damned_institute | Night 51: M91-M100 Hallway

Entry tags:

Night 51: M91-M100 Hallway

[M96]

Like another time, Nigredo dreamed of stagnating indifference and an empty room. To awake to a voice growing in proximity and recognition. And what developments had Dr. Landel achieved now? It must have been sufficient; he sounded too close to his father when the man caught scent of a viable trail. Trait of a doctor, perhaps. At their core, they must all sound the same.

It faded, soon replaced by doors unlocking in unison. Soon accompanied by murmurs of patients making preparations for the night. In a previous instance, Nigredo might have bothered to do the same. A mind laced in chemicals, however, killed whatever need for a nightly venture. He couldn't recall the events of dinner or if he had actually slept, or whether the emotions that had blossomed at his own confession subsided in the rise of apathy. To put efforts in movement proved too much--he would rather stagnate.

He would rather rot.

The haze of sleep shifted to another sort, and Nigredo ran a hand over his eyes. Lines blurred and crossed, but overall, he had his senses intact. The staff must have corrected the dosage this time: not a single trace of nausea existed in his system. Just an overwhelming silence. Nothing.

Breathing across the room indicated the presence of his roommate. It was taken like everything else; Nigredo couldn't be bothered to leave his bed for someone such as Sync. The other was free to do as he wished.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Unlike the last few nights, where Rolo all but sprang up out of bed to tackle the night's tasks, the boy rather ungracefully slumped out of bed. The reason was two-fold: His arm still hurt and it was physically difficult to get up, and because his task for the night was... beyond unpleasant. However, it was an order from Brother, so Rolo was going to carry it out. It made sense, logically speaking, and his brother never asked him to do anything for no reason. Brother had something to gain from him apologizing to Stephen, so Rolo wasn't going to ignore that order.

It still didn't mean he liked it though.

Actually, it was downright humiliating, because it reminded him of his failure. First, he failed to actually kill Stephen and had it be glaringly obvious to everyone in sight. And then, he had to... apologize for trying to kill him? This was something new, because Rolo hadn't failed before. And even if he had, who would have asked him to apologize? But maybe Greta was wrong; she sounded confident about bullies and all, and what she said about Stephen made sense, but it wasn't like she actually knew him or his methods. Maybe Stephen was working with Brother. Maybe Stephen was a useful part of Brother's plans. If he did something that would have interfered, then naturally Brother would have a problem with it. So he did have to apologize, and keep the relationship good between them, right?

Rolo was still trying to make himself believe and accept this reasoning as he stood in front of the door he swore he saw Stephen come out of last night, knocking on it slowly. Once. Twice. Had Stephen already left? Rolo tried to leave early, but he didn't know. Some part of him, although it was contrary to the plan, hoped that the other teen already left to bother someone else for a change (or do something useful. Whatever came first.)

Whether or not it'd been from some silent mutual agreement, Sync was more than happy to ignore his roommate when he entered the room. Dinner was eaten quickly and quietly, the God-General rolling onto his side and spending the rest of dinner asleep once he finished. One day he might actually end up regretting such a leisurely approach, but it wasn't like he was without preparation. A militaristic life meant that one eventually learned how to sleep lightly whether they liked it or not.

Sync rose only when the intercom came to life, signifying the start of the night. However, if there was one thing Sync hadn't been expecting it was the sudden knock only minutes after the fact. Green eyes automatically glanced towards the direction of the sound, his peripherals falling onto his roommate before the God-General stood up from his bed. He didn't care if Nigredo had company, and it'd be even better if it were a set up, but he'd rather be the first to find out.

The replica approached the door, reaching out to twist the knob and pulled it open with little to no hesitation. However, what he saw caused him to raise an eyebrow, his other hand behind him tightening into a fist as a precaution. Yet his initial confusion quickly dissolved, replaced by a casual grin as he looked Spike over.

"Well this is a first."

Edited 2010-09-01 01:22 (UTC)

To be honest, Rolo wasn't sure what kind of reaction he would get from Stephen, so he was on the defensive. Self defense was a perfectly acceptable reason to kill someone, right? It couldn't be helped if he was attacked by Stephen for trying to apologize, and he was sure Brother would have understood that. So, in some way, Rolo was almost hoping that Stephen would try to finish what they started last night so he could use that excuse to rid himself of the pest once and for all.

