damned_institute | Night 44: M11-M20 Hallway

Edgar's eyes shifted to the door as it clicked open. The inter-prison communication system certainly had some interesting details- maybe he wouldn't be disassembling it so soon, since he was sure he didn't want to miss any pertinent information, especially any which might aid in escaping. He'd thought he might have a chat with his roommate (whose name he still hadn't gotten) during dinner, but it seemed that idea had fallen through. Perhaps he'd have more luck with that the following night.

Where he wanted his luck focused currently was on the task he had on his mind: getting to the room where he and Kuukaku had found the pressurized tank. He'd cross the bridge of getting the tank back to his room once he had it in his grasp.

[To here.]

He was... sorry? What was Herr Doktor going on about now? First he goes missing and now he was apologizing for the last few nights? Things have been getting extraordinarily bad lately, and if Klavier were to consider the head doctor's absence and peculiar behavior... Was this an act, too? He couldn't be sure, but if the doctor was actually being truthful about that point, it meant he was not involved in the events of the last few evenings. And that was possibly more horrifying than anything else the man could have said.

If he hadn't orchestrated anything then what was going on exactly? Were things simply spiraling out of control or was there something else at play here, going over even Herr Doktor's head. If it was the latter, they were all in very serious trouble. Better to deal with an adversary you somewhat knew than a complete unknown force.

This was a subject he would have been interested in getting a second opinion on. Kristoph's, in particular. However, he had been ~~warned~~ told 'not to find him' tonight. It was such a simple, seemingly harmless statement, but Kristoph might as well have just slapped him. That one sentence clearly illustrated how badly Klavier had screwed up this time. His brother was so mad he didn't even want to look at him. It was hard to ignore the sinking feeling that idea evoked.

It was for that exact reason Klavier was almost desperate to get outside for once. Aside from the fact that he had a meeting to keep, the thought of staying in the room haunted by thoughts and guilt one more night absolutely terrified him. He took up his flashlight and one of the stashed pipes from the closet, gave Endrance a small, forced parting smile, and left the room.

[heading out here]

Edited 2009-10-09 14:00 (UTC)

It took quite a lot to intimidate Dias - much less frighten him - but as he reached for the door to leave his room for the night, he found himself brought up short as he realized his hand was shaking, however minutely. It reflected the anxiety he'd been denying the existence of since last night, a fear his mind refused to acknowledge but that his body remembered.

He could still feel the blade going through his throat, hellishly clearly, but what had truly horrified him was the sight of Cecille, and the accusing look in her eyes as her blood poured over her pale hands. Whether it had been real or not, the thought of seeing it - or anything remotely like it - ever again made him want to close his eyes forever, or would if he didn't know his mind would replay the vision in perfect detail for him.

But he was no coward, and Claude and Guy needed his help. After pulling his hand back and massaging it for a moment - it accomplished nothing, but gave him a moment to steel his nerves - he reached out and opened the door with no further hesitation.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/728500.html?thread=60050356#t60050356).]

Dinner hadn't exactly been filled with conversation, but after the last twenty-four hours or so, Kakashi appreciated the silence. He'd read a bit more of his book, and thought a bit more about the situations the ninja faced. While his experience usually counter-balanced it, Kakashi was also a strategist like Shikamaru, and he didn't particularly like the unpredictability factor in the Institute. Here, it lacked the endearing quality that made Naruto so likable.

Seeing Dias's hand shake just before the man left meant he was likely just as unsettled as Kakashi. Maybe he'd ask about it at dinner tomorrow night. Dias was a private person, but he might also appreciate the opportunity to speak to someone objective about the matter. First, however, was this night, and the tasks he had to complete. Shikamaru's objections had been sound, but Kakashi still wanted to have the material available to the ninja. All of them had a right to know, if they wanted. Kakashi was just making it easier to give the answers.

The jounin changed a bit slower than he might normally have, after getting his Sharingan covered. Being late was almost a trademark characteristic for him, and as always, maintaining a sense of stability remained vital. The fact was particularly true in Shikamaru's case, since of all of the ninja, only Jiraiya might be able to see through him better. If anyone would pick up on Kakashi's vulnerability, Kakashi would bet on Shikamaru.

Once he was ready and armed (both with his knife and his book), Kakashi headed out the door.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/732327.html?thread=60223911#t60223911)]

Dinner had been quiet again tonight, and Yukito was starting to get worried about his roommate. Maybe Ken was getting sick or something? He hoped not. Yue refused to comment on the situation at all, pretending not to notice his other self's train of thought, but Yukito suspected that the guardian was likewise concerned, even if he'd never admit it.

With nothing else to do after polishing off his food in record time, Yukito had taken his journal and gone to sit on his bed, thinking that maybe he should write something about what had been going on. If he got his thoughts down on paper, it might be easier for him to figure out where they led, after all. And maybe if Yue didn't want to talk about things, maybe he'd be willing to write them.

