damned_institute | Day 49: Early Afternoon

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Day 49: Early Afternoon - ????

The increase in the rain didn't bother Momo. Oh, she'd pay later when they were herded back into the buses for having spent so much time wandering around in it, but it didn't matter. The shinigami's mind was focused in the past as she walked away from the town proper. It was strange, a lone woman from the institute leaving the more supervised area to head into the residential sector in the southern part of town, but Momo had her reasons.

It was down this way that she'd drawn Signum to, her dear friend turned undead, that last trip. It was down this side street that they had faced each other upon the rooftops. It was upon the roof of this building (or was it the one next to it) where Momo had been forced to behead the knight to save both of their souls. And then the building had burned.

Except now, it was intact, looking as if fire hadn't touched it. It was possible the roof bore ashen scars, but not only was the shinigami incapable of getting up to the roof as things were right then, but she wasn't one hundred percent sure she was standing before the correct building. As she stared up at the roof, her unopened lunch from Tasty Burger still in hand (though cold now), what had she been expecting? To see the after images of Signum? To see that the daytime facade at least showed some sign that an honorable knight had met her end there?

Momo let out a heavy sigh and pushed her damp hair out of her face. So caught up in what was before her, what was in her mind, she never noticed that she had been tailed.

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After resolving her little "timeline" problem with Battler, Erika felt properly oriented in this new setting. A new game, was it? A new game called for new tactics, but there were some classic moves that would serve her well even on this new board. Bernkastel was watching, after all, and Erika had a job to do. She began by starting a much more serious survey of the town, intent on memorizing every detail that she could. Simply because of her late start and time wasted with Battler, Erika knew that a more thorough search could not be done completely before they had to leave, but she would start with a general one at first to simply get a feel for the layout.

That was the plan, but then she saw Momo, darting through the streets with a destination in mind. One away from the others. Partly curious because of the fact that she knew Momo knew quite a bit, and partly because such behavior looked suspicious in the first place, the detective decided to quietly follow the other woman.

It was actually quite easy to do so, since Momo seemed unusually distracted. Or focused? Erika wasn't sure which, but she remained silent as she followed Momo through the streets, and to what she considered to be a most interesting sight. They were away from all the shops, and all of the people. Was Momo attempting to escape?

Rather than follow her lead, Erika stayed back awhile, still silent as she watched the building before Momo and the woman herself with an interested smile.

After staring at the building for a while, Momo took a few steps back and angled her head back to look at the roof. Still no signs. Maybe this really wasn't the right building. If only she was up on the roof level... She'd be able to tell from that vantage.

Moving around the side of the building, the shinigami looked to see if there was a fire escape, or anything that might help her get to higher ground.

The detective continued to tail Momo, curiously looking up and around the building as she, too, moved to the side. What was Momo-san looking for? Escape didn't seem to be the idea, as she was inspecting the building itself. Was there something important?

It was still not an appropriate time to reveal herself, so Erika waited and watched. In time, she would understand Momo's intentions and depending on what it was, she would reveal herself accordingly. Her little gray cells were tingling - was this a crime in progress, or just a strange little excursion?

After a full circumnavigation of the building, with cursory glances to the ones on either side, Momo determined there wasn't a means to get to the roof that did not require climbing the drain pipe. Given the current weather, and her attire, such was not an option for the shinigami. Most building's had roof access from within, didn't they?

Returning to the door, Momo grasped the knob and then paused. She cocked her head and listened over the sound of the rain. What was she listening for an observer might wonder? Had the one tailing her been discovered? Was there something on interest that she was hearing? In reality, Momo was listening for the approach of any of the staff or anyone that might be around. She may have little respect for human laws, but even she knew she was technically breaking and entering. Unless the door happened to be unlocked...

Simply because of the fact Momo spent her time walking around the building and inspecting it, Erika was able to reason long before her quarry actually reached the door that Momo was not trying to escape, but to find a way in. The building was not a business, yet Erika was hesitant to label it as a residential space. There was something important in that building to Momo, but what was it?

