damned_institute | Nightshift 40: East Wing, Hall A (2nd Floor)

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/614778.html?thread=51040122#t51040122)]

Entering the next hall, Jason looked over the doors lining it, searching for the one he wanted. Too bad for him that it was too difficult to read the labels on them in the dark and while there were others moving about here their lights weren't enough for him to read by. He'd have to turn on his flashlight if he wanted to avoid checking each room individually, which meant he could kiss what was left of his night vision goodbye. Not like he had much choice.

Checking that the other group was keeping their distance and that the hall was clear of anything that could be waiting to ambush him when his guard was down, Jason satisfied himself that he was as safe as he was going to get. Closing his eyes he switched on the flashlight, slitting them open again when the worst of the spots had cleared from his vision. When he could finally see well enough he quickly started checking the doors and finally found the one marked 'janitor's closet'.

He twisted the handle and found, just like last night, that the door to the one place he actually wanted to go was the only the one that was locked. The lock looked about the same quality as the one on the kitchen door so at least he should be able to force it. Stepping back, Jason gave the door a couple of good solid kicks. The lock broke easy enough causing the door to crash open. He immediately checked the area again, in case something had been attracted by the noise but he seemed to be in the clear still. He couldn't hear anything inside the room and he sure as hell wasn't going to turn back even if there was.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/618065.html)]

Edited 2009-04-25 07:06 (UTC)

[staggering back from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/618065.html?thread=51084369#t51084369)]

Stumbling out into the hall, Jason slammed the door to the closet behind him. Once the door was closed he forced himself to move away along the corridor, just in case the door wasn't enough to stop that thing back in the closet. Finally at a safe distance, he dropped the pipes and bag he'd grabbed on his way out, only then realising he'd left behind the knife he'd gotten last night. What the hell. It was just a lousy kitchen knife, he could get another. It would be safer to go by the kitchens again than have to risk returning to the closet.

He gingerly began to inspect his injuries, scowling as he saw just how much damage that fucking monster had caused. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off the pain from the bites and the burns was becoming even more insistent. He really wanted to wash the burns with something and make sure there was no acid left on him. But from his experience with the showers on his first night that was unlikely to work out.

"Fuck!"

[from here]

As he entered the next hallway Yue's steps slowed again at a soft, He's still injured, you know, from Yukito. He couldn't help but feel a flicker of guilt at that reminder, and he paused to glance back at Touya. It wasn't as though it had rendered him an invalid, but still, it was rather rude to be rushing off like that, especially when he didn't know if something was going to attack them at any minute.

"Were you looking for anything in particular?" he asked, glancing around at the rooms immediately nearby. Mail and laundry weren't of any particular interest to him, and the possessions storage room was farther down the hall. Perhaps one of the rooms in between would have something useful.

[Go go gratuitous 3-day fail! \o/]

Touya was moving along just fine, though he was admittedly still a little sore. His shoulder, he noted, was indeed healing much faster than was normal. Perhaps it would be just fine in two or three days' time.

He was a little surprised when Yue slowed down, wondering why. He was probably looking at the rooms, that's all.

"Not really. Maybe something sturdier than a bat? Medical supplies maybe? Nothing fancy, because if you suffer head trauma or something, I think giving you a pain killer and moving on wouldn't be my first course of action."

He shined his light on the doors, looking around. "Maybe the possessions room you mentioned has something we could use as a weapon?"

A weapon? Yue rather doubted there'd be anything of the sort in that place, considering what he'd found there. Weapons against them, perhaps, planted by the Institute.

Still, though, one never knew what might be in there. He hadn't checked any of the other patients' boxes on his last visit, and it seemed possible that things that would upset the supposed owners would also be things that he might find potentially useful.

That and the fact that there seemed to be other people already in the other storage rooms, judging from the broken-in doors, made the decision for him. He'd no interest in dealing with other patients tonight, especially not this night, when it was hard to tell friend from foe.

He finally gave a small nod, and with a quiet, "This way," moved onward toward the room at the end of the hall. Locked, of course, but it wasn't that difficult to deal with; a pair of sharp kicks near the lock sent the door flying open.

