Anise Tatlin (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gald_digger) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
damned_institute2009-10-07 09:52 pm
gald_digger) wrote in damned_institute2009-10-07 09:52 pm
Night 44: Sun Room
[from here]
It looked like they were the first ones in the Sun Room this night. There weren't any monsters in plain sight, which was a good sign.
Or was it? Getting held up by a monster actually sounded kind of nice, for once. If it was strong enough, it could keep Sync busy - maybe even enough to derail his plans. Of course, it would also put their lives in danger, but they were in tons of danger anyway. Whoever said "better the devil you know than the devil you don't" obviously didn't know Sync the Tempest.
So even though Anise walked into the Sun Room with soft, cautious steps like she usually would, the girl inwardly found herself praying for someone or something to intercept them.
It looked like they were the first ones in the Sun Room this night. There weren't any monsters in plain sight, which was a good sign.
Or was it? Getting held up by a monster actually sounded kind of nice, for once. If it was strong enough, it could keep Sync busy - maybe even enough to derail his plans. Of course, it would also put their lives in danger, but they were in tons of danger anyway. Whoever said "better the devil you know than the devil you don't" obviously didn't know Sync the Tempest.
So even though Anise walked into the Sun Room with soft, cautious steps like she usually would, the girl inwardly found herself praying for someone or something to intercept them.
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His footsteps were slow and cautious, barely audible against the floor beneath him. The God-General had carefully led the group against one of the walls, eyes constantly scanning the open area before them for any signs of life. It was frustrating having to move this slow when he knew he was on a time limit, but he knew he couldn't risk being reckless no matter how pressed for time he was.
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She was not going to be stuck to the back of his head for another hour. She just wasn't.
So far so good, though. If they could make it to the basement without too much trouble, she may just be nicer with her precious prince when it was her turn to play with him. Or at least give him a nice, fast-acting poison when she didn't need him anymore. Bleach in his orange juice would be such a nasty way to go...
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It rose and fell along his consciousness, canceling pain and truth and lies (and choice); shifting everything until it was the focal point for the only universal truth allowed. His was a perfect existence, alpha and omega, and he.... His tongue slid out, pressing along against his teeth as his mouth slid into a grin. All else was just. Pieces. Playthings. Toys. Useless humans meandering about in their losses and gains, and yet-- Not tonight, he supposed. A game, he was given. To stay and to go. The toys weren't allowed to play tonight. Unless they wanted to play with him.
A giggle drifted down into the sun room from above--a child's giggle deteriorating into something less and something more, drawn out for far too long. Minutes and then it fell away, a long sigh taking its place. "Ah..." The entity's gaze tilted downward, eyes glowing bright violet in the dim. "The lambs will follow, one by one. But are you only sheep, led to the slaughter? Have you no will of your own?" And what would happen, in the slaughter they were reaching for? These pieces meant nothing to him. And still.
A spark crackled at each door in the room; bright lightning to fade into a purple glow. The luminescence softened, and faded in turn. He laughed again, high-pitched and verging madness. "'Never have I seen her so pale'," he spoke, voice a laugh, hiding secrets. His eyes watched the girls like the prey animals they had became. "But still, I have looked at her, without your blessing. Will you dance for me, and I'll give you his head?"
Or was that not their part to play, broken dreamers as they were. The sick did dream, and this was a truth, because here they were, wishing and dreaming for more than what they had. Their truth was more simple. Their dreams would fall.
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"Above us!" she cried in alarm. Somebody was up on the railing, looking down at them. It didn't take long to figure out it had to be a special counseling patient. Right on time! Maybe the heavens were looking out for poor little Anise after all.
When the stranger began rambling, Anise had to wonder if he somehow knew more than he reasonably could have about them. Sheep led to the slaughter... That described their situation pretty accurately, even if he sounded kind of condescending as he said it.
But when his rant continued into what sounded like total nonsense, Anise's look of awe quickly melted into a more dubious expression. "Um. What's he talking about?" she asked, though she doubted Sync or Dahlia would know either. Anise had a feeling that the guy watching them was dangerous, but she also got the impression that he had a few screws loose. Maybe more than a few.
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Dias slipped cautiously into the sun room, scanning the ground level for signs of life - none - before directing his gaze upward. A figure, and...his eyes, adjusted to the dark, couldn't make out anything but points of violet light, but that was enough to tell him there was some sort of magic at work. The knowledge put him further on edge; he had learned to be comfortable with some specific mages, but on a whole - and especially as enemies - he distrusted them instinctively.
"Careful," he warned Guy and Claude over his shoulder, moving cautiously forward. That hadn't been sane laughter, and if this opponent were in an unstable and capricious enough mood, possibly he wouldn't stand in their way - he didn't seem to have stopped Sync and his group, at the very least, which was all the more reason for haste.
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He just hoped the two girls who were with him were all right. Whether they were being deceived or were being forced into the basement trips some other way was still up in the air, but that didn't change the fact that being near Sync was dangerous.
The unstable laugh had interrupted him before he could answer Dias' question. Startled, he'd tried to get a better look through the door. Was someone in there? Who would laugh like that? It didn't sound like Sync, and yet they hadn't heard it until the group had entered the room. Was it some kind of a monster? A brainwashed patient maybe?
They needed to be careful.
As usual, though, Dias had taken the lead without consulting either of them. Vaguely irritated, Claude followed after, but his expression smoothed out once he stepped into the sun room. A pair of violet lights peered at them from the darkness overhead, and Claude momentarily froze before slowly moving after his rival. He wasn't sure what that was, but it didn't look good.
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That laughter was definitely not Sync's (unfortunately, Guy knew exactly what that sounded like), but the servant didn't hesitate to follow Dias inside. Unlike Claude, he didn't mind that Dias was taking the lead, since he knew the man was in the best shape out of the three of them.
It looked like Sync and the others (Anise? really?) had already run ahead. Dammit! If they didn't hurry, who knew what Sync would do to those two? And if Anise really was involved, then Guy had even more to worry about. If she got hurt and he wasn't there to stop it, he wasn't going to be able to forgive himself.
Still, right now there was something else to worry about, and that was the source of that laugh, which definitely hadn't been playful. Guy looked in the same direction as the others, catching those two pinpoints of light and feeling his body tense up in response. Eyes, staring down at them.
They didn't have time for this! If Sync managed to slip past while they were left to fight with this brainwashed patient or monster or whatever it was for who knew how long, then their plan would already have slipped down the drain.
"We can't waste any time here," he said under his breath. As far as he was concerned, what they needed to do was run.
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Down the rabbit hole and into that place. There was something familiar about that, but it flashed too quickly for anything to settle. Instead the Song rose in waves, draining his replies further. A coalescence had started around him, violet and magenta dancing around him like living flames. One becoming two becoming one, and wasn't there something in that?! The bioweapon's eyes widened, something deliciously like fear lacing his being.
At the same time something shifted towards him along that forgotten and fractured link. A little mouse seeking, searching--pausing before him. Was that fear from daddy's little darling, or something else? Albedo rolled his eyes to the side, tracing the link's path through walls to the source. A effort of force, a shoving open, and then the pathway was open to him. {Ah, Nigredo.} Broken betrayer, future murderer; death will come to you in many forms. {It's been said, you know. To beware of false prophets. They wear sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.} There was a pause then, as his stare remained settled on the wall. {Do you think that's true?} Albedo's tongue darted out to taste the ridges of his teeth. {Come to me. We should play.}
That said, something pleasant and horrible crossed his expression. Whether to himself or the ones below him, the entity muttered, "...'For many are invited, but few are chosen.'" His attention elsewhere, the trio could slip by more easily then their own prey. From above, Albedo giggled again, something altogether awful in the sound.
