damned_institute | Night 46: Activities Shed

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tsuchimiya kagura

Night 46: Activities Shed

[from here]

Kagura was tense as she entered the shed, not knowing what to expect. A quick sweep of the shed with her flashlight didn't show anything dangerous, and her spiritual sense wasn't picking anything up either. Good. She'd come here looking for a better weapon, not a fight.

The shed wasn't very large, and all the equipment stored inside made it seem even more cramped. This was her first visit here, and Kagura wasn't sure what she'd find. After a few seconds of her flashlight systematically scanning the walls, she found metal bats hanging below some helmets; their metal sheen was unmistakable under the glare of her light.

"Over here. I found some bats," Kagura said to her teammates, keeping her voice low.

She took one of the bats and gave it a few experimental swings. The bat's weight felt good in her hands, and the weapon looked more reliable than her clothes rod. There were also some wooden bats mixed in with the metal ones, so Kagura tried those out too. Each bat had its own pros and cons, and she wasn't certain if one was really that much better than the other.

Unfortunately, she hadn't come prepared with anything to hold her spoils, but there was a mesh bag containing some volleyballs propped against the wall, so Kagura emptied out the bag's contents and stuffed her clothes rod and a metal bat inside. Then she took another bat, a wooden one this time, off the wall to wield. While Kagura wanted to travel as light as possible, she also wanted to grab as much as she needed. Even with the rod and bat inside it, the bag wasn't that heavy for Kagura, but if she carried anymore baggage she might not be able to move efficiently or quietly.

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"Hallucinations? At least I was lucid when I woke that morning," commented Hime dryly. Thank goodness for small miracles; the state her mind had been that night had been bad enough without it persisting to the following day. "Though perhaps sleeping late had helped."

The princess rolled her eyes at Sokka's misgivings and simply followed the exorcist over; if he wanted to stand there by himself because he was afraid of a shack, then so be it. Following Kagura into the shed, Hime was mildly pleased to not be on lock-breaking duty tonight. Though it hadn't hurt her flashlight any, her hand had certainly been sore after last night's expedition.

"Excellent," she purred, making her way over to the bats. After considering the merits of the two kinds, metal and wood, she selected one of the latter. The wood bats were less likely to deform and in the event that it broke, would probably just become something pointy and dangerous. Also, though it wasn't white ash, she knew that wooden stakes could kill a number of things, humans included. Perhaps if they were made of cold iron, the metal bats would have gotten similar consideration, but aluminum was hardly the same.

So it had been just him... wasn't that always the case? Sokka just had rotten luck. He'd have grumbled at the Universe hating him right then and there except for the girls leaving him behind to head for the shed. That was one way to get Sokka over his fear, at least. "H-hey, wait for me!" he called and went after them. Much as he didn't like the shed, he liked even less the idea of being left alone in a place where monsters probably thought he tasted pretty good.

While the girls entered the shed with little effort, Sokka stayed by the door, peering in before turning his head back to make sure nothing was coming after them. Hey, the lookout position was an important job!

"What's a bat?" he questioned innocently, still keeping his attention behind him. Whatever it was, Hime apparently thought it was good.

"Um... A bat is a long cylindrical tool used in baseball, which is a sport that some people play. It also makes for a nice club," Kagura replied to Sokka, trying to describe the sport in layman's terms. Even though she was feeling more confident with her new, sturdier weapon, Kagura kept her voice low. There was no telling where the monsters could be hiding, and the last thing she wanted was to attract attention. Kagura wasn't some kind of battle maniac itching for action; she wanted to avoid any unnecessary fights and dangers if she could.

Given the limited information she had on Sokka, she assumed he was from a different world, and his question only cemented her belief. He had mentioned bending the other night, and after her conversation with Yuna this morning, she was more aware of the situation. She wondered just how different his world was from hers, but that was a question better suited for the dayshift.

Adjusting her grip on the bag slung over her shoulder, Kagura took a metal bat off the wall and brought it over to Sokka.

"Here," she said, handing it to him, since he seemed determined to guard the entrance. She appreciated his foresight. There was only one entrance to the shed, so getting ambushed or trapped inside was a possible danger. "There are also some wooden ones over there if you want to check. I can guard the entrance while you look."

Her next question was directed at both her comrades. "Now that we have some weapons, what should we do?"

Hime gave the bat in her hands a few experimental swings while Kagura answered Sokka's question. There wasn't enough room to get a full swing, but from the short thrusts she made, she could tell that it couldn't work like a sword. Even if the size and shape were the same, there was too much weight to jab with it effectively. She'd be restricted to long, forceful swings. Well, that was what it was made for, after all. Well, she'd just have to be mindful about how she engaged the enemy with it.

