damned_institute | Night 50: M11-M20 Hallway

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Night 50: M11-M20 Hallway

[M12]

Klavier felt a wave of sickness as soon as that man's voice came over the intercom again. It was less apprehension and more bubbling anger than anything else. It wasn't so much the mocking that was grating as it was the sound of him sounding so smug, so satisfied with everything that was happening. So safe. Klavier told himself it was fine. Let the man believe he was untouchable. It would make it all the more satisfying when he was ripped down from his pedestal and made to face the consequences.

So last night's events had been done intentionally, after all. Herr Doktor was setting up a new system. A system of what, no one could say at this point, but if it resulted in anything like the previous night, it would prove to make things even more complicated than they already were. If anyone was to do anything, it would have to be now before they finished setting up whatever it was they were doing.

Herr Doktor was already mocking them to investigate to their heart's content, probably confident there was nothing to be found out there. But there was bound to be something overlooked. There had to be cracks in the system. And Klavier would find them all and see this place ripped down.

But first he needed to validate this claim about jewels and rings and whatnot. A teleportation ring? It didn't seem possible... But a lot of what didn't seem possible was fact in this place. Klavier opened the drawer on his side of the room and searched the inside. His good hand shuffled the contents about a little in search for anything like what the man had described, but there was nothing. The only "ring" in there was the small keyring. ...What were these keys for anyway? He picked them up questioningly and looked over the drawer again.

"...Nothing."

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I know where your heart truly lies.

And his posthumous commentary went as such: no kidding. There was nothing like feeling a small explosion in the pit of your stomach because you were exploding. Puncturing a grace was akin to throwing a hydrogen bomb on top of an atom bomb. While the second was already mid-explosion.

The afterlife wasn't particularly as thrilling as it'd been surprising; the fact that there was one for him at all was very against the rather ineffable wisdom that Daddy had shoved into his mind. The fact that it was a whole lot of darkness was pretty damn boring. You go out a martyr and what do you get? No eyes, apparently. Heaven had been nice and all, but he knew he wasn't going back; not even death was gonna send him back home.

This wasn't so bad. The darkness came with comfy sheets. And... a radio message.

Not that he was particularly paying any attention to said message. He was, in fact, quite taken with curling his fingers. Around the comfy sheets.

He had fingers.

Now, get this: there wasn't anything particular fascinating with having ten fingers. A couple thousand years, you're pretty used to them – you lose one, it always comes back. There's always going to be two hands and ten fingers. He could probably grow more, but there's not really a point in that. Ten's enough.

It must be the little things, he decides, after you're dead. There were a billion questions to be asked: why his brother had chosen as he had, why he was sitting on a bed clothed in gray (which wasn't anything new, mind, but he'd long abandoned those particular threads), where he even was. But the most particular: why he had ten fingers and complete control over them.

Okay. Two facts of life were being blown out of the water here.

One: angels didn't have an afterlife. There wasn't a Heaven for the heavenly. It was just… nothing. Or at least he'd assumed so. And he'd embraced it: being nothing was better than destroying what he loved. But here he was, watching the fingers he was inhabiting curl and uncurl and wondering the absolute existential crisis: why am I alive?

Two: martyrs stay dead (you know, for the most part). The bad thing about coming back after martyrdom is you're expected to live up to the values you died for. While humans were great an' all, he wasn't about to kill his brother for them. The reason he'd stood up to Lucifer in the first place was to give his brother one last chance, to see how far love really could go.

Maybe he'd been away from home for too long, because apparently it didn't go far at all.

Even if Daddy had finally opened his eyes to the world (which this particular angel was still doubtful of – and why him, of all his brothers and sisters who'd died?) there wasn't much point in doing so. He'd given the Winchesters the alternative with an underlying promise – neither of his brothers would die. Lucifer'd be trapped, sure, but he'd still be alive. He'd grown enough of a pair to stand up to the other archangel, but call him a coward if he still couldn't kill his brothers. He'd finally picked a side, but it wasn't with either of them and it never would be.

