Nightshift 46: M11-M20 Hallway

[notthistrain.livejournal.com]

Once again the doors had opened. Cloud believed most of what Yuffie had told him, but it was still unreal the way this place operated. They were clearly being tested, mocked, or both with the nightly routine, yet they didn't have many other options but to take the chances they were given.

Still unarmed, but hopefully ready to deal with anything, the blond nodded a goodbye to his roommate before stepping out into the hall with nothing but his flashlight. Yuffie's room was in the single female block, which was on the other side of the block he was currently in. It wouldn't take long to get there, but knowing that creatures could attack the patients even within the patient block caused him to keep his guard up right from the start.

[to here]

Comments

[M12]

[oftemptation.livejournal.com]

Endrance had begged off the afternoon shift, claiming he wasn't feeling well. That much was true, in a way: the greasy pizza stuff they'd been serving at lunch had gotten to his stomach. More than that, though, he had begun to realize he was feeling a little overwhelmed. He'd managed so far without letting his reclusive tendencies get to him, but he had a limit, and he realized that he had passed it.

He'd slept straight through dinner, and that, to him, was a bit of a blessing. He hadn't really wanted to talk with Klavier after the night before - brainwashing or not, he wasn't good with handling awkward situations, and that definitely counted as an awkward situation.

Now, he was getting into his PC's outfit, picking up the sword he still had, and...oddly enough, waiting. He wasn't sure for what, but waiting.

Re: [M12]

[rocksthecourt]

Dinner had been a disturbingly quiet affair. His roommate had been evidently exhausted and spent the entire time asleep. There was no particular physical damage worth noting, but he recalled Endrance lying down in bed upon entering several times before. The behavior was nothing to be concerned about in that case. But with Klavier avoiding the food and left with no one and nothing to distract him, the time had seemed to stretch indefinitely. The resounding silence was painful, so much so that he was an anxious ball of nerves by the time the doors had unlocked. Why, oh, why could he not be allowed to bring a CD player into the room?

He closed his notebook and placed it in the desk carefully, then took up his flashlight. He hesitated for just a moment before sighing and taking one of his stored pipes as well. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing tonight, but he knew one thing for certain: He couldn't afford to waste time staying in here anymore.

By this point, Endrance had gotten up. He'd never been the terribly energetic sort to begin with, but Klavier could detect the discomfort and the avoided eye contact. Hmm. It seemed... as though his behavior really had affected him, a bit more than predicted. As much as he hated leaving things unresolved, he also understood there was a time and place for everything. Disconcerted, distracted, and in the middle of changing wasn't exactly the ideal time for Klavier to bring up awkward subjects.

He said nothing, but he gave Endrance a slight glance in a sort of silent farewell before finally heading out the door.

[to here]

[awkwardly right outside M12]

[feartehreaper.livejournal.com]

[ From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/778923.html?thread=64087467#t64087467). ]

Considering Endrance usually seemed to arrive at M4 before Haseo was even ready to go, the Rogue was a bit surprised he managed to make it most of the way without running into the other guy somewhere in-between. A little concerned, actually... for one, he couldn't think of any reason that would have caused Endrance to lose interest in making it there so quickly. Haseo didn't think himself that bad of a kisser.

Which is probably what his Issue of the Night really came down to, of course. During the day, while they were all watched so carefully and conversations tended to be short and tense, it hadn't been difficult at all to casually agree to meeting like they did every night. Except now, it was little harder to dismiss the... sudden onset of closeness and everything it probably meant.

Haseo slowed once he neared the door, anxious despite himself. He was pretty sure M12 was the correct room number, even though it had been several days since he'd last heard it. He turned his short-sword over in hand and paused by the wall, scanning the hallway suspiciously. You'd better fucking be here, Endrance, he thought at the door, agitated at the lingering fear that something might have happened. Every other day meant tonight was another dedicated to those experiments. Should he knock or what?

[and also outside M12.]

[oftemptation.livejournal.com]

It was just at that moment that Endrance realized what it was that he was waiting for. But...it wasn't going to happen easily, if at all. He was the one that usually went out and found Haseo, after all, and the other way around? That wouldn't happen, would it? No. Not with Haseo's pride, and...

He shook his head, trying to clear those unsure thoughts. It didn't really help; instead he found himself thinking about what happened the night before. Was that...no. It wasn't a dream, he knew that much. It wasn't a dream, and he found himself touching his lips lightly, trying to remember how that felt. The fact remained, though, that he needed to stop daydreaming and head over to Haseo's room. The Blade Brandier shook his head once more, this time successfully clearing it.

Just then, he heard a noise outside, and he decided that it was his cue to hurry on over, not just head over. When he opened the door and saw the source of that noise, though, Endrance flushed, almost dropping his own sword in surprise. "Haseo..."

So that means...what does it mean? I don't know anymore...but...

"Please come in..." The words were out before Endrance could think to take them back.

M19

[replicatedorder.livejournal.com]

After Cloud made it clear that he was leaving for now, Luke left his bed to return to his desk with his journal and the maps in hand. He retrieved his flashlight and checked around the room until he located his pipe in the closet. Maybe he would use it tonight, maybe not, but he still liked having the comfort of it sitting there. He returned to his desk, setting up the flashlight in such a way that it would shine light overhead and illuminate his portion of the room. It wasn't a great strategy, but it would work for now.

That handled, he got to work. Some part of him was relieved that he wasn't contacted by Asch again. The other part was worried; it meant that Asch was probably out there alone, and it meant that he might be getting hurt. Luke didn't like the idea of him dying again. His lips twitched into a frown as he thought of that, and he paused scribbling out another section. He wanted to try and connect to Asch to see what he was doing, but it didn't work that way—even if Luke would have preferred that.

Well, he would just have to hope for the best for once morning came. If it turned out that Asch was difficult to find, Luke would figure out some way to lure him in on the bulletin board. Maybe use some keywords that wouldn't count as needing to be censored. Yeah, that would have to do it.

But for now, he cleared his thoughts—relatively so, anyway—and returned to working. Guy would be there soon with a weapon. And then ... he wasn't sure. Luke had a few ideas of where they could go, and he felt comforted to know that Guy would be at his side the entire way.

Outside M19

[nobleman]

[From here.]

Fully aware of how ridiculous he must have looked with a meat cleaver in one hand, a short sword in the other, and a flashlight crammed under his arm, Guy just hoped that Luke would focus more on the fact that he was doing him a favor rather than his appearance. Seeing how neither of his hands were free, he had to resort to banging his foot against the door as a substitute for knocking. Definitely not as polite as he would have liked, but he got the feeling Luke would forgive him that.

A servant should have been more prompt as well, but he did have some reason for his lateness. There were a lot of things he had to clear up with Claude, and they'd shortened their conversation as much as possible.

Luckily, Luke probably wasn't too aware of how precious time was here just yet, so he most likely wouldn't hold it against him. Man, what was he even thinking? Luke hardly ever got angry at him for things. Guy was just naturally hard on himself.

"You there?" he called out, realizing he should announce himself. "It's me!" Luke would recognize his voice. Guy had been forced to wake him up back at the manor enough times that it had probably been ingrained in him by now.

[replicatedorder.livejournal.com]

One of the bad things about working like this was that he was forced to strain his eyes the entire time. It wasn't like he hadn't had to do it other times. Making notes in a journal while moving through various parts of Auldrant hadn't always afforded Luke with the best positions; sometimes he was forced to squint and look closely by a firelight. Other times, he had the fortune of stopping at an inn, which was well-lit most of the time. Then again, writing journal entries just meant he had to remember things. This required precision, and, of course, this place didn't exactly make that easy. Still, he did what he could, and just hoped that it would be legible when he handed it over to Cloud.

The good thing, at least, was that he was mostly done. The roof needed a couple more markings, but he could finish that in the morning. This was especially good with the banging on the door—though Luke wasn't an expert about knocking of all things, that didn't sound like a hand—coming just as he pushed aside his journal with a heaved sigh.

"Yeah, I'm here!" he called. Luke found himself quickly losing that frustration as he stood up to move to the door. When he reached the door, he opened it, pausing only at the sight of Guy. It wasn't that he was going to say anything about it, but it was a little amusing to see him like that. Even though he looked kind of funny, Guy had come all this way to help him out. He moved to press his back against the door while letting Guy step in a little, and as he did, he reached out to grab the flashlight out. That way, he was holding up one less thing.

"Thanks for coming," Luke said a moment later. His gaze already drifted to the meat cleaver. Not the best weapon, but in a place like this, he figured he could manage. He just wished that Landel wasn't so afraid of them; after all their fighting, he really wished he had the Key of Lorelei here.

M16

[girlsandgadgets]

Well, it looked like that was all the conversation Edgar would be getting out of Luxord this evening. The man was still a mystery, his true motivations still hidden, but those puzzles would have to be solved another day. For now, he'd leave the man to his own devices. He had some supplies to gather. He took the flashbulb from his drawer, readying himself.

"Take care of yourself this night," he said as he opened the door, heading into the hallway.

[girlsandgadgets]

[To here.]

Re: M16

[clockmongler.livejournal.com]

"You as well." It was a polite goodbye, if not a vaguely disinterested one. As fascinating as his roommate was, how could he even pretend to be so caring when night was afoot once more? Yes, it was entertaining to walk that fine line the memories of others had left and pierce together those broken chains, but compared to the greater mystery of this asylum...

Well, it was comparing chuck steak to filet mignon, wasn't it? No matter how well prepared, one would just always taste better than the other.

Cautious, but opened-minded to his surroundings, X once again exited his cell.

[Being a cheater and hopping over here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/781144.html?thread=64067160#t64067160)]

M11

[winged_moon]

After ignoring the intercom the entire day, the latest announcements barely even made Yue stir; it was all more of the same, more pompous false cheer in a voice he hated more fiercely than he might have thought possible. It was only the actual onset of night that pushed him from his long nap, and what happened at that time. The Institute had, for whatever reason, allowed the return of his wings once more at night, and whether he willed it or not, as the lights went out and the doors unlocked, he lifted slightly from the bed as the glow sprang to life at his back and coalesced into a pair of massive, white-feathered wings.

This time he wasn't as pleased by it as he had been the last; this time it reminded him of the night before, even if outside of the coliseum grounds his powers didn't return as well. Now he was simply earthbound with his wings, likely unable to fly at all even if he tried, and burdened more with the memories and guilt. He shuddered lightly, finally pushing up to a sitting position as he flexed his wings somewhat awkwardly, then resettled them a little more comfortably.

He should be moving, now that night had fallen. Sakura would be worried, he was certain, and he was worried about her after the night before. But somehow...he just couldn't muster the energy to move. Touya would probably come by to pick Yukito up, as he had several times recently, he told himself. But it rang hollow as an excuse even still.

Instead of getting up, he simply leaned back, seated sideways on the bed with his back against the wall, wings shifting to curve forward around himself. Just for a minute, he insisted inwardly. He'd just wait for a minute, to see if Touya would stop by. If not, then he would leave, go find the others, and see what they wanted to do now. He certainly wasn't going to suggest anything but keeping them safe.

Re: M11

[guardiancomplex.livejournal.com]

Touya was on his feet and out the door before the lock finished clicking open. It wasn't that he was angry, or even in a rush--he just had to see them. Sakura was safe in her room (hopefully he had guilt-tripped her enough so that she would actually stay in her room instead of wandering around), and he would bet money that Yue hadn't seen the board this afternoon. After all, he hadn't seen Yuki or Yue around that day after they met in the Sun Room. No doubt the both of them had retreated to their room.

Before he realized what he was doing, Touya was knocking on their door. "It's me," he called.

Re: M11

[winged_moon]

Minutes were hard to keep track of here, especially in the dark, but it couldn't have been long before the knock sounded on the door. Even though Yue had told himself he was waiting for Touya to arrive, he still felt peculiarly guilty for having done so. Instead of standing and answering his door, though, he turned the guilt in on himself, adding it to the weight of the rest, and pulled his wings closer as though that would hide him.

He needed to talk to Touya. He knew that all too well; after he'd failed in his duty the night before, it was even more important that he fulfill it now. But still, again, he didn't want to. It was just so difficult to work up the energy to do anything, even to lift his head and speak. Instead he just rested his forehead against his knees, wings curved about himself to hide him in a wall of white feathers.

M20

[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

Kratos as usual barely paid attention to the intercom announcement--there were no strange voices pouring from it, after all--and instead used the crackle of the sound system as his signal to head on out.

It was becoming his new routine now to go through the process of snapping all of his armor into place rather than simply leave with his flashlight and go over to M35, but Kratos preferred it; this was what he was meant to do here. He picked up his flashlight and sword, nodded curtly to his roommate, and then disappeared into the hallways outside.

Re: M20

[spandexorgtfo.livejournal.com]

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/784253.html?thread=64070269#t64070269)]

M17

[its-the-mileage.livejournal.com]

Indy weighed his options while he dressed.

It was the first night in a while nobody had tried to make any demands on his time. He hadn't made any plans to meet anyone, either--had thought about asking Lunge if he wanted to go back out and take another look at the site, but in the end he'd decided he wanted to know more about Herr Inspektor there before penciling him in on any dance cards. Silly, probably. The second Great War was probably long over whenever Lunge came from, but Indy's suspicions were long ingrained.

All this meant that he'd be heading out there alone, which might not be a real smart idea if the woods were still crawling with Zombis and killer snake plants. But Indy went adventuring on his own far more often than not; in fact, he reminded himself, he worked better alone. Surely he could handle the local wildlife--especially with his whip and a few scalpels handy, which items he was loading himself with now. Indy picked up the flashlight and gloves and wedged the journal and pen into his jacket pocket. He'd be fine.

Re: M17

[its-the-mileage.livejournal.com]

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/781144.html?thread=64078168#t64078168)

[full-score.livejournal.com]

((From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/784253.html?thread=64129917#t64129917).))

The hallway was pretty quiet, but Claude had been here long enough to know that they were probably safe around here. M19 was going to be toward the end of the hallway, so they still had a small distance to walk. Still, it was probably better to try to stay on guard if he could help it.

He guessed it'd make more sense for them to just part ways here, but there was no reason he couldn't at least walk him to the door. After that they probably couldn't waste any time in doing whatever it was they'd wind up doing for the night, though.

"Speaking of different memories," he suddenly added, "I noticed Sync was brainwashed all day yesterday. I'm hoping he's long gone by now so he can be out of your hair for a change."

[nobleman]

Ashton was back?! And on the same day that Luke had turned up? Man, what were the odds? It was so unlikely that Guy had to wonder if it was purposeful. Seeing how he and Claude had gotten to be pretty close over their time here, he wouldn't put it past the people in charge to do something like that. Not that he understood why, but...

It wasn't a shock to hear that Ashton's memories were gone, though. Guy had more or less expected the same thing when he'd seen Luke this morning, but maybe Claude hadn't had to deal with anything like that up until now. It looked like both of them would be showing their buddies the ropes, though. Guy wasn't in the best shape for it, but he knew Luke could handle himself well enough, especially when he had guidance.

"That's great to hear! Good luck getting him used to this all over again," he said sincerely. Though then something occurred to Guy, and he stared down at the sword he was holding in his right hand as he continued to walk down the hall toward Luke's room. "Shouldn't I return this, in that case?"

But that was when Claude brought up Sync all of a sudden. Guy barely held back a scowl just at hearing the Tempest's name. "He found me this afternoon, actually. Doesn't look like he's brainwashed anymore." This was the first he'd heard of Sync being brainwashed, though. Guy wasn't too surprised that the God-General had failed to mention that.

[full-score.livejournal.com]

Claude shook his head when Guy offered to give the sword back. "Don't worry about it." Maybe it wasn't exactly his call to make, but it was also true that they'd need to collect metal for one more if Ashton wanted to properly use it. Since they were going to have to go through the trouble, they may as well just get the metal for both swords while they were at it. It was probably best for Guy to just be able to keep the one he was using. Besides, Ashton was with him tonight, so he'd be fine.

Any good mood he may have had from sharing the news of Ashton's arrival suddenly disappeared once he heard about Sync, though. Claude's face immediately darkened, and his previously steady pace faltered a moment. "He found you?" After everything that had happened, he still had the nerve to talk to Guy? Seriously? "What the hell did he say?"

He had raised his voice without meaning to. But it was hard not to get upset at the idea of Sync, alive and kicking in the institute, actually going out of his way to harass Guy. Not only that, but it meant he had no problems with going after Anise or the others if suited him. The whole thing left a foul taste in his mouth, especially since he'd had the chance to kill him, and he'd actually wasted it. Why had he even counted on Sync staying brainwashed forever in the first place? Now they had to keep worrying about that bastard pulling the wool over everyone's eyes again.