That's why he was ... lost when all Stephen did was look him over and say it was a first. A first for what? He guessed it was him willingly interacting with Stephen... It would have been a first then. Rolo avoided Stephen if he could help it, after all. He wasn't in the mood to play around with the other, though. If he wasn't going to rise to the bait, it was best to just drop it for now and get it over with.

"... I'm sorry for last night," Rolo finally choked out the words, looking like the very effort of trying to force them out was burning the inside of his throat or something. Everything about Rolo, from his tone to his posture to his eyes indicated that his apology was definitely not sincere and rather forced.

At the same time, he stood still and waited. Brother had asked him to apologize, so... this was the first time Rolo had done this seriously. Was he supposed to wait for Stephen to accept it? Did Brother specify that Stephen had to accept it, or was his part done already?

Given Spike's performance last night, there wasn't any reason for him to really feel threatened about this encounter. Still, he had to admit that seeing the brunet come voluntarily garnered some suspicion, and with good reason. Even if Spike ultimately failed the fact of the matter was that the latter tried to kill him, and he had to either be confident or idiotic to show his face like this. However, what happened next was the last thing he expected to hear.

"..." For a moment the God-General couldn't say anything, visibly surprised and a little doubtful of what he just heard. The cues made it obvious that the other teen wasn't exactly happy about this predicament, though Sync had to wonder why this was being done at all. If anything, the apology itself was out of place, set aside those who actually felt remorse. It sounded more like the brunet was being forced as opposed to this being done of his own volition, or maybe he was just too prideful of a person and being humble to a potential ally (ha ha, yeah right) was like pulling teeth. The replica stared at Spike for those few quiet seconds, trying to decide whether or not the latter was actually being serious.

... Then without any warning Sync suddenly reached out, smacking Spike over the head before closing the door.

The silence that followed his more than half-hearted apology was tense. It showed on Rolo's body, locking each limb in a rigid position as he prepared himself for an inevitable attack. As much as Rolo would have liked to believe that Stephen would just be too bemused to do anything else, he knew he paid the price for underestimating Stephen once already, and he wasn't going to make that mistake again. If Stephen attacked him after he apologized, then it definitely counted as self-defense, right? No one would be able to fault him for that, and no one would know about what happened to prompt that apology.

So Rolo waited.

And then was promptly smacked over the head.

While he was expecting an attack, the sudden method of it being delivered stunned Rolo (who let out a surprised sound that sounded like a choke and a gasp that were fighting to get out of his throat) for enough time to let Stephen slam the door in his fights. Coming to his senses just a moment too late, Rolo reacted immediately and struck like a snake, his arm slamming down on the door. In his fist, there was a glint of silver - one of his scalpels had been driven into the door with enough force to wedge it into the wood.

"D-Damnit..."

Rolo's eyes remained fixed on the door with a fierce gaze as he clutched onto that scalpel for a good minute, his forehead pressed against the door and his grip so tight that his knuckles turned white. He glowered, then sighed and shook the scalpel a bit to free it from the door. He left a mark, but it wasn't deep enough to even reach halfway through the door, much less all the way and right into Stephen's stupid face.

So Rolo, at a loss for what to do now that he failed to do completely anything, stepped back and watched the door with a kind of strange intensity. Someone had to come out eventually.

The chemicals coursed strongly through his veins, but that did not deter Nigredo from observation. At the knock, the child rolled over to his side, watching as Sync went to address their visitor. Despite the possible danger, nothing in him panicked at a potential third party. None who knew Nigredo would bother to visit tonight, and he cared little for what company Sync might have kept in the institute. If they posed a threat, so be it. Self-preservation would continue to be a low priority on his list; not even an extra annoyance or two would change that.

It proved to be neither--or more appropriately, complicated. Sync knew him, whoever he was. Furthermore, if the newcomer's apology was to be taken seriously, they had corresponded the night before.

Corresponded, it seemed, in a negative sense. Before Nigredo had a chance turn back on his stomach for another bout of sleep, Sync hit the other body and closed the door. The sound that followed forced the boy to stare openly at the entrance, a complex feature rising to his expression.