The detective had no trouble determining that whatever was important to Momo would be important to her. Momo was a valued source of information and Erika knew that whatever the other woman was interested in, it would be yet another thing of value. That was why she did her best not to interrupt, staying still and silent as Momo paused right before opening the door, though if Momo's hearing was as perfect as hers, she might have been able to hear the pitter patter of Erika's sneakers in the rain.

It was alright, though. Erika was not malicious and only curious. This sort of behavior seemed much more excusable, in her opinion; it wasn't like Erika had any intent to alert the nurses or staff either. On the contrary, she was looking out for any interference herself as well as observing Momo.

Momo indeed heard the sound of someone in the rain. She couldn't place where the sound was coming from and a look around didn't bring anyone into sight. Not that Momo's sight was the best anyways. In case whoever had caused the noise was coming around the corner any moment, the shinigami opened the door and slipped inside.

Being out of the rain was nice, and she took a moment to brush the wet strands of hair out of her face. Now she had to check for roof access. Quietly, she looked around as she moved further within.

The door was unlocked? Curious! Did someone let Momo in, or was this building unlocked for other reasons? Perhaps Momo had been here before and had unfinished business, a thought that brought a smirk to Erika's lips as she quickly followed, opening the door and stepping inside right after when she was sure Momo had already entered the building.

It would be harder to hide her steps, but Erika didn't want to lose sight of her quarry just yet, so the detective took the risk of being heard as she stepped carefully around, trying to avoid any particularly creaky spots.

Just what sort of mysteries were present here? So interesting!

Even if the two patients were doing their best to be quiet, the dilapidated state of the house meant that their footsteps creaked with the wood. Besides, with the state he was in, all he really could do was sit around, in and out of sleep, and wait for people to find him.

At the moment, the man was seated on the floor, back pressed against the wall toward the back of the entry room. He lifted his head as he watched two people step inside -- there certainly were a lot of curious patients among the bunch, not that he was too surprised.

Completely shattering any hopes of surreptitiousness, the man spoke up from his spot, though he didn't attempt to stand just yet. "I've gotta ask," he started, slightly amused, "what do you guys hope to find when you walk into a place like this?"

Hearing the door open behind her, Momo was momentarily distracted from seeing the man sitting on the floor as she looked back to see who had followed her. Body tense, she was prepared for almost anything. Erika. Now, why didn't that surprise her?

She was about to ask the detective why she was following her when the voice spoke up. After giving Erika a slight look of annoyance, the shinigami looked back at the voice and the one it belonged to. She wasn't sure who he was, and looked him over curiously.

"I was expecting this place to be empty," she replied, moving a little further inside, but not close enough to him that she believed she'd be seen as a threat. "Do you know if there is roof access in here?"

Ah, finally, she was unable to hide as a man waiting for them had announced both of their arrivals. Erika just gave Momo a half-hearted shrug, preparing to explain herself later. Had she brought herself into a dangerous situation? Erika couldn't say that this was something she was concerned about, especially when she saw that Momo had no idea who this man was. Or at least, if she had business with him, it was being well hidden.

Perfect. She focused on the man who was waiting for them. Waiting seemed to be the correct term, as he was seated in the building. This whole time? Was he a patient hiding from the nurses? She doubted it, as the nurses were quite adamant in ferrying people into buildings earlier. Surely, the disappearance of herself and Momo would soon cause an uproar. If this man had disappeared earlier, Erika would have already heard about efforts to find him. Therefore, she could conclude that he wasn't one of them.

There was one other thing. Jill's message from last night rang clear in her head. Of course, there was no way to tell if this was the man in question or not since he didn't look injured in the slightest, which was what the woman seemed to be implying. He did fit the bill otherwise, being a male outside of Landel's walls. Was this the mysterious man that Erika had sought out last night?

