damned_institute | Night 53: M81-90 Hallway

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Night 53: M81-90 Hallway

[M85]

This was new for Scott. He was all changed and geared up to go for the night, but he couldn't get moving just yet. Instead, he had to wait for someone else to show up. What was his name again? Neko something? Whatever. Point was that right now, instead of heading out the door, Scott was sat down on his bed in the dark, awkwardly flipping a pair of AA batteries over and over in his hands as he waited for the knock that would signal him to his feet.

Not that he was in a huge rush to get back up to where he had been the previous night, of course. On the contrary, he was dreading the idea of having to go back through the same space he had faced NegaScott in. He knew, though, that going somewhere - anywhere - was better than just sitting around on his ass. ...Well, clarification: sitting around on his ass was better in most situations. Just not in ones where sitting on it could seriously hurt his chances for ever getting it back to ~~his~~ Ramona's bed in Toronto, where he could then comfortably sit on it to his heart's content. The less he did in the way of advancing in the Institute, the closer that left him to the ultimate game over. And so, he had to keep pushing forward. He had to fight on valiantly! For the sake of Ramona. For the sake of himself! For the sake of his ass!

Wait—

How long is Neko Case here gonna be? Scott thought impatiently, checking the watch that wasn't there.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

With his usual "Have a nice night and don't die in a fire" nod to Scott, Guybrush stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. First things first: get LeChuck to help in the search- or, if in the unlikely chance he actually was the mastermind behind the ridiculously elaborate spooky-asylum plot, confront him and rescue Elaine. He crossed the gap between M85 and M87 in a few steps.

Despite his initial instinct when it came to LeChuck of kicking open the door heroically in the event he was holding Elaine captive, Guybrush stopped as he reached the door. Maybe knocking was a better idea after all. For all he knew, the dread pirate could have been changing, trying to fashion himself an outfit from his own sweatpants and pillowcases. He'd trade catching him unawares for not catching him in his underwears any day, especially after the whole shower fiasco. The mental image of naked LeChuck and his hairy manhood- and that wasn't even mentioning his precious family jewels- would haunt Guybrush forever.

... Just like it was right then as he thought about it. How was it LeChuck was even more obnoxious when he wasn't around?

"All right, LeChuck," Guybrush said, poised for a surprise strike when the dread pirate emerged, "It's just you, me, and Elaine's sword. You're going to help Morgan and I look for Elaine whether you like it or not, or I'll give your beard a shave too close for comfort!" Pleased with how downright piratey his threat sounded (he took a little inspiration from his shadow), he rapped on the door. No answer after a few seconds- he tried again.

A few practice swings of the sword later, the door remained closed. Guybrush gave the knob a try, finding it unlocked. He pushed the door open. "LeChuck? You'd better decent in here."

The room was empty. "Or... in here at all?" He stepped into the room- it looked as crisp and pristine as his had the day he'd arrived, complete with perfectly made beds and absolutely no signs of life. No one in the closets, drawers empty: LeChuck was gone. And so was Elaine.

The "LeChuck was actually a part of the spooky asylum plot and used it to take Elaine from back in time and marry her before she could marry the love of her life" plot was starting to look more and more viable now.

The door slammed behind him- it wasn't over yet.

[Tearing out to here.]

Edited 2010-12-17 08:34 (UTC)

[Teleporting from here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1016445.html) because mun fails...]

Neku darted around the hallway, flashlight in hand. No artificial light tonight and no shadows... yet. He checked over his shoulder every now and again despite all that, but his shadow kept up, and with none of the funny business of shaking or moving in the funny lighting.

It was a bit of a sprint to the guy's room, but Neku jogged the last few steps as he traced his way to M85. The lengths he went to for good music. It was ridiculous, but so was listening to nothing but smooth jazz and classical geezer music in the daytime. Hopefully Sora and Kairi wouldn't get too annoyed about waiting a little.

"Hey," he called out as he tapped on the door. "It's Neku. From the bulletin?"

Scott had been on the verge of doing Bomberman shadow puppets by the beam of his flashlight (or rather, various hand formations that looked no more like Bombermen than Rorschach tests did) when the knock came. He jumped a bit. Scott had been half-expecting to be kept waiting a while longer; if the other guy's Squeenix haircut told him anything, it was that there was a higher chance of him dicking around and checking every nook and cranny for items on the way to his actual objective. Or maybe that was just the way Scott played JRPGs.

