damned_institute | Night 47: West Wing, South Hall 1-B

The young man was trying to process her words, that Tsubaki could see. If she had had any answers, she would’ve had hesitated to share, but as it was, she could only shake her head.

That perpetual knot in her gut squeezed a little tighter, regretfully. Not even Lockon had been this unprepared.

“I’m sorry,” Tsubaki said again. It was an apology that went beyond just her lack of information. “Even if I were to show you proof, I don’t know. We’re still trying to figure that out. There‘s a lot still unknown.” Among other dangers. She hated that they had to be in these positions--his life completely flipped upside down, and her having to stand there and try to explain their situation in point-by-point summaries. This wasn’t some report or mission debriefing. This was… life or death. Worse, perhaps. Getting the latest of the Head Doctor’s victims up to speed with indelicate rundowns might have been necessary, but it had an element of paltriness to it nonetheless.

She look back up at him, keeping her demeanour as calm as possible. It was a small thing she could do to ease his panic--she remembered her sense of dizzying uncertainty the night she’d woken up in one of the hospital’s beds.

Neither of them had yet to clear the doorway, and Tsubaki glanced each way down the hallway before stepping over to the wall, making a slight gesture at Ranulf. “I can tell you what I do know, as much as I can.” It seemed safe enough to talk in the hall for now, with the double-sided advantage of being alerted to anything coming at them from a distance.

Coming to grips with this new information, Ranulf nodded and followed her as she motioned him away from the doorway. He felt like a zombie, body moving subconsciously, as his brain tried feebly to accept this new reality. It had all been so perfect. The war was over and he was back to doing run-of-the-mill errands for the King as peace had finally returned to Gallia. He should've known it was too good to be true.

Closing his eyes, he laughed a bit to himself. It wasn't a happy laugh, moreso, one that said "go figure". He silently thanked Ashera that he had met with Tsubaki in this hallway. After all, this place was a mystery and who knows what he would've run into.

He nodded at her, a new determination in his face. "Tell me all you know. I don't know the motivation of this place, but it certainly seems evil. I'll do all I can to help."

Ranulf's face lit up with a small smile, probably the first real one he'd had all night.

"Besides, I'd very much like my ears and tail back. Right now I have the balance of a three-legged horse!"

“So you have a tail,” answered Tsubaki with a modest smile of her own. That explained the way he held himself, like he were off balance. Someone who normally had animal appendages would move and sense differently than someone who didn‘t.

It also meant he had a handicap until he found his legs, which was far more grave a thought. She was certain to keep her guard up for the both of them.

Inclining her head, she let out a breath and continued with what he was waiting to hear. “It’s a strange and dangerous place, to be sure. Nothing makes a whole lot of sense, but it’s how things are. Tomorrow I’ll have been here for two weeks, myself. As far as I know, everyone wakes up the same way, in one of the rooms with no memory of how they got there--and there’s easily over a hundred prisoners, some having been here a month or more. So far no one’s been able to find a way to find a way out or stop what‘s happening.” That brought her to a few of the more mysterious questions left unanswered… “Are you familiar with hospitals built like this building where you’re from? That’s what this place acts like, a hospital, specifically one for the mentally ill…”

She signed internally, knowing how talk of mental institutions sounded, too. If a sick soul who appeared to legitimately belong to a hospital said they weren’t imagining things, and really were being wrongfully tormented by impossible feats, what would an outsider assume first? That they were right, or that they were merely ill? It was only those people who wound up as prisoners who understood the truth.

He closed his eyes, smiling his "go figure" smile once again, and nodded. He supposed the correct term would be "had", but it was best to stay positive in these situations so he didn't attempt to "correct" her.

He then looked up again, trying to pay attention to every word she said. In situations like these, information was one of the most valuable things you could acquire.

When Tsubaki had finished, Ranulf paused for a moment running his right palm up and across his forehead, fingers messily splaying his light blue hair. He'd certainly fallen into the honey vat this time. Kidnapped, transformed, confused... this wasn't how he'd intended to spend peace-times in Gallia.

The last few words of Tsubaki's confused him. "Mentally ill"? Did she mean crazy or feral?

"We do have infirmaries? I don't believe I've ever heard of a place that treats "mental illness."

He then smiled a little, giving her a funny glance.

"I've been abducted, surgically altered and thoroughly disturbed. Aren't hospitals supposed to help people?"

