Night 48: F21-F30 Hallway

[fourstonewalls]

When the intercom finished another deliberately vague note, Lana was already standing at her door, flashlight in hand and scalpel securely in her coat pocket. She'd neglected to find out exactly how the doors worked at night, but the general idea was clear. Some time soon, they would open, and she had to be ready the moment they did.

Click. The knob loosened under her hand, and she stepped out into an as-yet empty hallway.

F28 was only two doors down -- no-one else emerged as she walked over to the door. She tucked one hand behind her back and waited for Ema to come out. That she would was inevitable, despite the monsters and Lana's express orders. She would just have to repeat them until Ema listened; Lana couldn't protect her and investigate at the same time.

[for Ema]

Comments

F22

[himetsuru.livejournal.com]

When the intercom went off, Falis stirred a bit from a shallow, poison-induced slumber. Senna had been quiet, but that was okay; the odds were Falis wouldn't have been able to hold a coherent conversation anyways. She stretched an immediately regretted it, curling into a ball on her bed.

Damnit, it was like when Kaito had magically kicked the shit out of her and they'd escaped with the caravan. Or that's what Dominikov had told her. She'd been blissfully unconscious for most of it.

Re: F22

[windstwilight.livejournal.com]

Nothing. Nada. No notes on what to do. Even as infrequent as the A&C notes had been lately, none at all seemed strange. A free night off? She wasn't going to complain. They hadn't finished the mission from last night--maybe Senna could see how far she got tonight.

But how fun was it to wander alone? Maybe she could catch one of the girls in the block hall. Falis looked asleep, and having slept through dinner again, Senna didn't know any better. Maybe she needed the rest. Her stomach was rebelling at the habit, grumbling. Ah, well. Tomorrow, she would....

Enough of that. She had to get going.

Senna changed quickly, and snagged her stuff before creeping quickly to Falis' bed. "Hey," she said softly. "I'm sorry about last night."

Re: F22

[himetsuru.livejournal.com]

As Falis was not asleep anymore, she cracked an eye and rolled her head back to see her roommate.

"No fucking apologies from you. My choice to get involved," she said slowly, her words slightly slurred. She reached out for Senna's hand. "You fucking die tonight, I'm gonna kill you."

Re: F22

[windstwilight.livejournal.com]

Half-amused, partially regretful, Senna grabbed Falis' hand and squeezed it with a small grin. "Yeah, well that goes double for you, lady. Don't think I won't hear if you're trouble tonight."

With another squeeze, Senna released her roommate's hand, brushing Falis' hair from her face. "Rest well, okay? I'll talk to you tomorrow."

[to here] (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/841908.html?thread=67417268#t67417268)

Re: F22

[akarusa.livejournal.com]

[[From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/839834.html?thread=67411354#t67411354).]]

Hokuto hesitated at the door, then decided not to bother knocking; she usually didn't, and she wasn't going to let herself turn passive now. If someone was changing clothes--well, if it was Falis, she'd seen it all before. If it was Senna, she didn't exactly mind.

"Good evening," she announced, coming in and shutting the door behind her. A look around showed that Senna was gone, but it looked like Falis was possibly asleep. Not like I can stay standing much longer anyway...

[hasnomeaning]

Dinner had been uneventful. A room, another--strange. Unusual, but nothing that could not be ignored. When finished, Ayanami shifted everything to the slide, and sat on the bed, staring at the intersection where wall and floor met. She was not tired.

Less so, now. With the announcement that seemed strange for the place they were in. And the locks that she had noted earlier unlocking just as easily. She watched the door for a moment, the unmistakable sound of people moving in the hall. She blinked once, mien blank, then slowly trod to the door. There had been a flashlight under her pillow. She took that, too.

[to here]

F23

[jouer-sans-voir.livejournal.com]

The dinner hour had been quieter than the night previous, as Nunnally was wrapped up in her own thoughts and worries as she ate. Nobody had mentioned a field trip before, or any potential dangers that might be involved there. If something bad had happened last week, would it happen again? What could she do to help in such a situation? She had to think about this now, before it was too late and it became necessary to do something.

