Night 54: Main Hallway 2-West

[vitale]

( from here. nnn so close.)Closer. She was getting closer. Almost there, almost at her destination. ... And then she would have to do it all over again. Get from one point to the other, without hopefully being hit or ... well, if she was being honest, she would really appreciate it if she wasn't noticed, but hey, she couldn't look a gift horse in

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[human_sponge]

It was no real surprise that Peter failed in his attempts to actually harm the brainwashed kid, but his effort still had the desired effect; he heard someone fall to the ground behind him and realized that Albedo had been released from that mental hold.

Granted, he had bigger problems to worry about. The one they were fighting was quick on his feet and probably had more tricks up his sleeve than just that. Right as he was preparing to follow up with another attacked, however, something completely unexpected happened.

A whole set of sound equipment suddenly appeared out of thin air; they had somehow been summoned by their enemy, but Peter had no idea how. Telekinesis was one thing, but this? Did this even count as a power?

Granted, the sound itself was immense, enough to make him experience a strange pressure his head and a stiffness in his body. While he felt his hearing get dulled in the wake of it, somehow Peter felt no pain. It was a strange feeling, where he knew it was supposed to be there and yet... it was blissfully absent.

But right now, the lack of pain gave him the upper hand, and so Peter didn't think too hard about it, racing straight for the kid again. He had to dodge some speakers this time, but he was determined to knock the boy out so that they could move on.

[forgot_it_all]

"Albedo!!" When Peter rushed forward, it was enough to distract the brainwashed boy and Albedo was released. Forgetting the weapon, Ritsuka instead made a grab for his friend. He had to soften the blow of being dropped and he had no idea how much damage that patient had caused with his telekinesis. He'd thought he had heard a snap and a wet sound, but that would mean it was too late. Ritsuka couldn't let someone die, not like this, not ever, but was it really an impossible ideal? Was he wrong? "Are you okay? Talk to--"

"Outta my face!"

Ritsuka turned his head and caught the blurry edges of what seemed like some sort of stereo system and then...everything hurt. The shockwave hit him and Ritsuka screamed, letting go of Albedo and dropping to the ground. While the human pair were stinging, it was the feline pair that felt like they'd just pierced straight through. They flatted against his head and Ritsuka covered his head with his arms, curling into a ball as both the pain in his head and the not entirely unfamiliar feel of pain without a physical stimuli pulsed through him. His hearing was gone, replaced with a high-pitched whine that blocked out everything else.

[purpletaint]

To close to chaos, was all of this. There was little sense to be had, but Albedo understood the premise, and so the rules shifted. To each his own, and each would bring their own in this--rules, weapons, reality, and if this one fought by summoning outdated speakers to project, Albedo wouldn't speak of it.

Couldn't speak, actually. Wouldn't be able to for a few minutes more.

He dropped from the hold and expected hard floor--instead felt the softness of his friend's arms. Albedo looked at him in surprise, eyes squinting as his body worked to heal the damage. Nothing could be conveyed otherwise, words or not, because sound screeched out from the speakers, attacking his ears, the sound ricocheting around his mind. He winced, a hand pressing an ear. Attacking with noise? This seemed too ironic; should Albedo consider a Song instead, it was far more fitting if that one wanted to--

The scream near to him affected Albedo more. The physical was never what slowed Albedo for long. The reason for the sound became too obvious. Feline ears would only accentuate sound. There was no point in comforting while the threat remained. And it was a threat, just as he had been. Something tightened within him-- He was not so willing to see Ritsuka bloodied on the floor as Albedo's own twin had been. He stood, coughing roughly, a quiet crackling telling of the telomerase taking its time in fixing what had been undone. Squinting past the feedback of the speakers, he swung the shotgun up to stabilize in his other hand, and stared down the sights. He shouldn't hit Peter with any luck, and it was quicker than a beating to unconsciousness. There was a idle question of the question of shielding--any telekinetic probably had them--but it was simple to find out. They weren't so far away; Albedo had no worry of missing. His finger tightened on the trigger, an explosion of light and sound giving the action away.

