Night 50: Main Hallway, 1-West

[heroesdontshave]

[from here]

It looked like the hallway opened up over here. Guess he couldn't expect to just run around and follow a linear corridor forever, but now he had to figure out which way he wanted to go. Normally, he'd just run down whatever hallway he happened to lay eye on first, but again, he was running a liiittle blind here.

He still wasn't seeing any people anywhere. Maybe everyone was hiding. If everyone knew the staff turned into monsters and tried to eat them, then it'd make sense that they'd try to keep low. Thankfully, he'd be taking care of whatever was wandering around this place, so they wouldn't have to stay hiding for long. Once that was done, they could blast their way out of there and he could find his way back to the others. Couldn't keep everyone waiting on account of him, right?

[running across Rita, The Trickster, and hopefully, a freaking flashlight]

Comments

[repelling.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/938786.html?view=71426082#t71426082)]

Here, again, Uryuu felt compelled to pull out his own flashlight and make use of it. The size of the hallway prompted it: it was much longer and much wider, with corridors branching to the left and doors on both sides. There were more of the others here as well. From what he could discern through dim light (beaming it directly at their faces would undoubtedly not be appreciated) and distance, a wide range of ages were represented. No one seemed raving mad. Closest but still moving was a teenager and a girl who looked younger even than that; the murmured conversations that came back from those within the hall were strange.

Uryuu realized that a number of languages were being spoken. He recognized Japanese, of course, and English, but others eluded him. Using the flashlight to push up his glasses, Uryuu concentrated; he had not heard every language in the world, of course, but for some to sound so alien... after a minute, he put the question aside.

One more mystery. The priority ought to be pinpointing someone speaking Japanese, and approach. He quickened his pace.

[bravados.livejournal.com]

"I think all anyone really caught was the screech..." Paying loose attention to where Ishida was and following his trail into the even-bigger hall, he thought on the second announcement more briefly than the first. Was that even Japanese at the end there? He brought his flashlight up again, noticing more people and more talk going on in this corridor than the last.

Whether they'd actually get the opportunity to talk or not, Masaomi started paying more attention to fellow kidnapees milling around than he did the place itself, figuring there'd be more things to learn from them than the empty spaces they were occupying. The sparse crowd was diverse, people of all ages speaking what seemed like different languages too. He picked up more English than anything else recognizable as he passed by, and what were probably several other languages. Coherent, even if he didn't get it.

It made sense, he told himself more calmly than some part of him thought he ought to. If timewarps or kidnappings-you-didn't-notice-happening could (in fact, just did) happen, why couldn't he have been transported outside of Japan as well? He inanely reconsidered the possibility that aliens really were in Ikebukuro, that they were the ones that had abducted him. He'd never given the rumors credit before but now, he hastily shelved the thought and hoped it'd stay there long enough to gather dust till it was forgotten completely... how would he fight that, anyway, if it was true?

And if this place wasn't in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan or Earth, even — did anyone here know where?

Think, think. Like a shounen manga hero. ...Or not. Masaomi was grateful he'd read up on astronomy some random afternoon, during his stint as a simple high school student. (Granted, though he'd only wanted to learn more about it in relation to astrology so as to better impress girls with precisely how star-crossed they were, it could come in handy here too.) Springtime in Japan last he checked, so... Leo and Hydra and the Big Dipper should be out there in the sky too. "Hey, Ishida-san, you didn't happen to notice if there were stars outside, did you? When you found the field?"

He regretted not walking out and seeing for himself when they were still back there. But instead of hearing a response, Masaomi turned and found Ishida starting away already. Was he tuning him out?! "Oi, Ishida-san..." Or, more likely, was someone else speaking their language?

[gai-namic-entry.livejournal.com]

[And here he comes, from here! (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/936745.html?thread=71476009#t71476009)]

Gai had fully intended to keep his sharp mind focused on the task he had set for himself, but he soon realized that even he could not manage to tune out the phenomenon taking place in the shadows around him. He knew that one would pass other patients in the hallways, and was in fact prepared for the occurrence, as such happenstance had been the only way he had encountered his fellow Konoha ninja during his first night here. He had even allotted himself time to pause, should someone witness his passage through the hallways and feel the need to ask his undoubtedly impressive self for momentary protection or assistance.

While that had yet to occur, he had made note to pay close attention to the individuals he passed, at least in the fleeting moment he moved by them – a good shinobi makes sure to be aware of all parts of his environment, especially those people in it, as harmless as they may seem. It was in these instinctual observations that the strange occurrence became apparent to him, and his striking brows knit as he listened more closely, though he was still running seamlessly through the hallway as he pondered.