Tsubaki stayed silent rather than rush on, watching him while he continued to digest her explanation. She’d never thought of herself as particularly ineloquent, but it did occur to her that some of the other prisoners could probably tie things together better for Ranulf. She was just happy to do whatever she could. After all, there were just as many less than unsavoury characters around; she was glad he hadn’t crossed paths with one of them first.

“I see,” she replied at Ranulf’s negative. Now how could she go about this? It was worse for Ranulf, being from a different culture. “Well… it’s a hospital, just that its main job is to try and fix problems with the mind.” Tsubaki’s experience with legitimate mental institutions was shaky at best, but the fact that Landel’s was merely a façade for something far more sinister--an underbelly they hadn’t even seen the whole of yet--was the more unnerving aspect.

She returned his look a little ruefully. Hospitals were supposed to help people, but this one…

“Yes, only this place--Landel’s Institute--isn’t actually a hospital. It pretends to be one during the day, but once the sun goes down, everything changes,” Tsubaki said, giving the corridor another hooded look from the corner of her eye. And then she fixed on Ranulf again with an air of vitalness. “During the day, there’s hospital staff, and they’re going to treat you like you’re sick, like you’re a human from this world who’s only imagined your life up until now. But at night something happens to make it all transform. It becomes dangerous: monsters and other enemies appear. The prisoners try to arm themselves with what they can find, but… it’s like a game for the man who runs the Institute. When night ends, it’s as though none of it happened, and we go back to being treated like patients in a hospital.” Her voice, having grown quieter and quieter during the account, ended just above a murmur.

"Problems with the mind"? Ahhhh... so this was a place set to confine the crazy and feral. Ranulf knew he wasn't insane. Then again, did one really know if they were insane or not? The idea troubled him, but it didn't trouble him as much as what Tsubaki said next.

This "Landel's Institute" was all a cover-up? For what? What was the motive? Why kidnap all of these people from different places, attempting to brainwash them during the day and murder them at night? The idea that he's died and been placed in some odd hell became more plausible. He only hoped none of the people he knew were encountering the same fate he was.

Ranulf didn't like the sound of monsters at all. Mostly for the fact that he was completely unarmed without his ability to transform. He still hadn't tried, but was afraid that it had been taken away from him too. He doubted a club to the head with his torch would do any sufficient damage to an enemy that resided in a place like this.

His hand still on the top of his head, hair tousled and splayed between his fingers, he kept a steady gaze on Tsubaki.

"I've dealt with enemies before, but probably not with the weapons you're accustomed to. I am usually able to transform into a full laguz, but I'm not sure if this place has taken that ability along with my tail and ears. I admit that I'm afraid to attempt it."

Ranulf let out a small sigh and lowered his hand to his side. "I thank Ashera I can still see in the darkness and smell the night air, even through these thick walls. I do admit, the air I smell is a far different scent than what I am used to."

His quirky smile returned. "I suppose the normal thing for me to do right now would be to curl into a sobbing ball on the floor, but I think that would be a considerable blow to the laguz race in general." He laughed a little, and continued. "Aside from being highly embarrassing and non-productive, obstructing the hallway is probably frowned upon here as well!"

Giving her a thoughtful look, Ranulf decided to ask something else.

"Where were you headed before you ran into me anyway? I'm sure, unless you are a fortune-teller, your original purpose wasn't to help a laguz-turned-beorc-in-distress."

By ‘full laguz’, she assumed that was his alternate form. A beast one, from what she was hearing. At any rate, Tsubaki understood his feelings all too well: it was unthinkable to take someone’s power of transformation away. Although her weapon mode was blocked rather than completely gone, she was lacking a part of herself, a part as natural as breathing to her. But perhaps because they were different, Ranulf still had that ability where she didn’t.

Touching her hand to her other forearm, she eventually said, “You should know that during the day, almost all powers are repressed, but the block gets a little weaker at night. When you’re ready to try.”

She’d found a lot of people brought to the Institute were ready to bounce back sooner rather than later--determined personalities. Ranulf appeared to be the same in that way. Tsubaki knew his easygoing joking wasn’t entirely genuine, and he definitely wasn’t well--no one was, when they were imprisoned like this--but he seemed ready to go on. At the same time, it was hard for her heart not to go out for him, having seen what state he’d been in when she’d found him. There was nothing good in finding oneself here, of all places. She smiled at his laughter. “’Normal’ is a bit hard to come by around here, but the benefit is that we can all support each other.”

