Nightshift 41: Outside the Institute - North

[windstwilight]

[from here]The wall came up quicker than she'd expected, and Senna was glad for that. She found the footholds quickly, and then paused on the top, willing to help any of the others if they needed help. She leaned a hand down loosely for anyone to take if they wanted, bracing her feet on the top. "Everybody cool

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[thereforeitis]

[from here.]

The landing was a little less than graceful, but Kino managed to do it without it hurting much. She didn't take the time to regard it, though, since there was someone else far worse off than she was who would most likely need some help on the way down.

Standing straight up on her feet again, Kino turned to face the wall again, waiting for the person she was now accompanying to do just that.

[hajike_tobiume]

Momo had pushed as much as she could with the leg that didn't feel numb to help propel herself over the wall and toward the ground on the other side away from the metal man. She went to grab the edge of the wall as she slid across it, but her fingers failed to find purchase. She threw her other hand up and managed to get a hold of a vine to slow her descent a little

"Aaah!"

The vine snapped, sending Momo ungracefully toward the ground. Landing was going to hurt.

[thereforeitis]

At least Kino was somewhat prepared for this; she wasn't expecting this to go completely smoothly.

She wasn't very big or immensely strong herself, but Kino rushed forward to try to catch her, and if not that be something to lessen the impact of the fall. If anything, it was better than hitting the harder ground.

[hajike_tobiume]

Thankfully, Momo was a tiny woman - a tiny, malnourished woman.

The shinigami hit the girl down on the ground, half caught by her and the other half hitting the ground with an 'oof'. It didn't hurt as much as she'd expected, the worst of it coming from her own sword's hilt partially smacking her in the back of her head when the end of the sheath hit the ground.

"Thanks," she said, righting herself into a more sitting position and wiping the torn part of her sleeve across her face in an attempt to get the blood off her face. "He won't pursue us."

Damn, her nose was still bleeding. Momo pinched her nose shut and closed her eyes as she waited for the dizziness to pass. She hated spiritual backlash. Hated it.

[thereforeitis]

"Ah--"

Well, at least it was something.

Kino sat down in front of the girl, cross-legged, watching her for a long minute. "If you need to," she began offering her. "We can find another way back inside to find you a more suitable place to rest."

[hajike_tobiume]

Opening her eyes, Momo was a little surprised to see the girl sitting in front of her. She found it a bit amusing that this young girl had chosen to step in and try to help her against such an odd opponent. Then again, the shinigami's own apparent age did not mesh with the reality of how long she had been in existence. Perhaps this girl was similar.

Under the moonlight Momo's deadened and scarred left eye was apparent, but she had long stopped trying to hide it. She shook her head a little, wincing at the spike from the headache.

"My intended destination is outside these walls," Momo replied, her voice muffled by her attempts to stop her nose from bleeding. "If you want to go back inside, I can take you around to another side where that patient on special counseling won't be." She paused. "Vice Captain Hinamori Momo."

[thereforeitis]

"I have no place in mind that I want to be at, myself," Kino admitted, but she didn't mind too much. At this point she was more or less just looking around anyway, and perhaps along the way she would find something useful. Or one of her belongings-- or Hermes.

If she didn't want to go back inside, however, then Kino would leave it at that. She didn't want to insist on anything.

"I am Kino," she offered with her name.

[hajike_tobiume]

"A pleasure, Kino-san," Momo replied, letting go of her nose and checking it. Good, the bleeding had stopped. "I wish it had been under other circumstances." Though, had Momo met Kino outside of this place it would have meant the girl was dead.

"You are welcome to join me tonight, but I must warn you for your own safety: I seem to have a habit of bringing death with me, and yet it never claims me," she stated. "But if necessary, I allow death ti finally take me before I let it take you."

[thereforeitis]

"Ah, there's no need to worry about it," Kino assured, and she couldn't help but wonder what exactly that meant. Well, whatever sort of life Momo had been involved in, she's obviously had more than just a few close encounters; unsurprisingly, it's a dangerous world out there. Despite the grim sounding warning, Kino gave her a soft smile. "I don't intend to die so soon."

[hajike_tobiume]

No one ever intends to...

Momo kept her thoughts to herself, but managed to return the smile Kino had given her. "Very well, then." The shinigami pulled herself to her feet and spend a few moments adjusting her cut and torn top so she was modestly covered and wasn't too worried about it falling indecent again.

Momo started heading east but then stopped and looked back at the wall. She could have sworn she'd just felt Hitsugaya's reiatsu flare. Unfortunately for the captain, Momo did not see his prone body given her impaired eyesight.

"So, Kino-san," Momo started as she returned to heading east, "how long have you been trapped here? That's usually the standard first question in this place. I've been here close to three weeks." That made her a veteran, which was really sad.

[thereforeitis]

"Yes; I've heard it often already in my short time here," Kino responded, but she sounded very nonchalant about it nonetheless. There were plenty of things that had been asked of her numerous times before, but that's because she came across so many strangers who had their curiosities piqued. She pushed herself back to her feet and dusted off her clothes. "This is my first time I have seen any of this. I woke earlier this day."

[hajike_tobiume]

"My condolences to finding yourself here," Momo replied. "I will assume someone has given you the 'Welcome to Hell' speech and spare you from my version." The shinigami glanced back. "Other than to point out that this isn't Hell; I've looked into the gates of Hell."

Taking her time to navigate the grounds, Momo continued. "Where I'm going tonight are the ruins of a town nearby that has been destroyed relatively recently by unnatural causes. It's a bit of a mystery."

She stumbled a little on a hidden dip as she passed through some brush. "If I start to bore you, let me know."

[thereforeitis]

She nodded. If almost all of the people she had talked to so far said nearly identical things, then perhaps this was something of a terrible place after all. But Kino had seen some of those before, and while this was ... a little unusual, so to speak, in comparison to the others, she more or less remained outwardly unfazed.

"It's all right, I don't think you could," Kino said, following behind Momo; she lifted her flashlight a bit higher so they both could see better in front of them. "Are you trying to investigate what happened to the town?"

[hajike_tobiume]

If Momo couldn't bore Kino, the girl had to have some of the most amazing patience the shinigami had ever encountered. The added light was welcomed and she shot a small smile of thanks back before refocusing on the rough terrain.

"Something like that," Momo replied. "I don;t know if you're from Earth or some other world or realm, but the image of the town does not mesh with some of the details. I believe if we can piece together the circumstances in which the town was when whatever disaster occurred, or at the very least figure out when it was destroyed, it may give us some insight into the institute itself."

[thereforeitis]

"Hm." Interesting. Contradictions was a way of life, so Kino wasn't entirely sure just how fruitful the girl's efforts would be in investigating them. Well, whether she thought it would be a successful attempt or not, Kino didn't voice her opinion and continued following. Whatever would happen, she wanted to see the results.

"Hopefully there's something helpful there." At the very least, she could sound a little encouraging.

[hajike_tobiume]

"Hopefully," Momo replied. "Though, to tell you the truth, I'm hoping it gives me a new direction. I've been trying the same thing, the same methods I am familiar or comfortable with, to find a way out with little results."

[to here]