You'd think the Winchesters would've quit giving him such shit over it. You know, kindred spirits and all that – the two of them weren't particularly good at murdering each other either. But, seeing as they were the human representations of Michael and Lucifer and the one thing Gabriel could always count on from them was a bunch of shit, it really did make sense in the end.

"Annnd… end inner monologue," he said to the darkness, moving that strange sense of control into his legs. Really his vessel's legs, not his, but while he was in the body, they were good as his.

So. Vessel was still intact. Not quite sure if that should have been the case, but he'd roll with it. He was already rolling with the idea of being alive, so having an unmutilated body was kind of a step below that.

Now to grasp the concept of not knowing where the hell he was. The perks of being an archangel? Instant knowledge. No one ever got the drop on him. Gabriel should know where he was, what planet, what time (in every timezone), what century, and how he'd gotten here. Apparently a nice big bout of betrayal came with free amnesia. Not exactly a thrilling deal. He would've preferred some –

- fuzzy slippers. He was not wearing fuzzy slippers. Be gone, fuzzy slippers.

But they were still there. Staring at him.

Summary: alive, angel mojo intact. That Heavenly connection had shorted out a couple of times since his not-so-heroic escape, but it was there. A little fritzy, sure, but he'd gotten used to it. Wings intact. Angel mojo not particularly quick to be used. Vessel unharmed – not even a hole in the chest. Fuzzy slippers.

… roommate.

Okay, the one step at a time thing wasn't working so well. There was too much to absorb and there was a human in the room – he'd heard the breathing. A rough shove showed that he was either dead or comatose; another thing Gabriel should've been able to tell without touching him. He was kind of warm, so… alive? But a heavy sleeper.

With nice glasses. Well, if he couldn't make his own (for the moment)…

So. Getting the hell out of here seemed like a good idea, but either he'd broken an imaginary wing bone or something was keeping him from flying out. Which didn't happen. Again: archangel. Nothing beats 'em.

Well, one Guy did, but he wasn't around to be keeping a pet Gabe-in-a-box anywhere.

After a few fumbles around the room which led to a bumped knee, another rather uncomfortable touching of the human, and slamming a closet door, he'd found another one. Presumably into more darkness –

Bingo. Ding ding ding. Winner.

Forgoing the disbelief that he had to resort to using a plastic tube to see - one that he hadn't made himself – and that he was alive and yadda yadda yadda, he took a step into the darkness outside the other darkness.

Posthumous adventure. Woo.

[Over to here.]

Edited 2010-07-10 03:20 (UTC)

The end of the nightly announcement left Edgar shooting a questioning look to Gren. A ring that could take them to the last location they'd visited? And only one per group? That certainly explained why he'd not found a ring in his own drawer, but had him wanting an answer for why Landel would distribute such a powerful item. Their night had ended in a fairly normal locale, but what if the dawn had come an hour earlier, while they were still fighting the beast? Would the ring transport them to such a seemingly important room, as well?

It was a curious notion, and one that could prove useful in the future, especially if the rumors of the basement were true. It couldn't be easy to reach the inner sanctum of the institution before the morning arrived- if one could simply gather their weapons, party, and courage and warp there...

It seemed like such an invitation for the patients to find Landel. What game was he playing?

Edgar pulled his radio from his desk, slipping it into the pocket of the jacket before grabbing his light. "At least it seems you won't be breaking some girl's heart," he said lightly, "though this does make for an interesting turn of events, granted he's telling the truth about the ring. What do you think?"

Gren had pulled the ring back out of his pocket when it became a topic of conversation over the loudspeaker. It looked pretty innocuous but... it seemed almost too good to be true, and was just furthering his conviction that whatever else went on here, the institute was one elaborate mind game, the point of which he couldn't begin to guess at.

"Just as well, I wasn't looking forward to telling her I wasn't interested." He walked over to his closet and pulled out one of the sweatshirts. It wasn't warm enough outside for shirtsleeves, no matter how accustomed to the cold he'd gotten in the past three years. The ring got slid onto one pinkie before he pulled the sweatshirt on. "I think I'm not going to be too eager to test it unless it's really necessary," he replied. "Or until I hear from someone else that it works as advertised." For all they knew, it was a ploy to get them to use the things to some unfortunate end.

Edgar nodded. "I agree. Knowing what this place has to offer, I wouldn't be surprised to find that ring has dire consequences. It could be that Landel wants us to reach him, that he wants a challenge... however, I can't see him offering his prisoners a legitimate aid without some strings attached."

His shoulder ached sharply again, reminding him of their limitations. They'd have to be careful, especially when outdoors, where the darkness was much thicker and the chance of attack greater. Their injuries were bad enough; the fact that they were still unarmed only made matters worse. Hopefully, they'd not be without decent weaponry for much longer.

He opened the door to the hallway, ready to move. "To the courtyard, then?"

"If something seems too good to be true, it probably is," he joked wryly. "Even if it works the way they claim it does, I'm sure there will be some sort of drawback." He just couldn't see the point, otherwise. Why give them something so potentially useful with no strings attached.

He picked up both his flashlight and his radio, wishing he had more pockets for all of his stuff. As unfashionable as it had been, he almost wished for his old army uniform. At least that had been designed to carry equipment. "Ready as I'll ever be." He was going to have to be extra vigilant... he knew Edgar's injuries were worse than his own, and as the one with two functional arms, it was his duty to keep them both safe to the best of his ability.

(no subject)

girlsandgadgets - 2010-07-11 22:27 (UTC) - Expand

It was time.

Given his talk with Cloud, he hadn't had the opportunity to get up and check for the "present" Landel might have left him in the drawer. When Landel went through the description of what was said, Luke found himself immediately disappointed; if those special places meant their homes, it meant that even if he found one within his drawer, it might be useless. They spent their time in Baticul the night before and then woke up. They wouldn't be able to see where they had gone.

But then, he realized that there was a chance that someone else could use it, someone who had been to a far more useful place. Luke only hoped that would work out in his favor.

Not wanting to waste a minute that night, Luke clambered off his bed and moved toward his desk to look for the object that Landel described. He was surprised when he had it, but not as much as he could be; given his role among his friends, it almost made sense that he would have the ring. They always left him in charge of inventory. He slipped the ring over his finger, and proceeded toward the closet, tugging out his sword the same way as before. He realized he still really needed a way to make this easier to use, but again, he decided to wait. A note on the bulletin board tomorrow would rectify this problem; surely, there was someone in the institute willing to work or trade with him so this would be easier to use. He had to be optimistic about how things were here, even if people consistently proved that they weren't willing to change things.

But that was where he had to show them and try to talk to them. That was what he had done on Auldrant, wasn't it? He wasn't some ambassador, but it wasn't like him to just give up.

His fingers slid tightly around the hilt, and he knew he could handle it. It wouldn't be easy if he ended up running into some monsters tonight, but he decided to deal with it. Arriving in Baticul had removed any worries he had the night before, but now things were different. He wouldn't be running into his friends tonight, he figured, but he knew he had to get somewhere and do something. There was bound to be someone out there that would be interested in the information he had, and he had to be prepared.

Filled with determination, he grabbed his flashlight, gave a single nod toward his roommate, and started out. The night was waiting, and he knew this place well enough to be ready for it.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/936970.html)]

Edited 2010-07-09 22:12 (UTC)

For being the supposed leader of his group, Cloud was finding that he failed rather often when it came to making actual plans for meeting up here. For example, the next time he arranged to get together with one friend to search for another, it would be a good idea to actually list a place to meet. The blond sighed as he grabbed up his flashlight, radio, and sword. Thank goodness for the main hallway.

It was doubtful that Zack would leave the main patient blocks to go looking for him, so finding him shouldn't be all that difficult. That didn't make the situation any less frustrating. Come on, Cloud. You're better than this.

He'd checked his drawer for the item mentioned by the Head Doctor, but if such a thing actually existed, he hadn't been the one to end up with it. That didn't speak very highly of his leadership skills either, unless the one to receive it had just been chosen at random. Given the Institute's sense of humor, it had probably ended up with Yuffie. They'd worry about that later. Right now there were more important matters to deal with.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/936745.html?thread=70912297#t70912297)]

Endrance had just finished changing for the night when the announcement came over the intercom - a teleportation ring? Just for a moment, he thought that it might be a way to get back home. A way to go back, to be there at home and have things be normal again, but those thoughts were crushed immediately.

