Day 43: Library (4th Shift)

[quickdrawbkiddo]

Beatrix glanced briefly at the bulletin board before she headed into the library. It wasn't as if she had any interests in the book, but there was something about browsing book shelves that gave a person time to think while reducing the odds that someone would bother her

Comments

[its_the_mileage]

Extra lives? What the hell? Indy wasn't sure if that was a lousy joke or some sort of spiritual belief he'd never run across, or if this Pilgrim was just off his rocker. Either way, clearly it was time somebody had a talk with the guy.

"Err, listen, Mr. Pilgrim," Indy said seriously. "I don't know what you've heard from the people responding on the board, but chances are most of it was pretty accurate." Actually, he was still convinced that a fair amount of it was complete hokum, but whatever Pilgrim had heard about Landel's lab rats was probably good to keep in mind. "Even if you can fight, you'll be a lot better off traveling with someone who can watch your back."

Privately, Indy had to wonder when he'd signed himself up for the position of unofficial tour guide around here. This wasn't the first time he'd given a new patient some friendly advice that would almost certainly be disregarded the minute the doors unlocked that night. Hopefully Pilgrim would see enough to convince him to take it before he got himself killed. "Someone probably mentioned the 'monsters' to you," he added, in case that helped. "I'd take the bedtime stories with a grain of salt, but there are dangerous creatures loose in the building and the surrounding area at night. You'll want to be armed."

[vsyourface]

Scott listened to Indy caution him, and it was a miracle that he did not just interrupt the man at some point with a well-placed "C'mon, I'm Scott Pilgrim!" He had main character status (as far as he knew), and as such was pretty confident that he would be much harder to kill than anyone else around. He somehow managed to keep his mouth shut out of sheer respect for the man with the whip. Figurative whip. Whatever.

"Cool beans. Any tips on where to find good weapons, in that case?" Scott asked, leaning forward with interest and not seeming fazed by the mention of monsters. He already knew about the monsters, and though he worried about running out of health with no save points around, he was still confident that he could take whatever night could dish out for him. "And when you say that I need someone to watch my back, does that mean you're offering? Because that would be pretty awesome of you if you are. Are you?" How many people could say they'd gone adventuring with Indiana Jones? Even if this was a game, the feel of what he was doing seemed realistic enough that he'd be able to brag about the experience to Wallace or Stills or someone regardless.

[its_the_mileage]

Part of him was tempted to let the man take his chances. Indy had better things to do than run a babysitting service here, and while he could certainly empathize with a little healthy skepticism, outright hubris wasn't a terribly endearing quality. Assuming another disaster like last night didn't happen, Pilgrim could probably barge around on his own for a few nights without getting cornered by King Kong or those damned bugs or whatever else was loose in this building.

On the other hand, Pilgrim struck Indy as an okay guy despite his naivete. Indy wasn't getting any of the twinges of uneasiness he'd felt about Dent here. Whatever he decided to do that night (better talk to Pierson and see what he'd come up with, if anything), maybe he could stand to let Pilgrim tag along. A good fighter would be an asset, assuming he wasn't just blowing smoke. Big assumption.

"Second floor. Where depends on what you use," Indy explained patiently, leaning back and crossing his arms again. "There are some small knives in the labs at the far west wing; the other side has a couple of closets with metal pipes and other supplies." He managed to stifle the impending sigh before it got out and added, "And yeah, you can come with me tonight if you want to get a feel for the place. If you're willing to stick close and do what I tell you. Run around without thinking and you could land us both in real trouble." Better cover all his bases now, Indy decided. He didn't need another leadership crisis on his hands.

[vsyourface]

Scott nodded as he listened to the advice on finding weapons. Knives weren't really his style. Heck, weapons in general weren't really his style (although he did still have that longsword proficiency on hand for when it was needed). If he was going to have to use a weapon, though, metal pipes didn't seem like a bad choice.

When he tried to visualize where the "far west wing" of the institute might be, however, Scott ran into a problem he hadn't thought about before: he needed to get a map. Obviously, this wasn't the sort of game with an automatic mini-map or an overhead map that could be brought up at will; that meant that he was going to have to find one and put it in his inventory himself. He had seen maps posted on the bulletin board, but they had notes saying "Do not remove" on them, which probably meant that if he tried to take them, he either wouldn't be able to or the game would punish him somehow. Maybe he was meant to copy them down? That seemed to ask a bit much of the players; what were gamers who couldn't draw that well supposed to do if they couldn't make a good copy? Then again, the game was already asking a lot by not having any do-overs, so that fit with the difficulty level.

Scott thought so long about the map that it took him a few extra moments to actually answer his legendary tablemate. He knew that if Wallace had been there, he probably would have been smacked (possibly on the ass) for obsessing over little details like that. "Oh, yeah, sure! I'm up for doing whatever you want! You're the expert, after all!" he said, making a fist and grinning infectiously. He was referring to Indiana's expertise as an adventurer, but the statement could also be taken to mean that Indiana was the more experienced patient. "And I swear I won't slow you down or anything. I know how to handle myself. I've taken down a psychic vegan with my bare head before, you know." Scott conveniently neglected to mention the fact that this had been after the deus ex machinas Vegan Police had stripped said psychic vegan of his powers, but figured the omission didn't take too much away from his point.

[its_the_mileage]

"Vegan"? There was another term Indy had never heard before. If that trend kept up the way it'd been going today, he was going to have to start keeping a list. A "vegan" was evidently supposed to be something impressive to have taken down with your bare...head?--a dangerous person or some kind of wild animal, Indy theorized. He dismissed the "psychic" part as too ridiculous to merit further thought. How did screwballs like this always seem to find him?

"Good," he replied, although he wasn't sure he bought a word of Pilgrim's cheerful agreement. "Do you know your room number yet? I've got to make a quick stop at the beginning of the night, but I should be able to meet you early on." If nothing else, Pilgrim could carry the torch--which Indy was starting to regret having agreed to pick up. If he got any suggestion from the nurse that Dad might still be here, they'd have to go find him. That would probably mean trying to figure out a way into either the locked-down wing on the east side of the first floor, or the third floor.

Which people had probably been trying to find ways into for weeks. Which were also probably the most dangerous places in the whole compound. Too bad things were never as simple as X marking the spot.

[vsyourface]

Scott rubbed his chin. Had he asked what his room number was? If he had, he couldn't remember what it was. "Uh, sure, I know exactly what it is! Hang on a sec," he said, standing up for a moment and signalling a nurse over to him. He quickly asked what his room number was, nodded when he got an answer, then let the woman go on her way. He sat back down. "There, M107! Told you I knew what it was! When did you ever doubt me?" he said with a smile and a joking laugh. Somewhere, Kim Pine was facepalming.

"Anyway, you want to meet me there, or should I come find you somewhere after your stop?" he asked

[its_the_mileage]

Indy was having a whole lot of doubts right now, not the least of which was whether Pilgrim should really be venturing out of his room at all. Too late now.

"I'll meet you right outside your room as soon as I can," he answered, trying to be as clear and specific as possible. "If you want to leave already armed, you can try to get the hanging rod out of your closet. It might hold you until you can find something better." He thought about mentioning a flashlight, but they'd have the torch. What the hell did you do with a torch in a place like this, Indy groused to himself. And where did whoever that was on the bulletin board get one to begin with?

Well, he could cross that bridge when he came to it. The important thing right now was to make sure he and Pilgrim were clear, which it sounded like they were. "Anything else you need to know before tonight?" Indy asked, just in case.

[vsyourface]

Not picking up on Indy's dread, Scott simply shook his head and kept grinning. "Nope, I gotcha. I'll hang around until you get there. And thanks for the closet tip!" he answered, bright-eyed and clearly determined to do well on his first level night. With that plan settled, Scott stood up and started to leave. "Later, Indy! Don't make me wait too long!" he said, waving over his shoulder as he went.