Nightshift 35: M-C Block Hallway

[rectifies]

[From here.]For once, the hallway was dead silent, not a single soul in view. The rest of the patients in this block probably hadn't started on their nightly trips. Or at least, Ken hoped that explained the quiet

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[atoyboxworld]

[ From here]

A lone patient was in the hall when Near entered, leaving two possibilities for his wait: either this stranger was expecting to be joined, or he had yet to decide on his own course of action. Near would have suspected the former, simply because it seemed strange and nonsensical to him that someone would go into a place of danger before firmly deciding on an objective and a plan to carry out that objective. Regardless, the fact that he was waiting here, just outside of the halls that led to the individual rooms of this block was a strong indication that this man was a resident of this block. It simply seemed too awkwardly chosen of a meeting place to be otherwise.

And if he was a resident of this block, he could perhaps give Near some necessary confirmation. Keeping his flashlight low enough to avoid blinding the thinking man, Near made his approach obvious, because he had no skill in sneaking. An upfront approach would avoid unnecessary surprise that could spark a hasty attack, which was important, since Near did generally enjoy not being beaten.

"Could you tell me something?" Near pointed with his flashlight, not bothering to set down his pillowcase or offer his name before he asked for what he needed. "Are all of these patient rooms occupied?"

[manhattan_red]

The light wasn't high enough to blind him, but Brooklyn turned his head away anyway, squinting in the brightness. Then, when he turned back to face the young man who'd approached him fully, he had to blink a couple times to make sure there hadn't been any serious damage done to his eyes.

Apparently, not everyone had been as lucky as he had when it came to their clothing for the field trip. If he'd been in this boy's shoes, he would have changed back into his uniform first rather than wear such garish overalls. To each their own.

The question made the gargoyle blink. "All of them?" He turned to glance down the hall as though he could actually see which rooms were occupied from his current position. "I don't know... I'd guess not, since this is the last men's block, but I don't know for sure."

[atoyboxworld]

Near would have changed out of his overalls if he had remembered to. But the task of reminding him fell on people who were not there, and as such, Near remained in the garish outfit. Truthfully, he had forgotten about it entirely until the stranger stared at him in such a manner. Regardless, the matter of Near's outfit was minor and unimportant.

"That's a logical conclusion." The words weren't praise, however. They were truth, because Near had already come to that conclusion himself, and frustration for the same reason. There was still a chance that Brooklyn could be helpful, however, depending on what he had observed, and how long he had been standing there.

"Then tell me. Which of the halls have people left from, and which have people gone into?" Near had no desire to walk into an occupied room, after all. Hopefully he could use the information this man provided to prevent that from happening.

[manhattan_red]

"Uh..." There was a woman in the hallway with them now, and Brooklyn watched her closely. Just another patient. He lowered his voice all the same (wondering why afterwards, as he didn't know if Near was particularly trustworthy to begin with). "I haven't been in the hall long, but I saw someone go down the fourth hall." That would mean there were patients in all of them, but who knew if the last hall was full?

The more he watched Near, the more he realized there was something oddly familiar about him. The hair threw him off, but the mannerisms were much like those of the man he'd worked with the night before... "You don't have any... relatives here, do you?" he couldn't help but ask.

[atoyboxworld]

This stranger would have been quickly corrected if he spoken his assumption out loud; Near had asked about people going into the halls not only to see if they were occupied, but to see if the unoccupied rooms had been raided. Someone going into the far hall could mean either possibility. As it was, he offered no response to the other's observations, or lack thereof. Nor did he pay so much attention to the newcomer as the man did. He found it interesting that the other was so suspicious, however. A number of experiences could account for it, but which was true in this instance?

Of greater interest, however, was the not-at-all-subtle hint that Near reminded this man of someone. Of course there were a number from Near's world there, and that alone meant that he would not give an immediate answer. Of those from his world, Near was immediately certain that the stranger was referring to L. The elder had noted habits that were ingrained into the ones raised to follow him, in hopes that they would become capable enough to take the place of the detective one day. This was particularly true when it came to the way they questioned; in Near's case, he was blunt in a way that L also could be.

But the unanswered question was the alliance of the man before him. He could know of L and still work for Kira, after all. And while it was dangerous to make his status as L's heir known to Kira, it could be beneficial if the stranger worked for L, a step towards gaining an ally of his own. Near considered all of this quickly, and came up with the best line of questioning.

"None that I know of, but I haven't been here for very long." Both of these statements were true, and Near dropped the sack beside him, his hand now free to curl a clump of his hair. That was better, though not much. "Is there someone you were specifically thinking of when you asked that?"

Near was watching, though he didn't look at the man. He would miss no detail in the answer.

[manhattan_red]

If Near hadn't been there long, then it was still possible the other man was a relative and this boy simply didn't know he was already at the Institute. The way he spoke, his mannerisms, he posture... so much reminded him of the taller, dark-haired man from before. What was his name again?

"Ah, yeah." It was Japanese. He remembered that. Hidden... Hidan... Hideki. That was it. "He was a bit taller than you. Darker hair. Hideki something. Sorry, I can't remember his last name." He'd only heard it once, now that he thought back on it.

They had to at least know each other if they weren't related. The similarities were just too crazy otherwise. People like that just weren't typical last time he'd checked. "I helped him out last night."

