen gathered her flashlight and the little radio and took a deep breath. This...probably wasn't a good idea. But what else could she do? She couldn't stay in her room and hide. Well, she could, but she'd feel really stupid about it if she did.

Well, so far her luck had held pretty well. There was no real reason it wouldn't tonight, too. So steadying her nerves, Eileen stepped out into the hallway and began to make her way to the main halls.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/517557.html?view=42826165#t42826165)]

[[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/518543.html?thread=42888335#t42888335)]]

Allen ran down the rest of the hall to Rinali's room, only to find that it was completely empty. He'd been expecting it, but it still hurt like another hole in his heart. He could stand missing the others because she'd still been here to support him. But now she was gone too.

He bit the inside of his cheek, tasting blood but barely aware of it. She was home, he told himself, she was happy and safe and away from this place. Even if it was a lie, it was all he could cling to for now.

It was hard to describe how, exactly, he was feeling, but right now one word came clearly to mind. Empty. He allowed himself a quiet moment to regain his composure before he would start out again. There were others he needed to say goodbye to tonight.

[[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/518543.html?thread=43249551#t43249551)]]

Anya spent a little more time than usual gathering her things and walking to Willow's room. She was coming to the conclusion that rushing around in this place was only going to make her tired and out of breath without leading to any helpful resolution to Operation Escape With Our Sanity Intact.

Clearly, she was slipping, because she hadn't even bothered to arrange something with the other Scoobies tonight. As if the smiley face shirts and rampant excess of demons weren't proof enough of this place's insidious evil, it was making her lax in her organizational standards!

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/518896.html?thread=42411504)]

Night 37: F11-20 Hallway

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Inside F16

Outside F16

Re: Outside F16

Re: Outside F16

Re: Outside F16

Re: Outside F16

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

F13

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject