damned_institute | Night 45: M-A Block Hallway

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Night 45: M-A Block Hallway

[from here]

Junpei found himself a spot not too far from the door leading out to the hallway. Seriously, if Yukari waned the damn Evoker, she needed to run her mini-skirted ass down here to get it since he wasn't going much farther. It was only fair since he'd trucked down to her block last night.

Setting the bag of stuff on the floor, he leaned against the wall after adjusting the Evoker in the waistband of his jeans. He was not happy with having lost the t-shirt he'd had last night, forced to wear the smiley one again, even if it was turned inside out. He sighed and looked down at the square bandage on his arm. Vampire. He'd been bitten by a vampire.

Just to make sure, the junior checked his teeth. No fangs. Good. He probably would have freaked out if he'd found any. Still... curiosity got the better of him and he peeled half the bandage off to look at the bite. Twin puncture wounds with some redness about them. He poked it.

"Ow." Poking it was not a good idea.

[Hey, Yuka-tan... got any garlic?]

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Shinji had been lost in thought when he felt a touch on his shoulder. He jumped with a sharp yell of alarm and surprise and whirled around, shining his flashlight into the darkness, "Agggghhh!"

Addison almost matched Sean's own yelp when his eyes were suddenly assaulted by a bright white beam pointing directly into them. For a moment he couldn't see, and his body independently pulled away with his arms flying up to protect his eyes. His vision was filled up with swirling white and red dots. His pupils were shot wide open, he was sure, and the darkness was worse than ever. At least, what he could see of it between the swimming flashes of light.

He wordlessly waved a hand in surrender, before managing to get out "It's only me!" His other hand rubbed at his eyes in a vain attempt to get out the sun spots. It obscured what remained of his sight, so he wasn't sure if Sean was still pointing his flashlight at him or not.

For a split moment, Shinji felt heart-rending terror. Then he realized it was Kaworu and he hastily pointed the light away, stepping forward and reaching a hand out in apology, "K-Kaworu! I'm... I'm sorry! I didn't know- I... I'm sorry!"

He flinched, drawing his hand back again with another muttered, "Sorry."

"No, I'm alright." Addison shook his head, and reached out to almost take the hand that Sean had extended. When it was withdrawn, he too abandoned the gesture. He laughed quietly in the wake of all the mistakes and misses, and looked up at what he could see of Sean. Wherever his eyes landed, there was a bright white blank. It fell directly over Sean's face, but it was shrinking with every passing second, revealing more of those familiar features.

"I have scared you," he stated, amused despite himself. The moment had actually made him feel better. The nervous release alleviated his anxieties, except for the ones regarding whether or not this was only a dream or hallucination. Sean likely would not have blinded him with a flashlight in his dreams. At least, he didn't believe so. Dreams could be strange. Addison rarely remembered his own.

"A-are you sure?" Shinji hovered for a moment, a concerned look on his face. He knew it was just light and that Kaworu was probably fine. That didn't stop him from worrying about anger or rejection or pain. He rubbed his arm awkwardly, glancing around at the dim corridor. He still felt like he was being watched, like he wasn't safe, but Kaworu's arrival stilled the panic, brought him some piece of mind. They'd be safe enough. Right?

"I... well. It's OK. I'm fine."

He shrugged again with a sigh, clicking his flashlight off, "...s-sorry about that."

Addison shook his head a second time. He could tell that Sean was not entirely comforted by his words, and he tried to think of something else that would work. It was a bad habit to look at Sean's reactions like a puzzle, but it was thrilling when he chose the right words and earned a genuine smile. It didn't mean as much when you smiled all the time, like Addison knew he himself did. "I'm not hurt, only surprised."

Addison slid one hand back into his pocket, while the other held the flashlight that lit their immediate area. "I'm glad that I have found you," he murmured, looking at Sean's neck instead of his face. "However, I think that I am imagining all of this. I have had this same dream every night since I arrived here, but have never questioned the reality of it in the past. It is strange; these dreams, they are all similar, but infinitely unique. Almost real. Now you are here, and I..." He squinted out into the darkness, which was more oppressive as well as evasive now as his eyes struggled to readjust.

"I am not sure what's happening to me, Sean. I don't know what is real."

Shinji glanced around again, shrinking a bit closer to Kaworu. He still didn't like this place and the urge to head back to his room was returning. She shrugged, shoulders hunched as he tried to hink of the right words. And then Kaworu went a bit philosophical; something familiar. Not like Addison. More like the Kaworu Shinji remembered from his supposedly insane delusions.

He blinked and glanced over, fear gone for a moment as he tried to understand the puzzle this place had woven around him. Tried to understand what was happening here. For once, Kaworu seemed the confused one and moment of confusion frightened Shinji. Hesitantly, he reached out a hand for a moment, before snatching back, as if afraid he would be burned.

"I... I'm real Kaworu. I don't think this is a dream. Unless I'm dreaming it too."

"I believe in you," Addison breathed. He looked back into Sean's face, and found something there to hold onto. Reoriented by Sean's presence, his existence, Addison spoke with more confidence. His fears were not entirely assuaged, but they did not help him. "I should not question what is truth and what isn't. I know what it is that lies before me. I know you. Whether or not this is a dream, these facts remain. If I wake up, that is beyond my control."

He exhaled deeply, and willed himself to relax. If it was a dream, nothing mattered. If it was reality, everything he thought he knew would fall apart. But either way, Sean (or Shinji) was there.

"I don't think you'll wake up... you're... already awake," Shinji replied. And for just a moment, he offered Kaworu a genuine smile. He didn't like to see his friends distressed or worried or confused. Knowing that Kaworu found his presence helpful, just knowing that Kaworu felt better because of him made Shinji feel better. The smile dropped a moment later as he glanced back into the darkness.

"...what are we going to do out here? Why is everyone wandering around?"

The smile was contagious, and Addison returned it warmly. It was perhaps a little more self-conscious than any smile he gave when he was calling himself Kaworu, but still sincere. It lingered on his face much longer than Sean's did.

Addison shrugged and tore his gaze away from Sean to watch the figures that were coming and going. "It's what they do every night. They're looking for their home," he ventured vaguely, before snapping back to reality. "At least, most of them are. Others are only seeking safety or a means to defend themselves. This place isn't safe."

Regardless of his own words, Addison began to walk towards the door that would lead to the rest of the institute. He half turned to Sean, and smiled expectantly. "Still, it's better to move forward than to wait. Will you come with me?"

Self-conscious or not, the smile made Shinji feel a bit better. A bit safer. He wasn't alone anymore. He didn't have to face the darkness by himself. He edged a bit closer to Kaworu, trying to follow him as he moved and shot curious glances at the other patients.

"...it isn't safe? Is that what he meant...?"

He turned back to Kaworu, "...I... of course! Y-yes. I'll come with you. Just... tell me where to go."

"Yes, I would think. Many people speak openly about this place being dangerous." Addison paused just as he began to move. "I don't know where we will go, but I feel safe if we are going together. I believe time with you will be important." Somehow, being around Sean made him more likely to confess strange things without any second thoughts. At least, that was what he expected. The fact that he was now wondering if he had overstepped a boundary, or if he even made any sense at all, was confusing and uncomfortable.

After he was sure that Sean would be following him, Addison quickly stepped through the door. He was eager to escape his own confessions.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/756289.html?thread=62129985#t62129985).]

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Night 45: M-A Block Hallway

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