He used the startled jump to get himself to his feet faster, and went right over to the door. "Hey," he said back with a wave of his flashlight. "Good you made it so fast, man."

In his open palm, he held up the two batteries and offered them, not sure whether he should just drop them into Neku's hand or wait for him to take them himself. Social rules for handoffs were kind of unspecific that way. "Good to see you're still alive and kicking, too," he added. At least some people weren't disappearing yet, even if they were random people Scott barely knew.

"Hey," he gave a nod as the door opened.

At least it was the right door. And sure enough, it was the same guy he'd met a couple times around the institute. Thankfully, he had the batteries ready and waiting. No mincing words, no awkward conversation, just simple grab and go.

"Yeah. I owe you one," he replied, taking the batteries from his open hand and switching one of them out immediately with the one in the mp3 player around his neck. He breathed a silent sigh of relief. Even his playlist on repeat was better than being stuck listening to the daytime radio programming here.

"I gotta bounce, but hit me back on the bulletin or somethin'," he nodded one more time and was gone, back down the hall and off to meet up with Sora and Kairi.

[to here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1021857.html?thread=74879137#t74879137)]

"Oh yeah, I gotta run myself. I've got a blind date tonight," Scott said with a grin. When he put it like that, it did make him wonder why he had been so quick to accept help from someone he'd never met before, but he wasn't that worried, all the same. After all, a girl who used smiley-faces in her writing couldn't be that bad, right?

Hey, didn't Nat used to—

Quiet, you.

Scott gave Neko a head start, allowing for the requisite amount of space between acquaintances traveling in the same direction for unrelated reasons. After waiting for about half-a-minute, he set off down the same hall in search of his date. Er, rendezvous. Escort?

Why were there no good words for this situation?

[To here]

Jr. didn't like the sound of the words coming from the intercom as night fell. What was the man talking afraid would happen tomorrow? And why did he hope his prisoners would do well? This place gave him all kinds of questions and no answers. But that just meant he'd have to go snooping...and this time, things looked a lot less disturbing.

Grabbing his flashlight, he headed out of his room, shining the light around the darkened hallway before picking a direction and following it.

"Not one more night!" Brook announced to himself as he left his room, pillowcase full of metal, and headed not but a few doors over from his own. M88 was his destination, and he would not begin the night without finally repaying Leon!

But he didn't want to bother the young man either. He likely had other business to attend to, as so many did in this place, so Brook promised himself to be quick in the delivery. So quick in fact that he nearly collided with a young man exiting the room he had hoped to enter. Thankfully it was not Leon leaving, and Brook was able to stick his head into the open doorway.

"Leon-san, good evening! Yohohohoho! Sorry to bother you, but I promise I'll not be taking up too much of your time! Just wanted to drop this by!" he explained, holding up the bag of silverware he'd pilfered a few night's prior. "Hopefully I got enough to repay you. If not, do let me know! You can use the bulletin or just find me tomorrow if you wish. And once again, thank you so much for your work! Yohohoho! I'll be sure to put your weapon to excellent use! Ah, not that I'm going looking for trouble, mind you, but you get the idea I'm sure? Yohohoho!"

Leading the bag just inside the doorway, Brook gave Leon a wave and a smile. "Please stay safe this evening!" he told the boy before retracting his head and heading off, a hum fresh on his lips.

"A-ah... Thank you!" Leon waved after the tall, departing man. He'd come and gone so quickly that the young mage hadn't really gotten a proper greeting in. But... supplies were always good.

He retrieved the bag, dragging the whole thing across the floor so that it was sitting up against his dresser. He'd stash it away after he'd talked with the person he'd arranged to meet with on the bulletin. There was no need to set things up for alchemy that night as, sadly, no one would be coming to have a weapon made. It would be good to have a break, though, he had to admit. Even if he didn't like thinking about the reason why he'd be getting it.

Now it was down to just the usual worries - whether or not the one showing up would be thrown off by his age and ears. Both together often made it hard for people who didn't know him to take him seriously back home, and there ears like his weren't even that uncommon! At least everyone he'd worked with so far had refrained from making too many comments. He supposed weapons were weapons.

