damned_institute | Nightshift 22: M21

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Nightshift 22: M21 - M30 Hallway

Xemnas' plan to get information from his roommate turned out to be a failure, as his roommate didn't even show up. Instead, he decided to gather information by investigating the room he was in. He had stumbled on various items which were quite out of place for an institute such as this. Journals and pens, he could understand. But a flashlight? Or a radio?

Xemnas suspected this institute wasn't as it seemed to be. It was rather unfortunate that none of his subordinates could explain the details before they were escorted back to their respective rooms. Xemnas had hoped he could receive information from his roommate, but that too had failed.

The Superior's suspicions were confirmed as soon as he heard the announcement over the intercom. The way this man spoke was quite enough to confirm anything. A complete contrast from the announcements during the day. Such a happy facade they held up, but for who?

He noted the hallway was completely shrouded in darkness. Surely, other doors must've been unlocked as well, but he didn't hear a sound. Not even footsteps. Just his own breathing.

Confirming there weren't any direct threats, Xemnas carefully stepped out in the hallway, closing the door quietly behind him.

[ Wondering off to here ]

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So... maybe his room hadn't been that much of a circus?
People were picking others up and weapons were suddenly all around him. And he'd never felt so useless and pathetic in all his life. Where did the weapons come from? And how come everyone here could fight except him? And Hikaru. And Tamaki (sort of). And Haruhi. He felt a little better at that, but not much.

He could easily launch himself at a guy twice his size if someone he loved was in danger. But he never loved many people. He wanted to protect Honey, but he knew that he'd only get in the guy's way. Honey, despite appearances, could take care of himself better than anyone Karou knew. Well, Honey and Mori.

Doing as he was told, creeping over to the wall and crouching low, he clutched his torch. But he wouldn't run without Honey. He might be strong, but he was small and Kaoru was experienced at sudden kidnappings. Mostly of Haruhi and she was a little bigger. Kaoru just hoped Honey didn't kick him.

Hikaru... I hope you're safe...

Noah had no time to worry over Larsa's modesty or his instinctual need to protect others. He could only watch the confusion that rippled through the swarm, his eyes flitting away from another newcomer into the fray and instead watching the metallic shine of the rapier in the lamplight. The knight, running on instinct, relayed his thanks through the other child's, figuring it better to dump Larsa away from the herd uncermoniously. He uttered "Stay back," to the boy, hoping he would actually listen, and scooped up the sword from Honey's feet.

This close, it was easy enough to see the scales that ran along their tiny bodies, Larsa's comment seeming true enough. He attempted to take advantage of the dragon-insects' confusion, and speared the rapier through the swarm, hoping, in line with Honey, that the predators would be more interested in the wounded than the whole.

A large beast would have been child's play, but to have so many at once - even if they moved as one - would be distracting with the concern of the unarmed patients in the hall.

"My gratitudes, Adelheid!" The child called out to the teenager when he threw his rapier to aid them, though he was incapable of actually reaching for it since Gabranth still had a tight grip on him. His expression turned worrisome Honey ran towards the swarm to hack at them with his flashlight, his friend doing as he was told and crouching away from the danger.

And before he knew it Larsa stumbled to his feet when his guardian set him down, biting down the protest that was about to tumble out of his mouth when he was told to stay put. But in the end he could only watch as Gabranth strode forward towards the swarm as well, leaving him clutching at his flashlight. Gray eyes glanced over at the redhead, catching the dismayed look on his face before he made his way over.

"... Though I know other sets of twins I ought confess that I cannot tell you two apart for this moment. Are you the one I talked to earlier?" Of course it really wasn't the best of times to start up a conversation, but Larsa didn't know what else to do. He kept his flashlight poised just incase any of the swarm came to them, determined to be of some use if and when the opportunity rise.

At least the rapier was going to be used to its full advantage; the man who took it seemed muscular and knew how to use it well, and for that Adelheid was grateful. And his original theory that the smallest boy would be helpless was very obviously incorrect. No, the short blond was obviously skilled in combat, so Adelheid was more than a little hopeful about their chances of winning.

The advantage of a swarm, Adelheid reminded himself, was its ability to take single hits and keep going, to overwhelm a target and rip it to pieces, and to be baffling in efforts to track it. Therefore, the best option was to make an attack a defense as well, and to hit as many as possible in a short amount of time.

It was for this reason that Adelheid was grateful he had studied Billy Kane thoroughly; the many techniques of a three-section staff were easily transferred to a spear, and one in particular was to be of some use, hopefully.

