Nightshift 50: F12 [CLINIC]

[per-ardua.livejournal.com]

Raine didn't have exactly much setup to do when she wasn't even leaving her room; this proved to be a very good thing when she opened a desk drawer and saw the ring, just before the Head Doctor informed them exactly what it was. As it sank in as to just what having it could mean, her eyes got very wide and she nearly squealed; this was marvelous!

The fact that she was expecting someone was promptly pushed to the back of her mind as she grabbed the maps she had copied and started poring over them, looking for places that were especially hard to get to. The biggest obstacle facing them during Nightshift was lack of time, and now they seemed to have a way around that. It wasn't perfect, each ring was apparently one use only and that probably wasn't the only catch, but it was still very promising.

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[notthistrain.livejournal.com]

[from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/935981.html?thread=71178797#t71178797)]

This room was occupied, perhaps once again by someone who didn't plan on going anywhere that night. Cloud could help but feel a little relieved that there were some of the weaker members of the patient population that knew better than to go wandering off where they might get themselves injured or worse. Not that he knew anything about this woman, and he could be completely off on that assumption, but one less worry was one less worry.

He knocked on the door, gently, just as he'd done previously. "Excuse me," he went on to say so she (or he assumed it was a she in this hall) knew it was a human being on the other side. "Do you have a moment? We're just looking for a friend of ours."

[zack-fair.livejournal.com]

A destroyed room really didn't tell them much, especially since whoever had been responsible was long gone. Zack figured that getting out your frustration for a place by trashing it (or searching futilely for something useful) wasn't the worst thing that a person could do, even if the wasted food was a shame.

Though it seemed that the next room was occupied, and so Zack allowed Cloud to take the lead, always interested in seeing how his friend took on that sort of role. While he waited for whoever was behind the door and shuffling around (he could only barely make it out) to respond, the soldier leaned himself against the wall next to the door and crossed his arms over his chest. It was starting to feel like they were just going through the motions to make sure that they checked every possible avenue, but Zack still tried to force himself to be positive. He wasn't sure if it was working that well.

[per-ardua.livejournal.com]

Raine looked up from her note-taking (she'd since hidden the ring again to be safe). "I'll help if I can. Who are you looking for?" Her guest hadn't arrived yet, so unless they wanted her to come with them, she had time to talk.

Unfortunately, she could guess where this conversation was going. Even if she knew who they were looking for well enough to provide a room number--which wasn't likely--people here came and went with such frequency and unpredictability that she probably wasn't going to be able to help.

[notthistrain.livejournal.com]

How many times would they be saying these same words tonight, Cloud wondered. As many times as they had to, of course. It didn't matter if it was repetitive. Finding Aerith was more important. "A friend of ours. She's around our age, auburn hair with a pink ribbon, green eyes. Her name is Aerith, and I'm afraid we forgot which room she was in." And worse, they hadn't seen her in some time.

The blond caught a glimpse of the room inside, but tried not to look too long lest if be considered a breach of the woman's privacy. It was set up as though she expected to treat the wounded. Was this a clinic, then, or just someone practicing their first aid? It was a good thing to note, he supposed, even if it didn't help them with their current task.

[zack-fair.livejournal.com]

Getting a better look into the room, Zack noticed a sleeping girl in one of the beds and then a pale-haired woman near the other. She was probably around his age, but she seemed to have all of her items in order, if the setup of the room was anything to go by. Was she just really paranoid about getting hurt, or was she running some sort of operation here?

Normally he would have chatted her up and gotten a better idea of what this was all about, but right now there was a bigger issue at hand, and he knew that. This time around, he left Cloud to do the talking, figuring that they could trade off. Having to give Aerith's description as if they were putting her face on a missing persons report was pretty upsetting, but they didn't have many other options.

Zack caught the woman's gaze and waited for her answer as patiently as he could.

[per-ardua.livejournal.com]

Raine frowned slightly, thinking; she really didn't talk to many people, and she didn't remember for certain anyone by that description. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I know her."

The way they were both looking around didn't escape her notice; had the clinic sign fallen down again? Argh, I give up. As a teacher of young children, writing directly on the wall herself went against nearly every fiber of her being, but it made the most sense here. It wasn't as if she cared about this building.

[notthistrain.livejournal.com]

The response was obvious even before the woman opened her mouth. That didn't make it any less disappointing to hear. She probably hadn't even been in this hall, if no one here recognized her. And there he went thinking in the past tense again. There was still a small chance she was here, though even as he thought that he found himself believing it even less - if he'd ever believed it to begin with.

"I see. Sorry to have bothered you, then, and thank you for your time." He shot Zack another glance and turned to leave. There was nothing else for them in this hall. Time to go to the next, and last, one.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/935373.html?thread=71282893#t71282893)]

[Just avoiding a hiatus. Ignore. XD]

[per-ardua.livejournal.com]

Hoping she hadn't missed anyone because the clinic sign was down again, Raine went out into the hall herself to look. Sure enough--the tape she'd been able to get wasn't meant to be reused, and so her sign had fallen on the floor to be trampled.

As much as it pained her to do it, Raine moved to the wall beside her always-open door and wrote there. It took a few tries to get the pen to work on the painted surface, but she managed; it read simply, "CLINIC HERE - F12," in large letters. After a pause, she went to the end of the hall and wrote on the corner that would be most easily visible from the hall, "CLINIC - F12," with an arrow pointing the right way. That done, she went back to her room to wait.

She had no idea that right now, anyone who needed to find her wouldn't be able to read a single word she'd written.