Nightshift 33: The Grand Ballroom

[blood_and_pocky]

[from here]Before they’d even reached the bottom of the stairs, Aidou heard the sound of trickling water. And once he stepped onto the black marble floor, it was oddly the first thing he focused on. Fountains… His gaze trailed them up, to the seemingly infinite expanse of ceiling

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[rappigs]

[from here]

It really was kind of cool, wasn't it? How the starched, creepy hallways of the rest of the Institute opened up to this. The room was still creepy as hell, but in a different way. Had this room been used years ago to hold grand galas? To Peony, the air, though there was more of it down here, seemed stagnant, as if any dancing that would be done here would be the chilling dance of death.

Peony spread his arms wide as he reached the bottom of the stairs, and immediately wished he hadn't. He grinned through the pain. "Welcome to the basement," he said, cheerfully as possible. "Let's get moving."

He'd be moving even faster if he actually saw what was down here...

[visualize]

Jade didn't bother holding back a loud sigh as Peony continued on his way without waiting for any kind of protest, following the blond down the stairs and took in the sights the new area had to offer with a slight smile.

"Really, Peony, I can hear your bones rattling from here," The colonel hummed as he took a step forward and adjusted his glasses, all the while holding tightly onto his new makeshift weapon. If the kitchen had been any indication of what was in store for them, then he simply couldn't risk getting caught in another surprise attack. His last arte had already drained a considerable amount of his energy, and he knew he had to conserve what was left in case of an emergency.

[razing_phoenix]

Guy had to admit he was surprised by how quickly the others were moving, figuring that taking a breather might have been a good idea after what they had just been through. Then again, he was the one who was probably the most injured, so he had to make sure he kept up with everyone else.

Haseo had mentioned water, though, which sounded like the perfect thing to alleviate the burning sensation that was spreading down his side. Though he was distracted by the pain when he reached the bottom of the stairs and was met by a grandiose ballroom.

He whistled under his breath, trying to squint and see how large the room really was. It looked like there were some light sources, and he was pretty sure they weren't alone, but right now the fountains were what he was mainly focused on.

He gravitated to one, dipping his makeshift bandages in them and then pressing the wet cloth against his side. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. That felt a lot better.

[multiweapon]

Proceeding with a couple of injured party members wasn't an idea Haseo was too thrilled about, but they knew their limitations better than he did.

While following the others into the main area, he spoke of the night before in case they didn't get filled in. "We tried those two doors over there yesterday. Neither one of them would budge." Two doors indicated on the ends of the ballroom were indicated with a point in their direction. Hopefully this time one of the doors would actually open now that they had an expert with them. Though now that he thought about it.. he wasn't sure what this person was supposed to be an expert on; Peony had just said he wanted to bring along an "expert".

They didn't exactly get much time to mess with the mysterious entrance night before, morning had come before they had much of a chance. The rogue strode up to one of the locked doors in order to get a better look at it; It just looked like.. a door. "So..." He looked back at the group. "Which one of you is supposed to be good at this sort of thing?"

[rappigs]

Doing his best to run after Haseo, Peony grinned back at Jade. "Oh, come on. Peony the Man isn't afraid of anything!" Which wasn't true at all. He was actually pretty shaken from the encounter with the monster not five minutes ago. So was his shoulder, which hurt somethin' fierce.

Haseo was already approaching the door they'd tried yesterday! The west one. Ah, now they could try it! Yessss. But where was Guy? He'd disappeared somewhere along the way. "Gailardia is, actually. He's a fontech expert and can figure out just about everything. Jade isn't good at anything," he explained to Haseo.

Peony looked around. "Gailaaardia!" Oh, there he was! Next to the fountain. Ah, what was he doing? Smiling, but Peony couldn't tell much else. "Come on! Fix the door for us, hurry!"

[visualize]

"Oh, I beg to differ. After all, there's work ethic, responsibility... not to mention good fashion and tact. Really, I can go on all night."

He watched as Guy walked away from the group to tend to his wounds, turning around and following Peony out of mere principle. Of course, Haseo's words didn't go unnoticed, taking the time to examine the aforementioned doors with the slightest bit of curiosity. His eyes traced over the ornate designs carved into the wood, though he couldn't help but take notice of his Majesty's 'well-chosen' words.

"And yet you drag me along on these adventures of yours anyway," Jade sighed yet again. "It's good to know that at least my company is favored."

[razing_phoenix]

Even though Guy was somewhat preoccupied, he made sure to listen to Haseo's explanation and watch as he headed over to the mysterious doors. That was what he was here for, after all. He knew that he was lagging behind, but he figured the others would understand