[going here]

(From here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/619465.html?thread=51269577#t51269577))

Touya didn't make eye contact with Mr. Pocket Protector (he still had a bad feeling about that guy...), but turned around once both he and Yue had exited the room.

"Where to now?" he asked, putting his hands in his pockets and looking at the labels on the doors he could see.

At least Ken had someone with him this time, which seemed to be better than previous nights. It did relieve some of Yue's concern (not that he cared, of course) that Ken might show up injured again the next day.

He glanced over at Touya with a slight frown, this one of the thoughtful variety, then over toward the nearby doors. "File storage doesn't seem very useful," he observed, dismissing that door with a slight flick of a finger. "The janitor's closet? Mops and brooms, perhaps. And I'm not certain what's in the other storage room. Perhaps that would be the best one to try?"

Touya walked a few paces and shone his flashlight on the door. General Storage. There seemed to be people inside, but it didn't sound like fighting. Hopefully they wouldn't mind two other patients in there with them.

"Let's try this room," Touya said gesturing into the storage area.

(To here! (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/618654.html?thread=51387294#t51387294))

[ From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/614778.html) ]

This hallway was unfamiliar to him, leaving him on slightly on edge as he crept forward. Only the sounds of footsteps nearby reached his ear, a few of them signaling others who were exploring the same areas as he was. It wasn't anything to concern himself with, so he kept on, eyes falling on the multitude of doors and the seemingly endless stretch of walls. They weren't distinguishable from the rest, which meant that Takasugi would have to open them up one by one to see was inside. Whether or not they would even be locked was also something he'd have to check, but he had enough time to cover this whole area before morning.

Since some of the other patients had gone into the first few rooms, he chose one of the farther, emptier rooms to begin with. His flashlight came in handy, clicking it on as he held the door handle between his fingers and twisted, muscles ready to propel him into action should something unsavory be present on the other side. Having experienced quite a number of unpleasant situations already, a bit of preparation, both mental and physical, was necessary.

[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/614778.html?thread=51427706#t51427706).]

Hijikata thought he'd been mistaken for a moment when he turned the corner and saw not a solitary figure but several different scatterings of people throughout this last hall: men and women, some entering rooms and others speaking in hushed, steady voices. Too smart and not stupid enough to discount his instincts so easily, however, Hijikata kept still and silent as he sorted through the shadows, filtering out the voices to concentrate only on that tell-tale silence all hunters learned to hear.

Their prey, as well.

.........there. There was one man standing alone, right in front of one of the farthest doors. Expression unreadable, Hijikata began to walk slowly towards the man, advancing silently and blending himself into the background of other footsteps and noises, confirming and seeing and thanking and resolving with each step that--

--unarmed. Good.

SLAM.

Without warning, a hand wrapped itself around Takasugi's, bruising the terrorist's palm against the doorknob as a body slammed itself into Takasugi's. Pinning the man into door, Hijikata milked the surprise for all it was worth and twisted the man's arm behind his back, ready to break it at the slightest resistance. For a moment after, he forgot words and focused on fixing Takasugi Shinsuke into the most uncomfortable position possible, knowing that the less the man was able to move, the better.

"...I took your hint about being subtle," Hijikata whispered harshly into the man's ear.

"Guess you really meant it."

Pain lanced through his arm before he could even register what was going on. His assailant -and judging by the voice, it appeared the Vice Commander had found him, after all- had lucked out on grabbing the arm attached to the shoulder that had been stabbed through the day before. Takasugi had to grit his teeth to keep from making any noise, inwardly displeased he had let his guard down enough to allow someone to sneak up behind him, having too quickly dismissed the surrounding foot steps as those of other wanderers. Now he had to deal with an unwanted enemy at his back when he was only inches from the supplies he required.

His breath was released through his nose, a single one to get passed the pained groan that lodged itself in his throat, before he could turn his head to the side and fix a grin on Hijikata. It was a careless grin, one that spoke of fearlessness and nonchalance, ignoring the threat at his back because he had good reason to believe that the Vice Commander was just as unarmed as he was. His only disadvantage was the various wounds that already peppered his body, making it difficult to get a upper-hand in the situation.