Edited 2010-12-17 19:16 (UTC)

M88. If Rita understood the bulletin message correctly, then this was the place. The mage approached the door, paused for a moment, and then reached out and gave two loud knocks.

She recalled what Guy had told her about this 'Leon': that he was young, a native to Expel, and supposedly an expert on heraldry. Well, Rita would see about that last part. Many laymen were content to call anyone more informed than themselves an 'expert'. Rita wasn't one to throw the term about so lightly.

Regardless, he was bound to know more than her on this subject, so she didn't plan to belittle him if he didn't meet her expectations. Not too much, anyway.

While she waited for a response, she lowered her flashlight to her side, adjusted the backpack on her shoulders, and then let her free hand rest at her hip.

Leon was quick to respond and reach the door. He opened it only slightly, peering out into the hall to see who was there. It was a young woman - most likely the person who'd wanted to meet with him. She didn't appear very threatening even if she wasn't. The door was opened a bit further and he gave her a small but friendly smile.

"Hello." The ears on his head twitched a little. "You're the one I spoke to on the bulletin, right? I'm not expecting anyone else, so I can get started right away if you want." He moved away from the door then, allowing her to enter. The chances of her just being some random stranger looking for assistance and just happening to come across his room were small. He didn't have people stop by that didn't plan it beforehand.

The young mage sat on the edge of his bed, pulling out his worn journal with its various notes.

Rita heard that Leon would be young, but she didn't expect him to be so puny. He couldn't be any older than Karol, could he? She hoped he was at least smarter.

So far, his manners seemed decent enough. Rita followed him into room and stood in front of him when he sat. "Leon, right?" she confirmed, not expecting an answer to her rhetorical question. By way of introduction, she simply added, "Rita Mordio." She didn't move to shake his hand or anything, however, leaving her free hand at her side.

Rita was content to get straight down to business, but she couldn't help but be temporarily distracted by the catlike ears on Leon's head. If he wanted to be taken seriously, why would he go around wearing something silly like that? Sure, Rita had worn something similar before... but that was for work! It wasn't as if she chose to wear them. Even if she was admittedly fond of felines, she wouldn't wear something like that so casually. That was just inviting ridicule.

But she could have sworn she saw them twitch for a moment...

"What's with those ears?" she asked after a moment, curiously leaning over the boy to inspect. Then, without warning, she casually lifted her hand and grabbed one, feeling it between her fingers and tugging it lightly. It remained firmly in place. "... Are they real?"

It was a good thing Leon didn't know what Rita was thinking as she entered, as he would have been very put off by being thought of as puny despite being well aware of his own height deficiencies. As it was, he remained blissfully unaware of how unimpressed she was.

But then she went tugging on his ear, and he let out a short yelp as she did but didn't immediately shove her away. "O-ow! Yes, they're real! They pop up as the sun goes down." So no one noticed anything out of the ordinary during the day. The staff, or Landel rather, was good at keeping up appearances that way. He was glad to have them at all, and just hoped he wouldn't end up owing Landel anything for the courtesy in the end.

"...Don't do that again, please."

When Leon yelped, Rita let go of the ear, though she did so just as casually as she'd grabbed it. There was something almost familiar and comforting about the way he reacted, in an odd sort of way. Maybe Rita was actually starting to miss the brat.

"Hmm. I'd heard that some people had their bodies altered upon arriving here. Are those ears a trait of Expel, then?" she asked, crossing her arms and continuing to look at them from where she stood. Touching them again wasn't going to be necessary, as she already recognized the thickness and texture to be something similar to a cat's ears. Perhaps it was a coincidental similarity.

While Rita was eager to talk about heraldry, she wanted to at least satiate her curiosity about this first. They certainly had the time for a brief digression.

The boy was a bit ruffled, ears practically flapping a couple times in agitation before settling. He wasn't going to let himself get too bothered with it, however. She was just curious. "I'm Fellpool. It means I received recessive feline genes. It's not terribly uncommon, but you won't see the majority of people on my planet with ears like these."