He had always been able to clearly understand the words being spoken by his fellow patients, both during the day, and during his first night shift in this place – but now, while every so often he would catch a clear utterance or recognizable phrase, much of what was being said around him had turned to what seemed like gibberish. It was not due to a change in his own impeccable hearing, he quickly verified – all the quiet voices were crystal clear to his well-trained ears, as were all the noises, large and small, that echoed against the walls of the corridor.

Maito Gai’s dark eyes shone dramatically with sudden realization – this no doubt had something to do with the unsettling intercom communication which had come just moments before, and was likely yet another attempt by his unidentified foes to hinder him, the pride of Konoha, in his progress towards an escape for him and his comrades – did they hope that by disturbing his ability to communicate with those around him, they would have successfully disrupted his ability to navigate this place? To call for help should he (somehow) need it, once he reached the less populated parts of this facility?

Once again they had underestimated his abilities, and likely were unaware of the maps he possessed, which would ideally render the need to ask for directions obsolete. Still, it would be unwise of him to continue on his journey without first addressing this concern and how, if at all, it could be circumvented – and there was no better approach than directness.

The movement of his powerful form through the hallways came to a sudden, perfect halt, and he stood still, listening carefully for the first voice that spoke words he could identify. He spun on his heel, the movement a dynamic flash through the darkness, and leveled a finger dramatically at the speaker, or rather, the speaker’s companion who had been moving ahead of him – there were two of them, he realized…and they were both young men about the age of his treasured students.

“Excuse me!” He announced in his strong, masculine voice, after framing his handsome face with his other hand and offering the two his most reassuring smile, complete with a star-like gleam. “Do you understand what I am saying?”

[repelling.livejournal.com]

"There were stars," he answered, barely turning his head to do so. The question was a good one and Uryuu understood the meaning of it, having glanced at the sky. What he had noticed, if at the time only with a sense of discomfort, one that sharpened as his mind reviewed the image, made turning and facing Kida-san less desirable. Having to say it, and allow it the reality of the spoken word, was enough.

"The constellations weren't recognizable. Not only for a Tokyo sky... if you've ever seen the stars from the city." Uryuu had not yet taken Astronomy, but he'd looked into it himself, recognizing the value of situating oneself by the stars. He knew what one should expect in England, in Brazil, in Texas, or roughly so. He knew the patterns the stars made over the Earth. Wasting time with, or allowing himself to become stumped and obsessed by the question of possibility wasn't an option - and even he could recognize the irony of thinking this is impossible when the world he'd come from before this one wasn't a human one.

Uryuu had slowed to answer, but before he could quicken or even call to the other pair, his eyes (still directed more toward Kida-san) picked up the moving darkness, his flashlight turning with his upper body, catching first the jutting finger, then a chiseled jaw and very white, very straight teeth. It took him a moment to understand. The man spoke what sounded like Japanese, yet it was oddly reminiscent of something archaic, as if he quoted a text from the Heian period. Even that analogy failed; it wasn't old Japanese. But, that syntax.

Without shining the light directly in the man's face, Uryuu noted his unflattering haircut and the confidence in his posture. He held himself as if posing, as if a superhero on a children's program; somewhat like Don Kanonji. The drama of his entrance was ruined, made less cool, by the persisting ugliness of the uniform. The man looked to be in his thirties. Without looking back at the shrinking pair, Uryuu redirected his and Kida-san's goal, targeting this guy. He did not return the smile. It was irritating to have rely on a complete stranger, to admit his ignorance of the situation.

"Yes," he said, "for the most part. Who are you? Where are we? Unless you, too, woke up here for the first time tonight."

The last said with obvious doubt. Appearances could be deceiving; it could be that the man's attitude came not from experience with the place, and more from idiocy. For the moment, Uryuu assumed otherwise.

[bravados.livejournal.com]

Not only... He frowned, processing the information reluctantly. Aliens were starting to seem more and more likely... and even if it wasn't really the case, he'd have to act from here on out like it was, unrealistic though it may be. Because they weren't in Tokyo, Japan, or even Earth. It was probably strange that Ishida-san was from there, then. Coincidences, jokes, caprices. Ikebukuro couldn't be the only place that suffered those.

He didn't bother sharing that he'd grown up in Saitama, that he'd spent summer nights hunting beetles, finding creeks and doing other things his future self would like to look back on. The stars were pretty visible, back in the idyllic days of his childhood.