It couldn't be like before, when they were children and Lelouch carried her piggyback through the newly-formed Area 11, pretending that the situation was nowhere near as dire as it truly was. Nor could she allow herself to stay blindly sheltered as she had been during the years at Ashford. There had to be something that could be done, even when she couldn't walk on her own. (Or would she? With this rate of healing, perhaps....)

Once finished with her dinner she'd finally just settled down for a short nap, intending to wake up as soon as the evening announcement came over the intercom. Perhaps she was more tired than expected after the day before, or the unusual effort it required to move around with the crutches, but the sound of the Head Doctor's voice failed to wake her, and she continued to sleep, lying on top of the blankets with the crutches propped against the dresser next to her.

Re: F23

[kingside]

[From here.]

Lelouch was much more composed when he finally reached Nunnally's hall, and as he had last time, he couldn't help but wish the staff had thought to move his room closer or could be swayed into doing so. Valuable time had been lost on his way over, and although it likely wasn't nearly as much time as he had spent relocating Suzaku's possessions, it was still enough to rankle him. Had Nunnally been staying up and worrying for him? Had she already fallen asleep?

He made sure to be quiet as he approached the door with the second option in mind. Sleep, he'd found, was a precious commodity here, and even if he didn't get nearly enough of it himself, he wouldn't let the same thing happen to Nunnally, especially if it was his fault. Knocking at her door would unfortunately ruin this effort, but then perhaps if he knocked very softly...

He paused just outside room F23, glanced down the hall again, and knocked. Assuming she didn't answer and her roommate wasn't there to answer for her, he would simply let himself in.

Re: F23

[jouer-sans-voir.livejournal.com]

Time had passed; how much, she didn't know, but something stirred her to wakefulness and Nunnally blinked at the darkness in the room in sleepy confusion. It had been some kind of sound, she thought, but as she waited it didn't repeat. Perhaps her roommate had left for the night? It could have been the sound of the door closing, if so.

And yet, even as she told herself that it was clearly nothing, that she should just go back to sleep, it wasn't so simple. Once escaped sleep began to drift away, leaving her watching nothing in the emptiness of her room. One hand slid under her pillow, fingertips brushing against the smooth barrel of her flashlight, but didn't pull it out yet. Somehow the darkness was comforting for now, a reminder of when times were simpler. When she could keep her eyes closed to reality, looking only upon cool darkness with her other senses to guide her.

Nunnally gave a soft sigh and resettled on her pillow, trying to decide if it was worth the effort to move under her covers. Or perhaps she should get up, but what else was there to do in her room at night? The others certainly wouldn't be pleased if she left, even if there was anywhere to go, which limited her options for what to do.

Re: F23

[kingside]

No response. She must have been asleep, then, unless of course...

Lelouch pushed the thought from his mind and opened the door as quietly as he could. The room beyond was dark, but that only confirmed that she was either asleep or-- one of the other options. He silently slipped inside then and carefully shut the door, his head cocked to one side as he listened closely for any sound of breathing. It might have been a better move at this stage to return to his room instead of potentially bothering his sister, but after coming this far-- he had to at least make sure that she was all right.

Doing his best to be graceful, he picked his way through the shadows and went further into the room. He thought he might be able to hear her, but unlike Nunnally, he had no real practice at relying on sound alone to determine if a room was occupied. He would just have to wait until he was closer, he supposed.

F21

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

Aigis had apparently lost track of time while savoring the new textures and flavors of her dinner, because before she knew it the lights dimmed. The doctor's voice over the intercom was much more congested but no less threatening as last night. And he had mentioned the trials for patients, even hinting at possible re-trials. Landel... What was that man's true goals?

Putting down her half-eaten mousse (an interesting flavor, though she enjoyed the fluffy texture the most) Aigis quickly began to search for her flashlight. Just as Junpei had said, it was under the pillow. That still struck Aigis as an odd place to keep a flashlight, but the institute was definitely unorthodox. She hit the switch to give it a try, but the bulb didn't so much as blink. She checked it over, noting the lack of batteries.