He loved his ears, but then he always enjoyed the aspects of himself that set him apart from everyone else - even as they could also be bothersome. They had their pros and cons. What was important now was that Rita take him seriously despite all of them. She could stare at his ears all she wanted as long as she really intended to learn from him.

He held out his journal, worn and beaten from a month of being carried around in this place. The pages were full of notes, sometimes notes within notes, all in a tiny and precise script. Intricate symbols filled the spaces where there were no words. "Here. This is my spell book. You can see if anything looks familiar."

Fellpool... So most Expellians were different from Leon. Perhaps it was a case similar to the Kritya on her world, being a small-numbered race with only small differences from other humans.

In any case, Leon had given Rita a satisfactory answer, and she was ready to move on.

When offered Leon's book, Rita took it in her hands and immediately skimmed over a few pages. The symbols weren't anything she recognized, and they didn't bear any close resemblance to what she'd seen from Raine or the library. This was a different magic system entirely.

"I haven't seen most of these symbols before," she said, eyes still fixed on the pages in front of her. It was fortunate that Leon's writing was neater than what she was used to. While Rita lacked the knowledge necessary to understand the vital parts of the notes, it was enough to give her an idea of the differences.

Even as she spoke up again, her gaze didn't leave the pages in front of her. "I've heard that some people are born with the ability to use heraldry, but that even some who aren't have been able to learn it. Would you know anything about that?"

The young mage frowned at the question, staring at the cover of his journal in Rita's hands. Looking at this from the perspective of mixed worlds was difficult.

"Using magic generally requires you to have been born with the Blessing of Mana. That's not a trait you can pick up. However, not everyone learns the same spell types and from what I've seen things are different on other planets. On Nede, for example, you could find people with healing magic, while no one on Expel was capable of learning spells that directly mended wounds like that."

He recalled a method someone familiar had mentioned. Actually, he might have heard it more than once. "I've heard the use of symbols, possibly applied upon the body, might be able to allow one to harness energy that they couldn't otherwise, but I'm afraid I know nothing about those techniques."

"Mana..." Rita repeated quietly to herself. After a moment of considering this, she asked, "Is heraldry a mana-based magic system, then?" It seemed to be the case for multiple planets. Perhaps Terca Lumireis was behind the pack, in that sense.

Deciding that she wanted to take some notes for herself, Rita slipped her backpack off her shoulders and seated herself next to Leon - though not too close, as she preferred her personal space. From inside the bag, she retrieved her own notebook and a pen. "Mind if I copy some notes?" she asked as she flipped to an empty page in her journal, setting Leon's journal down on her lap for the moment.

"As for the use of symbols on the body... I heard of something similar, though I wasn't aware they could be used for that specific purpose. Do you know of anyone who might know more about it?" There were probably very few others at Landel's with any significant amount of knowledge about heraldry, but it was worth a shot.

Rita knew that she was essentially barraging Leon with questions, but it was difficult to hold back when she found herself exposed to a wealth of information that could be relevant to her field.

He nodded when she asked about copying from his book. There was nothing secret in there, after all. Especially not here. "You can borrow it, if you need." That was a risky thing to say, given how easily people disappeared, but it would be a lot easier on her. "Just give it to someone who knows me if you can't come by again tomorrow night. The pages I use for alchemy are separate anyway." He pulled a couple sheets of slightly rumpled paper from under his pillow. The symbols were larger copies of some of those already drawn in the journal.

"The system is mana based, yes. As for who might be able to help you..." Here he frowned. "I think anyone that might have been able to do that has long since disappeared. You might be able to ask my friend Claude, though, as I think he knew a couple." It was odd, deferring someone to another individual, especially Claude, in matters of heraldry, but that was unfortunately just an aspect of it he wasn't very knowledgeable in.

He didn't mind the questions. In fact, he was pleased with anything that made him feel useful.

Rita raised her eyebrows in surprise when Leon offered to lend her the notes. Most scholars she knew (herself included) were more possessive of their writings and research. Furthermore, they'd only met just now. Did he really think he could trust a stranger with something so important?

Well, Rita wasn't going to question it if people were going to be careless with their things to her benefit. "Then I'll bring it back tomorrow," she decided, unable to completely hide her delight at the chance she was going to have to thoroughly examine the writings. A small hint of a smile reached her lips. "A day should be plenty of time." This also meant she'd have more time to ask questions and listen to Leon's answers, without being distracted by the need to read and copy as many notes as she could.