"It seems like an audience with you isn't what she's looking for," Erika commented lightly to Momo's request for roof access. She would let the other go. This man was much more interesting to Erika now. "As for myself, I'm conducting an investigation, and it seems I've come to the right place."

Naturally, Erika was hoping (expecting, really) that this man would be able to supply her with vital clues. She waited patiently before him, the blank expression on her face earlier now replaced with a triumphant smile.

Did they realize he wasn't just another patient? The first girl didn't, maybe, but the second one seemed to have more than just a passing interest. In a way, it was kind of fun watching them try to figure out why he was just hanging around in here, but he couldn't lead them along forever. He was a little too nice for that, when it came down to it, and so he'd spill the beans soon enough.

"Roof access?" He shrugged. "Beats me. I'm not really in the position to go searching around too much right now, to be honest." His ankle didn't bother him when he wasn't standing on it, which was why he was doing his best to stay stationary -- even if he was getting a bit antsy.

"Feel free to look around, though," he said with a gesture to the doors that led out of the room that they were in. With the first patient taken care of, he focused on the second girl, a smile pulling up the corner of his mouth. "So... what are you investigating?" He had to admit, it was nice to see such enthusiasm in patients who'd probably had their wills crushed into the ground by Landel more than a few times already.

"She's investigating you," Momo replied. Having been with Erika the previous night and attempting to get to where Jill had pointed them, despite being a failure, the shinigami didn't have to even try to pick up on Erika's motives. That smile was telling enough.

Moving past the man, Momo peered into the nearest room, still looking for the roof access. She stayed within range to maintain the conversation, but she had her own agenda as well. For the moment. She'd seen a bit too much in her long weeks of the institute to suddenly jump on the bandwagon that this man, if he was the one referred to, would be of any help.

"You look surprisingly well for someone who was described as being severely wounded."

Erika opened her mouth, about to answer that question when Momo finished her answer for her. The girl gave Momo a glance, and one could probably sense the faintest amount of irritation at having her line stolen from her before the detective focused back on the man. Wasn't Momo off doing other things? It seemed silly of Erika to get irritated over slight things, but that was the way she tended to operate. For whatever reason, Erika's suspicions on this man's identity was the same as Momo's, and the detective gave him another glance.

"Yes, it is as she says. You are the one that Jill was talking about, correct?" While it was true that the man looked just a bit too healthy, Erika knew that it was easy to think that Jill had been lying, trying to inject some urgency in the situation so that people would seek him out faster. For what purpose? Still, the request was made backwards. They were to help him, not the other way around, was it?

"You do look a little too healthy. But that works out fine for me. Why are you waiting here?" Erika had already gone into "investigation" mode, ignoring any other comments Momo made in favor of whatever this man was going to say. How easily was he going to give up information. Would there be a price? It annoyed Erika slightly, to question this man without the detective's authority, but she could accept it. One way or another, she would find her answers.

So apparently he'd underestimated the first girl. She'd jumped to that assumption pretty quickly, although he realized it probably wasn't too tough to put the pieces together, especially for someone who'd been in Landel's clutches for a while. He wasn't sure if that was the case for the brown-haired girl, but it seemed likely.

"That's me," he said with a smile in response to the second patient, the one who was more interested in him. He knew that the polite thing would have been to stand, but he still couldn't work up the energy to do so. Yeah, he was a lot healthier than he'd been, but that didn't mean he was picture perfect.

"Some other patients found me last night, in the woods, and managed to heal me up a bit," he explained for the second or third time. The story wasn't too complicated, at least, which meat that repeating it wasn't a huge chore. "I broke away from them and made my way here, figuring that some of you might come across me during the trip." It looked like he'd made a good call, too, since this was the third set of curious patients who had made their way here thus far.

He glanced over to where the first girl was investigating, lifting his head slightly to watch her. "Why do you need to get to the roof?" If they were going to ask him question, then he could return the favor, couldn't he?

