Nightshift 40: Greenhouse Yard

[youlackmascara]

[from here]Itachi made it out to the yard without being accosted by any vengeance-obsessed brothers, so he could probably continue with his plans without further disruption. Additionally, there didn't seem to be any monsters or other obstacles in this area, either. With the exception of that minor occurrence, the night was proceeding entirely too

Comments

[thecamellia]

When one was used to the outdoors, simple moonlight--even the kind cast by a strange, foreign moon--could illuminate a lot, and that made the confrontation happening in the greenhouse yard that much more noticeable.

Tsubaki came to a halt by the door, registering the clash of metal on metal. Weapons. Two dark-haired figures with weapons this time, both seemingly focussed on their fight, if not acting with the same amount of aggression. What was happening? What this how it really was each night? She’d seen more fights in this one night than she had her whole stay. It was one thing to read about the sorts of attacks one could expect at night here, but another to witness the reality.

Strange surroundings, strange people, strange enemies… had Landel’s been a battleground where she knew its features and its members, she would’ve had a clearer direction to take, but it wasn’t and she didn’t. She didn’t know who they were, or why they were fighting, too, or if brainwashing was involved… But neither gave off the air of backing down, like the other two in the hallway she and Ophelia had passed through. That was the important part, what swayed a decision to get involved or not.

However incredible the circumstances, interfering in other’s battles without due reason could be disrespectful. Unnecessary.

She wanted to help the people she came across, but considering this was the second fight that might not even have anything to do with the hospital… Tsubaki looked the other way, turning her face away for a moment. Ophelia’s words sat wrong with her. She couldn’t call the woman callous, though. Pressing her lips together in a quick, hard line that vanished as quickly as it had come on, the girl looked back, a more pronounced firmness to her tone.

“All right, let’s do it.”

A boost probably wasn’t needed on her part, but it was on Ophelia’s, and so Tsubaki moved towards the wall without looking back, kneeling with her hands cupped in a makeshift step.

[shallweplay]

Ophelia was fairly confident that a boost wasn't needed hucherself, but she had been burned too many times during her time in the institute by underestimating the new limits on her abilities to risk another such incident. Better to lose a little bit of face by asking for help than losing a lot of face by falling flat on top it.

Thankfully, her assumption had been right, and the boost was barely necessary. As Tsubaki helped to push her up, Ophelia jumped and grabbed onto the top of the wall. She then pulled herself up with a surprising amount of satisfaction and reached out a hand for Tsubaki just in case she needed it.

[thecamellia]

Keeping her attention on the fight only so much as to ready herself to protect their position, Tsubaki linked her fingers tightly under Ophelia’s foot, lifting her as high as she needed. Although not quite as tall as Tsubaki herself, Ophelia was a full grown woman with muscle--managing her weight wouldn’t be an easy task for everyone. When Ophelia’s weight left Tsubaki entirely, though, she knew the woman had found the lip.

Then it was her turn.

Exposing herself even for a short time put her at risk, and Tsubaki was ready to climb the moment Ophelia had turned around. Foot and hand holds revealed themselves to her just like they had the last time she’d scaled the wall; she reached up with her right foot, found a position, then in the same movement jumped further up with her left, making it a simple thing to grab Ophelia’s hand and swing herself up with her momentum. “Thank you,“ she said automatically. Her boots made the task less difficult than slippers, that was for sure.

The wall was cold under her hands when she crouched, one knee drawn up under her. Before jumping down to the rocky ground on the other side, she took one last look at the greenhouse yard, then pitched herself forward to let the darkness swallow her.

[to here]