"Claude? I plan to meet him tomorrow, so I suppose I'll ask him about it then," Rita said when Leon made reference to his friend. She wasn't sure what sort of level of expertise she could expect from this Claude, but if two people were going to bring up his name, it was probable that she could learn something of value from him.

In any case, there was something else Leon mentioned that piqued her interest. "So you're one of those alchemists I've been hearing about." She'd noticed the hints, but the direct mention of alchemy served as a clear confirmation. "Is alchemy also related to heraldry?"

It was true his gut twisted up a little when he handed the book over, but even if he ended up losing it he was confident he could duplicate most of the information in a new journal. It would just take him a while. He created his own spellbooks all the time. Hopefully that wouldn't be necessary, but it wasn't as if he was handing over something completely irreplaceable.

Leon nodded at her question. "Well, in a manner of speaking. The alchemy where I come from isn't the same as what I use here. They're similar enough that I was able to use some of what I knew and put it toward learning it from another patient. On Expel, it's used to create gemstones from iron. Here I can transform metal into various other shapes." He sighed. An alchemist like Ed could transform more than metal, but he was still limited.

"As of right now, I'm the only alchemist left in the Institute. There used to be a couple more." Sadly, they'd vanished the same way most patients did.

From Rita's understanding, it seemed like alchemy was a form of magic-aided synthesis. Perhaps it was something that she too could learn someday...

Well, maybe she'd take a look at some of the alchemy notes while reading up on heraldry, and see what she could make of that. In the meantime, she'd make a few notes in her journal about what Leon had just told her, to make sure she didn't forget anything. In her usual illegible handwriting, the mage scrawled some more notes into her journal.

It was no surprise to learn that Leon was the only alchemist in the institute, as someone else had mentioned something to that effect before. "Sounds like that keeps you busy," she commented. If he could manipulate metal, then that would mean he could create metal weapons, and those were doubtlessly in high demand. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck that allowed Rita the chance to have this extended discussion.

... Well, since she had someone here answering questions for her, maybe she could try asking about the one other thing that had been on her mind for a while.

"I have another question, but it's not about heraldry or alchemy," she began after a pause. From her pocket, Rita produced a ring with a broken red gem. "This is one of the 'portal rings' the Head Doctor gave to several of us. At the time, he said there was some way to recharge it. Do you know anything about that?" There was no guarantee that Leon would know anything more than she did, but it was about time that she started asking more patients to see if they'd figured anything out. Even if he didn't know, maybe he'd know someone who did.

Leon nodded. It kept him very busy, but at least he was doing something worthwhile. He didn't know if he could go back to wandering the halls without much to offer aside from a couple weak spells before he became a burden, if he hadn't already been one. If his abilities ever became further restricted he might just have to stay in his room.

He leaned closer to get a better look at the ring, frowning. Unfortunately, he didn't have any answers to offer. The young mage shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I've seen them, and I've heard about them, but I haven't used one myself or seen the effects of one being used." Mostly because he spent most of his time working on alchemy, as mentioned previously. He would love to get a better chance to study them, but this really wasn't the best environment for it.

"...You've already used it, then?" He gave her a curious look.

"That's right," Rita replied. "The second I smashed it, I was dumped into a freezing lake in the middle of nowhere." The memory brought a sour look to her face. The freezing cold, the foul stench of the water, and then the mould and rot of the cabin they'd found afterward... all of these things made for a wholly unpleasant experience.

However, that experience also opened up more questions for Rita, ones which no one had been able to answer for her thus far. "I have to wonder just where that was, though. The only things I could see around me were mountains and trees, and the institute didn't seem to be anywhere nearby." It had almost seemed like she'd escaped, yet somehow she was dragged back to the building again and again without her even realizing it was happening. Wherever that lake was, it was a place neatly within Landel's reach, despite the physical distance.

"The middle of nowhere?" Leon frowned. "So it chose a location at random, just like the portals had before, rather than bringing you back to the same place you'd left?" That was odd. Not too odd, he supposed, given how much Landel seemed to enjoy messing with him. It made just as much sense as being given the rings as a 'reward' in the first place.