"I suppose we had to run into each other eventually," he murmured just as easily, "but what do you intend to do now that you've caught me? Kill me?"

There were bandages where Hijikata'd had grabbed Takasugi, all the evidence Hijikata needed to confirm the yorozuya girl's assertion that she'd fought by Takasugi's side last night. He supposed that he needed to investigate that further--the yorozuya had never been cleared completely of suspicions regarding his "intimate past" with various terrorist factions, after all--but here in the Institute Hijikata frankly had better things to do. For all his words, Hijikata had no real grudge against the yorozuya.

Too bad the same didn't apply for the man he had here.

Kill him?

"If you beg for it," Hijikata said with an equally fierce smirk, twisting the injured arm back even more.

"And by the time I'm done, you will."

Blood seeped through his patient's uniform as his wounds reopened from the movement, soaking the fabric red. Takasugi paid it no mind, even as the pain lanced through his shoulder blades and made his vision blur at the edges. He was definitely in a tight spot, but surrender and defeat weren't ever options that appealed much to him. Neither was reasoning with the Shinsengumi. If he hoped to escape from the Vice Commander's grip, he would have to do more than just endure it.

He'd have to bite back.

"Always the tenacious one, are we?" he teased with a grin, "I've always admired that about you, Vice Commander, but I'm afraid not all of us learned to sit and roll over on command as you have."

There was a sickening pop as he twisted his body free, putting enough distance between them by slamming his elbow hard into Hijikata's stomach. He was almost certain his shoulder had been dislocated, but the other arm remained strong and mobile. It would be enough.

Hijikata made no reply to the "sit and roll over" comment, nor did he need to. A low grunt was forced out of his throat when Takasugi's elbow jabbed straight into his stomach, causing him to let the man go by reflex and back off a few steps. It was almost satisfying, in a way, that the man got free: he could see Takasugi's face clearly now, and scanned quickly the man's injuries before smirking.

It took only a moment for him to cross that distance again; he barely gave the terrorist enough time to breathe before slamming his heel into the man's abdomen, hoping to get him cornered once more.

Pain exploded from his midsection, leaving Takasugi clutching at his stomach as his knees hit the floor too quickly. He could barely breathe past the pain and nausea that suddenly welled up from his gut, but his body refused to give out completely. His own will to live and fight was etched into every nerve ending, keeping him moving though he was about to reach his capacity.

Trying to recover, he searched for an opening and had enough strength to aim for the Vice Commander's wind pipe, his good arm suddenly jerking out to crush Hijikata against the wall by his neck and using the force of his whole body to keep him pinned down as he squeezed. The smile returned to his face, hiding how uncertain he was that he'd be able to retain the upper-hand in this situation. He was clearly at the disadvantage, with blood rolling down the front of his uniform and not a single weapon in hand.

The smile persisted even as he moved his mouth closer to Hijikata's ear to taunt him. "How does it feel to be so domesticated? I look at you and see potential that was sold off to the Amanto for such a cheap price. You prostrate yourself at their feet for the sake of a meaningless title when I see the things you truly want."

[from here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/614778.html?thread=51161722#t51161722)

Okay, now they were in the right hallway and there were a lot of people hanging about. Falis was going to be very fucking annoyed if one of them managed to swipe the mikrobsobe before they found it.

Not that Falis had any idea what one looked like.

Again, there were more people up here than Ami thought there would be. It looked like they were all harmless. The thought didn't cause Ami to lessen her grip on her baseball bat though.

"Fourth door on the right, just more than halfway up the corridor," she murmured to Falis.

Falis made her way to the correct door and listened to it. Nothing. She put her hand flat against the door. Still nothing. She checked the doorknob to find the room locked.

It wouldn't be for long.

"Okay, Sexy-Legs, hang back until I tell you to come inside," Falis told Ami, flashing the girl a charming grin.

Turning back, she hit the knob hard with the butt of her sword, the hunter's strength breaking the lock with a loud crack. The next moment, Falis had disappeared into the room.

