damned_institute | Night 46: M31-40 Hallway

Emmett left his room empty handed again. It was tougher navigating without a flashlight, but it felt more comfortable. Especially with what he was going to have to do.

Outside seemed like his best bet for hunting. The dogs that attacked them last night didn't exactly smell fresh, but their blood was slightly more appetizing-- and much more likely to be digested by his system than the human food that kept being shoved in his face. Unfortunately there was also the chance that he wouldn't be able to find a semi-living, warmblooded animal out there again. Apparently there had been some Night of the Living Dead theme going on recently. So who knew, maybe it was going to be Swampthing or Frankenstein night-- he did hear that nutjob mention some bullshit like that. If that was the case then his natural prey couldn't be ruled out as an option.

He kept to the wall as he walked down the hallway. It was still early and relatively quiet. Feeding on someone he didn't know was definitely way better than attacking a friend, he was sure the others would agree...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It's bound to happen, I just have to get you guys together." It was still a little weird for Usopp to think he had friends the rest of the crew didn't know. There was Kaya, of course, but Kaya just hadn't met them because she had to stay home. Here, there weren't as many easy explanations. Maybe it was too busy to have big meetings most of the time. "I'm glad you've got the scalpel now, at least, you know what to do with it better than I do!"

Well, he could carve things, but that'd take time, and for the moment Usopp just wanted to be safe walking the halls. A scalpel he didn't know how to use as a weapon wouldn't do that as well as a pirate who fought with swords holding a scalpel would. Plus, for all his weirdness, Brook really was reliable. Usopp wondered if Brook was used to all that extra weight and mass, after he'd changed. But Brook had surely learned how to use a sword long before, with his old crew, and had plenty of time to get used to his new shape while here. Leaving those worries behind, Usopp glanced around the room instead with the light.

Not only was Luffy not there, the whole room seemed kind of oddly neat for one Luffy had been in. Even the idea of them all sleeping in the same place but different rooms was a bit strange. It wasn't as though they hadn't all learned to sleep despite each other's snoring. Waiting for the legendary piano of Extreme Improvisational Pirating, Usopp's light caught the edge of something familiar, tattered and yellow on the bed. "Um, Brook? Something's wrong." He stepped forward, not quite touching it yet, just staring. "Do hats spontaneously appear here?" Sai had said his own costume had appeared like that. Maybe Luffy had a spare hat now.

Except you couldn't really replace something like that, even with a replica.

Brook had to duck down lower than the doorway to her his face close enough to peer into the closet. He couldn't get his head in much further for his afro refusing to fit in the small space, but his face was enough as were his fingers. A quick pulling back of a soft bathrobe proved that there was indeed still a piano stashed away in the captain's room!

"Ah, here it is!" Brook exclaimed, tugging at the top of the small keyboard enough to pull it into view for Usopp. "Isn't it cute? Small though it may be, a piano is a piano I say! Hopefully it is still playable!" Brook's excitement was easy to hear as he looked back to the board, but his attention went back when Usopp asked about... hats?

"Spontaneous hats? I haven't... seen any...?" he answered, although his confusion was more than apparent. Why was Usopp asking about hats? "Ah, but that does remind me. We got Chopper-san's hat once! While he was brainwashed, but that thankfully doesn't happen often! Yohohohoho! He was hard enough to take down, I could only imagine what would happen if..." Well, anyone other than Usopp himself ended up brainwashed. Brook's thoughts came up short as he shivered and looked back to his friend. "Why are we talking about hats again?" he asked, blinking.

"Oh, the piano!" For a moment Usopp was distracted, looking over. That was what he'd come to see, after all, and even though it wasn't a very huge piano it was still pretty great. Even cute, like Brook had said. "That's impressive! If you can get a piano you must be able to get anything in here."

Even hats? Usopp came closer to Brook, holding the light by the hat to make it clear. "Look. I found this close to the bed. It looks just like Luffy's hat, but Luffy wouldn't leave that behind, right?"