When he asked her where she’d been headed beforehand, Tsubaki thought of her pillowcase, and then of the second floor therapy hall. At this point, she was going to have to forgo the attempt. “I’m just glad it was me who came across you, and not something else,” she returned, shaking her head in a gesture that said she wasn’t concerned with her earlier plans. She would’ve usually used her words instead of movements that might not translate in the gloom, but he’d already said he had some level of night vision. “You wouldn’t mind if we stayed together?”

It was no offence to whatever skills Ranulf had, but internally, Tsubaki was simply worried about him being alone. Not only was he unarmed, but he was in a strange body, too.

The block got weaker at night? Interesting. It seemed whatever spell controlled this place didn't have conscious thought, so loopholes (like his laguz senses of sight and smell) could be made. He wondered how much this affected his transformation process or even if he still had it at all.

This most likely meant he'd be fully beorc during the day. Wondering what kind of experience that would entail, he nodded to her as she said this, returning her sympathetic expression with one of his own.

He was glad she laughed at his normalcy joke. It was always good to find people with a sense of humor, especially those who could still find something like that funny in a dire situation. Laughing was better than crying, and Ranulf was all about it.

Ranulf had only just met Tsubaki, but he was really starting to like her. She seemed to be the type of person that genuinely cared about people and their well-being. It was rare to find beorc, or even laguz, that possessed the same qualities as she did. She reminded him of Ike... except he was sure she'd look a lot better in a dress.

When she said she'd like to stay there with him, he inwardly gave a sigh of relief. He would've gone with her to help with whatever it was she was doing, but it probably wouldn't have been in his best interests while in his new beorc body. He could barely battle with his balance, let alone monsters!

"I think staying together would be a fantastic idea." He said, giving a slight grin as he leaned back against the wall and slid into a sitting position on the floor. His grin disappeared when he realized he was trying to move an imaginary tail out of the way as he sat, but he just chuckled a little at this and continued speaking.

"It would give us an opportunity to get to know each other better, which is, of course, the first step in social interaction!"

Then, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes with a relaxed expression on his face, he asked "So, would you mind telling me a little about yourself?"

Good, good. Though honestly, Tsubaki wasn’t giving him much of a choice--she could hardly abandon a new prisoner, no matter the circumstances. They’d have to make do until morning, where there would be time for Ranulf to get his bearings without the fear of an attack bearing down on their heads.

Dayshifts weren’t much better in the long run, but they were safe.

“Okay,” she agreed perfunctorily. She stayed standing against the wall while Ranulf lowered himself to the floor; if they needed to move quickly, she had to be on her feet. Continuing to smile, Tsubaki nodded at the direction he turned the conversation. It was a lot to have to take in in so short a time, that he was now trapped in some strange place, in a strange body, with strange people; it was enough to want to do or talk about something more pleasant. And she couldn’t forget that she was another aspect of Landel’s, too--just as unfamiliar.

“I don’t mind,” Tsubaki assured. “What would you like to know?”

Ranulf, eyes still closed, smiled at this question. It felt a little more normal to him in the darkness, blind to the hallway and it's inhabitants and with a track of normal conversation. Well, ok, not exactly normal, but it was close enough.

He shifted a bit, grunting as he did, and thought about what to ask. It was kind of nostalgic to when he'd met Ike and had the opportunity to get to know the beorc culture better, although he was sure by becoming one he'd be able to write a much more sufficient report!

"Well, it's obvious you're not from my world." he said with a slight laugh. "What type of creature were you before you came here? What is your world like, and your friends?"

Shifting the heel of her boot, she took the opportunity to peer more closely at the three-way branching of halls to their right. Still so far, so good. It felt out of place, such a moment of calm, but…

At the word ‘creature’, Tsubaki brought her bottom lip between her teeth and worried it for a short second. If the tangled psychics of the Institute ever revealed itself, she thought it was in the bringing together of different worlds. What was obvious to Ranulf probably wouldn’t be to her--if the usage of ‘laguz’ and ‘beorc’ were any indication--and what was obvious to her, might not be to him. Tsubaki hadn’t met a single person familiar with demon weapons, and she wasn’t confident this meeting was going to prove the exception. It just meant she ran the risk of confusing him further.

