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damned_institute2008-12-08 11:42 am
rectifies.livejournal.com) wrote in damned_institute2008-12-08 11:42 am
Night 37: M81-90 Hallway
A part of Ken couldn’t deny wanting to stay in for the night, as opposed to traversing outside and keeping his obligations. Between the arrival of the seniors and the revelation at lunch, the day had completely overwhelmed and undermined any desire to mobilize. Sleep sounded very good at the moment.
Maybe he could ask to be dismissed, perhaps after the S.E.E.S. had their meeting. No one would mind a half-night’s rest.
The boy quickly gathered up the container of juice and cans of corn in one hand and the spear in the other. His first stop was close enough to warrant a bag-less transport. Plus, he didn’t want to explain a random pillowcase if he could help it. With everything in place, Ken moved.
[To here.]
Maybe he could ask to be dismissed, perhaps after the S.E.E.S. had their meeting. No one would mind a half-night’s rest.
The boy quickly gathered up the container of juice and cans of corn in one hand and the spear in the other. His first stop was close enough to warrant a bag-less transport. Plus, he didn’t want to explain a random pillowcase if he could help it. With everything in place, Ken moved.
[To here.]
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He closed the door behind him, having been gone for less than a minute. "Check this ou'." He proffered the box to Cole for inspection. "Been meanin' ta show ya this fer a few days now. Managed ta scare up some medical supplies with an 'associate' o' mine a few days ago. Figured they migh' fin' 'em useful."
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There was a relatively small number of people in the hallway, but otherwise it looked very much the same as it had when the nurse had walked him down here before dinner. Patients milling about, chatting, passing through on their way to other hallways...were circumstances different, this could be mistaken for any other Institution at nighttime.
Were circumstances different.
Bruce kept his expression carefully neutral as he turned his attention to his roommate, deep in conversation with another man--evidently someone he trusted. What startled Bruce was that the man his roommate was talking to was fully costumed--blue and red, with a helmet that seemed to be of some European design. There was a large star across the man's chest, and three smaller stars on each of the man's arms.
I have blue stars drawn on my shirt.
Granted, these stars weren't blue. And for all Bruce knew there could be more than one crimefighting-superhero-man-in-starry-tights running around the Institute. Still, there was something about the way the man carried himself that reminded Bruce of the person Bruce'd "talked" to on the bulletin board.
...well. Neither of them were familiar, and if one was in a costume that Bruce had never seen, there was a good chance that at least they were from different worlds. There was no harm in trying to talk to them--especially if either man thought he could defend himself against the kind of "attention" the costume no doubt could draw.
Bruce shut the door behind him, watching.
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"It would probably be a good idea to keep some supplies to carry with you for emergencies, but I'm sure the people in the clinic would appreciate it," Marcus said. He wondered if there was anyone there that would have healing abilities like those Numina possessed.
The sound of someone exiting Logan's room and the sound of the door closing drew Marcus' attention away from the other hero.
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"We ain' alone. Frien' o' yers?" Some patients had the right idea, just trying to survive, helping where they could. Others, however, just seemed to want to cause yet more trouble. Logan couldn't tell from the man's scent which motive he might have on his agenda.
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"Hi," he said, smiling but keeping his expression neutral. The tone of his voice, though casual, was a far cry from what he'd used earlier with Harley. Bruce didn't trust them, but if he insisted on maintaining the facade, they would never trust him, either.
"Sorry for interrupting your conversation, but I thought I should introduce myself. You're my new roommate, right?"
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"I'm Logan. This here's Statesman," he had no problem using his own 'name' (although it had been an alias for more than a hundred years), but figured that Cole might prefer his 'codename' when being introduced, especially after admitting he didn't know the other man. "You are?"
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"Bruce Wayne. Your roommate," he added, nodding in Logan's direction before turning to Statesman, the smile by now completely gone from his expression. Voice still neutral and carefully interested, he kept his posture relaxed and (hopefully) nonthreatening.
