Nightshift 32: West Wing, Hall 2-A

[tyki_pon]

[From here]The sounds of battle didn't seem to follow them as Tyki slipped into the next hallway. That was at least one less bothersome problem to stand between him and his cigarettes (provided that he'd find any tonight, of course

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[quickdrawbkiddo]

[from here]

The Bride moved their trio quickly down to the end of the hallway, fingertips lightly brushing along the left-hand wall, counting the doorways they encountered along the way. When she reached the door at the end of the hallway that lead to the outdoor patio, the place where she received the injuries that were starting to really bother her, she stopped and knelt down.

"Alright, girls," she said in a low voice. "Just past this door is where the snake-bird was last night. Cover your flashlight with your hand, Mion, and turn it on. I need the light for a moment." The damn bandages were getting really itchy and she needed to adjust them before she had to possibly fight off that lightning serpent again.

"Relay me the plan I outlined earlier," she told both girls as she tugged at the bandages a moment before deciding she needed to tear the section of the gauze around her wrists off and proceeded to do so, using her teeth, while listening to the girls. It never occurred to her that they might be a bit grossed out by the small visible part of the electrical burns she was exposing.

[inb4crazy]

The whole hallway had felt... eerie, for some reason, but Mion couldn't quite place why it felt like that as she walked through it. Still, she was glad she was going to be out of it, even if it meant there would be a monster coming up in a moment. Mion nodded at Arlene's request, though just as she turned on the light, Arlene ripped off the bandages, and well... Mion was too taken aback by it to finish covering the light.

"H-Hey, that looks pretty bad!" Mion said, startled at the small exposure of injured skin - which she guessed there might have been more of. Her next question might have been kind of redundant, all things considered, but Mion wasn't really thinking much at that point. "Are you alright?"

[kaerutokoro]

So close... Ugh, she was beginning to feel far too nervous for her liking. Rena could only take comfort in the fact that it was dark, and neither Mion nor Arlene would notice her jittery self. They had enough on their plates as is.

Finally, they reached the door. The redhead was just about to reiterate the plan as instructed when Mion pointed out the injury. Instead, a wave of guilt passed over the younger girl while a look of concern fell upon her face. That really didn't look good...

"Y-Yes, Arlene-san, are you all right?" she added nervously.

[quickdrawbkiddo]

Such stupid questions. Beatrix looked up sharply at the girls, but then her expression softened a little. They were only teenagers and, even though Rena had been there the previous night, she hadn't seen the extent of her injuries. Rena was probably feeling really guilty as the burns were received because the ex-assassin had protected her from them. Better me than her, she thought to herself.

"It hurts, but I'm fine." She looked up at Mion, the illumination from the unshielded flashlight momentarily winking off of the slightly exposed metal plate in her head at the left temple. "I've had worse," she said with a quirk of her lips. "Remember?"

She went back to the bandages and got the last bit around her wrist torn off and she flexed her hands, rolling her wrists. It hurt, but at least now she had better freedom with her hands. "Focus girls, please - the plan."

[inb4crazy]

"A... Ah... Right," Mion couldn't help but look away for a moment at Arlene's plate, whether because it was because it reminded her of her own or the fact that a friend had gone through the same thing she had - though Mion had already accepted the fact that Arlene had had this happen to her a few days ago - Mion wasn't sure. Mion watched Arlene finish off her bandages, and then nodded, calming herself.

Now wasn't the time to get nervous or worried again - in a few minutes they'd be armed and ready to take down any monster - or person - that came up against them.

"The plan is for us to follow you through the patio, where you would have gone in already to check for monsters. When we're sure that it's safe, or at least that the path to the door is, I'll run ahead and kick the door open," Mion paused, glancing from Arlene to Rena, and then continued. "And after I have the door open, Rena and then you will follow me through it. ... Right?"

[kaerutokoro]

A glimmer from one side of Arlene's head caught Rena's eye, and for a long minute, she stared, wondering if what she'd seen matched up to reality. The girl finally decided it was a trick of light or paranoia and turned away. Goodness, she needed to calm down.

Come on, Rena. Get a grip, she chastised silently while offering an acknowledging nod to the woman.

As Mion outlined their plan, Rena listened carefully, making sure to reiterate the important points in her mind. Although her friend had more or less covered the parts, she couldn't help adding one particular bit:

"And I stay here until Mi-chan opens the door." As much as she hated to admit, the idea sounded pretty good to her nerves.

[quickdrawbkiddo]

"Exactly," Beatrix said, giving both girls a small smile. She'd caught Rena staring at her for a little while, but the girl didn't say anything, so the Bride decided she wouldn't question why the girl was giving her the look she was. There was a chance in the light Rena may have seen the metal in the older woman's head but this was not necessarily the time to talk about it. If it came up, it'd come up.

"Light off," she told Mion and then, after waiting for her eyes to adjust properly, she opened the door and moved outside.

[to here]