In a rare instance, Nigredo was suddenly unsure about his position in the scenario. Business of this nature was best left to the parties involved, and being here, regardless of his own issues, would be deemed invasive. Not for Sync nor his "acquaintance", no. For Nigredo himself. Thus, at the first available moment, he pulled himself to wobbly stand. Equipment and items were left as they were; the child only needed to leave the room as soon as humanly able.

His good hand pressed against his temple. Without a single word, Nigredo strode forward, past Sync to draw closer to the entrance. There, he ignored any thrown responses and opened the door into the hallway. He spared a glance at the unlucky soul (shaking his head once as though to offer his sympathies) before beginning his awkward trek down the hallway.

[To here.]

As idiotic as it may have been on his part, there was something satisfying about hearing the sudden bang of something slamming into the door as soon as he closed it. Fist clutching tightly onto the doorknob, Sync remained that way for a good minute, listening in as the aforementioned object was eventually pulled out, followed by quiet shuffling.

For a moment the God-General wondered if this were signs of an ambush in preparation, which would certainly put a dent in his plans if that were the case. Finally releasing the doorknob, the replica was about to turn and motion his roommate over-some kind of experiment, or a chance to relieve his boredom-but was mildly surprised when the latter beat him to it.

Seeing this working in his favor, Sync pulled back without a word, allowing Nigredo to step out. Of course, he'd be a fool to not keep up his guard, looking over at Spike as soon as his roommate began to move down the hallway.

"So are you doing anything tonight?"

Edited 2010-09-09 20:39 (UTC)

Glowering at the door didn't really accomplish anything, but glower Rolo did until someone in the room had decided to risk coming out of it, as he had predicted. His grip on the scalpel tightened once more, but Rolo didn't move as he saw black hair instead of green, realizing that someone else was leaving the room. Who? It was ...

Huh? The hair color was wrong, but Rolo stared at the boy with some confusion, his face recalling his conversation with a silver haired boy. Albedo, wasn't it? The boy who looked like Albedo - wait, didn't Albedo mention a brother? - gave him a look before going on, taking Rolo's attention more than it should have. When he looked back at the door, Sync was coming out and Rolo's focus returned to the situation at hand. Namely, the problem with Stephen.

Stephen really owed his life to his brother. Rolo tried not to bat an eye at the latter's absurd question; did he think they were supposed to be allies now? He still wasn't sure of what Stephen's status with his brother was supposed to be. Brother hadn't mentioned anything to Rolo aside from the fact that he didn't want people dying without permission, and he hadn't yet received permission. No, it was because Rolo hadn't put together enough reasons.

All he had to prove was that Stephen was useless and of no help to Brother's plans. No, it was more than that; he had to prove that Stephen was actually a hindrance. That would surely get the permission he needed to execute the other.

"... Yes." So that was why Rolo decided to allow Stephen to come with him.

"Maybe you should actually get to that then." What a civil conversation already, but it was almost out of reflex now. Whether or not there was going to be a repeated attempt was up in the air, but it wasn't like there was anything else to do. If anything, keeping Spike around allowed him to keep on his toes, so as long as the latter didn't actually succeed with his absurd goals then they were fine as is.

Or he was just bored, but what was the difference these days?

"Or you should actually do something else for a change," Sync casually suggested, stepping out of the room and shutting it. "Have you even been to the second floor yet?"

Dinner passed without much fuss and Fai was dressed in his old clothes and ready to go as soon as the lights went out. He picked up his things; radio, ring, flashlight, and waited, knowing Kurogane would be on his way shortly.

So where were they to go tonight anyway? He'd prefer to get a quick start, so Allie didn't ask him why the radio talked to him personally at times, announcements that didn't reach the general public. Or that the strange problems with languages last night hadn't had any effect on him or his traveling companion when he knew it really should have. Nevermind what they'd been doing the night when everyone was running through portals and doors that led every which way.

Yuuhi tried to push it all aside and just focus instead on the end goal. If they found Marc, he would be able to see his twin brother again. Things would be alright if they were together. There was no room for doubt.