[composers_proxy]

He'd expected Tin Pin Rocker to have a little more effect on them, but one nearest was swinging his shovel again, and while he blocked that one with the help of a new pin, the gunshot from the kid who'd been nearly dead only moments before came as a little more of a surprise. Yoshimitsu's psychokinetic blade formed beneath his fingers, countering the shovel's swing and with any luck, breaking the damn thing, but he barely turned in time to do anything about the shotgun. Why always the guns?!

Neku dropped the blade in favor of a shield, fast enough to keep the shot from being deadly, but not enough to completely derail it. The slug caught him in the shoulder, the force more than enough to send him back several steps. He grit his teeth, but he was so done with playing nice. This was a game, yes, but not one he intended to lose.

"You guys are really starting to piss me off," he muttered under his breath. None of them were even playing fair! A gun? A shovel? Those weren't Psychs, they were just ordinary weapons! What the hell was this?!

With another wave of his hand, psychokinetic energy picked up the man nearest him and sent him flying toward the one with the shotgun. His breath was coming faster, no doubt a result of the wound he'd received. It'd already begun to heal with the help of one of his accessories Regen III effect, but it wasn't as quick as he'd like.

To right the countless wrongs... the mantra repeated over and over in his mind; it was easy to ignore the pain, harder still to maintain control. But control wasn't important... so long as he completed the mission.

[human_sponge]

A sword appearing out of nowhere just didn't count as fair. Granted, Peter was used to being on the losing end in this place, but that didn't make it any less annoying. The metal end of his shovel hit the sword with a very audible clang, but like before, he couldn't even feel any painful recoil shooting down his arms from the impact. It wasn't normal, but it also wasn't something he could question when he was in the middle of the fray like this.

His shovel managed to survive the block, but Peter pulled it down soon after that, wondering if he might be better off just using his hands and fists for a fight like this. But then he'd be totally exposed, so--

What he really hadn't expected was for a gunshot to ring out from behind him. Peter's body immediately tensed, but the shotgun round wasn't meant for him; no, it went straight for Neku, and he almost gave into the impulse to shield his eyes. He didn't want to see some teenager's brains splattered all over the nearest wall. It looked like he'd been unable to keep Albedo from shooting that thing after all.

It seemed that Neku had only been grazed, which was both good and bad. Peter wanted to incapacitate him, not kill him, which was why he didn't approve of using the gun in the first place. But how the hell else were they going to get through this?

Though he didn't get a chance to put much thought into it, because the next thing he knew Peter was flying through the air, backward, as if he'd been tossed by an invisible force. His shovel fell out of his hand as he hurtled back and eventually collided into something. He felt part of the shotgun dig into his back, followed by the softer feel of another person.

In the next second, he was on the floor, most likely with Albedo pinned under him. And yet... still no pain. It was due to that that he was able to roll off of the child almost immediately, propping himself up on an elbow so he could look at the boy. "Are you all right?" He'd been in the middle of being strangled not so long ago, after all.

[forgot_it_all]

Everything buzzed and droned like he was listening to the world underwater. Someone was talking. A crack of thunder in slow motion. A dull thud of something heavy colliding with the floor or something else. He wasn't deaf like he'd first feared, but every sound was distant and muffled and Ritsuka couldn't figure out heads from tails. There wasn't time to sit and whine in pain though. Albedo had been hurt, Peter was still trying to attack the brainwashed patient, the patient himself had proven he was willing and able to kill them - something had to be done.

Opening his eyes, Ritsuka kept his hands over his feline pair of ears as he tried to get his bearings back. The unknown patient was standing apart from them and Peter... wasn't there anymore. Panic set in and Ritsuka flicked his gaze over his shoulder only to see the man there with Albedo, both of them on the ground. And the smell of...gunpowder? Something burnt. And blood.

This had to stop before anyone else was hurt even worse.

Climbing to his feet, ignoring the pain in his limbs, Ritsuka turned to face the unnamed boy. He was bleeding from the shoulder, but he was alive. Lowering his hands from his head, Ritsuka put his arms out to stand as a barrier between his friends and their attacker. When he spoke, his voice was dulled even to him, so he had no idea if he was being loud or quiet or even if the words coming out of his mouth made any sense. Albedo wouldn't understand, maybe not even Peter would, but Ritsuka had seen enough. "Stop it. There's no reason for us to fight. Why are you attacking?"