Namely, Adelheid stepped right behind Honey, taking advantage of the other warrior's shortness and his side-to-side method of attacking, and whirled the spear like a saw, holding it at the full reach of his arms so that it would spin in front of Honey like a shield, hopefully giving him enough time to find another means of attacking. And if the swarm were to suffer some casualties from the bludgeoning butt of the spear or the sharp edges, so much the better. He just hoped that the dragons' blood wouldn't have any side-effects.

Confused, hungry, and scenting blood, the swarm was close to a panic. Razor sharp teeth tore at whatever was in reach - one another, the weapons that intruded upon them, any human flesh that happened to be extended. The teeth shredded, but the swarm was unorganized, unable to focus enough on one target to do more than a small bit of damage - a single bite here, a single bite there.

And they were falling upon one another in their madness and blood lust. The swarm was rapidly diminishing.

"I'll take what you can't reach," Honey said to Gabranth and Adelheid. With that, he reached down and took the pens he had with him out of his pocket. They weren't the shuriken he was used to, but he thought that he'd at least be able to knock some out of the air.

Honey aimed for their wings; while the pens might be able to pierce the dragonflies' scales, the wings were thinner, and the way they pounced upon the ones that fell meant that if one was knocked down, it would distract others.

With that, he began throwing the pens quickly - one to the left, the next to the right. He managed to pin one of the dragonflies to the wall to their left, and a few more of them simply fell as their wings were pierced.

He looked over at Kaoru and Larsa. They didn't look hurt, which was good. He'd gotten a few nips, but nothing as serious as it might have been. It looked as if the swarm was dying out, too...

Kaoru looked at Larsa and gave him a small, sad smile. It was nice to have another loser about, but he felt so useless. Honey was getting hurt and he didn't even know where Hikaru was. His brother was supposed to meet him outside his room. So where the hell was he?

"I'm Kaoru.... we haven't met."
He didn't mind not being recognised. It was too early for some people to see the differences and at least he'd been honest about it and actually cared that there was a difference. The fact that he KNEW Hikaru had a twin but made Kaoru feel rotten for worrying his brother all day.

"....Can you fight?"
Kaoru was wondering if the boy just came over because his friend had told him to. Honey had told Kaoru... but that was for his own good. What if this guy was actually really strong but just had over protective friends? Or was the Prince of the Planet Snizzlewhizz?

((Sorry for breaking post order, all! ^_^; ))

It wouldn't take all three of them to finish off the swarm. Adelheid knew that almost as soon as Honey began throwing those pens; the swarm was too bloodthirsty to regroup, and with all three of them throwing additional blood in the water, it was only a matter of time before the swarm was made helpless.

As a merchant of death, Adelheid had no business wasting time where he was no longer needed- nor wanted, as he thought Larsa had to despise him by now- and there were far too many things to do before the sun arose. There were always too many things; too many monsters, too many rooms, too much of everything. But he had to do what he could, even if that made him hated by those in the hallway.

So he called out to the other two warriors, "I leave the protection of Larsa to you; keep the weapon for tonight." A rapier could mean the difference between life and death for Gabranth, just as it had for Adelheid, and he added- now trying to fill his role- "But I expect a return on such an investment. Please keep that in mind."

With that he stepped around Honey and skirted the swarm, still spinning his spear like a whirling shield, interposed between himself and the majority of the swarm. His legs, not as protected as the rest of his body, had some chunks bitten out of them, but nothing too serious. He would be fine, he was certain of that. He just had to keep moving, keep achieving, and he'd be fine.

With nothing more than that coldly mercantile statement, Adelheid left the hallway, determined to achieve something during the night. And hoping, in his heart of hearts, that they'd all be fine. But honestly, they all had partners from their own worlds, or so it seemed; why would they need his good will?

((Heading off to here. (http://community.livejournal.com/landels_damned/74155.html?thread=4447403#t4497835) ))

"It will be given," Noah responded, making note of the pens that the youngest boy was throwing and swinging the rapier once again, the blood from the dragons slinging off in fast droplets. In was luck that the amounts of gore had confused the insects, and they could do nothing more than a few lacerations here and there, which was nothing close to life-threatening, even if the pinpricks of pain were becoming more of an annoyance. He was sorry to offer no more thanks than that to the escaping man. It was nothing like a broadsword or a swallow and obviously meant for Larsa's hand, but beggars could certainly not be choosers.

