Night 47: F21-F30 Hallway

[mistressmadgirl.livejournal.com]

It was, thought Agatha, about time this Landel guy started acting like a real evil megalomaniacal mad scientist. All the sugary-sweet fakery had been getting on her nerves, but this persona was something she knew all about. Right down, in fact, to the inclusion of information helpful to his enemies.

She'd been spending most of the time since finishing dinner assembling the pitifully few useful-looking items their room contained. She hadn't originally meant to include the little radio in that, since no matter what settings she tried it had only produced rather forgettable music and she didn't have the time or the tools to reduce it to usable parts.

Now, though, she snatched it up and slid it over to the channel that had been mentioned. It might not be much help, but she didn't see how it could hurt, either. "I think I'm all set," she declared. "Ema?"

Comments

F23

[witchoftruth]

Erika could only reason that Nunnally would be staying in her room tonight, since it would probably be most taxing to take her crutches and walk out to what was perceived as dangerous territory. The girl didn't tell her this, it was merely something Erika assumed. An assumption that was easy to make, in her opinion.

Nunnally did have the misfortune of being roomed with the detective, and if this board was anything like the previous game, that meant Nunnally was probably in a prime position to be murdered once a murder actually occurred. Erika, of course, was going to take the initiative and did so by tearing out a single sheet of paper from the notebooks she stored in a pillowcase, folding it into a neat square and signing the front of it.

Once outside of the room and just before she closed the door fully, the detective bent down and wedged the paper neatly near the bottom of the door, about two inches above the ground. "With this, there will be no silly closed room tricks," Erika smiled to herself, pleased at her handiwork. It wasn't as reliable and absolute as duct tape, but the paper was out of the way and in a discreet place.

With the door taken care of, Erika knew that she had her work cut out for her. Sealing every single door was infeasible at the time, not when she was given a bigger mystery to solve: the workings of this Institute. Turning on her flashlight, the detective made her way down the halls.

[ to here ]

Re: F23

[jouer-sans-voir.livejournal.com]

It was night. The doors had unlocked, after the demeanor of the man on the intercom had changed significantly. And her roommate had wandered off into the darkness outside, where Nunnally could now believe the monsters she'd been warned of really did exist. There was just a feeling in the air now that said something was strange. Wrong, even.

And now Lelouch was supposed to be walking through that to get to her room. She had been worried before, with only the abstract idea of monsters in the hallways between them; now with night actually here she was far, far more worried. After all, she'd only just found her brother again after losing him and...well, she didn't want to repeat the experience. Especially not now that she had the chance to speak to him again, even if she still dreaded the conversation just as much as she wanted to see him.

Nunnally watched the door a moment longer after her roommate had left, then finally reached for the crutches she'd set to one side earlier. There was nothing she could do now to help Lelouch -- if she were to go outside in her condition, she'd only put herself in danger without reason. Instead, she moved from the desk chair over to the bed, settling herself with her back against the wall and flashlight propped in her lap as she waited, trying not to count the seconds as they passed or think too much about what her brother would inevitably ask when he arrived.

Re: F23

[kingside]

[From here.]

And there it was. F23. Lelouch walked as fast as he dared up to the door and, after rearranging the items he carried, knocked softly. That would be enough on its own to tell Nunnally who it was, and while the caution was likely unnecessary at this stage with the hall all but deserted by this point, he couldn't quite seem to kick the habit. Nunnally was in enough danger from the institute staff without dragging any of his disputes into the equation. That probably wasn't nearly as big of a concern as he was making it out to be, but his actions had caused her enough strife that it made no real difference to him. Anything to spare her from more.

Re: F23

[jouer-sans-voir.livejournal.com]

Time passed slowly in the half-light, with the darkness held at bay only by the lonely beam of her flashlight as Nunnally waited with both anticipation and dread for her brother's arrival. Darkness was nothing unfamiliar, given that only a few months ago she wouldn't have known anything else. Somehow, though, the dim light only made the shadows more oppressive -- or perhaps it was the awareness of the upcoming conversation that she both looked forward to and dreaded.

It might have been easier if she had never told Lelouch what the future would hold for him, but how would she have known? Everything here was impossible and unexpected, and without an awareness of the situation all she had done was react. It was fortunate that she had run into him first, at least; that way she had known what not to tell Suzaku.

At the sound of the knock she sat up a little straighter, glancing briefly toward the crutches propped against the dresser before turning to the door. "Come in," she called, carefully steeling herself to keep her expression calm. That had to be Lelouch waiting outside.

Re: F23

[kingside]

Lelouch opened the door with exaggerated care one he heard her response, not because he was particularly concerned that she might be standing on just the other side of it but simply because-- because. It was then that he noticed a slip of paper fall from the crack, and with a small frown, he bent to pick it up. What on Earth-- well, it wasn't his problem.

He took just enough time to read the name on it, unfold it, and refold it before stepping inside, turning and placing it in exactly the same location it had been before as he shut the door behind him. At least now he knew who Nunnally's roommate was. Why she felt the need to mark the door in that way was somewhat more obscure, but again, it had nothing to do with him.

"Hello, Nunnally," he greeted once he had finished, turning again and rising from the half-crouch replacing the paper had required as if nothing out of the ordinary at all had just happened. He picked up the chair at her desk after that and carried it over, setting it down just across from her and settling into it with a small, warm smile. "How have you been adjusting so far?" That was the most important question, really. His others could wait until he knew how she was doing.

Re: F23

[jouer-sans-voir.livejournal.com]

It was almost just like things had once been, back when they were together at home. Almost -- but the differences, as well as the events and memories which lay between them, were significant enough to be jarring. Why exactly had she been brought here from the point in time that she had been? It would have been far simpler if she hadn't remembered the disdain on the Emperor's face or the feel of his blood on her hands, but...well, that couldn't be changed now. All she could do was deal with this situation.

"As well as could be expected, I suppose," Nunnally replied, her own smile a little wistful, remembering what had once been. "It's all so strange here, after all. But at least I have people I know here to help me, as well as other friendly people." Some of what Honey had said was strange, after all, but he was still a very nice boy.

Re: F23

[kingside]

"Good." Thank god. Lelouch had been so worried-- of course night was the real issue, but the daytime routine could be unsettling in its own right. The fault for that lay primarily with the other patients, but it seemed like Nunnally hadn't come across any of those just yet. That was good. Now he just had to hope that this trend continued, or else that he and Suzaku would be able to prevent it from changing. Euphy might be able to help, too, come to think of it. Even if the difference in their ages had shrunk, their half-sister still had more experience in this place, and-- Lelouch supposed they could relate on more fronts now than he had ever anticipated.

He dropped his gaze. "Did anything come up over the course of the day that you would like to ask me about?" he said next, one of his hands automatically searching out hers and giving it a small, reassuring squeeze. Being able to spend time with her like this still seemed so surreal, even in the institute. Lelouch supposed the action was just as much for his own comfort as for hers. "There are some things I can't answer, but for those that I can, I'll do my best." As always.

Unfortunately, whatever questions Nunnally would ask would have to wait. The radio on her desk flickered on then, and although the majority of Lelouch's attention remained on his sister, he did angle his head very slightly towards the device as he listened. Jill was back. Well. He would just have to make a note of that later.

[himetsuru.livejournal.com]

Now that night had fallen, it was time to hunt. Her entire demeanor changed as she slid her sword into her makeshift belt. The frilly white dress would stay in the closet; it was not something for this night. For the time being, Falis was not a princess. She was a hunter.

"Aa. Come back with a tale to tell me," Falis said to her roommate. "I should have one for you."

Without waiting for a response, the hunter slipped out of the room and disappeared into the darkness. It was time to hunt.

[to here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/810031.html)

[windstwilight.livejournal.com]

She looked over at Falis, nodding once. "Right."

There wasn't much else to do. She had a meeting and then a mission, with no time to waste. Senna finished slipping her uniform on, and slid Renji's sword through her sash. Clapping her cheeks once, she tightened her hair tie and nodded. "Right," she said again to the empty room. "Let's go, then."

[to here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/809330.html?thread=65816690#t65816690)

F26

[fourstonewalls]

A voice, and then the radio dissolved into static. Ema, we had this discussion. Adaptive sleep-cycle clocks are weekend-only proj-- As she was readying her arguments, Lana reached out for the clock. It was when her knuckles slammed straight into a wall where there should have been only empty space, or, at worst, some bailing-wire and cardboard contraption perched on her bedside table. But there was nothing -- and her eyes had already opened. It was pitch black in the room.

