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damned_institute2010-03-23 03:45 am
zack-fair.livejournal.com) wrote in damned_institute2010-03-23 03:45 am
Night 48: M51-M60 Hallway
[M57]
Having no roommate pretty much sucked. Even if the first guy who'd been in here with him had just slept the whole time, at least there'd been someone else around. It was one small thing to focus on, even if only as a perplexity. Tieria had actually given him someone to talk to after that, but this evening the man had just never shown up. Did that mean he was gone? Or maybe the nurses switched things around sometime. If not, though, that'd make the second roommate of his who'd just up and disappeared.
Was he bad luck or something?
It looked like he had the room to himself for the moment, but that wasn't something Zack liked. He'd prefer to have someone to chat with over dinner, but instead he'd been forced to eat in silence and then scribble in his journal to pass the time. He'd made sure to get a hold of his flashlight before the lights went out, but since that was really the only thing he needed at this point, it wasn't like he'd had to do much preparation.
The announcements from the Head Doc spiced things up a little, but it was hard to care too much when Zack had barely any idea of what the man was going on about. Jill, a rebel... what was all that? Maybe he could ask Aidou, since the kid seemed to be well-informed. If they got the chance, anyway. He didn't know how much effort this task of theirs was going to take, but he'd stay focused on the matter at hand if that was what it came to. He was nothing if not a good soldier, as much as it hurt him to admit these days.
Once Landel was done talking, all Zack could do was wait. He stood in the center of the room and started in on some squats, figuring that he could limber up while he waited for Aidou to arrive. He hoped it wouldn't take too long.
Having no roommate pretty much sucked. Even if the first guy who'd been in here with him had just slept the whole time, at least there'd been someone else around. It was one small thing to focus on, even if only as a perplexity. Tieria had actually given him someone to talk to after that, but this evening the man had just never shown up. Did that mean he was gone? Or maybe the nurses switched things around sometime. If not, though, that'd make the second roommate of his who'd just up and disappeared.
Was he bad luck or something?
It looked like he had the room to himself for the moment, but that wasn't something Zack liked. He'd prefer to have someone to chat with over dinner, but instead he'd been forced to eat in silence and then scribble in his journal to pass the time. He'd made sure to get a hold of his flashlight before the lights went out, but since that was really the only thing he needed at this point, it wasn't like he'd had to do much preparation.
The announcements from the Head Doc spiced things up a little, but it was hard to care too much when Zack had barely any idea of what the man was going on about. Jill, a rebel... what was all that? Maybe he could ask Aidou, since the kid seemed to be well-informed. If they got the chance, anyway. He didn't know how much effort this task of theirs was going to take, but he'd stay focused on the matter at hand if that was what it came to. He was nothing if not a good soldier, as much as it hurt him to admit these days.
Once Landel was done talking, all Zack could do was wait. He stood in the center of the room and started in on some squats, figuring that he could limber up while he waited for Aidou to arrive. He hoped it wouldn't take too long.
inside M58
Even in the night shift, the Head Doctor sounded congested. Sasuke couldn't help but find a certain kind of surreal schadenfreude in the fact of it -- their elusive captor behind his impenetrable protection, pretending to grandeur and claiming a victory, had nonetheless succumbed to the common cold. If Sasuke didn't have an interest in snapping the bastard's neck himself (not least for the consequences of fourth shift), he might have wished for the illness to descend into something more fatal.
On a more logical note, however, it was further confirmation that Landel, unlike the majority of the rest of his daytime staff, was undoubtedly aware and active during both the day and the night. It begged the question of when the man slept (besides when lying on the intercom). Sasuke knew the effects of insomnia himself -- the irony of the Institute was that the forced sleep led to quite possibly more sleep than he was accustomed to.
It made for a strange brightness in his mind, a clarity that was less about sharpness and more about light. Almost colourful, the opposite of the greyscale knife-edged vision of the Sharingan. Some combination of the sleep and the -- the changes that had happened since Itachi's death had made the crawl of the days blur in unexpected movement, a certain unreal timbre to the shape (the uneven duration, the unpredictable lurch) of time passing that felt like it had to stop, somehow, sometime.
But these weren't thoughts of any use. Sasuke set the map and the small silver sword on the bed. With any luck, Sakura's business would go quickly and he could be on his way.