The weapon had good range, and easily slapped the creatures along the walls, severing tails and wings from their body as well as raining a particularly unpleasant amount of juice on himself. He could not ask for better partners either, and was thankful that the lord had infact listened, and seemed very safe as the swarm was concerned mainly with himself and the boy next to him. It just went to show that one certainly could not judge a book by its cover.

He'd have more time to worry over the appropriate gestures of thanks for the unnamed man who had left, as the swarm was quickly falling, and the panic that ran through its ranks was only serving as an advantage to the patients.

"'Tis the utmost pleasure to have met you, Kaoru. Your brother, he cares much of you as I've seen from his actions." Larsa gently smiled, though tilted his head when the redhead seemed to have grown even more troubled by something. At first the child presumed it was for his brother, but that next question, layered thick with shame, was what caught his attention. And just like that the pieces fit together.

"Is that what troubles you...?" Taking one last glance at the group and the dying swarm, the young Lord knelt before Kaoru.

"The truth is we ought not call all battles our own. There will be times where me must stand back from our allies." Sometimes it was a painful task to just sit there helpless, as he himself experienced over a year ago. But even then he had to remain strong for those he supported.

"However, having faith in those you care for is hardly useless. And, though it was not an original intent, you kept me company as well." And with that Larsa's smile returned, standing up from his knelt position and wiped the dust off his pants. He then offered his hand out for Kaoru to help him off the floor.

"But there will be times where you stand to fight and protect your loved ones. For now we must not take for granted those who would do the same for us." Larsa gestured over to Honey and Gabranth, sighing in relief to know that they only suffered minor wounds.

Honey had thrown the last of his pens, but he wasn't worried about this at that point. The last of the swarm was dying out, having turned upon itself. He couldn't help but wonder what the other had meant by expecting a return on the investment, but that, too, wasn't his biggest concern. The injuries that he sustained didn't matter, either, despite the fact the bite marks on both of his arms were still lightly bleeding. While they were painful, he'd suffered worse during training sessions.

As soon as the last of the dragonflies fell, he ran over to where Kaoru and Larsa were standing.

"Kao-chan. Larsa-kun. Are either of you hurt?"

Kaoru gave Larsa a small, but touched, smile. He knew Hikaru cared for him, even if he was getting a little worried he'd start loving someone else just as much. Or more.
"I'm pretty lucky to have him."

The guy had a strange way of talking, a little archaic, and Kaoru couldn't help but think how pleased Tamaki would be to meet him. His actions just made Kaoru even more certain the two would get along.

Kaoru knew Larsa had a very good point. And he knew he had to trust others. But it wasn't that easy to. He cared about the Club and wanted to look after them all. He even wanted to be able to help strangers sometimes. But most of all, he had to protect Hikaru. He wasn't as strong as people thought. And Tamaki, it seemed, couldn't be completely trusted here. He was getting too touchy and serious. He and Hikaru were going to continuously butt heads. Or maybe it was Kaoru's problem. Tamaki had gotten to him so easily.

"We've never had to rely on anyone else before..." he admitted. "I just want to be sure that I can look after my brother."

Kaoru took Larsa's hand and pushed himself up.
"Thanks," he smiled. Although Larsa was weird, he seemed pretty genuine.

Kaoru patted Honey on the head. Poor Honey didn't have Mori. He might be able to kick ass, but Kaoru wondered if he was really feeling that brave deep down. He belonged in the Host Club, legs dangling off the seat as he scoffed down cakes.

"I'm fine. But what about you?" He lifted Honey's arm to inspect it. "We should clean the wounds for a start."

Being nothing of a worry-wart, Noah tried to keep a straight face as he followed Honey to check on Larsa, though he was fully aware that neither the Lord nor his companion had seemed to attain any injuries in the scuffle. The judge was glad for that; being a shield with holes would be wholly irresponsible and useless of him. The insects had been easy enough to dispatch with their easily-caused confusion combined with the minimal amount of damage they caused, but he was still as thankful as ever for the weapon; Larsa would be able to defend himself well if worse came to worst.

Echoing Honey's question, Noah came to Larsa's side. "You are unharmed, my Lord?" It was pointless to ask, but duty and his own paranoia about Larsa's health deemed it essential. He asked the question whilst holding up a fold of his pantleg to clean the rapier - he was unsure of how long the peace would last, and he felt his pessissm in the place was well-placed.

At least one beast - as the swarm could only be seen as one - had been eradicated, though the dent would hardly make a difference.

Looking after his brother. Larsa had to suppress the frown that pined to form over his lips at the thought of his own sibling. There was to be none of that now, or at least while in the company of others.