Maybe, if he left it with someone he trusted, while going into something that might damage it, but the room wasn't a safe hiding spot. Anyone could just wander in and grab it. Usopp wasn't sure if he was part of that someone, and if he should leave it where he found it, or carry it around just in case. "Let's get the piano to my room, since it's next door, anyway. I'll help you carry if you like." Not that Brook needed it, obviously. Usopp couldn't even imagine stealing a piano, even a petite one, much less dragging it around to get it into a safe hiding place. Brook's years must explain that superior level of piracy.

Oh... oh! So that was what had Usopp concerned! Luffy's hat being on the bed. Yes, that made sense. "Ah, but Luffy-san had his hat when I first saw him here," he explained, but did give the straw thing a curious look, "I do not know how he got it though. I pray that he wasn't brainwashed like Chopper-san! I cannot think of anyone who would have been able to top him!"

Now the thing was: would Luffy really leave his hat behind? Brook had always seen the captain with his hat close at hand, even during the daytime hours. For him to leave it behind was strange indeed, "Perhaps he left it for fear of damaging it? There are terrible things in the hallways, and once Nami-san left, I would say there was less a chance of having her fix it for him. Yohohohoho! It would seem that even our captain can show some caution!"

As Brook laughed, he gave the piano a look and nodded to Usopp's suggestion. "Yes, I think that might be a good idea. I would wonder if Luffy-san even remembers that it is here! He was quite absorbed by the food my roommate and I had gotten that night... I bet he hardly noticed there was a piano to speak of!"

It took a moment to drag the piano from place. Coats and such aside, Brook had had assistance the last time he'd moved the piano. First from Archer, and then from both Zoro and Luffy (although Luffy had mostly been eating the pilfered meat instead). Thankfully though, the piano wasn't terribly heavy, and Brook got it from the closet soon enough, resting an edge on the floor. "Good thing your room's only one over!" he breathed with a laugh, "And yes, assistance would be greatly appreciated!"

"Ohh, really?" Usopp frowned at the hat another moment. "Sai said something about being brainwashed too. That seems to be a big problem, here. But he also said he found his clothes in his closet and didn't know why. Maybe Luffy just found his hat." It sounded better than someone having to fight Luffy. Usopp knew first-hand how difficult that was.

Leaving the hat behind because of foresight would have been logical for Nami or Robin, maybe even Sanji and Zoro, but Luffy? Luffy probably didn't even know the meaning of the word caution. It was just strange. Usopp's next guess would have been the previous spontaneously generating clothes had just appeared again, except Brook said he'd seen Luffy wearing it before, so... digging in the desk, Usopp wrote a very quick 'have hat-Usopp' note to replace it before putting the hat's string around his own neck. Just in case something unusual had happened, it'd be best to make sure it was really safe, and Usopp still didn't have all that much faith in the safety of rooms.

And wasn't this room going to be the place Usopp and Brook ran to in case of emergencies? It wasn't that reassuring now, aside from Brook's presence. At least there was something to think about other than monsters and hat mysteries.

"Okay! Moving the piano!" Usopp took a deep breath, before trying to lift part of the corner. It was a good thing being around those other monsters had gotten him used to heavy lifting, but the piano seemed peculiarly heavy. Even if his strength wasn't quite like Franky's, he still knew he could pick up more weight than that. Or maybe pianos were extra-heavy? He also couldn't remember lifting one before, so he wouldn't know. "Ghh... got it. I think."

"Clothes in the closet? Now that is a concept! Yohohohoho!" Brook laughed as he drug the piano more into the room's center. It would be good for him to lead since Usopp wasn't as familiar with the hallways just yet - even if his room was only one over! Since he was usually used to having no skin to speak of, so when it came to lifting things, he had actually gotten better rather than worse at managing to lift things. But it was good that he had some help this time! "But I suppose that would explain a magically appearing hat... maybe mine will turn up eventually!" One could always hope!

"Let's go then!" Brook said, giving the door out a push with his foot before ducking down and out.

Night 46: M31-40 Hallway

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Out of M37