[to here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/618654.html)

[Eventually following here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/618654.html)

Mitsuru was equally cautious as she stepped into the hallway, being careful to stay close to Endrance and Nigredo in case something attacked and they needed her help. If they could just get through without running into the boy from a few nights ago, or anything at all, then perhaps it would all be okay.

"Keep an eye out for storage rooms other than the janitor's closet," she said quietly, glancing around as they went down the hall, vaguely hearing the sound of something coming from one of the rooms. One of the other people down the hall even mentioned monsters, so it would certainly be better to look for bandages before trying to acquire a pipe from there. "I'm not entirely sure where they would be, but I'm sure we'll find some medical supplies."

"Understood," Nigredo muttered unconsciously, before tightening his lips at the habit. Being on guard did not equate being on a mission; suddenly treating this venture as such felt weird. Maybe it was warranted--the sound coming from one end of the hallway certainly didn't help--but wasn't he here for curiosity's sake?

Best not to think about it too much. He quietly crept ahead of the group, in hopes of finding the aforementioned storage rooms. The first two the boy ran across were of no consequence: one remotely resembled a reception area while the other contained several large machinery. The next three merely proved frustrating. A quick turn of the knobs revealed all of them were locked and sealed tight.

The traffic up ahead forced Nigredo to stop and use his eyes to investigate the next areas. One, where he was positive the noise was coming from, he ignored in favor of another, significantly quieter entrance. Its doorknob was disjointed in a way that indicated it had recently been broken into. He peeked inside, finding moving elements (People?) and several stacks of boxes. If boxes were not an obvious indication of a storage room...

Facing the others, he motioned for them to draw closer.

Endrance nodded, taking a few steps forward, then stopping. It wasn't pain that stopped him, or even the loud noises a few rooms ahead of them. It was something he couldn't describe - a faint sense that someone else was here, in the way that one Epitaph resonated in the presence of another. It wasn't reacting to either Gaignun or Mitsuru; if it had, it would have done so the moment he had approached them.

Who is it? I can't tell...the feeling is too weak, or I'm too far away. But it seems so familiar...almost like... Endrance's heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be that his Avatar was reacting to Haseo's, could it? Either way, the feeling was so faint, and he couldn't leave now. Even if he did...in his weakened state, it was better to stay with the group until he knew more. There was still that part of him that wanted to find Haseo, but he silenced it for the moment.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/618654.html?thread=51303070#t51303070).]

Edited 2009-04-30 21:13 (UTC)

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/614778.html?thread=51086970#t51086970)]

Well, they were getting closer. The room should be at the end of the hallway, and it seemed that someone had gotten there and done the job of opening it already. Ken had thought he saw Yue up here, but he couldn't be sure in the shadows.

"Well, here we are."

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/619465.html)]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/619465.html?thread=51343817#t51343817)]

A guy leaning against the wall (probably injured,) a scuffle between two patients, these hallways were getting almost pedestrian.

Not that he could do much about it.

[Back to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/614778.html?thread=51086970#t51086970)]

_{[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/614778.html?thread=51185786#t51185786)]}

“Patient possessions first?” he asked as he moved into the mouth of the corridor, marking the figures who he’d seen from above.

From the faint light, it looked like both the janitor’s room and the storage room had been broken into already. Some people were really getting their game on. Having not had much of an interest in collecting supplies before, Ren could see how planning to rob the place and finding out that what you’d wanted already had been nabbed by someone else could be a major annoyance, plus a waste of time. But really, if it wasn’t serious, the truth of the situation was that they probably had plenty of time to make as many trips to store rooms as they wanted, right? Landel didn’t seem keen on giving them the key to their escape anytime soon.

He pointed to the aforementioned room. “We can stop there for what you need and cover our bases this time. I can hit the janitor’s closet afterward.”

While Leon was willing to interrupt other scavengers if it was a truly urgent matter, he tended to agree that this wasn't worth a potential confrontation. Avoiding other patients was almost as important as avoiding monsters--one never knew how someone would react to having their monopoly on a score threatened. "Very well."

