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damned_institute2010-02-26 01:17 am
petalwitch.livejournal.com) wrote in damned_institute2010-02-26 01:17 am
Night 47: Staff Recreational/Exercise Area
[from here.]
They had passed a few doors that didn't open with a quick push. Assuming that couldn't be what Yuffie had been talking about, Aerith moved on until she found one that did. The room seemed large enough to fit the vague description she'd gotten from the Bulletin Board message, and it fit the vague directions to boot. She hurried through, holding the door open so that Zack could follow her inside.
As much as she wanted to, Aerith forced herself not to look back. Once they got themselves settled, they could discuss what to do about the problem outside. She'd have to keep a lookout anyway. Yuffie would probably be on her way with no idea that her training session was being guarded by one of Landel's minions.
"Was anyone hurt?" she asked as though Zack would've had any better idea than she did. Worried, the woman bit her lower lip and craned her neck to see if she could tell as much from her vantage point.
So much for not looking back.
They had passed a few doors that didn't open with a quick push. Assuming that couldn't be what Yuffie had been talking about, Aerith moved on until she found one that did. The room seemed large enough to fit the vague description she'd gotten from the Bulletin Board message, and it fit the vague directions to boot. She hurried through, holding the door open so that Zack could follow her inside.
As much as she wanted to, Aerith forced herself not to look back. Once they got themselves settled, they could discuss what to do about the problem outside. She'd have to keep a lookout anyway. Yuffie would probably be on her way with no idea that her training session was being guarded by one of Landel's minions.
"Was anyone hurt?" she asked as though Zack would've had any better idea than she did. Worried, the woman bit her lower lip and craned her neck to see if she could tell as much from her vantage point.
So much for not looking back.
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So, despite it all, he let out a sigh of relief when they made it into a room. Those first few doors had been locked, and he'd been tempted to volunteer to break them down, but they'd managed to find one that opened without any trouble.
And... apparently this was the place to be, if the exercise equipment was anything to go by. Was this really the sort of training that Aerith was planning to do? It reminded him of the gym they had for the executives back at headquarters.
Aerith's question brought Zack back to the main issue at hand, though. He sighed and shrugged. "It was hard to tell. That one guy was stuck to the wall with some sort of goop, but he seemed to be all right, all things considered. And both of the girls were still strong enough to face off against each other, so..." It wasn't like he felt comfortable with the whole thing, but it could have been worse.
"How many people are we waiting on, anyway?" Zack was somewhat surprised that they'd made it here first, but it seemed pretty clear that this was the right room.
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She shook her head, trying hard to compose herself. Not now. Not here. It only took a moment or two, but Aerith took a deep breath and seemed to relax. Somewhat anyway.
"I'm not really sure," she answered. "There were a few responses to Yuffie's note on the bulletin board, but with this in the way..." A worried look crossed Aerith's face. "If they can get here alright, I might be able to help if anyone gets hurt." She wasn't sure how well her powers would hold up, but she had to try if she could. She didn't know how to explain them to Zack either if that happened.
Chances were, they could end up with a lot to talk about.
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Yuffie didn't stop to breathe—not that she was out of breath or anything—until she was well in the clear. Or, at least, as in the clear as she could hope to get before reaching the right room. The space was too open, even with the shadows as a cover. She didn't relax, didn't pause; just kept her eyes and ears open, her fingers tight around the shuriken's crossbar. The weight was familiar and reassuring in her hand, cool and solid. The pink ribbon wrapped around it tickled her palm. Hidden away on her person were three knives; another comfort. Who needed teddy bears or fluffy blankets when you could have something sharp, shiny, and practical?
She counted the doors, running the fingers of her free hand across them. It was the third one along, she knew; larger than the previous two and the first one that didn't need to be picked or kicked open. Three, two—there it was. Yuffie allowed herself a single victory bounce, before leaning forward to listen. Quietly, quietly. Who was in there? There were two voices, and one she recognized immediately. Aerith. The other was harder to place. A frown creased Yuffie's eyebrows, thoughtful and just that bit wary. The voice was familiar, but they weren't talking anymore; she wouldn't be able to place the owner until they spoke again. Unless she just, y'know, stopped eavesdropping and went inside. Which… She should do. Yeah.
