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...

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Soubi moved away and Ritsuka dropped his hands to the side, rolling over so he could push himself back into a sitting position. He hated yelling. It always made his throat feel raw afterward and then when the anger passed, he usually realized he'd said a few things he hadn't meant to in the heat of the moment.

His head was spinning from the sudden movements and he dropped it into one hand, gritting his teeth. If that stupid doctor hadn't attacked him! If he hadn't pushed her, or triggered whatever it was that turned her into a predator then he wouldn't be having this conversation. He wouldn't be afraid of being left alone in this room, or going to sleep again. "I was--"

Ritsuka stopped talking when he looked up and noticed Soubi on his knees. His voice was begging Ritsuka not to go, and his hands were shaking. Something was definitely wrong with him, but Ritsuka didn't know what. Was it that Hiro person again? Was he trying to break through? Was it something else?

Lowering his hands, Ritsuka slipped off the bed and knelt down in front of his friend, trying to get a closer look at his face. "...what's wrong, Soubi? You've never put up this much of a fight about going upstairs before."

Soubi looked away, half scowling and half pouting like a child. Sure they weren't fighting now, but he wasn't sure this was the right way to do things either. It didn't exactly give the impression of a strong Fighter. And Ritsuka was quick to catch the little things and would worry more about something to silly and shameful. He was losing all self control over something so stupid that Ritsuka had always hated.

"You need rest."

And once again he'd been shut out. Ritsuka balked mentally and sat back, barely masking the hurt expression on his face. "Fine."

Be that way.

The boy stood and wavered a bit on his feet, then moved to the side and around the Fighter, heading toward his closet. The rucksack and everything else he needed was in there and if Soubi was going to shut him out, then Ritsuka would go about his routine like he did every night. Admittedly, he was slower at it and he was more worried about the man behind him than the people up above, but he had no idea what to do now.

Dropping the backpack onto his desk, Ritsuka adjusted the bandage around his forearm and started shifting through the bag, checking his supplies. Everything was running low. He'd need to go restock upstairs. "And you need to stop chewing your nails. They're going to start bleeding soon."

Soubi frowned. Ritsuka agreed, but he still got up and moved about. What was a Fighter to do in this situation? Wrestle the kid and tie him to the bed? Soubi stayed whee he was. At least Ritsuka wasn't outside and soon he'd get bored and sit down.

He unclenched his fists and looked at his nails. He wasn't really sure what they'd looked like before. He knew what they looked like a few years ago. He'd had plenty of opportunity to study them as a way of distraction. Now they looked awful and they felt awful.

"Is that an order?" he asked, quietly. He didn't intend to rub Ritsuka the wrong way, it was just, "I might be able to if it's an order."

Is that an order? Why did Ritsuka have to order Soubi to do something so common sense? Biting your nails until they bled was just stupid! He'd get sick easier, be more exposed to viruses and bacteria and--

Ritsuka sighed. He knew why he had to order Soubi to do something most people would do naturally. It was a nervous tick, a habit he'd suddenly picked up for some reason. They needed to deal with the real problem to resolve his biting, but right now, taking care of the immediate issue was important.

Looking up from the bag, Ritsuka nodded and said, "Yes, that's--"

But before he could finish his sentence, the intercom came on and the night came to an abrupt end.

Night 46: M31-40 Hallway

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