“It seems that way, doesn’t it? Mmm… I come from a world called Earth. I don’t know if it’s the same for you. In the country I’m from, there aren’t really any kingdoms--it’s an island called Japan. I was born… um, it might sound weird if you don’t know demon weapons, but I was born with this body, only I’m not exactly a human. Normally I can transform myself into a weapon mode.” Before coming to Landel’s, Tsubaki hadn’t had misgivings over her status, and she still didn’t, not entirely. But sometimes she wondered if those who were unfamiliar with demon weapons would find the knowledge off-putting, like now.

She looked a bit apprehensive as she spoke, but he found what she had said fascinating. Not only was she not a beorc, she had the ability to shift forms as well. He'd never heard of anyone transforming into a weapon though. Then again, he was sure her world didn't have people who grew whiskers and teeth at will either! He opened his eyes, smiling thoughtfully up at her.

"It seems we have more in common than I thought! I don't know of "Earth" or "Japan" but, as I said before, I can also shape-shift. We aren't from the same worlds, but we still have similarities. I find that incredibly interesting."

He paused for a moment. There was something else he was going to say... what was it? AH! Yes.

"You used the word "human", right? Is that a common word to refer to beorc here? We use that word where I come from, but when coming from a laguz it is meant as an insult."

Ah, so her hunch had been right: they weren’t from the same place. (Let alone a recognizable version of Earth.) But despite how mind-boggling the thought could still be, Tsubaki didn’t find it terribly distressing. Maybe someone Ranulf knew was already here? Having familiar faces was comforting if not fortunate, and it was easier to get by if there was someone from the same world around.

It seemed like he found her own disposition a good-curious rather than a bad-curious. Was transformation not a common thing where he was from? If so, that would probably have made his body alteration that much more disturbing. “Actually, I know of people who can change into animal shapes of their own. They just don‘t call themselves laguz,” supplied Tsubaki with a touch of thoughtfulness. It was Blair who came to the forefront of her mind, but there were also the witches, and Free. So many people and clans…

Ranulf’s next question turned her train of thought in a different direction. By polite terms, then, he’d meant that ‘human’ was less appropriate by his standards. That was a different tradition than what she was used to.

“It is for the most part; I don’t really know of any other replacements that people here use. It’s quite normal in the place I come from,” she replied at length. “It can still be rude depending on how you mean it. Then there are human beings who aren’t used to other species besides their own at all…” It was complicated business, language! Complicated enough without contending worldviews, at that. It made her wonder if Ranulf noticed she was somehow speaking his language, if they even used different languages.

Ahhh, so beast transformation was common where she was from as well. No wonder she didn't find him odd! Then again, he was sure he'd had enough help from the facility itself to alter his physical appearance. He was curious about how the people where she was from were able to shift forms, but decided to save that question for another time.

Humans didn't mind being called "humans"? He made a mental note of this, but still decided to tread carefully with the word. There were sure to be others, like Tsubaki and himself, who weren't fully beorc at all and most likely take it personally. On the subject of words, he was struck with another thought, and decided to relay it to Tsubaki.

"I'm supposing this place has a spell over it so we can understand each other as well, correct?"

It was like he’d been reading her mind there for a minute.

“O--Yes! That’s my best guess. You sound like you’re speaking the language of Japan right now. So far it works for everybody.”

The translation magic was one of the more innocent and helpful aspects to Landel’s--one of the few. It only got her thinking of the many less than beneficial things Ranulf was going to experience the longer he was in the Institute. For instance, there was this nightshift to worry about.

“There’re other forces like that one, too, that affect us all,” she added. Tsubaki could never be positive on what the time was, but it was a good opportunity to mention what was going to happen once the sun rose. And for all she knew, it could happen in the next moment. “Like with the ends to these nights. Usually the intercom will come on--er, if you don’t know what that is, it means you’ll start hearing a man speak from a device in the wall--and then you’ll black out. It’s disconcerting, but I haven’t heard of a way to stop it. It happens the same way every night. You’ll just come awake in your room tomorrow morning, and then a nurse will be by to take you to breakfast.”

Language barriers didn't apply? If only this place were used for good instead of evil. Sorcery like this could be of so much help back in Tellius. The sophistication of this magic was only further proof that this... hospital... was a force to be reckoned with.

He leaned back against the wall and stretched out his legs while Tsubaki went on about what happened when the sun came up. A man would speak out of a device? How big was this device, and why did people pass out from his voice? This place only became stranger and stranger.