Certainly I must have some, thought Aigis. She had seen others using their flashlights the night before. With this in mind, Aigis did something she should have done the night before; she began searching the room from top to bottom. The desk yielded her a journal, pens, a small radio, some keys on a keyring, and at last some batteries. Fitting them into the flashlight, Aigis flipped the switch again and was rewarded with a beam of light.

Now she took the time to search her closet and the dresser she shared with MOMO. All she found were other patient uniforms and underclothing. Even so, she thought it better to switch out her slippers for the shoes in her closet.

Feeling just about prepared to leave, Aigis stopped to take one final look at her new items. After some contemplation, she quickly wrote out a small note in her journal and grabbed the small radio on her desk. Just in case. Now, armed with only her flashlight and radio, Aigis took a deep breath (it was strange, how her entire body moved with each inhalation and exhalation) and stepped out of the room...

[no-dont-go.livejournal.com]

F28

[mistressmadgirl.livejournal.com]

Huh. There was someone at their door.

Agatha found this odd, in the (small) part of her mind that wasn't still swimming in schematics, but the woman didn't seem inclined to detain her, so she just waved at Ema back in the room and set out, humming along to her thoughts, quite cheerful in the knowledge that there were going to be tools.

Re: F28

[mistressmadgirl.livejournal.com]

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/841908.html?thread=67455156#t67455156).]

[scientist-skye.livejournal.com]

Agatha had already left the room; the two girls had agreed to split up for the night, which essentially amounted to Agatha going off to find tools while Ema stayed put. Still, curiosity got the better of her after awhile, and Ema peeked out into the hallway to see what was going on. She wouldn't wander too far, since Agatha and Lana both made it clear that she shouldn't, but she could at least investigate a little... right?

However, Lana was standing outside her doorway. That was both unexpected and threw a wrench into the whole plan. "Oh, hi Lana."

[fourstonewalls]

Ema's roommate had ducked past Lana, but it was several more minutes -- a surprisingly long time, given Ema's curiosity -- before Ema's head poked through the doorway. Perhaps she had listened, if not to Lana, then to someone else's warnings.

Or...how badly had she been hurt, last night? Not physically, but mentally? A draft of cold air seemed to slither into her lungs, coiling in her chest. She had to swallow before she could speak. Ema had been dawdling, again. That was all. And now that she'd finished, Lana could send them both on their separate ways. Ema, to bed, and Lana to resume her investigation, such as it was.

"I believe we discussed this already. Do I need to repeat myself?" Lana looked at Ema, then past the door and back into the room, in a gesture the near-darkness couldn't obscure.

[scientist-skye.livejournal.com]

Ema followed her sister's gaze into her own room. The implication of the gesture was crystal-clear: go to bed before something happens to you. After the previous night, going to bed and staying there was a tempting idea. However, there were things she wanted to know, and she wouldn't get a chance to go looking for answers with the nurses breathing down her neck during the day. For starters, where did Mr. Edgeworth go? What did the doctor mean, "CM-US trials and Special Counseling"? What about this Jill person--was she the radio person from last night? These questions needed answers, and the only way Ema knew how to get answers was to investigate. Scientifically, of course.

Besides, once Agatha left, Ema realized just how much she didn't want to be alone in the dark. Not in a place like this. It was unsettling and her mind went to terrible places.

"I know we did, but... Lana, it's dark and lonely in here, and there's too much to do. Mr. Edgeworth was here and now he's gone, and our stuff is still stashed somewhere, and I have to get home for your trial." Meeting her sister's eyes was difficult, but Ema forced herself to do it. "And none of that can happen during the day time with the nurses everywhere.

"And... I wasn't going to go far." The last part was a weak defense, but Ema figured it was worth a try.

[fourstonewalls]

"Far enough," Lana snapped, but it was pro forma. Not really worth the try, and she broke eye contact, averting her eyes from any answering eyerolls, incipient temper tantrums, or hurt looks. Though there hadn't been quite the usual force behind Ema's whine in the first place.

Ah. It hadn't been a lack of curiosity that had slowed Ema down. It had been fear. Because asking her to wait in the dark for you worked so well last time, Lana.

