Nightshift 49: M1-M10 Hallway

[oftemptation.livejournal.com]

[from here and outside M4.]

"Haseo?" Endrance knocked once, having finally seemed to learn his lesson about just walking into M4 without knocking or stating his identity first. Once he'd knocked, though, the nerves really set in. What if Haseo wasn't there? What if he'd been taken again? What if --

Stop. Stop that line of thought. He said he needed you...and he'll be here. He'll be here, and if he's not, then you need to pull it together...for his sake. You can't be there if you're falling apart...

He took a deep breath, bracing with one hand against the wall, and waited. A few minutes would tell the story, either way. He could be patient that long.

[for Haseo.]

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[slipperymagic.livejournal.com]

Howl sighed heavily at the announcement, as if it were not terrifying and threatening in the least. In truth, it sat in his stomach like a cold stone, and he suspected it would remain there for some time to come.

Visitors. The nurses (before sedating him) had suggested his sister might appear to visit him, but he desperately hope that she would not. If anyone asked, Howl would have explained at length Megan's unpleasant disposition, but that was becoming less of a concern with each passing day. He missed her. He missed the quiet moments in which they would forget to hate one another, and talk about their parents, or her children. He loved the times when he would be gone for weeks, months, and she would be more relieved than angry when he appeared on her doorstep. It never lasted long, unfortunately.

As Howl discarded his clothes for the mysterious suit (he supposed that he ought to discuss it with Ryuuzaki at some point), he hoped that she was back in her home, safe and sound. Her family would be upset, of course, if he withered away here, his body finally giving out to his lack of a vital organ, but his memory would fade. They would recall him mournfully, and explain to blossoming friends about the disappearance of their charming, unusual Uncle Howell, and how it darkened their past. Surely his genius had led him down some dark path! They would miss him, as he missed them now.

As for those he left behind in Ingary... Howl had to wonder, could Calcifer live off his heart, even with Howl so far away? It seemed possible, but unlikely, for when that heart stopped beating, Calcifer would go out like a snuffed candle. He was sorry for that. The one soul that tolerated him (although not quite by choice) would be punished for it with death, which Calcifer had feared enough to make a deal with a wizard to prevent. He knew at least that Sophie would care for Michael, and that sooner or later she would meet some fine young man and grow tired of being old. That left a bitter taste in his mouth, which he quickly excused as frustration over his inability to force her out of the curse. Mad old woman.

Howl was now fully dressed, blond and armed with his kitchen knife wrapped up in his pocket. Although he suffered a lack of a mirror, he could tell that this place was making him dull. His plumage grayed, his hair no longer shone, and his eyes looked increasingly glassy and lifeless. Luckily, it was as gloomy as ever out in the dark hallway, so no one would see him fading.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/882232.html?thread=69413688#t69413688).]