"Ah," Momo replied, understanding the healing, not knowing Erika would not. Seeing no access in the first room, Momo moved to the next room, lingering long enough to answer the man's question.

"Last week when we were here, we were caught after dark and the town changed like the institute did." In a way. "I engaged in combat an antagonist on the roof of either thing building or one of the nearby ones. I want to see if the rooftop shows any signs of the fire damage they sustained that night given the signs of supposed vandalism in town." And to settle her mind some, but she wasn't going to tell either the man or Erika about Signum.

"What is your name? I am Vice Captain Hinamori Momo."

... Healing? His injuries couldn't have been that severe, or he had the extreme fortune of being found by a person with medical training and the equipment to do so. Most people in Erika's position would have accepted that and moved on, but the detective wasn't quite sure. Healing. What an odd way to put it. She kept quiet though, letting Momo answer the man's question so it was out of the way.

But even Momo's answer provided some useful information, as Erika noted that the signs of "vandalism" were actually remnants of ... ah, so the town changed as well as the Institute? She would have to visit, sometime, to see for herself. And Momo had enough sense to ask for the man's name. Regardless, this was not Erika's style, having to wait her turn to speak (or wait at all, really).

Still, this man didn't truly answer her question, other than hinting that he was here to meet some patients. Erika tapped her chin, looking at him skeptically. If he wanted to meet them, that meant he had something to tell them, be it information, or a request, or something else entirely. It was worth risking his life and still risking his life for, as Erika doubted Doyleton was the safest place for one who was hunted down by Landel's minions last night. There was much she wanted to ask him, but she somehow doubted this man would be willing to share too much.

It would be boring if all the answers came easily though.

"Along with that, might I ask exactly what you were doing last night that landed you in trouble?" Erika added on. "Furudo Erika, by the way."

He was glad that these patients seemed to trust him enough to at least give him their names, though he also realized they could just be aliases. Not that it mattered too much in the end. Sure, he'd do his best to remember each name and face, but he didn't think he could be blamed for not being able to keep all of them straight.

As for the vice captain's search (and didn't she have a fancy title), he just sighed and shook his head. "This may not stop you from looking, but I'm pretty sure it's long gone by now. You know Landel. He just waves his magic wand and everything goes back to normal." It wasn't that he hadn't noticed the mild damage on his way here, but that had to be just for show.

"I'm Marc," he told the younger girl with a brief smile as he shifted slightly in his spot on the ground. It wasn't as if he wanted to be rendered immobile, but the easier he took it, the quicker he'd be back to normal.

"And I was trying to get a hold of the equipment I need for broadcasting. It's in the area around the institute somewhere, but Landel found me before I could get to it." And boy, had he paid for it.

Of like mind, Momo knew the odds of the damage being there was close to nothing, but there was more to her desire than to look for the damage. It was as if the roof was a marker for Signum's passing and she wanted to pay her respects properly given she'd destroyed the knight's soul and it would never reincarnate.

After another quick look in the next room, the shinigami came back to the main room. Broadcasting equipment meant Marc was more associated with Jill than she'd originally thought. She wasn't sure what angle to take with her own questions, so she decided she'd let Erika pursue that line.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Marc-san," Momo replied, giving the man a slight bow when she'd rejoined them. She tilted her head. "Do you still bear injuries?"

"Broadcasting equipment?" Erika repeated thoughtfully. That meant a couple of things: Either Jill was the only one with constant access to it, Marc was trying to obtain a more portable method, or perhaps he was intending to hijack the intercom for broadcasting. Their efforts would surely be more effective if it was done on the intercom, or some other wide spread device, other than the radios, which were only effective if the patient knew about them or was curious enough to try. Erika regretted that she was not curious enough.