His fingers tightened around his sword and flashlight, but he tried not to completely lose his cool over all of this.

M18

[lady-general.livejournal.com]

[From Here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/779043.html?thread=63937315#t64154147)

Celes had intended to move quickly along, and briefly remembered Dias emerging from this hallway when she healed him the first time. She worried her lip and smoothed a hand over her hair. He'd better be there, laid up in bed like a proper person and not wandering around the hall like another certain young man (she sees you, Guy. Prepare for a lecture when she wasn't busy somewhere else) was. Celes rapped on the door and waited.

"It's me."

Re: M18

[heavens-too-far.livejournal.com]

Stiff as his movements were, and sore as he still was, Dias had indeed planned to go out for the night. There was nothing to be gained if he remained in his room, nothing to do save consider the time he was wasting or, even more compellingly, his death and all the potential repercussions of it. Rather than that, he might as well go out and try to accomplish something, even if he was in no condition for that something to be anything significant. He would have left already, if his injuries hadn't made changing into his clothes from Expel a slower and more painful process than usual.

He'd been pulling on a gauntlet - the last part of his outfit - when the knock came, and an uncomfortably familiar voice followed it. Celes would probably not look kindly on his plans for the night. "...Come in."

[quidproquo.livejournal.com]

So this was the nightlife.

Axel couldn't say that he was all that impressed though. From how his roommate was harping he expected monsters to be swarming all over the place, but there didn't seem to be any of that within sight. In fact, it looked like people were just lingering around like this was no big deal, but it probably wasn't. The Nobody didn't really have much to complain about if that were the case. With the doors open like this Axel knew it was as good an opportunity as any to find out more about this institute. Asking around wouldn't be a bad idea, but for now he preferred to see it for himself.

However, that seemingly perpetual grin disappeared momentarily from his face when tried and failed to summon the Dark Corridor.

Right, he guessed it made sense. After all, he didn't exactly need the Darkness in the afterlife, but it would've made things a hell of a lot easier. Walking was such a drag, but it was better than nothing he supposed.

Oh well. Part of him wondered if he should stick with the brunet for a bit, but there didn't seem to be any harm in doing some exploring alone. In the end Axel shrugged, pointing his flashlight at the floor and made his way to the end of the hall.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/784253.html?thread=64274045#t64274045).]

M15

[unluckiest.livejournal.com]

Ashton's cool-seeming (if a little teasing) roommate had already left, giving the brunet a few moments alone to himself. He finished his meal - particularly relishing the remaining bits of the delicious dessert - and did some evening stretches. A place like this was so sedentary, and he was worried his muscles would start getting weaker if he didn't train.

Up, down, up, down. Side, side, touch toes, up, reach for the sky. Or the dark ceiling. Everything was dark in here; he was afraid he'd bump into something if he didn't watch out.

Oh, yes! Hadn't there been a portable lamp underneath his pillow? He'd discovered it the other day... Ah, here it was! Okay. The light was on... He continued to exercise, squatting slowly so he could feel the maximum burn. Up, down, up.

He paused for a second, worrying mid-stretch. What if he'd given Claude the wrong room number? Then Claude would never be able to find him...! He'd be running around the wrong hallway, or even around the wrong side of the institute!! Oh, no!

The light source in his hand, Ashton peeked outside his door, shining it up and down the hallway.

"...Claude?"

Re: M15

[full-score.livejournal.com]

((From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/785301.html?thread=64179093#t64179093).))

Once Claude had gotten close enough to where his friend was peering out from his room, he greeted him with an enthusiastic whisper. "Ashton! It's me!" He hoped he hadn't kept him waiting too long. Gosh, though -- it sure was a lucky thing that he had the same hallway as Luke. Funny, how things worked out like that sometimes.

Ashton looked like he was in good health, which was a relief. Not that anything should have happened to him since lunchtime, but this place had a way with being dangerous at the most unexpected times. The only thing that was off was that Ashton no longer had his outfit from Expel even though it was nighttime. It made Claude feel a little guilty for wearing his own Federation uniform, but he guess it couldn't be helped.

"Is your roommate still here?" he asked. Up until now it hadn't occurred to him that maybe the person Claude roomed with would also be in need of traveling companions, though it was also possible he'd managed to find someone else to explore with. Still, he figured it would be polite to check first.