No, not pitch black. A thin, wavering sliver of light shone around the door, rising and falling erratically. Emergency lighting? Where was she? This was a cot, and the wall painted cinderblock. Power outage? Earthquake? It certainly wouldn't be the first time.

Alright. The fact that she didn't remember the incident was mildly disturbing, but temporary trauma-related amnesia was remarkably common, even if less so than was claimed under oath. She ran her hands over her scalp; they found no cuts, contusions, or sore spots. Though it did feel like she'd fallen asleep on a rock. No, not a rock -- a flashlight. Finally, some indication of competence in this fiasco. Someone would be getting a raise. That was, if it worked. Which it did, throwing a thin beam over a small, entirely unfamiliar room. This was not the courthouse infirmary. Nor the one down at the precinct, or any facility she recognized. This was a large two-man cell; or a small dormitory room, but the lack of both windows and basement damp made the latter unlikely.

There wasn't a prison or detention facility in the county whose halls she hadn't walked sometime in the last five years; she was sure of it, and this was none of them. Fourteen prisons in Los Angeles closed in five years with the advent of the initial trial system. But the heat was on; when her bare feet met the cold floor, there was the faint thrumming of the HVAC system. Hospitals, schools, and nursing homes were all required to provide emergency lighting in residential facilities -- where were the lights? (Incompliance seemed unlikely. The building inspectors made the Prosecutor's Office look like argumentative dilettantes.)

No memories were bubbling to the surface, no dizziness set in as she started cataloging the content. No disorientation -- just, if she were scrupulously honest with herself -- complete bewilderment. First, a desk full of generic, inexpensive office supplies. She went to pocket the spare flashlight batteries, but whoever had redressed her hadn't seen a need to check for pockets. She sighed, and left them on the desk. Then there was an entire closet full of near-identical clothes. She wouldn't call them uniforms -- retro-casual athletic supplies? Either way, the overcoat and shoes were a remarkably close fit. Too remarkable, even for a woman of average size.

The radius of possible calamities was expanding. Widespread disaster -- had she picked these out herself before an injury? Kidnapping? This went far beyond an elaborate prank, or any conceivable hostage situation.

Either she was grossly overestimating her colleagues or the Los Angeles criminal underworld, or someone had picked up the wrong person. She made no sense as a target. No wealthy relatives, no active cases with any unresearched connections, and, as was widely reported, absolutely no sense of humor. Office gossip was tedios and never reliable, but in this particular case, it sufficed. Lana Skye was no use to anyone as a hostage.

It also meant she had no idea whether anyone was looking for her. No-one had come to the door as she rummaged about. While she hadn't been loud, it certainly would have alerted anyone specifically listening. Did anyone know she was here? Know she was missing? Oh, Ema... At least one of the theories was easily enough tested. She strode over to the door and turned the handle. It opened smoothly onto a hallway that was just as dark as the room, and just as deserted.

[to here]

F28

[scientist-skye.livejournal.com]

After polishing off the spaghetti dinner, Ema had curled up on her bed and furiously scribbled down every detail she could recall since the nurse had forced her to leave the room mere hours before. Landel's Institute, her pseudonym, the fact that there seemed to be several prisoners beside herself, her newfound friend and roommate--it was all hastily recorded as Agatha gathered what little supplies they had available to them.

The shift in the doctor's (Landel's?) tone over the intercom caught Ema off-guard and made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She supposed, scientifically speaking, that she shouldn't have been surprised; the patients were being held against their will and told they were crazy. Of course this guy had to be a nefarious character. Still, something inside Ema's stomach sank like a stone.

Suddenly, things seemed a lot worse.

Ema turned to her roommate. "Yeah, I'm ready to go." She got off the bed and tucked her journal into the makeshift bag that she had made out of one of the t-shirts in the closet; it also contained a few of the pens and her flashlight. "Lead the way."

Re: F28

[mistressmadgirl.livejournal.com]

However bad the situation as a whole might turn out to be, Agatha couldn't help but feel the comfort of familiarity as she activated her flashlight and set out into a darkened hallway full of unspecified horrors. This part was almost nostalgic.