Re: inside M58
Sakura made the trip from her room to the other dormitory fairly quickly, all things considered. She'd been ready to go from the moment the doors unlocked, so running up and down a couple of hallways wasn't even a morning warm-up. She hesitated outside the door, trying to put some order to her thoughts, then knocked firmly, following it with a quiet announcement, "it's Sakura."
She took a step back and waited for the door to open or a voice to call her in. Last time she'd just intruded and ended up feeling quite the unwelcome guest. It was unlikely that Sasuke would already have company, but one never knew.
Re: inside M58
The chakra control needed to activate it for a mere moment was becoming more finely-tuned. Strange to notice.
"We'll talk inside," he said, decisive. "Map's on the bed."
Re: inside M58
Paper rustled as she picked it up and pulled her own journal from where she'd belted it near her shuriken pouch. Just in case she needed to make a copy or notes quickly, of course. The map itself was surprisingly helpful. It gave an accurate account of where the institute was in comparison to the town and also had some points of reference in the surrounding area. If they knew the terrain around them, then it would be helpful in planning escapes or possible routes of attack or retreat if it came to that. It also gave a sense of direction and listed some points of interest that she was sure she'd heard mentioned on the bulletin board before.
"Right, well, lucky for us it looks like a map of the area that surrounds the institute. It makes it look more like a vacation spot than an asylum, but it still seems helpful," she explained. While there were a number of ways to describe it all to him, some they'd done over various long distance communicators or something similar, it was probably easier to let him actually touch the map. And if that happened to mean that she had to hold his hand, well... she sure as hell wasn't going to complain.
"Sit and I'll show you," she tried, hoping he understood what she was implying. She seated herself on the edge of the bed, pushing the silver sword carefully out of the way so there was room for both of them.
Re: inside M58
Sasuke had had it for days and knew nothing about it. A familiar frustration that he thought he'd learned to ignore filled the back of his throat, bitter as bile and nearly as present. It bit into the back of his tongue, corrosive to air and voice. He tensed his jaw; swallowed it with a slow, violent breath, and focused on Sakura's words.
A vacation spot? With a mental asylum marked on it? It did seem that the town didn't have any other visitors on the days that the Institute took its day-trip, now that Sasuke thought about it. That the Institute might also be considered a tourist spot in turn made the area oddly hermetic.
Useful, nonetheless, if Sasuke could just see it somehow -- and then Sakura found a how. Sasuke was forced to admit that it wasn't a terrible idea; certainly serviceable.
The distinctive sound of metal sliding across cloth and the rustle of the sheets indicated where she was sitting, and Sasuke found a spot to her right with relative ease. If nothing else, his sense of space without sight had improved enough that following the map would be easy.
"Show me," he said, curt repetition of her words, and offered his hand.
The thought that he owed her at least twice by now crossed his mind. A Konoha-nin -- and that was starting to take a different meaning these days, too complex for the moment. He shelved it for later.
Re: inside M58
Sakura laid the map out flat over her journal and set it in her lap, giving at least a relatively steady surface before she took his hand. Their arms rested closely, touching at times because of the nature of the task, but at least he couldn't tell she was blushing as she guided his hand over the page, explaining each point before tracing it back to the institute, which she'd centered on her lap. Maybe he'd be too focused on the map to notice how fast her heart seemed to be beating or how her skin felt warmer. Despite what people might say about him, how cold and distant and frosty he might be, his hand was still just as warm as any other human being.
"...then if you head North from the institute, there's a mine and..."
She was careful to outline all the pertinent details, the mountains to the west, the lake, the strange ruins, the general direction one would take to head toward Doyleton, though it was oddly vague. Maybe the direction was just obvious or there was plenty of signage to show the way?
Once finished, she let her hand rest on his, telling herself it was just in case he had any questions, if there was something she hadn't explained well, all the meanwhile, that psychotic inner voice of hers was filling her head with all sorts of ideas that a boy and a girl could do together alone on a bed and all but demanding to know what was wrong with her for not taking advantage of that very fact.
"Will that do?" she asked finally, voice catching in her throat for a moment as she pushed those thoughts aside (or at least tried very, very hard to) and tried to focus on the matter at hand.
Re: inside M58
It shouldn't have been, but the realisation that the world existing outside of the Institute had such normal features was almost shocking. Thick forest and a lake that fed towards the Institute; it might as well have been situated a half-mile outside of Konohagakure, near the headstreams of the riverwater that had baptised Sasuke's determination to kill his brother.
There were stranger features, though -- an abandoned mine and the ruins that Sasuke recalled Aidou describing. It confirmed that the surrounding region was like the Institute in their physical integrity, at the least. Landel's grew infested with monsters in the night and Doyleton with the walking dead. Sasuke had to wonder what came out of the woods and the hills.
In any case, he had to admit that Sakura's idea had been a good one. When their hands stopped moving he became aware of that she wasn't letting go of his hand, the texture of someone else's skin against his own something he wasn't so much used to as tolerating for the moment.
"It should do," he answered, and lifted his hand away from the map, assuming that she would let go if there was nothing left to show. "If that's all, you can take the map with you. I have no further need of it."
Unless there was information within it that Sakura had deliberately withheld from Sasuke ... but Sakura in her aid, like Kakashi in his silence, had the weakness of Konoha's leaves, buoyant in the air and growing upwards towards the lies that kept them fixed to the village's trees.
Re: inside M58
Sakura's hand clung to his for just a moment longer than absolutely necessary. But as he was pulling away it was hard to really keep a hold on him without reason. And just as quickly as the chance had come, it was gone. She moved slowly at first, realization dawning on her that she was supposed to be doing something. Folding the map, yes! And she quickly went to the task, rustling the paper a bit louder than usual in her sudden rush.
"I should probably get going then. I'm sure that we- well... we both have places to be," she brushed imaginary dust from her skirt in a nervous gesture and tucked the map away in her pouch. Stupid, so stupid! She was getting nowhere!
But wasn't it enough that he was here? That she got to see him almost every day again and... that he wasn't her enemy? Just that much was more than she'd thought possible back home.
"Hey um... if you want, maybe we could go look around town tomorrow, like last time. I really- Well- think about it okay?" she said finally, before opening the door and hurrying out. Ugh, that was pathetic...
[[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/839647.html?thread=67540959#t67540959)]]
Re: inside M58
Though their day shifts seemed to be more relaxed, if Sakura's offer to walk around Doyleton again was any indication. Sasuke had to admit that it hadn't been an unsuccessful day, though that had as much to do with the rise of the dead once the sun set as it did with Sakura's company during the day. And for all the use that this map could potentially serve, the fact that the Institute had had managed to use an Uchiha corpse and Sasuke had allowed it --
Used Itachi's corpse --
Sasuke forcibly shook the memory out of mind. "I'll find you if it's convenient," he answered shortly, just before the sound of the door.
And now to meet Aidou and his third. Another topic that had been stalled by the discovery of the elders' lies and Konohagakure's ignorant complicity. There was something surreal, almost inappropriate, about simply continuing with the map, exploring the basement, alliance with Konoha-nin, anything that had existed before learning the truth -- but there wasn't a choice, not here. There were no new beginnings anyway; what Sasuke had, now, was less a beginning than a completion.
So for now there was nothing to do but continue. Sasuke picked up the silver sword that had been moved aside in order for them to examine the map, balanced his own in his right hand, and stepped out into the hallway.
[[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/840219.html?thread=67685915#t67685915)]]
Outside M60
The moment of truth. Mori approached Mitsukuni's door, wondering if he was still angry or upset about what had happened earlier. That sad face had been extremely dark on the paper and even though Mori had apologized, he still wasn't sure if Mitsukuni was angry or not. But he couldn't just hide in his room, hoping his cousin didn't cry or throw him across the hallway, so here he was, staring at the door like he'd done in his own room.
Knock and get it over with, Takashi.
Right.
Taking a deep breath again, Mori raised a hand, adjusted the staff under his arm and rapped lightly on his cousin's door.
Re: Outside M60
When there was a knock on the door, he went to it automatically, opening it a crack before he pulled it further, brown eyes glancing up at his friend for a moment before they went down to the floor, somber and much cooler than usual. Even if being perky and happy were fun, Takashi was one of the few people he could completely be himself around, happy or sad.