[purpletaint]

A success had been bet on, in one way or the other. His aim was off, to be certain, but there was a general lag of exhaustion hitting in. Another bet had been a counteract, which Albedo had been prepared for. It being in the form of a grown man who was likely double Albedo's body mass. This had nothing to do with strength or speed--those, he could break even on with others, or excel in. In weight and mass, Albedo was only twelve. There was enough time to click the safety back on before Peter slammed into him and the two sprawled to the ground. Luckily, the man got off quickly, but Albedo still felt the effects, and combined with the assault earlier, tore into a coughing fit. He rolled to the side, bracing himself, keeping a hand on the firearm.

The man's question seemed inane, especially which placed with a crushed throat as a fact. Albedo didn't have the energy to be hostile, and just waved his hand at the other. Perfectly fine. Dandy. Coughing up blood was just lovely. He grimaced as his trachea finally straightened, and coughed again.

The situation bordered a bit on ridiculous, but that was normal in regards to this place. The difference in Albedo's mind was only Ritsuka. The other boy's presence halted some of Albedo's base reactions, and even now, he was speaking in a way to bring reminiscence of earlier on the board. Was this the extent of what talking could do? The telekinetic was brainwashed--any responses would be cut and dry and unable to be argued with. Like an extremist, there was no 'right' but their own. And still Ritsuka placed himself as a target. At worst, he would gain damage, at best, he would acquiesce to them taking a different path. Thus, the way of speech to resolve conflict was little more than a coward's way, a path to say 'I did what I could' without any regrets.

Albedo shifted more, placing his arms on the floor to prop himself up. Then he only stared at the back of Ritsuka, expression unreadable and strangely calm. Albedo had said, hadn't he? He would not play the devil's advocate in this. Come, then. Show me what discussion can do that violence can not.

[composers_proxy]

Fail and face erasure.

Already other Players were starting to get by him. He couldn't let any more of them pass! It felt like he was fighting a losing battle just to maintain control of himself, let alone succeed in this mission. One hand went to his headphones and once he saw they weren't going to attack right away, he made quick use of his Peace Full pin, restoring most of his health and healing up the wound in his arm.

None of it made sense. These strange Players, their partners... where was his partner? He couldn't feel Shiki or Beat or Josh or...

"Just go back the way you came! I won't say it again! If you don't, I'll-" he shouted, wincing as his control began to slip away. Of course he wanted to complete the mission, but-

Lightning sparked along his fingertips, blue and white and gold, tinging the air with the scent of ozone as it began to take form around his hand.

"-... have to Erase you."

Nothing personal.

[human_sponge]

Maybe the question would be considered pointless, but Peter had a reason for asking. Albedo had already been beaten up badly, but the fact that he could respond (even if it was only with a movement of the arm) meant that he was doing well enough. Peter could try and do some basic first aid later, if they ever got to the pharmacy.

He refused to give up, though. He'd been trying to get some medical supplies for days now, so he wasn't going to run back the way he'd come unless he had absolutely no choice. Part of him realized that he was endangering children by being stubborn, but he had to assume they wanted to get past just as much as he did. Peter dragged himself to his feet, offering Albedo a hand as well. It was the least he could do after falling on top of the kid.

Ritsuka was trying to use reason, but that clearly wasn't going to work. If the boy had been here for as long as he'd claimed, then he should have known that by now. His resilience was admirable, but it wasn't going to get them anywhere. And while Peter felt fine, he couldn't risk getting the two of them any more injured.

"We need to run," he said, hopefully loud enough for Ritsuka and Albedo to hear while not being audible to their opponent. But that was probably asking for too much. At least it looked like the kid wasn't going to attack them unless they went for him first, which meant they had a chance of getting away if they were quick.

[forgot_it_all]

His wound was healing. Even in the dim light, Ritsuka could see the injury heal over, the flow of blood crawling to a stop. The sharp whine in his ears still hadn't calmed down, but Ritsuka could still pick out what people around him were saying. Peter was saying they should run and the stranger was saying they had to go back or he had to erase them - kill them, essentially.