Besides, getting his own errand done was obviously more important to Leon than whatever it was Ren wanted. Not that there weren't things in the janitor's closet that Leon could use--he just didn't want them as much as he wanted leather for his sword hilt, right now.

_{[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/619465.html?thread=51453897#t51453897)]}

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/618654.html?view=51451806#t51451806)]

"I'd just been trying to see what the limit on my own power was when she attacked, so...I was probably more vulnerable than I would have been otherwise," Endrance began. "But there's no denying that what she summoned looked like Skeith. It's complicated, but..."

Complicated doesn't begin to describe it. I'm in my PC's body, I'm trying to explain a power that...

"After that, just now... I'd sensed someone else I know, someone I..." For a second time that night, he was glad the darkness hid a blush. "Someone that means a lot to me. I don't want them to be here, but...I can't help thinking they are. It's strange..."

Mitsuru wasn't too certain that he should be moving so much so soon, but staying in one spot wasn't advised if they could help it. So she followed, still carrying the gauze and medical tape she'd used, listening to his explanation. Which...was more than a little nonsensical. She understood the sentiment of not wanting people from home to be here, and summoning was a familiar enough concept to her, in regards to a Persona, but the name went over her head. "What's Skeith?" she asked when he finally trailed off.

While Mitsuru's interest leaned toward Skeith, Nigredo found the latter statement to be intriguing. It wasn't often one discovered another who could catch the presence of others. The boy knew such people existed, but he thought it was still interesting enough to probe deeper. "Are they family?" he piped up, the sudden interest cropping on his features. "Or...?"

Endrance closed his eyes and leaned against the wall for just a moment, trying to think of how best to explain what was a rather convoluted personal situation, on both accounts. "Skeith is an Avatar - a being that can only be summoned by an Epitaph-User. You might consider it...in this place, it would manifest as any other 'magic' being would. Each Epitaph-User has their own specific Avatar."

He took a slow, deep breath. "I was attempting to summon my own, Macha, in order to test whether or not I could do so and to what extent, when I was attacked."

They were almost to the door marked Patient Possessions. He would explain the connection once inside.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/619465.html?view=51486921#t51486921)]

Edited 2009-05-07 04:57 (UTC)

[[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/614778.html?thread=51496058#t51496058).]]

Hokuto was a little stronger than she'd been, a little tougher, but at this rate she was going to jump out of her skin if someone whispered "Boo!" in her ear. The last thing she wanted was to be attacked, but the tension of waiting for it was almost worse.

She wanted to let out a breath when they got to the door, but for all she knew a monster was lying in wait just out of sight. Gripping her shovel a little tighter, just in case, she went in.

[[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/619465.html?thread=51498441#t51498441).]]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/614778.html?thread=55044218#t55044218).]

The hall at the end of the corridor was active, or at the very least, had been. There were people opening doors and closing them, staggering out of entryways and creeping into them, all, as was evident, in pursuit of supplies. The advantage to this was that most of the locks were broken, and there was plenty of forewarning if avoiding monsters was the only goal.

Batman headed first to the Janitor's closet, only catch the tail-end noise of a fight and an angry expletive before changing his mind and heading for another door.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/618654.html?thread=55046046#t55046046).]

Edited 2009-07-06 07:10 (UTC)

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/618654.html?thread=55046046#t55046046).]

Gauze, first aid equipment, nurses' uniforms, doctor's gowns, lab coats, pills, bandages...he'd have to count them later, in the safety of his room and when he had time.

Bruce wasn't sure if it was ironic or revealing that the only branded product he'd been able to find so far was Tylenol. There was a locker room on the floor, and he'd have to check later if he could perhaps find some kind of receipt or other evidence of a world outside Landel's if he managed a third or fourth trip. He doubted it, and quite frankly he was surprised that he hadn't been attacked on this trip yet...but it didn't hurt to plan ahead.

[darting down to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/614033.html?thread=55047057#t55047057).]

Edited 2009-07-06 07:46 (UTC)

Nightshift 40: East Wing, Hall A (2nd Floor)

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repost;

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