It was a little disappointing that only a couple of people had turned up, but it was always possible that more were on the way. They could've gotten caught up anywhere, 'specially with that mess out in the main hallway. Yuffie didn't give herself any more time to dwell on it. She knocked once, a light little rap with her knuckles (sneaking up on people was fun, but there was a time and a place), before pushing the door open and slipping inside. It was as gloomy as always, the low lighting not exactly helped by her own refusal to carry a flashlight. Still, Yuffie automatically cased the place out. Only one entrance-slash-exit, blah blah blah…
And then she did a double-take.
Even a whole decade wasn't enough to wash away the memory of the guy who'd taken down Fort Tamblin. And then, built on top of that, were her first ventures out into the wider world; her mission to annoy the hell out of SOLDIER if it was the last thing she ever did. She'd always been pretty sure of her success, but the sucker had never stopped coming back for more. Hadn't ever, she reluctantly admitted in the privacy of her own mind, stopped coming to help her out of a pinch. Not that she'd needed the help. Yuffie blinked once, and then again. Her brown eyes narrowed, fixed unblinkingly on Zack Fair.
She didn't know what to think.
With a start, Yuffie brought herself out of Uncertainty Central. First things first; stop gawking. Touch base. She stepped further inside, closing the door behind herself without looking back. Aerith didn't look roughed up at all, which meant that she'd been able to avoid attracting the SCer's attention. That was a relief. "Have you checked this place out for creepy crawlies yet?" she asked, casting another quick glance around. "And have you seen anybody else? Raphael was s'posed to get here first." Ohhhh, boy. Maybe he'd gone and gotten himself tangled up in the fight back there? Not good.
"Nice to see you, by the way," she added, tossing a quick grin Aerith's way.
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Well, he was pretty surprised to hear that she was organizing something like this, for one thing. She'd never come across as the team player sort to him, and he wouldn't be all that shocked if this was somehow a method by which she could benefit at the expense of everyone else. He knew she wasn't all bad, but she'd taken advantage of him more than a few times. And his guilt had let him fall for it time and time again.
On the other hand, Aerith approved of her, and so maybe she'd matured some over the years. He was going to have to hope that was the case. It made him uneasy that she was late to her own gathering, though.
Just as Zack was going to ask what Aerith meant about being able to help, there was a knock on the door, which then opened, and...
Even with all the years that had made her taller and narrowed out her face, Zack still recognized Yuffie. Judging from her expression, she also recognized him, but she didn't say anything as an acknowledgment. No "hello," no "where did you come from?", not even a "what in Wutai are you doing here?" Maybe she'd been warned. The only greeting she gave was to Aerith, which was particularly strange for Zack to see. Hearing that the two were friends was one thing, but actually seeing them interact was just surreal.
"Doesn't look like there's anything," he finally spoke up, doing a circle as he swung his flashlight around the room. "How many people are we waiting on, then?" he asked. If Yuffie wasn't going to talk to him, then he'd just talk to her.
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"I thought I might be late, but it looks like we made it just in time," she replied, her gaze shifting from Yuffie to Zack. Aerith wasn't entirely sure what was going on in their heads as they looked at each other, and she could only begin to imagine what the stories of their run-ins would be like. Still, they seemed to be playing it cool for now. "I haven't seen anyone else. There were a few people outside fighting, but I'm not sure what kind of help I can be right now..." She was clearly bothered by her own helplessness, and from the way her eyes kept drifting over to the door, it was also apparent she wished she could do something more than just sit and hope any injured people chanced upon the room they happened to be occupying.
"Oh, I'd introduce you two, but I hear you've already met," Aerith added casually, wondering if that would get anything else out of either of them.