He had to do it. It wasn't a choice. Being brainwashed, Ritsuka supposed the boy really didn't have a choice, but that also meant this wasn't something he really wanted to do in the first place. He could still be reasoned with, and while Ritsuka distracted him, Peter could get Albedo somewhere safe. He doubted Albedo would like that plan, but Ritsuka didn't want anyone else getting hurt. If that meant acting as the shield between his friends and the brainwashed patient, he would do it.

Lowering his arms, Ritsuka took a step back toward Peter and Albedo, looking over his shoulder at them. Peter was suggesting they run for it and Ritsuka agreed, nodding to him. It wasn't worth getting anyone else hurt for now and it wasn't like this was the only way to get to the pharmacy. "We'll go," he said, turning his attention back to the stranger as he continued to move back toward the group. "I know you don't want to hurt people. We don't either, so just calm down."

[purpletaint]

And would running settle it? Albedo tried to recall. When he had been the same... Well. Albedo had not quite been the same. As in life, the boy was fickle, and attention diverted quite easily with those who were not so much seen as amusement. But when they left Albedo's territory, his urge to restrict them had died with that. If they could move past this one, that would be that. But only if. And so, here, were the restraints of speech. Albedo wondered how much this one would tear him apart if Albedo threw himself at him. Telekinetics, summoning... It was a wonderful thing, and could possibly mean certain kinds of destruction.

Again, his moves tightened, restricted. And not for the lack of weapons, the loss of power, but for moving how another would will. He was the guest tonight, not the main character, and if the group decided to flee, he would move with them. Despite his own inclinations.

Coughing softly, the boy stood, not accepting the hand offered. There was nothing of contempt in this, just an action too awkward to think of. And contact from strangers was still something violently unwanted. Albedo cleared his throat once, then rotated his neck. Good. It had finished regenerating while they spoke. All that remained was an awkward soreness and the heavy feeling weighing on him. Exhaustion was becoming something familiar. Much like in the beginning of the night, Albedo lowered the shotgun to his side, angling it out of sight by his leg. Then he moved towards Ritsuka quietly, looking nothing more than a child seeking something familiar.

Close enough, he supposed. Ritsuka was the most familiar here, something that allowed brief respites of comfort. As well. If the other tried something again, Albedo would rather be able to pull Ritsuka out of harm's way. That he was, instead, in front of them like a shield, was nothing wanted.

[composers_proxy]

They hadn't moved yet, to attack, but they hadn't retreated either. Were they leaving? Or just formulating a new plan?

The small boy with dark hair seemed to speak for them though, and while Neku didn't attack, he didn't put away the psychokinetic lightning either. That's right. He didn't want to hurt people. He wasn't that person... These people all had their reasons... he had his too. To protect what was important to him, he had to...

Please, take a different route, he thought silently, fingers slipping to the volume setting on his headphones as he clicked it a few notches higher, tapping his foot ever so slightly to the heavy techno pulse. Shiki wouldn't forgive him, would she... even if it was to save the people important to him, not if others were sacrificed in her place... but somehow, his body didn't want to listen.

[human_sponge]

As Peter had guessed, this kid wasn't interested in attacking them unless they actively went after him, and Ritsuka had the right idea as well. He was acting like they were just going to go back the way they came, which was probably going to spur their opponent to let his guard down. And more than that, the two younger patients were smart enough to regroup near him, meaning they could all move together without the threat of one person being left behind.

Tensed and waiting, Peter watched the brainwashed teenager with a frown on his face, knowing that he was likely going to regret all of this in the morning. That was why they had to avoid any further injuries, though. Once both Ritsuka and Albedo were close enough, he acted.

It wasn't as if he was particularly fast, but he was hoping that the kid would only be able to get a parting shot in on them before they'd retreated to the next part of the hallway.

He grabbed for Ritsuka's wrist and Albedo's arm, not even giving them a chance to protest. He didn't say a thing, just dashed to the right side of the hall, dragging the two of them with him.

And seeing how he hadn't felt a thing lately, maybe he'd be able to handle whatever was tossed at him as they ran.

[To here.]

[composers_proxy]

Just as they started to leave, the oldest one had to turn and rush him. He didn't want to hurt anyone. He didn't want to Erase them, but time was running out and he'd yet to stop a single Player from passing.

A bold of lightning flew from the palm of his hand and while he was sure it hit the man, it did nothing to stop him from continuing on. He watched them go for a moment, but didn't follow.