damned_institute | Nightshift 22: M21

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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An unexpected ally? Yazoo raised an eyebrow in confusion and shook his head. No, he had not noticed that an ally had showed up earlier that day, and for a moment he thought that Loz had finally arrived. But Kadaj shot that down in a heartbeat, and he had to stop himself from visibly pouting. That look just did not suit him at all, except when he was squabbling with Loz, but the pout always turned into a smirk at some point.

He chose a more leisurely pace and followed Kadaj down another hall, not expecting to come to a stop so soon. They were now standing in front of M29, and at Kadaj’s question, he again raised an eyebrow with a snort and leaned with his back against the wall. “You know it’s not in my nature to knock, Kadaj,” he smirked, at the same time reaching up and rapping a few times on the door.

Even with the door closed, they might have felt it. That call was always there, drawing one to another, those cells wanting to be together instead of apart. That had been Hojo's theory at least.

The door was opened without any fanfare, the man himself stepping out to greet them. As far as height went, he wasn't extraordinarily tall. Dressed in Landel's wear, he didn't have the substance of his imposing longcoat and boots either. Still, there was something.

A cold gaze moved over Kadaj and then to Yazoo, studying that remnant detachedly before he spoke to Kadaj. He didn't have to touch them or the like to ensure their reality. He simply knew that they were parts of him and he them. Little wonder that he chose to tell people Kadaj was his brother. No one would have understood.

"Here you are finally. I had nearly given up on you."

Kadaj laughed softly, sounding just a tad more nervous than he would have liked. Eyes darting between the two of them, he said casually, "Oh, but you know how it is. Things just love to interrupt when we least expect it. Yazoo's armed now, though, and soon enough, you will be too." He hoped.

He peered around Sephiroth and into his room as best he could, then added, "There should be a flashlight in your room somewhere, right? It should serve as a temporary weapon for now, unless you want to use your fists. Or do you? That and while our night vision is probably better than most, a little more light in the right place wouldn't go amiss." Obvious, but he figured he might as well say them anyway. That and...

He gave Yazoo a mischievous look. "What do you think, Yazoo?" he asked teasingly, then giggled to himself. Sephiroth might make him nervous as hell, but his other brother was providing the perfect counter for that. Wonderful. Now they just needed to get through the night in one piece.

There was no mistaking that voice as Yazoo turned around to face Sephiroth, straightening up from where he had been leaning against the wall. This was their unexpected ally? Kadaj had to be kidding right? Sparks were bound to fly whenever Kadaj and Sephiroth tried to work together, and quite frankly, he didn’t feel like being around and dealing with them whenever they bumped heads.

He straightened himself a little more under Sephiroth’s gaze and stared right back. “My fault,” he said simply in response to the other’s statements. He didn’t offer any other explanation for their lateness, however, not wanting to waste his breath on someone who probably could care less.

“What do I think?” he echoed in a slight falsely sweet tone, turning to look at Kadaj with a small smirk. “I think you could have told me earlier about Sephiroth’s arrival. You know I don't like surprises."

Sephiroth watched the two parts of himself interact with each other and restrained the urge to put a hand to his forehead. It figured that even the pieces of his own self would act like this towards each other. It could be worse, he supposed. The remnants could have been brought back as small children who would be squabbling for a toy in the sandbox.

That would have driven him to thoughts of murder quickly, parts of his own being or not.

He had already decided that Kadaj was his unthinking, charge forth without a thought to the odds and take offense at everything part. This other one seemed to be his sarcastic side with that tone. What he wouldn't have given to have a strategizing part or one that was focused on planning. Or at least punctuality. Unless he missed his guess, that sweetened tone of Yazoo's voice would probably ruffle Kadaj the wrong way. Better to cut off a potential snarl or sulk while he could and if it gave that remnant a sensation of self-worth or leading, so much the better.

"Regardless, we are all here, and we had best get started. You two know this place better than I. Where are we headed to obtain metal, Kadaj."

Yazoo didn't like surprises? How did he think Kadaj had felt?! He opened his mouth to form some scathing reply, but his big brother's question distracted him long enough for him to snap instead, "The kitchen. Isn't that obvious? They should have some knives, or at least metal in one shape or another. Doesn't really matter with the alchemists around, but it'd help if we were attacked before they could change it."

He rounded on Yazoo after that, glaring at him as he hissed, "And you received more warning than I did, so don't even talk about surprises!" His palms hurt at the reminder-- no, he was just clenching his hands into fists again and it was aggravating the words, curse it all. He didn't need this, not now.

With one last disgusted look at his brother, he started walking back to the hall they'd only just arrived from, saying in a somewhat resigned voice, "The kitchen should be near the cafeteria, right? Let's head that way."

He realized when Kadaj suddenly rounded on him that those words had been the wrong ones to say, and now it was too late to take them back. He looked down at the ground and let his head drop forward in a silent apology, refusing to look back up even as Kadaj took off back the way had just come.

Shifting on his feet, he motioned for Sephiroth to go on ahead of him before following them both out into the hallway.

[[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/landels_damned/76874.html?thread=4653642#t4653642).]]

Nightshift 22: M21 - M30 Hallway

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