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Pausing to poke around at a random piece of machinery, Yuffie sent another smile Aerith's way. "Don't worry 'bout it. Honestly. There's not a lot you can do—and that's a general you, I mean. When it comes to Special Counselling nights, it's best not to get involved. Or, if you've really gotta, you wait 'til after to mop up what you can." She was assuming it was a SC victim out there. It had all the hallmarks, after all. "They're at full power. It'd be like…" She shifted from foot to foot, searching out an analogy that'd make sense. "It'd like pitting an amateur, recreational martial artist against, I dunno. SOLDIER-boy here." Her smile turned sharp, but by then she was already twirling away again. The example was an extreme one, sure, but it wasn't that extreme.
She stopped short just as abruptly as she'd started moving, spare hand settling on her hip. Her gaze flicked back to Zack, and settled there, sizing him up. It was so weird, looking at him after all this time. "And that's where your question comes in," she said, evenly enough. "I expected at least seven people, give or take, but if they're not here now—or soon, real soon—there's not much of a chance that they're gonna turn up. People get caught up in all sorts, and it's trouble times five on nights like this. They could've gotten caught up in the fighting, or they could be running off, trying to find kidnapped roommates—and then they'd be caught up in the fighting. Or anything else. No way to tell 'til tomorrow morning."
Yuffie blew out a breath, casual posture belying her inner tension. There'd always been the chance that something like this would've happened, but it still blew. It was still—worrying, ugh. Worrying. And not just about Cloud the Clod, out there playing hero. Gawd, and she was supposed to be responsible for this…! Yuffie's eyebrows furrowed, first at herself, and then at the blast from the past standing in front of her.
"… You used to be a lot bigger." Holy non sequitur, where had that come from? Oh, yeah. Brain disengage; open mouth; words follow. A whole lot worse could've popped out, and if she didn't have something to keep her focusing on 'what may be's', she was gonna get hella tetchy hella quick. It was also, she noted, better than awkward silence. Those sucked.
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It sounded like that fight outside was definitely an instance of the brainwashing he'd heard about, though. It made Zack's skin crawl to think that one of the girls out there (or maybe even both?) was acting against her will, but what could he really do about it? From what he'd gathered, there was no way to snap patients out of it once the institute had gotten their hands on them. It was definitely enough to make his jaw tighten, though.
Zack hadn't been ready to hear an analogy that referred back to him from Yuffie, especially one that was more or less a compliment. Well, not exactly, but it was closer than he would have expected from the ninja. He couldn't help a small grin in response, despite the sobering subject matter.
Hearing that at least four other people were supposed to be here (and that depended on if Yuffie was counting herself and him, since it wasn't like he'd signed up officially) was enough to make Zack worry. Yuffie seemed to think it was normal, but the idea that they'd gotten stopped by something truly dangerous caused his stomach to twist up. "I guess there's no easy way to find them, huh? Unless we try our luck with that fight out there." He was still tempted to go run back into the fray and see how it went, but he'd wait to see what the two girls thought of that idea first.
It just seemed wrong to assume everyone would be okay, when he'd been told more than once how this place was dangerous.
The sudden statement from Yuffie took Zack by surprise, but maybe she was trying to get her mind off of their current dilemma. He gave a small huff of a laugh and then crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, and you used to be a lot smaller." He was still a good head taller than the girl, but considering she'd once only come up to his hip... It was quite the difference.
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But Aerith wasn't the sort of person to just sit back and mope about how hopeless a situation seemed. Even if it was hard to stay positive, she had to believe that there would be a chance for them to rise against Landel. She had to believe that there would be a way to get everyone out of this terrible place safely. Of course, she wasn't entirely sure what would become of her if they did take the place down, but there wasn't a chance she'd let her friends stay cooped up in here just because she was kind of happy to be around again. There really wasn't any question in her mind.