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Well, it didn't seem like there was a fight going on tonight. Was the sun room empty? That was good, less to stand between them and the basement. SubZero wasn't really in the mood to deal with brainwashed patients or the more dangerous creatures that lurked in the building at night.
He motioned for Arlene and HK to come in. Although with no one in here, they might face two in a row in the upcoming rooms. And there was no one to distract any opposition they might run into.
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Nothing yet. She gave SubZero a universal hand signal to alert SubZero (and HK-47 if the droid hadn't noticed the flare earlier) of the imminent danger. Remembering last night's occupant, Beatrix scanned the ceiling and balcony area.
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With the windows in the ceiling it was brighter in here, but he was still glad that he'd retained his infrared capabilities. If there were any heat signatures in this place, he would find them. As long as they weren't hiding from him in some devious way that he had yet to uncover.
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His eyes darted downwards at the creaking open of the door once more, head tilted to watch as another party of three came in. Oh, how dark and dreary this group seemed! Perhaps he should do his task, and liven up their night. There were many games to play, many and much, and they had all the time that entropy tried to steal. Their time would lax first, these poor creatures tied to the mortal coil, but Albedo could attempt to make their stay a little more... thrilling... while they resided where life was offered to them.
Laughter burst out of him, then, and Albedo pushed off the railing to hover in the air next to it. Violet rose around him once more as he stared downwards, the grin solid on his expression. Albedo didn't speak for a moment, merely raised an eyebrow as he took them in and their fun little weapons that they offered. The female was in the center, a normal protective formation, and females were so fragile after all. Normally this deployment would work, except their enemy was currently in the air. A test, perhaps? To see how well they play? The grin widened, eyes much too wide glowed, and Albedo pulled the waveform surrounding him to coalesce together in front of him, a spherical orb almost his size, meant to shove and bruise, but not yet break (no, not yet, not quite yet), and sent it hurtling towards the woman. Would she fall, this delicate female? Cry out in pain?
Like all the others. Like the one before. Like no one. As it sped towards her, he giggled again, something frantic in the tones.
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[Just outside the Sun Room door]
Ophelia ducked beside the outer doorframe, listening for the faint footfalls of her prey across the carpeted floor within. They didn't get far, however. The party stopped when sadistic-sounding laughter pealed across the room. Mm, perhaps someone is out to make my hunt even easier tonight, thought the warrior with a predatory grin.
She peeked through the crack between door and doorframe, able to make out a ball of violet light and what looked to be the shape of a hovering child behind it. Whatever poor, brainwashed soul this was, Ophelia liked his style. For the moment, she stayed hidden, waiting to see how her quarry would respond to the attack.
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The Number Four grinned her serpentine grin and entered the Sun Room after hearing the group exit. She took the minimal effort necessary to keep herself from attracting unrelated prying eyes, preparing to throw off the cloak of stealth the first moment she could get.
[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/735210.html?thread=60636138#t60636138)]
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Howl slipped into the room, and made an effort to stay close to the wall. As long as he remained anchored to that, he could cling to some false sense of security. It was growing increasingly difficult to silence the voice inside of him that was pointing out how horribly dangerous this was. And for what? It would be so much easier to sit back in his room and wait for someone else to figure out how to escape. Let them risk their necks.
Thankfully, the Witch and what she might do to his assorted crew of loved ones was still more frightening than what the Institute held. The idea of Sophie, Michael and Megan trying to defend themselves was laughable. Calcifer might have been able to manage something. But Calcifer might also be dead, Howl told himself severely. His chest ached with its emptiness. So Howl pushed forward, against his better judgment. His hair was falling into his eyes, and he was almost too worried to care. (Almost.)
Silently, Howl pointed towards the door that he and his companion needed to reach. "There. Alright?" he asked, already moving.
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He moved quickly and silently, taking care not to trip over anything. His left side missed the familiar balance of his swords and his stomach felt cold without the haramaki around to warm it. Zoro didn't think he'd find any of those items in the kitchen but he'd seen and found a lot of weirder things in a bunch of even weirder places. A guy stuck in a chimney, for instance.