"So you're Statesman."
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"Yes, I'm Statesman," Was Bruce a hero who had seen the bulletin board? Marcus looked at him warily. There was also the chance that he was on the wrong side, too. He could very well be one of Recluse's Arbiters and Marcus would have no idea.
Either way, the fact that Bruce was so calm and controlled reeked of intense training. So he was either a cautious, experienced hero, or a cautious, experienced villain.
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There was no time for such thoughts now, however. Especially with this...Wayne guy standing here all cocksure as if they were waiting for a bus together. Something about it didn't feel quite right to the mutant, but it wasn't enough to raise his hackles, either. On the other hand, it would take a lot for he and this Bruce character to start acting all chummy. He may be the Canadian's new roommate, but as far as Logan was concerned, he had a lot to live up to before he could be considered even a modicum of a replacement for the man whose bed he would now occupy. Still, there was no harm in being civil for the time being, unless this man gave him any reason not to be.
"Sorry kid, I had a lot on my min' o' late. Nothin' personal." He held out his hand to shake, unsure if if the other man would take it. This Bruce might take offense to being called a 'kid', but since he looked to be somewhere in his mid-thirties, as far as Logan felt, the title was fairly accurate. Anyone younger than him could be considered a kid in his eyes after all, even Cole, although that man's exact age was still open for debate. "We oughta walk n' talk. Ain' no sense in spendin' another nigh' standin' aroun' jawin'." Cole's suggestion that they pass the infirmary was a good one, and Logan felt he could get some idea of where this Bruce was coming from on the way there. He'd probably part ways with the two of them once they arrived at M35, but in the meantime...well, there was never any harm in learning all you could in a damned place like this.
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No recognition of the name from either of them. Bruce allowed himself some small relief at the same knowledge—at the very least, it didn’t seem like he’d have to concentrate too much on maintaining a persona around the two of them. From the way Logan spoke and how Statesman was watching, Bruce could sense how reluctant they were to trust him. Similar to how Bruce was analyzing their reactions and attitudes, Bruce Wayne was being judged as well—what he did now could very well determine how and if they were ever going to be able to work with each other in the future. While Bruce had yet to make a decision as to whether he wanted to try this “working with other people” thing—it still didn’t sit well with him, but from Wally’d told him about their future it could very well be inevitable—but in case he needed to...
Sorry kid.
...somehow, Bruce doubted the “rich, dumb socialite” reaction would be appropriate.
Logan’s caution didn’t offend Bruce—quite the opposite. Although the two men didn’t seem overly concerned with keeping their identities or powers secret, they didn’t go flaunting it in other people’s faces, or trust just anybody not to take advantage of them. If they were careful about who to trust, chances are, they could be careful about how they used their powers—maybe. Unless, of course, they were people like Lex or Ra’s, in which case, they simply had things to hide.
"No offense taken. I’m a pretty hard person to live with myself, but I hope that if we’ve any differences we’ll work them out."
He was a bit surprised to hear Logan offer to walk together; in truth, he’d half-expected to be dismissed and sent along his way. But if the other man was offering...
"Thanks for the offer, but if I’m interrupting something or if you two were going somewhere...well. I doubt I’d be much help, but if you’re willing to try it, I’d be glad to come along."
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Logan's habit of calling everyone a kid was a little bit amusing, now that Marcus had gotten used to it. Bruce had certainly taken it well, though Marcus suspected the other man was trying not to get into an argument with his new room mate.
He was certainly very diplomatic in his responses, and seemed to be well-practiced at social interaction.
"No, you can come along, it isn't safe to wander around alone, and I'll be able to handle anything we come across on my own," They weren't heading anywhere that was known to have strong monsters or brainwashed patients, just from one block to another.
"We should get moving though, morning has a habit of sneaking up on us when we least expect it," Marcus took the lead and started moving forward, more slowly than his usual determined pace, both for Wolverine's sake and Bruce's.
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