"Only Remy-chan signed up today," he reported, going to collect his things and fetch Usa-chan from his bed. "So we can go after he gets here."
Re: Outside M60
Instead, he followed Mitsukuni into the room and closed the door. If Remy was coming soon, that meant they didn't have much time alone before Mitsukuni had to pretend to be happy-go-lucky again. Forcing him into a leadership position with this club was the last thing Mori had wanted, but that was exactly how it'd turned out.
But for the time being, they could be themselves. "Don't hold back." If Mitsukuni wanted to throw a tantrum and launch Mori across the room, Mori would take it. He'd do anything to make his cousin feel better, even if he wasn't sure what was within his power to do right now.
M60
He cried for his missing friends, both the ones he'd had before and the ones he'd made here. He cried because for all his training, he'd been helpless to stop it from happening. He cried because sometimes it was hard to believe that they'd ever get back home or save everyone like he promised. And even if he never said a word of it out loud, in-between the sobs he'd been holding back, he knew somehow that Takashi would understand. Even if he didn't, it was enough that he was here now.
Re: M60
When Mitsukuni cried into his shirt, Mori held onto him, one hand holding his head gently. They were family, after all, even if Mori acted more like a servant sometimes. Mitsukuni was his family and even without words, he understood. It was painful, watching people disappear one by one, seeing people leave them for other things, missing that cohesiveness that Tamaki had always brought. The broken promises, the fear, the pain, the doubt - it all pressed in on them from every side and Mori had known from the moment that he'd noticed Tamaki's scent being absent that things would only get harder.
And he knew they would only get harder still.
He didn't need to say that he understood. He hoped Mitsukuni knew though. He knew how hard this was and how much his cousin was trying. Closing his eyes, he let Mitsukuni cry as long as he needed. They didn't need to be strong when it was just the two of them. Not now, when it was hard to be strong even with everyone around.
Re: Outside M60
Sai was dressed and ready quickly - why, he wasn't sure. He had no plans for that evening. Artemis had said he didn't need him, and the other ninja from his village had already made plans without him. He supposed he could find them now, but with the way time worked in this place they could already be gone.
He was determined not to stay in his room, however. Honey and Mori might be around when Usopp arrived, so he wasn't too worried about that either. The main hallway was the best location to meet up with others, purposefully or otherwise. It wouldn't take long to get there, and he might run into one of the others. Sasuke was just down the hall, but he wasn't going to press his luck with that at the moment. Didn't he have other plans anyway?
Flashlight in hand and properly armed, he made for the door.
[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/840219.html?thread=67575323#t67575323)]
no subject
For now, though, he needed to go grab his knife from a certain high-strung officer. After that, he could find people and get things rolling. Who knew? Maybe TK would already be waiting for him. That'd save him a bit of headache.
no subject
From M59
Busting out was his top priority, anyway.
Last night had just been a fluke, he was convinced. He'd slipped up, been spotted, and knocked out before he could put up a fight. Tonight would be different.
He had started rummaging through his closet--this time taking the coat in it--and was pulling on the boots when the announcements were made. Same pattern as last night, too: one seemingly nice call for lights out, and then one that was far less friendly and far more crazy.
He moved to the door after the second of the announcements and tested it, just to see if that would really be the same, too. It was, and Prussia headed out.
[To here]
M54
Something on a nearby desk caught his eye- A camera and a handwritten note on top of a book. My writing. He stood, walking to the desk and taking all three items.
FIND THE MAP IN THIS JOURNAL
GO TO THE SECOND FLOOR TO THE FILE STORAGE
FIND INFORMATION ON SHO MINAMIMOTO
TAKE THE ITEMS IN THE CLOSET
HE KILLED JOSHUA
HE HAS TO BE STOPPED
Hm. Following his directions, he opened the closet, took the grilling spatula and flashlight. He tried the light- it didn't work. After a few minutes of digging through the drawers, he found a spare set of batteries, swapping them for the set in the light. There we go. Another minute to arrange how he'd carry everything, and he was ready to go and out the door.
no subject
outside/very briefly inside M60
At least Sai's room was easy to find. Nodding again back at Scourge and holding up a finger to indicate 'one moment,' Usopp ducked in quickly.