"I also wanted to check the gardening shed over in the courtyard," Hime replied to the girl's question. "See if there's anything of use there."

"A sport, huh...?" Sokka muttered in thought. He knew wrestling pretty well, and the "games" that Toph liked to play. Gambling was considered a sport in some circles, but that wasn't important. Having something like a club, even if it was usually used for a sport, would be good. Not as good as his precious space sword or boomerang, but definitely still good.

Sokka looked away from the field when Kagura held out the object to him, and he blinked at it. "Oh, hey! This is one of them? Thanks!" he said, liking that (unlike some girls) Kagura was really nice! He took the bat, gripped it a bit like a sword at first, then swung it around and out of the shed with a "HAH!" Oh yeah, he could work this. It was kind of like a club, but kind of like a sword too!

When Kagura asked if he wanted to check, he fell out of the stance he'd taken and looked back. "No thanks, I think I'll stay out here if that's all right with you." Not that it was likely safer, but the shed just gave Sokka the willies! And great, there seemed to be another shed that Hime just had to stop by too! "Would we be able to get anything else?" he asked, pointing to the bat he'd been given, "If we're carrying stuff from here already, I mean?"

Or in Sokka-speak: "Do we have to go traipsing off to what's likely another death-trap?"

In Kagura's eyes, Sokka was a nice guy, maybe a little weird, but he was willing to guard their backs. She thought he seemed apprehensive but wasn't sure why. Kagura had already explored most of the shed and had detected nothing. Then again, they hadn't known each other that long, so maybe Sokka didn't trust her abilities. That was a little disheartening. Oh well, she'd just have to earn his trust.

As Kagura suspected, Hime had a good head on her shoulders; unlike the teen exorcist, Hime had a decent plan - exploring the gardening shed - that Kagura liked. Some of the gardening tools might make good weapons; the sharper ones were probably a lot more durable than a kitchen knife.

"Yeah. That sounds good. If we're lucky, we might be able to get gardening tools with a blade like a sickle or hedge clipper. There are also heavier equipment like rakes and shovels." Kagura wasn't too interested in anything heavier than what she had right now, but she would take what she could get in this place where proper weapons were hard to come by. "But you've got a point Sokka. Maybe we should try and find another mesh bag in here?"

Had Hime thought about it, she might have been grateful to Sokka for standing watch, but as it was, he was simply doing a job she probably would have requested of him anyway. The fact that it didn't need to cross her mind was a good thing, so to speak. It meant things were running smoothly. It was when her plans were interrupted and she had to give directions, such as if something came out and attacked them, that she would have to become irritated.

"Well, I brought a pillow case that can hold smaller items," said Hime. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, the Royal did not know Sokka-speak, so what would likely have been met with a look of disapproval for his cowardice went unnoticed by her. "And as Kagura pointed out, there are some ball-bags here."

Picking one up, Hime loosened the drawstrings and turned it over, unceremoniously dumping the soccer balls inside all over the floor of the shed where they rolled off into the darkness. Mesh bag liberated, she tucked it under her arm with the baseball bat and walked back to the entrance of the shed. Clearly, if they wanted mesh bags as well, they would have to get their own.

Hime wasn't heartless though. She was willing to wait while they did so.

"Oh... yeah, I guess that makes sense," Sokka admitted, scratching at the back of his neck as he glanced the bags. He'd had a feeling that his intentions wouldn't get across, and that he would probably be following the two wherever they went, regardless of how dangerous it might be, but he wasn't going to say anything outright. After all, he was the guy of the group! And now that he had a weapon, he had to do his best to protect to two girls as best he was able. Wh-wherever they led him...

At least neither of them was like Toph. Or Azula's two crazies (even though they'd helped last time). Whatever, they were different and... he could handle that. He thought.

"So then, are we done?" he asked, taking his arm down, "I'd lead the way if we were but... I'm not all that familiar with where we're headed." Perhaps if he had been, he might have protested heading there more. But a shed was a shed so it had to be easy to get to like this one was, right?

"I'm good," Kagura said, displaying her mesh bag slung over her shoulder. She could've loaded up her bag with more bats, but she wanted to save space for the gardening tools. The prospect of increasing her inventory excited Kagura a little, and the gardening shed might have better weapons. "I don't know where the gardening shed is either. Hime, if you know the way can you lead us?"

If Sokka wanted Hime to pick up on his trepidation, the boy was going to have to try harder than that. Hiro was much more obvious in his whining and she hardly listened to his protests.

"It's in the Courtyard, just over the wall separating it from here," explained the Royal. "It's not far."

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/785023.html?thread=64339839#t64339839)]

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Night 46: Activities Shed

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