After a few minutes, though, with nothing written on the page, the heavy silence in the room combined with nights of running around with little sleep finally became too much for him and he'd dozed off. The intercom announcements half-woke him, but he sleepily decided that Touya would wake him once he arrived, and promptly fell asleep again.

[Like an arrow to the moon, from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/732327.html?view=60144551#t60144551). Presumably after Ken has left.]

Touya moved through the darkened hallways casually, hands in his pockets. He was pretty confident about the trip, given how many times he'd made it (he could have probably walked it blindfolded after the first time), and it was early enough that he figured monsters hadn't made it to the rooms yet. When he arrived at Yuki's room, he listened for a moment--no sound of talking. Frowning a little, he entered the room quietly.

Yuki was sleeping. For a moment, Touya felt a pang of concern, wondering if his power hadn't been enough and now Yuki needed even more sleep and food yet again. He was probably just sleeping though. Nothing to be worried about. ...he hoped.

His steps were a little quicker than someone who wasn't at all concerned. Kneeling by the bed, Touya put a gentle hand on Yuki's shoulder.

"Oi, Yuki," he called softly, shaking his friend's shoulder lightly. "You okay?"

There was a sleepy confused half-second where both selves awoke, Yue alarmed that he hadn't awoken when someone entered the room despite the potential for danger, and Yukito automatically reaching toward glasses he didn't need to wear at the moment. After that hesitation Yue recognized Touya and subsided again with an irritable mutter, and Yukito turned the gesture into a rub at one eye.

"Mmm? Already time?" He blinked once, then smiled at Touya and started to push himself up again. "Sorry, Touya...I thought I'd take a nap, but I guess I slept later than I thought. It hasn't been too long, has it?"

He didn't want to keep Sakura waiting, either, especially with how upset she'd been the night before. And they needed to get something accomplished; he could finally do something about the constant restless irritation from his other self, now that they were healed enough to go out again.

Edited 2009-10-09 10:40 (UTC)

"No, it hasn't been long," Touya said, unable to keep himself from smiling at Yuki's cheerfulness even after being woken up. If it had been him, he would've growled at whoever had come to drag him out of bed and rolled himself into a cocoon. Some days he was ready to go (usually after he'd had a good rest over the summer or weekend). Other days, his father had to rouse Touya when Sakura's efforts failed.

"You think it takes me more than three minutes to walk over two hallways and down one?" Touya asked, smirking at Yuki as he sat down next to his boyfriend on the bed. "Well at least I know how little you think of me now," he said with a teasing grin.

"Well, sometimes you walk slow." Still only mostly awake, but making the effort to pretend that he wasn't, Yukito laughed quietly and shifted over to lean against Touya lightly. "Or you could've taken a nap, too. It's not like we sleep all that much at night, here."

Although even with all the running around they did, he still felt like he'd had some rest by morning. It was something that he didn't really understand, and chose to not think too much about since he'd probably never find a good answer to it. Not until they escaped, at least.

Right now, though, he couldn't help but think about how comfortable he was at the moment. It would be so nice just to stay here, with Touya, and have a quiet night for once. But...no, there was too much to be done, and Sakura to worry about. Not that he was making any move to start leaving, though.

"I took a nap during dinner," Touya said, wrapping an arm around Yuki's shoulders. He really shouldn't be encouraging hanging around when Sakura was waiting for them, but he'd gotten there fast enough, hadn't he? A few minutes wouldn't matter, as long as it wasn't longer than ten... He put his cheek to the top of Yuki's head.

"And I only walk slow when I'm tired. And resting helped. And knowing you were waiting helped." And knowing Sakura was waiting helped too. Touya sighed a little, wishing that his sister weren't there. He'd worry about her, but maybe where she was from, he would be there to look after her--and Yue and Yukito would too. But he wished, most of all, that she was safe.

It would make it so much easier to have time alone with Yuki, for one thing. So far, sitting there all night and just holding Yuki in silence and darkness was a dream.

It took a moment before Yukito spoke up, reluctance obvious in his tone as he pointed out, "Sakura's waiting, too." He didn't really want to move - if given the choice, he'd gladly stay there for as long as he possibly could. But right now, really, there wasn't much of a choice.

As comfortable and content as he was right now, it still wasn't home, it still wasn't safe, and Sakura still needed to be protected in this place. Not to mention the fact that he had Yue stirring restlessly at the edge of his mind, reminding him constantly that he wanted to be on his way, not playing spectator to their little comfortable moment.

Touya heard himself sigh a little, knowing that Yukito was right. It was kind of jerkish, to be sitting here wanting to cuddle his boyfriend when his sister was waiting for them to come pick her up. He could just hear her now, going on about how long she'd waited for him and how he walks so slowly. Well, at least she hadn't seen him right after he'd given his magic to Yue and woken up here. That was walking slow.

"You're right," he said, standing up so Yuki could get up. "We have to think about her, too." Even if it sounded like Yuki wanted to stay too, which made it even harder for Touya to leave. Sure they ate lunch together, but it wasn't a private space. Touya couldn't do much besides a peck on the cheek and some loud conversation over everyone elses' conversations.