As for the location it had taken her to... "I've heard of people getting a good distance away from the Institute. It must still have been a location under his jurisdiction." He frowned, trying to recall the map he'd seen, as vague as it had been. "Were you able to get around normally after that, or did you find yourself in more random locations afterward?" If they were in the woods, there might not be any doors to walk through and thus no way to be relocated. Though he couldn't say he really knew much about how that process worked.

"No, it was a place I'd been before," Rita clarified. She hadn't been surprised to end up in the lake again, but that didn't mean she was okay with freezing halfway to death. "I thought I might be able to escape through the area around there, but I couldn't get far enough."

She folded her arms before answering his other question. "The first time I wound up there, I didn't even get out of the lake before the night ended. The second time, I reached the shore. There was an old fishing cabin nearby, but it looked like it hadn't been used in decades. The only things in there that weren't mouldy or useless were a few lanterns." A pause, and then she returned to the question at hand. "The door to that place worked properly, at least."

"Ah." So it did take them back to a previously explored area. That made some sense, and Leon wondered if it could be used to send them back to the world he and Haseo had reached. The World, rather, since that was all it was called. Sure, it had weirded him out more than a little, but that didn't mean he wasn't interested in taking another look at it for the sake of study.

"If the doors worked properly, it most likely means that whatever was tossing us around from one place to another isn't active anymore and the rings just have some connection to whatever magic or technology was involved." And he really wish he knew which one, if not both, was used in the creation of that phenomenon to begin with. It probably wouldn't help him much, but it would be something. Any clues were better than none.

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I really don't know any more than anyone else does."

Leon's conclusion was more or less what Rita already knew, but she was aware from the start that there was no guarantee that he would know more than she did on the subject. "It's fine," she replied. "It's possible that nobody knows anything more about the rings. I've been asking around just in case."

The ring in her hand received one last look before it was returned to her pocket. Though her initial response had been brief and casual, she soon drifted into a more melancholy state, as the reality of her situation sunk in more and more. "Right now, I don't have a lot of tools or leads to work with... and not a lot of time, either." The words of her shadowy lookalike rang in her head. Your friends could be dead by now. You won't have anyone left. She couldn't afford to stay on Landel's, or on Earth, much longer. If she could do anything to facilitate her escape, such as learning to use the ring or heraldry or anything else, then she would do it.

"There has to be some way out of here..." she murmured, mostly to herself, her eyes staring across the room, as if gazing at something far beyond the walls themselves.

[To here (http://community.livejournal.com/damned/1021454.html?thread=74905358#t74905358)]

Well, that announcement was a bit creepy. So it sounded like Niikura had been on the up and up about the Institute's true colors. Jackal and Hyde.

Except he took three points off for whining. You never whine when you're trying to create an atmosphere. If it was so exhausting, why not let everyone go? Retire somewhere.

Or hire a good administrative assistant. This guy seriously lacked in good henchmen. The bad guy always had henchmen do the brunt of the legwork. Or his robotic helpers. With running an operation like this, henchmen were necessary. Minus a point.

Lastly, his speech had been horrible. It hadn't even been a speech or well thought through. It had been rambling. He hadn't even done ominous rambling, just plain rambling. Minus two points.

A disappointing four out of ten on the scale of evil maniac speeches. The only way he could redeem himself at all was to have horrible monsters out in the halls like the other patients had mentioned. He might win some points back that way, but he'd never fully recover.

Now that first impressions were finished, Michelangelo moved onto exploring his room. First rule of surviving horror movie scenarios: be prepared. Without his shell, Mike was just a chewier morsel to the monsters in this place.

A journal on top of his desk--not useful; he'd remember what he needed to know. But the radio caught his eye. He shifted it to the side, then started going through the drawers. A roll of pens that could be thrown as distractions.. Two sets of batteries. A keyring with two keys. Messing with the keys revealed that one locked the desk drawer.

Mike moved these items on top of his desk, then looked at the back of his radio. It was a rechargeable type, so what were the batteries for? There was something he was missing. And all this stuff couldn't be carried in only one pocket; the left pocket on his sweatpants would be too awkward to reach into in case of an emergency.

