damned_institute | Nightshift 46: M11-M20 Hallway

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Nightshift 46: M11-M20 Hallway

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.

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Ashton didn't miss the pause that went along with the stunned look on Claude's face, but he wasn't sure how to address asking about it... or even if he should. There were some things Ashton wasn't going to delve into. If Claude had wanted to say something, wouldn't he have said it already?

The curiosity wasn't going to kill him; he already knew that being curious could be a wellspring for bad luck.

Anyway, he addressed it: "He didn't know there were monsters here before I told him, but he didn't seem to care that much beyond being surprised. It's strange having to tell people about this place... I don't really know that much myself, you see, and I've already had to tell two whole people." He sighed. "I'm just not good at explaining."

Hoping Claude didn't mind if he inspected his shirt a little bit, he stepped a little closer and pointed the light source at him. Yes, this was the exact same outfit he'd had - same stitching and everything.

"Really? It was in plain sight? In your closet?" Ashton's face lit up, and he nearly dropped his lamp in the process of gaping. He hadn't checked there, no. "I better look!"

He opened the closet on his side of the room tentatively, peering inside, and - ... Oh! This was it! The same fabric with the same relaxing feel to it... Even the soft fur around the neck. Oh, goodness gracious sakes alive! Here it was!

"Lucky for me! Look, Claude!" He wondered if there was something similar waiting for Axel in his own closet.

Ashton went about putting his favorite headband on, beaming all the while. It was as if he'd just discovered a barrel under the bed.

Edited 2010-01-20 02:52 (UTC)

To be honest, Claude couldn't say he was completely surprised that Ashton had found his outfit. After all, the people running this place had decided to let him have it before, so why would now be any different? Not that he knew why they let people have their stuff back in the first place, but it made sense to him, at least. Even if he wasn't surprised, though, it was good to see he had it back. Now they could walk around wearing the same clothes they always did.

It would be like old times.

The thought was a comforting one, to say the least. Old times meant fighting side-by-side in victorious battles, or drinking ice-cold tea in weird cafes, or making preparations before starting out on a new journey. But Claude knew few of those things would be found here. This was Ashton, his dear friend, but their time together now was different from before. Claude suspected it always would be, yet simply having Ashton here with him was enough to ease his mind.

"That's great, Ashton!" he said brightly. "If you're going to wander around the place, may as well do it in style, right?" At any rate, it was a heck of a lot better than the uniforms they were supposed to wear, that was for sure.

"Why don't you go ahead and put it on?" Claude suggested. "I could turn the other way while you change."

"Yes... thank you. I'll look as stylish as you do when I'm done. Maybe not as strange." While Ashton wasn't exactly going to be naked in front of him - he sure wasn't taking off the underwear that the Institute had provided - he was glad that Claude would afford him that privacy. As soon as his friend turned, he started stripping, and he pulled his beloved robe over his head, fastened the belt around his waist... perfect.

While the grey clothing Ashton had been wearing wasn't uncomfortable, Ashton much preferred the breezier feel of his own outfit.

"Okay, it's fine now," Ashton said, moving over to the desk chair to pull on his boots, certainly feeling nostalgic himself. When was the last time they'd fought side-by-side? The last battle...? Had it really been that long?

Even though this place felt a little like a jail that kept drawing him back no matter if he escaped, there were little bits of happiness that seemed to be scattered throughout. His outfit... his friends. Celine and Welch weren't around to bug him, but that meant he could relax a bit, right?

In full Anchors regalia, he finally stood up, taking extra care to make sure the headband was covering up the scar and the shaved spot on the back of his head. He didn't want Claude to take notice, after all. It didn't look like he had yet, which was a relief.

"It didn't look like they gave me my weapons, though," Ashton said, looking quite a bit more secure in his clothes. "Is there a way to fix that here? I could improvise..."

Strange? Claude rubbed the back of his head at the comment as he turned his back toward Ashton, but didn't say anything. It wasn't like he could deny that his clothes were rather alien to someone from a place like Expel. That was where the whole Hero of Light thing had started from, after all. Well, that and using phase guns when he probably shouldn't have, but that couldn't have been helped. Not when other people were in danger, at any rate.

He patiently waited until his friend gave the okay, and then faced him once again. The outfit was just as Claude remembered -- so unmistakably Ashton's that it actually brought a smile to his face. "Hey, you look good," he told him.

The shaved spot on the back of Ashton's head wasn't such a surprise, considering he'd had it before he disappeared the first time. Claude wondered when would be a good time to bring it up, but for now he figured it was probably better to let Ashton get a better handle on Landel's itself. There was no reason to bombard him with a ton of information at once, right?

He had to push that aside once Ashton brought up weapons. "Um, yeah, about that..." Claude scratched the side of his cheek as he considered how to word what he was about to say. "You actually had a pair of swords made for you before you disappeared last. One of them vanished along with you, but I managed to hold onto the other one. I figured since it wasn't getting much use you'd be okay if I let someone else borrow it for awhile. Now that you're here again, though, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted me to ask for it back..."

Of course Claude looked strange. He looked... alien. Of course, these days, that made a little more sense, but at the time it had just seemed odd. Of course, when they were on Energy Nede, they all kind of stood out - to say nothing of Ashton's previous peculiar predicament.

Good? He looked.. good? He couldn't help but shrug sheepishly. Claude hadn't said anything like that before, but Ashton could definitely agree. He did look good. "Ah, thanks," he said, nodding. "It feels like a little piece of home, which is really nice to have. I'm sure it's the same for you."

Ashton cocked his head to the side as Claude explained the situation of weapons. It brought up a few questions. Swords made for him? One could do that here? He'd heard that 'powers' and 'magic' couldn't be used very well here, but that didn't mean that one couldn't blacksmith or alchemize raw materials, right?

Finally, after rubbing his chin for a second, he shook his head. "Well, there was obviously a reason for me to give them to you, so... why not let that person keep it? As long as I can see how it's doing from time to time. I would be a little bit of a failure with only one sword, I'm afraid..."

Then, after a pause, he added, "But, in return, you'll definitely have to tell me how to make more swords. Or if I could find something else to use in the meantime."

Claude adjusted his collar and glanced down at the insignia on his shoulder. He could definitely relate to being attached to his clothing. Even though it probably would have been more practical for him to change his appearance while on Expel, he hadn't done it. Between that and wearing his uniform differently from most other ensigns, he sort of had a history of sticking out in a crowd. Claude could see why maybe that wasn't necessarily such a good thing in some cases, but in trying times like these it really did help to have a "little piece of home", as Ashton had put it.

When his friend told him Guy could keep the sword, Claude's face lit up. "Really? That's generous of you, Ashton!" He had a feeling that he was going to be fine with it, but he was still glad he checked. "I'll tell my friend Guy that you're okay with him letting use it. I'm sure he'll be appreciative."

As far as helping him out with his weapon situation went, Claude felt like that went without saying. That was the most important thing. After all, a swordsman's weapon was basically his life, especially when he relied on it so much to keep himself and others safe. There was no way he was going to let Ashton go weaponless, not when he finally had him back.

"And don't you worry," he told him with a grin, "we're gonna get you set up in no time." He turned toward the door. "Come on, I'll tell you about it while we find you something to use for awhile." And with that, he led the way outside.

((To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/784253.html?thread=64739197#t64739197).))

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Nightshift 46: M11-M20 Hallway

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