Night 44: Sun Room

[gald_digger]

[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.

Comments

[falseblack]

The shadow was ignored. The statements? Hardly deterred. What Albedo could throw, Nigredo had prepared against, and there existed very little in preventing the boy from reaching his goal.

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.

[rocksthecourt]

Everything seemed to be happening at once: Rubedo stumbling back from the gunshot, Albedo ripping a sword that had been stuck into his body clean out and throwing it across the room, Rubedo charging forward despite his apparent injury... The two had only been there a few minutes and one had been stabbed while the other had been shot. Fresh blood staining children's clothes and twisted smiles on tiny faces. Even without glowing phenomenon and an overwhelming fear washing over him, it was a sight far too difficult to take in.

Before anything could be said or done, however, the glowing energy around Albedo fluctuated and gathered in a dark haze before suddenly bursting out. At almost the same time, something hit Klavier full force and sent him crashing toward the floor behind a couch. A bright flash of purple light, a short, hard pressure like being quickly kicked in the chest, and a brief glimpse of black hair was all Klavier registered before he hit the ground completely with a half-grunt, half-yelp.

Ow... He squinted a little a put a hand to his chest out of instinct, touching the spot where that strange pain still lingered somewhere between disbelief and fear. What just... happened?! He'd barely followed what was going on and somehow he was on the ground. This was... It was just crazy! It was like he'd stepped into a battlefield all of a sudden.

Wait. Where was...? He sat up in realization, comprehending enough to realize he shouldn't go any higher than the limits of the couch's height. It was dark in the room, but it wasn't quite as big an issue as it normally would have been, what with the tint of a glowing child helping to a degree. So he spotted the small body lying against the table almost immediately. There was a dark spot spreading across Nigredo's shirt slowly and yet far too quickly. Klavier's breathing hitched. Damn!

"Nigredo!" he hissed sharply. He was still and likely in excruciating pain. ...At least he hoped pain was the only reason he was still. He almost ran right up, but hesitated just a moment. What was he going to do? Grab Nigredo and drag him behind the couch, too? That wasn't exactly going to help either of them. Maybe they could find a side room to run into; anything was safer than this. But then what about Rubedo? He'd just been shot. Klavier couldn't see him from where he was to see what kind of state the redhead was in, but he couldn't very well leave the kid behind.

He squeezed his eyes shut, still biting back terror but willing himself to keep focused. He had to think of something! But what?! It was like one of those sadistic choices posed to students in psychology class. What should he do...?!

[falseblack]

A voice clicked in recognition, and the boy stirred quietly. He coughed in the effort--dark liquid splattering against mahogany--before bringing an eye up to what he supposed was Klavier. The blur made things difficult to differentiate.

"You didn't listen to me," he whispered, the words an accusation. A regret. Nigredo tried to shift a shoulder and stopped abruptly. Something in him seared in the movement, forcing a hiss out of his lips. That wouldn't be repeated for a while.

Instead, he considered his options. Gun shots and laughter continued to echo along the walls, signs of brothers deep in conflict. Now would be an ideal time to secure Klavier's welfare, but the man had so far proved fallible. And Nigredo could not move. Coupled with Albedo's awareness of his presence, this was becoming increasingly troublesome.

...Then again, perhaps he could use that to his advantage. "Klavier," began Nigredo, "the bathrooms are close by. As soon as you get the chance, run into one of them. If you're quiet, Albedo might not notice." He shuddered, nerves splitting against his side.

[rocksthecourt]

Was this kid out of his mind?! It didn't take very much effort for one to notice Nigredo was injured. The severity was apparent by the spreading blood and the pain in the child's voice. And now he was telling Klavier to run off on his own? How could he conceivably leave the boy in this kind of state and in this kind of situation? It was out of the question!

They had to remain quiet to avoid attracting attention; he agreed with that much. That was why rather than blurting out what came to mind first, he shot Nigredo with a fierce look that likely would voice these sentiments without words. Not to say he wasn't thankful for the concern, but as far as the elder man was concerned, getting Nigredo out was a top priority. If Rubedo was playing distraction anyway, that could be used to get the injured child out. Then Rubedo was the next priority.

A horrible laughter filled the room, and Klavier could see a flash of light illuminate the room for a moment. He hadn't looked over the couch to see what was going on, but he could only imagine... There. In that instant, all doors and any objects that would stand in the way of any who moved past was made perfectly clear. He could see the closest and clearest path out. It wasn't impossible to get them both out... Then another gunshot. He jerked and closed his eyes at the sound, cursing slightly to himself and resisting the urge to place his hands to his ears. This was insane! Why was he here? He needed to do something, but he also didn't. He wanted to get up and run, but that was the last thing he'd ever do. He was so absolutely torn apart. No. One thing at a time. Focus. Just don't think about it.

"We can both make it in there if we move quickly. I'll help you move," he hissed, hoping only he would be able to hear the whisper. It would be similar to moving that man who'd been shot in the hallway that one night, but with a child rather than someone his size. That made it easier to move quickly at least. It might hurt him - scratch that, it definitely would - but it was better than leaving him there.

[falseblack]

The look was received with virtually no affect, although Nigredo had not counted on Klavier appearing so...passionate at his order. The man apparently cared enough to not want to leave him, stupid enough to risk both their lives for it. It made something inside him lurch in response, to know he would be forced to twist Klavier's resolve.

"I'm sorry," whispered Nigredo, another kind of liquid building in his eyes. "I'm really sorry." A flash of green flitted across his irises, the child's own will coming into focus. "Run into the nearest bathroom. Don't come out until I say it's safe."

Which may not occur for the remainder of tonight.

[rocksthecourt]

Klavier tried and failed twice to try glancing over the couch to see what was going on. Firstly, he was nervous of wayward bullets; it would be just his luck to glance over in time to get hit, now wouldn't it? Ans secondly, he was admittedly scared of what he might see when he looked. Whatever kind of scene was unraveling only a few yards away was likely nothing he wanted to see, and it would be harder to leave knowing what was happening.

He turned to glance at Nigredo when he heard him mutter something. Then he turned his attention back to the closest escape route with an intent stare and a firm resolve. He wouldn't last if he stayed in this room much longer. Run. He had to run. He had to chance it. If not now, there might not be another opportunity. ...Five to eight steps, that was likely all it would take to get there if he ran quickly.

He pursed his lips, hesitating only long enough to prepare himself, and dashed out from behind the couch for the door he knew was waiting for him in the dark. A few steps in, he stumbled briefly on something, something that made a quick metallic noise as it was kicked. It did nothing to stop him; he didn't even consider what it might have been. Without turning back into the room, he ran full force and through the door.

[pulling a Rubedo and running into here]

[falseblack]

The exit lacked grace, but it sufficed for Nigredo's purpose. Should the man hate him for the forced protection, the child would understand. Would deal with it in another time. He steeled himself against the inevitable and pulled carefully away from the table, bones and muscle shifting to accommodate his weight. The tears in his eyes spilled over from the intense pain, but he bit through his tongue to keep quiet. To keep his promise.

Screams of familiar tones tore at the ears. Nigredo ignored them all and stood, knees knocking in the effort. In the near distance, he noted the source of the earlier clumsiness, recognizing the curve of the blade and the steel to be Rubedo's. The blood? Foreign and known all at once. When he went to retrieve it, he wiped its sides against the hem of his shirt, something in him unable to bear the sight.

As he did so, the cries lifted, replaced by heavy silence and heavier darkness. Without hesitating, Nigredo turned his head toward what used to hold light. And without properly considering the consequences, he took a step.

[To here.]