There was the other piece of information, that the good doctor was able to track him down and injure him before he was able to get this equipment. There were no reports of anyone having seen the doctor, and with the sheer amount of patients, there had to be a good distribution of patients around the whole area. Of course, Erika wasn't naive enough to think that patients had free access to the entire Institute; there had to be places that would exceptionally difficult to reach, and the Head Doctor was most likely there. And so was Marc, if the two of them had crossed paths.

Most interesting! The detective nodded, letting Momo worry about things like his man's health. Although, it would be a disadvantage to her if he died before telling her what he could. As for what sort of fight occurred, Erika wouldn't be surprised if it was a firefight of some sort. Naturally, the detective wasn't even thinking of the idea that the fight could be anything more than typical Earth weaponry. Any claim of that would be cut down swiftly.

"I see. So, you infiltrated the Institute with the intent to recover broadcasting equipment, you were caught and injured by Landel, and escaped back outside. There, some patients found you and," She paused, "healed you before you came here to fully recover from your injuries. And to meet us." The recap was mostly to confirm what she was thinking, and to get a general timeline. Now, it was time for specifics.

"Where in the Institute is this place? It must be a place we can't reach, if the Doctor was guarding it. Or was he tracking you, and you were unlucky?" That was also a possibility, one Erika wished to dispel.

She paused again, and then gave a wry smile.

"If possible, I'd like to know what's so special about that equipment. It's obviously something that surpasses whatever Jill is using, or you simply need more of it."

Getting asked about his wounds took him by surprise, mainly because he figured that most of the patients were in the mindset that they worried only about themselves. It wasn't a bad view to have, considering the spot they were in. On the other hand, none of the people who had visited him today had come alone, which meant that they did understand teamwork to an extent. Still, the idea that anyone would view him as more than a way to get information was a bit surprising.

"I've got a few scratches, but nothing I won't get over with time." It was going to take a while, though. While he wished there was a way for him to get a hold of some first aid supplies, there was a good chance that this place would be a zombie stomping ground by the time night came, and he wasn't going to stick around for that. Which also meant not sticking around late enough to sneak into stores in search of supplies.

While Hinamori seemed worried for his health, the other girl was more like what he'd expected. She was piling him with questions, and he found himself just a little overwhelmed. He was here to explain, but she was kind of intense for someone her age, wasn't she?

"It wasn't in the building," he said with a shake of his head. "Jack had equipment that was rigged so he could broadcast without Landel being able to interfere or locate him -- a signal that couldn't be broken, in other words. It's stashed somewhere around the institute, but Landel caught my scent before I could find it." In the end, he managed to cover all of her questions without launching into a full-blown speech. She could always clarify if she wanted -- she didn't seem to be scared of doing so, from what he could gather.

"Alright. I hope then that what happened last week occurs again. If you are certain you will be alright, I will save my energy," Momo replied.

She fell silent as Erika asked her tirade of questions, all good ones, and Marc answered them. Having been in the institute as long as she had, it was good to hear more about Jack from a source that wasn't Jack, himself, or Jill. Granted, she assumed Marc and Jill were colleagues but there was never anything wrong with more information.

"Did that equipment of Jack's also grant him video access to the inside of the Institute proper? I know he had some means to know specifics of what was going on in certain locations within." A pause and the shinigami remembered the Tasty Burger bag in her hand.

"It isn't much, Marc-san, and it's cold, but if you are hungry, you are welcome to my lunch," she said setting the bag down by his side. "I have no plans on eating it. Too greasy for my stomach these days."

Good questions, indeed. Erika was getting good answers out of them, her eyes lighting up in interest as Marc described the kind of equipment that this Jack had access to. A signal that could not be interfered with... and it was already outside. That meant two things: Landel had found it first, and had surprised Marc, or he did not permit Marc to find it in the first place. The second seemed foolish; why wouldn't the good doctor allow Marc to find it and attack when he did, so that he could destroy the broadcasting equipment. Marc said nothing about its destruction, and from the way he was speaking, it sounded like he had no idea where it was at all. Perhaps Landel was just too cautious... or, like Beatrice, he played his pieces illogically.