Seeing other people in there, ones who didn't look too happy, wasn't what Usopp had expected. At least he'd met Honey before for a moment. Lowering his head and mumbling, "Friend of Sai's, Usopp, don't mind me, I'll be right out of your way," he remembered which side had been Sai's the previous night he'd come by. At least he'd painted Kabuto a nice bright color that was easy to spot, and grab, before fleeing back out into the dark hallway in embarrassment.
"Sorry," Usopp added to Scourge, as soon as he was past the door again, for the interruption. Glancing over it more closely, he checked to see that it was still all screwed together tightly. It was in good shape, really, but without Dials it was still a giant slingshot. "Now, to the shed!" Actually, Scourge hadn't agreed to going outside, had he? Well, if that was a problem, they could discuss it at the doorway.
Re: outside/very briefly inside M60
"What in the heck is that weird doohickey?" he asked, unleaning from the door and peering at Usopp's device. It was long enough to be used as a bludgeon but it seemed strange to go out of your way just to get a funny-looking stick when so many other items were left scattered around for their benefit. There weren't any sharp edges on it so it couldn't be a sword, and it certainly wasn't a gun.
Maybe it was an instrument? It had strings like a whatsit, like a guitar.
no subject
Putting his free hand up helplessly for a short shrug again, Usopp gestured to the hallway and beyond. "I'm heading outside. If you don't wanna go, and don't understand what I'm talking about, sorry. You can get mad at me when we get to the doors, I guess."
[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/840219.html?thread=67567899#t67567899)]
M55
The whole idea of being brought back under that doctor's power for another re-examination was too much for Sechs to stand. Yet instead of cowering in the corner of his room, his panic triggered off his combative stance, like a soldier scrambling to prepare for war. Putting his journal away, Sechs took little time to get into his battle outfit and have his axe at hand. No amount of orderlies were going to hold Sechs down for another needle this time! The leathery materials of his suit should help block badly aimed syringes, and he could always strike the damned pointy things away with his armored limbs and axe.
In a matter of moments, he was prepared to defend himself at all costs necessary. Yet after the lights were shut off and the doors unlocked, no staff members came, nor did his roommate show up either. The only thing that did visit the antsy Replica was his shadowy counterpart.
"Oh! Is the poor little copy scared of seeing the doctor again?" the darkness jeered as the room grew unnaturally dark, "You should be happy with the purpose he's given you! His little squeaky guinea pig with denial issues! You should just sit and wait for him to get you! Who knows? He might have a little treat for you once he's done his check up!"
"SHUT your TRAP!" Sechs growled, clasping his hands over his ears, but the voice chuckled on with increasing volume. Shit! Why couldn't his inner voice just shut UP already? It was bringing back all those painful memories at full force, and he could feel his determination buckle under the mental weight...
Dammit, he had to get out of here! What if the staff were coming for him!? He was just a sitting duck if he stayed in this room! Yet what could he do outside? Landel just mentioned there would be more experiments, and Sechs now knew where they took place... He had a better chance of finding his doctor and maybe saving a victim... But if he lost control again...
The poison clenched tightly inside his back, sending the Replica's body shaking again. ...No. He had to get a cap on his side-effects first if he was to get anything worthwhile done here! He had all those board entries to think about, but in the meanwhile he needed to do something to figure this out!
As though reading Sechs' thoughts, the dark drug gave out a sadistic chortle, "Heh heh. Trapped like a rat inside your own head! How cute!"
Blood pumping with rage and anxiety, Sechs struggled to ignore the drug and gather up his things. With his maps, flashlight and axe, Sechs stormed through the door and out into the hall, making a futile attempt to distance himself from his dark thoughts.
Re: M55
[Outside M57]
Aidou had not stopped expecting that one day he might be targeted for such a trial--only a fool convinced himself it was safe in a place where there was no security--but it seemed tonight was not to be that night either. The dinner shift concluded in its usual fashion, leaving him to unfold his change of clothes while he listened to the first (and a part him hoped the last) night announcement. The return of the static interference partially granted his wish.
The business between the parties behind the radio and the parties behind the intercom was never ending. Although he knew the feud was integral to his own imprisonment, there wasn’t much more he could do than keep his guard up and file away the interruption in his memory.
He had a group to gather and a goal to complete.