The Blade Brandier aimed his sword at the intercom once, scowling at it before letting his arm fall to his side with a quiet curse. "I'll find you. And when I do..."

That was all assuming that he had access to one of those special rings. He checked the drawers of his desk, but...nothing. His face fell, but the determination returned quickly.

Endrance wasn't exactly what Klavier would categorize as an intimidating or dangerous-looking person, but he was tall. Throw into that a long sword, and the gesture he made with the weapon actually managed to be rather menacing. It was a threat. That might normally bother Klavier, but in his current state, he found himself surprising understanding of the sentiment.

It seemed Endrance hadn't come up with any "ring" on his side either. Pity. Here he'd been hoping he might be able to at least inspect the thing. If the lunatic's words were true, then either Herr Red or Fräulein Prosecutor had ended up with the device. Thankfully, neither were stupid enough to do something incredibly reckless with the thing. Or so he hoped.

"We will find him. Eventually." Even Klavier was surprised by how calm he was managing to sound despite buried anger. "For now, it sounds like Herr Doktor wants to play again tonight. He's trying to challenge us." He had no idea what this could mean, but it was best not to underestimate this man. "If he's trying to rile us on purpose, he might be planning to catch us off guard with something again. It might be best to proceed with caution tonight." Well... more caution than normal, that is.

Klavier put the keys back into the drawer, making a mental note of them for later, and proceeded to collect the flashlight from under his pillow. Putting the light in his sling had worked astonishingly well the night before. He would just have to do so again tonight.

[ From here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/939724.html?thread=70911436#t70911436). ]

It wasn't until Haseo was out in the halls before something other than the state of hurrying managed to get through to him. It wasn't like he had much of a reason to be rushing so much anyway... Endrance wouldn't have left without him or something like that, after all. If anything, the Blade Brandier would merely show up at Haseo's room first if he took too long, as he had on numerous occasions in the past.

Of course, in the end all that hurrying wasn't much more than a way to avoid the dark thoughts and feelings that the hospital caused. Ignoring what had happened to him wasn't the most elegant of solutions, but Haseo was already aware that how he addressed his problems wasn't always the healthiest or best way to go about it. Recognizing that was the easy part... finding a way to do something about it was less so. He didn't want to admit that the things "Erin" had said were far more damaging than he wanted to admit, or that he had no idea what to do about it.

The Adept Rogue's grip on his swords tightened, pace quickening once again as he walked the short distance between 'his' hall and the next, and then the length of the hall leading to Endrance's room. He made to knock, but before he could make his presence known, he noticed that for the first time ever he could hear more than one voice coming from inside the room.

"Hey!" he said after a beat, deciding to forgo knocking in favor of not having to shift his swords between hands. "Endrance?"

"Haseo? Come in..." Endrance stepped towards the door and opened it immediately. "Ah. Klavier, this is my..."

He paused and actually blushed for just a moment, folding his free arm over his chest. That was probably saying far, far too much with his body language, but he couldn't particularly bring himself to care. But now, he needed to get back to his senses and make introductions, ones that didn't involve lines and lines of gushing superlatives. The only problem was that he didn't think he could go without at least some

"My...dear friend from back home, Haseo. I...I really don't know what I would do without him in this place...he means the world to me and then some, and...and he's one of the strongest people I've ever met. I owe him my life more than once over, within these horrid walls and outside of it. He's so..."

Endrance shook his head and looked down at the floor, in an attempt to stem either the tide of compliments or his own blush - or the gesturing he was doing with the hand that wasn't holding his sword. He hadn't actually realized he was gesturing so much when he had been talking, but...this was Haseo. The most important person in the world to him needed to be...introduced as such.

And speaking of, the introductions didn't need to be so one-sided, did they?

"Haseo, my roommate, Klavier Gavin. One of the most honest people I've met in this place, and I don't mean that sarcastically. Also, very good with music and very smart."

So that was short in comparison. That wasn't that noticeable, was it?

M13.

M13.

[M16]

[M16]

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M19

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M12

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M11

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M17

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M17

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M14

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