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As they approached the top of the stairs, Alkaid took the natural exit, and turned to face the right. She'd already sorta been down what was there in the left corridor, but she wasn't sure where to go from here.
"...Hey, Badou? Speaking of sane... don't pay any attention to me if I talk about items and item screens and equipment. It'
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"I have a system," he said as he wrote on the back of the now-developed photograph:
LOOKING FOR LANDEL
"You've got to make yourself a way to know what's going on and who's who when you're like me," he continued. "Got to get what I need when I have the chance, whether it's a good time or not."
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"Guess everyone's got their own ways of organizing their life," said Utena with a nod, watching Leonard write on the developing photograph. "I know I could probably use a few pointers on that front. I keep notes as best I can here so that I don't lose track of what's going on here, but I never was the best note-taker or anything like that. It's been hard," she said, managing a soft laugh despite the cold lump of nervousness in the pit of her stomach.
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He had that feeling again, the sensation that they were being watched. The intercom's strange messages weren't helping the situation. He looked toward the intercom in the wall and back to Utena, his eyes widening as he thought he saw someone over her shoulder- someone he remembered without a photograph. She was gone in an instant.
What was... This isn't right. She's gone. You know she's gone. Not even a Hell like this could bring her back. He closed his eyes for a moment.
"You can't function without a system like this," he said. "The system works, and that's the only reason I can handle it."
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Before she could make out any of the actual words in the tattoos, however, Leonard seemed to tense slightly, his eyes widened for a moment. Utena tensed as well, shooting a look over her shoulder. Thankfully, there was nothing there. Had Leonard seen another phantom door? The look on his face seemed a bit too strong for that. Then again, if he couldn't remember seeing the first phantom door, she guessed that it would definitely be a surprise to see one again for the first time. This is going to get confusing, she thought with a mental sigh.
"I can't imagine what that must be like. And I thought I had problems." Granted, Utena did have some pretty big problems that most people couldn't claim, among them being a best friend that was practically enslaved, regular challenges to sword duels, and upside-down castles in the sky. Still, losing the ability to make new memories? Somehow that shook Utena up more than most of what she had experienced at Ohtori, save maybe Himemiya's situation. She couldn't fathom being without some of the memories she had made throughout her life. It even disturbed her a little that so many important memories from her childhood had faded as much as they had. She wondered: what would she have done if she had somehow forgotten her prince entirely before this point?
Utena quickly shook off that thought, not wanting to dwell on it. "Well, recap just in case, then: we're trying to find a way to the third floor. No one's been up there before, and that's where I think Landel's hiding," she re-explained quickly, gesturing for Leonard to start following her toward the Chapel. "We probably don't have a lot of time to look around. Night can end any time, so we should hurry."
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He followed Utena with a fast pace, taking note of the doors they were passing as he returned his journal to his pocket. He could hear a myriad of noises around them- fighting from down the hall, whispers and screaming in the shadows. His grip tightened on the grilling instrument in his hand.
As they walked, he could swear he could see her out of the corner of his eye. He compelled himself not to look. She's not there. It's a trick. You're not gullible.
"Are you seeing things?" he asked for reassurance.
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She shook her head as they neared the Chapel. "Just the same sort of stuff as before. Doors and other bits of the walls that shouldn't be there," she answered, passing through the doorway.
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