Of his severely limited wardrobe, the noble chose to wear the darkest colors available again; once Kaito was out of his way, he pulled on his black uniform shirt and the dark pants retrieved from his patient possessions. He was in no rush. Ironically, Zack’s cell was only one door down from Sasuke, in a hall they all shared, but with the boy attending to some kind of business, Aidou had thought it better to pick a more common ground for Sasuke to catch up with them. One that didn’t reveal their closeness in locale quite so soon. Sasuke was one thing, but Aidou didn’t give out his cell’s position lightly, given what he stored inside it--he would give let some time pass to make it as seem as though he’d come from a farther distance. As for his so-called valuables, one of them went into an empty pillowcase, which he took up in his hand. Easier to manage if he… Well, easier, was all. The radio, on the other hand, went into a pocket along with his flashlight.
Now to get Zack, their latest third.
Enough time had passed for Aidou’s appearance to be neither too quick nor too slow, and he came to a silent stop in front of M57’s door, a hand raised to knock. And if Zack, or even Sasuke had been snatched away for experiments? That would certainly put a crimp in the night’s plans. He sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case.
Aidou rapped on the door.
Re: [Outside M57]
"One second!" he called out as he rushed over to his bed to grab his flashlight from where he'd left it. He kind of wished he had more to show for himself, but getting a weapon around here had proved to be pretty impossible so far. And his notes kept getting pulled off the bulletin, on top of it all! He was going to have to be more careful about how he wrote things.
With his flashlight in hand, Zack headed for the door and saw Aidou standing there holding onto a pillowcase -- more than that, he was in a completely different outfit. "Man," he griped, "where do you guys find all of this clothing?" If he could get his hands on even his old SOLDIER uniform, he'd be happy. It beat the gray sweats that seemed to be the default around here.
"Anyway, where's our third guy?" Were they meeting him somewhere else? If that was the case, then why had Aidou wanted to come straight to his room? Maybe his room was near here. Either way, it probably didn't matter too much, and so Zack didn't bother asking.
Re: [Outside M57]
Stepping to the side at the call, he waited with half a mind on Sasuke’s door until Zack appeared. Once-overs were only too familiar to him, and this case was no different; Aidou’s reaction was to merely shift his stance. He’d readily admit, it was better to be donned in a proper outfit. He knew where Zack was coming from. Still, you won’t be complaining tomorrow, he thought, and gave an absent shrug.
"'Finding' is not really the problem," said the noble before addressing the more pertinent question. His tone was ill-suited to eavesdroppers, if on the off chance he couldn't sense them. "We'll meet him in front of the Sun Room. You're ready? I can explain more of the basement on the way."
Re: [Outside M57]
"Of course I'm ready," he said with a quick grin as he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He clicked his flashlight on and pointed it down the hall. The Sun Room, huh? So the way to get down was somewhere around there? At least it would be familiar territory for part of the way.
"Sounds good," he confirmed when Aidou promised a mission briefing of sorts. Seeing how Zack knew where he was going for this stretch of the journey, he didn't hesitate in walking down the hall. If Aidou was the sort who always wanted to be in the lead, then he could easily move ahead of him.
no subject
He stepped out into the dark hallways and strode off towards the rendezvous point, confident. The night could certainly yield something of value to him.
[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/839647.html?thread=67459039#t67459039)]
M51
The last door was a familiar number.
Door fifty-one.
Whose was--? "Oh yeah..."
Rude's.
Tifa let out an unlady-like groan. Well, maybe he'd know Cloud's room number. If he was still in his room. Tifa gave the door a sturdy rap with her knuckles before just nudging it open with her foot. He probably had left already like everyone else.
...... Maybe his rum's still in there.
Well that was the best motivation to invite herself right in!
Re: M51
Re: M51
When he made no move to come over or even suggest she was in the way, Tifa dropped her wary stance and placed her hands on her hips, having far more pressing matters pushing her safety to the back of her mind. Taking a cursory glance around the dark room, she finally spoke up. "You're sitting in here by yourself? Seems a lil... sad..." In the pathetic way, but she preferred to let the ambiguity sit between them.
Re: M51
Anyway, all that was irrelevant when faced with the fact that Rude and Tifa were alone in a room. Together. Alone. Nobody else. Just them. Alone.