He put it back down, then went to his closet, sliding its door open. T-shirts and sweatshirts wouldn't help. Boots, more slippers, shoes. He didn't have time to deal with how to tie shoes with only one hand. Nothing could be made to carry things easily without adding too much weight. The winter coat was right out.

So he went to the dresser and started rooting through it, then pulled out an extra pair of sweatpants and stared at them for a moment. Maybe if he tied one leg around the middle, eh could tie off the other leg to make a pocket.

Mike moved over to his bed, sitting on it. He grabbed the leg of one pair of his extra sweatpants, throwing it behind him. He then reached around his front and around his left side to pick it up before frowning. It wouldn't reach, or at least, it wouldn't reach enough to make a good knot.

Another pause, and then he tugged the leg he was still holding from his left to his right side, pulling the entire sweatpants around with it with it, before letting it go. He managed to loop one leg over the other in a knot, then pulled the entire thing up to his mouth. Grabbing one leg with his teeth and holding the other with his hand, he tugged, pulling the knot tight around his waist. A second loop followed, tugged tight the same way.

But now he didn't have a pocket. He frowned for a moment, then glanced at the waistband of the pants. Hmm, maybe... He tried tugging the pants around one way, but it didn't work easily, and then tried the other way. It slid easily and then he had the waistband on the right.

After a moment more of inspection, he tucked the closest part of the waistband towards the inside. His arm slide inside the pants to the leg in front, smirking slightly. Yeah, he probably looked stupid as hell, but it worked.

Edited 2010-12-20 03:45 (UTC)

Mike piled what he had amassed so far into the leg, the weight pulling down at the sweatpants leg so nothing would come out too easily. He hoped he wouldn't have to dodge a lot. The former turtle paused at his roll of pens, then worked off the rubber band with a bit of difficulty, still not used to his new fingers, opened up his desk drawer, and then picked up half of them to deposit back inside, throwing in the journal as well, before closing his desk drawer back up and locking it. He needed room and couldn't carry them all.

With the other half of the pens, he went back to sit on his bed, shoving the pens between his legs to hold them still. He adjusted them until they were right, removing five for quick use, then twisted the rubber band around the remainder. All fifteen pens were slipped into his leg-pocket.

Then, he tore his bed apart, looking for anything else that a former patient might have left. There was a flashlight under the pillow--aha! That was what the batteries had been there for. It went into his pocket as well. Heavy enough to smack something, if he had to. A ninja really didn't need a flashlight in the darkness of night. Most of the time, anyways. If he was in pitch blackness in unfamiliar territory, he wouldn't have a choice.

He glanced at the other side of the room briefly, at Brook's items, but didn't explore there. It wasn't right. They weren't his stuff, and Brook didn't deserve to have his stuff stolen. Mike still had some honor, after all.

He did pull off his pillow case and tuck it into the left side of his makeshift sweatpants belt. If he found some good stuff, he might need it to carry the excess.

Satisfied that he had found everything he needed, Mike changed tactics. So he had some equipment. It was time to test out his body. Slowly, he began to move, and flowed into a slow kata. Everything felt wrong. He lifted his leg, then kicked out, and promptly almost lost his balance. He caught himself on his closet, frowning deeply.

Damnit. It was worse than he thought. Walking was one thing, but actually fighting was going to be difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. He'd just have to adjust and quickly.

Mike spent the next half-hour working through katas, adjusting to both his body without a shell and too many fingers and toes as well as his open pocket. He'd have to find something better or find something to keep it closed. It seriously cramped on his style and limited his movements.

When he finally felt that he could walk around without getting his ass handed to him, Mike decided it was time to go. Mike went out the door, then pulled out his keys and tried this lock. The other key was for it. Interesting--there was no way to lock it from the inside. But if you worked in an insane asylum, you probably wouldn't want the patient to lock it from the inside.

He unlocked the door in case Brook didn't take his keys, then started to walk down the hall towards the next. He passed other doors like his--other patients' rooms--on the way, but didn't go in them. What was their business was there business, and Mike wasn't one to pry.

Edited 2010-12-21 03:03 (UTC)

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Night 53: M81-90 Hallway

M85 to M88

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