She had to laugh a little at Yuffie and Zack's exchange despite the grave situation they were in at the moment. It was hard to imagine the two of them running around on all sorts of adventures, but the idea was pretty funny. Zack had probably gone along with it to make sure Yuffie didn't get herself hurt, and she imagined Yuffie had been pretty dedicated to giving the SOLDIER a hard time. Still, as much as she wanted to hear all kinds of stories about their antics, there were more pressing matters at hand.
"Is Cloud supposed to show up too?" Aerith asked, the notion just dawning on her that AVALANCHE's fearless leader might be among the group of people interested in the "exercise" session. If so he might be heading right into the battle that was already taking place outside.
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"There's not," she said. "The Institute's way too big. Even if we split up," and there was no way she was letting Aerith go poking around on her own, "we wouldn't be able to cover all that ground." The ninja rolled her shoulders, pulling her shuriken onto her lap. Absently, she squinted at it. There was that little grease-stain the talon had left…. Ew. That'd be coming off just as soon as she had a bit of space cloth. Zack would also do, but she figured Aerith'd have something to say about that. "All we can do is hope, and, you know, get on with stuff. The show must go on, yadda-yadda." There was no need to mention the logistics nightmare than came from the lack of phones.
Speakin' of yadda-yadda, Zack was making a dig at her (former!) height. Yuffie gave her shuriken a waggle. "'Bout as small as this baby, and just as cute." Elaboration would've followed, something about ninja being best when compact, but Aerith piped up with a good question. A good question she should've answered before it'd been asked. Oops.
"Yeaaaah," she drawled, rubbing the back of her neck. "Well, no. I ran into him a while back, before I left the patient block. His roomie got snatched, so he's off on a one-man rescue mission. I made him promise not to go alone, but you know what he's like." She pulled a face, before adding, "I'd have gone with the jerk myself if I didn't have a bunch of other commitments lined up." Hopefully he'd grown a brain since the last time she'd seen him. Running off into the wild unknown all alone was well n' good in familiar territory, but here? She couldn't help but worry. Just an itty-bitty bit.
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It was hard for him to accept that the situation was hopeless, but Yuffie honestly didn't seem that concerned. It was hard to tell if that was because her first priority was herself or if she just trusted that things would work out in the end. She didn't necessarily come across as the optimistic type, though...
Cloud being brought into the conversation was unexpected for Zack, and he felt that old protectiveness (though it really wasn't all that old, for him) lurch up at the thought of his friend running off into dangerous situations. He knew that Cloud could probably handle himself -- he'd seemed to know what he was doing when they'd talked earlier -- but he didn't think he'd ever to be able to kick that habit of worrying for the younger man.
"Hopefully he listened to you," he said, and his tone was actually serious, his eyebrows furrowed. "If he didn't, he'll be getting a talking-to tomorrow." Yeah, he just needed to assume that he'd see Cloud tomorrow, that he wouldn't be stupid enough to go get himself killed.
Zack recognized the irony in that thought, but brushed it aside.
"In that case, what do we do now?" Neither girl had seemed to consider going out to join the fight that was only a door away from them to be a good idea, so Zack did his best to put it from his mind. He didn't see much use in playing with the exercise machines, but he was trying not to prejudge.
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As concerned as she was, it wouldn't do to worry about something she couldn't control. So, Aerith just shook her head.
"Always running around trying to be a hero." She tossed a small, maybe a little sad smile at Zack. "Sounds like someone else I know." And it did. As tough and devil-may-care as Cloud had tried to act, Aerith had seen that spark in him. Even if Cloud was Cloud, he had reminded her so much of Zack at first. But that was the past. Things were different, and she couldn't afford to let herself to dwell on stuff like that.
"Well, I thought I was going to be given a nice lesson on how to be better at this whole hand-to-hand combat thing, but I don't know." Aerith was quick to move on and answer Zack's question. "Should we go out and help? We might not be much, but if people are getting hurt, maybe we could try and pull them in here or something." It really was hard to just sit by and let the other patients get taken out while they sat by safe and sound.