"'Tis always a pleasure, Kaoru." If there was something that the child always strived for it was the happiness of others, and he would have done everything in his power to coax a smile. So it was a relief to know that he provided some kind of help. And soon enough Honey had come by, checking if either of them were injured even though he himself had sported a few bites on his arms.

"Neither of us were harmed thanks to yours and Gabranth’s efforts, Honey-kun." And of course Larsa mentally thanked Adelheid for his timing and charity to let them use the rapier for the night. Speaking of which, his guardian came to his side not long after, sporting the same wounds as the other blond.

"Aye, I am..." Without thinking much of it, the young Lord took Gabranth's free hand and pulled it close before lifting his shirt as means to wipe the small droplets of blood that dotted the man's arm. Even though they were minor wounds there was still the possibility of an infection, and Larsa would not have that. Yet as he worked a sudden thought struck him, and gray eyes widened before Larsa whipped his head towards the end of the hallway.

"Penelo...!" What if some monster loomed over her as the swarm did for them? It wasn't hard to notice the worry etched over his face, expressing his discontent at the thought of her wandering alone and unarmed.

Honey breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm really glad neither of you were hurt," he said, smiling at them both. He didn't know who the other person was who helped them in the fight, but he knew he owed him a favor too, for lending them the sword.

The smile on his face quickly faded when Larsa cried out the name Penelo - this was clearly someone he knew and was worried about. "Penelo? I don't know anyone named that...but you shouldn't leave them alone here. We were lucky..." he trailed off.

He took a moment to use his own shirt to wipe away the blood from his own arms. None of the wounds were deep, and none were serious, but he still didn't want to walk around the place covered in blood if he didn't have to.

When he was done, he turned to Kaoru and spoke. "Kao-chan, we should try and find Hika-chan, too...and Tama-chan. You'd wanted us all to have that meeting tonight, right?"

Everyone knew Kaoru cared about his brother and a worried, but he didn't want to look as worried as he did.

"He was supposed to meet me outside my room," he said quietly.
Hikaru was never late for his brother. Never.
"He probably just got side tracked," he continued, smiling suddenly. He was chanting his little 'I'd know if something was wrong' mantra in his head.
"Let's go see if they're waiting for us? If they're not there we'll look for them."

Larsa seemed worried about someone too. This place was great for splitting people up, wasn't it? No wonder Tamaki was making as many friends as he could, even if he didn't realise the benefit.

The judge could not admit that he had remembered the girl; the swarm and deliverance of the weapon had sapped his full attention, and Penelo was not very high on his priorities, though Larsa's obvious liking for her should have been reason enough to mind her well-being. Saying nothing at the spotting of his Lord's cloth on his wounds, he watched with curiousity the appearance of immediate concern. When had the girl become important?

"May I suggest we leave post-haste, my Lord?" Though after saying this, he looked over to Honey and Kaoru with appreciation. "I thank you for your aid; your skill with those darts is admirable. I fear we must search for our companion before something similarly ill shadows her. It seems you have your own companions to find - and I wish you what luck I can give with that." Obviously Larsa was in a hurry to return to the Sun Room, and there was no point in long farewells in such a small cage.

Larsa looked between his comrades, a discomforted expression on his face. Though the last thing the child wanted was to leave Honey and Kaoru to fend for themselves, at least he could be comforted by the fact that they would not be alone. Penelo, however, was a different story, and he knew nothing of her condition for the moment.

"That would be for the best, Gabranth." He would not leave without a proper farewell, however. "I pray for your safe journey and for the reunion with your own companions. May fortune favor us all." And with one last smile Larsa turned to his guardian and took his free hand into his own. He braced himself with a deep breath, hoping that nothing else would pop up before they reached the Sun Room, and led Gabranth down the Hallway with his flashlight lighting their path.

((To Here. (http://community.livejournal.com/landels_damned/79032.html)))

"Yeah... See ya later," Kaoru smiled. Larsa was a weird little guy, but... he was nice. As far as outsiders went. And besides the posh speech and the... bodyguard and Lord thing that seemed to be going on (which, really, wasn't that unusual), he was relatively normal. See? Kaoru, unlike Tamaki, could at least make normal friends. Score one for him.

"Come on, let's go find Tamaki and Hikaru. Then we can look for Haruhi!"
He grabbed Honey's wrist, carefully, and set off down the hall to here (http://community.livejournal.com/landels_damned/72522.html?thread=4642634#t4642634).

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Nightshift 22: M21 - M30 Hallway

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