Night 57: Main Hallway, 1-Center

[train_tracer]

[from here]From here, Vino could go several ways. The frequented Sun Room was the most obvious option, though he could also choose to either go into one of the side doors or continue onward down the hall. If he were an architect, Vino thought, where would he put a radio broadcast room in an insane asylum

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[forgot_it_all]

"It's not like I'm trying to hide it!" Ritsuka said in a rush, quickly turning his head to the side. His fists balled at his side as he once again cursed how honest his tail and ears could be. When he was calm and collected, he could hide it better, but after what had just happened he was anything but. He couldn't exactly explain that it was a natural reaction either, not without...well, explaining a lot of things. That he simply didn't have time for.

"...." But it seemed the stranger was calming down, the weapon was put away and he was trying to explain himself. "I'm the only one anymore," he said, breathing out a sigh himself. Leon, if the board was to be believed, had disappeared and with Soubi and Kio gone, it meant that Ritsuka was the last one he knew of here who had ever possessed tails and ears. "But yeah, I get them back at night. I don't know why or...I'd help you get your original self back." Likely a cyborg.

...Although.

"...But not if you were just going to destroy this place." There were too many innocent people in here to do that. And even if Ritsuka hated it, he couldn't just...let someone blow it up or whatever else without thinking of that. He wanted to believe that this stranger wouldn't do such careless things, but he'd been jumpy so far tonight and Ritsuka couldn't be sure. "Anyway, my name's Ritsuka. Aoyagi Ritsuka. What's your name?"

[sixth_attack]

Glowering down at the shorter youth, Sechs would have felt jealous of the stranger's ability to return to his original self at night, but it was apparent to him that such a rare privilege had its limitations; Landel would not have allowed anyone to have any or enough powers to fight back against his institution, Sechs knew that for sure from some of the people he knew, like Kibitoshin's repressed Ki energy. It was likely that all the youth had from his original form was enhanced hearing and better balance with his tail, not a whole lot to brag about.

"Only one, huh?" Sechs mumbled, crossing his arms and allowing his torch to lower its light towards the ground. By the sounds of it, the stranger had likely lost a fellow patient he could relate to, maybe another kid with cat ears and a tail? The Replica's frown softened slightly, his face darkened by the shadow cast by his lowered flashlight. He knew full well what it was like to lose someone who had a similar background...

Yet Sechs' moment of gloomy empathy with the stranger was brief. "Oh c'mon!" Sechs retorted with an indignant pout. "Just 'cause I'd be no more than happy to destroy this damn place doesn't mean I'll kill all the innocents trapped here!" he growled. In the past before Sechs spent time with Zazie and saved Misha in the Z.O.T.T, he cared little for any casualties in his actions. But ever since he had ended up in the institute, things just weren't that simple anymore... "I may be a warrior but I got some standards! Sheesh!"

The Replica gave the cat boy a sidelong glance. Great, yet another long name to remember...

"Sechs," the former android simply answered, "And how 'bout I call ya Ritsu? I don't go by all the formal stuff in names, you see," he added gruffly.

"Anyways... You going to that medical wing for the military's concoctions too or something?" he asked, raising his flashlight as he turned to face the east end of the hallway, "Either way, I'm heading over there now and I'm not gonna slow down for anymore chit-chat!"

[forgot_it_all]

Ritsuka jumped slightly at the stranger's outburst. How did he figure out what Ritsuka'd been thinking?! Well...he supposed it was a natural jump from his insinuation to the stranger's conclusion, but it did put some things in perspective. The guy seemed violent and ready to blow this place up without a care, but he actually thought things through. That actually...raised Ritsuka's opinion of him. Maybe he wasn't just the usual warrior stereotype like he seemed to be with the weapons and the gruff attitude.

"Sorry, jeez..." Ritsuka looked away and felt his ears fall back. He felt bad about assuming things, but he kept doing it. It was hard not to, really. Even if he had so little experience to draw on, he had his ideas set on certain things, one of them being violence.

At least now he had a name for the guy. Sechs. Interesting. That was...a number, wasn't it? A number in a German if he remembered his reading correctly. Well, maybe his parents had an affinity for the language. Ritsuka himself had an odd name, too, so he couldn't say much on it. "And it's Ritsuka. Not Ritsu."

Ritsu reminded him of that guy...The one in the video game. "I was going that way, too. But not for the drugs." Well, not those drugs. Leaning down, Ritsuka picked up his backpack and slung it over one shoulder. Better to walk while talking since they were heading in the same direction anyway.

[to here]