"Monsters, dark magic and hospital food. If it weren't for the atmosphere, I'd swear I was in a dungeon or a nightmare, both of which would be a preference." he replied, giving Tsubaki another quirky smile.

It was difficult for her to make out details when they were both plunged in total darkness; Tsubaki was quite sure already that Ranulf had the better night version. She couldn’t be positive on his body language, but his choice of words made her curious.

What did he mean by the atmosphere? Tsubaki found it hard to imagine anything more dungeon-like--all the Institute was missing were rusty shackles hanging from the ceiling, and iron maidens, and things of that sort. Actually, she wouldn’t be surprised if the place already had them. Ranulf didn’t sound like he was being downright sarcastic, but maybe he was.

She was quiet for a moment before directing her gaze forward at the hall opposite them. “It is hard to believe something so awful can be real.”

"Honestly, nothing in this world surprises me. Well, if this were my world anyway."

He laughed a little at that, and continued.

"I've seen lots of evil where I come from. Prisons, dungeons, battlefields, torture facilities... this is just another upgrade. A rather advanced upgrade, but an upgrade."

He followed her gaze, but saw nothing threatening down the hallway. Intaking air into his nostrils, he didn't smell anyone either. They were safe for now.

"I agree though, that it's inconceivable on just how far the lengths of some evils can go."

He looked up curiously at her for a moment before asking his next question.

"When the sun rises... will I see you again? In the morning I mean?"

So Ranulf was probably like a lot of the others, a fighter of some kind, someone experienced in the darker side of life. From the way he sounded, he knew what he was talking about.

But an advanced upgrade, huh? Tsubaki glanced back at Ranulf. It made their situation sound like an ambitious video game gone bad, but she thought it was a fair assessment. For a rotten soul to be able to do this, it would take a great deal of power… the kind a kishin could call on. And here the prisoners were, each drawn in by that power for whatever purpose the Head Doctor, the man seemingly behind it all, had in mind. No matter what kind of world they came from, evil was still a part of them. In a way, it linked she and Ranulf together.

There wasn’t any more that Tsubaki could add in response to his words; the truth of the matter was what it was. After a moment of silence, she thought about broaching another subject, but before she could, he spoke up again. “Of course, yes,” Tsubaki was quick to say. She’d been going to mention it herself, as there was still so much he’d need to get used to. She wanted to know he was going to be all right in that regard. It was one more friendly face, right? “I can track you down, and you can ask the nurses for Miyu--that‘s what they call me. Plus there’s a lounge I’m sure your nurse will mention, the Sun Room. It has a bulletin board where the prisoners put up notes for each other. I’m always keeping an eye on it. If you need me, I‘ll find you.” She smiled at him, the brightest yet, to give him some heart.

The idea of meeting up with Tsubaki again made Ranulf smile. He still hoped this was all a horrible nightmare but he was happy that if it wasn't, he had someone to talk to.

"If this isn't some bad dream, I'll look for you tomorrow. It would be nice to meet up with you again."

He grinned, staring up at her and spoke again.

"Thanks... by the way. I don't know what I would have done tonight without you. The ironic thing is I'm usually a guide for others!"

He laughed once again, letting the chuckles block out the negative feelings he'd acquired since waking up in this godforsaken place.

Ah… she wished it was just a bad dream. For him, for everyone. Maybe, though, Ranulf would wake up back where he belonged and believed everything so far had just been a bad joke of his unconscious; even if Tsubaki wasn’t convinced those who left suddenly were returned to their homes safe and sound, she could still hope it happened.

She nodded again, pertly.

When Ranulf thanked her, the tone of her smile became softer. She felt like what little she’d done had been the least anyone could do. This place was a prison, both strange and dangerous--it’d be the height of narrow-mindedness for her to be so bent on her own escape that she didn’t try to help others who found themselves here, like Hikaru and Kaoru had done for her not that long ago. “You don’t have to thank me. It’s enough that I could explain some of it before you were alone for too long.” She regretted she couldn’t do much more than that to relief more of his suffering, but it was out of her power. That’d have to come with finally stopping the Head Doctor and whoever else might be involved in the Institute.

The question of just what he did as a guide was on Tsubaki’s lips, however it seemed like her words had come to foreshadow the inevitable. Before she knew it, the night was over.

Night 47: West Wing, South Hall 1-B

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