Ema's argument had been a series of wild stabs in the dark alright, we're stopping this metaphor right here, but Ema had hit a nerve with the very first one. It was one thing if Ema stormed back into the room and stayed put; it was altogether another to abandon her.

Standing in the hallway and comparing notes had never looked so attractive.

"Did someone mention our things being on the premises?" That hadn't come up in any of Lana's conversations. Perhaps because picking up an out-of-state prosecutor's badge and a second flashlight weren't at the top of her to-do list. She wasn't the one who carried a forensics kit like another girl would carry makeup and a hairbrush. "Any idea where?"

Inside F26

[goldenroulette.livejournal.com]

[ooc: after Lana's gone.]

Something is wrong with our game.

The words had echoed in Beatrice's head since that afternoon. She had all but fallen asleep immediately that night, her thoughts too focused on what might be happening back on the gameboard to do anything but. By the time she awakened, her roommate was long since gone, and night had fallen.

She sat up slowly, trying to gather her thoughts. The culprits were obvious, at least to her own mind. Who else could tamper with it? Certainly not another outsider. It had to be those two.

...but...that other message, the one requesting her time. Who was the person behind it? She couldn't say, and that bothered her more than she would let on.

At this point, all she could do was wait.

[dreadofthegrave]

[ from here ]

There it was, the room he'd been looking for. It was true that Beatrice was expecting him, it felt a little weird to just enter a woman's room without permission, so he found himself lightly knocking on the door before opening it. Just because they were opponents didn't mean that he didn't know the appropriate time to be a gentleman.

"Beato...?" He opened the door slowly, poking his head in a little before entering.

[goldenroulette.livejournal.com]

She didn't turn just yet, instead nodding with her back turned. "Battler? Come in, come in." Once he'd done that, she turned, nodding once and then taking a seat on the bed. The witch gestured to the nearby chair, and was about to say something, when the intercom crackled to life.

Beatrice cocked her head to the side, listening, and then laughed at the end, her usual loud cackle. "Interesting...so the lady on the radio and the man on the intercom are linked. Opposing sides, or a strategy to make us think they're on opposing sides?"

She paused for a moment. "I think that's a secondary question, regardless...you wanted to talk with me about the board?"

[dreadofthegrave]

Battler pulled out a chair from one of the desks, placing it in front of the bed opposite Beatrice and lowering himself into it unceremoniously. He crossed his legs, putting both hands behind his head, leaning back slightly as he listened to the intercom.

"A game, huh...?" he repeated to himself.

That was right. Even here, there remained a division between reality and fiction. They were told they weren't who they thought they were, and were forced to feebly fight for their own identities. The day and night exemplified it. The night, where everyone could be the most normal, also brought upon the bizarre; unnatural shifts that, to the outside, would enforce the idea of sanity. The Head Doctor's shifts were probably the most prominent; how he went from fake cheer during the day to his true bastard colors at night. No need to call them out, given the premise--they'd be written off as nothing but paranoid delusions. The whole thing was ridiculous. What could it be called but a game?

It was strange, but something about the tone made Battler almost want to believe this particular announcement. Almost. He was certainly a bastard, and the boy wasn't about to forgive him for trying to defile people's lives and memories, but at the same time, the announcement was a reminder that Battler didn't entirely grasp the situation. Motivation, after all, could completely change everything.

"I wonder...." he commented mildly to Beatrice's statement. "I can't say I know what the hell he was talking about, but I can definitely believe that there's something bigger going on here. It's hard to imagine that anybody would do something this elaborate with nothing to gain from it, isn't it?"

So he said, but wasn't there someone doing something similar with seemingly no advantage right in front of him? He frowned slightly upon thinking it. It was something he wanted--needed--to figure out, but there was no choice but to ignore it in favor of the current mystery. It was something that needed to unraveled, if they ever wanted to get back, or so it seemed. But it felt.... wrong, disgusting even, with what he was about to discuss with her.

"Right." He lowered his hands, and straightened himself out from his casual position. "I guess I should start by saying that I don't know the whole situation, so I only have a few assumptions based off of something that was vague in the first place. Anyways, getting to the point..." He paused for a moment; it was clear that, whatever he was about to say, he wasn't comfortable with it at all.