"So..."
Re: M51
Clapping her hands as if they had dust on them, she turned back to face the Turk, whose attention was back on whatever was on his desk, and carefully closed the distance between them. The brunette gave the man some space, not wanting to smother him with her curiosity as she leaned over the desk. Not that she really could smother him since Rude was the size of a brick house, but...
"Is that what I think it is?" She was more amused than surprised. She had helped Barret make bombs before, though theirs hadn't been as technical as this one.
Re: M51
Back at his desk, he looked over the bomb pieces as she came closer. He nodded, never taking his eyes from it, although he was perfectly aware her boobs were in pretty close proximity.
"This goes wrong, ain't gonna be pretty," he said. The tone and look translated it clearly as 'Don't try anything unless you want to get it too'.
"Just be a minute. Sit," he said. Once it was secure enough to pack away he'd get to it. She wasn't asking anything so maybe she was here to, you know.... hang out-
"FNGH!" Rude shook his hand and stuffed it in the water jug, pulling it out to inspect it. Flesh was a little eaten away. He looked at the desk and the little sizzling section of bomb. he wasn't a big fan of the smell of burnt flesh.
Re: M51
She took a seat on the edge of the bed in front of Rude's desk and quietly watched him fuck around. Hopefully Rude knew what he was doing. Well, he was a Turk, those smarmy bastards could probably build one in their sleep. But he was using parts from the institute. Who knew how stable that would be.
Maybe I should move back a bit.
Scooting a few inches down the bed, the young woman stayed quiet and waited. Waiting for what, she wasn't sure. Tifa kind of wanted her night to be a little bit more productive than watching a Turk build something. So she finally spoke up.
"Hey, do you--" But it was short-lived. "Shiva's tits, what are you doing?" Hopping off the mattress, the brunette rounded the desk with her flashlight so she could see what the suppressed commotion was all about. Holding the light above her with one hand, she pulled his arm out for inspection like a good mother. "You're retarded," was her ultimate conclusion. "Shouldn't you have gloves on or something? If you could find the parts for a bomb in this place, there should be some gloves lying around too..." Honestly, men; they were like little children.
Re: M51
He pulled his arms away and awkwardly fixed the tops on a few things and began to tidy, his injured fingers sticking out, stiff. Once the table was clear, he grabbed a bandage out of his shirt bag and began to awkwardly wrap his fingers and hand.
"Just...just a moment," he assured her. Then he'd be all hers.
Re: M51
"No, just stop, please..." Tifa took back his hand with a disappointed tsk and none so gently unwound the bandage around his fingers. "Where is your alcohol? We need to disinfect this..." It was a shame to waste good liquor, but losing a limb was a bit higher on the priority list unfortunately.
Re: M51
He bit the inside of his mouth so stop any signs of pain showing through.
He shook his head when she mentioned alcohol, however, and reached into the sack to pull out a little tub of surgical spirit. And then he nodded to the bed. "Keep the real stuff under the mattress," he told her. You know. To keep her interests.
Re: M51
The brunette struggled to turn properly between the desk and the end of the bed, almost tripping on an iron frame post in the dark. She easily caught herself with a strong hand on the hard mattress and pretended as if she had simply intended to bend over to, you know, find the stashed bottle of liquor. She hadn't felt like a rookie in a long time and it was a hard reality to face.
Lifting up the mattress, her other hand blindly searched for the cold feel of glass, and found it quickly enough. "Yes..." But her optimism was dampened when she jiggled the bottle, finding that there was not all that much left. It was set on the table away from the mess Rude called a bomb.
Re: M51
But then that left them either side of the desk, bottle between, in silence.
"This...a social visit?"
Re: M51
"Not really..." Eventually the young woman picked up the bottle and took a swig, the skin around her brown eyes crinkling as the burn ran down her throat. Setting back down in front of Rude, Tifa continued. "I wanted Cloud's room number, if you know it..." Though he probably wasn't there anymore.
From M52
Then again, if he'd just kept his damn mouth shut, he definitely wouldn't be in this mess.
After dinner and after the lights-out intercom announcements, he gave a nod to Aidou as he left the room, syringes and flashlight at hand but otherwise unarmed.
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