Night 56: Main Hallway, 1-West

[poorexample]

[From here.]He had reached the meeting point in less than a few minutes and there was still not another patient to be seen. Castiel paused, standing near the wall as he moved his flashlight up and down the corridor. There was nothing, not the sound of a shadow slipping through the dark; not the whisper of something less than human

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[hairraising]

A high-pitched yelp and widened eyes from Rapunzel. "A monster? Where?"

Rapunzel dropped her bundle of hair where she stood and swung to face the unknown threat with her pan in both hands, flashlight held against the handle. Okay, don't panic, don't panic, she told herself. She couldn't let her jumpiness get the better of her again. That was just going to get her hurt. She had gotten out of more perilous situations before. She could take care of herself. Breathe.

She narrowed her eyes and held her pan firm, waiting for something to make a move.

But nothing did move. Rapunzel was confused. That warning had sounded pretty immediate, like something was right on top of them. So where was the monster? Come to think of it, where was the guy who had warned-

And it was then that Rapunzel's flashlight beam trailed down over the prone form of a young man who had fallen on his face.

"Oh!" Rapunzel followed her own trail of hair back to where the man lie. "Oh my gosh, are you okay? What happened? Did a monster knock you over?" she asked as she came to lean over him, looking menacingly over her shoulder at anything that might be hiding in the shadows, just in case.

[rolling_go]

"Ah--No, I'm--I--Ah--" The sound continued despite time and space freezing around Ippo. He had looked up and he knew he shouldn't have. This was a girl; he knew the rules, but pain, even a dull throbbing, muddled the brain. His common brown eyes locked with her pretty green and he was done for. Like a victim of Medusa, he was rendered completely helpless with one stare.

But once those big eyes moved away from him, the young man could breathe again. He lowered his flushing face and hoped it was simply too dark in this hallway for her to have seen his embarrassment--well, the last of his embarrassment.

"N-No, I'm--It's fine. I thought..." Could he really tell this girl he thought she had been a monster? It was like insulting an angel, and Ippo was pretty sure that came back to bite you in the ass like bad karma.

"Must have been a trick of the light," he corrected with a shaky laugh. One hand moved down to his ankle to look for any signs of swelling. Thankfully it was nothing worse than a light sprain, but man did they still hurt! Now would have been a great time to roll out the ol' athletic tape, but the chances a girl just happened to keep some in her pocket were slim to none.

Well, that had been an anti-climactic way to end his night.

[hairraising]

Luckily for Ippo, Rapunzel was too busy checking to make sure the coast was clear to notice him ogling at her. By the time she looked back, the thing she did notice was the way his hand went to his ankle.

"It's okay. This place likes to play tricks, I think. Could've happened to anyone," she reassured the boy. As she spoke, she bent down on one knee to get a better look at the ankle with her flashlight, lavender dress pooling around her feet. "Can you walk on that?" she asked, turning her concerned gaze turning back to meet the boy's again. If he really had been hurt badly enough that it made it hard to walk, she knew she could help him, at least a little.

[rolling_go]

"I... I think so." He almost grabbed her for support, but the last thing he needed was to add physical contact to this highly awkward moment. Nothing hurt a budding relationship like an ill-placed boner. Being an abstinent boxer just got harder and harder as the years went by. All that built up testosterone over months of training only found its outlet when his fist collided with another man's face, and, well, that was a little hard to come by in an institute.

So Ippo, just to be safe and spare a pretty girl terror, got to his feet by himself with but a wince. It wasn't throbbing, which was a miracle in itself, but he couldn't bend it very well.

"Well, I guess I can just hobble back to my room, or... something. It's not a big deal, really! If I can just get it wrapped, it should heal..." His worried eyes fell away from the girl's face. "S-Sorry for the trouble."

[hairraising]

Rapunzel watched, wincing just as much as the boy was just from watching him. He could barely stand, from what she could tell. Whoever he was, he would be a sitting duck if he stayed out here too long with such an injury.

"No, stay here! We can get it 'wrapped' right away for you. You're not walking with that kind of pain," Rapunzel said firmly, making a "no way" gesture with one hand. Though, even as she said that, she started to worry. She couldn't just heal the boy right here in the hall. Her hair would draw too much attention from passers-by, human and non-human alike. But where would be a safe, secluded location that was close enough?

"Hang on a second. I've just gotta find something first. Just... Just don't go anywhere for now!" she insisted, pulling her copy of the Institute map from her coat pocket. Scanning over the layout under her flashlight, she added, "I'm Rapunzel, by the way. Who are you?"

WOW IS IPPO THE HORSE IN THIS SITUATION (nottalking)

[rolling_go]

"Eh--? No! It's fine--" With every step back Rapunzel took, Ippo followed with all haste. He was the man in this spontaneous relationship; how could he call himself such if he let a girl endanger herself for a measly little sprain? "--Really! I've had a lot worse, believe me! I can... walk..." The boxer's words trailed off into guilt-ridden silence since the blond was clearly not going to take no for an answer. One day, he would figure out how to get people to listen and obey.

Glumly, the boxer rubbed the back of his head and waited for her to reach some kind of conclusion. She had obviously been out at night more times than he, so perhaps she was a bit more knowledgeable about where the monsters regularly congregated. Or she was just as lost as he. Oh well, the company of a pretty girl was worth it. He even got a name from her! Rapunzel. Americans had such odd names.

"I-I'm Ippo Makunouchi! It's... very nice to meet you!" he greeted with a formal bow. "I'm.... Well, I'm not sure where you're going to find ace bandages, but I--Th-Thank you for helping me

If Rocky can be the Italian Stallion, then Ippo can by the... IDK, Nippon-y Pony or something :P

[hairraising]

Rapunzel couldn't imagine how a seemingly innocent young man such as this could have suffered worse, but she didn't doubt him, especially not if he was talking about something that had happened in the Institute before. Even if that was the case, though, that was no reason to leave him as he was. Rapunzel could not in good conscience do that when she was able to help.

She took pause at the unexpected bow, but the sheer sincerity with which it was done elicited a short laugh from Rapunzel. "Nice to meet you too, Ippo," she said back, giving a curtsy in return. Rising, she winked. "And trust me, for this? We're not gonna need bandages."

After a moment more of searching, Rapunzel stabbed her pointer finger at a spot on the map. "Aha! That might work," she said, turning her gaze a little ways across the hall. "That door over there leads to a waiting room. That might be safer than staying out in the open."

She put the map away and gathered as much of her hair as she could over one arm again. "Come on," she said, gesturing with a nod for Ippo to follow her. She hoped that making him walk this short distance would be all right. At the door, she tested the handle. Thankfully, it clicked open without a fuss.

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