"....I think it may be continuing. Even now, while we're trapped here, those two days are still repeating. I don't know what happening, or what's happened since we left. I don't even want to think about it...! But still, she said it clearly. Something about the sixth game."

The thought was... terrifying, if he were to be honest about it. There was no telling what sort of results would be reached, what they were doing, what sort of horrible, cruel, grotesque things they'd be putting everyone through now that they head free reign, and especially now that there was nobody present who could stop them. One thing was clear, though: there was absolutely nothing good that could from it. Battler clenched his fists, biting his lip in frustration. What the hell was this, anyway...?! While they were stuck here, playing around, not even knowing how to reach their opponent, Lambdadelta and Bernkastel were still screwing around as they pleased!

He tried to swallow the thick lump in his throat, quickly wiping at his eyes with his sleeves before the hot liquid blurring his vision could spill over. As much as he wanted to cry, it was too early for despair. After all, it meant one thing: they were running out of time. If he had time to shed tears, shouldn't he be putting that energy towards something useful? ... But for some reason, that thought made him want cry even more.

[witchoftruth]

The night's announcement piqued Erika's interest, as she hastily scribbled the words down. These nightly announcements on the intercom (and the radio, as she realized that she had foolishly overlooked the radio; how could she have made such a mistake?!) surely had clues to solving this strange game, so Erika wasn't going to leave such matters up to chance. Once she managed to scribble down a transcript, she packed up her notebook, pens, and radio in a pillowcase and made her way outside without a word to her roommate. For a moment, Erika paused and wondered if she should seal the door once more; however, the seal disappeared last night, before she could recover it. More active methods to monitor the rooms had to be taken.

So Erika camped outside of her room, sitting right in front of the door and laying out her notebook. The beginnings of a timeline were scratched onto the pages, Erika's newest project. She had been placed in this story in media res once again, but without the knowledge that she needed. It was no trouble; all she had to do was get this knowledge, then.

The plan had been to simply watch and observe, partially to see if she could find a source of the sudden blackout and also to merely listen for the intercom and radio announcements. However, when the radio announcement as promised came, the detective found it's contents too... interesting to ignore.

A wounded comrade, who needed help? Someone in on this resistance? This story was fascinating, and playing along was tempting. Shrugging, the detective made her choice and promptly collected her things off the floor, deciding to pursue this radio clue once it came out.

"Most interesting... Good! I, Furudo Erika, accept this challenge."

But first, she would need a traveling companion. It wouldn't do to leave herself exposed to the monsters prowling around, after all.

[witchoftruth]

[ to here ]

f25.

[constellates.livejournal.com]

Alkaid packed her things - the star charts she'd made outside (which were safe in her neat little notebook) her pillowcase, a cracked bat, a few pens and, of course, her general can-do attitude. She was ready to kick tonight's ass, however she could.

Problem was, she hadn't quite made plans with anyone. She hadn't gotten around to asking the damn eyepatch if he wanted to do anything with her, and Haseo was probably out with Endrance, and - and - ... well, guess she was goin' it alone for the night. Which was fine, she didn't care. She worked faster alone anyway. 'Least that's what she was telling herself, pushing a creeping sense of loneliness aside.

Her PC's clothes... they felt, like, kinda fresh and new. Comfortable as waffles on a cold winter morning, or something. Made her smile. Made her nostalgic. A little. Smelled a little bit like she imagined Lumina Cloth might smell. Hot nights, palm trees, bits and bytes and that big, beautiful moon.

She skipped the fan, as was becoming usual, and grabbed her bag of stuff. Oh, and her flashlight. And she stepped out. Maybe she'd meet someone new. Maybe tonight would turn out wonderfully.

As she left, some of the Head Doctor's words, back before the lights went out and he wasn't acting all stark raving mad, rang out in her head again: Certain patients... for re-trials. That was what this place used for the word 'torture session' - right?

Eeehh, she'd find a way to save whoever she had to save. Endrance wasn't getting top billing tonight, that was for sure.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/841908.html?thread=67734196#t67734196)]