Nightshift 25: 2nd floor hallway near staff research/medical reference library

[itneverwas]

[From here]

If a being that lacked his heart could somehow have a heart attack, Xemnas would certainly have one as soon as the radio broke the deafening silence. As the man blurted his message, the Nobody found himself torn between listening to said message or trying to silence it. It would seem he had no choice in the matter, even despite the

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[seizethesun]

[ from here ]

She wasn't prepared to sigh of relief just yet. Frozen, she cast a fretful glance right and left. Neither way seemed welcoming. Oh, she knew this was a bad idea right from the start...

[floraltempest]

[From here]

MOMO paused a few steps from the top, biting her lower lip gently. Although she had been excited at first, the second floor was new territory; there was no telling what could be lurking around. Then again, nowhere was really safe at night, and she had wanted to do something... Turning back now would be kind of pointless.

So, taking a deep breath, the realian hurried up the last few stairs-- and nearly ran straight into another girl. Though she was able to stop herself before physically colliding with the girl, she let out a short 'eep!' and also managed to drop her flashlight.

"Ah, I-I'm sorry," MOMO quickly apologized as she retrieved her flashlight once more. "Are you okay?"

[seizethesun]

Fuu positively wailed when the young girl dropped her flashlight, emitting a clumsy sort of scream and assuming the crouching-on-the-floor-with-arms-over-face position. She blinked when a timid voice rang out from the darkness, realising belatedly she'd thrown the torch somewhere while in the midst of panic.

The girl straightened awkwardly, almost falling again once she'd found footing. "I- I, uh... I'm..." She could never manage a straight sentence when she was nervous. "Sorry!" She bowed deeply, completely unaware the stranger probably couldn't see through the blackness to see said gesture of apology. "I'm alright. I'm just glad you're a patient... My name's Fuu! What's yours?" It seemed so random, yet this was how she always greeted new people! Never mind the risky conditions the pair of them were caught under.

[reanalyze]

And still nothing but meandering patients and darkened hallways. Or rather, a staircase. And, if Citan's eyes weren't deceiving him, a pair of young women. He swept his flashlight along the stairs, so as not to blind but to still get a better look.

"Is everything alright?" he called up, hoping not to startle. But really, two women on their own in a place like this? The good doctor would never let that pass without note!

[floraltempest]

MOMO jumped slightly, startled, and retreated a couple steps at the other girls reaction. It seemed nightshift could put anyone on edge, so she probably should've expected something like that, but still!

"Oh, i-it's okay. I didn't mean to startle you." She relaxed again, and even managed a small smile. "My name's MOMO. It's nice to meet you, Fuu!"

It was about that time that another voice came though the darkness, though MOMO managed to keep herself from jumping. "Um... I think so," the realian replied. "Who are you?"

[seizethesun]

"Haah!" Was her acknowledgment of the stranger's appearance, pointing a shaky finger at what little she could discern. "Is that...?" She scrambled to where her flashlight had gone, scooping it up and shining it in the man's face. "Jin?!" Effort was revealed on her features as she pushed away a feeling of elation, noting how the glasses were round-rimmed; that and the fact her bodyguard's specs were allegedly lost through his first Kariya encounter.

But wow, he sure did look a lot like him! Well, not really... at first glance, though!

"Ah, I mean, I'm sorry! I thought you were... never mind." Fuu gradually lowered the beam, considerably pink.

[reanalyze]

"Ah, that's a very bright light!" Citan said, raising his hand and trying to sheild his eyes from the glare. Ah, she thought he was someone else. Interesting.

"And it's quite alright, I've been the case of mistaken identity before. I'm sorry I'm not your friend. My name is Citan Uzuki, I'm a doctor. I didn't mean to startle you, either of you, I only wanted to make sure you were alright. I thought I heard a scream, and this place is full of dangerous beasts at night."

[floraltempest]

Jin? The name caused MOMO to brighten for a moment, but she immediately shook her head and forced that thought out of her head. There was no way the other girl could've known the same Jin she did... was there? No, no... And besides, Jin had...

Wait! Had the stranger said his name was Uzuki?!

MOMO immediately pointed her flashlight at the man, though she kept from shining it directly into his face. And, once she was able to get a clear look at him, the realian couldn't help but gape in surprise.

"J-Jin?" The resemblence was startling! And with a last name of Uzuki, well, it certainly was a remarkable coincidence, to say the least. "Oh, y-you said your name was... Citan Uzuki? S-sorry... You look just like someone I knew back home! You even have the same last name... A-anyway, my name's MOMO. It's, um... nice to meet you."

[seizethesun]

Staring wide-eyed at MOMO, she canted her head inquiringly. Could she have known the Jin she'd known? That'd take the cake as the weirdest coincidence ever. Now that she thought about it, she never did catch her bodyguard's surname, even after all that time they'd traveled together. It brought a darker flush of colour to her cheeks as the realisation hit her. Mugen probably hadn't identified with the idea of possessing a family name, so that wasn't much of a bother... but Jin was from a civilized background. Surely his parents would've left him a family name...

Whatever. Knowing someone's surname wasn't pertinent in proving you were friends, though it helped. How could she present a plausible query, one to classify this girl's Jin as hers?

"Pleased to meet you, doctor. And, uhm..." She turned to the new female acquaintance. "Your Jin, is he..." Pausing for a tick, she pressed on with her question of choice. "Is he a ronin?"

[reanalyze]

"What an interesting coincidence!" Citan beamed, but mentally he was running through Yui's relatives that he knew of. Not one of them named Jin, so he supposed it truly was a coincidence. Otherwise, he imagined things would be a bit awkward to say the least.

"I never knew Uzuki was a common name! One learns something new every day, as I can't say I know of any 'Jin's in the family tree. Oh, of course, here I am assuming you and I come from the same place. Ah..." He paused, listening to the conversation. "Oh my, have I been mistaken for two different people with the same name?"

Now that was a remarkable coincidence.

[floraltempest]

"Ronin?" MOMO canted her head slightly as she gave Fuu a curious look. It wasn't a word she readily recognized, but being an Observational Unit had its advantages.

"I... don't think so." She wasn't even aware that such people still existed-- unless her database had produced the wrong definition... "I know he used to run a bookstore, as strange as that sounds. And before that, he was... er..." Hadn't Shion mentioned something about him studying to become a doctor? Saying that would only end up making things more confusing, though... "...I think we're talking about two different Jin's."

Turning to Citan once more, the realian laughed slightly before putting on a bashful smile. "It, um... seems like it, sir." She was certain she'd laugh when looking back on this someday, but for the moment it seemed very... strange. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding."

[seizethesun]

The girl's lips curved a little. Any mention of a bookstore and she was off thinking about the perverted artist guy. Ha, she couldn't even remember his name! That went to show how much of a jerk he was in her books. She folded her arms, more as a way of shielding herself from unsuspected sources if they may arrive, and shook her head at MOMO.

"I guess. ... Creepy coincidence, huh?" She added, voicing silent thoughts. "I'm really sorry," she then addressed the doctor with a frown. "Must just be the dark, combined with how much we wanna see our Jins..."

There was a pause as she stared bashfully at the floor.

"We should keep moving. If we stay in one spot, something could catch up to us." Someone being the greater fear, in Fuu's case. "Are either of you familiar with this floor?"

[reanalyze]

"Oh, no need to apologize at all!" Citan held up a hand, smiling. "I'm sure it will make a very humorous anecdote in the daylight. And I know my wife would be quite amused! Though perhaps I should think about changing my name..." He winked and laughed, just a rather absent minded gentleman.

"I'm afraid I'm not, this is only my second night. My knowledge of the building's layout is limited to the places I visited last night, and I'm sorry to say we remained on the ground floor. Or what I assume is the ground floor, though I've been told it's foolish to assume anything here. Well, I suppose we'll become familiar with the upper floor tonight!"

Used to leading, Citan headed up the stairs, glancing back at the two girls. "I suppose I should ask if either of you are fighters?"

[floraltempest]

MOMO couldn't help but chuckle as Citan joked about changing his name. The situation still seemed more strange than funny, but it was a relief that one of them was able to make a joke out of it.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not, either," she said in response to Fuu's question. "This is my, um... fourth night here, but I've always stayed on the first level." Only four nights? She could've sworn it had been longer.

"Yes. Even though I wasn't made for combat, I know how to fight," MOMO replied to Citan next. Although, she had to admit, she didn't see why people always asked that. She had been lucky thus far, and hadn't yet run into any of the monsters that allegedly roamed the halls at night. "But I'm probably better at support, rather than actual fighting.."

[seizethesun]

Remaining solemn, Fuu nodded at Citan. So he must've awoken here yesterday, like her... And MOMO was proven to be a patient with a bit of experience in these matters. It was disappointing to learn of their lack of layout know-how, but there wasn't really anything she could do about that.

She didn't answer the doctor until MOMO had finished.

"The same kinda goes for me, too. I had to go around with a couple of bodyguards once, outside of here, I mean. Goes to show how hopeless I am in that respect," she muttered, though a smile was planted on her face as she said it. "Should we explore, then?"

[reanalyze]

"Well, I picked up a few things here and there, as far as fighting goes. And I've a bit of bodyguard experience myself. I think we'll be alright." Citan knew if they did get into a fight, it would be rather clear 'a few things' was an understatement.

Upstairs seemed to be rather... well, he was rather sure he could hear a good deal of commotion from deeper in the asylum.

"Yes, let's explore," he added, almost absently. "We'll go straight ahead."