[atoyboxworld]

So that was the name L was going by? The same name that he had used at the University when he directly confronted Kira. The name alone wasn't evidence enough to determine if this person was working for Kira, however. Yagami Light would have found out the name L was using and no doubt told his own subordinates to do the same. This was particularly true if he had already made the connection between Mello and L. Though L would likely take caution to prevent this from happening, Mello had said L was off in the Institute, leading Near to decide now that he couldn't safely assume Mello and L hadn't already been connected.

Of course, if this was the case Near had already made a mistake. The connection between himself and Mello was obvious enough simply based on their encounters. He would have to be more careful about this in the future.

"If that person is the same as the one I've heard of, then he's from my world. I've never met him, however. I'm also not Japanese." Near pulled his hair out, straightening the curl only to have it bounce back once the strands slipped off his finger. The truth was simple enough for the moment, and all that would be necessary to gain the answers he needed. "Are you waiting here for him? I'd be interested in meeting him myself, to see what makes you think we're related."

[manhattan_red]

"Was I..?" Brooklyn blinked. "Oh! No, I wasn't waiting for him. I wasn't waiting for anyone, actually..." The gargoyle was embarrassed all of sudden, and he rubbed at the back of his neck while smiling weakly. "Well, no. I guess you could say I was waiting for someone. It's a bit hard to explain..."

He stopped, looking the boy over for a moment. Now that he mentioned it... "Are you out on your own? It can get dangerous at night, you know."

[atoyboxworld]

Near found it curious that this person was suddenly embarrassed by the reason he was waiting, one that was made obvious enough by the contradictory words. He didn't find it at all hard to explain, to such a degree that he decided he would explain it to this stranger. "You're waiting on someone who needs someone. Not any specific person, but someone who could use your assistance. Is that correct?"

He didn't need the confirmation, of course. But he did find it a curious goal. How long had this patient been here, if he wasn't trying to seek escape like most of the rest?

Assuming, of course, that he was being honest. Near hadn't seen proof that would make him believe this person wasn't connected to Kira, through he was more prone to believe, based on what he had seen, that if Yagami Light was manipulating him, it was more likely through trickery. It still meant that Near would have to be careful as to the information he gave out, but such was the case with anyone he would come in contact with here.

"I am alone. I've also heard it can be quite dangerous." The situation, however, seemed to be a fortunate one for Near to have come across. A hero looking to be heroic indeed. "But I have things I wish to accomplish regardless."

Which meant that through coincidence, this man had been waiting on Near. Idly the teen wondered what Mello might make of this new development, but decided quickly that it would be best if Mello didn't know. He was having a difficult enough time putting the issue of their fictional standing to rest as it was, and such a convenient arrangement likely wouldn't help that effort. "My name is Nate. And you are?"

[manhattan_red]

"Brooklyn," the gargoyle answered automatically with a smile and held out his hand. Nate was indeed a normal, everyday American or English name. It was odd that he and the other man were so similar, then. Perhaps it was simply something having to do with their world. This made him even more curious despite himself.

It was somewhat disconcerting that Nate had pointed out exactly what he was doing with such ease, but he was fairly obvious about it, all things considered. And it looked as though he'd found someone who needed his help already. Odd how that worked out. There were far too many people running around without protection in these dangerous areas.

"You got it right in one," Brooklyn grinned. "What is it you were wanting to do? I can watch your back."

[atoyboxworld]

Near wasn't one for shaking hands, and thus he didn't, despite knowing exactly what Brooklyn's intentions were. He meant no harm by his refusal, just as he meant no harm in his habit of never looking directly at anyone unless it served a purpose. They were simply things he didn't do, and the twinge of discomfort he felt at the thought of them far outweighed any impressions he might have left on those he spoke to.

He curled the hair tighter around his finger for a moment instead. "A fondness for that particular area, then?" Brooklyn was an odd enough name, though he had heard stranger from time to time. There was little purpose to the question aside from idle curiosity, though the idea of keeping Brooklyn a bit baffled could be beneficial. It was harder to lie when a person was already confused, and easier for the one being lied to to catch the attempt. If he was working for Kira, there would be a slip. Near would simply have to see it.

"I need to go to some of the unoccupied rooms." Near had thought the question would make that obvious enough, but clarifying the act was simple, particularly since Brooklyn hadn't asked about the reason. "Since a person went into the far hall and has yet to return, we can assume that they are at the very least in one of those rooms. It would be best if we started with the next hall over. The exact goal will be clear shortly."

Near was reluctant to give up his secondary habit, already feeling the familiar urge to put something together in his fingers. The puzzle had been a brief distraction, but without long-lasting effects. "Would you carry that pillowcase for me? It's not at all heavy. Oh, and thank you for your help tonight."

Near could at least be that polite when he wanted.

[manhattan_red]

...Very, very much like Hideki. But at least the taller man had held his own pillowcase. Brooklyn wondered if this would be another night of stealing from the Institute (again, not that it bothered him, seeing who they were essentially stealing from).

He also couldn't help but wonder if he was helping the right people. They weren't the friendliest of patients, but they also didn't seem all that threatening. Then again, Brooklyn knew from experience that he wasn't always the best judge of character.

"Uh.. sure." The gargoyle took the pillowcase from the boy and moved ahead of him without another thought. He hadn't honestly paid attention to how many people were in his own block. He probably should have.

[to here]