Re: F28

[mistressmadgirl.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/809330.html?thread=65893490#t65893490).]

F27

[petalwitch.livejournal.com]

Having not eaten a lot at breakfast, Aerith was able to polish off her spaghetti pretty quickly. Unfortunately, her roommate still didn't seem conscious, so conversation wasn't really an option. She sat tapping a pen on the desk for at least twenty minutes until the intercom clicked on to signify the start of Nightshift. Finally!

After taking a few minutes to hastily pull on her pink dress and other accessories, Aerith turned to pick up the flashlight and closet rod she'd already laid out on her bed. She hoped she hadn't kept Zack waiting too long. If they didn't start out soon, they might be late to the "exercise session". Which... probably wasn't too big of a deal, now that she thought about it, but she still kind of wanted to get moving anyway.

[petalwitch.livejournal.com]

[goldenroulette.livejournal.com]

Beatrice let a small 'muu' slip past her lips as she exited the room. Her roommate had been asleep all through dinner, and that had left her bored. There was no poison worse than boredom for a witch - even the magic resistance toxin wasn't as bad as the boredom.

Well, there was no use in worrying over it now, she would just transform and meet Battler - only it didn't work, the first time. She tried a second time...

"What? This...ku."

She scowled, then decided that it was a side effect of New Jersey, and headed out.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/809330.html)]

F25

[bitpartgod.livejournal.com]

F27, F26... ahah! F25! Kibitoshin stopped in front of the numbered door, checking it twice before he let himself smile in approval. There. He'd eat his slippers if this wasn't Franziska's room number! With the flashlight resettled on top of the box (he'd have to hope she didn't make any sudden movements opening the door or it would roll off and never be seen again) he reached out and...

... hmm. Wait a moment. What was the etiquette for going into a girl's room? Sechs had told him to knock but that was just because of his monster roommate, and something told Kibitoshin that, here, it was far more likely that Franziska would be the one playing that part. Besides, Sechs wasn't likely to hit him if he accidentally did the wrong thing- no, that was more likely to earn him a particular vicious headlocks. Come to think of it, both of them had a thing about giving him bruises. How had he managed that?

Oh, well. Bruises faded. Anyway, she usually seemed a lot happier after shouting at him, so maybe he was doing her a favour in a roundabout sort of way. He knocked three times on the door and, carefully, slowly, as though he were looking in on a sleeping baby or (more appropriately) a caged tiger, he opened the door a fraction and peered into the gap. "Franziska?"

Re: F25

[iwhipthefool.livejournal.com]

She'd spent a relatively quiet dinner. Though she'd seen her roommate, they did not speak and Franziska preferred it that way. There was no reason to talk when she was in a bad mood anyway. Not with him gone and the card house falling down around her like...well, a house of cards. Bloody metaphors.

Once the night came, Franziska made sure to note what the Head Doctor said in her journal for later reference - and as evidence in her case against him. She'd prefer an electronic copy, but this would have to do. She stamped a period on the end of her sentence and then prepared for the night, gathering her flashlight, pillowcase, and other items. She wanted to take the baseball bat with her, but the risk of losing it, or disturbing the evidence was too great. She'd need to make her powder and come back to this room later. Annoying, but it was the only way to ensure the purity of her evidence as much as possible.

Just as she finished her preparations, Franziska heard three knocks and the sound of the door clicking open. "If you're coming in, Kibitoshin, enter. We both have little time to waste."

[bitpartgod.livejournal.com]

There! With the number of risks he was taking around this place at least one of them had to pay off. Kibitoshin opened the door properly and headed into the room, smiling brightly at Franziska as he headed to the desk to deposit the box of goods. Of course, she already had everything of her own neat and ready in front of her. Just for a moment, he wondered what it was like to remember everything perfectly- no accidents, no slips, no confusion. The inside of her head must have looked like a filing cabinet.

"This should be everything between us! Candles, containers, powder, box cutter..." He reeled off his inventory, counting each item off on his fingers as they occurred to him and pausing only at 'box cutter' to give her a pained look. "I'd be careful with the box cutter, if I were you. That thing's really sharp, so don't sit on it or anything."