Before he could come up with an appropriate response, he caught someone speaking loudly in what sounded like Japanese, right in their direction. Slowing down and turning to look for the source about the same time Ishida did, Masaomi found himself looking at someone who must've, like him, been confused about what kind of show they were here for. This was beyond a two thumbs down version of a Hanejima Yuuhei movie, hadn't this guy figured by now? Or he had, and gotten used to it or something....

He looked much older at least, and if it wasn't for the pose he was making (though he might've passed for impressive in the right clothing), Masaomi would be less inclined to think he was being, for the most part, honest. The man must've been speaking some dialect too — it wasn't any sort of Japanese he outright recognized. Similar words, jumbled in a different order. Masaomi had solved puzzles like this sometimes, little online games that'd test how well your brain could piece things together. And his brain usually did a good job of those, if he did say so himself.

The man's haircut was atrocious, but Kida Masaomi wouldn't judge! Much. After all, teeth that sparkled like that deserved some props. Tacking onto Ishida's blunter questions, he met the man's intrusion with a faint, amused grin. It never did any good to show that he was as discomfited as he felt, especially around adults. "A cosplayer? Is this a convention? We don't have cameras, so there's no press to put on a show for. You can be honest with the likes of us~! As inundated with cynicism as all young men are, we surely have much to learn about —" (he gestured vaguely) "— all of this."

[gai-namic-entry.livejournal.com]

Gai raised a striking brow as the young men spoke, holding his pose effortlessly until the two had finished. He pondered the strangeness of the language they spoke – it was similar enough to his own that he could understand the general meaning behind their words, but he was sure the subtle nuances of their speech was lost due to the change. No doubt the same had happened to him, as he could gather the phenomenon was affecting comprehension on both sides.

He understood little of what the second boy said – whatever he meant by “convention”, and “cosplay”, the jounin hadn’t the slightest idea…though it was true, this place was most unconventional in many aspects. He did pick out certain words, however, having to do with honesty and youthfulness, and he offered a nod of manly approval at these, at least.

“Who am I?” He repeated once they were finished speaking – it was a question he was not quite used to, though it made sense that his shining reputation would not precede him here, in a place like this, and to people who had seemingly only just arrived. A dramatic flash moved through his dark eyes, and soon he had spun into a new pose, though his hand still framed his handsome face, and his gleaming smile quickly returned.

“I am Maito Gai, the proud, green beast of Konoha!” he announced with his characteristic flourish, the bold sound echoing through the dark hallway. He was unsure whether the majority of his introduction would make sense to the two, considering the complications, but no matter – a ninja such as himself was impressive in any language. After a small pause, he spoke again, adding what he could in clarification after considering the rest of the bespectacled youth’s question. “I am a shinobi, and this is the second night I have found myself in this place. I do not know a great deal, yet, but I will gladly pass onto you the explanations given to me upon my own arrival.”

“But first!” He pointed again, somehow managing to level the two with the gesture simultaneously – no small feat, but one he had down to a practiced science after his years of teaching. “Might I hear your names?”

[repelling.livejournal.com]

At the time the "change" had occurred, Uryuu and Kida-san had not yet encountered other patients, had not yet heard their voices. As far as they knew, language division was the norm. Despite the man exuding confidence, Uryuu couldn't help but get the sense that behind the nod, he had as much difficulty understanding them as they did him.

The man kept moving precisely as if he'd sprung out of a television set, obviously posing for them. As little as Uryuu trusted Kida-san, as disinclined as he was as a general rule to bond or share with others, he found himself glancing at the other boy, his expression a clear mixture of, is this guy for real? and See? Mental institution. (Hypocritically, of course, given his own penchant for drama).

The flashy, distracting movements failed to keep Uryuu from paying close attention to the man's words: Maito Gai the name, a kind of creature of Konoha, wherever that was. And, apparently, a ninja. Though the guy had not barreled down the hallway, it was difficult for Uryuu to suspend his disbelief in this matter. To decide if this Maito Gai was impressive or insane, useful or not. Two things provided the benefit of the doubt: 1) indubitably, if Uryuu were to explain that he was a Quincy and what that entailed, he'd be considered mad, and 2) Maito Gai spoke of explanations.

"Ishida Uryuu," he answered, and deliberated as to how to label himself. Student or Quincy? To omit the latter seemed, somehow, wrong, to be denying himself; but that feeling was absurd. He didn't sign his test papers or exams Ishida Uryuu, Quincy. "Student at Karakura High School, of Karakura, Tokyo, Japan."


[ooc: SORRY A) SO LATE!!! B) TL;DR WITHOUT MUCH HAPPENING ;_; wanted to let kida say sup mah name is what my name is who my name is... C) ... all the edits ]