Nightshift 46: M11-M20 Hallway
Once again the doors had opened. Cloud believed most of what Yuffie had told him, but it was still unreal the way this place operated. They were clearly being tested, mocked, or both with the nightly routine, yet they didn't have many other options but to take the chances they were given
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He might have argued the point if Claude hadn't then reacted so strongly to the news about Sync. Guy couldn't blame him for that, especially if his friend had truly thought that the God-General was out of their hair. Having the rug pulled out from under him like that couldn't be easy, and Guy felt bad for not delivering the news a less blunt way.
As for Claude's question, Guy found it hard for him to answer. Just thinking back on that conversation got him irritated all over again. He wasn't as prone to outbursts as Claude, but that was because he let his anger simmer. It wasn't the healthiest way to deal with things, but it kept him out of trouble for the most part.
"Same old stuff. Insults mixed in with threats..." Guy needed to tell Claude about the curse slot, but he didn't exactly have the time to do so when they'd just reached M19. He lowered his voice on the off chance that Luke might be able to hear them from inside his room. "He mentioned that you almost killed him last night." Guy still didn't know the circumstances of that, but he was suspecting that it might be what Claude had mentioned wanting to discuss with him earlier.
There wasn't really time for them to continue a conversation like this, and yet Guy was polite enough to refrain from knocking on Luke's door for now.
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Of course, he couldn't really dwell on that considering what he'd just found out about Sync. So he was up to his same old tricks again, even after Claude had nearly killed him. He was just lucky that he'd been brainwashed into such a helpless child or else he really would have delivered that final blow.
Claude grit his teeth for a moment when Guy confirmed his suspicions that he'd told him what had happened -- or, at the very least, part of it. No doubt he twisted the story to make him look bad somehow. It was unlikely he recounted how he'd been a sobbing, sorry mess by the time Claude had finished with him. Just the thought alone of Sync trying to rub his failure to kill him in Guy's face made him stiffen with anger. As much as he felt like he ought to explain things, though, now wasn't the best time for it. They were next to Luke's room now, which meant Guy was probably anxious to get a move on.
"Yeah, I did," he simply answered once he trusted himself enough to speak. Suppressing a sigh, he glanced away a moment. "Things obviously didn't work out the way I'd hoped, though. Sorry about that."
Taking a deep breath, he glanced over his shoulder, checking to see whether Ashton had decided to poke his head out. Thankfully, he didn't see him, but they probably needed to go their separate ways here. "I guess Luke is waiting for you now," he said as he turned toward Guy again. "Take care of yourself, all right?"
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He was still worried that the curse slot might activate at any moment, but Guy was good at distracting himself from things like that. There was no point in spending all of his time wondering when it might happen, and so he focused on the matter at hand.
"You don't need to apologize," he said with a frown. "I'm flattered enough that you went that far for me." When it came down to it, Guy wasn't sure he wanted Claude to bloody his hands for his sake, though, and so he was glad that he hadn't landed the killing blow in the end. Whether it was truly due to altruism was up for debate, though. Guy suspected a bigger part of it was due to him wanting to take out Sync himself.
He heaved out a sigh and then nodded when Claude brought up Luke. He'd kept his friend waiting for long enough, and so he forced himself to cut things off with Claude despite his lingering curiosities. There would be another time.
"You too," he replied with a slightly forced smile. "Say hello to Ashton for me, even if he doesn't remember me," he finished. He hoped that Claude wouldn't have to go too far on his own to find his friend, but he kept that thought to himself.
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Still, even if Guy insisted he didn't need to apologize, he still regretted that he hadn't been able to listen to his better judgment and end things when he had the chance -- even if he didn't want to admit that he probably would have harbored guilt over murdering someone who, at least for a day, hadn't carried Sync's malicious intent at all. But did that matter when they were back to square one in trying to get rid of him?
Well, they'd have to figure things out later, he guessed. Claude just hoped it'd be awhile before he tried causing problems for anyone again, though Sync's recent attitude didn't inspire much confidence there.
"I will." Claude did his best to return Guy's smile. "And you give my regards to Luke. I'd like to meet him again sometime, you know."
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"I'm sure he'd loved that," he said in regards to Claude meeting Luke. They had gotten along well when they'd known each other before, and Guy got the feeling that Luke would be eager to get to know any friend that he had made here.
Giving Claude a final wave, Guy turned to face the door of his friend's room. He'd already delayed for far too long. It wasn't like him to be late, and he just hoped Luke wouldn't tease him about it.
[To here.]
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Now all Claude needed to worry about was finding Ashton's room. It was in this hallway, thankfully, so he didn't have to go far. Just as he was about to start counting room numbers, however, a gleam of light caught his eye, and he heard a familiar voice. His first instinct was to call out to Ashton, but he held back. It'd probably be better not to make too much noise, even if the patient hallways were generally safer than the rest of the institute.
Still, Ashton was here. Even after talking to him earlier, it was difficult to believe. Without even realizing it, Claude's face broke into a smile, and he hurried toward the light's source.
((To here.))
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