Oh, wait. That had been him.
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The entity hovered closer to the pair, violet eyes shaded for now. There was an undercurrent, an annoyance. Something settling and shifting (fading and rising), and these, these, were not what he had sought. Albedo blinked once, twice, something shaking behind his eyes. Again, and here, a song rose and fell, gracing madness, dancing melodic. He begged to differ in its theme, but nonetheless, he found iridescence once more, violet rising to a shine around him.
"You have touched grace," he murmured, almost soft. The deeds of the past, past moments, past year was left forgotten, and he wondered at them even as his right hand raised, lightning and energy slipped over it like a shroud. "And when you see the silent candle burning? What has came over you?" The softness slid, mirrored in time, a whisper, a wanting, and then it had passed like it had never been. His hand raised higher, and again his face split with a grin, mind dancing to music unheard. Consuming. Devouring. The boy looked at the first, and made to move.
A pounding, deep and dark. And he had promises to keep.
The heartbeat right outside the door, and then, and now--inside, storming. Angry, hostile, and in this? Albedo laughed outright, whipping from the duo in front of him to his other, the attack forgotten. His heart had come to play with him, and who was he to leave him wanting? The butterflies would float away, and Albedo didn't mind.
[to here]
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Touya entered the Sun Room, noticing that there seemed to be a fight going on, plus some others standing off to the side. It seemed like three on one wasn't terribly good odds for the kid--but he seemed to be taking care of himself alright. Staying behind Yue, and keeping Sakura behind him, he indicated to Yue that they should probably stick to the walls until they got to the Cafeteria door.
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Speaking of which, there was another one, the man he'd met earlier that day who'd been so interested in Clow's circle. He was occupied with his own companion, though, so the guardian irritably supressed the automatic impulse to offer aid and glanced back at those he did need to guard.
He nodded slightly in response to Touya and moved over, but then shifted slightly to put himself between the two of them and the boy who seemed to be a threat. A brainwashed patient, perhaps? If so, he was potentially quite dangerous, and if anyone was to draw his attention it should be Yue. That was what he was there for, after all.
Fortunately, though, it seemed the boy was distracted by the others already present - and someone just entering behind them. Best to move while they could, then.
[sneaking through to here]
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Most smart people would stick close to the walls when they passed through the Sun Room, trying not to be seen; however, right now Junior was not one of those smart people, and instead beginning to cut right through the middle of the room. The maddening presence of U-DO and his own bloodlust were nothing short of overwhelming by this point, yet only part of what drove him there. The other part hoped that by keeping his twin's attention in the center of the room, he'd be less likely to notice anyone, not just Nigredo and Klavier, who might be moving along the walls, and more likely to let the people he was busy fighting slip by.
The closer he got, the easier it was to notice the normal U.R.T.V. uniform on his twin; even though some people did seem to have outfits when they weren't brainwashed, he hadn't ever seen it on Albedo since they'd arrived. Which meant that hunch was probably right, it was Special Counseling. U-DO's waves couldn't possibly be that strong otherwise with the weird power-dampening technology Landel's had...could it?
Either way he. Was. Screwed. "Hey, Albedo!" he shouted up, keeping some good distance between himself and the other group being attacked. "Get over here, we need to talk!"
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Albedo moved nearer to his other, then tapped down smartly on the floor for the first time a few yards away. His movements, exaggerated, moved a twirling hand to his mouth in practiced thought. "'Where is he,'" Albedo mused loudly, tone and pitch like a perfect memory. "'Whose cups of abominations is now full?'" Attention turned, shifted obviously as Albedo regarded Rubedo in mock surprise. "Well, hello, my other heart. You called me?"