And really, as long as Sakura was around, that was how it would stay. He wished they could all go home. But when he returned, what if Yuki didn't know how he felt? The one he'd confessed to was from the future. Would he come to remember? Would Yuki return to a Touya who had been waiting for him to remember for months?

He could think about this later. It was depressing him right now.

"Let's go get her before she starts thinking we're not coming, yeah?" he said with a small smile over his shoulder.

Even if he was right he didn't particularly want to be, since it meant they had to leave. Immediately after that thought, though, Yukito chided himself for it - Sakura could be in any kind of trouble while the two of them were over here, and she needed help more than he needed to nap on Touya's shoulder. No matter how comfortable and pleasant it had been.

A faint sigh turned into a yawn as he pulled himself to his feet, absently brushing loose hairs from his face that he escaped from the braid while he slept. Was it his imagination, or was the braid still damp from the shower earlier? It must be an awful lot of trouble for Yue to deal with all the time.

He gave Touya a bright smile in return and nodded. "Of course. The faster we get moving, the faster we'll find a way home, right?" And then they'd have all the time in the world to spend together. Right now he had to worry about Sakura instead.

[hopping over to here]

[starting in M20]

Kenshin didn't know what to expect when the doors unlocked. The Head Doctor hadn't sounded well (the rurouni couldn't find it in his heart to be too vary concerned about that), but what he said about taking their "training" to "the next level" was troubling.

And yet he couldn't let himself focus on that too much. He needed to get to Kaoru's room as soon as he could. He hadn't seen here all day, and--

He couldn't think like that. She had to still be here. She couldn't have disappeared like the others. She just hadn't been out of her room all day because of what she thought had happened last night.

And that wasn't very comforting.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/730785.html?thread=60080033#t60080033).]

Edited 2009-10-08 05:55 (UTC)

Endrance listened to that intercom announcement with a look of concern. What in the world had happened? He couldn't find it in him to be too sympathetic, however, especially when the man was barely hiding threats.

He nodded once after he got his things together, then headed out.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/731952.html)]

"Truly sorry," indeed. If Landel was truly sorry, he wouldn't have kept Porky here for another night! Or at least give him his mech back and let him have a little fun. Honestly, if there was anything that Landel could do that would actually be therapeutic, it was let Porky vent a little. Nothing like a good old-fashioned rampage to release some stress. What was even better about the special counseling sessions was that the next day you could say that you weren't thinking straight or something. Eh, whatever. Porky wasn't normally patient, but he'd wait his turn for this.

In any event, Porky had things to do and people to see. He had been hoping to just stay in tonight, but it looked like he would have to trek all the way over to M80 to drop off that torch for Harley. Maybe while he was out he'd drop by the cafeteria and get a snack or something. Before that, however, Porky had some hard work ahead of him.

With a sigh, Porky flipped over one of the chairs and began breaking the legs off of it. Why did it have to be this hard to just get a fucking torch?

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/730785.html?thread=60306081#t60306081).]

[in M20]

Kratos barely marked the return of the Head Doctor; it was no source of relief, and the "next level" that Landel had spoken of was far more intriguing, except only in that it meant more trouble on the horizon.

Giving the intercom broadcast no more thought, the swordsman went straight to his closet and pulled out the items he needed, running over Hitsugaya's last-minute announcement. There had been a cryptic but nevertheless discernible warning; he would have to take even more care this night...

Kratos's grip on his sword tightened as he swept out into the hallway. Yes, tonight he couldn't afford to lose focus and be distracted. There would be no time to face the memories; he would suppress everything for now until he found the time to "deal" as Raine had suggested.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/730785.html?thread=60264097#t60264097)]

Even if they seemed to make a point of separating them whenever they met up--it could have been poor timing, too, with the intercom going off as well--Manny shrugged it off; he thought he had enough to go on for now, anyway. It wasn't like Wright was going anywhere. ... Well, at least he hoped not.

He was glad to see that Meche had made connections. He hadn't doubted her when she'd said she could get him into the club, so he wasn't surprised by her message. At least now he'd know who to ask if something popped up tonight, but he'd prefer it if that 'something' didn't eat them first.

He thought about talking to his new roommate, but he wanted to finish his meal before nightfall. By the time his plate was empty, the man had already left. And broken a chair on his way out. Maybe it was better he had held off after all.

Manny started packing for the night as he mulled over Martin's message. So, when he'd said sorry that time, he'd meant it. But what really bothered Manny were his last words. Training? What training?

He had a bad feeling about this.

[skipping a few hallways to here]

Javert wasn't sure how much time had passed. Sometime between finishing his dinner and the doors actually unlocking, he had inexplicably fallen asleep, and now his broken pocketwatch wasn't giving him any answers.

Swearing under his breath, he pulled himself to his feet, dressing quickly and tying his saber round his waist with a strip of cloth. The others had to be waiting by now, thanks to his own imbecility. Speed was of the essence.

Night 44: M11-M20 Hallway

M16

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