Nightshift 24: Stairway near Patients' Blocks

[tartaros_avatar]

[[From here]]

Recluse peered into the darkness above before starting up the stairs. The fight with that prisoner had relieved a lot of tension. He'd won, and quite decisively. But now wasn't the time to let that blind him.

After all, he had told a pawn of his years ago- "Don't gloat about your victories until you've won the war." Maybe he should

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[steel_maiden]

The vampire seemed intent on the stairwell obviously, but Integra wasn’t about to follow -especially a subordinate- blindly. It was true that she had seen only the first floor in her brief time here so far, but simply being escorted back and forth to the cafeteria and courtyard hardly meant she could be sure there were no other rooms that may be of interest to her. Planting her feet for the moment, she only spoke to her servant’s back as he remained hovering near the stairwell.

“So. You’ve seen all the rooms of this floor to already know that they hold nothing of value, vampire? I hardly believe that.”

As if Alucard would have even done anything but hunt fellow prisoners and roam like a stray dog in need of discipline in those nights he'd spent without her. Integral was sure he'd done no reconnaissance to help with forming a strategy of escape. In fact she was quite willing to wager he'd accomplished nothing but annoying any others he may have come across thus far.

Out the corner of her eyes Integra also noticed the girl’s brief hesitation as Momo lingered behind them. This made the knight focus her senses as well, but she heard nothing approaching from the way she was staring. For the time being Integra gave the girl the benefit of the doubt, believing that if Momo felt something of true consequence with that psychic energy of hers, she would speak up if it was threat to their group.

[madvampireking]

Alucard growled low in his throat, turning around to face her. The only reason why he didn't want to linger any longer on this floor, was because of the damned coppery smell. He wanted to make sure that he wouldn't be tempted to just run off, and, from memory, the file cabinets weren't here.

Who would keep files so close to the patients? It was like how Integral's office was on the top floor, and his room on the bottom. It wouldn't be that convenient. If it was the case, other patients wouldn't be this clueless.

"I've explored most of the first floor, Master. And I really don't think, that the files would be kept here," he replied, his tone laced with a resentful growl.

If she wasn't going to feed him, he was just going to be tempted to find his own sources of food. Alucard did give Momo a passing glance when she stayed put though. "What's the matter?"

[hajike_tobiume]

Momo nodded grimly to herself as her theory about Alucard was proved true. She supposed she could see the benefit in employing the powers of the enemy to further fight the enemy should one be able to control such a creature properly. yet, inevitably, such a creature would turn on you and then you had to deal with it knowing too much. It was a tactic for the more... ruthless of commanders.

She felt an ice cold shiver go up her spine when she thought about what could happen if one of the shinigami allied with the greater hollows. Thankfully, the vice-captain could only really think of one that would employ such tactics...

Given that Momo had no plan of her own and she had placed Integra as her temporary captain, the shinigami opted to stay quiet. This was a discussion between the knight and her vampire. The shinigami stayed alert for anything that may be coming their way, either from up the stairs or further on down the hall at their backs. She looked back down the hall behind her. She really wish she knew what it had been she picked up. Someone's reiatsu, to be sure, but she couldn't afford to try and sense it further.

The shinigami's attention was drawn back to the stairs as something giggled further up it. It was faint, but it carried lightly on the air as if it was part of it. Her dark eyes darted to the vampire as he spoke to her.

“I briefly felt the presence of someone's reiatsu back there that drew my attention. This place messes with my senses, so I can't yet fully identify it,” she replied. That was assuming she wasn't just imagining things. “If it does belong to who I suspect it might, best we watch our backs.”

She tilted her head up the stairs. “Though I'm more concerned about the being further up the stairs and the ones engaged with it.” The shinigami could hear some commotion and an acrid smell started to filter through the air - thankfully faint at the bottom where they were located.

[steel_maiden]

So her servant had still learned nothing from earlier, had he? Should she really be surprised that his memory was so poor? What was it about simple imprisonment that made him so goddamned ruffled?

Of course the knight wasn’t pleased in the least either to be present and in a predicament as this at the moment, but she didn’t believe herself behaving any differently because of it. While on the other hand, all the vampire was doing today was sulking and complaining in every choice she made. As if he had any room to talk back in both body language and words. All this could do was make her press her control down harder, and be even less accommodating to his needs.

Her expression never wavered though. Only the threatening glint in her narrowed eyes perhaps betraying the monotone of her voice. “I do believe that’s the third time you’ve growled at me today, monster.” Part of her was tempted to release him on his merry way, not even wishing to be in his presence if he would choose to act like a mix between a balking mule and a moody child unhappy for not getting their way.

How unfortunate that she and the girl would have no more appropriate weapons to accompany them. Simply placing him back on ‘ignore’ as she already knowing his thoughts on the matter, Integra glanced back to Momo after the girl had finished speaking. “You sense an enemy of yours then? And no, we aren’t going up the stairwell yet so whatever that may be will also have to wait. We will start on this floor.”

Alucard had shown her no reason to believe him when he insisted he already knew they would find nothing here. She’d see with her own eyes. Of course it was doubtful she would have ever proceeded the direction he’d wanted. Not after he’d made such a show of growling and speaking down to her. The git could glare into her back all night for what she cared, he wasn’t going to be catered to after repeated acts of disrespect.

[madvampireking]

He didn't keep a glare with his Master's bespectacled eyes though, submissively watching her feet. True, he had run wild during his first two days here, only to find that he missed the leash, along with the firm hand which guided it. Without her he would have no purpose. With her, she would tighten the collar until he got little to no breathing space.

He simply decided to glower at her feet, fangs slightly bared in displeasure as the silence grew thicker. It was shamefully hard to stop himself from stepping over the boundaries, had his stay changed him so? Alucard gave another, almost needful glance at the stares, then back at the knight.

Surely she knew that the smell of blood, was quite tantalizing to him especially, and she was just waiting for him, to admit that his will was too weak; to resist the impulse to feed.

Alucard bit his tongue, his expression set. He would prove her wrong.

"If you insist, Master."

[hajike_tobiume]

Momo nodded to Integra and turned back and continued deeper down the hallway, away from the stairs. Her natural urge was to check those stairs and make sure whatever that giggling thing was hadn't hurt anyone, but she hadn't heard any sound of pain from the stairwell and she had given the knight command.

Passing where they had originally come from, the shinigami moved down the hall.

((moving here.))