M99 came faster than usual, and was opened with more force than usual when Kurogane barged in and demanded that, "You'd better still be here!" Obviously Fai was since he was easily spotted, but that didn't stop Kurogane from immediately turning to go. Even if Fai was feeling brave enough to try to teleport them without Tsubaki again, Kurogane wasn't going to let himself get caught by it. He, at least, wouldn't leave the girl to wonder why she'd been stuck in her room all night. "Try anything again and I swear I'll track you down, you got that? Now let's go."

Yuuhi startled a little at the sudden entrance, but it was obviously just the angry ninja, fresh for another night and mad as a hornet from the look of things. He no sooner stomped in, then he was on his way out once more, leaving Yuuhi to hurry after.

Try anything. Tempting as it was to go on his own, he knew it would only cause more trouble for them in the long run. They'd be likely to waste time wondering where he'd gone or making sure he couldn't do it the next night. At least he had the ring now, just in case. A lot depended on where they decided to go.

"Coming~," he replied in a sing-song voice that they both knew was a lie. He stepped out into the hall, leaving a bit of space between them, his coat trailing the floor after him as he followed.

Having already finished his preparations, Tenzen left his room as soon as he heard the familiar click of the doors unlocking. His dark eyes scanned the hall for any threats, but found none. No patients were present either, but that was hardly surprising.

Without any further delay, the ninja moved down the hallway.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/962070.html?thread=72374038#t72374038)]

Yuusei jerked awake with a gasp the moment he heard what sounded like the door closing, and for a brief, disoriented moment, he thought he'd managed to miss his chance to move about at night yet again. He hadn't planned on taking a nap, but Yuusei began to think the stress accrued over the last week - even before waking up in Landel's - was starting to get to him, since he'd already ruled the food as being the source of his fatigue. Maybe there was something else about this place that made him drift in and out of sleep without warning? He had no way of knowing just yet, but he hoped he could find the answer to that over the course of the evening.

He looked towards the other bed and realized that the sound that had started him was nothing other than Naruto heading out. Slipping out of bed and digging his flashlight from underneath the pillow, Yuusei moved over to his desk and ripped a blank sheet out of his journal at random, folding it and tucking it on the inside of one rolled-up sleeve, along with a pen from his drawer, just in case he found some things along the way that he'd need to remember later. The door slid open easily, silently, and the halls were - unsurprisingly - rather empty. Steeling himself, Yuusei closed the door behind him and quickly jogged down the hallway.

[ To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/962070.html?view=72568598#t72568598). ]

As the door unlocked, Heiji felt a small thrill that he hadn't felt in weeks. Kaitou Kid, finally making an appearance. He'd known it was only a matter of time before that flying squirrel had to pull an ego trip over on him and Shinichi. And tonight was the night.

Possibly what excited him the most was the idea that if they did manage to catch Kid, he'd be totally screwed. He and Shinichi would find out his identity, and when they got home... well. His thieving days would be toast.

Grabbing his flashlight and his sword, Heiji set out--not even thinking once about whether or not his ghost was going to come back to haunt him.

(To here. (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/970451.html?thread=72446163#t72525523))

Edited 2010-09-06 07:18 (UTC)

Fai had seemed quieter tonight, not as outgoing as he usually was, and eager to get out of the room when the intercom finally sounded. It was an odd end to a day which had been niggling at him the entire time. Something was wrong and he didn't know what it was yet but considering the location, he doubted that it would be in any way pleasant.

He waited a little longer before getting ready, for once, a little discouraged about whether it was worth going outside that night. But there was the lure of exploring outside a little longer with the help of the ring. He could probably make it up to the lake and if he smashed the ring there, he'd be able to continue exploring the area tomorrow as well. There had been some curiosities that piqued his interest, even if they weren't anything to do with the secret of the place.

He finished dressing and collecting his things, sliding the ring onto his finger. It fit as though it had been made for him. He wouldn't be surprised if it fit everyone in the same way and he didn't like the thought.

Still, it wouldn't slip off easily at least.

He stepped out of the door and into the hallway.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/969195.html?thread=72617451#t72617451)]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Night 51: M91-M100 Hallway

Outside M96

M96

no subject

no subject

hi this isn't late

(unsure)

(nottalking)

(blush)

no subject

M99

Re: M99

Re: M99

Re: M99

no subject

no subject

M94

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject