damned_institute | Night 46: Main Hallway, 1-West

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Night 46: Main Hallway, 1-West

[from here]

Beatrix had walked this path to the Sun Room so many times, she could do it in complete darkness. Which was exactly what she was doing. Knowing the way, there was little need for light as it would only draw creatures and other unwanted attention. Silently counting her steps, at the right number, the assassin headed left and down the hallway.

[to here]

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Donna held up suddenly and looked towards the question, blinking. Had that been addressed at her? The person she found moving her way indicated that it had been. They'd met...? Oh!

"You! Oh it's... wait don't tell me...!" Donna pointed at him, trying to remember the name, but failing miserably, "The knife guy... from that time at breakfast..." Yeah sure, that was so totally his name. Way to go, Donna.

ZEX didn't remember anything about knives off-hand, but he could remember her face clearly enough. One of the few female humans he'd had a chance to speak with, and she was as striking as all her species tended to be.

"Admiral ZEX," he said, trying again at a smile. "Although I suppose I'm less... intact than the last time you saw me." He scratched a bit at the bald spot on his head. "You're..." Wait, what was her name? Something that started with a harder sound... DON? DAN? DIN? Something like that... "You're...?" With a slight change in inflection, so it'd hopefully sound like he was encouraging her to likewise introduce herself and not like he'd forgotten her name entirely.

"Yes, that's it! Zex!" And how had she forgotten that little gem? Donna tried not to think too much about it and just smiled at him, "You look intact enough to me. Arms, legs, head, everything you need," she teased, giving a wave at his body, "And it's Donna. Guess in fairness I couldn't remember your name either. We should have breakfast together more often then."

Gossiping in the hallways wasn't such a good idea though, so Donna tried to get away from making up plans for mealtimes just then. "Are you alone?"

"Well, I suppose that's what's important." Two eyes had always seemed unnecessary anyway, although under no circumstances could he find an up-side to the thing in his brain, whatever it was. "It has been a while, hasn't it?"

ZEX glanced to one side, and felt something rush past him, leaving a strange heavy feeling in its wake. ZEX tried his best to ignore them; they couldn't hurt him. "Yes, actually... someone was supposed to visit me tonight, but they haven't shown up. I'm concerned that something might have happened to them..."

"Well, good fashion's always as important as the rest, but in this place you get at least some leeway," Donna gave a shrug. If she'd seen the guy under any other circumstances... well, they probably wouldn't still have been on speaking terms. With how he looked, Donna would have had to stop whatever she was doing just to demand to take him somewhere and fix it! But not in this place. Really, he couldn't have done something that bad to himself if he'd tried!

"And yeah, it has been a while. Gotten any better with silverware?" Leave it to Donna to continue a conversation even when she'd been trying to get away from idle chit-chat. Not for hallways! N-O-T.

Her smile turned down when he spoke of missing friends, and she looked back into the hallways. "Do you know where your someone was coming from? If you backtrack a little, maybe you could find him... or her?" she suggested, trying to help.

"Sadly no, it's still beyond me for the most part. Unnecessarily complicated, if you ask me..." If anything, at least some idle chitchat felt somewhat familiar, even if this was a strange and possibly dangerous place to do it. "I think they were supposed to be coming from M55..." If he remembered correctly, anyway. "I didn't see him while coming down this way. I'm concerned he may have been taken for the studies they do here..."

If that was the case, was rescue even possible? No, surely he could be of some assistance to him...

"Only if you're used to eating with your hands..." Donna commented out of habit, then realized what she'd said and felt sorry enough to try and correct that, "I mean, that's all right if you do where you from. Might not even have 'hands' after all... but don't worry. It's not like anyone human didn't have to learn to use them either. You'll get the hang of it."

At least in going back and forth between what amounted to table-talk and matters that involved the night, talking in the hallway like this was relevant to a planned course of action. "Studies..." Donna repeated. She knew about those from the bulletin, and the announcement had said something about it being tonight as well. If someone Donna had been waiting for suddenly turned up missing on one of those night, she'd be worried too. "Well... you'll never know what happened by just chatting it up in a hallway," Donna nodded, feeling a bit confident. She had set out tonight to do something, and helping Zex find a missing friends sounded like just the thing! "Come on, let's see if we can't find this friend of yours. If you're not so sure on his room, then how about a guess about where those study things happen, hm?"

"No, I didn't have hands before, thus why they're so confusing to me now..." ZEX glanced around, and something leapt out from the darkness at him. He took a step back instinctually, and the thing brushed by his side before vanishing again. Another sharp sting there... no, it was probably his imagination. These things couldn't hurt him; they were just hallucinations.

ZEX looked back to Donna, taking a moment to catch his breath. "I'd guess that they probably take them upstairs... I know they take the special counseling victims to the third floor, but perhaps there are hints to be found on the second." ZEX couldn't remember anything between when he'd been taken to his room and when he'd woken up in the chair, which was frustrating beyond belief. He'd always thought that he'd be one of those who remembered, but he was just as much in the dark as any of the other humans who'd suffered that way. "I think it's worth investigating, anyway."

No hands, huh? That must've been... insteresting... "How did you eat the--" she started, but then paused and helf up a hand, "No, wait, better to tell me that later." Or possibly never since Donna had the odd feeling that she didn't want to know.

"But anyway... I was planning on heading upstairs myself. Since we're heading in the same direction, how about we help each other?" she suggested, giving him a pat on the shoulder. It was good to travel in groups, and Donna not onloy felt for the guy, but could always use an extra hand.

"It's been difficult adapting." If Donna wanted to hear the rest later, he'd be glad to explain the diffences in more depth, but this wasn't the best place to be standing at night.

He couldn't help a smile of relief when he heard that they were heading in the same direction. Marvelous! He could always use the company around here, particularly now that he had these imaginary things following and harrassing him. It made it awfully difficult to concentrate. "Ah, that sounds ideal, actually. I was hoping to find someone who'd come with me... there's safety in numbers after all." And traveling with someone who didn't mind touching him was also a bonus, hmm.

"I'd bet."

Donna could just imagine how she'd fare in a different body where you had to eat differently. Thankfully she'd never had to... she didn't know... stuff food into what she considered to be her armpits or something. Lovely though that image was.

Smiling at his positivity, Donna pulled her hand away and looked towards the closest set of stairs, "Right then. Shall we?" she suggested, but then took charge of their small little group and stepped off towards the stairs.

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Night 46: Main Hallway, 1-West

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