[iwhipthefool.livejournal.com]

As expected, Kibitoshin entered and set a box on her desk. Even as he counted off the inventory, Franziska was looking through the contents just to double check. Candles, plates, powder and box cutter, just as Kibitoshin said and just as she remembered. The rest would just be a matter of time and patience. Gathering enough soot on the dishes would take a good amount of time, as would scraping it off without catch flakes of the dish's glaze in the process. She'd have to find tongs upstairs to hold the plates, too, but she knew that sort of thing was readily available in--

"..." Franziska raised her eyes from the box when Kibitoshin warned her against sitting on the cutter. Sit on it? Really? Straightening, the prosecutor gave the guardian a moment to realize how stupid he'd sounded and then snatched her journal off the table, aiming it at the top of his head. "Unlike some people, Kibitoshin, I have enough common sense not to make such a fool mistake! What idiot sits on a knife?!"

[bitpartgod.livejournal.com]

... had he said that out loud?

Kibitoshin's smile twitched, tripping into an uneasy laugh as he carefully backed away from the desk. "I might have possibly kind of left it in my back pocket," he ventured: she'd definitely been quick to grab that notebook. With reflexes like that he didn't stand a chance of dodging an attack.

Wait a second, attack? Why was he thinking of this like a battle?! It wasn't as though he was going to hit her back! Nonetheless, he planted his feet more firmly on the ground just in case- falling over or running away wasn't going to win her over any. "So I guess that kind of idiot would be me. Pretty funny, huh?"

[iwhipthefool.livejournal.com]

Left it in his back pocket?! Franziska couldn't believe that anyone would be so stupid and she worked with criminals who thought they could get away from her. As if anyone could escape von Karma justice! Kibitoshin wouldn't escape it either and in an instant, Franziska snapped the journal at his head.

"Let's see you laugh now," she growled, bringing the journal up for another crack if he deigned to do as she said. He was lucky she didn't have the dog leash out yet or he'd have gotten a taste of leather instead. It was rare that she was without her whip, but here it seemed she was learning to make due. The dog leash was an acceptable substitute until she was able to find her own again. Right now, she'd settle for her old riding crop, even if it limited her range.

F21

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

Since waking Aigis had not taken the effort to listen to the intercom. She had dismissed the man's mundane orders as something that did not concern her but his last announcement caught her attention. His voice... the quality had changed to something dark and menacing, and his talk of an enemy's demise... Aigis didn't like the sound that had answered him either; it was similar to a Shadow's garbled cries. It was not yet the Dark Hour so surely, surely the Shadows had not yet come out?

Aigis made her way to the door and touched the handle, surprised when the doorknob turned easily. The hall was dark, very dark--was even her night vision malfunctioning?--but there seemed to be a small amount of movement. Other patients were leaving the hall. Curious, Aigis almost walked out herself, but then remembered the girl still sitting in the room.

"Momo-san, I'm going out to scout the area. Please have a good night."

Aigis gave the girl what she hoped was a confident smile then slipped out into the hall. To her immediate left was the end of the hall, leaving her with one choice for exploration. Cautiously, Aigis walked down the hallway straining to activate her sensors. She hoped that the lack of feedback was a good sign...

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

f25

[constellates.livejournal.com]

Alkaid had waited impatiently for nightshift to come around. She hadn't talked to her roommate (again) during dinner, but this time it was 'cause she'd had a goal: making sure she had a perfect circle drawn for a good star chart. A piece of yarn swiped from Arts and Crafts, tied around a pen - simple protractor in, like, 3 easy steps. Not perfect, but yeah, nothing here was.

A circle, her pens, and impatience. She would map the sky - or attempt make a few. It was her new goal, and it would help her explore the area outside the Institute.

The only problem was that she had no freakin' clue how time passed here, so exactly what time of the night it was, and therefore stars she was going to see now, kinda... baffled her. Well, she'd just have to do it twice, and that was that. Easy, right?

Mm... was she going alone, or not? She'd actually kinda forgotten if she'd made plans with anyone. Oh, well, she'd just do her best, and hope the boob-grabbing monsters wouldn't get to her.

Grabbing all her stuff, she left.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/809806.html?thread=66581070#t66581070)]