Called and not called. The events of the previous days had shifted, resettled, until everything was caught underneath the lull of the Song. Time was unsteady on its feet; a repeating cycle of chance and dismay, and he wasn't quite sure 'when' he was. Emotions had carried over to null within the melodic refrain, but with his second heart so close (within) nearby, Albedo's intentions froze--shifted. A fourth party had entered and left, and pulling at his puppet strings, Albedo ignored them. Instead, he smiled, lovingly, mockingly, at his flawed twin, so perfect in his anger. Could he make it rage? And, how beautiful that would be.
There was a pounding bass underneath the Song in his ears, his mind, hot inside his veins, and it took him some of that fleeting time to realize it wasn't another heart beat beating within. No, this was more potent, more hostile, and Albedo noted almost calmly that it passed for anger. Anger. To mirror his heart's. His grin widened, then, settled in a vicious decision without moving closer or away. He laughed derisively, lips a sneer of contempt. "Have you come to play, Rubedo? I see you bring not peace, but a sword." A blade to pierce and rip asunder. How enticing.
Something continued its throbbing beat, pounding at his insides. Stillness, was not something he desired at the moment. Movement, destruction; these were his lifeblood, and Rubedo--Rubedo as well. Albedo knew it. He could see it, taste it. The Song called to something inside of his twin, something just as maddening as what lay inside of him. The smug look stayed. Not a monster, Rubedo? Oh, truly? Well. They would soon see.
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So instead he focused that all fear on one thing: the inevitable fight, using that pure adrenaline from fear to make up for his lack of protection against U-DO and keep him on his toes. "What, this?" he raised the sword, pointing the tip in his twin's direction. "Never go anywhere without it." You better have the full extent of your regeneration back, too. The redhead's eyes narrowed, but he didn't move just yet. He was here to distract, but that didn't mean he had to throw the first punch. "But yeah, I called you over to keep you company tonight. Let's have some fun. It's been a while since we have, right?"
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Psyche: ruining every serious moment since 1983.]An order was, in the end, an order.
Nigredo tore through the Sun Room, eyes fixed on the point beyond the cafeteria, caring not for brothers or their petty squabbles or the destruction they each bore. Only Klavier at his back. Only Klavier being safe. He would do Rubedo the honor and not look back.
Even as the snap of a pistol met his ears.
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True to his word, Klavier ran full force after Nigredo as soon as the signal was given, plunging forward despite every instinct screaming at him to get out of there. Like the child before him, he did everything in his power to maintain his mental grip. The last thing he wanted was to freeze up with terror again, and everything in him told him if he chose to play observer here, he would lose himself all over again. He narrowed his focus entirely on Nigredo and their destination, trying hard to ignore everything around them as they went. Just keep moving. Just keep going. The faster we get there--
His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a clear, distinct sound that seemed to pierce through everything: the recognizable sharp clap of a gunshot. Klavier's heart sank immediately with a heavy dread and, out of pure instinct, he stopped to turn and face the sound. All thoughts of running momentarily ceased. What was...?!
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It was his luck, therefore, that this sliver of a chance happened to befall on Klavier.
An absence at his back wrenched attention away from the cafeteria doors, and--despite promise given--he turned and watched as the man he swore to protect stopped dead in his tracks. And there, some distances away, stood Albedo, whose energy slipped and concentrated over his form. Whom Rubedo hadn't distracted long enough for an escape.
Perhaps they never would have made it. Still, Nigredo would rather scream at Klavier for having ruined their nonexistent chances. He almost did, in fact, but instead wasted his energy on more important matters. The variant pivoted on a heel and sprinted in the opposite direction, his breath caught neatly in his throat, his eyes now fixed on a new target. With all momentum and speed available, he tackled Klavier toward the cover of a nearby couch, leaving the man with a buffer to the approaching waveform. And the child without.
The attack slammed into Nigredo's backside, knocking him clear from Klavier's reach and side-first into a table. Stitching ripped, blood flowed. Consciousness wavered enough for him to believe he might have blacked out momentarily. It was difficult to tell with everything so dark.
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