Doing so would make it easier to trap him, though. A small glance into Landel's tactics was appreciated, which was why Erika stayed silent for a little bit when Momo offered her lunch to him, as well as asking a good question of her own. Erika's annoyance was fading quickly; Momo was actually being quite clever with this conversation herself. < Good! > She was fine with letting Momo act as caretaker, as it left Erika time to think to herself.

"I see. You were outside from the start then," Erika nodded, making that correction. She seemed a little disappointed... mostly in herself, for getting a fact wrong. But no, she couldn't dwell on that, she had to keep moving forward. Their time was limited, after all. Which meant that she had to be careful about which questions to ask.

"... After you answer that, Marc-san, I would like to know about the method in which we patients are transferred back to the Institute upon morning. I have a feeling that the patients who leave the building are also affected," Erika asked, arms crossing in thought. She hadn't actually known anyone who did that, but fact was some patients did find him last night. And she had a feeling that they did not escape, unless the nurses were keeping quiet about it. But if it was so easy as simply being outside until morning, then no one would still be here.

While he'd been doing his best to not think about how hungry he was, the offer of food was something he responded to enthusiastically. "Really?" he asked with a smile, snatching up the bag maybe a little too quickly. "Thanks a lot. It's probably better if I get some food in me, even if it is fast food." He wasn't going to be picky at this point, and so he fished out the burger and took a bite as he considered the other questions the girls had for him.

"To be honest, I'm not sure if he had video equipment," he admitted as he finished his first bite of food. "I haven't seen the stuff myself yet, but it's possible." He could let them know, in any case. Or maybe it was better to keep that information to himself, if only so that Landel didn't find out -- provided that he didn't already know.

And it was no surprise that Erika wanted to know how everyone got pulled back into their rooms each morning. That probably had to be one of the most frustrating parts of being a patient in this place. He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. "I wish I knew. It's probably not technology, though, since that would require having a certain field in which it worked. Which makes me think he's just got a power that can do it." That was all speculation, though, and something that could probably be figured out easily enough by a patient.

"Yes, Furudo-san, those outside the walls end up back in the Institute come morning," Momo informed the detective. "It has happened to me twice and again last week with the incident in this town. And it is just like within the walls. Sudden blacking out and then waking in bed with the morning."

She smiled as Marc took to her food, not offended at all by the way he snatched the bag. He had to be hungry. it was disappointing to hear that Marc didn't know if there were video equipment. Though, if there wasn't, there was a chance that Jack simply had some remote viewing power just as Landel apparently had some ability to knock out those he wished when he wished. or at least employed someone else who did.

"Hmm. The riot from weeks ago supports your theory, Marc-san," she said after a moment. "Did you know Jack, personally?"

As Hinamori gave her explanation to Erika (who, strangely enough, had to be pretty new -- maybe that was why she had so many questions), he worked on the meal, getting through the burger in record speed. There were some french fries too, but they were already cold. While that would have put him off in other situations, he knew that there was no telling when he would get his next meal. He had to make the best of this situation, and so he started to eat them one-by-one, ignoring the rubbery texture.

When the girl turned back to him with another question (one he was surprised he hadn't been asked more frequently), he sighed and shrugged. "Well, not really. I met him once, but it was a pretty brief thing. We weren't buds, if that's what you mean. I... think Jill knows him better."

He hadn't really been able to talk to her very much either, but he could only imagine how broken up she'd been about Jack's death. Still, they had to keep trudging on without him. He knew he was no replacement, but he was going to do his best nonetheless. Jack (or Alec, as the case might be) had been a quirky type, that was for sure. He, on the other hand, was going to be straight-forward once he got his hands on the broadcasting equipment.

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Day 49: Early Afternoon - ????

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